Chapter 19
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: No Way, That Actually Works?! (1)
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“What should I do?”
Yi Geum-yeong, having arrived at the Tang Clan's fortress, paced anxiously.
Jin Je-yong had cut her off so coldly that she had no idea how to approach him again.
“Damn it, how was I supposed to know Sir Jin was that strong?”
In her eyes, Jin Je-yong was at the level of a peak master. A skill level possessed only by the elders of the great sects. Considering his age, there was no telling how much stronger he would become.
She wondered if, with a bit of luck, he might even join the ranks of the Twenty-Two Masters Under Heaven within a decade or so.
“Should I be satisfied with just having uncovered a fragment of A-mun's past through his junior brother?”
That alone was valuable information for the Embroidered Guard.
They had also begun investigating his master, the Divine Sword Jin Sang-ho.
He was the man who had trained two peak masters: A-mun and Jin Je-yong.
“No, that's not enough. That alone is insufficient.”
If the Embroidered Guard was the sword that eliminated enemies outside the imperial court, the Eastern Depot's blade was pointed inward, at the officials.
A-mun was the second-in-command of that very Eastern Depot.
Unlike the aging Head Eunuch Huan, he was young and powerful. More importantly, he had earned the Emperor's trust through his flawless execution of tasks.
“The man I thought was a weakness, Jin Je-yong, is too strong.”
Yi Geum-yeong clutched her head and groaned at her own words.
At this rate, the chances of her mission failing were high.
As Yi Geum-yeong fretted, Jin Je-yong emerged from the Tang fortress. A slender, handsome young man followed behind him.
“Warrior Yi!”
Jin Je-yong spotted Yi Geum-yeong and waved.
Yi Geum-yeong, who had been cautiously watching, jumped back in surprise.
“S-Sir Jin?”
Seeing Jin Je-yong's attitude, which was completely different from when they parted at the Jungrang Inn, Yi Geum-yeong grew wary.
Jin Je-yong, for his part, was glad to see her.
*The one who knows my eldest brother's whereabouts.*
He had kept his distance because of the Tang Clan affair, but now, with A-mun's location unknown, he couldn't help but welcome this reunion with Yi Geum-yeong.
Jin Je-yong smiled and called out to her.
“Warrior Yi Geum-yeong, where are you headed?”
“Me? I was just... Anyway, you made it out of the Tang Clan safely.”
Yi Geum-yeong mumbled, quickly shifting to a question.
The Tang Clan was one of the Five Great Clans, a massive power. Although the main family's martial artists had rarely been seen recently, those from the branch family's fortress were very active in the Righteous Alliance and other circles.
“The matter with the Tang Clan has been resolved. They frankly admitted their crime of insulting my school.”
“I see. ...What? The Tang Clan admitted it?”
Yi Geum-yeong was stunned by his words.
The Tang Clan she knew from official reports was a family that valued face above all else; they would never apologize easily to anyone.
Moreover, Jin Je-yong was the one who had killed a member of their clan.
“Isn't that right?”
“Yes! Our Tang Clan was guilty of dishonoring Young Master Jin's school. If one values their own school, they must respect others' as well. The fault lies with the Tang Clan for failing to properly educate Dang Jin-wi.”
Jin Je-yong nudged the man, who looked to be in his early twenties, and the man rattled off the answer as if he had memorized it.
Yi Geum-yeong stared at the man, dumbfounded. His face looked familiar, and she realized she had seen his portrait while studying the martial world's political landscape.
*D-Don't tell me... the Young Lord of the Tang Clan?*
Recognizing Dang Jin-seong, Yi Geum-yeong was speechless.
He was a man who rarely showed his face outside of the Five Great Clans' assemblies. It had taken the Embroidered Guard considerable effort just to obtain his portrait.
“This is Jin-seong. He's decided to help me for a while. Isn't that right?”
“Yes! I, Dang Jin-seong, the Young Lord of the Tang Clan, will accompany Young Master Jin to spread the greatness of the Sinnae Sword School!”
“...Sir Jin, what is this situation?”
It was strange enough that the reclusive Young Lord of the Tang Clan had appeared, but it was even stranger that someone of his stature would travel with another to promote a different school.
Furthermore, he was so tense he looked as if he were being threatened.
*Nah, no way... Would the Young Lord of the Tang Clan really be threatened by someone?*
The Sichuan Tang Clan, masters of poison and hidden weapons. For hundreds of years, they had been a powerhouse in the Sichuan martial world, alongside the Qingcheng and Emei Sects.
No one would believe that the heir of such a clan was being threatened by a swordsmanship instructor from a backwater village.
“So, where are you headed?”
“We're going to the Yangcheong Sect. I need to clean up a mess my senior brother made.”
“The Yangcheong Sect? Isn't that a vassal sect of the Qingcheng Sect... Wait, senior brother? Who are you talking about?”
One might have found Yi Geum-yeong's rapid-fire questions bothersome, but Jin Je-yong answered frankly without a hint of displeasure.
“Je Yung-geon. My fourth senior brother.”
“Je Yung-geon, Je Yung-geon...”
Yi Geum-yeong muttered, repeating the name to herself.
All she knew about the Sinnae Sword School was Jin Je-yong's astonishing martial skill, his disciples Jeok-sam and Nam Gyeong, and the formidable figure, Jin Sang-ho, who had trained both A-mun and Jin Je-yong.
*If he's a master who produced disciples like A-mun and Jin Je-yong, what kind of person must he be?*
Since Jin Sang-ho's disciples were all peak masters, this Je Yung-geon couldn't possibly be a pushover.
As they say, outstanding disciples gather under an excellent teacher.
*I'll have to report on Je Yung-geon and have them dig into him as well.*
Jin Je-yong spoke to the thoughtful Yi Geum-yeong.
“I heard he was excommunicated ten years ago and has been wandering the martial world since. I only just found a trace of him here at the Tang Clan.”
He lied with a straight face.
Beside him, Dang Jin-seong, who had been listening, wore a peculiar expression.
“Excommunicated? Was there some sort of incident?”
“Yes. He ignored our master's teachings and tried to kill a fellow disciple.”
“Kill a fellow disciple? He's lucky he only got excommunicated. They didn't destroy his dantian or sever the tendons in his limbs?”
Typically, when a sect excommunicated someone, they would cripple their dantian and sever the tendons in their limbs to prevent their martial arts from being leaked.
The Shaolin Temple was particularly famous for such punishments.
“How could you be so cruel... We are not so savage.”
Jin Je-yong waved his hand as if to dismiss the notion.
Unlike a sect, his was a school that taught martial arts for money. Even for excommunication, they wouldn't inflict such punishments. They would simply kick the person out.
Yi Geum-yeong had assumed that because Jin Sang-ho's martial arts were so profound, he would handle excommunicated disciples in the same manner as a typical sect.
“R-Right? I suppose that makes sense.”
“So, we're heading to the Yangcheong Sect. Would you care to join us, Warrior Yi?”
“Of course! I'll guide you to Cheonggye County, where the Yangcheong Sect is located.”
Yi Geum-yeong beamed at the thought of being able to investigate Jin Je-yong again.
Jin Je-yong also accepted her with a gentle smile.
Only Dang Jin-seong watched Jin Je-yong, his face pale.
*This man isn't just strong in martial arts!*
The Jin Je-yong he saw after leaving the fortress gates was completely different from the one who had crushed the Tang Clan with simple, brute force.
He spun lies without the slightest tremor in his voice.
Forced to serve Jin Je-yong, Dang Jin-seong grew even more tense. He suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe.
***
“Instructor Jin, that is Haengbong County. We can spend the night there.”
Dang Jin-seong pointed to a distant village.
My gaze, and Yi Geum-yeong's, fell upon the fence built at the end of the main road.
“Haengbong County... The Aro Sect and the Ichi Sect are there, right?”
“They are sects founded by disciples of the Emei and Qingcheng Sects, respectively.”
The two of them added a comment each.
Having lived my whole life in Sinnae Village, I was ignorant of worldly affairs, so I listened intently to their words.
“They're both righteous sects, but since they're situated right across from each other, I hear they don't get along.”
“Don't the Qingcheng or Emei Sects mediate?”
“Just because a former disciple founds a sect doesn't mean it becomes a vassal sect like Yangcheong, Sir Jin.”
According to Warrior Yi Geum-yeong, certain qualifications and requirements had to be met to become a vassal sect.
The specific conditions varied by sect, but most required having master-level disciples or a comparable martial force.
“Then what about the Aro and Ichi Sects?”
“They're just common, minor sects of the Central Plains.”
Dang Jin-seong, still unable to break his habit, made a remark looking down on other sects.
Is it a trait of the Tang Clan? They fawn over the strong and bully the weak.
“If you value your own sect...”
“I-I was speaking in terms of scale, Instructor Jin!”
Dang Jin-seong waved his hands in alarm.
When I turned my gaze to Yi Geum-yeong, she nodded in agreement with Dang Jin-seong.
“With fewer than fifty disciples each, and the sect leader and elder positions passed down through generations, they're practically family-run businesses. Both of them.”
“Hmm...”
I had heard stories about the various sects of the martial world from my master.
My experienced master had told me about the great powers like the Nine Great Sects, One Union, and the Five Great Clans, but he also pointed out the difficulties and problems faced by small and medium-sized sects.
*Jeok-sam was the one who listened most intently to those stories.*
I, on the other hand, was so preoccupied with learning Master's martial arts that even though I attended his other lessons, not much of it stuck with me.
What I did remember was that small sects with disciple counts in the double digits were nothing more than cannon fodder in the martial world, unless an extraordinary master emerged from their ranks.
*The reason Master left the Righteous Alliance was because they treated warriors as expendable pawns, contrary to their founding ideals.*
And that was also why, despite having been a part of it, Master had no intention of officially joining the Righteous Alliance.
A stark contrast to the soft-hearted Nam Gyeong, who admired the Righteous Alliance, the rulers of the orthodox martial world.
“Then we should avoid causing any trouble.”
I said, looking at Dang Jin-seong.
The Tang Clan folk had a habit of looking down on people and speaking thoughtlessly.
“O-Of course!”
“The reason people from the Tang Clan often die young is because they speak carelessly. Always watch your mouth, watch your words. And watch out for people.”
The reason I sought out the Tang Clan was because of Dang Jin-wi, and the reason I decided not to help them out of goodwill was because of Dang Jin-seong's arrogant attitude.
Although Senior Brother Je Yung-geon's trap was waiting for me, if it hadn't been for Dang Jin-wi, I would have had nothing to do with the Tang Clan.
“I will carve Instructor Jin's words into my bones!”
“Yes, you'd do well to carve them deep.”
“By the way, Young Lord, why is it that you're traveling with Sir Jin?”
“...Don't ask.”
Perhaps because Dang Jin-seong was in a foul mood, Yi Geum-yeong's question was deflected outright.
***
“Is this the Soul Return Pill that's said to improve one's martial skill?”
Pyo Il-bong examined the pill in his hand with a doubtful expression.
He had heard the rumors but found them hard to believe. If it merely increased internal energy, he could understand, as there were many elixirs like the Great Recovery Pill or the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng.
But he had never heard of a medicine that improved one's martial arts itself.
It seemed like a scam no matter how he looked at it, but the memory of an Aro Sect warrior suddenly displaying astonishing skill lingered in his mind.
*The skill of the Aro Sect warriors suddenly improved.*
The Ichi Sect, to which Pyo Il-bong belonged, was a rival of the Aro Sect across the way.
The martial skills of the two sects' disciples were roughly equal, and their numbers were similar, leading to endless minor and major squabbles for over a decade.
“If you cannot believe it, then forget it.”
The man in the white martial arts uniform said, closing the wooden box.
Pyo Il-bong grabbed his hand in alarm.
“No, it's not that I don't believe you.”
If the qualitative gap between their warriors continued to widen, the Ichi Sect would be crushed by the Aro Sect.
As the Ichi Sect's top master, Pyo Il-bong could not overlook this.
“So, what are the instructions for its use?”
“After taking the Soul Return Pill, you must absolutely not circulate your internal energy for half a day. If you move your qi before the medicine has fully permeated your body, there is a risk of qi deviation.”
“No circulating energy for half a day.”
Pyo Il-bong nodded, repeating the man's explanation.
Then, he took a heavy money pouch from his robes and handed it to the man.
*With this, I too... can become a true master!*
Pyo Il-bong's eyes, fixed on the Soul Return Pill, gleamed with an uncanny light.