Chapter 52: Counter-Proposal (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 52: Counter-Proposal (3)
“A proposal… you say?”
“Back at the inn, you mentioned you were traveling the Jianghu to engage in duels. I found that quite puzzling. Why would a renowned registered disciple of the Qingcheng Sect choose such a treacherous path, braving the elements and sleeping in the wild? Especially a disciple of the Azure Cloud Pavilion. In the Azure Cloud Pavilion, one’s seniority grows even while standing still, and one can master the martial arts of both their own sect and others.”
“……”
“I wondered if something had happened at Qingcheng to make you leave. At first, it was just a suspicion—a gut feeling—but seeing your Martial Uncle Song Hak made me certain. You are currently in a position where you cannot return to Qingcheng. Am I right?”
“…Sigh.”
Seok Myeong could not offer a rebuttal.
They say the older the ginger, the spicier it gets. Cheol Mu-jin’s gaze was razor-sharp. Though he wore a smile, his expression suggested he understood the entire situation without needing a single word of explanation.
After a brief, uncomfortable silence, Cheol Mu-jin spoke again.
“I can have you back on your feet immediately.”
“What?” Startled, Seok Myeong asked urgently, “Is that possible?”
“Of course. How many people do you think are carried into the Golden Martial Association after being battered in fights? A single pill of our association’s secret medicine is more than enough to treat internal injuries at the level of qi stagnation.”
“……!”
Seok Myeong’s eyes wavered for a moment. Then, as if reaching a firm decision, his gaze cleared.
“I appreciate the offer, but I must refuse.”
“Hoh? Why?”
“No matter how powerful the Golden Martial Association is, a secret medicine that can cure qi stagnation with a single pill cannot be easy to obtain. While it would be a great help to me, it would result in the Qingcheng Sect owing a debt to the Golden Martial Association—and, if you’ll forgive my rudeness, to the Unorthodox Faction.”
“Hahahaha! You’re quite the fellow.”
Cheol Mu-jin nodded as if he had expected that answer. The boy knew exactly what state his body was in. Given his position within his sect, there shouldn't have been any other choice. And yet, he was reluctant to accept help. It seemed he was a Qingcheng disciple through and through.
“Your spirit is commendable, but you don’t exactly have many options, do you?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Do you remember that energy you threw at the very end?”
Seok Myeong’s shoulders jerked reflexively. “Are you referring to the three-colored energy?”
“Heh. Are you trying to play dumb? I’ve seen that energy before. I’m talking about the power that split Cheol Gun’s Sword Bullet at the very last moment.”
Seok Myeong’s eyes narrowed. He had suspected as much, but as expected, Cheol Mu-jin knew. Thinking about it, it was impossible for a master of the Golden Martial Association Leader’s caliber not to notice.
“You saw it?”
“I did. It gave off a sinister aura, yet it was also righteous… I didn't see it clearly enough to say for sure what it was.”
“…Did the others see it as well?”
“No, likely not. I only barely managed to sense it myself. There’s no way the others would know.”
“I see……”
Seok Myeong felt a wave of relief. In truth, even though he had released it with his own hands, he wasn't certain if the Black Ink Energy he had fired at that moment was pure energy or something else. In the worst-case scenario, it could be mistaken for Demonic Qi.
If word spread that a disciple of the Qingcheng Sect—a pillar of the Orthodox Faction—was wielding such energy, Seok Myeong would be as good as dead even if he survived his injuries.
“To be honest… that is an energy I cannot yet control. It was released unintentionally in a moment of life and death.”
“I figured as much. If you had known how to use it, you wouldn't have wielded it so crudely.” Cheol Mu-jin locked eyes with Seok Myeong. “You will likely have to identify what that energy is before you return to Qingcheng. If it turns out to be a sinister power that shackles you, your future… well, I don’t need to spell it out, do I?”
“…….”
“Now, I shall ask again. I am making this proposal not as the leader of the Golden Martial Association, but in the name of Cheol Mu-jin. Will you accept my help? Or will you follow your Martial Uncle Song Hak while burdened by all these hardships alone?”
Seok Myeong’s expression hardened. After agonizing over it for a long time, he let out a long sigh.
“What are your conditions?”
“Conditions?”
“As you know, Elder, it is difficult for my sect to coexist with the Golden Martial Association. I cannot understand your motive for showing me such excessive kindness despite that.”
“What if it’s just simple goodwill?”
“Then I must refuse. The most expensive thing in the world is that which is given for free. I was taught not to incur debts I cannot repay.”
“Hahahaha!” Cheol Mu-jin let out a boisterous laugh.
Indeed, it would make no sense for someone with such martial talent to lack this much wit. He would have been disappointed if the boy had simply snapped up the offer without question.
“Fine. As you say, there are conditions. Very significant ones at that. Once six months have passed and before you return to Qingcheng, I want you to have one more life-and-death duel with Cheol Gun.”
“…Pardon?”
Seok Myeong’s eyes widened. To ask for a life-and-death duel with his own grandson in exchange for a precious secret medicine? As he was pondering the meaning behind this, Cheol Mu-jin spoke with the profound expression of an old master.
“I’ve learned one thing while living by the blade all these years. Would you like to hear it? It is difficult to find a good friend in the Jianghu. However, it is far more difficult to find a good rival. Thanks to your appearance, Cheol Gun—a lazy genius with overflowing talent—has finally shown some motivation.”
“……!”
“Since his reputation took a hit in this duel, he’ll want to make amends, and he intends to do so. He actually came to me and said he would enter secluded cultivation of his own accord. Ha. I can’t remember the last time that happened.”
“You want me to be your grandson’s rival. Is that all?”
“Of course, there is more,” Cheol Mu-jin continued. “For your six months of travel in the Jianghu, I want you to be accompanied by So-yeon.”
“What?” Seok Myeong’s voice rose in bewilderment.
“Think of it as a sort of safety measure. We have to consider the possibility of you returning to Qingcheng immediately after your duels, don’t we?”
“Does that even make sense? Why would Lady So-yeon……”
“Why? Do you not like So-yeon? Hmph. She’s considered quite the beauty among those her age.”
Seok Myeong was now utterly flabbergasted by Cheol Mu-jin suddenly appraising his granddaughter’s looks. “That’s not the issue. I’m saying there’s no reason for her to follow me—”
“You might not have a reason, but I do, you brat! Just listen. She has passed the age of twenty and is fast approaching adulthood.” Cheol Mu-jin let out a heavy sigh. “If she were a lady of a noble household instead of a wanderer of the Jianghu, she’d have been married with several children by now. But who is this girl’s brother? It’s Cheol Gun. Thanks to him, her standards for men are impossibly high.”
“……?”
“Our Golden Martial Association is one of the great pillars of the Unorthodox Faction. My granddaughter often has to show her face here and there. Usually, while doing that kind of work, people naturally find someone they like and bring a man home… but for some reason, she just causes trouble wherever she goes. Her personality is just so foul.”
“…….”
Seok Myeong nodded instinctively. Come to think of it, that was exactly how he had first met Cheol So-yeon. A minor dispute at an inn had turned into a sword discussion, and that discussion had nearly escalated into a full-blown battle. If it hadn't been for Cheol Mu-jin, he certainly would have had a major clash with her.
“Because of that, lately, both her father and I can’t focus on the association’s business. Good heavens. To think that I, the leader of the great Golden Martial Association, would end up like this in my old age. Please, just take her with you for about six months. I’m begging you.”
“I, well, no… I understand what you’re saying, but for me to dare……”
“You understand, right? Ahem! Then I’ll take that as an acceptance and be on my way.”
Cheol Mu-jin stood up abruptly.
“Wait! No, hold on, Elder!”
Seok Myeong tried to call him back, but the old man bolted out as if he were escaping. Dumbfounded, Seok Myeong hurriedly raised his voice.
“Elder! Fine, I understand! But I have conditions of my own!”
Cheol Mu-jin stopped in his tracks and turned back, scowling. “You’re hardly in a position to be making demands, brat. This association’s secret medicine is comparable to the Shaolin Sect’s Lesser Restoration Pill—”
“Before I leave for Qingcheng, please place someone who looks like me in this room and cover their face.”
“…Eh?” Cheol Mu-jin tilted his head.
It was a much simpler condition than expected, yet Seok Myeong seemed strangely urgent about it.
“I’m telling you this because you seem to have already guessed my situation, but my relationship with Martial Uncle Song Hak is far from good. If I resume my martial journey, my Martial Uncle will immediately try to take me back to Qingcheng.”
“Mmm.”
“Therefore, I must remain here as a patient recovering from internal injuries.”
“So you want to buy some time?” Cheol Mu-jin nodded.
If the Golden Martial Association insisted that Seok Myeong was still there, the Qingcheng Sect would have no way to verify it until they returned. Of course, once Seok Myeong began his martial journey in earnest, he would eventually be discovered, but it would serve as a good stalling tactic for a while.
“And please find opponents for my duels.”
“Opponents? Why?”
“I am currently in no position to go around looking for opponents myself. I am a novice in the Jianghu with little experience, and I must avoid public scrutiny. If I am to grow, I need you to step in, Elder.”
“Hmm……”
“Ah, but no one from the Unorthodox Faction. As you know, the Golden Martial Association is enough for me. I only survived this incident because you were here, Elder; anywhere else, even if I won the duel, my head would have rolled.”
“That’s true. Does that mean you want me to use the Beggar Sect?”
It was very difficult for the Unorthodox Faction to arrange duels with the Orthodox Faction. They were bitter enemies. However, among the Nine Sects One Gang, the Beggar Sect was unique. Despite being an Orthodox sect, their members frequented slums, gambling dens, and inns; thus, it wasn't considered a disgrace for them to have associations with the Unorthodox Faction.
“I trust you will handle that as you see fit, Elder.”
Cheol Mu-jin curled his lips into a smirk. “You rascal. Instead of being grateful, your demands are quite excessive.”
“They are not excessive. The Beggar Sect is a place you would have had to visit anyway, Elder. Precisely because of Lady So-yeon.”
“Huh? Why So-yeon?”
Seok Myeong continued calmly. “What would happen if a daughter of the Unorthodox Faction entered Orthodox territory and caused trouble? Furthermore, if I, who am going to challenge the Orthodox Faction to duels, am accompanied by a daughter of the Unorthodox Faction, my position could become precarious. Therefore, we will need to forge her identity or use a disguise.”
Cheol Mu-jin was about to argue that they could just use a disguise, but he held his tongue. Cheol So-yeon was not the type to listen just because she was told to wear a mask. Thinking about it that way, he understood why Seok Myeong said it was a necessary move. It meant that help was needed for Cheol So-yeon’s sake, not just Seok Myeong’s.
“Understood. It’s not that difficult a task, anyway.”
He turned away with a smile and walked straight out. Once he had completely vanished, Seok Myeong let out a long sigh.
“I’ve ended up incurring a massive debt unexpectedly.”
Was this what it felt like to take on a debt you knew you had to accept? A secret medicine capable of healing his internal injuries with a single pill was surely no common item. Even Cheol Mu-jin had compared it to the Shaolin Sect’s Lesser Restoration Pill. In the Jianghu, such a medicine was something one couldn't obtain even with a mountain of gold.
“I wonder what he’s really thinking……”