#47. A First-Rate Warrior Who Gathers People (6)
The people cheered.
They had escaped an uncertain, hopeless future whose end they couldn't even fathom, returning to the ordinary lives they'd long taken for granted.
At this moment, there was no distinction between the slash-and-burn farmers and the villagers.
The villagers rushed back to their homes, shouting that they needed to slaughter pigs and cattle, while those remaining on Goldwood Mountain began preparing the feast, digging out pots and bowls from amid the wreckage of broken furniture.
Before long, jars of liquor appeared, and the people laughed without end, downing the strong brew straight with no side dishes, as if it were water.
"Come here, our warrior sir."
The old herb gatherer grasped my hand as if welcoming his own son and wouldn't let go, while Village Chief Heo kept shedding tears before me.
As the people reveled in joy, the members of the Jegal family—who had been excluded from the festivities—were examining the Iron Armored Black Python Great Serpent.
"What in the world...!"
Jegal Jeong stared in disbelief, his mind still blank even after seeing it with his own eyes.
"What sort of scheme have you pulled off!"
The festive air turned icy in an instant, as if cold water had been dumped over them. Those who had been laughing and drinking began glaring at the Jegal family with looks of contempt.
"Explain in detail how you caught it."
I extricated myself from Village Chief Heo and Elder Kang's grips and stepped forward toward Jegal Jeong.
"The Iron Armored Black Python Great Serpent is one of the demonic beasts that martial artists avoid. Do you know why?"
It wasn't that it couldn't be caught. It was something you wanted to avoid catching at all costs.
"It's tricky to capture, yields no inner core, and most of its internal organs and flesh are toxic to humans."
The idea of poisoning prey was an age-old hunting tradition, but the Iron Armored Black Python Great Serpent was immune to poison from the start, making that method useless.
"I know that much."
"So I poisoned it."
"Poisoned it?"
"The herbs stuffed into the wild boar's belly melted inside the serpent's gut and mixed together, turning into a potent toxin for it."
In the martial world, which had lost countless warriors to the Great War between Orthodox and Demonic, civilians had no choice but to handle what warriors should have done.
"You think you can catch it just by feeding it antidotal herbs?"
"Not just any feeding. There's a precise order to it."
The method of poisoning the Iron Armored Black Python Great Serpent with antidotes had been devised by the Divine Physician House amid the raging Great War. Naturally, it was a concept that hadn't emerged yet.
"Impossible..."
Jegal Jeong gnashed his teeth in frustration. The Jegal family warriors felt the same.
More than joy at the serpent's capture, they were filled with resentment that someone else had easily solved a problem they'd struggled with.
"Hunting with such an absurd method!"
The Jegal liquor brewers and warriors nodded faintly in agreement with Jegal Jeong's words.
But Jegal Jeong was missing something crucial: the villagers' expressions.
"......"
"......"
The villagers' faces now twisted as if they'd encountered blood-sworn enemies. Their anger had escalated into outright killing intent.
They couldn't stomach hearing someone deny the actions of the man who had swiftly ended their long suffering.
As Jegal Hyunwoon noticed this and tried to rein in his family, I shouted toward the villagers.
"Everyone, please pay attention for a moment."
Their gazes converged on me. Jegal Hyunwoon, who had been about to speak, clamped his mouth shut and looked my way.
"The truth is, I hunted the Iron Armored Black Python Great Serpent at the Jegal family's request."
The villagers stared in confusion at this out-of-left-field statement.
"When handling it through the Murim Alliance kept getting delayed, one member of the Jegal family couldn't stand by any longer and asked me to save the people by catching the serpent."
Now even the Jegal family looked baffled, wondering what I was talking about.
"That person said one Iron Armored Black Python Great Serpent was ruining the livelihoods of hundreds. We can't wait for the Murim Alliance any longer."
I paused to draw everyone's focus, then pointed at Jegal Jeong.
"It's fine to thank me, but surely you know who you should truly be grateful to? I'm just worried you might forget. Elder, would you step forward?"
All eyes turned to Jegal Jeong. The dazed elder hesitated before slowly stepping toward me.
"This is the very man who urgently asked me to catch the Iron Armored Black Python Great Serpent."
Murmurs rippled through the villagers.
At that moment, Jegal Jeong ground his teeth and muttered under his breath.
"What the hell is this?"
"Good things should stay good, right?"
"What did you say?"
Jegal Jeong was timid by nature but craved honor above all. After finishing his mandatory service in the Murim Alliance in his youth, he'd returned straight to his clan because he lacked confidence to stand out among the era's soaring dragons and phoenixes.
"With this, Elder, your name will echo across all of Hubei Province—as a hero who always watches over the common folk."
"......"
Though his brow furrowed at the mere thought, the corners of Jegal Jeong's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
Seeing this, I turned to the slash-and-burn farmers and villagers.
"Oh, and the damage to the slash-and-burn village during the hunt? The Jegal family has agreed to compensate for it all."
"What?"
As Jegal Jeong opened his mouth to protest, Village Chief Heo burst forward with a wail.
"Aigoo! Elder!"
"I knew you wouldn't abandon us. Thank you so much. Truly, thank you."
As Village Chief Heo sobbed, Jegal Jeong awkwardly forced a smile.
"Haha, no need to make a fuss. I... I did say I'd help, didn't I?"
"Thank you so much. Now I can raise my granddaughter without shame before my departed son and daughter-in-law."
Watching their touching exchange, the villagers began nodding one by one.
"Well, the great Jegal family wouldn't just sit idly by."
"Yeah. Either way, don't we owe our livelihoods to the Jegal family?"
As the mood flipped, the villagers slyly approached the Jegal family members.
"Hey, warriors over there. Try some of this liquor. I brewed it last year—it's pretty good."
"Oi! Go catch more pigs and cows! Warriors gotta eat a lot!"
Perplexed but going with the flow, the Jegal family members started mingling naturally.
"Compensation? What's that about?"
"Just do it. How much could it cost to rebuild a few slash-and-burn huts? You've got plenty of money."
"......"
"And doesn't it look good?"
I gestured to the sight of villagers and Jegal clansmen getting along. Jegal Jeong fell silent for a long while.
"Elder, please accept a drink from this old man."
As Village Chief Heo offered liquor, the hesitant Jegal Jeong took a sip.
"Hm? This is good."
"I brewed it with cornelian cherry fruits. If it suits your taste, I'll send a jar every year."
"Haha."
Then the three of them—the village chief, the old herb gatherer, and Jegal Jeong—began passing drinks back and forth.
"Hoo..."
Watching this, Jegal Hyunwoon let out a soft sigh.
"What kind of person are you, exactly?"
His gaze held the wonder of beholding an alien lifeform.
#
"I expected the elder's reaction from the moment you effortlessly caught the Iron Armored Black Python Great Serpent. He's not the type to let talent slip away."
Jegal Hyunwoon and Jin Sowoon were heading to the golden prison where Jegal Cheongi was confined.
In the end, Jegal Jeong had reluctantly approved dispatching Jegal Cheongi.
Having been honored before all the villagers, he couldn't shamelessly ignore or bully them now.
This only deepened Jegal Hyunwoon's curiosity about Jin Sowoon.
"But I never anticipated your actions. When did you start scheming all this?"
"From the moment you came sniffing around under the guise of surveillance."
"Haha! They say the Black Flame Dragon's wits outpace even the headless god's steps."
"......"
Jin Sowoon's slight frown at the mention of his epithet only made him seem more endearing.
Did he still think the 'dragon' title was beyond him?
"Even so, how did you make the villagers revere the elder? What if he were the type who didn't care about such gazes?"
Jegal Hyunwoon peppered him with questions like a long-lost friend. Jin Sowoon answered patiently, without a hint of annoyance.
"From the elder's flashy attire and possessions, I sensed a love for ostentation. His treatment of Village Chief Heo revealed a strong craving for honor. Yet the villages near Mt. Yungzhong hold considerable grudge against the Jegal family."
"All my failings as leader."
"Well... is it entirely that? Anyway, seeing you—a mere surveillance envoy, not off to battle or a liquor contest—arrive with full formalities, I realized you craved the people's awe. So I acted accordingly."
Hearing this breakdown of events left Jegal Hyunwoon even more impressed.
The principles of the world seem ordinary until you understand them—then they're awe-inspiring. That was his exact sentiment now.
"...In my view, you should've been a Jegal family disciple, not Tae-eul Gate's."
"Your words alone are thanks enough."
"Truly, to think someone could win over the elder like that. Even witnessing it myself, I can hardly believe it."
"...Hm, he was certainly very different from the Chief Strategist."
"...Pardon?"
Jegal Hyunwoon halted at the sudden mention of Jegal Somyeong's title.
"Do you know my father... no, the Chief Strategist?"
"Ah, yes. I met him once at the Iron Sword Sect."
"...You sized him up from afar even then?"
"No. We met properly and talked..."
"The Visitor's Token!"
Jegal Hyunwoon cried out in shock. Jin Sowoon's eyes widened in equal surprise.
"So you were the owner of that Visitor's Token!"
"...How did you know?"
It was common knowledge—and it had caused a stir among the martial world's notables.
Jegal Somyeong, who hadn't even given a Visitor's Token to his own kin due to his discerning eye, had acknowledged someone. Debates raged over which sect's disciple it could be.
"D-Didn't Namgung San come looking for you?"
Jegal Hyunwoon was even stammering now.
Originally for the Yongbong Assembly, Namgung San had borrowed it to evaluate his sister. But midway, someone who earned Jegal Somyeong's approval took it, and Namgung San had stormed out to retrieve it. That was all he'd heard.
All eyes were on who could best Anhui's prodigy, Namgung San.
"Yes."
"Don't tell me he took it from you?"
"I don't let anyone take what's mine."
"Hoo."
He was already astonished by what he'd seen so far. This ignorance amplified his shock.
"Come to think of it, the Tae-eul Gate disciple who saved Wang Family's daughter must be..."
Jin Sowoon scratched the back of his head sheepishly. No answer was needed to grasp the implication.
He'd heard Wang Geumsan, the current Wang family head, was desperate to take one as a son-in-law.
He never imagined it was this young man before him.
"Just who are you?"
"A Tae-eul Gate disciple."
That was the problem. A Tae-eul Gate disciple achieving such feats, acting so extraordinarily, speaking and thinking so uniquely—what might he become with greater power? Unimaginable.
'The Jegal family's arts aren't bad either...'
As Jegal Hyunwoon pondered even that, he lamented his lack of a daughter.
"I envy your father and your sect leader terribly."
"The sect leader, maybe not—but my father wouldn't think so. Haha."
His hearty laugh suggested a good relationship with his father. Truly, he lacked nothing; the more one saw, the more covetous he seemed.
'Perfect. I'll take Cheongi along and keep building ties. We have girls of marriageable age in the family...'
As Jegal Hyunwoon spun his fantasies, they arrived at the golden prison.
The guards around it had withdrawn the moment Jegal Cheongi's dispatch was approved.
"Cheongi, you have a guest."
Creeeak.
The long-unopened hinges screeched open. Inside, Jegal Cheongi—dressed impeccably—knelt on one knee, fists clasped in salute.
"This lowly one, Jegal Cheongi, greets his lord."
"......"
"......"
Baffled by Jegal Cheongi's inexplicable behavior, Jin Sowoon and Jegal Hyunwoon exchanged glances.
Jegal Cheongi declared in his loudest voice.
"Long ago, Liu Bei thrice visited the thatched hut to recruit Master Zhuge. Yet for a martial world's ignoramus like me, you slew the Iron Armored Black Python Great Serpent. How could I stand idle? I vow to serve you as lord for life—please do not cast me aside, Great Hero Black Flame Dragon."
Jegal Hyunwoon, flustered by his son's sudden outburst, nonetheless understood to some degree.
The boy, lifelong rejected by his birth clan, had braved danger to recruit him. How deeply that must have soothed his wounds.
"......"
Faced with this pivotal moment that could shape his son's future, Jegal Hyunwoon silently regarded only Jin Sowoon.