## Chapter 200 – (12)
“Master, it’s today.”
“Not tomorrow?”
“The tournament is tomorrow, but…”
“Ah. They said they were coming.”
The day before the martial arts tournament, today was the day our martial arts school colleagues were arriving.
Only after hearing that did Master, Mo Yong-yeon, put down her throwing stars.
It was the moment my earnest words saw the light.
For the past few days, I had dedicated all my time to deflecting and dodging the throwing stars flying at me.
Thanks to that, my body was covered in small cuts.
It was a small comfort that the Sichuan Tang Clan’s medicine prevented any scars from forming.
If I had scars on top of everything else, I would really look intimidating.
Clang. Click.
The sound of her gathering the throwing stars gave me goosebumps.
Mo Yong-yeon handled throwing stars so skillfully that I wondered if she had trained at the Sichuan Tang Clan before.
Does a master of that level handle all weapons well?
I guess I can say that too, since I can handle most weapons thanks to my Weapon Mastery skill.
After finishing training, I was preparing to head to the Sichuan Tang Clan, where we had promised to meet.
Next to me, Mo Yong-yeon was watching me with her arms crossed.
“Then I’ll be back.”
“Wait.”
Mo Yong-yeon slowly stood next to me.
“I’m going with you.”
“Pardon? You too, Master?”
“Can’t I?”
“No, it’s fine.”
It wasn’t that I minded, but I didn’t expect her to want to come along.
Mo Yong-yeon was very shy and basically didn’t enjoy interacting with other people.
But maybe she wanted to see a colleague who was participating in the same tournament.
Thinking nothing bad would happen, I stepped out into the street with Mo Yong-yeon.
Perhaps because it was the day before the martial arts tournament, the streets were bustling with energy.
“Come and have a taste!”
“Leather shoes here!”
The whole street was filled with a pleasant tension.
On top of that, the proportion of martial artists on the street had increased, making it fun to watch the people passing by.
“You have no rivals, do you?”
“Haha…”
Ignoring my master’s doting words, I headed to the Sichuan Tang Clan.
Most sects were said to be on mountains, but the Sichuan Tang Clan was not.
As soon as we left the market, the entrance to the Sichuan Tang Clan came into view.
As a sect belonging to the Five Great Clans, it had a very large site, making it easy to spot at a glance.
The agreed meeting point was the street in front of the Tang Clan’s entrance, but judging from the situation, they were likely inside the Tang Clan.
There were too many onlookers on the street.
As we slowly walked towards the Tang Clan, two martial artists wearing the Tang Clan’s black uniform blocked our path.
“Stop!”
“Yes.”
“Your affiliated sect and name.”
Affiliated sect, huh.
It seemed they were asking because sects were participating in this martial arts tournament.
In my case, I would have to say martial arts school instead of sect.
“Seong Han of the In Martial Arts School.”
“In Martial Arts School…?”
“Why a martial arts school…”
“Haha…”
I let out a hollow laugh.
The role reversal was so absurd it was ridiculous.
The sects were the ones who had jumped into the martial arts schools’ tournament.
The martial arts schools, who were supposed to be the main players, were being forgotten.
But I learned one thing from this.
At least my martial arts school colleagues hadn’t arrived yet.
“Tsk.”
I heard a clicking of the tongue next to me, and when I turned my head, my master seemed a little displeased.
That wasn’t a good sign.
Just then, a shout was heard from afar.
“Hey! You guys! Do you know who that person is…!”
The sound came from inside the Sichuan Tang Clan.
When I glanced over, an old man was hurrying towards us with quick steps.
“That old man is…”
I remembered him.
He was the elder who had mediated the fight when I went to see Mo Yong-yeon’s brother at the Sichuan Tang Clan’s trading company.
Meeting him in a place like this made me feel a little reassured, and I smiled with delight.
The old man also waved his hand at me with a smile.
“Trading company elder… Do you know him?”
“Of course, this is the person who helped when those Mo Yong Clan guys came to the trading company and caused trouble. He looks young, so I wondered if he was participating in the martial arts tournament, and sure enough…”
“Ah… the person you mentioned…”
One of the men nodded in understanding at the old man’s explanation, but the other looked at us with a slightly questioning expression.
“But he said he attends the In Martial Arts School…”
“But how could he deal with the Mo Yong Clan disciples…”
“Pardon? You attend the In Martial Arts School…?”
“Ahaha…”
Even the old man seemed surprised by that fact, looking up at me with wide eyes.
I nodded awkwardly with a smile.
At the old man’s words, the two martial artists stepped aside, and we slowly entered the Sichuan Tang Clan.
The old man naturally stayed by our side, guiding us and explaining about the Sichuan Tang Clan.
“This is the training ground. The martial arts tournament will be held here.”
The training ground was not far from the entrance, and some martial artists were already training.
They were subtly keeping each other in check, displaying flashy martial arts, as if engaging in a subtle war of nerves.
“Wow… look at those martial arts.”
“There’s nothing to see.”
“Master, shush.”
Mo Yong-yeon spoke dismissively to the old man’s heartfelt admiration.
I told her to be quiet in case someone heard.
Of course, even to me, it seemed like flashy but not very substantial martial arts.
“This is the medical clinic.”
It was located right next to the training ground.
The fact that it was built with injuries from the tournament in mind felt a little eerie, but at the same time, I felt relieved.
“This is the smithy. All of the Tang Clan’s throwing stars and daggers are made here.”
I frowned at the word “throwing stars.”
All the trouble started here.
When I thought about how much I had suffered these past few days…
“Finally, this is the annex where all the sects participating in the martial arts tournament will be staying.”
“This is…”
“Big.”
I nodded at Mo Yong-yeon’s words.
It was a huge annex that looked almost five stories tall.
In modern terms, it wouldn’t feel like a very tall building, but in the martial arts world, buildings of this size and height were rare.
I wondered how they would provide a place for so many sects and clans to stay.
It seems I was worried for nothing.
“Does the Sichuan Tang Clan have a lot of money?”
“Haha, they’re the richest of the Five Great Clans. Everyone needs poison and medicine, don’t they?”
“…Even poison?”
“Of course!”
Medicine was one thing, but did everyone really need poison?
Even though he seemed ordinary, I was reminded once again that this old man was affiliated with the Sichuan Tang Clan.
The huge annex was made up of many floors, and the In Martial Arts School was assigned three rooms on the first floor.
There were rooms for men and women, and one common room, which was used for discussing the tournament or sharing meals.
For the record, these were the rooms used by the disciples, and the leaders of each sect and other high-ranking people stayed in special rooms inside the Sichuan Tang Clan.
Yes, the annex used only by the disciples was this big.
If the intention was to show off their wealth, they succeeded.
“Then I’ll be going…”
“Ah, thank you for the guidance.”
“It was nothing, haha…”
“…Is my brother alright?”
Mo Yong-yeon stopped the old man as he turned to leave.
The old man nodded, saying he had almost forgotten to mention it.
“If he rests for about a week, he’ll be able to live as before.”
“That’s a relief.”
After hearing the old man’s words, Mo Yong-yeon’s face finally relaxed.
After seeing the old man off, we entered the annex with light steps.
“…Let’s go in and wait for now.”
It was a decent place.
It wasn’t just big, it was definitely furnished.
At least among the many people from the sects who would be staying here, there wouldn’t be any complaints about the accommodation.
Still, it was a little disappointing compared to the accommodation we had been in until now.
After looking around briefly and sitting in the common room to wait, we slowly heard footsteps.
The door opened, and Instructor Cheol-ung entered, followed by Seol-yeong and Jeong-seon.
“Seong Han!”
“Seong Han.”
“Yeah.”
Everyone greeted me happily, calling my name as soon as they saw me.
Then, everyone’s gaze slowly shifted from me to the woman next to me, Mo Yong-yeon.
Everyone looked flustered.
“…Who is this?”
Jeong-seon asked cautiously.
There was no need to hesitate.
“My master.”
“Ah…”
“Hello…”
“Mm.”
It was an awkward greeting.
I thought she did well for a master.
In the first place, apart from my master, Jeong-seon, Seol-yeong, and Instructor Cheol-ung weren’t very sociable either.
“Well, I’ll go let them know we’ve arrived while you guys talk.”
In the meantime, Instructor Cheol-ung escaped from this awkward atmosphere.
It was a quick response.
Mo Yong-yeon’s gaze turned to Seol-yeong.
“White hair… from the Northern Sea…?”
“Yes, I’m from the Northern Sea Ice Palace.”
“And this one… hmm?”
And when she looked at Jeong-seon, she had a strange expression.
The gaze was sharp, naturally making Jeong-seon nervous.
“You’re a woman.”
“…Pardon?”
For the record, Jeong-seon was currently in his usual male appearance.
Jeong-seon had a blank expression because he had been found out so quickly, and I and Seol-yeong, who knew that Jeong-seon was a woman, were also a little surprised.
It was a disguise that even Instructor Cheol-ung hadn’t noticed.
Whether he hadn’t noticed or just didn’t care was a bit of a mystery.
“How did you know that…”
“You look like a woman?”
It was a simpler reason than I thought, but I understood.
To put it one way, Jeong-seon in male disguise looked similar to a gigolo, or just like a woman with a androgynous appearance.
And then my master crossed her arms and said in a small, warning tone.
“Women sleep together.”
“…He’s a man at the martial arts school.”
“Got it?”
“…Yes.”
Jeong-seon would probably stay in the men’s room, but sleep in the women’s room.
