Heavenly Martial Hall Lord
"... You mean, me? In person?"
Jeong-un asked back, his eyes widening slightly.
The Hall Lord, who hadn't even shown his face at the one-time entry ceremony, was now summoning him.
He had every right to be suspicious.
'Wait.'
Just then, a thought occurred to him. The letter that Yeom Baek had mentioned earlier.
He had simply assumed it was referring to the report Gwak Gyeong from the General Affairs Department, his usual contact, had sent to the Heavenly Martial Hall.
But if the Hall Lord himself wanted to see him, he had a feeling about it.
Jeong-un asked, "By any chance, is that letter from the abbot of Shaolin?"
"That's right. What else did you think it was?"
Yeom Baek nodded as if it were obvious.
"You've been there yourself, so you know, but Shaolin is an immensely powerful sect. The Tendon Changing Classic those monks tirelessly practice since childhood is a peerless divine art, needless to say. In actual combat, it's often easier to kill an opponent outright than to subdue them. Yet those Shaolin monks are famous for crippling the dantian of nearby unorthodox faction members one by one, rather than killing them. That alone proves how skilled each one of them is."
Jeong-un recalled the Shaolin warrior monks he had seen with his own eyes.
Despite their vast number, their ki pathways had been truly exceptional.
He wondered if there could be any other group in the martial world capable of contending with them.
Hadn't that arrogant Demonic Cult leader also waited outside the Shaolin gates for the brazen bell to ring?
While he was pondering, Yeom Baek continued.
"But the leader of such a group personally wrote and sent a letter. And addressed it directly to the Hall Lord, no less. Considering the usual relationship between Shaolin and us, it's even more surprising."
Shaolin was well-known for never sending even a single disciple to the Heavenly Martial Hall.
In fact, it was simply impossible for them to do so.
They were a grand temple that considered non-killing an essential precept.
"Imagine how shocked the leadership must have been. And to top it off, your name was mentioned several times in the letter. It's no wonder the Hall Lord wants to see you."
Having said this, Yeom Baek's face briefly grimaced before he spoke again.
"... No, it actually is odd. The Hall Lord himself wishing to meet a mere martial officer? Life truly brings strange things."
"It's not a common occurrence, then?"
"Of course not."
Yeom Baek looked at him with a furrowed brow, as if wondering why Jeong-un was stating the obvious.
Even his voice rose a little inappropriately.
"The Hall Lord is an extremely noble figure in the martial world, regardless of position. This isn't a teacher-disciple sect where we're all bound together. Why would he associate closely with you, someone who'll leave without a backward glance after five years?"
"..."
Jeong-un gazed quietly at Yeom Baek.
He wasn't someone he saw often, but someone he'd met on missions.
He always looked exhausted, buried in a pile of documents, passing on mission details.
'So he can make that kind of face.'
Had Yeom Baek admired the Hall Lord?
Now that he mentioned the Sword Sovereign, he looked unexpectedly animated.
Normally expressionless, this liveliness felt all the more unfamiliar.
Jeong-un asked, "Then, am I going to meet him right now?"
"He said to come see him when you're ready. Any time today is fine, he said. Go home, rest and recover your strength, then come find me again."
But Jeong-un shook his head and said, "I think I might as well go straight away. There's nothing to prepare, after all. Besides, we don't even know what he'll ask."
He had just finished his ritual cleansing anyway—a stroke of luck.
Watching Jeong-un mutter so nonchalantly, Yeom Baek gave a small laugh.
"Alright, I'll send word that you'll go immediately."
Yeom Baek stepped to the window and stretched out his hand.
In the distance, the white hawk's wings beat clearly as it flew in.
* * *
He followed behind Yeom Baek, who was leading the way.
As they left the pavilion and walked along the main avenue of the Heavenly Martial Hall, martial officers greeted them.
While bowing to Yeom Baek, the corps leader, they also cast sidelong glances at Jeong-un, who followed.