Chapter 16 – The Immortal from the East
An awkward atmosphere swept across the room.
Saweol kept her head low, pretending not to hear anything, while Tak Horak nodded fervently with shining eyes.
Even the kneeling Three Heroes of Qinghai wore stiff, uncomfortable expressions.
Why? What...
[…You insane monster! Get out of my body this instant! I—]
“Sorry. I didn’t think it would be this embarrassing…”
It was a line that was often used in popular webtoons back in the real world, so I tried it once.
It was one of those things I’d always wanted to say when dealing with difficult customers during my sales days—something I’d saved up, thinking I’d eventually get to use it.
I just didn’t expect it to happen here.
Sure, the vibe is totally different now. I figured it’d be fine to say something like that in a martial arts world.
“Anyway.”
I turned to Yun Yeopja and spoke.
“I’ve received their apology, so let’s end it here. It seems there was a bit of a misunderstanding on both sides.”
“…Will that really be enough?”
According to martial world customs, even among the orthodox sects, it would’ve been proper for at least one arm to be offered.
That’s why there are so many one-armed martial artists around.
But I’m no martial artist.
The body may be Sado Hwan’s, but inside, I’m Kim Dong-yun from the modern world.
I nodded and smiled softly.
“I’m not a man of the Martial World. I don’t want to stir up unnecessary grudges or create conflict.”
Even if I punished those guys, it wouldn’t be satisfying.
This wasn’t about revenge—it was about raising my favorability with Yun Yeopja.
He was the very embodiment of an upright orthodox disciple—always walking the righteous path.
He’d surely be moved by my words.
Sure enough, his eyes widened like lanterns.
As expected, they glistened as if honey might drip from them at any moment.
He smiled and offered me a cupped-fist salute.
“You are truly a noble man.”
“It’s nothing.”
I returned the salute.
It felt awkward since I’d never done it before in my life, but given my current “immortal from the East” persona, it was fine.
Yun Yeopja turned and faced the rest of the room.
The warmth in his gaze vanished, replaced by an icy expression.
“You all heard that?”
“Yes, sir!”
Like new recruits on their first day, the minions snapped to attention and responded in unison.
“This young hero has chosen to let the matter go. So it shall be. However! If such an incident happens again without fully understanding the situation, I, Yun Yeopja, will invoke the name of Kunlun to exact punishment. Understood?”
“Y-Yes, understood!”
The riffraff all bowed repeatedly, thanking him for his mercy.
Meanwhile, Seo In-geol was smacked on the back by the Seo clan head and began coughing up blood, his face deathly pale.
Was that internal injury getting worse?
Baek So-hyang also bowed alongside the Baek clan master and quietly retreated.
They likely wouldn’t act up so easily again.
‘If that had been the other Baek So-hyang, we’d all be dead by now...’
Just then, Skybreaker Sword spoke up.
[Too soft.]
“What now?”
[A true martial artist must take responsibility for their words and actions. Just as they demanded of you, they too should have faced consequences.]
“They’re not people I’ll ever see again.”
[You may regret that someday. Remember this, monster—you're in my body.]
“You sure take great care of your body.”
[As I should.]
But there’s one thing Skybreaker doesn’t understand.
This is a wuxia world—extras like that come and go all the time.
Just as our conversation ended, Yun Yeopja approached me.
“I apologize, young hero. Had I accompanied you from the start, this wouldn’t have happened. I was delayed due to matters at the main sect.”
“No need to apologize. Just the fact that you came all the way from Kunlun this quickly is more than enough.”
“It seems you’ve already eaten. How about a cup of tea?”
“Gladly.”
So I sat down for a tea time with Yun Yeopja.
Saweol and Tak Horak took the hint and went downstairs, following my prior instruction to avoid Yun Yeopja’s gaze.
After chatting for a while, I found that Yun Yeopja was... well, a good person, but the dullest kind.
Overly upright and naïve—like a textbook character.
His speech was so formal it made things awkward.
To make matters worse, he seemed to use his truth-seeing ability quite often, so I had to be cautious with every word.
Of course, knowing this in advance, I skillfully dodged every trap.
Maybe that’s why?
He now thought of me as some kind of Eastern Immortal.
Had I overdone the image crafting?
Just now, he even said:
“So the ruler of the East was appointed by you, young hero? Surely not.”
“Well, I wouldn’t say I did it alone… but I did play a part.”
Since the candidate I voted for in the election won, I wasn’t entirely lying.
[Fraud.]
I tapped Skybreaker again.
He probably had no idea how exhausting this kind of smooth talking was.
Even though I was smiling, my smile was strained.
I was basically walking on the edge of a cliff, doing a handstand.
One tiny slip, and my identity would be blown wide open.
Still, Yun Yeopja, using his ability to assess truth, continued to be amazed.
“You’re far more remarkable than I thought. I may have committed a great discourtesy.”
“Haha, not at all. After all, Imperial Court and Martial World do not meddle with each other, and I’m from the East.”
“For someone like you to be moving westward in secret... it must be a mission of great importance.”
“I’m afraid I can’t discuss that matter. There are... circumstances.”
Yeah, like the fact that I’m part of the very Demonic Cult you want to wipe out.
I didn’t know the full story, but in Return of the Murim, Yun Yeopja held a deep grudge against the cult.
In wuxia worlds, whether you’re a Daoist or a monk, revenge is a virtue.
That’s why he stood at the front lines when war broke out between the cult and the orthodox sects.
‘I can guess the story.’
His family was probably killed or his village was massacred by the cult.
Tragic, yes—but sadly common in the martial world.
After chatting for about two hours, we’d run out of things to talk about.
If this were modern Earth, I could’ve said something like, “Did you see Son Heung-min’s goal yesterday?”
But here, there wasn’t much to work with.
To make things worse, Yun Yeopja had this habit of locking eyes while talking, either because of his ability or his personality.
It was exhausting.
‘Hey, Skybreaker. Got any conversation ideas?’
[Nothing to say to a dog of the Murim Alliance.]
He must’ve held a grudge of his own.
Well, the Demonic Cult was a persecuted group.
Trying to avoid eye contact, I turned my head toward the stairs—and just then...
“You noticed it as well? Impressive. Did you sense their presence too, young hero?”
Huh? What now?
Just as I was thinking that, I heard footsteps coming up the stairs.
Turns out I’d accidentally looked in the right direction at the right time.
The problem was who was coming up.
People dressed in pale green martial robes—the exact color of cabbage worms.
And only one group in the entire martial world wore that garish color with pride.
The Sichuan Tang Family.
Masters of poison and hidden weapons. And—
‘The ones who tried to buy the Black Feather Fan!’
Saweol and Tak Horak should’ve reported this to me first.
Where the hell were they, and why did they let these guys come up?
Maybe staying at this inn was a mistake.
People seemed to come picking fights every damn day.
I quickly moved the Black Feather Fan out of their line of sight.
Almost simultaneously, the man with narrow eyes at the front spoke.
“You there. Wait.”
He continued.
“Turn around.”
“…Did you not hear? I said turn around.”
Even though I’d hidden the Black Feather Fan, they must’ve noticed something.
Not surprising, since their visual acuity is unmatched, given their expertise with hidden weapons.
What do I do?
Just as I was thinking that, Yun Yeopja stepped forward.
“Who are you people?”
“Back off, Daoist.”
“I asked you a question.”
One of the men in the back answered confidently.
“This is the third young master of the Sichuan Tang family, Tang Siyuk. Show proper respect.”
We were in Qinghai Province—Kunlun territory.
Yet this third son, not even the heir, was acting like he owned the place.
That was typical of the Tang family.
Among the Five Great Clans, they were notoriously arrogant and self-righteous.
They used to be a neutral faction, but ever since they accepted the Murim Alliance’s invitation, their egos had grown unchecked.
Then again, all Five Great Clans were arrogant by default—like corporate dynasties in the modern world.
Tang Siyuk was basically a third-generation chaebol.
Even the usually calm Yun Yeopja had a vein bulging on his forehead.
He was pissed.
And rightly so—orthodox sects had clearly defined territories, and violating them without prior notice was a serious offense.
“…Did you say ‘show respect’?”
Yun Yeopja rose to his feet.
“I am Yun Yeopja, second disciple of the great Kunlun Sect, and pupil of the Kunlun’s First Sword, Master Cheong Su-jin.”
Tang Siyuk’s face changed.
As a disciple of Kunlun’s First Sword, Yun Yeopja had overwhelming clout and talent—far superior to Tang Siyuk.
“My apologies. I am Tang Siyuk.”
He gave a belated cupped-fist salute, but Yun Yeopja remained cold.
“This young hero is a noble guest from the East and under my protection. Why are you harassing him?”
“We received intelligence that a servant of the Demonic Cult was on the move.”
“If that were the case, you should’ve contacted Kunlun formally.”
“It was an urgent matter, so we came in person. The target had a distinct trait.”
“A trait?”
“A black feather fan. Said to be an unholy relic of the Demonic Cult.”
Both Yun Yeopja and Tang Siyuk’s eyes shot toward my waist—where the fan was attached.
‘So they’re from the Tang clan after all.’
Given their training and family culture, they were excellent at intel gathering and tracking.
They probably didn’t even think I was a cultist—just saw that someone with a black fan was here and came to grab it.
And once they captured me, they’d probably say, “Hey, he’s a demonic cultist!” and kill me to silence the truth.
‘They might’ve searched the area thoroughly and tracked me that way…’
This martial world was truly no place to let your guard down.
Yun Yeopja shook his head.
“This young hero is no cultist. I confirmed it myself. A black fan is a common enough item, no?”
“Still, I must verify the fan.”
“Must I draw my sword to knock some sense into you?”
“It’ll only take a moment. If he’s truly innocent, it’s just a normal fan.”
“…Fine. But if he proves not to be a cultist, your Tang family must issue a formal apology to Kunlun. Young hero, show them the fan and prove yourself.”
He winked discreetly at me.
He clearly believed in me.
And now he was trying to use the Tang family’s rudeness to boost my position.
...Shit.
The problem was—I was a Demonic Cultist.
And this was the real Black Feather Fan.
“What do I do?”
Should I finally show off fake sword flight?
But forcing it might raise Yun Yeopja’s suspicions.
Then—
“A disaster!”
One of the Tang clan goons ran up and shouted.
“The Demonic Cult! The Black Shadow Corps has appeared!”
‘Hey, Skybreaker. Is there a Black Shadow Corps in the cult?’
[No.]
Then what are they talking about...?
“The Demonic Cult? Did you say the Demonic Cult?!”
Yun Yeopja’s expression turned razor-sharp.
Faced with his piercing gaze, the Tang warrior stammered,
“Y-Yes. Intelligence just came in.”
“What kind of intelligence?”
“A group in black clothing has entered Taeryeong-hyeon.”
“Source?”
“The Beggars’ Union.”
The Beggars’ Union.
One of the Nine Great Sects.
Usually portrayed as the info hub of the martial world—basically the ‘Search Engine’ of Murim.
If the Beggars’ Union confirmed it, it was reliable.
Yun Yeopja muttered grimly.
“There were rumors of Black Shadow Corps sightings in Liaoning…Then, this black-clad group is likely them.”
‘Wait a second... could it be?’
A hunch struck me, and I asked Skybreaker,
“You said I was soft earlier—because I let those guys go, right?”
[Yes.]
“Was that just your opinion, or would every cultist think that?”
[Of course. Any cultist would see you as weak. A proper follower of the cult repays insults even if it takes decades.]
‘Damn it. These Demonic Cult bastards...’
[Watch your mouth!]
‘Watch it?! This is your cult’s mess—’
[Do you suspect something?]
“Tak Horak. This is his doing.”
He must’ve called in the Black Shadow Corps.
To him, it was only natural to avenge the insult I suffered.
Aside from Saweol, Tak Horak was the highest-ranked subordinate.
A summon from someone of his status would be obeyed instantly—especially in a cult built on strength and hierarchy.
Which also explained why they didn’t warn me about the Tang clan’s approach.
They probably weren’t even here anymore.
That made me more annoyed at Saweol.
As a vice-captain, she should’ve intervened.
But then again, she was like a strong but simple doll—logical decisions might be hard for her.
Tak Horak…
He already felt like too much with his obsessive loyalty.
Now he was causing chaos.
‘Wait. Let’s change the way I think about this.’
Right now, the Tang clan suspected I might be a cultist—not because they knew, but because they wanted the fan.
If I now proved that I wasn’t a cultist—
‘Then even the Tang clan wouldn’t dare touch me, with Yun Yeopja’s protection.’
Maybe this was the chance to cleanly break out of this mess.
“If I also gain more of Yun Yeopja’s trust…”
I might be able to get the item I wanted from him.
“Master Yun. Young Lord Tang.”
I rose and spoke. All eyes turned to me.
Half of acting is direction.
Tak Horak had unknowingly set the stage. Now it was my turn to perform.
“If the Demonic Cult has appeared, now’s not the time for debate.”
“…Then?”
I raised the Skybreaker Sword.
“I’ll go stop them. Right now.”