Chapter 98
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: Upward Leveling
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For someone who’d grumbled to me about having no money, the restaurants Uiseong dragged me to at every meal—or the inns and taverns we crashed at for a day or two—were pretty damn upscale.
I hadn’t even realized they were upscale at first. I’d just assumed that was normal. But after arriving in Gilhyeon in Shaanxi Province and holing up at this inn for a few days, it hit me like a ton of bricks: that wasn’t normal at all.
The creaky old bed, the threadbare blankets, the grimy walls—not to mention the state of the cleaning—and worst of all, the prices tacked onto the menu items at the inn’s restaurant. They were worlds apart from what I’d been eating. In modern terms, it was like the zero count was off by a digit or two. Everything I’d scarfed down so far had been on the pricey side.
I idly swirled the leftover thin noodles in my bowl with my chopsticks, and Uiseong let out a tsk.
“This is your last meal today, so don’t leave any behind and whine about being hungry later. Eat it all, kiddo.”
“This tastes like crap and I don’t wanna… Ah, why thin noodles all of a sudden? Aaaah, just get me some roast duck, pleeease. If I get hungry later, I’ll eat candy. Buy me some candy later.”
“Jeez, such a picky eater.”
Who do you think made my tastes this picky in the first place! I was the type who’d chow down happily on just some greens and a bit of meat side dish!
At least the roast duck I’d had here so far was tough and gamey, but still better than these noodles.
Just yesterday, I’d been sprawled out, sick of roast duck and begging for something—anything—else. But one bite of these noodles today, and suddenly I was missing that duck like crazy.
These were straight-up nasty. Mount Hua’s meals every single time suddenly felt like gourmet feasts in comparison. The kind that made me swear off picky eating for good.
It really drove home the power of capital. I don’t know who ditched me, but thank you very much for leaving me in front of Mount Hua, of all places, where money overflowed.
“But, Martial Uncle, do we have money for the trip back…?”
“Shh.”
I asked with trembling eyes, and Uiseong held a finger to his lips.
Why’s he shushing me like that? Does he really have no money and he’s trying to shut me up? Is this some grand lesson about the value of money and how you end up if you suck at budgeting?
I shoved some noodles into my mouth, trying to ignore the complicated thoughts swirling in my head, and that’s when I figured out why Uiseong had told me to pipe down.
He was eavesdropping on the conversation at the table behind us.
Curious as hell what could have him listening in like that, I lifted my bowl to slurp some noodle broth while perking up my ears.
The broth was so bland it made me doubt whether they’d even bothered with meat stock or veggie broth.
“There’s no official road from Gilhyeon to Bunseo, so we have no choice but to cross the mountains… but the bandits on the way there aren’t that bad, are they…?”
“Hiring escorts isn’t cheap…”
“With Manyeong Merchant Company stirring things up, it’s not easy finding guards right now either…”
“This is a disaster. We have to set out by tomorrow at the latest, but getting stuck here like this…”
From what I could gather, they had to cross some mountains, but bandits were lurking along the path, making it dicey. They looked like regular folks, miles away from anything martial arts-related.
They probably hadn’t started out together; they’d just banded together because of the mountain route. One of them was even a kid who looked about seven or eight.
A woman who seemed to be the kid’s mom scolded him as he stirred his noodle bowl wildly with his chopsticks.
“Don’t leave any. Eat it all. You gonna complain about being hungry later?”
“No way. It tastes bad. Buy me some candy from the stall outside later.”
The déjà vu from that exchange made my eyebrow twitch. Uiseong, who’d been listening in too, snickered.
“Our little rascal says the exact same stuff, huh? And he’s twice the age of that kid over there, too.”
“He’ll be picky like this even after he hits seventy.”
“That’ll earn him some ‘where’d you leave your age behind?’ comments for sure.”
Uiseong clicked his tongue, turned around, and called out to the group chatting behind us.
“Pardon the intrusion. You folks headed over Bunseo County?”
“Y-Yes, that’s right.”
“In that case, mind if we tag along?”
The man who replied looked troubled at Uiseong’s subtle offer.
“We don’t mind, but we haven’t secured escorts yet…”
“Ah, no worries there. I know a bit about handling a sword. My martial nephew here does too.”
Uiseong waggled his sword as he replied smoothly. A guy pegged as the next top sword of Mount Hua, saying he “knows a bit” about swords. Even Primeval Lord of Heaven would shed tears.
The man’s face brightened at Uiseong’s words, and he pressed eagerly.
“You’re martial artists? Mind if I ask which sect?”
“Nothing to brag about—just a small, obscure mid-tier sect, haha. But we’re Righteous Faction, so no need to worry.”
Turning Mount Hua into a “small, obscure mid-tier sect.” I barely kept my jaw from dropping at Uiseong’s lie, which flowed as naturally as water.
No wonder he’d left the plum blossom sword behind and bought a rusty hunk of iron at the smithy.
Just as Uiseong had planned, I was dressed in plain navy everyday clothes like him, so there was no way these folks would peg us as Mount Hua disciples. They weren’t martial artists anyway.
Truth be told, we’d been banned from wearing sect robes the whole stay at this inn.
“Oh, thank you! Then as thanks…”
“We’re headed that way anyway, so if you insist on paying, a bottle of liquor will do.”
The man laughed heartily and clapped Uiseong on the shoulder. Soon, drinks and food covered the table, and the booze fest kicked off.
If we’d just said we were from Mount Hua, the treatment would’ve been way better. So why hide it?
I stared at Uiseong, dying to know his angle, and he—catching my look somehow—slid the roast duck my way while taking a cup.
“Here, the roast duck our martial nephew’s been singing about wanting. Dig in.”
“Not this. Gimme braised pork.”
“Didn’t you say you wanted roast duck?”
“Ah, that was just ‘cause the noodles sucked!”
“Fine, fine. Sorry your poor martial uncle’s broke and can only afford noodles… As you know, our sect’s in rough shape…”
What an actor. As if Mount Hua would ever go under unless the Demonic Cult stormed in and wiped us out.
I eyed Uiseong’s fake tear-wiping with a sour face, then picked up some braised pork with my chopsticks and ate it.
The fatty, half-chewy pork reeked of pig, tasting like garbage, but compared to this inn’s roast duck and noodles, it was almost edible. So I shut up and ate.
“Tasty!”
The little kid squealed after popping some roast duck and braised pork into his mouth. The adults chuckled about how cute he was, but I couldn’t muster a smile.
Poor kid. What the hell had he been eating his whole life to think this was tasty?
Curious about wuxia-world booze all of a sudden, I sneaked some liquor into my water cup and sipped. Got caught red-handed and whacked on the head.
Ow.
* * *
The next day, we were roused at the crack of dawn, gulping chilly morning air as we climbed the mountain path.
I clicked my tongue watching the hungover adults on the verge of death alternating with Uiseong, the only one fresh as a daisy. Who in their right mind throws a drunken bash the night before a dawn start?
The seven-year-old girl latched onto me—the closest in age difference—as the easiest to talk to, chattering nonstop by my side.
“Sis, how old are you?”
“Fifteen.”
“Sis strong?”
“Yeah, sis is super strong.”
“Then why’d you join such a tiny sect?”
“……”
Brat. This sis is a disciple of the great Mount Hua Sect. If Mount Hua’s tiny, the others are specks of dust.
Instead of snapping at the noisy kid—who clutched my sleeve like her mom and yapped endlessly—I gave half-hearted answers to her barrage of questions and let her ramble.
After getting chewed out by my older martial siblings forever, hearing “sis” from someone actually younger than me wasn’t half bad.
How long had we been hiking the mountain path?
“Hand over everything you’ve got and kneel! Resist, and I’ll lop your heads off one by one!”
A bandit crew burst out with the cheesiest lines straight out of a bandit playbook. I shoved the kid behind me and drew my sword. One, two, three… seven in total?
“Gahaha! A punk not even twenty thinks he can take us!”
“How dare you underestimate us! Time to learn your lesson, brat!”
At least be consistent in your reactions. Some laughing, some pissed. You guys even on the same side?
I easily dodged a vicious iron mace swing, bounded off a rock, and brought my sword down on the guy’s neck. No room for hesitation.
It took less than a quarter hour for my blade to slaughter the lot.
They were barely third-rate at best, so even five-on-one was a breeze. Two went after the civilians instead of me, and Uiseong handled them.
By the third wave of bandits, killing them felt like a chore, so I settled for lopping off an arm or leg.
If they bled out, tough luck. If they survived, good for them.
But…
“Why am I the only one fighting?”
I huffed at Uiseong, who’d just been standing around, only stepping in for the stragglers that slipped past me toward the civilians.
“Real combat training. Real combat training.”
“It’s pointless now.”
The whole point was to avoid panicking or getting pushed back in real fights, so it meant zilch to me now—zipping around like a fish in water even in live combat.
“Not yet. What’s the point against these small fry?”
Splat. Uiseong flicked the blood off his sword after slicing a bandit and fixed me with a straight stare. He smirked with one corner of his mouth and gave me some advice.
“But don’t get cocky, kiddo. The world ain’t that easy.”