Chapter 19
The sound of birdsong drifted in. I slowly opened my eyes. My body felt light, a sensation I had never known in this life. But before I could even check how much my inner power had grown or how my body had changed, my nose reacted first.
“Ugh! What the hell is that smell!”
I reflexively pinched my nose shut. It did no good. The rotten stench was coming from my own body. I looked myself over and then swept my gaze around the room. There was no trace of anything around me except the blood I had spilled.
Creak.
Starting with the window, I opened every door that could be opened and began to air the room out. At the same time, I wiped away the dark, dried blood staining the floor, then drew my sword and gave it a light swing.
A small gust rolled off my blade and began driving the foul air out of the room.
“Damn it... at this rate, I’m just pouring water into a bottomless jar.”
Still, because the source of the stench was my own body, no matter how much I aired the room out, the smell would not go away. It was so strong it made my head swim. How should I even describe it? The smell of someone who hadn’t washed for years? Yes. That would be right. The exact stench of the beggar rabble gathered in the Beggars’ Union.
I pressed hard at my throbbing temples, then immediately started washing myself. After rinsing my body several times, I could feel the stench growing fainter. Even so, the lingering discomfort remained, so I heated more water and soaked myself in the tub. Then I rested a hand on my dantian.
Pure Essence Jade Liquid... now I understand why it’s called a legendary elixir.
When I entered the Treasury of the Divine Thief, my cultivation had been at the peak of the first-class realm. Reaching first-class in the first place was not something one could do in a short time. But from the pinnacle realm upward, it was an entirely different story. It was a level most people could never reach even after devoting their whole lives to it.
Peak realm.
From here on, it was the domain of talent. It was not a level attainable by effort alone. Not only did it demand an absurd amount of inner power as a baseline, but it also required the understanding of a true martial artist.
Well, I don’t really need the part about understanding.
That wasn’t an issue for me, because I already possessed the insight of the peak realm. What had actually been lacking was the sheer quantity of inner power. Pure Essence Jade Liquid had solved that. I had only consumed three drops of it, but the effect of those three drops had been monstrous.
“I’ve reached the peak realm.”
My cultivation had reached it. No, saying I had simply “reached” it wasn’t accurate. I had broken through the threshold of the peak realm and arrived at the fully matured stage.
I had eaten countless elixirs over the years, but none had produced a result like this. What was even more astonishing was that, even with Baekcheonggong and my own insight, I still couldn’t fully digest all of the Pure Essence Jade Liquid’s power.
I had been certain that, with my understanding and the stability of Baekcheonggong, no elixir could cause any leakage of inner power. But the energy contained within the Pure Essence Jade Liquid had easily gone beyond my expectations. Because of that, some leakage had been unavoidable.
Even so, nothing was wasted.
That was right. There had been leakage, but I had not let any of that inner power go to waste. I used what I could not absorb from the Pure Essence Jade Liquid to drive out the turbid energy clogging my meridians and blood vessels.
“And still, I didn’t manage to escape looking like a beggar. Tsk tsk.”
A laugh slipped out before I knew it. I had already passed through all those realms once before. And yet, while building them again, I was gaining insights I had never obtained in my previous life. Maybe I was even growing stronger by acquiring a more solid understanding than the one I had built up before.
“Anyway, I’m the one who plundered the Treasury of the Divine Thief first.”
The first goal, the Treasury of the Divine Thief, was mine. Then what remained was to uncover who had opened it and stop the struggle over the treasury before it began.
“All right. Then let’s bring this to an end.”
By the time the water that had been hot had gone lukewarm, I got up. Then I threw open the doors of the inn.
- Grand Opening Celebration!
Baek-ga Inn is treating! Today, alcohol is free, including the noodles!
“That should do it.”
After writing the words on the signboard and setting it down, I slowly looked around. Merchants were focused on selling their wares, while customers drifted past them, stopping to browse the goods. It was an ordinary, everyday scene. But to me, it looked a little different.
More precisely, it felt different. I spread my senses around the inn.
Three Namgung. Four Iron Blood. Mosan is...
Within that ordinary landscape, I could feel the qi of martial artists. Why else would they be here? Because they had free time and wanted to kill time?
What a joke.
Every last one of them was watching the inn. On their end, they probably thought they were doing it stealthily, but from the perspective of someone who had reached the peak realm, it was no different from children playing house.
I lightly stamped my foot and dragged out the Namgung and Iron Blood martial artists. To their eyes, I had probably vanished and then appeared directly in front of them. And because I struck their pressure points the instant I appeared, they couldn’t even put up a token struggle.
“You’re all here, right?”
Unable to move, the seven martial artists from Namgung and Iron Blood all strained their eyes. Then, without waiting for one another, they spoke up.
“What is the meaning of this! We are martial artists of the prestigious Namgung Family!”
“Do you think you’ll get away with laying a hand on Iron Blood? Release these pressure points at once!”
“Do you even know what it means to interfere with a Namgung martial artist?”
Whether righteous or unorthodox, the words that came out of their mouths were all the same. Empty threats that meant nothing, asking whether I knew what would happen if I laid a hand on them. I looked at them and let the corners of my mouth rise slightly.
“Your mouths sure work just fine.”
“What did you say! Do you mean to take that as a challenge to Namgung?”
“Iron Blood will not forget this either!”
“A challenge to Namgung and Iron Blood, huh. Think whatever you want. I just caught the bastards spying on my house.”
“Stop spouting nonsense and release these pressure points already!”
“Release them, you say...”
I clasped my hands behind my back and looked them over one by one. Then I slowly drew my sword. The moment my blade left its scabbard, their eyes widened as if they might pop out of their sockets. Then they started stammering.
“W-What are you planning to do?”
“What does it look like?”
“Don’t do anything foolish. You’ll truly cross a river you can never return from!”
“Oh, now I’m curious. I wonder if you’ll say the same thing when this gets driven into your throat.”
“W-Wait...!”
The Namgung and Iron Blood martial artists shouted as one. But I ignored them and raised my sword, bringing it down in a swift arc. Just before my blade touched their throats, they shut their eyes and screamed.
Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.
“What a bunch of cowards.”
My sword lightly struck the seven pressure points and passed on. At the same time, they dropped to their knees and started clutching at their necks. One of them wet himself; another wore a vacant, shell-shocked expression.
“Think of it as being given a new life and live with it.”
“N-Namgung will not forget this!”
The Namgung martial artist still had fear all over his face. Even so, he couldn’t bring himself to let go of his pride and kept spitting out empty threats. The Iron Blood martial artists didn’t even bother with that; they turned and tried to flee.
“Who said you could move?”
Both Namgung and Iron Blood were already inching backward to get away. I released my aura just enough, and they froze in place like stone statues.
“Make sure you pass this on to your leaders. That’s all.”
I slipped a letter into each of their robes and withdrew my pressure. At once, they scattered without even looking back.
“The invitations for Namgung and Iron Blood are handled. That leaves Mosan.”
I took another letter from my sleeve and laid it on the floor.
“You lot can deliver this yourselves.”
To anyone else, it would have looked like I was muttering to myself and setting a letter down on empty ground. But my senses had already caught more than ten Taoists from the Mosan Sect. Every last one of them had concealed themselves with sorcery.
That’s more than a little excessive.
It wouldn’t have been difficult to find and subdue all of them, but there was no need to reveal my martial strength to them for no reason.
Do they know just how important this inn is?
It was only an inn. The only unusual thing about it was that it sat at the very center of the power struggle in Zhejiang. And yet the number of people watching it was at least twice that of Namgung and Iron Blood combined.
“Well, the preparations are done, so I’ll just have to crack it open and see.”
I stretched and stepped back inside the inn. Then I immediately started boiling noodles.
I had written on the sign that today’s food was free, but no one had come. Probably because this inn was a place where Namgung and Iron Blood martial artists regularly came and went.
“Even so, there’s no one who truly turns down free food.”
That was right. No one disliked free things. And with rumors recently spreading that the Baek-ga Inn had reported them to the authorities, one by one the seats began to fill.
“Welcome!”
“Innkeeper. Noodles and bamboo leaf green, please!”
“Yes! Coming right up.”
As customers began arriving one after another, the seats were full before long. They all started chatting while eating noodles and drinking bamboo leaf green, and before I knew it, the inn had taken on an atmosphere it had never had before.
“Innkeeper, come out and have a drink with us!”
“Shall I?”
I came out from the kitchen and looked at the customers. Most of them were merchants from the surrounding area. The moment I took a cup of the wine they offered me, the inn’s door opened. At that same instant, every merchant inside fell silent.
“I came by invitation.”
Because the one who opened that door was Namgung Gyeom of Namgung. As soon as Namgung Gyeom stepped into the inn, the martial artists of Namgung began walking in behind him. The merchants then started rising one by one and leaving the inn.
“The hour’s gotten that late already. Innkeeper, that was a good meal.”
“I should get moving too if I want to open my stall tomorrow.”
After a little while, every merchant had left the inn. I poured wine into an empty cup and slowly brought it to my lips. Then Namgung Gyeom came over and slapped a letter onto the table in front of me.
“What is the meaning of this?”
“What is?”
“I’m asking about what’s written in this letter.”
“Exactly what it says.”
What I had written in the letter was simple.
- I invite Namgung to Baek-ga Inn. The operation will be carried out tonight.
“Do you have any idea how important this plan is? And you just decided on your own to...”
“Whether it’s early or late, does it matter? It’s going to happen anyway!”
“Shut up! I’ve endured more than enough of your nonsense!”
“Why not have a drink instead? Not everyone’s here yet.”
“Not everyone’s here yet?”
I threw my wine cup at Namgung Gyeom. Then I followed it by hurling another cup toward the inn’s entrance.
“What’s this? Some nobody?”
The moment I threw the cup, Won Woo-hyeop and the martial artists of Cheolhyeol-seong stepped through the inn’s door. Naturally, Won Woo-hyeop caught the wine cup I had thrown with ease.
“It’s a wine cup.”
“What kind of nonsense is it to hand someone a cup without any wine?”
“Tsk tsk... fine, that’s my mistake.”
I rose to my feet, wine bottle in hand. Then I walked over to Namgung Gyeom. He was glaring at me as if he wanted to kill me on the spot.
“Explain... this... right now. If you don’t, you’ll die by my hand.”
“Explain what? You both received the invitations I sent. Why do you think I called you here? To have a drink and build some camaraderie, of course.”
The instant I finished speaking, the wine cup in Namgung Gyeom’s hand shattered. Veins bulged red across his eyes as he struggled to contain his rage. I left him there and turned to Won Woo-hyeop.
“Should we leave the boring one out and have a drink ourselves?”
“Drink? I’ve got no problem with that. But listen.”
Won Woo-hyeop shattered the cup in his hand and took the bottle from me instead. Then he tipped the wine into his mouth. Satisfied with the taste, he smiled faintly.
“Judging by Namgung brat’s face, looks like you’re going to die today.”
“Is it really that hard to ask for a drink? I truly don’t understand.”
With an expression of mock disappointment, I returned to the table where I had been sitting. Strangely enough, the two factions stood facing each other with my table at the center. I looked at the two groups and tipped the bottle back into my mouth.
“Krrr...”
“You called us here just to play games?”
“There’s still one missing. Or is he already here? I think I can smell incense. Well, if you’re busy, shall we start without him?”
I glanced toward the door for a moment, then lifted the bottle again. But Namgung Gyeom had reached his limit and slashed at the bottle. At the same time, every Namgung martial artist drew his sword, and in response, the Iron Blood martial artists drew their sabers as well.
“So this is what a prestigious house looks like? You don’t know how to spare a drop of wine.”
“This is your last chance. Explain why you gathered us here.”
“Why I gathered you? You already know better than I do, Namgung Gyeom. Wasn’t it you who said you wanted to ambush Iron Blood? I set the stage exactly how you wanted it, and still I can hardly get a single word of thanks.”
At my words, the entire inn fell silent. Unlike the quiet room, though, Namgung Gyeom and Won Woo-hyeop both looked as if they had been slammed by storm-tossed waves.
Namgung Gyeom’s eyes were so bloodshot they looked dyed red, while Won Woo-hyeop was smiling as if he found the whole situation interesting.
“I set the board for you. The rest is up to you.”
“You son of a bitch.”
“Now that’s a fun one!”
Namgung Gyeom’s sword shot toward me at terrifying speed. But it never reached me. Won Woo-hyeop’s saber intercepted it.
“And one more thing. Whichever one of you survives will learn the location of the treasury along with the interests of Zhejiang.”
The moment I flashed a bright smile at Namgung Gyeom, a roar burst from him. That roar was the drumbeat announcing the start of the war between Namgung and Iron Blood.
If it couldn’t be stopped, then why not simply open the gate myself?
As history had ordained, the conflict between the two factions began. But its ending would be different.