Chapter 79
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: A New Mission, Part 3
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“Is the Great Rejuvenation Pill really on the market?”
“That's the rumor. It's not confirmed, though.”
At the mention of the Great Rejuvenation Pill, Jinmyeong felt a surge of greed.
Who wouldn't be tempted upon hearing such a thing?
‘Besides the Azure Jade Marrow, is there any elixir on par with the Great Rejuvenation Pill?’
But the Azure Jade Marrow was only ever mentioned in the novel; it never actually appeared.
That meant the most exceptional elixir in this novel was the Great Rejuvenation Pill.
“But how is a Great Rejuvenation Pill even available? The Shaolin wouldn't just let it go.”
“It's not like the Shaolin make a lot of them. But there are people who received them in the past, right?”
It wasn't common for people to receive a Great Rejuvenation Pill from the Shaolin, but it wasn't unheard of either.
Cases where the Shaolin owed a debt of gratitude, or when dealing with royalty or imperial family, sometimes involved the gifting of a Great Rejuvenation Pill.
“And they're selling it?”
“They might be short on money.”
Royalty or imperial family members wouldn't be short on money, but they weren't the only ones who received the pill.
Just as O Seonha said, someone might be selling a Great Rejuvenation Pill on the black market due to financial hardship.
“It's rare, but elixirs have appeared on the black market before.”
This is the first time a Shaolin Great Rejuvenation Pill has surfaced, but things like the Wudang's Great Purity Pill or the Northern Sea Ice Palace's Ice Crystal have appeared from time to time.
“Should I acquire it?”
“…I'm tempted. I'd probably have to spend my entire fortune to get it, right?”
“Most likely.”
Of course, he hadn't given her all the Luminous Night Pearls, but Jinmyeong had entrusted most of the silver he'd obtained from the Black Dragon and Black Tiger gangs to O Seonha.
“Even if you spend it all, you might not be able to get it.”
“That would be a waste.”
The Great Rejuvenation Pill would be that expensive.
Perhaps because he knew he might never see another one if he missed this chance, it felt as if the Great Rejuvenation Pill was shimmering right before his eyes.
“If there were plenty of other elixirs, I wouldn't mind.”
“It's been hard to find elixirs lately, after all.”
Not knowing the effects of the Great Rejuvenation Pill, he thought it might be better to acquire several ordinary elixirs rather than one expensive pill.
But with so few elixirs appearing on the black market recently, it was all a useless thought.
“But are you sure the Great Rejuvenation Pill is genuine?”
“It should be. Otherwise, the black market will take responsibility and refund the money.”
“Oh? Quite responsible, aren't they? For something run by the underworld.”
“Of course, they would take responsibility and refund *your* money, Young Master Jin.”
It meant they would give it back if you had the power to make them.
“What should I do?”
“Try to get it for now. It's better than waiting around and not trying.”
“Yes. So, I can spend all the money?”
Jinmyeong nodded at O Seonha's question.
“If you're short, buy it first. I'll pay you back later.”
“Understood. Ah, and please assign me some capable martial artists. I don't think returning will be easy once I have the Great Rejuvenation Pill.”
Being such a rare item, there were bound to be many people after it.
If a master were to attack her to steal the pill, O Seonha would be powerless to stop them.
And Jinmyeong would not be understanding about it.
“…There's probably no one available.”
“Not even Miss Shin or the King of the Green Forest?”
“The three of us, myself included, will be away for a while.”
“I heard the Vice Cult Leader of the Divine Cult came in person. I suppose that's why.”
The Underworld Sect, as expected.
It seemed they had already grasped the Mad Demon's movements.
“I'll talk to Yang Jeon and Gu Jahong, so use them if you need to. The two of them should be decent enough.”
After finishing their conversation, Jinmyeong took the elixirs O Seonha had acquired and returned to the Myeonghwa Inn.
‘It's not much, but I should absorb what I can.’
He hadn't consumed any decent elixirs since the one from the Heretical Young Master, obtained from the Black Tiger Gang, so the size of his energy core had barely changed.
These elixirs probably wouldn't make much of a difference either.
‘It would be great if I could get the Great Rejuvenation Pill.’
Jinmyeong popped the elixirs into his mouth, hoping O Seonha would succeed in acquiring the Great Rejuvenation Pill.
‘I'm also curious about its effects.’
In the brief moment he thought about the Great Rejuvenation Pill, the elixirs he had taken were already fully absorbed.
‘The effect is so faint. Is this what they mean by "many a little makes a mickle"?’
The amount was so minuscule that it was hard to imagine when it would ever become a mountain, leaving him with a sense of disappointment.
‘I'll have to visit the Green Forest Mountain later.’
He was just getting used to sword flight and had been thinking of searching for the Green Forest Mountain.
But with the Mad Demon here, he couldn't possibly go visit the Green Forest Mountain.
‘There's still time.’
Gang Muhwi's trip to the Green Forest Mountain happens in the middle of the novel.
As long as the elixir doesn't grow legs and run away, he still had plenty of time.
‘Still, I should move right after I get back from this trip.’
Separate from having time to spare, he was also eager to obtain the elixir quickly.
‘I hope this doesn't take long.’
Hoping this task would end quickly, Jinmyeong began to prepare for his departure.
He wasn't one to carry much baggage, so his preparations were finished quickly this time as well.
Two days later, Jinmyeong left the Myeonghwa Inn with the Mad Demon, Shin Yehyang, and Maeng Yo.
“Has your movement technique improved?”
“It's still lacking compared to yours, Vice Cult Leader.”
He figured his movement technique was probably the weakest not just compared to the Mad Demon, but among everyone here.
“Keep up.”
As the Mad Demon leaped into the air, the others followed suit, chasing after him.
Jinmyeong also executed his movement technique to follow the Mad Demon.
‘I think I've gotten a bit faster.’
While chasing the Mad Demon, Jinmyeong felt that the speed of his movement technique had increased.
Before, he would have had to use all his strength to maintain this speed, but now he had some leeway.
“You've gotten faster.”
“It seems so.”
It seemed Jinmyeong wasn't the only one who noticed.
Shin Yehyang, who had come up beside him at some point, also seemed to have realized that his movement technique had improved incomparably.
‘Is it because I've gotten better at controlling my internal energy?’
Although it was only with one or two swords, he was now able to perform what could be called true sword control.
This meant he had become that much better at handling his internal energy.
It seemed that thanks to this, he could use his internal energy to make his body lighter.
Thanks to that, Jinmyeong was able to follow the Mad Demon without falling behind, and with ease.
“Let's rest here for the night.”
Was it because they had been traveling for days using their movement techniques without a proper rest?
They were able to enter Fujian in a remarkably short amount of time.
And as soon as they entered Fujian, the Mad Demon looked up at the setting sun and spoke.
“I'll get things ready.”
If they moved a little further, they could probably reach a town with an inn.
But instead of heading to a town, the Mad Demon chose to camp out in the open.
‘Is he trying to prevent the traitor from tracking our movements by avoiding towns?’
Since the Mad Demon didn't explain his reasons to them, Jinmyeong could only guess.
“To think that I, the King of the Green Forest, would have to prepare to sleep outdoors.”
“We're all doing it here. Wouldn't it be better to just shut up and get it done?”
Normally, his subordinates would have done everything for him, but now Maeng Yo had no one to delegate his tasks to.
In fact, here, he even had to do the Mad Demon's share of the work.
“But you're the Vice Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult. Are you okay with sleeping outdoors?”
Maeng Yo asked, glancing at the Mad Demon.
Given his high status, he couldn't imagine the Mad Demon camping out.
‘He must have suggested it because he can handle it.’
Instead of answering Maeng Yo's question, Jinmyeong glanced at the Mad Demon.
The Mad Demon was sitting perched on a moderately sized rock, chewing on some beef jerky with a very practiced air.
“Let's get ready to rest too.”
Jinmyeong also finished preparing to camp and sat down in a suitable spot, putting a piece of beef jerky in his mouth.
As they ate their jerky, the sun finally disappeared, and their surroundings became completely dark.
But none of them lay down to sleep.
“Huh? What in the world are you doing in this darkness?”
It was because of the people who had suddenly appeared.
“Can't you tell by looking? We're camping.”
“I mean, why are you camping without even lighting a fire? You scared us.”
They voiced their complaints toward Jinmyeong's group, who were sitting in the dark without a fire.
“What business is it of yours whether we light a fire or not?”
Maeng Yo didn't back down an inch.
“We were just surprised because we thought no one would be here. We didn't mean to get angry.”
The man at the front of their group stepped forward.
“But may I ask who you are? It's suspicious to see people camping in the dark without a fire.”
“Ha, and who are you guys?”
Instead of revealing his identity, Maeng Yo scoffed.
“You're the ones who came here, aren't you? And you're questioning us without revealing your own identities?”
Indeed, they had come to where Jinmyeong's group was.
And they had approached straight toward them.
This meant they had sensed the presence of Jinmyeong's group and had come with the intention of meeting them.
And Jinmyeong's group, in turn, had been waiting for them, having sensed their approach.
“We are not suspicious individuals. We are from the Righteous Alliance.”
Maeng Yo's face soured at the man's answer.
As a bandit of the Green Forest, he clashed most often with martial artists of the orthodox sects, so the very name 'Righteous Alliance' was enough to displease him.
“The Righteous Alliance, all the way out here. How unusual.”
“We're here on business. More importantly, who are you?”
The man continued to scrutinize Jinmyeong's group even as he asked for their identities.
A middle-aged man, a young man, and a young boy and girl.
In a way, they almost looked like a family, but they couldn't possibly be an ordinary one.
“If you were going to be so tense, you shouldn't have come.”
Jinmyeong, who had been listening to the conversation between the man and Maeng Yo, suddenly interjected.
The man flinched at the sudden remark, but he feigned ignorance with a nonchalant expression.
“Surely you don't think we knew you were here? We were simply traveling and happened upon you by chance.”
“Ha, and you expect us to believe that?”
Maeng Yo scoffed at the man's feigned innocence.
“Then just be on your way. We need to rest.”
“Why don't we rest together? We were about to stop for the night as well.”
“Captain! To stay with people of unknown identity is...”
The men who came with him hastily tried to stop him.
‘Captain?’
Jinmyeong studied the man carefully.
To be called Captain in the Righteous Alliance, he certainly couldn't be an ordinary figure.
Despite noticing Jinmyeong's gaze, the man's attention was fixed solely on the Mad Demon, who was paying them no mind at all.
“My name is Song Yeonghyeon.”
“I was wondering who you were. The disciple of the Righteous Alliance Leader?”
“It seems you know of me.”
When Maeng Yo reacted to his name, Song Yeonghyeon smiled.
‘Song Yeonghyeon? The Righteous Alliance Leader's disciple was still alive?’
The Righteous Alliance Leader's disciple was mentioned in the novel, but his name was never given.
By the time of the novel's events, he was already dead, and the Alliance Leader only ever recalled his disciple while looking at Gang Muhwi.
As another major figure who hadn't appeared in the novel showed up, Jinmyeong felt a headache coming on again.
“I've given my name. How about we introduce ourselves?”
“Can you handle it?”
In response to Song Yeonghyeon's suggestion, Jinmyeong asked with a fierce smile.
Seeing that smile, Song Yeonghyeon had an ominous premonition that he might have just prodded something he shouldn't have.