Chapter 152: Contact (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 152: Contact (3)
'Utter embarrassment?'
The slang, something you’d expect from a back-alley thug, suited her surprisingly well.
Jeong Yeon-shin calmly clasped his hands in a salute to Ak Su-rim, a gesture of gratitude for her encouragement.
"I have a question."
"Hmm? What is it?"
"The Great Restoration Pill offered as a reward for the Sect Founding Ceremony. May I use it for my own purposes?"
The boy had barely finished his calm question when—
Ahahaha!
Ak Su-rim burst into a hearty laugh. Her body shook so much that her short black hair tossed wildly, and she repeatedly slapped Yeon-shin's shoulder with one hand.
The boy stood silently, watching her lips. She let out a single, long exhalation. Even as her boisterous laughter made her breath hitch several times, she never seemed to inhale—a bizarre sight that revealed the profound depth of her heart cultivation art.
"You know, that arrogant way of speaking actually suits you," Ak Su-rim said, her voice laced with amusement. She then asked him, "Are you going to take it yourself?"
"I heard it is good for restoring one's health. I intend to give it to my maternal grandfather…"
"Ha."
A soft sigh escaped her lips. Her gaze softened considerably.
"Well, Grandpa Ma already has every medicinal herb and divine doctor at his beck and call, but it's true there's no spirit medicine quite like the Great Restoration Pill. You've grown up so well, haven't you? Forgiving that mess you call a maternal family… I don't think I'll ever have to worry about you causing trouble, kid."
"..."
As Jeong Yeon-shin remained silent beside Ma Jin, who let out a dry cough, Ak Su-rim placed her free hand on her hip.
"Of course, it's entirely up to you. The Great Restoration Pill isn't the objective of the mission. It's enough for you to attend the Sect Founding Ceremony as an envoy, observe the Martial World Alliance, and crush their morale as a young master-level expert. Honestly, what kind of blessing did Grandpa Ma receive in his twilight years? It's not like he spent his youth accumulating virtue. Do you have any idea how much I had to run myself ragged under the former Commander of the Divine Sword Corps?"
She grumbled, her brow furrowing.
"His luck in his old age is just too damn good. I was biding my time, hoping to get back at him somehow, but now what am I supposed to do?"
"Thank you for the answer. Then, this junior will now…"
"Ah."
Just as Jeong Yeon-shin was about to turn around, she let out a soft exclamation and narrowed her eyes.
Once again, her gaze swept up and down the boy, carrying a strange, unconventional nuance.
"If his maternal grandson became the husband of the Vice Commander of the Divine Sword Corps…"
The corners of her mouth curled upward.
"Wouldn't that old man jump right out of his grave? He absolutely hated me. Said I was a disobedient subordinate."
"..."
Jeong Yeon-shin stared blankly at his great senior.
Lately, along with his aching knees, a strange sensation would occasionally wash over him. Seeing her, a girl who looked his own age, speak of a husband stirred something in him.
'I’m starting to notice the opposite sex. I’m growing up.'
He became aware of another aspect of his growth. It wasn't just his limbs that were getting longer.
A whirlpool of strange emotions stirred within him. He had never consciously paid attention to a woman for no reason before. It was truly bizarre and frightening.
This natural change came hand in hand with the feeling of his approaching death stroking his spine. A shiver ran up to his Baihui Point.
'Go away.'
As he stood there dazed for a moment, Ak Su-rim's smile deepened. Soon, she let out a playful giggle, tapped the boy's shoulder, and turned around.
The soft rustle of her robes drifted over, accompanied by a voice like a skylark. "Look at that face. Can't even take a little joke."
"That wasn't a joke, it was harassment. Let us go, Yeon-shin," Ma Jin said, shaking his head.
That was the end of it. Jeong Yeon-shin had been half-doubtful when he asked, knowing the Great Restoration Pill was a supreme treasure.
It was something he absolutely had to confirm before leaving. If he couldn't bring it back to the main fortress and use it privately, he would have had to find another way.
'Now it's settled.'
Realizing his tension had been for nothing, his mind felt lighter.
He had selected the personnel for the mission and set aside his mental burdens. He was fully prepared to set out once more.
"I wish you martial fortune."
"I wish you all victory, seniors."
He exchanged farewells with the Law Enforcement Unit Commander, the Thread-Annihilation Unit Commander, and the Azure Sky Unit Commander in turn. Even the Heaven-Aligned Wing Commander returned his salute, albeit with a disgruntled expression.
The first meeting, which had been eventful in its own small way, came to an end. Jeong Yeon-shin did not linger and took his leave.
He had to carry out his final schedule after assuming the post of Unit Commander. He walked away, dodging the hand of the Small Sword Empress as she reached out to lightly grab the back of his collar.
"Let's at least have breakfast together tomorrow!" she shouted from behind.
To the boy, it sounded different. It felt less like an invitation to breakfast and more like the sound of a sword being drawn.
'I should save the duel for the journey to the Alliance. I am curious about the Diancang Sect's sword art, though.'
* * *
A young man dressed as a scholar approached a small riverbank.
He was peerlessly handsome, with a slender jawline that gave him a somewhat delicate impression.
However, the light in his eyes contrasted with his appearance. An achromatic, brilliant light flickered within them, proof of his incredibly deep internal cultivation.
The Fan Dragon, Jegal Hyeon.
The Young Master of the Jegal Clan, who served as the Chief Steward of the Martial World Alliance, slowly placed his hands behind his back.
At a glance, his posture seemed leisurely, but that was only in his larger movements.
As he moved the white fan in his right hand behind his back, the outer ribs of the folding fan trembled minutely.
It was far from the elegant craftsmanship of the white feather fan said to have been wielded by Marquis Zhuge Liang, a reflection of its master's state of mind.
Step.
He walked carefully, taking in the scent of autumn.
The newborn season settled in the form of transparent sunlight.
This was a riverbank in Hanzhong, Shaanxi, where rare, early autumn leaves drifted down from overhead. The main headquarters of the Martial World Alliance, located in the Hanzhong basin, had become a vital hub of the Jianghu alongside the Jegal Clan.
It possessed an elegance that scholars and artists—those who lived by the zither, Go, calligraphy, and painting while befriending nature—would surely envy.
The fact that the Hwangbo and Namgung clans had been swept away by the Desolate Fortress's sword was merely a pretext for forming the Alliance.
Ever since the Desolate Fortress was established alongside the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the various orthodox sects of the world had been constantly looking for an opportunity to unite.
The vastness of the headquarters, situated along a tributary of the Yangtze River, was proof of this. Dozens of pavilion complexes lined both sides of the small river, presenting a grand spectacle.
The Martial World Alliance had been under continuous construction since ancient times.
Yet, none of this entered Jegal Hyeon's eyes.
For he was feeling spring in the midst of autumn.
A gift from the autumn wind lay on the dirt ground, exceptionally beautiful. It was a vividly colored maple leaf.
The handsome young man slowly bent down. When he picked it up with his fingertips, the sunlight overlapped with the leaf, casting a brilliant red glow.
When he straightened his back and gazed at it again, the slightly damp leaf took on a radiant hue.
'Just like her.'
For a long while, the young man quietly looked down at the maple leaf.
"I heard you called for me."
A smooth, beautiful voice cut through the sound of the flowing river. In an instant, gentle ripples spread across the mirror-like surface of the water.
Jegal Hyeon spread his folding fan wide behind his back and turned around.
The spot where he stood transformed from a landscape painting into a portrait of a beauty. At least, it did in the young man's eyes.
Jegal Hyeon looked ahead.
A woman with her eyes bound in white cloth came into view. Her grace was enough to make fish sink and wild geese fall from the sky. She looked like a fairy descended from the heavens.
Sunlight rippled through her long hair, which fell past her shoulders.
It was red hair, contrasting sharply with the pure white palace robes she wore. Its crimson luster, smooth as silk, was more beautiful than any autumn leaf.
Jegal Hyeon hid the leaf between his fingers behind his back. It was a subtle gesture.
"Miss Ye," he spoke. "I have decided to participate in the Sect Founding Ceremony. If I obtain the Great Restoration Pill, we can make a mutually beneficial deal. You will be cured of your Qi deviation, and I will privately receive the protection of the Ye family. Your desire to reclaim your original eyes and hair has moved me. I, Jegal Hyeon, will support you."
He spoke as if he had made a grand resolution. The corners of the mouth of the woman called Miss Ye twitched slightly upward.
"A rumor I heard recently…" She slowly parted her lips. "…says that if one refines the martial arts of the Blood Flame Cult to the level of an Apostle, their hair turns black. And they even gain regenerative abilities."
"That is a malicious rumor. To say such things in the middle of the Alliance…"
A bitter smile formed on the young man's lips.
"In the first place, your hair is beautiful just as it is. It is vastly different from the cheap, muddy-red hair of the Blood Ghosts. You can tell just by the fact that no one dares to mention the Blood Flame Cult in your presence, Miss Ye. In fact, don't you have countless admirers?"
A quiet conversation ensued.
Jegal Hyeon did most of the talking. The woman listened in silence, occasionally tossing out a brief word, but even that was enough to brighten the young man's face.
He could feel it himself.
'Of course.'
He didn't think much of it. Miss Ye was exceptionally charming. No, to Jegal Hyeon, she was the only one.
He had been slapped during their first meeting, a gathering with the Sect Leader of the Ye Sword Sect, who had been invited as a Bong-gong of the Alliance.
While discussing the envoy for the Sect Founding Ceremony and talking about the young expert of the Desolate Fortress, he had been sharply rebuked for making careless remarks, letting his guard down and causing the Alliance's experts to become complacent.
Rebuked by the very Miss Ye standing before him.
That resolve of hers.
Her martial arts, which were incredibly high for her age.
She had said her hair had changed color and she had lost her sight due to Qi deviation. Yet, she could discern objects in all directions.
It meant her sense of Qi had reached a supreme realm. Jegal Hyeon thought to himself that if she hadn't lost her eye technique, she would have easily been a worthy rival for him.
"At any rate, I hope you will watch in comfort," Jegal Hyeon said with a gentle smile, recalling the news brought by the Successor of the Beggar Sect.
The Flash Art of the Demonlight Wing. It was said that his martial arts had reached a level comparable to the elders of the great sects.
He was a key figure they hoped would not attend the Sect Founding Ceremony.
'Even so, he is still a rising expert. He must have some other blind spot. It would be best if he didn't come… but we must prepare. Especially since the Clan Head gave his orders.'
Putting his thoughts aside, he suggested to Miss Ye that they return together.
This was because the residence of the Jegal Clan and the quarters of the Ye family were close to each other.
However, she shook her head and declined, stating that she did not want to draw the attention of others.
Jegal Hyeon turned away with regret.
Dragging his reluctant feet, he forced himself not to look back.
After he had walked a long distance away,
"What a pathetic fool," the Seventh Apostle muttered.
* * *
The pavilion of the Demonlight Wing in the Desolate Fortress was noisier than ever before. Laborers and unfamiliar martial artists of all kinds bustled about, and no one stopped them.
The warriors of the Demonlight Wing simply stood to one side, staring blankly at the sight of precious treasures being moved back and forth.
This was true for all fifteen-or-so experts and the twelve nameless disciples.
"What is all that?"
Shin So-bin, who had just arrived from the training ground, showed an intrigued expression. Heonwon Chang shook his head and spoke.
"I heard it's all for Young Hero Jeong. They said there wasn't enough space for all the luggage, so they're even borrowing the courtyard."
"Let's see. There are servants from the Chief Steward's Office, and even the Grand Steward's martial artists. It seems Senior Flash Art's achievements were the first to be calculated. Since merit rewards come from the Chief Steward's Office, is all of this the harvest from the Sichuan trip? Hmm…"
She placed a finger under her chin, seemingly lost in thought, and let out a low hum.
Her expression was unusual as she watched the servants and experts from different affiliations.
Having grown up in a prestigious Jianghu family, Shin So-bin was well-versed in the ways of the world. She knew how to estimate the value of the various goods passing before her eyes.
"Isn't that fabric woven from Heavenly Silkworm thread, not just silk? And the porcelain that person is holding is white porcelain imported from the East… Wow, that's incredibly rare, how did they… Are they sending goods because silver coins aren't enough and gold coins are too scarce? Huh? Aren't those people experts from the Ma family? And along with those bundles of Spirit Treasure Jade, are those precious swords they're carrying meant for training?"
"That's right," Ma Jin, standing beside her, said with a strange expression. "The main family has finally come to their senses. They've sent unconditional support—and it's extremely thorough."
"Ah…" Shin So-bin nodded. "Come to think of it, Senior Flash Art—no, the Unit Commander—is a blood relative of a prestigious family. They said the former Unit Commander will soon sit as the Clan Head, so is Auntie Ju walking on eggshells?"
"Perhaps so," replied Ma Jin, who had been designated as the next Head of the Ma Clan.
Shin So-bin's gaze shifted elsewhere. Only the area around the room where Jeong Yeon-shin resided was quiet.
Four martial artists were blocking the door.
"The Law Enforcement Unit…? They must have come with the Chief Steward's Office. What did they bring that the Law Enforcement Unit experts are guarding it themselves?"
These were the protectors of the main fortress's laws.
They were all elite experts clad in blue robes, and their solemn expressions were unusual as they blocked the door.
Ma Jin answered briefly.
"Small Restoration Pills."