Chapter 195
Chapter 195
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 195
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Guest (2)
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The moment I saw the corpse open its eyes, I drew upon my War King energy with the art of Mind-Is-Energy.
Crackle. Fizz.
My power erupted, enveloping my surroundings.
Of course, a reanimated corpse was likely just a zombie, but this was a hardboiled martial world I’d been reborn into.
Anything could happen, anytime, anywhere.
For all I knew, the corpse could have resurrected as a hell-spawned warrior like Ghost Rider.
That’s why I decided to blow it to smithereens without giving it the courtesy of a transformation sequence.
“Die…! Huh?”
Adept Hyeon Yang stopped me.
“I will handle this.”
“You will?”
“I said, I will handle this.”
“Ah… yes.”
His fiery charisma made me instinctively back down.
Adept Hyeon Yang turned and had a staring contest with Gongson Jeoksan's corpse.
“You cannot. The dead may not interfere in the lives of the living.”
He suddenly tried to start a conversation.
“...”
“I said you cannot!”
The situation was utterly baffling.
If this man weren’t Adept Hyeon Yang, the living immortal, I would have thought he was a con artist.
“Hah! Fine, I understand. I will ask him for you.”
He turned his head and asked me.
Apparently, their conversation wasn’t going well.
“What did you do with his family?”
“Are you referring to Gongson Jeoksan’s family?”
“Yes.”
“I drove them out.”
“...Into the barren wilderness?”
“Yes.”
At that, tears of blood began to stream from the eyes of the zombie version of Gongson Jeoksan. Adept Hyeon Yang shot me a look that screamed, ‘What the hell is wrong with you?’
“I didn’t just kick them out! I gave them travel funds and provisions, and I acquired the merchant guild for a fair price.”
Only then did Adept Hyeon Yang nod and begin to placate the corpse.
“You see? Lord Jin’s reputation may be a bit rough, but he is not a cruel man.”
“...”
“You don’t believe me? What can you do, now that you are already dead?”
“...”
“Do you no longer trust the words of your own master?”
I was genuinely curious about what they were discussing.
The argument between the Taoist and the corpse continued for about five minutes.
After a long period of persuasion, the corpse finally closed its eyes.
Slowly.
The living Adept Hyeon Yang had successfully convinced the dead Gongson Jeoksan.
Once the situation was resolved, he let out a sigh.
“It seems he remained in this world out of concern for his family. Had you not shown mercy, Lord Jin, he would have become a ghost, doomed to wander the nine circles of hell.”
“I, I see.”
To think I was almost haunted by that old man’s ghost.
The old saying that one should live a virtuous life is truly not wrong.
“So that’s why you had me dig the grave. To resolve the dead man’s grudge.”
“Ah, that was because my back isn’t what it used to be. Old age has not been kind to me.”
“Then asking just the two of us to come in the middle of the night was…”
“It would have been rude to wake others at this hour. And I wouldn’t have had the time tomorrow.”
“...”
Seemingly embarrassed himself, he cleared his throat and asked.
“Ahem, if it’s not too much trouble, may this humble monk offer Lord Jin a small piece of advice?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
He offered a small smile and spoke.
“The karma you bear is truly immense, Lord Jin. If its weight were measured, it would exceed ten million pounds, and if its breadth were measured, it could cover the entire world.”
“In… in money, you mean?”
His expression turned serious as he replied.
“Unless you were born with the fate of Lü Buwei, do you think it would be easy to cover the world in money? I mean you will cover it in blood.”
“What?”
So covering it in blood is easy?
I wanted to retort immediately, but this wasn’t the time for an argument.
I was incredibly curious about what he meant.
“I don’t quite understand… If I were to cover the world in blood, wouldn’t that mean I have the destiny of a Great Slaughterer?”
“What does it matter if you are a slaughterer or a savior? A slaughterer can kill one to save ten, and a savior can save one and kill ten.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about…”
“Emperor Gaozu founded the Han Dynasty, saving the world from the shackles of war. The blood spilled in that process covered the mountains and rivers.”
“...I think I understand, more or less.”
Hearing my answer, he nodded.
“However, you must not underestimate the weight of a life. The net of heaven is vast; though its mesh seems coarse, nothing escapes it.”
Though this advice seemed completely irrelevant to me, a man who champions the sanctity of life, I found myself bowing my head for some reason.
“...I will keep that in mind, Adept.”
“Well then, this humble monk shall take his leave.”
“Where are you going at this hour? I will have a carriage prepared for you at dawn.”
He replied while closing the coffin lid.
“I intend to bury him on Mount Wudang before he decomposes. It is where he spent ten years with me.”
“Ah…”
I couldn't stop Adept Hyeon Yang as he shouldered the coffin and leaped away.
* * *
“Really?! Why didn’t you stop him?”
“How am I supposed to stop a man who just takes off into the sky to bury his disciple? I had to let him go.”
“Agh, you should have at least gotten a piece of his calligraphy! You know how much that would help the business.”
Myo Hyang’s words jolted me to my senses.
A handwritten signature from a famous person being valuable is a truth that transcends eras.
A signature from Adept Hyeon Yang, considered the greatest religious figure of the time, would undoubtedly be worth a considerable sum.
“Son of a bitch…”
A curse escaped my lips at the thought of the missed opportunity to make money.
Myo Hyang shook her head and patted my back.
“What’s done is done. From now on, when important guests arrive, let’s meet them together. Promise me.”
“Thanks, sis.”
“Haha, don’t mention it.”
She was so considerate, even when she was swamped with work.
Myo Hyang was really the only one who looked out for me.
“By the way, how are the merchant guilds you acquired?”
“Hmm, it’s not easy. In a word… a complete mess? A total disaster?”
“Well, I guess that’s to be expected.”
Even the closest of friends can become enemies within three months of becoming roommates.
People get married, promising to love each other for a lifetime, only to divorce while screaming they want to kill each other.
So, it was no surprise that merging four merchant guilds at once would be chaotic.
It was bound to be rife with all sorts of political maneuvering.
“If it gets too tough, should I step in? I can line them up and give each of them a slap across the face…”
“No, it’s okay. I think I can stabilize things soon. If it really doesn’t work out, I can just fire them all and use the assets.”
“...”
For some reason, it felt like Myo Hyang was slowly turning into a ruthless manager.
“Are you getting along with the Lady of Wolha Manor?”
“No. It’s because of that bitch… that woman that I came to see you.”
“Did something happen?”
“That damn Yang Ryeong, you won’t believe what she…”
And so began Myo Hyang’s gossip session, which lasted for a full thirty minutes.
“Uh-huh, and so? Really? Oh my. That bitch is really something else. You did the right thing. Exactly. It’s not your fault. Gosh, she’s so wicked.”
Throughout that time, I offered mechanical responses until I was finally met with Myo Hyang’s brightened face.
“Phew. I got carried away venting my frustrations. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. Come find me whenever you feel frustrated.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
“Haha. Thank you.”
With a radiant smile, Myo Hyang rose from her seat.
“The sun’s set. Why don’t you rest today? You’ve been working late every day.”
“Oh, I’m not going to work. I have plans with a friend.”
“A friend? Hwa-ran? So-so?”
“Lady Hwa-ran went out to train her martial arts, and So-so went out to prepare for some kind of Great Heaven Returning something-or-other.”
“Then who?”
“Who else? It’s Yang Ryeong. We’re around the same age, and we get along well. We decided to be friends a little while ago.”
“...”
“Well, I’ll get going. See you later. Haha.”
The world of women is truly a mystery.
In any case, after seeing Myo Hyang off, a problem arose.
‘I’m bored!’
I had nothing to do.
I couldn’t just let this rare moment of leisure pass by.
I immediately headed to the administration office.
“So-pyeong. You busy? If not, how about a drink…”
“I’m so busy I can’t even see straight. If you have time to drink, come and help me out.”
“Ho-pyeong…”
“Same here.”
The two of them refused, but they weren’t the aces.
It’s the hearty warriors who can really hold their liquor.
And I had nine such drinking buddies.
“How about a drink, everyone? It’s been a while.”
“We’re in a special intensive training period…”
“Sorry.”
“Me too…”
“Next time…”
Damn it all.
Left all alone, I sat down on a bench in the training grounds.
I was about to drink straight liquor with the moon as my companion.
But then, I witnessed an unexpected sight.
“Mister Yuk… Huh? Where are you going all dressed up?”
“Ahem, it’s nothing.”
“What do you mean, nothing… You're looking sharp from head to toe.”
“...Sharp, what?”
“It’s a thing. Anyway, it looks like you’re going to meet a woman.”
“Hmph, a woman? I’m too busy walking the martial way.”
“The martial way? You just drink booze every day.”
“Are you looking to die?”
“Come on, let’s go out for a drink. Get something tasty to eat.”
“I told you, I have plans.”
And just like that, Yuk Hak left.
But it didn’t matter.
What’s important is an unyielding spirit.
My interest was already piqued, and my body was raring to go.
‘I have to see exactly what kind of lady he’s managed to woo.’
After all, a lord must take an interest in his people.
‘And I’ll ruin his confession, too. Hehehe.’
*Tap.*
I unleashed the Flying Heavenly Wind, a movement technique ranked among the best in the entire martial world, and soared into the air.
My body felt as light as a sparrow's.
*Tap, tap.*
With just a couple of steps, I reached a tall pavilion with a panoramic view of Hanzhong.
“Let’s see now…”
After a moment of searching and muttering to myself, a classic old-guy trait…
“There he is.”
I spotted Yuk Hak, dressed in fine white silk clothes.
The chase that followed ended shortly after it began.
As he neared the city gate, Yuk Hak cheerfully greeted someone.
And then.
‘That… that unforgivable old man!’
I couldn’t contain my indignation at the sight.
This was the martial world.
A place where you could do anything if you had power.
From that perspective, Yuk Hak was someone who could do almost anything.
He was a master, after all.
But for a man nearing sixty to be meeting a young lady not even twenty years old was just not right.
And a pretty, kind-hearted one at that.
If the late Confucius saw this, he would have grabbed Yuk Hak by the scruff of his neck and dragged him to hell.
‘I can’t let this stand!’
I wasn’t jealous. This was all for the sake of the War King Gate.
The reputation of its officers is the reputation of the sect.
I couldn’t just stand by and watch a legendary debaucher be born in the War King Gate.
Therefore, my choice was…
“Die! You senile old geezer!”
“L-Lord Jin! How did you get here?!”
A fist of justice.
The horrified Yuk Hak tried to retreat quickly, but it was too late.
*Pow!*
Thirteen lightning-fast strikes hammered his entire body.
“Keuk.”
But my opponent was Yuk Hak.
Of course, he wouldn’t go down from just this.
I had anticipated as much.
“I think you’re misunderstanding something…”
“No need for words!”
Just as I was about to unleash the Explosive Death Force again…
“Hoh, to be able to push back Old Yuk at your age. You truly are the Fighting Dragon.”
A middle-aged man appeared between me and Yuk Hak.
“I don’t know who you are, but I’m in the middle of punishing a wicked man, so if you could just wait a moment…”
“A pleasure to meet you. My name is Cheong Chu-san.”
“The… the Clear Water Medicine King?”
He was the medical king of this era, and Cheong So-so’s father.