Chapter 21: Red Moon Pavilion (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 21: Red Moon Pavilion (1)
Even after Seo-jun had given their Sect Leader a proper thrashing, the Azure River Sect didn’t mistreat its guests.
He hadn't even planned on staying the night, but they had provided a room and even served a meal. They were being more than generous.
"Man, why is it all just a bunch of weeds?"
It was hard to complain, though. Anyone could see the side dishes had required a lot of effort. Wasn't preparing wild greens surprisingly tedious?
Plus, they actually tasted pretty good. The cook clearly knew what they were doing.
"Can't you tell just by looking? This is a Taoist sect," Chun-bong said.
"Taoist? Like the Wudang Sect?"
The Wudang Sect—a staple of any Murim world. Chun-bong nodded at his question.
"Exactly. Honestly, this is a decent spread." Chun-bong pointed her chopsticks at the only meat dish on the table. "At least we have meat and white rice. There are some lunatics out there who forbid fire entirely and just chew on raw grains."
"Isn't that just a mental illness at that point?"
Seo-jun let out a hollow laugh. Chun-bong stuffed her cheeks full of meat and mumbled.
"Mmph... Most Murim people are idiots anyway."
People who bathed in the blood of virgins, people who performed human sacrifices, people who defiled corpses, and people who mutilated their own hands in scorching iron sand.
Basically, martial artists in the Murim were the type of people who would do anything for the sake of their martial arts.
Among them, the Righteous Faction at least pretended to draw a moral line, while the Demonic Cult just said "screw everything" and obsessed over their techniques.
"What?"
"I mean, look at you. You're an idiot too."
"Hey now, Geum Chun-bong! Is that any way to talk to your older brother, whose grace is as vast as the heavens?"
"Bullshit."
"Dyu-dda...?"
"See?"
Having finished her bowl of rice, Chun-bong slammed her chopsticks down.
"And you. That Primordial Unity Divine Art."
"Oh, yeah! You saw it, right? Wasn't it awesome? Didn't your brother look totally cool?"
"You're going to get yourself killed if you're not careful."
"There you go again. Always saying I'm screwed."
Seo-jun grumbled as he shoved the last of his rice into his mouth. The meat was gone, so it was just plain white rice.
The greens? Sorry, but he refused to eat more than two bites of those per bowl.
"Don't you know why even a single sect is divided into different branches? Your internal energy has to match the martial art. To put it bluntly, do you think you could perform Wudang techniques using the qi built from the Yellow Cloud Divine Art?"
"Why not?"
"Hmm..."
Chun-bong started to say something but snapped her mouth shut. For some reason, she got the feeling this guy might actually pull it off.
"No, whatever. Just be careful. It's amazing that it even works, but trying to make the impossible possible is exactly how fatal accidents happen."
"So you're basically worried about me, right? Wow! Our Chun-bong is all grown up! You've finally matured!"
"...I don't even know anymore. Just do whatever you want."
Man. She's just acting tough because she's embarrassed.
* * *
After finishing their meal, they decided to take a tour of the grounds since they were being treated as honored guests anyway.
"Ahem... The Sect Leader said it would be fine for you to observe today's group training."
Good. The Sect Leader was well-trained now.
Nodding with satisfaction, Seo-jun chuckled. "Let's go, Geum Chun-bong!"
"This might actually be interesting."
To put it simply, it was quite impressive.
Even if their individual cultivation levels weren't that high, seeing them move in perfect unison made him realize why people banded together in sects.
Wasn't this usually called a Joint Attack Formation?
If even the Azure River Sect was this coordinated, he wondered what Shaolin's 108 Arhat Formation would look like. He didn't even know if it existed in this world, though.
"The 108 Arhat Formation? It's famous. From what I know, it can even take on a Super Peak Realm master."
"What about the Transcendent Realm?"
"Are you kidding? It might buy some time, at best."
That was a shame. It seemed that once someone reached the Transcendent Realm, they could just smash through any formation single-handedly.
And so, they finished their tour of the Azure River Sect.
Naturally, they couldn't enter the inner sanctum and only saw the areas open to outsiders, but by the time they were done, the sky had turned dark.
"Shall we head back?"
"Yeah. I'm tired."
Yawn... Chun-bong let out a small yawn.
Watching her, Seo-jun's eyes darkened slightly.
This wasn't an itinerary that should tire out a First-rate master. It was clear her physical condition hadn't fully recovered yet.
After playfully pinching Chun-bong's cheeks a few times, Seo-jun stopped by the Sect Leader's hall before leaving.
"So, did you rest well?"
"Yeah, sure. Anyway, let me ask a favor."
"Let's hear it."
The Sect Leader's eyebrows shot up as he listened to Seo-jun's request.
"It's not a difficult request, but... is there really a need for that?"
"Old man, you lost the duel."
"...I was going to agree even without you bringing that up."
Sighing, the Sect Leader gestured to Cheong-un.
It was a sign to see them out. Seo-jun thought the guy really had it rough. Whenever something needed doing, they just dumped it on him.
"Well then, safe travels."
"You're not going to say 'don't come back'?"
"...I didn't say that."
"Your face says it, though."
Seo-jun chuckled, then said in passing, "Your shoulders are too stiff."
"What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
"Your qi is too suppressed. If you relax your shoulders and let the qi flow naturally, wouldn't you see some progress?"
Cheong-un's eyes widened at those words.
He looked suspicious and confused for a moment, but then his expression shifted as if he'd just realized something profound. He gave a light nod.
"...Thank you. I will take that to heart."
Seo-jun waved at him as the disciple performed a formal fist-and-palm salute.
Once the gate of the Azure River Sect was far enough away that it was no longer visible, Seo-jun grinned.
"Holy crap. I totally looked like a Murim master just now, didn't I?"
"Yeah, if only you hadn't ruined it by saying that just now."
"What?"
So he did look like a Murim master, then?
Success, Lee Seo-jun.
"Now, let's only walk on paths of flowers from here on out!"
"As if."
"Mean girl."
* * *
When they arrived home, Seo-jun immediately tucked Chun-bong into bed.
"What are you doing...?"
"Time for sleep."
"No, seriously, what is this?"
"Hush now. Be a good girl. Go night-night~."
"You crazy bastard..."
Chun-bong froze in bewilderment, but as he gently patted her stomach a few times, she drifted off to sleep.
It seemed they couldn't stay here forever.
Judging by Chun-bong's condition, he needed to find a few more Spirit Herbs to feed her, but there was no sign of any around here.
I should ask the Azure River Sect later.
They probably had something. Even that shitty little Black Tiger Sect had one; surely a sect of that size would have a Spirit Herb or two?
He could worry about the price later.
After confirming that Chun-bong was completely asleep, Seo-jun left the house. His footsteps led him toward the Red Light District.
Entering the street that always made him feel uneasy, Seo-jun headed toward the pavilion he had visited before.
So the name was Red Moon Pavilion.
He only noticed it now, but the name was quite lazy. A "Red Pavilion" where courtesans worked, with the common character for "Moon" just tacked onto the end.
"Tsk."
Clicking his tongue, Seo-jun looked around the Red Moon Pavilion.
Perhaps because it hadn't been long since he'd crushed those Black Path thugs, no one was acting out yet.
"Excuse me."
As he stepped into the Red Moon Pavilion, a sweet scent washed over him beneath the dim lighting.
"You've arrived."
Mae-wol greeted him. Beside her, as she smiled with eyes curved like crescent moons, stood two hulking men.
The Red Moon Pavilion had definitely been under the Black Tiger Sect before, so where did she get these guards?
He was curious, but he didn't dwell on it. Instead, he cut straight to the point.
"I have a favor to ask."
"A favor? Young hero, did you not boldly crush the Black Tiger Sect and become the master of this pavilion? If there is something you need done, simply say the word."
"How long would it take to gather all the courtesans on this street?"
Mae-wol's right eyebrow twitched slightly. She rested her chin on her hand and pondered for a moment before speaking.
"A day... two days at most should be enough. It is not a difficult task."
"Even including the pavilions that weren't under the Black Tiger Sect?"
"Hmm... That would be..."
This time, her deliberation lasted a bit longer. In the meantime, Seo-jun glanced around the Red Moon Pavilion.
For a pavilion in a back alley like this, the building was surprisingly nice. He didn't know how they'd earned it, but the Black Tiger Sect must have been rolling in money.
And then, whether by chance or fate, his eyes met those of a certain woman. It was the woman he had met on his first day in the Murim.
Now that he looked at her, the swelling on her face had gone down a bit. Was she being treated better? Perhaps it was because the Black Tiger Sect was gone.
Tsk—
The woman clicked her tongue, glared at him, and disappeared.
Geez. What an attitude.
Seo-jun let out a short laugh and spoke to Mae-wol, who was still deep in thought.
"I'll need you to do it in a week. I'll let the other pavilions know myself, so just be ready."
"Ah... there is no need for you to go through such trouble..."
"It's fine. It's not hard."
Seo-jun turned around. He was about to leave the Red Moon Pavilion with a casual wave when Mae-wol stopped him.
"It seems you are without a companion today... would you like to stay the night?"
Mae-wol's voice was laced with a thick, seductive tone. Seo-jun wasn't an idiot; he knew exactly what she meant.
However, Seo-jun gently pushed her away with the hilt of his sword.
"No."
Even without much force, Mae-wol stepped back on her own. She smiled regretfully and bowed her head slightly.
"Then I shall look forward to next time."
Seo-jun scanned her for a moment. Just as he was about to leave the pavilion, his steps came to a halt.
Mae-wol gave a faint smile. "Have you changed your mind?"
"Where did you learn martial arts?"
At Seo-jun's question, Mae-wol's expression froze for an instant. However, she quickly composed herself and put on an obviously forced, awkward smile.
"That is..."
"Whatever, never mind."
Leaving the Red Moon Pavilion behind, Seo-jun dragged his feet along the dirt path.
"Sigh."
The moon in the night sky was bright. Feeling a sudden surge of annoyance, he picked up his pace.
Using the principles of the Yellow Dragon Crossing the Clouds, Seo-jun returned home and dove straight onto Chun-bong.
"I'm home, Chun-bong!"
"Gyah...!"
Chun-bong, half-asleep and barely able to open her eyes, pushed at Seo-jun's face.
"Ah, what are you doing...! Why are you waking me up?!"
"Hehe, sorry."
"You crazy bast— wait."
Chun-bong's sleepy eyes snapped open. They were wide and glowing with an intensity that was honestly a bit scary.
"W-what? What's wrong?"
"Get over here."
"...I'm already here?"
"You bastard, what is that smell?"
"Huh...?"
Seo-jun trembled. Chun-bong furrowed her brow.
"Don't play dumb."
"Okay."
Seo-jun stopped trembling. Chun-bong stared at him intently before speaking.
"...You little shit, you went to a brothel, didn't you?"
Uh-oh. How did she know?