At Divine Nun Haechung’s words, Mother tilted her head in confusion. Seeing this, Divine Nun Haechung smiled and spoke.
“Are you perhaps a daughter of the Yeongseon Min Clan?”
“How did you know?”
“Twenty years ago, I visited the Yeongseon Min Clan when I followed my master to Gansu Province for a short time.”
“Ah…”
Mother smiled delightedly.
“I remember now. You are the one who came with Abbess Sujeong.”
“Yes. That is correct.”
“The world really is small. I never imagined I would see you again like this.”
“I feel the same way.”
Divine Nun Haechung wore a benevolent smile.
“It is a pleasure to encounter a connection from so long ago.”
“To think that Divine Nun Haechung is my niece’s master! Fate is truly strange.”
At that moment, Father spoke up gently.
“Why don’t you catch up on old times a bit later and have a meal first? The disciples are waiting.”
“Oh my! You are right.”
“That would be best.”
We all took our seats, and the food began to arrive. It was Sichuan cuisine, specially ordered by Mother.
I fell into thought while watching Mother converse with Divine Nun Haechung.
The Yeongseon Min Clan.
That was Mother’s maiden family.
However, I had rarely visited them. I only remembered going there once or twice when I was very young.
Once I turned fifteen, I couldn’t go because I was busy and it was too far away.
I regretted that later.
I should have visited my maternal grandparents at least one more time before they passed away.
I wouldn’t make that mistake this time.
However, the disciples of Mount Emei weren’t eating as much as I expected. Only Cousin Hyang-ok was practically inhaling the food.
Why?
Martial artists use their bodies, so regardless of age or gender, they usually eat an enormous amount.
Does it not suit their taste?
At that moment, Cousin Hyang-ok sighed and spoke to me.
“Seo-ho.”
“Yes, Cousin.”
“If you’re done eating, go upstairs.”
“Pardon?”
“Because of you, my junior sisters are just picking at this delicious food right in front of them.”
I couldn’t understand what she meant, so I just tilted my head.
That was when Palgap chimed in, making a fuss.
“Oh, come on! Young Master! What woman would eat voraciously when a handsome man like you is watching them so intensely?”
“Is, is that what it was?”
“From what I can see, even men wouldn’t be able to do that.”
“…Why are you bringing men into this?”
“Anyway, that’s how it is. So let’s go upstairs quickly and stop disturbing their meal.”
And so, dragged by Palgap’s hand, I headed toward my guest room and glanced back.
Only then did I feel a bit awkward seeing the Mount Emei disciples inhaling their food.
But Palgap, why are you so excited?
After finishing the meal, Haechung took her disciples and headed to the Inn where they were staying.
She had intended to buy a delicious meal for her disciples who had suffered coming all this way ahead of the preliminaries.
One needed to eat heartily to gain strength.
But unexpectedly, they ended up receiving such hospitality.
She had heard that her disciples were insulted by some ruffians today when they went to register for the martial arts tournament.
She deeply regretted sending only the disciples in order to deliver the Sect Leader’s letter.
She should have moved with her disciples, even if it meant delivering the letter later. She should have shown those who did such filthy things a taste of hell.
No, if she had been there, would any of those bastards have dared to roll their dirty tongues?
She had an older sister.
Her sister had raised her with precious care, taking the place of their parents who had passed away early.
That sister was everything to her.
But she was raped and killed by a lecherous demon, and Haechung had nearly suffered the same fate.
It was her master who cut down that lecherous demon and saved her.
She wanted to avenge her sister.
Of course, her master had taken revenge in her stead, but the image of her sister dying could not be forgotten.
More than that, she felt she couldn’t go on living unless she made such a resolve.
Her sister had always said so.
If you live steadfastly, a happy moment will come someday.
So promise me you will live steadfastly.
She chose the path of revenge to keep her promise to her sister.
Her master was a disciple of Mount Emei.
She clung to her master and eventually became a registered disciple of Mount Emei.
Fortunately, she had talent.
With her spite added to her decent talent, her martial arts improved noticeably, and she was finally able to become a core disciple.
Then came the Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering she participated in for the first time.
There, she began to make her name known by ruthlessly crushing a scion of a martial family who mocked her with base words.
And the number of lecherous demons she had cut down until now became her reputation entirely.
‘Anyway… Hyang-ok’s cousin…’
When Eun Hyang-ok became a core disciple, she gave her the dharma name Hyang-ok (Fragrant Jade). (TL Note: Yes, she just lost her surname)
Not only did the name Hyang-ok suit her perfectly, but it was also one of the conditions for Eun Hyang-ok to become a core disciple.
And yesterday, the moment she saw Eun Seo-ho, who was said to be her cousin, she didn’t show it, but she was shocked.
He clearly seemed to have learned martial arts, but she couldn’t properly gauge his level.
That meant he was at Peak Realm or higher.
To be at Peak Realm or higher at that age was a level that couldn’t be explained without some incredible fortuitous encounter.
‘But it seems he is hiding his level…’
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have used money to help the disciples when he intervened.
‘He could have subdued them with just his spirit alone.’
She subtly probed Hyang-ok, but she seemed unaware.
So she didn’t pretend to know either.
And today,
Haechung was able to encounter a connection from a very long time ago.
The Yeongseon Min Clan of Gansu Province, which she had visited with her master.
The second daughter of that family, famous for their Soft Sword, possessed talent no less outstanding than the rising stars of any major sect.
At that time, through her master’s arrangement, she sparred with her, and Haechung suffered a complete defeat.
She thought they would meet again in the Murim someday, but unexpectedly, she had become the wife of a merchant.
Seeing the eyes filled with love and trust with which she and her husband looked at each other, it didn’t seem like a political marriage.
‘It means she loved him enough to turn her back on her fame in the Murim to become a merchant’s wife.’
Suddenly, Haechung felt envious of her.
And Eun Seo-ho seemed to have inherited his mother’s talent.
‘But even so, being at the Peak Realm at that age makes no sense…’
For some reason, she had a premonition that interesting things would happen at this Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering.
Time passed, and registration for the tournament closed.
And today is finally the start of the Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering’s preliminaries. That means it’s the start of serious business.
In the tent in front of us, characters written in a single stroke on cotton cloth fluttered in the wind.
[Eight-Person Pharmacy’s Ambitious Work! Special Cure for Nervous Upset Stomach, Indigestion, Headache, etc. Calming Pill (安心丸)]
[Various Household Medicines Available]
The Eight-Person Pharmacy also participated this time to enjoy the special demand of the Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering.
And they accepted my advice to make medicine for various symptoms caused by nervousness.
In my previous life, I had come to this Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering several times and learned that there were more people sick from nervousness than expected.
So back then, I also made considerable money by making medicine for such symptoms.
This time, unlike my past life, the Eight-Person Pharmacy is running the pharmacy instead of the Eunhae Merchant Group, so I gave them advice on it.
Of course, the more they sell, the larger my share, so it’s good for everyone.
Seeing people starting to flock to the Eight-Person Pharmacy tent, it seemed my advice hit the mark.
My eyes met with Supervisor Yang Jin-su of the Eight-Person Pharmacy. He nodded with a pleased expression.
I also smiled and nodded back.
That doesn’t mean there are no customers at our Eunhae Merchant Group tent.
Medicinal herbs and tea were being sold steadily.
And according to Supervisor Yun, quite a few people are regulars of our Eunhae Merchant Group.
They are grateful people who trust our group and purchase goods every time.
“Sales of medicinal herbs will increase in earnest once the preliminaries are over today.”
“I suppose so.”
“It’s time for the preliminaries to start. Aren’t you going?”
“I was just thinking of leaving.”
For us merchants, observing the Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering is an important task.
Because the actions we need to take change depending on who the winner is.
It is also important to select places worthy of sponsorship in advance.
Of course, watching the main tournament is enough for all that, so there’s no need to pay extra admission fees to watch the preliminaries.
And since I already knew the results, I intended to do my personal training or handle backlog work during that time.
But…
“Your mother says she wants to watch from the preliminaries. So go with your mother.”
“Pardon? What about you, Father?”
“I have things to discuss with the other Merchant Lords, so I don’t think I can go.”
The other Merchant Lords were still staying in Luoyang. It was to watch the main tournament of this gathering in person.
There was no reason to refuse Father’s words, so I obediently agreed.
Honestly, I also wanted to watch it with Mother.
.
.
.
A short while later.
I headed to the place where the preliminaries were being held with Mother, taking Palgap and the three escort guards along.
Suddenly, I thought it would have been nice if Escort Guard Jin Yu could have come too.
We headed to the meeting place, Yumi Restaurant, joined Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun’s mother who was waiting in front, and headed to the arena.
The arena was set up in the empty lot in front of the Murim Alliance.
“Please show your tickets.”
We presented our tickets.
The Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering was not free to watch, and the seats were even divided into grades.
The place where you can see the martial arts best at the front is the Grade A section.
Behind that is the Grade B section.
And the place where the people in the arena look about the size of a forearm is the Grade C section.
Still, you can sit and watch up to the Grade C section.
However, the Grade D section behind that required standing, and the people in the arena looked about the size of a finger.
Naturally, the price of the tickets varied by grade, and the tickets we held were for the Grade B section.
That is the best grade one can buy with money.
Grade A seats were not sold to the public but distributed to famous families or prestigious sects.
The tickets for Grade B seats are made of silver.
I heard the tickets for Grade A seats are made of gold…
Anyway, we presented our tickets and went inside. Then we sat in the seats corresponding to the numbers engraved on the plaques.
“Thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to watch as well.”
Since Palgap and the three guards also had to buy tickets to watch the preliminaries with us, this was an expression of gratitude for that.
At Escort Guard Seo Wu’s words, I smiled and said,
“This is all an investment.”
“Pardon?”
“If you see and feel something, you will become stronger. In other words, it’s for my safety, so you don’t have to be too grateful.”
At my words, Escort Guard Yeo Eung-am spoke.
“I will definitely repay my Lord’s grace.”
I was joking…
I smiled awkwardly and turned my head toward the platform.
The platform was made of Ironwood.
Ironwood, which grows in high mountain regions, was famous for being hard yet extremely tough.
Thus, it is widely used for high-quality platforms.
People might wonder if arenas are usually made using stone, but stone is absolutely never used.
If the stone shatters and flies during a duel, not only the spectators but also the parties dueling could be seriously injured.
Also, it was difficult to restore when broken.
Because of this, some martial family once made a platform out of iron, but it is said they demolished it after three years.
Maintenance was harder than expected, and people got seriously hurt even from falling slightly during a duel.
On top of that, there were cases where the person wielding a weapon suffered damage instead when the weapon struck the platform floor.
So the best material for a platform in the current Murim was wood, and the best among them was Ironwood.
Dung-dung-dung-!
The sound of drums resonated, and the preliminaries began.
“We will now begin the preliminaries for the Thirty-Sixth Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering!”
“I look forward to seeing which new rising masters will make your hearts race this time.”
“Actually, this is my second time hosting the Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering. Hahaha.”
“Then, the first order is…!”
The person who stepped up as the announcer proceeded with the preliminaries very energetically.
Well… he has to do that to pump up the excitement for the audience.
He looked frivolous, but even so, he is a Peak Master.
It’s been a while since I saw that guy too.
He is a master of the Mount Hua Sect, a Plum Blossom Swordsman who makes plum blossoms bloom.
They said the Plum Blossom Sword Technique he unfolds was truly serious, unlike his frivolous appearance…
Uh, wait a minute… What did that guy just say?
It’s his second time hosting?
Ah, damn it!
I barely suppressed the curse that was about to burst out.
–TL Notes–
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