Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: Book 5. If You Covet What Belongs to Others, You Must Stake Something Precious of Your Own (1)
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Gu Yu-myeong, the chief steward of Crimson Rock Villa, ascended the platform.
The crowd watched him with eyes full of anticipation.
Gu Yu-myeong smiled as he gazed at the people for a moment.
Countless individuals waited solely for him to speak.
Gu Yu-myeong bore the responsibility of meeting their expectations.
At last, he opened his mouth.
“To all the distinguished guests who have gathered here today to celebrate the sixtieth birthday of our villa lord, the great hero Yi Sin-pung, allow me first to express our deepest gratitude.”
The people held their breath, staring at Gu Yu-myeong.
Their faces brimmed with eager anticipation.
“And here is our villa lord, the great hero Yi Sin-pung.”
No sooner had Gu Yu-myeong finished speaking than Yi Sin-pung emerged from a small door beneath the platform.
Though he had reached his sixties, Yi Sin-pung appeared no older than his fifties.
His imposing six-foot frame bore a ruddy complexion.
His bold features seemed to reflect his magnanimous nature.
The moment Yi Sin-pung first appeared before the crowd, a tremendous cheer erupted throughout the hall.
“Waaah! It’s the great hero Yi Sin-pung!”
“Happy birthday, Great Hero Yi!”
“Congratulations!”
Yi Sin-pung smiled and cupped his fists in salute to the crowd.
“Hahaha! Thank you all. You’re all busy day and night, yet you’ve come to celebrate this old man’s birthday—I’m simply grateful.”
“Great Hero Yi isn’t just the lord of Crimson Rock Villa. As the spiritual pillar of Gansu Province, we had to come.”
“Exactly.”
People vied with one another to wish Yi Sin-pung a happy birthday, straining to show their faces as much as possible.
Yi Sin-pung was not someone one could easily meet.
Thus, the competition to etch their faces into his memory was fierce.
Despite the exhausting rivalry, Yi Sin-pung maintained his unchanging smile.
This demeanor only endeared him further to the crowd.
Yi Sin-pung ascended the platform amid the crowd’s fervent welcome.
“I sincerely thank everyone who has come here today. This old man, who has accomplished nothing of note, has already reached his sixties. Don’t curse me for living too long—please enjoy this gathering with joyful hearts.”
“Hahaha!”
Laughter exploded from the crowd in unison.
Someone raised a full cup of liquor.
“Happy birthday, Great Hero Yi!”
“Congratulations!”
“May you live ten thousand years without illness!”
The people followed suit, each offering a toast as they lifted their cups.
Yi Sin-pung also raised his cup.
“Thank you. Hahaha!”
He downed his cup in one gulp.
At that, the countless people below the platform drained their cups together.
The sight was quite the spectacle, enough to set hearts racing.
The excitement peaked, and people laughed and chatted, reveling in Yi Sin-pung’s sixtieth birthday feast.
Yi Sin-pung exchanged warm greetings with the honored guests seated on the platform.
Among them were Nam Hak from the Orthodox Alliance, as well as the Black-and-White Ghosts.
Yi Sin-pung chatted lightly with them while gazing down at the crowd below.
Over a thousand people had gathered solely to celebrate his birthday.
It was a scene that vividly demonstrated his and Crimson Rock Villa’s prestige.
The smile on Yi Sin-pung’s lips showed no sign of fading.
Dam Ho watched Yi Sin-pung in that moment.
He exuded the leisure and magnanimity of one who possessed everything.
Yi Sin-pung’s presence permeated the entire hall subtly, like water soaking into cotton.
It wasn’t merely because he was the lord of Crimson Rock Villa.
His aura was truly that exceptional.
Behind the platform where Yi Sin-pung stood, unfamiliar figures appeared.
They seemed extremely close to Yi Sin-pung.
At that moment, a warrior near Dam Ho let out an exclamation.
“Oh! Aren’t those the Bamboo Grove Three Friends? Even those heavy-hipped hermits have come to celebrate Great Hero Yi’s birthday.”
“The Bamboo Grove Three Friends—aren’t they the recluses of the martial world?”
The Bamboo Grove Three Friends were warriors who had been active in the same era as Yi Sin-pung.
They had achieved great merits alongside him but, for some reason, had retired to the bamboo groves just like Yi Sin-pung.
The eldest, An Su-cheon, was in his mid-to-late fifties with a refined air.
He stroked his stylishly grown mustache, constantly fanning himself—his demeanor seemed utterly transcendent.
The second, Jo Gun-wol, unusually wore a bamboo hat adorned with a silk veil typically used by women.
His eyes gleamed sharply through the gaps in the veil.
Beside Jo Gun-wol stood the third, Hwang Cheol-san.
Hwang Cheol-san was a giant nearly seven feet tall, with a massive halberd slung across his back.
Even in his fifties, he looked as vigorous as a youth in his twenties, instilling tremendous intimidation in all who beheld him.
The Bamboo Grove Three Friends appeared quite close to Yi Sin-pung.
Their faces were full of smiles as they occasionally whispered to one another.
Dam Ho observed them briefly before withdrawing his gaze.
A vacant seat had opened up just in time, so he sat down.
The maids had laid out food, but it was largely untouched.
Dam Ho found it tedious.
Though countless people laughed and chattered around him, there was no place for him among them.
It felt as if he alone were isolated in a space detached from the world.
While Dam Ho was lost in his own thoughts, the birthday feast proceeded grandly.
Musicians played to heighten the mood, and acrobats performed various feats, drawing cheers from the crowd.
As the excitement reached its zenith, Yi Sin-pung stepped forward.
Everyone watched him with expectant expressions.
“With so many people gathered to celebrate this old man’s sixtieth birthday, wouldn’t it be a shame to just let the time pass like this?”
“Indeed, Great Hero Yi.”
“Since we’re all here, let’s have some real fun.”
“How so?”
“I’ll pose a challenge. The first one to solve it will receive one of Crimson Rock Villa’s treasures.”
“A treasure?”
The crowd began to buzz.
Whatever treasure Yi Sin-pung referred to, if Crimson Rock Villa cherished it, it was surely no ordinary item.
Unable to contain themselves, people shouted out.
“What kind of challenge?”
“A formation.”
“A formation?”
“Our villa’s Chief Steward Gu is a master of formations. The arrays he deploys are true peerless arts of the martial world. From now on, Chief Steward Gu will set up a labyrinth formation.”
“A labyrinth formation?”
Puzzled looks appeared on people’s faces.
“That’s right. To the first person who escapes Chief Steward Gu’s labyrinth formation, I will award one of our villa’s treasures: the Azure Moon Sword.”
“The Azure Moon Sword—could it be?”
“Indeed. It’s the treasured sword I used in my youth. Though unused for over twenty years, it’s still sharp enough to be quite serviceable.”
“Wooow! Amazing!”
A massive roar suddenly erupted from the crowd.
In his younger days, Yi Sin-pung had risen to fame relying on the Azure Moon Sword.
The Moonlight Twelve Forms executed with it were renowned as supreme arts of the martial world.
Countless demonic cultivators had lost their lives to Yi Sin-pung’s Azure Moon Sword in his youth.
Yi Sin-pung’s Azure Moon Sword was a famed divine blade in the martial world.
Possessing such a renowned sword would allow one to unleash prowess beyond their innate ability.
It was the ultimate gift for any martial artist.
Especially for those who practiced swordsmanship.
“I’ll take the challenge!”
“Let me go first! Open the labyrinth formation!”
People clamored to challenge the formation ahead of one another.
Yi Sin-pung nodded to Gu Yu-myeong.
Gu Yu-myeong smiled and descended from the platform.
Beneath the platform lay a considerable pile of iron rods.
Gu Yu-myeong began inserting the iron rods one by one into the open space below the platform.
They seemed arranged according to some pattern, but the warriors couldn’t grasp the principle at all.
When Gu Yu-myeong finally planted the last iron rod into the ground, a dramatic change occurred.
Shooo!
A thick mist rose, forming the labyrinth formation.
Gu Yu-myeong smiled and said,
“This is the Ten Directions Labyrinth Array. It has no lethality, but once inside, your senses will be disrupted, making it hard to find your way. The formation will last about two hours. I hope someone succeeds within that time.”
No sooner had Gu Yu-myeong spoken than impatient warriors dashed into the mist.
“The Old Tiger Sword Guest, Great Hero Jang Mun-ik, has entered the Ten Directions Labyrinth Array!”
“Young Hero Oh Jin-pung has gone in too!”
Cheers erupted from the crowd each time warriors entered the Ten Directions Labyrinth Array one by one.
The festive atmosphere reached its peak, and people chanted Yi Sin-pung’s name in praise of the surprise event he had planned.
Adoration for Yi Sin-pung soared to its height, and the crowd wondered who would be the first to escape the Ten Directions Labyrinth Array.
The immense fervor heated the air in the hall.
Dam Ho felt the intense heat as well.
But he ignored it, fixing his gaze on Yi Sin-pung.
A satisfied smile played on Yi Sin-pung’s lips.
Dam Ho rose from his seat.
Whatever happened here had nothing to do with him.
He had no desire to play the fool before such people, blinded by a mere piece of metal.
The place Dam Ho headed to upon leaving the training grounds was the stable where Black Ghost was kept.
Prrff!
As Dam Ho approached, Black Ghost snorted happily in greeting.
It had been confined to the stable without moving while Yi Sin-pung’s birthday feast unfolded.
Dam Ho patted Black Ghost’s neck.
“Bear with it just a little longer, even if it’s stifling. I’ll let you run free soon enough.”
Once today passed, Yi Sin-pung’s birthday feast would end.
Then, there would be no more reason for him and Fang Jin-bo to remain here.
Black Ghost rubbed its massive head against Dam Ho’s shoulder as if understanding.
Dam Ho silently stroked its back.
Suddenly, Dam Ho looked down at his hand.
He felt a strange sensation at his fingertips.
There was nothing wrong with his hand.
Dam Ho closely examined Black Ghost’s back, which he had just been stroking.
Wounds that hadn’t been there yesterday were now visible.
They were red and inflamed, with patches of peeled skin everywhere.
In some places, fresh blood that hadn’t yet dried stained the area.
Dam Ho’s eyes turned icy.
Prrff!
Black Ghost exhaled hot breath from its nostrils.
Dam Ho silently met its eyes.
Though it was a beast unable to speak, Black Ghost’s eyes told a story of many things.
Dam Ho scanned the stable interior.
He saw a whip and a saddle.
Blood stained the whip.
There was no need for further confirmation.
“Wait just a moment.”
Dam Ho patted Black Ghost’s cheek and turned away.
He headed straight for the warehouse where the stable hands were.
Opening the door, two laborers looked at Dam Ho in surprise.
“What?”
“Who’re you?”
The laborers wore baffled expressions at Dam Ho’s abrupt arrival.
Dam Ho’s eyes changed.
In that instant, the laborers’ faces drained of color.
There was no way the laborers could withstand Dam Ho’s gaze.
Their bodies trembled like aspen leaves, and groans escaped their lips unbidden.
The laborers even wet themselves.
Hot liquid trickled down their crotches, but they were utterly unaware of it.
“Who is it? Who whipped my horse.”
“Your horse?”
“The black horse in the stable.”
“T-That’s……”
The laborers glanced at each other’s faces.