Chapter 83
Chapter 83
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 83
Chapter Title: The Three Ghosts of Yuzhong
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The meeting of the Heavenly Sword Association was being held in Ziyang, a short distance from Chengdu in Sichuan.
This place was not only home to famous Buddhist sites like Boguksa Temple and Won-gak-dong Cave, but also had many noteworthy historical landmarks, such as the Taegeuk Ancient Town and Seonhak-gwan Hall.
Consequently, it was a place where not only martial artists of the Orthodox Faction gathered, but also masters from the Unorthodox and Demonic Factions, as well as many tourists.
A low murmur.
As they entered the city, a massive crowd came into view.
Guided by Yu Hwa-ryeong, Bu Eun-seol surveyed his surroundings, his eyes deepening.
‘Similar, yet different.’
The place where Bu Eun-seol had spent a year active in the martial world was near Dongting Lake in Hunan.
Like Ziyang, that place was filled with sightseers who had come to admire the natural scenery.
However, it was also a place where the Orthodox, Demonic, and Unorthodox Factions were locked in a tense power struggle, giving it a somewhat murderous atmosphere.
But Ziyang was different.
It was bustling and vibrant, and it seemed there were more martial artists carrying weapons than tourists.
Conversely, this was also proof that frequent disputes occurred here.
“My, there are so many people.”
It would have been better to hurry along, but Yu Hwa-ryeong kept heading deeper into the marketplace.
“Great Hero Yu, didn't you say the meeting was being held at Mount Jin-ding?”
Unable to watch any longer, Heuk-pyo asked, and Yu Hwa-ryeong revealed a set of pearly white teeth.
“When in Sichuan, one must drink Geomnamchun, wouldn't you agree?”
“Can’t you drink Geomnamchun anywhere in Sichuan?”
At Heuk-pyo’s response, Yu Hwa-ryeong’s expression turned serious as he said.
“Not all Geomnamchun is the same. The Geomnamchun sold at the Sobaek-ru here in Ziyang has the proper taste.”
He pulled Bu Eun-seol and Heuk-pyo along as if he were the manager of Sobaek-ru itself.
“Come, come, this way. I’ll show you what a true fine liquor of Sichuan is.”
It was lunchtime, so the inns and taverns were packed with people everywhere they went.
But Sobaek-ru was quiet.
That was because it was a high-end establishment where a simple dish cost over thirty nyang.
“Welcome!”
A waiter at Sobaek-ru noticed Bu Eun-seol’s party enter and quickly guided them to a window seat with a good view.
“Great Hero Yu, this place seems a bit too expensive.”
Heuk-pyo whispered as he looked around, but Yu Hwa-ryeong slapped the table and laughed heartily.
“Don’t you worry. My martial arts may be insignificant, but I have more than enough money.”
He then began ordering from the waiter without hesitation.
“Five bottles of Geomnamchun, and bring out the five most confident dishes you have here. But give us large cups, and be sure to use good chili peppers.”
“Right away, sir!”
“Take this.”
When Yu Hwa-ryeong tossed a large piece of silver as a tip, the waiter bowed so low his nose nearly touched the ground.
“Thank you, sir! I’ll bring the liquor right away.”
After wiping the table clean with a cloth, the waiter quickly returned with five fragrant pots of liquor.
It was Sichuan’s famous liquor, Geomnamchun.
“By the looks of it, this is your first time in Sichuan. Am I wrong?”
Bu Eun-seol replied drily to Yu Hwa-ryeong’s question.
“That’s right.”
“Hahaha, excellent.”
“What’s so excellent about it?”
“The martial arts climate in Sichuan has been unusual lately.”
Yu Hwa-ryeong whispered lowly, as if sharing crucial information.
“The Sword Pavilion alone produced a Grand Master, and the Dang Clan, which had been in seclusion for a long time, has sent its direct descendants out into the martial world.”
After filling Bu Eun-seol’s and Heuk-pyo’s cups to the brim, he continued in a low voice.
“Recently, Yu Rim-wi, known as the Red-Faced Blood Blade, defeated Nam Cheon-bung, who was called the fastest in Sichuan. Since then, duels have suddenly become popular in the previously quiet Sichuan.”
Pouring liquor into his own cup, Yu Hwa-ryeong said.
“Perhaps because of that, numerous masters and renowned figures have gathered in Sichuan. I’ll introduce you to them soon.”
“No, thank you.”
“Why not?”
“I’m not interested.”
Bu Eun-seol had no interest whatsoever in building friendships with other martial artists.
“Well, it’s not my place to interfere, but if you want to last long in the martial world, you must build wide connections with renowned figures.”
“……”
“If you have broad connections with famous people, you can obtain high-quality information and receive their help.”
Yu Hwa-ryeong sighed and said in a whisper.
“In the world of Murim, no one stands alone.”
No one stands alone in Murim.
The phrase held many meanings. But Bu Eun-seol’s eyes flashed as if to deny it.
“Ahem.”
As the atmosphere grew cold, Yu Hwa-ryeong cleared his throat and spoke again.
“Even our Heavenly Sword Association was created after much deliberation by senior swordsmen who felt the limits of standing alone in the martial world, wasn’t it? Hahaha!”
He laughed heartily, thinking he had made a rather amusing joke.
“Come, come, let’s have a drink first!”
Heuk-pyo, who had been listening quietly, gave a bitter smile.
The advice might have been fitting if Bu Eun-seol were an ordinary person, but it was completely unsuited to his status.
In the first place, Bu Eun-seol was a successor of the Nang-ya-gak, one of the Ten Demonic Sects, which were pillars of the Demonic Path and called the Ten Skies.
With such a powerful background, and considering his status alone, it would be difficult to even meet someone worthy of building a friendship with Bu Eun-seol.
“What one must obtain in the martial world is not connections, but a good weapon.”
Bu Eun-seol, who had downed his drink in one go, shook his head.
“A weapon can readily defend against the danger before you. What good are connections?”
“Hahaha. If a weapon defends against immediate danger, connections can eliminate the conflict itself.”
At Yu Hwa-ryeong’s response, Bu Eun-seol nodded coolly and said.
“Then go ahead and stop them.”
“Hm? Stop what?”
“Those men.”
Bu Eun-seol pointed to a corner table where three menacing men were seated.
And they were staring down at Bu Eun-seol with extremely greedy expressions. To be precise, their gazes were fixed on the Muk-geom slung across Bu Eun-seol’s back.
“Hmm.”
Yu Hwa-ryeong swallowed hard.
There were many fine swords in the martial world, but it was rare to find one where both the scabbard and the sword were entirely dyed black.
The Muk-geom, with its rust shed, emanated a mysterious dark light from its scabbard, captivating the eyes of many greedy men.
“It can’t be helped.”
Just as Yu Hwa-ryeong was about to rise from his seat, a very fat man from the opposing group approached Bu Eun-seol and asked arrogantly.
“I am Heo Nam-yeol, the third of the Three Heroes of Yuzhong.”
“Ah, I am…”
Yu Hwa-ryeong stood up, cupping his hands, but the fat man ignored him and asked Bu Eun-seol.
“Are you the winner of that Martial Arts Tournament?”
The fat man, Heo Nam-yeol, kept his eyes fixed on the Muk-geom behind Bu Eun-seol’s back.
“I am.”
When Bu Eun-seol answered, a corner of his mouth lifted.
“But the rumor is that you didn’t win the tournament, but rather rigged the matches with Dong-pyo-seo-rang, isn’t it?”
After the Martial Arts Tournament, a strange rumor had begun to circulate among some.
It claimed that the winner, Bu Eun-seol, had colluded with Dong-pyo-seo-rang to steal the sword.
This rumor had a fair bit of credibility because the top contenders, Mu Sam-rang and Yang Myeong, had both inexplicably forfeited against Bu Eun-seol.
Because of this rumor, even some of the masters who had watched in person began to doubt the authenticity of Bu Eun-seol’s victories over the Grand Masters Yeong Ji-wi and Seo Mun-gyeong.
“There’s another rumor going around. That Dong-pyo-seo-rang stole the real sword and gave the winner a fake divine sword.”
As Bu Eun-seol stared at him without a word, Heo Nam-yeol grinned.
“I have a decent eye for swords. If you don’t mind, I’ll appraise your sword for you.”
Bu Eun-seol didn’t even bother to reply.
To a martial artist, a weapon was like their life. Unless the owner offered, it was rude and thoughtless for another to ask to see their weapon.
“Don’t worry. I’ll just take a look and give it back.”
Bu Eun-seol didn’t even answer, simply lifting his cup.
“How arrogant. A man speaks so nicely, yet you don’t even pretend to listen?”
Heo Nam-yeol slowly began to show his true colors.
“Or is it because I’m being too nice? Do you prefer it when I ask nastily?”
“Hey, brother. Don’t be like that, just listen to me.”
As he began to make overt threats, Yu Hwa-ryeong rose from his seat.
“I am a member of the Heavenly Sword Association, and with the many heroes of Sichuan…”
*Thud.*
At that moment, Bu Eun-seol placed the Muk-geom he had been carrying on his back onto the table.
Reflecting the sunlight pouring in from the window, the scabbard emitted a mysterious glow. It was clearly a magnificent divine sword that needed no appraisal.
“You want to appraise the sword?”
Bu Eun-seol, uncharacteristically, smiled faintly.
“Fine. If you can.”
“Hehehe. Now you’re talking.”
Heo Nam-yeol smirked, thinking Bu Eun-seol was intimidated by him.
“Don’t worry. I’m truly good at appraising swords, so this will be a good opportunity for you.”
The atmosphere seemed to have eased, but Heuk-pyo swallowed nervously.
He knew well that when Bu Eun-seol was about to fight, his eyes would instead grow clear and a smile like a spring breeze would grace his lips.
Unfortunately for him, Heo Nam-yeol did not know this fact.
“Let’s have a look…”
As he approached the table and reached out his hand,
“Aaaargh!”
A desperate scream echoed through the tavern.
Heo Nam-yeol’s hand, severed at the wrist, was now lying on the floor.
“Ugh…”
He stared at his fallen wrist with a look of disbelief.
He hadn’t even seen when or how the sword had been drawn. There wasn’t even the common flash of a blade, no sign at all.
What was more astonishing was that the divine sword that had been on the table was now slung across Bu Eun-seol’s back again.
“That bastard!”
Seeing this, the first and second of the Three Heroes of Yuzhong shot up from their seats.
“How dare you attempt murder in broad daylight!”
As they drew their weapons and rushed forward, Bu Eun-seol scoffed.
“How amusing to hear such words from you, the Three Ghosts of Yuzhong.”
At that, the two men became as silent as clams.
Their real moniker was not the Three Heroes of Yuzhong, but the Three Ghosts of Yuzhong. They were great bandits who committed all sorts of evil deeds throughout Sichuan.
They had committed many evil acts for decades but had skillfully hidden their appearances and crimes, so no one knew their true identities.
But Bu Eun-seol, who had been active in the Gu-sal-dae, was well-informed about hidden villains, and the Three Ghosts of Yuzhong were among them.
“You three always strike together.”
Bu Eun-seol said, looking at Heo Nam-yeol, who had scrambled back to his group while clutching his arm.
“No need for long words. Come at me all at once.”
“You’re asking for death!”
The reason the Three Ghosts of Yuzhong had been able to hide their true identities was not only because of their high martial skill but also because they were proficient with poison and hidden weapons.
As if determined to finish Bu Eun-seol, they unleashed the poisons and hidden weapons from their sleeves all at once.
“You will die here…!”
But their words were cut short.
A red line of blood was drawn across the necks of the Three Ghosts of Yuzhong as they were unleashing their poisons and hidden weapons.
*Clatter! Splat!*
The flying hidden weapons clattered to the floor as blood sprayed in all directions. In that moment, screams filled the tavern.
“Aaaah!”
Bu Eun-seol left the tavern as if nothing had happened.
Heuk-pyo, accustomed to such scenes, followed him calmly, but Yu Hwa-ryeong stood frozen in place, his mouth agape.
“No matter how wicked they were…”
Gazing at the three gruesome corpses, he came to his senses and rushed after Bu Eun-seol, shouting.
“How could you just resort to killing like that?”
Bu Eun-seol stopped walking and said coldly.
“The Three Ghosts of Yuzhong were irredeemable degenerates.”
Yu Hwa-ryeong had also heard of the notoriety of the Three Ghosts of Yuzhong.
But even so, Bu Eun-seol’s actions were unacceptable.
“All they did to you was ask to see your sword.”
“Do you really think so?”
Of course not. The Three Ghosts of Yuzhong had coveted Bu Eun-seol’s Muk-geom and would have tried to steal it one way or another.
What angered Yu Hwa-ryeong was that despite Bu Eun-seol’s martial arts being so high, he had shown no mercy to the villains.
“Even the lives of villains cannot be taken so lightly.”
“I am not a high monk of Buddhism. If I don’t make an example of them, there will be a line of people trying to seize my sword.”
Bu Eun-seol spoke calmly, as if nothing had happened.
“Of course, this will probably happen three or four more times while the rumor spreads.”
“You’ll kill again?”
“Do you think there’s another option?”
Letting out a deep sigh, Yu Hwa-ryeong said in a dignified voice.
“If you are a villain who disregards human life, relying only on your martial skill, then you cannot travel with me!”
Despite Yu Hwa-ryeong’s declaration, Bu Eun-seol merely offered a cold smile.
“Do as you please.”
“W-what?”
“You were the one who wanted to travel together.”
And he calmly turned to leave.
Staring blankly at Bu Eun-seol’s back as he slowly exited the tavern, Yu Hwa-ryeong snapped back to his senses.
“No, wait a minute!”