Chapter 24: This Isn't Wuxia..! (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 24: This Isn't Wuxia..! (1)
"Oh, right. By the way, do you know anything about the Hao Sect?"
The Hao Sect. If they had to be categorized, they belonged to the Evil Sect—a massive network made up of society’s lowest rungs: inn servants, courtesans, and carriage drivers.
They primarily dealt in information, though Seo-jun wasn't sure if that held true here. Honestly, he wasn't even sure if they existed in this world at all.
At Seo-jun’s question, Chun-bong nodded.
"I know of them. Why?"
"No reason, really. It’s just that Mae-wol knows martial arts, so I was curious."
"What? Martial arts?"
Chun-bong’s eyes widened in genuine surprise. Seo-jun nodded.
"Yeah."
"Hmm… that is suspicious. But just because a courtesan knows martial arts doesn't automatically make her part of the Hao Sect."
She explained that while there was an eighty percent chance Mae-wol belonged to the Hao Sect, there was still a twenty percent chance she didn't.
In rare cases, someone might have secretly learned martial arts on their own, or they could belong to some other unknown, clandestine organization.
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. So be careful. You never know when or how that woman might turn on you."
"Haha, your big brother here isn't such a scrub that he'd get done in by a second-rate martial artist."
"Just be careful."
"Got it."
If she said to be careful, he might as well be.
* * *
Two days passed. The day of the operation had arrived.
Lying in the corner of his room and lazily scratching his belly, Seo-jun glanced out the window.
"Ah… I should probably head out soon. What a drag."
Why had he even agreed to do this? Now that the day was actually here, he didn't want to move a single inch from his spot.
"If you said you were going to do it, then do it, you brat! Get up already!"
"Ah, Mom! Five more minutes!"
"Shut your trap!"
In the end, Seo-jun only left the house after taking a barrage of smacks from Chun-bong.
Looking at the faint glow of the sunset, the timing seemed about right.
He trudged along lazily, yet still reached the red light district surprisingly fast.
"First off…"
He pondered for a moment before heading straight for the Red Moon Pavilion.
He had asked Mae-wol to gather the courtesans, but since he hadn't specified how she should go about it, he needed to check in.
"You've arrived?"
"Ah, yeah. So, where are the courtesans?"
"Since you mentioned you would be making the rounds through the red light district to gather them yourself, I have simply passed the word along for now."
"Aha."
Seo-jun nodded vaguely and scanned the interior of the Red Moon Pavilion.
"Then shall we start by gathering all the courtesans here?"
"Yes."
At Mae-wol’s signal, the nearby attendants scattered. About five minutes later, a veritable swarm of courtesans emerged, crowding the first floor of the Red Moon Pavilion.
"…That’s a lot of people."
"Are you really going through with this? I’m not so sure it's a good idea."
Chun-bong, who had been briefed on the plan, furrowed her brows. She clearly didn't like where this was going.
"It’s not like I’m expecting some grand result. It’s just for my own satisfaction."
"Well, if you say so, I guess it doesn't matter…"
"What’s the harm? It’s all life experience."
With a smirk, Seo-jun led the courtesans out into the streets of the red light district.
Naturally, all eyes were drawn to them.
The Killing Ghost led the way, trailed by a long, flowing line of courtesans.
This bizarre procession moved through the streets, instantly attracting the attention of other courtesans, customers, and Black Path thugs alike.
Standing at the front of the pack, Seo-jun casually kicked open the door of a nearby brothel.
"Long time no see, you bastards! I told you I’d be taking some of your girls later, so I’m cashing in today!"
"…Go ahead."
Since he had already secured their 'cooperation' beforehand, there was no real friction.
But what about the next brothel? That was anyone's guess.
He immediately shoved open the door to the neighboring establishment and strolled right in.
"Hey! I’m taking some of your girls, okay?"
Beyond the open door stood numerous courtesans, all staring blankly at the madman who had just barged in to claim them.
A few thugs who recognized the Killing Ghost’s face exchanged nervous glances.
"…Take them."
"Really?"
"Just use them and bring them back."
Treating people like objects, I see.
Regardless, since they gave him the green light, he gathered the courtesans and added them to his growing procession.
He made his way through every single brothel in the red light district.
Had the guy he beat up last time spread rumors to the others?
Surprisingly, he managed to gather almost every courtesan in the district without a single person raising a protest.
"There really are a lot of them."
Without exaggeration, they were on the verge of flooding the entire street.
Was it normal for there to be this many courtesans? Sighing, Seo-jun kicked off the ground.
Whoosh—!
Using the movement technique of the Yellow Dragon Crossing the Clouds, Seo-jun leaped onto a nearby roof and looked down.
Countless eyes stared up at him.
Moonlight spilled from the darkening sky. Glancing up, the moon seemed exceptionally large tonight.
"The weather is perfect."
Ahem, ahem. Seo-jun cleared his throat and shouted, infusing his voice with internal energy so it would carry over the crowd.
"Everyone! I have a proposal for you."
The murmuring died down. Everyone present waited with bated breath for him to speak.
A strange sense of exhilaration sparked at his toes and rushed all the way to the top of his head.
Is this what it feels like to be a superstar…?
Seo-jun chuckled and continued.
"You all know the logic of the back alleys is absolute shit. It’s a harsh fact that for a woman to survive here, she often has no choice but to sell her body."
There might be exceptions, but that was the grim reality for most.
"However, that doesn't mean every courtesan here chose this life of her own free will."
He spread his arms wide, raising them high against the night sky.
Channeling his inner demagogue, and with the sheer determination to write his own version of My Struggle right then and there, he shouted at the top of his lungs.
"So, I’m giving you a chance! It’s not some grand, life-changing opportunity, and since I'm only doing this for my own satisfaction, I can’t take responsibility for everything that happens to you afterward. But surely, there must be at least a few of you who want to throw away your status as a courtesan, right?"
Someone who found their current situation so unbearable that they wanted to escape by any means necessary.
Just those kinds of people would be enough.
He had no obligation to save everyone here anyway.
Helping even just the few who desperately reached out for an uncertain chance would be troublesome and exhausting enough.
"So, I’m taking volunteers! Come on! Hands up!"
He thrust his hand into the air, urging them to follow suit.
A deathly silence fell over the red light district.
Not a single person raised their hand.
"Oh boy. Well, this is embarrassing."
Seo-jun chuckled and casually dropped down from the roof.
He grabbed a specific woman by the scruff of her neck and immediately leaped back up.
"You son of a bitch…! What are you trying to do to me now?!"
It was the woman he had met on his very first day here. The one whose name he still didn't know.
Setting her down on the roof tiles, Seo-jun asked, "Your name?"
"…Why do you want to know?"
"Wouldn't it be faster to ask what I’ll do to you if you don't tell me?"
"…Chu-ryeong."
Chu-ryeong. It had taken over a year, but he finally knew her name.
Not that he was particularly curious in the first place.
"You’re officially confirmed."
"What? Why are you deciding that on your own—!"
"Hush."
Seo-jun tapped a pressure point, instantly knocking Chu-ryeong out. Thud— The now-sleeping Chu-ryeong collapsed onto the roof.
"Now, any more volunteers?"
The crowd of courtesans still didn't react.
Just as Seo-jun smacked his lips, ready to call it a night, one courtesan finally raised her hand.
"Um, would it be okay for me too…?"
She was a shabby-looking woman. Her body was covered in scars, and one of her eyes was clouded over, completely devoid of sight.
Seo-jun nodded.
"Of course."
"Hey, wench. You think you can handle the consequences of this?"
A hulking man—likely the manager of the brothel she belonged to—glared at the woman with murderous intent.
Seo-jun promptly jumped down from the roof, landing squarely in front of him.
"Be quiet!"
Bam—!
The man received a single, devastating flick to the forehead and instantly went silent.
Leaving the manager with his head firmly planted in the dirt, Seo-jun grabbed the scarred woman by the scruff of her neck and leaped back onto the roof.
"Alright, that’s two. Anyone else? This isn't an opportunity that comes every day."
"Me! Please take me too!"
Now three.
By gathering the few courtesans who timidly raised their hands, he ended up with a grand total of six.
"I guess this is it."
No more hands went up.
As Seo-jun mentally tallied the numbers, Chun-bong climbed onto the roof beside him.
"Are you planning to become some kind of chivalrous hero?" she asked.
"A hero? Nah. It sounds cool in theory, but actually doing it seems like way too much work, don't you think?"
"True. Just because someone is weak doesn't mean they’re a good person. We live in a world where you can save someone from drowning, and they'll turn around and demand you hand over your belongings as compensation."
"Then that guy’s just an arrogant prick. In that case, you kick him right back into the water."
At those words, Chun-bong looked up at Seo-jun and gave a wry smile.
"Whoever taught you, taught you well. You should never become a pushover of a hero."
A chivalrous hero. It was a romantic notion, but chasing romance was rarely a forgiving path.
"Then I’ll just be a semi-hero."
"Even that would put your character in the top hundred of the Murim."
"Seriously? Just how low is the average character of these people?"
Seo-jun clicked his tongue at the dismal moral standards of the Murim and glanced back at the volunteering courtesans.
Since they had volunteered without even knowing what he planned to do with them, it was no surprise they were all in terribly poor condition.
‘Should I head to the Azure River Sect first?’
He had already secured a promise from the Azure River Sect Leader.
He’d told the man he would bring a few volunteering courtesans and asked him to provide them with honest jobs, whether as cooks or maids.
Honestly, he had been a little worried about what to do if dozens of people volunteered...
Dozens? Including Chu-ryeong, there were only six in total.
"Then for now… Huh?"
Suddenly, a loud commotion erupted in the distance. Screams and shrieks pierced the night air. It didn't sound like the good kind of commotion.
Was it the Black Path thugs acting up?
Fully intending to go hand out some beatings if that was the case, he craned his neck toward the noise—and spotted something entirely unexpected.
"No way."
Just as Seo-jun let out a bewildered chuckle, a man came sprinting down the street, breathlessly screaming at the top of his lungs.
"M-Monster…! A monster has appeared…!"
"A-A monster?!"
"Everyone, run! It’s a monster!"
The gathered crowd instantly dissolved into panic and chaos. Seo-jun raised an eyebrow.
A monster?
Thoroughly confused, he looked over at Chun-bong. She was deeply scowling.
"A monster all the way out here? This is bad. It’s been happening like this for a few years now."
"No, wait. A monster? What are you talking about?"
"What do you mean, 'what am I talking about'? Don't tell me you don't know what a monster is?"
Why the hell were monsters appearing in a Wuxia story? At this rate, someone was going to pull out a glock and call it the traditional American martial art of 'Gun-fu.'
"I don't?"
"You really don't? How can you not know…?"
Pouting, Chun-bong gestured toward the source of the chaos.
"Then go take a look for yourself. It probably isn't anything too impressive anyway."
"Should I?"
Seo-jun flashed an awkward smile at the courtesans, who were still staring blankly at him from the roof.
"Um… I’ll be right back?"
"C-Could you please let us down before you go…?"
But by the time the courtesan finished her sentence, Seo-jun had already dashed off into the distance.
"Ah, ahhh…"
Stranded on the roof, the courtesan slumped down with a tearful face.
* * *
Sprinting across the rooftops, Seo-jun quickly arrived at the scene of the commotion.
"Monster! Where are you, you bastard!"
This really isn't Wuxia…!
Annoyed, Seo-jun scanned the area, searching for the creature.
It had definitely been around here just a moment ago, but now it was nowhere to be seen.
CRAAASH—!
As if answering his call, the monster made a grand entrance by completely smashing through the wall of a nearby building.
"Found you."
Seo-jun’s eyes gleamed as he locked onto the creature.
It was a bipedal monstrosity covered head to toe in pitch-black, armor-like chitin. A thick, heavy tail thrashed behind it, and its protruding snout was lined with countless razor-sharp teeth.
"Wow… it really is a monster."
As Seo-jun casually scratched his head, Chun-bong—who had followed right behind him—widened her eyes in shock.
"An Armored Ghost?! How did a creature like that get all the way out here!"
"Is that thing supposed to be a big deal?"
"See that armor? I heard it can even deflect Sword Qi!"
"Deflect Sword Qi? Is it really that hard?"
"It’s less about physical hardness and more like a natural layer of protective energy, but…"
Chun-bong swallowed hard, tension radiating from her.
But who was he? He was the master of martial arts, Lee Seo-jun.
"It deflects Sword Qi? This guy… he has the makings of an excellent punching bag."
He was finally going to get a real good measurement of his damage output today.