Chapter 32
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: The Lowest Place
-----------------------------------------------------------------
To think I would see him again here in Xi'an, of all places, right in the Huashan Sect's territory. I never would have dreamed it.
A moment later.
A number of Martial Alliance warriors were seen running in the direction Sa Mu-sim had disappeared.
It was clear at a glance that they were pursuing him.
Just then, one of the Plum Blossom Swordsmen quietly stepped out of the inn and returned.
“What is it?”
At Jin Hyeon-jin-in’s question, the Plum Blossom Swordsman answered respectfully.
“They are warriors from the Martial Alliance. It seems a villain was spotted in their surveillance network.”
“A villain?”
“They say it’s Sa Mu-sim, known as the Money-Grubbing Ghost Lord.”
Jin Hyeon-jin-in clicked his tongue, his eyes filled with displeasure.
“Tsk. Is that what all this commotion is about?”
As Myeong Geom quietly rose from his seat, Jin Hyeon-jin-in shook his head.
“Stay out of it. This is not your place.”
“But, Grand Uncle…”
“That is their business. Right now, you are representing our sect and attending to an honored guest.”
At the stern rebuke, Myeong Geom lowered his head.
“My apologies. I was too hasty.”
“Moreover, there are no eternal enemies or allies in this world. Though we share a common purpose for now, do not consider the Martial Alliance and the Huashan Sect to be one and the same.”
“I understand.”
As Myeong Geom replied and sat down, a small voice spoke from beside him.
“Grandpa, you don’t seem to like the Martial Alliance, do you?”
“Grandpa?”
Jin Hyeon-jin-in was momentarily taken aback.
But upon realizing the question came from Dan Ak-seon, he broke into a good-natured smile.
“Not everyone can share the same intentions, can they?”
Because Pung Jin-seong’s attitude toward Dan Ak-seon was so respectful, Jin Hyeon-jin-in also took care to be polite in his words and actions.
“In what way are they different?”
While Jin Hyeon-jin-in considered his answer, Myeong Geom spoke cautiously.
“Uncle, there are many ears listening.”
“Since when have we cared about prying eyes?”
“But shouldn’t we be wary of those who twist words to their own advantage?”
“It’s fine. We are simply calling right what is right.”
Jin Hyeon-jin-in scoffed and began to speak, as if intending to be overheard.
“The Martial Alliance’s current path has long since crossed the line from excessive to arrogant. I wonder where their initial resolve to protect the peace of the martial world has gone.”
“Uncle…”
“They say dewdrops gather to form a sea. How can they not see that the karma they are accumulating is growing too great to bear?”
At this point, Myeong Geom could only smile bitterly, as if he had given up.
If this conversation were to leak, it would surely cause considerable conflict between the Martial Alliance and the Huashan Sect.
“I thought you’d be ignorant of the world’s affairs, cooped up in the mountains, but your head is screwed on straight.”
“He is a first-generation disciple of Huashan, after all. He should at least have that much insight.”
The two men seemed agreeable, so Myeong Geom could relax a little.
Suddenly, Jin Hyeon-jin-in turned to Dan Ak-seon and asked.
“What are your thoughts, Physician Dan?”
“I'm still young, so I don't know much, but…”
Dan Ak-seon added with a smile.
“I was taught that there is no distinction between the righteous and the evil when it comes to a person in pain.”
Jin Hyeon-jin-in smiled warmly and nodded.
It was a fundamental answer, but the meaning it held was anything but light.
“What do you mean, ‘no distinction’?”
At Jin Hyeon-jin-in’s question, Myeong Geom gave a bitter smile.
This was because Jin Hyeon-jin-in always tormented his disciples with these kinds of Zen-like questions, even within the sect's gates.
If you kept answering his follow-up questions, you would eventually run out of things to say.
Only then would he deliver a sharp, piercing remark to make them realize their own shortcomings.
“Grand Uncle…”
Hearing Myeong Geom's subtle call, Jin Hyeon-jin-in belatedly realized his mistake and laughed freely.
“Haha, my apologies. If it's difficult, you don't have to answer. They say a leaky gourd at home will leak outside too. Habits ingrained in the body are a fearsome thing.”
“It’s alright. I was the one who asked first.”
Dan Ak-seon answered, surprisingly willing.
“It means that the sea accepts all rivers without prejudice.”
“Oh?”
Jin Hyeon-jin-in showed interest in Dan Ak-seon’s answer.
“So our young physician dreams of being the sea.”
Despite Myeong Geom’s attempts to stop him, Jin Hyeon-jin-in asked.
“Then let me ask you just one thing. Have you ever thought about how the sea is able to embrace and accept all things?”
Dan Ak-seon answered with an innocent look in his eyes.
“Because it lies in the lowest place.”
Jin Hyeon-jin-in slapped his knee without realizing it.
“That’s it! Truly a wise answer to a foolish question! A wise answer indeed!”
Myeong Geom stared at Dan Ak-seon with astonished eyes.
It was an incredibly rare occurrence for his grand uncle to acknowledge someone so readily.
At the same time, a wave of envy and shame washed over him.
For he knew better than anyone that he could not have given such a quick and satisfying answer to the same question.
He suddenly saw Dan Ak-seon in a new light.
It was an untainted, childlike answer, yet it was difficult to fathom the depth it contained.
What was even more surprising was that his companions accepted this side of Dan Ak-seon as if it were perfectly natural.
It meant they were accustomed to situations like this.
Dan Ak-seon, on the other hand, was bewildered.
He had merely spoken of what he always believed as a physician and had not expected Jin Hyeon-jin-in to praise him so highly.
Just then, Beom Gye-wi stood up from his seat.
“I’m going to the privy.”
“Again?”
Beom Gye-wi laughed awkwardly.
“I must have eaten too fast. My stomach feels a bit upset.”
Dan Ak-seon looked quizzically at the food in front of Beom Gye-wi.
It was untouched, just as it had been when it was first served.
Realizing this, Beom Gye-wi hastily shoved food into his mouth. After barely chewing a few times and practically forcing it down his throat, he quickly left his seat.
“I’ll be back before the shit gets cold.”
At that moment, Cho Ak-ryang also furtively rose from his seat.
“Where are you going?”
“That guy has terrible constipation. I have to keep him company so he can go faster.”
Leaving behind Han Seol-hwa’s contemptuous gaze, Cho Ak-ryang followed Beom Gye-wi.
***
Sa Mu-sim was speechless at the situation that had suddenly unfolded. The thirty-man pursuit team from the Martial Alliance had become cold corpses in the blink of an eye, lying in pools of their own blood.
A mountain of corpses and a sea of blood!
It was like a scene from hell had been painted before him.
In the middle of that hellscape, someone was beckoning to him.
It was Beom Gye-wi.
As Sa Mu-sim approached, swallowing dryly, Beom Gye-wi glared at him.
“Why are you still loitering around here?”
“Th-that’s…”
“I oughta just!”
When Beom Gye-wi raised his bloodied fist, Sa Mu-sim shuddered as if having a seizure. The image of the Martial Alliance members dying helplessly at the hands of that man was still vivid in his mind.
Just then, Cho Ak-ryang, who had been observing Sa Mu-sim carefully, spoke up.
“What’s the reason?”
“…”
“After saving you twice, don’t I deserve to know?”
As Sa Mu-sim hesitated to answer, Cho Ak-ryang asked.
“So you think I'm a joke.”
“Not at all!”
Startled, Sa Mu-sim blurted out the truth without a second thought.
“There’s something I need to find from the Martial Alliance.”
“Something?”
Sa Mu-sim put his palms together, leaving a small gap between them.
“It's a wooden box about this big. They raided my hideout and took it, but I don't know where they're keeping it…”
“What’s in the box? Treasure?”
“Not treasure, but… it’s more precious than that to me.”
“Worth risking your life for?”
“Yes.”
Beom Gye-wi tilted his head.
“But you said you don’t even know where it is?”
Cho Ak-ryang nodded and said to Sa Mu-sim.
“Give it up. Nothing is more valuable than your life.”
“If I see you again, you’ll die by my hand, not the Martial Alliance's. Got it?”
At Beom Gye-wi’s threat, Sa Mu-sim's face turned pale.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Having gotten his confirmation, Cho Ak-ryang was about to turn away when he asked casually.
“What about those children you took in?”
“They’re safe.”
Cho Ak-ryang nodded at Sa Mu-sim’s answer.
“Take care of yourself with at least half the devotion you show those children.”
“I’ve never seen a busybody live a long life.”
Beom Gye-wi added his own two cents.
***
Exhausted from their long journey on the road, the group decided to stay at the inn to recover. The travels must have been quite arduous, as Dan Ak-seon fell asleep the moment he lay down on the bed.
The rest of them were busy continuing their conversation.
“Serves them right. The Martial Alliance is a real mess.”
Pung Jin-seong nodded at Beom Gye-wi’s words.
“The internal conflicts seem to have worsened recently. They must be constantly diverting attention to external matters to manage their infighting.”
Cho Ak-ryang followed up on that.
“It seems they're willing to invent enemies just to justify the Martial Alliance’s existence.”
“Didn’t that Huashan geezer from earlier seem to really hate the Martial Alliance too?”
“He’s hardly the only one. If you look closely, you’ll find there are many.”
But this was all just speculation.
As outsiders, they had no way of looking into the Martial Alliance’s internal affairs.
Then, Cho Ak-ryang suddenly thought of someone.
“Right, there’s that guy.”
The Swift Rumor Agency, an information network that operated between the righteous and evil factions.
Thinking of Neung So-mil, the one leading the agency, Cho Ak-ryang smiled faintly.
“I’ll have to meet that bastard again soon.”
“Who’s that?”
“There’s this guy. A fellow who dreams of being a tiger but has the guts of a fox.”
Seemingly uninterested, Beom Gye-wi changed the subject.
“Anyway, what are we going to do about those kids? We can’t keep dragging this burden around.”
Jin Hyeon-jin-in had left, but Myeong Geom and four other Plum Blossom Swordsmen were staying at the same inn, citing the need to act as escorts.
Cho Ak-ryang had no good solution for this either.
Now that Pung Jin-seong had accepted them, they couldn’t just send them back. Beom Gye-wi scratched his head and grumbled.
“I can’t even take off my wig. It’s so sweaty and itchy. I can’t even focus on my martial arts research because it’s so distracting.”
Annoyed, Beom Gye-wi slowly stood up.
“I guess I’ll just have to take care of it.”
“How?”
Beom Gye-wi grinned and made a throat-slitting gesture with his thumb.
Cho Ak-ryang frowned.
“You’re really trying to get Physician Dan killed. You’re going to kill a Huashan disciple in their own backyard? And a direct disciple who inherited the sect leader’s legitimate line, no less? I bet we’ll see the largest gathering of Huashan disciples since the Great War between the Righteous and Demonic Factions.”
“Ah, then what are we supposed to do!”
It was then that Han Seol-hwa, who had been silent, quietly stood up.
“Where are you going?”
Han Seol-hwa answered Cho Ak-ryang’s question nonchalantly.
“To solve the problem.”
“What?”
Leaving a dumbfounded Cho Ak-ryang behind, Han Seol-hwa disappeared up the stairs.
“Will it be alright?”
At Pung Jin-seong’s concerned question, Cho Ak-ryang shook his head.
“We can only hope she doesn’t cause any trouble.”
At that moment, Beom Gye-wi shot to his feet.
“Alright!”
A meaningful smile spread across Beom Gye-wi’s face.
“Now’s our chance, while the witch is gone!”
“Chance? What chance?”
“A tour of the pleasure district!”
Cho Ak-ryang frowned.
“Is that all you ever think about?”
“Of course. I’m always thinking about Physician Dan.”
“What does Physician Dan have to do with this?”
Recalling something Beom Gye-wi had said once, Cho Ak-ryang’s expression stiffened.
“You… Don’t tell me.”
He had a bad feeling, and he was right. Beom Gye-wi suddenly left the room and entered Dan Ak-seon’s chambers.
“Physician Dan, wake up. We have a place to go.”
“Umm… Where?”
“A place where you’ll be reborn as a real man.”
Scooping up the still-drowsy Dan Ak-seon, who was rubbing his eyes, Beom Gye-wi leaped out the window and vanished.
It all happened before Cho Ak-ryang could even try to stop him.
Pung Jin-seong was simply flabbergasted by his sudden, impulsive action. Cho Ak-ryang gave a bitter smile to the man who couldn’t hide his bewilderment.
“Don’t worry. I’ll bring him back.”
Leaving behind the heavily sighing Pung Jin-seong, Cho Ak-ryang also leaped out the window.