Chapter 202

“What did you do around here to make them like you so much?”

“Nothing special. There used to be some unorthodox bastards causing trouble around here, so I threw them all out. Then the idiots came back later looking for revenge. Lucky for them, I happened to be drinking here at the time.”

“So what happened to them?”

“What do you think? I made sure they’d never come back for revenge again. They’re probably spending the rest of their lives farming or begging. A few similar things happened afterward, so I protected this place whenever they did.”

“Wow. You actually let them live? That doesn’t sound like you.”

“I wanted to kill them all, but... if strange rumors started spreading again, I’d have had to leave just when I’d finally found somewhere I liked.”

“You made the right call.”

“How did you end up with the Zhuge Family?”

“I used to run a martial arts school. Then Zhuge Ho came looking for me. Said there was something unusual about the way I moved and asked if I’d become a martial arts instructor for his family. At the time, I figured hiding inside the Zhuge Family would be easier than hiding in a martial arts school, so I accepted. Besides, teaching children from a martial clan seemed more worthwhile than teaching idiots who didn’t know a damn thing.”

“Isn’t the Zhuge Family famous for being hopeless at martial arts? Is there anyone decent?”

At Jin Muryang’s question, Kang Mujin smirked.

“The one fooling around upstairs.”

“Ah! The Young Family Head? How good is he?”

“I’d say he’s the greatest martial talent in the Zhuge Family’s history.”

“And what does ‘greatest martial talent in the Zhuge Family’s history’ amount to?”

“Hmm. If everything goes well, he could reach the late Profound Realm. Maybe even the threshold of the Divine Transformation Realm.”

“What? The Zhuge Family has never produced a single martial artist who reached the late Profound Realm?”

“Nope.”

“And they still managed to remain one of the Five Great Families?”

“They’re smart. They figured out how to use formations to amplify their strength. I think they even engrave patterns onto their weapons that boost qi.”

“Ah. So that’s why they were so interested in the Snow-Pattern Box.”

“What’s a Snow-Pattern Box?”

“A container that holds cold energy. It lets us deliver fresh ingredients.”

“That sounds useful. Did you make it?”

“No. Elder Brother did.”

Kang Mujin stared at Jeok Wigang in surprise.

“Why are you so shocked? You know how smart Elder Brother has always been. He cleaned me out of everything I knew back then.”

“Not just you. He cleaned all of us out.”

“Right. Elder Brother wasn’t just strong. He was ridiculously smart too.”

He truly had everything.

“Yeah. And now that he can use sorcery too, he’s basically perfect.”

“Sorcery?”

“Elder Brother can use sorcery. There’s practically nothing he can’t do with it.”

Kang Mujin looked at Jeok Wigang.

“What exactly can you do with sorcery that makes you say there’s nothing he can’t do?”

“Just assume he’s practically omnipotent. I’m serious. There really isn’t anything he can’t do.”

“You’ll understand once you experience it yourself.”

“Omnipotent?”

What the hell were they even talking about?

Jeok Wigang chuckled and poured the entire bottle of liquor onto the floor.

“Whoa! Elder Brother! What a waste of perfectly good liquor—”

Jeok Wigang murmured something.

The liquor spilled across the floor began rising into the air.

Kang Mujin snorted.

“Come on. Even I can do that much.”

Suspending droplets of liquid in midair was nothing to someone like Kang Mujin.

Then the miracle happened.

The amount of liquor floating in the air began to increase.

“W-what the hell?”

Was he dreaming?

More and more liquor appeared until it looked as though, given enough time, it would fill the entire room.

“Well? Want me to fill the room with it?”

“What... what did you just do?”

“Sorcery.”

“That isn’t some kind of illusion?”

“Taste it yourself.”

Kang Mujin gathered some of the floating liquor into a cup and drank it.

“Gasp!”

It was real.

The liquor suspended in the air flowed straight back into the bottle, filling the nearly empty vessel until it was almost overflowing.

“My god... With sorcery like that, you could put every tavern in the world out of business.”

“Why? Want to learn?”

“Can I?”

His face lit up with anticipation.

Beside him, Baek Ryeongso spoke.

“It took me about ten years. You’d need a hundred.”

“What? Even you took that long?”

“Yes. It’s incredibly complicated. There are a lot of numerical calculations involved.”

“You have to do calculations to learn sorcery? Forget it. I’m not learning that.”

He would rather just pay for his liquor.

And mastering sorcery would not make him the strongest anyway.

Better to live comfortably than torture himself studying until his head hurt.

They drank as they filled Kang Mujin in on everything that had happened.

“There was a member of the Dragon-Scale race in the Central Plains? Where is he now?”

“He became the guardian dragon of the True Martial Sect.”

“What?”

Guardian dragon sounded nice, but wasn’t that basically just becoming the family watchdog?

“Ranked forty-eighth... He must have been incredibly strong.”

“So what if he was? Strength doesn’t mean much in front of Elder Brother.”

“That’s true, but... how long did he last?”

“What do you mean, how long? One hit. You already know that.”

“I see... Even someone as tough as a Dragon-Scale warrior went down in one hit.”

Once again, Kang Mujin was reminded just how absurd Jeok Wigang was.

“Looks like a lot more people crossed over than just us.”

“Seems White Horse Heaven sent a lot over after contact with us was lost.”

“They probably assumed something had happened to us, because they haven’t been rampaging around. They’re quietly gathering information and establishing small footholds instead.”

“Losing contact with White Horse Heaven is probably another reason they’re lying low.”

“They lost contact with White Horse Heaven?”

“Looks like the Lord of Heaven entered seclusion.”

“Ah. Right. His power is needed to connect the dimensions.”

“One thing is certain. The day the Lord of Heaven emerges from seclusion is the day the invasion of the Central Plains begins.”

At the words invasion of the Central Plains, Kang Mujin’s face hardened.

Then he looked at Jeok Wigang.

“Elder Brother... can we stop them?”

Jeok Wigang grinned and raised a fist.

“Let them come.”

He had merely lifted his fist.

Yet somehow, that alone was reassuring.

Seeing Kang Mujin’s reaction, Ye Yahyeon asked,

“You want to protect this place?”

“Yeah. This is where I live now. Of course I do.”

“We won’t accomplish anything by protecting only the places around us. The entire Central Plains needs to become stronger.”

“You say that like it’s easy.”

“That’s why we came up with a plan.”

“What plan?”

After hearing the explanation, Kang Mujin jumped.

“W-we’re going to pretend the Four Divine Demons have returned?”

“Exactly. That should scare the people of the Central Plains into strengthening themselves however they can.”

“They might just cling to Heavenly Martial Castle instead of strengthening themselves.”

“That wouldn’t be bad either. Elder Brother is going to be the next Lord of Heavenly Martial Castle.”

“True.”

The more he thought about it, the less objectionable the plan seemed.

“So what do we have to do?”

“Probably just appear now and then so people know we really exist.”

“To make that convincing, we’d have to trash a sect or two like we did in the old days.”

“We’ve already prepared sects that deserve to be trashed.”

“What?”

“All we have to do is go smash them to pieces. The Beggars’ Union and Lower Gate will take care of the rumors afterward.”

“When the hell did you arrange all that?”

Kang Mujin stared at them in amazement.

“All right. Enough serious talk. Let’s drink.”

“Agreed!”

******

By the time they were pleasantly drunk—

Crash!

A loud commotion came from the floor above.

“What now?”

They listened.

Apparently, a fight had broken out upstairs.

“That is too far! Apologize at once!”

A voice rang out.

“That’s Zhuge Hyeon. Why is the kid so angry?”

“Let’s listen.”

Everyone focused on the conversation upstairs.

“I will not tolerate you speaking that way about my master!”

“Brother Zhuge, I only say it because it’s regrettable. Truly regrettable. The Zhuge Family is one of the Five Great Families, yet I hear it was so desperate for a martial arts instructor that it hired some man who used to run a martial arts school. How could I not find that unfortunate?”

“He is someone the Zhuge Family has acknowledged, and his martial arts are extraordinarily profound. Brother Paeng, withdraw those words immediately!”

“His martial arts are profound? If he were really that strong, why would he have been running some martial arts school? What, is he supposed to be some hidden master living in seclusion?”

“He is a hidden master! Even we had great difficulty persuading him to join us! I may not know every martial artist in the Paeng Family, but I would wager our master is stronger and more accomplished than any of them!”

“What did you say? Have you lost all sense of propriety? Are you insulting my family?”

“Brother Paeng insulted mine first!”

“When did I insult your family? I already told you. I only said it because I found the situation regrettable.”

Their voices grew louder and louder.

Then another voice intervened.

“Now, now. Both of you calm down. At this rate you’ll end up fighting.”

“Brother Namgung! Brother Hwangbo! Am I wrong?”

“You’re not entirely wrong, but Brother Zhuge clearly doesn’t like hearing it, so let it go.”

“What do you mean, he isn’t entirely wrong? Brother Namgung, do you think the same thing?”

“To be frank, he hardly seems like a martial arts instructor befitting one of the Five Great Families. Do you even know what realm he has reached?”

Zhuge Hyeon could not answer.

“What about his past?”

“I don’t know.”

“So all you really know is that he is strong, correct? Brother Paeng merely considered those facts and said he found the situation regrettable. I doubt he meant anything malicious. Brother Paeng, isn’t that right?”

“Exactly, Brother.”

“There. You heard him. So calm down.”

“He is my master! How am I supposed to remain calm after hearing him insulted? Apologize for insulting my master.”

“I refuse. I am a direct descendant of the great Paeng Family! And you expect someone like me to apologize to some nameless wandering martial artist? Brother Zhuge, you are the one insulting me now!”

“You truly refuse?”

“And if I do? Are you challenging me?”

“Yes! If I win, you will apologize.”

“Haha. You actually think you’re a match for me?”

“I will simply show you what my master taught me.”

“Fine. Then show me the teachings of that magnificent master of yours. If you can make me acknowledge them, I’ll apologize.”

“Good. Let’s go outside.”

*****

Kang Mujin’s expression had gone rigid by the time the conversation ended.

“Sounds like they’re talking about you.”

Kang Mujin nodded.

“Impressive. You raised yourself one loyal disciple.”

“He’s not my disciple.”

“That kid clearly thinks you’re his master.”

“He is... not my disciple.”

“Sure he isn’t. Your face is already full of worry.”

“Instead of sitting here talking about it, why don’t we follow them?”

Everyone turned toward Jeok Wigang.

Jeok Wigang smiled and nodded.

The other four immediately hurried outside.

******

The group followed Zhuge Hyeon to a secluded area.

They were all promising young disciples of the Five Great Families who had gathered to renew old friendships after a long time apart.

“Do we really have to take this so far?”

“This is for my master’s honor.”

“Paeng Cheon. Do you really intend to go through with this?”

“Yes. Brother Namgung Gang, Brother Hwangbo Sang, just stand back and watch.”

“Don’t go too far.”

Hwangbo Sang’s words carried the unspoken assumption that Paeng Cheon would naturally win.

“Surely you don’t think I’d actually injure Brother Zhuge? Hahaha.”

“Do not underestimate me. The Zhuge Family’s Heavenly Star Sword Art is fierce.”

“Fierce, perhaps. But can it compare to the Paeng Family’s Five-Tiger Gate-Severing Saber Art? In any case, I’ll give you the first move. Come.”

“Then I won’t hold back.”