All My Murim Noonas Are Obsessed With Me!-Chapter 107: Martial Alliance Summit (3)

[Protagonist’s POV]

’Whoa...’

Stepping inside, I was hit with a barrage of overwhelming stares—

Excluding the Leader, eight people filled the room—two familiar—

’Sword Empress...’

How long had it been since we parted, and now we reunite like this? Still, seeing her felt reassuring—

She was my biggest lifeline here—

’And... Yeo Socheon...’

From under my cloak, I shot her a glare—

The hood’s shadow hid my face—she wouldn’t see it—

But I didn’t have time to fuss over that—

The other six—

Their gazes varied wildly—

Curiosity, displeasure, discomfort, approval—every flavor of emotion beamed at me—

Crushed under those heavy stares, my body froze—

Clap.

"Let’s ease up on the stares. I’ve said it before—he’s a civilian with no martial skills. Even if you’re curious, don’t overstep."

Thanks to the Sword Empress, the suffocating pressure lightened—

’Huh?’

But even after her words, one guy still radiated blatant negativity—

Dark black hair, a lean frame, and a striking face—middle-aged but aged damn well—

A standout look tied to one clan from the Nine Sects or Five Families—

’...Sichuan Tang Clan...’

Masters of poison and hidden weapons—Dang Ayeong’s family—

Blaze blaze.

I cautiously averted my eyes from his burning stare—

Probably the Tang Clan Head—

Forced here because of me, so some resentment made sense—but this was raw hostility—

Did I screw up somewhere?

A chilling guess flashed through my mind—

’...He kinda looks like Dang Ayeong.’

Same clan, so similar features weren’t odd—but this felt deeper, like thick blood ties—

Like parent and child—

’Dang Ayeong’s my age... factor in this world’s marriage and childbirth norms...’

The ages lined up—

Her being the top young talent, him the Tang Clan Head—it fit—

She’d inherited that skill—

So if this guess held, he’s her father—

And while yesterday’s mess wouldn’t have mattered before, today? Awkward as hell—

How do you face your hookup’s dad with a straight face the next day?

Drip drip.

’He doesn’t know. No way he knows. How could he know about yesterday? Right.’

Sweating buckets inside, I forced my eyes away from his hostility—

Good thing it wasn’t just us here—

"Well, now that the man of the hour’s here, shall we start?"

Plenty of others were focused on me too—

Locking eyes with Yeo Socheon under my cloak, I took a deep breath—

I’d come this far—no dodging now—

’Don’t choke. I didn’t do anything wrong.’

I’m here because I saved the Sword Empress—praise is the excuse—

As long as I don’t act out, no harm should come—

++++

Scratch that—

If I’d known it’d turn out like this, I’d have fought tooth and nail to avoid coming—

"...Thank you. I hope you’ll keep working for the righteous martial world."

I shook hands with the Wudang Sect Leader—

"No, no... just doing what I should..."

His lifeless voice mirrored my own embarrassment—

At first, I wondered what Yeo Socheon dragged me here to shove down my throat—

Intimidation? A jab? Doubting my skills? I’d brainstormed counters—

Clap clap clap clap.

"Wow, applause~"

But this? A damn handshake parade—

With the Nine Sects and Five Families’ leaders and heads right in front of me—

’What’s this? What’s the point?’

Shaking hands on autopilot, I kept puzzling over her intent—

Then a slight pain stung my hand—

I checked who it was—

"...Pleasure to meet you. Been wanting to see you."

The Tang Clan Head stood before me—

"H-Hello..."

"Seems my daughter’s been in your debt quite a bit."

"Daughter...?"

"Dang Ayeong. Don’t say you don’t know her."

’Fuck.’

The worst-case scenario hit—cold sweat poured, heart pounding—

"Haha... yeah. She’s helped me a lot. A real benefactor..."

"...I’d like a candid talk later. Mind if I call you to our main house?"

"...If you call, I’ll visit as soon as I can."

"Good... see you then."

My maybe-father-in-law(?) said that and returned to his seat—

Lucky or not, he was the last in line—no more approached—

’Haaa...’

I slumped into a chair, inwardly sighing—

That alone drained me—

Fleeing Dang Ayeong without sorting things out, only to face her dad now—

If he knew about yesterday, I’d be a corpse already—

’He didn’t call me knowing, right?’

Eyeing Yeo Socheon’s unreadable face, I wondered if she knew about me and Dang Ayeong and set this up—

"Well, greetings are about done—shall we hear the details?"

Flinch.

Her next words sparked dread—

Sure enough—

"How exactly did you save our hero, the Sword Empress? Can we hear it?"

She aimed right for my weakest spot—

I don’t know how I saved her—

I only know because she told me—

’H-How do I dodge this...’

Panicking, floundering—

A ray of light broke through—

"I’ll explain that instead. I’m the one involved, after all."

The Sword Empress stepped in—

"...Huh?"

"Is there a problem? I, the one indebted to him, want to speak for myself," Sword Mistress declared.

"N-No... Wait a second... This isn’t what I read... Why all of a sudden...?" Yeo So-cheon stammered, visibly flustered.

It was as if she hadn’t anticipated this turn of events.

"...What’s going on?"

Considering Sword Mistress’s personality, it wasn’t surprising she’d step in. Yet Yeo So-cheon’s blatant panic made me wonder if she genuinely hadn’t foreseen this. And her muttering about it being "different from what she read"...

"She couldn’t even predict this...?"

"Uh... W-Well... Yes... No problem, right...?" Yeo So-cheon fumbled, reluctantly conceding Sword Mistress’s right to speak.

Sword Mistress continued, "While traveling together on some business, he read several fortunes for me. During a skirmish with the Blood Cult’s remnants in Guangdong, I was struck by their sorcery and nearly succumbed to qi deviation."

"The Blood Cult...?" Namgoong Yeon murmured.

"You’re aware, aren’t you? Lately, strange phenomena and bizarre figures—likely tied to the Blood Cult—have been cropping up across the Central Plains," she said.

"...True," Namgoong Yeon nodded.

"Hm..." another figure hummed in agreement.

The others in the room acknowledged her words with nods.

"In that crisis, his divination not only helped me overcome the qi deviation but also provided a clue to reach the next realm," Sword Mistress revealed.

"...!"

"Is that true?"

Their eyes widened, heads swiveling toward me.

It was an extraordinary claim. Healing qi deviation was one thing, but giving someone of Sword Mistress’s caliber a hint to ascend further? That was no small feat—

"Wait, I did that?"

Even I, silently listening, was stunned. Had I not regained my composure, I might’ve blurted out a question myself. It was that shocking.

"Did I ever divine something that helpful...? I read so many random things..."

With no business to run and Sword Mistress as my only companion, I’d cast fortunes on everything under the sun out of boredom. I couldn’t even guess which reading had helped. Martial artists often found insights in trivialities, but to think she’d gleaned something from that...

"Am I the impressive one, or is she?"

"But saying this here..."

The gazes on me intensified. Even sect leaders were still martial artists at heart—hungry for any clue to climb higher. Their stares burned with that desire.

Gulp.

Feeling like I might get kidnapped if this went on, I shot a pleading look at Sword Mistress. My cloak hid it, but thankfully, she didn’t abandon me.

"If any of you are thinking of threatening him out of greed for his skills, speak now. I’ll show you the consequences myself," she warned.

A tongue clicked somewhere, but the piercing gazes softened noticeably.

"...I love you, Sword Mistress."

I couldn’t imagine surviving without her help these days.

Curious about Yeo So-cheon’s reaction, I glanced her way. Oddly, she wasn’t in a chair but perched on the highest desk in the room.

Tremble, tremble.

She looked visibly displeased, her frustration plain as day. Things clearly weren’t going as she’d planned.