Chapter 84
Translator: penny
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: Lingering Doubts
Cheon Woojin was deeply troubled as he returned to the inn with Baek Rihyeon in tow.
'Mok Jimyeong.'
What kind of man was Mok Jimyeong, truly—his lord?
They hadn't known each other long.
Their first meeting had been when his father sold him off, and that was less than two months ago.
'A genius.'
A talent bestowed by the heavens.
Cheon Woojin had never heard his father describe anyone that way before.
And he himself had no choice but to agree.
His father saw divine talent in how Mok Jimyeong could mimic a martial art after seeing it once and pinpoint its flaws.
But to Cheon Woojin, there was even clearer, simpler proof.
At barely twenty years old, he had reached the Transcendent Realm.
Not even Jang Sambong, the founding patriarch of the Wudang Sect, or the first Heavenly Demon who founded the Demonic Cult, had attained the Transcendent Realm at that age.
Mok Jimyeong was unprecedented in the entire history of the martial world.
The label of martial genius fit him perfectly.
But that was where it ended.
'What about his character...?'
For one, he loved women.
He often called himself a hero who chased beauties, and he clearly adored them.
The day after taking him in as a subordinate, he'd dragged him straight to a brothel.
And he'd traveled from Shanxi all the way to Liaoning just to flirt with Sword Phoenix, a woman he'd never even met.
Even during that journey, he'd frequented brothels so often that Cheon Woojin had started picking up the habit without realizing it.
That alone wouldn't have been a problem.
As Mok Jimyeong himself said, heroes could indulge in the fairer sex.
But something nagged at him.
The words Mok Jimyeong had spoken on the day they first met.
—Oh, just so you know, if you show any interest in the woman who's going to be mine... you're dead?
He hadn't paid it much mind back then.
No, even up until today, he hadn't dwelled on it much.
But just now...
He'd seen the sincerity behind those words.
—You have no idea who you're dealing with, lusting after my woman.
Four men lay dead.
All because they'd invited Moyong Hui for a drink at the inn.
There were other insults too—"pimp"—and threats of revenge, but Cheon Woojin didn't see those as capital crimes.
Mok Jimyeong had said it himself: it was because of Moyong Hui.
A man could love women.
But could one call a man who killed for that reason alone a righteous sect member?
Was following Mok Jimyeong the right path for him?
He didn't know.
Hence the turmoil.
As he trudged along lost in thought, Baek Rihyeon glanced at him cautiously and spoke up.
"Sir Cheon Musa."
"Hm?"
"What was that earlier? The sword was flashing all bright, and there was thunder too."
It was Heavenly Thunder, a technique created by his father.
And Mok Jimyeong had mastered not just the form but the intent after seeing it once.
'That was the biggest reason it settled my father's heart.'
He didn't want to explain all that to this kid he'd just met today.
He simply described the flash.
"That was sword aura."
"Sword aura...?"
"Yes. Sword qi solidified into gang."
Baek Rihyeon tilted his head, puzzled, as if to ask what that meant.
It was no wonder. Common folk never saw sword aura in their entire lives.
'Even most martial artists never do.'
Thanks to his father, he'd witnessed it a few times, but the Transcendent Realm wasn't something commonplace.
Besides, his father had said that even in the Transcendent Realm, sword aura wasn't easy to produce.
The inner energy drain was immense; unleashing Heavenly Thunder at the entry to the realm would empty one's dantian.
Yet Mok Jimyeong had emerged unscathed.
As if it hadn't even registered.
As Cheon Woojin recalled the scene, Baek Rihyeon asked again.
"So, can you use it too, Sir Cheon Musa?"
"No."
"Does that mean he's really the strongest?"
"..."
He didn't want to answer.
Instead, Cheon Woojin found himself curious about the boy.
"Anyway, are you okay?"
"With what?"
How to phrase it?
After a moment's hesitation, he blurted out what came to mind.
"Those four men dying earlier."
"Oh! Yeah, I'm fine!"
Cheon Woojin frowned at Baek Rihyeon's bright response.
"You've seen it before?"
"Yes. And those guys were really bad people!"
"...Them?"
"Yeah. Red Serpent Sect!"
Then Baek Rihyeon explained.
"If you want to do business in the market, you have to pay stall fees to the Red Serpent Sect..."
Of course, an eight-year-old like Baek Rihyeon couldn't know everything about them.
But he'd experienced plenty firsthand.
After Black Tiger Gang fell, the Red Serpent Sect took over and followed a similar path.
Except when it came to collecting stall fees—that's where they differed greatly.
Why had Black Tiger Gang collapsed?
They'd used violence to collect fees from five-year-old Baek Rihyeon back then, which led to their clash with Moyong Hui.
So the Red Serpent Sect never resorted to violence when collecting fees.
That sounded good at first...
"If you can't pay last month's fee, you have to pay double this month."
"What? Shouldn't it just be last month's plus this month's—two months' worth?"
Right and wrong aside, wasn't that how it worked?
Cheon Woojin was briefly confused.
But Baek Rihyeon shook his head firmly.
"No. Double the two months' worth."
What did that even mean?
Double of two months?
"If the fee is 10 pun, next month it's 40 pun?"
"Yes."
This was their alternative to violence: usury.
With an interest rate of 200% per month.
The principal tripled every month.
Cheon Woojin grimaced at the absurd exploitation and asked,
"So if you couldn't pay last month or this month... next month it's 130 pun?"
"No. There's no next month."
He didn't understand at first.
Then Baek Rihyeon's next words left him shocked.
"After that, you never see that person again."
'Human trafficking...?'
Murder was possible too, but why would the Red Serpent Sect kill someone who could pay them off?
"See? The Red Serpent Sect are bad guys!"
Only then did Cheon Woojin understand Baek Rihyeon's reaction.
They were scum who deserved death anyway.
But...
'Did he know that when he killed them?'
Mok Jimyeong had arrived in Seungdeok today.
Baek Rihyeon, a local, knew—but an outsider like Mok Jimyeong?
'Maybe he heard it from the kid's mom while I was out drinking earlier?'
Even so, the time was too short.
They'd seemed to be chatting about other things. Would they have gotten to the Red Serpent Sect?
His thoughts swirled.
As he agonized alone, they reached the inn, where Moyong Hui stared wide-eyed and asked,
"Where's Gaga?"
Sword Phoenix Moyong Hui.
The most righteous and beautiful woman he knew.
Cheon Woojin hesitated for a moment.
Should he tell her what he'd been agonizing over?
"Our lord..."
Truth be told, he'd fallen for her at first sight.
Her character and deeds were renowned across the martial world, and her beauty made his heart race.
But she was the woman his lord—Mok Jimyeong—wanted.
So he'd given up immediately and even helped with that awkward act.
Back then, it felt right.
'But now... I really don't know.'
Did Moyong Hui and Mok Jimyeong even suit each other?
Earlier at Cheonseung Restaurant, when four men smitten with her started harassing them,
—Handle it appropriately.
Mok Jimyeong hadn't specified, just said to handle it appropriately.
He'd thought it meant give them a light scolding and send them packing.
He remembered how, when Moyong Hui called it excessive, he'd hurriedly backpedaled.
—What are we, unorthodox? Why jump straight to violence?
He knew it was said with an eye on her reaction.
It was so soulless, anyone could tell.
'Even little Moyong probably knew.'
But she hadn't said much.
Out of affection for Mok Jimyeong, she'd chalked it up to a man trying to impress her.
But...
—You have no idea who you're dealing with, lusting after my woman.
His demeanor without Moyong Hui around.
Going out of his way to hunt down those four Red Serpent Sect men and kill them.
'Where did the act end and the truth begin?'
He didn't know Mok Jimyeong well.
—Someday you'll leave the Moyong family, right? We'll target that moment—you charge in with your sword. Hmm... Sword Phoenix is probably at the early Transcendent level, so you can definitely win. Then I swoop in to save you.
He recalled the plan Mok Jimyeong had laid out to woo her.
—I'm sorry. I caused trouble without your lord's permission. But I, Cheon Woojin, vow to uphold justice and chivalry! I couldn't turn a blind eye to injustice, so I acted.
The performance at the tower to bring them together flashed in his mind.
'Sigh... I really don't know.'
What kind of man was Mok Jimyeong?
Was following him the right choice?
As Cheon Woojin wrestled with it, Moyong Hui called again.
"Cheon Musa?"
"Our lord..."
Then he steeled himself.
"Said he had more business to wrap up and sent us back first."
Not yet.
Even if he decided to abandon Mok Jimyeong, now wasn't the time.
'He's still my lord for now.'
Telling her now would just sow discord between them.
'When he returns, we'll talk honestly.'
"Oh, I see. Come inside first, then..."
Even after entering the inn, his mind remained a storm.
Mok Jimyeong returned about an hour later.
Cheon Woojin spoke with him privately.
And...
"Huh? Red Serpent Sect? Didn't I tell you about the Eun Merchant Group?"
He was genuinely relieved he'd kept his mouth shut earlier.