Volume 5 Chapter 21 – War of Nerves

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Translated by Rain

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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“Horse bandits…?!”

As she placed her hand on her sword, the commander smirked at what the Dean Nun said.

When the Dean Nun glared at him, the commander quickly turned his head away and pretended to stroke the hawk.

“Oh, my, is that so?”

From the very beginning, he was a commander who strangely got on one’s nerves.

However, recalling the unusual armor she had seen just moments ago, the Dean Nun merely gripped the hilt of her sword tightly in frustration.

“Wh-what on earth is going on?!”

“Is it a band of bandits?!”

Terrified by the vibration and noise that gradually began to be felt, the members of the business delegation poked their heads out of the carriage and made a fuss.

“Escorts! Escorts!”

The martial artists and escort forces, who had been taking it easy and leeching off the government army, hurriedly drew their weapons.

The Emei Sect nuns, who were riding horses or inside the carriages, also calmly drew their weapons.

Confident in their own martial arts, they did not display any particular anxiety, but they still seemed tense at the sight of the unusual dust cloud and vibration.

“Commander. What on earth are you doing? Deploy the troops immediately!”

At the words of the Emei Sect nun who approached with her weapon drawn, the commander finally burst into laughter.

“Commander…?”

Disregarding the looks of those around him, who stared as if they were looking at a madman, the commander laughed for a long time.

“Oh, this is killing me….”

“Do not just laugh, explain!”

When the Dean Nun finally snapped and shouted, the commander wiped his tears and smiled from beneath his cloak.

“No, where on earth do you all think this is, for horse bandits or a band of thieves to be here?”

“Where is this, you ask…?”

At those words, the man who was the head of the investment delegation, who had been sleeping lazily inside the carriage, ambled down.

He looked at the approaching dust cloud, muttering to himself with a yawn.

“Yawn. It seems we have finally arrived in Luoyang.”

His relaxed posture even in this commotion made it clear that he was definitely no ordinary old man.

Just then, breaking through the dust cloud, several iron-armored cavalrymen revealed themselves first.

The standard-bearer riding at the very front of them held a large flag that fluttered wildly.

[Luoyang Sword Family]

As everyone who saw the flag let out a sigh of relief, the commander spoke mockingly.

“This road is directly managed by the Luoyang Sword Family.”

There was a feeling as if he was teasing some country bumpkins.

“In this vicinity, it would be easier to run into an elder of the Luoyang Sword Family by chance than to meet a band of bandits.”

The nuns blushed at his words, but none of them had the nerve to pick a fight with the commander in front of the rapidly approaching Luoyang Sword Family troops.

When there was no response from anyone in particular, the commander, looking slightly disappointed, stroked his short, trimmed beard under his cloak.

“But iron-armored cavalry rather than the Road Patrol Group…?”

It seemed that the people he had escorted all the way from Xi’an were more important to the Luoyang Sword Family than he had thought.

The commander was simply thinking so.

However, when he saw the armored transport carriages rushing in behind them, he could not hide his absurdity.

“Eh? Even the Sword Family’s Combat Transportation Hall?”

And when he saw the flag fluttering from the armored transport carriage, he cried out in surprise before he knew it.

“Sword Mountain Splitting Peak?!”

* * *

“I greet General Yeom!”

The commander got down on one knee and clasped his hands in front of him, paying the highest respect.

“We greet General Yeom!”

The troops following him also paid their respects from the bottom of their hearts.

The ones who were dumbfounded by this sight were those from the investment delegation.

For what on earth reason did the troops who had escorted them all the way from Xi’an pay such respectful courtesy to an elder of the Luoyang Sword Family?

“I never imagined I would meet you here!”

Elder Yeom, whose physique boasted a head or two larger than a typical man, looked delighted to see the commander.

He strode over, took the commander’s hand, and helped him up.

“Did your unit personally take charge of escorting the investment delegation? Your esteemed mother has shown us too great a favor.”

“Oh, what favor. If I had known General Yeom was coming, I would have run here barefoot even without my mother’s command.”

As the commander rose reluctantly (in truth, he was practically lifted by Elder Yeom’s strength), the rest of the troops also got up from their spots and watched the reunion with warm smiles.

“So, is your esteemed mother still the same?”

The commander waved his hand.

“She still has quite a personality. I do not know how she becomes healthier and more energetic with each passing day.”

“Haha. Since the Governor who rules Xi’an is hale and hearty, my mind is at ease as a neighbor.”

“Oh, do not even get me started. It is just torture for me.”

An individual who called the Governor of Xi’an his mother.

Only then did those who realized the commander’s identity open their mouths slightly in surprise.

Among them, the expressions of the Emei Sect members, who had practically lost the command of the procession to him and had been engaged in a war of nerves until just now, looked particularly uncomfortable.

“I must greet the guests from now on, but I definitely want to share a drink and catch up with you later.”

“Haha, do not forget those words. I will follow you all the way to Luoyang.”

Having thus asked the commander for his understanding, Elder Yeom stood in front of the investment delegation and apologized politely.

“Running into a comrade-in-arms by chance has caused me to commit the discourtesy of keeping our distinguished guests waiting.”

“Not at all…”

The moment the representative of the investment delegation was about to speak, a voice was heard first from the direction of the Emei Sect members.

“It has been a long time, Elder Yeom.”

Shielded among the nuns carrying swords, an old nun revealed herself.

“It seems the last time I saw you was at Mount Hua.”

Elder Yeom showed a look of surprise at the old nun’s appearance, but he still replied politely.

“…I did not know that the Abbess of Administration of the Emei Sect would visit the Main Family like this without any notice.”

The old nun, wearing a golden kasaya over the most luxurious Buddhist robe, smiled, showing her teeth.

That was by no means a friendly smile.

“Are you blaming this old, poor nun for her lack of courtesy?”

The Abbess of Administration answered directly to Elder Yeom’s remark about arriving unannounced.

“Well…”

However, the opponent was no longer a mere squad leader who could not hide his tension in front of the former Sword Lord of Mount Hua.

“First of all, since the Abbess of Administration is an uninvited guest, I trust you will understand that I must attend to the invited guests first.”

Without even waiting for an answer, Elder Yeom walked over to the head of the investment delegation.

“How dare…!”

The nuns flared up, but the Abbess of Administration raised her hand to stop them.

‘The opponent is an elder of the Luoyang Sword Family. Do not dare act rashly.’

At the sound transmission from the Abbess of Administration, the nuns suppressed their anger inwardly.

The warriors and troops of the Luoyang Sword Family, whom Elder Yeom had brought, looked at those nuns with expressionless faces.

“Are you the representative of the investment delegation?”

In response to Elder Yeom’s polite question, the head of the investment delegation merely smirked without a single complaint about the long wait.

“Haha, there is no need for someone like Elder Yeom to use respectful language to an idle old man like me.”

“Not at all. Are you not the guest we invited and brought here?”

Finding Elder Yeom’s response somewhat overwhelming, the representative of the investment delegation waved his hand and slapped his broad forehead.

“Ah, look at my mind.”

He bowed politely and introduced himself.

“I am Tang Go-gyu, representing this investment delegation. I hardly know what to do with myself now that the renowned hero of the Northern War has come to greet us in person.”

Elder Yeom recalled the registry of names he had heard in advance from the Fourth Young Master’s side.

“Ah! I heard there was a highly virtuous sage in the Tang Sect of Sichuan, and it was indeed you.”

“Oh, I am merely a branch of the branch, and usually just an old man killing time in the back room playing with children.”

Actively showing humility, Tang Go-gyu, who would be equivalent to an honorary elder of the Outer Courtyard in the Luoyang Sword Family, pointed behind him.

“I am merely associated with the Tang Sect and old, so I only carry the title of representative. These people here are the ones truly fitting to be the guests of the Luoyang Sword Family.”

The figures who had come representing different prestigious families of Sichuan bowed politely to Elder Yeom.

Bowing to them with a polite demeanor, Elder Yeom spoke.

“Due to the circumstances of this gathering, please understand that I cannot greet you one by one.”

At Elder Yeom’s words, Tang Go-gyu shouted toward the rest of the investment delegation.

“Since Elder Yeom asks for understanding so politely, we will surely get to drink heavily on the Luoyang Sword Family today!”

With loud laughter, the members of the investment delegation cheered and clapped.

Rather than an investment delegation that had traveled a long distance to decide whether to invest, they looked more like a sightseeing tour group that had come to Luoyang for a good time.

“It seems it was not a dangerous situation after all.”

“We should get off for now too, right?”

Hearing the lively atmosphere outside, the Tea Fan Maiden ladies opened the window they had blocked, confirmed that the situation had ended, and carefully got off the carriage.

“Ah! I must introduce you to precious people who cannot even be compared to us!”

Thereupon, Tang Go-gyu, with a swift movement unlike that of an old man, led Elder Yeom to them.

“Here, here, these charming young ladies are the very Tea Fan Maidens said to be shaking the entire Central Plains these days.”

Elder Yeom bowed politely to the five young ladies.

“Thank you for personally coming to Luoyang, the five representatives of the Tea Fan Maiden. I am Yeom Gwak-chu, an elder of the Luoyang Sword Family.”

Sangwan Nan-hwa stepped forward and answered Elder Yeom’s greeting as their representative.

“We hardly know how to contain our gratitude for welcoming us so warmly. I am Sangwan Nan-hwa, holding the position of the first representative of the Tea Fan Maiden.”

As she, who was called the Number One Beauty of Sichuan, offered her respects gracefully, it was like a beautiful painting.

“You are Representative Sangwan.”

When Elder Yeom spoke thus, a strange light flickered in Sangwan Nan-hwa’s eyes.

This was because, whenever she revealed her name, the first words that usually came out of the other party’s mouth were, ‘Ah! The Number One Beauty of Sichuan!’ or ‘You are the daughter of the Governor of Sichuan!’

“However…”

Elder Yeom showed a slightly embarrassed look.

“Originally, the person who was supposed to escort the representatives of the Tea Fan Maiden was someone else, but he has not yet…”

Just then, a horse was seen galloping from behind Elder Yeom.

“Ev-everyone! I am sorry!”

The one who jumped down from the horse, panting, was none other than a tall and handsome man.

If one had to find a flaw, perhaps it was that he looked somewhat frivolous.

“…Therefore, did I not tell you to ride in the carriage together if you were not confident?”

He winced at Elder Yeom’s low voice, but soon slinked toward the Tea Fan Maiden side and introduced himself as if nothing had happened.

“Everyone! Nice to meet you! I am Yeon Ha-eung, dispatched from the Outer Courtyard of the Luoyang Sword Family to greet you at the request of the Eldest Young Master!”

Right then, a voice reached their ears.

“Now that you have done about that much, is it not about time to pay attention to the uninvited guests as well?”