Chapter 122
Chapter 122
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 122
Chapter Title: Departure (3)
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The Golden Ring Merchant Guild was bustling with people when he visited again.
Bai Chuan, in particular, seemed to be buried under piles of paper.
Even though Ouyang Jue was a guest, he felt that interrupting would be a nuisance.
Recalling his usual disposition, Ouyang Jue knew it wasn't due to negligence.
*He must have worked through the night...*
Sure enough, Bai Chuan scratched the back of his head sheepishly and offered him tea.
“My apologies. This all piled up this morning, so I haven't had a chance to organize it.”
“I understand.”
As he lifted the teacup, the deep, rich aroma was extremely satisfying.
A faint smile touched Ouyang Jue's lips without him realizing it.
“The Golden Ring Merchant Guild is so prosperous, it seems you would be greatly successful even without managing the Mount Hua Sect's finances.”
“Ah, no. Not at all.”
Bai Chuan waved his hands in denial.
“No matter how well we do now, the future is uncertain. For the guild, it's important to maintain a minimum profit by managing the finances of a large sect like Mount Hua.”
“I'm glad to hear the Guild Master thinks so.”
Seeing Bai Chuan was not particularly worried, Ouyang Jue skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point.
“That thing, have you finished transcribing it?”
Recognizing he meant the Map of the Central Plains, Bai Chuan omitted the word.
“...Ah! I just finished it last night. Do you wish to take it now?”
Ouyang Jue nodded silently. Bai Chuan carefully closed the door and took out the hidden Map of the Central Plains.
As its use was forbidden among civilians, Bai Chuan's caution was only natural.
Bai Chuan bowed his head deeply.
“Thank you.”
“Don't mention it.”
With that, Ouyang Jue left Bai Chuan's room and headed for the West Gate, where Jang Il-guk would be.
He wanted to talk more, but the longer he stayed, the more he would disrupt Bai Chuan's work and attract unwanted attention.
Neither Ouyang Jue nor Bai Chuan wanted that.
It wasn't as if they would never see each other again after today.
Ouyang Jue tucked the Map of the Central Plains deep inside his robes.
In the distance, he saw the West Gate Commander, Jang Il-guk, on duty.
“Commander of the West Gate!”
“Ah, Great Warrior Ouyang!”
Jang Il-guk, who had been clutching his collar against the chilly weather, immediately brightened and descended from the city wall.
His demeanor was full of admiration for the Daoist, quite unlike a government official.
“The cold hasn't left us yet. What brings you all the way here?”
“I borrowed it, so naturally I came to return it.”
Ouyang Jue took out the Map of the Central Plains he had tucked inside his robes.
“Thanks to you, Commander, I put it to very good use. I was able to travel to the rocky lands without getting lost.”
“Haha, I'm glad it was helpful. If you're not busy, how about a cup of tea together?”
For a moment, Ouyang Jue almost said he'd already had some, but he quickly nodded his head.
For a government official, hospitality was a form of courtesy to the other party.
To refuse it, in any way, would be seen by Jang Il-guk as a rejection of courtesy, and he would certainly not take it well.
*Especially an official of the Ming. If you get on their bad side... the thought alone is dreadful.*
Ouyang Jue followed Jang Il-guk, touching his own face to check if he had frowned.
The office they soon entered was filled with a warmth uncharacteristic of early spring.
“A brazier...”
As Ouyang Jue muttered in surprise, Jang Il-guk gave a foolish grin.
“Having been born and raised in the mountains, I find nothing's better than a brazier. Though I do get an earful for occasionally burning documents with it.”
It was a simple joke, but it was enough to warm the cold atmosphere.
Ouyang Jue, in particular, was very familiar with braziers, as his past life had been close to the battlefield.
Jang Il-guk briefly touched the brazier to check the temperature, then immediately placed a teapot on it.
“Please, make yourself comfortable.”
“Yes, thank you.”
As Ouyang Jue sat down, a look of apology flickered across Jang Il-guk's face.
“The reason I invited you to my office, Great Warrior... is that I actually have a favor to ask.”
“A favor?”
“It's a matter I must handle due to my position, but it's too dangerous to send the government troops.”
As the preface ended there, Ouyang Jue cursed inwardly.
*So that's why he was flattering me, calling me 'Great Warrior'. He had an ulterior motive.*
Did he notice the subtle silence?
Jang Il-guk spoke immediately.
“I didn't approach you for this, Great Warrior. It's just that a dreadful incident occurred recently, and I wanted to ask for help from a Daoist with outstanding martial arts.”
A dreadful incident.
Ouyang Jue leaned forward, showing his interest.
“What kind of incident?”
“Well... it started two days ago.”
If it was two days ago, then unless Jang Il-guk was lying, his approach hadn't been calculated.
Only then did Ouyang Jue's expression relax slightly.
Jang Il-guk's story continued.
“A report suddenly came in from Mei County, next to Chang'an. It said that a bear the size of a thatched hut has appeared and is acting as the lord of the mountain.”
“If it's just that...”
“It wouldn't be a big deal. The problem came after.”
Jang Il-guk let out a hollow laugh, as if he himself found it absurd.
“They say it occasionally comes down to the village and steals crops.”
Ouyang Jue blinked at his words.
“Didn't you say it was a bear? Why would it be stealing crops from a village?”
Besides, doesn't stealing crops imply taking them away, not just eating them on the spot?
As Ouyang Jue gave him a look of disbelief, Jang Il-guk's expression twisted.
“I know. I know how nonsensical it sounds. But a bear like that wouldn't be an ordinary large bear, but a demonic beast, would it not?”
At the words 'demonic beast', Ouyang Jue's face couldn't help but harden.
He had only met one demonic beast, the Black Dragon, but they didn't always have to be humanoid.
*It might be a real demonic beast.*
Thinking this, Ouyang Jue could no longer treat Jang Il-guk as a mere storyteller.
*I'll have to go see for myself and judge.*
Ouyang Jue nodded.
“Indeed, now that you put it that way, Commander, I can see why you'd think so. It warrants investigation.”
“...Oh! You believe me?”
Seeing Jang Il-guk's moved expression, it was clear he must have asked other martial artists before Ouyang Jue and been refused.
Otherwise, an official of his standing would never have pleaded with a martial artist like this.
Ouyang Jue stood up.
“If it's no trouble, I will depart immediately to investigate.”
“Trouble? Not at all. In fact, I'm the one who should apologize for offering you tea and not being able to serve it.”
Jang Il-guk clasped his hands together earnestly and made a promise for the future.
That if Ouyang Jue ever found himself in a difficult situation, he would help no matter what.
But Ouyang Jue didn't readily believe him.
Officials were known to speak with silver tongues, and their loyalty often shifted with the circumstances.
Just as martial artists revered high martial prowess, the goal of an official was to grasp power at the center of the Ming Dynasty.
*Still, it's better than nothing.*
Ouyang Jue left with a word of thanks and hurried from Chang'an to Mei County.
***
“Groooowl—!”
Watching the roaring bear, Ouyang Jue smiled emptily.
“I rushed here because I heard there was a crazy bear stealing crops...”
“Thought it was a demonic beast?”
The Omniscient One chuckled and tossed an apple, which the bear—the spiritual beast, Great Bear—promptly caught and ate.
Watching this, Ouyang Jue could only feel more deflated.
“It hasn't been that long since I last saw him. How'd he get even bigger?”
“Our Woong-ie is still in his growth phase.”
Ouyang Jue barely managed to hold back from asking if he was serious.
There was something more important he had to ask.
“I told you to come find me at the Mount Hua Sect. Why are you spreading false rumors in a small place like Mei County?”
“I'm friendly with you, not the Mount Hua Sect. I have no particular desire to get close to them. Besides, Daoists and sorcerers don't exactly get along.”
At those words, Ouyang Jue recalled how the Guardian, Jeong Pa-ro, had expressed irritated hatred at the mere mention of sorcery.
Indeed, it would be a grave miscalculation to think all Daoists would accept him, just as the Omniscient One said.
Ouyang Jue nodded, readily admitting it.
“You're not wrong.”
“Of course not. No matter how you look at it, I'm several times your age.”
The Omniscient One let out a hearty laugh and briefly explained what had happened in Mei County.
From his plan to spread a bizarre rumor since he didn't know when Ouyang Jue would descend the mountain, to the story of carrying a fainted farmer home after he saw the Great Bear.
Listening to each story, Ouyang Jue was reminded that the Omniscient One was truly a man who couldn't be defined by the framework of good and evil.
*Sometimes he checks those who disrupt the heavenly order by scattering fortuitous encounters across the martial world, and other times he acts like a plague demon...*
Wondering if this behavior was also to follow the heavenly order, Ouyang Jue felt a brief chill run down his spine.
“So, what's the reason you were looking for me?”
“Jumping straight to business without any preamble. Your manners are still at rock bottom.”
“Even the elders of my sect gave up trying to correct that part of me.”
When Ouyang Jue said this with a grin, the Omniscient One laughed loudly.
“Hahaha! I felt it when I first saw you, but there's a truly strange destiny about you.”
“A strange destiny?”
At the word 'destiny', Ouyang Jue's voice unknowingly grew tense.
A strange light flashed in the Omniscient One's eyes for a moment.
“I never thought a Daoist like you would believe in destiny... Something must have happened, I suppose?”
“Stop with the pointless probing and just answer my question.”
“...Ah, right. Destiny.”
The Omniscient One's smiling expression vanished.
“The fact that you, who received Severing Manifestation—a weapon made to slay demonic beasts—came to Mount Mao at the perfect time... To me, it felt like this.”
“What are you trying to say?”
In response to Ouyang Jue's question, the Omniscient One continued.
“That you are the Daoist who inherited from Lü Dongbin the destiny to slay demonic beasts.”
At those words, Ouyang Jue suddenly felt an absurd pressure weighing down on his shoulders.
He had never expected to hear something like this.
“...What?”
“I'm kidding.”
Having said that, the Omniscient One grinned and stroked the Great Bear's head.
But to Ouyang Jue, those words didn't feel like a joke.
“That's a bit too detailed for a joke...?”
“I'm telling you, it's just a joke.”
The Omniscient One stared blankly at the sky.
It felt like a self-deprecating smile, as if he were mocking himself.
“Defeating the Black Dragon was only possible because we drew out the full power of Mount Mao's earth veins to weaken it, and because of several coincidences. If there's a next time, you'd best not hope for such a fluke.”
But Ouyang Jue detected the hidden ambition in the Omniscient One's words.
“Still, you want to stop demonic beasts like the Eight Evils from throwing the martial world into chaos, don't you?”
“...”
“I have no desire to be pushed around by those centuries-old bastards either.”
Ouyang Jue turned his head slightly, a wry smile twisting his lips.
“This is a life I got back after dying once. I have nothing left to fear.”
The Omniscient One took those words as a simple metaphor. But Ouyang Jue was serious.
That was why he had cast aside the peaceful life he could have enjoyed at Mount Hua and left.
“If they want to come, let them.”
Watching him, the Omniscient One's eyes widened.
Even though he had nearly died at the hands of the Black Dragon, the will Ouyang Jue displayed now was almost superhuman.
A brilliant, shining golden light.
The Omniscient One felt a glimmer of hope in Ouyang Jue.
“...You have a silver tongue.”
Even if he were to be burned away and killed by the heavenly order, he would somehow give Ouyang Jue the strength to stand against the Eight Evils.
“Hey, Jue-ie. How about wandering the martial world with me?”
The Omniscient One steeled his resolve.