Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Excursion (3)
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* * *
Clatter, clatter… Thump, thump!
The roar from the four-horse carriage was louder than expected.
Moreover, since they hadn't left the vicinity of the mountain's foot yet, Yeong Heo-ja found it increasingly difficult to suppress the rising nausea.
“Ugh! Urp…”
“Hold it in. We should be able to rest soon.”
Normally, he would have coaxed him with kind words, but if he were to make a mess inside the carriage, there was nothing filthier.
As Ouyang Jue frowned, Yeong Heo-ja barely managed to hold back his urge to vomit.
Instead, he tried to scatter his focus elsewhere.
“By the way, what reason did that merchant have for lending this to you, my young brother?”
“It was more of a transfer than a loan. Well, in any case, he probably doesn't expect it to return in one piece.”
At those words, a startled Yeong Heo-ja, who had been lying prostrate, sat up.
“Huh? A four-horse carriage isn't cheap, you know! And he even found us a driver.”
A four-horse carriage meant a carriage pulled by four horses. And they were fine steeds, capable of galloping through mountain roads without any difficulty.
Furthermore, if it was pulled by four horses, what must the carriage itself be like!
In terms of value, it was difficult to measure in silver taels. It was a luxury item that would require several gold coins to acquire.
To give the whole thing to Ouyang Jue?
Yeong Heo-ja tried to recall if there were any government officials among the clans that used the surname Ouyang.
Just then, Ouyang Jue spoke.
“It's not something to brag about, but I am a rising star who dismantled the Black Dragon Gang, which was steadily gaining power. On top of that, I'm close to the peak level.”
“…”
Yeong Heo-ja tacitly agreed. Indeed, the fame Ouyang Jue had earned had already spread as far as Mount Zhongnan.
“For someone like me, it's frankly impossible for news of my visit to the Martial Alliance not to spread throughout the martial world.”
Yeong Heo-ja replied in a low voice.
“I suppose so. Even if there's no particular ill will, there are lay disciples in the Mount Hua Sect.”
Even if not on the day he descended Mount Hua, news of Ouyang Jue's departure would inevitably spread within three or four days.
Then, factions like the Underworld Sect or the Beggars' Sect would track Ouyang Jue's movements.
Little by little… Ouyang Jue's current location would be revealed.
But what about now?
Only then did Yeong Heo-ja slap his knee in realization. "Ah!"
“Four-horse carriages are usually ridden by high-ranking families or government officials. Of course! It was to disguise that!”
At those words, Ouyang Jue smiled a carefree smile, as if to say he was correct.
“Yes.”
If he couldn't understand even after all this, it would be difficult to travel together as companions.
Who knew what would happen in the future? At the very least, he needed to be able to understand what was being said.
However, what Yeong Heo-ja said was only half-right.
Ouyang Jue pointed to the carriage's blind.
“…Ah!”
The Passage Seal.
It was a seal that allowed one to pass through city gates or border outposts without any special inspection.
It was particularly noteworthy that it was valid all the way to the center of Huguang Province, where the Martial Alliance was located.
And he had acquired it in just six hours. One could imagine how much trouble Bai Chuan must have gone through without even seeing it.
‘He must have been bribing them for a while and used this opportunity.’
It wouldn't be permitted without that much groundwork.
It was said that more than ten official documents were required to issue a Passage Seal.
And he had obtained it overnight and given it to Ouyang Jue.
Ouyang Jue realized that Bai Chuan was more capable than he had imagined, and he mulled over what he had said.
‘To me, he was just someone who could do things for me.’
Was it a kindness as vast as the sea to Bai Chuan?
Ouyang Jue once again felt that things were changing because of him.
‘I must work hard.’
So that there will be no regrets in the future, so that I can live each day to the fullest.
Ouyang Jue took a deep breath. The unique chill of early winter seemed to sear a corner of his lungs.
A year was already approaching.
He had spent most of it training, but that didn't mean he had wasted the rest of his time.
Now that he had laid a solid foundation, it was time to build upon it.
Ouyang Jue fiddled with the hilt of Severing Manifestation.
“By the way, Senior, for what reason are you going to the Martial Alliance?”
At those words, Yeong Heo-ja tilted his head as if it was completely unexpected.
“Eh? You didn't know? I thought you would have heard.”
“?”
“Haha, you really don't know, it seems.”
Could it be that there was something Jin Mu-wol or Bai Duanxian hadn't told him?
As Ouyang Jue's expression hardened, Yeong Heo-ja spoke as if frustrated.
“The Grand Assembly of the Martial Alliance! I was invited because the topic of the next generation's rising stars is on the agenda.”
“…Is that so?”
As he said that, Ouyang Jue forcefully suppressed the urge to smile.
His plan to decide what to do after he got there was now set in stone.
The stage is already set.
So, wouldn't it be a waste not to enjoy myself on it?
“How interesting.”
“The thought of getting to know many people there makes me feel both excited and restless.”
With that, Yeong Heo-ja glanced sharply at Ouyang Jue.
“A lot of attention will probably be on you, my young brother. Let's avoid any unnecessary squabbles.”
“I will try.”
Although he said that, Ouyang Jue had no intention of avoiding anything.
He would meet whatever came his way head-on.
It was an ironclad rule he had followed since his past life as the Bloodhound.
* * *
“There's nothing special.”
After arriving near the Martial Alliance, Ouyang Jue wore an unimpressed expression.
Though it was from a past life, this was far more of a backwater and much smaller than the Martial Alliance he had last seen.
The fact that the once-mighty Martial Alliance had been like this in the past stirred a strange feeling in him.
But Yeong Heo-ja was flabbergasted, his mouth hanging wide open.
“How can you look at that and not be amazed?”
“Besides a few slightly large pavilions, there's nothing here. And maybe a few minor formations?”
“Brother Ouyang, just how grand are your standards…?”
Realizing it wasn't just empty bravado, Yeong Heo-ja clicked his tongue in amazement.
“Have you been anywhere else besides the Martial Alliance?”
“Not really. It's just… what should I say? It's just as I expected.”
“Hmm, I see.”
Yeong Heo-ja felt as if he were the only one making a fuss, and he wore an awkward expression.
Then his gaze fell elsewhere.
“There, do you see over there?”
“?”
Ouyang Jue stared blankly at the spot Yeong Heo-ja was pointing to. Daoists with somehow familiar faces were scanning the area.
They were the spitting image of Yeong Heo-ja beside him.
‘Surely he's not trying to say there are more people like him…’
Only after staring intently at the Daoists could Ouyang Jue remember who they were.
“Yeop Cheong, Yang Ji-hyeon, and… was it Wi Jin-cheon?”
He had met all three at the Nine Dragons Tournament and had defeated each of them once.
Yang Ji-hyeon, with his entire forearm wrapped in bandages, was particularly memorable.
It was only natural, for he was the future Fist King, Master of the Dark Clouds, known as one of the Ten Great Masters!
There was no harm in being on good terms with him. His combative nature would also be a great help in his future training.
Uncharacteristically, Ouyang Jue waved his hand enthusiastically.
“Here, over here!”
Seeing him, Yang Ji-hyeon's face lit up, and he shouted.
“Ha! Isn't it the Plum Blossom Sword Hero! Have you been well?”
“…”
As Yang Ji-hyeon responded in a loud voice, both Ouyang Jue and Yeong Heo-ja frowned in silence.
It went beyond awkward to embarrassing. It was a moment that made him wonder if Daoists were generally clueless.
“…Is that the Plum Blossom Sword Hero?”
“The one who single-handedly toppled the Black Dragon Gang?”
Like a spark on a dry field, once the words caught fire, they engulfed the entire street.
At the center of it all was Ouyang Jue.
With the plum blossom emblem on his Daoist robes, it was impossible to even deny it. A strong fighting spirit arose on the faces of the martial artists watching him.
‘This is insane.’
Ouyang Jue wanted to plant his fist in Yang Ji-hyeon's face. But for now, he held back.
After all, there was no harm in fostering camaraderie among the Daoists while at the Martial Alliance.
Ouyang Jue's gaze turned to Wi Jin-cheon.
He had met Yeop Cheong before at Mount Wudang, and had a memorable fight with Yang Ji-hyeon, but he had no particular impression of Wi Jin-cheon.
“You're the disciple from the Heavenly Peak Gate… was it?”
“It's Heavenly Martial Peak!”
Wi Jin-cheon, who had shouted, glared at the crowd that was beginning to gather.
Following that, a complaint that wasn't quite a complaint escaped his lips.
“My, you seem to have become quite the celebrity in the time we haven't seen each other. To think people would gather like this just because a title was revealed.”
“…”
Regardless of what Wi Jin-cheon said, Ouyang Jue had to force himself to hide his displeased expression.
If this were his ronin days, he would have immediately let fly a mouthful of curses, but being a Daoist was inconvenient at times like these.
Those gazes, as if looking at a rare mythical beast.
On top of that, they were mostly men with dark, stubbly beards. He was already in a bad mood, and now he felt nauseous.
“Please, don't be like this. Everyone, how about we have a cup of tea and…”
Ouyang Jue tried to calm them with a forced smile. They were still young, and he didn't see any particular malice.
So, he thought he could resolve this somehow with words.
That's what he had thought.
“I have long admired you!”
“Would you not spare a moment to speak with this Song?”
Various voices chaotically pierced his ears. His brows furrowed on their own.
It wasn't as if only market thugs had gathered, no. Looking again, most of them were rising stars from small and medium-sized sects.
The disciples from more respectable sects were sitting in high pavilions, engrossed in drinking, gambling, and people-watching.
‘This is the situation I wanted, but experiencing it firsthand is extremely annoying.’
Ouyang Jue resisted the urge to tell them to shut up. Instead, he scanned the crowd.
Envy and sordidness.
In particular, there were quite a few who were jealous of a rising star younger than themselves gaining prominence.
From the Martial Alliance's perspective, the small and medium-sized sects were nothing more than crude tools to be used in the name of the 'greater cause'.
In reality, disciples of prestigious sects were reluctant to get involved with those from smaller sects.
Because if they happened to lose, there was no greater disgrace.
Another reason was that it was beneath their station.
They were similar reasons, but ultimately amounted to the same thing.
Therefore, it was said that joining a small or medium-sized sect and making a name for oneself in the martial world was more difficult than ascending to immortality.
That's how unlikely it was for them to become famous.
But people do not despair easily. It was also an age filled with more passion than resignation.
Drunk on that passion, one martial artist brazenly provoked Ouyang Jue.
“Plum Blossom Sword Hero! I wish to see if you are as strong as the rumors say! Please have a duel with me!”
However, the martial artist did not think for a moment that Ouyang Jue would readily accept the provocation.
He didn't even expect it, thinking he would just utter a few humble words and leave.
In fact, Ouyang Jue's face was so perfectly calm that it reinforced this thought.
But at the next words, the martial artist's eyes flew open.
“Time is short, so I will say this only once!”
“?”
“Those who wish to compete in martial arts, gather and form a line! I will face you in order!”
At those words, not only the spectating martial artists but also his companion, Yeong Heo-ja, stared at him as if he had gone mad.
It was beyond unexpected; it was unprecedented. It was something that hadn't happened for at least ten years.
A promising rising star was going to fight more than thirty martial artists from small and medium-sized sects!
Amidst it all, only Yang Ji-hyeon grinned.
“Can I get in that line, too?”
“Do as you please.”
As soon as Ouyang Jue said that, the atmosphere, which had been merely a gathering crowd, gradually sharpened.
“I admire your courage, but I will show you no mercy!”
“That's fine, too.”
Ouyang Jue smiled leisurely.
‘Shall I make a proper impression before I even enter?’