Chapter 36
Chapter 36
“Eheu.”
Seeing Youngho let out a deep sigh, Horyeung asked with a puzzled expression.
“Is something wrong, Young Master?”
“You’ll have to go on a brief journey through the Jianghu with me.”
“Pardon?”
“Master told me to go tighten the discipline of the underlings.”
“Then the Asura Squad must accompany us as well.”
“No, I don’t think that’ll work. He told me to handle it discreetly.”
“Hmm…… That will be difficult.”
“It can’t be helped. Sigh, being strong is a sin, truly a sin.”
Youngho spoke words that would have made others foam at the mouth and lunge at him, yet he said them without the slightest hesitation.
“If we’re going to handle it discreetly, we need only a small number of strong ones.”
“So you’re taking only me?”
“Yeah, that’ll—….”
For a moment, it seemed Youngho was pondering something deeply, and then he muttered to himself.
“Will that be fine?”
Not wanting to disturb his contemplation, Horyeung spoke as carefully as possible.
“Young Master. By underlings, do you mean the Hao Sect or the Green Forest and the like?”
“That’s right. Something like that.”
“Then you will have to meet the heads of each organization. If a fight breaks out, what do you plan to do?”
“That’s what concerns me as well… but Master wouldn’t give me something impossible.”
At that moment, Danpung noticed Youngho standing in the courtyard and approached him.
“Fifth Young Master. The Lord of the Unorthodox Alliance told me to deliver this.”
“What is it?”
“I do not know.”
“He could have given it to me when we met earlier.”
“He scolded you, saying you left without giving him a chance to speak.”
“Ah…….”
That was true. As his disciple, he had indeed left without proper decorum.
“Ahem.”
Youngho cleared his throat once and said,
“Anyway, thank you. Did Master say anything else?”
“If there is anything further, I will relay it.”
“Alright. You may go.”
“Yes.”
Danpung stared at Youngho for a moment before finally leaving.
Watching her, Horyeung spoke with certainty.
“It seems you have fallen out of favor with the Hall Master.”
“It’s none of my concern, so it doesn’t matter. More importantly…… hmm? There’s an interesting line written here.”
“What does it say?”
“It says to enjoy myself as much as possible before returning.”
“That is quite a curious remark.”
“Right? I think he means I should grow a little before coming back.”
“In that case, if there are many people you must look after, they will become a hindrance. We should keep the numbers small.”
“Yeah. Traveling the Jianghu gets tiring when there are too many people. And…….”
Youngho slowly read through the sheets Cheonung had sent, savoring each page with careful focus.
“……He says to deal with the Yangtze River first, if possible.”
“Is something happening on the Yangtze River?”
“He says they’ve been having headaches because of the water bandits. If possible, he wants the Chief Stronghold Leader killed.”
“The Chief Stronghold Leader would not be an easy opponent…?”
“The Chief Stronghold Leader was recently replaced. His estimated Martial Might is at the mid-to-late Transcendent Peak Master level.”
“No matter that they are water bandits, that seems rather shallow for the head of a major group.”
“Exactly. Something smells fishy…….”
Even though Youngho had clearly spoken of killing the current master of the Yangtze River, Horyeung showed little reaction.
Part of it was because the present ruler of the Yangtze River was said to be weak, but more than that, Horyeung’s life thus far had been anything but smooth, and matters like this no longer surprised him.
Youngho hummed briefly before nodding as though he had reached a decision.
“Good. Let’s take Kang Hosan and Kang Chowon with us.”
“Pardon? Hosan and Chowon?”
“Yeah. My personal guards can’t afford to be weak. I should give them some valuable experience.”
“Chowon is not your personal guard, is she?”
“She needs to awaken her talent. It would be troublesome if she ended up a frog in a well.”
“Ugh, I’m not sure this is the right decision.”
“You don’t need to judge. I’m taking them regardless of whether you object.”
“Then why tell me at all?”
“Because it’s better than not telling you.”
For the first time in a while, Horyeung found Youngho’s words somewhat annoying, but the feeling was not unpleasant, and he let out a chuckle.
“That is certainly true.”
While conversing, Youngho and Horyeung arrived where the Asura Squad members were preparing to depart.
“Elder Hyeok.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“I received a mission from Master. I’ll go take care of it and return.”
“Pardon? What mission could it possibly be…?”
“You don’t need to know.”
It was not a dismissal born of disregard, but consideration for the other party.
Elder Hyeok realized Youngho was intentionally withholding the details and chose to accept his consideration.
“Then shall we depart first?”
“Yeah. Don’t slack off on training, manage the underlings well, and if you bully Sopyung, you’re dead. Got it?”
At Youngho’s chilling warning, Elder Hyeok resolved that he must never do anything that could be misconstrued with regard to Sopyung.
‘If I don’t, I’ll really die!’
“U-Understood.”
“Hey, Jongpal.”
“Yes? Me?”
“Who else would Jongpal be?”
“My name isn’t that uncommon, you know?”
“In the Asura Squad, you bastard.”
“Gyaul!”
Youngho kicked Jongpal in the backside, sending him flying with a strange scream.
“If you don’t want to die, behave yourself.”
“What have I even done?”
“Drinking contests with Sopyung.”
“Ah!”
“Sopyung isn’t a Martial Artist, so her liver will fail quickly. Don’t drink too much with her.”
“Ah, it’s fine when you’re young.”
“That’s how you end up collapsing later.”
“Me?”
“Yeah, you.”
“…Understood.”
Seeing Jongpal suddenly become polite, Youngho smiled in satisfaction.
“Sopyung, like I said, I have to go somewhere for a while, so make sure you eat properly.”
“Will it take long?”
“Hmm…… Won’t it take about a year? No, including travel time, probably around two years.”
“That long?”
As Sopyung made a tearful face, Youngho snickered and patted her head.
“I might come back sooner than you think, so don’t worry.”
“Hing.”
“What do you mean ‘hing’? Hurry and get on the carriage. And Hosan and Chowon, you’re coming with me.”
“Pardon? Us?”
The two, suddenly called out, looked at Youngho in surprise.
“Why? Is there something strange about that?”
“N-No, didn’t you say you were going to carry out the Lord of the Unorthodox Alliance’s order?”
“I did.”
“Then why are we…?”
“Ah, I’m going to train you two intensively.”
“Ah…….”
Kang Hosan and Kang Chowon looked at each other and smiled pitifully.
‘So it wasn’t intensive up until now.’
‘The training’s going to get even harsher from here! Ha! Hahaha!’
Crying inwardly about their wretched lives, the two nodded.
“Good. Let’s buy some horses nearby. We’re going somewhere a bit far.”
Youngho and Horyeung began to move. Kang Hosan and Kang Chowon also bid farewell to the Asura Squad members and immediately followed after them.
As soon as the four purchased horses, they headed straight for the Yangtze River.
The distance was farther than expected, so they were delayed quite a bit, but after various twists and turns, Youngho’s party finally arrived at the Yangtze River.
They decided to unload their belongings at a nearby inn and spend the night.
“Ugh, riding all day has left my whole body stiff.”
At Youngho’s words, Kang Hosan frowned.
“You look far more comfortable than someone riding a horse for the first time.”
“Are you and I the same?”
After rebuking Kang Hosan, Youngho entered the inn humming cheerfully, clearly in a good mood.
At the sight of Youngho’s defenseless demeanor, Kang Hosan sighed and said to Kang Chowon,
“Let’s hurry and follow him.”
When Youngho stepped inside the inn, a strange tension filled the air. Because of it, the people inside did not even notice the arrival of new guests.
Wondering what was happening, Youngho’s group looked toward where everyone’s gaze was focused.
Youngho merely glanced over before calling the inn attendant.
“Inn Attendant, give me one annex here.”
“S-Sir, could you please wait a moment?”
It was not something a mere inn attendant would normally say in front of a Martial Artist wearing a sword. Ordinarily, fearing for his life, he would move swiftly without hesitation.
Yet this inn attendant asked Youngho to wait. To other Martial Artists, it would seem like a mere inn attendant daring to talk back.
But Youngho simply nodded and waved his hand as if to say to continue what he had been doing.
Where the inn attendant was looking, a beauty worthy of being called one who could topple kingdoms sat alone drinking.
She poured herself a cup of wine and silently drained it. She picked up a morsel of food and then filled her cup again. She continued this cycle over and over. Aside from her appearance, everything about her seemed ordinary.
Then why were the people tense as they watched her? It was not because of the beauty herself, but because of the man standing beside her.
The man opened his mouth.
“…When are you going to finish drinking?”
“There’s about half a bottle left.”
At the beauty’s indifferent tone, Youngho unconsciously let out a faint laugh.
‘Her nerve hasn’t changed, past or future.’
To think that a junior disciple of the Orthodox Sect was drinking in a place that was practically the territory of the Unorthodox Alliance…… It was not something that could be done with ordinary courage.
Youngho knew the beauty’s identity.
Hwangbo Nyeong.
That was her name.
And she would become the future Fist Queen……
‘Why is she here right now?’
There was no reason for Hwangbo Nyeong to be here. Then Youngho suddenly recalled something she had said before his Regression and slowly observed her body.
Soon discovering something, he nodded.
‘She’s blocked by a wall.’
That was likely why she had come here.
The very edge of Peak Master Level. That was Hwangbo Nyeong’s current state. Though she had surpassed the age of forty and thus could not participate in this Dragon–Phoenix Gathering, had she competed, she would have easily claimed victory.
If one considered only pure martial strength at present, even Namgung Cheon would not be able to defeat Hwangbo Nyeong.
Even among those at the same Peak Master Level, there were differences in rank.
And the one waiting beside her was, for some reason, Yu Doseok of the Yu Family Estate.
‘Hmm… interesting?’
Before his Regression, Yu Doseok had been Youngho’s loyal subordinate. He was so upright, pure, and naïve that whenever Youngho saw him, he felt foul.
When a middle-aged man with hairy legs stared at him with sparkling eyes and an innocent expression as if he knew nothing, killing intent would momentarily surge within him.
But separate from that, Youngho had cherished Yu Doseok. He could be irritating at times, but he had been that loyal.
‘Come to think of it, I heard that around this time he fought Hwangbo Nyeong once. So it was true?’
Yu Doseok had told Youngho that after being defeated by Hwangbo Nyeong once, his competitive spirit ignited and he trained with tremendous intensity thereafter.
Without Hwangbo Nyeong, the future Yu Doseok would likely have been no more than a decent expert of fist techniques.
He had added effort upon effort until he earned recognition from the Fist King.
Watching the inn attendant fidget anxiously as if he needed to relieve himself, Youngho snickered.
‘He’s more responsible than I thought.’
This inn likely belonged to that inn attendant. Seeing that he had not fled even though the inn could be destroyed at any moment, that must be the case.
If told to choose between one’s life and one’s property, anyone would choose their life without hesitation.
But judging by the fact that he did not readily abandon his life, this inn must have been extremely important to him.
Soon, Hwangbo Nyeong rose from her seat and spoke.
“I’m done. Let’s go.”
At those words, Yu Doseok nodded with a solemn expression. Seeing that, Youngho let out a disbelieving laugh.
‘Doseok… didn’t you tell me you at least put up a decent fight against me?’
From where I’m standing, you’re about to get beaten senseless.
The inn attendant let out a sigh of relief as Hwangbo Nyeong and Yu Doseok left without causing trouble, and Youngho released a deep sigh as if his head were throbbing.
“Hosan, Chowon. Here’s some money—go to the annex first.”
“Huh? Where are you going?”
“I’m going for a little walk.”
With those words, Youngho vanished into the shadows so swiftly that no one noticed except Kang Hosan and Kang Chowon.