Chapter 106
Chapter 106
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 106
Chapter Title: Advice and Consequences
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“Listen here, disciple of the Demonic Cult.”
“…”
At some point, Jong Ri-gang’s informal tone had shifted to a semi-formal one.
Regardless of age or status, he was acknowledging Neung Un-bi as an equal.
His eyes softened, and his voice grew gentle.
“As a senior in the martial world, allow me to offer a word of advice.”
“…?”
“I don’t know the intricacies of the Demonic Cult, but the path you’re about to walk will likely be a series of trials far more difficult than my own.”
Neung Un-bi frowned at the calm tone.
“Since you are still a disciple, you will have to fight your rivals long before you fight the Orthodox Faction.”
“That’s…”
“Seeing you, I imagine your rivals are quite formidable.”
“…”
At Jong Ri-gang’s words, Neung Un-bi let out a slight smile and nodded.
From the First Young Master, Wi Ji-hyeok, to the youngest, Gu Yang-hwi.
Not a single one of them was an easy opponent. Weren’t they all hailed as geniuses since childhood?
Even among such prodigies, they were special, individuals who never shied away from hard work. Just being caught between them was suffocating enough.
But what did that have to do with him?
He had no intention of competing.
What did it matter who became the next Cult Leader?
He had to learn face-altering and bone-shrinking techniques from Hyang-i, so he had taken a slight detour, but his goal remained the same.
Escape the Demonic Cult, start a new life.
And, just as in the past, he would stand by *his* side and strive for a new era.
But not now.
This was something he couldn't tell anyone until all his preparations were complete.
Wasn't he living with a hidden blade?
For now, he served with loyalty for the sake of protection, but it was a blade that could turn if his purpose changed.
Wang Cheon and Ju Seung, who led the New Moon Unit, and Hyang-i.
Weren't they Demonic Cult to their very bones?
Neung Un-bi kept his thoughts to himself and listened to Jong Ri-gang.
“The process of becoming the Cult Leader will surely not be easy.”
*I told you I have no intention of becoming one.*
“You will have to fight numerous battles, but the hardest part will always be the words and gazes of others, which come like formless blades.”
“…”
“I say this because I, too, struggled with such things. A time when I couldn't trust anyone.”
“…”
“However, a blade made of words has no power; it cannot wound. It only gains power the moment you choose to grasp it.”
Neung Un-bi looked at Jong Ri-gang, whose words seemed self-deprecating.
“Don’t be swayed. Don’t let yourself turn those words into daggers that pierce your heart and wither your spirit.”
“…”
“If you believe the path you walk is right, if you feel it aligns with your own universal values, then simply press forward. The process of overcoming will be difficult and painful, but it will surely become the foundation for your growth.”
“…”
Jong Ri-gang smiled and patted Neung Un-bi’s shoulder.
But a sudden question arose in his mind.
“Why are you telling me this?”
“An old man’s whim.”
“A whim?”
“Yes. A whim that tells me I should become fertilizer for a seed that looks like it will grow well, or a whim that thinks keeping a guy like you alive will cause those annoying Orthodox Faction bastards a considerable headache.”
“…”
“Besides, what good would it do to discuss martial arts? You and I are walking different paths, are we not?”
Jong Ri-gang winked, lightly tapped Neung Un-bi’s forehead, and turned away.
“My, the crowd of onlookers has grown.”
“…”
Following Jong Ri-gang’s gaze, Neung Un-bi turned his head to see that they were surrounded by people.
“Well then, let’s meet again if fate allows. Future Cult Leader.”
“…”
“Ah! And don’t send me any letters saying you miss me. I’m illiterate and can’t read them.”
As Jong Ri-gang retreated with a playful smile, Neung Un-bi couldn't help but let out a chuckle.
*What’s there to be proud of…*
And he keeps calling me the future Cult Leader when I have no intention of becoming one.
In that short time, Jong Ri-gang had rejoined his men and dashed away into the distance.
As if someone was chasing him.
They say the words of the enlightened are like Zen riddles, and that in the martial world, you never know when or where you’ll encounter a fateful connection.
The King of the Green Forest had appeared for a moment and left just as quickly.
Leaving only scars behind, like a fierce storm that had swept through.
-Hahahaha!
In the space filled only with the echo of his laughter, Neung Un-bi mulled over his words for a moment.
Rumors and reputation.
Mere powerless words, but they become blades once you take them into your own hands.
He thought he vaguely understood what the King of the Green Forest meant.
It was the mindset a warrior must have.
Like the Immovable Mind the Shaolin speak of, something that remains completely unshaken by external influences.
Perhaps the reason Neung Un-bi had fallen into Qi Deviation while practicing the forbidden demonic arts was due to a lack of this Immovable Mind.
*Tch, for all his talk, he's just a bandit who steals from others, pretending to be an enlightened monk.*
But… wait a minute.
What did he say at the end?
*Become fertilizer for a seed that looks like it will grow well?*
…Is this guy trying to ride my coattails in the future by forging a connection now?
He had almost been taken in.
Neung Un-bi repeatedly cleaned his ears as if to dig out the words Jong Ri-gang had spoken.
The King of the Green Forest. An interesting encounter.
But his thoughts remained unchanged.
If he ever met bandits on any road at any time again, he would act the exact same way.
And next time, he would definitely…
Neung Un-bi slowly clenched his trembling hand.
“Wang Cheon.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“I need to rest.”
“Yes!”
At Neung Un-bi’s words, Wang Cheon nodded and smiled, his face filled with vigor.
But something about Wang Cheon’s gaze…
It was clearly pride, but it felt like there was a sly cunning lurking within it.
“Hey!”
“Yes?”
“You seem to be thinking some useless thoughts.”
“Me? What did I do?”
As Neung Un-bi’s eyes narrowed, Wang Cheon feigned ignorance and looked away.
He had no choice.
Right now, only one thought occupied Wang Cheon’s mind.
It was an impossible fight from the start.
A duel between Neung Un-bi, who had just entered his twenties and was new to the Central Plains, and the renowned(?) King of the Green Forest?
But the result?
He won.
An undeniable victory. The man himself, Jong Ri-gang, had admitted it with his own mouth.
Neung Un-bi’s shattered right shoulder was unfortunate, but what could you do?
His opponent was a master of Aura Blade; compared to that, it was just a scratch.
How could he contain this pride?
The expressions of Ju Seung and the New Moon Unit were no different from his own.
Their eyes and faces were filled with overwhelming emotion. This news had to be spread.
He was already itching to shout it from the rooftops.
*This is the kind of man our lord is, so you all better watch closely!*
“…Khuhuhu.”
“Hey!”
“Keke… Hup!”
“You really want to die! What are you thinking right now!? I can see it all over your face!”
“It’s nothing.”
“What do you mean nothi— Ugh!”
Neung Un-bi, who had been shouting, grimaced.
Tensing his body made his shoulder throb.
“Heavens! We must get you to a safe place at once, my lord! What are you all doing! Go fetch a physician!”
At Wang Cheon’s command, a member of the New Moon Unit hastily ran off.
“You, seriously, don’t do anything. Got it?”
To the plea delivered through a grimace, Wang Cheon beat his own chest with a loud thud.
“Of course, of course! Don’t you worry! Who am I? I’m Wang Cheon.”
“…”
*That’s why I’m worried. Because it’s you…*
But for now, recovery seemed to be the priority.
Just as Neung Un-bi was looking for a place to rest with Wang Cheon’s support…
“Uhm…”
“…?”
A group of people cautiously approached Neung Un-bi.
The man leading them was the owner of the inn where Neung Un-bi had been staying.
“Step back!”
Wang Cheon shouted icily, and the terrified innkeeper flinched, shrinking his neck.
“Wang Cheon!”
“…”
“I told you not to do anything!”
“But…”
“Shut your mouth! You’re scaring people!”
“…Yes.”
As Wang Cheon stepped back, pouting, Neung Un-bi did his best to speak gently while suppressing the throbbing pain in his shoulder.
“What can I do for you? Do you have something to say?”
“Well, it’s just…”
The innkeeper fidgeted, repeatedly glancing at Wang Cheon.
“It’s alright. Please, speak.”
“…”
After hesitating several times, the innkeeper, as if having finally mustered his courage, spoke in a barely audible voice.
“What are we supposed to do…?”
“Pardon?”
“It’s just… the inn…”
“…?”
At the owner’s words, Neung Un-bi blinked and looked around.
It was all ruins. Only a faint trace of where the inn once stood remained.
Was that all?
Several other buildings in the vicinity had also collapsed into rubble.
The people who had come with the innkeeper were likely the owners of those establishments.
“We believed it would be safe since it’s within the territory of the Orthodox Zhongnan Sect, so we took out loans from here and there to finally build it, but now this has happened… I don’t know how we’re going to live…”
“…”
For a moment, his mind went blank.
He had gone too far. Intoxicated by demonic energy, he had focused only on the King of the Green Forest…
In the end, the damage from the warriors’ fight fell squarely on the shoulders of innocent commoners.
“I don’t know who to complain to about this…”
“…”
At the innkeeper’s words, the focus vanished from Neung Un-bi’s eyes.
How could he not understand that the man was indirectly asking, ‘Can’t you take responsibility?’
No wonder Jong Ri-gang and his men had left in such a hurry. So this is what he meant by not needing to pay for the stronghold’s damages.
*Just you wait, you sly Green Forest bastard.*
*From now on, I’ll plunder every single mountain stronghold I come across.*
Left to take the fall alone, Neung Un-bi ground his teeth inwardly and spoke to the innkeeper.
“I understand.”
“Pardon?”
“I am the one who caused this, so it is only right that I take responsibility.”
“A-Are you serious!”
“Of course.”
Seeing the innkeeper’s startled reaction, Neung Un-bi nodded and rummaged through his robes.
But he didn’t have much.
It had been a mistake to spend so lavishly before.
“Wang Cheon.”
“Yes?”
“Collect some money from the men.”
“Money?”
“Yeah.”
“From the guards? That’s like trying to get blood from a stone.”
“…It’s an order.”
“Tch!”
At Neung Un-bi’s command, Wang Cheon grumbled but started collecting money from the New Moon Unit.
But these fleas(?), who dedicated themselves solely to martial arts training, were all so frugal.
It really did feel like trying to squeeze the liver out of a flea.
“I-Is this really all you have?”
“That’s not something a master who’s taking money from his guards should say.”
“…”
*What a bunch of disloyal bastards.*
Their pouting faces were infuriating, but he wasn’t exactly wrong.
“Hey, Un Hak?”
“…I have none. What money would a Taoist of the mountains have?”
“…”
*I just heard a clinking sound from your robes.*
And he hadn't even stated his business yet.
“Oh my, my sword wasn’t fully sheathed. Heh heh, Amitabha.”
“…”
*You expect me to believe that?*
As Neung Un-bi stared with narrowed eyes, Un Hak spoke with a serious expression.
“Ahem, Young Master Neung. If I may add, this area is, by a very slight margin, Zhongnan territory. Which is to say, it is not Mount Hua territory. And I didn’t particularly break anything, so I don’t see why I should…”
*What a pathetic excuse, you damn Taoist.*
*If you don’t want to give it, just say so.*
*Weren’t you the one spouting nonsense about how all under heaven are brothers…*
Disappointed by the behavior of this worldly Taoist who couldn't free himself from worldly possessions, Neung Un-bi sighed as if he had no choice and held out the collected money to the innkeeper.
“Uhm, will this be enough?”
“…”
The innkeeper’s expression fell as he looked at the money Neung Un-bi offered with a smile.
“This might cover the cost of materials… but we also have to hire workers…”
“…”
The innkeeper maintained a frightened expression, yet he was saying everything he needed to.
*Is that really the attitude of someone who’s scared?*
But what could he do? All these people were gathered around, staring at them.
He had no choice.
Money was a truly terrifying thing. Since they were the ones at fault, they had no option but to bow their heads…
“The labor… we’ll do it. My men are stronger than they look.”