The Jeongpa Gathering had concluded.

While I wasn’t exactly eager to know the details, I needed to be informed. The outcomes could disrupt my future plans, and considering how big of a deal that would be, I needed to remember the information.

I asked Cheol Jiseon about what had happened while I was asleep.

“What went down?”
“…Well…”

Cheol Jiseon hesitated, but then he began to explain.

The leader started by addressing the attack incident.

-How did things come to this?

From the beginning to the end,

-What exactly did the Martial Alliance do about it?

And the aftermath,

-How do we proceed from here?

The Martial Alliance faced accusations of incompetence. Families of the victims, sects, and even sponsoring merchant groups were affected by the damage to their reputation. The Martial Alliance had to provide clear answers, or else...

‘…It would face severe consequences, if not complete disbandment.’

Dissolving the Alliance would create problems for the cities under its protection. Without the Alliance’s branch, local families or sects would have to take over, but the costs and manpower needed for that are no small matter.

Everyone understood this, so no one was willing to hastily make a move.

In conclusion, the Martial Alliance decided to put Shinryong Academy on hiatus.

After the current class graduates, the academy would close temporarily. Due to the incident, it wasn’t feasible to continue the academy, and clans with their bloodlines invested there wouldn’t want it to continue either.

They had decided on a hiatus rather than closure.

‘Not a complete shutdown?’

I had expected the academy to be shut down permanently due to the incident, but they opted for a temporary closure instead. Why?

‘It’s probably due to their damned pride.’

The prestige associated with Shinryong Academy is significant. In a world where martial artists are seen as warriors, the name Shinryong carries a lot of weight. Connections formed there often help one’s bloodline rise to higher positions later on.

Essentially, they postponed the closure to protect their own interests.

‘It leaves a bitter taste, but…so be it.’

In any case, the academy was on hiatus, a development that hadn’t happened in my previous life.

‘Not that the attack happened back then, anyway.’

It’s hard to tell where the divergence began, but all I could do was nod along. There was no end to it if I kept dwelling on the details; I had to adapt to the changes.

Next up was the punishment for the person responsible for the attack.

The Martial Alliance officially announced that the attacker was the Black Dragon Sword (흑룡검).

The crowd murmured.

It was understandable. The Black Dragon Sword was a dark sect martial artist supposedly killed by the Sword Saint, now regarded as the current Sword Master, decades ago. According to records, he was beheaded.

And now they claimed he was alive?

The fact that someone of his infamy was not only alive but also wielding his sword against the orthodox sects again after all these years was a shock.

The Alliance, with its three sovereigns, had preserved a fragile peace. Could they not see how easily it could be shattered?

The Black Dragon Sword, now in custody, was set to be transferred to the Tang Clan.

‘The Tang Clan?’

I frowned. I found it suspicious that he wasn’t being held by the Alliance but was being sent to the Tang Clan.

‘Why?’

The journey to Sichuan was long, and if it was for interrogation, it would be safer within the Alliance’s walls. Why go through the trouble of transferring him all the way to the Tang Clan?

As I mulled over this, another issue arose.

The gathering wasn’t just about the leader making statements; it was a place for questions and discussions. I might as well call it a debate arena.

In such a situation, I was the one who captured the Black Dragon Sword, and naturally, people had questions for me. But…

I had been asleep on my father’s shoulder during the whole thing.

Sleeping through the entire meeting as a noble family member invited to the gathering—how embarrassing.

And I had no memory of waking up during it.

‘Did the backlash knock me out?’

Perhaps, but then Cheol Jiseon spoke up in a frightened tone.

“…Your father…he was terrifying.” “What?” “N-Nothing, forget it.”

He shivered as if recalling something he’d rather not remember. What on earth did he see?

I was about to snap at him to finish what he started.

“…So, since you were asleep, I ended up having to answer the questions.”

Cheol Jiseon’s resigned expression silenced me.

Finally, I understood why he had looked at me with such resentment earlier.

I was supposed to answer those questions, but since I was asleep and hadn’t woken up, they’d thrown them at Cheol Jiseon instead.

That meant the heads of noble families and merchant guilds had all bombarded him with questions. Poor Cheol Jiseon, already timid, was forced to answer them alone.

Considering he was hiding his name and living under the alias of Jeoljeong, he must have been even more terrified.

“…You…you had a rough time.” “…”

That was all I could say.

Cheol Jiseon still looked exhausted, as if he’d collapse any second, but he shook his head and continued.

A lot was discussed, but three main points stood out.

-Shinryong Academy would be on hiatus for at least ten years. -The Alliance declared a war on the dark sects, emphasizing the seriousness of the attack.

And the most important part:

Someone had to take responsibility for this incident.

Even if no one was truly at fault, people wanted someone to blame.

Thus, the Alliance had publicly declared who would bear that responsibility.

First,

The head of the Kunlun Sect, the Blue Sea Lone Sword, would step down.

I couldn’t help but clench my fists upon hearing that.

With the sect leader stepping down due to his own mistakes, the Kunlun Sect would take a severe hit. Unlike in my past life, where he fell to demonic forces, this time he was resigning under different circumstances.

‘I never expected him to step down.’

Since the person in charge was the Blue Sea Lone Sword, it seemed fitting for him to take responsibility, but I still couldn’t shake the bitter feeling.

‘Moreover…’

The trouble didn’t end there. While the resignation of the Blue Sea Lone Sword was significant, an even bigger issue remained.

The Alliance Leader, Nakseom Changcheon, would also step down.

After over a decade of leading the Alliance, Changcheon would be stepping down, just like the Blue Sea Lone Sword.

“…The Alliance Leader?”

I snapped my head toward Cheol Jiseon upon hearing this. Changcheon was leaving his position?

“What is…” “As soon as he mentioned it, everyone reacted strongly.”

“Of course they did…!”

Changcheon stepping down as Alliance Leader was no small matter.

He was taking responsibility and resigning?
Fine, that could happen.

But this meant the Alliance Leader’s seat would be vacant, and a new leader would need to be chosen.

That would complicate matters significantly.

In my past life, Changcheon had remained Alliance Leader, and after the Blood Calamity ended, Wi Seol-ah had assumed the position.

But now, with Changcheon stepping down…

‘Who will be the next Alliance Leader?’

Someone would have to be chosen, as the Alliance Leader position, a symbol of the orthodox sects, couldn’t remain empty.

“Ha…”

Things were getting too complicated.

The Alliance Leader’s seat being vacant…
That was something I had never anticipated.

   ******************
   

The sun had already set.

With a tired mind, I made my way to a guesthouse, the one that Lady Mi had mentioned beforehand. I assumed that the rest of the Gu family would be gathered there as well.

The streets of Hanan were more crowded than I’d seen in recent days. They were so packed that it was difficult to walk, but after jumping over a few rooftops, I managed to reach my destination without too much trouble.

Surprisingly, there were hardly any people around the guesthouse. It seemed Lady Mi’s decision to rent out the entire place had cleared the area.

Just as I was about to open the door to enter,

“Uh…Yangcheon.”

Cheol Jiseon, who was clinging onto my back, called out urgently.

“What is it?”
“Are you sure I’m allowed to go…?”
“She said it’s fine, didn’t she? It’ll be alright.”
“Still…”

Cheol Jiseon spoke anxiously. He was invited to join the meal, which made him uneasy. Since he didn’t have any family attending and I had dragged him around everywhere, I thought it was only fair to invite him for a meal.

I remembered how Lady Mi had smiled warmly when I asked if my friend could join us.

“Are you sure…? I mean, someone like me…”
“What are you even worried about? Stop whining and just follow me.”
“Ugh…!”

I said this and promptly let go of him, dropping him off my back. We had arrived, so he could walk on his own.

Leaving him to nurse his sore backside, I opened the door and stepped inside.

The opulent interior caught my eye. While guesthouses were usually like this, the lack of patrons made the decor stand out even more.

As soon as I walked in, someone greeted me.

“Oh! Long time no see!”

It was Gu Ryun, the First Elder, chuckling heartily as he approached. Like Lady Mi and Gu Hee-bi, it had been months since I’d last seen him.

For some reason, his presence felt especially comforting.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
“Have you been well?”

He laughed and patted me on the back with a resounding smack.

…It hurt just as much as I remembered.

Even though it was his way of showing affection, the old man’s hand was as heavy as ever.

“Ah, Yangcheon!”
“…Yes.”

I replied, holding back the pain as the First Elder grinned a toothy smile.

“You’ve toughened up since I last saw you. I like that.”

He flexed his arm, showing off muscles that seemed ready to burst through his robes.

It looked like the slightest nudge would rip them apart.

“It seems you’ve been well, First Elder.”
“Haha! I’ve always been doing well! And you, Yangcheon, it seems you’ve been doing just fine, too. I heard you got a new nickname? Something like ‘Little Lord of the—’”
“I’m starving.”

I quickly brushed past him before he could say anything strange. I really didn’t want to hear it.

-Who might you be?
-Ah…hello. I’m Cheol Jiseon of the Cheol family…
-Ah, so you’re Yangcheon’s friend. But you’re so scrawny for a man. Your arms…
-What? Uh…wait! Agh!

I ignored the scream as Cheol Jiseon was caught by the First Elder.

‘I’ll remember your sacrifice.’

After mentally offering my condolences to Cheol Jiseon, I headed toward where the rest of the family was gathered.

Creak.

I opened another door and found familiar faces, including Lady Mi and my father.

“Hm?”

I expected to see those faces at a family meal, of course.

But then,

“…What?”

There was someone there I hadn’t anticipated at all, seated with them.