Chapter 165: Chapter 165

We stayed at the Yujang Sect for three more days.

Part of it was because my physical condition was not very good, but it was also to attend the joint funeral for the Yujang Sect Leader and the Yujang Sect members who had died in this war.

The funeral was held simply, and the Yujang Sect tried to return to daily life as quickly as possible.

“Representative Jin.”

Jang Woo-jae, who had not slept a wink for the past three days as the chief mourner, overcame his fatigue and approached me.

“You have been through a great deal.”

“Please, it was nothing. Is your body a little better?”

Separate from the funeral proceedings, I had obtained one room and devoted myself entirely to recovery for all three days.

Thanks to that, my emaciated body was gradually returning to normal, and my fatigue was recovering as well.

“It has improved a lot.”

“That is a relief.”

“I was very worried that your body and mind might have been harmed because of us.”

Just as he said, I had received extremely courteous treatment at the Yujang Sect over the past three days.

Meat dishes had continued coming to my room for all three meals a day, and hot water was prepared every night, allowing me to recover from my fatigue even more quickly.

“I am grateful for the Yujang Sect’s efforts.”

“……Um.”

Jang Woo-jae hesitated.

“Do you have something to say?”

At my question, Jang Woo-jae scratched his head awkwardly.

“That…… It is late, but would you permit me to enter the representative delegation?”

Currently, more than half of the executive seats in the academy representative delegation were empty.

I had not stopped anyone from coming in, but no one had tried to join.

“Will you be all right? If you join, the gazes of others probably will not be kind.”

When I showed concern instead, Jang Woo-jae quickly grasped my hand.

“Thank you. I was worried you might not accept me because you found me detestable.”

“……?”

“Father’s final words were that we should no longer lean on anyone and should move forward on our own. In addition, I want to repay even a little of the grace I have received from you, Representative Jin.”

Jang Woo-jae was now someone standing at the center of the outer-region forces of the Murim Academy.

If he joined, it would be the same as one of the forces I had failed to bring in standing with me.

There was no reason for me to refuse.

“If you would do that, I would be grateful…….”

“Thank you. Thank you.”

Before I could even finish speaking, Jang Woo-jae kept bowing his head.

I was the one who should have been thanking him instead…….

After the Mukhyul Gang lost the “Decisive Martial Duel,” for some reason, no more reckless wars by the Black Path occurred in Yueyang.

Threats continued, such as urging surrender and forcing sects to seal their gates, but on the other hand, the Orthodox Path Sects also united as one and resisted the Black Path’s oppression.

In addition to that, the influence of the warriors who had come from the Murim Alliance was also significant.

After they arrived, those who committed murders indiscriminately disappeared.

“……That is what you think.”

“Yes?”

Dang Hyeok-jae drank the tea he had personally brewed and spoke.

“They are bastards who committed their deeds knowing from the start that the Murim Alliance would not move. Do you think they would stop just because support came from the Murim Alliance?”

“Then what is the reason?”

For some reason, Dang Hyeok-jae’s unpleasant gaze stuck to my face like a strand of taffy.

“They must not want to offend the mood of the joint successor of the Black Path Alliance.”

I could not control my expression.

“Fuck, who the hell is going around spreading such an absurd rumor?”

“In any case, it is certain that the move you showed at the Mukhyul Gang left a deep impression on them. Thanks to that, the number of bastards committing ruthless murders has decreased.”

Since the result was good, I could not say anything.

“……Sigh.”

“But did you truly learn the Sword Demon’s martial art?”

“Well, that happened somehow.”

“Huh…… A rumor more frightening than the rumor that you are the joint successor of the Black Path Alliance will spread.”

“To begin with, is the Sword Demon not someone between righteous and evil?”

“They say it is a martial art you stole from that Sword Demon, do they not?”

“…….”

Surely there would not be people who believed such an absurd rumor.

“Right now, rumors about your relationship with the Sword Demon are continuously spreading through Chang’an. Among them is a rumor that you are the Sword Demon’s hidden son.”

I had planned to simply return to the academy.

It seemed I would have to stop by Hao Gate and commission one matter.

“…Grit.”

If I did not silence this utterly absurd rumor, the Qi Deviation that had not come even during my reckless training might finally explode.

“Ahem, in any case, I can pack my luggage again, yes?”

Seeing Dang Hyeok-jae speak as if it were only natural while clearing his throat, I tilted my head crookedly.

“Did you not already unpack everything?”

This fellow had been certain I would die at Sword Evil’s hands, and now he was asking whether it was fine to pack again.

It was so absurd that I was at a loss for words.

“Fortunately, Axe Evil stepped forward instead of Sword Evil, did he not? If the result is good, then all is good. And!”

Dang Hyeok-jae suddenly raised his voice.

“And! Did I not overdo it by bringing even a physician from my clan in Changsha?”

“…….”

“Do you know how much warning I received from the Tang Clan because of this? My activity as the Yueyang Branch Chief is one thing, but bringing even a physician from Changsha could be seen as the Tang Clan’s will to participate in this war, could it not?”

“…So you did not say even a single word to the Tang Clan physician, did you?”

“…….”

“……Ahem, there are circumstances I cannot fully explain…….”

I shook my head.

“In any case, this incident made me think I should give some thought to the investment funds. When there is so little trust toward the investor, I do not feel much desire to invest.”

“Ahem!”

Dang Hyeok-jae coughed awkwardly several times, then took out a bundle from one side and placed it on the table.

“What is this?”

“Open it. I prepared a gift to commemorate your contract with me.”

“…….”

When I untied the bundle, about twenty bronze-colored objects like flower buds were inside.

“This is…….”

“It is the improved version of the Hundred-Mother Fire Cylinder, the Thousand-Mother Fire Cylinder.”

“……Does it really contain ten times more ox-hair needles than the previous version?”

“No, not quite. The number increased by about twenty percent, but the structure is the same.”

“Then why is it called the Thousand-Mother Fire Cylinder?”

“Was the Hundred-Mother Fire Cylinder not designated as a forbidden hidden weapon by the Tang Clan?”

“…….”

Would the people of the Tang Clan think it was a different object just because he changed the color and the name?

It was not as though the eyes of Tang Clan members were knotholes.

“To begin with, the main reason the Tang Clan designated my hidden weapon as a forbidden hidden weapon was because the manufacturing cost was high. They probably will not care much.”

Dang Hyeok-jae spoke confidently.

He did not seem trustworthy at all.

If the Tang Clan said anything, I could simply hand over Dang Hyeok-jae.

In any case, seeing the Hundred-Mother Fire Cylinder again after so long filled me with fresh emotion.

The memory of saving Namgung Seon-hwa among hundreds of enemies with this came back vividly…….

“Wait…….”

I looked at Dang Hyeok-jae and asked.

“If you had given this to me before the battle with the Mukhyul Gang, would it not have been useful?”

“……If I had it then, I obviously would have given it to you.”

“……Surely you did not start making it after everything was already over?”

“…….”

No wonder the eyes of this man, who had been living an idle life as the Branch Chief, were bloodshot and his eyelids were sagging.

Had he been trying to cover up his slip of the tongue?

“You really…… thought I would die to Sword Evil.”

Dang Hyeok-jae avoided my gaze and drank deeply from his empty teacup.

Sip—.

My good man, your teacup has been empty for a while.

Why are you making the sound with your mouth?

Dang Hyeok-jae subtly shifted only his eyes and watched my reaction, then spoke as though nothing were wrong.

“Is that not all in the past……?”

This man, seriously!!

If one had to name the final victor of this incident that occurred in Yueyang, it would be Hao Gate, not the Mukhyul Gang or the Black Axe Palace.

When the Gang Chief and Deputy Gang Chief of the Mukhyul Gang disappeared at the same time, a fight over rank began among the Hall Masters of each hall, and the inside of the Mukhyul Gang suffered growing pains.

Meanwhile, Hao Gate avoided the influence of the Mukhyul Gang and occupied the shops they had possessed, and in addition, it was able to seize even the assets of the Orthodox Path Sects that had fled Yueyang in the night.

This was possible because most of those who had worked in the shops they possessed were Hao Gate members.

Furthermore, the person scheduled to come as the next Yueyang Branch Chief was someone whose weakness Hao Gate had seized through debt.

He liked gambling and would neglect his duties, but precisely because of that, from Hao Gate’s perspective, he was an exceedingly useful card to control.

“All of this is thanks to you, Young Master Jin.”

“Please, not at all. If it had not been for you, Lady Hae-ryeong, I could not have done it alone.”

“More assets came in than we expected. How about taking this chance to enter Yueyang?”

“Enter Yueyang?”

Yueyang was too far from the Taeul Sect.

To begin with, it was not a distance where influence could easily reach, and the Taeul Sect itself was not a sect powerful enough to influence the world.

“I think it is too early for the Taeul Sect to enter.”

Hae-ryeong nodded with a smile as though she knew that.

“Of course. However, would it not be entirely possible for the Great Heaven Merchant Guild?”

“The Great Heaven Merchant Guild?”

“Yes. The basis of commerce is buying cheap goods from each province and selling them at a higher price in another province to earn profit. Once a merchant guild establishes itself, the first thing it does is create branches.”

“Oh, has the Great Heaven Merchant Guild already established itself that much?”

I had heard that Father had received the Azure Sky Merchant Guild and changed its name to the Great Heaven Merchant Guild.

But I had thought it would not be easy to establish it in such a short time.

“It seems your father has excellent commercial talent.”

Had he become like a fish in water because he had spent his whole life suffering as the penniless Outer Hall Master?

In any case, hearing that Father was working happily was an exceedingly satisfying story as his son.

“That is a good idea.”

“If you give us word, we will prepare the rest.”

“Father will be pleased.”

Thinking of Father shedding tears of emotion after receiving this carrier pigeon letter made the tip of my nose sting.

Doing another act of filial piety that I had been unable to do in the past made my heart feel even lighter.

Since I had received a gift, it was only human nature to repay it.

“A great war will break out in Sichuan in the future. It would be best to prepare for it a little.”

“In Sichuan, you say?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm…….”

“They are not the most dangerous existences, but they will cause no less chaos.”

“The Murim Alliance is already paying attention to Sichuan. Are they enough that even the Murim Alliance should fear them?”

I shook my head.

“The reason chaos will arise will be because internal problems are greater than external ones.”

Even though I said only that much, Hae-ryeong seemed to understand and nodded.

“We receive help like this every time, so I do not know whether we are properly treating you as a Guest Retainer.”

“You are treating me more than well enough.”

Since the rough discussion had ended, it was time to bring up the main point.

Unlike before, I spoke in a serious voice.

“There is something I would like to ask of you.”

Hae-ryeong, who had been smiling, hardened her face coldly.

“What is it?”

I forced open my reluctant lips and spoke.

“The rumor going around about me being the joint successor of the Black Path Alliance…… Please do something about that rumor.”

“…….”

“Ah, also the rumor that I am the Sword Demon’s hidden child. My father is definitely Jin. Tae. San. Anyone can tell by looking at my face.”

Even though I spoke with utmost seriousness, Hae-ryeong’s face somehow looked as though she had been struck.

This was truly, truly important!

Jang Do-won and his granddaughter Seol-yeon decided that, as soon as the shop in Yueyang was settled, they would organize their assets and move to the Taeul Sect.

Dang Hyeok-jae would continue his term of office, and when Jang Do-won moved, he would follow along with his procession and move as well.

He said he simply had no confidence in going to Hefei alone, or something like that.

From my perspective, I had a lot to prepare before Jang Do-won and Dang Hyeok-jae came to the Taeul Sect, so it did not matter much.

“Hoo…… It is the Murim Academy.”

Seong Mo-ran let out a long sigh, as though regretful.

I consoled her.

“Are you disappointed? We can go again during this winter break. What are you worried about?”

Seong Mo-ran suddenly scowled.

“What are you talking about?!”

“Yes?”

The Gold-Silver-Copper Brothers also shook their heads as though fed up.

“Senior Brother. If you are going to Yueyang, rather than follow you, I will devote myself to training at the academy this winter break.”

“Eldest Senior Brother, now that I think about it, there probably needs to be someone remaining at the academy as an executive of the representative delegation.”

Why?

In Yueyang, we wore fine clothes, ate delicious food, rented the biggest boat, and played on the water.

As though reading my inner thought of ‘What was the problem?’ Hong Sa-ryeon’s eyes blazed.

“Does it not occur to you that everything else was the problem?”

When even she grumbled, I tightly shut my mouth.

What was wrong with a murim person getting caught up in an incident?

While looking around the inside of the academy like that, I felt that something was strange and tilted my head.

“Does this not seem strange?”

“What does?”

“There seem to be too few people.”

The break was ending, and this was the time just before the semester began again.

Normally, the inside of the academy should have been crowded with academy students preparing for the new semester.

Yet only about half the usual number of academy students could be seen.

At that moment, a voice came.

“It is because of the event held by the Nine Sects and One Gang.”

The one who answered was Cheol Sun-jik, who was walking down the road.

Together with people from the Twelve Peak Citadels, including Nam Hwa-seong, he continued speaking with a triumphant expression.

“Perhaps they did not receive permission from the Representative?”

“Event?”

“The Elder Council said they would hold an event for Later-Generation Talents and took the members of the Nine Sects and One Gang out on a field study.”

I asked back without emotion.

“Where did they go?”

I had never thought they would ask for my permission for this event anyway.

“To Sichuan.”

However, at the answer that reached my ears, I unknowingly lost my composure.

So it had ended up like this after all.

When I met them in Yueyang, I had roughly thought it would turn out this way, but I had never expected them to move this quickly.

“You must be uncomfortable.”

“With what?”

“They left for an academy event without listening to the words of the academy representative, did they not?”

“It is not as though only the academy students’ intentions were involved. If the Elder Council took them out, on what grounds could the academy students refuse?”

The problem was that the members of the Elder Council had driven the disciples of their own sects into a deathtrap.

“…….”

“In any case, thank you for the information.”

Leaving Cheol Sun-jik, whose face had stiffened, behind me, I went to the dormitory.

I had prepared gifts so that Murong Jae-hwa and Eun Seol-ran, who had been unable to go to Yueyang with us because of supplementary lessons, would not feel disappointed.

But Dong-ryong and Sa-ryeon, who had gone to find Murong Jae-hwa and Eun Seol-ran, returned alone.

“Hm? Where are they?”

“They said Brother Jae-hwa went out.”

“Hm?”

“Seol-ran is the same.”

“Where would those kids go?”

Dong-ryong answered.

“They were forcibly mobilized for the Nine Sects and One Gang’s event.”

“Huh?”

Fuck, what kind of foxtail-chewing bullshit is this?

“They said Seol-ran was the same. They said the Nine Sects and One Gang forcibly made those without affiliations participate.”

These mad bastards had crossed the line, had they not?