Episode 253. The Swordsman Who Remains Nameless

At the Jaha Guesthouse, Sword Demon was training with a grave expression, and Moyong Baek was busy gathering medicinal herbs and focusing on internal energy cultivation, so I had not brought them along.

And as for Martial Uncle Dongsu…… let’s not even speak of it.

I had known since my past life that I hated traveling with monks. It wasn’t just stifling to deal with monks who preached compassion at the drop of a hat, but also because mad monks who beat people to death at first sight were still fundamentally monks at their core.

It was probably from that time.

The thought that I wanted to torment them at the mere sight of a bald head…….

Three people were enough to go collect the outstanding debt: me, Ghost Demon, and Lust Demon.

Truthfully, this combination was more comfortable.

Because watching Sword Demon’s expression, always lost in thought, sometimes made my breathing hitch and catch in my throat. However, because Sword Demon had not accompanied us, there was no stopping Lust Demon’s grumbling.

Such is the way of the world—when you gain something, you also lose something.

“I can endure being the youngest of the Four Great Evils.”

I nodded at Lust Demon’s grumbling.

“Then why don’t you keep enduring it?”

“But I cannot endure being the youngest of the New Southern Six Dragons. It’s because our Master isn’t on this list.”

What kind of dog-shit logic was this?

I was included on both lists, yet excluded from Lust Demon’s logic.

But for strategic reasons, I played along.

“That’s right. It’s shameless. If we are Jianghu martial artists, we should meet and determine superiority before deciding rankings.”

Ghost Demon agreed as well.

“Right.”

“At the very least, shouldn’t we play a round of Go to decide the ranking? Isn’t that the way of the Jianghu?”

Ghost Demon nodded with a solemn expression.

“The way of the Jianghu has hit rock bottom. But do you even know how to play Go?”

“Shut up. Don’t talk about Go.”

“You’re the one who brought it up.”

“It was a metaphor.”

I defined the purpose of this visit to Unhyang Gate in a serious tone.

“We’re busy people barely making time to collect an outstanding debt. Let’s not think of it so simply. Let’s think of it as going to set right the way of the Jianghu.”

Lust Demon and Ghost Demon answered simultaneously.

“Roger.”

The moment had come for reincarnated public enemies of the martial arts world to set right the way of the Jianghu. I did not know why that moment had come, but it had come.

* * *

We arrived at Unhyang Gate and observed the main gate for a moment. It was larger in scale than I had imagined. It felt almost like visiting a prestigious orthodox sect. I did not think Unhyang Gate was a prestigious orthodox sect, but regardless, they looked to have plenty of money.

Ghost Demon looked at me.

“Wasn’t Unhyang Gate part of the dark path?”

“How could it be? The New Southern Four Dragons are all experts of the orthodox path. Let’s go in.”

I knocked on Unhyang Gate’s main gate. The gate soon swung wide open, and a man looked at us and asked.

“Where have you come from?”

“I Jaha, leader of Hao Gate. I am here regarding the Yongdu Iron Forge matter.”

“Please, come in.”

The man guided the three of us. As we entered and looked around, the disciples of Unhyang Gate were practicing the same sword technique in unison. The moment I checked the hilts of the swords the disciples held, I realized they were not the ones supplied by Yongdu Iron Forge.

Because they lacked the dragon heads.

Meanwhile, the eyes of the disciples who were performing the same sword technique as we passed by were sizing us up.

The man supervising the disciples’ training spoke up.

“Where do you think you’re looking while swinging your swords? Jang Il, Byeokchun, Im Tak, Go Byeongchan—add sandbags to your arms and legs. And any of you whose eyes wandered without me naming you, tie them on yourselves and come back.”

In an instant, seven or eight people ran off somewhere and wrapped sandbags around their arms and legs.

I met eyes with the supervising man. He offered me a light salute and said.

“Gate Leader, welcome.”

“Greetings.”

It seemed he had already known I was coming. I was not exactly pleased. We passed through the outer courtyard and inner courtyard, making our way straight to the great hall where guests were received. The guide spoke to me.

“Please wait a moment. I will go inside and report.”

“Will the Gate Leader come out personally?”

The man answered with a rigid expression.

“You have come unannounced, so I cannot say for certain.”

When you go around collecting money, there are times you feel strangely at a disadvantage, and it is unpleasant—now was one of those times. Judging by the expressions of the two demons, they seemed to be in foul moods as well.

Ghost Demon and Lust Demon sat at the table and waited, while I looked around the great hall for a moment.

You can tell whether a sect has much money just by looking at a few decorations, and Unhyang Gate was a force with quite a lot of money. Furthermore, one can roughly guess a sect’s history from its decorations and the paintings hung on the walls, and it was not a very old sect.

In truth, in both my past life and present life, I had only heard the name of Unhyang Gate a few times, so I did not know much about it in detail.

Such middling sects were actually perfect prey for the Demonic Cult. Since they did not have close ties with the Martial Arts Alliance either, clinging to a master like the Dragon Gate’s Number One Swordsman was likely the best survival strategy.

While I held off on various judgments and waited, swordsmen of Unhyang Gate walked out from inside.

A total of five swordsmen came out and waited below the Master’s seat, and finally a middle-aged swordsman whose age was difficult to gauge appeared and spoke to me.

“Gate Leader I, you have had a hard time coming here. I am Yeo Unbyeok, leader of Unhyang Gate.”

Yeo Unbyeok first cupped his fists in salute to me, so I raised my hands in return. He was a man with an extremely stoic expression, making it impossible to read his emotions.

Yeo Unbyeok sat in the Master’s seat and pointed to the swordsmen who had come out first.

“Actually, it was my disciples who purchased the weapons, so I called them here. Who are the people who came with you?”

Lust Demon answered from the table.

“Someone called Mongyeon of the Mong family.”

Yeo Unbyeok looked at Lust Demon.

“So you were the young master Mong of Baek Eungji. And you? Ah, a swordsman slightly older than Gate Leader Hao, so you must be Teacher Yukhap. Am I right?”

Ghost Demon answered briefly.

“Correct.”

Yeo Unbyeok spoke.

“I heard from my disciples that originally only half the payment for the weapons had been made. Actually, I only recently received the report. I examined them belatedly, but there were no major defects in the weapons. Rather, the quality was superior to the price. Was it two chests of silver?”

One disciple nodded toward his master.

“Yes, Master. It was traded for twenty-five chests.”

“It was a flawless transaction, but since Gate Leader Hao has troubled himself to come personally, your fault is great. Bring three chests of silver to give to Gate Leader Hao. Go.”

“Yes.”

Yeo Unbyeok pointed to the empty seat at the table.

“Gate Leader, don’t just stand there. Have a seat.”

I quickly realized the reason for my inner discomfort. This was the typical response of the orthodox path.

I honestly had no idea what his intentions were.

In any case, it was clear he had deliberately failed to pay the balance so that I would come to the Unhyang Sect in person. It occurred to me that Yongmun First Sword might have asked the Unhyang Sect Master to take a look at me.

Yeo Unbyeok said in an indifferent tone.

“It will take some time, since we must go to the storehouse and bring the boxes of silver. Would you care for some tea?”

“No need.”

After answering, I examined the disciples’ presence. They did not feel weak, but they were not overwhelmingly great experts either. As for Yeo Unbyeok’s skill, I could not gauge it right away.

At any rate, what exactly was courtesy?

Right now, I felt as though I was being made to run around like a dog just to receive three boxes of silver. Yet there was nothing in particular I could seize on and criticize. Yeo Unbyeok was tormenting me in the manner of the righteous path.

One might call it the moment courtesy was abused.

Since I could not blindly fly into a rage like a madman, I let out a sigh.

One of Yeo Unbyeok’s nameless disciples said to me in a sour tone.

“Sect Master, why are you sighing like that?”

Though he was Yeo Unbyeok’s disciple, he was around my age. It could not be helped, since I was young for a sect master.

I said to the disciple of Yeo Unbyeok who looked to be my age.

“The reason I sighed is… Chief Geum of the Yongdu Ironworks must have told you everything. That there was nothing wrong with the quality. At the time, you must have raised an issue with the ironworks chief, whose martial arts were not particularly remarkable, even breaking a blade in the process. And you only paid half. In the end, once I came here in person, the remaining payment comes out perfectly fine, without any trouble at all. I sighed because it all felt so futile. As for the money, I can simply take it and leave, but the workers of the Yongdu Ironworks and their chief cannot be feeling very good. They are people who work hard in their own way… yet instead of being recognized.”

Another of Yeo Unbyeok’s disciples suddenly cut me off.

“That is why we are giving you more boxes of silver, is it not?”

As soon as the disciple finished speaking, I felt heat rising to my face. I answered while forcing myself to endure it.

“I am not simply talking about money.”

“Did you not come here to collect money?”

For a moment, a hollow laugh escaped me.

“Heh heh.”

Just when I began thinking the main hall was terribly hot and reached the conclusion that it would be difficult to endure any longer…

The Lust Demon, who had been sitting, struck the table first and roared.

“…What the hell are you sons of bitches trying to pull? Are you joking right now? Is the Unhyang Sect trying to mock us as a group?”

When the Lust Demon poured out curses, Yeo Unbyeok opened his mouth.

“Young Master Mong, your words go too far.”

Yeo Unbyeok also rebuked his disciples.

“You too, watch your tongues. Even to my ears, those were unpleasant words.”

The disciples bowed their heads toward Yeo Unbyeok.

“We apologize, Master.”

Informal speech began creeping out of my mouth.

“Sect Master Yeo.”

The master and disciples of the Unhyang Sect looked at me at the same time.

“……”

“What was your reason for calling me here? When you entrusted the work to the ironworks, you must have already known it belonged to the Hao Sect. And if you investigated me even roughly, you would have known I am not the sort to let something like this pass pleasantly. From the way your disciples handled things at the main gate, it seems you knew I was coming. Do not mock me under the guise of courtesy. I prefer you state your true intentions directly.”

Yeo Unbyeok answered.

“Sect Master, I grasped the circumstances, gave you the money, and observed courtesy. What more do you want? I will apologize for my disciples’ slips of the tongue. It is also my fault for failing to discipline them properly. Since I was already well aware that the Sect Master’s manner of speaking is inherently discourteous, I will not take issue with it. Also, compared to the Pungun Mong Clan, our Unhyang Sect’s skill is meager indeed. I will overlook Young Master Mong’s abusive language as well.”

It was not as though I hated everyone of the righteous path. But it was true that I disliked this sort of righteous path, both in my previous life and now. The Unhyang Sect truly possessed all the traits of the righteous path I hated.

“This would have been settled from the start if you had paid the Yongdu Ironworks properly.”

Only then did the disciples who had gone to the storehouse bring medium-sized boxes filled with standard silver and set them down on the floor.

Had I come here to retrieve that money?

No.

A disciple looked at me and said.

“Sect Master, you may each carry one and leave.”

I looked at Yeo Unbyeok.

“Sect Master Yeo, I do not need the money. Bring here all the weapons the Yongdu Ironworks delivered. I will return the half of the payment you already gave them on their behalf.”

Yeo Unbyeok answered.

“Why make such an unreasonable demand?”

“It is not unreasonable. It is because the Yongdu Ironworks’ weapons are too good for you. I found myself thinking it would be a waste to give them to the Unhyang Sect. I will return the money, so bring them all here. I will cough up the money myself.”

I looked at the Lust Demon and the Ghost Demon. The two nodded.

“That would be better.”

“There is no need to pay full price and use shoddy weapons you intended to use after paying only half. The Sect Master can just return the money.”

Yeo Unbyeok said calmly.

“Is this the Hao Sect Master’s way?”

I looked at Yeo Unbyeok.

“Sect Master Yeo, do you have more sarcasm left for me? Keep talking. Perhaps you want me to make a mess of this place? It would not be difficult.”

The disciples looked at me as they emitted killing intent all at once.

I looked at Yeo Unbyeok’s disciples as they tried to draw their swords.

“…Draw them. That is what I want. In truth, that is better than conversation. When I see men who abuse courtesy, I would rather deal with men with no courtesy at all. At least their outsides and insides are not different like yours.”

Yeo Unbyeok said with a faint smile.

“How could my disciples be a match for the Sect Master, who belongs to the New Southern Six Dragons? Publicly, we are cooperating with Yongmun First Sword, who belongs to the Six Dragons. He suddenly asked us to procure a large quantity of weapons, so my disciples had no choice but to find a way. In other words, the weapons delivered by the Yongdu Ironworks are not here.”

Only then did I review Yeo Unbyeok’s manner of speaking and examine his expression closely.

Now that I saw it, Yeo Unbyeok seemed to dislike Yongmun First Sword and dislike me as well. Taken all together, Yeo Unbyeok was a man who hated the righteous path. Since my friendship with Alliance Leader Im Sobaek had become known, it seemed I was included among the righteous path too.

I asked Yeo Unbyeok.

“So, to conclude, you are telling me to take the money and get lost. Is that it?”

Yeo Unbyeok answered with a blunt expression.

“I will say it again. I acknowledge that my disciples lost their courtesy, but I did not. Of course, I should also apologize to the chief of the Yongdu Ironworks on their behalf. I will write and send a letter containing a formal apology. Since today is our first meeting, how about we end it at this?”

At that moment, the Ghost Demon stood and took the boxes. He handed one to the Lust Demon, carried two himself, and looked at me.

“Sect Master, let’s go.”

The look in the Ghost Demon’s eyes was unusually complicated today. The Lust Demon glared at Yeo Unbyeok for a moment, then snorted and turned around.

“Let’s go.”

I said to Yeo Unbyeok.

“Sect Master Yeo, we will meet again.”

Yeo Unbyeok nodded, then extended his hand and gestured toward the main hall.

“It was good to meet you. Sect Leader of Haomun, Young Master Mong, Master of the Six Harmonies.”

* * *

After leaving the Unhyang Sect, we spent a moment in silence. The Lust Demon, who had been pondering it, spoke first.

“……Who the hell is that bastard?”

Of course, it was a question about Yeo Unbyeok’s identity.

For the moment, the Ghost Demon drew this conclusion.

“His disciples are ordinary, but Sect Leader Yeo’s skills are not beneath ours. No matter how hard I looked, he was difficult to gauge, and he had no openings. The sword at his waist was different from his disciples’ too, in its tassel and pattern. It’s an old famed blade. What do you think, Sect Leader?”

I told the two of them what I had been thinking.

“For starters, his name seems like an alias.”

In truth, the name Unbyeok—a cliff (壁) wreathed in clouds (雲)—had belatedly reminded me of the White-Clad Scholar’s study. The vast difference in skill between him and his disciples was also similar to the White-Clad Scholar.

My conclusion was this.

“……It felt as if he truly hadn’t known, then appeared only after receiving his disciples’ report. He’s peculiar, a swordsman who has remained nameless (無名).”

By peculiar, I meant there was a high chance he was a threatening existence.