Chapter 80: Foxier than One Might Think (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 80: Foxier than One Might Think (2)
I returned to my room after my shower to find Yung Pung waiting calmly, a stark contrast to his earlier state. He seemed rather stiff, but I assumed it was just fatigue from his intense training.
“Master Yung Pung.”
His rigid expression instantly brightened when I called his name. It was as if his face was screaming, ‘I’m saved!’
“Young Master Gu!”
“I said I’d be quick, but did I still take too long?”
“Yes! You did…!”
“…Huh?”
I’d only asked out of courtesy, but Yung Pung answered with startling honesty. Had I really kept him waiting that long? I thought I’d been rather fast.
As I sat down beside him, Wi Seol-Ah, who had also been in the room, hopped over to me with a happy smile.
“Where should we eat?” I asked.
“Huh?”
Yung Pung looked surprised by my question. What’s there to be surprised about?
It wouldn’t be proper for an outsider like me to use the dining hall reserved for the sect’s disciples. Furthermore, Yung Pung couldn’t leave the sect grounds without permission from the Elders. Since he was the one who invited me, I assumed he had a place in mind.
“Did… you not think of that?”
“…Hehe.”
What do you mean, ‘hehe,’ you idiot…
I felt an urge to literally fold him in half. That kind of response would be irritating even from a girl.
I guess we’ll just eat here, then.
But I wanted to confirm something first. “I heard the disciples eat together. Is it alright for you to skip that?”
A bitter smile immediately formed on Yung Pung’s face. I’d noticed he often made a troubled expression for some reason.
“It’s fine. I don’t think they’ll mind much.”
“…Then let’s eat at my place.”
“What will we eat?”
“Is there anything prepared for us?”
It was nearly lunchtime, but I wasn’t sure if the servants had finished preparing the food. As I pondered this, Wi Seol-Ah suddenly raised her hand.
“I can cook!”
“…Where is Hongwa?” I asked, ignoring her offer.
Wi Seol-Ah’s face slowly morphed into a frown. I felt a little bad, but she wasn’t yet at a level where she could cook for guests. Instead, I stopped a passing servant and asked her to prepare a meal for us. She assured us it wouldn’t take long, as the preparations were already underway. The servants then took Wi Seol-Ah with them to help.
Seeing this, Yung Pung let out a deeply relieved sigh—one of the most profound I’d ever heard.
“…Phew, I feel saved now.”
“Did something happen?”
“Huh…? Oh, it’s nothing.”
It doesn’t seem like ‘nothing.’ I feel like you’re hiding something from me…
He avoided eye contact, probably aware that I was suspicious.
“Well, the meal is being prepared, so make yourself at home.”
“Ah! Yes.”
His expression brightened instantly at my words, and we both entered the lodge.
* * *
The meal was soon served and finished. Most of the ingredients provided by the Mount Hua Sect were vegetables, so it wasn’t the most enjoyable feast, but it filled my stomach. Honestly, I was craving meat after all the moving around and intense training lately, but I restrained myself. It felt inappropriate to cook meat within a Taoist sect.
Suddenly, Elder Shin’s voice responded to my thoughts.
[Who cares? Just eat it if you want to.]
…Elder Shin?
[It’s not like you’re forbidden from eating meat just because you’re on Taoist land. You don’t have to restrain yourself.]
I get that, but I do have something called common sense, you know?
[That’s what you lack the most. But to have the sense to know when to eat meat… how sad…]
…
Was this guy really the former Lord of the Mount Hua Sect? Just as I started to believe it, he’d say something that left me utterly bewildered.
How could I just cook meat inside a Taoist sect? No matter how many times I thought about it, that would be going too far.
The servants came to clear the dishes after we finished eating.
“I enjoyed the meal. Thank you very much, Young Master Gu.”
“I’m glad you did.”
The situation was a little awkward, as I had ended up treating Yung Pung when it was supposed to be the other way around.
“Next time… I swear I’ll be the one to treat you to a meal.”
“You should get permission to leave the sect first…”
“…Right.”
The more I saw of him, the naiver he seemed. I’d expected a stone-cold swordsman when I heard his title—The Sword Dragon—but he was very different from my expectations.
As I drank water with these thoughts swirling in my head, Yung Pung spoke up, looking like he had something important to say.
“Uh… Young Master.”
“Yes.”
“Since we’ve finished our meal, if it’s not too much trouble… would you care for a duel?”
“A duel?”
That came out of nowhere. I’d expected him to ask to train together again, but a duel? I’d thought he’d be down in the dumps after I crushed him last time, but he seemed perfectly fine. Has he already gotten over it? He didn’t seem to have many inner thoughts, and I saw no hesitation in his eyes.
A duel, huh.
I looked down at my bandaged hand. It had more or less healed, so a duel wouldn’t be a problem. But then I remembered Namgung Bi-ah. It would be troublesome if she found out I’d dueled Yung Pung the moment I recovered.
“Did something happen for you to suddenly ask for a duel?”
“…Uh, you know the tournament is starting soon?”
“Yes.”
“I… was assigned to participate alongside the seniors.”
“With the second-generation disciples?”
Is that normal? For a third-generation disciple to compete against second-generation disciples? Or is it just because it’s Yung Pung?
“What does that have to do with this?”
“…We’re restricted from dueling each other before the tournament.”
There was such a rule? Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t seen any sect disciples sparring recently.
“Hmm, so you want to duel with me…?”
Yung Pung nodded quietly in affirmation.
The notion that disciples were forbidden from dueling each other but allowed to duel an outsider seemed weird as hell to me.
…Though it’s also weird for outsiders to be visiting the sect around this time.
So, I could somewhat understand Yung Pung’s reasoning. He was a third-generation disciple, but they couldn’t just unleash an apex predator like him among the rabbits of his generation. Although, I could also see problems with him competing alongside the second-generation disciples. I supposed the Mount Hua Sect would deal with the consequences themselves.
“Well… I can have a duel with you.”
“Oh…! Then—”
“However, not today.”
Disappointment immediately colored Yung Pung’s face.
“Let’s do it next time. I have to go down to the town today, so it won’t be possible.”
This wasn’t an excuse; I really did have business to attend to downstairs.
With a disappointed look, Yung Pung said he would visit me soon and left.
…It seems I’ll have to duel him next time. What a hassle.
* * *
After seeing Yung Pung off, I took Wi Seol-Ah with me down to the town at the foot of the mountain. The last time I came here, I was alone on a task for the Celestial Plum Blossom, but this time I brought Muyeon and Wi Seol-Ah for personal reasons.
Huayin City was noticeably busier than usual due to the upcoming tournament. It reminded me of the Gu Clan’s territory during Nine Dragons Day.
I wasn’t aware other clans had similar events. It was probably a bit different here, but the essence was the same—the universal thrill of watching martial artists fight.
I navigated the rowdy crowds with Wi Seol-Ah, whose eyes shone brightly at the festive sights. The streets were filled with smiles, laughter, and joyous energy.
Seeing this, Elder Shin spoke up, sounding emotional.
[Now that I look at it, the world has really changed.]
You did live in a different generation, after all. Elder Shin was active during a time of endless war. That era had ended thanks to the world’s heroes, but the streets back then must have looked nothing like this.
[It’s nice.]
You sound happy.
[Of course. This is the world we strived for… how could I not be happy?]*
I understood Elder Shin’s emotions. My experience was the total opposite.
I walked for a while, searching for a specific building, and finally stopped when I found it.
“What did we come here for?” Wi Seol-Ah asked, a chicken skewer in her hand. By the way, Muyeon had paid for it.
The building had the word ‘Murim’ carved into it, signifying it was a store affiliated with the Murim Alliance. It specialized in selling demon leather and bones. I had business here.
“Welcome!”
Inside, various leathers and bones were on display, mostly from green and blue demons. Items from higher-tier demons were used by the Murim Alliance themselves and weren’t sold to the public.
“Oh, what brings a handsome young man to our store?”
A handsome young man…? This guy was a professional, spouting lies without flinching.
“I came here to buy something, but I wanted to ask you something first.”
“Ah, yes, please ask away. Our store is the biggest in this area! There isn’t anything we don’t have!”
“Oh, then do you have any demonic stones?”
“Huh? Demonic stones…?”
The owner was dumbfounded. Unlike demon bones and leathers, demonic stones held little value. Some tried to use them as jewelry because of their beautiful shine, but they lost their luster quickly, becoming little more than ordinary stones.
“If possible, I’d like a demonic stone that is no more than a day old.”
For my purposes, I needed a stone that hadn’t yet lost its color, as a faded stone meant its power was gone.
The owner seemed briefly disappointed but quickly resumed his smiling facade. Did he think I was a customer who couldn’t afford anything better?
“Uh… Young Master.”
“Do you not have any?”
“Yeah… Not only are demonic stones rarely collected due to low demand, but we’re running low on demonic items overall because demons have been appearing much less frequently this year.”
“Less frequently?”
“Their appearances have dropped to a strangely low level starting this year.”
I could understand them not having demonic stones, but the sharp decline in demon appearances was news to me. I never heard anything like this back in Shanxi.
While fewer demons was good for the region, the sudden, sharp decline felt unsettling, not positive.
“So, you don’t have any demonic stones, right?”
“Well… We have some, but if you’re looking for ones with color, then no, we don’t.”
“I understand.”
“Young Master, what about some leathers or bones? We recently got some quality—”
“No, I’m good.”
I rejected his offer bluntly and left the store, hearing the owner mutter insults under his breath as I went. I hadn’t expected to find what I was looking for easily anyway.
Should I just extract one from a demon myself? They always appear when I don’t want them to, but never when I’m looking for them…
[Why are you looking for demonic stones, anyway?]
I wanted to check something.
[Check what?]*
The two types of qi mixed inside my body, and the mysterious beast suppressing them—the beast that goes on a rampage whenever I use large amounts of qi. My body is treated like a ticking time bomb, as the conflicting qi could collide at any moment and make me explode from the inside out.
I didn’t believe any doctor could help, since even the Immortal Healer had given up. Besides, I doubted my current body could withstand the collision. To make matters worse, I couldn’t even train properly without overexerting myself. So, I had to find a solution.
One thing came to mind after speaking with the Immortal Healer, though I wasn’t sure if it would work: Demonic Qi.
My demon-absorption ability, which followed me even after my regression. Is this damned thing suppressing the two types of qi inside me?
That made some sense, since I’m still fine despite two incompatible types of qi swirling inside me. I couldn’t think of any other explanation besides the power granted by the Heavenly Demon.
Or… maybe it’s that thing that devours the Demonic Qi inside me.
My Gu Flame Wheel Art constantly consumes any Demonic Qi I absorb. I’d never heard of such a trait in the Gu Clan’s martial arts. If it existed, I would have known in my previous life.
That meant… there was another reason for my current state.
Why are there so many things inside my body, as if it’s a cave for monsters to live in?
Was this a side effect of my regression? Or did the Heavenly Demon’s power reach all the way back with me? The more I thought about it, the sicker I felt.
“Young Master, Young Master.”
Wi Seol-Ah’s voice pulled me from my gloomy thoughts as she tugged on my clothes.
“Hmm?”
“Ah~!”
Surprisingly, she pushed a chicken skewer toward my mouth—a completely intact one.
Wi Seol-Ah is giving this to me…?
“Huh?”
“Young Master can have the first bite!”
“Why not eat it all yourself?”
“Because you were making that ugly face again.”
Her words reminded me of what Elder Shin once said: my face practically gives my thoughts away. Is it really that noticeable? For Wi Seol-Ah to hand me food, I must have looked truly down.
Had I worried her? I took a big bite of the skewer.
Immediately, Wi Seol-Ah’s expression morphed into something comical.
“…I… I didn’t mean for you to eat that much!”
“Ish gwood,” I mumbled, my mouth too full to speak properly.
Wi Seol-Ah slowly ate the small portion left for her, looking utterly disappointed.
“…It’s so good… But there’s no more.”
I struggled to hold back laughter. If I laughed now, everything in my mouth would come spraying out. Strangely, this trivial moment was enough to dispel my complicated emotions and lift my mood. I wondered if it was Wi Seol-Ah’s presence or if I had changed since my regression.
“Want me to buy you another one?”
“R-Really?”
“Yeah, let’s get one more.”
I took her back to the skewer vendor and bought two this time. I wanted one for myself, as they were more delicious than I’d expected. I asked Muyeon if he wanted one, but he declined, saying he had to stay alert.
So, I walked through the streets with Wi Seol-Ah, enjoying the chicken skewer.
Oh, by the way, Muyeon paid for these skewers, too.