Chapter 228. The Mindset of the Jaha Scholar.

I washed up properly.

After putting on new clothes, getting some sleep, and even circulating my qi and regulating my breath, I felt as if I had been born anew.

Should I say it felt like I had escaped from being a beggar after nine days?

Now, when I appeared, people no longer pinched their noses, and even when I went in and out of the Jaha Inn, Yeon Jaseong did not nag me.

I set a table in front of the Jaha Inn, then prepared the Four Treasures of the Study, martial arts manuals, and a bundle of blank books, stacking them beside me.

Several martial arts manuals had come into my possession, so I needed to organize them as well.

First, with a clear mind, I reviewed the Baekjeon Siptan Gong and made a copy of it.

Strangely enough, there was nothing to add or remove from the Baekjeon Siptan Gong, so I copied it as it was. Since it was a complete martial discipline, I did not think it was something I needed to give to a disciple learning the sword.

For one thing, wrapping lightning qi around a weapon itself consumed an enormous amount of internal energy, making it unnecessary in some respects, and the person who created the Baekjeon Siptan Gong had also recommended bare hands. It was a martial art whose power would only be displayed when combined with fists, palm techniques, and grappling arts.

Because it was so closely tied to internal energy, it was not suited to a sect with many disciples either. After all, it was better to concentrate elixirs on a single person. It seemed meaningful only if it was made into a martial art passed down secretly to one person whenever possible.

Rather than with the intent of becoming stronger myself, I memorized the Baekjeon Siptan Gong repeatedly in order to teach my disciple well. As I was transcribing it, Yeon Jaseong came over and said,

“Sect Leader, is that a martial arts manual?”

“Yes. Is there somewhere in the Jaha Inn to keep things like a safe or manuals?”

Yeon Jaseong came to my side and whispered.

“We dug out a basement from the start and made it into an evacuation spot. Wouldn’t it be fine to place a safe there and store them inside?”

“Got it.”

I looked at Yeon Jaseong, who was not moving, and asked,

“What? Are you interested in martial arts?”

Yeon Jaseong answered with a conflicted expression.

“Is it difficult? It takes a long time, right?”

“If you want, I’ll teach you. It’ll be hard, though. And once you start, you have to train for the rest of your life.”

“What if I stop midway?”

I answered while continuing to transcribe.

“If you don’t have a grudge, you can stop midway. If you’ve made enemies, you have to keep learning. Your enemy will be getting stronger than you. Once you dip your foot in, you can’t get out. A comfortable life is one where you don’t make grudges in the first place. Do you have any?”

“No.”

I spoke to Yeon Jaseong, who was showing a slight interest in the martial world.

“Then don’t even set foot in it. It’s not a place where you can survive just because you learned a few martial arts. If you earn fame through ceremonial writings, there’ll be many places that call for you even outside the Hao Sect.”

Yeon Jaseong nodded.

“Understood. Ah, but Sect Leader, do you have many enemies?”

I nodded.

“Me? If I go out once, dozens of them pop up. If I so much as take a walk, it turns into absolute chaos.”

Yeon Jaseong gave me a thumbs-up.

“I’ll go work now.”

“Go.”

Holding the brush, I let out a long yawn. Who would have thought copying a single book would take this long? Even though I had slept a lot, drowsiness came pouring over me, so it was clearly not work suited to my temperament. If I kept doing this sort of thing for about three days, I would probably become the Jaha Scholar (紫霞書生) myself.

Just then, Jang Deuksu appeared in person and set down meat soup and rice on the desk.

“Eat while you work.”

I drank the broth and looked at Jang Deuksu.

Jang Deuksu looked busy today as well, preparing to serve food to the beggars. If Jang Deuksu had not been here, the Hao Sect would have found it difficult to become close to the Beggars’ Sect. As I watched while spooning rice into my mouth, there were many impressive scenes.

The Beggars’ Sect was treating Jang Deuksu with utmost respect, as if he were their benefactor, an elder of the Beggars’ Sect, a great cook, or an authority second only to the sect leader of the Beggars’ Sect.

Serving someone a meal was that great a deed.

Even I had not known Brother Deuksu could look so magnificent. Watching it like this, it seemed less like an alliance between the Beggars’ Sect and the Hao Sect and more like an alliance between the Beggars’ Sect and Jang Deuksu.

After filling my stomach heartily with soup and rice, I finished transcribing the Baekjeon Siptan Gong.

* * *

I also transcribed the Dugu Heavy Sword.

Thinking about it, the name of Ouyang Wuji’s sword art was the Wuji Heavy Sword. What was different, and what was similar, between the Dugu Heavy Sword that great generals were said to have learned on the battlefield and the Wuji Heavy Sword learned by a martial artist of the jianghu?

I was curious how it differed from the Plum Blossom Sword Art or Meteor Sword that I was creating and refining.

The Dugu Heavy Sword was, unexpectedly, a martial art that began as a mounted sword art (馬上劍法).

Because it was a sword art for handling heavy weapons, its external training methods were written in detail. It described methods of applying pressure with the weight of the weapon, mounted postures that extended attack range, and ways to suppress various weapons.

In other words, it was on a completely different track from the Wuji Heavy Sword. It was by no means a sword art of a level someone like the Sword Demon would learn. It was a basic and simple martial discipline. Even knowing the White-Robed Scholar’s intent, I found it odd.

‘Why did he give me this?’

My conclusion was that with this level of martial art, one could not defeat martial artists of the jianghu. Then, when I suddenly saw that it even explained methods for piercing armor (甲冑), I realized it was a sword art that did not take defense into consideration at all from the beginning. Since the Sword Demon could maintain a state of being somewhat impervious to blades thanks to the Radiant Sword, the White-Robed Scholar had given him an entirely offense-focused sword art.

I had no desire to dig any deeper, so after committing only the principles of the Dugu Heavy Sword to memory, I finished transcribing and looked at the blank book.

I had no disciples, but I pondered the first sentence of the manual I would pass on to them.

Use this to kill the wicked heretics.

No.

Read this alone in secret.

That was not it either.

I realized anew that I had no talent for sentences or creation. As I agonized over the first line, I got the feeling that I would become not the White-Robed Scholar, but the White-Haired Scholar. I picked my nose and quickly gave up.

‘It doesn’t suit me.’

I had the feeling that explaining it verbally would be more comfortable. Moreover, in the case of something like the Jaha Divine Art, even if my writing were outstanding, there was no way to explain it. It was a strange martial art even by my own reckoning. Whether it was the Plum Blossom Sword Art or the Jaha Divine Art, I thought it would be right to teach it first and then have the disciple write the manual personally. After all, the role of a great grandmaster was something the disciples would have to take on anyway.

Since it had come to this, I gave up quickly.

I put down the brush, then stood and stared ahead. Cha Seongtae and the subordinates of the Black Rabbit Gang were coming in a crowd. Looking closely, I recognized Cha Seongtae right away, but the faces of the subordinates were unfamiliar. Upon closer inspection, Cha Seongtae was being dragged over by people I did not know.

Cha Seongtae spoke to me with a battered face.

“Sect Leader, I’m here.”

“Are you badly hurt?”

“I’m fine.”

I looked at Cha Seongtae’s face and thought to myself.

‘Wow, he was lucky.’

Since these people had not killed Cha Seongtae, I thought I should not kill them either and looked over the unidentified men.

“Who are you to beat my subordinate and bring him here? I’m the Hao Sect Leader.”

The men pushed Cha Seongtae toward me and said,

“Sect Leader, the Jecheon Alliance Leader summons you. If you have no urgent business, please come with us. Of course, even if you do have urgent business, please come with us.”

“Why does the Jecheon Alliance Leader want me?”

When the man who had spoken pointed, another fellow brought something over, raised it to chest height, and lifted the cloth covering it. For some reason, I felt as if I had been through a similar situation before, but things that happened in the jianghu were all much the same anyway. Inside was the severed head of a man with his eyes closed, but I could not tell who it was.

“Who is this?”

“It is Hall Master Won Gaseong.”

“Won Gaseong? How unfortunate.”

Only then did I slowly examine the dead man’s face. He was the hall master of the Jecheon Alliance whom I had spared at the Cheonri Inn.

I asked the martial artists of the Jecheon Alliance.

“I spared him because he seemed capable of conversation, so why did you kill him?”

The fellow ignored my question and answered with what he wanted to say.

“According to Hall Master Won, the Gate Master said that if war broke out with the Jecheon Alliance, you would personally kill eighty percent of the Jecheon Alliance… Is that true? After hearing those words, the Alliance Leader ordered us to bring you before he truly starts a war.”

“A meeting?”

“Something like that. The Alliance Leader said he could kill the entirety of Haomun by himself. Is that what you want? Even threats should be made with some discretion as to the target.”

I lightly struck my own mouth with my hand.

“My mouth is the problem.”

“That is correct.”

“If the Alliance Leader calls, then I should go. This junior should hurry over. By the way, who hit my subordinate Cha Seongtae here?”

The man who had been speaking with me all this time answered with a snicker.

“I did.”

“Ah.”

I walked over with a smile, appeared right in front of the man, slapped him across the face, kicked him in the shin, then grabbed his head with both hands and immediately poured the lightning qi of the Baekjeon Ten-Stage Art into him.

A strange scream burst from the man’s mouth.

“Gghaaaaaaagh!”

In an instant, the smell of burning hair rose, and the man fainted on the spot with white foam at his mouth.

I withdrew my hands because it seemed he would die if I poured in any more lightning qi.

When I happened to look at my palms, clumps of torn-out hair were melting there. It was my first time using the Baekjeon Ten-Stage Art in actual combat, and its power was not bad. At the very least, the one who got hit seemed to suffer terribly. Since I also usually enjoyed tormenting others, it was a martial art that suited me to some extent.

The men who had come with him drew their swords at the same time and surrounded me.

As I shook the hair off my hands, I said to the Jecheon Alliance martial artists.

“…Let’s go. You people carry him. He isn’t dead yet. Ah, and Seongtae.”

Cha Seongtae looked at me with an aggrieved expression.

“Yes.”

“Were you all scattered around looking for me?”

“Yes.”

“You worked hard. You should rest and recover. If anyone looks for me, tell them I went to the Jecheon Alliance. And put away the books on that table over there.”

Cha Seongtae looked at the secret manuals on the desk without much thought.

“Understood.”

As I was leaving with the martial artists of the Jecheon Alliance, Senior Wonmyeonja blocked our path.

“Stop.”

I said to Senior Wonmyeonja.

“Senior Full Moon, I will be visiting the Jecheon Alliance.”

Wonmyeonja replied.

“Why the Jecheon Alliance? Speak to this old man so we can go together. Or go with me.”

I stopped for a moment and looked at Wonmyeonja.

‘Should I?’

In truth, if I borrowed the authority of the Beggars’ Sect Leader, even the Jecheon Alliance Leader would not be able to treat me carelessly. Of course, the Jecheon Alliance must already know that I was acquainted with Im Sobaek. But I had no intention of resolving matters by borrowing someone else’s authority. With my personality, I could not do that.

I said to Wonmyeonja.

“…Since I intend only to talk about the matter of hitting a few of their subordinates, I will go alone. Instead, please inform the second son of the Pungun Mong Family in Baegungji of my destination. If a problem arises, I will receive support from that side. If you are still worried, please inform the Murim Alliance of where I have gone as well. Then what could possibly happen?”

Wonmyeonja was about to dissuade me again, but he kept the proper line.

“Ah, is that so? Then I’ll deliver the message as quickly as possible.”

“Thank you, Senior. Please make sure nothing happens in Ilyang County….”

Wonmyeonja smiled.

“Nothing will happen. I’m here, after all.”

“Understood.”

The Jecheon Alliance was a place I needed to visit at least once. That was because it had not yet turned into the Black Path Alliance. The Jecheon Alliance Leader, or some of the officers beneath him, were probably more skilled than I was. In a short while, according to the timing, they would clash with Im Sobaek, gather even more of the Black Path, and everything would become a complete mess. After that, the Demon Cult would wage localized battles and make things even more chaotic. Visiting at a time like this was not a bad thing.

In any case, I intended to visit the Jecheon Alliance in the mindset of a diplomat.

I slung my arm around the shoulders of the Jecheon Alliance martial artist walking beside me and said.

“What’s your name?”

“I am Neunggon.”

“Are you a hall master too?”

“No. I am a deputy hall master.”

“Deputy hall master? So there’s such a thing. Fine. I don’t have any particular feelings toward the Jecheon Alliance yet. And Won Gaseong ambushed me and failed, but I spared him and sent him back, didn’t I? I don’t understand why you people beat him to death and are getting angry at me. Were you not angry when Won Gaseong died? If so, that is strange. I will return to the Jecheon Alliance with you and question the Jecheon Alliance Leader about why he killed Won Gaseong. Let’s go.”

“…….”

When I looked around, I noticed that all the martial artists of the Jecheon Alliance had their mouths shut. Left with no choice, I talked by myself.

“Isn’t it a little far?”

Someone answered politely.

“Yes. It is far.”

“Fine. Let’s go without any trouble. I’ll buy you something tasty on the way too. Let’s travel as if we’re on a gourmet trip. Why? Did they perhaps tell you to kill me on the way? No, right? With your skills, you couldn’t possibly manage it, so don’t. I am someone who hits people recklessly, yes, but I don’t kill people indiscriminately without reason. Ah!”

“What is it?”

After suddenly shouting, I came to a stop.

The Jecheon Alliance martial artists looked at me. I looked over these fellows, then said.

“Wait here. I forgot to bring my coin pouch. I have plenty of money, but I forgot it. I’ll be right back.”

“There is no need. What money would you….”

“Shut your mouth and wait.”

In an instant, I shot up into the air and returned to the Zaha Inn. After finding my coin pouch in the beggar’s ragged clothing that had been left lying alone behind the inn, I rejoined the Jecheon Alliance martial artists in the blink of an eye.

“Let’s go.”

“…….”

Perhaps because everyone had watched my lightness skill, they became even quieter. In truth, while I was slower than the White-Clad Scholar, my lightness skill itself was absolutely not slow. I patted the martial artists on the shoulders and said.

“You’re all taciturn fellows. Let’s get closer on the way.”

Perhaps they did not want to get closer to me, because not a single person answered. Haomun was like that, and the Jecheon Alliance was like that as well; in general, no one had much interest in me. Bored, I asked the martial artists.

“Anyone here like lightness skills? No one?”

“…….”

“If there isn’t, then fine.”

My conclusion was that the White-Clad Scholar had gone mad from talking to himself for too long. I felt like I could understand how he felt.