Time had passed, and by now, the sun had risen high into the sky. The streets of Hanam were bustling with so many people that there was not a single gap to be seen.
"Everyone, be careful!"
"Don't step too far forward! You might get hit by a horse!"
It was an obvious warning.
Even with the wide streets, the crowd control measures only made the space tighter, forcing people to cluster together.
Just watching the scene felt suffocating.
âIâd probably lose my mind in there.ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
The sight alone made me want to run far away. Yet, the people on the streets wore expressions full of anticipation.
And the reason was clear.
"Theyâre here!"
"Where? Where are they?"
"It's the Peng Clan!"
The murmur from the crowd grew louder.
From a distance, a large carriageâthe largest seen so farârolled slowly into the city.
The crimson banner edged with black fluttered above it, a symbol of the Peng Clan, often called the Blade Clan.
Inside that carriageâ¦
âThe head of the Peng Clan must be in there.â
The Blade King, Peng Zhou.
I recalled meeting him briefly in Hanam once before.
âA guy with an unpleasantly smug demeanor.â
The situation back then had been frustrating, to say the least.
As a clan leader, his eyes carried an intense ambition. While ambition and greed were natural traits, they weren't inherently wrong.
âBut a leader should know how to conceal such things.â
It seemed the Blade King made no effort to hide his nature, and his demeanor felt utterly unrefined.
âOddly enough, though, his children turned out well.â
Thinking of Peng Ah-hui and Peng Woo-jin made his character all the more puzzling.
While the Blade King undoubtedly deserved his title of âKing,â his essence carried a faint trace of Simmaâthe Heart Demon.
According to the information Iâd heard, heâd withdrawn from public life after losing the competition for the position of Martial Alliance Leader to the Sword Immortal.
âAnd yet here he is now.â
It was surprising to see him attending the Bi-mu-je. I thought heâd skip it out of sheer indignation.
âHe wouldnât be participating, though.â
As the Blade King and head of his clan, his role here was likely ceremonial.
Satisfied with my reasoning, I nodded and lifted my tea to sip.