I turned to face everyone and spoke.
“You should return to your lodgings now. Public order will only worsen as the night grows later. If you get dragged into some pointless altercation, you may end up tarnishing your sect’s honor.”
“Understood.”
“Ah, I’ll escort you to where the members of the Qingcheng Sect are staying.”
The reason I made the offer was simple. I wanted to know exactly who Geum-bong had backing him.
“Th–there’s really no need for you to go that far.”
“Nonsense. Our paths crossed today, so I can hardly leave you to walk back alone. There’s no need to worry. Didn’t I already agree to overlook the matter of you injuring my attendant?”
“…”
“Then let’s go.”
And so, I led them away.
Their lodgings were farther away than I had expected.
They had come all this way just to torment Warrior In-bong. What a ridiculous amount of dedication.
Before long, we arrived at an inn.
The Azure Wall Inn.
It was an inn operated by the Qingcheng Sect. The Emei Sect had signed a contract with an existing inn, but the Qingcheng Sect had gone so far as to operate an inn of its own.
Naturally, they were also using it as their lodgings.
Just then, someone emerged from the inn. The disciples’ expressions stiffened the moment they saw him.
“S–Sect Leader.”
“Sect Leader, you see, what happened was…”
Ah, so that man was the Sect Leader.
He seemed to recognize me and greeted me warmly.
“Well, who do we have here? Isn’t this the Handsome Young Hero himself?”
“This humble merchant, Eun Seo-ho, greets the Sect Leader.”
“It is good to meet you. But what brings you here with disciples of our sect?”
That was when it happened.
“Sect Leader! This man may be called the Handsome Young Hero, but everyone has been deceived by him!”
Huh?
For a moment, I was genuinely caught off guard.
No, I had expected him to try something once he reached the person backing him, but he was going this far?
The other disciples must have been thinking the same thing, because they all sucked in sharp breaths.
The Sect Leader’s expression hardened as he questioned Geum-bong.
“What do you mean by that?”
“This man came out of nowhere, picked a fight with us, and attacked me!”
No, seriously… I was actually speechless.
He should have been trying to keep our clash buried, yet he had brought it up himself?
And even the slightest investigation would expose his story as a lie. Just what was going through his head when he pulled something this reckless?
“Handsome Young Hero… is what Geum-bong said true?”
He looked at me again, his expression turning cold.
“I asked whether my son, Geum-bong, was telling the truth.”
Huh? His son?
Ah, so that was why the bastard had been so arrogant.
Unlike most other Taoist sects, the Qingcheng Sect permitted its members to marry. They could even have their children enter the Qingcheng Sect afterward.
Still, I had never imagined his father would be the Qingcheng Sect Leader.
The Sect Leader looked fairly old, though. Had Geum-bong been born late in his life?
“The truth is, what happened was…”
“Enough! I have no interest in your excuses! My son would never lie to me.”
He was getting this angry based solely on his son’s word?
Was a man who had risen to the position of Sect Leader truly this lacking in self-control?
Then again, seeing him behave like this made it easy to understand how Geum-bong had grown into such an arrogant and overbearing bastard.
Shing.
The Sect Leader drew the sword at his waist and pointed it at me.
“I will personally wash away the humiliation my son suffered! Draw your sword at once!”
“Wait, the thing is…”
“What are you doing? I told you to draw your sword!”
The disturbance must have reached the inn, because several Taoists from the Qingcheng Sect hurried outside and tried to restrain him.
“Sect Leader! What are you doing? It won’t be too late to act after hearing what happened.”
“He is right. Please calm yourself.”
“Silence! I will never forgive anyone who brings shame upon my son.”
Good grief…
I had another martial match tomorrow, yet it seemed I would have to waste my strength here.
I swallowed an inward sigh and addressed him.
“Sect Leader, I believe we should move somewhere else. If we cross swords here, innocent bystanders may be hurt.”
“Hmm. You have a point. Follow me.”
He led me to the rear courtyard of the Azure Wall Inn.
Perhaps because the inn was operated by the Qingcheng Sect, they had prepared a large open space suitable for martial training.
“Now, draw your sword! You can no longer use the location as an excuse!”
“Yes, very well.”
At that moment, Escort Guard Seo Wu stepped forward.
“My lord, allow me to face him in your place.”
“No. I’m the one being forced into this match, so I should be the one to draw my sword.”
I motioned him back and drew my sword.
Shiiing.
The sound of steel sliding from its sheath cut coldly through the air.
“Today, I will show you the true swordsmanship of Qingcheng.”
Still, something about this was clearly abnormal.
No matter how deeply he loved his son, could he truly trust Geum-bong so blindly?
Even my father would not take everything I said as the absolute truth.
Rather than a father who simply loved and cherished his son too much, the Sect Leader looked more like a subordinate compelled to obey every order from his superior.
And he was the leader of the Qingcheng Sect, a Taoist sect.
Earlier, I had dismissed his behavior as a lack of cultivation and self-restraint, but perhaps there was more to it.
“I shall make the first move!”
Swoosh!
He charged toward me, swinging his sword.
His Slender Willow Drift was clearly on an entirely different level from Warrior In-bong’s.
Clang–!
The instant I blocked his sword…
“…”
I sensed a trace of Unorthodox Qi.
Unorthodox Qi from the Qingcheng Sect Leader? How could that possibly be?
Still, it did not seem to originate from his Qi itself.
In that case, he probably was not deeply connected to the Unorthodox Sect…
Pretending that I could barely withstand his sword, I deliberately let myself fall.
“Get up.”
At his command, I rose and made a polite request.
“Sect Leader, it seems I am about to suffer a thorough humiliation today. Before that happens, I would like to ask you for one favor.”
“What is it?”
“I will send my companions away, so I would appreciate it if you also dismissed the other members of the Qingcheng Sect.”
He readily nodded.
“That is hardly difficult. Everyone, return to your places!”
I also turned to my companions.
“Please leave us alone for a moment.”
The Escort Guards looked worried, but when I gave them a reassuring look, they obediently withdrew.
“Understood.”
Soon, only the Sect Leader and I remained in the rear courtyard.
“Then draw your sword again.”
“Yes.”
There was a reason I had insisted on leaving only the two of us here.
It seemed I would have to use the Supreme Yin Ice Sea Divine Art.
And I would have to reveal at least some of my true ability.
However, I could not allow the other members of the Qingcheng Sect to witness it.
It would complicate today’s martial matches, and if word spread that I had been concealing my true strength from the world, I would find myself in a troublesome position for all sorts of reasons.
But I could not simply apologize and retreat from this situation either.
Then let’s give this a try.
I filled the Silver Mist Sword with the Qi of the Supreme Yin Ice Sea Divine Art and struck the Sect Leader’s blade.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Unlike before, I was now fighting with my full strength, allowing me to maintain an even exchange with the Sect Leader.
That also allowed me to gradually send my Qi through his sword and into his body without alerting him.
As I did, the Unorthodox Qi I had sensed from him slowly began to fade.
At last, when the Unorthodox Qi had vanished completely, leaving behind only the Qingcheng Sect’s pure and untainted Qi–
“Huff!
The Sect Leader suddenly retreated and raised his head to stare at me.
He looked utterly bewildered.
I smiled and asked him a question.
“Are you back to your senses now?”
He stood there blankly for a moment, seemingly trying to grasp what had happened, before nodding.
“My mind has not felt this clear in quite some time. This must be your doing.”
Instead of answering, I smiled and returned my sword to its sheath.
“But how did you realize there was something wrong with me?”
“I happen to be rather skilled at sensing the Qi of others. It seems the properties of the Heavenly Flow Art I cultivated were also able to clear your mind.”
“I see…”
“Your reaction also struck me as abnormal. Even if you are Taoist Geum-bong’s father, blindly accepting everything he said without even hearing the circumstances was far too unnatural.”
“So that was it. Thank you for bringing me back to my senses.”
“It was nothing. But what exactly happened to you?”
I continued before he could answer.
“I understand that asking may be impolite, but after what just happened, I believe I have the right to hear the circumstances.”
“You do. You certainly have that right.”
The Sect Leader nodded, then looked toward the sky as he began to speak.
“It was about three years ago, I believe. Geum-bong came to me and said there was something he wanted to discuss. From the moment I drank the tea he served me… whenever anything involved Geum-bong, I would lose all reason without even realizing it.”
In other words, Geum-bong was the culprit.
He must have mixed something connected to Unorthodox Qi into the Sect Leader’s tea.
“The truth is, I have always raised my children strictly.”
So Geum-bong was not his only child?
“But Geum-bong… it seems that boy resented me for it.”
“That is understandable, but this was hardly the proper way to deal with it. What do you intend to do about Taoist Geum-bong?”
“Haah. No matter how much he may be my son, I cannot simply let this pass. Even for his own sake. I intend to formally convene the Heavenly Inquiry Council.”
“Is that some kind of internal council meeting within the Qingcheng Sect?”
“That is correct. Its name means asking the Heavens, and it is the council our sect convenes only for matters of the gravest importance. Not only I, but all twelve elders of our sect will attend.”
“I see.”
Today was the first time I had ever met Geum-bong, but I could already imagine how arrogantly and tyrannically he had behaved until now.
There was no chance the other elders viewed him favorably.
He had tasted plenty of life’s sweetness. It was finally time for him to experience its bitterness.
“Putting that aside, I should repay you for helping me. Tell me if there is anything you desire. If it is within my power, I will grant it.”
“In that case…”
I considered it briefly before speaking.
“Please keep what I did for you today a secret.”
“That is not difficult, but must it truly remain a secret?”
“Yes.”
I nodded.
“Surely you have already realized it. My martial prowess is far beyond the Peak realm.”
“That is true. If you can fight evenly against me, then you must have reached the Profound realm some time ago.”
“Exactly. If people learn that I helped you, I will be unable to avoid their condemnation. They will say I deceived everyone during the friendly martial matches.”
“You have a point.”
He continued.
“But keeping that secret is something I should naturally do. I cannot call that repayment. Ask for something else.”
“That alone is more than enough. I never acted in expectation of a reward, so wouldn’t it be absurd for me to demand one now?”
The Sect Leader released a long exclamation after hearing my answer.
“Ha! So this is why people call you the Handsome Young Hero!”
Cough.
Why did he have to say things like that? He was making me blush.
“Even so, I would be unable to hold my head high if I failed to repay you properly. Ask me for something else.”
Hmm…
All I had done was teach a lesson to the people who had tormented Warrior In-bong while badmouthing me. How was I supposed to know things would spiral this far?
Just then, a good idea came to me.
“Warrior In-bong withdrew from today’s martial match out of respect for me. I do not wish for him to be criticized because of that decision. I would also like him to be given more opportunities to demonstrate his abilities.”
“Ha! How can even your second request be for someone other than yourself?”
I was only doing this because I felt guilty for deceiving Warrior In-bong…
“Very well. I will see that it is done. But this does nothing for you, does it?”
“My apologies. I truly cannot think of anything I want at the moment.”
“Very well. I cannot continue pressuring the very man who is supposed to receive the reward. I will postpone hearing your answer until another time.”
“Thank you. In that case…”
I deliberately dropped to the ground and rolled across the dirt before standing again.
They would grow suspicious if my clothes were still spotless.
“I should be going now.”
“Ah! Wait a moment.”
“Yes?”
“I never asked about what Geum-bong said earlier. What exactly happened today?”
Right. This was how a reasonable person handled it–by hearing the whole story first.
“Well, what happened was…”
I told him everything that had happened that day without omitting or embellishing a single detail.
I had only agreed to overlook the matter of Geum-bong injuring Palgap. I had never agreed to overlook everything else he had done.
.
.
.
I lightly brushed the dirt from my clothes and entered the inn.
The companions who had been waiting for me hurried over at once.
“Are you all right?”
I scratched the back of my neck as I answered.
“He truly is the Sect Leader.”
Behind them, Geum-bong grinned smugly.
“That’s what you get for showing off. People shouldn’t stick their necks out when they don’t know their place. You’re a merchant, so act like one and remember what you are.”
My companions bit their lips at the sight.
They were desperately suppressing their anger.
I did not respond, however. I simply turned away.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
We left the Azure Wall Inn and walked for quite some time.
How long had it been?
Once we were far enough away that no one at the Azure Wall Inn could hear our conversation…
“Pfft!”
I burst out laughing.
Ah, holding that laughter in had nearly killed me.
“Why’re you laughing, sir? You didn’t hurt yourself somewhere, did you?”
I waved my hand dismissively at Palgap’s question.
“I’m perfectly fine. I only rolled around in the courtyard to dirty my clothes.”
“I see. Honestly, I was worried, sir.”
“Have you ever seen me fight a battle I was going to lose?”
“Of course not, sir. If it were a fight you would lose, you would avoid it first, find a way to win, and then come back to fight.”
“You know me well. Did you get a good look at Geum-bong’s face earlier?”
“I did, but why do you ask, sir?”
“Ah, because that was probably the last time he’ll be smiling for a very long while.”
Earlier, the Qingcheng Sect Leader had flown into a towering rage after hearing everything Geum-bong had done.
Now Geum-bong would learn the hard way that life was not so easy.
–TL Notes–
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