Chapter 260. The Jaha Scholar Who Is Not Fooled.

After drinking my tea, I rose and looked at the young masters.

“First Young Master, Young Master Jungcheon, Young Master Taesan. And Miss Wi.”

“Yes.”

“Thank you for serving us warm food and tea, even though we came without warning and ended up having such a rough sparring match. We will be on our way now.”

Wi Taesan stood up with a startled expression.

“Sect Leader, please stay for a few days before you go. There is much to discuss. I will make certain you suffer no inconvenience during your stay. I have yet to speak much with Young Master Mong and Master Yukhap as well.”

“Young Master Taesan, I appreciate the goodwill, but for the First Young Master to recover, he will be more at ease without us here.”

It was a sudden thought, but of the four of them, I felt Wi Taesan would become the strongest. Because even when Wi Mugyeol began circulating his qi and regulating his breath, he had been the first to roll up his sleeves and step forward to help his eldest brother. Of course, it was a guess without much basis. Judgments like these depended on feeling.

I looked at Wi Taesan and said,

“Parting when there is still regret is what makes a reunion welcome. And the three of us are restless people even in ordinary times. If we have time, we circulate our qi and regulate our breath; once we finish that, we have to walk or run. I have many enemies, so if I stay too long at the Wi Clan Estate, I think my heart will grow uneasy.”

The Ghost Demon and the Lecherous Demon stood at the same time.

“Let us meet again.”

The Lecherous Demon looked at Wi Mugyeol.

“First Young Master, next time, let us spar with swords.”

Wi Mugyeol rose with a smile.

“I shall look forward to meeting again.”

We left the Wi Clan Estate while being seen off. At the end, I made one more request. It was a suggestion that they not tell the other Six Dragons the result of this sparring match. There was no special reason.

After all, I, the Ghost Demon, and the Lecherous Demon were people who had to become far stronger than the Six Dragons.

In truth, the ranking of rising talents or whatever did not matter in the least.

I vaguely gestured for them to go back in and turned around, but Wi Soseon called out to us.

“……I learned a great deal. Please take care on your way.”

Since Wi Soseon offered a fist salute, we had no choice but to return the courtesy. Rather than fitting the title of One Phoenix and Two Fairies that had made her famous for her appearance, Wi Soseon was simply a martial artist much like her elder brothers.

A beauty was a beauty.

And yet, for some reason, I felt nothing at all.

Was it hopeless even after I had returned to the past?

Within me, the resolve to survive occupied most of my emotions, so even a woman of outstanding beauty could not push it aside in the slightest.

Was it right to live like this?

I let out a sigh, then lightly slapped my own cheek.

The Lecherous Demon looked at me and said,

“What? Why did you hit yourself so weakly? Want me to do it for you?”

“You pathetic shit-pants bastard. What are you saying?”

“Why? Did looking at Wi Soseon’s beautiful face make you want to hit your ugly one? Poor bastard. There are still two more left. Let’s go.”

I wondered what he meant, and it turned out he was saying we should go see the other Phoenix and Fairy.

The Ghost Demon replied,

“Are you insane?”

The Lecherous Demon shook his head.

“Not at all. If we go meet the other Four Dragons anyway, we can see them all. Let’s do it while we’re at it. Take the top rank among the Six Dragons while we’re at it. See the One Phoenix and Two Fairies too. Second Brother earns fame as well. Killing two birds with one stone.”

The Ghost Demon said,

“Did you have a goal of making the One Phoenix and Two Fairies your lovers?”

The Lecherous Demon replied,

“Not exactly a goal, but I am curious. Isn’t that only natural for a man?”

The Ghost Demon snorted.

“With beauties like that, it would be better for your peace of mind to lose interest from the start. Sect Leader?”

“What about me?”

“I am asking whether you have no interest in beauties. Like Fourth.”

I stopped and looked at the Ghost Demon and the Lecherous Demon.

“Hey.”

“…….”

“We don’t know when we might die, so why are you trying to meet women? Especially you, shit-pants.”

The Lecherous Demon glared at me.

“What a strange bastard. If life is such that you don’t know when you’ll die, shouldn’t you obviously meet beauties? What in the world is more beautiful than a beautiful woman? Beauties are the very purpose of life. It is like gazing at flowers. Just looking at them feels as though it extends your lifespan.”

I scratched my cheek.

So, if I compared it to my previous life, did that mean I had intentionally kept women away because I did not know when I would die, while the Lecherous Demon clung to beauties because he did not know when he would die?

In any case, the directions we pursued were complete opposites.

I asked the Lecherous Demon,

“Even if you become the unrivaled number one under heaven, will you continue pestering the beauties of the world?”

“Do you really have to use such a cheap expression as pestering? I have no interest in maidens who have no interest in me either. Wi Soseon is obsessed with martial arts. Our eyes need to meet often, and our timing needs to match, before I become interested too. It is similar to going to admire a famed sword. This too is all study of life, I am saying.”

“I’m not fooled, you madman.”

There was no way he had become the public enemy of the murim, the Lecherous Demon, with that kind of mindset. Wi Soseon had three elder brothers, and on top of that, the Ghost Demon and I had been watching, so he probably could not do anything.

When we had gotten about half a shichen away from the Wi Clan Estate.

We turned around at the same time.

“…….”

A short distance away, an old man with a face full of shriveled wrinkles was walking toward us while looking at us. He held a staff in his right hand, and even from a distance, the staff looked as solid as though it had been made as a weapon.

A fair chill ran down my spine.

Because we had not noticed him following behind us until he had come this close.

‘Not bad.’

In the jianghu, one had to be wary of old people, women, and children, and one had to be wary of everyone else too. In any case, an old man who quite blatantly had trained in martial arts was looking at us, so it felt unpleasant.

I asked,

“Old man, who are you? You look like some ill-tempered ghost.”

The old man replied,

“Haomun Sect Leader, I am a retainer of the Beop Family. The Family Head wishes to see you.”

I nodded.

“Are you a scholar too?”

“How could that be? I am merely a retainer.”

“What kind of retainer reeks of killing intent that badly?”

When the old man smiled faintly, the gaps where his teeth had fallen out showed clearly.

“It is because I have suffered much hardship.”

“Did you come alone?”

“How could I have come alone to deal with such violent people?”

While I kept my eyes on the old man, the Lecherous Demon and the Ghost Demon looked around. The Lecherous Demon said,

“There’s no one…….”

After speaking, he seemed to have sensed the killing intent and shut his mouth. Each time the wind blew, a sticky killing intent mingled with it, and I felt a lukewarm sensation.

After checking our surroundings as well, I spoke to the old man.

“……It feels like I’ll die if I follow you. Is there any reason I should go quietly?”

“Sect Leader, we are Legalists.”

“And?”

“There are laws and procedures. We do not kill recklessly.”

Without much expectation, I asked the Ghost Demon.

“Liuhe, what are the characteristics of the Legalists?”

The Ghost Demon answered.

“Control through law and punishment. Because humans are inherently wicked.”

“That’s the core of it?”

“That’s right.”

I nodded.

“Since we’re wicked bastards, I suppose we’ll be punished according to the law. Old man, I won’t follow you. Let’s settle this here.”

The old man replied.

“What a strange judgment you make. If we meant to kill you, the Family Head would have joined us and we would have ambushed you. The old Legalists were far too strict, so we exercise some flexibility in our own way.”

I gestured around us with my hand.

“Then what are the ones hiding and waiting?”

“People protecting me because the Sect Leader’s temperament is far too violent.”

“Why does the head of the Legalists want to see me?”

“Sect Leader, you are suspected of conspiring with the White-Clad Scholar to kill the Blind Scholar. It is also presumed that the martial arts you learned were passed on by the White-Clad Scholar. Perhaps you are the White-Clad Scholar’s hidden disciple. We forbid Scholars from harming other Scholars. Thus, rather than interrogating you, we seek to determine whether the White-Clad Scholar crossed the line.”

“And what happens if the White-Clad Scholar crossed the line? Can you handle him?”

“The Legalists mediate between Scholars by law. If something everyone agreed to uphold has been violated, it is only natural to examine the matter. It would be difficult for the White-Clad Scholar to handle all the remaining powers. What everyone agreed upon together must be upheld.”

“Even with Cheonak around?”

“Cheonak, to begin with, is a man of equal standing to the White-Clad Scholar. Their branches differ.”

The Lust Demon, who had been listening, said,

“Let’s go. In any case, if the three of us are together, there’s no reason for us to be pushed back.”

I couldn’t gauge the number or martial prowess of those around us, so I agreed for now.

“Let’s go. Lead the way.”

“Follow me.”

I followed while looking at the back of the old man who claimed to be a retainer of the Legalists. Only then did the encirclement that had surrounded us while emitting dense killing intent loosen and move to our rear.

As I followed, I asked,

“Since when have you been following us?”

The old man replied.

“We were waiting because you visited the Wei Clan Estate. We had no business there.”

At the very least, the old man’s martial prowess was not at a shabby level. He introduced himself as a retainer, but judging by his tone, bearing, and gait, he was a man close to being a Scholar.

The Mohists, one way or another, had been made into allies with whom we could share a purpose.

But for some reason, I had a premonition that the Legalists would not be easy to talk to.

“Where is he?”

“He is waiting at an ordinary inn nearby.”

I walked alongside the old man and threw out a question.

“Old man, there’s something I’m curious about.”

“Speak.”

“Who is Hall Master Kwae?”

“How did you learn of that? How truly strange. The White-Clad Scholar is not one to blabber about such things.”

“Exactly.”

“Ask the Family Head. I do not think it is a matter for me to answer.”

I asked another thing I was curious about.

“Are all the Scholars enemies of the Demon Cult?”

This time, the old man nodded.

“We respect the Buddhist School as well, but those who force their religion upon others do not suit our temperament. They should be seen as enemies.”

“That’s fortunate.”

“However.”

“However what?”

The old man glanced at me from the corner of his eye.

“Among the force the world now calls the Demon Cult, there were originally people of the Yin-Yang School mixed in. They were those who studied the Five Elements. Zou Yan of Qi is a representative example. From the beginning, they were zealots for rebellion and revolution, so they suffered persecution in many ways. Many were sacrificed and massacred as well. Those who have been hated greatly tend to gift hatred back to the world. The Cult is becoming that way.”

It was surprising to hear that forces from the Hundred Schools were mixed into the Cult as well.

Come to think of it, it wasn’t so strange or secret. When I heard stories of the old jianghu, there had certainly been an unorthodox force called the Yin-Yang Divine Cult.

A little later, we arrived before a nameless inn that stood alone by a quiet roadside. The old man stopped and pointed to the entrance of the inn.

“Go in. I cannot accompany you.”

The old man turned around and gestured to the subordinates who had followed us. Then the men who had been blocking our escape route since earlier spread out widely and surrounded the inn.

I entered the inn with the Lust Demon and the Ghost Demon.

Just what kind of Scholar was the head of the Legalists? It was a moment when curiosity, rather than fear or worry, dominated my reason.

This is why I have so many problems.

Because I can’t endure being curious.

I didn’t know whether it was coincidence or not, but the inside of the inn resembled the Thousand-Li Inn I had visited before.

A voice came from the second floor.

“Come up.”

We climbed the stairs and looked at the man sitting alone in the empty space. A middle-aged man sat at the seat of honor where tables had been joined together, looking at us.

“Sect Leader, Young Master Mong, Master Liuhe, welcome.”

Feeling that I was becoming more and more famous in the jianghu, I spoke to the man.

“Pleased to meet you.”

The man indicated the places opposite him where we should sit.

“Sit. I am called Zou Ming. For reference, the Blind Scholar was my junior apprentice brother.”

“Well now……”

Feeling bitter, I sat across from Zou Ming. I was not in a good mood, but I asked what I was curious about first.

“So there are cases where one school among the Hundred Schools has multiple Scholars?”

Zou Ming nodded.

“Of course. I did not prepare anything to drink. I thought it would be uncomfortable.”

The Lust Demon and the Ghost Demon spoke in calm tones.

“Pleased to meet you.”

“I am Liuhe.”

Zou Ming nodded.

“I know. You look exactly as your portraits and descriptions say. All of you have such distinctive appearances that it would be harder not to recognize you.”

I asked Zou Ming,

“I hear you have something you want to ask me.”

“Before that, I will resolve your curiosity first. The number of Scholars differs from faction to faction. We have never particularly limited the number. If one passes a certain kind of examination, one is usually granted the qualification of a Scholar.”

“What sort of test?”

Chumyeong answered at once, without the slightest hesitation.

“Hall Master Kwae administers the test, and if you please him, well, you become a scholar. He mostly tests you on qinggong.”

Even in my bewilderment, I asked a question.

“How on earth did Silmyeong become a scholar?”

“Ah, my junior brother naturally passed before he went blind. Why? Are you fellows interested in our work, too? Shall I arrange a test for you?”

What the hell is this bastard? I tilted my head, then answered.

“I am not one of the Hundred Schools.”

Chumyeong laughed.

“The ‘hundred’ in the Hundred Schools (百家) does not mean the number one hundred. It simply means many. Someone of the Hao Sect Leader’s standing is more than qualified.”

I had already refused inwardly. For some reason, I felt that if I became a scholar, I would end up violating the laws of the Legalist School and be executed.

Yeah, not falling for it.