Reincarnated Sword Ghost-Chapter 20 : Heavenly Martial Hall

Heavenly Martial Hall
"Then, please follow me this way."
I walked out of the General Affairs Department, following Jo Yoo-hyeon.
Secretly, I'd thought the successful candidates might gather and move together, but it seemed that wasn't the case.
"Unlike the regular test, the special test has far fewer successful applicants."
"Do regular tests have a lot of successful applicants?"
"At least ten times more than the special test. Not to mention the number of examinees."
In the meantime, Jo Yoo-hyeon bowed his head toward a passing martial artist.
A man dressed in black martial attire. He glanced at Jeong-un with an expressionless face and passed by.
"Who was that...?"
Jeong-un asked with a puzzled look.
"He's a warrior of Heavenly Martial Hall."
Jo Yoo-hyeon answered as if it were obvious.
"It's the first time I've come across one since entering here."
"That's normal. On days like today, there's an unspoken agreement to avoid the outer areas of the pavilion."
So that's why. I'd wondered why so few people were visible despite the size of the pavilion.
"Well, this should be the place."
"...?"
Jeong-un looked questioningly at Jo Yoo-hyeon, who had come to a halt.
He had reason to; the place they'd stopped was nothing but an empty clearing.
At that moment, Jo Yoo-hyeon raised one hand toward the sky.
"...."
Jeong-un quietly studied the hand. Indeed, though faint, true gathered in that hand and a surge of ki burst forth.
'What is he doing?'
At that moment, a faint flutter of wings could be heard and something flew in from the distant sky, landing on Jo Yoo-hyeon's hand.
Looking closely, it was a hawk with white feathers.
"It is called White Hawk(白鷹). It is a spirit beast raised only at Heavenly Martial Hall."
"A spirit beast?"
"Please stretch out your hand."
Jeong-un obediently extended his hand. The white hawk, as if waiting, flew over and perched on his hand.
"Slowly gather your ki. So that it can remember you."
"Remember me?"
When Jeong-un asked, Jo Yoo-hyeon merely smiled. It was an expression that said: try it if you're curious.
Jeong-un gazed at the hawk on his hand for a moment, then carefully circulated his true ki and sent it into his hand.
The White Hawk really did seem to sense something, fluttered its wings in place, and soon took off and disappeared.
"Is it done?"
"Yes."
Jo Yoo-hyeon nodded and continued to explain.
"Those birds remember the ki of the warriors of Heavenly Martial Hall. In the future, as you travel widely across the martial world and require urgent communication, they will come in handy."
"How remarkable..."
To remember a person's ki—if that was true, then "spirit beast" hardly did it justice.
"Well then, shall we go?"
We started walking again. After following for a while, Jeong-un asked casually,
"So what happens from here on?"
"From here on...? You mean?"
This time, Jo Yoo-hyeon blinked at Jeong-un. As if no one had ever asked such a question before.
"Young hero, have you never heard about Heavenly Martial Hall?"
"I've only heard of the name..."
At the Yu household, it had been difficult to get any information about Heavenly Martial Hall in the first place.
On the road to Hanyang Prefecture, he had barely spoken to anyone.
After arriving, he'd chatted briefly with some fighters of similar age, but hadn't wanted to seem a nuisance and left.
"Hmm, do you remember the characters written on the token I gave you?"
Jeong-un nodded.
"It said Blue Scale Corps."
"That's right. From today, young hero, you belong to the Blue Scale Corps of Heavenly Martial Hall. For the next five years, you'll train in martial arts and carry out missions there."
"Missions?"
Now that he thought about it, everyone he'd met at the guesthouse spoke of achieving merit and gaining fame.
That they had gathered at Heavenly Martial Hall for that very opportunity.
"You're from Hanzhong in Shaanxi, correct?"
"Yes."
"It's quite a distance—did you have occasion to draw your sword on the way here?"
"Uh..."
Jeong-un trailed off. He'd encountered some bandits on the way, but was a bit embarrassed to say he'd used his sword openly.
"So nothing serious happened, I see."
"I think I was just lucky."
Jo Yoo-hyeon nodded, then continued.
"There are many martial artists in the world, and not all are like young hero, accumulating only just and righteous ki. Many pursue their selfish desires, committing acts no human should dare without hesitation. Typical examples would be..."
"...?"
"About fifty years ago, a group from the Demonic Cult attacked Beijing, where the emperor was staying."
He added those last words in a very quiet voice, as if merely mentioning it would invite disaster.
'The Demonic Cult...?'
It was the first time Jeong-un had heard such a story. He'd heard the name before, but only in the evil sects that appeared in the booklets he occasionally read—he'd never imagined it was real.
And to think they dared to attack Beijing, where the emperor resided. He'd never heard such tales while living at the Yu household.
"This is my first time hearing of it."
"Of course. It's a matter everyone keeps quiet about. If you spoke openly of their blades reaching the Hall of Reverence with drawn swords, you'd lose your head—or worse. It's a relief if it's even mentioned as a single line in the history books."
Yet despite his fearsome words, his tone remained calm, just quieter.
"Why did that happen? Wasn't there the military and government forces?"
Even the martial artists existed. Jo Yoo-hyeon gave a wry smile.
"It was a time of peace. Except for the troops guarding against barbarians to the north, the imperial family had reduced their forces. The martial sects were content to rule as lords of their own regions, and in those days, there was little interaction between sects. When massacres suddenly broke out across the land like wildfire, they urgently pulled themselves together. And so, out of necessity, the Murim Alliance was formed, and Heavenly Martial Hall became its sword and shield."
"Then, these missions..."
Jo Yoo-hyeon came to a halt, and his voice grew somber.
"We must find and cut down every last remaining member of the Demonic Cult plotting another bloodbath somewhere...and eliminate them all!"
But then he relaxed, glancing aside with a softened face as he continued,
"... Or so they say, but in truth, it's been a long time since even a trace of those remnants was found."
"Then what do you do?"
"It's not just the Demonic Cult that disregards lives. With prolonged famines, bandits rise in numbers, and river pirates raid isolated riverside towns out of nowhere. Just recently, the heir of a single-lineage sect abducted ten women. So..."
"...?"
"You'll have more life-and-death assignments ahead than you can count. Many martial artists come to Heavenly Martial Hall with high hopes, but once inside, their faces quickly change."
Jo Yoo-hyeon sighed for a moment, then glanced at Jeong-un as if expecting to see a frightened look.
But what he found instead were eyes shining bright as stars.
"Now I understand."
"Yes?"
"You train inside and constantly face real combat outside. It's the perfect environment to raise your martial arts. Just as the rumors said."
"... Y-Yes, that's right."
Jo Yoo-hyeon glared sidelong at Jeong-un with a slightly sour look, thinking a rather unusual man had arrived.
* * *
"This is where you'll be staying from now on."
It was a most luxurious pavilion. Though not as tall as the one used for the third test, it had five whole floors.
What's more, it was even wider, making it hard to imagine how many people lived there.
"Is this where everyone at Heavenly Martial Hall lives?"
"Eh? Of course not."
Jo Yoo-hyeon looked as if he'd just heard a joke.
"This is where the male warriors of the Blue Scale Corps stay. Of those, one row will use the first floor."
"One row...?"
"Ah."
When Jeong-un repeated, Jo Yoo-hyeon's eyes widened as if surprised by even this lack of knowledge.
"Hmm... You'll see as you live here. I can't stand outside explaining everything forever."
"I see."
"The servant inside will guide you to your room. Well then."
Jo Yoo-hyeon bowed deeply to Jeong-un, who returned the gesture, clasping his fist in salute.
"I'm curious how many rows you'll collect by the time you leave here in five years."
"...?"
"I wish you good fortune."
Jo Yoo-hyeon turned and walked away. After watching him for a moment in puzzlement, Jeong-un, too, started toward the pavilion.
Upon entering, he saw a wide staircase in the center with long corridors stretching to either side.
Even at a glance, high-quality materials had clearly been used, and the various pieces of furniture he didn't know the use of all looked antique.
Then, several warriors in black clothing slowed as they spotted Jeong-un in the corridor, exchanging glances before quietly passing by.
"...?"
Just then, what seemed to be a servant approached and bowed politely.
"Are you Warrior Yu Jeong-un?"
"Yes."
"This way, please."
Following the servant down the left corridor, the gazes of the fighters they passed became more focused on him.
Their expressions ran the gamut, but what Jeong-un sensed most was a kind of wariness and curiosity.
'Why is that?'
Aren't we comrades? Jeong-un looked back at them, puzzled. Soon, the servant stopped in front of a room.
"This is it."
"Thank you."
Upon opening the door, a spacious room came into view.
Even the room the youngest local landlord's son Jeong-un used to have was smaller than this.
But there was already someone inside.
"Ha, there you are."
"...?"
A man wearing Heavenly Martial Hall's black martial garb in a rather casual manner sat leisurely on the right bed of the two arranged on either side of the room.
"Who are you?"
"The person who'll be sharing this room with you from now on."
A twin room in such a big pavilion? The thought made Jeong-un ask absentmindedly,
"Are rooms for two people?"
"Why, uncomfortable just thinking about it?"
"I don't mind."
The man snorted. There was a roguish air to him, but it seemed completely natural.
"At your last place, you must've had your own room, right?"
"Yes."
"Well, people like you usually do."
Nodding as if it was obvious, the man then continued playfully.
"Ah, but don't worry—I'll live quietly so the young lord won't be inconvenienced."
"...?"
By this point, Jeong-un was confused too.
"Isn't this our first meeting?"
"What?"
"Why do you talk like you already know me?"
"Because you're from the special test, obviously?"
"What do you mean?"
As Jeong-un pressed, the other man furrowed his brow.
"Are you going to keep pretending not to know? Or do you have to act noble since you're from a prestigious sect?"
"...."
Realizing the situation, Jeong-un shook his head and headed to the other bed.
"What's that look for?"
"I'm not from a prestigious sect."
"...?"
On the bed was a neatly folded set of black martial robes.
As it was, he'd been the only one wearing different clothes all the way here, which had made him self-conscious.
"You're not from the special test?"
"I am."
"...?"
The man's face twisted oddly. He stared at Jeong-un as if to say, what are you talking about?
Silently, Jeong-un changed into the black martial robes and tidied his appearance.
Then he spotted something on his left arm.
'A row.'
Embroidered stylishly on his left arm in rare gold thread was a single line, barely the size of a finger and near invisible unless you purposely looked for it.
He was curious what it meant, but didn't want to ask the man behind him.
Not because he felt anything toward him, but because just now, he didn't expect a proper answer.
'Why is he so prickly?'
After looking at the man for a moment, Jeong-un finally spoke.
"I'm Yu Jeong-un from the Yu household in Hanzhong."
"... Baek Il-gang."
He answered with a rather reluctant expression, suspicion still clear in his eyes.
He then threw out an offhand addition.
"It's best not to mention your sect or origin."
"...?"
When Jeong-un looked at him questioningly, the man immediately showed a hint of regret, as if he shouldn't have said that.
But he reluctantly continued.
"It's not the entrance ceremony yet, but there's a rule here. For the five years at Heavenly Martial Hall, everyone is to be treated as equals, no matter their background."
"There's such a rule?"
"In name, anyway."
Yet the entrance exam itself was divided between regular and special tests.
Somehow, the prickly attitude of the man in front of him now felt a little more understandable.
"Did you arrive today as well, big brother?"
"I came five days ago."
"I see."
He must be one of the regular test examinees who finished the test earlier.
I recalled Jo Yoo-hyeon's words about there being ten times as many in the regular tests.
That meant those he'd passed in the hallways must have arrived only five days ago as well.
'... Though by the way they act, you'd think they'd been here for over a year.'
It was a genuine, innocent thought.
"Can I ask you something?"
"What now?"
Baek Il-gang replied gruffly, apparently regretting his recent friendliness. Jeong-un, who had tied his sword at his waist, asked,
"Where is the training hall?"
"... Didn't you just arrive?"