I Was Mistaken for a Coincidence Chapter 31

Chapter 31 – The Dagger in The Bag (2)

Mu-myung was not a man easily swayed, but he had no choice but to agree with the opinion that they should relocate their base. They had caused far too much commotion.

Starting with the Murong family and extending to the Black Death Squad of the Black Martial Sect. It was as if they had provoked both the righteous and evil sects. And this was despite not knowing which hidden Evil sect member was behind it!

In contrast, there was a high possibility that the opponent had already discerned Mu-myung’s location to some extent. In other words, they could be attacked by Evil sect masters in the middle of night.

‘I don’t like the idea of fleeing from an enemy… But pride doesn’t put food on the table.’

Moreover, Mu-myung wasn’t alone anymore. As such, he had no choice but to follow Muwol’s advice and relocate their base. To near the Righteous sect’s Sunmoo Academy in Hanam.

‘Even the head of the Murong family was at least a supreme master. How could I, who am merely at the peak realm, handle the experts of the Evil sect?’

That was the decisive reason why Mu-myung embarked on a journey with the children. He didn’t expect to make his debut in the martial world like this, but still, being at the Master level wasn’t bad.

The original plan was to enroll Sua and Seolhwa as students at the Sunmoo Academy. However, it had to be abandoned due to the children’s fierce opposition. Especially Sua, who strongly objected.

“There is nothing to learn from the hypocrisy of the righteous sects, Master.” 

“Aren’t you also part of the righteous sect?”

 “I will only follow the path my Master takes; I don’t care about affiliations.”

 “I like Master too! I don’t like anywhere else!”

Their determination to follow their master was so admirable and resolute that even Mu-myung, as their master, couldn’t break their will. But of course, there was a good reason for that.

‘I only want to learn from Master. I have no time to waste elsewhere.’

 ‘I like Master the most. I don’t need anyone else!’

Sua had already received education from the Murong family, one of the Five Great Families, since her childhood. Although the process wasn’t normal, she had directly experienced the essence of the Murong family. She judged that what was most helpful to her now was her master’s teachings. Honestly, she had heard about the Sunmoo Academy before, but.

Even taking that into account, she didn’t think it would be better than her master’s teachings. Moreover, Sua took pride in her position as Mu-myung’s first  and senior disciple.

Even though her master’s appearance was shabby. It couldn’t be denied that he was a martial artist who had reached the pinnacle of skill, and whether people liked it or not, many would eventually follow him.

‘I don’t want to lose even this small pride of being the first to follow Master.’

Since they had come this far, they decided to look around the vicinity of the Sunmoo Academy while also taking care of their meals. However, the security at the Sunmoo Academy was extremely strict.

They even demanded proof of identity just to enter the city where the academy was located, not even the academy itself. This caught them slightly off guard.

Fortunately, thanks to the letter of recommendation from Muwol, they were able to avoid the awkward situation. Though it was strange to see the expression of the martial artist guarding the city gate turn pale.

Mu-myung didn’t think too deeply about it and just went along. By the time they arrived at Hanam city with the help of the Geumhyeon Escort Agency, the sun had already completely set.

“Then I shall take my leave! If you ever need help, please visit the Geumhyeon Escort Agency anytime!”

 “Thank you for your hard work. Let’s meet again if we can.”

 “It’s an honor, great warrior!”

After seeing off the head of the Geumhyeon Escort Agency, Mu-myung led his disciples into Hanam. Hanam was a thriving place after the Sunmoo Academy was established under the protection of the Righteous Martial Sect.

Indeed, it was a city of enormous scale befitting its alternate name, the true Central Plains. As a result, Mu-myung had to wander among inns to find a place to stay before sightseeing.

However, contrary to expectations, finding accommodation wasn’t easy. There were quite a few inns, but as soon as they entered, the innkeepers expressed reluctance and refused them.

“I’m sorry, there’s no room at the inn…”

 “All the rooms are occupied. I apologize.”

“If, if you don’t mind, could you please use another inn?”

 “…”

At first, he thought it might be coincidental, but after being turned away from three inns in a row, he couldn’t help but notice something was off. However, he couldn’t guess the reason.

“It doesn’t seem to be because of our clothing. Perhaps they’ve received some kind of warning about us.”

 “No, Master, you’ve done nothing wrong!”

 “That’s right, I like you Master just the way you are!” 

“In the first place, it’s absurd to expect excellent treatment from those who treat people differently based solely on appearances, Master.”

 “I appreciate your concern for your master, but there seems to be a different reason this time.”

If they were really refusing them because of their clothing or appearance, they would have shown fitting behaviors. However, none of the inns they had visited so far had turned them away at the door.

Rather, they tried to guide them to other places as politely as possible. The last one even showed signs of fear. Perhaps there was something else behind it.

“Oh my… Even now as the night deepens, do you not have a place to rest your weary body?” 

“…?”

At the sound of an elegant woman’s voice, Mu-myung reflexively turned his head. There stood a beautiful woman in splendid attire, with her hair fastened with a hairpin at the back, and her face adorned with white powder.

“Although Hanam’s hospitality towards travelers has not been too kind, recently people have been anxious due to ominous rumors. Please, I beg you, great swordsman, to understand with a generous heart.” 

“I’m not petty enough to hold such trivial matters to heart. But what concerns me more is your sudden appearance like a lie when needed.”

 “How could this humble courtesan plot evil schemes against a great swordsman? I am but a lowly courtesan who wishes to serve the great warrior directly.” 

Oh, what is this? It’s super suspicious.

Although there was an overtly friendly sentiment, for some reason I couldn’t help but be wary. And it seemed Sua and Seolhwa felt the same way, as they directly blocked my path.

“It seems the cute disciples are wary of me.” 

“Is there a reason not to be?”

 “That’s right, pretty women are off-limits.”

 “…Seolhwa. Here, leave it to me, the senior disciple.”

Seeing Seolhwa openly expressing her inner thoughts without hiding them, Sua suppressed a sigh and pushed Seolhwa back. The woman smiled and responded to this sight.

“I apologize for my late introduction, so I understand your wariness. May I humbly offer a word of greeting to the great warrior and the young ladies?”

 “Do as you wish.”

As Mu-myung reluctantly gave permission, starting to get a headache from the grand introduction, the woman maintained her smile and bowed her head in an old-fashioned manner. Her appearance was no different from a flower.

“I am Yang Mi-yeon, the humble mistress managing the Cheongok Pavilion.”

◇

Hanam was a representative city of the Central Plains under the protection of the Righteous Martial Sect, home to numerous trading companies and street stalls in addition to the Sunmoo Academy. Of course, the academy was at its center.

That doesn’t mean there were no pleasure houses. Although they were under stricter management compared to other places, they did exist, and among them, the Cheongok Pavilion could be considered the pinnacle in Hanam.

And the mistress of the pleasure house, Yang Mi-yeon, had a talent for greatly increasing her money and influence through the numerous pieces of information flowing through the city. Thanks to this, despite being just slightly under twenty years old.

She was able to stand tall as the new mistress of the Cheongok Pavilion. It was perhaps natural that news of the ‘special’ incident at the city gate reached her ears.

“An old man with a letter of recommendation sealed with Muwol’s emblem?”

 “Yes, but his aura was extraordinary… He seemed like a martial artist who had easily surpassed the first-class level.”

 “If you, who has reached the second-class realm, say so, there’s no reason to doubt it.”

It was certainly an unusual event. After all, Ryeonju Muwol of the Dark Lotus Sect had not recommended anyone else for decades. But at that moment, a thought crossed her mind.

“Did you happen to ask for his name?”

 “That’s actually why I checked the letter of recommendation. It was suspicious that he called himself Mu-myung, so I asked for something to prove his identity…”

‘If he calls himself Mu-myung, isn’t that the name of the legendary Sword Demon of the evil sect!!’

Although he was a martial artist who had disappeared even before she was born, Yang Mi-yeon couldn’t possibly not know the name of the master that was still spoken of not only in the evil sect but even in the righteous sect.

‘Of course, the possibility of him being the real Sword Demon is slim. After all, the prevailing view is that he died for some reason thirty years ago. But a recommendation letter written by  Muwol for the first time in her life…?’

Judging that this was sufficient grounds for direct confirmation, Mistress Yang Mi-yeon set out to find Mu-myung, accompanied by martial artists. And the moment she faced Mu-myung, she was immediately convinced.

Unkempt rough beard and white hair, plus a scar that seemed to split his face and deep wrinkles. On the surface, he looked like nothing more than an unremarkable old man.

But just his presence alone created a mountain-like aura that seemed to press down on one’s shoulders. Without a doubt, such an aura was one that only the leader of the Righteous Martial Sect could possess.

‘It’s definitely the Sword Demon who was reportedly dead thirty years ago!’

An aura matching the Sect leader’s, an appearance that looked easily over sixty, with the situation being what it was. Even Yang Mi-yeon, who controlled Hanam at her fingertips, couldn’t help but be mistaken.