Chapter 88
Chapter 88
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: The Thousand Illusions Wanderer
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Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo stared in stunned silence for a long while before speaking softly.
“It’s very spacious.”
“It’s fifteen li in circumference—about six kilometers.”
“This is twice the size of the old headquarters at Golden Treasure Mountain in Luoyang.”
“They say they’re building a private dock on the Qiantang River back there.”
I gently patted Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo’s shoulder.
“Now that construction has started, you can review the blueprints later.”
But Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo simply bowed her head without a word.
The fine hair on her snow-white nape and neck was soft and downy.
Suddenly, she turned to look at me.
“Brother Yong.”
“What is it?”
“What exactly are you trying to do for me?”
Her abrupt question puzzled me.
“Did I do something wrong?”
I was bewildered to see Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo’s eyes welling up with tears.
“Byeok-gyo.”
“You saved my life thirteen years ago, and yet I’ve never done anything for you.”
“That’s…”
After I escorted Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo from Mount Heng to the Martial Alliance headquarters in Luoyang, we never met again. All she received was a hundred silver taels as a reward.
A couple of months later, I went on a mission to Soul Suppressing Valley, was brought back to the headquarters half-dead, and then abruptly left a few months after that.
“And now, thirteen years later, you’re saving me from despair once again.”
What I did in Dong-ro Prefecture was initially purely for my own purposes. The thought of doing it for the Martial Alliance or Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo hadn't crossed my mind in the slightest.
It was only after I had completely pacified Dong-ro Prefecture, learned that Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo was drifting like a water weed, and heard from So Yang-gun that he wanted to turn the Dong-ro Branch into the new main headquarters that I finally thought it might be a good idea.
I didn't care about the Martial Alliance or its headquarters. I just wanted Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo to have a place where she could settle down comfortably.
Tears finally streamed down Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo’s face.
“Brother Yong, how can I ever repay this immense debt?”
I had never been in a situation like this before, so I could only look at her with a helpless expression.
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo looked at me, crying even more.
There was nothing I could say in this situation. I just felt frustrated and wanted to get away quickly.
But then, Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo wiped her tears with her sleeve and forced a bright smile onto her face.
“I made things awkward for you, didn't I? I’m sorry.”
She took my arm.
“Let’s go.”
Her crying form held the innocence of the young girl I once knew, but the way she quickly wiped her tears and composed herself seemed to be the Alliance Lord.
On our way back, a carriage stopped beside us.
The door opened, and Ja-un leaped out, exclaiming cheerfully.
“Master! You’ve returned!”
Ja-un greeted me warmly and asked.
“Are you on your way back to the Dong-ro Branch?”
“Yes.”
“Ride with me!”
Inside the carriage, Ja-un saw Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo and then turned to me.
“Is this the Alliance Lord?”
“She is.”
There was no need to hide it from Ja-un.
Ja-un smiled brightly and bowed her head slightly.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“And you.”
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo smiled back. She guessed that Ja-un was someone I trusted.
Even after learning that Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo was the Alliance Lord of the Martial Alliance, Ja-un didn't show excessive deference. That was because Ja-un had nothing to do with the Martial Alliance.
Ja-un smiled innocently.
“I’m the master’s personal aide.”
“I see.”
A personal aide was, by definition, a position of utmost proximity and support. Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo immediately understood what Ja-un’s role was.
The carriage was filled with the delicious aroma of food, making my mouth water.
Ja-un chirped like a sparrow as she looked at me.
“I was loading your breakfast into the carriage when a subordinate rushed in and reported seeing you in the prefecture! So I hurried over right away!”
“I suppose Chief Steward Jang knows as well.”
“Of course. My brother and Un-hyo should have already arrived at the Dong-ro Branch.”
As I stepped out of the carriage that had stopped in the courtyard of the Dong-ro Branch, the branch members all bowed deeply in greeting.
“We greet the Grand Branch Master!”
While we were out for our walk, the branch members had all arrived for work or woken up to prepare for their day.
They thought I was returning from a trip that had lasted several days.
While a maid prepared the branch members’ meal, Ja-un carried a separate set of dishes to the annex.
“Master! Please come and eat!”
Jang Ung and Go Un-hyo wore distinct expressions as they bowed respectfully.
“Welcome back, sir.”
“Indeed.”
I was in such a good mood that the word ‘indeed,’ which I rarely used, slipped out.
Breakfast was served in the annex lounge, and my closest associates and I sat around the table.
No one picked up their chopsticks; they all looked at me.
I gestured to my associates for Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo, who sat to my left.
“Let me introduce you. These people are like family to me.”
Jang Ung and the others had guessed Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo was the Alliance Lord, and they were startled when I spoke to her so casually.
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo smiled and spoke elegantly.
“I am Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo.”
Unlike Ja-un, Jang Ung and Go Un-hyo rose to their feet and bowed respectfully with clasped fists.
“I am Jang Ung.”
“I am Go Un-hyo.”
I pointed to Jang Ung and Go Un-hyo in turn.
“This man is my right hand, and this fellow is my sworn brother.”
“I see.”
“The three people here are my only family.”
At the word ‘family,’ Jang Ung, Ja-un, and Go Un-hyo were deeply moved.
I explained briefly.
“The Alliance Lord and I arrived first. The rest of our party will come by boat with Uncle Jo and Aunt Mae.”
I spoke to Jang Ung.
“Prepare to welcome the Alliance Lord’s entourage.”
“As you command.”
“Let’s eat.”
As we ate in silence, Jang Ung, Go Un-hyo, and even Ja-un kept stealing glances at Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo.
They had probably never seen a woman as beautiful as her in their entire lives.
***
Later, as Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo and I were having tea alone, she spoke.
“Isn’t it strange for me to call you Brother Yong?”
“Why?”
“That was what I called you when I was ten. Now that I’m twenty-three, shouldn’t I address you in a way that suits my age?”
“It’s fine with me.”
“Alright. Then I’ll keep calling you Brother Yong.”
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo took a sip of tea before continuing.
“Thirteen years have passed, yet you look exactly the same, Brother Yong. No, you’ve become even more handsome than you were thirteen years ago.”
She didn’t ask, but her tone implied she was curious about the reason.
“And back then, you were at the level of a low-ranking warrior, but now you’re a supreme master, strong enough to kill three Demonic Emperor's Grand Union Altar Lords.”
She was curious about that, too.
I didn’t want to give a long-winded explanation.
“I had a fortuitous encounter.”
The Yin Essence Abyss was certainly a fortuitous encounter.
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo smiled brightly.
“I knew it.”
Again, Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo didn’t ask, but it sounded to me like she was asking what kind of fortuitous encounter it was.
“Thirteen years is a long time.”
“It is.”
That was my answer. Thirteen years was a long time, a period in which anything could happen and anything could change.
***
An entrance examination was being held at the Dong-ro Branch.
Previously, An Do-pil and Hyeong In-geol had handled the document screening, but now two unfamiliar men were doing it.
According to Jang Ung, they were hall masters from the Martial Alliance’s Hangzhou Region, and the Hangzhou Regional Master, Do Hyeon-tak, was overseeing the entire admission process, which was now fully managed by the Hangzhou Region.
The Dong-ro Branch members who used to handle the document and martial arts screenings had been excluded, and now warriors and masters from the Hangzhou Region were in charge.
An Do-pil and Hyeong In-geol approached while I was in the annex lounge with Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo and Go Un-hyo.
I had a good idea why they were here, but I decided to hear them out first.
“Grand Branch Master! Isn’t it too much for the Regional Master to exclude us from the entrance screening?”
“I don’t understand why we’re being told to step aside when we’re recruiting members for the Dong-ro Branch!”
It was clear that An Do-pil and Hyeong In-geol were struggling to suppress their agitated emotions.
“What is your point?”
Having spent nearly half a year with me, they knew well that I disliked whining and beating around the bush.
An Do-pil and Hyeong In-geol bowed respectfully.
“Please allow us to participate in the entrance screening as well.”
These were the same two men who, in the past, wouldn't have dared to utter a word in front of a mere District Leader from the Hangzhou Region, let alone the Regional Master.
In truth, a Branch Master was of the same rank as a Regional District Leader, but the reality was that they couldn't compare to a District Leader from a powerful region.
However, this was the Dong-ro Branch—our territory, and a very special place.
Although I was responsible for ninety-nine percent of the Dong-ro Branch’s growth, the Branch Master and its members, who provided the location and set the stage, deserved at least one percent of the credit.
They say even a dog is master of its own yard, and the members of the Dong-ro Branch deserved to have the upper hand over the Hangzhou Region by a factor of ninety percent, not just fifty.
“Remember this.”
As I began to speak, An Do-pil and Hyeong In-geol quickly became respectful.
“We are recruiting members for the Dong-ro Branch.”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
An Do-pil and Hyeong In-geol’s faces lit up.
Do Hyeon-tak and Mak Pyo were summoned to the annex.
Do Hyeon-tak was overseeing the entrance screening, while Mak Pyo was directing it.
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo hadn’t witnessed the screening firsthand, but from the sounds of spirited shouts, clashing weapons, and the murmurs of document reviews drifting in from outside, she had a general idea of the situation.
However, the reality of the screening far exceeded her expectations.
She had expected applicants to trickle in sporadically, but the sounds from outside suggested that dozens of people were clamoring to join all at once.
An Do-pil and Hyeong In-geol stood side by side, while Do Hyeon-tak and Mak Pyo stood before me.
“How is the recruitment progressing?”
Do Hyeon-tak, who had been holding his hands in front of him, opened a ledger and reported respectfully.
“So far, a total of nine hundred and eighty-six people have passed the screening.”
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo was taken aback but quickly regained her composure.
Do Hyeon-tak’s report continued.
“As per the General Master’s instructions, we have divided the applicants into nine grades, with each of the three main tiers—high, middle, and low—further subdivided into high, middle, and low.”
Among the applicants, the strongest, the Life-Ending Saber Geum Cheong-san, would have been classified as high-high.
I nodded silently, and Do Hyeon-tak continued.
“This morning, there are about sixty applicants. Over the past four days, three individuals who defeated both Chief Mak and myself in duels have expressed their desire to challenge you, Grand Branch Master.”
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo was surprised again. Do Hyeon-tak, the Hangzhou Regional Master, was an upper-tier first-class master, yet three applicants had defeated him.
“How many exchanges did it take for them to defeat you?”
“Twenty-five exchanges, thirteen exchanges, and one exchange.”
Do Hyeon-tak’s tone was bitter as he admitted his defeat at the hands of mere applicants.
“Who are they?”
“The one who defeated me in twenty-five exchanges is the Sun God Sword of Hainan, the one in thirteen exchanges is Young Master Golden Dragon, and the one who took me down in a single exchange calls himself the Thousand Illusions Wanderer.”
‘The Thousand Illusions Wanderer!’
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo’s expression shifted slightly. The Thousand Illusions Wanderer was a peak expert recorded in the Registry of Reclusive Martial Masters.
She didn't know if Sang Gang-jo had found and persuaded him, as she had yet to receive a report on the matter.
In any case, the fact that the Thousand Illusions Wanderer had come to join the Dong-ro Branch was astonishing.
Furthermore, Young Master Golden Dragon was the son of the head of the Namgung Family, one of the Seven Great Martial Families, and had been making quiet waves in the martial world recently.
And the Sun God Sword of Hainan was a product of the South Sea Sword Sect.
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo suspected they had come to challenge the famed Fire Dragon Sword.