Chapter 407
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 407
Chapter Title: Is This Bastard Crazy?
From Wuchang in Hubei Province to Luoyang in Henan Province.
A straight-line distance of over twelve hundred li.
Ha Mu-baek unleashed his lightness skill to the maximum, crossing it in a straight shot.
Even the towering mountain ranges in between couldn't slow his pace.
With one coffin levitated in midair through void grasping, he dashed forward at lightning speed using Lightning Flash Thousand-Li Travel.
After running nonstop for a full day, Luoyang's city walls finally came into view in the distance.
"Whew. Guess I should rest up a bit first."
Ha Mu-baek stopped by a nearby inn.
The innkeeper eyed the man entering with a coffin on his back warily.
But the silver coins dropping from his hand quickly changed the man's attitude.
"Haha, sir. Where would you like to be shown?"
"A spacious private room. And prepare some bathwater."
"Right away, sir. This way, please."
The power of silver was immense.
The innkeeper personally guided him, leaving the errand boy behind.
On the top floor of the inn.
There were only five rooms here, all spacious ones gathered together.
"Please step inside. We'll prepare the bathwater in this tub right away."
He set the coffin down in one corner of the room and lounged on the bed to rest.
"Sir, we'll prepare your bath now."
The errand boy's voice came from outside.
"Come in."
Several people bustled about, and the bath was ready in no time.
After tipping them a few coins each, he slipped into the warm water.
The fatigue from flying with lightness skill all day seemed to melt away.
Even for Ha Mu-baek.
A journey like this was tiring in its own way.
The dust caked all over his body washed away into the bathwater.
Ha Mu-baek soaked until the water cooled, easing his weariness.
The moment it felt cold.
Heat rose from his body, and steam billowed up from the water in an instant.
He reheated the water two or three more times like that, relaxing inside.
Truth be told, at Ha Mu-baek's level, circulating his qi would have been far more effective.
But occasionally, he enjoyed soaking in warm water like this, letting his mind drift lazily without a thought.
During his jianghu expeditions, stumbling upon a hot spring by chance and unwinding there had been one of the few comforts amid the brutal days.
"Well then. I wonder if they reported it properly."
Ha Mu-baek murmured, gazing up at the ceiling.
He could pretty much guess the outcome, but confirmation was necessary.
And while he was at it, he could share some solid facts.
After spending the day at the inn, Ha Mu-baek.
headed straight into Luoyang.
Since he was carrying a coffin with a jiangshi inside, passing through the gates would be a hassle.
So he vaulted right over the walls.
Yet no one detected his movements.
Not even up to the Righteous Heaven Alliance.
He leaped over the alliance walls and made directly for the Heavenly Eye Pavilion.
That was where Heavenly Eye Pavilion Lord Gong Son Dan-gyeong's office was located.
By the time Ha Mu-baek reached the entrance of the Heavenly Eye Pavilion, not a single Righteous Heaven Alliance warrior had sensed his presence.
All but one.
Righteous Heaven Alliance Leader So Hwi-woong.
His eyebrows twitched in his office.
If Ha Mu-baek had fully concealed his presence, even he wouldn't have noticed.
But he hadn't bothered to.
So only So Hwi-woong picked up on Ha Mu-baek's aura.
And even then, only thanks to his recent breakthrough.
'Mu-baek?'
So Hwi-woong set down his brush.
And rose to his feet.
"Heavenly Eye Pavilion?"
Muttering that, So Hwi-woong stepped out, and immediately his Hocheon Corps signal guards fell in behind him.
Six in total.
One of them was Dam Mu-hyun.
"Where to, sir?"
"Heavenly Eye Pavilion."
So Hwi-woong replied curtly to Dam Mu-hyun's question.
The news spread swiftly through the Hocheon Corps ranks.
If the Alliance Leader was heading to Heavenly Eye Pavilion, the destination was obvious.
He was going to meet the Strategist.
The Hocheon Corps warriors sprang into action.
The alliance warriors inside bowed deeply whenever they encountered the Alliance Leader.
It was commonplace for him to move about the grounds.
So there was no real commotion.
But since the former corps leader had been demoted.
The Hocheon Corps, which had sometimes slacked off on escorting him, now moved with extra vigor.
A firm resolve never to slack again was evident.
"Wh-who goes there!"
Young Heavenly Eye Pavilion gate guard Bae Dan-ya jumped in surprise.
A man had suddenly appeared right in front of him from nowhere.
No Righteous Heaven Alliance warrior would show up like that.
"Dragon Training Pavilion Fierce Dragon Corps Chief Instructor Ha Mu-baek."
Ha Mu-baek briefly stated his affiliation.
At those words, an incredulous look crossed the gate guard's face.
Dragon Training Pavilion.
A Fierce Dragon Corps instructor, no less?
How could someone like that show up unannounced at the Heavenly Eye Pavilion, one of the alliance's core branches?
"What business does a Dragon Training Pavilion Fierce Dragon Corps instructor have here? We got no prior notice."
Now that he knew the man's status, the gate guard's tone turned haughty.
His face screamed: Not even from the Righteous Heaven Alliance, just some lowly Dragon Training Pavilion Fierce Dragon Corps instructor?
It was understandable.
Bae Dan-ya, who had faced Ha Mu-baek, was only in his first year as a Heavenly Eye Pavilion gate guard.
He was still at the age where his shoulders were puffed up with pride.
No, if it had been a Hidden Dragon Corps or Wa Dragon Corps instructor, it might have been different.
He had come from the Hidden Dragon Corps himself, after all.
But since he didn't recognize the face, it couldn't be from those elite corps.
Definitely a Fierce Dragon Corps instructor.
So he had no choice but to act superior.
Back when he was at the Dragon Training Pavilion, the Fierce Dragon Corps had been utterly worthless—cadets and instructors alike.
Ha Mu-baek nodded slightly at the guard's shift in attitude, as if understanding it fully, then spoke.
"I'm here to see old man Gong Son."
"Old man Gong Son?"
Bae Dan-ya tilted his head in confusion for a moment.
Old man?
Was there a handyman named Gong Son at the Heavenly Eye Pavilion?
Not that he knew of.
He didn't know every handyman's background, nor did he need to.
But one thing he did know.
There was only one person surnamed Gong Son at the Heavenly Eye Pavilion.
Realizing that, Bae Dan-ya's face twisted viciously.
He had figured out who this instructor dared call "old man Gong Son."
"You bastard! How dare you insult the Pavilion Lord with that filthy mouth of yours!"
A roar exploded from Bae Dan-ya's lips.
"What? What's going on?"
At that moment.
His senior gate guard, Jong Mun-pyeong, who had stepped away briefly to relieve himself, came rushing back.
This was a core branch of the Righteous Heaven Alliance, the Heavenly Eye Pavilion.
Gate guards rarely bellowed like that unless something serious was up.
So he hurried over, fearing trouble.
And upon spotting Ha Mu-baek, he froze on the spot.
Why was that guy here?
Didn't he go to the Dragon Training Pavilion?
How the hell...?
Then that roar just now?
Looking at his junior's flushed, furious face.
That bellow was definitely from Bae Dan-ya.
Has this bastard lost his mind?
Does he even know who he's yelling at right in front of him?
As Jong Mun-pyeong stood rigid upon seeing Ha Mu-baek.
Ha Mu-baek's gaze turned to him.
"Hm? A familiar face."
Meeting Ha Mu-baek's eyes, he.
"I-it's been a while, sir..."
greeted him in a trembling voice, clasping his hands in salute.
His senior, who had just stepped away for a piss, returns and acts like that?
To some mere Dragon Training Pavilion instructor?
What the hell is going on?
As Bae Dan-ya stared back and forth between his senior and the Fierce Dragon Corps instructor in bewilderment.
"I-I'll notify the gate captain right away."
Jong Mun-pyeong shouted, straightening up ramrod straight.
Then he glanced at Bae Dan-ya.
Who just stared back blankly.
"You bastard, what are you waiting for? Go fetch the gate captain!"
The furious voice slapped into his junior's ears.
Not understanding a thing, he bolted toward the gate guards' lounge on the first floor of the Heavenly Eye Pavilion.
"What? What is it?"
The gate captain had pulled night duty the previous evening, so he was just settling in for some sweet sleep.
When the youngest guard came panting for him, he grumbled irritably.
"S-Senior Jong said to fetch you right away..."
At the sight of the bumbling rookie Bae Dan-ya, the gate captain's face twisted.
"What the hell does that mean all of a sudden? Why's Jong Mun-pyeong summoning me?"
"I-I don't know. Dragon Training Pavilion Fierce Dragon Corps Chief Instructor Ha Mu-baek showed up."
"What?"
The gate captain shot up from his half-reclined bed like a spring.
And demanded of Bae Dan-ya.
"Who'd you say?"
"Dragon Training Pavilion Fierce Dragon Corps Chief Instructor Ha Mu-baek..."
Definitely Ha Mu-baek.
Ha Mu-baek.
Dragon Training Pavilion Instructor Ha Mu-baek.
There was only one man who bore that name.
As far as the gate captain knew.
"Shit!"
Gate Captain Go Gi-ryong shoved Bae Dan-ya aside roughly and bolted out.
Bae Dan-ya, wearing a what-the-hell expression at the captain's reaction, hurried back to the main gate.
"C-C-Captain, sir!"
The moment he reached the gate, Go Gi-ryong bowed deeply and bellowed.
What was that supposed to mean?
Captain? He said instructor, didn't he?
As Bae Dan-ya's face filled with confusion.
"Oh? Gi-ryong, long time no see. You're the gate captain now?"
Ha Mu-baek greeted him warmly, clearly recognizing the man.
"Yes. L-last year's personnel shuffle promoted me from land duty..."
Go Gi-ryong's voice was exceedingly cautious.
It had to be.
Last year's early shuffle.
That was when Ha Mu-baek had been demoted and sent to the Dragon Training Pavilion.
"Ah, so that's what happened after I left. No wonder I wouldn't know. And I'm no corps leader anymore. Just a Dragon Training Pavilion instructor now."
Ha Mu-baek smiled.
Meanwhile.
Jong Mun-pyeong bowed his head and transmitted everything via sound transmission to Go Gi-ryong.
[Bae Dan-ya caused a scene right in front of Ha Mu-baek.]
"Uh... Instructor Ha. This fool was assigned here this year. After graduating from Dragon Training Pavilion, he patrolled the outskirts for about two years, got a good review, and was posted to Heavenly Eye Pavilion... He didn't recognize you and made a mistake. Please overlook it generously..."
Go Gi-ryong dragged Bae Dan-ya over roughly, forced him to bow, and pleaded carefully.
Ha Mu-baek shrugged.
"What mistake? The Heavenly Eye Pavilion gate guard just said what anyone would to a mere Fierce Dragon Corps instructor."
At Ha Mu-baek's pointed words, Go Gi-ryong and Jong Mun-pyeong's faces drained white as sheets.
Ha Mu-baek chuckled at their reaction.
It had been over a year and six months since he left.
Yet there were still those in the alliance who remembered him.
"I'm kidding. Kidding. As if I'd make a fuss over something like that."
At Ha Mu-baek's calm words, their colors slowly returned.
They knew him well.
If Ha Mu-baek said it was a joke, it was.
No trouble would come from this.
Only then could they finally relax.
"You're here to see the Pavilion Lord?"
If Ha Mu-baek had come to Heavenly Eye Pavilion, the purpose was clear.
"Yeah. To meet old man Gong Son."
"I'll notify inside. Follow me."
Gate Captain Go Gi-ryong personally escorted Ha Mu-baek inside with utmost courtesy.
Ha Mu-baek followed naturally.
The coffin he'd set down briefly floated back up into the air via void grasping.
Bae Dan-ya's eyes bulged like they might tear.
"H- h- how... Gong..."
He couldn't even finish.
Jong Mun-pyeong looked on as if it were the most natural thing.
As the two disappeared.
"Wh-what the hell is that guy? Senior Jong."
Bae Dan-ya asked, still wrapped in confusion.
"Damn it. You almost got us all killed, you idiot!"
Jong Mun-pyeong's anger flared again at the memory of the near-disaster.
Bae Dan-ya flinched and shrank back.
"Sigh. Well, ignorance is forgivable. It blew over safely. Man, he's mellowed out a lot. Letting something like this slide."
Jong Mun-pyeong stared after Ha Mu-baek, head tilted.
"S-so, who the hell is he...?"
"Former Hocheon Corps Leader."
At the repeated question, Jong Mun-pyeong answered curtly.
Bae Dan-ya's face went pale.
"Th-the one who beat up the Discipline Hall Lord and got demoted outside the alliance...?"
He knew that rumor. It was too huge not to.
Jong Mun-pyeong nodded at Bae Dan-ya's words.
"Get it now?"
Bae Dan-ya nodded vigorously, wiping his chest in relief.
He'd truly escaped death.
A guy who beats up his superior, the Discipline Hall Lord, if things don't go his way.
A mere gate guard like him?
Bae Dan-ya glanced nervously where Ha Mu-baek had gone, sweating coldly.
The Righteous Heaven Alliance had eyes and ears everywhere.
The commotion at Heavenly Eye Pavilion's main gate spread by word of mouth, of course.
Yeon Ja-kyeong heard the news soon enough.
"That aura was Ha Mu-baek's?"
The unfamiliar yet powerful presence that had appeared suddenly.
Yeon Ja-kyeong had sensed it upon reaching a new realm.
He was about to send someone to check it out, given how strong it felt.
Of all things, it was Ha Mu-baek.
"Why the hell is that bastard at headquarters...?"
Yeon Ja-kyeong frowned, lost in thought.