Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: The Seven-Tri-Fruit Herb Rumor
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In the heart of Namchang stood a splendidly lit tavern.
One of the men drinking inside opened his mouth to speak.
"Hey, have you heard the rumor?"
"Rumors about that guy? There are tons of them. Which one?"
"They say a spirit herb has been discovered!"
The men drinking with him widened their eyes at his words.
Because they were all martial artists.
"Is that true?"
"What kind of spirit herb?"
"None other than the Seven-Tri-Fruit Herb!"
"Ooooh!"
"The Seven-Tri-Fruit Herb!"
While spirit herbs were often thought of as mysterious and unknown, that depended on the herb. The world was vast and full of people, so some spirit herbs turned up three or four times a generation.
"That's right, the Seven-Tri-Fruit Herb! The one where you find one and then dig around nearby to uncover a whole field of spirit plants!"
The Seven-Tri-Fruit Herb was so famous that even second-rate martial artists like these men knew of it.
Major sects even received periodic shipments of it.
"The Seven-Tri-Fruit Herb... Just chewing one root grants fifty years worth of inner energy."
The men's eyes began to redden.
"Where was it found?"
"It's close! That mountain you can see over there! Bukchang Mountain!"
One spirit herb could change your life.
Increased inner energy didn't guarantee a realm breakthrough, but...
Inner power was one of the most tangible proofs of strength.
"This might be a once-in-a-lifetime chance."
"Let's go before everyone else who heard the rumor swarms in!"
"If we wait too long, there won't even be scraps left!"
Dreams inflate people. Greed blinds them.
They bolted for Bukchang Mountain without even finishing their drinks.
"No inns or taverns nearby. We'll need a place to stay."
"How about imposing on that manor near the mountain?"
"Good idea. We can pay them back after we find the spirit herb."
The group raced to the manor of the Namgeum Merchant Group at the foot of Bukchang Mountain. There, they realized one thing.
Martial artists who thought the same as them weren't few and far between.
"You bastard! Do you know who I am?!"
"Who the hell cares!"
"I'm Hosun, the Greatest Sword of Namchang!"
"Bullshit! I'm the Greatest Sword of Namchang!"
Martial artists baring their teeth and engaging in staring contests everywhere near the manor.
Bloodstains dotted the area here and there, suggesting fights had already broken out.
It was a dragon's pond turned tiger's den, in the truest sense.
"...What a slaughterhouse."
"...Yeah."
It was a total mess.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "You can ignore the Namgeum Merchant Group now and proceed with business as usual."
"Young hero... Are you really just an eight-year-old boy?"
Chu Yong-wol's face was filled with admiration.
The recent rumors and the troubles plaguing the Namgeum Merchant Group.
It was all clearly the scheme of the little boy sitting before her.
'Incredible stratagems beyond his years. And bold decisiveness on top of that.'
Chu Yong-wol bowed her head in gratitude.
"On behalf of Baekse Rare Books, I bow in thanks for resolving our worries, young hero."
"No need. Besides, it's not like the trouble is completely gone yet."
"Hm? Do you plan to take further action?"
"They dared to throw a stone at my clan's event. They need to pay the price."
Yang-hui smirked. It was a chilling expression unfit for his childish face.
'Usurious lenders who suck the marrow from the poor. Better to crush them early.'
Instead of unease, Chu Yong-wol felt a sense of security looking at Yang-hui.
His extraordinary talent at such a young age.
If their connection with the Baek Clan lasted over a decade?
'This young hero will be the most reliable ally imaginable.'
With that thought, Chu Yong-wol spoke.
"Young hero, as a token of our gratitude, we'll yield an extra ten percent from our contract."
"Oh! I'd be truly grateful if you did."
Joy spread across Yang-hui's face.
He had reaped the profit he aimed for by intervening in the matter between Baekse Rare Books and the Namgeum Merchant Group.
"Haha, as expected, Baekse Rare Books knows the way of merchants."
"You're too kind."
"Then start printing today. I'll take my leave."
"Travel safely, young hero."
Yang-hui stepped out of Baekse Rare Books.
He met Gu-ak and Chui-dal, who were waiting ahead.
Seeing Gu-ak's uneasy expression, Yang-hui slyly curled his lips.
"Brother Gu, time to head out. The mood at the Namgeum Merchant Group should be ripe by now."
"Little brother. Do we really have to go through with that plan?"
Gu-ak fell silent as Yang-hui nodded matter-of-factly.
"Think about it, Brother Gu. We invested a precious root of Seven-Tri-Fruit Herb to create this mess. We can't just walk away at a loss."
"Didn't you sell that Seven-Tri-Fruit Herb to a clinic for full price after spreading the rumor?"
"Tsk. How can you compare a spirit herb to a few coins?"
Not that it was just 'a few coins'—but Gu-ak didn't even hear the latter part.
Tsk? Tsk tsk?! A kid over twenty years his junior dares tsk at him?
Was this a dream or reality?
As Gu-ak sank into a waking dream,
"Come on, let's go. Time to fleece the Namgeum Merchant Group."
The second scheme following the chaos sown by the rumor.
Yang-hui planned to extract a fitting 'fee' from the Namgeum Merchant Group, too busy fending off the swarming martial artists to notice.
Gu-ak snapped to attention.
"Robbery I never asked for—no, highway robbery."
Even as a former black path member, Gu-ak considered himself decent.
He'd never stooped to banditry for others' money.
...Though he had swallowed whole businesses before.
"Let's call it righteous banditry for mutual agreement. We'll distribute half to the poor around here anyway."
Yang-hui hopped onto Gu-ak's back and beckoned.
Chui-dal, beside him, climbed on reflexively.
"What are you doing? Not leaving yet?"
Gu-ak paused just as he was about to kick off unconsciously.
"Hey, you two brats. I'm not hurting anywhere right now. These punks are trying to use me as a mount out of habit!"
Tch. No dice. It almost went smoothly.
Yang-hui clicked his tongue and jumped down.
"We'll use lightness skill to get there fast, so carry Chui-dal. I'll run."
Without waiting for a reply, he circulated his qi first.
His steps followed the Thousand-Pace Principle. Yang-hui's form shot forward like an arrow.
About three quarters of an hour later,
Yang-hui and his group arrived at a hilltop near the foot of Bukchang Mountain, where the Namgeum manor was visible ahead.
"Whew, it's brutal."
Dozens—no, hundreds—of qi signatures swirled in a vortex.
It meant an enormous number of martial artists had gathered at the single manor.
"No sounds of fighting, so they've implicitly agreed to a truce."
"Seems so."
They must have designated the manor as a neutral rest area before hunting the spirit herb.
Without the merchant group's consent, of course.
"Alright, Brother Gu, time to be the mudfish that muddies the waters."
Yang-hui's plan was simple.
Gu-ak would pose as a first-rate black path expert, provoke the truce-holders, and restart the chaos.
While the manor's guards rushed to the commotion, Yang-hui would raid the warehouse.
"Chui-dal, you keep watch. You can do it, right?"
"Yes sir! Just give me one gold piece as a bonus!"
"Deal."
Yang-hui, who preached white path virtues daily, plotting theft.
Chui-dal, raised in an assassin sect, felt no aversion to stealing.
Gu-ak groaned watching the two kids.
Why was he, a former black path overlord, the most normal one here?
"Ugh. A promise is a promise."
"Of course! I'll buy the finest hairpin for Sister Rang with it and give it to you... Wait."
Sensing a presence, Yang-hui waved to cut off the talk and looked aside.
"What's wrong?"
"Shh. Someone's coming."
Someone exuding a vicious, ominous aura even from afar.
'This aura... No way?'
Yang-hui's face hardened.
Why was that bastard here now? He should be holed up in his lair beyond the western borders.
Krr ghraa—
Krr ghraa—
As the man drew closer, eerie wails like human screams filled the air.
No actual sound, but their bodies and souls felt it.
'Ghost Slave Hundred Demons.'
Over twenty-five years from now,
The entire martial world would be engulfed in a great bloodbath.
The so-called Evil Cult Uprising.
Madmen practicing demonic and evil arts from sinister cults and crooked sects rose up, claiming to lead the world to righteousness—the worst bloodbath in martial history.
'Why is Ghost Slave Hundred Demons, that evil cult bastard, wandering the martial world already?'
Ghost Slave Hundred Demons, the lunatic who enslaved a hundred evil ghosts through sorcery, first appeared during the Evil Cult Uprising.
He shouldn't be here now.
'Was he originally nearby in my past life too, and came after hearing the rumor?'
The ghostly wails faded again.
Ghost Slave Hundred Demons was heading straight for the Namgeum manor.
Definitely drawn by the Seven-Tri-Fruit Herb rumor.
"This is a problem, Brother Gu."
"Sure is. That guy who just passed... Total standout demon at a glance."
A mere demon would have been preferable.
Ghost Slave Hundred Demons was fearsome because he commanded evil ghosts to attack.
And what were evil ghosts? Souls corrupted by demonic and evil qi.
'Tricky. His ghosts can't be cut without sword qi.'
Evil ghosts were literal spirits.
Swords passed through them like cutting water.
Only sword qi, qi manifested tangibly, could harm them.
'Give up? No, can't do that.'
In his past life, Yang-hui fought countless battles as a wanderer during the Evil Cult Uprising.
He earned the title Best Sword Among Wanderers from his exploits then.
However,
Merely a hired wanderer, he knew nothing of why it happened or how to stop it.
'It could hinder my clan's path later, so better to scout and nip it in the bud now.'
In that light, encountering Ghost Slave Hundred Demons might be fortunate.
The ghosts were troublesome, but his base martial prowess was mediocre. Subdue him and extract info.
...And fulfill the original goal as a bonus.
"Brother Gu, plan change. That demon bastard can play your role, so let's raid the warehouse together."
Two looting beats one—double the gain!
Gu-ak gave an exasperated look at Yang-hui's grin.
"Even with that walking disaster showing up, you say that. Your guts really are the world's best."
"The greater the risk, the greater the reward. Don't gamble later, Brother Gu."
Yang-hui leaped forward.
"Chui-dal, wait here. Going ahead, Brother Gu!"
"Hey, wait!"
Arcing around, they reached the manor's rear wall via the foothills.
"As expected, with that demon around, every guard and martial artist has rushed off."
Eerie wails echoed from afar repeatedly.
Unknown if any peak experts were among the gathered martial artists, but Ghost Slave Hundred Demons could handle them all.
"Might not have much time. Full speed, Brother Gu."
That was when it happened.
Yang-hui hopped atop the wall—and collided with an evil ghost rising at the exact same moment.
"Huh?"
Krr grrk—?
Shit, we're screwed?
Already searching the manor with his ghosts?
In that split instant, instinct swung his sword.
Couldn't destroy it, but packing it with qi could stall it briefly.
Shiiik—!
Krrraaak—!
"Huh...?"
Yang-hui blinked in blank astonishment.
Because the evil ghost had vanished completely.
"Why... did it die...?"