Chapter 350. At the Iron Lodge

The drinking gathering itself was fine, but it felt as though one more person had joined our table.

Not that someone had joined the table of the Four Great Evils and the scholars.

Rather, it felt as though Martial Sister Jinhyang in the painting had joined our drinking party.

The liquor was potent.

Perhaps because of that, the White-Clad Scholar, who had been especially out of it after getting beaten by Cheonak, kept glancing at Martial Sister Jinhyang as he drank and was the first to lose control of his body.

It was not as if poison had been mixed into the liquor…….

The White-Clad Scholar drank as though swallowing not only liquor but memories as well, time and again, and in the end, he got drunk first. Having glanced at the painting now and then, he was carried away by Habok to pass out, and next—unexpectedly—Sword Demon quietly stood up and went outside, saying he wanted some fresh air.

Cheonak drank silently without a word.

I had not expected the atmosphere to turn out like this either.

It felt as though Cheonak was pressing down on the mood with his drinking.

Ghost Demon, who perhaps had been aiming for the chicken from the very beginning, moderately filled his stomach and then flapped his hands about a few times as he went outside.

Only Lust Demon, Cheonak, and I remained at the drinking table.

Even though Cheonak did not say a word, whenever the liquor ran out, Habok would bring out a large liquor jar and set it down beside the table.

Lust Demon shook his head and asked Cheonak,

“Senior, what in the world is this liquor? I have never had anything so potent before.”

Cheonak turned his head slightly and asked Habok, who was waiting inside,

“Habok, what liquor is this?”

“It is Kong Family Wine purchased from Qufu.”

“So that’s what it is. Still, you two drink quite well.”

In truth, Cheonak was the one who drank far better.

He likely possessed profound internal energy, so it seemed the effects of intoxication had less impact on his body. In other words, his body was probably one that could naturally neutralize ordinary poisons.

When we had opened the newly brought Kong Family Wine and drunk about half of it, Lust Demon finally got drunk, collapsed under the table, and crawled off somewhere on all fours. Cheonak gave a look indicating he understood, since Lust Demon had drunk too much.

Eventually, with only the two of us left, Cheonak asked me,

“Munju, why aren’t you drunk?”

I drank another cup of Kong Family Wine and then absorbed the intoxication within my body into my Heavenly Jade. It was a trick of the Heavenly Jade Star-Absorption Great Technique. Of course, I could not completely neutralize this potent liquor.

“I used a little trick.”

Even though I had used a trick, when I looked down at my lower belly, a liquor belly was protruding roundly. To sober up, I glanced once at Sister Jinhyang in the painting.

Then Cheonak asked,

“Why do you gaze at her so?”

I looked at Cheonak.

“If I say she is beautiful…… would that be a mistake on my part?”

“It would not.”

“That is a relief.”

I spoke while looking at Martial Sister Jinhyang.

“Both the White-Clad Scholar and you, Senior, were once slaves, so…… In our previous conversation, I heard that Lord Muje killed his martial brothers and your master, Heukseon.”

“That bastard would not have brought up such a story?”

“It just happened that way.”

“And?”

“Baek-ui must have spoken as if letting it slip, thinking I would not remember, but I recalled that among the disciples who rebelled against Heukseon was Martial Sister Jinhyang. Looking at the painting, it seems this is that sister. It might not be her. But seeing her beauty…….”

“…….”

“For those who were treated as slaves by Heukseon, the mere presence of Martial Sister Jinhyang would have been reason enough to live and endure. A breathing hole, so to speak? She is a sister of such beauty. That painting—it is Sister Jinhyang, is it not?”

For a moment, I thought Cheonak would strike me. But after calming his excitement with a couple of breaths, he nodded.

“It is her.”

“Did Muje paint it?”

Cheonak nodded.

“I did not even know he could paint, but one day he brought it with him.”

Since I was drunk, I did not bother choosing my words carefully and simply blurted them out.

“Somehow, I feel that painting was drawn right before they attacked Heukseon. I do not think Muje volunteered to paint it; rather, I believe Sister Jinhyang asked him to draw it.”

“That is also correct.”

I looked at Cheonak.

“Then it seems Sister had already resigned herself to death even before the fight.”

Cheonak drank without answering.

I too drank a cup, but a wave of intoxication rushed in so fiercely that my head spun. Cheonak asked me,

“Can you guess why she resolved herself to death even before fighting?”

I had wanted to ask Sister Jinhyang that very thing myself. Looking at the painting, I answered.

“Forgive me for saying this, but…… Perhaps Sister knew that even Heukseon and the Eldest Martial Brother could not bring themselves to kill Martial Sister Jinhyang. I suspect she herself knew all too well that she was a woman men coveted. She may have predicted that if she herself did not step forward, everyone would likely die at the Master’s hands. Or perhaps her nature was simply impetuous.”

Feeling the back of my head grow numb, I looked at Cheonak.

“Senior.”

“Speak.”

“If Sister Jinhyang held the heart of Jing Ke, who tried to kill the First Emperor…… what do you think? Is it too great a leap to infer that she possessed the spirit of a knight-errant who would sacrifice herself to save her martial brothers? A forced interpretation? I have never met her, after all.”

Cheonak looked at me.

“You mean our martial sister tried to save us?”

Without answering, I looked at Martial Sister Jinhyang together with Cheonak. Naturally, the Jinhyang in the painting gave no reply to my words.

“Within the Heukdo Scholar forces, Heukseon was practically no different from the First Emperor. Whether in martial arts or power…….”

Suddenly, Cheonak smiled for the first time since the drinking began.

“She is indeed our martial sister. You are right.”

I poured liquor into Cheonak’s cup, and into mine as well. Holding up my cup, I looked at Cheonak.

“To Sister.”

“…….”

“To the heroine who saved her worthless martial brothers.”

After drinking in silence, Cheonak pulled an empty bowl in front of him. He rolled up his sleeve, extended his index and middle fingers, then expelled the liquor with a breath. It looked as though he was absorbing the moisture while condensing and discarding the alcohol. Having drunk so well until now, why he was doing this was beyond me.

I too brought an empty bowl, gathered the intoxication in my body, concentrated it at my fingertips, and pointed at the empty bowl. Nothing happened. It was not a trick you could mimic just by watching.

Cheonak said,

“Let us drink.”

“Why did you discard the liquor?”

“If I get any more drunk, I think I might hit you.”

“You might indeed. Let us drink.”

We shared more of the Kong Family Wine. Cheonak wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and spoke.

“It has been long since I grew narrow-minded, hearing worldly news through that Baekga bastard. Still, since I responded to nothing less than news of the Three Calamities, I thought it would be fine. However, after jointly attacking the Beggar Sect Leader some time ago, my mood turned foul.”

“Why were you displeased?”

“Singae was a different man from Heukseon, so of course it displeased me. I returned then and sorted out my thoughts, and from now on, I will never take part in a joint assault again.”

That was good news for Singae, but I felt there was another meaning behind his words, so I asked again.

“Don’t tell me?”

Cheonak nodded.

“The Cult Leader is the same. If the Cult Leader drags a large force here and attacks the Scholar, I intend to help. But if, at some point, the orthodox faction and the Scholar join hands to face the Cult Leader, I will not be there. I have experienced that displeasure twice now. That is enough. I should have torn Master to death by myself, but I was lacking. It is courtesy toward the few worthy rivals I have.”

So it seemed Cheonak thought I had come to request his support.

“Senior, I did not come here to ask you for help.”

“Is that so?”

“It seems you want to defeat the Cult Leader and Senior Singae alike, one-on-one.”

“Of course.”

“I hope you do. Before that, if the Cult Leader brings his forces and harasses you, ask for help anytime.”

Cheonak laughed.

“Ask you for help? Me?”

I answered with a smile as well.

“Why? Is there some reason you can’t? Small fry should fight small fry.”

Cheonak said,

“I will fight alone and die whenever that time comes. Since I let Master die that way, it is only right that I die the same way. My martial arts were given to me by Master, so I have no choice but to return them in the same manner. Whether the Cult Leader comes with his cultists, whether Im Sobaek leads the Murim Alliance and tracks me down, or whether that Baek bastard betrays me and brings his disciples, I intend to fight alone and die.”

What kind of neutral person (中立人), left alone under heaven, was this?

Since he believed the Demon Cult, the Murim Alliance, and the Scholar might all kill him, he was also a man who lived with the entire world turned against him.

“Alliance Leader Im has no reason to attack you, Senior.”

“I occupy the first line on the list of public enemies of murim. How can you be so sure?”

“You said it yourself, Senior. That your view of the world had become narrow because of that Baek bastard. The person who knows Alliance Leader Im’s thoughts well is not the White-Robed Scholar, but me. Me.”

I thumped my own chest with my hand and looked at Cheonak.

“Senior, it’s me, me. Haomun Master I Jaha knows Im Sobaek’s heart better.”

“And what is Im Sobaek’s heart?”

I looked at Cheonak.

“He is a man who would lose sleep for days if even one of his subordinates died during a mission. If he tried to kill you, it would be no surprise if most of the Murim Alliance’s sword corps died in the process. Alliance Leader Im does not have that courage. Let’s not overestimate him too much. Even when he and I were merely catching a few bandits, he was the one charging at the very front of the vanguard. A man called an alliance leader should not fight like that. When I was struggling at Dongho, he sent the special operations unit and still couldn’t set his mind at ease, so he came running personally to fight. He is timid. He is a different sort from Heukseon.”

“Is that so.”

“How would White Robe know Im Sobaek? And there is no need to worry about the Martial Emperor’s betrayal either.”

“Why is that?”

I answered as I poured the liquor.

“His fighting strength has become too weak. Some of his disciples died by my hand too. Silmyeong brought a whole host of subordinates to kill me and got dealt with. I captured Chumyeong once, but Alliance Leader Im simply let him go. That man has a sense of shame too. This must be a time for him to restrain himself. Besides, I’ve become friendly with the Mohists and the Nong family, and they are not men who would step forward for something like this. Those sly bastards we saw before… the head of the Yin-Yang family? Men like that might join in. But it is true that the Martial Emperor likely has no intention of simply killing you, Senior.”

Cheonak stared blankly at me.

“Why?”

“What do you mean, why? Because you are the only person the Martial Emperor thinks of as a friend, Senior. But it is certainly true that the Cult Leader has a clear pretext to eliminate the Three Calamities. You will become obstacles. Senior, what kind of person is the Cult Leader?”

Cheonak tilted his head and sank into thought before answering.

“He seems like a man trying to become perfect. Even if he has to overreach.”

“In martial arts?”

“Yes.”

“Then is he not perfect yet?”

“If he were perfect, I would already be dead. You would die as well, and so would Im Sobaek.”

After imagining various things, I raised my hand to express a certain realm.

“About this much… do the Three Calamities have exactly one stage left? Until you reach the perfect level in martial arts.”

Cheonak smiled faintly and said,

“Gate Master, there is no such thing as perfection in martial arts. The three of us are already stronger than when we competed in the past. I will put it precisely like this. If I faced the Cult Leader of the past now, I would be in a state where I could tear him to death with ease. But that bastard must have progressed too. Singae is the same. His skills had improved further. The three of us have been running for a long time while thinking of one another. Perfection? Absurd.”

I nodded.

Perhaps the reason the Cult Leader had forsaken his humanity was to overcome such a wall.

“Since it is the demonic path (魔道), he will place no limits on the methods he uses to approach that perfection.”

“Likely so.”

“What are all those lumps of iron outside? I was a little startled as soon as I saw them.”

After drinking his liquor, Cheonak stood up.

“I drank too much. Get up. I will show you.”

I, too, was just on the verge of losing my grip on consciousness, so I set down my cup and rose. When I went outside with Cheonak, Eldest Brother was sitting cross-legged on the ground with his eyes closed.

I wondered if he was deliberately standing guard outside.

Cheonak walked across the training ground and stopped before the largest lump of iron. Round iron weights were attached to both ends of a long steel spear.

“Good heavens… there are weapons like this?”

Cheonak pulled over a low bedding one could lie down on and said to me,

“Lie down and lift it.”

“Lift what?”

“The lump of iron.”

I glared at Cheonak for a moment. Was this how I was going to be assassinated?

“This is a bit frightening.”

“Do it when I tell you to. Before you get beaten.”

He was a man I could not handle even when he was sober, and now, with drunken Cheonak glaring at me, I had no choice.

I lay down on the bedding.

Then Cheonak lifted the enormous Twin-Iron Heavy Staff and brought it toward my chest.

“Hold it.”

Drunk as I was, I grabbed the Twin-Iron Heavy Staff. While the liquor was rushing through me, holding something truly heavy made me feel as though I might faint. If I fainted, I felt like I would die, so I could not allow that.

When Cheonak withdrew his hands, the weight of the Twin-Iron Heavy Staff pressed down on both my arms.

Cheonak said,

“Lower it to your chest, then raise it slowly.”

What the hell was I doing after drinking such good liquor?

Using external strength, I lowered the Twin-Iron Heavy Staff to my chest and raised it again. Cheonak smiled and said,

“You have trained quite a bit. Again.”

When I repeated it once more, Cheonak said,

“What posture are you in right now?”

“The posture for contesting twin palms.”

“If two experts with the same internal energy were to clash palms, which side would be sent flying?”

“Obviously, the one lacking in external training.”

Cheonak nodded.

“Lift them. Good. Lower them. Slowly raise them again. Down, up, down.”

“Let’s stop this.”

Sweat was seeping out all over my body, and that sweat reeked of alcohol. But above me, Cheonak was looking down and reeking of alcohol as well.

“……Do you want to die?”

“Not particularly.”

“Lower them. This time, raise them slowly. When competing in palm force, if you overwhelm the other in external training, you hold the advantage even if variables arise. Because you can decide when to attach and withdraw your palms. Why train external arts? To handle your internal energy more freely. Raise them. I said raise them slowly. Lower them again.”

As I raised and lowered the twin iron heavy rods, I apologized to Cheonak.

“Senior, I apologize for speaking out of turn earlier.”

“Down…… up. Down…… up. Raise them even slower.”

“I said I’m sorry. Can’t you hear me?”

“Down.”

“My arms are shaking a bit?”

“That is only natural. Raise them. Slowly. If you raise them just this once, I’ll let you off.”

“Understood.”

With trembling arms, I struggled to lift the twin iron heavy rods. Cheonak nodded.

“Still, it seems you didn’t use internal energy, so I’ll let you off. Let’s do just one more.”

“…….”

“Do you want to die?”

I lowered the twin iron heavy rods. Cheonak brought his face close and whispered.

“Raise them slowly before I smash your skull in.”

A shout burst from my mouth on its own. As I screamed like a madman, I sweated so much that I even felt as though I was sobering up.

Am I really still alive?

Only then did Cheonak take the twin iron heavy rods away. I gasped for breath and looked around, then turned my head and met Eldest Brother’s eyes.

For the first time, Eldest Brother looked at me with pity and spoke in an indifferent tone.

“……You’re going through a lot.”

I couldn’t speak, so I only nodded.