Chapter 100
Chapter 100
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: An Unwelcome Guest
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The pouch he’d been given contained gold ingots.
Their brilliant yellow hue… it was far too much to be considered a small token of sincerity.
They had clearly laid this foundation with his future in mind.
So he rented out the entire tavern, just in case any martial artists started any trouble.
But he shouldn't have said those three words: "Order whatever you want!"
“Another bottle of wine here!”
“Duck meat!”
“Noodles!”
Their orders were simple.
But he had momentarily forgotten.
These men, having focused solely on training, had become beasts starved for the past few days…
And there were thirty such beasts.
Among them was that glutton who had commandeered a table and was already stacking up a dozen empty plates.
*Clack, clack-clack-clack-clack!*
The tavern owner's fingers flew across the abacus.
H-how much was all that?
A sense of dread began to creep over Neung Un-bi.
*I should have paid in advance…*
*This is going to be a problem if they end up eating more than I have…*
“My lord! Please accept a drink from me!”
“…”
Perhaps sensing the lively atmosphere, Pyeong-su, the First Squad Leader of the Waning Moon Unit, approached with an empty cup.
“Kuhuk, thank you. To think we'd get such a luxury… Following you was the best decision I ever made, wasn't it?”
“…”
With an emotional expression, Pyeong-su filled the cup Neung Un-bi held out.
“Everyone, listen up! The lord has something to say!”
“…”
Pyeong-su whipped his head around and shouted, and the boisterous tavern fell silent in an instant.
Everyone looked at Neung Un-bi.
Meeting each of their gazes, Neung Un-bi couldn't help but let out a small smile.
*Right, well… let's eat and drink ourselves to death today.*
*Money?*
*To hell with it… For today, we enjoy ourselves. Let the future Neung Un-bi worry about future problems!*
What more needed to be said?
There was alcohol, food, and comrades to share life and death with.
“Order more! Drink up! Pour!”
“Ooooh!”
As Neung Un-bi drained his cup in one go, the warriors of the Waning Moon Unit followed suit, and the tavern was once again filled with clamor.
At the time, no one knew that "Order more, drink up, pour!" would become the official chant for the Waning Moon Unit's feasts.
*I should have left out the 'order more' part.*
How much time had passed?
Having not used their internal energy to control their drunkenness, the warriors of the Waning Moon Unit began to stumble one by one and slam their heads onto the tables.
*And these are supposed to be my guards…*
But he didn't stop them.
Everyone has days like that.
Days where you do nothing but drink without a care.
But the world is a strange place, and trouble always seems to strike when one's heart is most at ease.
Besides, what kind of place was a tavern?
It was the source of all conflict in the Central Plains.
*CRASH!*
“…?”
The tavern door, which had been closed for their private party, burst open as if shattered.
And an intruder with sharp eyes scanned the room.
Soon, a low voice echoed. Though not loud, it was heard clearly in everyone's ears.
“Which one of you is Neung Un-bi?”
“…!”
The room instantly turned cold.
The drunkenness evaporated in an instant. Wang Cheon and Ju Seung took positions to Neung Un-bi's left and right, guarding him.
The warriors of the Waning Moon Unit, their eyes no longer hazy, formed an arc and blocked the doorway.
But hadn't this happened once or twice on their way to Shaanxi?
*FWIP!*
*As expected…*
Just as he always did recently, Un Hak was the first to lunge forward.
“For the peace of the Central Plains!”
“…”
It was the same phrase he always shouted; he could be left to handle it.
Surely, with the sound of a solid *THWACK!*, the situation would be resolved… Huh?
*WHOOSH!*
“…?”
It was an unfamiliar sound.
For the first time, Un Hak's fist cut through empty air.
The intruder, grinning as he leaned back to dodge the punch, immediately threw a kick.
Un Hak hurriedly crossed his arms to block.
*BOOM!*
A dull thud vibrated through the tavern.
*H-he not only dodged Un Hak's punch but also counterattacked?*
This had never happened before.
Even if he was holding back, wasn't Un Hak skilled enough to live up to the name Sword Dragon of Mount Hua?
He backed away, his face grimacing.
“Who are you?”
Realizing he was facing a formidable opponent, Un Hak asked with a deep frown.
“…A Mount Hua brat. I have no business with you, so get lost. I only need the one called Neung Un-bi.”
“…”
The intruder spoke as if Mount Hua was beneath his notice.
But regardless of who the opponent was, Un Hak, burdened with the heavy responsibility of preventing Neung Un-bi from causing trouble in the Central Plains, did not back down.
“I am the Sword Dragon of Mount Hua…”
“I don't care if you're the Sword Dragon or the Earth Dragon. I told you to get lost.”
“…”
Cut off before he could even finish his introduction, Un Hak glanced back at Neung Un-bi before turning to face the man again.
“Amitabha. Unfortunately, I am in no position to do so.”
“What?”
“If you wish to meet Young Master Neung, you will have to go through me first.”
“Oh, is that so?”
*Shing.*
Without a moment's hesitation, the intruder drew the sword slung across his back and smiled.
“Then I have no choice. I'll have to start by taking the Taoist's head.”
“…It won't be easy!”
The instant his words ended, Un Hak, who had retreated, powerfully stomped the ground.
*BOOM!*
A stomp filled with far more power than before.
Realizing the intruder's skill was formidable, Un Hak began to unleash the martial arts of Mount Hua in earnest.
“Do not chide this humble Taoist for being too harsh! Everything is for the peace of the Central Plains!”
“…”
As he stomped, Un Hak closed the distance and thrust his palm straight toward the intruder.
The ultimate technique of Mount Hua, the Clear Heart Palm.
It was a palm technique meant to subdue rather than harm, but it was a sublime art that could be counted among the finest in the martial world.
“Is this paltry thing all you have…”
A smirk on his face, the man swung his sword fiercely at the palm strike aiming for his side.
*CLANG!*
The sound of the palm strike meeting the flat of the sword, and the shockwave that radiated in all directions.
But their exchange had already moved on to the second strike.
“Hah!”
Surprised that his Clear Heart Palm was blocked, Un Hak opened both hands, creating a myriad of palm images.
Another ultimate technique of Mount Hua, the Scattering Flowers Shadowless Hand.
Faced with the countless palm shadows covering his vision, the man's expression hardened, a sign that he was finally taking this a little seriously.
“Hmph!”
*BOOM!*
But he immediately stomped the ground, and the shattered floorboards shot up, carried by the burst of energy.
“Hup!”
With another sharp cry, the airborne pieces of the floorboards shot forward like hidden weapons, covering the entire area before him.
“Hah! Th-this!”
Startled, Un Hak frantically waved his hands to swat away the wooden fragments.
*Thwack! Thwack-thwack-thwack!*
But how could he block them all?
Some of them flew past Un Hak and into the tavern.
However, the Waning Moon Unit was already on guard and deflected them all, so none reached Neung Un-bi.
*Who is he?*
His skills were in no way inferior to Un Hak's.
And seeing as he attacked even after hearing Un Hak's name, he was clearly a martial artist from an unorthodox faction, not an orthodox one.
But an unorthodox faction member causing a ruckus in Shaanxi?
Against a Taoist from Mount Hua, no less?
A master of his caliber should have known that a conflict with the orthodox factions was inevitable.
“Who are you?”
Perhaps having the same thought as Neung Un-bi, Un Hak asked, his expression completely stiff.
“Me? A Mount Hua brat who's about to die has no need to know!”
“…!”
*Shwaaak!*
With a cynical smile, the man immediately swung his sword.
Space itself seemed to distort along the blade's trajectory.
Sensing the considerable internal energy and the thick killing intent it carried, anger flared in Un Hak's eyes.
The courtesy of asking thrice.
He had shown consideration by asking three times, but all three were ignored.
He had shown enough courtesy to one who reeked of killing intent; there was no need to hold back any longer.
“Amitabha… How dare you reveal your killing intent in a place shaded by the plum blossoms of Mount Hua! As a disciple of Mount Hua, I will not forgive your actions!”
The look in Un Hak's eyes changed.
His words held true conviction, and a fiercely boiling energy whipped the hem of his Taoist robe.
*Shwak!*
As he stretched out his hand, his sword flew from its scabbard into his grasp, just in time to meet the man's strike.
*CLANG!*
The two steel blades clashed in mid-air, showering sparks. As the impact pushed the man back slightly, Un Hak's sword, which had been drawn to his hand, shot forward like a beam of light.
Plum Scent Stream.
The scent of plum blossoms emanating from the sword instantly filled the tavern.
*I knew he had reached the realm of sword fragrance, but I didn't know it was to this extent.*
Neung Un-bi wrinkled his nose at the thick scent of plum blossoms as he watched their exchange.
A dizzying number of sword trajectories crisscrossed through the air.
Un Hak was gaining the upper hand.
Though the intruder seemed to be defending himself diligently, he couldn't block all the strikes of the Plum Blossom Sword, which was said to be the pinnacle of illusionary sword arts.
Followed by a fiercely changing sword strike, Plum Blossoms Scatter.
The plum blossoms, carried on the wind generated by the stormy sword strikes, were as sharp as hidden weapons.
*CLANG! CL-CL-CLANG!*
Wounded by the explosive flurry of strikes, the intruder, unable to step inside, quickly retreated.
“Where do you think you're going!”
Unwilling to let him go, Un Hak immediately gave chase.
*CLANG! CL-CLANG!*
The sound of clashing swords continued from outside.
“Wang Cheon! Ju Seung!”
Neung Un-bi shouted quickly, preparing for the worst.
*We've shared meals together, even if for a short while. I have to help him.*
But just as Wang Cheon and Ju Seung drew their swords and were about to rush out…
“Stop!”
Hyang-i, who had been ignoring the commotion and moving her chopsticks over the plates of food, shouted urgently.
Her face was hard as stone.
A look of confusion crossed Neung Un-bi's face as she stood up and blocked his path.
“Dammit!”
“…”
Her face contorted beyond a frown, Hyang-i flicked the chopsticks in her hand out the door.
*SWOOOOSH!*
*BOOM!*
At the same time, with a violent explosion, Un Hak was thrown back inside.
“Catch him!”
At Hyang-i's shout, Wang Cheon and Ju Seung hurriedly caught Un Hak's body.
“Keuk!”
“…?”
His hair tie had burst, leaving his hair a mess.
Blood trickled from the corner of his clenched mouth.
*What in the world…? How did Un Hak, who had stepped forward so confidently, end up like this?*
*His Plum Blossom Sword was clearly overwhelming his opponent…*
“Waning Moon Unit! Fall back!”
Hyang-i, her eyes wide, shouted urgently, and the Waning Moon Unit leaped back without a moment's hesitation.
“They're coming!”
“…!”
Hyang-i shouted again.
Simultaneously, an immense presence surged in from outside the tavern like a tidal wave.
*KABOOOOM!*
The wave of energy created by that presence slammed into the tavern, shaking the very ground.
*Creeak, cruuumble.*
“…”
The wall where the tavern door had been crumbled as if it had exploded, revealing the scene outside.
People on the main road were fleeing like a startled swarm of locusts, and warriors dressed similarly to the man who had entered earlier had formed a circle, surrounding the place.
And at their forefront.
A giant of a man with a massive frame was glaring into the tavern, radiating a terrifying aura.
Like a tiger looking down on its prey.
The air grew heavy. The giant man merely stared, but a pressure like that of an ancient stone monolith pressed down on their shoulders.
“This… which one of you did this?”
The giant held up the chopstick in his hand, an annoyed expression on his face.
It was the chopstick Hyang-i had thrown.
“Quite skilled. Saving the Mount Hua brat with a single chopstick.”
His smirk was more than enough to understand what had just happened.
Un Hak had chased the intruder out, and a new person had intervened.
To exude this level of pressure, he had to be a master so far beyond Un Hak that the boy wouldn't even be a match for him.
In a life-or-death moment, Hyang-i's chopstick must have blocked the giant's attack and saved Un Hak.
“But that doesn't change anything.”
*Crack.*
The giant clenched his fist, and the chopstick within it shattered into pieces.
“I'll kill all of you, along with that bastard Neung Un-bi.”
*WHOOSH!*
With that one cold declaration, a wave of energy burst forth, whipping up a fierce wind.
*Damn, I can tell just from that gust of wind how absurdly strong he is.*
Enough to make Hyang-i, who was always so composed, this tense and hostile.
*But… who the hell are you? Huh?*
*You look like some grand elder of the martial world. Are you really allowed to just beat up on kids like this?*