Chapter 116
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: Chapter 116
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: Chapter 33. Non-Sweating Gang (3)
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“You’ve got plenty of experience, so I’m sure you’ll manage just fine on your own, but allow me to offer a bit of advice out of an old man’s concern. The people gathered here are all from the same mold as you.”
“The same mold as me?”
“That’s right. Nasty-tempered lot with even filthier hands. And yet they’re the powerhouses who’ve survived this long. So until you settle in, keep an eye on those around you and watch your step.”
“Thanks for the advice. I’ll keep it in mind.”
Those were the words Ho Ye-hwa had spoken to Flying Tiger as they entered Jeonghae Temple.
As Flying Tiger gave a casual reply and scanned his surroundings, the temple Taoists offered only a slight nod to the group with visibly uncomfortable expressions before quietly slipping away. There were no traces of martial arts training among them. Ho Ye-hwa, too, seemed keen to pretend he hadn’t seen them, acting as if he didn’t know them at all.
Like keeping their distance to avoid any trouble?
‘From the looks of it, Jeonghae Temple is just providing the venue and has no deep ties with Cho Eo-jin.’
“What are you gawking at so intently?”
“I’m impressed by the connections.”
“What connections?”
“Your organization’s, of course. How does a group backed by the Jongnam Sect end up getting a place like this Taoist temple?”
“The details…”
“I know. That’s why I didn’t ask. You brought it up first, so I just answered.”
“Ahem.”
At that moment, three armed warriors approached, led by a lanky, tall man. Ho Ye-hwa stepped forward, exchanged greetings with the lanky one, and the two whispered briefly. During this, the lanky man kept stealing sidelong glances at Flying Tiger, who pretended not to notice.
Soon, Ho Ye-hwa introduced the lanky man to Flying Tiger.
“Allow me to introduce him. This is Jang-geum, the man who manages the personnel here at Jeonghae Temple. Just so you know, while you’re staying here, you’ll be under his command.”
“Welcome. I’d hoped to cross paths again, but in a place like this? That’s unexpected, to say the least. A word of warning upfront: don’t even think about causing trouble here.”
“……?”
Flying Tiger glanced at the man introduced as Jang-geum. This time, it wasn’t advice but a warning. It seemed he’d left quite an impression on Cho Eo-jin’s side. And from the sound of it, Jang-geum knew him. Though probably not from fond memories.
Who could it be?
Limiting it to recent events…
Flying Tiger shot Ho Ye-hwa a look asking who the guy was, but Ho Ye-hwa just shrugged his shoulders and spouted some platitude along the lines of, ‘He’s your comrade from now on, so forget the past and get along going forward.’
That was when it happened.
“So, how’s that side wound? Tsk, was I too shallow that day? It’s been less than a month, and you look perfectly fine. Makes me feel a bit miffed instead.”
……!
Flying Tiger finally realized who Jang-geum was upon hearing the sound transmission. Back then, the man had been masked, and things had been too chaotic to get a proper look.
The day before yesterday, Flying Tiger had lured Ho Ye-hwa out of the city, captured him after a fight, and interrogated him.
Not even the time it takes to eat a meal later, three masked experts from Cho Eo-jin’s side had appeared. Flying Tiger had sensed their superior prowess at a glance and fled, sparking a grueling chase.
Among the pursuers was one exceptionally skilled in lightness skill, putting Flying Tiger in peril several times.
Each time, Flying Tiger had gritted his teeth and powered through, even taking a few sword strikes. In the end, he’d successfully escaped to the Face Pursuit Squad’s grounds.
Jang-geum was that man.
The lightness skill expert who had hounded Flying Tiger relentlessly with his swift feet and thrown him into repeated crises.
The side wound Jang-geum mentioned was the most dangerous moment. His flying dagger had embedded in Flying Tiger’s side, but it had glanced off slightly, allowing him to stagger onward. Had it shifted just a finger’s width, he’d have collapsed.
It had been a harsh lesson for Flying Tiger.
But that day’s events hadn’t been pleasant for Jang-geum and his comrades either.
Not only had they lost Flying Tiger, but they’d stupidly clashed with experts from the Face Pursuit Squad and Red Lantern Temple. It was thanks to Flying Tiger’s scheme, but they’d still faced reprimands from above.
That was part of why Jang-geum was needling him now.
Flying Tiger might have been irked by Jang-geum’s provocation, but he wasn’t truly angry. He was on a mission, after all. So it only nagged at him.
‘If he’s going to hold a grudge, I’ll need to watch my actions carefully.’
Flying Tiger decided to play it off as if he hadn’t heard.
Jang-geum let out a cold sneer but didn’t provoke further. He soon led the group deeper into the inner courtyard, to the Upper Pure Palace.
As Flying Tiger followed and observed, there were only about a dozen armed warriors, and the security was lax.
Come to think of it, this was a jianghu battle, not a proper army. No need for strict formations or iron discipline. In the end, it was the clash of true experts that decided victory or defeat. One reliable master was worth more than a bunch of middling fighters.
….
The Upper Pure Palace was said to be where the Supreme Elder Laozi refined his elixirs.
Perhaps due to its significance, most temples had a building named Upper Pure Palace, and Jeonghae Temple was no exception.
Jeonghae Temple’s Upper Pure Palace was a standalone structure—modest in scale but clearly crafted with care. Rumor had it that normally, only the temple master or elders gathered there to concoct pills or brew tea from various herbs. It felt like a meeting spot for venerable old folks.
But now, guests with impudent intentions had driven out the owners and taken over.
Creak.
As Jang-geum opened the door to the Upper Pure Palace, a rich incense wafted out. Inside, four early arrivals sat sipping tea.
A graying elder in colorful Taoist robes with a neatly groomed beard, a hulking brute rivaling Ye Dok-du in ferocity, a handsome youth with a noble air, and a seductive middle-aged woman exuding a bewitching aura like a fox spirit.
The four eyed Flying Tiger sharply. For men about to welcome a new comrade, their gazes felt… a bit cold?
“As notified this afternoon, this is our newest member. Come on, introduce yourself.”
“I’m Flying Tiger. Pleased to meet you.”
“A young brother, eh? What’s your moniker?”
The seductive woman asked with a lascivious expression, earning frowns from the Taoist-robed elder and the burly giant.
In contrast, the handsome man scanned Flying Tiger with curious eyes.
“Lowly soldier.”
“Huh? A worthless grunt?”
The woman cackled, while the Taoist elder clicked his tongue and invoked the Primeval Lord.
Jang-geum intervened.
“Flying Tiger’s skills are proven, so he won’t fall short compared to the heroes here. Moreover, he’s a member of Face Pursuit Unit Jeong.”
“Oh, good enough to join the Face Pursuit Squad… Wait, Face Pursuit Unit Jeong? Isn’t that the one with Unperson Sword Jin Ga-yong?”
“Correct. He’s the squad leader there.”
“……!”
The six in the room looked at Flying Tiger anew with surprised eyes.
By now, the Face Pursuit Squad was the hot topic among mercenaries. Over the past two months, not just Unit Jeong but the other squads had systematically wiped out or subjugated Shaanxi’s major black path factions.
That made him seem decent enough, but the reason they’d hired this one appeared to be something else.
It reeked of sticky betrayal.
Clap.
Jang-geum drew their attention and began introducing them one by one to Flying Tiger.
“First, this gentleman is Dharma Master Gon-son. Not only is his martial prowess exceptional, but he’s skilled in many arts. He says he learned various geomantic techniques through connections with Mosan Sect in his youth.”
“Ahem, the world calls this old Daoist the True Inheritor.”
The elder in colorful Taoist robes stroked his well-groomed beard as he spoke.
To Flying Tiger’s eyes, Dharma Master Gon-son certainly didn’t look ordinary.
He screamed shady. And he made no effort to hide it. That made him a fallen heretic, someone who’d crossed the line by Flying Tiger’s standards.
His eyes gleamed with cunning, his gaunt frame brimming with sinister yin energy.
And judging by the unusual horsetail whisk (a ritual whisk symbolizing the sweeping away of mental clutter in Buddhism and Taoism) at his waist, that was likely his main weapon.
On top of that, he’d mastered various arcane arts.
Flying Tiger showed his curiosity.
“Might I ask if True Inheritor also handles spells or talismans?”
“What, shall this old Daoist show you a trick?”
“If the opportunity arises, could I trouble you for a talisman?”
Flying Tiger bowed politely and thought.
‘His personal martial arts aren’t to be underestimated, and it seems he truly wields orthodox arcane methods. Facing him as an enemy could be a headache.’
Apparently, Flying Tiger’s courteous demeanor piqued the seductive woman’s interest. She introduced herself directly.
“This lady is Lady Bongyeon. If I may introduce myself, I’m a lonely woman who wastes her days fiddling with useless toys. So feel free to call me Madam.”
Lady Bongyeon threw him an overt flirt without shame, but her words had a slight twist.
Whether she was truly lonely or not, the “toys” she usually toyed with—like jeweled lions, black widow spiders, or black scorpions—had plenty of uses.
Anyway, Lady Bongyeon raked Flying Tiger with sticky eyes and even posed a brazen question.
“So, what talisman were you planning to ask from our Dharma Master Gon-son, Warrior Flying Tiger? You look bursting with youthful vigor.”
“Please don’t misunderstand, Madam. This body of mine is hot enough to boil an elixir furnace.”
“Oh my!”
“It’s just that bad luck seems to cling to me lately—everything I do goes awry—so I thought I might get a ‘Smooth Sailing in All Things’ talisman.”
As Flying Tiger and Lady Bongyeon bantered flirtatiously, the giant who’d been watching them with displeasure let out a massive snort and barged into the conversation.
“Hmph! Lowly soldier, this one is Ilgwang, the One Child of Wisdom. Heard of me?”
“Nope.”
Flying Tiger replied bluntly with a ‘Do I have to know you?’ look, making Lady Bongyeon giggle. Ilgwang’s face stiffened.
As the mood chilled, Jang-geum stepped in.
“Warrior Flying Tiger, this gentleman is a hero from Zhengzhou in Henan Province. Wielding a single iron club, he single-handedly stormed the O Bang Mountain bandits, beating their chief Seol-pae and all the underlings to death. The tale is legendary.”
“My apologies. A true knight, I see. My knowledge is lacking.”
“Kehm.”
As Flying Tiger expressed admiration and looked at him afresh, Ilgwang’s rigid expression awkwardly softened, and he cleared his throat.
‘Surprisingly weak to praise?’
Flying Tiger tilted his head, but truth be told, it wasn’t that Ilgwang was particularly susceptible to flattery. There was a backstory Jang-geum had conveniently omitted.
Charging alone into a bandit lair of over a hundred men—that alone spoke to Ilgwang’s guts and valor. One could infer he possessed the martial strength to back it up.
But that didn’t quite qualify him as a knight errant.
The origin of the incident was dubious, to say the least.
Ilgwang had stormed the lair in rage when O Bang Mountain’s chief, Seol-pae, had practically kidnapped the courtesan he’d set his sights on.
So he fought. And won.
Then Ilgwang took over the lair. For the next three years, he was the final chief of O Bang Mountain, fending off righteous faction subjugation forces until near-total destruction.
What of the courtesan?
He kept her around until he got bored. She was spoils of the previous bandit chief, and now that he’d rightfully inherited the position, so too did her ownership. That was his logic.
After Ilgwang tired of her, even he didn’t know what became of her.
His underlings must’ve handled it, right? Sold her to a brothel, made her their woman… Something like that, he figured.
From the poor courtesan’s perspective, knight errant my ass—these bastards were all the same filthy scum.
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