She was virtually confirmed as the next martial arts grandmaster, a disciple of Yu Gang Sah Baek, and among her fellow disciples, she particularly had a high understanding of Huasan martial arts. In time, it was evident that she would succeed Yu Gang Sah Baek as the next grandmaster.

So, I received a lot of help from her when I was learning the Oknyo Sword.

Even if the master is called Huasan’s greatest swordsman, the Oknyo Sword is fundamentally a martial art taught to female disciples, so there were inherent limitations to what a master of a different gender could teach.

She filled in those gaps quite effectively.

“What were you doing?”

Sajae, who had come close, asked in a gentle tone.

Ha Hyun had been getting along fairly well with other fellow disciples and mentors, but he did not usually speak up when I was around. As usual, I answered this time.

“We were reviewing the sparring we just had.”

“Did I interrupt something important?”

“No, we’ve finished.”

“Good, then.”

With a bright smile, she looked back and forth between Ha Hyun and me, then continued.

“Jangmunin has summoned both of you. Shall we go now?”

“Jangmunin?”

“Yes, it seems he has something to say.”

I tilted my head. Unless something extraordinary happened—like the demonic curse I experienced last time—a common disciple like me seldom had reason to meet Jangmunin.

I couldn’t think of any particular reason.

“Understood.”

Well, if he’s called, we should go.

Because Ha Hyun and I had been wielding wooden swords until a moment ago, we weren’t exactly presentable. After brushing off some dust and straightening our clothes, we headed to Jangmunin’s chamber side by side.

Though the family’s compound was expansive, it didn’t take too long to get to Jangmunin’s chamber. As we reached the door, Ha Hyun and I looked at each other briefly before announcing our arrival.

“Jangmunin, Ha Hyun and I have arrived.”

“Come in.”

The response came immediately. As we opened the door, a subtle fragrance of tea filled the air.

It reminded me of the past. A few years ago, I had also smelled this tea aroma when I came here because of a story related to the demonic cult.

Ha Hyun, who entered first, turned around to hold the door for me. As we both walked in, Jangmunin gestured with a smile.

“We greet Jangmunin.”

“Good, I’ve been waiting. No need for more formalities; both of you, have a seat.”

Not just in words, he seemed to have been truly waiting. As soon as we sat, he immediately poured a cup of tea for each of us.

“Thank you.”
Greetings had been exchanged. “There’s nothing urgent, so let’s talk leisurely. I’ve managed to get some good tea leaves. Doesn’t it smell nice?”

Jang Moon-in, smiling warmly, had the face of an ordinary and congenial grandfather, as always.

Among the people within the clan, he truly acted in accordance with that good impression.

Knowing that fact, I hadn’t come with a particularly tense mood, but his casual conversation seemed to dissipate even the non-existent tension. Just as he suggested we talk leisurely, he broached a few trivial subjects in succession.

What does the tea aroma seem like to you, are there any struggles during training, any recent hardships…

Such conversations continued until the tea cups were empty.

Jang Moon-in, who refilled the empty cups, fell momentarily silent, choosing his words carefully. During that time, his gaze seemed to alternately scrutinize me and Ha Hyun.

It seemed he was about to bring up the real reason for calling me and Ha Hyun, now that the light chitchat was sufficiently done.

“From what I remember…”

He opened his mouth again.

“Ha Hyun has become an adult this year. And Yeo Heun has also reached an age with years that can be counted in tens. I clearly remember the faces of both when they were even younger… How fast the passage of time is.”

Jang Moon-in’s gaze lingered on me a bit longer for some reason, and I seemed to know why.

Though I had grown significantly since my initiation, unlike Ha Hyun, who had already established his physique by then, I was quite small and skinny compared to my peers when I first joined.

‘Yeo Heun’ was subtly ostracized despite being a direct descendant in the family, so it was somewhat understandable.

So before growing to my current height, it did look strange for Ha Hyun to call me ‘junior.’ Even the clan leader seemed to have a worried face whenever he saw me.

‘Like someone who failed an investment…’

Now that I had grown taller than average, could it be said that the clan leader’s investment had ultimately paid off?

Anyway, Jang Moon-in, who looked at me with some degree of emotion, soon grinned and spoke again.

“Both of you are disciples of this generation, but neither of you have gone outside Hwa Um Hyun since your initiation. Yet your brothers and sisters have often ventured far and observed the martial world, haven’t they?”

At that question, my eyes widened. I had no choice but to.

Wait, if this is the main point…