Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Regret
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It was no trifling matter.
It was a question and answer that decided life or death.
The White Master gazed at Se Yeong with clear eyes.
There was no way the man facing him hadn't guessed as much.
Yet he was asking such a question, which meant he had something vitally important to say.
"Is there something you want to ask?"
Se Yeong felt a chill at his words.
What kind of life had this man lived to see straight through his innermost thoughts like this?
He was flawless, not just in martial arts but in mental composure as well.
"When do you think the Demonic Cult will invade?"
"The Demonic Cult has been in the martial world for a long time already. Didn't you realize that?"
Se Yeong was at a loss for words at his reply.
He belatedly realized it had been a foolish question.
"My apologies for the rudeness."
Se Yeong gave a slight bow and turned to leave the room.
He had been utterly defeated, not only in martial arts but in conversation as well.
"The Supreme One will become the master of the martial world. Even if you don't want it, I'll make sure it happens."
Se Yeong didn't mock Ak Su-deok's dream.
"What about the Murim Alliance?"
"I'll cut down anything that stands in the way. If you block my path, I'll kill you without hesitation."
"Oh dear, how scary."
Ak Su-deok bared a faint killing intent, displeased by Se Yeong's playful tone.
"Don't stand in my way, Han Se Yeong."
"So you invited me and the Tenth Squad to pass this on to the Murim Alliance."
Se Yeong brushed off his killing intent lightly.
"That's not the only reason. If you and the Tenth Squad hadn't come, and some other fools had, the Sabaeksung rabble would have already wiped them out."
"Got it. Go back to the Murim Alliance and report everything you've seen and heard. Not for free, though."
Ak Su-deok asked with an incredulous look.
"You mean you'll hand over information for silver?"
"Of course. I signed a contract with the Murim Alliance to get paid for every job."
"You've got a naive side. You think the Murim Alliance will just listen to you?"
The Murim Alliance wasn't the type to throw silver around carelessly.
Even if Se Yeong said nothing, the Tenth Squad members would spill everything they'd seen and heard.
But Se Yeong was confident.
"They'll have to pay up."
A smile crept onto Ak Su-deok's lips.
In truth, he'd respected Se Yeong ever since their fight with Gwangmuje.
Despite being younger, Se Yeong's martial prowess was in no way inferior.
That's why he didn't want to face Se Yeong as an enemy.
"When are you heading back?"
"I'll rest well tonight and leave tomorrow morning."
"Someone else will see you off, so let's part here."
"Sure."
Se Yeong and Ak Su-deok turned and walked in opposite directions.
After about ten steps, Se Yeong stopped.
"By the way, those letters and documents you showed me—they're poison to release into the Murim Alliance, right?"
"Exactly. A deadly toxin prepared to make them eat and die."
Hahaha…!
"I'll eat well."
Se Yeong and the squad members left the Sabaeksung and raced toward the Murim Alliance.
But soon, a group blocked their path.
"Halt."
They were warriors from the Murim Alliance's Patrol Squad.
As the squad members stopped, the warriors hurriedly asked.
"Are you heading into the Sabaeksung? Or back to the Murim Alliance?"
Paeng Se Gi snapped irritably at their question.
"Can't you tell from the direction we're going? We're returning to the Murim Alliance."
The Patrol Squad warriors looked dumbfounded.
"When did you even enter the Sabaeksung?"
They had no choice but to be shocked.
They'd rushed here on the Strategist's orders without proper rest.
Aside from sleeping and brief breaks from exhaustion, they hadn't slacked off.
They'd traveled day and night and only just arrived near the Sabaeksung.
Yet they were already reporting back to the Murim Alliance?
"We went in two days and half a day ago."
"We can't possibly believe that. Did you use a shrinking-earth technique or something?"
As the Patrol Squad warriors grew annoyed and skeptical, Paeng Se Gi raised his voice in retort.
"Don't believe us then! We're just going to keep moving!"
Paeng Se Gi unleashed his lightness skill first, and the squad members followed suit.
Se Yeong and Squad Leader Kang, who had stayed behind, approached the stunned warriors.
Heh heh…
"It's true. You should hurry and report to the Strategist."
Squad Leader Kang kindly roused them.
"Let's go, Squad Leader."
At Se Yeong's urging, Squad Leader Kang also began his lightness skill.
The warriors watched the two disappear, then looked at each other and plopped down on the spot.
"Do we report this or not…?"
"Either way, let's rest a bit before moving."
Having finished circulating their qi, the squad members rose to resume their lightness skill.
"Come on, let's get moving."
Yeong-gak, the first to stand, urged the others.
Like the rest, he had stones tied to his limbs, but his were larger.
"Just how far are you planning to follow us?"
Paeng Se Gi demanded, as Yeong-gak showed no sign of leaving.
"Om mani padme hum. After sharing life and death in the middle realm, how can you be so heartless?"
"Quit dodging and just say when you're leaving."
Yeong-gak gazed at the sky, pretending not to hear.
"Nice weather today."
"Damn it, you monk bastard."
Paeng Se Gi finally cursed.
Kekekeke…
The squad members watched and chuckled merrily.
But one squad member wasn't enjoying it, as if dropped alone into another world.
"Are you feeling unwell?"
Squad Leader Kang approached Sa Sa Un, who looked deathly pale.
"N-no, sir. Just exhausted."
Sa Sa Un glanced at Se Yeong and mumbled awkwardly.
His body ached, but his mind hurt more.
Running himself to death like this didn't seem to build any internal energy—it just felt like pointless drudgery.
Squad Leader Kang saw right through him.
Unlike the others, his constant grimacing made it impossible not to notice.
"Compare when you first used lightness skill after leaving the Murim Alliance to now. Doesn't it feel like you're covering a bit more distance?"
Sa Sa Un pondered deeply.
Now that he thought about it, maybe yes, maybe no.
"If you have to do it anyway, try enjoying it. It'll take much less effort."
Sa Sa Un's chest tightened at Squad Leader Kang's words.
No one had ever said anything like that to him.
Just facing Se Yeong made his legs shake, and the squad members were prickly.
But Squad Leader Kang drove them harshly in training yet never spoke harshly.
"Thank you, Squad Leader Kang."
Why did those words from that man fill him with such strength?
Sa Sa Un stood and began his lightness skill.
Three years ago, this village had about ten thatched huts.
It was tiny, but still warm with human presence.
Now, that warmth had faded.
"Looks like all the villagers left, brother."
Paeng Se Gi, scouting the village, pointed to a front yard where grass grew waist-high around a thatched hut.
"Yeah."
Se Yeong stopped before an empty lot with only burn marks remaining.
"This was the place. But even the house is gone."
Why had the house burned down?
They might have torched it before moving, or it could have caught fire.
"If the house burned, the Ledger Ghost won't be here. Let's go, brother."
As Paeng Se Gi said, no sign of the Ledger Ghost anywhere in the village.
Se Yeong wandered a bit more.
Just then, a hunched old woman opened her door from one hut and stepped out.
"Excuse me, ma'am, could I ask you something?"
Se Yeong approached, bowing.
The old woman eyed him up and down, then flinched back.
"Wh-what do you want?"
She recognized him as a martial world denizen.
"Please don't be alarmed. Just answer my questions, and I'll give you silver."
Paeng Se Gi pulled a money pouch from his bosom and handed her one tael of silver upon hearing Se Yeong.
With silver in hand, the old woman trembled even in her grip.
Earning a tael in this backwater wasn't easy.
"What do you want to know?"
"Where did the couple who lived in that burned house up there go?"
The old woman sighed deeply at Se Yeong's question.
"Aigoo… Why ask about something from a year ago?"
"I must know. Please tell me."
The old woman sat hunched on a bench drying herbs.
"His wife, who had been sickly, died a year ago. The moment she died, that bastard turned utterly ferocious—beyond words. One day, drunk out of his mind, he slaughtered everyone in sight. My son, his wife, and grandchild all fell to his blade… He butchered villagers indiscriminately, then set his own house ablaze and vanished from the village."
Tears streamed from the old woman's eyes as she finished.
Haa…
A sigh escaped Se Yeong, while Yeong-gak chanted a mantra.
"Om mani padme hum. Even demons would shake their heads at that fiend…"
"Quiet down."
Paeng Se Gi quickly cut Yeong-gak off.
"…It was my fault."
If Se Yeong had killed the Ledger Ghost then, the villagers would still be alive.
The couple's affection had been so tender, and he'd regretted the past, so Se Yeong couldn't bring himself to kill him.
"That bastard's the evil one, not your fault, brother."
"No. It's my fault."
Se Yeong continued sighing and walked out of the village.
What good was regret now?
The squad members followed silently.
"Young Hero Han, what now?"
Squad Leader Kang walked beside Se Yeong and asked about next steps.
"Can't find him right now, so back to the Murim Alliance for the time being."
If he set his mind to it, he was confident he'd track him down in half a year at most.
But this wasn't his solo wandering days anymore.
"Very well."
Yeong-gak finally sold his weapons thirty li from the Murim Alliance.
The price was four taels of silver.
"This little monk will treat you to drinks."
"Go ahead."
Squad Leader Kang accepted Yeong-gak's gesture first, so Se Yeong nodded with a smile.
"Pick a good place."
"No worries, Great Hero Han. Good food draws steady crowds."
Yeong-gak boasted loudly and led the way.
"Ah… That place looks good."
He picked an inn bustling with customers and went inside.
Se Yeong and the squad followed into the crowded inn, which seemed to have no empty seats.
"Sit over there."
But the waiter deftly found a spot.
It was a corner seat invisible from the entrance.
"Bring out meat and liquor, all you've got."
Paeng Se Gi ordered for Yeong-gak, intending to bleed him dry.
Whether aware or not, Yeong-gak sat calmly.
"Spend it all."
Yeong-gak handed all four taels to Paeng Se Gi.
"You… What's gotten into you?"
Everyone, including Paeng Se Gi, was stunned by his generosity.
"I'm not stingy. Squad Leader Kang, Great Hero Han—this monk's buying, so eat and drink up."
Heh heh…
"Much obliged."
Squad Leader Kang chuckled heartily.
The waiter began bringing liquor and dishes.
"Squad Leader Kang, brother, have a drink."
Paeng Se Gi filled Squad Leader Kang's and Se Yeong's cups.
As the drinking started, Yeong-gak, who had been quietly sipping, spoke up.
"Now that this little monk's part of the Tenth Squad, why would I need silver?"
"See? I knew it."