Chapter 76
Chapter 76
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: The Journey Outward (2)
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* * *
“…Hoo.”
Immediately after descending from Mount Hua, Ouyang Jue looked up at the clear sky.
“Good.”
Not a single cloud in the sky.
Aside from the growing chill that heralded winter's approach, it was a peaceful day.
He glanced back at Mount Hua.
A thin layer of ice had formed over the dew-kissed leaves from early morning, looking as if it would shatter with a single touch.
Not so different from the Mount Hua Sect of today.
They were living in comfort for now, but without preparing for the future, they were liable to collapse in an instant.
So, he would go to the Martial Alliance and bring back a spark.
Ouyang Jue steeled his resolve once more and set forth.
* * *
“What, you came here to laugh at me?”
“No. That's not it.”
Ouyang Jue met Cheol Pung-gae's sneer with a light smile.
“I just came to see if you'd lost heart and retreated to the countryside.”
“Bullshit! Why the hell would I do that?”
*Gurgle…*
As if to say, *have a drink*, Cheol Pung-gae emptied a bottle of fiery liquor into a cup.
Considering the road ahead, he should have abstained from drinking, but wasn't this precisely the time to indulge the man?
Ouyang Jue swirled the cup once before tossing the liquor into his mouth.
Immediately after, Cheol Pung-gae spoke sharply.
“Aren't you a little too relaxed? For all you know, I could've put something in that drink.”
“Bullshit!”
At his words, a few of the beggars keeping watch nearby let out hollow laughs.
Cheol Pung-gae was an ass, and the Taoist who came to see him was just as foul-mouthed. Birds of a feather.
Ignoring them, Ouyang Jue continued speaking.
“No matter how much of a lowlife beggar you are, you wouldn't stoop to something like that. Why not just give me a friendly warning instead?”
“…”
“There are plenty of bastards out there who want to get you. Try to keep a lower profile.”
“Hmph!”
Cheol Pung-gae grumbled in his usual way.
“If you know so much, why don't you just stay cooped up in your little flower garden? What good could possibly come from you being out here?”
“There's somewhere I need to go.”
At that, Cheol Pung-gae sneered, as if to mock him.
“Did a fine new brothel open up in Chang'an? Huh?”
“No. Is there any reason to linger in this cramped province of Shaanxi?”
Ouyang Jue spoke frankly and without reservation.
It was something Cheol Pung-gae would find out on his way there anyway.
“I'm on my way to the Martial Alliance. So…”
“What? Wait. The Martial Alliance?”
Cutting him off, Cheol Pung-gae ran a hand through his messy hair.
He looked as if he'd heard something he shouldn't have. Then, he let out an exaggerated laugh. “Haha.”
“You're going to the Martial Alliance? By yourself?”
“And?”
“Does that make a lick of damn sense?”
*Ptui.*
Cheol Pung-gae spat a thick glob of phlegm.
It wasn't that he was personally offended; he seemed displeased with Ouyang Jue's current situation.
*'So their relationship is that bad.'*
As Ouyang Jue's eyes narrowed, Cheol Pung-gae asked again.
“Who sent you?”
“The Sect Leader, of course.”
“Ah…”
Cheol Pung-gae wore a complicated expression, as if he couldn't quite understand.
“But why?”
“Well, I'm not so sure myself.”
“Damn it all! You don't know, but you're just going anyway?”
Then, Cheol Pung-gae unconsciously recalled how Ouyang Jue had acted up until now.
*'He's always been like this. Dammit!'*
He especially remembered how Ouyang Jue had charged into the Black Dragon Gang's Shaanxi branch when a beggar, a complete stranger, had died.
He might seem extremely cold and calculating, but he had a fiery temperament.
This trip to the Martial Alliance was likely in the same vein.
Cheol Pung-gae calmed his tone.
“No matter how I think about it… Look, you bastard, you must know that the Martial Alliance and the Mount Hua Sect aren't on good terms, right?”
“I do.”
“Then why are you going?”
Despite Cheol Pung-gae's question, Ouyang Jue just gave a faint smile. His expression said there was no need to answer.
By now, the other man would figure it out.
Indeed, Cheol Pung-gae covered his mouth with one hand.
“You crazy bastard… You're planning on stirring up some shit at the Martial Alliance this time, aren't you?”
“Stirring up shit? Anyone would think I was planning something truly monstrous.”
“Hey! If you think about what you've done so far…!”
“What?”
Only then did Cheol Pung-gae notice something within Ouyang Jue's smile.
Something hot and sharp, yet at the same time, coolly tempered.
Ouyang Jue had already chosen his path.
No matter what Cheol Pung-gae said, no matter what obstacles stood in his way, Ouyang Jue would not fear them. Rather, he would welcome them with pleasure.
It was so obvious he would laugh loudly and ask, *is this all you've got?*, that Cheol Pung-gae could only let out a hollow chuckle.
He glanced at the beggars around them.
Even if they were just underlings, he couldn't be sure they wouldn't run their mouths. So, he decided to choose his words carefully.
“Well… It's been twenty years since anyone from your sect joined. I suppose the Martial Alliance won't be too pleased.”
Ouyang Jue replied to Cheol Pung-gae's words without hesitation, as if he had prepared the answer in advance.
“That's strange. Wasn't the Unfading Incense, Master Bai, a living witness to the Martial Alliance's history?”
“Didn't some scholar say it?”
Cheol Pung-gae said listlessly.
“Time erases and changes many things. Two decades have passed—long enough for rivers and mountains to change. If you bring that up now, they'll just say you're flaunting the glory of the past.”
Just then, one of the onlooking beggars snickered and said.
“Our boss knows how to talk like a scholar, eh?”
“Shut it! Hah!”
As Cheol Pung-gae threw an empty bottle, the beggar yelped, "Yikes!" and dodged.
Ouyang Jue felt as if he'd watched a minor sideshow, and a faint smile touched his lips.
It might seem like he wasn't focused on their conversation, but it couldn't be helped.
He had only reconfirmed what he already knew. He'd also confirmed that Cheol Pung-gae seemed to be doing fine.
*'And... now that Cheol Pung-gae knows my plans, he'll probably offer some help.'*
For now, the man likely saw him as a mere pawn to help him gain a higher rank, but Ouyang Jue was confident he could earn his loyalty someday.
And then, an unexpected warmth, uncharacteristic of a member of the Beggars' Sect, washed over him. It felt like a gentle breeze rustling through his robes.
Ouyang Jue set his cup down with a thud and spoke.
“Thanks.”
“Again, again, again with the informal speech! Hey, you rotten bastard!”
“A petty man wouldn't have even met with me, yet you made time for me despite being so busy.”
“…Hmph. For a young punk, you're quick to grasp how the world works. Is the branch leader in charge of an entire province not busy?”
Sensing the meeting was coming to an end, Cheol Pung-gae called over a waiter and told him to pack up the leftover food.
Meanwhile, Ouyang Jue's gaze shifted to Cheon Yu-gae, who was slumped in a corner.
“He's still around?”
“Ah, well. Can't just tell him to drop dead for one mistake.”
Though he said it like that, Cheol Pung-gae had likely protected the man when he was on the verge of being cast out.
Ouyang Jue stared at Cheol Pung-gae for a moment before letting his gaze drift away subtly.
“Well then, I'll be on my way.”
“Hey, hey! What's with the look before you leave!”
Cheol Pung-gae quickly reached out to grab Ouyang Jue, but he had to retract his hand almost immediately.
“Here you are, sir.”
A delicious aroma wafted from the food the waiter brought. It was too magnificent to ignore.
*Rumble.*
Cheol Pung-gae glanced down at his stomach and cleared his throat loudly.
“Ahem, well now!”
Clutching his still-rumbling stomach, Cheol Pung-gae watched Ouyang Jue's retreating back.
“…That kid.”
He was a disrespectful brat, but he was far better than the pretentious types who expected to be addressed with honorifics all the time.
Then, suddenly, Cheol Pung-gae sensed a change in the air.
It was the wind of change, slowly shifting the long-stagnant struggle for supremacy in the martial world into a new phase.
* * *
About two hours passed.
Walking without rest, Ouyang Jue reached the border separating Shaanxi and Huguang.
But there, he encountered an unexpected person.
A somewhat shabby robe, a crookedly grown beard.
His appearance exuded a practical air, suggesting his training had been anything but careless.
If they were to cross swords, he would likely last about three exchanges.
Ouyang Jue watched silently as the Taoist approached to speak.
“Are you… Fellow Taoist Ouyang?”
“I am. May I ask your Taoist name or your secular name?”
“Ah, ah! You mean me?”
The Taoist stammered but managed a grin.
He knew the other person, but the other person didn't know him, so he seemed a bit embarrassed to introduce himself.
But that was wrong.
Ouyang Jue knew the Taoist. He was someone connected to a past deed that could never be revealed.
The Taoist adjusted his cap and spoke.
“My name is Yeong Heo-ja! I was studying at Mount Zhongnan until recently and have just come down.”
“Yeong Heo-ja… Aren't you the disciple of Master Simwon?”
“That's right.”
Yeong Heo-ja replied cheerfully. But facing him, Ouyang Jue found it difficult to hide his apprehension.
*'Is this purely a coincidence? Or did the Sect Leader arrange for someone from the Zhongnan Sect to accompany me?'*
Either way, it was unsettling.
And for good reason—Yeong Heo-ja was the very Taoist he had knocked unconscious when he acquired the Heavenly Escape Sword Arts.
What if, by some slim chance, he recognized Ouyang Jue's face from behind the mask?
The situation would not just worsen; it would be completely overturned. The reputation he had built as a rising star would turn to dust.
Ouyang Jue opened his mouth to speak.
“But what brings a Taoist from Zhongnan all the way out here…?”
As he spoke, Ouyang Jue approached Yeong Heo-ja in a friendly manner.
It wasn't that he felt no pressure.
Even though it had been night and he had been wearing a mask, the man was a martial artist; the possibility that he had seen through it wasn't zero.
But Ouyang Jue forced the pressure down. He clamped down on it with a heavy stone, lest it surface.
*'If I show even the slightest hint of discomfort, he might find it strange. In a situation like this, it's better to get close and observe.'*
With that thought, Ouyang Jue chatted amiably with Yeong Heo-ja about various topics.
They talked about everything from the free clinic for diseases in Chang'an to the current standing of the Taoist sects in Shaanxi.
“I'm also on my way to the Martial Alliance.”
Yeong Heo-ja didn't hide his intentions. As they talked, he seemed to have a naturally honest personality.
“So… would it be alright if I started calling you Brother Ouyang?”
“Well, as you wish.”
Just as they were continuing their informal conversation.
A large procession was waiting for Ouyang Jue at the top of a hill.
“It has been a while, Great Hero Ouyang.”
“Ah, you are!”
The head of the Golden Ring Merchant Guild, Bai Chuan.
Bai Chuan clasped his fist respectfully, then pointed to the four-horse carriage behind him and spoke.
“The opportunity you gave me, Great Hero—I worked day and night to seize it firmly.”
“…”
“Now, it is my turn to repay you, Great Hero.”
Ouyang Jue was momentarily taken aback by Bai Chuan's sudden appearance, but he quickly understood.
Why he had appeared in this situation.
And why there was a four-horse carriage.
Ouyang Jue looked at Bai Chuan with renewed admiration. He also offered a small thanks to Bai Duanxian, who was back on Mount Hua.
Seeing this, Bai Chuan wore a gentle smile.
“It seems I have no need to explain further.”
“Please pass on my thanks.”
Only Yeong Heo-ja, unable to follow the flow of the conversation, could only tilt his head in confusion.