Chapter 240
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 240
Chapter Title: New Era's Geumhyeon Sect Master (3)
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I hesitated a bit about rushing straight to the government office to resolve this horrific situation.
No matter how much this primitive ancient Central Plains land was a lawless paradise, there was no way such a massive structure could have popped up overnight without any legal procedures.
So, I decided to focus on getting a grasp of the situation first.
Thus, when I finally set foot in Geumhyeon Sect after such a long time.
"Kyuit!"
"Long time no see."
I exchanged greetings with the former divine beast—now the current home security guard (who wasn't doing any guarding)—lying spread-eagled on the eco-friendly grassy field at the entrance gate, basking in the gentle breeze.
Then I sauntered further inside.
And then.
From the garden I'd meticulously prepared with such care, a boisterous clamor of oddly familiar voices drifted over.
A foreboding chill prickled through all my senses.
But this was my house.
How could the homeowner run off scared of mere guests?
So, I walked on with unwavering confidence, no matter the time or place.
With my stealth technique cranked to the max to mask my presence, I stealthily peeked into the garden.
There.
"Where'd the old mahjong geezer wander off to?"
"Ugh. Quit your whining and wait. This hand feels like a sure win."
Moyong Family Patriarch—Moyong Seol's father—Moyong Danha.
And Green Forest's Supreme Leader—Seo Dohee's father—Seo Taepyeong.
"Master, did you check that poison?"
"Hohoho. At my age, you think I'd go messing with toxins? My disciple can handle it just fine."
The former Demonic Cult and Blood Cult poison master elder Dang Woolyang and the Divine Doctor were playing mahjong.
What kind of otherworldly lineup was this?
Not like some Artisans Avengers assemble or anything.
At least Master wasn't there. Small mercies.
Come to think of it, what was that old codger up to these days? He wasn't even reading my messages.
The moment I got tangled up in that mess, nothing good would come of it—no matter how I sliced it—so I tried to skirt far around the garden and head straight for my sweet home.
"Kyau!"
"Agh, damn, you startled me."
Not sure when it had ditched Narin and circled back, but the wolf pup lunged out of nowhere and tackled me with excited barks.
"Oh, Sect Master?"
"……Narang. Long time no see."
I ended up face-to-face with Narang, who had been fetching snacks for the elders.
The instant Narang's eyes narrowed sharply.
"Son-in-law, when did you get here?"
"Hey, you son-in-law bastard. Get over here."
The duo of prospective fathers-in-law—with their absurdly sky-high martial prowess—noticed me like ghosts and flung out their summons.
"Th-the elders. You all look exceptionally well."
I offered the most polite greeting I could muster, eyes wide like a cow headed to the slaughterhouse.
Before long, a relentless barrage of tongue-lashings utterly ignored my wishes and began jabbing at my solar plexus.
"Elders? With your father-in-law right here, instead of 'Father-in-law, welcome,' you call us elders? I never took in a scoundrel like you as a son-in-law."
"The son-in-law bastard's manners are lacking, sure. But the Divine Doctor elder isn't his father-in-law, so it's not entirely wrong."
"My daughter? Haha, she's right here."
"Master. Narang is my daughter."
"Master and disciple are one. If he learned medicine from me, he's my disciple—and my daughter too. Woolyang, why fuss over such trivia?"
"Hahaha. Then we've got four fathers-in-law here? Youth really is wasted on the young."
"Last time I only gave him a shiner on one eye. This time, I wanna blacken both."
"Moyong brother, ease up. He's still your son-in-law."
"Seo brother, you're too soft. What about you, Dang brother? Fancy poisoning him?"
"That klutz has Immunity to All Poisons."
Ha.
When did they even become sworn brothers?
Escape attempt pending, for real...
The result of tanking the prospective fathers-in-law's intangible poisons straight-up until late into the night?
I was utterly wrecked.
To break it down.
The Divine Doctor and prospective father-in-law Dang Woolyang had straight-up occupied Geumhyeon Sect, opened a clinic, and were now settled in dispensing medicine to the people of Xi'an.
The Moyong Family was starting to feel the limits of their national defense obligations and were negotiating with the imperial court and the entertainment biz to relocate their main base to Xi'an.
As for the toll road crew... well, their old stronghold had doubled as HQ before, but now they'd properly separated things out and secured a legit business premises.
"But, uh, that land..."
"Sect Master. Were you planning to cling to it forever?"
"Ungh."
Deputy Sect Master Narang's words left me shriveling up like origami.
Narang's savvy in flipping it for nearly ten times what I'd paid was impressive, and besides—friendly forces expanding around Geumhyeon Sect was a net positive anyway.
"Long time no see, and we're just gonna talk shop?"
"Mm, sorry. Got a lot to catch up on."
I let out a sigh and shrugged off my robe more comfortably. Narang took it as naturally as breathing.
Come to think of it.
This was my first time back in the sect master's office in ages, yet it gleamed spotless.
"I cleaned it every single day. What do you think?"
"As expected of our deputy sect master."
"With only two disciples, what deputy?"
After that.
We savored a late dinner together, relishing the divine flavors whipped up by the world's greatest chef Narang after so long, swapping stories we'd missed out on.
Mostly academy and disciple tales.
"Unhak became Beggars' Sect Leader, huh?"
"Practically my handiwork."
"Beggars' Sect is doomed..."
"Hahat."
We even gossiped mercilessly about that beggar scum.
"Narin unnie's gotten way more sociable."
"That much?"
"She can come out of her room by herself now."
"……That much?"
Stories about Narin's recent dramatic changes.
And beyond that—graduation trials at Wudang, all sorts—we traded tales, lost in conversation as time flew by.
Ah.
Right.
"Oh yeah, we're set to gain one more disciple soon."
"Who?"
"Baek Riyeon."
The moment Riyeon's name dropped, Narang froze mid-motion.
"Baek Riyeon? Why her?"
What.
Did our vice president have beef with the junior?
But it was already half-decided, so I laid out the full story honestly for Narang.
Narang's face stayed impassive as she listened.
Instead.
"Sect Master~."
The tail dragged out longer.
"……Why?"
"Did you know Riyeon is a woman?"
I couldn't bring myself to answer, but my brief hesitation seemed answer enough for Narang.
The Beast Palace Lord's dainty fist seized my collar.
More precisely, my robe's tie-string.
"Sect Master."
"Uh, um."
"I told you to prepare yourself when you got back to Xi'an? And you've gone and added another woman?"
Not like that yet.
Just spare me.
Last night's life-or-death struggle naturally ended in victory for this body with its superior martial arts.
But it left a few scratches on my back.
They say back wounds are a swordsman's shame—why did my protective aura activate so selectively? A fleeting martial studies conundrum drifted through my mind.
"That."
I meekly fed food to Narang—who'd taken even worse internal damage but wore a Thanos-gathered-all-the-stones grin—and politely folded away that pointless question, consigning it to the heavens.
"Staying in Xi'an?"
"Probably, for the time being."
Dohee would be back soon from the toll road mess, Seol was due in Xi'an any day now.
And Luri was barreling straight at me with a full-throated roar.
So maybe a month of lounging around Xi'an, redoubling my cloud-and-rain arts training, wouldn't be so bad.
"Waist feeling okay?"
"Would it be, Sect Master?"
"Hm."
Averting my gaze, I went to pop another skewered bandit into her mouth.
Boom!
The door to the sect master's office—with its two whole disciples—burst open violently.
Who was this irreverent intruder?
"Geum Sihyeon! I think we need to head out now!"
The squirrel was kyuiting up a storm.
.
.
.
I left the barely mobile Narang with the squirrel, brushed off her meaningful "Told you you couldn't handle it alone?" jab with one ear and out the other.
Then, donning proper sect master robes befitting Geumhyeon Sect's leader, I personally strode to the main gate to identify the gall who dared visit uninvited.
"Hey. Long time no see?"
"You've been well. I should've come pay respects first, but things have been hectic."
Murim Alliance Leader Dan Yuwol.
Despite the chill setting in.
I itched to toss a quip at that scrawny, aged, not-a-hint-of-softness old-tree physique of hers that no one asked for.
But her icy expression screamed that even a joke might spark disaster, so I reined it in.
"Any contact with your master, the Sword Demon?"
We'd lost touch with Master even before I left Xi'an.
I'd even tried hooking him up with Nangong's sword geek for a mind-image sword debate bromance, but his messages still sat at unread #1.
"Haven't heard a peep lately."
Dan Yuwol sighed.
"Doesn't seem like you're lying."
As if someone as truthful as me would fib.
Resentment bubbled up just a touch.
"A while back, recluse Yu Un-geom got ambushed by some assailant and fell into critical condition."
"Oh no...?"
"Yu Un-geom's in no state to give testimony, but the investigation turned up traces of the Sword Demon's signature heart-image technique—Martial Return to Origin—right at the scene."
"What?"
Master.
What the hell are you up to...?