Chapter 47

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Translator: MadScientist

Chapter: 47

Chapter Title: If the Opportunity is Three Times Greater, the Risk is Three Times Greater (1)

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Following Geum Sihyeon, rumors spread through the Hundred Flowers Academy that the other two—Moyong Taek and Unhak—had also reached the Peak realm.

The Thirteen Orphans Club was enjoying its greatest heyday since its founding, and 'that place,' now neatly repaired and cleaned with Geum Sihyeon's money, had become a holy site for the members.

Of course, the fact that it was an achievement tainted by the shame of card-switching became a secret shared only by those three.

The mahjong parlors near the academy were also packed with First-Rate martial artists, and the professional gamblers welcomed the fresh suckers with broad grins.

Unfortunately, one blabbermouth's tip-off led to Moyong Seol uprooting and smashing an entire mahjong parlor.

Still, mahjong's popularity continued to soar.

It was truly the flow of the times.

And then.

"Empty your mind. Empty it."

"What comes freely goes freely, what comes freely goes freely."

"Hey there, junior, spare a coin for a beggar? You never know, it might bring you fortune."

Unhak didn't hoard his enlightenment; he kindly explained it to anyone who asked.

Beings who were neither Beggars' Sect disciples nor true beggars began appearing around the academy.

In Buddhist terms, non-possession.

In Daoist terms, non-action and natural flow.

Martial artists who couldn't let go of their desire for enlightenment but could shed their possessions lined up and started living simply.

Thanks to that, the common folk of Xi'an grew wealthier, a great boon for the entire martial world.

But no matter how hard the latecomers struggled, they couldn't match the original hot spot's popularity.

At the center of that whirlwind.

Excluding Luri, who had already been Peak realm, Geum Sihyeon—the first to reach Peak—drew the most massive attention since entering the academy.

And he was a man who knew how to cleverly exploit the situation.

[Handshake Event Where You Might Gain Enlightenment]

[Feat. Moyong Taek, Unhak]

In one corner of the East Dormitory, Geum Sihyeon held a modest event targeted at the male students.

Leading his two slaves bound by debt.

The bait of providing a low-grade spirit pill just for attending spurred active participation.

As a result, Geum Sihyeon collected the IDs of nearly all the First-Rate students in the East Dormitory in a single day.

The oblivious students grinned, shook hands, absorbed good vibes, and scored a spirit pill.

A perfect world where no one got hurt.

But.

"...These lowly scum forget their place and run wild."

A dissatisfied man sauntered in.

It was Moyong Wicheon.

But Moyong Taek was no longer the old Moyong Taek.

"Hey there. First-Rate little ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bro."

He carved three river marks into Moyong Wicheon's furrowed brow.

"What did you say?"

Ignoring the fuming Moyong Wicheon's reaction.

"Call me Taek hyung. My birthday's even earlier than yours."

Grinning slyly, Moyong Taek pointed a finger skyward.

A strand of qi slipped from his fingertip, swirled in the air, then burst like fireworks in a dazzling display.

It was the Peak Challenge trending on Mutube Shorts lately.

Not to be outdone, the two men beside him went pop, pop!

Adding two more bursts of splendor.

"Ooh!"

"Seeing it in person for the first time...!"

As the First-Rate students gasped in admiration, the three idiots' lips all curled in identical sleazy smirks.

"Y-You...!"

Moyong Wicheon's face twisted into an indescribably grotesque expression, like realizing his first love was a dude.

Rumors that Moyong Wicheon had entered secluded training spread the next day.

May at the Hundred Flowers Academy brimmed with wild freedom.

Even in the original story.

After exams dragging to the end of April.

May brought a month without classes, filled with festivals and all sorts of events.

A crucial weekend where you hustle heroines' affection for a happy harem end.

I headed out with one barely ripe little girl you couldn't quite call a woman yet.

A quiet puppy nestled in Luri's arms.

"Candy."

"I'll buy some later."

"Hmph."

Two reasons for lugging this sugar-addicted lump.

- Young master. Sorry, but could you watch Luri today? I'll treat you to something delicious tonight!

A request from Narang and Sojeo.

Dalam was struggling with city life lately and wanted to head to the nearby mountains for some fresh air.

Luri would hole up in her room all day spewing crap posts if left alone.

For the greater good of curbing the gallery's harm, and to enjoy a cozy dinner date with Narang and Sojeo, I gladly accepted.

The other reason? Obviously, Master Ttolbu.

I'd brought her home, but couldn't fully trust her yet, so I planned to use her as a minimal safety measure.

With light heart, I returned home with the baggage.

"The third young master brought a girl... no, a lady!"

"The Geum family will continue at last! Oh no, ma'am! Maaa'am!"

"Refusing all matchmaking till now... his tastes..."

"Uwaaak! No!"

The moment I passed the gate, I faced a barrage of misunderstandings.

A fierce storm passed.

I'd just thought of it as adding one more stubborn cat atop the puppy, but how did it escalate like this?

Even Mother came out, grabbing and cooing over Luri, which tugged at my heartstrings.

I need to marry off First Bro and Second Bro this year.

Anyway.

Surprisingly, the old folks hit it off.

The Life and Death Divine Doctor and Master Ttolbu were deep in a match in the garden midday.

"Oh, Sihyeon. Long time no see."

"Nephew!"

The white-bearded Divine Doctor greeted me majestically, while the cleanly shaven Master Ttolbu bolted straight for Luri.

But.

"Booze smell."

"Kuhk...!"

Once again, blocked by Luri's iron wall.

After that, I trained with my Sword Demon master for about two hours.

And I hit a wall.

Not just inner power or enlightenment, but even in pure sword understanding.

Every move of my Sword Demon master was the epitome of orthodoxy.

The sword's primal purpose.

Stabbing and slashing people dead, most faithfully.

From qi control to the smallest motion and breath, all forged in perfection—that was my master's sword.

"Not bad."

"...I still feel sorely lacking."

My master, who etched cuts all over me, grinned.

"That's why I like you. Half-baked martial artists are all full of ego, hard to straighten out."

"How do you fix them?"

"Beat 'em to near death, or just kill 'em."

His smile held zero regret, hinting at Master Ttolbu's rotten personality.

I sighed and gripped my sword again.

Meanwhile, the Divine Doctor was pestering blankly seated Luri.

"Hmm. You're unique, so unique. No matter how I look. Mind if I take your pulse once?"

"No."

Respect for elders? Luri's blind spot.

I refocused on Master Ttolbu and swung.

About five seconds later.

Another small hole punched in me.

As I hurriedly staunched the spurting blood.

"Come to think, the inner art you learned was Northern Bright Divine Art?"

"Yes."

"Hmm. Northern Bright."

Master Ttolbu suddenly slashed, riddling the training ground's outer wall in an instant.

No breaks anywhere, just precise scratches—a masterful feat.

The characters 'Northern Bright' engraved themselves on the wall.

"Like this?"

"Exactly."

As I replied halfheartedly, thinking of repair bills later.

"Saw a strange stone chamber near Wuhou Temple with those characters amid unreadable ones at the entrance. Didn't wanna force it open, so left it."

Sudden premium info?

Respect for my Sword Demon master +10.

Unreadable characters... probably Hangul.

A sequel opportunity with after-service for the martial art?

My heart fluttered.

"Where's Wuhou Temple?"

"Temple in Ojangwon, built to honor Wuhou."

"Who's Wuhou?"

My master's face turned the most demonic I'd seen.

"Heh heh, wonder what happened to that boiling decoction."

"...Danger."

The bickering Divine Doctor and Luri hit the escape button and vanished.

I should've bolted at the bad vibe too, but sadly missed the timing.

"Wuhou is short for Duke of Loyalty and Valor, referring to Zhuge Liang, first prime minister of Shu Han. His wondrous ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stratagems awed even heaven, devoting his life from the throne to Shu's revival. Especially 'To devote oneself wholly, sparing no effort, until death.'—exhaust every effort till body breaks and death follows—a model for any martial artist. He first appeared in the world in Nanyang, yes, that muddleheaded Cao fellow..."

From then till sunset, my ears bled learning Zhuge Liang lore.

Respect for Master Ttolbu -30, replaced by Shu bias.

Cheon Luri rescued Geum Sihyeon from the endless Three Kingdoms hell.

"Time."

Cheon Luri appeared in colorful, cute clothes fit for a kid's outfit.

- Oh, sweetie. Where you off to? Fancy being my chat buddy?

Unfortunately, she caught a middle-aged woman's eyes full of pure affection.

- Sweetie, you're so pretty. My daughter was like you once. Now she's a rascal... Sweetie, try this on?

Couldn't refuse, got dragged to snacks, and snapped to—turned into a dress-up doll.

"Thus, Master Wolong summoned the southeast wind at last, startling Lord Zhou—gahk."

Wiji Ryang, mid-Red Cliffs tale, clutched his chest at Luri's sight and collapsed.

"Thanks, Luri."

Geum Sihyeon gazed at her with genuine, heartfelt emotion.

"Heh."

Luri smirked, pleased at somehow dominating him, reason unknown.

"Whoa, whoaaa! Luri, what's this? Where'd you get those clothes? Sooo cute...! Young master Geum looks extra handsome today too!"

Myo Narang, back from mountain hiking with Dalam all day, adored the sight, petting Luri nonstop.

Thus, it strayed from Geum Sihyeon's cozy date dream.

"Luri, try this! Tasty!"

"Om nom."

To onlookers, they looked like a sweet couple out at the night market with their little daughter—warm and happy times flowed.

All passersby smiled fondly at the scene.

Except.

Crunch.

Grind.

Chomp.

"Jealousjealousjealousjealousjealousjealousjealousjealousjealousjealousjealousjealousjealousjealousjealous...!"

One red-haired woman watching from afar, gnashing teeth and biting nails, muttering endlessly.

After etching the cozy dinner date with Narang and Sojeo deep in my heart, the next day.

I packed for a trip—not too far, not too close.

Ojangwon lay north of Mount Taihang.

From my midterm sprint estimate, even without the puppy, a leisurely round trip in three days was doable.

Plenty of buffer to make the academy festival on time.

Mind-Image Sword Debate tournament, sparring contests.

Big events too good to miss.

- That area? I smashed all the bandits and dark sects there. Safest spot in the Central Plains now.

Even Master twirled his knife casually and certified it.

No issues en route expected.

The only problem.

Like when I picked up the puppy before—

If the opportunity triples, so does the risk.

"Hmm."

Haso-hyeop trait.

Suffer alone, hog it all.

Partner-hyeop trait.

Suffer together, split it.

Considered bringing a master for safety.

Sword Aunt and Chicken Aunt busy with academy duties.

Master Ttolbu? Might flip to demonic cult if provoked—rejected.

Couldn't drag Luri or Narang/Sojeo to potential danger.

Conclusion.

Extreme genius trait.

Debt-leverage the suffering, solo the gains.

Northern Bright Divine Art content? Only I can consume it anyway.

I summoned the idiots.

No need for wordy philosophy between us.

"Found an opportunity spot. First two get in."

"Let's go. Luck's on today."

"How could I refuse Brother Geum's request?"

Three-man party.

Formed.

We left the academy at once.