Chapter 94
Chapter 94
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: Is This... Right...?
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Is this... right...?
This thought had filled Gu-ak's mind the entire way up the mountain path.
'No matter how brilliant little brother Yang-hui is, to the point where I can't even fathom his thoughts...'
This just didn't feel right. No matter how much he thought about it, this was a bad idea.
Gu-ak recalled the task Yang-hui had asked of him the night before.
"Brother Gu, head to the bandit stronghold, enjoy their lavish hospitality, and casually drop some info about Jang Bo-do on your way out."
"Why not go yourself, little brother? Why me, of all people...?"
"If a young hero of the righteous Baek-do path shows up, those bandit scum will be on high alert."
"No they won't? I don't think they'd be alert at all?"
Among the people Gu-ak knew, Yang-hui was second to none when it came to loose lips.
It was so bad that back in his black path days, even his subordinates had thought they needed to learn a thing or two from the kid.
And that was at the age of eight. Just a mere eight-year-old brat... punk had a mouth that could put any black path thug to shame.
That same Yang-hui had said,
"Hey, look at my appearance. Tall, dashing, full of spirit—who wouldn't see me as a righteous warrior of the orthodox sects?"
"......"
Gu-ak felt a surge of resentment.
Why? Because he couldn't refute Yang-hui's words.
Truth be told, at fifteen, Yang-hui had grown into someone who erased all traces of his beggar days, looking utterly dashing.
If only he kept his mouth shut, he'd pass perfectly for one of the promising young stars of the Baek-do path.
"Ugh. So you're telling me to go to the bandits?"
"Yes. Act like a typical black path thug, soak up the hospitality, drop the info casually, and come back."
"What if I get caught?"
"With that perfect black path face of yours, no worries there."
He had plenty to say, but he swallowed it and asked again.
"...So what if I do get caught anyway?"
"Then... improvise!"
"......"
To sum it up, it was this:
You're black path born and bred, no matter how much Baek-do water you've swallowed, so go pretend to be a black path boss, drop the Jang Bo-do info, and come back.
Fine, whatever. It made sense.
Since it involved risk, it was right for him, the sole peak realm expert, to handle it.
The problem was...
"No matter how I think about it, this feels dangerously half-baked..."
The reason was simple.
What Gu-ak had to accomplish from here on wasn't just pretending to be a black path boss.
'...Let's trust him. Little brother Yang-hui's got a good head on his shoulders. He must have a plan.'
From a young age, Yang-hui had schemed all sorts of bizarre plots.
He had his reckless moments sometimes, but not this time... not this...
'Improvise...'
One of Yang-hui's favorite phrases was "improvise."
Was the task he'd entrusted really outside the realm of improvisation?
...Gu-ak wasn't confident...
As these thoughts swirled, the bandit stronghold came into view in the distance.
Just as marked on the map Yang-hui had given him.
"Who the hell are you?!"
Hearing the sentry bandit's shout, Gu-ak checked his disguise once more.
He even pulled out a hand mirror to inspect his face.
'Hmm. Definitely...'
Tiger-skin leather clothes, bushy beard, scarred face.
Two axes hanging from his belt.
He looked every bit the textbook bandit.
'Eh, whatever.'
A real man dies once—what's dying twice?
Gu-ak tightened his core and bellowed.
"Who the hell? You calling me 'who the hell'?!"
Standing alone before the stronghold yet raising his voice louder only made the sentry cautious.
"Uh... who might you be?"
Gu-ak shouted as if he'd been waiting.
"One of the Ten Bandit Heroes: the Mountain Blood Lord Gu-eok!"
"The... Ten Bandit Heroes...!"
"Is he really one of the Ten Heroes?"
"But why's the name 'Eok'...?"
'Hmm. Maybe the fake name's too lazy.'
Pretending not to hear, he raised his voice again.
"Go fetch your stronghold leader! I've come with urgent matters to relay!"
Moments later, a broad-shouldered brute appeared atop the wooden palisade.
"You claim to be one of the Ten Bandit Heroes?"
"That's right."
"Then speak."
It was obvious what to say.
Gu-ak recited the contact code Yang-hui had taught him.
"The mountain birds' chirping grows too loud, so the great tiger stirs."
"......"
The silent stronghold leader suddenly roared.
"You lot! One of the Ten Heroes has graced us! What are you waiting for—open the gates!"
'Phew. It worked.'
This stronghold was the Three Tiger Stronghold, the lowest rung among the 72 Bandit Strongholds.
Yang-hui's conviction that their low status meant they wouldn't even know all the Ten Bandit Heroes' aliases had proven spot on.
'He said 'conviction,' but was it really? Felt more like a hunch...'
Swallowing his unease, Gu-ak put on an arrogant expression.
As a bonus, to pressure the bandits more firmly, he exuded the aura unique to a peak realm master.
"Three Tiger Stronghold Leader! We need a private audience first. Got a suitable spot?"
"Of course, Hero. This way."
Under the Three Tiger Leader's guidance, he entered the heart of the stronghold.
If he got caught now, it was over.
He'd be surrounded by bandits and stabbed dozens of times.
'Damn it. Time to seize the momentum!'
"The Mountain Lord has obtained information that could change the fate of our bandit world! Thus, I entrust you, Three Tiger Leader, with this grave duty!"
"Gr-grave duty? What kind...?"
"First things first. What's a chat between real men without liquor?"
"We'll bring it right away!"
Having come this far, Gu-ak resolved to enjoy it for now.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Exhale on "ho," inhale on "heuk."
Draw in natural qi on the inhale to cycle through the body once, swelling the Harmonious Heaven Principle Origin Art's qi mass.
Expel the absorbed dregs on the exhale.
"Huuuuh."
Harmonious Heaven Principle Origin Art.
One of the two absolute arts he'd personally created in his past life, alongside the Heaven-Covering 108 Swords.
An divine technique containing super peak enlightenment, allowing control over mindscape qi as one's realm advanced.
Since defying the years, he'd cultivated without pause, morning or night.
Now, bolstered by the Sword Sage's elixir he'd chanced upon, Yang-hui's internal energy neared a full cycle.
This was the power of sixty years of flawless cultivation in the basic Three Realms Heart Method, now dwelling in a fifteen-year-old body.
'Impossible under normal circumstances, of course...'
People often thought more internal energy was always better, but that was wrong.
Excess was as harmful as deficiency. Too much energy for an immature body was poison.
Hence the emphasis on tempering the flesh and the profundity of heart methods for handling qi.
That was why the Harmonious Heaven Principle Origin Art deserved its title of divine technique...
"Yang-hui! Let's play!"
Adu burst through the door.
The sudden noise disrupted his true qi flow.
"Gah! Cough cough!"
After coughing violently for a while, Yang-hui scowled fiercely.
"Hey, you punk! I almost had qi deviation!"
"Hee hee hee."
"That's not praise, punk!"
Ugh, the qi flow was still... damn it!
That was the moment.
Adu, now behind him somehow, unleashed a palm strike.
"Diamond Unmovable!"
"Urk! You sneaky ambush... Huh?"
A golden glow from the palm settled over Yang-hui's body.
The instability in his flowing energy vanished.
"......"
'Shaolin lives up to its name.'
All martial arts under heaven hail from Shaolin.
Techniques hailed as divine and peerless in other schools numbered seventy-two in Shaolin alone.
'Shaolin's Seventy-Two Supreme Arts... Among them, the Diamond Unmovable Divine Art.'
A heart method notoriously hard to master even among Shaolin's.
To stabilize his true qi instantly meant at least six-tenths attainment.
And this dimwit had reached six-tenths in the Diamond Unmovable Divine Art at his age?
"Yang-hui! Let's play!"
"...Play what? I was cultivating."
"Exactly! So let's play together!"
"Is cultivation play to you?"
"Yeah!"
Yang-hui stared at Adu for a moment.
Well, without treating training like play, that level of achievement at his age would be impossible.
More importantly, play together...
"Hey. In a few days, we're heading somewhere. You coming along?"
"Huh? Yeah. If Yang-hui goes, I go too."
"Can't stay behind?"
"But big monk said to follow good people closely."
"......"
Even if he ditched him, Adu would stick like glue.
Alone, maybe he could shake him, but with the group? Tough.
Which meant taking him into the Sword King Mausoleum together.
"Fine. Let's play. I've been curious about your skills anyway."
Yang-hui leaped out the window, and Adu giggled as he followed.
Crunch!
"Hey! Don't hurl that bulk through the window! It's broken now!"
"Eek. Sorry."
"The repair cost could buy a hundred rice cakes!"
"Hiiik! A hundred?!"
Yang-hui clicked his tongue.
Now he'd have to cover repair fees for nothing.
"Whatever, come at me."
This inn, also a branch of the Hao Clan, had a training yard for lodging martial artists.
Yang-hui drew his sheathed sword and assumed a ready stance.
"Hee hee, playtime. Fun."
Adu bent his knees into horse stance, fists at his waist.
No sign of attacking first.
"Not coming? I go first?"
"Yeah. Big monk said no striking first in play."
"Oh ho. Is that so? Whoever this big monk is..."
Pretty arrogant, huh?
"Then I'll go first."
Closing the gap with Phantom Heaven Steps, he thrust with the Heaven-Covering 108 Swords' Four Clouds Piercing Mist.
That instant—
"Buddha's Divine Palm!"
Adu's palm struck precisely at the sword tip.
The gold-glowing palm drew nearer.
No—grew larger.
...Twice the size of an average man's torso, easy.
"What the hell!"
Yang-hui hastily surged his Harmonious Heaven qi and swung wildly, even invoking Sealing the Fate Gate Formation.
Bababa-bam!
Only after dozens of sword strikes did he dispel the power in the palm.
"You punk!"
Until now, he'd held back on cursing a monk, but not anymore.
"Who loads that much power into a spar?! I nearly died!"
"Eek. Not much."
"Not much my ass! At least thirty years' worth!"
"That's why it's not much."
"......"
Considering the punk's internal energy reserves, it really wasn't much.
"Sigh. Shouldn't have said anything."
"Hee hee. More!"
"Enough."
"Eeeeng."
Then, voices came from behind.
"Strip away the bulk and he looks under twenty. But that internal energy is top-tier."
"Yeah. Not sure if he can handle it."
"Well, he's fine, so probably, Young Clan Leader."
"True enough, Senior Gu."
The Dang siblings and Chui-dal had gathered to watch.
Yang-hui shook his head at Chui-dal.
"See, Chui-dal? Living proof that tempering matters. This guy's it."
Seeing Chui-dal's puzzled look, he elaborated.
"Thoroughly temper the body to expand the vessel, then you can hold more energy. Got it?"
The better the body, the more internal energy it could contain.
Why Shaolin, which prized external arts above all, was so mighty.
"But brother, doesn't spending time on body training cut into energy cultivation?"
Not wrong.
But...
"Great Return Pill. End."
"Ah."
"Think Shaolin's Great Return Pills are famous for nothing? There's a reason."
Shaolin possessed the world's finest pill refinement secrets.
With pilgrims flooding their incense offerings, their coffers overflowed, allowing most disciples at least one Great Return Pill—or Small Return Pill minimum.
Thus, they could afford heavy external training.
"Anyway, brother Hui. Shouldn't we get moving soon?"
It had been ten days at this inn.
With a fortnight promised to Jin Geum-bo, five days remained.
"Add time to reach Baek-su Mountain and find the entrance... It's getting tight."
"Dang bro's right. But one more thing to do."
"What?"
Suddenly, Yang-hui's eyes deepened.
"Time to move the most important piece."
The Namgung Clan. To inflict even greater damage on those bastards.