“......So this is the Gongsun family.”
Chief Seong murmured.
Unhwi said nothing. He merely surveyed the surroundings.
Farmers working in the rice fields. Merchants traveling the road. Martial artists appearing here and there.
There were not many of them, but they were positioned well.
One or two stood naturally at every strategic point, watching for outsiders entering the territory.
The presence of Unhwi’s party had likely already been reported.
From the moment they entered the Gongsun family’s territory.
No.
Probably even before that.
They continued forward in silence.
And at last, they arrived.
The Gongsun family’s main estate.
It was enormous.
Large enough to be called a fortress.
High walls surrounded it on every side. Martial artists stood atop them. The main entrance was a massive stone gate. Stone lions stood on either side, and a signboard hung above.
GONGSUN FAMILY.
Four characters.
They were not gilded. Red lettering had been carved into black wood. It seemed modest, yet carried weight.
The weight of several hundred years.
Unhwi’s party stopped before the main gate.
They dismounted.
Gwak Yeon quickly approached and took Unhwi’s reins.
“My lord.”
Unhwi nodded.
Someone was already waiting before the main gate.
A middle-aged man.
He wore neat clothing, with a sword at his waist and the Gongsun family crest embroidered on his robe.
He offered a fist salute.
“I am Gongsun Myeong, chief administrator of the Gongsun family. May I ask who you are?”
Chief Seong stepped forward.
“This is Lord Seol Unhwi, Blood Heaven Arbiter of the Blood Heaven Sect.”
Gongsun Myeong’s eyes trembled faintly.
Only for an instant.
He quickly composed himself.
But Unhwi did not miss that brief reaction.
It was not surprise.
It was the reaction of someone who already knew.
The Gongsun family had known Unhwi was coming.
A report had likely arrived before he even entered their territory.
The Blood Heaven Arbiter was approaching with only a handful of companions.
Without the Blood Heaven Sect’s banner.
Without a formal procession.
The fact that the chief administrator himself had come out was proof.
Gongsun Myeong smiled.
A formal smile.
“It is an honor that the Blood Heaven Arbiter has come in person. I apologize that we were unable to prepare properly.”
A lie.
They had already finished preparing.
“The family head is waiting for you. I will guide you inside.”
Waiting for me?
That meant he had received the report and was already seated in readiness.
Unhwi nodded.
Gongsun Myeong turned.
The main gate opened.
They entered.
The interior of the Gongsun family estate was a town unto itself.
It was vast.
Beyond the main gate stretched a long avenue. Buildings lined both sides.
An armory.
A grain storehouse.
A medicinal herb storehouse.
Their doors were closed, but their scale was obvious.
A training ground could be seen beyond them. Sand covered the broad yard, and weapon racks stood in orderly rows.
Martial artists were everywhere.
Many of them.
Some trained on the grounds, some patrolled, and others moved between the buildings.
All wore standardized clothing.
Matching martial robes.
Swords at their waists.
Their movements were disciplined.
As Unhwi’s group passed, their gazes gathered.
There was no hostility.
But there was vigilance.
The martial artists’ eyes moved to Unhwi’s sword.
To Chief Seong’s build.
To the footwork of Ju Soa and Namgung Wonyang.
And then to the uniforms worn by the Red Spirit Court martial artists following behind them.
No one spoke.
They merely watched.
Gongsun Myeong walked ahead.
He remained silent, devoting himself solely to his role as guide.
They passed through a long corridor.
A garden appeared.
There was an artificial pond, a bridge spanning it, and drooping willow trees.
It was beautiful.
But Unhwi’s eyes saw something else.
Martial artists stood throughout the garden.
No.
They were not merely standing there.
They had been positioned.
Two on either side of the bridge.
Three behind the pond.
Four each at the entrance and exit of the garden.
All were in the middle or late Heaven-Human realm.
At this level, the entire garden itself formed a formation.
Their security is tight.
Unhwi’s expression did not change.
It was only natural.
The second-highest figure in the Blood Heaven Sect had arrived with only a few companions.
From the Gongsun family’s perspective, they could neither welcome him too warmly nor drive him away.
The wisest choice was to show courtesy while remaining prepared for anything.
The head of the Gongsun family was a wise man.
At the very least, he was no fool.
The Family Head’s Hall.
The heart of the Gongsun family.
The building was not large.
That caught Unhwi’s attention.
Compared to the sprawling estate, the Family Head’s Hall was modest.
A two-story wooden building.
No extravagant ornamentation.
The eaves were elegant.
The pillars were straight.
A single signboard hung above the entrance.
FAMILY HEAD’S HALL.
Gongsun Myeong stopped before it and turned.
He looked at Unhwi.
“This is the place. The family head is inside.”
After a moment of hesitation, he added,
“......Your companions will have to wait here.”
Chief Seong’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Unhwi raised a hand.
“It is fine.”
He looked at Chief Seong.
“Wait here.”
Chief Seong bowed.
“I obey.”
Ju Soa and Namgung Wonyang also stopped.
Gwak Yeon and the other three martial artists of Red Spirit Court were already standing several steps back.
They had apparently never intended to approach the Family Head’s Hall in the first place.
Unhwi climbed the steps alone.
Five stone steps.
A short distance.
But within those five steps, Unhwi felt it.
A gaze.
Someone inside the Family Head’s Hall was watching him.
The doors were closed.
Yet energy seeped through them.
Deep.
Like a lake.
Its surface was calm, but the bottom could not be seen.
That was the nature of the energy.
Unhwi stopped before the door.
He raised a hand.
Then pushed.
Creeeak.
The low sound of old wood grinding against itself echoed through the air.
Light entered.
The interior of the Family Head’s Hall was revealed.
It was not spacious.
A single table stood at the center.
A folding screen stood behind it.
Nothing had been painted on the screen.
It was plain white.
Bookshelves lined both walls, packed tightly with books.
Smoke rose from an incense burner.
A faint fragrance.
Sandalwood.
And behind the table sat a man.
An old man.
No.
His energy was too alive to call him old.
His hair was white, but there were few wrinkles on his face.
His forehead was broad.
The space between his brows was smooth.
His eyebrows were long.
Beneath those white eyebrows, his eyes could be seen.
Eyes.
Those eyes were watching Unhwi.
They were calm.
There was no anger.
No vigilance.
No hostility.
No curiosity.
They simply—
watched.
Like water reflecting water.
Unhwi stepped inside.
One step.
Two.
Three.
Then stopped.
Five steps remained between him and the table.
Unhwi looked at the old man.
The old man looked at Unhwi.
Their gazes met.
There was no sound.
Only the smoke from the incense burner rose slowly into the air.
Unhwi did not move.
Neither did the old man.
He remained seated.
His back was straight.
His hands rested on his knees.
It was a natural posture.
Yet there were no openings.
From that position, he could draw a sword.
From that position, he could strike with his palm.
A natural ease created by decades of experience.
Unhwi looked into the old man’s eyes.
They were deep.
Just as the energy he had sensed outside the door.
A lake.
A lake whose bottom could not be seen.
There was no telling what lay within it.
The old man was also looking into Unhwi’s eyes.
What does he see?
The cold eyes of a young man?
The title of Blood Heaven Arbiter?
The man who destroyed the Tyrant Blade Sect?
The second-highest figure in the Blood Heaven Sect?
The man who took control of Red Spirit Court?
The man who came knocking on the Gongsun family’s gates with only a few companions?
Or—
something beyond all that?
Time passed.
How long had it been?
A single strand of smoke rose from the incense burner, reached the ceiling, then dispersed.
Neither spoke.
Not Unhwi.
Not the old man.
They simply looked into each other’s eyes.
Silence pooled inside the Family Head’s Hall.
A heavy silence.
It was a conversation.
One that came before words.
A time to weigh each other.
A time to measure each other’s depth.
Wind blew outside.
The wind chime at the edge of the eaves rang.
Chime.
A clear sound.
Once.
Then silence again.
The two continued to look at each other.
***
The silence stretched on.
A second strand of smoke rose from the incense burner and reached the ceiling.
The old man spoke.
“You are young.”
His voice was low.
Yet it carried a resonance that filled the entire Family Head’s Hall.
Unhwi did not answer.
The old man continued.
“I did not expect the man holding the position of Blood Heaven Arbiter to be this young.”
“It is more than I deserve.”
“More than you deserve?”
The old man’s eyes shifted faintly.
“Says the man who destroyed the Tyrant Blade Sect?”
“.......”
“The man who killed those at higher realms regardless of the difference in cultivation, and even went about killing martial artists of the Harmony realm?”
“.......”
“And all while being at ‘nothing more’ than Unity of Heaven and Man.”
Unhwi’s eyes narrowed.
Nothing more.
There was weight behind those words.
The old man gave a faint smile.
It was closer to admiration than amusement.
“Humility is indeed a virtue, but both you and I know better. Excessive humility is discourteous.”
“Too much humility ceases to be courtesy.”
The old man smiled and gestured toward the table.
An invitation to sit.
Unhwi silently took his seat.
They now faced each other.
“I will pour the tea.”
The old man lifted the teapot himself.
He poured.
His movements were smooth.
The sound of water touching the cup was quiet.
A teacup was placed before Unhwi.
“The Gongsun family does not serve this tea to just anyone.”
“Thank you.”
Unhwi lifted the cup and took a sip.
It was excellent tea.
Its fragrance was deep.
“I will speak plainly.”
“You are in a hurry.”
“It is not that I am in a hurry. It is that both your time and mine are valuable.”
The old man’s eyebrows rose slightly.
“......Oh?”
“The Gongsun family has joined the Murim Alliance.”
“That is correct.”
“I came to ask why.”
The old man lifted his cup.
He drank.
Then set it down.
“Why.”
“Yes.”
“Why does the Blood Heaven Arbiter ask?”
“The Gongsun family, effectively the leader of the Four Great Families, has joined the Murim Alliance. That changes the balance of power in the Central Plains. The Blood Heaven Sect needs to know why.”
“What the Blood Heaven Sect needs to know will be conveyed by its intelligence network.”
The old man’s voice remained calm.
“There was no need for the Blood Heaven Arbiter to come in person.”
Unhwi gave a faint smile.
“There are things an intelligence network cannot reveal.”
“And what would those be?”
“The family head’s eyes.”
The old man stopped moving.
“An intelligence network conveys facts. The Gongsun family joined the Murim Alliance. When it joined. Under what conditions it joined. Things like that.”
Unhwi set down his teacup.
“But the eyes with which the family head made that decision cannot be known without seeing them directly.”
Silence.
The old man looked at Unhwi.
For a long time.
At last—
the corners of his mouth rose.
It was the first true emotion he had shown.
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