"The alliance! The alliance has invaded!"

"Don't make a fuss. It's not the first or second time."

As he said that, Shinseung got up from his seat.

Getting up from his seat, Shinseung performed a half-salute and bowed his waist towards Baek Yoonjun.

At the news that the alliance had invaded, the thought 'Am I going to be called too?' came to Baek Yoonjun's mind, and he became slightly anxious.

"I apologize for showing you an unsightly scene after inviting you. This is the deepest part of Shaolin, so the aftermath will not reach here. Benefactor Baek, please rest comfortably as a guest."

Shinseung did not ask Baek Yoonjun for help.

Although he was puzzled by that, since he did not want to get involved in a dispute, Baek Yoonjun bowed his head without saying anything and expressed his gratitude.

"Thank you for your consideration."

"It is something I should naturally do. Then I will be away for a while."

Saying so, Shinseung left with Hyejin.

Left alone, Baek Yoonjun sat in the room and thought.

'The alliance has invaded. Is it related to seclusion?'

Although he didn't want to care, he was concerned.

'I don't want to get involved, but isn't Shinseung a good person?'

The reason he was concerned was because of the existence of Shinseung.

In Baek Yoonjun's view, although Shinseung spouted words that were close to sophistry, he was a good person.

And he was seen as a man of character and an adult.

Although their meeting was not that long.

'Even though he's an adult, he was quite comfortable.'

There were only two types of adults that Baek Yoonjun could comfortably deal with.

Those he was used to from being with for a long time, or those he had known since he was a child.

Although his first meeting with Shinseung was strange, after that, it was not bad.

'It's on my mind.'

In the end, Baek Yoonjun got up from his seat and left the room.

Then he looked around and found the largest building.

'For now, let's just watch.'

Baek Yoonjun looked at the large, conspicuous building.

'Before, I would have jumped up in one go, but can I do that now?'

Now that he had made up his mind, the method was the problem.

Although Baek Yoonjun thought about performing his lightness skill as before for a moment, he soon shook his head.

'It's right to go safely, whatever it is.'

Giving up on the lightness skill, he stepped on the empty air as if he were climbing the valley from before.

And so, Baek Yoonjun, who was climbing up towards the top of the building as if he were climbing stairs.

'Since I can take baby steps, can I run now?'

He kicked off the ground and ran.

It was comfortable to run as if there were a floor in the empty air.

Having arrived at the roof of the building in an instant, Baek Yoonjun lowered his posture and looked around.

'The place where the monk is... is over there.'

Looking roughly with his naked eye, there were a few monks, including Shinseung and Hyejin, at what seemed to be the entrance of Shaolin, and on the other side, there were quite a lot of martial artists.

'Those are the martial artists of the alliance.'

Baek Yoonjun was extremely tense.

Because if they had come directly from the Martial Alliance, there might be a large number of first-rate or higher martial artists who surpassed him.

'For now, should I check their martial arts level?'

Tense, Baek Yoonjun stealthily spread his senses and scanned their condition.

And he was slightly surprised.

'Why is the level so low? Could it be a test?'

Although there were many, they were all third-rate or lower, with a realm lower than Shinseung's, and some were even lower than Hyejin's.

'Even if I can't operate my internal energy as before, if I use the divine sword, I can wipe them all out, right?'

Thinking so, Baek Yoonjun's tension eased a little.

But since the thought that there might be a first-rate or higher martial artist hiding somewhere was still in his mind, he could not completely relax.

Instead, he listened to their conversation.

-As you can see, Shaolin is in seclusion. Benefactors of the alliance, please go through the proper procedures and visit later.

-What seclusion! We know there are a lot of people inside!

-They are scholar monks who have not learned martial arts.

-Anyway, aren't they affiliated with Shaolin!

-Shaolin is also a temple, so isn't it natural that there are monks? Amitabha.

-If you're in seclusion, shouldn't you empty it all out to be in seclusion!

From the current conversation, Baek Yoonjun found out one fact.

'It's not that all the people of Shaolin Temple learn martial arts.'

Until now, Baek Yoonjun had thought that all the people of Shaolin had learned martial arts.

But it was not.

'Hmm, is seclusion a concept where you close the doors and suspend business, so the people who were doing business also have to leave?'

Thinking about seclusion, Baek Yoonjun pondered about the monks of Shaolin who had not learned martial arts.

'Seclusion seems to be a matter related to the interests of martial artists, so aren't the scholar monks who haven't learned martial arts irrelevant?'

Even so, they were humans whose actions he did not particularly like.

'I don't know if my thoughts are right, but for now, I don't like it.'

As his thoughts reached that point, his gaze towards the martial artists of the alliance became even less favorable.

Although Baek Yoonjun's view of the martial artists of the alliance had become very bad, he did not particularly step forward.

-Will you please retreat?

-The alliance will not stand by and watch this matter!

Since it was difficult to call them villains just by his thoughts, and since it didn't seem like there would be a military conflict.

Seeing the martial artists of the Martial Alliance retreat, Baek Yoonjun immediately came down from the roof and returned to his original spot as if nothing had happened.

And so, after a moment had passed, Shinseung returned.

"I apologize for showing you an unsightly scene, Benefactor Baek."

"I didn't see anything."

At Shinseung's benevolent smile and words, Baek Yoonjun was inwardly startled but pretended not to know.

But for some reason, Shinseung continued to talk as if Baek Yoonjun knew the situation just now.

"The problem is that the justification is on their side. But if we send out the scholar monks as they demand, what will they do..." 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"Do you mean they will harm those who come out?"

"That's right. It seems what they want is at least to have Shaolin under their control, and if not, they are aiming for the collapse of Shaolin."

"No, what do they gain by doing that?"

"That, this humble monk does not know. Amitabha."

Although Shinseung was still smiling benevolently, he seemed to be in deep thought.

Looking at that, Baek Yoonjun carefully brought up his opinion.

"Instead of sending them out, how about moving Shaolin altogether?"

"That's right. That might be the right choice."

Shinseung coolly agreed with Baek Yoonjun's words.

And then.

"But we cannot do that."

Although he had obediently agreed with Baek Yoonjun's previous words, the subsequent words were a firm denial.

"Why?"

"That is because this place, before it was a place where we study Buddhism..."

Shinseung was still smiling benevolently.

But unlike before, a firm will seemed to be visible.

"This place is our home."

At those words, Baek Yoonjun could not say anything.

The various meanings contained in the word 'home' unconsciously came to him.

At the same time.

'Can my residence truly be called a home?'

It made him think of various things about home.

At least for Baek Yoonjun himself, it seemed that even if he moved his residence in the mountains, although it would be a little troublesome, there would be no big problem.

Therefore, it might not be able to be truly called a home.

It seemed that Shinseung truly thought of this place as a home.

He did not understand.

But for some reason, Baek Yoonjun felt very envious of that.

"I'm somewhat envious."

"Benefactor Baek will also have one. Surely."

After that, no words were exchanged.

Baek Yoonjun quietly turned his gaze outside the room.

For some reason, the now empty view of Shaolin came to Baek Yoonjun's heart differently than before.

After that, Hyejin brought tea, and the two, who had quenched their thirst, talked about various things again.

Among them was the story that Baek Yoonjun was looking for the whereabouts of Tang Yuhwa.

"I see. You are looking for your disciple..."

"To be honest, I'm at a loss."

"If that's the case, we will help. Since we are in seclusion, albeit for the sake of appearance, many of our martial monks are wandering the world, gathering rumors, and occasionally stopping by to deliver them."

"Then I will ask for your help. If you hear the name Tang Yuhwa or the title Sichuan Divine Doctor, please be sure to let me know."

For Baek Yoonjun, who was at a loss, it was good news.

Although there would be many unreliable rumors like with the beggars, he had more faith in the monks than the beggars.

And so, their conversation continued until the sun set.

"Benefactor Baek, you may stay here. I will take my leave now."

"Thank you. Please rest well."

Since it was late at night, Shinseung got up from his seat.

Left alone after Shinseung left, for some reason, an anxious premonition began to creep up on Baek Yoonjun.

'Will those Martial Alliance guys just retreat quietly like this?'

From the story he had heard from Shinseung, and from the attitude of the Martial Alliance people at the main gate earlier, no matter how he thought about it, it didn't seem like it would just pass quietly.

Although he worried, his position was too ambiguous to intervene in anything.

'What am I worrying about?'

Baek Yoonjun spread out his bedding and lay down.

Although he lay down, he was not particularly tired.

Baek Yoonjun, who had been tossing and turning for a long time.

'It's bothering me.'

He got up from his seat and went outside.

Shaolin, which had been quiet, became even quieter at night.

Occasionally, a light could be seen, and there was a human presence, so it seemed to be a person on patrol at night.

'Can they manage with just that number of people?'

Baek Yoonjun, who was continuously concerned about various things, climbed onto the roof of the building he had climbed during the day.

'It's quiet.'

Baek Yoonjun scanned his surroundings from the roof.

There was nothing in particular.

But something was bothering him.

Clinging to the roof, Baek Yoonjun continued to scan his surroundings.

After a long time had passed, to the point where the position of the moon had changed.

'Was it a needless worry?'

Just as Baek Yoonjun was getting bored, a group climbing the mountain in the distance came into his eyes.

Humans climbing a place that was not a proper path in the pitch-black night, no matter how he looked at it, they did not seem to be humans with good intentions.

'For now, from their movements, they are martial artists.'

Baek Yoonjun moved his feet towards that group.

As he got a little closer, the appearance of that group became clearly visible.

Although they were covering their faces with masks.

'Aren't those the Martial Alliance guys from during the day?'

Baek Yoonjun quietly looked down at them from the empty air and spread his senses.

As expected, they were the people of the Martial Alliance he had seen earlier.

'What is their purpose?'

Hiding his body, Baek Yoonjun listened to them and quietly tracked them.

Their destination, no matter how he looked at it, was Shaolin.

After being silent for a while, as they got close to the wall of Shaolin, they quietly talked.

"As I said, we will wipe out the monks and drag some of them to the alliance."

"No matter how strong Shinseung's martial arts are, if we take his family as hostages, he will crawl on his own."

Although the conversation continued after that, there was nothing more to hear.

'Without a doubt, they are bad guys.'

They were defined as villains by Baek Yoonjun.

'I want to deal with them quietly with hidden weapons, but since I can't operate my internal energy, that won't work. Do I have to cut them down myself?'

After hesitating for a very short time, Baek Yoonjun revealed himself in front of them.

"Who are you?!"

As Baek Yoonjun revealed himself in front of them, they drew their weapons without hesitation.

Baek Yoonjun quietly approached them.

"Although I have no relationship with Shaolin, it's not right to commit murder inside a temple."

As Baek Yoonjun gripped the heart sword in his mental image, he simultaneously gripped the Black Iron Night in his hand.

"Fortunately, this is outside the temple."

The inner heart sword and the outer Black Iron Night achieved unity.

Sreung.

"Reveal your identi...!"

The Black Iron Night was drawn.

That was enough.

A diagonal line appeared on the body of the martial artist in front of Baek Yoonjun, and he was split apart.

"Be quiet in the temple."

The martial artists could not tell what had happened in that moment.

Baek Yoonjun had just drawn his sword, and at the same time, the martial artist in front of him had been cut down.

"He's a master! Don't be carele...!"

Slice.

A martial artist who had come to his senses was cut down.

Still, Baek Yoonjun showed no sign of moving.

"Quietly."

Baek Yoonjun just looked down at them with cold eyes and ordered them to be quiet.

The surroundings were as quiet as if they had frozen.

Slice.

They could not even perceive the moment they were cut, and while their comrades were dying, they did not dare to think of moving.

It seemed as if they could not even dare to breathe unless they were allowed to.

The martial artists died one by one.

It was neither fast nor slow, but.

Slice.

It could not be avoided.

Slice.

It could not even be seen.

And so, dozens of martial artists became corpses in the darkness and were buried.

Having cut down all the visible martial artists, Baek Yoonjun spread his senses wide, wondering if there were any hiding martial artists.

'Are there no hiding villains?'

Confirming that there were no hiding martial artists, Baek Yoonjun moved the corpses to a suitable distance and returned to his residence.

Having returned to his residence, Baek Yoonjun replayed the battle just now.

Since the level of the villains was not worth mentioning, he replayed it with a focus on the heart sword.

'I didn't feel like anything was being consumed.'

When he used his internal energy, he had felt that even a small amount was being consumed.

But this time, there was no feeling that something was being consumed.

'There's no way a power like this can be used without any price.'

Even though he had swung the heart sword quite a bit in the previous battle, there was no new enlightenment.

'I don't know. Let's just sleep.'

The bothersome feeling disappeared as soon as he had cut down the villains, and perhaps thanks to that, Baek Yoonjun was able to sleep soundly.

And so, the next day.

Shinseung came to him with a piece of news.

Although it was not news of Tang Yuhwa.

"What? The Beggar King?"

It was a somewhat interesting piece of news.

(End of Chapter)