Chapter 110
Chapter 110
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Translator: penny
Chapter Title: Chapter 30 The Eve of the Journey to the Jianghu (1)
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"Huff... huff..."
The Beggar Elder sat down, gasping for breath.
'I figured they had considerable reserves of power.'
But the Mangcheon Society's strength exceeded even that.
How many ambushes had they endured on the road to the Murim Alliance?
Even after abandoning messenger birds and taking remote paths, the Mangcheon's pursuit never let up.
Major battles alone numbered five.
If you added the skirmishes fought while shaking off their trackers, it surpassed twenty.
"This feels just like being caught in heaven's net."
As an elder of the Beggars' Sect, he had fought countless battles, but ones this relentless could be counted on one hand.
Yet the ordeal was nearly over.
As they drew nearer to the Murim Alliance, the attacks had sharply decreased.
"No matter how bold the Mangcheon Society, they can't act freely in the Murim Alliance's territory."
The Beggar Elder muttered, glancing over his shoulder.
There, Wang-u was regulating his qi, his face pale.
"Hoooo..."
After a long session of meditative breathing, Wang-u stood.
He looked utterly exhausted, but his squinted eyes still curved into smiling half-moons, which was oddly amusing.
"Sorry about this. It's all because of me."
"What are you talking about? If not for you, brother Wang, this beggar would be dead. Alone, I never could have shaken them off."
The Beggar Elder meant every word.
Among the Mangcheon's pursuers were some formidable experts—enough to trouble even him, who had reached the transcendent realm.
That was when Wang-u had stepped up.
Each time he unveiled a hidden technique, blood sprayed from the enemy.
Recalling the fierce sword qi, the Beggar Elder offered admiring praise.
"I never dreamed you had mastered the Great Void Dragon Slaughtering Sword."
How shocked he had been.
And rightly so, for the Great Void Dragon Slaughtering Sword was a secret art passed down solely to the Kunlun Sect's leader.
True to its name—resonating with the heavens to fell dragons—the sword turned foes into scattered chunks of flesh with every swing.
Even glimpsing a single stance revealed swordsmanship far beyond the ordinary.
"It seems the rumors of Kunlun's lineage dying out were false. The essence lives on perfectly through you."
His praise flowed without end, turning Wang-u's face red.
"I was simply desperate to master what my master left behind."
His innocent demeanor drew a hearty laugh from the Beggar Elder.
"Hahaha! Brother Wang, isn't the supreme swordsman a bit too modest?"
"Brother Chu, with my meager talent, I'm barely scraping by with the fragments my master bequeathed. Don't tease me so."
The Beggar Elder grinned at his waving hands.
'How could someone like this go unrecognized?'
There were countless hidden masters in the world, but how many wielded such transcendent swordsmanship?
What impressed him even more was that, despite possessing such profound arts, Wang-u shunned fame, devoting himself instead to restoring his predecessors' sword legacy.
'Most would flaunt a sharp blade they held.'
Was this not how true greats were forged?
"We're almost at the upper reaches of the Yangtze. The water's color has changed."
Changing the subject—he must find the praise burdensome.
'Even this pure side of him is quite appealing.'
Playing along, the Beggar Elder replied.
"The upper reaches mean Wuhu is near. We can finally rest."
"Wuhu... I thought, leaving the jianghu, I'd never return."
Stepping back into the jianghu seemed to stir complex emotions.
Feeling a twinge of guilt, the Beggar Elder answered.
"Brother Wang, I'm sorry for dragging you from your peaceful life. But for the jianghu's sake, it was unavoidable."
"I'm not blaming you, brother Chu. My heart is just unsettled."
He hadn't even half-restored his sect's arts.
Moisture welled in his reciting voice.
To lighten the mood, the Beggar Elder said cheerfully.
"Why not think of the positives?"
"The positives?"
"You'll finally reunite with your beloved disciple. Master and pupil shaking the jianghu side by side—what could be more beautiful?"
"You're right."
As Wang-u reluctantly agreed, the Beggar Elder added briefly.
"The Lone Eye Divine Sword Great Hero will be overjoyed too."
At his words, Wang-u's squinted eyes curved deeper.
"Indeed."
The farewell gathering unfolded in the ever-idle swamp.
"I'll miss this place more than I thought."
Un-ho-seung spoke with newfound sentiment.
"Well, we can't keep formal students tied to the swamps forever."
The twins giggled at Chu Un-hwi's words.
"Never imagined we'd leave in such high spirits."
"Our temporary instructor seemed utterly lacking in passion."
"And we even beat the instructor."
The Dang siblings still couldn't quite believe their feat.
Especially receiving praise like "extremely ingenious hidden weapon deployment"—they were dazed.
The Dang siblings were generally on the weaker side among Sichuan Dang Clan disciples, after all.
Another was departing too.
"Still, I never expected Young Master Mok to leave."
Mok Yeon-seong replied to Nangong Yun-ho's words, with Moyong So-hye chiming in.
"Yeah. And heading back to his clan? Unthinkable."
"This incident made me realize something anew."
His face had gained color, the mental strain eased.
"Leaning on others is fine, but first I must look to myself. I'll return home and rebuild from the basics."
He declared firmly.
A resolute figure, though not everyone approved.
"Damn. Big Bro's running away."
"He said it wasn't because of my worm selection test, but his skills."
"On second thought, no. Lately, he hasn't dodged the bait."
"Haha."
Mok Yeon-seong laughed heartily, standing to clasp his fists in salute.
"Thank you, temporary instructor."
"Hey, if troublesome handfuls like you are leaving, I'm all for it."
He grumbled but didn't forget to advise.
"Think it over carefully when you get back."
"The Heartless Thirteen Swords?"
"Yeah. If you're doing it, do it right."
Mok Yeon-seong's face grew serious.
"Unfurl it not as a sword, but as a blade..."
Muttering, he replied resolutely.
"Time to overhaul my martial arts from scratch."
"You'll see a new world."
He was certain.
In his past life, Mok had shaken the world with ferocious blade arts.
"Temporary instructor."
As martial arts came up, Im So-jeong's sleepy eyes sparkled from the side.
"Temporary instructor."
"Hm? What?"
"About the main text's martial arts, I have something to..."
She thought she'd seized her chance at last, but Baek Ri-seol was faster.
"Ow, come on. Why weren't you there?"
Baek Ri-seol gnawed at her sleeve.
"I needed to see the valiant instructor in battle."
"Valiant? It was a total dogfight."
At Un-ho-seung's jab, Baek Ri-seol lamented.
"The instructor punishing wicked students to uphold justice—imagining it is thrilling enough."
"Didn't you stomp on the fainted students nonstop until they dragged you away?"
"Brother Jegal. Sis won't listen anyway. Don't shatter her illusions."
Amid the bickering, Chu Un-hwi pressed his brow with his thumb.
'What a noisy bunch.'
The quiet swamp life was truly raucous.
Finally, Chu Un-hwi clapped sharply.
"Alright, everyone disperse. Those leaving, go. Those staying, stay."
"Oh? Instructor, where are you off to?"
At Baek Ri-seol's question, Chu Un-hwi pulled out a small paper and waved it.
"A summons from Senior Instructor Jang Cheol-sim."
'Why's this guy summoning me?'
The prior incident was supposed to be hushed up by Duggo Yul.
No matter how he racked his brain, he couldn't guess the reason.
As he mulled it over en route to the office, Jang Cheol-sim sat with elbows on the desk, chin propped, face grave.
"You called for me?"
Barging in, he watched wrinkles form over Jang's hooked nose.
'Every time I see him, he looks so damn prickly.'
And his clothes? The spotless white robes evoked paranoia.
"Is this the right choice...?"
His unseen lips seemed to mutter atop his hands.
His eyes were wide, pupils dilated—slightly dazed.
Waiting silently, after a long pause, Jang Cheol-sim spoke.
"Temporary Instructor Chu Un-hwi..."
"Yes."
"First, allow me to commend your hard work."
Hard work? Commend?
At the unexpected words, suspicion flickered in Chu Un-hwi's eyes.
"Don't look at me like that. As a named disciple of the upright Qingcheng Sect, rewarding merit and punishing fault is only natural."
"Yes."
"First, your achievements. Regardless of the reasons, you sparked the awakening to Silver Hall's corrupt practices."
What followed was quite favorable.
Thanks to him, they had uncovered clandestine instructor misconduct and could now reform it.
There were even unexpected bonuses from other graft exposures.
"Next, the problem students—or rather, the supplement class results. You splendidly molded some truly difficult cases."
Praising at length, Jang Cheol-sim's tone darkened.
"The issue, however..."
Listening intently, an endlessly gloomy aura rippled from Jang's eyes.
"Why in heaven's name haven't you reported for duty?!"
"Pardon? Duty?"
Bam!
Slamming the desk, Jang shot up.
"It's been ten full days! Already! What's your excuse for going AWOL?!"
"Isn't my role on night watch?"
"Normally, you finish regular duties first, then night watch."
"Aha."
"No 'aha'! I even sent someone to check, and you bolted!"
Jang gnashed his teeth, launching into a tirade.
But it was unavoidable.
'Seeing my fellow instructors wander with those dead-fish faces killed any motivation.'
They said once a poor wage slave stepped in, he never came out. Better wait till the storm of gratitude passed.
After much ranting, Jang wearied himself, slumping back down with a yell.
"Hah. If not for my sect's face..."
Aging years in moments, he extended a metal plaque.
"Take it."
"This couldn't be."
"Correct. Official Silver Hall admission token. You were on probation, but your merits warrant a reward."
Next, Jang produced a red silk-wrapped scroll.
"This too. Your appointment letter."
Unrolling it revealed brief text.
- Appointment Letter. Jianghu Journey Specialist Instructor (Temporary).
The tiny "temporary" irked, but Chu Un-hwi was moved.
"So now I'm truly..."
Suppressing a grimace, Jang nodded.
"Indeed. As promised, I appoint you 'Jianghu Journey Specialist Instructor'."