Chapter 268
Chapter 268
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 268
Chapter Title: The Guest
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As they say, life is full of ups and downs.
Just as I was enjoying a perfectly blissful journey, dark clouds began to gather.
“...So, you came all the way here at the crack of dawn just to ask me that?”
“‘Just that?’ The lives of a million people in Honam are at stake. What could possibly be more important?”
“No, I get that, but…”
The scholar from before, Baek Il-hak, the strategist of the Yueyang Alliance, had shown up at sunrise seeking my advice.
If I had my way, I would have kicked him out immediately.
‘Come see me anytime if you need to talk. I have too many mouths to feed to shed blood alongside you, but I can lend you my mind.’
But I couldn't get angry, not after the words I’d spoken.
As a member of the martial arts elite, I had to keep my word.
“Alright, I get it. From now on, come after lunch. Don't I get to sleep?”
“Ah… my apologies. I was just so anxious.”
In the end, Baek Il-hak and I compromised by adjusting his visiting hours.
The problem was…
“…”
He really did show up every single day, right after lunch.
Thanks to him, I was forced to listen to his plans for nearly two hours a day.
“So, as for how to unite the martial artists of Honam… The method of securing funds will be… to collect dues… The location of the headquarters will be… This is what I’m planning. What are your thoughts?”
“…Sounds good.”
“As I thought…!”
I couldn't help but shake my head as I watched Baek Il-hak marvel at my soulless nod.
“And about this… this method is…”
“That’s good too.”
It might look like I was giving him half-hearted advice, but I had my reasons.
How could I possibly be interested when I’d already heard dozens of variations of the same plan, each with only minor details changed?
“If you’re done, can’t you leave now?”
“There is one thing left.”
“What is it?”
“I have yet to decide on matters of intelligence.”
“…That is an important issue.”
Unlike armies of hundreds or thousands marching in formation, information is invaluable when fighting against martial artists who excel at stealth and concealment.
Without knowing where the enemy is coming from or the extent of their strength, one could easily face annihilation.
If the opponent plays paper, you must play scissors, not rock.
The problem was…
“Building your own intelligence network from scratch would be impossible…”
“Indeed. The Yueyang Alliance still lacks the people and funds.”
It was by no means an easy task.
Gathering potentially useful information required a massive workforce, and analyzing the flow of that information to draw conclusions was a domain for geniuses.
Thinking about it, the bald man who revived the Beggars' Sect was truly remarkable.
‘Maybe that’s why he lost all his hair…’
Baek Il-hak, also recognizing this problem, nodded his head.
“Therefore, I am searching far and wide for those who can handle intelligence for us.”
“Outsourcing, huh… That’s a bit tricky too, isn’t it? You could get stabbed in the back.”
“Yes, that is why I am proceeding with caution. It is a matter of trust, after all.”
“Hmm…”
I mulled it over for a moment, but there was no easy answer.
I couldn't just give him manpower and money, and while I could recommend the Beggars' Sect, they had yet to establish an information network in the west.
“This is beyond the scope of what I can advise on.”
“…Is that so.”
I said to the dejected man.
“If I think of something good later, I’ll let you know.”
“I would be most grateful if you did. Ah, and this…”
Baek Il-hak handed me a plaque engraved with the characters for ‘Advisor’.
“After discussing it with everyone, we have decided to appoint you as an honorary advisor to the alliance, Hall Master.”
Watching Baek Il-hak’s beaming smile, I thought to myself.
‘It’s about time I head home.’
I had to get out of here and back home before things got any more annoying.
* * *
The next day.
My plans to return home were thwarted from the moment I woke up.
“Hall Master of the War Dragon Hall, Jin Mujeon, receive this personal letter from the Fortress Lord!”
“…”
A warrior from the Dark Poison Corps, directly under the Fortress Lord's command, had arrived with a letter from my master.
He could have just sent a GuguTalk message. My master truly had a talent for making things difficult for everyone.
“What is it?”
“Insolence! How dare you receive the Fortress Lord’s personal letter with one hand! A personal letter must be received while prostrating…”
*Smack!*
“Gurgle.”
“You got a death wish? Someone come and get this guy out of here.”
I snatched the letter from the fallen warrior’s hand and examined the outside.
[To my beloved disciple.]
“…”
It seemed something was wrong.
The contents were simple enough.
[A guest will be arriving at Dongting Lake. Go and meet them.]
It just stated whom I was to meet and where.
The problem was…
‘Where the hell is Seokho Island? And who is this guest?’
He hadn't properly written down the guest's name or the location of our meeting.
In an age without navigation, let alone easily obtainable maps, shouldn't he at least have drawn a simple sketch?
*Rip.*
A surge of anger at the unhelpful message made me tear the letter to shreds without thinking.
“…Sigh. Really.”
Of course, I couldn't ignore my master’s errand.
Privately, we were master and disciple; publicly, we were lord and vassal.
I had to go, even if it meant finding a guide.
“Where are you going?”
“To see Elder Son.”
“Please wait a moment. I will prepare an escort.”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll go alone. You guys just get ready to head home.”
“Then at least take Vice Hall Master Sima with you.”
“I said it’s fine. It’s not like I’m going to get beaten up somewhere, am I?”
“That may be true, but… Very well.”
“See you later.”
As I left the Heaven-Piercing Sword Sect and entered Yueyang city, I realized I had made one mistake.
“…But where do I find the old man?”
I didn't know where Son Baek lived.
The Yueyang Alliance he led was a cell-based organization, so they had no headquarters.
“It’s too much trouble to go back and ask…”
In the end, I had only one choice.
“Anyone know where Old Man Son Baek lives?”
When you don’t know, you ask. What else could I do?
After stopping several men who looked like martial artists and asking as politely as I could, I finally found someone who knew where Son Baek’s house was.
“…Is this really the place?”
“Ye-Yes!”
“You’re not messing with me, are you?”
“I-It’s really the right place.”
“…Right. I get it. You can go now.”
“Th-Thank you for sparing my life.”
I watched the man flee in a hurry, then turned my gaze to Son Baek’s house.
It was a dilapidated, ramshackle ruin, built in the heart of Yueyang, where land was most expensive.
“…”
Why would a man known as one of the Seven Hegemons live in a place like this?
Not trusting myself to touch the heavily rusted doorknob, I used the Flying Heavenly Wind to leap over the wall.
And what I saw inside left me utterly speechless.
“Uhehehe. Oh, you pretty thing. *Smooch, smooch.*”
Son Baek was kissing his beloved weapon, the steel ball.
“Gasp! H-Hall Master Jin?”
Seeing me, Son Baek started in alarm and dropped the steel ball, which weighed over two hundred geun.
*Thud.*
Right onto his own foot.
“Urk!”
“Oh, for crying out loud…”
What a complete and utter mess.
* * *
“Phew… If it weren't for these greaves, my instep would have been shattered.”
Son Baek touched the greaves covering his instep and shin with a tender hand.
“…Haven’t seen those before.”
“I acquired them recently. Cost a pretty penny, but this is what you call an investment, isn’t it?”
“Were they expensive?”
“Of course. They cost a whole fifty nyang.”
“…In copper coins?”
“This is made of Hundred-Refined Steel. Do you think copper coins would suffice?”
“What? These greaves are made of refined steel?”
“That’s right.”
In the modern world, it might just be well-made steel from a foundry, but in the martial world, Hundred-Refined Steel boasted a very high price.
It was understandable, as making it required a skilled craftsman to fold and hammer it over a hundred times. The quality of the raw materials also had to be top-notch.
If enough Hundred-Refined Steel went into making those greaves, fifty nyang wasn't expensive at all.
“You’re richer than I thought. So why do you live in a place like this?”
“Because I sold my house to afford them.”
“What.”
This wasn't some mobile RPG where you sell your house to buy gear.
‘…No, wait. This is actually better.’
On second thought, it seemed like a reasonable purchase.
In a game, having bad equipment just makes grinding harder, but in the martial world, a single mistake could cost you your life.
In MMORPGs like Lineage, you could sell your house for in-game currency and it would barely make a dent.
Compared to that, selling your house for a life insurance policy was perfectly sensible.
As I nodded, lost in thought, my eyes fell on his steel ball.
“Elder Son, is that steel ball also made of Hundred-Refined Steel?”
“You mean the Thousand-Geun Weight, I presume.”
Why did he have to give it a name like that?
“Not the Two-Hundred-Geun Weight?”
“A little exaggeration is necessary to make things sound impressive, wouldn’t you say?”
“…”
He caressed the steel ball he called the Thousand-Geun Weight and said.
“This is not made of Hundred-Refined Steel.”
“Well, if something that size were made entirely of refined steel, it would have cost at least a thousand nyang…”
“Instead, it’s made of Cold Iron, passed down through my family for generations.”
“…”
“It was so difficult to smith that the labor cost for shaping it into a sphere alone was a hundred nyang.”
It turned out Son Baek was secretly loaded.
Though far inferior to Meteoric Iron, a chunk of Cold Iron of that weight would be worth well over five thousand nyang.
‘No wonder it didn’t even get a scratch from my Explosive Death Force…’
Those with nothing often belittle good weapons as mere external objects, but in truth, high-quality equipment was the surest guarantee of survival.
‘If he’d sold just ten geun of it, he could’ve been married long ago.’
As I clicked my tongue, wondering if this was the reason Son Baek was still single, he brought out some tea and asked.
“Anyway, what brings you here? It doesn’t seem like you came just to see me…”
Only then did I remember the reason for my visit.
“Ah, right. Elder Son, do you happen to know a place called Seokho Island?”
At the name Seokho Island, Son Baek’s eyes sharpened.
“…Why are you looking for that place?”
“Ah, well, my master…”
I was about to explain but changed my mind.
If the identity of the guest I was supposed to meet was confidential, it could put both Son Baek and me in an awkward position.
“Ahem, I can’t tell you the reason, but…”
“If you don’t absolutely have to go, I would advise against it.”
“What? Why? What’s there?”
Son Baek glanced around and spoke with a serious expression.
“Ahem, there are rumors that Seokho Island has been haunted recently.”
He even said it with a slight shiver.
“Seriously?”
A supreme master, afraid of ghosts?
* * *
Son Baek protested and resisted, but I succeeded in getting onto his boat.
‘If you keep refusing, I’ll tell my master that you tried to kill me.’
‘D-Didn’t you say you forgave me for that?’
‘Just because I forgave you doesn’t mean my master did, right?’
‘…’
When it comes to disputes, bringing in the adults is always the easiest solution.
*Splash. Splash.*
“Mumble, mumble.”
Son Baek rowed with a deathly pale face, chanting Buddhist scriptures. Not that it was any of my business.
I’d seen it before, but Son Baek’s rowing was on a different level from that of any ordinary fisherman.
Without even seeming to put much force into it, a single stroke of the oar sent the large boat, big enough to carry five horses, gliding thirty meters forward.
‘He would have been a great fisherman.’
About two hours passed as we cut through the mist-covered Dongting Lake.
When a tall, rocky island appeared in the distance, Son Baek sent me a telepathic message in a voice as small as an ant’s.
[…That’s Seokho Island.]
“We’re this close, why are you using telepathy? It’s a waste of internal energy.”
[Shh! What if the ghost hears you?]
“Come on, there’s no such thing as ghosts…”
*Thump.*
“!”
Just as I was chiding Son Baek, the boat shook violently.
“Ugh!”
He let out a scream in surprise.
I was just as startled.
‘I didn’t sense a thing.’
This was a boat carrying two of the Seven Hegemons, the next generation of the Ten Great Masters.
It was impossible for anyone to approach without us sensing their presence.
*Shwaaa.*
I immediately spread out my seventh sense, but I couldn't find anything.
“…Is it really a ghost?”
“S-See! Didn’t I tell you we shouldn’t have come!”
“Ah, just shut up for a second. Seriously.”
As I focused my energy and scanned our surroundings…
*BOOM!*
A huge explosion erupted, and the boat split in two, sinking in an instant.
I quickly used the Flying Heavenly Wind to land on a piece of floating wood, but the real problem was something else.
“Glug, glug…”
Son Baek was sinking, clutching the steel ball as if he wouldn't let it go even in death.
“This is just fucking ridiculous.”