Chapter 44
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Isn't it Spoiled? (5)
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"Hm."
Kang Moo-jin stroked his chin as he watched the dark greenish-gray fluttering robes receding into the distance.
"What's wrong, Brother?"
Yu-hwa asked with a puzzled look, and Moo-jin tilted his head.
"I thought they'd come at us."
"The Tang Family martial artists?"
"Yeah. They looked ready for a fight, but they held back surprisingly well."
Moo-jin clicked his tongue in disappointment.
He had planned to smash them the moment they lunged. It felt a bit anticlimactic that they just left.
"Can't be helped. Let's go for now."
"Where to?"
"In foreign lands, information comes first and foremost. Let's head to the Beggar Clan branch and the Underground Network."
Kang Moo-jin was about to make his way to the Beggar Clan sub-branch leader's place, which he had learned about in advance from the innkeeper, when his gaze lifted to the sky.
The sky had turned a deep indigo, the sun long gone, replaced by a slender crescent moon.
"Mm. Better to rest today and go tomorrow. Let's head back to that inn from earlier."
Moo-jin and Yu-hwa returned to the Clear Wind Tower, where the poetic charm of a single painting had vanished, leaving clear traces of battle instead.
Upon arriving at the inn, the owner and the errand boy greeted them barefoot.
"Oh! Hero Kang, you've returned!"
"Heh heh. Both of you are back."
The owner of Clear Wind Tower, who had received a hefty pouch from Moo-jin for the repairs, ushered him inside with the utmost hospitality, treating him like an emperor.
Most damned martial artists only knew how to wreck places without paying up. Moo-jin had footed the bill even though he hadn't started the fight, which filled the owner with profound gratitude.
"We'll prepare a meal for you."
The errand boy, who had been sweeping up the wooden debris with a broom, brought over the only intact table and two chairs, seating Moo-jin and Yu-hwa.
They were the very table and chairs that had survived because Moo-jin and Yu-hwa had been sitting there before.
"Hm? We didn't order this."
Moo-jin had simply ordered a bowl of thin noodles and some grilled chicken. But what appeared on the table was a feast of dozens of exquisite dishes.
The head chef must have gone all out that day—there were pork dishes, chicken, and even beef creations.
Gulp—
Won Yu-hwa swallowed hard at the sight of the lavish spread. It had been ages since she parted from her grandfather, Grand Scholar Won Jong-do, that she had enjoyed such delicacies.
"You're the benefactors who saved our Clear Wind Tower. This is only natural! Please accept this as our token of gratitude."
"Mm. Thank you."
It would have been rude to refuse food that was already prepared.
Moo-jin thanked the owner and gave a nod of appreciation to the head chef peeking from behind.
"Alright, let's eat."
"Yes, Brother."
Having been unable to finish their lunch properly due to the fight, Moo-jin and Yu-hwa dug into the meat with gusto.
"Whew. I'm stuffed."
Yu-hwa set down her chopsticks after finishing a bowl of thin noodles.
'I wonder if he can finish it all...'
She was already full from a few pieces of meat and one bowl of noodles.
For a moment, she worried if he could polish off the tenfold amount still on the table...
'Should be fine.'
Her concerns vanished instantly as she watched Moo-jin shove meat into his mouth with battle-ready ferocity.
Before long, nearly all the meat on the table had vanished, leaving only vegetables behind.
"..."
Yu-hwa stared blankly at Moo-jin tearing into the meat.
They said eating was part of training, right?
Every time Moo-jin chewed, it seemed like the tendons in his muscles stood out sharper.
"Whew. That's just about right."
"...?"
Yu-hwa tilted her head slightly. The spread—enough for fifteen grown men—was gone, save for the vegetables.
"Brother doesn't eat vegetables, I see."
"I ate all the food."
"Yes, but the vegetables are still... "
"I ate all the food."
"Ah, I see."
Finally understanding, Yu-hwa nodded.
"Shall we go aid digestion then?"
"Training?!"
Yu-hwa's eyes sparkled.
The martial arts sessions she squeezed in with Moo-jin during this trip were her favorite time.
"Yeah. I'll spar with you."
"Thank you, Brother!"
Yu-hwa beamed like a blooming plum blossom and linked arms with Moo-jin's thick one.
Moo-jin chuckled at the sight.
Swish—
Yu-hwa's sword swung as softly as silk, painting the air.
Like a master painter brushing the sky, her blade dyed the night with elegant sword forms.
"Good. You're improving more and more."
Moo-jin nodded in satisfaction.
Yu-hwa's skills were advancing daily.
The guidance from a supreme expert like Kang Moo-jin had amplified her talent, sprouting a seedling from the seed.
'Definitely a fine sword art.'
Moo-jin stroked his chin as he watched Won Yu-hwa, her hair flowing like a silk banner down her neck.
'She'll make a fine martial artist someday.'
The Moonlit Wanderer's Sword, taught by Grand Scholar Won Jong-do—called the emperor's top advisor—was no ordinary street sword art.
It was a supreme technique of divine caliber.
Master it fully, and few in the Central Plains could match it.
'Her footwork is impressive too.'
Her Galaxy Steps were exceptional as well—not quite divine supreme, but the tier just below.
With top-tier footwork and sword art crucial for swordsmen, plus her sharp wits, she was destined for fame.
"Now, dodge this while executing your sword forms."
Even a hundred solo practices couldn't replace real combat experience; martial arts without it were half-baked.
Many might disagree, but Kang Moo-jin believed it firmly.
"I can't use my sword forms if I'm fighting you, Brother."
Won Yu-hwa pouted.
Moo-jin's iron-hard body, which didn't even nick her blade, was a swordsman's hell.
"Don't worry. I won't engage directly this time."
"Huh? Then how?"
Instead of words, Moo-jin showed her with action.
Whoosh—!
His inner energy gathered menacingly atop his finger, shooting as a beam of light toward Yu-hwa.
It was the Heavenly Light Soul-Exterminating Finger, a supreme art from the peerless master Chang Ho-ja, who once shook the world with a single finger.
"...!"
Yu-hwa tilted her blade to deflect the sudden brilliant beam.
The essence of soft sword: not clashing head-on, but redirecting force!
The orthodox, perfect counter to finger arts.
But—
"Kyaa!"
Won Yu-hwa flew three zhang through the air before tumbling to the ground.
She had barely deflected the Heavenly Light Soul-Exterminating Finger but couldn't withstand its power unscathed.
"...!"
Moo-jin jolted up in alarm.
He had used only a tenth of its power for the first try, not expecting such force.
"A-are you okay?"
The flustered Moo-jin rushed to her.
"Phew. Good."
She had rolled and gotten minor scrapes, but Yu-hwa was fine.
Her expensive sword of divine steel had saved her; otherwise, it would have shattered the beam's impact.
"First time, so I couldn't control the power. Sorry."
"Brother..."
Helped up by Moo-jin, Yu-hwa dusted off the dirt.
She glanced at her scratches but paid them no more mind.
As a proper martial artist, she ignored such trifles.
"Tch. Can't stay mad when you look at me like that."
Yu-hwa blushed, gazing at Moo-jin's chiseled face.
"...?"
Moo-jin, who had only looked at her with worry, felt wronged.
How else was he supposed to look?
"Still, since I got hurt, grant me one wish."
"What is it?"
"Carry me back to the inn."
Moo-jin nodded readily.
It was just a short il-da-gyeong walk—hardly a bother.
"Alright, let's go."
With Yu-hwa on his back, Moo-jin strode toward the inn.
"..."
His excessively brisk pace made Yu-hwa pout and grip his shoulders tight.
"Brother. Slower. Slower!"
"... "
"... "
Five Tang Family martial artists sat with grave expressions.
Elder Tang Ja-an and the four who had gone to the market that afternoon stared intently at the half-remaining poison vial.
"The poison didn't work?"
Tang Yu-seon nodded at Tang Ja-an's question.
"I sent men to check. He finished training unscathed and returned to the inn."
"...Reliable info?"
"Yes. Sent three, all reported the same."
"Impossible..."
Tang Ja-an's pupils trembled at the unbelievable reality.
Even the Tang Family's top-tier deadly poison, Shadowless Soul-Ending Incense, and he was still alive.
It killed in under seven steps usually, max a day.
Yet he was fine.
Meaning it hadn't worked at all!
"No... way."
"...Elder, if I may—the poison wasn't tampered with, was it...?"
Killing intent flared in Tang Ja-an's eyes at the question.
"Don't talk nonsense. Think I'd botch it like some fool?"
"N-no. My earlier mistake was just mixing up the formula..."
Tang Ja-an snorted.
"What lunatic Tang confuses poison recipes? You're no idiot."
"... "
The chastened martial artist slunk to the corner and sat quietly.
"Only one possibility."
Tang Yu-seon nodded, reading the intent in Tang Ja-an's eyes.
"The poison didn't affect him."
"Right. He's reached Impervious to a Thousand Poisons."
"Hah... An escort kid on par with our Poison Venerable patriarch?"
Poison Venerable Tang Cheon.
One of the Ten Martial Venerables, patriarch of the Sichuan Tang Family, and tyrant of Sichuan.
"Lucky bastard. Probably munched detox herbs and spirit roots since childhood. Escort brat with family money overflowing."
"Ooh, makes sense."
"Rich and obnoxiously lucky."
The Tang martial artists nodded vigorously at Tang Ja-an's words.
Belittling him felt better than acknowledging him.
"I can't believe it. Impervious to poisons? Ridiculous."
The cornered martial artist approached boldly.
"I think it's something else."
"What?"
Tang Ja-an sighed.
"What if... the poison's gone bad?"
He held up the vial.
"No one survives our top poisons unscathed. Not even with an antidote."
Confident, he swigged the remaining poison.
"Definitely spoiled. That's why it failed... Gack!"
His face turned purple after swallowing the Shadowless Soul-Ending Incense, and he collapsed.
"Urk!"
"... "
Tang Ja-an sighed deeply at the cold corpse and final scream.
"What an idiot."