Chapter 26

The next morning, Seo-jun led the courtesans to the Cheongha Sect.

The expressions on their faces were less than cheerful. A mixture of anxiety, anticipation, and fear of the unknown created a strange tension. Among them, Churyeong seemed the most affected.

She kept nervously glancing around, and whenever her eyes met Seo-jun’s, she shot him a murderous glare.

At this point, Seo-jun didn’t even see her attitude as rude anymore—he found it more pitiful. Maybe it was just her defense mechanism?

“We’re here,” Seo-jun said, gesturing toward the Cheongha Sect.

The courtesans' expressions became blank with disbelief.

“Th-the Cheongha Sect…?” “Is this really happening…?”

Their reactions were intense.

Tears flowed freely, and some collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

“Whoa, what’s going on? Do they eat people at the Cheongha Sect or something?” “N-no, it’s not that….”

After listening to them, it became clear that they had never imagined such a rise in their fortunes.

Being a maid or servant at the Cheongha Sect was apparently considered a big leap.

“I guess it’s kind of a big deal. The Cheongha Sect basically rules this area.” “They’re rulers? Do they collect taxes too?” “Of course. You need to run the city somehow.” “Wait, what? Running the city?”

What is she talking about? There’s an emperor and a nation, right? How can a sect just run a city?

Seo-jun turned to Chun-bong, who frowned at him in confusion.

“What are you talking about? No emperor governs the martial world. Wait, now that I think about it, didn’t you once claim that the emperor was your dad or something?” “Yeah.”

Chun-bong looked around, then tugged on Seo-jun’s sleeve.

“Hey, let’s talk for a second.” “Sure.”

They walked a few steps away, leaving the courtesans in front of the Cheongha Sect’s gates.

“No, I mean, let’s go further.”

Chun-bong tried to pull him further, but Seo-jun shook his head.

“Ah, you don’t know.”

Snap! Seo-jun flicked his fingers.

Chun-bong’s eyes widened in surprise.

“A qi barrier?” “Is it really that shocking? I’ve used a sword barrier before.” “How is this the same thing!?”

Chun-bong yelled, shaking her head in disbelief.

“Well, whatever. This isn’t the time to argue about that.”

With the barrier in place, their conversation wouldn’t be overheard. Chun-bong looked at him seriously and asked:

“You know that stuff you said before about being from another world? Were you serious?” “Of course. Wait, you didn’t believe me until now!?” “Who would believe that!?” “Geum Chun-bong, you were supposed to believe me!”

Chun-bong pursed her lips and then, after a moment, sidled closer and clung to his sleeve with a coy grin.

“But I believe you now, right, oppa?” “This brat….”

Does she think her oppa is some kind of all-powerful being?

Well, to be honest, she’s not wrong.

And with that cheeky, cute attitude, how could he not forgive her?

“You’re forgiven, Geum Chun-bong.” “Heh.”

That satisfied expression of hers was a little irritating, but it was cute enough to let it slide.

“Anyway, I believe you now, but still, it’s hard to wrap my head around. Another world, huh?”

Chun-bong muttered, frowning.

“Well, if you think about it, even the Celestial World could be considered another world, right? Maybe it’s like that?” “I’m not exactly sure, but that sounds about right.” “Hmm…”

Chun-bong nodded, though she still seemed uneasy.

“Alright, I’ll let it go for now. That explains why you’re missing some basic common sense.” “You brat! So, you’ve thought I’ve been an idiot this whole time, haven’t you!?” “Isn’t that obvious…?”

Anyway, that wasn’t the important thing right now.

With a grumpy look, Seo-jun stared at Chun-bong, prompting her to return to the main point.

“Anyway, you seem to have misunderstood something. The emperor isn’t the ruler of the martial world.” “Then who is?” “The emperor is just the leader of one of the sects.” “What?”

The emperor is the head of a sect…?

This was too much to process. His head was spinning.

“Wait, but there’s still a nation here, right?” “Yeah?” “There are martial artists and commoners.” “Right.” “And normally, wouldn’t there be an emperor governing the commoners? That’s where the idea of 'no interference between the government and the martial world' comes from.” “Oh, that.”

Chun-bong made a strange face.

“There’s some mention of that in the history books. Apparently, a long time ago, the imperial family briefly united the martial world, and during that time, there was something like that.”

But now, it’s different.

The imperial family was just another powerful sect, one of the Six Great Families, but their prestige wasn’t completely gone.

“What the…”

“And I guess you don’t know this either. Remember how I said the imperial family once ruled the martial world? Well, the emperor at that time was the Martial God, Ju Uncheon.” “Wow.”

Chun-bong’s history lesson continued.

“The martial world can be seen as one big nation, or it can be considered a coalition of smaller nations.”

The larger view is that the entire martial world is one nation. The smaller view is that each of the Six Great Families and Nine Prominent Sects functions as its own nation.

“Take the Namgung Family, for example. They rule Anhui Province, and the small sects within it are like towns or villages.” “Ah, I see… So, this city is basically governed by the Cheongha Sect?” “Yep, that’s right.”

So, the courtesans I brought here are now civil servants directly under the city’s leadership?

It wasn’t exactly like that, but thinking of it that way wasn’t too far off.

“Wait a minute. Does that mean I beat up the mayor?” “Exactly.” “Whoa… This is a highlight of my life! I’m thrilled!”

Chun-bong shook her head.

Come on, at least say something! That reaction hurts my feelings.

After getting my crash course in martial world politics, I returned to the courtesans.

Chun-bong promised to fill me in whenever she noticed I didn’t know something. Besides, I’d been getting along fine without all this knowledge, so I’d just learn as I went.

“Well then, shall we head inside?”

Thump, thump!

Seo-jun knocked on the gate of the Cheongha Sect.

“Anyone here?”

Creak, the door opened, revealing a familiar face.

“I expected you to arrive around this time.”

Cheong-un greeted him with a fist salute.

“It’s good to see you again, young hero. You’ve done me a great favor.” “Uh… it’s hard to respond when your attitude changes so suddenly.” “Even beasts know how to repay kindness. Your advice helped me reach a small enlightenment, a favor that cannot be repaid with mere words.”

Seo-jun raised an eyebrow at him. Sure enough, he could sense that Cheong-un’s internal energy flow had improved noticeably.

Honestly, he hadn’t expected him to take the advice, so it felt oddly gratifying.

“Well, it’s no big deal. Looks like you’re close to reaching the peak. Keep it up!” “'Keep it up,' indeed. I will… keep it up.”

Cheong-un clenched his fist.

A martial artist saying “keep it up”? This was something else.

The more educated people here seem to know some English. Chun-bong probably hadn’t learned much yet since she was younger, but I bet the Cheongha Sect leader can carry on a conversation in English.

‘What kind of crazy martial world is this?’

If I’d read about this kind of thing in a modern martial arts novel, I’d be leaving a 5,700-character comment about how ridiculous it was.

‘Dude, are you kidding me? I’m dropping this, and you should drop your pen.’

I’d probably still end up getting possessed either way. Some things never change.

Seo-jun smacked his lips and followed Cheong-un, who had volunteered to guide them.

The courtesans, especially Churyeong, watched him with strange looks in their eyes. Churyeong’s gaze, in particular, was visibly shaky.

“Hmm…”@@novelbin@@

Chun-bong’s sharp eyes glinted as she observed the scene.

Soon, Seo-jun was taken to meet the head of the Cheongha Sect.

“It’s been a while.” “It hasn’t even been a few days.” “Let’s not dwell on the details.” “Tch…”

The sect leader glanced at the line of courtesans behind Seo-jun.

“So, these are the women you spoke of?” “Yep, that’s right.” “Understood. If they know how to cook, I’ll send them to the chefs. If not, they’ll be assigned as maids.” “Great.”

Seo-jun gave him a thumbs-up. But before that…

“Well, since I do have a conscience, I’ll give you a little service before handing them over.” “Service? You seem to know quite a few foreign words.” “Uh… you’re not racist, are you?” “No, I’m not a racist.” “Oh, shit.”

This guy knows some English too. Seo-jun clapped his hands in admiration.

“Anyway, could we borrow the training hall for a day? You’ve got some space available, right?” “Sure. Cheong-un, guide them.” “Yes, Master.”

Cheong-un bowed deeply.

“I’ll show you the way.”

Upon reaching the training hall, Seo-jun surveyed the area.

‘Not bad.’

For an unused training hall, it was spacious and clean. It would be perfect for what he had planned.

“Alright, ladies. From this point on, I won’t be showing any respect.” “W-what? Respect?” “When I give an order, just follow it. I’ll be speaking informally.”

What kind of exercise can women who haven’t trained much do?

‘Oh, wait… Is sex considered exercise?’

No, that would make me an absolute scumbag.

Anyway, I came up with something good.

“A healthy body leads to a healthy mind. Have you heard of calisthenics?” “No….” “Then just follow along with my instructions. First…”

Wait a minute. Was the first exercise arm movements? Or was it leg movements?

I couldn’t remember the specifics, so I decided to switch plans.

“Let’s just practice the Three Calamity Sword Technique. I think that’ll be enough for now.” “O-okay….”

The reason I had the courtesans doing things like calisthenics and practicing the Three Calamity Sword Technique was simple.

I was the one introducing these women to the Cheongha Sect.

If they went in and acted like a bunch of airheads, I’d feel guilty toward the sect.

So, I pushed them a bit harder than usual, and soon, the courtesans collapsed to the ground, exhausted.

Seo-jun chuckled as he watched them panting for breath. They looked like they were on the verge of passing out, but their expressions were surprisingly bright.

It seemed that the name "Cheongha Sect" gave them the motivation to enjoy even this kind of training.

“Got something to say?”

Once again, Seo-jun’s eyes met Churyeong’s.

She was, after all, his first connection in the martial world. As he stared at her, she nervously avoided his gaze, her eyes darting around.

“Why… are you giving me this opportunity?”

So, you do know you’ve been a pain in the ass, huh?

Not that I didn’t understand, and honestly, I wasn’t all that upset about it.

“Curious?”