Chapter 71
Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: Respect for the Elderly? (1)
Shaanxi Province was a unique region where the Mount Hua Sect and Mount Zhongnan Sect, two factions representing the Nine Great Sects and One Gang, coexisted.
With such prestigious sects sharing the land, it drew in countless martial artists and common folk alike, making it one of the prime spots for gathering top-quality information.
And the provincial capital of Xi'an served as the central hub where groups like the Beggars' Clan and the Underground Network converged to trade intel.
"Whew. It's been a while."
Gu Family Head, the informant who mainly operated out of Taiyuan in Shanxi Province, had returned to his home province of Shaanxi after a long absence to snag some fresh, piping-hot information.
Lately, he'd been losing business to that damn Informant Yu, so fewer people were seeking him out. Time to hit the pavement himself for better leads.
"Hope there's plenty of good stuff this time."
He'd shelled out a pretty penny just to get to Xi'an.
To make it back, he'd need to score big at the Peaceful Inn right in front of him.
Otherwise, he might have to hang up his informant hat and go back to farming.
Creak—
As he pushed open the inn's door and stepped inside, a cacophony of lively chatter from the packed crowd hit him.
"Heh heh."
Gu Family Head's lips curled into a grin at the sight.
A full house like this? Jackpot for today.
"You hear? That monster slaughtering folks on Mount Taebaek finally got taken down!"
"That vicious bastard's dead at last?! Thank the heavens!"
"Finally! That damn monster's gone!"
'Monster?'
Gu Family Head perked up his ears and settled into a dim corner seat.
'A monster on Mount Taebaek? Nice. Got one already.'
He tossed a coin to the wary waiter and ordered a bowl of thin noodles, then tuned back into the conversations.
"But who took the thing down?"
"Mount Hua Sect, right?"
"Nah, they failed three times and backed off. Even their elders got banged up."
"Mount Zhongnan then?"
"Heard they failed a few days ago too. Elders took heavy hits, from what I gather."
'...?!'
Gu Family Head's jaw dropped as he listened.
The Mount Zhongnan Sect and Mount Hua Sect—pillars of the Nine Great Sects and One Gang—failing to subdue a monster?!
Their elders, transcendent experts beyond the heavens, holed up with injuries?!
'This is huge... massive news?!'
The folks in the inn chattered casually, as if it were old hat, but this was earth-shattering stuff.
The last time he'd heard of a Nine Great Sects elder getting hurt was seven years ago. Those otherworldly masters rarely took a scratch, let alone a loss.
"So who was it? Who beat it?"
"Heh heh. I know exactly who."
"You do?"
"Like you don't know—my wife's nephew's friend's son-in-law's brother is a Mount Zhongnan disciple."
"That's basically a stranger."
"Ahem. Anyway, according to him, it was some hero called Golden Ghost Indestructible Kang Moo-jin."
"Golden Ghost Indestructible?"
"Kang Moo-jin?"
The lifelong Xi'an locals tilted their heads at the unfamiliar names.
"Oh! The young guy who headed to Mount Taebaek with the Mount Hua Sword Demon and Whirlwind Divine Sword? I saw him."
"Hey! Me too!"
As the crowd buzzed about Golden Ghost Indestructible Kang Moo-jin, Gu Family Head's eyes nearly popped out.
'Wha—why's Golden Ghost Indestructible popping up here?!'
Kang Moo-jin, Shanxi's top expert and premier escort—the name ringing out in Shaanxi?
And as the hero who slew a monster that stumped Mount Hua and Mount Zhongnan?!
Gu nearly spat out his half-eaten noodles in shock.
"Incredible. Just incredible. Pulled off what Mount Hua and Mount Zhongnan couldn't."
"Heard he's young too. What a monster himself!"
"Get this—I heard he dueled the Mount Hua Sword Demon and smashed that old master."
"N-No way? The Mount Hua Sword Demon?!"
The murmurs swelled into a roar.
This rising star with the odd name had left an indelible mark in Shaanxi, and excitement rippled through the room.
People loved a new hero, and Kang Moo-jin had shown heroic righteousness by slaying the monster terrorizing their backyard on Mount Taebaek.
No one in Shaanxi could harbor ill will toward him.
An outsider, yet his sense of justice had touched every heart.
"Where'd a badass new hero like this even come from?!"
"Anyone know more about this great hero?!"
"Tell us what you know about Kang Moo-jin, and I'll treat you to a feast of delicacies and booze tonight!"
Shaanxi folk felt a surge of curiosity and fondness for Kang Moo-jin.
Even in a province biased toward Mount Hua and Mount Zhongnan disciples, they'd elevated this monster-slayer to their level.
'Jackpot.'
Gu slammed his tasteless noodles onto the table and shot to his feet.
Missing a golden opportunity like this? Not if he wanted to stay an informant.
"I know all about Great Hero Kang!"
"Ooh! For real?!"
"Come over here—have a drink!"
Every eye in the inn locked onto Gu Family Head.
"Ugh. Bro. Your name's shaking up all of Shaanxi."
Ma Du-gwang, who'd come to Xi'an with Mong Rang in tow, danced a little jig.
"Mount Hua who? Mount Zhongnan who? I'm Golden Ghost Indestructible! Kahaha. Folks praising you nonstop—hell, it's got me grinning ear to ear."
"The praise feels a bit much."
Moo-jin sat humbly, scratching his nose.
Praise could make whales dance, but he wasn't used to cheers like this.
Surprisingly, it left him a touch embarrassed.
"Much? You ripped that serpent's jaws, smashed Crimson Flame Gang, crushed those assassins, wrecked the imperial dogs—all true, right?!"
"Well, yeah. But how'd Shaanxi folks get all those details so fast?"
No matter how rumors flew, this level of specifics spreading this quick? Not easy.
Moo-jin had no clue Gu Family Head was around, so it floored him.
"Who cares? Feels good, so that's that."
"Worried it'll get too overblown."
"It'll be fine, Brother-in-Law."
Yu-hwa, who'd been listening, flashed a bright smile.
"Heard the whole city's been under a dark cloud from that Mount Taebaek monster killing so many. That's why. Tough times crave bright stories like this."
Hard lives need sparks of light to keep going.
"So just bear with it a bit longer, Brother-in-Law."
"Ugh. If even you say so, Yu-hwa, fine."
She beamed at his flustered look.
'Most guys get cocky at this. Not Brother-in-Law.'
Youth and hot blood usually bred arrogance from acclaim.
But Kang Moo-jin bowed like ripe rice, showing mature poise.
To Yu-hwa, it was endlessly mature and dashing.
"Oh, Bro. Speaking of—Chief Escort asked me to pass something to you."
"Big Bro did?"
Ma Du-gwang pulled a letter from his bosom and handed it to Moo-jin.
"Hm."
"What’s it say, Bro?"
"Says to recruit an escort leader candidate."
"Escort leader?!"
An escort leader commanded the porters and escorts on a caravan run.
Porters handled everything from feeding horses to wilderness survival, fire-starting, and pitching tents.
Escorts knew routes, shortcuts, bandit lairs, and thief tricks to keep things safe.
But for a true escort leader? One thing mattered.
Overwhelming martial prowess.
In the jianghu, where experts ruled, the leader was both caravan boss and strongest guardian, shielding everyone.
"Where we finding one on short notice?"
"Right?"
Moo-jin scratched his head in bewilderment.
Snagging a top expert in the Central Plains? No small feat.
Escorts they could hire openly, but a leader candidate? Not like that.
"And Big Bro sending a letter means peak realm won't cut it."
Regular agencies had first-class to peak escorts as leaders.
p>But Diamond Escort Agency's escorts were already mostly first-class to peak, thanks to Moo-jin.
So Kang Moo-woong wanted a transcendent expert.
"Transcendent... that's sect leader level for mid-tier schools and families! Where do we...?"
"Yeah... that's tough, isn't it?"
Even Yu-hwa shook her head, sensing the difficulty.
"Hm... dunno. But we gotta brainstorm a way..."
Creak—
Just then, the inn door swung open, and familiar old faces sought out Moo-jin.
The two super-elderlies jostling shoulders to enter first were Whirlwind Divine Sword Feng Hyun and Mount Hua Sword Demon Un-cheon.
"You've arrived."
Moo-jin gave the elder masters a light clasped-hands salute.
"Thanks for heeding my request to wait in Xi'an."
"What? Mealtime, and you haven't eaten?"
Short greetings for reps of Mount Zhongnan and Mount Hua, yet they didn't mind.
They'd already crossed swords with Kang Moo-jin once, earning deep fondness, and weren't the type to nitpick with a benefactor.
"What brings you here?"
"Hm. Got a proposal for you."
"Proposal?"
Un-cheon and Feng Hyun side-eyed each other warily, then blurted in unison.
"We'd like to invite you to Mount Hua Sect."
"We'd like to invite you to Mount Zhongnan Sect."
The Mount Hua and Mount Zhongnan daoists all believed they owed Kang Moo-jin a profound debt.
Sure, it'd been framed as a commission with promised rewards, and they'd paid up.
But could saving countless commoners' lives and avenging their wounded disciples be quantified in coin?
Not for righteous sects like Mount Zhongnan and Mount Hua—unlike some evil bastards.
The payout and regular escort promise? Mere formalities.
True gratitude meant inviting him, hosting him properly, with the sect leader and elders expressing thanks in full ceremony.
"You could've claimed all the glory solo, yet you framed it as a commission to aid Mount Zhongnan. We'll never forget this grace."
Truth was, Moo-jin had just pitched it that way for extra pay. But Feng Hyun and the Mount Zhongnan crew had badly misunderstood.
Mount Hua was no different.
"At first, I thought you commissioned Mount Zhongnan for profit. But that was my foolish mistake."
Mount Hua Sword Demon Un-cheon bowed his head in reflection.
"Only after days passed did I grasp your true intent. You meant to save Mount Zhongnan too!"
"...?"
"You crafted that formal commission to spare their daoists despair and collapse from failing revenge themselves!"
Un-cheon gazed at Moo-jin with awestruck eyes.
"That profound heroic heart of yours—using money as an excuse to save everyone! This Mount Hua Sword Demon finally understands, belatedly!"
"...?"
Moo-jin cocked his head at the skewed logic.
No?
It totally was for the money, though?