Chapter 60: Henan (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 60: Henan (3)
The self-proclaimed righteous heroes followed the pickpocket boy’s testimony, heading straight toward the place where the "dangerous adults" were said to gather.
Even though this was Henan, the home of the Shaolin Temple, the monks couldn't interfere in every single worldly affair. Wherever there was a city, there were shadows, and the group was currently stepping right into them.
Still, considering how close they were to the Shaolin Temple, Seo-jun looked around the alleyway, figuring the local thugs wouldn't dare cross certain lines.
"Man, this back alley is actually pretty decent. It’s practically livable, don't you think, Miss Geum?"
"At this rate, you could live like royalty here."
"Right? Sister, as fellow products of the back alleys, we can officially classify this as a high-quality slum."
"Oh… is that so?"
It seemed Namgung Su-ah’s internal energy was still insufficient to join the World’s Greatest Bullshitting Contest hosted by Geum Chun-bong and Lee Seo-jun.
Nodding vaguely, Seo-jun walked deeper into the alley without hesitation.
"Hmm."
He felt gazes prickling from all directions. Unsurprisingly, most of them were directed at Namgung Su-ah.
After all, when would these back-alley thugs ever get to see the peaks of Mount Tai in person? It was Great Nature itself, a sight capable of restoring vision to the blind. Such was the majesty of Namgung Su-ah’s chest.
"Scram!"
As Seo-jun barked the command, the startled gazes fell away like autumn leaves.
"Oh, thank you, Young Hero."
"It was nothing."
Watching the two, Chun-bong absentmindedly patted her own chest.
Pat. Pat.
Her eyebrows twitched upward.
"Stop acting weird and let's just go," Seo-jun said.
"Okay."
He scooped up the grumpy-looking Geum Chun-bong and headed even deeper.
Having experienced a short but intense life in the back alleys himself, Seo-jun had a gut feeling. If I go that way, I’ll find something.
Following his instincts, he pushed forward, and sure enough, there was indeed "something."
"This is…"
Namgung Su-ah furrowed her brows at the sight of the blood-splattered alley. She hurried toward a corpse and let out a low groan upon seeing its caved-in chest.
"This was the work of a master of fist and palm. The intent is pure yet domineering… judging by the high level of skill felt here…"
"Judging by it?"
"I’m not quite sure."
Seo-jun scratched his head. "What kind of answer is that?"
"It feels like… Shaolin. But while Shaolin’s martial arts are firm and strong, they aren't usually this domineering."
"Then it’s probably Shaolin."
Namgung Su-ah tilted her head in confusion. Seo-jun took the opportunity to preach a universal truth of life to her.
"Usually, your first guess is the right one. If you second-guess yourself and change your mind, you’re more likely to get it wrong."
At least, that was how it worked during exams.
"Aha."
"Anyway, let’s follow the trail."
Seo-jun half-closed his eyes and spread his Qi Sensing. His terrifyingly sensitive perception caught the traces of disrupted energy.
"Found it. This way."
"Pardon?"
"The Qi is disturbed."
"Excuse me…?"
Pat, pat. Chun-bong tapped Namgung Su-ah on the lower back.
"He’s just like that. He’s usually right, so just follow him."
"Aha…"
It’s going to take a while to fully adjust to these two, Namgung Su-ah thought to herself.
* * *
Seo-jun walked along the intermittent "red carpet." The surrounding decorations included severed heads, mangled torsos, spilled organs, and so on.
"Chun-bong, let's have something light for dinner. My stomach feels a bit off."
"You? From just this?"
I, Lee Seo-jun, am a man of delicate sensibilities.
With a smirk, Seo-jun suddenly detected a heavy, solemn aura at the edge of his Qi Sensing.
"Found the culprit!"
Seo-jun scooped up Chun-bong and was about to sprint… when he hesitated.
"Uh… what is it?" he asked.
"Me too."
"You shouldn't just hug unrelated women recklessly, but…"
Namgung Su-ah was waiting with her arms outstretched.
"Hrrrngh…"
After a moment of agonizing conflict, Seo-jun used his remaining arm to hook under her backside and hoist her up.
"Kyaa."
"……"
His left cheek felt a stinging heat. It felt like Chun-bong’s glare was about to drill a hole straight through his face.
"Is it good? Huh?" Chun-bong demanded.
"It’s not like it’s 'good'…" Seo-jun muttered.
It was certainly soft and squishy, but he didn't know how to put it into words.
"Well… she’s heavy."
"…That’s mean," Namgung Su-ah said.
"Whoops."
Ignoring the warmth and texture pressing against the right side of his body, Seo-jun propelled himself forward using the Yellow Dragon Crossing the Clouds technique.
Whoosh!
As he sped along, he saw something glowing in the distance.
Seo-jun released his Plum Blossom energy, took a light leap in mid-air, and then tossed Chun-bong and Namgung Su-ah down so they landed in a triangular formation.
Tap.
The glowing "something," now surrounded, turned to face them warily.
"Gah…!" Seo-jun shielded his eyes. "It’s too bright…! It’s sorcery…!"
"…Stop bullshitting, Oppa. He’s just bald."
"What."
When Seo-jun took his hands away, the form of the glowing object became clear.
A smooth, hairless head and a rugged, muscular build. It was just a bald, muscular middle-aged man. Judging by his Buddhist robes, he seemed to be a monk, though Seo-jun lacked the knowledge to distinguish whether they were specifically Shaolin robes.
"For what reason have you patrons pursued this poor monk so urgently?"
Namgung Su-ah, who had been observing the bald man closely, stepped forward.
"We followed the trail after seeing the gruesome corpses… but I didn't realize it was the work of a Shaolin disciple."
"Amitabha. The Buddha bestows his boundless mercy upon all living beings, but I am merely a lowly monk who could not simply pass by such demons."
The bald man pressed his palms together and bowed slightly.
Whatever the case, it seemed the back-alley thugs had crossed a line. Based on his gut feeling that this wasn't a "bad" baldy, Seo-jun decided to ask a small favor.
"Um, excuse me, Monk?"
"Yes, what is it?"
"My younger sister here said there’s something she really wants to try…"
"What might that be? If it is within this monk’s power, I shall help."
Seo-jun nodded to a slightly bewildered Namgung Su-ah, signaling that it was fine. From the looks of it, the monk was only at the Peak Realm. Even if his gut feeling was wrong, he could easily suppress him.
"Alright, Chun-bong. You said before that you wanted to try hitting a bald head, right? Chop-chop."
"Oh."
He lifted Chun-bong high so she was at eye-level with the monk.
"Would it be alright if my sister touched your head for a bit?"
"Of course."
To their surprise, the kind monk actually leaned his head forward.
"Whoa."
Slap, slap. Chun-bong tapped the monk’s head, her eyes sparkling.
"Hey, hey, this is amazing. You try it too."
"Ahem, Chun-bong. Your brother doesn't do such rude things."
"…What did you just say, you punk? Then what about me?"
"You’re young, so it’s fine."
"…You want to die?"
"Aaaagh…!"
Watching Seo-jun get pummeled, the monk let out a faint smile.
"You two are siblings with a very close bond. I am called Hye-un. May I ask the patrons' names?"
"Sure. This is Chun-bong. The Cutest in the World, Chun-bong. Make sure to remember it."
"The Cutest in the World…? What does that mean?"
Hye-un was taken aback. He assumed it didn't mean something ominous like "The World's Number One Ghost," but nothing else immediately came to mind.
"Ah, you don't know? It means she’s the cutest person in the whole world. It’s a good thing to know."
"I see. This monk has had his eyes opened once again today."
"Right? It’s eye-opening—ack…! Why…!"
"Stop it…! Stop it…! Aren't you embarrassed!?"
"What’s there to be embarrassed about…! I’m proud!"
Seo-jun puffed out his chest while rubbing his pinched cheek.
Chun-bong looked at Seo-jun as if he were pathetic, but inwardly, she was impressed by the elastic texture of his cheek.
This punk, no wonder he’s always fiddling with my cheeks.
She decided she would make frequent use of his from now on.
When Seo-jun went on to introduce himself, Namgung Su-ah looked at him with expectant eyes. It seemed she wanted an introduction too, which put him in quite a predicament.
The World’s Greatest Chest…? No, that sounds like a total lunatic.
In the end, Seo-jun settled for a normal introduction.
"This is Sister Namgung Su-ah. You know the Namgung Clan, right?"
"Of course. One cannot claim to be part of the Murim without knowing the overlords of Anhui. And I am familiar with this young hero as well."
"Huh? You know me?"
"Gwang-a-rang, the winner of the Mount Hua Martial Arts Tournament. Is that not a famous name these days?"
"Aha…"
So that nickname had already spread all the way to Henan? How truly tragic.
It was absurd that the rumors had traveled so fast when only a few days had passed since the tournament ended. Even if they hadn't left immediately after it finished, it was still ridiculously quick.
Tsk. Seo-jun smacked his lips and set Chun-bong back on the ground.
"Anyway, since we’ve met like this, do you happen to know where the Hao Sect is?"
"I shall guide you."
"Oh."
He had acquired a Baldy GPS.
* * *
After guiding the group to the Hao Sect, Hye-un pressed his palms together and bowed.
"I hope to see you again."
"Let’s meet up when I go to visit Shaolin later."
"Come to think of it, the Yongbong Gathering is approaching. Since it is being held at the Shaolin Temple this time, perhaps we shall meet then."
The Yongbong Gathering? Isn't that just a bunch of snot-nosed kids fighting?
The great Super Peak master Lee Seo-jun had no intention of mingling with mere Peak Realm players.
Seo-jun gave a cheeky grin and waved his hand.
"Sure."
"Before I go, I have one warning for you."
"What warning?"
"Please be careful. It seems a demon has slipped into Henan."
A demon had come all the way to Henan?
As Seo-jun blinked in surprise, Hye-un nodded.
"It is unclear if they belong to the Demonic Cult, but traces of demonic arts have been found. Shaolin is pursuing them, but just in case, please remain cautious for the time being."
With those words, Hye-un drifted away.
A demon, huh… I’m a little curious.
Since he’d already been told he was the "seed of the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons," maybe learning a demonic art wouldn't be such a bad idea?
Well, that was a thought for if he actually ran into one. Right now, he was curious about something else.
Watching the back of Hye-un’s shining head retreat into the distance, Seo-jun asked Namgung Su-ah.
"But Sister, are Shaolin people actually allowed to kill? I thought they weren't."
"Not except for a few specific cases."
"Aha."
I knew it.
In that case, were those corpses a secret shared only between them and Hye-un?
Personally, Seo-jun knew that most back-alley thugs deserved a good beating anyway, so he just nodded and let it go.
And then, the grand finale: the Hao Sect.
Looking up at the massive brothel, Seo-jun scratched his chin.
It might not be easy to meet the branch manager.
Of course, meeting a subordinate wouldn't be a problem, but he felt like a branch manager would be much better informed about things like spirit herbs.
And Seo-jun, having lived in a modern society, knew the best way to meet the person in charge in a situation like this.
Stepping boldly in front of the main entrance, Seo-jun took a deep breath.
"Get the manager out here!"
His voice, infused with internal energy, thundered through the area.
Chun-bong patted the back of the blinking Namgung Su-ah.
"Get used to it. He’s always been this kind of bastard."
"He’s so cool…"
"What?"
This lady is a bit weird too.
Chun-bong quickly shuffled away from Namgung Su-ah.