But At That Level?
The next day.
"Chung Myung! Wake up! Merchant Guild Leader wants to see yo—… huh? What the hell is this?"
Yoon Jong burst through the door and froze, eyes wide.
"W-what? All these wine jars?"
Wine jars were strewn all over the floor, and in the middle of them lay Chung Myung, spread-eagled and fast asleep.
Yoon Jong stared in horror, looking around the room.
He drank all of this by himself?
What kind of monster was this? There had to be at least five jars’ worth.
He hurried over and shook Chung Myung awake.
"Chung Myung! Chung Myung, you brat! Get up!"
"Uuuuuugh…."
Chung Myung cracked one eye open, face twisted in misery, and waved a hand weakly.
"D-don't… My head’s pounding."
"No, you insane bastard. You drank that much, and you expect to be fine? Just burn the liquor away with your internal energy!"
"T-then why drink at all…."
…Well, that was true enough.
If he was just going to purge the drunkenness like that, there was no point in drinking. He might as well have had tea….
No, that wasn’t the issue here!
"Get up! Merchant Guild Leader says he wants to have breakfast with us!"
"Ungh."
Chung Myung reluctantly hauled himself upright. He still couldn’t fully get to his feet, so he ended up sitting there, clutching his head and groaning.
"Ughhh… I’m dying!"
Yoon Jong shook his head. Then Yu I-seol, who had followed him into the room, swept her gaze over the mess and frowned deeply.
"A nuisance."
"…."
"Coming to Saje’s house and making a nuisance. Awful."
"…."
"Yoon Jong."
"Yes, Sago."
"Clean up."
"…."
Yoon Jong let out a long sigh and, with her, began gathering up the scattered wine jars one by one.
Still… why did he drink so much?
Chung Myung liked alcohol, sure, but he knew when and where to drink. Yoon Jong had never once seen him get this drunk in a place where he shouldn’t.
But this… it really looked like he’d thrown all caution to the wind and drunk himself senseless.
"What happened?"
"What do you mean, what happened?"
Chung Myung groaned and pushed himself to his feet, then shuffled toward the doorway.
"Ungh. No choice. It’s a pity, but whatever."
He clicked his tongue and stretched his hand out toward the outside.
Huh?
Watching him, Yoon Jong’s eyes went wide.
Whoosh!
Flames suddenly burst from Chung Myung’s fingertips. At the same time, a sharp, pungent smell of liquor began to spread through the room.
"W-what? What’s that fire supposed to be?!"
No, that bastard had finally gone and set someone else’s house on fire!
But whether Yoon Jong was shocked or not, Chung Myung only made the flame at his fingertips burn brighter.
That crazy—
"Huh?"
Hold on. Fire was coming out of a person’s fingertips?
Could it be?
Samadhi True Fire?
Yoon Jong’s eyes nearly popped out of his skull.
"That crazy bastard is using Samadhi True Fire to burn off his hangover?"
He was already shocked that Chung Myung could use Samadhi True Fire, a technique that required immense mastery of internal energy, but the fact that he was using it to flush away liquor poisoning was even more absurd.
It was like using a priceless divine sword to cut vegetables.
"Uuugh."
After drying out all the liquor poison, Chung Myung extinguished the flame and clicked his tongue in disappointment.
"Back in the day, I’d rather die than do something this pathetic to clear out my alcohol."
"How old were you when you started drinking, exactly?"
"Huh? Is that how it works?"
Chung Myung laughed sheepishly.
"Anyway, enough useless stuff. Let’s go."
Just as he was about to take a step, Yu I-seol reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Hmm? Sago?"
He turned his head. Yu I-seol looked at him with her usual expressionless face.
"Why?"
She tipped her chin toward the back of the room. The interior, wrecked by wine jars, came into Chung Myung’s view.
"Clean it."
"…Yes."
At least Chung Myung knew what crimes he’d committed.
After cleaning the room, washing up properly, and changing into clean clothes, Chung Myung headed to the meal with his martial siblings.
Jo Pyeong was seated at the head of the table.
Oh?
Seeing him, Chung Myung gave a sly smile.
He was clearly trying to keep a stern expression, but the corners of his mouth kept dancing all on their own. He must have been desperately fighting to calm himself down, yet his face simply refused to cooperate.
Can’t blame him.
After all, his long-lost son had returned home and immediately defeated the son of the Sichuan Tang Family head, the very ruler of Sichuan. If he wasn’t happy, that would be stranger.
More than that, Chung Myung could tell this was a man whose affection for his son ran deep. So of course he’d be twice as pleased as an ordinary father.
"Ahem, ahem. You’ve arri—… you’re here!"
"Ah. Yes."
Trying not to laugh made Jo Pyeong’s voice wobble. Chung Myung had to suppress a smirk as he sat down, and Yoon Jong and Yu I-seol sat as well.
The next person to catch Chung Myung’s eye was none other than Jo Gul.
His jaw’s about to hit the floor.
Jo Gul, with bandages wrapped all around his neck, had also failed to close his gaping mouth since earlier.
Father and son are both practically dying of happiness.
Judging by how intense their reactions were, Chung Myung could easily guess what defeating the Sichuan Tang Family in Sichuan meant.
"Ahem! Ahem!"
If he kept coughing like that, he’d ruin his throat.
After one more loud throat-clearing, Jo Pyeong twisted his face into a strange expression and spoke.
"W-well, since something so major happened last night… something very major, I thought we should have breakfast together and discuss what to do about it, so I invited everyone."
Even as he said it, he didn’t forget to look at Jo Gul with warm, affectionate eyes.
He was practically dripping honey from his gaze.
Baek Cheon smiled faintly and took control of the conversation.
"You must be proud of your son."
"Ha… it was only luck, surely?"
Baek Cheon immediately corrected Jo Pyeong’s modesty.
"It wasn’t luck."
"…."
"It was Jo Gul’s skill."
Jo Pyeong’s eyes wavered slightly.
"You can’t beat a direct heir of the Tang Family with luck. This was the result of Jo Gul pushing himself mercilessly in training at Mount Hua, day after day, without rest. I understand your concern that your son might become arrogant if praised too much, but good results deserve proper recognition."
"I shall humbly accept what Young Hero Baek has said."
Jo Pyeong nodded again and again.
It was a heartwarming scene, at least on the surface. Unfortunately, there was one creature present who got hives just hearing anything remotely “heartwarming.”
"Ac-complishmentssss?"
"…."
"…."
Baek Cheon and Yoon Jong both snapped their heads around.
What is he going to do now?
Shut up. Chung Myung. Please just shut your mouth!
But their desperate prayers never reached him.
"If you got praised for your accomplishments twice over, you’d be shoved into a coffin!"
Jo Gul flinched.
"I explained it to you over and over until I was blue in the face! Over and over!"
"Uuugh."
Jo Gul lowered his head with a sigh.
Why is that bastard always right when he opens his mouth?
At that moment, Jo Gul felt he understood why all those loyal ministers in history had died so young. If you kept listening, you realized that nothing was more infuriating than the truth. Not even a wrong answer.
"…Still, you dodged it."
"If you’d thought straight, you wouldn’t have been hurt!"
"That’s true, but…."
Jo Gul clicked his tongue.
What Chung Myung had taught them was not merely training methods. He had also drilled into them countless ways to deal with the dangers they’d face in the martial world.
Of course, it had not been easy to absorb, since he explained things while beating them like dogs during training, or while jeering beside someone who had collapsed from exhaustion.
Still!
Among those lessons had definitely been guidance for situations like yesterday’s duel.
- Why is a killing blow called a killing blow? Because it kills in one strike? Because it’s devastatingly powerful? No. It’s because if you pour everything into it and still don’t kill them, you’re the one who dies. One swing, and either you die or I die. That’s what it means.
- ….
- But what if that strike doesn’t kill the enemy? Then I die! So if you see someone trying to finish things with a killing blow, you block the center line of the body. No exceptions!
No one wanted to lose an arm and keep living, so any technique meant to kill with one strike would inevitably target the parts of the body that could actually be reached in one blow.
And that usually meant the central line running from the head down to the groin.
So if your opponent looked ready to unleash a final strike, your best move was to evade laterally first.
I heard him say that about thirty-six times. Maybe more.
If Jo Gul hadn’t remembered those words at the last second, he might not have been able to beat Tang Jan.
But Chung Myung was still scolding him for remembering it too late.
Fine, that was true too. Damn it.
Jo Gul sucked his teeth bitterly.
Jo Pyeong stared at the scene in bafflement.
He could understand Chung Myung, who seemed to be a junior brother, rebuking Jo Gul. He was a merchant, after all, and someone who championed the supremacy of skill. Rank and status meant nothing to him; what mattered was who could earn the most money, and he had always believed the most capable should be placed in the most important positions.
If someone had talent, then they ought to learn from them, even if they were only a junior.
The reason he was surprised now came down to two things.
First, that Chung Myung didn’t seem to think Jo Gul defeating Tang Jan was such an extraordinary accomplishment.
And second….
Is that man really as skilled as he seems?
Chung Myung scolding Jo Gul and Jo Gul accepting it with a nod was so natural that it could only mean Chung Myung regularly gave him advice and instruction.
What exactly is that boy?
Jo Pyeong couldn’t hide his astonishment at Mount Hua, and at the same time, his astonishment at his own son.
Leaving Chung Myung aside, that Baek Cheon must clearly be stronger than Jo Gul. You could infer as much from the way Jo Gul treated him.
And that girl, Yu I-seol, was called Jo Gul’s Sago, while the boy named Yoon Jong was also Jo Gul’s senior brother, so there was no way either of them was weaker than Jo Gul.
Mount Hua isn’t some dragon’s pool or tiger’s den.
How could so many talents pour out of it?
After examining the disciples of Mount Hua, Jo Pyeong nodded deeply.
Having made up his mind, he quickly steered the conversation his way before any more offhand remarks could be made.
"So."
Everyone’s attention turned to Jo Pyeong.
He looked at Baek Cheon with a kindly smile.
"You said you’re going to Yunnan?"
"Yes, that’s correct."
Jo Pyeong nodded.
"At first, I was deeply uneasy about sending that boy to Yunnan and intended to stop it, but after watching the duel yesterday, I changed my mind. If he’s with people who raised him so splendidly, what trouble could Yunnan possibly be?"
"Ah."
Baek Cheon’s face brightened.
"Then…."
"Yes."
Jo Pyeong continued as though he were giving them everything he had.
"In fact, the Sahaesanghoe has maintained its own connections with Yunnan. Because of that, we can send out a small merchant caravan. Conveniently, that caravan leaves today, so you may travel with it."
Baek Cheon stood and cupped his hands in gratitude.
"Thank you, Merchant Guild Leader."
"Ha ha. What’s there to thank me for? You raised my son so splendidly, so I should be the one thanking you. Thank you. Truly, thank you, Young Hero Baek."
"That gratitude should go not to me, but…."
Baek Cheon glanced at Chung Myung, then continued with a smile.
"To Mount Hua’s elders and sect leader."
"Ah, of course. I also very much wish to pay a visit to Mount Hua’s elders someday."
Everything was going smoothly.
Feeling relieved that this once hopeless matter was now unravelling, Baek Cheon asked casually,
"When does that caravan depart?"
"It will leave in the afternoon. You may finish your meal and then prepare yourselves. I’m sorry that guests who came from such a distance cannot be given proper hospitality, and that we must send you on your way again so soon."
"Please don’t say that. This is what we wanted. What better hospitality could there be?"
"Ha ha. Thank you for understanding."
Baek Cheon turned his head slightly.
"You all heard the Merchant Guild Leader. As soon as breakfast is over, we prepare to leave at once."
"Yes!"
"Yes, Sasuk!"
"Understood, Sasuk!"
"I don’t want to."
"Right. Then—what?"
Huh?
It felt like something strange had just slipped into the conversation.
Baek Cheon slowly turned his head.
There stood Chung Myung, arms folded, wearing a deeply displeased expression.
"…What did you say?"
"I said I don’t want to."
"…What don’t you want?"
"I’m not going."
"Where?"
"Yunnan."
Baek Cheon smiled thinly.
Ah, so he meant he wasn’t going to Yunnan. To Yunnan?
Crack.
The sound of Baek Cheon grinding his teeth rang out clearly.
Then the fact that Jo Pyeong was sitting right beside them vanished from his mind in the same instant. A furious shout burst from Baek Cheon’s mouth.
"No, you punk! We went through all this hell to go to Yunnan, and now why are you suddenly refusing again? What the hell are you unhappy about now, you stupid little mudskipper?"
Baek Cheon’s roar shook the entire Sahaesanghoe.