Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: An Outing
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Absolute Master After Divorce, Sudden Tycoon After Divorce, SSS-Rank Hunter After Divorce.
Those were the titles of the web novels I’d been reading in the hospital just before I died in my past life.
Having lived as a lifelong bachelor, I remember reading them and wondering why such keywords were trending.
But now, I see it was inevitable they’d be popular.
How would I know, having never been married?
It's because the she-cat named Myo Hyang living in my house has turned into a tigress.
“Hey! Put a shirt on! Why are you always walking around shirtless?!”
If I so much as tried to cool off by splashing water on my back, a nagging shriek worthy of a high soprano would erupt.
“Sister. I'd like a meat dish for dinner tonight…”
“How old are you? Still being picky about your food?”
No request of mine ever passed easily.
“If you have nothing better to do, go outside and line up the patients.”
She even forced hard labor upon me.
Seeing her act like this when we were merely housemates, I could roughly picture the lives of married men.
‘What kind of battles are you all fighting?’
You might say I should just kick her out and live alone.
I’m only human, so the thought does cross my mind sometimes.
But how could I possibly kick out Myo Hyang, who is like a real sister to me?
Besides…
‘Myo Hyang pays for all the living expenses…’
From food and firewood to clothes and even daily necessities, Myo Hyang covered every expense in the house.
I had offered to contribute to the living costs several times, but…
‘I wasn't lying when I said I would take care of you, Squad Leader Jin. If I took that money, wouldn't that mean you were taking care of me instead?’
Thanks to her, I was living a life where I didn't have to spend a single coin on food or shelter.
In any case, what I needed now was time.
Time to find peace of mind, away from the tigress named Myo Hyang.
And that opportunity arose not long after.
“So, I'm to escort the Third Young Master to the entrance of Shaanxi province? Along with the Blue Dragon Sword?”
It was because Bukgung Baek had generated a new quest.
“That’s right.”
“I thought his own guards would be more than enough. The Third Young Master himself is a powerful martial artist.”
“It’s not for security reasons.”
“Then what is it for?”
“He said he needed a travel companion.”
I tilted my head at the unexpected remark.
It didn't seem like we had formed that great of a connection.
“This is an order from the Military Affairs Department, so you have no right to refuse. You leave tomorrow, so rest for today.”
Even without his permission, I had planned to go home, but I nodded with the most grateful expression I could muster.
“I shall never forget your consideration for the rest of my life, Hall Master!”
“…”
It doesn't cost anything to be a little dramatic.
As I took my leave after bidding farewell, a thought occurred to me.
‘Not bad.’
The journey from Nine Dragons Fortress, right next to Chengdu, to the border of Sichuan and Shaanxi was about a thousand li.
Traveling by horse, a round trip should take about half a month, give or take.
As the son of the Martial Emperor, he wouldn't be sleeping on the streets, so we could rest at inns at night.
‘A free trip.’
I was feeling cooped up anyway, so this turned out for the best.
***
The next day.
I joined Lee Jeok-ha's party and we left through the north gate.
The road to Shaanxi province was mostly a wide, well-paved highway, with villages dotted along the way.
Furthermore, thanks to the carriage provided by Nine Dragons Fortress for the Third Young Master, the journey was incredibly comfortable.
The problem was…
“There is a way to the sword. It can both save and take lives. That is why our Blue Dragon Hall…”
“The speed of the sword is important, but its direction is equally so. That is why our Martial Emperor Fortress…”
“My master used to say that the sword is…”
“I once saw my father perform his sword forms, and the sight was…”
I simply couldn't stand listening to the conversation between the two sword fanatics in front of me.
It was like being forced to listen to two old ladies on a high-speed train debating the plot of a soap opera.
Feeling like I was losing my mind, I stared blankly out the window until Lee Jeok-ha spoke to me.
“Oh! We’ve been talking only about swords in front of a fist master. My apologies, Squad Leader Jin.”
“Now that you mention it, you’re right. How about we discuss fist and foot techniques instead?”
“That’s an excellent idea. We have a master of combat arts right here, after all.”
Seriously, do you guys have nothing to talk about besides martial arts?
Finally, on the verge of going insane, I decided to take control of the conversation.
“Instead of that, how about we talk about life? For example, local specialties.”
Like how Sichuan province is famous for its peppercorn powder.
We talked for a short while about the specialties of our respective regions, but the conversation quickly died down.
That was because these two were fools who knew nothing apart from martial arts.
“You don’t seem to know much about that. Then what about food? I hear people in the north eat a lot of hot pot.”
“I just eat whatever I’m given…”
“Me too…”
‘What do you guys even live for?’
After that, I brought up economics, animals, hunting, the weather, and even the forbidden topic of politics.
“I’ve never seen it, so I wouldn't know.”
“I was too busy training to have read it.”
“I’ve never even shot a bow, let alone hunted.”
“Did something like that happen?”
The conversation simply wouldn't progress.
It was clear that if I didn't quickly switch to the next topic, these nerds would retreat into their own world again.
In the end, I threw out the final keyword I had been saving.
“What kind of place is the Martial Emperor Fortress? I’ve never been, so I’m curious.”
They couldn't possibly be ignorant about the place they belonged to.
“Ahem, the Martial Emperor Fortress, you say…”
“If it’s a sensitive topic, you don’t have to speak of it.”
“Not at all. I can filter out the sensitive parts myself. Let’s see… Our Martial Emperor Fortress is…”
At last, the conversation began to flow.
I, too, was curious about the Martial Emperor Fortress, so I listened with open ears.
In a world without the internet, news from thousands of li away was precious information.
“It’s a place where martial arts are everything.”
“…?”
Lee Jeok-ha's subsequent explanation was nothing short of horrifying.
The average training time for martial artists at the Martial Emperor Fortress was ten to twelve hours a day.
Worse yet, the time spent on internal arts was counted not as training, but as sleeping time.
As if that weren't enough, they would discuss martial arts even while eating or drinking.
What kind of dystopian world was this?
“Then when do you ever rest?”
“Why worry about such things? You can rest for eternity when you're dead.”
In contrast to my horrified, grimacing face, Dan Un listened to Lee Jeok-ha's explanation with a look of constant fascination.
And then…
“This is a culture our Nine Dragons Fortress needs. I must spread it as soon as I return.”
Like Lenin after reading Marx's *Das Kapital*, he showed his determination to start a revolution in Nine Dragons Fortress.
Watching him, I made a solemn vow to myself.
‘If this bastard ever becomes the Lord, I'm getting out of here immediately.’
In many ways, the journey was starting off differently than I had expected.
***
Aside from the endless martial arts discussions, the journey wasn't bad.
During the day, we traveled comfortably in the carriage, enjoying the scenery.
When the sun set, we would stop in a village, enjoy delicious food and drink at an inn until our stomachs were full, and relieve our fatigue in comfortable beds.
After a week of this, we had almost reached the border of Sichuan and Shaanxi.
From here, Lee Jeok-ha and his party would travel through Shaanxi and Shanxi to the Martial Emperor Fortress in Liaoning.
As the time to part ways drew near, Lee Jeok-ha looked back at me and Dan Un with a wistful expression.
“These past few days with you two will be a memory I'll cherish for a lifetime.”
Dan Un, who had known Lee Jeok-ha for some time, bowed his head slightly and cupped his fist.
“The same goes for me. I will visit the Martial Emperor Fortress soon.”
“Is that so? When you come, I will let you witness the swordsmanship of the Martial Emperor Fortress to your heart's content.”
“More than that, I wish to learn the advanced culture of the Martial Emperor Fortress.”
“Hahaha, I’ll help with that as well, so please visit anytime.”
It felt like a horrifying conversation had just taken place, but I dared not acknowledge it.
Lee Jeok-ha moved in front of me and offered his farewell.
“The greatest gain from this trip to Nine Dragons Fortress seems to be the connection I’ve made with you.”
Seeing his smiling, toad-like face, I nearly burst out laughing.
But I managed to hold it in with superhuman patience and replied.
“To call a mere Outer Hall warrior like myself a ‘gain’ is far too generous of you.”
“Haha, and humble too? If you are a mere Outer Hall warrior, then I, who lost to you, must be less than that.”
“Well, you have a point there…”
“However, it won't be so easy if we fight again. I am not one to fall for the same trick twice.”
“I’ll look forward to it.”
*Yeah, right. This is the last time we'll see each other anyway.*
“By the way, have you ever considered coming to the Martial Emperor Fortress? I'll ensure you receive the best treatment.”
“I see the Third Young Master has a fine sense of humor.”
“I’m only half-joking.”
Meaning he was half-serious. I quickly expressed my refusal.
“I am responsible for many people…”
Switching sects was an absurd notion, but a man like the Third Young Master of the Martial Emperor Fortress might find a way, so it was better to refuse him clearly.
“What a shame.”
After that chilling farewell, we parted ways.
He headed northeast.
Dan Un and I rode southwest.
On the way back, Dan Un turned to me with a deepened gaze and spoke.
“The sword is…”
Oh, come on.
***
Half a day had passed as I tuned out the sword fanatic’s droning and followed the road.
As the sun began to set, we arrived at a village and headed for an inn.
“Dumplings, some vegetables, and two bottles of cloudy wine.”
A modest meal, unlike on the way there.
That was because the golden toad, Lee Jeok-ha, had paid for everything on the way, while on the way back, we had to make do with the given budget.
However, there was a major flaw in my calculations.
“Bring a couple of boiled chickens as well. And cancel the cloudy wine; make it white liquor.”
The existence of Dan Un, the wealthy, soon-to-be Hall Master of the Blue Dragon Hall.
“It's on me, so eat up.”
“Oh! Thank you for the meal.”
The one who buys the drinks is always right.
Come to think of it, this was the first time I was drinking alone with Dan Un.
When we were close, we were too young to drink.
And by the time we were old enough, I was too busy avoiding him.
I was slightly worried he might get drunk and start swinging his sword around, but no such thing happened.
Instead, we even had a pleasant conversation, reminiscing about our time at the Heaven-Ascending Pavilion.
“Hahaha, you should have seen Instructor Chil’s face, brother Dan. It was a real sight.”
“Really? Why didn't I see it?”
“That’s because you were too busy training, brother Dan.”
“It would have been fun if we had seen it together.”
“See? That’s why you need to have fun when it’s time to have fun. This is all the fault of our competition-based education system. What do the politicians even know? The kids are having such a hard time. And while we’re on the topic, the curriculum should focus on developing critical thinking, not rote memorization. How can you nurture proper talent when all you do is force them to memorize things?”
As I launched into a major critique of Nine Dragons Fortress's educational policy, Dan Un's eyebrows twitched.
“...I also believe that focusing one's training on memorization is not good.”
“Oh? You think so too, brother Dan?”
“Yes. I believe it's better to focus on training with the sword rather than memorization. The entire Blue Dragon Hall probably thinks so.”
“...The Green Dragon Hall would be sad to hear you say that.”
Something seemed to have been lost in translation, but the general idea was close enough, so I let it slide.
As the conversation flowed, empty liquor bottles began to pile up on the table.
I don't know how much time had passed.
*Clatter!*
The inn's door flew open, and a man covered in blood appeared.
It was one of Lee Jeok-ha's guards.
The large man rushed to our table and spoke in a trembling voice.
“Th-th-the Third Young Master… has been attacked.”
I knew things were going too smoothly.