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Hubei Province, a medicinal herb shop near the Wudang Sect.
The owner of the Golden Hand Merchant Guild, a large-scale business that supplied medicinal herbs to several neighboring provinces, Geum O-su had no choice but to drag his heavy body to the shop in person.
"Oh? This is..."
What awaited him at the herb shop was none other than fleeceflower root. Not just any fleeceflower root, but unmistakably a genuine "Thousand-Year Fleeceflower Root."
"Pleased to meet you. I'm called Yak-bung."
The young man who'd come to sell the thousand-year fleeceflower root had a tall, refreshing face that radiated anticipation. His sturdy shoulders and build were the very picture of an herbalist who'd spent years climbing mountains.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Geum O-su. And where did you obtain this?"
"Ha, lucky break. My wife saw in a dream a tiger that carried her on its back to a valley, and then..."
Geum O-su didn't really listen to Yak-bung's words. Didn't most people who discovered famous herbs tell stories about being guided by an ancestor in a dream or something similar?
What mattered was whether the thousand-year fleeceflower root was genuine.
And whether the young man named Yak-bung could be trusted.
'The thousand-year fleeceflower root is genuine.'
Geum O-su was confident his eyes hadn't been mistaken. As the owner of a merchant guild that had specialized in handling medicinal herbs for over a decade, he was deeply knowledgeable about spirit medicines.
He'd once seen a ten-thousand-year fleeceflower root in person, so a thousand-year one was simple to identify. The thousand-year fleeceflower root Yak-bung had brought was undeniably genuine.
'Goods don't lie, but people do.'
Geum O-su studied Yak-bung with a calm, open gaze. He certainly didn't seem to be lying, but it was worth verifying.
"Say, Jang Sam. ...Do you know that young man?"
"Yes. He's been bringing us medicinal herbs for four months now. He's diligent, and everything he collects is of medium-to-high quality, so we've been doing good business."
"Hmm..."
Four months. Not a very long time, but looking at his transaction record, it was enough to build a certain level of trust.
"Have you heard anything about where he came from, or anything like that?"
"No. But he did seem to have gotten married not long ago."
"Newlywed? Ahem."
Geum O-su cleared his throat and checked the condition of the thousand-year fleeceflower root. If the person wasn't a problem, the item was a top-grade product with no flaws for trade.
The young man had simply struck it rich.
"...Sorry about that. A lot of stolen goods have been circulating in Hubei lately."
"Stolen goods?"
The young man widened his eyes in surprise. Geum O-su quickly calmed him.
"Don't worry. I'm not saying yours are stolen goods. In nearly two years, no thousand-year fleeceflower root has been traded in Hubei, so a fresh specimen like this couldn't possibly be stolen. I apologize for making you misunderstand for no reason."
"Ha, not at all. It's fine."
Geum O-su paid the young man the price for the thousand-year fleeceflower root. The payment was higher than expected, a mix of gold and silver coins, but the young man just grinned broadly.
"By the way, do you have any dried cornus fruit? Or the fresh fruit is fine too. And pomegranates."
"What for? That's only good for women..."
The young man just smiled. He appeared to be bursting with yang energy, and at a glance, he looked like he didn't need any medicinal boost at all.
"You seem to care for your wife quite a lot. There's nothing wrong with continuing to deal with a good person. How much do you need?"
"Hmm..."
The young man stretched out his open palm.
"Give me everything you have."
"......Is your wife perhaps very ill?"
"No, it's not that."
The young man, Yak-bung, held up three fingers.
"Fact is, I happen to have several wives. Hahaha."
"......"
* * *
"I don't need any stamina booster."
I chewed on the dried arrowroot I'd received as a freebie from the Golden Hand Merchant Guild while making my rounds of the Jeonjang.
— Oh my, you've made a killing today! Congratulations, Yak-bung!
When I deposited the gold coins I'd earned from selling the thousand-year fleeceflower root, the Jeonjang staff were jumping with joy. With a prime customer like me, they didn't pry too deeply into my identity.
'If it brings in money, everyone is a customer.'
I hadn't stolen anything and sold it; I'd diligently gathered the herbs myself while roaming around the Wudang Mountain area.
There was no reason to be suspected about the source.
Because herbs aren't stolen goods.
'Selling any more stolen goods would be dangerous.'
Peeeeep!!
A whistle sounded behind me, and I turned to see two Murim Alliance martial artists running toward me.
"Young hero, may I check something for a moment?"
"Yes? Are you talking to me?"
"Yes. I'd like to check your belongings for a moment. Please comply with the inspection."
What authority did Alliance martial artists have to conduct inspections? But I obediently opened my bundle like the good law-abiding citizen I was.
"This is...?"
"Cornus fruit, pomegranate, and herbs for regulating blood flow. My wife's monthly cycle has been severe these past few days... haha."
"Ahem, my apologies. I misunderstood."
The Alliance martial artists bowed their heads and apologized to me. They were upright young men who knew how to apologize without hesitation when they'd overstepped.
"But what reason do you have for inspecting luggage?"
"Recently, many stolen goods have been circulating in the Hubei region. In particular, there's talk that a lot of items have gone missing from various Jeonjangs in Hubei Province."
"Oh, is that so? Does that mean thieves have appeared?"
"...Ahem, well—"
"What are you doing here?"
A weighty voice rang out from behind. It wasn't a Murim Alliance martial artist, but a Daoist of the Wudang Sect.
"This isn't Alliance territory, is it?"
"Ah, Daoist Hyeon-ta!"
"Sorry. We just..."
"Whom were you inspecting? If you're Alliance people, I suppose it's fine to do so to everyo—"
Daoist Hyeon-ta, Sa Jeong-hu, saw me and instantly twisted his face as if he were looking at a vicious demon. I gave him a light greeting with my eyes.
"...Well, I suppose it's fine, but please choose the time and place. If you suddenly grab people, won't they be frightened?"
"Ah... as expected of Daoist Hyeon-ta! We've learned a lot!"
"We've been very rude!!"
The martial artists hurriedly bowed and left. Daoist Hyeon-ta also immediately turned to leave.
[Where are you going? Your grandmaster is carrying luggage here.]
"......Damn it."
Daoist Hyeon-ta cursed openly, loud enough for me to hear. But I had plenty to say too.
[You learned the Taiji Wisdom Sword from Sagong Hee, and I taught the Taiji Wisdom Sword to Sagong Hee, so am I not your grandmaster? Your grandmaster is carrying such heavy luggage and you just go on your way? Ah, the martial world's propriety has truly fallen to the ground!!]
"...Young hero, how far are you going?"
"Ah, thank you!!"
When I clapped my hands and laughed, Daoist Hyeon-ta frowned as if he genuinely found me loathsome.
"I have a house at the foot of Wudang Mountain. If it's all right, may I invite you...?"
The moment people lost interest in us, I dropped my respectful speech. There was no need to speak formally to Daoist Hyeon-ta, Sa Jeong-hu, when no one else was listening.
"Damn it. So what is it this time, you swindler Mubung."
"Aha, a swindler? I've mastered the Taiji Wisdom Sword to the peak, and I've done so much for the Wudang Sect, yet you call me a swindler?"
"Enough. Just give me that stuff. Damn it, I was the idiot for thinking you were my martial uncle who'd returned to youth."
Sa Jeong-hu grumbled as he took my luggage. Whatever the case, seniority was the most important thing in the martial world, and especially the First Elder of the Wudang Sect, the most orthodox of the orthodox, had to follow the commands of a grandmaster—who was as heaven.
"Cheeky bastard."
"Huh, really. If it weren't for the Taiji Flower, I would have reported you to the Murim Alliance immediately. That the Lust Demon who kidnapped Dokgo Yeon is right here."
"Oh dear, the Wudang Sect would be turned upside down. For sheltering the Lust Demon."
"You... you..."
Sa Jeong-hu ground his teeth and clutched his sword. I patted his shoulder a couple of times and pointed ahead.
"Hahaha, don't worry. Wudang Mountain will become the site of the new clan I'll establish. Would I ever bring harm to my wife's sect?"
"Grandmaster Mubung, do you even know the meaning of the word conscience?"
"I've lived honorably under heaven, so what do I have to be ashamed of to talk about conscience? Good grief. Just complaining because you never got married."
"Huh. The whole world should know your true face."
I fixed a meaningful gaze on Sa Jeong-hu and patted his shoulder.
"Hyeon-ta, if you just keep your mouth firmly shut, everything will go smoothly. Just quietly keep quiet about my identity, my age, my martial arts, my entire existence. Got it?"
"......"
Sa Jeong-hu looked like he had countless things he wanted to say to me, but he said nothing. He yielded to the Taiji Divine Art I was infusing through my palm as I patted his shoulder.
"Hm? The Taiji Wisdom Sword—aren't you about to surpass two stars soon? Among the living Daoists of Wudang, is there anyone besides Sagong Hee and myself who has mastered three stars?"
"......Really, you."
Sa Jeong-hu glared at me with eyes filled with genuine injustice.
"Someday you'll face the karma for deceiving the world like this."
"Deceive the world? I'm simply striving to make a world where everyone is happy."
"That's right."
Step, step.
Had we already reached our destination? Bathed in sunlight, a woman with dark brown hair waved in the breeze and greeted me with a benevolent smile.
"Did you come together today for a particular reason?"
"I met him on the way."
"Fufu, Uncle Hyeon-ta. Would you like to stay for a meal?"
The beauty who now revealed her true face, Sagong Hee, was at the rather impressive Cheon Family Estate. With its separate main and guest buildings, it was more than enough to receive guests in the guest house.
"It's fine. ...No reason to go in and suffer some calamity."
"Fufufu, Daoist Hyeon-ta is indeed a wise man."
A black-haired, red-eyed woman seated nonchalantly on the raised wooden platform in the yard, Lee Si-a, waved her hand casually.
For the Young Heavenly Demon of the Demonic Cult to greet a Wudang Sect elder in the middle of Wudang Mountain was certainly not an ordinary sight, but here at the Cheon Family Estate, it was everyday life.
Righteous, unorthodox, demonic.
Black, white.
This was the place where everything would be equal under heaven—the Cheon Family Estate.
"Oh my, hello, Daoist."
Just then, Dokgo Yeon, carrying a food tray out of the kitchen, smiled warmly at Daoist Hyeon-ta.
"What brings you here today?"
"......Ahem, I'm terribly sorry if you're in the middle of eating."
Sa Jeong-hu glanced at me and raised his sword. At the look in his eyes as he sought permission from Sagong Hee and then from me, Dokgo Yeon gave up and set the food tray down on the platform.
"Eat first. It's noodles, so they'll get soggy soon."
"Can't you spar after you finish eating?"
"Your belly will bulge, so no, sister."
Shing. Dokgo Yeon drew her sword. The blade forged by the greatest blacksmith in Hubei was not much different from the sword Sa Jeong-hu held.
"...Here I come, senior."
But the aura flowing from the sword was extraordinary. The gentle, docile Dokgo Yeon who had been holding a kitchen knife and cooking moments ago had vanished, and the Sky-Shattering Divine Sword, radiating sharp qi, was now glaring at Sa Jeong-hu.
"Mm...!!"
Sa Jeong-hu lifted his sword diagonally and assumed his stance.
The Dugu Nine Swords and the Taiji Sword.
Strike First to Control the Enemy and Use Softness to Overcome Hardness.
When two martial arts of opposite natures interlocked, the stronger one was bound to win.
"We'll just eat and watch."
I lifted the bowl filled with boiling broth. Inside, noodles as thin as hairs were prettily coiled.
"Hmm..."
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, the shape just reminds me of hair done up like a dumpling."
I recalled the hairstyle the waitresses usually wore.
"Hair like a dumpling? Isn't that from the story of Marquis Wu?"
"Yes, that's right. It's said that on his return from subjugating the south, he used them as tribute to pacify the sea in place of people."
"Hmm..."
A bad memory suddenly came to mind. Now that I thought about it, there was a valuable item over there that would be a waste not to take care of, but I'd have to go down even further than Sichuan, so it was far too distant.
'That would take even longer before I can go see Wol-a.'
Too far. If there's no specific reason to go, postponing it for later isn't so bad. I slurped the noodles.
"Now that you mention Marquis Wu, it makes me think of something, Bi-cheon. Aren't you going to bed the daughter of the Jegal Clan?"
"Crouching White Phoenix? ...At this point, deliberately?"
"The Lust Demon refusing a woman—can such a thing even be possible?"
"No, it's not that..."
I felt awkward for no particular reason.
"I haven't even violated Moyong Ran, whom I announced in advance, so going to Jegal Seon without any prior notice is a bit..."
That's right.
It had already been nearly four months since I had violated Paeng Sin-hye.
I had only said I would violate Moyong Ran, and hadn't even set foot in Liaodong.