I Became the Hidden Ruler of the Martial World

"Hah, hah."

Leaning against a tree, away from people, Baek Yoonjun felt his hazy mind returning.

"Haa, haa."

He also remembered how to breathe, which he had forgotten, and let out a rough breath.

"Are you okay, young master?"

"I'm... fine."

Baek Yoonjun answered, avoiding the worried woman's eyes.

'Just go away, please.'

Although Baek Yoonjun wished for the woman to leave, it did not happen.

"Hmm."

Far from leaving, she was staring intently at Baek Yoonjun.

Although it was an ordinary gaze, Baek Yoonjun felt as if his skin were burning under that gaze.

"Young master."

"Yes?"

"No matter how much you admire the White-Robed Sword Immortal, don't carry a sword around when you're not even a martial artist."

"What?"

Baek Yoonjun did not understand what the woman was saying.

The woman let out a small sigh at Baek Yoonjun's appearance.

"A white robe and a black sword, and on top of that, how on earth did you dye your hair white?"

"It's natural..."

"Admiration is free, but be careful with the sword. It's easy to get stabbed if you carry a sword around carelessly here."

Although Baek Yoonjun had a lot to say, his homebody introvert tendency blocked his throat, and he couldn't bring himself to say it.

"Anyway, young master, you don't look well, so how about I help you to a doctor's office?"

"I'm fine."

"Don't refuse, you seem frail, so wouldn't it be better to see a doctor?"

"I'm fine."

At Baek Yoonjun's roundabout refusal, the woman fell silent and continued to linger near Baek Yoonjun.

As a result, Baek Yoonjun's mental strength was being chipped away in real time.

In the end, unable to bear it any longer, Baek Yoonjun had no choice but to open his mouth.

"Save me... no, thank you for your help. I'm fine now, so you can go on your way. You seem busy..."

"I'm not busy."

Baek Yoonjun flinched as if he had been punched squarely in the solar plexus.

No matter how he looked at it, it didn't seem like the woman would leave.

"Even if you're not busy, you must have something to do, right?"

"There is no busier work than helping the weak."

The word 'weak' pierced through Baek Yoonjun.

'If I'm a third-rate, I'm weak, but still, but still.'

Although Baek Yoonjun had a lot to say, he had no choice but to keep his mouth shut.

As a reaction, his tightly clenched hands trembled, and his whole body trembled.

"Young master? Are you not feeling well again?"

"No."

"Your body is trembling."

The woman reached out to Baek Yoonjun with a worried face.

Baek Yoonjun twisted his body to avoid it.

"Don't touch me."

"Ah, I'm sorry. You didn't look well."

The woman looked at her hand awkwardly and then left.

'Did she leave?'

Baek Yoonjun was filled with joy as he saw the woman leave.

But a moment later, he despaired as he saw the woman return with a newly carved wooden staff.

The woman held out the staff, whether she knew Baek Yoonjun's feelings or not.

"Young master, take this."

"This is?"

"You didn't seem to want me to help you, did you? Use this at least."

"...Thank you."

Baek Yoonjun took the staff with a reluctant look.

Although he was not particularly pleased, Baek Yoonjun did not have the courage to refuse another's kindness.

'She made it quite well.'

Baek Yoonjun leaned on the staff and got up.

He walked a few steps.

'I can walk.'

Having judged that he was okay, Baek Yoonjun turned his head at the gaze he felt.

Naturally, it was the woman's gaze.

"Aren't you leaving?"

"Aren't you also going to Luoyang for some business? I'll accompany you."

"Luoyang?"

Baek Yoonjun searched for the word 'Luoyang' in his mind.

The only thing that came to mind was that it was the city that Lu Bu's father had burned down in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Since it wasn't particularly important, Baek Yoonjun thought of something more important.

'How far is it from Sichuan?'

At times like this, although he was reluctant, it was a relief that there was someone next to him to ask.

"How far is it from Sichuan?"

"Sichuan, you say? Even if you take a proper road, wouldn't it take a few months?"

At the woman's words, Baek Yoonjun's mind went blank.

'A few months?!'

At the words 'a few months', Baek Yoonjun was startled inwardly.

He had no idea why, how, or for what reason he had come to a region that was months away from Sichuan.

'My lightness skill can't be that good, can it?'

Of course, it was a thought by Baek Yoonjun's standards.

"Do you have any connections in Sichuan?"

"Yes, I do."

"Then you should make a request to the escort agency in Luoyang."

At the woman's words, Baek Yoonjun's mind was somewhat organized.

'Right. Since it's such a big city, there must be a place that will take me if I make a request. Although I'm very reluctant to be around a lot of people, if I want to go home, I'll have to endure it a little.'

Baek Yoonjun made up his mind.

By homebody introvert standards, it was a very firm resolve.

Having made up his mind, Baek Yoonjun leaned on the staff and headed for Luoyang.

Behind him, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, the woman followed him step by step.

And so, Baek Yoonjun, who was struggling to move forward, stopped his steps.

At that, the woman also stopped her steps.

Baek Yoonjun turned around with a whoosh.

The woman met such a Baek Yoonjun's eyes with a brazen face.

"Why are you following me?"

"I also have business in Luoyang."

"Then you should go first."

"And I also have a duty to protect the weak."

"Since a big city like Luoyang is right in front of us, I don't need protection."

"To a weak person like you, young master, a big city is more dangerous than the outside." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Baek Yoonjun felt like he was talking to a wall.

No, for Baek Yoonjun, talking to a wall was a very comfortable thing, so it was just like dealing with a person as usual.

'Just ignore it.'

Baek Yoonjun turned his eyes and moved his feet towards Luoyang.

'That woman will also go her own way once she enters Luoyang.'

With a very small hope, Baek Yoonjun, who had arrived at the gate of Luoyang, faced another crisis.

"You two there, what business brings you to Luoyang?"

The gate.

Unlike Sichuan, the gatekeepers, who were dressed in what looked like proper military uniforms, greeted Baek Yoonjun.

Naturally, Baek Yoonjun froze.

In the first place, he was someone who had just secretly crossed over in Sichuan because the gazes of the people were burdensome.

"We came to take the entrance exam for the Martial Alliance."

Fortunately, the woman behind him answered the gatekeeper's question, so Baek Yoonjun was inwardly relieved.

"The young gentleman over there... hmm..."

However, the gatekeeper who heard the woman's answer looked at Baek Yoonjun with a very unreliable expression.

"No matter how I look at him, he's so frail..."

This time too, a lot of things Baek Yoonjun wanted to say welled up like crazy, but he couldn't spit them out.

"Well, dreams are free... go on in."

Still, fortunately, he was able to pass through the gate and enter Luoyang.

'Ignore it. Ignore it. I just want to go home.'

And so, Baek Yoonjun, who had set foot in Luoyang, froze at the huge crowd.

What he could see was people, people, and people.

The buildings were also quite splendid and tall, but they did not enter the eyes of Baek Yoonjun, who had lost his mind to the people.

Just like with the gatekeeper, Baek Yoonjun stealthily looked back, hoping that the woman would do something first.

"Wow, there are so many people."

But the woman was not much different from Baek Yoonjun.

Her body was trembling slightly, and she was just trying not to show it, but she was frozen.

At that, Baek Yoonjun felt a question.

"Weren't you from Luoyang?"

"...Embarrassingly, this is my first time."

The woman answered as if she were very embarrassed.

At that, Baek Yoonjun's anger flared up.

'She acted as if she knew everything!!'

Naturally, due to the fate of a homebody introvert, he could not spit it out.

And so, the two who had frozen stood for a while near the gate in a place that did not obstruct traffic.

"Uh... for now, I'll look for a place to stay."

Fortunately, the woman showed movement.

Forgetting what he had been avoiding until just now, Baek Yoonjun followed behind the woman, huddled up like a baby bird following its mother bird.

'This is not a person, but a hologram. This is not a person, but a hologram.'

Of course, since a huge crowd had passed by, he did not forget to hypnotize himself.

And so, Baek Yoonjun and the woman arrived at a tavern with difficulty.

The problem was that the tavern was large.

"Uh, I'm short on money..."

The woman who had gone first was unable to do her job due to the ridiculously high prices of Luoyang.

'I can't stand it anymore!'

Baek Yoonjun's desire to be cooped up in a corner of his room reached its limit.

Stepping forward, Baek Yoonjun stood in front of the tavern owner.

"Two of the quietest rooms."

He took out a silver coin from his bosom and placed it in front of the tavern owner.

"Uh... customer..."

Thud.

As the tavern owner was about to continue, Baek Yoonjun took out another silver coin from his bosom and placed it on top.

"Uh, uh...?"

As the tavern owner froze, Baek Yoonjun took out more silver coins from his bosom and placed them on the table.

At that, the tavern owner began to move.

"Aigoo, great hero! I'll escort you right away! Please follow me!"

The tavern owner flattered him in every way and personally guided Baek Yoonjun and the woman.

Naturally, not a single word entered Baek Yoonjun's ears.

Feeling his mental strength being chipped away in real time by the huge crowd in the tavern, he was guided to his room in a half-dazed state.

And so, Baek Yoonjun entered his room.

"Finally."

Baek Yoonjun's body, who had become alone, began to be filled with vitality.

"I'm alone!"

Baek Yoonjun cheered very quietly.

Although he felt as if he had obtained the world, due to his disposition, he could not bring himself to cheer loudly.

And so, Baek Yoonjun's face, which was filled with vitality, became lively, and he was able to walk on his own two feet.

Although his senses would feel the presence of many people if he spread them, Baek Yoonjun, who had regained his vitality, desperately controlled his senses and reduced the range as much as possible.

"Ah, I can live. This is life. As expected, humans are creatures that live alone."

Feeling very comfortable, Baek Yoonjun sat down on the bed.

Although Baek Yoonjun, who had gotten better to some extent, could leave here right away and go to a place with no people.

'I have to go home.'

He suppressed his instinct to flee in order to return to Sichuan.

And so, Baek Yoonjun, who was enjoying the environment of being alone, had a problem that he had put off because he had been so busy until just now come to his mind.

'By the way, didn't that woman say she was taking the entrance exam for the Martial Alliance?'

Although Baek Yoonjun was a homebody introvert and extremely reluctant to go out, he had not not gone out, and since he did not have no ears, he had heard many rumors.

'I'm sure people cursed the orthodox faction and the Martial Alliance a lot.'

Baek Yoonjun carefully recalled the stories about the orthodox faction and the Martial Alliance that he had unintentionally heard in Sichuan.

'No. It wasn't just cursing, it was at the level of hostility.'

Reaching that point, Baek Yoonjun fell into an ominous feeling as if he had entered an enemy territory alone.

'Could it be? No? No, no matter how bad the words are, they wouldn't stab me with a sword while I'm walking down the street, would they?'

But he was able to relieve that feeling a little.

'Phew, after resting a little, let's find a way to go back to Sichuan and go back quickly. Then it will be okay.'

Baek Yoonjun tried to think as positively as possible, trying to ignore the ominous feeling.

Fortunately, perhaps because he had become alone and his mind and body were at ease, he was able to shake off the ominous thoughts quickly.

And so, Baek Yoonjun was comfortably cooped up in his residence.

He felt like he didn't want to leave here at all.

But Baek Yoonjun's small peace did not last long.

Knock. Knock.

A very ominous knocking sound.

"Young master, are you inside?"

A very ominous woman's voice.

Baek Yoonjun shut his mouth with an expression as if there were a murderer outside and did not even make a sound.

"Did he go out? No. Since I didn't see him go out, he must be inside."

The woman's small monologue continued to stick in Baek Yoonjun's ears.

Of course, he knew it wasn't, but he felt as if a murderer who had come to take his neck was muttering at the door.

"Young master, I'm sorry if you're sleeping. But I felt so bad for not thanking you for paying for my room that I really wanted to say thank you."

There was no falsehood to be felt in the woman's words.

Although Baek Yoonjun still felt a burden as if he were facing a murderer.

'It's not like she came for something bad, so it would be a bit much to be rude.'

But he did not have the courage to turn away a kindness.

(End of Chapter)