Chapter 7
The Blood Emperor slightly twisted the truth and said.
[Hmm... It's a place where those who seek strength gather. A place where those who want to achieve great things with martial arts gather. Just as you learned academics to become an official, martial artists learn martial arts.]
"Ah, I've heard about the martial world. They say you can achieve immortality through training. The Wudang Sect is such a place, and the Shaolin Temple is similar."
Cheongun also knew a certain amount about Buddhism and Taoism. Since the Shaolin Temple was here in Henan Province, it would be strange if he didn't know.
[Th-that's right. It's similar.]
The Blood Emperor's solemn expression was somewhat awkward, but Cheongun didn't pay it any mind.
"Let's get going now."
◈ ◈ ◈
The end of the mountain range was adjacent to the lower reaches of the Yellow River.
Around noon, a man in beggar's clothes entered a small fishing village where red muddy water was raging. His clothes, which were torn and tattered into rags, were so dirty that even a beggar wouldn't wear them.
"Phew. We've finally reached the Yellow River."
The man in beggar's clothes was Cheongun. Next to him stood the Blood Emperor in a soul state, handsomely dressed in a dragon robe.
Cheongun had traveled around the mountain range in case he was spotted by Hyeokryeon Hui's group. Because of that, it took him three days to travel a distance that could have been covered in half a day.
During that time, the two of them learned a few new things.
The first fact was that the Blood Emperor's soul could no longer enter another person's body.
On the way, they met a well-built man and tried it once, but he just passed through the target's body. If he hadn't stopped in time, he would have almost smashed his face into the ground.
He didn't know what would happen later when he gained strength, but for now, he could only act as a soul.
The second fact was that the distance the two could be apart was limited.
About ten zhang? If it was more than that, the Blood Emperor would just walk in place. It seemed that the Blood Emperor's energy residing in both their bodies was attracting each other.
He also didn't know if the distance would increase later when his strength grew.
In the end, the Blood Emperor, who had given up on entering another person's body, had many conversations with Cheongun.
After listening to Cheongun's story, the Blood Emperor clicked his tongue and said, "You've had a hard life too."
The Blood Emperor also occasionally talked about himself.
However, he did not go into deep stories. He did not want his identity to be known yet. Because the scholar Cheongun might not like it.
"First, let's go to the village and sell this deer."
Cheongun was carrying a large deer he had caught early in the morning. Normally, he would have roasted it whole and eaten it, but he needed money to cross the Yellow River.
[It would have been better if you had caught a tiger...]
"Me?"
Cheongun was startled at the word tiger.
Catching the deer was only possible because the Blood Emperor had helped him. But a tiger.
[Tsk tsk. It's a half-baked bone and marrow cleansing, but with your body, you can sufficiently handle a tiger.]
"I'm not confident yet."
He had become as strong as an ox after the bone and marrow cleansing, but he still didn't know how to properly use the strength he had.
The Blood Emperor also said that it would take a few months to be able to use his energy.
[The body is something that becomes stronger the more you train it. You need to build your body first.]
"That's why I'm working hard, aren't I? Let's go."
Cheongun went to the butcher's shop in the village, sold the deer, and received three silver taels.
He didn't know how much a deer cost, but three silver taels was a large sum of money that could support a family of five for more than a month.
Cheongun washed up briefly in the inner courtyard of the house attached to the butcher's shop, then bought a set of ordinary clothes and changed into them.
His well-defined features and clear eyes, which flowed with vitality, sparkled. His straight nose and red lips stood out.
[You look good after washing up.]
Cheongun's appearance was clearly different from that of ordinary people. On top of that, after the bone and marrow cleansing, his skin had become clear and he had grown much taller.
Cheongun left the fishing village behind and got on a ferry.
"If we go up the waterway like this, we'll reach Danxian. From there, I plan to go to Qufu."
[Qufu... you mean the place with the Confucius Temple?]
"Yes. I plan to get some travel expenses there."
[Do you know anyone there? You said you have to go in hiding, right?]
"Travel expenses to the imperial capital are one thing, but I'll need money to spend even after I arrive in the imperial capital, won't I?"
He didn't know how he would get the money, but the Blood Emperor nodded.
* * *
It was three days later when they arrived in Qufu.
Nothing particularly dangerous happened on the way here.
He had thought there might be people looking for him, but there was no sign of it. Still, just in case, he wore a bamboo hat and covered his face.
"The Jinyiwei who jumped from the waterfall for me, are they alive? It would be difficult, right?"
[They jumped into the waterfall seeing a glimmer of possibility, but it's highly likely they're dead. That place is very high.]
"It seems the Jinyiwei's bodies haven't been found. If they had found the bodies, they would have known it wasn't me..."
[Since it was raining heavily at the time, the torrent would have flowed, so they might have been washed far away and couldn't be found. Or their faces might have been damaged by the torrent to the point of being unrecognizable.]
"I just feel so sorry for them. I never thought they would wear my clothes and disguise themselves as me in that situation."
[Thanks to them, you survived. Think of it as a stroke of luck. You must build your strength for the sake of those who sacrificed themselves for you.]
"Yes. I plan to."
Cheongun's face hardened. Innocent Jinyiwei and porters had died because of him.
He needed strength to get revenge for them.
[But how are you going to get money in Qufu?]
"Qufu is where the descendants of Confucius live, but many scholars and influential people come and go there. I plan to sell paintings or calligraphy to them."
[Ah. You said you were a famous scholar, right? Then do you know a place?]
"If I go to the Kong family, who manages the Confucius Temple, and write a line of text, I can receive expenses."
The management of the Confucius Temple, a shrine dedicated to Confucius, was done by the descendants of Confucius. They were all outstanding scholars and were deeply immersed in writing and painting.
He thought that with Cheongun's skills, he could be sufficiently recognized for his value.
It was when he was passing by a stall on his way to the Kong family. A fight broke out at a street stall.
"I told you not to do business here."
Crash!
With a loud noise, the goods piled on the stall scattered in the air. With the sound of things falling, screams rang out from all directions.
Five fierce-looking men were intimidating the stall owner.
"What are you looking at! You bastard!"
"Don't you lower your eyes! Is this a show?"
Cheongun, who was passing by, frowned. A fierce-looking figure from the underworld was growling at him at a glance.
He was about to step back and turn around when he stopped at the impact on the back of his head.
Thwack!
"Why aren't you getting lost quickly?"
It didn't hurt, but it felt bad.
He stopped in his tracks and glanced back.
A well-built man was glaring at him. Seeing his broad shoulders and bulging chest muscles, he seemed to be quite strong.
"Lower your eyes, you son of a b*tch!"
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
The man repeatedly struck Cheongun's head. In their eyes, Cheongun was just an ordinary person.
There was a beating mixed with kicks, but Cheongun just stood still. Unlike their momentum, the pain was not great.
"Oh, look at this bastard? He's quite tough, isn't he?"
"What? Which bastard is ruining our Black Snake Gang's event?"
Other men rushed to Cheongun. They surrounded him in a circle and threatened him by pushing him.
When Cheongun showed no reaction, the men's momentum became even rougher.
Cheongun looked to one side. The Blood Emperor was watching with his arms crossed.
When their eyes met, the Blood Emperor jutted his chin forward and threw a word.
[What are you doing? You have to fight.]
Cheongun had not yet formally learned martial arts. All he had learned from the Blood Emperor on the way was the basics of the energy circulation method to control the energy in his body.
To fight five men when he had never fought once in his life?
Cheongun frowned, but he soon clenched his fists and swung as the Blood Emperor told him to.
Whoosh, thwack!
It was a rather fast and powerful blow. One of the men who had been playfully pushing Cheongun flew away and crashed into the stall.
Crash.
Cheongun's eyes widened as he looked at his fist.
Was his fist this strong?
But the fight was just beginning.
"You son of a b*tch!"
"Kill him!"
The other men began to attack Cheongun. Cheongun instinctively curled up his body at the attack that was mercilessly beating his entire body.
It was a stronger blow than before. But it wasn't so painful that he couldn't bear it.
Cheongun glanced at the Blood Emperor again.
The Blood Emperor smirked and said a word.
[You won't die. Try fighting. Try punching and kicking like before.]
The Blood Emperor, who was acting as if he didn't care, was resentful. But the impact was gradually getting stronger.
Fortunately, the authorities strictly forbade carrying weapons within Qufu, so the underworld group did not have weapons in their hands.
Cheongun swung his hand and grabbed one of the men.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
He swung his fists consecutively.
The man whose face was struck by Cheongun's fist went limp. The other men were startled and began to beat Cheongun again.
One of them picked up a broken stall board and struck Cheongun's back.
It was a sufficiently threatening attack.
Cheongun fell to the floor with a thud. At the same time, the other men rushed at him and stomped on him.
After beating Cheongun for a long time, the men, seeing Cheongun go limp, spat out a thick glob of phlegm and growled.
"You bastard, if I catch you one more time, I'll slit your throat."
"Where does a little sh*t like you crawl up from."
The men helped their fallen comrades and left the place.
"Keuk."
Cheongun turned over and lay on his back on the floor. He could see the blue sky. And he could also see the Blood Emperor's smiling face.
"Are you happy?"
[You won't die. If you were to die from that, everyone in the world would be dead.]
His whole body ached. But it wasn't so painful that he would groan.
That much was something.
[When you undergo bone and marrow cleansing, your muscles and bones become strong. Your body becomes tough enough not to be broken by the kicks of those third-rate guys.]
"That's a relief. Ugh."
Cheongun groaned and got up.
There were many onlookers around, but no one readily stepped forward to help Cheongun.
The men who had beaten Cheongun were a well-known underworld gang in the area. But they did not go around carrying weapons and causing trouble like ordinary underworld figures.
What happened today was also something that happened to collect protection money. The territories were tacitly set, and the authorities were turning a blind eye under the pretext of protecting the merchants.
It was strictly illegal, but since they paid a moderate amount of tribute and no one died, the authorities didn't care.
The Blood Emperor, who had been carefully observing Cheongun for a long time, said something out of the blue.
[But... isn't your body a little lighter?]
"Are you teasing me right now?"
He had just been beaten up, and he had watched from the side, and now he was asking if it felt good?
Cheongun found the Blood Emperor, who was asking that, to be detestable.
But Cheongun tilted his head, rotated his arms, and massaged his body here and there.
"Huh? Now that you mention it, it feels a little refreshing."
[Oh. Look at this?]
"What's wrong?"