All My Murim Noonas Are Obsessed With Me!-Chapter 105: Martial Alliance Summit (1)

[Sword Empress’s POV]

Step, step.

"The Martial Alliance, huh..."

It had been quite a while since I’d last set foot here.

Aside from the time I’d searched for "Dan Yoo-sung" after Soyeon’s incident, I rarely left the mountain. As a martial artist trained in Huashan’s swordsmanship—not its sect leader—I had little reason for the Alliance to summon me. And if they did, unless it was urgent or unavoidable, I’d have declined.

The current Alliance Leader, along with the sect leaders, faction heads, and family patriarchs of the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families, belonged to a different generation than mine. An old relic like me, stubbornly lingering past my time, would only make them uncomfortable if I showed my face too often. So, I avoided public appearances as much as possible.

To reiterate, I wasn’t Huashan’s sect leader.

That’s why I’d intended to refuse this summons too...

"Yeo So-cheon..."

A call from an old comrade I hadn’t seen in twenty years—until our recent encounter—wasn’t something I could easily ignore. I had questions for her too. Why had she sought me and him out that day? How had she overpowered me? What had happened between her and him while I was unconscious?

Especially since he’d been restless ever since, his claim that "nothing happened" rang hollow. I hadn’t pressed him—I didn’t want to—but Yeo So-cheon was different. We’d never been on good terms, often clashing in the past. Even as former comrades, drawing swords wasn’t out of the question. Back then, we’d settled disputes with sparring more often than not.

Of course, I’d prefer to resolve this with words if possible.

Creak.

The door swung open, revealing Yeo So-cheon perched on the table, as if she’d been waiting.

"Long time no see, Sword Empress. Did you sell your manners—the kind where you signal your presence before barging in—somewhere along the way?" she quipped.

"You sensed me coming anyway, didn’t you? I didn’t bother hiding my presence, so you’d have noticed regardless. Was there really a need for that?" I countered.

"Knowing it and making it obvious are two different things, don’t you think?"

"I don’t particularly feel like showing you courtesy."

"Oh, what a coincidence. Neither do I."

It was the kind of bickering you’d hardly expect from Taoists, but it was precisely because we’d fought back-to-back as comrades that we could. I didn’t speak this way with just anyone—her sharp tongue far outstripped mine.

"Is this a side effect of aging and then rejuvenating? Your body might not have aged, but your speech is still that of a granny. I think I mentioned this before, but since it hasn’t changed, do you secretly acknowledge you’re old?" she jabbed.

"...Didn’t you undergo rejuvenation too?" I shot back.

"Ha! As I’ve said before, I didn’t age and then get younger—I’ve never aged. From back then to now, this face hasn’t changed. Don’t lump me in with you."

I frowned, scanning her atop the table. Her appearance looked younger than a youth in their prime. Certain parts of her—disproportionate to her petite frame—didn’t match her apparent age, but overall, she seemed so youthful it was hard to adjust.

"So that habit of sitting on tables instead of chairs hasn’t changed either. I suppose it’s the only way you can meet others eye-to-eye," I remarked.

Crack.

Her brow twitched.

"Hmph. You think I care about something like that? I just find it more comfortable up here," she huffed.

"Then why not step down and prove it? Let’s see if you’ve grown any taller since we last met."

"Ugh..."

Her youthful looks came with a height that, charitably speaking, was neither tall nor average. She’d always been sensitive about it, and while I didn’t enjoy poking at sore spots, she’d provoked me first. Besides, I hadn’t been that old before my rejuvenation either.

"No need to be shy. We’re both ageless, aren’t we? Even after twenty years, it’s possible your height hasn’t budged," I teased.

"I-I’ve grown, okay?! Not so much that you can mock me! I’ve grown properly!" she protested.

"Oh? Then I’ll definitely need to check."

"Urk..."

I narrowed my eyes at her, and she subtly avoided my gaze.

"If you don’t want to get up, I could just scan you with my senses instead?"

"N-No, that’s not allowed!"

"So this isn’t okay, that isn’t okay—what do you suggest?"

"W-Why do you even care about my height?! Did you contribute anything to it?! Did you add a single inch to my growth in the last twenty years?!"

A little prodding, and she’d self-destructed. That temper of hers had made her a frequent target of teasing among our comrades. In the weary days of the battlefield, her reactions were a rare source of amusement—something precious.

"Fine. Let’s drop this and get to the point," I said. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"You mock me to your heart’s content and now want to move on?" she grumbled.

"Want me to keep going?"

"...No."

Even after all this time, Yeo So-cheon was still Yeo So-cheon. She occasionally exuded an air of mystery, but her bashful nature quickly shattered it.

Anyway, to the matter at hand—

"Why summon me here of all places? If you just wanted to talk, there was no need to drag me to the Alliance."

I had plenty of questions, but this was the most pressing. Why here? Neither of us had much reason to visit this place.

"Oh, it’s not really about you. My main business is with someone else—you’re just needed for it. The summons isn’t specifically for you, Sword Empress."

"Hm?"

Being treated as a side note was so blatant—and so nostalgic after all these years—that I didn’t even mind. But her next words caught me off guard.

"I called that fortune-teller who saved your life here. Turns out he’s pretty famous—rumors call him the ’Faceless Money-Grubbing Ghost.’"

"W-Wait a second."

"You should thank him, right? He saved the life of a righteous hero, the Sword Empress, after all."

The fact that she’d summoned him to the Alliance was shocking enough, but what she’d said before that stunned me more.

Saved my life.

It was why I’d let him use my name so casually, but I hadn’t told anyone else. It was a secret between us—so how could Yeo So-cheon possibly know?

"...Ah."

Her blue hair caught my eye, and I remembered. I’d forgotten she could see and hear things from places she wasn’t even present for. She must’ve uncovered it that way.

"...This is bad."

Her playful smirk made it clear this wasn’t done with good intentions. I didn’t know exactly what happened that day, but her attitude now suggested she harbored some ill will toward him. From what I knew, he disliked excessive attention, and being called to the Alliance was a spotlight he’d dread. He wouldn’t just come and go—he’d have to meet someone, have a conversation.

"...Who did you call?" I asked.

If anyone else, I wouldn’t care, but her status meant she could summon sect leaders, faction heads, or family patriarchs from the Nine Great Sects or Five Great Families if she wanted—provided she had a decent pretext.

Her answer?

"I wanted to call everyone, but there’s a limit to who I could gather on short notice. About seven showed up."

"..."

"Oh, the Alliance Leader was a given. He’s been well-trained by his predecessor—listens politely enough. I was worried he might not know me."

Thud.

I pressed a hand to my forehead.