Chapter 537

“The fragrance is truly delightful.”

The first to speak was a middle-aged man with graying hair.

Considering his real age was past sixty, he looked at least ten years younger.

But the expression on his face, as he sat across the teacup from his companion, was stiff with an odd mixture of tension and displeasure.

“Master Ma. No, I mean, Lord Leader.”

The leisure to enjoy tea fragrance was reserved only for those with an unburdened mind.

Unable to contain his impatience, the middle-aged man spoke again. Sword Saint Ma Jonghak offered a faint smile in return.

“I’m listening. What is it?”

“You already know, don’t you? The Thousand-Faced Fox…”

“The Lord of Hidden Shadow Pavilion.”

“Yes. That very Hidden Shadow Pavilion Lord must have already submitted a report.”

“What report do you mean?”

“If you truly haven’t heard of it, then yes. I’ll say it myself.”

If the other was pretending not to know, then he would have to lay down his cards first.

With lips tightly pressed, the middle-aged man—Hwang Bo-gun, the head of the Hwangbo Clan—spoke up.

“It’s about my son.”

Ma Jonghak widened his eyes.

“Wait, you had a son?”

“Lord Leader!”

Hwang Bo-gun raised his voice without realizing it, then quickly bowed his head in regret.

Even if they shared some history on the battlefield, the other man was the Leader of the Murim Alliance.

In the past, Sword Saint Ma Jonghak would always smile kindly no matter the situation, but showing disrespect to the Murim Leader could lead to the Hwangbo Clan losing its influence.

“I-I apologize. Since it concerns my child, I spoke out of turn.”

Ma Jonghak, wearing a youthful smile that belied his age, lifted his teacup.

“Don’t worry too much about it. These things happen. We’ve fought side by side on the battlefield more than once.”

“I’m grateful for your understanding.”

Hwang Bo-gun’s expression brightened slightly.

Though it was an old and dusty past, and their current positions were worlds apart, Ma Jonghak clearly remembered their connection.

Maybe this matter would resolve favorably after all.

“Let me be blunt. The reason I requested this private audience is none other than…”

From between Hwang Bo-gun’s lips, the events of just a few hours prior spilled out quickly.

Of course, it was a slightly exaggerated tale, laced with subtle twists and distortions. But in Hwang Bo-gun’s mind, it was all justifiable.

‘How dare they pull such a stunt!’

He had only one son, born late in his life just as he approached forty. No matter the trouble the boy caused, he always turned a blind eye. He didn’t even care about the constant scandals with women.

But now, that precious son had allegedly been publicly humiliated in front of countless eyes.

To Hwang Bo-gun, this was absolutely intolerable.

“Can you believe this? Even if the principles of the martial world have declined, for a lowly offspring of a demonic sect to attack the Young Lord of the Hwangbo Clan? And then…”
Hwang Bo-gun’s voice, previously filled with anger, suddenly dropped.

“To witness such injustice and still side with that demonic sect’s offspring—how can such a man be called righteous? I’m talking about the Blazing Fire Dragon, Jin Taekyung.”

“Hm, so that’s what happened.”

Clink.

Ma Jonghak set down his half-empty teacup and tilted his head.

“So then, what exactly do you want?”

“…Excuse me?”

“I’ve heard your story and understand what happened. So now, tell me—what is it that you want?”

Silently staring at Ma Jonghak, Hwang Bo-gun finally spoke.

“Punishment. I demand a proper punishment.”

“Such as?”

“My retainers investigated and found that the one who attacked my son was from Gansu, a disciple of the Black Dragon Demon Sect.”

“The Black Dragon Demon Sect, you say. I see. Understood.”

When Ma Jonghak nodded without hesitation, Hwang Bo-gun’s expression brightened further.

Believing the Murim Leader was taking his side, he spoke with renewed strength.

“And as for the Blazing Fire Dragon, Jin Taekyung. I also believe he should be disciplined.”

“Disciplined…”

“You heard it from me yourself, Lord Leader. Despite witnessing what happened, he took the side of the demonic sect’s member.”

“That’s true.”

“How can someone like that be a Pavilion Lord of the Murim Alliance? It’s not just me—others also feel deeply disappointed by this.”

Though he used the word ‘disappointed’ to soften the tone, this was the part that enraged Hwang Bo-gun the most.

‘That brat is a Pavilion Lord?!’

A Pavilion Lord wasn’t just any position in the Murim Alliance. It was a high-ranking role, among the top twenty in the organization, with command over multiple squads and divisions.

‘Even if he’s directly under the Leader and doesn’t have subordinate troops, a Pavilion Lord is still a Pavilion Lord. This is absurd!’

Even his own son, considered one of the best young masters in the current Murim, wasn’t guaranteed to become a Vice Lord. Yet Jin Taekyung had already soared far beyond that.

Considering that the Taewon Jin Clan’s influence had recently started reaching as far as Shandong, where the Hwangbo Clan resided, this had to be stopped at all costs.

“The Fire Dragon of Mount Hua being appointed as a Pavilion Lord is a blessing to Murim, a cause for great celebration. But that Jin Taekyung…” (T/N: From now on, Cheongpung will be Fire Dragon of Mt. Hua instead of Volcano Dragon)
Hwang Bo-gun deliberately trailed off and glanced at Ma Jonghak.

Given how well the conversation had gone so far, he hoped the Leader would pick up on what he meant.

And Ma Jonghak’s next words exceeded all of Hwang Bo-gun’s expectations.

“Now that I think about it, your argument has merit. I’ll not only consider disciplinary action, but also a personnel reassignment.”

“Th-thank you, Lord Leader!”

Disciplinary action and a reassignment?

He hadn’t expected things to go this well. The joy was overwhelming.

As Ma Jonghak watched Hwang Bo-gun bow his head repeatedly in gratitude, he murmured to himself.

“My teacup is empty.”

“Pardon? Oh.”

“Time seems to pass so quickly these days.”

Hwang Bo-gun froze for a moment, then realized the meaning behind those words and rose from his seat.

No matter that he was the head of the Hwangbo Clan—how could he possibly take up more of the Murim Leader’s time?

Before he knew it, the time allotted for the private audience had already passed.

“Seems I’ve overstayed, haven’t I? Hahaha.”

“Hm? Leaving already?”

Even that small gesture of pretending to hold him back warmed Hwang Bo-gun’s heart.

He had gained more than he expected, and he appreciated Ma Jonghak’s gesture of preserving his dignity.

The camaraderie forged during the Great War of Justice and Evil felt even stronger.

“I can’t take up more of your precious time. I’ll take my leave, Lord Leader.”

“Well, if you must.”

“Yes, then I’ll be going.”

“Take care. We’ll meet again.”

Tap, tap.

To touch the shoulder of the Hwangbo Clan’s patriarch so casually—anyone else might have taken offense.

But this was the Sword Saint, the Murim Alliance Leader.

Instead, Hwang Bo-gun left with a broad smile on his face.

Clack.

Moments later, the door opened, and another man stepped into the office.

The prosthetic leg on one side thudded dully as he walked.

“That the head of the Hwangbo Clan would request a private meeting over something like this… He must be quite flustered.”

“Looks like that fellow’s neglected his martial training. Seems like his temperament’s changed too.”

“…Excuse me?”

“Oh, it’s nothing important. Have a seat.”

As Ma Jonghak stared at the hand he had used to pat Hwang Bo-gun’s shoulder, he gestured to offer a seat.

The Murim Alliance’s Hidden Shadow Pavilion Lord, the Thousand-Faced Fox Song Ho, glanced at the half-full teacup Hwang Bo-gun had left behind and spoke.

“There are people dissatisfied with the latest personnel decisions.”

“Hm? Is that so?”

“Before the Hwangbo Clan’s patriarch requested the audience, he held a secret gathering.”

“That could happen.”

“Rather than confront things head-on, it seems they’re using him to stir things up.”

“Now that you mention it, Hwang Bo-gun… He’s always had a tendency to charge ahead. When there was fighting in Guizhou, he even led the vanguard.”

“…Phew.”

When the Thousand-Faced Fox let out a sigh, Ma Jonghak looked at him in surprise.

“Hmm? What is it?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“In the end, it’s all about people, isn’t it? Hahaha.”

The Thousand-Faced Fox paused mid-reply.

He wasn’t wrong. In the end, it was all about who did what and how.

Moments like this, when Ma Jonghak casually tossed out remarks that carried deep insight, came from time to time.

“By the way, didn’t you just make a promise to the Hwangbo Clan’s head you can’t keep?”

“Promise?”

“You said you’d deliver both disciplinary action and a personnel reassignment to the Black Dragon Demon Sect and the Blazing Fire Dragon.”

“Ah, that’s right. I was just thinking about that.”

“Lord Leader, that’s…”

“One moment. Just wait a little.”

Ma Jonghak scratched his chin, then spoke again in an instant.

“Alright. It’s settled. Let’s just pretend none of that happened.”

“…Excuse me?”

“I gave it some thought, and I don’t think we need a personnel change. As for the discipline… that can wait too.”

Staring at him with trembling eyes, the Thousand-Faced Fox let out a dry laugh.

“Right. You only said you’d consider it, didn’t you?”

“Well, we were comrades once. I should at least keep my promises.”

“Hwang Bo-gun’s going to clutch his neck in frustration.”

“Eh, maybe he’ll understand?”

“Haha, who knows.”

“I meant it sincerely. If he can’t understand that, there’s nothing I can do.”

The Thousand-Faced Fox forced down his laughter.

Ma Jonghak fit the role of Alliance Leader far better than he had expected.

He didn’t need to scheme or posture—his easygoing nature and ‘this can happen’ attitude made him immune to even the greatest pressure.

‘His inner foundation is upright and firm.’

It was more than he’d hoped for. The Thousand-Faced Fox called out sincerely.

“Lord Leader.”

“What is it?”

“I just felt like calling you.”

“Hm, that can happen.”

“Haha! Hahaha!”

As the Thousand-Faced Fox laughed aloud, Ma Jonghak tilted his head and spoke again.

“Ah. By the way, what’s the status with the Southern Wild Beast Palace and the Northern Sea Ice Palace?”

Wiping the smile off his face, the Thousand-Faced Fox responded.

“Neither has replied yet. We sent the letters earlier than planned, but… the distance must be the issue.”

“I see.”

“Yes. But as you know, things are looking very positive with the Green Forest Alliance and the Yangtze River Waterway League. Both their leaders have expressed intent to personally come to Henan.”

Though they didn’t belong to the orthodox Murim, both groups were led by undisputed titans of the martial world.

They had powers nearly equal to the great sects and housed many elite warriors.

“If they join, it’ll be a great help.”

Ma Jonghak nodded slightly, then suddenly added:

“Ah, about that disciplinary action…”

“Yes, the discipline…”

“I’ll call someone now. Write a letter and deliver it to the Blazing Fire Dragon—no, Pavilion Lord Jin.”

“At your command.”

The Thousand-Faced Fox gave a respectful salute.

Jin Taekyung’s future responsibilities were immense.

Even if he had to be punished, he had to remain a Pavilion Lord.

—

I couldn’t believe my ears.

“Discipline? Me?”

A warrior directly under the Alliance Leader nodded.

“…Huh?”

“Why all of a sudden? Isn’t this too harsh?”

“I’ve delivered the message. That will be all.”

Swish!

What kind of situation is this?

As I blankly watched the martial artist vanish like the wind, Hyuk Mu-jin cautiously approached and asked:

“Discipline? What did they say?”

I let out a long sigh and answered.

“They told me to skip dinner.”

“…Excuse me?”

“No dinner tonight.”

“Damn. I was planning to eat duck roast.”

Grumbling quietly, I kicked Hyuk Mu-jin’s rear.

“Forget it. Let’s go.”

“Wait, a punishment? Where are we going?”

“Recruiting allies.”

“…What?”