Chapter 149
Chapter 149. Those Wearing Black Masks (8)
Wondrous Hand of All Things Dang Hyeok-jae.
As a collateral member of the Tang Clan, he developed ordinary hidden weapons such as the Heavenly Thunder Sphere and the Rainstorm Flower Needles, and he was also the one who invented the Tang Clan’s Golden Dragon Hidden Weapons, including the Hell Calamity Flame King Bomb.
However, those were only a portion of what he had done. He was a famous eccentric who had nearly died several times while testing machines that flew through the sky, machines that walked on water, and the like.
He had never been active in the Jianghu, and it was known that he himself extremely disliked going outside.
At any rate, considering that the reason the Demonic Cult stalled for quite some time in Sichuan during the Great Righteous-Demonic War was because of the Tang Clan’s devices and poisons, his current evaluation was merely harsh.
It was an undeniable fact that in the future, he would become one of the pillars supporting the Tang Clan.
“…….”
“Why are you saying nothing? Surely you are not going to say you know nothing now, when even the Divine Sword personally wrote a letter to confirm the facts?”
And that meant he was the person who had made the Hundred-Mother Fire Cylinder I had once received from Yang Gun-baek.
However, with his appearance, I felt as if a debt I thought I had repaid had been created again.
But from my perspective, I felt rather wronged. Had the Azure Emperor Divine Sword not personally sent a letter, and had Dang Seo-hui not said she would let it pass as if it had never happened?
“That meant we would not make an issue of it. But should you not still pay the price for actually using the Hundred-Mother Fire Cylinder?”
“……To begin with, is it not the fault of the person who let something as precious as the Hundred-Mother Fire Cylinder roll around in the underworld?”
“Oh…… So you obtained the Hundred-Mother Fire Cylinder from the underworld?”
“…….”
“Do you know how much money it costs to make just one of those? No less than five gold taels. Five taels. You know well that this is not something that can simply be passed over just because we did not make an issue of it, do you not?”
“…….”
If someone told me one hidden weapon cost five gold taels, I would point a finger and call it an absurd lie. But since they said the Hundred-Mother Fire Cylinder cost that much, I felt like asking whether it could be mass-produced.
It was expensive, but its effect was absolutely outstanding.
To be honest, if I could stockpile reserves in preparation for the Demonic Cult, I wanted to stockpile as many as possible.
“Moreover, the Hundred-Mother Fire Cylinder was something I made by disposing of my personal assets. Should you not make proper payment for it?”
As I listened, I could not help tilting my head.
“You made it personally?”
“That is right. Within the clan, if I say I am going to make something, they oppose it first and think later.”
“……Then even after you made the item, it must have been your personal property.”
“Of course.”
“Then why was it rolling around in a Black Shop?”
“……!”
Dang Hyeok-jae blinked, then scratched his head roughly.
“That is strange. In itself, does it not make no sense that an item the Tang Clan even designated as a Golden Dragon Hidden Weapon was rolling around like miscellaneous junk in a Black Shop?”
“……Actually, after the first test within the clan, they blocked me from putting it through real combat.”
So he had secretly thrown it into the market?
To see what kind of effect it had?
I was so dumbfounded that I was at a loss for words.
This person was also quite far from being sane.
“…….”
“Ahem, ahem. The conversation has strayed a little. At any rate, you owed me a debt, so I will consider that debt repaid through your activity this time. What do you think? Fair, is it not?”
It was not fair at all.
However, I thought it would be wrong to push too hard against a man who seemed to be missing several parts from his head, so I nodded.
“Well, let us say that is how it is. By the way, I heard you do not like traveling outside. How did you come to occupy the position of Murim Alliance Branch Chief?”
“Recently, many interesting things have been happening in the Jianghu. I wanted to meet someone.”
“Interesting things?”
“I heard there was a fellow who destroyed a five-hundred-year-old formation, stole the Golden Dragon from the Jegal Clan, and used Golden Dragon Hidden Weapons whose method of use was unknown as if he knew them perfectly.”
“……Are you talking about me?”
“Yes.”
Judging by the fact that he brought up the Jegal Clan’s Golden Dragon, it seemed he already knew about Jegal Cheon-gi as well.
“Do you know Cheon-gi?”
“He is the brightest genius born from the Jegal Clan. It is just that his light is so bright that others cannot see it.”
“If you wanted to see me, you could have come to find me. Why are you serving as Branch Chief?”
“Ah, I do not like traveling very much. In truth, I do not really like meeting people either. Would it not be difficult for someone like me to go find you alone? So I tried to meet you through the Murim Alliance, and one thing led to another until I ended up here.”
“…….”
What exactly was that “one thing led to another”?
I could not understand why someone who wanted to meet me was in Yueyang.
If I had not come to Yueyang, was it not possible that we might never have met at all?
“Why did you want to meet me?”
“I wanted to ask how you knew how to use the Hundred-Mother Fire Cylinder.”
“…….”
“How did you use it?”
I mixed in a few lies as I told him how I had used the Hundred-Mother Fire Cylinder.
Dang Hyeok-jae nodded repeatedly while meticulously writing something down on a small piece of paper.
“I tried to make a weapon that would be useless to enemies and useful to allies, but to someone with outstanding observation like you, its method of use would inevitably be exposed.”
“Even so, I think it is a very useful item. It would be unmatched in large-scale battles.”
“Is that true?”
Dang Hyeok-jae suddenly grabbed my hand and shook it up and down.
“That is right. With poison, is it not difficult to predict where it will flow depending on the wind direction or location? Naturally, damage to allies must inevitably be included as well. By contrast, mechanical hidden weapons are clean. That is what I mean.”
“…….”
“The idiots in the clan do not know that. They only chant poison, poison, poison. To begin with, poisons are difficult to handle, so are they not hard to carry during long-distance movement?”
For some reason, Dang Hyeok-jae was filled with dissatisfaction, and he cursed by himself for quite a while.
I could understand why, despite inventing countless devices within the clan, he had not been treated well.
He, too, was a mutant within his clan, just like Jegal Cheon-gi or Murong Jae-hwa.
“……Sigh. If only the stone-headed fools in the clan thought like you, the Tang Clan would have achieved twice its current prosperity.”
“Would it not be enough to prove it? The Tang Clan is not a sect that rejects hidden weapons.”
“Do you know how much money it costs to prove something? The location? The time? The devices? Do I make the devices alone? Where am I supposed to find skilled blacksmiths?”
There it is…….
I smell something delicious.
It felt as if a precious ingredient unknown to others was being treated the same as wild grass.
“What if there were a place where all those conditions were met?”
“Hm?”
“Moreover, the patron providing the funds has quite a deep understanding of such devices. You would make various devices for that person and earn the Tang Clan’s recognition through them. Of course, on the condition that the Tang Clan permits it.”
“Of course they would permit it. Do you know how many technicians our Tang Clan dispatches every year? But who is this patron?”
When I raised my hand, his gaze, full of curiosity, slowly moved along my finger.
And at the end of it, I pointed to a remarkable sponsor.
Tap, tap.
“……You?”
Dang Hyeok-jae looked me over with suspicious eyes.
“Hmm, you do not seem to have much money, and you also do not seem to have much understanding of devices.”
I fired the Flying Dragon Claw equipped on my left hand, extinguished the flame of the oil bottle, and then retrieved it.
“How is that?”
Dang Hyeok-jae opened his mouth wide and said nothing.
Good.
Jin So-un’s jewel box.
One more had been added.
At the time Jin So-un was picking up an eccentric named Dang Hyeok-jae.
Inside the sect whose gates had been sealed in Hefei, Anhui Province, three people were also having a confidential discussion.
“The merchant guild has established itself to a certain extent. As we discussed before, I named the merchant guild the Great Heaven Merchant Guild.”
At Jin Tae-san’s words, whose weight seemed to have dropped considerably, Hong Mun-gi, whose cheeks had likewise grown hollow, nodded.
“You have worked hard all this time. Now you can rest a little as well.”
“I feel like doing nothing but eating and sleeping for about seven days and nights.”
At Jin Tae-san’s words, Hong Mun-gi nodded.
Jin Tae-san had worked without rest to stabilize the Taeul Sect, no less than Hong Mun-gi himself had struggled to learn the martial arts of the Taeul True Scripture.
According to the elders of the Elder Council, there had not been a single night when his nosebleed stopped.
At any rate, when one saw the Taeul Sect’s assets visibly improving, there was no need to confirm just how great Jin Tae-san’s efforts had been.
“You have worked hard all this time. Thanks to you, the Taeul Sect’s future is firm.”
“How could that be thanks to me alone? Sect Leader, you have also worked greatly.”
Compared to Jin Tae-san, Hong Mun-gi’s hardships had not been small either.
Because of his martial talent, which had never been outstanding to begin with, how difficult must it have been to learn martial arts alone?
Moreover, since there was not even anyone to learn from, he had no choice but to cling stubbornly to the martial arts.
Thanks to that tenacity, he had at least raised his achievement to a level that was roughly not shameful before his disciples.
“Do you think only the two of you suffered?”
Because Kang Chae-seok grumbled, the two of them glared at him.
“To be honest, what hardship did you go through?”
At Jin Tae-san’s sharp words, Kang Chae-seok snorted heavily as if dumbfounded.
“Do you not know how hard it was for me to give special training to the children who returned from the Murong Clan? Look at this. My firm skin has wrinkles now, wrinkles.”
However, the wrinkles that had appeared around Kang Chae-seok’s eyes were not very noticeable.
No, perhaps they had appeared because he had so many reasons to laugh without worries or concerns.
“Yes, yes. You worked hard too. At any rate, as everyone inside the teacher’s sect is living so diligently, how could I not feel proud as the Sect Leader?”
Jin Tae-san pointed a finger at Kang Chae-seok and said,
“Sect Leader, please leave out praise for that man. If you do not, how do you think I, who truly suffered, will feel?”
“No, I suffered too!”
“Hmph! Then why does the monthly tab for your alcohol keep rising?”
“…….”
“Why did the alcohol you used to drink only once every seven days and nights become something you drink once every three days?”
“Ahem, well, that is. ……Hm! R-right! I also had many children to teach, so I drank to relieve my fatigue!”
“Hmph! Which of the current disciples need your hands? They all do well on their own.”
In fact, the disciples of the Taeul Sect were filled with children who possessed intelligence so outstanding that they could hardly be compared to their own masters.
In particular, the children Jin So-un had brought were mostly people who each possessed martial talent that would not fall short even compared to the later-generation talents of the Nine Sects and One Gang or the Five Great Clans.
“You think I do not know you go around drinking because you have so little to do?”
“…….”
At Jin Tae-san’s rebuke, Kang Chae-seok merely twitched his lips and could not respond much.
In the end, Hong Mun-gi, the Sect Leader, stepped forward.
“Tae-san, you know that Chae-seok has worked hard too, do you not? Stop there.”
Hong Mun-gi quickly tried to change the atmosphere.
“Now that I think of it, a letter came from So-un. It said he would send a disciple candidate.”
“Again?”
Jin Tae-san furrowed his brow, but Kang Chae-seok burst into bright laughter.
“Look at that. Your son keeps sending disciple candidates like this without notice, so do you see how tiring it is for me?”
“…….”
Jin Tae-san ignored Kang Chae-seok’s words and looked at Hong Mun-gi.
“Well, he says the choice is up to me, but at any rate, since it is a child So-un sent, accepting him should be right.”
“Ahem, ahem. Of course. He surely will not even have the basics. I suppose I will have to suffer until I shit blood for a while.”
“…….”
Though they did not know why, the intelligence of the children Jin So-un occasionally sent was always extraordinary.
Just as a tree with strong roots grew well anywhere, children with outstanding talent quickly revealed their skill as long as their basics were properly established.
When it came to establishing the basics, there was no one who could match Kang Chae-seok, so Jin Tae-san could no longer press Kang Chae-seok.
At that moment, one Fourth-Generation Disciple came inside and said,
“Sect Leader……. Someone has come carrying Eldest Senior Brother’s letter.”
The gazes of the three people intertwined.
Was this not the disciple they had just been discussing?
“Yes, since things have turned out this way, guide him here.”
“……All the way here?”
“Yes. He is likely a child who will become a Fourth-Generation Disciple. He came with your Eldest Senior Brother’s recommendation.”
“……Pardon? A F-Fourth-Generation Disciple?”
The Fourth-Generation Disciple’s face twisted subtly.
At his appearance, like a puppy that needed to poop but could only hesitate, Kang Chae-seok shouted angrily.
“What are you doing! Hurry and bring him!”
“……Ah, yes! U-understood.”
The Fourth-Generation Disciple, who suddenly came to his senses, shot out like an arrow.
It looked as if his Taeul Eighty-Thousand Divine Steps had reached a realm.
The three of them waited for the new disciple while looking at that sight with satisfaction.
Step, step, step.
Along with the sound of large footsteps, a massive, burly man entered the room.
The gazes of the three people, who had been drinking tea, naturally turned toward that enormous bulk.
“Hm?”
“Who?”
To the three people who were filled with questions, the burly man politely performed a clasped hands greeting and said,
“I offer my greetings. I am Buk Won-pyeong, and I came wishing to become a disciple after receiving Young Hero Jin’s introduction.”
Pffft--
Drip, drip--
Kang Chae-seok sprayed out all the tea in his mouth, and tea streamed from Jin Tae-san’s mouth.
The child they had been waiting for was a little bigger than expected.
Three Pure Ones Water Divine Dragon Buk Won-pyeong.
He was the disciple candidate So-un had spoken of.
“Why have you come only now?”
When I returned to Jang Do-won’s shop, Jang Do-won had returned to being the blunt man of the past.
‘This is better.’
Jang Do-won had been smoking his long-stemmed pipe, but then turned around and brought out a large bundle and a long iron club.
“What are these?”
“What do you mean? They are what you ordered.”
“I did?”
I had clearly asked him to make an iron bow for Murong Jae-hwa, and to finely divide one of the objects I had received after becoming Representative, the White Fragrance Jade, and make accessories from it.
But never mind accessories—what was I supposed to do with an iron club?
“Huh! Did you really make them?”
At that moment, Geum-pyo opened the bundle with a thump and smiled brightly.
“You really made them!”
As I turned my head, wondering what it was, an item I had seen many times before came out.
“Flying Dragon Claws?”
They were none other than the Flying Dragon Claw I wore on my left hand.
Geum-pyo quickly took out the Flying Dragon Claws from the bundle one by one and handed them to Eun-ho and Dong-ryong.
“……What exactly are those?”
“Ah, we asked him separately.”
“You did? Putting aside the money, where did you obtain the Heavenly Silkworm Thread?”
“As it happened, Jae-hwa said her clan had plenty of Heavenly Silkworm Thread, so while he was making Jae-hwa’s, we asked him to make ours too.”
“…….”
Jang Do-won furrowed his brow deeply.
“I could not even sleep properly because I was making several things in a short period of time. I will be properly paid, so know that.”
“Do you boys even have money?”
“Huh? Senior Brother, I just remembered something urgent.”
“Me too!”
“Brothers, wait for me!”
And so, the damned Gold-Silver-Copper Brothers ran out like the wind.
“You have good junior brothers.”
“Those bastards have a good senior brother.”
“You are still young, so you do not know how good your junior brothers are.”
“Those brats eat nine servings of rice in one meal.”
“Enough. Check the other items.”
“Now that I think of it, why do I not see the iron bow?”
“Is it not there?”
“Pardon?”
What Jang Do-won held out was a crude iron club made of metal.
“There are grooves at both ends. Hang this on them. I no longer have the strength, so I cannot string it.”
“…….”
Even if it was made of iron, would it not warp or break if one forcibly bent it?
However, surprisingly, the iron club bent as it was bent, then sprang back to its original form with a twang.
“If it is the strength of someone who must use an iron bow, the draw weight should be at least that much.”
It was not just an ordinary iron bow.
At this level, even if it could not be called a divine armament, it could certainly be called a treasure.
I could not hide my surprise that he had made such a treasure in merely a fortnight.
“What are you talking about? How could I make it in such a short time? I am giving you something I made beforehand.”
“Ah…… Is that so?”
“I used all that time making the Flying Dragon Claws and that necklace. At any rate, that item is not bad either.”
It was not merely bad.
It was certainly greater than the iron bow Murong Jae-hwa had used in the past, not something inferior to it.
“Thank you, Elder.”
“What thanks? Just pay the price properly.”
I handed Jang Do-won the promissory note worth five hundred gold taels I had prepared in advance.
After confirming the amount on the promissory note, Jang Do-won was momentarily surprised, then kept coughing awkwardly while pretending nothing was wrong.
“And also…….”
“Yes.”
“Ahem…… Hm, ahem…….”
For some reason, Jang Do-won hesitated for quite a while, unable to open his mouth.
“Please speak comfortably, Elder.”
When I said that, Jang Do-won, who had been dragging his feet for a long while, finally opened his mouth as if he had made up his mind.
“W-well, I heard from your junior sister that you were looking for an artisan to work at your teacher’s sect. I was wondering whether the treatment is…… decent.”
“Pardon?”
“I realized something through this incident. That is why I am asking what your teacher’s sect is like. At any rate, how is it?”
Thinking back, the fact that Jang Do-won had eventually entered the Murim Alliance alone in my previous life probably proved that something else had happened during that time.
In an age of chaos, dangerous incidents were commonplace.
At any rate, it was not a bad thing for either Jang Do-won or me.
“For someone of your level, Elder, we naturally must offer the best treatment.”
I am sorry, but now all Fifteen Divine Armaments are mine.
Hehehe.