Episode 5. I’m Not the Me You Knew.

The guy whose name I couldn’t even remember approached me with an irritating look on his face and stank of bad breath.

“Don’t even think about getting your spit on Chaehyang. It’ll ruin my mood too. If you really end up rolling around with Chaehyang, she’ll have to retire from this place. Do you understand me? You fucking Jaha.”

I cocked my head.

“What was your name again? You had absolutely no presence, so I’m drawing a blank.”

He was less memorable than a passing stranger, so I honestly couldn’t remember his name.

“What?”

My hand flew into the startled man’s face. With a crack, he toppled backward.

Had I hit him too hard?

The unexpected impact felt strange, so I stared at my hand.

I shouldn’t have had any internal energy, yet my fist had packed a surprisingly solid punch.

Come to think of it, the sensation in my dantian was strange too. I hadn’t even performed my first circulation-and-breathing exercise, yet my dantian was churning. I would have to examine that more closely later, but for now…

The moment the man I had struck got up, he charged at me while hurling curses.

“You son of a bitch!”

When someone shouted a curse while attacking, as if calling out a finishing move, they were bound to leave a huge opening.

I let his clumsy punch, thrown in a mad rush, slide past me, then struck the back of his head.

Crack!

This time, he pitched forward and fell flat on his face.

“What was the name of our young cloth-shop owner again?”

When I kicked him in the face as he tried to get up, he went rolling sideways.

‘Good grief, I’m going to kill him. I should stop hitting him.’

But I could still keep provoking him. Perhaps feeling humiliated at being beaten by a neighborhood waiter, he stubbornly refused to open his mouth.

“Feeling wronged? If you get beaten by a waiter, you ought to feel wronged.”

But what did he expect me to do about it…?

He ought to be grateful if he didn’t die here by my hand.

I grabbed the hair of the man sprawled on the ground, pulled his head up, and met his eyes.

“Hey.”

Had the gaze I had honed through years of experience in the martial world returned with me to the past, or was this still the kindhearted gaze of an ordinary waiter?

Emotion resides in the eyes.

I stared at him with the thought of crushing his face in an instant, and only then did his expression twitch.

I asked again.

“What’s your name?”

“Why do you suddenly want to know my name?”

“Just answer the question.”

When my hand rose again, he finally answered.

“It’s Myeonggon.”

“Ah, now I remember. Fuck, Myeonggon. Why the hell do you keep putting ‘fuck’ in front of my name when you call me? What’s wrong with you? Say it again.”

“Jaha.”

“Again.”

“Jaha.”

Only then did I release his hair.

“Just call me by my name. Don’t stick that filthy crap in front of it. Unless you want to die.”

No young man from Ilyang County would let his eyes soften after a little warmhearted beating and some advice.

Myeonggon still got up stubbornly, his eyes filled with venom, and let out a long breath.

“Hoo…”

I gave Myeonggon another chance.

“If you feel wronged, you should come at me again.”

Myeonggon nodded and charged at me at once.

‘He really is a young man from my hometown.’

This time, I threw a punch too.

I had no particular feelings about it.

After all, I was also a young man from my hometown.

It seemed better for Myeonggon to be knocked unconscious than to receive a halfhearted beating from a waiter. That way, his feelings would be different when he awoke. Especially if he realized that what could have been death had ended with nothing worse than unconsciousness.

A clean hit following a simple evasion that could hardly be called footwork.

Thud!

Myeonggon, who had charged at me, was knocked backward and rendered unconscious the moment my fist struck him squarely.

I shook Myeonggon for a moment and spoke.

“Myeonggon?”

“……”

There was no answer, but he was breathing. I watched Myeonggon’s chest rise and fall as he lay unconscious, then walked away.

“Sleep.”

As I returned to the inn, a thought occurred to me.

Just because I had returned to the past didn’t mean there was any chance that my personality had reverted to the way it had been when I was a waiter.

I muttered, “I’m not the me you knew,” as I returned to the inn.

That aside, the condition of my dantian was definitely strange.

Having sensed that something was coming, I cleared away the chairs and tables in the Jaha Inn, pushed them toward the back, and temporarily hung up a sign that read Closed.

In times like these, not doing business was the right answer.

* * *

When I had been a waiter, it would have been normal for me to have no internal energy.

And yet, I could feel a considerable amount of internal energy sleeping within my dantian.

Strangely, it was not in the state of an active soldier who had already entered the battlefield. Rather, it was like the internal energy of a trainee waiting at the main camp. What this feeling resembled was the sensation of taking a spiritual medicine. In the end, it was like how one had to circulate their energy and regulate their breathing to accumulate the power of a spiritual medicine as internal energy.

Come to think of it, there were an incredible number of troops waiting in reserve.

Why on earth was this happening?

After returning to the small back room of the Jaha Inn, I sat cross-legged and pondered the matter.

The method of checking one’s internal energy was relatively simple.

I only had to begin practicing the Geumgu Soyogong I had once mastered.

Geumgu Soyogong was a peculiar martial art, one for which it was difficult to find anything similar in the vast martial world.

Even its name carried the nonsensical meaning of an iron turtle that had reached the state of being impervious to blades and swords, wandering wherever it pleased.

In the early stages, it resembled demonic arts, so progress was fast.

In the middle stages, it resembled orthodox martial arts, so progress was slow.

At its ultimate stage, it pursued the Buddhist Diamond Indestructibility, making it extraordinarily difficult.

For that reason, conquering the final stage—the culmination of the art—was an extremely difficult feat, akin to attaining Buddhist enlightenment.

A short while later, the internal energy that had been gently undulating began to stir. It flowed out as true qi and started moving along my meridians.

There were two main roads along which true qi traveled. True qi that began at the anus and climbed the spine, scaling the crown of the head before arriving at the lips, traveled along the Governing Vessel. The true qi that departed from the lips once more then passed through the chest, abdomen, and navel, stimulated the lower region, and finally arrived back at the anus, traveled along the Conception Vessel.

Just as everyone had their own way of climbing a mountain, each sect had a different method of conquering these paths.

That was also why the internal energy cultivation methods differed from sect to sect.

The common point was that, regardless of which sect’s internal cultivation method one practiced, it was difficult to stop a circulation cycle once it had begun. It was like forcibly stopping food as it passed down the esophagus—an action certain to result in qi deviation.

Fortunately, our inn had few customers to begin with, and after hanging up a sign saying we were closed, there was no one who would come looking for us.

I had experienced firsthand that when the digestion of food went wrong, it amounted to no more than indigestion, but when the flow of true qi went wrong, the resulting damage could be severe enough to ruin the body.

Before I could resolve my questions about the internal energy settled in my dantian, I opened my eyes after completing the circulation corresponding to the first stage of the Golden Tortoise Carefree Technique, Wooden Rooster, with absolute cleanliness.

I had no idea how much time had passed, but there I was—a monkey sitting in meditation without eating or even relieving myself. That monkey was me as well.

The feeling was extremely strange and peculiar. Yet the moment I realized there were no side effects, a pleasant shiver ran up my spine.

I sorted out the situation like this.

First, before I fell from the cliff, my internal energy had increased dramatically because of the Heavenly Jade.

Second, while my internal energy was increasing, I had clearly felt the condition of my dantian being forcibly divided into yin and yang.

Third, I had then been sent back into the past by an unidentified man.

Fourth, because I had returned to the past, the soul of the Heavenly Jade that had been clinging to my body had either returned to the heavens, or, if it was still alive at this point in time, had returned to its original body according to the natural order.

Fifth, however, the unidentified spiritual power originally contained within the Heavenly Jade had returned together with me.

……That was my conclusion.

It was unlikely that the Cult Leader had tried to eat the Heavenly Jade because he coveted someone else’s ‘soul.’ Martial artists created things like this solely to grow stronger in martial arts.

Then what was the final conclusion?

I had consumed the Heavenly Jade with its side effect—the soul—cleanly removed.

Even though I had returned to the past.

Just as I had returned with my memories fully intact, the spiritual power residing within the Heavenly Jade had returned with me in its entirety.

Otherwise, there was no way I could have broken through the first stage of the Golden Tortoise Carefree Technique in a single breath.

Of course, not every question had been answered.

That was because I had an unfounded premonition that this was not ordinary internal energy.

The man’s words came back to me once more.

「It will be the best choice I can give you, and the greatest gift.」

Then…….

The best choice was regression.

The greatest gift was the Heavenly Jade.

Only by interpreting it this way did everything fit together clearly. However, there was still a task I had to resolve in the future.

For some reason, roughly half of the latent power did not respond to the Golden Tortoise Carefree Technique at all.

I rested my chin in my hand and sank into thought.

‘Why on earth isn’t half of it responding?’

After pondering it, I reached a simple conclusion.

Since this power was clearly power left behind by the Heavenly Jade, the power worthy of being called ‘potential’ must also have been divided into yin and yang.

The Golden Tortoise Carefree Technique was originally a martial art that made pure use of extreme-yang internal energy. It was only natural that I could not make smooth use of internal energy that could be defined as extreme yin.

Then I would have to obtain a divine technique that could make use of extreme-yin internal energy in the future.

That left me with a rather appealing task.

After all, I already had the foundation needed to use extreme-yang and extreme-yin martial arts simultaneously. I was not the sort of person to agonize over things for long in the first place, so I ended my deliberations there.

In any case, I could not help feeling as if I were about to fly. It was enough to make me forget that I had once been insane. It seemed that people could not feel satisfied until their circumstances had fallen into place.

“Heh heh heh…….”

In truth, internal energy was not everything in martial arts.

Technique, psychological warfare, innate intelligence, fighting instinct, and luck all combined to determine the outcome of battles between top-tier experts.

Yet internal energy was important from beginning to end. I had returned with plenty of it, even if it was merely latent potential. A value that could never be measured in the currency of the human world lay dormant within my body.

By breaking through only the first stage of the Golden Tortoise Carefree Technique, I was already without equal in my hometown.

Honestly, I felt as though I would be full even without eating, but in reality, I was extremely hungry.

Grrrr…….

I could not starve to death.

Besides, if I wanted to beat the bastards at Plum Blossom Pavilion senseless, I needed to eat just as heartily.

* * *

In the kitchen, I dumped the side dishes into a large pot, added cold rice and seasoning sauces, and mixed everything together thoroughly.

After mixing it this way and that, bibimbap was complete.

It looked somewhat like dog food, but it tasted fine.

I hated throwing away side dishes, so I always dealt with my meals this way.

Bibimbap made from the inn’s leftover side dishes tasted like a rare delicacy after such a long time.

As I chewed the taste of old memories, I occasionally grinned to myself.

Perhaps because I lived alone, I had a feeling that it would be difficult to live a sane life in this lifetime as well.

But that was fine, too.

I had been insane once before, so I was quite accustomed to this sort of loneliness.

More important was the fact that my enemies, the ones who would have to deal with me from now on, were going to be driven completely insane.

While eating my bibimbap, I recalled the great figures of the era in no particular order.

Compared directly with the martial artists of the Central Plains, my background was lowly. Even after I had learned a certain amount of martial arts, there had been so many experts in the martial world that it was commonplace for me to flee after exchanging blows with them.

Because of that, my lightness skill, which I practiced for survival, had developed more quickly than my martial arts.

Thinking of them made me unconsciously put more and more force into my jaw as I chewed.

After finishing the bibimbap, I took out the liquor meant to be sold to customers and drank it freely.

“Hic……. This is good.”

Overspending was always thrilling.

It had been a fine dinner, in its own way.

I filled a gourd with liquor and carried it in my hand, then tucked behind my lower back a sickle I had used to cut the grass around the inn before setting out.

With my stomach full, I was confident I could beat every man in Ilyang County to death even if they all attacked me at once.

I intended to go to a place where jokes had turned into truth and utter a truth that would surely sound like a joke.

I continued drinking as I walked toward Plum Blossom Pavilion.

* * *

The man guarding the entrance to Plum Blossom Pavilion opened his eyes wide the moment he recognized my face.

“Hey, you crazy bastard. What brings you here? Don’t cause trouble—just leave.”

“Is that any way to speak to a customer?”

“You crazy bastard.”

His hand flew at me without warning.

I caught the man’s hand with my left hand, then slammed the gourd into his face.

Wham!

I then seized him by the collar and slammed him onto the ground. After kicking the face of the man who was trying to rise halfway and knocking him unconscious, I looked toward Plum Blossom Pavilion.

“What a mess this customer service is. Are you people insane?”

It was still a boisterous place filled with the loud sounds of drinking and carousing, so no one seemed to pay any attention to the commotion at the entrance.

Laughter burst out here and there.

“What’s everyone so happy about? Why is everyone always having fun except me?”

Since the gatekeeper had passed out, I opened the door myself and went inside. I shouted the words I had always wanted to say here at least once.

“Come out here!”

You bastards!

* * *

When the drunk attendant from Zixia Inn appeared, the expressions of the Meihua Tower staff receiving guests immediately hardened.

“Isn’t that the guy from Zixia Inn?”

“What does he think he’s doing coming here?”

I answered the voices calling out from all around.

“Where else would I be? Isn’t this a place for drinking? Did I come to the wrong place?”

“Hahaha.”

A man named Cha Seongtae, who had been looking down at me from the railing on the upper floor, burst out laughing.

“That’s right. This is a place for drinking.”

His subordinates asked,

“Should we throw him out?”

Cha Seongtae, who had been snickering, waved toward me.

“No. Send him up. By the way, who hit him? What happened to his eye?”

“I didn’t hit him.”

Cha Seongtae, who was notorious throughout Ilyang County for being the most slippery-tongued man around, looked at me and grinned.

“We can’t turn away a guest. Come on in.”

Though Cha Seongtae was a slick man, once a fight broke out, there were few people in the southern part of Ilyang County who could defeat him, excluding the three Jo brothers. There were only two other men comparable to Cha Seongtae, both middle-ranking managers who served as yeongga (領家, a manager-like position) at other pleasure houses.

To be precise, I had been beaten by Cha Seongtae’s subordinates. Because of that, I had been thinking that I should torment Cha Seongtae for a long, long time for failing to properly manage his underlings. Still, he had never done anything truly vile before I left Ilyang County for good, so I had no reason to kill him.

As I climbed the stairs, Cha Seongtae said from the upper floor,

“Set up a lavish drinking table for our attendant from Zixia Inn. When else is he ever going to get a chance to come to a place like this? Treat him with the utmost sincerity, everyone. A guest is a guest.”

“Understood.”

When I reached the upper floor, an attendant came over to me.

“This way.”

He led me down a passage and into an empty room.

It was a room with a peculiar layout.

A single drinking table had been placed in the center, with a hollow underneath so that people could tuck their legs beneath it. It was a private room where about six people could sit around the table to drink, with ample space even for the yegi (藝妓, entertainers trained in the arts) who would sit nearby and perform music.

The young employee guiding me asked in an almost informal tone,

“What kind of liquor would you like?”

“How would I know? I’ve never been here before. Just bring me something expensive.”

The employee stared at me for a moment before changing his tone.

“But why are you speaking informally…?”

I sat down in the seat of honor and replied,

“Sorry for speaking informally. You son of a bitch, hurry up and bring me some liquor.”

The employee glared at me with a murderous look, as if he intended to kill me on the spot.

‘Is this bastard insane?’

However, because he knew why the attendant had been admitted as a guest from above, he said nothing, simply closed the door, and left.

I like looks like that.

A gaze tangled with anger and hatred, murderous intent and bloodlust.

When you got right down to it, they were nothing special.

After taking a beating for a while, their eyes would grow pleading, and they would inevitably start begging for their lives.

I waited for the liquor with my arms crossed, then touched my eye again.

‘This is making my temper flare all over again.’

6. Jokes and Serious Talk

One dish after another arrived, even though I had not ordered any side dishes, and at the end came a bottle of liquor sealed with a red band.

“What’s that?”

A woman in her late twenties, whom I had never seen before, answered with a bright smile.

“It’s premium Dugang liquor.”

“Premium? Are you sure?”

“Of course. Shall I pour you a cup?”

I accepted the Dugang liquor she had opened in a drinking cup and replied,

“You’re not trying to play a trick on an inn attendant with the liquor, are you? The smell is awfully strong.”

The woman’s face stiffened slightly at the word “attendant.” She spoke while forcing herself to remain calm.

“Why would we play tricks with liquor? Absolutely not. Is there perhaps a particular girl you would like to see?”

“There is. Chaehyang. She’s here, isn’t she?”

She probably was.

“She is. However, Chaehyang has many prior appointments, so I’ll go check first.”

“She’s busy. It’ll only take a moment.”

“Indeed. She’s the busiest of all. If Chaehyang isn’t available, would you be willing to see another girl?”

“No, I wouldn’t.”

“I’ll have someone serve you drinks for now, and if Chaehyang finds some free time, I’ll bring her here. There are simply so many guests who want to hear even a single song from Chaehyang.”

“I don’t want to hear any songs. I just need Chaehyang to come by for a moment. By the way, I suppose you don’t know who I am.”

“Who are you? I mostly stay here, you see.”

I pointed at my eye with one finger and said,

“Can’t you see?”

“You have a black eye?”

“I’m the Zixia Inn attendant everyone’s been talking about—the man saving money like a miser so he can sleep with Chaehyang just once. That’s me.”

“Ah… So that was what caused the commotion downstairs.”

The expression of the woman managing the floor changed from moment to moment. Her eyes narrowed, and a hint of mockery crept into her gaze.

“So today was the day. But you really intend to see Chaehyang?”

“Why? Is there a problem?”

“I have a feeling the master of the house will be angry. I heard you were beaten up a few days ago. Didn’t that mean you were being told not to come to Meihua Tower looking for Chaehyang? Did you never consider that?”

She was a woman who spoke in a gentle tone, yet knew exactly how to be thoroughly insolent.

“Oh, I never considered that. By the way, our middle-aged auntie here is quite the silver-tongued speaker.”

“Middle-aged? I’m not even thirty yet. And wasn’t this a joke to begin with? I thought you were joking. I’ll go tell them for now. Please wait a moment.”

“Wait! You thought I was joking?”

The woman stared at me for a moment, then nodded.

“Yes.”

“Then why was I beaten?”

“Perhaps you were beaten because you made a joke.”

When the woman smiled, a deep dimple appeared in one cheek.

I pointed at her with one finger.

“Now there’s an auntie pretending to be some annoyingly cute young lady.”

“Please look on me kindly. I’m joking.”

My joke was treated as a serious statement, and then I was even asked whether I hadn’t actually been joking.

The meaning contained in words changes arbitrarily all the time.

That is why words are frightening.

* * *

After the woman who had been chattering away disappeared, I smelled the Du Kang liquor.

They called it first-grade Du Kang liquor, but it was of a quality that did not even qualify as third-grade. And yet look at the nerve of them, trying to charge first-grade prices.

A joke being treated as a serious statement, and an imitation being treated as the genuine article.

This was generally what people who lived only according to their own convenience did.

“Is this your little joke from the very first cup?”

This was absolutely not first-grade Du Kang liquor.

How dare they play drinking tricks on a tavern waiter…

The ways of the martial world had fallen this low.

I filled my cup with the third-grade Du Kang liquor as it trickled out with a glug-glug sound, then drank it. When my third cup of liquor had gone down my throat, I heard heavy footsteps thudding in the corridor.

It seemed the rumor that the Zixia Inn’s waiter had come to the Plum Blossom Pavilion had finally reached the ears of the men who had taken part in beating me.

Rough emotions were contained in those footsteps.

Rattle!

The door opened, and the moment someone confirmed that I was inside, he let loose with a hearty stream of curses.

“Hey, you fucking bastard. Where do you think you’re crawling into? Are you crazy?”

I let out a sigh without meaning to.

What, was it really such a terrible thing for a waiter to come to a pleasure house?

Why did they keep calling me a fucking bastard when perfectly good names existed?

Still, seeing as they did not insult my parents, I thought they were definitely kinder boys than the monkeys of the Demon Sect.

I checked the man’s face.

He was a man whose face and name I knew. I had made a habit of finding out the identities of anyone who hit me, both in the past and now.

Gesturing for the man named Donggwak to come in, I said,

“I’m saying I want to drink some liquor with my own money, so what’s everyone’s problem? Come in. I’ll give you a cup.”

The man immediately lost his words.

It was understandable.

Someone he had beaten up a few days ago had come looking for him, spoken informally, gestured arrogantly, and even offered him a drink. It was only natural that he would be dumbfounded.

The man called Donggwak came in and dropped heavily into the seat opposite me.

“What the hell did this bastard eat today?”

“Bibimbap.”

“What?”

When I poured him some Du Kang liquor, Donggwak took hold of the cup and said,

“Anyway, drink this and get lost quietly. Before this turns into something bigger.”

After pouring the liquor, I said to Donggwak,

“Donggwak, you bastard.”

When I called him with a mixture of informal speech and profanity, Donggwak immediately lifted himself from his seat and swung his right hand at my cheek.

I caught Donggwak’s hand with my left hand, placed it on the table, and at the same time drove the chopstick I had picked up into the back of his hand.

Thuck!

“Ugh.”

“Oh dear, I’m sorry. Why are these chopsticks so sharp?”

Truthfully, I had not intended to go this far.

It was an instinctive reaction born from having lived as a martial artist for so long.

The man called Donggwak needed a moment to understand what had happened. Even as his expression twisted in pain, he struggled to figure out exactly what had occurred.

Only then did I take out my sickle and tap the chopstick embedded in the back of his hand.

Tap, tap.

“A hole through the back of your hand can heal, but there’s nothing you can do about a severed wrist. I’ll cut it off for you.”

“Ah, don’t.”

“Don’t?”

“I said don’t.”

I pointed the sickle at Donggwak.

“I was just going to drink quietly and see Chaehyang for a moment before leaving, so why are you making such a damn fuss like a rabid fucking dog? Is the Plum Blossom Pavilion going to go under just because I meet Chaehyang?”

At that moment, the door flew open again, and the very Chaehyang in question appeared and looked at what had happened around the table.

“Brother Donggwak, please leave. I’m here.”

I looked at Chaehyang.

It’s been a long time.

She was reputed to be quite pretty around here, but having seen all the women known as the Central Plains’ greatest beauties, Chaehyang now looked to me like a prickly village girl who relied on her face alone.

There was anger mixed into her expression, so it seemed she had been ordered to go in and squeeze the drinking money out of me.

However, since Donggwak could not move, I kindly pulled out the chopstick for him.

“Aagh!”

As blood spurted into the air from the back of his hand along with his scream, I extended my cup and caught the blood precisely inside it.

It was an action without any particular meaning.

But it had meaning for Donggwak.

When he left without saying a word, clamping his perforated hand shut, Chaehyang sat across from me as though taking over his shift.

The moment I saw Chaehyang, I could not help but laugh.

“Why are you laughing?”

Chaehyang asked irritably.

I never thought I would say the very same words to a courtesan like her that I had said to the Demon Sect’s Left Emissary.

“You should laugh when you feel like laughing. Why? Does a waiter have to manage his expression even in a place like this?”

“Do you find the situation funny?”

“Yeah, it’s funny.”

“Why did you make Brother Donggwak’s hand like that? Do you think Brother Seongtae or the Pavilion Master will just sit still?”

“Do you think the men of Ilyang County will sit still? Of course they won’t.”

“I’ll tell you this for your own sake. Since I came in here, the bill has already gone up. The liquor is Du Kang liquor, so it’s quite expensive, too. And it seems you’ll also have to pay for Brother Donggwak’s medical treatment. Just pay the money and go back. I’m saying this for your own sake.”

Why on earth was she so angry?

“Don’t yap at me. How do you know how much money I have?”

“You don’t have much. The rumor that your noodles taste terrible has spread everywhere.”

Laughter spilled from my lips.

“I don’t know why you’re so popular. Your face is passable, but your thoughts, your way of speaking, your expressions, and your eyes… How should I put it?”

“……”

I had no intention of threatening such a frail woman, but I conveyed what I truly thought in a calm voice.

“Don’t get carried away just because you have a passable face. You’re not a woman worthy of that.”

Chaehyang’s eyes went round, and she flared up like a master of the Emei Sect.

“Worthy? Did you just say I’m not worthy?”

“Your way of speaking is uglier than any ugly woman rumored to be hideous. Ha ha.”

Contrary to my expectations, Chae Hyang burst out laughing at my words.

“What, were you really that resentful about getting beaten a little while ago? You saved up all that money working as a waiter, and now you’re throwing it away just to say something like this? Why would I sleep with you in the first place? Even if you brought me a bundle of gold and jewels, I wouldn’t sleep with you. Did you think I was a woman who sleeps with just anyone? I’ve never worked like that here. Do you think every yegi sleeps with just anyone?”

Chae Hyang shouted angrily.

Ah, so there was a reason for her anger toward me. Perhaps it had something to do with this woman named Chae Hyang’s position.

“You sell your art but not your body?”

When I asked if she meant that she sold her talents but not her body, Chae Hyang shook her head.

“Don’t use fancy words.”

“Sorry.”

“Anyway, that’s how I’ve lived. Not every yegi is a courtesan.”

I offered a cup of Dujiangju to the thoroughly angered Chae Hyang.

“I see. I never thought you were a woman who slept with just anyone. I’ll give you a drink as an apology.”

When Chae Hyang held out her cup, I filled it and said,

“Let me make this clear. I never said I was saving money so I could sleep with you. All I said was that I wanted to hear one song. As you said, you’re a yegi, after all. Even that was something I said to get a laugh at the inn. In truth, it was plainly a joke. I never intended to do such a thing, and I wasn’t in any position to do so.”

“What? But what I heard was…”

“Don’t interrupt me. Whether the joke was funny or not, it gradually spread. In fact, everyone except you probably found it funny. Since it was amusing, it spread further and further. But before I knew it, the joke had become a serious statement I could no longer take back. You could call it the wicked power words possess. And I was someone with no power to turn that serious statement back into a joke. This is exactly the sort of thing people mean when they say words can kill. Look at my eyes. Thanks to that, I nearly went blind.”

I wasn’t really speaking to Chae Hyang. In truth, I was muttering as I recalled my past.

When I came here and said such things, Chae Hyang’s expression changed to one of bewilderment. It was understandable. No matter how she looked at it, she must have felt that I had changed.

“Drink.”

I shared a cup of Dujiangju with Chae Hyang, acting like a man without much feeling.

“But that ‘sell your art but not your body’ nonsense is ridiculous. You shouldn’t have entered a pleasure house in the first place. Since this is the end of why I called you here, get out.”

“What?”

This time, I poured Dujiangju only into my own cup and repeated myself.

“I said get out. Before I drag you out by the hair.”

Chae Hyang suddenly noticed the sickle lying on the table. Then she checked my expression and gaze.

She was a woman who knew how to read the mood.

“Yes, I understand. But entering the pleasure house wasn’t my choice.”

“Stop spouting bullshit.”

“It’s true.”

At that moment, the sound of Chae Hyang’s footsteps overlapped with the heavy pounding of several men approaching. Their companion’s hand had been pierced, so the others involved in the beating must have heard the news and grown agitated. Sensing that a knife fight was about to break out, Chae Hyang fled from the room as if she were running for her life.

In the blink of an eye, three uninjured men arrived and roughly flung the door open again.

Come to think of it, why were they so angry?

They had looked so happy when they were beating me.

A man named Won Hanyeol asked me,

“Jaha, do you really think one sickle will be enough? Looks like you came here planning to make a scene and get yourself killed. Why didn’t you bring at least a long knife? Ah, did you not have the money to buy one?”

The man beside him chimed in.

“Let’s go outside. It’ll be hard to clean if blood splatters in here.”

Without replying, I poured third-grade Dujiangju into my cup and smelled its fragrance. Suddenly, it felt like first-grade Dujiangju.

The taste of liquor really does change with the atmosphere.

In any case, if a mere waiter kept drinking without answering, a fist was sure to come flying, just as it had yesterday.

Even while swallowing the Dujiangju, I kept my eyes on the three men.

Reading their expressions, it seemed they were wondering whether they should kill me here or not.

I spoke to the agitated men in a calm voice.

“All three of you are confident you can kill someone like me, aren’t you? How about we finish our drinks and go outside?”

Everyone, there’s absolutely no need to hurry.

‘Calm down….’

In truth, I felt that if I beat them while keeping a calm mind, things would at least end a little less brutally.

There was no point in killing a bunch of local rabble, other than getting my own hands dirty.

7. The Waiter Causes a Commotion.

The three men sat across from me and rattled off the threats and mockery they were expected to deliver.

“Come on, Jaha. This looks like your last drink, so drink up.”

“Still, this bastard really is a man. He came here openly, knocked back liquor, and even called Chae Hyang. Wow, if I’d known he was such a bold man, I should’ve only half-killed him. I regret it.”

“If you regret it, you can beat him properly this time. Donggak’s hand has already been crippled, after all. He won’t even have the right to feel wronged about getting beaten today. Jaha, I’m right, aren’t I?”

After listening to the three men’s threats, I held out the Dujiangju.

“Care for a drink?”

But the three men did not hold out their cups. They suspected I might have poisoned it.

With no choice, I drank alone.

One of them urged me on.

“If you’ve drunk, let’s go.”

“Come on, get up.”

Without answering, I continued drinking. Every now and then, I looked over the faces of the men in front of me one by one.

Silence is an effective way to establish an atmosphere.

Now the three men had nothing more to say. They seemed to have finally realized that something was strange.

Someone who had only ever worked as a waiter had no business drinking so calmly in front of frightening men like them.

Even to their eyes, there wasn’t the slightest trace of fear in my attitude.

But there hadn’t been much liquor to begin with. After finishing the last drink, I gripped the sickle and said,

“My hometown friends, do you really think I’m that funny?”

Wondering if my former self had truly been such a worthless person, I actually found myself ridiculous as well.

“Weren’t you a funny bastard?”

The three men drew medium-length assassination blades, each a little longer than a dagger.

“You’re making a big deal out of something that could’ve ended with you getting beaten.”

“Brothers, with Donggak ending up like that, this is justified retaliation anyway.”

When I laughed like a madman, the corners of the three men’s mouths rose as well. For a moment, the four of us laughed together like drinking companions on good terms.

“Heh heh heh heh heh heh.”

When I suddenly raised the sickle, the three men, startled, thrust their blades forward.

At that moment, I infused strength into my thumb and flicked it, overturning the liquor table.

Bang!

By reflex, the three medium-length blades sank into the liquor table.

Thud, thud, thud!

When the heavy saber pierced through the drinking table, I rose while kicking the table aside with my right foot.

Crash!

As the three men were knocked backward after colliding with the table, the sickle I swung came down, aimed at their lower bodies.

Their feet, thrust out in all directions, writhed like the heads of snakes. I regarded them as snake heads and swung the sickle.

* * *

After the Zaha Inn burned down, one of the jobs I took to make a living was tending graves.

There, I spent every season cutting down the thick grass around the graves with a sickle.

I had swung that sickle until I was sick and tired of it.

So much so that, at some point, I inexplicably gained an insight into the art of sickle wielding.

I was probably the only man in the martial world to gain an insight into weapons while cutting grass. A sickle was essentially single-edged, making it closer to a saber than a sword. Since its edge faced the opposite direction, I also had to be careful when it rebounded after a swing. More than anything, all of this was etched into my memories.

In short, I was a master of the sickle.

* * *

I hacked and slashed at the men’s knees, insteps, ankles, calves, and toes as they writhed like the bodies of snakes. I also cut at their arms sticking out beyond the drinking table.

“You stepped on me with these useless limbs?”

The three men’s screams became hopelessly tangled together.

“Aaaaaaagh!”

In an instant, the place descended into chaos.

In the midst of it all, I kicked the drinking table at every opportune moment, savagely mashing the three men’s faces. Each kick produced three booming impacts.

It was an efficient and utterly one-sided beating.

By the time the foul-mouthed woman opened the door, the three men had already lost all will to fight.

The room was a complete mess, smeared with food from the drinking table and blood.

Still gripping the bloodstained sickle, I said to the woman,

“Auntie, bring me some more of that lousy third-grade Dukang liquor.”

The woman glared at me.

I pointed the sickle at her mouth and said,

“I generally don’t hit women, but you should think a little more before opening that mouth of yours. Bring the Dukang liquor first, and bring anyone else who wants to become cripples. And if you flap that proud mouth of yours again, I’ll use this to tear it open.”

It was my principle not to lay a hand on anyone who had not learned martial arts unless there was a special reason. That principle applied to Chae Hyang, and it applied to this rude woman as well.

But threatening people was my hobby.

Once the woman disappeared, I cleared away the table, which had been smashed in several places, and looked at the three men. Their disheveled appearance, covered in spilled food, was a pleasing sight.

I grinned and said,

“Laugh, you bastards. Why aren’t you laughing in front of such a hilarious man?”

They could no longer laugh, but I did.

“Congratulations on becoming crippled in the legs. Looks like you’ll be recuperating for quite a while. Still, isn’t it fortunate that I’m not killing you?”

At the compassionate words of the waiter, the three men clamped their mouths shut.

I changed my tone as though I had suddenly turned into a madman and opened my mouth.

“Hey, you sons of bitches, shouldn’t you ask me to spare you before I can spare you? Do you want me to kill you just like this?”

“Spare me.”

“Please let us live.”

“Let’s end this here. We never intended to kill you, either.”

I nodded.

“Oh, really?”

Their words came so quickly and precisely that they looked like a choir.

I pulled one of the heavy sabers embedded in the table free and gripped it in my left hand.

“You’ve learned the art of passing with your mouths. More are coming.”

This time, dozens of men were coming down the corridor. It seemed that every martial artist the pleasure house could mobilize was rushing over. Amid the commotion, I heard the voice of Cha Seongtae, the only person who had welcomed me warmly.

“Move aside!”

The corridor fell silent in an instant, and Cha Seongtae appeared and looked around the room.

Cha Seongtae had narrow eyes, which became straight lines whenever he smiled or frowned. That was how they looked now.

With an incredulous expression, Cha Seongtae said to me,

“Jaha, you’ll get yourself killed carrying on like this.”

“Killed?”

“Yes, you punk.”

I looked at Cha Seongtae’s ugly eyes, then infused my left hand with inner power and threw the heavy saber.

Whoosh!

Before the startled Cha Seongtae’s hand could reach his face, the heavy saber I had thrown arrived first. Its hilt struck Cha Seongtae squarely in the eye.

Thwack!

“Agh!”

Cha Seongtae fell flat on his back with a groan.

Pointing the bloodstained sickle at the men behind him, I said,

“An eye for an eye. Anyone else want to try?”

Even as Cha Seongtae barely managed to pull himself together and stand, he calmly issued orders.

“Report to the Pavilion Master of Yihwa Tower. The rest of you, surround the pleasure house from outside. Just make sure he can’t leave.”

Cha Seongtae, squinting hard with blood streaming from one eye, smoothly drew the straight saber from his waist.

Shing!

I returned his earlier words to him verbatim.

“Seongtae, think before you act. You’ll get yourself killed carrying on like this.”

“……”

“Why are you acting like this when you’re the quickest-witted man in Ilyang County? Do you think your eye ended up like that just because I happened to be lucky? Huh? No. Did these three end up covered in side dishes because they happened to be unlucky? Of course not. No. If you don’t want to die, think.”

“Hmm.”

While Cha Seongtae stood there dumbly, unable to move one way or the other, I spoke to the men blocking the corridor.

“And does it make sense for you to block my escape when Cha Seongtae ended up like this in a single move? Let’s do this. If you keep blocking the way, I’ll show you Cha Seongtae dying first. I’m leaving.”

But that threat worked not on his subordinates, but on Cha Seongtae.

Quick-witted as ever, Cha Seongtae said to his men in a startled tone,

“Everyone go downstairs and wait below. Jaha, I think you should meet the Pavilion Master. You came to receive an apology, didn’t you? Right? Or did you intend to drink and leave? Let’s hear your answer.”

I nodded toward Cha Seongtae.

“That Jo bastard needs to come.”

“Then I’ll call the Pavilion Master first. He’ll be here soon, so let’s wait together.”

As he spoke, Cha Seongtae checked his palm. It was covered in blood.

I asked,

“Are you blind in that eye?”

Cha Seongtae blinked, then wiped the blood from around his eye and replied,

“I don’t think I’ve lost my sight. I can still see.”

“That’s fortunate. Bring some liquor. Let’s have a drink while we wait for the Pavilion Master.”

Cha Seong-tae spoke to the trembling woman at the end of the corridor.

“Bring us liquor. No snacks needed. We’ll move to the room next door. Jaha, let’s change rooms. Unless you’re planning to kill those kids, let’s treat them first. Give them a break. It’s a bit much for people from the same neighborhood to kill one another, isn’t it?”

When I turned around, the three of them were already on the verge of fainting.

Cha Seong-tae certainly handled matters differently from his underlings.

Even while blood was pouring from one of his eyes, he calmly put the situation in order.

The sharp-tongued woman hurried over and politely indicated the room next door with both hands.

Since I had said I would tear her mouth apart if she spoke, I kept my mouth shut to the very end.

There was a certain meticulous flavor to the survival skills of people at the bottom of society.

I entered the empty room, set the bright-red sickle down on the table, and sat.

A little while later, Cha Seong-tae wiped the blood away with a cloth, sat across from me, and let out a long sigh.

“Did you stumble across some fortuitous encounter or something? What the hell is this all of a sudden? Things suddenly went completely wild.”

As soon as Cha Seong-tae finished speaking, the voice of a young woman came from outside.

“The liquor is coming in.”

“Come in.”

Seeing the liquor being brought in, I let out a hollow laugh. It was Dugan liquor, all right, but the seal was entirely different from the bottle they had given me. In short, this was a more premium Dugan liquor.

“Is this perhaps first-grade Dugan liquor?”

Cha Seong-tae nodded.

“Ah, did the third-grade one go out before? Good grief, I’m sorry. You have to serve liquor like that to small fry and nobodies if you want to make a profit. This is the real first-grade Dugan liquor. I’ll pour you a cup.”

“Do I look like a small fry to you?”

“Not anymore. Sorry.”

I snatched the first-grade Dugan liquor from Cha Seong-tae’s hand. After breaking the seal, I buried my nose in it and glared at him.

“If there’s poison in it, I’ll stuff every last drop of it up your nostrils.”

Cha Seong-tae touched his own nose without realizing it and replied.

“I’m going to drink it too. Do you really think I’d poison it? Madam Son, there’s no poison in it, right?”

Madam Son, who had been waiting in the corridor, poked her head in and shook it at Cha Seong-tae.

‘There isn’t.’

When Madam Son answered with only her lips, Cha Seong-tae asked with a bewildered expression.

“Have you gone mute? Why aren’t you talking? I asked if there was poison.”

Madam Son then drew a finger across her own mouth. It was a signal that she could not speak.

“I told her I’d tear that mouth apart if she spoke.”

Cha Seong-tae nodded and said to Madam Son.

“Then keep your mouth shut. Unless you want that fine mouth of yours torn apart.”

Madam Son bowed her head toward Cha Seong-tae and me before disappearing back into the corridor. She was still waiting out there, however.

Even Cha Seong-tae had no idea when the brothel owner would arrive.

“There is a bit of a barb in Madam Son’s words.”

After thinking for a moment, Cha Seong-tae called to Madam Son.

“Madam Son, go fetch Chaehyang. Tell her to serve the liquor.”

The sound of Madam Son’s footsteps came from the corridor.

This time, Cha Seong-tae poured the Dugan liquor into a cup and asked.

“I’ll have the first cup. I’m a bit out of it.”

“Drink.”

I watched Cha Seong-tae drink before drinking myself. Once the liquor went down, Cha Seong-tae threw out a question as though he had finally regained his senses.

“Were you always that good at fighting? I’ve never heard such a rumor.”

“My grandfather told me not to fight, so I merely held back a few times.”

“That sort of lie won’t work. In any case, I’ll apologize for what happened before. Since my men humiliated you, I can fully understand why you acted this way.”

“Thanks, you bastard. For understanding me, too. Who knew you were such an understanding fellow?”

I snorted.

Cha Seong-tae was spouting all sorts of nonsense to buy time.

I rolled up my sleeve and spoke.

“But now that I think about it, I’m getting pissed off. Seong-tae, you bastard. Is this how someone apologizes? I wonder how many places I’ll have to break before your tone changes.”

When I suddenly grabbed the sickle again, Cha Seong-tae was startled into dropping to his knees.

“I’m sorry. I sincerely apologize. I’ve even dropped to my knees, something I’ve never done in my life. I’m truly sorry.”

Cha Seong-tae’s change in attitude was as swift and precise as watching a supreme master change martial forms.

Just as Cha Seong-tae bowed his head while kneeling—

Chaehyang had arrived at the door. The moment she saw Cha Seong-tae kneeling, an earthquake began in her pupils.

“……!”

Cha Seong-tae turned his head and spoke to Chaehyang with a frightening glare.

“Serve the liquor. And how many times have I told you to keep your expression under control? Relax your eyes.”

When Chaehyang naturally moved to sit beside Cha Seong-tae, he said in a strained voice.

“Are you crazy? Sit over there. Who said you were serving my liquor? Get a grip.”

Chaehyang’s expression went pale.

I looked at Chaehyang as she sat beside me with a pallid expression and tossed out a word.

“Oh, you’re here?”

There are two kinds of people.

Those who hold a grudge and those who do not.

In my case……

8. There’s a chance she’ll be displeased.

Chaehyang suddenly saw blood tears flowing from Cha Seong-tae’s eyes and began to sob. Excluding the brothel’s owner, Cha Seong-tae was the most frightening man there. Blood was flowing from his eyes, and on top of that, he was even kneeling, so she had no choice but to be afraid.

When I held out my empty cup, Chaehyang filled it with Dugan liquor with trembling hands.

“Chaehyang.”

“Yes.”

I deliberately smiled warmly and spoke.

“Even a tavern attendant has feelings.”

Cha Seong-tae glared at Chaehyang as if telling her to answer properly. Believing that everything would be resolved once the brothel owner arrived anyway, Chaehyang nodded and replied.

“Yes.”

I wiped every trace of a smile from my face before replying.

“But those feelings have never been for you. That’s clear now, isn’t it? You’re ruining the taste of the liquor, so get out.”

Chaehyang stared at me with her eyes wide, then looked at Cha Seong-tae. She wanted to know whether she was really allowed to leave. Cha Seong-tae gestured for her to go.

When Chaehyang still did not rise, I ordered her again.

“Get out.”

Only then did Chaehyang stand and dash into the corridor. Never in her life had she been subjected to such harsh words, and she was barely holding back the sobs rising in her chest. The moment she entered the corridor, however, she burst into tears.

I looked at Cha Seong-tae and spoke.

“That’s the problem with people who live off their looks. They think everything can be solved if they cry. I’m right, aren’t I?”

Cha Seongtae replied.

“That’s right.”

I said to Cha Seongtae, who kept spouting informal speech without the slightest sense of propriety.

“Don’t speak informally to me anymore.”

“……”

“Those slanted eyes of yours are so unpleasant that I find it distasteful to hear you speak informally to me.”

Cha Seongtae stammered slightly.

“Ah, yes. Please speak.”

“Do you think everything will be resolved once the House Master arrives? Or will the House Master end up kneeling there beside you?”

“The House Master and his two brothers are all quite skilled in martial arts, so honestly, I’m not sure. Of course, since the problem occurred at Plum Blossom House, only House Master Jo Igyeol will be coming. The House Masters have been busy entertaining the experts of the Black Mao Gang day after day lately.”

“You’re a man who knows how to use honorifics very well.”

“Thank you.”

“You entertained the Black Mao Gang?”

“Yes. Before long, a gang will be established in Ilyang County with the Black Mao Gang’s permission. So if news this bad gets out as soon as the gang is established, the Black Mao Gang will probably dislike it—indeed, they may find it extremely unpleasant. Relationships are complicated that way.”

“They’ll find it unpleasant?”

“Yes.”

“They shouldn’t find it unpleasant. So what you’re saying is that even if I subdue the House Master, the problem I caused will be settled at the Black Mao Gang’s level. Isn’t that what you mean?”

Cha Seongtae honestly nodded.

“That’s correct. Isn’t the Black Mao Gang a gang that would be difficult for even all the rough men of Ilyang County to handle?”

“So what the hell do you want me to do? You son of a bitch. Should I have a drink of reconciliation with the House Master when he arrives and then go home? Do you think things get resolved that easily?”

“I suppose they won’t. Then what will you do?”

“The Jo bastards can come under me.”

“That might be… impossible, don’t you think? They’re very likely to find it extremely unpleasant.”

“I’m going to establish a sect in Ilyang County while I’m at it, so all of you can come under me. What should we name the sect that those bastards from the pleasure house will join? The Rebirth Gate, shortened to the Life Gate? It means that all the lunatics of Ilyang County should be reborn just like me.”

Cha Seongtae nodded as though he agreed.

“Sounds good. Rebirth is certainly necessary. And congratulations on being reborn.”

“Seongtae.”

“Yes, please speak.”

“The House Master is rather late, isn’t he?”

“Indeed. As I mentioned, if he’s entertaining the Black Mao Gang’s experts at Plum Blossom House, it will be difficult for him to come right away. They’re important guests.”

I drank a cup of Dukang liquor, then rose and looked down at Cha Seongtae.

“Tell the House Masters this: if they all come under me, I’ll let them live with their bodies intact. Of course, there’s no chance whatsoever that they’ll believe me and think I’m not talking nonsense. But I should give them a chance. Tell them I’ll face them whenever they come to the Zaha Inn. And…”

I intended to give Cha Seongtae a chance as well.

“Think carefully. If it looks like the Black Mao Gang will win, stand with the House Masters and come at me again. If it doesn’t, be reborn just as I said. The premium Dukang liquor was good. Put it on my tab.”

“Why don’t you wait a little longer?”

“Do you think I’m going to run away?”

Cha Seongtae nodded.

“Yes.”

I kicked Cha Seongtae in the face and sent him flying into a corner.

“You’ve got a talent for asking to be beaten.”

I pointed at Cha Seongtae with one finger.

“A man should know how to earn a beating, too. See you around.”

Cha Seongtae rubbed his face and replied.

“Take care. I’ll put it in the tab ledger.”

“Put it there or don’t.”

In any case, the whole of Ilyang County would soon come under me, so there was no need to care whether my name was in the tab ledger or not.

As I walked down the corridor, people stepped aside to either side.

Even though they had already moved aside, I had always wanted to say something like this at least once.

“Out of the way, you worthless bastards.”

When I went down the stairs and reached the first floor, the gatekeeper—the first one I had knocked unconscious—must not have fully understood the situation, because the moment he saw me, he hurled an insult.

“Hey, you son of a bitch!”

I slapped him across the face as I passed by. When the gatekeeper slammed into the wall with a thud and collapsed, I said to the others:

“At least explain things to him first. You’re hitting him in the same place again. He gets knocked out, then gets knocked out again. You bastards really have no compassion.”

I stopped briefly at the entrance and looked around at the people working at Plum Blossom House. In an instant, the entire establishment fell silent.

I waved once and spoke in a blunt tone.

“Attendants, thanks for the hospitality.”

When I turned around, a chorus of curses made up of mouthed words and hand gestures poured out from behind me.

If you curse someone, it’s only natural to be cursed in return.

I ignored them, left Plum Blossom House, and stretched. I wasn’t in a bad mood.

An insult is an insult, a joke is a joke, and sincerity is sincerity.

Naturally, a mountain is a mountain, and water is water.

One must distinguish meanings properly to keep things like this from happening.

Of course, the three Jo brothers who ran Plum Blossom House, Pear Blossom House, and Crape Myrtle House still would not be able to take sincerity as sincerity.

The pleasure houses were not originally their family business.

Ilyang County was a chaotic place, and the three Jo brothers had seized the pleasure houses by force in the past.

That was why, to those men who were wary of challengers, the reports from their subordinates would probably sound like jokes.

「There’s been an incident at Plum Blossom House. Some attendant came alone and caused an absolute uproar.」

「Which attendant?」

「The attendant from the Zaha Inn.」

「The Zaha Inn? Are you making fun of me right now?」

I imagined that this sort of exchange would take place once the report reached them.

As I walked down the street, I suddenly drew the sickle tucked into my waistband and looked at it.

I thought I could somehow deal with the three Jo brothers using this shabby sickle, but facing the Black Mao Gang—which I was certain I would clash with later—with a single sickle like this would be inefficient.

I needed to visit Dragon-Head Ironworks.

Dragon-Head Ironworks was a smithy capable of making handles shaped like dragon heads. It was also a strange smithy that seemed more concerned with making dragon-head handles than with producing good blades.

It was a place that made weapons whose handles were better than their blades.

Dragon-Head Ironworks was a smithy steeped in vanity rather than practicality.

As a result, the weapons produced by Dragon-Head Ironworks had names far grander than their quality warranted.

White Dragon Sword, Azure Dragon Saber, Black Dragon Whip, Twin Dragon Sickle.

They slapped the word “dragon” onto every name and sold them that way.

Weapons whose names alone made them seem worthy of being wielded by even one of the Ten Great Masters of the Martial World. Thanks to that, whenever a fight broke out around Ilyang County, dragons ran rampant everywhere.

My hometown was the place where the Baekryong Sword cleaved the wind, the Cheongryong Saber fell while deflecting the moonlight, and the Heukryong Whip tore blood from flesh.

Though, when you got right down to it, they were just a bunch of idiots.

On the way, I retrieved the money I had hidden near the kitchen furnace at Zaha Inn and headed to Dragonhead Ironworks.

Even if my martial arts were formidable, paying a fair price for a transaction like this was only proper business etiquette.

I was a perfectly normal person like this.

* * *

“Welco… Zaha Inn?”

“Did you come to collect an old debt? Did we even owe you anything?”

The workers cast me looks that clearly asked what I was doing at an ironworks. Looking around Dragonhead Ironworks, I said,

“I’ve come to buy some weapons.”

“What kind of weapons? Ah, did you come to buy a sickle? Our sickles are a bit expensive.”

I folded my arms for a moment and thought of a short answer that would convince them.

“I’m planning to take on the Jo clan, so I need to buy a few weapons.”

“All of a sudden?”

As the workers of Dragonhead Ironworks looked at one another and tilted their heads, Gwak Yong-gae, the vice master of Dragonhead Ironworks, spoke.

“Hey, young man. It’s your freedom to go to war, but can you handle it alone? Come to think of it, I heard you got beaten up. Don’t throw away your precious life just because you’re in a fit of temper. I was very fond of the gyedo noodles your grandfather made. Though your cooking was so terrible that I never went back afterward.”

“This isn’t the time to discuss the taste of gyedo noodles.”

Gwak Yong-gae was picking a fight with a customer.

“If not the taste of noodles with the waiter, then what else would we discuss?”

I pulled a money pouch from inside my robes.

“Enough. I brought more than enough money, so show me the weapons.”

“What exactly are you trying to buy?”

I answered while counting off the items on my fingers.

“A light sword, a tough whip, and a reasonably sharp dagger should do. Do you happen to have anything like a Green Dragon Crescent Blade?”

Since I couldn’t obtain my primary weapons right away, I intended to acquire only some temporary ones.

Vice Master Gwak Yong-gae scratched his head.

“You intend to use all of those?”

“It’s a matter of preference. I’d appreciate your respect.”

Vice Master Gwak Yong-gae snapped his fingers at his men and ordered,

“Go inside and bring out the Heukryong Sword, the Baekryong Whip, and the Cloud Dragon Flying Daggers. We don’t have a Green Dragon Crescent Blade, so don’t bother looking for one.”

The men of Dragonhead Ironworks answered their vice master’s command.

“Understood.”

Gwak Yong-gae said,

“There’s no one in a rustic village like this who can wield a Green Dragon Crescent Blade, so we never made one. I hope you understand.”

That was disappointing news.

“Ah, the Green Dragon Crescent Blade is such a magnificent weapon. Do you at least have a Serpent Spear?”

“I said we don’t.”

“What about a Fangtian Painted Halberd?”

“We don’t have any weapons like that, so stop asking. There are limits.”

Vice Master Gwak Yong-gae stroked his beard as he looked me up and down.

“By the way, how old are you this year?”

“I’m over twenty.”

“I’m well over thirty. Are you going to keep talking to me so insolently?”

I rolled up my sleeves.

“If you have a problem with it, let’s have a go.”

Vice Master Gwak Yong-gae waved his hand.

“Forget it. I can’t beat up an innocent waiter too.”

“What a gentleman.”

When the men returned from inside carrying the weapons and lined up, Gwak Yong-gae said,

“Take a look.”

“I’m in a hurry, so I’ll just buy them all.”

“Hmm. Just give me ninety nyang.”

“Are you crazy? That’s too expensive.”

“I’ve already given you a hefty discount because you’re a local.”

I continued haggling with my arms folded.

“Then let’s do this. Lend them to me—all of them for fifty nyang.”

“Lend them? What are you talking about?”

“I mean I’ll use them and return them.”

“Hah. You’re nothing but a highwayman.”

“I said I’d return them after the war. How does that make me a highwayman?”

At that moment, as more and more absurd talk drifted in from outside, Geum Cheollyong, the master of Dragonhead Ironworks, appeared.

Geum Cheollyong was a sharp-eyed man whose name and appearance made it immediately obvious that he was the master of an ironworks. The “dragon” and “iron” in Dragonhead Ironworks came from this man’s name.

“What on earth is all this commotion?”

Perhaps even bravado acquired a certain charm when tempered by the years, because he possessed an unmistakable air of his own.

Everyone, including Gwak Yong-gae, slightly bowed their heads toward Geum Cheollyong.

“Big Brother, this young fellow says he’s going to war with the three Jo brothers.”

Geum Cheollyong looked at me.

“War?”

“That’s why he wants to take all these weapons. But he doesn’t have enough money to buy them, so he says he’ll borrow them. What should we do?”

Only then did Geum Cheollyong seem to remember who I was.

“Come to think of it, aren’t you the grandson of the owner of Zaha Inn?”

“Uncle Geum, it’s been a long time.”

Geum Cheollyong sighed and said in a serious tone,

“I was very fond of the gyedo noodles your grandfather made for a long time. Your cooking skills were dreadful. What did you learn from your grandfather? You lack both the touch and the devotion. That’s why I’ve concluded that Zaha Inn is going bankrupt.”

I sighed and folded my arms.

“My grandfather’s gyedo noodles were indeed delicious. I’ll admit that. But I didn’t come here to talk about gyedo noodles today, so let’s keep it reasonable.”

Gwak Yong-gae informed Geum Cheollyong,

“Big Brother, I already brought up the gyedo noodles earlier.”

Geum Cheollyong nodded.

“Good work. By the way, there’s a smell of blood coming from your waist. Have you already gotten into a fight?”

I had no choice but to look at Geum Cheollyong of Dragonhead Ironworks again.

This man had the nose of a bloodhound?

9. What Shall We Call Our Alliance?

I showed Geum Cheollyong the sickle at my waist and said,

“I spilled a little blood at Plum Blossom Pavilion.”

“Good heavens. How many did you kill?”

“No one died.”

Geum Cheollyong tilted his head.

“That’s fortunate. But had you learned martial arts?”

“I learned them. That’s why my noodles tasted the way they did.”

“That is quite persuasive. Come to think of it, your grandfather spent his entire life quietly boiling gaedu noodles. This is strange indeed. If the Jo brothers are doing this because they keep harassing you, I will mediate. Their tyranny is growing worse by the day. If you refuse mediation, I will protect you here. There is no need to make a big issue of it. No matter how much those kept men throw their weight around, as long as this Geum Cheoryong remains in the Dragonhead Forge, they will not be able to do anything to you.”

‘Uncle Geum had this side to him? That’s unexpected. Why did he just stand by in my previous life?’

When I searched my memories, I recalled that even back then—though the timing had been slightly different—Geum Cheoryong had been the first to suffer a setback. In any case, he was a man who tried to keep the words he had spoken.

I smiled at the goodwill Geum Cheoryong was showing me and replied.

“Thank you for your kindness.”

“Think nothing of it.”

For the first time in a long while, I continued in a rather serious tone.

“I intend to establish a sect here in Ilyang County and make a fresh start. It will become a sect with subordinate organizations under its command. The first force to be formed, centered around the men who worked at the pleasure house, will be the Rebirth Gate. Uncle Geum, you should establish a sect in place of the forge and form an alliance with me. Of course, I will be the alliance leader.”

“We are already a forge faction. What do you mean, establish a sect?”

“Gather all the nearby forge factions and establish the Iron Dragon Gate separately. Things cannot continue as they are. If the Jo brothers establish a gang, the amount we have to pay them will only increase. I will establish an allied sect in Ilyang County so that the nearby black-path gangs cannot extort money from this place.”

“And what exactly is an allied sect?”

“The people at the pleasure house will be united under the Rebirth Gate, and the various forges under the Iron Dragon Gate. The builders will form the Construction Gate. After gathering the remaining forces according to their professions, I will take charge of the organization that unites them all. This is not about going around and throwing our weight around.”

Geum Cheoryong listened to me with a solemn expression.

“There will be no tribute payments whatsoever. There will not exactly be a hierarchical relationship, either. Of course, the internal atmosphere will be a complete mess, but that does not matter. All I want is for people not to have the money they earn through their own sweat stolen by the wrong people. We will expand our forces recklessly across the entire Central Plains, beginning as a web of small cells and spreading throughout the martial world. If, because of this alliance, someone ends up harassing errand boys, the weak, and merchants less than before, then my intention will have been fulfilled. It will be an alliance where people from the bottom of society gather and protect the money they struggle to earn each day.”

Geum Cheoryong mulled over my words for quite some time before finally replying.

“The plan is both terribly crude and grandiose. What will the alliance be called?”

I met Geum Cheoryong’s eyes and answered.

“The Hao Gate.”

Geum Cheoryong stared at me for a long while with his arms folded.

“The Hao Gate….”

* * *

The lowly places (下), the very bottom, filth, and dirtiness (汚).

A combination of meanings such as these ultimately refers to the low-status and powerless, and the powerless can be found anywhere. Yet the name Hao Gate contains the character for gate (門), signifying a force, which gives it an appealing twist.

When Geum Cheoryong did not open his mouth, the entire Dragonhead Forge fell silent. After pondering for quite some time, Geum Cheoryong said to me,

“A waiter saying he is going to establish a sect… How fascinating. Are you confident you can survive against the Jo brothers for the time being?”

“You will know when you watch.”

Geum Cheoryong spoke to the vice-master, Yong Gae.

“Give him all the weapons. No charge.”

Gwak Yong-gae asked in astonishment,

“What? Not lend them to him?”

Geum Cheoryong scowled and glared at Gwak Yong-gae.

“What kind of insolence is that toward the sect master? How dare you?”

Gwak Yong-gae hastily lowered his head and replied.

“I apologize.”

Geum Cheoryong’s bluster certainly had a unique quality to it.

Geum Cheoryong spoke to me, still wearing a solemn expression.

“Let us continue our next conversation after you have survived.”

“Very well.”

“Tell me in advance if there is anything I can do to help.”

“The weapons with excessively large hilts will be more than enough.”

“Was that a compliment? Or are you being sarcastic?”

“I was being slightly sarcastic.”

“……”

I stared Geum Cheoryong down for a moment, then packed the weapons into a bundle and left the Dragonhead Forge.

After the man who had received weapons for free disappeared, the following conversation took place inside the Dragonhead Forge.

“Do you think that fellow will still be alive?”

“The waiter had a plan all along. Don’t you think he’ll survive?”

“To think someone who could not even make noodles properly had a plan like this. Amazing.”

“Indeed. As he said, perhaps the noodles tasted so awful because he was devoting himself entirely to martial arts training.”

“That is true. How could that have been called noodles? With business that poor, he was bound to go under soon.”

“Then perhaps the inn’s decline was all part of his plan as well.”

“Should we have charged him something for the weapons? I regret it a little.”

“They were things that would not have sold well anyway. We made far too many.”

Geum Cheoryong smiled with satisfaction.

“Well done. We cleared out our inventory and won the waiter’s favor in the process. It was not a losing deal.”

“Indeed. By the way, did he really call himself the sect master?”

“He has to survive before he can be a sect master. For now, he is still a waiter.”

Suddenly, laughter rang out from the Dragonhead Forge.

“Hahahahaha.”

“Quiet.”

“Yes.”

The laughter truly stopped dead.

Gwak Yong-gae asked Geum Cheoryong,

“Big Brother, what are you thinking about with such a serious expression?”

Geum Cheoryong stroked his chin and replied.

“The Iron Dragon Gate.”

Geum Cheoryong, who had been spreading the wings of his imagination, muttered once more.

“Sect Master of the Iron Dragon Gate, Geum Cheoryong.”

* * *

I placed the weapons I had brought from the Dragonhead Forge and the bloodstained sickle on the table, then tucked the dagger into my waistband.

There was no need to practice with the sword and whip, but I did need to firmly imprint their weight and the sensation of holding them.

After familiarizing myself with the weapons through my hands and eyes, I went into the small side room. Since there was a very high chance that the Jo brothers would come, I did not circulate my qi. Instead, I closed my eyes and focused solely on my breathing.

After about two shichen had passed, I heard someone’s voice from the entrance of the inn.

His voice was thick with exhaustion.

When I went outside, Jo I-gyeol, the second of the three Jo brothers, was sitting in a chair. Behind him stood men wearing black masks, each holding things such as shovels and burlap sacks.

Jo I-gyeol was even more scrawny than I remembered, and his expression was irritable. Before, I had merely disliked making eye contact with him. Now, he looked utterly pathetic.

It seemed he had come late after receiving Cha Seong-tae’s report, and his face was flushed from having drunk quite a lot.

When I came out, Jo I-gyeol ordered his subordinates.

“Dig a pit. Make it deep.”

“Yes, Lord of the House.”

Jo Igyeol drew a dagger from his robes as I approached and stabbed it into the table before speaking.

“Sit.”

Sticking a dagger into the table was a method of fighting that parties involved in a dispute often chose to resolve their differences.

It was a sort of life-and-death duel.

I also drove the Cloud Dragon Dagger into the table before sitting across from him.

The rules of this method for settling disputes were very simple.

If either party seized their dagger during the conversation, the attack and defense began.

Whether they killed or merely wounded each other, it was an agreed-upon duel, a life-and-death contest in which neither family nor comrades could take issue. Quick-handed Jo Igyeol had killed many rivals who had flaunted their strength in Ilyang County this way.

Outside the inn, Jo Igyeol’s men were digging into the ground. Jo Igyeol glared at me before opening his mouth.

“The Black Cat Sect has given its permission.”

“Is that so?”

“Our Ilyang County will finally have a proper gang of its own. It’s been quite some time since the three of us brothers were mocked as third-rate underworld thugs who merely ran brothels, or as kept men. Now we’ll finally be able to hold our heads high wherever we go.”

I kept a cold expression, but deliberately replied politely.

“Congratulations.”

Jo Igyeol nodded and continued.

“Yes. You should congratulate me. On a day when we have such good news, what does it make me when you come to my brothel and cause trouble? It’s fortunate that the people from the Black Cat Sect whom I was entertaining didn’t hear about it. You trash, you even make these noodles taste bad.”

Jo Igyeol pointed toward his men digging the ground.

“What do you think that pit is?”

“My grave?”

Jo Igyeol nodded.

“Good, you know. Before they finish digging that, give me three reasons why I should let you live. You could say you’ll serve as the gatekeeper of the gang that’s about to be formed. Or that you’ll follow me around and change my shoes for me. If you’re willing to do the work of a dog or a horse, I might reconsider. Jaha, we did grow up together in the same neighborhood, so wouldn’t it be too heartless to kill you just because you caused a little trouble?”

I thought to myself.

‘Are you going to kill me or not? Pick one, you bastard.’

But the way Jo Igyeol was carrying on amused me, so I replied in kind.

“It would be heartless.”

Suddenly, Jo Igyeol glanced at the sword and whip lying on the table and spoke.

“What a load of bullshit. Absolute bullshit. Good grief, what a pathetic bastard.”

Jo Igyeol sighed, then called my name again.

“Jaha.”

I sighed as well before answering.

“You’ll wear the name out at this rate. What is it?”

“What is it—? What… is it?”

Jo Igyeol’s entire body became enveloped in killing intent. He was an impatient man. I knew perfectly well what Jo Igyeol was about to do.

I said,

“What is it, you bastard? Speak.”

Jo Igyeol’s dagger flashed free and shot straight toward my throat. Before its tip could touch my Adam’s apple, a metallic sound rang out.

Clang!

The broad side of the Cloud Dragon Dagger I had drawn from the table had precisely blocked Jo Igyeol’s dagger.

I slowly pushed his dagger aside and met Jo Igyeol’s eyes.

“Oh, that startled me. I almost got stabbed.”

Only then did Jo Igyeol look surprised.

“……!”

I drove the Cloud Dragon Dagger back into the table and said,

“Do you have any reason why I should let you live? Give me just one. If I kill you, I’ll have no choice but to kill your older and younger brothers as well. The three of you brothers are an all-or-nothing deal: if one dies, you all die; if one lives, you all live. A dog or a horse? Good grief, where does a cripple who isn’t even worth a fistful of trouble think he gets off acting tough? You kept man, you son of a bitch. Go on, babble some more.”

“……”

Like me, Jo Igyeol drove his dagger back into the table, then folded his arms.

Jo Igyeol spoke with a sour expression.

“Looks like you came across some fortuitous opportunity. Congratulations.”

At that moment, his men, who had been digging, asked Jo Igyeol without the slightest sense of timing,

“Lord of the House, we’re almost finished digging.”

Jo Igyeol answered.

“Dig deeper.”

“Understood.”

Jo Igyeol did not want his men to see how pathetic he looked.

I seized the Cloud Dragon Dagger and said, as if challenging him to block it,

“Shoulder.”

The instant I finished speaking, Jo Igyeol also seized his dagger. But the Cloud Dragon Dagger had already pierced the meat of his shoulder and withdrawn.

Thud!

Blood, escaping along with the dagger to see the outside world, splashed across the table.

Drip, drip, drip…….

Jo Igyeol clutched his dagger, his gaze fixed on his wounded shoulder. Only then did he realize how immense the difference in speed was.

Looking at Jo Igyeol’s paling face, I said,

“Why are you so slow? You lived high and mighty like a nobleman in Ilyang County, so how does it feel to be stabbed by a waiter? What an impressive kept man you are, digging someone else’s grave first whenever a dispute breaks out.”

The men of Ilyang County did not back down over something like this.

Jo Igyeol, his molars clenched tight, pulled out his dagger and stabbed at my shoulder.

This time as well, I could see Jo Igyeol’s technique plainly.

Aiming for the shoulder was a feint; the attack that followed would carry the real killing intent.

I caught Jo Igyeol’s wrist in one swift motion with my left hand and thrust the Cloud Dragon Dagger toward his incoming palm.

Thud!

With his palm pierced through, Jo Igyeol hastily withdrew his hand, his face twisted in pain. This time, a considerable amount of blood spilled across the table.

Then, as though by prior agreement, both our daggers were driven into the table again.

Thud, thud!

Since it was the weakling’s turn to keep his mouth shut, I said,

“Setting my personal feelings aside for now, is there any reason to let you live in Ilyang County? Not to mention human trafficking, there are quite a few acquaintances from my childhood whom you killed on a whim. And a gang? What a load of fucking nonsense. The Black Cat Sect didn’t allow you to form a gang because it wanted tribute?”

“That’s—”

“Shut your mouth. You’ll start extorting money from the merchants under the pretext of protection fees. When the more hot-blooded merchants rise up and fight you, the Black Cat Sect will move in and clean things up. Before that happens, the young men from the ironworks and merchant houses will have fought you in a bloody struggle, killing and being killed. From the Black Cat Sect’s perspective, that gives them perfect justification. After one round of bloodshed, Ilyang County will pay tribute to the Black Cat Sect without so much as a squeak.”

The reason the Black Cat Sect needed justification was that other underworld forces were also eyeing Ilyang County.

Strangely enough, because so many forces coveted it, Ilyang County had become a provisional region excluded from disputes. The ones who maliciously exploited that fact were the three Jo brothers.

Thanks to them, it was the men of Ilyang County who shed the blood, while the Black Cat Sect and the three Jo brothers greedily pocketed the profits.

This is what the future I know looks like.

Jo Igyeol retorted.

“Ilyang County is full of young men with hot blood. Once we establish a gang, we can expand our influence, and then I’ll attack the Black Cat Gang with my brothers.”

“With that pathetic level of skill? How are you going to take responsibility for all the merchants who’ll be ruined before then? And the reason the Black Cat Gang is frightening is because its leader has a special identity. Can you handle that?”

“How did you know that?”

“Sometimes news reaches a waiter’s ears faster than it reaches the Martial Alliance.”

Jo Igyeol extended his bloodstained hand and said,

“…In any case, if that’s true, then we should join forces all the more. I don’t know how or in what way you became stronger, but that doesn’t matter. Jaha, you’ll never be able to face the Black Cat Gang alone.”

I clicked my tongue and pointed toward Jo Igyeol’s men. They were still busily digging into the ground.

I asked,

“What’s that supposed to be?”

“…It was meant as a threat.”

The obvious words slipped from my mouth.

“It’s fine. It’s your grave.”

I smiled as I looked at Jo Igyeol.

10. Me, Exceptionally Considerate

Jo Igyeol spoke as though he were about to reveal a secret.

“The Black Cat Gang Leader is one of those known as the Twelve Divine Generals. Few people know exactly where he ranks among the Twelve Divine Generals. Moreover, they say that above the Twelve Divine Generals is a lunatic master who keeps them all under his thumb.”

Jo Igyeol was blabbering on about something I knew far better than he did.

Jo Igyeol thumped his own chest.

“To lay a hand on me means setting foot in a terrifying world you know nothing ab—”

I drove the Cloud-Dragon Dagger into the hand Jo Igyeol was using to pound his chest.

Thud!

“Urgh…!”

The Cloud-Dragon Dagger pierced through his hand and all the way into his chest. In an even tone, I continued my final conversation with Jo Igyeol.

“You talk too much. You ought to be begging for your life, yet you still have the nerve to threaten me.”

Even then, Jo Igyeol stared at me with an expression of disbelief.

When I pulled out the Cloud-Dragon Dagger, Jo Igyeol plunged his face into his own blood.

Thud…!

Blood that had fallen from the table splattered in every direction. I hinted to the dead Jo Igyeol at the truth that would soon unfold.

“I’m the one who was called the craziest person in that terrifying world.”

I spoke to Jo Igyeol’s men, who were digging into the ground.

“You moles, stop digging.”

Perhaps assuming it was Jo Igyeol’s order, the men stopped and answered,

“Understood.”

“Come in and clean this up.”

The moment three men in black martial uniforms entered, their expressions changed completely.

“Gasp…”

“Huh!”

They had naturally been expecting the waiter’s corpse, so their surprise at finding Jo Igyeol’s corpse waiting for them was understandable.

I looked at the three and said,

“What are you so surprised about? He waved a sword around and died like an idiot.”

When one of them tried to draw his sword, the man beside him stopped him, as if telling him not to. It was an appropriate intervention, since Jo Igyeol’s martial arts had been vastly superior to those of the three.

I said to the man who had tried to draw his sword,

“Why’d you stop halfway? You’re a man, aren’t you? Finish drawing it.”

“No. It was an impulsive action that came out reflexively.”

“Are you stronger than Jo Igyeol?”

“No.”

“If you were stronger, Jo Igyeol would’ve been the one digging. You bastard, why else do you think you were digging the ground? Haven’t you got any sense?”

“I’ll come to my senses.”

“Take off your masks. Let’s see if I recognize any of you.”

When the three removed their masks, their sweat-soaked faces were revealed. I didn’t recognize any of them. They were all inexperienced youngsters who hadn’t even turned twenty.

“I’ve never seen you in Ilyang County. Are you from the Black Cat Gang?”

“We’re not from the Black Cat Gang. We’re from different hometowns. We work at the Ihwaru.”

“Really?”

The fact that they were strangers to me meant little different from saying that they were about to die.

“Really? So you were ordinary men working at the Ihwaru. Jo Igyeol ordered you to bury a corpse today, so you ordinary fools with no thoughts of your own were digging like moles. Are the three of you going to die here, or will you bury the dead man and then return to your respective hometowns?”

One of them answered first.

“If you spare me, I’ll return to my hometown.”

“I have circumstances that prevent me from returning home, but I’ll never go back to the Ihwaru.”

“I won’t even come near this place again if you spare me.”

I nodded.

“Deal with the dead man, then disappear.”

I waved for them to leave, but one of the men asked an unexpected question.

“If you don’t mind my asking, who are you?”

I pondered the intent behind his question for a moment.

“What are you talking about? You’re asking who I am?”

“Yes.”

“I’m a waiter at the Jaha Inn.”

“I don’t think you are.”

He seemed to think that a waiter at an inn couldn’t possibly kill Jo Igyeol.

I told the fellow spouting useless nonsense to wipe the blood off the table and floor, while instructing the other two to move the corpse.

The young man found a rag himself, brought over an empty bucket, and repeatedly wiped up the blood and wrung out the rag.

I asked the man who was wringing blood from the rag,

“Where’s the youngest brothel keeper these days?”

“I haven’t seen him lately.”

“Do you know what the youngest brothel keeper does?”

The man who had been mopping stopped and looked at me.

“Yes, I do.”

“Tell me.”

“He goes fairly far away and abducts young or poor women, then brings them back. You could say he supplies courtesans—or trains them? That sort of thing.”

“What a remarkable villain.”

The man swallowed once before speaking.

“Am I going to die too?”

“You’ll die someday. If you live long enough to meet someone like me.”

“Today?”

“Not today.”

“Thank you. I’ll serve you as my elder brother from now on.”

“I don’t accept idiots like you as younger brothers.”

I meant it sincerely. To make someone my younger brother, he needed to have some outstanding quality, whether in martial arts or anything else.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“Because I’m a cripple.”

I burst out laughing at this utterly unexpected answer. It was because the bastard’s expression had not changed in the slightest.

“Oh, that came out of nowhere.”

I chuckled to myself before saying to the young brat:

“If you’re done cleaning, get lost.”

“By any chance, do you need someone to work in the kitchen? If I don’t go to Ihwaru, I have no idea how I’m going to make a living.”

The young men around here always had making a living as their biggest concern. I tilted my head and asked:

“Can you cook?”

“Yes.”

“Can you make gyedu noodles well, too?”

“Aren’t gyedu noodles the most basic of basics?”

“Hmm.”

I had suddenly become a fellow who couldn’t even manage the basics. I did need a chef, but not right now.

“I do need one, but not right now. If you stay here, the Jo bastards will catch you and kill you.”

“Why?”

I spoke in a serious tone, with a solemn expression.

“That is your fate. The three of you conspired together and buried Jo I-gyeol in the ground, didn’t you?”

“What?”

“What are you three going to do now?”

“No, that’s not—”

“Jo Il-seom is a vicious bastard. He has neither blood nor tears. He’ll probably find you even if you flee to the Demon Cult’s latrine.”

Only then did the young brat’s face turn deathly pale.

“But we only dug a grave.”

“Oh, that was actually your grave.”

“It’s not as though Jo I-gyeol was killed by the three of us.”

“Do you think life in the martial world is that easy? The leader died, and if his underlings did nothing but bury him in the ground, that’s grounds for immediate execution. Go on, leave. Unless you want to die. Take your friends with you.”

“They’re not my friends. In any case, what will you do if those bastards go to Ihwaru and report this?”

I pointed at the weapons laid out on the table.

“What do you think those are?”

“A sword and a whip. There’s also a sickle covered in blood.”

“And what do you think that means?”

“I don’t know.”

“It means the preparations for war are complete, you bastard.”

Only then did the young man look at me as though I were insane.

“Anyway.”

“Yes.”

“If the three of you are so stirred by thoughts of revenge that you can’t sit still, come with the Jo bastards. We’ll have our all-or-nothing showdown then. At that time, I’ll show you the true face of this merciless martial world.”

The aspiring chef replied:

“I’ll have to decline that showdown. By the way, big brother, I’m afraid I introduced myself rather late.”

“Shut up and get lost.”

“Yes.”

Despite being told to get lost, the aspiring chef folded up the rags, returned the cleaning tools to their proper places, and then bowed his head in front of the inn.

“I’ll make you a nice bowl of gyedu noodles next time.”

“Try doing something about your life before it gets completely ruined.”

“Ah, yes, I understand. Then please rest comfortably.”

The aspiring chef began running toward the darkness.

.

.

.

A short while later, once the men who had buried Jo I-gyeol in the pit had also disappeared, Zaha Inn grew quiet again.

A bowl of gyedu noodles would have been just the thing on a night like this.

“Slurp…”

Suddenly, as I gazed into the darkness outside the inn, I spoke:

“Rat?”

* * *

A rat wearing an eyepatch over one eye walked out of the darkness and answered:

“What are you planning to do now?”

I looked at Cha Seong-tae’s eyepatch.

“You said your eye was fine.”

Cha Seong-tae pointed at his eyepatch.

“It’s psychological warfare.”

“Not just for show?”

“It’s part of a stratagem. I reported that one of my eyes had been injured, then slipped away to where there was a physician and observed the situation. If I hadn’t, I’d probably have been digging a hole here too. I’m a quick-witted and useful fellow. Do you understand?”

“Splendid.”

“Thank you. I had no choice if I wanted to survive. In any case, what will you do from here? Will you attack Jo Il-seom as things stand? Or will you wait here?”

“Did you deliver my message clearly?”

“Which message was that? I’m afraid I didn’t hear you properly.”

“I believe I said I’d spare him if he came under my command, but Jo I-gyeol came looking for me with a sword.”

“Indeed.”

“He even had his underlings boldly dig his own grave for him. The result is what you see. Will Jo Il-seom be any different?”

“Isn’t Jo Il-seom the most underhanded of them all? Just look at how he leaves the abuse to the youngest and the sword work to the second eldest. He’s the sort of bastard who would hide after sensing something amiss, then report everything to the Black Cat Gang. When it comes to treachery, he’s number one in Ilyang County. He didn’t take possession of three pleasure houses and live high on the hog for no reason. Jo Il-seom is the worst bastard in Ilyang County.”

“Seong-tae.”

“Yes.”

I gazed at the darkened street and said:

“Go buy some sweet-and-sour carp.”

“Why?”

“There’s liquor, but no drinking snacks.”

“All of a sudden? We were talking about Jo Il-seom…”

“Consider him dead.”

“But he’s still alive.”

“Once someone falls out of favor with me, he’s a corpse. Do you think Jo Il-seom will be any different? If we leave him like this, only Ilyang County will wither away. He needs to die.”

He was the sort of bastard who made the youngest engage in human trafficking and the second eldest instigate murder, so I intended to kill him outright. In the long run, they were also the sort who would hand Ilyang County over to the Black Cat Gang in its entirety.

Cha Seong-tae asked with a bewildered expression:

“There aren’t any drinking snacks at the inn? What a strange inn. Give me some money and I’ll go get them.”

I shook my head.

“I don’t have any.”

Cha Seong-tae turned away with a sour expression and let out a short sigh.

“What does Zaha Inn have, then?”

“Nothing. I used the leftover side dishes to make bibimbap and ate them.”

“It used to be famous as a gyedu-noodle specialty restaurant. How did it fall this far? What an ugly decline. Sweet-and-sour carp, and what else?”

There was a little more bite in his tone. Well, it must have been displeasing for someone who had once been the manager of Maehwaru to be running errands for an inn attendant.

Out of respect for Cha Seong-tae, I replied:

“Tangchoricheok will do for me. Buy the rest as snacks you like. Buy plenty. If there’s any left, we can eat it tomorrow too.”

What consideration. I was floored.

“I’ll buy plenty.”

The moment I saw Cha Seongtae trudging away with a grumble, I spoke in a chilly tone.

“Seongtae.”

“What?”

“Are you walking? Going for a stroll? Crawling? Is a turtle going?”

“Damn it!”

Cha Seongtae swallowed his curse and ran off somewhere.

‘That fucking bastard.’

Cha Seongtae’s face ripened bright red. He had never imagined that, after being born into this world, he would end up running errands for a waiter.

I called out to Cha Seongtae as he disappeared into the darkness.

“……Are you going on tiptoe?”

In the darkness, half a curse—“Damn it”—broke the silence.

11. Are You Guan Yu?

With the table piled high with drinking snacks he had brought back, I said,

“Eat plenty. You bought it with your precious money, after all. Money you earned by making young women work. Isn’t that right? Ah, no. You bought it with the precious money you made by passing off third-grade Dukang wine as first-grade Dukang wine. Our Plum Blossom Pavilion manager should eat his fill.”

“Yes, yes. I’m already eating plenty.”

“There’s no poison in the food, is there?”

“You’re eating it with me, aren’t you? Are you some kind of paranoid?”

“I see.”

We had already emptied two jars of wine with the snacks Cha Seongtae had bought. I could hold my liquor well, but Cha Seongtae was also the type who put it away easily.

We devoured the food and wine as though assaulting them, in an intensely violent mood. Cha Seongtae’s pride had been wounded, so the liquor went down smoothly, while I ate excessively because I was far too thin at the moment.

If I gained weight, I could simply train my external arts. Since I had a perfect solution, I ate like a pig. Once I finished dealing with the matters that needed urgent attention, I intended to devote myself to martial arts training.

Cha Seongtae picked up a snack and said,

“I’m worried about what the Black Cat Gang will do if Jo Igyeol dies and Jo Ilseom dies as well.”

“If you’re worried, train your martial arts. You bastard, all you ever do is say with your mouth, ‘I’m worried. I’m concerned. What should we do about this? What should we do about that?’ Stop spewing that shit. Did you store all your worries in your dantian? How can you have so many worries, you useless idiot?”

Cha Seongtae had a temper too. As I kept needling him, his expression began to change, and he answered like a young man going astray.

“Who the fuck are you? You’re not Jaha, you bastard. Take off that human-skin mask.”

As one of my hands rose, Cha Seongtae hurriedly changed his tone.

“Anyway, I understand. If we get into trouble with this damn Black Cat Gang, we can just kill every last one of them, right? I’ll train even harder, too.”

“Can you handle it with your skill?”

“Then can our Jaha handle it?”

At the words “our Jaha,” a smile naturally spread across my face.

Was it because I was still in my time as a waiter?

Cha Seongtae’s attitude made me newly realize my situation.

Being looked down on because I was a waiter was certainly an advantage, but I needed to raise my level in the Golden Tortoise Carefree Technique quickly.

Only then would the advantage of being easily underestimated by everyone shine all the more brightly.

As we drank, I said to Cha Seongtae,

“I’ll finish this, go kill Jo Ilseom, and come back. If a bastard has to die anyway, I should deal with him quickly.”

“……Are you Guan Yu? All of a sudden, while drinking?”

Even though he had drunk a great deal, Cha Seongtae stared at me with a startled expression.

“The problem is Jo Sampyeong, the youngest, who wanders around outside. Where are we supposed to find him?”

“He should be back soon.”

“If he comes back, can you deal with him? You’re completely worthless trash.”

Cha Seongtae answered with an irritated expression.

“I’m Cha Seongtae.”

“So what?”

“I can handle the youngest with my own ability. Though with my eye injured, it might be somewhat difficult.”

“Make up your mind, you bastard. Can you handle him or can’t you? You’re making it confusing.”

“I’ll bide my time and make the most of the art of surprise. Haven’t you heard of Cha Seongtae, the ambusher? My sobriquet is the Ambush Commander.”

“The Ambush Commander.”

It was the first time I had ever heard such a childish sobriquet.

Cha Seongtae had thrown it out to make me laugh, but I saw no reason to humor him.

“I need time to train too if I’m going to deal with the Black Cat Gang. I’m asking because I want to know whether you can take control of the rest after I kill Jo Ilseom. Can you manage the three pleasure houses?”

“What do you mean by manage?”

My eyes gleamed.

“Normally.”

“What do you mean by normally?”

“There are people making their living in those pleasure houses, so getting rid of them is impossible. Pay the workers exactly what they’re owed. Don’t cheat people by charging them first-grade prices and serving them third-grade wine. Take care of anyone who happens to be ill. If anyone wants to return to their hometown, send them home. That’s what normal management would be.”

I was a perfectly normal person like this.

Cha Seongtae’s reaction, however, was negative.

“That sounds awfully difficult.”

“You have to do it even if it’s difficult.”

“Why?”

“Because it’ll be better than our Ambush Commander being ambushed by my hand.”

I pointed at Cha Seongtae’s eyepatch with my finger.

“If this place is still a complete mess after you take charge, I’ll ambush you first and send you to join the Jo brothers.”

Cha Seongtae set down his chopsticks and said,

“Ah, this is too damn filthy to keep doing. No, fuck this. You say you’ll kill me at the drop of a hat. I’m going to retire and disappear into the mountains.”

“Do whatever you want.”

“Hmm.”

I dangled some bait in front of Cha Seongtae.

“Anyway, if you manage things well, you’ll get to run three pleasure houses. But if you have no ambition and such a small capacity, go find a cave in some mountain village and live there meditating. Eat mountain greens. And whenever possible, don’t crawl out of that cave.”

“Why?”

“Because if you go up looking for a spiritual elixir and run into me, I’ll kill you. Got it? If you’re going to run away, live deep in the mountains, drinking from some little spring.”

After finishing the last of the wine, I stood up and took off my clothes.

Cha Seongtae asked with a bewildered expression,

“What are you doing?”

“Take off your clothes, you bastard. I’m changing.”

“What kind of highway robber bastard is this…….”

As Cha Seongtae took off his clothes, he continued speaking.

“I mean Jo Ilseom. That highway-robber bastard. Put on my clothes and go kill him. He’s at the Pear Blossom Pavilion. If you go into the Pear Blossom Pavilion wearing those beggar’s rags, you’ll stand out too much, won’t you? Changing clothes really is the best option.”

I pulled on Cha Seongtae’s clothes and said,

“Give me that changshan too.”

“This is a rather expensive garment. It’s the outfit I treasure and wear when I go out.”

As soon as I seized the whip from the table, Cha Seongtae quickly handed over the changshan.

“Wear it nicely.”

After changing into Cha Seongtae’s clothes—the man usually dressed quite well—I wrapped the dragon whip around my waist. After winding it around three times, the dragon whip became a belt just like that. Since I was wearing a changshan over it, it didn’t look like a weapon.

With both arms spread wide, I asked Cha Seongtae,

“How do I look?”

“Oh my, you look splendid. You give off this certain feeling—like you’re a waiter, but not quite a waiter. Now that I see you, you really are a handsome fellow. It was just that our waiter at the Zaha Inn dressed like a beggar from the Beggars’ Sect, so he looked like a beggar. Wow, clothes really do make the man! Why, you look just like a celestial maiden’s wings….”

I smacked Cha Seongtae on the head.

“Enough.”

“Yes.”

“Give this bastard the slightest bit of leeway and sarcasm just comes out like a habit. Have you attained enlightenment in earning beatings?”

“Let’s stop hitting me.”

Hearing that made me want to hit him again. It was only natural.

I hit him again.

Only then did Cha Seongtae speak in a repentant tone.

“I’ll be careful. But can you really go alone and kill Jo Ilseom? He’ll have a lot of subordinates.”

“Why would I kill his subordinates? If possible, I should kill only Jo Ilseom. They’re all people from the neighborhood. Well, if they die while fighting, it can’t be helped.”

As I left the inn and headed for Ihwaru, Cha Seongtae said in a startled tone,

“No, at least sober up a little before you go.”

“I smell of alcohol, I’m dressed well, and I have no money. It’s the perfect day to visit a pleasure house.”

‘You have no money, so why are you going to a pleasure house, you lunatic?’

Cha Seongtae swallowed those words, thinking that if he said them aloud, the waiter might return. When the waiter disappeared into the darkening street, Cha Seongtae muttered in a small voice,

“Good luck. You bastard, Yi Zaha.”

All of a sudden, Cha Seongtae, left alone in the Zaha Inn, drank a cup of liquor and looked around the place. What was this ominous feeling that he had somehow become a waiter? Being struck on the head for a slip of the tongue was one thing, but he was even dressed like a waiter.

“Once again, I learn something today.”

Cha Seongtae rose to return to Maehwalu, then sat back down.

He couldn’t go back like this. It was too humiliating.

Suddenly, Cha Seongtae clutched his forehead.

Come to think of it, the money pouch containing the cash he had stashed away was in the inner pocket of the changshan.

“Damn it.”

* * *

I arrived at Ihwaru’s main gate and glared at the gatekeeper. The gatekeeper’s gaze swept up and down my body before meeting my eyes. When I deliberately narrowed my brows and glared at him, the gatekeeper lowered his gaze and said,

“Welcome.”

The gatekeeper couldn’t help but feel intimidated. I was dressed rather splendidly, with even a sword hanging at my waist.

Rather than enter Ihwaru immediately, I spoke in an irritated tone.

“Is Pavilion Master Jo Ilseom inside?”

Only then did the thoroughly startled gatekeeper bow his head and say,

“He is. Where have you come from?”

“I’m Yi Zaha, a messenger from the Black Cat Society. Take me to Jo Ilseom.”

“Yi Zaha?”

Just as the gatekeeper raised his head to look me in the eye, my hand flew toward his cheek.

“Take me there, you bastard. I’m busy. Don’t stand there spouting nonsense.”

“I’m sorry.”

The gatekeeper, having been slapped across the face, turned around and opened the door. Then he grabbed a guide and whispered,

“He’s from the Black Cat Society. Take him to the Pavilion Master.”

I deliberately looked at everyone I passed with eyes that seemed ready to beat them to death. Combined with the fact that I had come from the Black Cat Society, this made most people avoid my gaze. All they could see was the area below my chest, where they would spot a fairly expensive-looking changshan and a sword with a dragon-head ornament.

As I’ve said before, the hilt ornament on the Dragon-Head Iron Sword is extremely ostentatious. By ostentatious, I mean that at a glance, it had the effect of looking expensive.

“I’ll inform the Pavilion Master. Please wait a moment.”

“Tell him to come out quickly. Before I set this place on fire.”

“Yes.”

Following the guide to the very top of Ihwaru, I came upon a spacious banquet hall. Beyond it stood an excessively grand throne-like chair, the sort of seat that might belong to the leader of a sect or the head of a great family.

‘He’s dying to establish his own organization.’

After looking around the banquet hall, I spoke to the maids waiting nearby.

“I have something to discuss with the Pavilion Master in private, so don’t loiter around. Leave.”

“Understood.”

As soon as the maids disappeared, I sat in the throne-like chair and waited for Jo Ilseom.

Back when I was a waiter, Jo Ilseom was someone I had never spoken to alone, and whenever we happened to pass each other, I couldn’t even look him properly in the eye.

Now, sitting in the throne-like chair and waiting for Jo Ilseom, I felt a peculiar sense of emotion.

‘I remember him being massive.’

There were men who were naturally broad-boned and so large that they overwhelmed most ordinary men. Jo Ilseom had been one of them.

After a while, I heard footsteps. Jo Ilseom appeared with an unpleasant expression, straightening his clothes as he came. Strangely, the Jo Ilseom I was seeing again after so long was much smaller than I remembered.

Jo Ilseom examined me and said,

“I don’t believe we’ve met before.”

The fact that I had come at this late hour without warning, that I was sitting in the throne-like chair, and that I was glaring at him without rising even after he arrived—all of it left Jo Ilseom flustered.

My first words were these:

“Jo Ilseom.”

“Yes.”

“You ugly-faced, greasy, violent pig bastard. Long time no see.”

“Heh, heh heh heh heh….”

Jo Ilseom cocked his head and walked off in some direction.

“Let us begin with introductions. What an insulting thing to say right off the bat. Ah, please excuse me. I had to rush out.”

As he spoke, Jo Ilseom seized the sword hanging on the wall and turned around. He was a man whose caution had become second nature.

“As you know, I am Jo Ilseom. I apologize for the late introduction.”

Jo Ilseom looked at me as though expecting me to introduce myself. Curious about his reaction, I introduced myself like this:

“I am Baekyu (白酉).”

“Baekyu? If I may ask, what is your position in the Black Cat Society?”

I smiled faintly.

“Who told you I was from the Black Cat Society?”

“That was the report I received.”

I had introduced myself this way because I was curious about Jo Ilseom’s reaction to the Twelve Divine Generals.

“Listen carefully. I am Baekyu of the Twelve Divine Generals.”

“What?”

Jo Ilseom’s eyes widened, and he awkwardly dropped to one knee.

“Jo Ilseom pays his respects to Lord Baekyu of the Twelve Divine Generals.”

Wow, that actually worked?

I had just thrown the words out there, but Jo Ilseom had knelt down.

Even around here, it seemed the Twelve Divine Generals were truly feared.

12. Didn’t someone die for failing to clean?

The Twelve Divine Generals each differed in the level of their martial arts, but in any case, they stood on equal footing with the Black Cat Gang Leader.

Jo Ilseom could not even raise his head.

‘Why would one of the Twelve Divine Generals come here of all places…….’

The moment he heard the name Baekyu, it was only proper that he greet him as he would the Black Cat Gang Leader. Baekyu in particular was an exceedingly troublesome opponent for Jo Ilseom. Since Jo Ilseom had recently been clinging to Heukmyo (黑卯, the Black Rabbit) of the Twelve Divine Generals, Baekyu, who had the worst relationship with Heukmyo, could naturally have taken offense. The problem was that, despite knowing all this, Jo Ilseom had never personally met Baekyu because of his low position in the hierarchy.

Jo Ilseom’s thoughts grew complicated.

“……Have you come because there is something you wish to command me to do?”

“There is.”

“Please, give me your orders.”

“Kill yourself.”

Jo Ilseom clenched his teeth and did not answer. No matter that the other party was one of the Twelve Divine Generals, who would accept an order like that?

Jo Ilseom spoke.

“If you just say something like that out of nowhere……”

“I’m joking.”

“Oh.”

I gave a faint smile and continued.

“The Twelve Divine Generals was a lie, actually. I’m from Ilyang County. Boss, why are you so easy to fool?”

Jo Ilseom lifted his head, and his expression changed in an instant.

“From Ilyang County?”

At the words “from Ilyang County,” the tension drained from Jo Ilseom, only to be replaced by a rising tide of fury.

I held Jo Ilseom’s gaze steadily and spoke.

“Seems it’s a little hazy. Come closer and take a look. It’s me.”

Jo Ilseom approached with his hand on his sword, carefully examining my face.

His ever-changing expression was truly something to behold. At first, an emotion that said “No way” flickered across his face, followed immediately by fury that covered it in an instant.

Jo Ilseom slowly drew his sword and said,

“Are you that fucking errand boy from Zaha Inn?”

I answered with a smile.

“You’ve got a good memory. Did you happen to stop by and eat a bowl of lousy noodles? How did the chicken-head noodles taste, Lord Jo Ilseom?”

Only then did an ominous thought cross Jo Ilseom’s mind.

“My younger brother?”

“What about your younger brother?”

“He went out saying he was going to kill you. What happened to him?”

I spoke with a stiff expression.

“He came by.”

“Tell me.”

“He didn’t come for noodles. He was spouting something or other, but I don’t remember it very well. Ah, now I remember. He suddenly started digging his own grave, putting on quite a show. I have no idea why your younger brother came to Zaha Inn and dug his own grave. If you’re curious, go to the underworld and ask him yourself. Don’t ask me.”

The moment enraged Jo Ilseom closed the distance, he thrust his sword at my face. It was a steady thrust, as though he had already prepared for a counterattack.

I drew my sword and knocked Jo Ilseom’s blade aside.

With a clang, sparks burst forth.

When the two swords collided, the information of the “fight” was transmitted through each of our arms.

Muscle and inner power, speed and the strength of the swords—everything.

Jo Ilseom was a swordsman in his late thirties who had wielded a sword for roughly twenty years.

Since he had never formally learned martial arts, he used a practical sword technique honed by killing people himself.

It was a sword technique with clearly defined limits. To my eyes, it looked like a combination of external techniques and crude inner power. But he had killed quite a number of people, so the killing intent he gave off was sufficiently vicious.

Even so, judged by the standards of the vast martial world, my assessment was that it was a third-rate sword technique.

What was more, even though I had only entered the first stage of the Golden Tortoise Leisurely Art—the Wooden Rooster Stage—my pure inner power was far deeper than Jo Ilseom’s. From the start, the inner power residing in my dantian, built upon the Heavenly Prison, was fundamentally different from his. As for fighting ability, experience, and handling offense and defense, there was no comparison.

“You should have killed yourself.”

I launched a counterattack with an impassive expression.

As the two swords clashed in the spacious banquet hall, Jo Ilseom and I repeatedly closed the distance between us and pulled apart again.

With every passing moment, Jo Ilseom’s expression grew darker.

Confusion over when I had learned such swordsmanship, together with the instincts based on the “information” he had received, warned him to run at once. It was a bewildering moment, because there should have been no possibility of an inn’s errand boy matching him like this.

When Jo Ilseom was forced back by my inner power and widened the distance, I threw away the sword in my hand without hesitation, like a stone.

Whoosh!

Just as the startled Jo Ilseom barely managed to knock away the sword flying fiercely toward him, I sent the whip I had pulled loose from my waist snapping out, wrapping it around the hilt of his sword.

When I infused the arm holding the whip with the power of the Wooden Rooster Stage, Jo Ilseom was dragged toward me like a pig being led to the slaughterhouse.

At that moment, Jo Ilseom chose to flee. The instant he released his sword, he spun around and used his light-body technique toward the entrance.

But my whip, flying after him once more, was faster than he was.

As I wrapped the whip around Jo Ilseom’s waist and pulled, I spun my body, shortening the length of the whip.

As the distance vanished in an instant, Jo Ilseom turned around and thrust both palms at me.

At that moment, I struck at his twin palms with the technique of the Wooden Rooster Finger.

Depending on whose inner power was higher, either my fingers would break or my attack would pierce through Jo Ilseom’s palm force and inflict internal injuries upon him.

As expected, the sound of flesh being pierced erupted at once. Jo Ilseom staggered backward repeatedly and spat out black blood.

He spoke with an expression of utter disbelief.

“How can you possibly…….”

“You mean, how did I learn martial arts?”

I once again infused the whip with the power of the Golden Tortoise Leisurely Art and swung it. Jo Ilseom, injured internally, flailed both hands wildly in resistance, but there was no effective way to block the incoming whip.

Every time the whip moved, red lines were carved across Jo Ilseom’s body.

Even as he was beaten, Jo Ilseom roared.

“Zaha! You fucking Zaha! Wait a damn minute!”

I wrapped the whip around Jo Ilseom’s neck, pulled him toward me, and poured the Wooden Rooster Palm Force into his forehead.

A thud! was followed by the sound of his neck bones breaking.

As Jo Ilseom’s heavy body crumpled to the floor, the entirety of Ihwaru lurched once.

Thud!

Jo Ilseom’s death left me unmoved.

After confirming that Jo Ilseom had died instantly, I picked up the Black Dragon Sword. Jo Ilseom’s guards had already crowded into the corridor, but they could not recklessly enter.

Holding the sword and whip, I spoke toward the door.

“Open the door.”

With a rattling sound, the door opened, revealing martial artists waiting with broad sabers in hand, enveloped in killing intent.

The reason they had not entered was simple.

According to the report, Jo Ilseom had fought with an expert from the Black Cat Gang.

Even to them, it was difficult to tell whose side they ought to take.

When a decision was difficult, people naturally became a little more concerned with their own safety.

Although Boss Jo Ilseom looked frightening at the moment, they knew very well that all three of those fearsome Jo brothers had been inviting experts from the Black Cat Gang and entertaining them day after day.

They were nothing more than a disorderly rabble from the neighborhood, not even people who had been confined within the boundaries of a gang.

I had no trouble reading their thoughts.

When I glared at a few of them, they all avoided my gaze.

I declared that the reason for the killing was an order from the Black Cat Gang.

“The gang leader has changed his mind, so the establishment of a gang in Ilyang County has been put on hold. We used that Jo bastard as an example. If you recklessly demand the establishment of a gang again, know that you’ll all end up like him. Move aside. Unless you want to die.”

The people filling the corridor pressed themselves against the walls on either side, opening a path.

Some went to the entrance and examined Jo Ilseom, who had become a corpse.

I walked down the corridor and delivered my next order.

“For the time being, report everything that happens in the brothels to Cha Seongtae of the Plum Blossom Pavilion.”

When I reached the end of the corridor and looked back, meek answers trickled out from here and there.

“Understood.”

“Hold the funeral as simply as possible. He made money like a miser by grinding the poor lives of people in three brothels, so he should have more than enough traveling money for the afterlife.”

The moment I turned away, someone said,

“Aren’t you the waiter from the Zaha Inn?”

He spoke each word distinctly, as if he wanted his companions to hear.

“……!”

Silence was followed by murmuring.

I stood still, while the martial artists holding broad sabers gradually raised their heads and glared at my back.

“The waiter from the Zaha Inn? Is that really true?”

“I’m certain. His clothes are the only thing that’s changed. I know him well because I saw him often.”

It seemed someone had recognized me.

I cracked my neck from side to side before turning around. Now they were all looking at my face and eyes.

I looked at them and grinned.

“That’s right. What are you going to do about it? Does hearing that I’m a waiter suddenly fill you with courage? Anyone who wants to die, step forward.”

As expected, no one came forward.

“Anyone who wants to follow Jo Ilseom all the way to the afterlife and lick his insteps, come on out. I’ll kill you. If you tell him you followed him so you could obey him like a dog even in the afterlife, those Jo bastards will dote on you like a dog. You sons of bitches. No one?”

There were more than thirty people lined up in the corridor. Even so, not a single one had the courage to step forward.

I asked again, leaving myself completely undefended.

“The mongrels who’ve lost their master are tucking their tails between their legs.”

If they had possessed the courage to take revenge, they would never have made a living clinging to a brothel in the first place.

Someone asked,

“Why did you suddenly kill Boss Jo Ilseom?”

“Why?”

I had no need to make excuses to them.

“Why don’t you ask Jo Ilseom about that? Anyone who’s curious can come find me anytime. I’m not going anywhere.”

I turned around, but no one moved.

Even if they attacked me from behind, an ambush by men inferior even to the three Jo brothers could never work.

* * *

When I returned, Cha Seongtae hiccupped in surprise, his eyes wide as though he had seen a ghost.

“Huh? What about Jo Ilseom?”

“He ascended to heaven.”

“You’re lying!”

Drunk, Cha Seongtae sprang to his feet and immediately began running toward the Plum Blossom Pavilion.

It was astonishing news to Cha Seongtae.

By the time I had sat back down, eaten some thoroughly cooled-off drinking snacks, and reached my seventh cup of liquor, Cha Seongtae arrived, panting heavily, and shook his head back and forth.

“It’s chaos. What a mess. Jo Ilseom is dead! Jo Ilseom!”

“Are you drunk?”

“Ah, running all of a sudden made the alcohol rush to my head.”

Cha Seongtae sat down and continued speaking.

“But they say no one else died. How did you kill only Jo Ilseom?”

I pointed at Cha Seongtae with my finger and said,

“Manage the three brothels properly.”

“There are a few fellows who don’t seem likely to listen, but understood anyway. Leave something like that to me.”

There had been two other men on equal footing with Cha Seongtae, and Cha Seongtae had always believed himself stronger than them. In the blink of an eye, the bosses of the Plum Blossom Pavilion and the Pear Blossom Pavilion had died, leaving only the youngest, the boss of the Flower Pavilion and supplier of courtesans.

Cha Seongtae asked,

“What will you do now?”

“I have to kill the human trafficker too.”

“I’ll let you know right away.”

Until then, I naturally planned to train, but there was no need to tell Cha Seongtae that. I could train at the Zaha Inn, or leave for a while and enter a quiet mountain.

What I needed now was not training in weapon arts such as swordsmanship. What mattered most was an internal cultivation method that would let me draw upon and use the forces stored in my dantian.

I planned to quietly observe Ilyang County’s condition for several days before deciding whether to go into brief seclusion or continue training here.

Looking at the dining table that had been turned into a complete mess, I said,

“Clean this up before you go.”

Cha Seongtae was about to say something, but closed his mouth. If he said he didn’t want to, it was obvious he would be beaten on the spot.

Instead, having come up with a good idea, Cha Seongtae spoke cautiously.

“I’ll send over some fellows famous for cleaning. They’re among the top three cleaners in Ilyang County. They can even pull out the weeds clinging to that wall and dust everything off. What’s with this floor? The kitchen’s a disaster too, isn’t it? No wonder business was bad. I’ll send them right away, so please wait here.”

“Have you ever heard of anyone dying because they didn’t clean?”

“There was a story like that?”

“It’s a ghost story passed down only in Ilyang County.”

“There was such a ghost story? I’ve absolutely never heard of it. I’ll clean up the table myself before I go. Why don’t you just stay at the Plum Blossom Pavilion instead? The bed there is more comfortable than here, and there are guards too……”

Without answering, I entered the small side room and sat cross-legged.

Cha Seongtae sighed, then looked around for a rag.

‘This fucking bastard. He’s making Cha Seongtae clean? Hah.’

Cha Seongtae had no choice but to mop.

13. An unbearable smell filled the air.

The Geumgu Soyo Technique I was learning was a martial art created by the expert Giseongja. Originally, it was a bizarre martial art that had begun as a method for training fighting roosters.

Giseongja was indeed a master of exceptional skill, but like the sages of old, he was not the sort of man who traveled the jianghu flaunting his abilities as though eager to show them off.

This was because most masters of the Daoist schools had learned martial arts not to harm others, but in pursuit of their own longevity and immortality. In any case, Giseongja was a master who did not cower even before the Former King of Zhou, yet there were few successors who properly mastered the Golden Tortoise Carefree Art he left behind.

That was because achieving great mastery was exceedingly difficult.

Because the ultimate goal of the Golden Tortoise Carefree Art was longevity and immortality.

To put it in the narrow terms of jianghu martial artists, it was the realm of invulnerability to blades and swords. In other words, the meaning of the art was that a tortoise impervious to blades and swords roamed the world freely.

The Golden Tortoise Carefree Art consisted of five stages in total.

Wooden Rooster (木鷄, a rooster of wood).

Flame Rooster (炎鷄, a rooster that breathes fire).

Fighting Rooster (鬪鷄, a rooster that fights).

Transcendent Rooster (超鷄, a rooster that transcends).

Golden Tortoise (金龜, a tortoise of steel).

Each stage contained one secret technique, while more specifically, there were palm and saber arts as well. Since I had not lost my memories, all I had to do was focus on the core cultivation method, which was divided according to the levels of internal energy.

I had been bewildered when I first learned of this classification.

Why did a rooster, upon attaining enlightenment, transcend its own limitations and become a steel tortoise—the Golden Tortoise…?

I had heard that Giseongja’s original hobby was raising fighting roosters, so perhaps he had considered jianghu martial artists and fighting roosters to be much the same.

Just as I thought of jianghu martial artists as mad monkeys.

In any case, mad monkeys and fighting roosters were much the same from my perspective, so I liked this classification.

Since the Wooden Rooster stage considered focusing on completely mastering the mind’s stillness, or the Unmoving Heart, to be its core, I had also made active use of it when resolving my qi deviation.

Starting from the second stage, the Flame Rooster, infusing internal energy caused the hands or weapons alike to become engulfed in heat.

That was because the Golden Tortoise Carefree Art was, by nature, a martial art based on extremely yang internal energy.

In fact, I had begun to earn notoriety from the moment I broke through the Flame Rooster stage, and when I reached the Fighting Rooster stage, I had acquired skills worthy of being called a master.

To describe my exact level of skill, I had broken through the Transcendent Rooster stage, but had returned to the past after causing a great deal of trouble in the jianghu without ever conquering the Golden Tortoise realm. That was my personal history in the jianghu.

The Transcendent Rooster stage was a realm in which one could breathe freely, roam without restraint, and fight not according to the laws, but by freely transforming those laws at will.

I had always worked tirelessly to ascend to the final stage, the Golden Tortoise realm. Yet, just as it made no sense for swords and spears not to pierce an ordinary human body, reaching the Golden Tortoise stage was a truly arduous and tedious process.

But this time was different.

It was only a premonition, but I had an exceptionally good feeling about it.

I had merely repeated the circulation of the first stage a dozen or so times in the cramped room, yet my level in the Wooden Rooster stage was rising at an astonishing speed.

Given enough time, I had the momentum and speed to enter the Flame Rooster stage in no time.

I remained shut inside the cramped room, repeating the circulation mercilessly, until I opened my eyes.

It was dawn again before I knew it.

The area around the Zaha Guesthouse felt utterly quiet.

Once true qi began circulating through every part of the meridians, the five senses became even more acute. Relying on those senses, I checked whether there were any signs of people nearby or anyone’s breathing, then entered a light-sleep state to rest.

There were still enemies left here, so I had no intention of sleeping comfortably for the time being.

As I lay with my eyes closed in a light sleep, the powerful figures from my previous life began surfacing in no particular order.

Even those who had been active before I grew strong…

As I thought of them, I felt the corners of my mouth rise of their own accord.

I intended to help those who had shown me even the slightest kindness, and to mercilessly trample my obvious enemies.

To do that, I had no choice but to keep skipping meals and holding in my shit, sitting in meditation until I was sick of it, just as I was now.

Internal energy only blooms through the hours of patience spent enduring day after day while holding in one’s shit.

The metaphor was strange, but that was genuinely how it was.

* * *

After resting in a light sleep, I opened my eyes at noon and immediately felt hungry.

The side dishes I had bought yesterday had been thoroughly polished off by Cha Seongtae the previous night.

Perhaps because my stomach was empty, I suddenly thought of the gukbap at my regular haunt, Chunyang Banjeom.

‘I should have a bowl of gukbap.’

When I casually searched the inside of Cha Seongtae’s long robe, I unexpectedly found a heavy money pouch. Judging by its unfamiliar shape, it was clearly not mine, but Cha Seongtae’s.

‘How lucky.’

After roughly wiping the sleep from my eyes and washing my face, I headed toward Chunyang Banjeom, taking a fresh look around the neighborhood.

Despite Jo Ilseom and Jo Igyeol having ascended the previous night, Ilyang County was quiet and peaceful, as though nothing had happened.

However, the rumor that I had killed Jo Ilseom had spread throughout the neighborhood overnight, so whenever I appeared, the locals opened their eyes wide as though they had seen a ghost. Not a single person offered an ordinary greeting; they simply kept their mouths shut.

When I entered Chunyang Banjeom, its owner, Jang Deuksu, was startled the moment he saw me.

“Oh, you’re here?”

“Deuksu hyung, gukbap.”

“Ah, sure. Sit over there.”

A little while later, an enormous bowl of gukbap arrived, filled to the brim. Made with various miscellaneous cuts of meat, several kinds of thinly sliced vegetables, and spicy seasoning, the dish was simply called Chunyang gukbap.

I had not tasted gukbap like this since leaving Ilyang County.

That was because it was not a dish from the Central Plains, but merely rice mixed into the noodles commonly enjoyed in the Baiyue region, where the Yue people lived together.

I was not putting on airs, but as I ate the gukbap that could only be found at Chunyang Banjeom in Ilyang County, I nearly shed a tear.

Because Jang Deuksu was watching me, I said,

“Maybe it’s because it’s a little spicy today, but my eyes are watering.”

“Oh, really? I added a bit more seasoning. Was it too much?”

“It’s perfect.”

Jang Deuksu grinned.

It was certainly spicier, warmer, and more delicious than I remembered.

As I filled my stomach with gukbap, Jang Deuksu asked in a whisper,

“…But I heard you killed that Jo bastard? Is it true?”

“I did.”

Jang Deuksu spoke as though he could hardly believe it.

“How in the world did you kill him? Jo Ilseom was the strongest around here, at least.”

“How else would I have killed him? The weakling died while waving a knife around.”

Jang Deuksu and I chuckled together.

“What about Jo Igyeol?”

“That bastard came to the guesthouse intending to kill me, but he ended up in the grave he had ordered his men to dig.”

“That damned bastard. He went around killing people in the dead of night, and look how he ended up. Serves him right. When Jo Sampyeong comes back, I’ll make sure to contact him. I should warn the owners of the other shops in advance, too. How dare those scum traffic people in such a peaceful neighborhood? You did well to kill him. Want some more rice?”

“I’m good.”

When I took the price of a bowl of gukbap from Cha Seongtae’s money pouch and set it down, a look of puzzlement crossed Jang Deuksu’s face.

“What’s this? You’ve been stuffing your face for free every day.”

“When have I been eating for free every day? I paid sometimes.”

“Weren’t we supposed to call it even with gyedu noodles?”

Only then did I remember what had happened back then, and I grinned.

“Ah, you said they tasted so bad you couldn’t possibly eat them. Then you should pay me in cash.”

“You really have changed, haven’t you? Fine. Take care on your way.”

After eating my gukbap, I left and made a circuit of Ilyang County as if I were on patrol. Part of it was to check on the safety of the townspeople, but it was also a walk to see whether there were any variables that might interfere with my personal cultivation.

I felt that nothing would happen until Jo Sampyeong arrived. Through Jang Deuksu, I confirmed that everyone welcomed the Jo gang’s deaths, since they had all assumed that once those bastards formed a gang, they would begin extorting regular tribute.

Because of that, I shut myself away once more in the cramped room at Zaha Inn and devoted myself to the Geumgu Soyo-gong.

I had considered finding a quiet mountain and living in seclusion for a while, but when I took possible variables into account, this shabby Zaha Inn was actually safer.

I spent all day focusing on my mental cultivation method to build up my internal energy, then slipped into light sleep. Whenever I got hungry, I went to Chunyang Restaurant and subsisted solely on gukbap.

Build internal energy, eat, and take a dump.

The path to becoming a master was this grueling.

How could a normal human being not go insane?

Whenever I felt that my waist and legs had grown too stiff from seated meditation, I went for a walk and thoroughly inspected every corner of Ilyang County.

Thus, like a “wooden chicken” (木鷄), I killed off my emotions and immersed myself solely in cultivation.

Meanwhile, my internal energy steadily and rapidly accumulated.

Compared to my past life, it was accumulating so quickly that I found it disorienting.

By the time I had been holed up in Zaha Inn for more than twenty days,

my body was somewhat fatigued from the repeated bouts of light sleep, but after completely mastering Mokgye, I entered the Yeomgye stage.

It was a speed that could truly be called miraculous.

Of course, I had trained ferociously in my previous life as well, so it was only natural that my progress would be swift.

However, the state of the cramped room where I had been staying during that training had become so filthy that it was practically a beggar’s den.

That was because of the bodily waste expelled during the process of advancing from Mokgye to Yeomgye.

As expected, the smell of hell wafted through the cramped room.

Yet to me, this unbearable stench was an excellent reward.

That was how clean my body had become.

As one advanced through the stages, the body grew clearer and purer, like clean water, so I would not have to experience such a stench again.

Taking a closer look, I found that my skin gleamed, my hair was softer than before, and, above all, my eyes had become clearer, greatly improving my vision.

As I broke through each stage, the level of my five senses had risen as well.

Unlike powers such as internal or external cultivation, the five senses were closely connected to judging situations and survival. To survive in the perilous martial world, I had to raise their level.

When I clenched my fist and infused it with internal energy, a thrill ran down my spine.

‘I’ve grown much stronger, far faster than expected.’

I had once considered the Geumgu Soyo-gong merely a martial art that was good for treating qi deviation, but now I had changed my mind.

‘It seems I’ll become much stronger than before.’

Martial artists certainly felt a greater sense of satisfaction than any other joy when their martial arts achievements advanced quickly.

I was even worrying like an idiot about what I would do if I ended up becoming an immortal.

At that moment, Cha Seongtae’s voice came from outside.

“Urgh! What’s that smell? It reeks of something rotten. Ugh……”

When I came out of the cramped room, Cha Seongtae backed away with an expression of shock, as if he were about to faint.

“Did you take a dump? Ugh……”

Cha Seongtae covered his mouth with his hand as though he was about to throw up, then dashed outside Zaha Inn.

“That bastard, seriously. Wow……”

For a moment, I was speechless too.

Watching Cha Seongtae retch outside the inn, a thought occurred to me.

I should live this life for the satisfaction of tormenting that bastard.

At that moment, Cha Seongtae let out a loud “Urk!” and vomited.

“……”

Feeling murderous intent welling up from deep within me, I went outside.

14. I Went to Watch the Fire

In terms of making me want to hit him every time I saw him, Cha Seongtae was evenly matched with the Demonic Cult’s Gwangmyeong Jwasa.

Following the flow of my thoughts, I recalled Gwangmyeong Jwasa for a moment.

He was a man who had risen rapidly within the Demonic Cult thanks to his extraordinary intelligence, rare even in a thousand people.

Although he was two or three years younger than me at the time, he had become the youngest Gwangmyeong Jwasa in history.

The Jwasa was not originally a descendant of the Ma family. He was a talented outsider recruited by the Cult.

He had been a collateral member of an Orthodox martial clan, but, as I had mentioned before, rumors spread that he had sexually harassed several women with compound surnames, causing him to be publicly condemned. After that, he had no choice but to devote himself to the Demonic Cult.

In this life, I intended to seize Gwangmyeong Jwasa before he devoted himself to the Demonic Cult.

He was a pervert, but regardless, his martial arts skills were exceptional.

I intended to beat the perversion out of him.

I planned to grow stronger faster than my former rivals, make contact in advance with the talents of the martial world whom I knew, and take them under my wing—whether by making them subordinates, driving them as hard as Cha Seongtae, or using them as slaves like the Jwasa.

In the process, I intended to beat to death in advance anyone from the Demonic, Orthodox, or Unorthodox paths who was beyond redemption.

Strangely enough, the martial world of that era had a tendency to join the Demonic Cult once they were publicly condemned. There were also frequent cases of people who had fallen out of the Cult Leader’s favor going to the Martial Alliance of their own accord and having themselves locked in prison.

It had become fashionable for talented individuals to move to diametrically opposed factions.

My medium- to long-term goal was to intercept those talents in between.

The so-called Plan to Divide the Realm into Three (天下三分之計).

The Martial Alliance and the Demonic Cult had divided the martial world between them, but I intended to insert myself into the equation and turn it into a three-way struggle. Even I had to admit that it did not suit me particularly well, but a man ought to have grand dreams.

Cha Seongtae came back in after vomiting, holding his nose. He spoke in a nasal voice.

“This inn should be shut down. The reason for closure shall be the foul stench.”

I searched my memories for how Cha Seongtae had died in my previous life. In truth, he had not been famous enough for me to recall anything even after racking my brain.

Still, one thing was certain.

Cha Seongtae had probably been beaten to death somewhere because of that mouth of his.

“Seongtae.”

“Explain yourself.”

“It happened because I was training in martial arts. I didn’t just take a dump in here. Though what would a punk like you know?”

“This is the first I’ve ever heard of martial arts training producing a smell like this. Don’t lie to me. For the sake of Ilyang County’s dignity, Zaha Inn will be shut down as of today, so keep that in mind. Or I can send some children who are really good at cleaning. Your choice.”

“Then let him go. First, let’s go to the Plum Blossom Pavilion together.”

“Why?”

“You need to wash.”

“Ah, I stink, so I’ll wash in the stream.”

I forcibly grabbed Cha Seongtae, who was covering his nose, and put my arm around his shoulders. Cha Seongtae’s face twisted.

“Urgh……”

“Don’t overdo it.”

“Yes, sir.”

Cha Seongtae spoke while breathing only through his mouth.

“Isn’t this arm over the shoulder a bit much? It’s not as if we’re close or anything.”

“Ah, you’re really pissing me off.”

When I glared at him, Cha Seongtae finally flinched.

“I’m sorry.”

I glared at Cha Seongtae before speaking.

“Let’s change clothes. Take them off.”

Cha Seongtae looked me straight in the eye and retorted.

“Hey, you bastard. Just keep your arm around my shoulder.”

I hit Cha Seongtae once, then headed for the Plum Blossom Pavilion like two brothers on friendly terms.

When we arrived at the Plum Blossom Pavilion, the doorman I had beaten before covered his nose with one hand and said,

“We accept drunkards, but we don’t accept men who’ve wet their pants.”

Cha Seongtae retorted.

“Do you want to die? Move.”

When I looked at the doorman, he averted his eyes with a sour expression, perhaps still harboring resentment over the beating I had given him before.

That’s what I like about my hometown.

There aren’t many people who become cowed just because they’ve taken a few hits.

Perhaps that was why someone like me had been able to suddenly appear in the martial world.

As Cha Seongtae and I entered the Plum Blossom Pavilion, reeking to high heaven, the women we passed screamed and ran away.

Cha Seongtae seemed to find the sight amusing and was enjoying the situation.

“Move aside. I crapped myself. I mean, I shit my pants. Heeheehee.”

I didn’t feel like laughing along with him for no reason, so I moved my tongue vigorously inside my mouth.

Once again, I thought that he was someone I could never let my guard down around, not even for a moment.

* * *

After washing several times with water, I entered the wooden bathhouse. As I sank into the hot water, with cloudy steam rising from it, I felt all my fatigue melt away.

“Uuuaaaah……”

An utterly meaningless sound flowed from my mouth. It was the reward granted to me for raising the Golden Turtle Carefree Art to the Flame Realm stage.

Suddenly, the screen around the bathhouse was pushed open from both sides, and Chae Hyang appeared out of nowhere, holding a large towel.

“I’ll attend to your bath.”

I watched Chae Hyang approach from inside the tub, then waved my hand.

“What’s a courtesan doing attending to my bath? Forget it.”

“Brother Seongtae told me to come. When you finish bathing, I can at least dry you off.”

“That won’t work on me.”

“What won’t?”

What do you think? It meant her beauty trap wouldn’t work on me.

“Do I have no hands or feet? I can even dry the water on my body with my feet, so leave the towel and go. Men and women shouldn’t sit together past the age of seven, and even Zhu Bajie and the spider demons never bathed together.”

“Pardon?”

“What kind of beggar’s situation is this, having Chae Hyang—the most popular girl at the Plum Blossom Pavilion and a server at the Zixia Inn—bathe together with me? If you receive an order like that again, just say that I told you not to come and stay away. I’ll tell Cha Seongtae myself. Behave like the courtesan you are.”

There were occasionally people who did things they hadn’t been told to do, and Cha Seongtae was one of them.

Chae Hyang lowered her head slightly and replied.

“Thank you. And I’m sorry about what happened before.”

It was only human nature to accept a clean apology.

“All right.”

Just as I began wondering why she was being so polite, Chae Hyang’s true intentions slipped out.

“You’re still going to get rid of Jo Sampyeong, right? I’m asking because I’m curious.”

“Why? Should I let him live?”

“Oh, no. I was captured by Jo Sampyeong and brought here. This isn’t my hometown.”

“If you have somewhere to return to, you should go back.”

“It wasn’t a very comfortable place. I was so poor that I don’t want to go back.”

“Tell the other courtesans too. Those who want to return should go. Whose words are these? The words of a server at the Zixia Inn.”

“If you were so skilled, why did you let yourself get beaten like that back then?”

If she kept throwing such sharp questions at me, she was going to put me in a difficult position.

I replied with only my head sticking out over the edge of the tub.

“You have to be beaten before you can take revenge.”

Chae Hyang chuckled.

“That makes no sense.”

“There’s a saying that a gentleman’s revenge is never too late, even if it takes ten years, while a server’s revenge begins with getting beaten. You should read more books too. Don’t just practice singing. The more books you read, the better you sing.”

“Really?”

“No, I just made that up.”

Chae Hyang tilted her head.

“Hmm.”

When I waved my hand to indicate that she should leave, Chae Hyang folded the towel draped around her body, placed it on the floor, and exited the bathhouse.

‘What a seductive little minx.’

* * *

Once again, I say that beauty traps don’t work on me.

Dangerous moments often arrive without warning like this.

They say that the three things one must beware of in the martial world are the elderly, children, and women, but I see it a little differently.

In fact, if you take away the elderly, children, and women, all that remains are sturdy men.

A healthy man has a high probability of becoming a martial artist.

And they say to beware of what remains?

In other words, it simply means to beware of everyone.

Until my martial arts are complete, I’m no different.

If I fell for Cha Seongtae’s beauty trap at a time like this and neglected my training, I would eventually fall behind when facing the masters standing at the pinnacle.

It wasn’t that Cha Seongtae had intended for things to turn out that way. My conclusion was that this was a trap laid by the subtle mysteries of life.

In any case, now was not the time for that.

After washing myself clean and changing into fresh clothes, I emerged to find that the gazes of the people looking at me had changed slightly.

Some people didn’t even think I was the server from the Zixia Inn.

When one’s martial arts grew stronger in one’s youth, one’s appearance and impression changed.

I hadn’t known this before because my martial arts had grown stronger as I aged.

It was true that I had become a little more handsome than before, but in any case, I was different from the Demon Sect’s perverted Left Guardian.

Since I was not the sort of person who met women through martial prowess, desire, status, or coercion, I left the pleasure house and headed straight for the Jaha Inn.

On the way to the Jaha Inn, I saw flames surging up somewhere in the distance. It seemed people were going to watch the fire, for they were rushing over in a great throng.

“Looks like there’s a fire.”

I followed them as well, pushing my way through the spectators. When I looked ahead, the thing burning in the flames was none other than the Jaha Inn.

“……”

Things had taken a strangely divergent turn. It was so absurd that a hollow laugh escaped me. Who would have thought I would get to watch my own house burn down twice?

Words slipped from my mouth before I knew it.

“Why do you keep setting fire to my house? What crime has the house committed?”

Could even an inn have something called fate?

The flames blazing before me seemed to glare at me.

As if telling me that even in this life, I was not to have a cozy home.

* * *

Of course, there was no way Cha Seongtae had done something like this.

The Xihua Pavilion Master, Jo Sampyeong, had returned with his underlings and was staring at the Jaha Inn, while his men were throwing torches at it.

Jo Sampyeong was the most presentable-looking of the three Jo brothers. He had no choice but to be, since he was entrusted with the task of bringing in innocent young women with his handsome face.

Seeing his face again after so long only made me think he was even more unpleasant.

Someone spoke from among the crowd.

“What are you going to do when Jaha comes back? Why would you burn the place down?”

“You’re saying you can just burn someone else’s house down so recklessly? You bastards will be punished by Heaven!”

Jo Sampyeong turned toward the voice and said:

“Bring me Lee Jaha. Where is he?”

The people of Ilyang County were a fierce lot. Someone called out from the crowd.

“You damned kept man.”

“Who said that? Stop hiding like a rat and come out, you sons of bitches!”

When Jo Sampyeong suddenly bellowed, silence finally descended.

I had wondered why Jo Sampyeong was acting so boldly. Then I noticed a man in a black robe whom I had never seen before, watching the whole affair with a cold expression from nearby.

He certainly looked like a master superior to Jo Sampyeong.

As I watched the Jaha Inn burn, I opened my mouth.

“Sampyeong, there’s your brother’s grave behind the inn. What do you intend to do, setting fire to it without even taking out the corpse?”

Jo Sampyeong whipped his head toward me and glared.

“Who the hell are you?”

I pushed through the people and stepped forward.

“It’s me, you fucking bastard.”

Perhaps he did not recognize me immediately. Jo Sampyeong looked me up and down before asking:

“Who are you?”

Even this bastard failed to recognize me. Could the beautifying effect of martial arts really be this extraordinary?

Looking at Jo Sampyeong, I spoke in a calm tone.

“Why are you burning down an innocent house? How are you going to compensate me?”

Only then did Jo Sampyeong look startled.

“Are you Jaha? What the hell happened to you? Why do you look like this? And what’s with the way you talk?”

Even in the midst of this, Jo Sampyeong pointed me out to the black-robed man beside him as if tattling.

“Senior Neung, this is the man.”

The man called Senior Neung tilted his head with an displeased expression, then spoke in a subdued tone.

“Jo Sampyeong.”

“Yes, Senior.”

“What am I supposed to do about it?”

“Pardon?”

“Are you asking me to kill an inn attendant? I came because you brothers said you were founding a gang and wanted to drink a congratulatory toast, but this is a great disappointment. Surely you are not planning to establish a gang when you lack even the ability to kill a single inn attendant. The entire martial world would not be able to laugh at you enough. And my name must not be mentioned in connection with such ridicule.”

The man in black examined me from head to toe and said to Jo Sampyeong:

“Kill him. If your skills are truly so pathetic that you cannot even kill a single inn attendant, would it not be better for you to go join your brothers? Even if you admire the martial world, you should possess at least a shred of conscience.”

Jo Sampyeong replied with a flustered expression.

“No, Senior Neung.”

“And why do you call me your senior? I have never taken a junior like you.”

In any case, what the man in black had said was correct, so I joined in.

“Jo Sampyeong, he’s right. You need to have a conscience. Let’s say the loser burns to death. Come here.”

My final words made the atmosphere turn truly vicious.

15. The Weakest Organization in the Martial World.

When I challenged Jo Sampyeong to a one-on-one duel, the man in black looked around and said:

“All spectators, step back and do not interfere in the fight. The Jaha Inn attendant and the Xihua Pavilion Master, Jo Sampyeong, will engage in a life-and-death duel. I, Neung Jiseok of the Black Fan Fort, shall serve as the witness.”

The Black Fan Fort was a dark-side organization that made its money mainly through gambling and auction businesses, so they were rather esteemed guests in Ilyang County.

When the spectators, including Jo Sampyeong’s underlings, backed away, a circular dueling ground formed in front of the burning Jaha Inn.

While Jo Sampyeong drew his straight saber with a sour expression, I studied the man called Neung Jiseok.

He was acting as though he had granted us a fair opportunity in the form of a life-and-death duel, but that was not what he truly intended.

He planned to assess my abilities while I fought Jo Sampyeong, then either step in himself or withdraw.

In the martial world, this sort of sly maneuvering was the most basic of basics. I had no talent for the most basic of basics, hand-pulled noodles, but I knew these elementary tactics well.

I gazed for a moment at the Jaha Inn engulfed in flames, then pulled the whip from my waist. Seeing the confusion flicker across Jo Sampyeong’s face, I asked:

“Why?”

“Why are you using a whip? Draw your sword.”

“This is just right for a dog like you.”

Ignoring Jo Sampyeong’s nonsense, I swung the whip.

Whoosh…… Crack!

The whip flew swiftly toward Jo Sampyeong’s feet. As it struck down, Jo Sampyeong began leaping about like a mad dog.

I lashed the whip with a cold expression, but deliberately avoided striking Jo Sampyeong’s body.

Since I had infused it with energy beyond the Wooden Chicken level, any proper hit would send chunks of flesh flying.

However, I needed to conceal my abilities from Neung Jiseok, who was watching me. I simply infused the whip with internal energy and swung it halfheartedly.

That was the convenient thing about a whip.

As long as it was backed by internal energy, even a careless swing was threatening.

In any case, if Neung Jiseok joined the fight, I intended to draw my sword.

Jo Sampyeong, for his part, hopped about as he tried desperately to close the distance, but his swordsmanship was poor and his internal energy was far inferior to mine.

Both Jo Ilseom and Jo Sampyeong were merely mediocre.

I simply swung the whip as though beating down a mad monkey causing a commotion in the neighborhood.

‘You’d better disappear from this neighborhood forever.’

From the moment I decided that Neung Jiseok would not intervene, I began mercilessly lashing Jo Sampyeong with my whip.

Whoosh! Smack! Smack! Smack!

Even the murmurs of the onlookers fell silent, leaving only Jo Sampyeong’s screams as the whip struck him again and again.

By then, Jo Sampyeong’s face and clothes had been reduced to something resembling rags.

After sending Jo Sampyeong’s sword flying with my whip, I exchanged glances with Neung Jiseok for a moment. When I beat Jo Sampyeong down with overwhelming skill, Neung Jiseok gave a faint smirk and extended a hand, as if telling me to do whatever I pleased.

It looked almost like he was gesturing to ask whether I dared kill Jo Sampyeong in front of him.

Or perhaps the gesture held some other meaning.

Whatever it meant, I had never intended to let Jo Sampyeong live.

I caught the struggling Jo Sampyeong by the neck with my whip and dragged him toward me, then struck him in the forehead with a palm strike.

Thud!

Jo Sampyeong’s body, pulled toward me, crumpled to the ground and died instantly.

After confirming Jo Sampyeong’s death, Neung Jiseok spoke in a deliberately unconcerned tone.

“I’ll certify that this was a legitimate life-and-death martial duel. I suppose we’ll meet again if there’s business to be handled.”

The moment Neung Jiseok took a step as though he intended to leave, I swung my whip.

Whoooosh!

The whip traced a curve, then bent toward Neung Jiseok’s neck. He hurriedly drew his longsword and blocked it.

As the whip coiled around the longsword, it soon pulled taut horizontally.

Neung Jiseok looked at me in shock.

“What is this? How dare you oppose the Heukseonbo—”

Internal energy was pouring through the whip, so Neung Jiseok hurriedly shut his mouth.

I looked at Neung Jiseok and said,

“Heukseonbo or whatever the hell it is…”

I was not the sort of person to let a man who had been cautiously watching the situation and trying to slip away simply walk off.

Moreover, he was the sort of man who had stood by while someone else’s house was being burned down. That meant he would have stood by even if Jo Sampyeong had been assaulting or murdering a woman.

The fact that he had been quietly waiting for an opportunity made him all the more contemptible.

Of course, even setting all that aside, I already knew how the black道 faction known as Heukseonbo conducted itself. I had no desire whatsoever to let him live.

In that instant, the flame energy of the Geumgu Soyogong, which had once forced impurities from every part of my body, traveled through the whip and into Neung Jiseok’s sword.

Then a reddish glow coiled around the surface of the whip, while the color of Neung Jiseok’s sword changed from the heat as well.

At the same time, my gaze took on an appearance similar to the Zaha Inn, engulfed in flames.

The moment Neung Jiseok realized that his internal energy was shallower than mine, his face began to tremble.

‘This won’t do.’

Neung Jiseok dropped his sword without hesitation and fled using his qinggong. His life was more important to him than his sword, after all. Neung Jiseok had extensive experience in actual combat, and by abruptly clashing his internal energy against the whip, he had seized a fleeting opening and opportunity.

I leaped straight into the air.

Neung Jiseok seemed to be hiding among the onlookers in an attempt to disappear, but that was the wrong choice.

I moved by stepping on the onlookers’ shoulders. After barely stepping on five or six shoulders, I overtook the fleeing Neung Jiseok. I pushed aside the man whose shoulder I had stepped on last, then landed in front of Neung Jiseok.

Neung Jiseok brought his palms together and unleashed a palm force containing the internal energy of his entire body in a single strike.

I raised my sword diagonally and slashed, pouring the power of the flame energy into the blade.

It transformed into a sword wind imbued with scorching heat.

Neung Jiseok’s palm force filled my entire field of vision, only to be split in two by the sword wind.

The two of us locked eyes one last time.

At the instant Neung Jiseok prepared to counterattack, I advanced and slashed my sword diagonally downward once more.

With a wet ripping sound, blood spurted in a long arc, and Neung Jiseok’s body fell to the ground in two pieces.

I glared at Neung Jiseok’s body, cleaved apart by my sword, for a moment.

Every onlooker stood mute, looking back and forth between me and Neung Jiseok’s corpse.

* * *

As I shook the blood from my sword, I said to the onlookers,

“The fire show’s over, so everyone go back to what you were doing.”

At that moment, I did not forget Jo Sampyeong’s underlings.

“Jo Sampyeong’s men, stay behind. Anyone who runs, I’ll chase down and send to Jo Sampyeong ahead of you.”

People who made their living had to go to bed early and rise early. The ordinary people, who had been frozen stiff with fear, hurriedly scattered, leaving Jo Sampyeong’s lackeys behind.

There were seven of them.

I sat down on a chair that remained intact outside the inn and glared at Jo Sampyeong’s lackeys.

They were trembling from head to toe because I had beaten Jo Sampyeong and Neung Jiseok to death in such a gruesome fashion.

A thought suddenly occurred to me.

These bastards were just as much a problem as Jo Sampyeong.

They were brainless fools who would kill someone simply because they feared their superior, and who would accept orders to burn down someone else’s home.

Without meaning to, the manner of speech I had used during my Mad Demon days slipped out.

“Don’t just stand there, get on your knees, you sons of bitches. Unless you want to follow Jo Sampyeong.”

All seven dropped to their knees at the same time.

“Why did you burn someone else’s house down so easily? An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Want to try burning for a while yourselves?”

“Please spare us.”

“Answer me. Why did you set fire to someone else’s house?”

“We did it because we were ordered to. We’re sorry.”

“We had no particular feelings about it.”

Similar answers trickled out.

“You shouldn’t burn down someone else’s house without any particular feelings. Should I kill you without any particular feelings?”

“We’re sorry.”

“If I hadn’t killed Jo Sampyeong, you would have spent your entire lives licking the soles of his feet.”

These men had never taken responsibility for anything in their entire lives. They had obeyed Jo Sampyeong because they were cowards, and thanks to that, Jo Sampyeong had been free to commit all manner of evil. Killing them one by one also felt futile and worthless.

But there was something I could have them do.

“From now on, you will restore my Zaha Inn perfectly. Cha Seongtae and all the survivors who had been clinging to the pleasure quarter will pitch in and help with the restoration.”

They all looked puzzled at the order to restore it, but I meant exactly what I said.

The Zaha Inn was my home, a place well suited for watching the dawn break at daybreak or the sunset glow in the evening.

Although I could not make delicious Gyejukkuksu, there had been no need for the inn to disappear like this.

Since it had been burned to the ground, I intended to turn it into an even better inn this time.

If someone set fire to it again, I intended to catch them and make them restore it again.

If the Zaha Inn burned down ten times, I would restore it all ten times. That was where my past and present differed.

Setting the fire might have been their own decision, but if it happened under my watch, they would have to clean up the ashes first and then restore everything exactly as it had been.

The seven riffraff fell into deep thought.

“How are we supposed to restore it?”

“How else? You’ll carry the stones yourselves, put up the walls, and plaster them with mud. Cha Seongtae will cover the expenses. If you don’t have enough hands, the men at the pleasure house will be mobilized.”

Cha Seongtae, who had arrived after hearing the news late, happened to show up just then and answered me.

“...Is Jo Sampyeong dead?”

I pointed toward Jo Sampyeong’s corpse with my chin. As he stared at the corpse, Cha Seongtae finally noticed the ruins of the Zixia Inn.

“It burned down completely.”

Cha Seongtae, whose expression was usually mischievous, turned serious for a moment. The matter he had been uncertain about despite carefully watching the situation had ultimately ended like this.

‘The errand boy really defeated them all. I can hardly believe it even while seeing it with my own eyes.’

I called out to Cha Seongtae, who was staring blankly at the Zixia Inn.

“Seongtae.”

Cha Seongtae turned around with a smile.

“Yes, please speak.”

I pointed at the seven men and asked,

“Do you know all of them?”

“Of course I do. They’re underlings of underlings of underlings of mine.”

“Put them to work restoring the Zixia Inn. And you take your subordinates and restore my Zixia Inn as well. Perfectly.”

“Why me?”

I gave a faint smile at Cha Seongtae’s words.

“A joke is a joke, and a serious statement is a serious statement, but what I just said was not a joke.”

Cha Seongtae looked into my serious eyes, then lowered his head slightly.

“I’ll restore it. We should make it better than before, right? This plot of land is fairly large. Should we restore it in the style of a pleasure house? Or should we rebuild it as an inn where ordinary people can come and go freely, as before? It used to be a single-story building, but this time I’ll rebuild it with multiple floors.”

“Build the surrounding walls a little farther out so that there’s plenty of space inside.”

“I’ll do so.”

“Build a training yard, too, and a rear garden.”

“Are you telling me to build a martial family rather than an inn?”

“Haven’t you ever built a martial family that looks like an inn? What exactly can you do?”

“Can that really be done? Then I’ll try creating the Zixia Guest Cup Sect, a martial family that looks like an inn.”

Cha Seongtae suddenly inspected the condition of the seven men. All of them were so terrified that they looked utterly miserable.

Since Cha Seongtae and the riffraff had gathered together, I needed to make things perfectly clear.

“Send the men remaining at the pleasure house to the Reformation Sect. I’ll say it again: there’s no need to hold on to anyone who says they want to leave. As for these men, don’t let them go until the inn is complete. If they run away, tell me. I’ll chase them all the way to the Great Desert.”

“Understood.”

The first principle of the underworld organization I envisioned was this:

A place where people who had reached rock bottom—people with nowhere to leave for and nowhere to return to—could gather.

I intended to take in only those who truly had nowhere to go, not merely people whose conduct was beyond redemption, and tell them to live within the fence I had built.

That was the form I envisioned for the Hao Sect.

It would be an organization made up of the weak, people with nothing to fall back on. If I built the organization this way, the Hao Sect might become the weakest organization in the martial world.

Even so, it didn’t matter.

I only needed to become strong.

With all the trash of society and those who had reached rock bottom gathered in my arms, only my hands would be stained with blood.

I believed that was the role of the Hao Sect Leader.

16. Threats of Unrestrained Drinking (1)

Cha Seongtae asked,

“With your house burned down completely like this, where will you sleep now?”

“There are rooms all over the pleasure house. Why are you asking?”

“Of course, I was asking so I could suggest that you use the finest rooms, the ones where the proprietors used to stay. There were three proprietors, after all, so there are three fine rooms.”

“I’ll sleep wherever. Get rid of those men first.”

Cha Seongtae spoke threateningly to the men kneeling before him.

“Don’t go to Sihwa House today. Go wait at Maehwa House. I’ll see you later.”

“Yes.”

All of them were natives who had families in Ilyang County, so they had no way to run away.

Once the riffraff disappeared with their tails between their legs, Cha Seongtae looked at me.

“Is there anything else you’d like to say...?”

I gazed at the ashes of the Zixia Inn for a moment before speaking.

“Build the Zixia Inn properly. I’m not joking when I say to restore it.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“If you find any men with exceptional talent for construction during the process, keep an eye on them and report to me. That man will be the head of the Construction Sect.”

“The Construction Sect?”

“You’ll be in charge of the Reformation Sect at the pleasure house, and Uncle Geum Cheolyong will handle the Iron Sect. The head of the Construction Sect will also command the various men who make their living building structures.”

“The Reformation Sect, the Construction Sect, the Iron Sect... Are there more?”

“There should be. They’ll first join the Reformation Sect, then be transferred to the Construction Sect or the Iron Sect according to the work they want to do.”

I intended to organize the Hao Sect so that people could find work and make a living.

To make a living, one had to work.

If there was no work, the Hao Sect would provide jobs.

That was the basic reason for founding the sect.

My personal ambition was to have the Sect Leader resolve any disputes or harassment that arose along the way.

While satisfying that personal ambition, I intended to grow stronger and repay every debt from my previous life.

Cha Seongtae replied,

“Oh... That sounds pretty good. Is it something like an alliance?”

I answered in a low voice,

“It’s simply an association of ordinary working people.”

Cha Seongtae gave an awkward laugh, the atmosphere unlike his usual one.

“It’s not a bad idea. But if it grows too large, the discipline and atmosphere will become a complete mess.”

“I don’t care. Even if it becomes a complete mess.”

“But it’s an organization.”

I was an enemy of the Martial Alliance and the Demonic Cult, both of which were rumored to have the strictest discipline in the martial world. Naturally, there was no reason for me to model my organization after them.

“The organization I create only needs to remain in the martial world for a long time. That alone will give it sufficient meaning. I’m not trying to build some great empire. In this ridiculous martial world, I’ll create the longest-lasting mess of a force.”

Cha Seongtae swallowed the curse rising in his throat.

‘What the hell is he talking about?’

Of course, once the Hao Sect had established its foundation, I intended to take on other ventures as well.

“Do you think the Black Path organizations, like the Black Cat Gang, will sit still?”

At Cha Seongtae’s question, I answered with a smile.

“The organization is such a complete mess that you won’t even know where to start. That’s the key. Everyone can simply make a living doing whatever they’re capable of. As long as the backlash is focused on the Haomun Leader, that’s all that matters.”

“What about a military organization?”

“We’ll create one when we have men with enough skill. That’s for later.”

“Hmm.”

Once there were enough skilled people, I could create a Salmun.

So, for the time being, I could be called the Salmun’s one-man leader.

Its members beneath me would be the skilled people I knew from the future, and recruiting them would be my responsibility as well.

I also intended to gather those with exceptional talent for collecting information separately later and create the Imun.

In this manner, Saengmun, Cheolmun, Chukmun, Salmun, Imun…

I planned to keep expanding the subordinate organizations recklessly.

After that, I intended to leave them alone as much as possible so that each could continue pursuing his own livelihood. I would create an organization with no plan and completely chaotic discipline, one where they contacted one another only when necessary.

All I intended was to make sure that no one starved to death.

I had the feeling that no one but me in the martial world could pull off such madness… probably.

When trouble arose, the major forces of the martial world would come looking for the Haomun Leader. Then I could step forward.

At that point, just as I had once become a public enemy of the martial world, I would make an uproar and go completely berserk.

I thought it was a good thing for there to be at least one man in this ruthless martial world who would go mad with rage simply because someone had harmed the weak.

That was all I wanted.

After all, given my damned personality, it was only a matter of time before I became a public enemy of the martial world again someday.

Thus, I intended for Haomun and me to grow in step with each other.

Cha Seongtae, whose expression had changed from usual, suddenly addressed me informally.

“Zaha, may I say something as your elder brother?”

“Go ahead.”

Cha Seongtae spoke with a strange expression.

“I apologize for what happened before. I was completely wrong about you. To be honest, I had thought there might be some expert backing you all this time, but I guess that wasn’t it. You had simply changed.”

“…What, is that all?”

Cha Seongtae nodded and asked,

“That’s all. What’s the name of the alliance we’ll belong to?”

“Haomun.”

Haomun was the organization I had first created. Naturally, it was not a sect Cha Seongtae could have known about at this point in time.

Cha Seongtae lowered his head slightly and spoke in a quiet voice.

“Haomun. Should I call you Leader from now on?”

Cha Seongtae’s tone had changed. I nodded and replied,

“Call me whatever you like.”

Cha Seongtae asked cautiously,

“But why did you leave me alive, anyway? I don’t understand the reason.”

“Because I intend to torment you a little.”

Cha Seongtae seemed to understand my words immediately.

“I see. It’s better than dying. Understood.”

He was right.

That was life.

I glanced once at the Zaha Inn, now reduced to ashes, and rose to my feet.

“Let’s go.”

Cha Seongtae quickly composed himself and replied in a different tone.

“Let’s go, Leader.”

* * *

I spent my days either wandering around the empty site of the Zaha Inn like a young man with nothing to do, or shutting myself alone in an empty room at a pleasure house and dedicating myself to the Geumgu Soyo Technique.

I had to accumulate as much internal energy as I could, even if it was only a handful.

I had experienced in my previous life how that single handful of internal energy could save my life.

I did not only train my internal energy.

I also steadily polished my palm and finger techniques through constant repetition.

However, using my legs proved difficult. My joints—my waist, legs, knees, and the like—had grown extremely stiff from my days as a waiter.

Thus, I holed up in various corners of the pleasure house and immersed myself in training, devoting eight-tenths of my time to the Geumgu Soyo Technique and two-tenths to external martial training.

Meanwhile, Cha Seongtae handled everything outside.

It wasn’t as though I trusted Cha Seongtae that deeply.

Nor did Cha Seongtae particularly like me.

Nevertheless, the two of us got along well enough, and time passed.

Cha Seongtae was introduced to a young architect who had recently begun making a name for himself and commissioned him to rebuild the Zaha Inn. Until they came to inspect the site, the men who had once worked under Jo Sampyeong joined forces with other men who had nothing to do and built the outer walls of the Zaha Inn.

When another twenty-odd days passed in the blink of an eye…

I learned from Cha Seongtae’s report that Heukmyobang had come looking for us. In a way, I thought it was only natural that the people who were bound to come had finally arrived.

“Who came?”

“……They’re the men who used to come here for entertainment every time. It seems they went to Ihwaru last night and heard a rough account of what happened recently. They’re the same ones who were always entertained by the three Jo brothers.”

“How many?”

“Two. I’ve shown them to the Maehwa Room for now. How should we prepare?”

“I’ll meet them.”

Cha Seongtae asked with an uneasy expression,

“Are you going to fight them?”

“Won’t they start by saying something like, ‘Pay us tribute, or we’ll overlook your killing of the brothel owner. Join Heukmyobang and pay your respects properly’? Something along those lines.”

“What will you do if they say that? It seems difficult for us to fight Heukmyobang right now.”

“It’s difficult for you. Not for me.”

“Are you telling all of us to go and die?”

“They’ll try to kill me first, naturally. But I won’t die. Where’s the Maehwa Room?”

“It’s on the third floor. Still, it would be better to send them away with some conciliatory words….”

“I’ll meet them and decide. Besides, how could we exchange conciliatory words? I beat all three brothers to death.”

“That’s true. Still, they’re greedy for money, so what they really want may simply be money.”

“Oh, that’s the sort they are?”

I sank into old memories for a moment.

“Money….”

I knew a little about the Heukmyobang martial artists who frequently visited Ilyang County around this time.

Unlike the future I knew, the person in charge probably had not been changed out of the blue.

In particular, when I heard that they were greedy for money, the faces of several men rose from my memories.

* * *

Cha Seongtae bowed his head and said,

“Then, please have a talk.”

When I entered the Maehwa Room and dropped into an empty seat, the two men slowly looked me over as though dissecting me, then introduced themselves.

“I’m Jeon Pung, of Heukmyobang’s Geumbong Pavilion.”

“I’m Han Gouk of the Geumbong Pavilion.”

Jeonpung and Han Gouk introduced themselves in an overbearing tone.

Considering they were men who did not even take the three Jo brothers seriously, perhaps that tone was only natural.

As I suspected, they were the collectors of the Heukmyobang I knew.

The title of collector made it sound like an impressive position, but in reality, they were nothing more than extortionate debt collectors, and not particularly skilled ones at that.

Although it was good to see them in person again after so long, killing intent immediately welled up inside me, forcing me to keep my mouth shut.

The reason my killing intent was boiling over was simple.

The Jaha Inn had originally been burned down by either their successors or their colleagues.

The only difference now was that I had met them earlier than in my previous life, while they were still in charge of collections.

Jeonpung continued speaking.

“I heard you killed some Jo clan fellows recklessly recently. Is that true?”

I glared at the two men and replied.

“It is.”

“Why? Explain in detail.”

When he asked me to explain in detail, my desire to do so vanished completely.

“They died trying to kill me. My skills were superior, so I could hardly let myself be killed for their sake.”

As I continued glaring at them, Jeonpung and Han Gouk sensed that something was amiss.

I continued speaking to them in an even more rigid tone.

“Besides, you aren’t judges, so why should I explain anything in detail? Are you perhaps relatives of those Jo clan fellows? You don’t seem to be.”

Jeonpung and Han Gouk looked at each other.

The absurdity of the situation created a heavy silence.

“……”

I looked at the two men in turn.

“Well? Say something.”

If Jeonpung and Han Gouk attacked me right then, I intended to kill them on the spot. There would be no helping it.

A long silence descended.

These two men were the ones who had collected tribute in Ilyang County.

They had accumulated a considerable fortune from the money they skimmed off, and after paying a generous share to the Heukmyobang, they were promoted to middle management in the Outer Hall. In other words, they were not men who rose through the ranks through pure martial prowess, but through the sect’s administrative affairs.

In short, they were monkeys gone mad for money.

Jeonpung opened his mouth.

“They were people who had received permission from us to establish a gang, yet you killed them.”

I replied indifferently.

“So?”

“If a report is sent to the Heukmyobang as things stand, you’ll have a hard time surviving. You interfered with the Heukmyobang’s affairs, after all. Do you want us to return and report everything exactly as it happened?”

These men seemed to have nothing but money in their heads. Even in a situation like this, they wore expressions that said they would put in a good word for me if I offered them a bribe.

“I understand what you mean. I suppose I’ll have to offer you a bribe. Let’s have a drink first. Madam Son?”

Madam Son opened the door to the Plum Blossom Room and stared at me blankly.

“……”

“Bring out that lousy Dukang liquor. And bring whatever snacks you like.”

Madam Son nodded and went back out.

That lousy Dukang liquor, of course, meant third-grade Dukang liquor.

These men would not be paying for their drinks anyway. It would be a waste to entertain them with first-grade Dukang liquor.

When the woman who appeared to be in charge of entertaining them left without saying a word, Jeonpung asked curiously.

“Is that woman mute?”

“Of course not.”

“Then why doesn’t she speak?”

“The other day, I told her I would tear her mouth apart if she ran it carelessly. She’s kept it firmly shut ever since.”

“……”

I glared at the two men and pointed at my mouth with a finger.

“In the martial world, whether man or woman, one must know how to use one’s mouth properly. Isn’t that right?”

The two men briefly avoided my gaze. They had intended to intimidate me somehow and extort money from me, but they had no choice but to revise their strategy.

17. Threats from One Who Never Gets Drunk (2)

I intended to torment these men a little with liquor.

“By the way, do the two of you have plenty of time to drink today? I have a lot to discuss with you, and I imagine you’ll need to put in a good word for me with the Heukmyobang as well.”

Han Gouk snorted.

“So you aren’t as rigid as you seemed. We have plenty of time. We were usually entertained at Ihwaru, but this place isn’t bad either.”

I took the initiative.

“See the flowers after you’ve had a few drinks.”

“Very well.”

“Flowers” referred to the courtesans, but flowers or no flowers, I only intended to make these men drink.

As for how much I intended to make them drink, I planned to keep pouring until they were on the verge of death.

I was a drinker who never got drunk.

Even without using the minor trick of driving out the effects of alcohol with my inner energy, I had always been the greatest drinker under Heaven.

* * *

As it turned out, Jeonpung and Han Gouk were fairly heavy drinkers themselves.

However, after downing cup after cup for half a shichen while making only lackluster conversation, the two men were gradually beginning to struggle. The fact that it was third-grade Dukang liquor rather than first-grade also played a part. On top of that, I kept making the atmosphere so heavy that the snacks they had eaten were not easily digested.

Jeonpung shook his head and said.

“This Dukang liquor is unusually strong today.”

Of course it was.

It was poor-quality liquor.

I looked at Jeonpung and smiled.

“Stop making such a fuss.”

Han Gouk’s face had turned bright red, but he also gave a hearty laugh as he spoke.

“I’m not making a fuss. Bring out some girls now. I hear Chae Hyang and So-ok are very beautiful, and that they sing and dance well. Bring those two here.”

I waved my hand and said.

“Don’t ruin the taste of the liquor. Drink.”

I poured Dukang liquor into the two men’s cups.

Only then did their expressions turn sour. Already quite drunk, they began offering excuses to avoid drinking.

“Didn’t you say we’d drunk too much?”

“I’ll take a short rest before drinking more.”

I laughed heartily before saying.

“Will you die, or will you drink? Choose. There is no other option.”

Jeonpung widened his eyes and said.

“You bastard, you’re drunk. Jaha, you should stop drinking too. You’re very drunk. What an ill-mannered brat. You have a bright future ahead of you, but your drinking habits are terrible.”

Han Gouk also tapped the table with his hand as he spoke.

“He’s right. It’s your manner of speaking that’s the problem. If you use that tone even when meeting the Heukmyobang’s leaders later, you’ll be stabbed to death at a drinking party. Bear that in mind.”

I replied as I picked at the side dishes.

“Is the Black Cat Gang Leader really that impressive?”

“What!”

“You’re crossing the line.”

I looked at the two men, whose expressions had turned stern, with an impassive face.

“Are you two drunk?”

“……”

“As you can see, I’m not drunk. If the Black Cat Gang Leader is such an impressive man, I suppose he might even be able to save the two of you here. Let me put it plainly. I’ve never lived while worrying about what comes afterward. Will you two die by my hand here, or will you drink that liquor? Choose one. Madam Son!”

At the end, I raised my voice and called for Madam Son. The door flew open, and Madam Son looked at me as though waiting for an order.

I gave her one.

“Bring me my longsword.”

Madam Son merely nodded again before disappearing.

Before the two men could say anything, I pointed at them and spoke.

“I’ll give you time until Madam Son brings the sword. If you don’t drink that, I’ll take it as your decision to begin a two-against-one fight to the death right here. I expect the two of you to be more skilled than the Jo brothers, at least. Surely, as experts of the Black Cat Gang, you must be stronger than the Jo brothers.”

Their complexions had already turned deathly pale while I was speaking. Even when sober, they had lacked the confidence to defeat me. Now that they were thoroughly drunk, their situation was even more intimidating.

I glared at them with perfectly clear eyes.

“Decide quickly. I hear footsteps. Thump, thump, thump. She must be here.”

A moment later, Madam Son’s footsteps could be heard. When the door opened again with a rattling sound, the two men hurriedly gulped down the Dukang liquor.

“Krrgh……”

“Ugh……”

Their faces twisted. That was only natural, considering they had rammed third-grade Dukang liquor straight down their throats without taking a moment to rest.

I placed the longsword Madam Son handed me on the table, then poured more liquor.

“Good. Madam Son.”

Madam Son looked at me with both hands politely clasped before her.

I pointed at Jeonpung and Han Gouk as I spoke.

“These esteemed guests are subtly looking down on me. They say that anyone who came from being a tavern boy is looked down on wherever he goes. It was the same for you, Madam Son, wasn’t it?”

Madam Son nodded.

“Perhaps they’re relying on the Black Cat Gang as their backing. But if I had feared the Black Cat Gang in the first place, I wouldn’t have killed those Jo bastards either. Isn’t that right?”

Madam Son nodded emphatically.

‘That’s right.’

I pointed at the two men’s cups again.

“Come on, let’s drink. Madam Son, tell Cha Seongtae to gather every martial artist stationed at the three brothels and have them wait downstairs. If Brother Jeon and Brother Han run away, tell him to either kill them on the spot or bring them back before me. I’ll punish them with penalty liquor then.”

Madam Son nodded as though she understood my meaning, then left.

Jeonpung and Han Gouk were drunk to the point that they could barely keep themselves upright. Even so, they knew perfectly well that if they attacked me now, they would die immediately.

Jeonpung spoke.

“I’m going to visit the privy.”

Looking at his expression, I said,

“You’re going to vomit?”

“I need to urinate.”

“Judging by the fact that you still have the will to distinguish between your bodily functions, you’re not drunk enough. Not drunk enough at all. You people know nothing about proper drinking etiquette. Madam Son, order some more liquor first, then pass on the message.”

Madam Son, who had returned after walking down the corridor, appeared again. With her mouth tightly shut, she merely nodded emphatically before closing the door.

Perhaps it was because they were drunk, but Jeonpung and Han Gouk seemed frightened even by Madam Son, who never opened her mouth in the end. Or perhaps they were afraid because it really seemed as if I might tear Madam Son’s mouth apart.

The two men were barely conscious.

A short while later, Madam Son entered carrying third-grade Dukang liquor. After setting it down, she briefly furrowed her brow, then gestured toward the two men with her hands.

[Don’t vomit here.]

After Madam Son left again, I poured the liquor and spoke.

“Now, let’s drink.”

At this, the two men hurriedly clapped their hands over their mouths. They were almost on the verge of passing out.

I drank the same amount of liquor as the two of them.

This time, I had no choice but to pour and drink by myself as I spoke to them.

“Brother Jeon, Brother Han. Please put in a good word for me with the Black Cat Gang.”

It was unclear exactly what I was asking them to say, yet the two men nodded repeatedly.

“I’ll be sure to put in a good word for you.”

“There shouldn’t be any trouble.”

“It doesn’t really matter if you say something bad about me, either. The Black Cat Gang Leader can afford to disregard me. However, if things take a strange turn and we end up fighting, I’ll promise you this much. If the two of you are caught by me again, you’ll truly drink until you die. I have no intention of beating you, nor of using my subordinates to assassinate you or anything like that. Just remember that the day you’re caught by me again, you’ll drink a greater amount of liquor than today, until you die. It’s true that I need to be mindful of the Black Cat Gang Leader, but that doesn’t apply to you. Let’s make that distinction clear between us before we part ways.”

Jeonpung and Han Gouk nodded emphatically.

I annoyingly poked at the two men with my finger as I spoke.

“Now you finally look like you understand what I’m saying. So… one last cup?”

“Ah, that’s all right.”

Han Gouk pleaded.

“I think we’ve had enough. We’ve drunk plenty. What should we call you from now on? Ah, I’ll speak very positively about this to our superiors. Even our gang leader should stop drinking now… Please, let’s stop.”

I liked their changed attitudes and manner of speaking.

“Good. I’ll make sure to establish a proper sect in Ilyang County. I’ve already decided on a name. We’re even in the process of building a fairly decent sect headquarters.”

Of course, it was the Zaha Inn.

“Until then, I hope the Black Cat Gang won’t demand tribute from us or anything like that.”

“Do you really think that will happen right away?”

I nodded.

“The sect’s main gate hasn’t even been built, yet you’re talking about tribute? What kind of rotten situation is this? Let’s just let things pass quietly. Later, I’ll naturally go to the Black Cat Gang and talk things over, won’t I? Good things come from keeping things good. How about another cup?”

“No. It would definitely be best to do as you say. Our sect doesn’t even have a main gate yet, so we shouldn’t be demanding tribute. That wouldn’t be proper conduct in the martial world.”

I nodded with a satisfied expression.

“Well said. From now on, let’s all live by the proper conduct of the martial world. A person should live while upholding the ways of the martial world. As for the matter of killing those Jo bastards, pass this along.”

“Please, go ahead.”

“Tell them that I, Li Zaha of Ilyang County, killed the three gang leaders because they failed to uphold the ways of the martial world.”

“I’ll be sure to deliver it exactly that way.”

While the two men expended every last bit of their strength trying not to lose consciousness, I downed more liquor. By now, they grimaced every time I drank. It seemed a severe headache was surging through them.

I muttered like a drunk.

“So my path as a chivalrous hero begins once again. You seem drunk, so you should go home now. I need to have one more drink to cleanse my palate.”

“Ah, thank you.”

“It was a truly enjoyable drinking session today.”

“I agree.”

As the two men rose, supporting each other, I called toward the door.

“The guests are leaving.”

At that moment, Madam Son appeared and looked at me while drawing a finger across her throat.

‘Shall I kill them?’

I shook my head.

“Why kill them? They’re honored guests, so don’t charge them for the drinks. Escort them courteously to the entrance.”

Madam Son nodded, then extended a hand toward the two men as if offering to show them out.

I suddenly thought that Madam Son might not be in her right mind either.

Then again, perhaps those two had tormented the women of the pleasure house so often that she had become like this. In any case, I didn’t bother asking Madam Son.

* * *

Jeon Pung and Han Go-uk finally reached the entrance of Maehwa Tower on unsteady feet.

The two men were carefully making their way down the stairs when they stopped simultaneously.

A large group of young men from Ilyang County stood gathered there, each dressed differently and carrying different weapons.

Some were squatting, while others had been snickering and fooling around. But the moment the two men appeared, they all fell silent and fixed them with murderous gazes.

Cha Seongtae stepped out from among them, gripping a straight saber, and asked toward the entrance of Maehwa Tower:

“Were we told to kill them?”

Jeon Pung and Han Go-uk turned around, wondering who he was speaking to. Madam Son, who had followed them down without their noticing, stood there menacingly, like an old maid ghost who had forgotten how to speak.

18. The Man of Rain and Steel (1)

Jeon Pung and Han Go-uk suddenly became afraid of Ilyang County itself.

There had been something foolish about all of them, but as time passed, that clumsy ineptitude began to feel strangely terrifying.

When Madam Son said nothing, Jeon Pung eventually stepped forward and explained the situation.

“There was absolutely no order to kill them. I’m telling the truth, so go back up and ask.”

As if he couldn’t believe it, Cha Seongtae asked Madam Son:

“But why did you come out, Madam Son?”

Madam Son replied with an uninterested expression.

“I came out for some fresh air. I felt like I was going to suffocate from keeping my mouth shut.”

“Were we told to let them go?”

Madam Son nodded.

“Yes.”

Only then did Cha Seongtae clear a path and say:

“Have a safe journey.”

With their mouths firmly shut, Jeon Pung and Han Go-uk quietly passed through the rabble of Ilyang County.

Cha Seongtae’s voice came from behind them.

“Let’s have another drink next time.”

Jeon Pung replied:

“No need.”

* * *

Cha Seongtae asked me, sounding concerned:

“Will it really be all right to let them go like that?”

If we handled things as Cha Seongtae suggested, the Black Cat Gang would come swarming in within a few days. The members of the Twelve Divine Generals competed among themselves, joining forces only to turn against each other later, so they couldn’t devote too many resources to a rural backwater like this. And the most frightening man in this region was the Twelve Divine Generals’ master, the Great Rakshasa. There was no need to attract the Great Rakshasa’s attention for the time being.

Of course, there was no need to explain all that to Cha Seongtae.

“It’ll be difficult for those drunkards to make a report, since they’ll be afraid of what awaits them. They’ll fear being reprimanded more than they’ll desire revenge against me. Men who go around extorting money are quick at calculating risks.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Ilyang County should be a little quieter now. I’m going back to my training.”

“Where?”

“Anywhere… Recover all of the House Lord’s assets and manage them yourself. Temporarily take over as the Hao Sect’s chief steward. If you embezzle public funds or anything of the sort, I’ll dismiss you from the position, so keep that in mind.”

Cha Seongtae sensed something ominous and asked as though trying to extract information.

“What happens if I’m dismissed?”

I said:

“If you’re dismissed, you’ll be executed.”

Cha Seongtae’s eyes flew open.

“Executed if I’m dismissed? Is there really such a law?”

“I’m the sect master, aren’t I? The sect master makes the laws.”

“……”

I patted Cha Seongtae on the shoulder and congratulated him on his promotion.

“To celebrate your becoming chief steward, have a congratulatory drink.”

I poured Cha Seongtae a third-grade Dukang wine. He stared at the ceiling before forcing himself to swallow the drink.

“Ugh, third-grade.”

“Our Chief Steward Cha is capable, so I’m sure you’ll do well. I can trust you completely, right?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Why does your answer sound so insincere? Do you want to be dismissed?”

“Ah, no, sir. It’s fine. I’ll work hard. I don’t want to die.”

“Do your best. I’ll support you properly later, and you’ll even earn a nickname: Cha Seongtae, the Greatest Sword of Ilyang. Just trust me.”

Cha Seongtae replied in a dejected tone:

“I use a saber.”

“Ah, then the Greatest Saber of Ilyang. And don’t worry about the Black Cat Gang.”

The members of the Twelve Divine Generals who would survive into the future were all reduced to kneeling before me and getting slapped. Of course, things weren’t like that yet, so I needed to buy some time.

I rose, intending to go get something to cure my hangover.

“Let’s work hard.”

“Yes, have a safe journey.”

Cha Seongtae sighed, then poured himself another cup of the remaining Dukang wine.

“I’ll finish off the liquor.”

Suddenly, Cha Seongtae tasted the bitterness of life in the martial world in his mouth. Despite his promotion, an inexplicable sorrow came over him. Perhaps it was because his superior was so young.

‘Life in the martial world isn’t easy.’

Then again, perhaps it was because his superior’s former profession had been a waiter.

* * *

After leaving the pleasure house, I looked around Ilyang County’s streets without giving it much thought. I strolled along the road, browsing the various shops, then continued on my way.

People living ordinary lives glanced at me, while those who had heard the rumor that I had killed the Three Jo Brothers wore startled expressions.

Whatever had happened, it was none of my concern.

Since the ordinary people’s daily lives remained unchanged, I intended to keep walking these streets.

When I arrived at Chunyang Restaurant, I found Geum Cheolyong of the Dragonhead Ironworks eating noodles alone.

“Uncle Geum.”

Geum Cheoryong nodded and gestured to me.

“You’ve already had a drink. I heard you come here often, so I thought I’d drop by. I normally don’t set foot near pleasure houses, you see. It isn’t because I’m afraid of my wife, of course.”

“Of course not.”

Jang Deuksu, the owner of Chunyang Restaurant, asked,

“Shall I make you a bowl?”

“I’ll have noodles too.”

“All right.”

Geum Cheoryong set down his bowl of noodles and said,

“You killed them all. Jo Ilseom, Jo Igyeol, and even Jo Sampyeong. As we agreed before, let’s talk about what comes next.”

“Certainly.”

Geum Cheoryong asked with concern,

“By the way, won’t the Black Cat Gang come swarming in? If that happens, I fear many of the young people here will die. Do you have a plan?”

I understood Geum Cheoryong’s concern all too well. In my previous life, he had been the man who objected most vehemently to being forced to pay tribute.

“They won’t come for the time being. Even if they do, if a fight breaks out, it will be something I brought upon myself alone. The others should be safe.”

Geum Cheoryong tilted his head and asked,

“Can you handle it alone?”

“Yes.”

Geum Cheoryong shook his head.

“It’s hard to believe mere bravado. Do you have a master, or did you happen to meet some reclusive eccentric?”

“Think whatever you like. In any case, you’ll find it difficult to believe the things I do from now on, one by one.”

“How strange. Then again, the waiter at Zixia Inn killed all three brothers of the Jo family one day. It is hard to believe. Is there anything I can support you with going forward?”

“There is, though I don’t know whether Uncle Geum can do it.”

Geum Cheoryong laughed as he replied,

“We really don’t trust each other, do we? Still, tell me. The fellows I’ve always regarded as thorns in my side are gone, so I ought to do at least that much for you without asking anything in return.”

I thought for a moment about what I would ask Geum Cheoryong to do for the time being, then opened my mouth.

“I believe the most difficult weapon in the world to make is one that feels extremely light in the hand while being sharper than anything else. What do you think, Uncle Geum?”

“That’s generally true of a famous sword. Sabers are a little different. In most cases, they need a certain heft to match their techniques. Experts skilled in both external and internal arts tend to favor massive sabers. Though I’ve heard that, at a certain level, one doesn’t need weapons at all. That sounds too unrealistic to me.”

“Have you ever made anything worthy of being called a famous sword or treasured saber at the Dragonhead Ironworks?”

“Of course not.”

“Is there a reason?”

Geum Cheoryong answered clearly,

“Saying that it isn’t profitable is merely the obvious excuse. If word got out that we had made a famous sword, who would buy it? A master worthy of such a sword, naturally. But what if he were a notorious expert of the dark path? Or one of the Twelve Divine Generals who heard the rumor? There’s no telling whether we’d receive its proper price. We’d be lucky if, after taking the sword, that expert didn’t kill everyone at the ironworks.”

“Hmm.”

It was a reasonable way of thinking.

“But let’s say we were lucky enough to receive its proper price. What would happen after that?”

“The buyer’s rivals or another expert of the dark path would come and threaten us to make another good sword.”

“You understand well. Building a reputation by making good weapons means forming ties with truly terrifying men. Most of the time, you accumulate bad blood rather than good relationships. Everyone in the world knows that when a famous sword suddenly appears in the martial world, the people trying to claim it kill and are killed over and over.”

“So you deliberately lost interest in famous swords? That sounds like a cowardly excuse.”

“There are many ways to live. Some people seek fame, while others value survival above all else. Our Dragonhead Ironworks has been around for quite a long time, but we’ve survived precisely because we made and sold adequate weapons. We’re doing this to make a living. What does a little fame matter?”

Geum Cheoryong laughed and asked Jang Deuksu,

“Isn’t that right, Deuksu?”

Jang Deuksu nodded and replied,

“That’s right, sir.”

Geum Cheoryong tapped his finger against the bowl he had emptied clean and said,

“Look at Deuksu’s skill with food. The shop is shabby, but in Ilyang County, no one cooks better than Deuksu. Now, suppose Deuksu went to work as a chef for some famous clan. If that clan became embroiled in a dispute and was wiped out, Deuksu would die too. He’d die because of his excellent cooking. Things like that happen at ironworks all the time as well.”

I nodded at Geum Cheoryong’s words.

“I understand. In any case, the weapon I want is……”

“As I said, a famous sword……”

“It isn’t a sword. Nor am I asking you to make a famous weapon or a masterpiece. Hear me out first.”

“Go on.”

I took a sip of broth before continuing.

“It doesn’t need to be sharp. Nor does it need to be light.”

Geum Cheoryong replied,

“Then it won’t be a masterpiece.”

“That’s right.”

“Then what exactly are you asking me to make?”

I replied,

“I’ll give up sharpness. Weight doesn’t matter either. The weapon I want is one that won’t break, bend, or snap, no matter what it strikes.”

Geum Cheoryong folded his arms as if preparing to listen carefully, and I continued.

“For example, I wouldn’t mind carrying around a solid block of ten-thousand-year cold iron. That is why I’m willing to give up sharpness and lightness. I’m not asking you to make a masterpiece. I simply want something that even the finest famous sword cannot easily cut through—something crude and rough, perhaps, but possessing nothing except sheer hardness. In the end, what I want is something like the Ruyi Jingu Bang used by the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.”

As he listened to me, Geum Cheoryong furrowed his brow.

“Something like the Ruyi Jingu Bang?”

“In a manner of speaking. Whether it’s a staff, a cudgel, or a spear makes no difference—not even its shape matters. I only want it to be hard.”

“What do you intend to do with it?”

“Train. I’ll be training to become a man of steel myself.”

In an atmosphere like this, I couldn’t bring myself to mention the Steel Turtle.

For a while, neither Geum Cheoryong, Jang Deuksu, nor I said a word. Geum Cheoryong was lost in thought, while Jang Deuksu kept his mouth shut for a long time, as though he did not wish to interrupt.

After quite some time, Jang Deuksu looked outside and said,

“It’s raining.”

The three of us silently watched the rain come pouring down for a while.

The owner of a soup-and-rice shop, a man who had once been a waiter, and a man who made his living handling iron every day all gazed at the falling rain for a long time.

At moments like this, there was no need for conversation.

For a while, I too forgot about the martial world and watched the rain pour down.

19. The Rain and the Man of Steel (2)

I could not obtain the weapon I had been using as my main weapon. Therefore, I was in a position where I had to find a replacement main weapon to use until then. The question was whether Uncle Geum Cheoryong would be able to make it.

In truth, it would be fine even if he could not.

I only hoped that Geum Cheoryong would become an artisan who challenged himself to something more worthwhile, rather than disappearing after making weapons with nothing but good handles.

.

.

.

Geum Cheoryong spoke to me as he watched the rain.

“It won’t be easy.”

“That’s right.”

“More than anything, finding iron that hard is no easy task. As you said, obtaining ten-thousand-year cold iron would solve everything, but finding ten-thousand-year cold iron is about as difficult as martial artists obtaining kongcheongseokyu.”

“That’s right.”

“However, if it’s something heavy as well, I suppose we could look through the Black Market.”

The Black Market was a general term for places where experts of the Black Path obtained weapons. Some were auction houses, while others sold weapons they had made themselves. When Geum Cheoryong said he would look through the Black Market, it sounded as though he intended to obtain iron rather than purchase a finished blade.

I kept my mouth shut here as well.

Making the weapon was entirely Geum Cheoryong’s responsibility, as someone who had run an ironworks for a long time. It was not my place to interfere.

Still, if Geum Cheoryong truly managed to make a weapon that satisfied me, that would be my good fortune—and his destiny.

It seemed that he had never freely made an excellent weapon because he was afraid of the martial artists of the jianghu. I intended to break that taboo.

In any case, if trouble arose at Yongdu Ironworks, I intended to protect it.

Geum Cheoryong asked me:

“Have you thought of a name?”

I immediately answered with the weapon’s name.

“The weapon’s name is Gwangin.”

Gwang, meaning mad, and in, meaning blade.

Geum Cheoryong murmured over the meaning of the weapon’s name.

“A mad blade, is it? Then you said the shape of the weapon doesn’t matter, so may I understand the blade as meaning that it will tear the opponent apart and kill them?”

“Something like that.”

“Would it be all right if I made it as a straight sword? If I’m not going to employ any flourishes, a straight sword would be the most suitable.”

A straight sword was, just as its name suggested, a sword whose blade had no curve whatsoever.

“A straight sword would be even better. After all, a man moves straight ahead.”

Geum Cheoryong glared at me for a moment after hearing my unexpected nonsense, then spoke.

“So be it. I’ll make it a straight sword. Its name shall be Gwangin, and it shall contain the unbreakable convictions of this Geum Cheoryong.”

I smiled faintly.

“Good.”

Jang Deuksu, who had been listening quietly, added a word.

“Gwangin… That’s a terrifying name.”

Geum Cheoryong asked as he imagined the weapon he would have to make.

“What’s the deadline?”

“The deadline is decided by the artisan, not the client. Would a finished product that satisfies the artisan come out just because the client was impatient? Whenever is fine.”

In truth, Geum Cheoryong had never been an artisan, but I intended to treat him as one.

Geum Cheoryong stroked his chin.

“That’s true as well. There’s no way to predict how long it will take to obtain the materials, either. One day, I’ll call you and present you with that Gwangin. Let’s leave it at that.”

“Yes.”

Geum Cheoryong pointed at the empty bowls and spoke.

“You’re buying the noodles today. I ate well again today.”

“Is it really all right to mooch off a poor waiter?”

Geum Cheoryong looked at me as though that was utterly out of the question.

“You’re not a waiter. I don’t know when you stopped being one, but still. Today, let’s say we’re getting the sect master of Haomun to pay.”

Jang Deuksu, who had been washing the bowls, asked curiously:

“Haomun? What’s Haomun? Did Jaha create it?”

I answered him.

“Deuksu-hyung.”

“What?”

“You’re part of Haomun too.”

Jang Deuksu replied with a startled expression.

“Huh? Me? When did I join?”

“Everyone I know is considered to have joined already.”

“Aha.”

“In that case, make sure the sect master can always get noodles for free. Understood?”

Jang Deuksu opened his eyes wide like a tiger and said with a stern expression:

“客官, what are you doing?”

“……”

In any case, that sort of thing did not work well on the men of Ilyang County.

I had no choice but to take some money from my coin pouch and place it on the table.

Suddenly, my gaze turned first toward the outside of Chunyang Restaurant. Geum Cheoryong and Jang Deuksu then followed my gaze and looked outside as well.

Several men stood in the rain.

Geum Cheoryong spoke as though he was worried.

“Hmm, uninvited guests in the rain. They’re your enemies, of course, right? I’ve never lived a life of crime, you see. I’ve never even gone near a pleasure house.”

Jang Deuksu’s eyes immediately took on an innocent look as well.

“Even if I wanted to help, I can’t fight. If I hurt my hands, I can’t run the business.”

Even as he said that, Jang Deuksu located the sharpest kitchen knife with his eyes. In any case, if those men stormed Chunyang Restaurant, the owner intended to join the knife fight.

I shook my head and said:

“Do you see any sign that those bastards have come looking for me?”

At that moment, the men outside spoke toward Chunyang Restaurant.

“Yi Jaha… We know you’re in there. Come outside.”

Jang Deuksu nodded.

“Sect Master, they’re asking you to come out.”

Now elevated from customer to sect master, I looked at Jang Deuksu. He spoke in a solemn tone.

“Be careful.”

Geum Cheoryong also sincerely expressed his concern for me.

“Sect Master, be careful. My lower back hurts whenever it rains… It’s a chronic condition.”

I stood up while unfastening the whip from my waist.

“Leave it to me. These bastards are being a nuisance while it’s raining.”

After I left the restaurant, Geum Cheoryong said to Jang Deuksu:

“For some reason, the way he said ‘these bastards’ sounded like he was talking about us.”

Jang Deuksu shook his head.

“No.”

“No?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m his older brother. Jaha isn’t that kind of person.”

“In the martial world, the one with the stronger martial arts is the elder brother.”

“Then is the elder also Zaha’s younger brother?”

“Deuksu, are you going to determine a difference of more than ten years by martial arts as well? Let’s just let this one slide.”

“Yes.”

* * *

I went outside and looked at the rats getting drenched in the rain.

Only one of them had the air of a master. He was a bald man wrapped from head to toe in a rain cloak, with barely more than his eyes exposed.

As expected, the bald man wearing the rain cloak alone opened his mouth.

“That sickly-looking one?”

The other men answered.

“Yes.”

The gaze of the man wrapped in the rain cloak was downright murderous as he stared at me.

“According to these men, you had the audacity to kill Neung Jiseok of Heukseonbo. Is that true?”

I tilted my head.

“That name sounds familiar.”

Of course, I knew he was the man who had died by my hand near Zaha Inn.

Looking over the rats around me, I recognized quite a few faces. They were martial artists from Sihwaru. In other words, they were Jo Sampyeong’s other subordinates.

I asked the man wrapped in the rain cloak,

“Is the bald man getting rained on Neung Jiseok’s senior brother?”

“I am Wi Seon-u of Heukseonbo.”

The moment I heard the name Wi Seon-u, an epithet came to mind.

‘If it’s Wi Seon-u, then he was one of the Ring-Saber Twin Ghosts.’

What kind of fate was this?

The men who had challenged me during my days as the master of Hao Sect, only to die, were the Ring-Saber Twin Ghosts.

The senior and junior brothers Wi Seon-u and Gu Yangsu were known as the Ring-Saber Twin Ghosts. I learned only now that they had come from Heukseonbo. Perhaps they later left Heukseonbo because it was a force that lacked much cohesion.

The Ring-Saber Twin Ghosts were the killing fiends who, one day, slaughtered forty or fifty masters of both the Black and White Paths in a single night when a great dispute broke out over a treasure map.

Of course, the Ring-Saber Twin Ghosts had died by my hand, and the treasure at the location indicated by that map had become mine as well.

When Wi Seon-u loosened his rain cloak, his face was properly revealed.

The man who had died by my hand had come before me with a youthful face, glaring at me.

Of course, I did not rule out the possibility that Gu Yangsu was hiding nearby.

Still holding my whip, I said,

“You Sihwaru rats, get inside. Unless you want to get caught up in this and die.”

Wi Seon-u was so consumed by the thought of killing me that he did not even spare the underlings a glance. The Sihwaru underlings quietly retreated, then took up positions some distance away. They wanted to see how the fight would turn out.

Wi Seon-u asked,

“Brat, why did you kill Neung Jiseok?”

I answered briefly.

“For the crime of burning down my house.”

Wi Seon-u grinned.

“A reason worth killing for. Though thanks to that, you’ll die too.”

“Do things in this world really go as you please? There probably aren’t many things that do, just like your hair.”

A vein bulged on Wi Seon-u’s forehead.

“I’ll have to tear that mouth of yours apart first.”

At that moment, the sky flashed.

As Wi Seon-u and I clearly confirmed each other’s faces, we both grinned at the same time.

Wi Seon-u took up a stance while gripping two ring sabers. He was the sort who became stronger when joining forces with Gu Yangsu to launch a combined attack than when fighting alone.

It was unfortunate for the Ring-Saber Twin Ghosts, but I knew their saber techniques well.

It was not only the Ring-Saber Twin Ghosts. Since I had also clashed with the Martial Alliance many times, the more formidable a master was, the greater the chance that I knew him.

Now, I possessed the power of the Geumgu Soyo Technique forged from Heavenly Jade, as well as the experience of my previous life.

Because of that, all this was merely an amusement on a rainy day.

“Wi Seon-u, you’re needlessly shortening your own life. You have the physiognomy of a man who would enjoy a long life if he never met me. What a shame.”

I was referring to the fate of his previous life, but Wi Seon-u had no way of understanding that and merely snorted at my words.

“Crazy bastard.”

“Sharp of you.”

Meanwhile, the rain grew heavier.

Whoooooosh…!

Wi Seon-u charged fiercely, splashing through the puddles scattered across the ground. When my whip lashed out, Wi Seon-u slipped aside to evade it, then swung both ring sabers and closed the distance in an instant. His movements showed that he fundamentally knew how to kill an opponent wielding a whip.

He had no intention of allowing me to widen the distance.

In contrast, I moved laterally, securing the distance at which I could strike him with my whip.

For a while, Wi Seon-u and I moved in circles, continuing the opening exchange as we vied for the initiative. Before long, we were drenched by the rain.

As I moved, I deliberately stepped into the puddles and sent the water spraying along Wi Seon-u’s path. Wi Seon-u diligently swung his ring sabers, deflecting the water with the broad sides of the blades.

My strategy in the opening exchange was to maintain a tense balance with Wi Seon-u.

That way, Gu Yangsu, who was highly likely waiting nearby, would reveal himself.

For that reason, I deliberately focused on defense.

During that time, the sky flashed three times in succession, and thunder rumbled in the distant heavens.

I heard splashing from somewhere, and then Cha Seongtae suddenly arrived, gripping a straight saber.

The moment Cha Seongtae arrived, I warned him.

“Stand by. He’s a master.”

“Yes.”

Cha Seongtae gave a short reply and removed the blindfold he had been wearing until then. The torrential rain had made it difficult for him to see ahead.

While blocking Wi Seon-u’s attacks, I had no choice but to tell Cha Seongtae,

“There’s one more nearby. Be careful.”

Cha Seongtae flinched in surprise, then gripped his straight saber tightly as he glared in every direction through the sheets of rain.

“Understood.”

A moment later, Cha Seongtae said,

“There’s no one here except the Sihwaru underlings.”

Before Cha Seongtae had even finished speaking, a black object came spinning through the rain-filled air.

“Huh?”

Then two blades unfolded to the left and right, revealing Gu Yangsu’s darkened face as he joined Wi Seon-u.

Cha Seongtae, looking thoroughly startled, cursed.

“Wow, fuck, he really was here.”

The moment I saw Gu Yangsu’s face for the first time in a long while, laughter spilled from my lips.

“Heh heh.”

Now that both Ring-Saber Twin Ghosts had appeared, there was no need to hold back. I immediately wrapped Flame Qi around my whip.

A reddish glow spread along the whip as it writhed through the rain like a vicious snake.

Gu Yangsu spat out a short warning.

“Junior Brother, he’s a master hiding his strength. Be careful.”

“Yes.”

Wi Seon-u and Gu Yang-su split to the left and right, each wielding a pair of sabers as they surrounded me from both sides. The formation they had chosen was intended to prolong the fight, having confirmed my cultivation power at once.

The Twin Saber Fiends’ response was appropriate, since a whip was slower to retrieve than other weapons.

They must have been planning a formation in which one of them entangled my whip with his two sabers while the other launched a surprise attack from behind.

Reading the Twin Saber Fiends’ thoughts, I engaged them in a battle of attrition.

20. That’s why my name is Jaha.

Even as Cha Seong-tae felt afraid of the Twin Saber Fiends, he wandered back and forth near the front line, muttering to himself.

“Hey, you bald bastard. Watch your back. I’m joining in. Do you know what my nickname is? You’ll find out only after you’ve been stabbed by my blade. You don’t need to know for now. That’s right, go on and run wild some more.”

In reality, Cha Seong-tae took a few steps as if he meant to charge forward with his straight saber, then stopped.

Anyone could see that his movements were laced with bluster, but to the Twin Saber Fiends, they were not.

I found Cha Seong-tae’s behavior so ridiculous that I snorted while swinging my whip.

“Crazy bastard.”

Cha Seong-tae also raised his straight saber and continued threatening the Twin Saber Fiends with a cackle.

“All right, I’m joining in. Let’s make this a fair two-on-two fight. Here I go. Baldy, I’m coming to split you open first. Surprise attack!”

Wi Seon-u, who had been swinging his pair of sabers, slashed once behind him as my whip was being retrieved.