Chapter 4
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Gold Soul Demon Blade Laeheon
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“Haha… not at all. I was only worried that the sound of my qin might have disturbed the ears of the esteemed Pavilion Master.”
The two sat down again, and Chief Jang rose once more.
“You should now go and oversee the preparations for business inside and out. And on your way out, please have them bring tea and fruit here.”
Chief Jang bowed to the Pavilion Master and left the room, after which she offered another apology.
“To fail to even offer a cup of tea and slight the skills of such a master—how utterly embarrassing. Please do not scorn me too harshly and forgive this rudeness.”
“Do not trouble yourself over it. At my age, I still find it hard to accept such excessive courtesy.”
But inwardly, he thought, ‘If I saw your granddaughter, I’d be about your great-grandfather’s age,’ and a chuckle nearly escaped him.
“Not at all. When it comes to mastery in arts, scholarship, or martial arts, what does age matter? I’ve handled the qin since I was very young—thirty years now—but your skill is beyond anything I could imagine. It’s truly fortunate that Chief Jang recognized such a distinguished guest and brought you here. This must be my great blessing.”
At that moment, the door opened, and the maid from earlier entered carrying a bowl of various fruits and a tray with tea sets, which she placed on the low table.
The maid withdrew, and unexpectedly, the Pavilion Master herself began brewing the tea and preparing the fruits.
Shortly after, a plate of meticulously sliced fruit and a fragrant cup of tea were set before him.
“I’ve offered my meager skills. Please partake without disdain.”
Contrary to her words, both the fruit and tea were exquisite.
Seonwoyong silently drained his teacup and ate the fruit.
In the meantime, the Pavilion Master continued.
“Though this Lotus Flower Pavilion is humble and modest, I wish to keep you here. I wouldn’t dare have you in a guest reception room. Would you please impart your profound musical techniques to me and the girls of this house?”
“That’s precisely why I came here. Please speak freely, Pavilion Master.”
Seonwoyong was, of course, no naive scholar oblivious to the ways of the world, despite his appearance.
He was a seasoned veteran of over fifty years in the harsh realities of life.
Jeong Yeongyeong was no fool to his inner thoughts. In a polite and gentle voice, she began laying out the terms.
“Of course, we will treat you as our master. We’ll house you in a separate annex and provide ten taels of silver each month. We will do our utmost to supply your food, drink, and clothing, however insufficient. And at the turn of each year, we’ll give you an additional fifty taels for your various needs.”
Ten taels of silver was enough for an ordinary family to live on for a year.
It was more than enough to satisfy Seonwoyong.
“To receive such generous hospitality leaves this Seonwoyong with no lacks. I look forward to our time together.”
And so, he settled into the Lotus Flower Pavilion.
It had been a month and a half since he left his thatched hut in the bamboo groves of Yunnan.
* * *
The annex where Seonwoyong had taken up residence was deep within the rear garden, well behind the main building that served as the Pavilion’s business quarters.
Ornamental flowers and plants surrounded it, and a small stream from the main garden pond flowed past the annex. The gentle sound of running water added a touch of refined charm.
It was a three-room tiled house, with a small central hall separating the bedroom and study.
His routine was simple.
Each morning, he washed his face with the basin of water brought by a maid, combed his hair up, brewed a simple cup of tea, and then perused books in his study for a while.
After breakfast and a brief rest, about ten young girls from the Pavilion—still wearing their hair unbound—came to learn the qin.
For children ranging from barely ten to those of thirteen or fourteen already showing hints of womanhood, he taught the most basic finger techniques and plucking methods, guiding them to produce even childish tones on the simplest scales. This filled his mornings.
The girls were brighter and more cheerful than expected.
Though young, they all had refined beauty as a given, and their clothes were finely made from high-quality silk, making them look like daughters of high officials or wealthy merchants.
Teaching these children was Seonwoyong’s most joyful and happy time.
Their clear, bright laughter was even more pleasing than the qin’s tones.
After sharing a pleasant lunch with the girls, he took a solitary stroll around the Pavilion’s inner garden before returning once they left.
Only then did the formally trained courtesans, rising late from their sleep, arrive in groups of two or three as they prepared.
He had arranged them according to their individual qin skills.
Not all the Pavilion’s courtesans came, of course—only those with a particular aptitude and interest in the qin received these lessons.
But naturally, the courtesans who came to learn from him were the most outstanding in both talent and beauty at the Lotus Flower Pavilion.
He paid no mind to what lives they had led the night before.
Some occasionally suffered from overindulging in drink the previous night, while others had bloodshot eyes and weary faces from lack of sleep.
In those moments, he was reminded that this was a brothel, but he didn’t mind much.
From what he had observed, everyone working at the Lotus Flower Pavilion took pride in their work and led peaceful, enjoyable daily lives.
The outside world still had many starving to death, and it was common to sell young daughters into brothels for money.
In that light, the Lotus Flower Pavilion might be the closest thing to a lotus blooming in this harsh world.
Late in the afternoon, once all the courtesans had left, the Pavilion Master occasionally came personally with her qin to seek instruction, though not frequently.
In truth, Pavilion Master Jeong Yeongyeong’s qin mastery had reached the pinnacle.
It was a skill rarely heard even across the land.
So her initial cold reception made sense.
In the current world, few could teach her anything on the qin.
When the Pavilion Master played, he simply listened, and upon finishing, he would replay only a specific part of her piece.
That was it.
She understood immediately, bowed in thanks, and left.
It required little conversation.
However, the more she visited the annex with her qin, the more courteous Jeong Yeongyeong became, and the deeper her gaze toward Seonwoyong grew.
Seonwoyong could read her energy without restraint, naturally perceiving the pink bud of affection sprouting in her heart.
Sometimes, after playing for a long while, as she prepared to leave the annex, she seemed hesitant to say something.
But after glancing at Seonwoyong’s profile—coldly ignoring her as he tended to his qin—she would depart.
Once the day’s work ended, he dined in the hall, had a light drink, and returned to the annex.
From then on, it was time truly for himself.
As night began, he adjusted his perceptive senses and began playing the qin.
Often, no sound emerged, and even when it did, it never carried beyond the annex.
His playing was no ordinary plucking of strings.
Having already achieved ascension by transformation, his body and mind required no special circulation or training.
He simply peered into his inner self through the qin, communing with the energies of the universe.
Through this, he gauged his own abilities and limits, expanding their horizons.
His lower dantian was gone, but his upper dantian was fully open to the extreme, sensing the principles of all things around him, people’s energies and joys and sorrows—even their very thoughts.
However, the martial arts he once wielded with hands and feet posed problems.
All the techniques he had cultivated relied on storing internal energy.
Now, he was researching how to deploy martial arts using the upper dantian in place of the lower.
And as he played the seven-string qin, he employed the upper dantian’s energy.
The vast internal energy flowing through his body was no longer the issue.
He harmonized with the abundant energies of heaven and earth, breathing them in and out through his upper dantian like respiration.
And with those energies, he plucked the qin strings.
It was not easy, and visible progress was absent, but he didn’t mind.
It was a matter solvable with a single insight.
What he truly needed most now was the mandate of heaven.
Why had the heavens granted him this new life? What was he to do, and how?
He had long severed all ties and karmic bonds with the world.
For now, he decided to enjoy this peaceful daily life.
Above all, the Pavilion’s food was delicious, and the young girls’ laughter was pleasing.
For a freeloader, no place beat a brothel like this.
But the Lotus Flower Pavilion was still part of the jianghu, and the jianghu’s twists could not spare even here.
That event began late one night, as he played his qin in silence as usual.
* * *
“So you’re saying no?”
In the center of a lavishly decorated guest room, a burly middle-aged man growled lowly, seated before a table laden with fine dishes and liquor.
Flanking him in his splendid silk robes were two of the Pavilion’s most renowned beauties, trembling in fear, while Chief Jang Dojeon knelt before him, reporting.
“I humbly inform you again, Great Hero Laeheon: We do not bring the young trainees into the reception halls at our Lotus Flower Pavilion. This has been our principle for decades, so please quell your anger and enjoy the girls at your side.”
Sensing the mood, Jang Dojeon continued.
“If these girls do not please you, we’ll replace them. And if even that is unsatisfactory, blame our Pavilion’s inadequacy tonight and leave as you will.”
“What?”
“Of course, you need not worry about the cost of the food and drink, nor the deflowering fee for these girls already with you.”
“Hah… You lot are truly insulting this Laeheon tonight. Summon the Pavilion Master at once!”
His name was Laeheon.
His moniker: Gold Soul Demon Blade.