Chapter 5
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: The Zither Master of the Separate Pavilion
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That sweltering evening, I visited the Lotus Flower Pavilion alone, a place I occasionally frequented.
Enjoying drinks and dishes, then calling over two courtesans to play with—everything was fine up to that point.
The problem arose when I stepped out to relieve myself and spotted three fellow disciples strolling and chattering in the garden outside the main hall.
Drawn by the beauty of Choyeoun, a girl who had just turned fourteen among them, I took an interest and urged them to bring her over.
Here at the Lotus Flower Pavilion, they strictly forbade anyone under sixteen—even those who had begun their monthly cycles—from serving drinks.
Manager Jang rushed over to report this and tried to persuade Laeheon, but unfortunately, Laeheon was not the sort to be swayed by such pleas.
Sichuan Province was a vast basin surrounded by layer upon layer of towering mountains.
Its fertile soil and mild climate had long sustained the people with abundant rice paddies, fields, and forests.
Thanks to this bounty, three of the renowned Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families had taken root in Sichuan.
The Emei Sect, a famed house of Buddhist martial arts perched on Golden Summit of Mount Emei.
The Azure Purity Sect of Taoists, located on Azure Purity Mountain in the Guanxian region not far from Chengdu.
And the Sichuan Tang Clan, infamous for their poison arts and hidden weapons.
As all were orthodox sects of the righteous factions, it was a place where evil sect masters or bandit groups struggled to gain a foothold.
Yet every place had its exceptions, and in Sichuan Province, that exception was the Gold Soul Demon Blade, Laeheon.
Laeheon had infiltrated Sichuan, been taken in early by a peak evil sect master living in seclusion, and become his disciple.
By middle age, he had surpassed his master—who had since passed—and reached the transcendent realm of clear autumn waters.
No one in Sichuan could easily match him.
It was said his martial prowess surpassed even the elders of Emei and Azure Purity, or perhaps rivaled their sect leaders.
In short, few in Sichuan could interfere with his actions.
Especially avaricious when it came to wealth, he had plunged into the usury business upon entering the martial world, operating the Gold Soul Money House, Chengdu's premier money lender.
He had single-handedly crushed all the black path bandit groups in the trade and claimed the top spot.
Laeheon was a man consumed by asceticism and lust.
He already kept over ten concubines and had earned infamy for laying hands even on unmarried and married women from families crushed by debt.
Whenever Laeheon visited the Lotus Flower Pavilion, big or small incidents inevitably arose.
But the pavilion had no choice but to accommodate him.
“Please wait just a moment. I’ll go speak with the Pavilion Master.”
“Do that. But I won’t wait long, so hurry.”
As Manager Jang left the room, Laeheon promptly drained his cup and slipped his hands into the bosoms and skirts of the courtesans seated on either side.
But moments later, it wasn’t Manager Jang or Pavilion Master Jeong Yeongyeong who entered.
The pavilion employed warriors to handle such internal and external disturbances, and they were the ones stepping in now.
Two sword-bearing warriors entered—one elderly, one young.
Staring at them intently, Laeheon muttered.
“Looks like your guts have grown beyond your bellies. You’ll shed tears only after seeing your coffins.”
Then the elder warrior cupped his fists first in greeting.
“We respectfully greet Gold Soul Demon Blade Laeheon, master of the house. I am Sacheonggi, who eats the rice of this Lotus Flower Pavilion.”
“I am I Sochang.”
Their demeanor was calm.
The vital energy in their eyes marked them as practitioners of righteous faction orthodox martial arts.
“I’ve heard your names before. You train in the Azure Purity Sect’s arts, yes?”
A pleasure house like the Lotus Flower Pavilion naturally had a sect backing it, and that was the Azure Purity Sect.
These two were secular disciples of the Azure Purity Sect.
“We well know we two cannot match the renowned Great Hero Laeheon. We merely ask that you spare a little face for the Azure Purity Sect that raised us.”
No sooner had Sacheonggi—the one known in Chengdu’s martial world as the Azure Flower Sword—finished speaking than Laeheon seized the saber at his side and rose.
He lifted the blade in his hand.
“This Laeheon, once he draws his blade, shows no mercy. I respect the Azure Purity Sect, but I won’t tolerate meddling even in a place like this brothel. Either go fetch the Pavilion Master or show me your skills… Of course, it won’t end with just a limb or two.”
At his words, the two warriors standing side by side split left and right.
A silent declaration that they would not retreat.
“Though lacking, we have no choice but to witness Great Hero Laeheon’s signature techniques. Pardon our paltry skills as we two combine our strength—pray do not mock Azure Purity as lowly.”
With a glance from Sacheonggi, the two courtesans—pale with fear—fled from Laeheon’s side and out of the room.
Laeheon slowly raised his murderous intent.
He began circulating the Iron Demon Art he had devoted his life to perfecting.
A profoundly simple yet efficient and domineering core art; he had cultivated it to over tenfold completion, earning his current fame.
As the Iron Demon Art completed one circuit of heaven, his killing intent filled the room.
Sacheonggi, with a grim face, drew his sword.
The young warrior named I Sochang drew his as well.
“Sochang, our Azure Purity sword must not be disgraced. Give it your all.”
“I will, Fourth Martial Uncle.”
They were master and disciple.
Comparing Laeheon’s infamy to their skills, this could be their final stand.
Laeheon’s saber draw was instantaneous.
He had no patience for courtesies like yielding three chances to the weak or announcing his technique first.
The blade flashed from its sheath at invisible speed toward I Sochang.
The judgment and skill of a lifelong evil sect master of real combat.
His signature technique, Iron Demon Overlooks the Pagoda from the Iron Demon Blade Method, surged straight at I Sochang.
“Gasp!”
Stunned, I Sochang unleashed Azure Purity’s life-saving technique, Mountains Return Vastly, to block.
But Laeheon’s internal energy and the ferocity of his form were beyond such defense.
In a single exchange, I Sochang’s sword flew from his grip, and Laeheon’s saber tip plunged into his side.
“Urk!”
Thanks to Sacheonggi’s simultaneous thrust at Laeheon’s back, he twisted aside just enough to avoid fatal injury, but still suffered a gash deep enough to expose his entrails.
Without the slightest hesitation, Laeheon whirled and unleashed his second strike at Sacheonggi.
It was then.
Ting. Ting-!
A sharp, clear zither note pierced Laeheon’s ears, striking his very soul.
“Gasp! What…!”
Laeheon’s strike still sent Sacheonggi’s sword flying, but it had lost most of its power.
Sacheonggi, bare-handed, dodged and retreated five paces.
Laeheon halted his assault, scanning the air.
“Which senior is this? This Laeheon has failed to greet you in his ignorance.”
He infused his voice with energy toward the source of the sound, but no reply came.
Sacheonggi had retrieved his fallen sword and gone to check on the collapsed I Sochang.
Tiriing… Ting ting…!
The zither notes resumed.
The pavilion’s main hall had fallen silent from their clash.
Yet astonishingly, only Laeheon heard the sound.
Neither the nearby patrons nor the two warriors who had crossed blades moments ago perceived a thing.
With a heavy expression, Laeheon regripped his saber.
“Show yourself. This Laeheon respectfully greets you.”
Sacheonggi and I Sochang could only stare in confusion at Laeheon, who now muttered to thin air after halting mid-attack.
But in Laeheon’s ears, the languid-toned zither notes continued without cease.
Ting, tiriing, ting……
The opponent conversed not in words, but through the music.
Laeheon’s heart, filled with killing intent and rage, began to subside.
His lust evaporated, his fiery fighting spirit cooled to ice.
‘How can this be!’
A chill ran down Laeheon’s spine.
But he was not one to back down.
He circulated his Iron Demon Art at peak intensity from his dantian, reigniting his fading battle lust and killing intent.
Then the languid notes invading his ears sharpened.
Tiding! Ting-!
It was killing intent.
Killing intent transmitted directly to his soul.
Absolute killing intent promising instant death for defiance.
Laeheon was quick with calculations.
He realized the foe was an absolute master beyond his power.
‘My god, I can’t handle this one.’
Incomprehensible as it was, Laeheon knew the martial world hid countless unnamed eccentrics.
Since the player hadn’t revealed themselves, they seemed unwilling to escalate.
Laeheon dispersed his gathered energy and shook off his killing intent.
The notes softened again, soothing him.
Miraculously, the meaning of the zither sounds conveyed itself.
— Leave it be and go.
There was a sense of “let’s not meet again,” though that might have been Laeheon’s own wishful thinking.
Laeheon sheathed his saber.
The sheathing was as swift and precise as his draw.
He immediately exited the room.
Leaving behind countless eyes watching him in terror from hiding, he promptly departed the Lotus Flower Pavilion.
* * *
Seonwoyong, seated in the annex plucking the zither, let out a sigh.
“Ah, that guy. Couldn’t just eat, play, and leave quietly… Had to make this old man exert himself.”
Laeheon’s killing intent had reached even him in the annex.
He had been experimenting with a new clue to his true essence martial arts by using his upper dantian to play the zither.
“But man, it’s no easy feat. The upper dantian… Internal energy has no form, intent has no form, yet both are the source moving our body and mind. Manifesting internal energy as intent through the upper dantian to send outward like this… Sigh… Anyway, today’s zither ends here….”
Muttering to himself, he pulled out a silk cloth and began wiping the strings.
His gaze deepened endlessly.