Chapter 41: Recruiting a Side-Path Practitioner (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 41: Recruiting a Side-Path Practitioner (1)
We continued our advance for several days, passing Qingcheng Mountain before finally arriving near Sogeum County.
"I'm dying of itchiness after days of camping and staying in tiny inns without a proper wash. Let's take a real rest this time," Poison Wolf Ibu said to me.
Being in the same predicament, I nodded in agreement.
"It’s a bit early, but we can't push the journey any further today. Let's turn in early."
When I suggested stopping at an inn before the sun had even set, everyone’s faces brightened. The forced march of the past few days had clearly taken its toll.
My original plan to treat this journey like a leisurely sightseeing trip had already gone awry. Because the Sword Palace Squad kept pushing forward without rest, I had no choice but to keep pace with them.
"It seems too early. If we leave now, we could reach the next village for the night," Ye Woon said.
At his words, the other amateurs glared at him with resentment.
"Leader Ye, what if we encounter the Blood Lama while we're exhausted? We need strength to fight. No battle has ever been won with exhausted soldiers. Reaching our destination quickly is important, but I believe preserving our combat strength as we advance is even more vital."
I cut Ye Woon off firmly this time. Even the members of the Sword Palace Squad seemed relieved by my words. Ye Woon backed down as if he had no choice.
It was exhausting having such a stiff-necked person around, but at the same time, it made him reliable.
Though small, Sogeum County had everything one might need. The Demon Subjugation Group split up and took rooms in two different inns. The Sword Palace Squad stayed in one, while the group I belonged to stayed in the inn across the street.
After washing up and having nothing to do before dinner, I stepped out for a short walk. The Twin Heroes of Guiyang followed behind me. The Seven Cats were waiting back at the inn under orders from the Twin Heroes.
Perhaps because news of the Blood Lama’s slaughter had already spread, this small county was overflowing with martial artists other than ourselves. Judging by the way they strode through the streets with weapons slung over their shoulders, they seemed to be warriors gathered from all over to hunt the Blood Lama.
But they were all just low-level martial artists.
True masters do not swagger through the streets like that. It is a mistake to think that the people you commonly bump into in the Murim are masters. Masters have a world of their own. They associate with people of a similar level. That is why it is incredibly difficult for amateurs like me to even catch a glimpse of a true master.
Some amateurs live their entire lives without ever seeing a master, even going so far as to claim that masters don't exist in the Murim.
Masters do not display their martial arts recklessly. Even when using lightness skills, they do so where no one is watching, rather than startling people with unnecessary displays. Thus, ordinary people often believe there are no masters in the Murim. It’s only natural not to believe in what you cannot see.
One major flaw of low-level martial artists is the belief that their internal energy or martial arts will suddenly skyrocket if they find a fortuitous encounter. Of course, that can happen. However, even if one consumes a legendary elixir of a thousand years, it is no better than common mountain ginseng if they lack the mental cultivation method to refine it into internal energy. Furthermore, even if they obtain an invincible secret manual, it is merely a "pie in the sky" if they lack the knowledge of internal energy required to interpret and execute the techniques.
A fortuitous encounter can only be claimed by those who are prepared.
Martial arts are much like money. Just as it is the way of the world that those with money make more while those without stay poor, fortuitous encounters are found by masters; the probability of an amateur finding one is practically zero.
An amateur is an amateur because they cannot recognize a fortuitous encounter even when it's right in front of them. Moreover, while they yearn to become masters, they look for such encounters in all the wrong places because luck never seems to follow them.
That was exactly why a crowd was gathering around a medicine seller currently shouting at his stall nearby.
"Step right up! This medicine was crafted by a Taoist who lived in seclusion on Qingcheng Mountain for hundreds of years. I came into possession of it after the Taoist ascended to immortality! My own medicines are good, but this is something you couldn't buy even if you had all the gold in the world!"
A burly man with a saber at his waist asked from beside the stall, "What is that medicine supposed to be good for?"
At the man's question, the medicine seller’s expression turned solemn.
"The Taoist told me that these pellets were refined from all sorts of rare herbs he spent centuries searching for in deep mountains and hidden valleys. He said that compared to these, the Great Soul-Returning Pills of the Shaolin Temple are nothing but dirt between one's toes!"
Hearing this, Hyung Woo-jeong of the Twin Heroes of Guiyang remarked, "What is that man going to do if a Shaolin monk or a secular disciple hears him?"
Po Zhong-in chimed in, "Leave him be. People like that need a good scolding to stop selling such junk."
However, they soon let out hollow laughs as they listened to the medicine seller continue.
"Now! I once took one of these pellets without knowing any better. Immediately, I gained immense internal energy and became capable of the Void Step and Void Manipulation! That is why the Taoist gave me the title Taoist Yiheo—the Taoist of Two Voids! If you buy the medicine, I will demonstrate the Void Step and Void Manipulation for you. If I fail to perform these two ultimate techniques, I will refund you double the price of the medicine. It’s a deal you can't lose on, so trust me and buy!"
I couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity, but I was also curious. I wondered what kind of trickery he would use to demonstrate those two legendary techniques.
"My Lord, there's nothing more to see. Let's go eat," one of the Twin Heroes said, seemingly fed up with the medicine seller's lies.
"I'll watch a bit longer. You two go ahead and order the food."
After sending the Twin Heroes back, I moved closer to watch the medicine seller's performance.
The people watching him now were all amateurs. Anyone with even a modicum of real martial skill had realized he was a fraud and left long ago. Staying to watch would only mean witnessing something ridiculous.
After all, it was rumored that only the current top masters of the Orthodox faction—Martial Alliance Leader Jegal Mujeon, Wudang Sect Leader Cheonryeongja, and the sect leaders of Mount Hua and Shaolin—could perform those two techniques. To claim he could do them was to claim he was on par with the Martial Alliance Leader. Did that make any sense?
Who would believe that such a person was selling medicine in a place like this?
His boasting only grew more extravagant.
"First, if you take the pills I made and practice the Small Heavenly Cycle for six hours, you will be able to perform the Void Step. If you take the pellets left behind by the True Immortal, you will master both the Void Step and Void Manipulation! Furthermore, though I haven't experienced it myself yet, it is even possible to achieve Manipulating Sword with Qi and Sword Flight!"
I thought the medicine seller's bluffing had gone too far. The techniques he mentioned, like Manipulating Sword with Qi or Sword Flight, required internal energy only possible in the Realm of Nothingness—a state where one has practically become an immortal. Such power couldn't be achieved simply by eating a legendary elixir, no matter how rare.
Regardless, the more he bluffed, the more curious I became about how he would replicate those divine techniques. In short, I wanted to see how he would pull off the scam.
The medicine seller, sensing that enough people had gathered, spoke seriously.
"Now! It would be much more exciting if you bought the pellets before I perform the Void Step."
When no one moved to buy them, the medicine seller gave a bitter smile and changed his tune.
"Ah! It seems some of you still don't believe me. Very well, I shall show you the Void Step first."
The medicine seller stepped out from behind his stall and suddenly took a horse stance, letting out a strange, forceful shout.
"Hwa-aaap!"
He let out the kind of shout a circus strongman might use twice, then turned his back to the crowd. He lifted his right foot into the air. Then, he lifted his left foot and stepped into the empty air again. To everyone's surprise, his body began to rise.
The onlookers gasped in admiration at the miraculous sight.
"It's the Void Step!"
He rose nearly ten feet into the air before beginning to descend. I was also stunned.
However, suspicion came before shock. There must be a trick, I thought as I sat down on the ground. I turned my head toward the sun and looked at the empty space where he was stepping.
I saw it clearly. There was a faint glint beneath his feet.
I knew it. Void Step, my foot. But it really is exquisite. Even if he's using invisible silk threads for support, it's a hell of a trick.
Sure enough, after he demonstrated his "fake" Void Step, people began buying the pills.
"We've bought the pills, now show us the Void Manipulation!"
As the crowd grew rowdy, the medicine seller shook his head vigorously.
"As you all know, the Void Step consumes a massive amount of internal energy. I must rest for a moment."
I smiled, thinking he would use that "rest" as an opportunity to flee. But his next words exceeded my expectations.
"Please wait just fifteen minutes. Then, I will show you Void Manipulation."
He claimed he could recover enough internal energy to perform Void Manipulation in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. If that were true, his internal power would be unprecedented. But that was exactly why he was a scammer.
I forgot that my companions were waiting for me at the inn and continued to watch him. This time, he took on an even more solemn demeanor.
"My internal energy is still weak because I haven't fully digested the effects of the pellets, but I can manage something like Void Manipulation."
The onlookers' eyes were now sparkling with anticipation, wondering what kind of miracle the medicine seller would show them next.
"I will lift that sword over there using Void Manipulation."
The sword was lying haphazardly with the medicine seller's other belongings about twenty feet away from the stall. This time, the medicine seller pulled out a strange object.
From his bundle, he produced a small rod about a foot long, seemingly made of blue-tinted jade. Three small iron bells were attached to the end of it. Instead of shouting, the medicine seller shook the jade rod. It looked like a bell, but it made no sound. At the same time, he began muttering something to himself.
As the medicine seller's hand shook faster, the sword slowly slid out of its scabbard and floated into the air.
"Gasp!"
The crowd recoiled in shock. Seeing a real sword float in mid-air was a startling sight.
Assuming he had tied it with invisible silk and was using some sleight of hand, I moved around, trying to find the thread. However, for some reason, I couldn't find any trace of a trick.
He's using a much better trick this time.
The sword floating in the air was reflecting the light. A torrent of words, like a rapid-fire incantation, poured from the medicine seller's mouth. Then, the moment the muttering and the shaking of the rod stopped, the sword pivoted in mid-air.
The sword flew like an arrow and embedded itself into a wooden pillar to the left of the medicine seller.
"Whoa!"
He had demonstrated both Void Manipulation and Manipulating Sword with Qi at the same time. The onlookers cheered and clapped at the sight. In truth, even if it was a trick, the performance had reached the level of art.
However, I felt something very strange. I didn't believe for a second that a mere medicine seller could perform Manipulating Sword with Qi while maintaining Void Manipulation. I simply suspected there was some unknown trick involved.
In an instant, the pills on the stall vanished. Every single onlooker scrambled to buy them. Once the pills were sold out, the medicine seller began packing up his stall. The remaining crowd, hoping for another show, dispersed once they saw him closing up.
"If the weather is good tomorrow, I'll be back at this spot, so buy your medicine then," the medicine seller said to me, assuming I was a potential customer.
"No. I was just momentarily entranced by your divine skill."
The medicine seller gave a thin smile, finished packing, and headed into the inn. Only then did I realize my group was waiting for me.
The Twin Heroes of Guiyang were waiting for me without having started their meal.
"My apologies. Let's all eat."
As soon as I spoke and we began to eat, the medicine seller came to the table next to ours and ordered his food. Seeing this, Hyung Woo-jeong asked me, "My Lord, did that fake medicine seller sell all his junk?"
He spoke quite loudly, so the medicine seller heard him. However, instead of being offended, the man approached us with a smile.
"May I join you?" the medicine seller asked, looking at me.
Do Yeon made her displeasure obvious.
"There are plenty of empty seats over there. What is your intention in joining us?"
The medicine seller smiled and reached behind Do Yeon, snapping his fingers. When he pulled his hand back, he was holding a single rose.
"I smelled roses coming from the young lady, and it seems one has bloomed."
When he said that, Do Yeon replied in a cold voice, "I hate plucked roses."
When Do Yeon ignored him entirely, the medicine seller's face turned red.
"I have committed an impertinence, it seems."
Only then did the medicine seller read the room and back away.