Chapter 95
Chapter 95
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: I Want to Overturn the Four Seas Way!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
As I looked at her, she gave a faint smile.
“You know I would, don't you?”
“I know. You're that kind of person.”
“Besides, you're the enemy's target. And you're only commanding the members of the Dong-ro Branch, not the entire Martial Alliance. What's the problem with that?”
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo had lightened my heart so much that I found myself stroking her head without thinking.
“Thank you for saying that.”
Thirteen years ago, I used to pat her head often.
“Don't mention it.”
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo beamed, but when I saw Jang Ung's eyes widen in surprise, I realized my mistake and quickly pulled my hand away.
“Sorry. I did it without thinking.”
“It's okay. It reminds me of the old days, so I like it.”
Before meeting Jin-dong, I had something to say to the Thousand Illusions Wanderer, so I arranged for drinks.
I sent Un-hyo outside, and only Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo, the Thousand Illusions Wanderer, and I sat facing each other at the table.
Ja-un personally led the maids in, bringing wine and dishes to set the table.
Ja-un poured me a drink.
“Let me pour you a glass.”
“Thank you.”
After Ja-un left, we drank in silence for a while.
The Thousand Illusions Wanderer seemed a bit surprised after the first bite, but from then on, he focused on eating with a sincere expression.
It wasn't an unfamiliar sight. Anyone who tasted the food from Ja-un Pavilion would become engrossed in it as if overcome by gluttony, and the Thousand Illusions Wanderer was no exception.
He tried to restrain himself from showing how greedily he was eating, but to us, it was clear he was already captivated by the food.
Seeing the Thousand Illusions Wanderer's eating pace slow down, I broke the silence.
“Didn't someone from the Martial Alliance try to recruit you before?”
“They did. The man said he was the Chief Hall Master of the Martial Alliance.”
“Why didn't you join the Martial Alliance?”
“I didn't want to.”
I pretended not to know that the Thousand Illusions Wanderer was from Trāyastriṃśa Castle.
“You don't like being tied down?”
“That's right.”
The Thousand Illusions Wanderer was a man of few words.
“But you ended up tied down anyway.”
I meant that by losing to me, he had become a member of the Dong-ro Branch.
I subtly provoked the Thousand Illusions Wanderer.
“Did you not expect to lose to me?”
The Thousand Illusions Wanderer stared at me with his dark, deep eyes before lowering his gaze and speaking.
“That's right.”
“Your first defeat?”
The Thousand Illusions Wanderer toyed with his cup before nodding.
Thinking of him as a woman, I was struck anew by his exquisite beauty.
He possessed a beauty that was both thoughtful and noble, one that constantly drew the eye.
“Since you lost to me, you're supposed to serve under me for a year. Can you do that?”
“To be honest, I have no intention of honoring that agreement.”
The terms for joining stated that anyone who lost to the Fire Dragon Sword must become a member of the Dong-ro Branch for one year. Yet, the Thousand Illusions Wanderer was refusing to abide by it.
“Is that so?”
I thought as much. The Thousand Illusions Wanderer was different from those who had willingly joined.
I could question why he wouldn't become a member after losing to me, but there was no way to force him.
If he wanted to leave, that was that. However, breaking his promise would tarnish his honor.
“However, you saved my life when I was dying. To repay that debt, I will be your subordinate for one year.”
“Not my subordinate, but a member of the Dong-ro Branch.”
“I will follow only your orders, not the Martial Alliance's.”
“No one can touch a member of the Dong-ro Branch.”
“I like that.”
In the cold world of martial contests, once a winner is decided, that's the end of it. The victor bears no responsibility, even if the loser dies or is gravely injured.
Whether the Thousand Illusions Wanderer was struck by extreme yang energy or extreme yin energy, it was a burden the loser alone had to bear.
But I saved him, and he considered it a life debt.
“So, am I your master then?”
“Yes.”
I could almost hear the sound of the Thousand Illusions Wanderer's pride cracking.
“I'll speak informally.”
“Do as you please.”
Something glinted faintly in the depths of the Thousand Illusions Wanderer's eyes. I thought it was a glare.
“What's your name?”
“Do you need to know?”
I nodded.
“Then I'll call you 'Wanderer'.”
I said it as if it were his name.
I noticed the Thousand Illusions Wanderer clench his fist. He probably wanted to punch me. He spoke as if groaning.
“Don't.”
Anyone could tell 'Wanderer' was a strange name, but I pressed on.
“Wanderer, I need you to be a team leader.”
“Team Leader? What kind of team leader?”
“The team leader of those who lost to me.”
“Is that so?”
The Thousand Illusions Wanderer's face brightened slightly. Losing to me meant they were on the same level as him.
“Wanderer, I have your first mission.”
“What is it?”
Every time I called him 'Wanderer', his displeasure was obvious.
“The Demonic Emperor's Grand Union has issued a kill order on me, and as part of it, they've put a bounty on my head.”
“How much is the bounty?”
“One hundred thousand gold taels.”
“If the Demonic Emperor's Grand Union knew your true strength, they would have offered ten times that.”
“In any case, I want you, Wanderer, to handle the masters who enter Dong-ro County seeking the bounty.”
“Understood.”
Despite having the skills of a grandmaster from a major sect, the Thousand Illusions Wanderer had become a mere team leader in the Dong-ro Branch.
I stood up.
“I'm going to meet the masters who will be your team members later. Will you wait here and drink alone while I take care of business? Or will you come with me?”
The Thousand Illusions Wanderer stood up as well, frowning.
“Must you really call me that?”
“If you don't like 'Wanderer', I can call you 'Team Leader Wanderer'.”
'Wanderer' or 'Team Leader Wanderer', it was all the same.
“…I'll tell you my name.”
As Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo and I headed outside, the Thousand Illusions Wanderer followed.
“My name is Song Ga-hyeon.”
I said nonchalantly.
“Hmm! Sounds like a woman's name.”
“You...!”
Song Ga-hyeon scowled and raised a fist, but I ignored it.
“So your family name is Song?”
He replied as if grinding his teeth.
“Yes. Is it strange that my family name is Song?”
“Not at all.”
I vaguely recalled someone around me with the surname Song, but the memory was too faint.
“So why are you following me?”
“I don't want to drink alone.”
We were going to meet the man named Jin-dong, but it didn't matter if Song Ga-hyeon was there.
As Song Ga-hyeon followed, he asked.
“What should I call you?”
“Call me whatever you want.”
Song Ga-hyeon came up beside me.
“I heard your title is Grand Branch Master.”
“That's right.”
“The title is long, so I'll just call you Grand Master.”
“What should I call you?”
“Call me by my name.”
“Alright, Ga-hyeon.”
I didn't see the strange expression that crossed Song Ga-hyeon's face.
***
Jin-dong was sitting in a pavilion in the rear garden of Ja-un Pavilion before being led by a maid to a separate courtyard.
He had left his subordinates on the ship and come alone. But his anticipation outweighed his fear.
Jin-dong entered while Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo, Jang Ung, Go Un-hyo, Song Ga-hyeon, and I were sitting and drinking.
My group sat in a semicircle on one side of the round table, and we had Jin-dong sit in the empty seat opposite us.
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo filled my empty cup and then used her chopsticks to place some food on my plate.
“Try this.”
“It's delicious.”
“Isn't it?”
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo beamed.
Sitting next to Jang Ung, Song Ga-hyeon looked at Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo and asked me.
“Is she your wife?”
“Does she look like it?”
“Yes. But she's too good for you, Grand Master.”
It wasn't a frank comment, but one thick with emotion.
At Song Ga-hyeon's words, Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo spoke quietly.
“If you stay by his side for just one month, I'm sure you'll say the opposite.”
Song Ga-hyeon wore an expression of disbelief.
“No way.”
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo looked at Jang Ung and Go Un-hyo.
“You two feel the same way, don't you?”
“My apologies.”
“That's right.”
Jang Ung and Go Un-hyo gave different answers, but the meaning was the same.
I ignored Song Ga-hyeon's astonished look and spoke to Jin-dong.
“Tell me your plan.”
Jin-dong had said he wanted to change the Four Seas Way. I figured I'd at least hear him out on how he planned to reform the world of outlaws, which wasn't even considered part of the martial world. But I wasn't particularly curious.
Jin-dong hesitated for a moment, then spoke in a thick, choked voice.
“I want to stop the evil deeds of the Four Seas Way!”
Everyone except Song Ga-hyeon, myself included, looked surprised. The Four Seas Way was synonymous with evil deeds, so Jin-dong's desire to stop them was completely unexpected.
Song Ga-hyeon's face showed a lack of interest in everything. He was most serious when fighting, and only showed his emotions when talking to me.
But Jin-dong's expression was dead serious, showing a powerful will.
“Do you have the ability to do that?”
“When I was young, my parents and relatives were massacred by water bandits while moving to another region. I later found out those bandits were subordinates of the Dongting Water Fortress, under the Four Seas Way.”
“And yet you joined the Four Seas Way.”
“It was for revenge.”
A person of my status and fame would normally not bother listening to the trivial backstory of a mere outlaw.
But I'm not someone who cares about status or fame, and I wanted to know what method Jin-dong planned to use to change the Four Seas Way.
No one, myself included, interrupted him.
“Fifteen years ago, I tracked down and killed all the men who had plundered and murdered my parents and relatives. That was three years ago.”
“Were you a member of the Four Seas Way when you killed your enemies?”
“Yes. At the time, I was an Altar Lord on the Four Seas Main Island.”
No one asked why he was still with the Four Seas Way if he had already gotten his revenge. We could all guess the reason.
“My revenge is to completely overturn the Four Seas Way so that no more innocent people suffer unjust deaths. Only then will my revenge be complete.”
In other words, Jin-dong meant to transform the Four Seas Way into an organization that no longer preyed on the common people.
However, Jin-dong still hadn't mentioned whether he had the ability to do so.
“I learned my martial arts from the Qingcheng Sect.”
To think the Vice Lord of the Four Seas Way was from the Qingcheng Sect was unexpected.
“Are you saying you're a disciple of the Qingcheng Sect?”
“Yes. I am a twenty-third generation disciple of the Qingcheng Sect, and a direct disciple of the Blue Cloud Sword.”
“Do you know the Light-Splitting Sword?”
The Light-Splitting Sword, Sang Gang-jo, is an elder of the Qingcheng Sect.
“I do. He is my third martial uncle.”
“Does the Light-Splitting Sword know you?”
“I even learned martial arts directly from my third martial uncle.”
“Is that so?”
Everyone, including me, looked surprised, as we all knew the Light-Splitting Sword was Sang Gang-jo.
“When I was six, after losing all my parents and relatives, I was abandoned on the streets. My master happened to be passing by and took me in, bringing me to the Qingcheng Sect.”
As Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo refilled my cup, she looked at me and gave a pretty, bashful smile.
Seeing that smile, I knew we were on the same page. I felt the same way.
In short, since Jin-dong was a disciple of the Qingcheng Sect and Sang Gang-jo's martial nephew, we should help him if we could.
Jin-dong spoke cautiously.
“How do you know my third martial uncle? I spent over ten years with him, and he was very fond of me.”
“That's enough.”
“Pardon?”
“Stop.”
“But...”
With a desperate look, Jin-dong half-rose from his seat and pleaded passionately.
“I heard the rumors that the great hero, the Fire Dragon Sword, subjugated the Eighteen Fortresses of Qiantang and the Yangtze River Water Fortress for the sake of the people! That's why I believed you would help me! Please, I beg you to hear me out!”