CFZ

As Gubong desperately hoped I wouldn’t cause trouble, I found myself clenching my fists instinctively.
What the hell was this? What’s with those eyes?
‘This bastard is pissing me off.’
My anger flared. Should I just gouge his eyes out? Or smash his face halfway so he’d never make that expression again?
As I weighed my options—
"What is it? Do you have business with me?"
The guard frowned at me.
"I don’t like your face."
This bastard.
"If you don’t like it, what are you going to—"
"We’re in a hurry. Please, let’s move along!"
Just as I was about to step forward, Gubong grabbed my wrist.
He smiled awkwardly at the guard as he spoke.
"My apologies. My junior seems to be in a bad state today."
"Junior? Who are you calling junior—!"
"Let’s go, junior."
Before I could protest further, he started dragging me away.
I could have easily broken free if I wanted to, but for now, I let it go.
Then, just like before, I heard a voice mutter near my ear.
"Those Mount Hua bastards are so arrogant. Tsk."
Hearing that, I frowned deeply.
It was clear—
‘There’s something going on here.’
Something I didn’t know about.

   **********
   
Dragged along by Gubong, I was eventually brought inside.
Once inside, the crowd seemed even denser.
Calling it a "crowd" felt odd, but no other word seemed quite right.
‘There’s an absurd number of living things here.’
It was like Hanam during a festival—busy and bustling, with a similar atmosphere.
In other words, it was irritating and overwhelming.
After weaving through the throng for a while, I wrenched my wrist free.
"Let go."
Thunk!
I forcefully shook him off and rolled my wrist a bit to loosen it up.
As I rotated my wrist, I turned to Gubong.
"Explain. What the hell was that earlier?"
"…"
Gubong looked uncomfortable, reluctant to answer.
But I wasn’t about to let him off.
"You’re not talking? Should I make a scene?"
Hearing that, Gubong flinched, looking visibly troubled. He knew by now that I wasn’t one to make empty threats.
After hesitating for a moment, he finally sighed and spoke.
"Mount Hua Sect doesn’t have a good reputation outside its °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° borders."
A poor reputation? His words made me frown, silently urging him to elaborate.
"I don’t know where the honored guest comes from, but in the Myriad Realms, there are very few places that look kindly upon Mount Hua. Perhaps none at all."
"And why is that?"
"…Do you truly not know?"
"Would I be asking if I did? Think before you speak."
I replied while reflecting inwardly.
Ah, Shin Noya didn’t bother explaining anything about me, did he?
Which meant—
‘He either forgot, deliberately avoided it, or… wasn’t supposed to explain.’
It had to be one of the three. But considering everything, the last reason seemed the most likely.
‘Still, he didn’t explain it to me either?’
Was he expecting me to figure it out on my own? Unbelievable. That senile old man was completely nuts.
While I was mentally cursing Shin Noya—
"To exist as a nation, one must have the approval of the ruler," Gubong continued.

"Approval?"
"Yes. Even Yahwol Palace exists as a palace because it has the ruler’s approval."
For a nation to exist as such, it needed the ruler’s sanction.
‘So the ruler’s approval matters more than the people’s? Or is it something more complicated?’
"And Mount Hua Sect doesn’t have that approval?"
"…That’s correct."
"Why not?"
"…"
Why was Mount Hua an exception? I pressed him for an answer.
"…"
Gubong hesitated, his face hardening slightly before he spoke.
"I cannot say."
"What? You’ve been talking just fine up until now, so why not?"
"Because the honored guest is not a member of Mount Hua."
"…!"
His firm tone left me speechless for a moment.
It wasn’t just his words—his gaze and the conviction in his voice were unwavering.
"No matter how esteemed a guest you may be to the Grandmaster, this is a matter concerning Mount Hua Sect. It cannot be disclosed to an outsider."
"And what if I threaten to beat it out of you?"
"Even if my neck is snapped and my heart torn out, the answer would remain the same."
"Hm."
His resolute words made me nod. He was dead serious.
Of course, I was serious about beating him up, too.
"Fine, then."
I was curious, but I didn’t press further. Even if I did, he wouldn’t tell me, and I could understand why from his explanation.
‘It’s true.’
I was an outsider.
I knew nothing about Mount Hua, which Shin Noya had spent over a hundred years building.
Even if I felt a connection to Noya, it wasn’t the same as what Gubong or the others in Mount Hua felt.
This was something I couldn’t dig into.
‘Besides.’
Even if I didn’t know now—
‘I’ll probably find out soon enough.’
Information would come to me eventually. My confidence in this was simple.
‘Noya told me to see for myself.’
The fact that he’d sent me here meant he believed I’d learn what I needed to without trying too hard.
He probably thought this would be the easier route.
"…"
Gubong seemed puzzled by how easily I let the matter go, but for me, the explanation was enough.
Losing interest, I asked him with a casual expression.
"So, where do we go now?"
"…Follow me."
With that, he resumed leading the way.
Cheonma and I followed, entering deeper into Yahwol Palace.

   **********
   
As we moved, I glanced around, taking in the surroundings.
The dense crowd was made up almost entirely of people with beastly ears or tails.
Of course, there were varying degrees.
Some leaned more toward their beastly traits, while others appeared more human. That seemed to be the difference.
‘How fascinating.’
While their appearances were unusual, their behavior and the atmosphere felt strikingly similar to Zhongyuan.
Just like the bustling streets of Mount Hua Sect, which Shin Noya had built, this place was filled with energy and life.
‘The architecture is a bit different, though.’
The buildings along the street were distinct in size and design, unlike anything I’d seen before.
It made it clear this really was a different world.
‘…Another dimension.’
It was something I hadn’t really considered until now. This place truly was foreign.
The unfamiliar air, the sky, and even the appearance of its inhabitants.
Seeing all this made it sink in a little more.

And with that realization came a question.
‘How do we even understand each other?’
How was the language working here? I’d never thought about it before.
A different world, yet we could communicate perfectly.
It was curious, but I didn’t dwell on it. If it worked, that was good enough for me.
We left the crowd behind and entered an alleyway.
There were far fewer people here.
The atmosphere shifted abruptly.
‘Hmm.’
Unlike the bright and cheerful streets, this place was dark and damp.
It was obvious we weren’t heading anywhere normal.
We kept walking, deeper and deeper.
Eventually, we came upon a run-down building.
The structure was old, with cracks all over, but it seemed relatively well-maintained compared to the surrounding area.
"…This is the destination, isn’t it?"
"It is."
So it really was here. Unbelievable.
I stared at the building with a sour expression as Gubong opened the door and stepped inside.
Creak.
The old door groaned as it swung open. And at that moment—
Whoosh.
‘Oh?’
The moment the door opened, I felt a presence emanating from within. My eyes widened instinctively.
‘What’s this?’
There had been no trace of any presence until the door opened.
‘It’s not a formation. Is it some kind of sorcery?’
At first, I could only guess, but the more I thought about it, the more certain I became.
Ever since I’d experienced the power of the turtle, I’d gained a better understanding of the subtle differences between formations and sorcery.
As I entered through the door, I saw four figures inside, just as I’d sensed earlier.
The moment they saw Gubong, their eyes widened in surprise, and they bowed.
"Master Gubong…!"
"Have you all been well?"
Gubong smiled as he greeted them. Judging by their words, they must have been Second Disciples.
The disciples who had been exchanging greetings with Gubong turned their attention to us.
"Um, Master… who are they?"
Gubong hesitated for a moment, smiling awkwardly.
"They’re here to assist us today. They’re honored guests of the main sect, so show them proper respect."
Hearing that, I let out a dry laugh.
"Proper respect? Says the guy who was the least respectful. Don’t you agree?"
"I don’t know."
"…Ahem."
Hearing our conversation, Gubong cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Master… what happened to your face? Did Senior Sister Seol Yeong… again…?"
"It’s nothing like that. Don’t worry about it."
The mention of Seol Yeong suggested she must hit him often. Fascinating.
‘Gubong is probably stronger than Seol Yeong, though.’
But considering his rigid and hot-headed nature, it wasn’t surprising he got beaten up.
"Enough of that. Is everything ready?"
Gubong quickly changed the subject, steering the conversation back on track.
The whole point of coming here was to procure supplies, after all.
As soon as he mentioned it, the disciples’ expressions grew strange.
Noticing this, Gubong frowned and asked immediately.
"What’s the matter?"
"Well…"
"Speak quickly."
Pressed by Gubong, one of the disciples finally answered.
"It seems there’s been some trouble with the Baeksa family."
"What…?"
Hearing this, Gubong’s expression hardened.
"What do you mean?"
"There’s been… some issues during the purchasing process…."
"Lead me there immediately."
Before the disciple could finish, Gubong cut him off and gave the order. The disciple nodded hurriedly and began leading the way.
‘What now?’
It seemed like things were going wrong from the start.