Chapter 150
Chapter 150. Those Wearing Black Masks (9)
After the matter was settled for the time being, we decided to spend our vacation as promised.
The three Gold-Silver-Copper Brothers dressed in the clothes they had ordered on the first day.
Perhaps because the children were awkward wearing luxurious outfits for the first time in their lives, they moved with their backs ramrod straight and their chests forced out, drawing laughter from people.
Namgung Seon-hwa, Seong Mo-ran, and Hong Sa-ryeon walked through the streets in the same splendid and beautiful appearances I had seen the other day.
Their outfits, even more splendid than Yueyang’s dazzling night streets, became objects of admiration for many men.
A few Flower Young Master types approached the three of them with smiles.
“If you do not mind, may I escort you tonight?”
“I am the eldest son of Nam Estate. I am not a suspicious person, so you need not worry.”
“Now, now, is it not better when things are pleasant? Come with us.”
They were all men with some skill, and they tried to forcibly take the women away by putting forward their status or martial arts.
However, before Namgung Seon-hwa and Seong Mo-ran could reveal their backgrounds or personally take action, the Gold-Silver-Copper Brothers blocked them.
“Brats, get out of the way!”
“How dare rootless things like you.”
“Do you not know who I am!”
The three Gold-Silver-Copper Brothers looked at me at the same time.
Their eyes asked what they should do.
I spoke firmly.
“When have I ever acted while choosing my opponents?”
It did not even take long.
The Ten Thousand Transformations Invincible Fist the three of them shot out at the same time sent the opponents flying three zhang without even being able to respond properly, and they crashed into street stalls.
Once we had driven away the flies, no more Flower Young Master types swarmed us.
“Yueyang is noisier than usual.”
As Seong Mo-ran said, Yueyang’s atmosphere was a little different from normal.
Although the moon had risen high, warriors wearing martial arts uniforms were moving in groups, and in places far from the entertainment district, fires broke out or screams could be heard.
“The mountain tiger has disappeared, so only the fight over the owner’s seat remains.”
As it was revealed that the Yuwol Sect was the culprit behind the abduction cases that had happened in Yueyang all this time, Diancang’s prestige instantly shrank.
Diancang said it would not forgive those who tried to use this matter as an opportunity to satisfy their private greed, but in reality, no one listened to the words of those who had lost their justification for ruling Yueyang.
Then the Black Path Murim gangs, centered around the Black Axe Palace and the Mukhyul Gang, rose up.
The first target of the Black Path Murim gangs’ attacks was naturally the Yuwol Sect.
Since it had accumulated enormous wealth under Diancang’s protection all this time, and had effectively served as Diancang’s Yueyang branch, it was prey the Black Path gangs absolutely could not ignore.
However, Diancang was not the kind of people who would let others steal the spoon from their bowl.
Not even a full day after the incident, Diancang attacked the Yuwol Sect, and the Yuwol Sect vanished into history.
The Black Path gangs, who had missed the tasty prey called the Yuwol Sect, then began searching for other prey.
With Wudang driven out and even Diancang having stepped back, Yueyang was practically an ownerless mountain fortress.
There was no Black Path gang that wanted to miss such a good opportunity.
“Still, it is a shame. The wealth the Yuwol Sect had gathered is one thing, but this was also an opportunity to become the master of the enormous commercial sphere called Yueyang.”
“How about the Iron Sword Sect entering Yueyang this time?”
“Eh? What kind of nonsense is that?”
That was right.
Prey one could not swallow should not be placed in one’s mouth carelessly.
We headed toward the dock without caring whether disturbances broke out around us.
And there, we met unexpected people.
“Eh?”
“Huh?”
The other side also looked this way with flustered expressions, as if meeting us here was quite awkward.
I opened my mouth first.
“This does not seem like a place suitable for a monk.”
“…….”
Il-gak of Shaolin Temple.
Together with the members of the Righteous Path Association of the Murim Alliance, he was waiting for a boat at the dock.
If I had to choose the moments I enjoyed most in my previous life, it would be the moments when the other party was flustered after having their shame exposed.
When a moment like this came, no matter how much I sneered and jeered, the other party could do nothing but clench their fists.
If they threw a fist at that moment, they would reveal their narrow-mindedness, and if they ignored it, it would be the same as admitting their shame.
It was the only chance I, who had no strength, had to make fun of my opponents.
And that pleasure did not change even after I became stronger.
“Oh, so monks these days spread sermons even in entertainment districts?”
“…….”
“Then again, there is no place the Buddha’s grace does not reach, so there is no reason one cannot come to a place like this. I was rude.”
“……We merely visited for a regular meeting.”
“Still, since a monk is included, it would be reasonable to show some consideration……. Does the Righteous Path Association not think of Shaolin Temple at all?”
By the time I said that much, the faces of the other Righteous Path Association members began stiffening one by one.
I truly found this moment delightful.
Seeing those expressions as they wondered whether they should use their hands or not always felt fresh and thrilling.
“Seeing that the Righteous Path Association holds meetings to worry about the future of the Murim in a place like this, it seems the Righteous Path Association is a truly lively gathering. Had I known this would happen, I would have joined the Righteous Path Association long ago.”
“…….”
Il-gak’s face turned pitch-black.
At this rate, I might really end up going to hell.
“Venerable, there is one thing I am truly curious about, so I will ask.”
At my one-sided question, the gazes of the Righteous Path Association members began gathering one by one.
“When you go to a pleasure house and hold a meeting, how do you endure it?”
“……You bastard, listening to you talk and talk……”
One of the Righteous Path Association members standing beside Il-gak flared up and stepped forward.
Il-gak stopped him with a stiff face and forced himself to change the subject.
“Academy Representative, what brings you here?”
“Unlike the Righteous Path Association, we came to enjoy our vacation.”
“……I see.”
Il-gak tried to subtly turn his head away.
He was clearly thinking of slipping out like this, but I had no intention of letting him go.
“You have not answered the question I asked earlier. If you hold meetings at a pleasure house, do you think of it as part of your training?”
“…….”
The Righteous Path Association members drew up killing intent as if they could no longer endure it.
Our group also raised fighting spirit to match them, and the atmosphere near the dock grew fierce, as if a battle might break out at any moment.
“What a child with a truly wicked tongue.”
With a deep voice, the Righteous Path Association members withdrew their killing intent and stepped back all at once.
Il-gak, who had been standing at the front with a stiff expression, also stepped aside and bowed respectfully.
“They said you were a rising star raised by the Black Path Murim, and it seems that rumor was true.”
A middle-aged bald man wearing the same outfit as Il-gak.
It was my first time seeing him in this life, but he did not look very different from the image I had seen in my previous life.
“Venerable, are you swayed by such wicked rumors?”
“Are you saying that despite knowing who I am?”
Golden Buddha Hye-seong.
The current Abbot’s Junior Brother and the leader of the Vajra Unit.
His influence within the Murim Alliance was also great, and he was one of the key figures who led the Righteous Path Association.
“If I did not know Great Master Hye-seong, could I call myself a martial artist?”
“You are a child with eyes as good as your tongue.”
“Thank you for the praise.”
“However, you have still not answered my question. They say you are deeply connected to the Black Path Murim. Is that true?”
“The Taeul Sect has never once left the One Hundred Eight Peaks as a blood ally of the Murim Alliance for the past five hundred years.”
“That is why it is suspicious. If one were to raise a spy, where would be better than the Taeul Sect? Moreover, they say the Taeul Sect’s martial arts have grown by leaps and bounds recently.”
Hye-seong spoke while even showing a faint smile.
Once the Immovable Mind he had cultivated for long years was combined with the political skill he had gained while living in the Murim Alliance, he displayed such deep scheming that ordinary politicians were no match for him.
‘Still, compared to the Sojeong Squad, he is weak.’
Those bastards were closer to criminals than martial artists.
Had I been rubbed against those bastards for only a year or two?
I asked with a stern expression.
“Are you perhaps insulting Elder Sword-Breaker?”
“……Hm?”
“Elder Sword-Breaker clearly acknowledged that they were the Taeul Sword Emperor’s martial arts…… Yet you call them the martial arts of a Black Path sect…… The Murong Clan will not stand still.”
“…….”
Hye-seong’s smile twisted slightly.
“I must send a carrier pigeon letter at once. I wonder whether Elder Sword-Breaker will overlook this.”
“……You seem to think Shaolin fears the Murong Clan.”
“Would Shaolin under heaven do that? However, Great Master Hye-seong, you likely find Elder Sword-Breaker frightening. Is that not so?”
At my words, laughter leaked out from among my companions.
It was laughter they could not suppress no matter how hard they tried.
Hye-seong composed his expression and said,
“You are a very impertinent fellow.”
“Thank you for the praise.”
Hye-seong, who had barely managed to compose his expression, abruptly crumpled his face.
“So, did you come here to board a boat?”
“I promised my companions that I would give them the best vacation.”
“If so, how about boarding our boat, as I mentioned just now? There are many seats left on the boat the Righteous Path Association rented.”
Hye-seong pointed to the boat waiting for them.
The Righteous Path Association had rented an entire large boat with a two-story roof.
“As expected, the Righteous Path Association’s prestige is remarkable. I appreciate the offer, but I must decline. We have already rented a boat as well.”
“Would this boat not be better than a small ferry?”
“It is not a small ferry. Ah, it is coming just in time.”
I pointed to the enormous pleasure boat approaching the dock.
It had no less than four floors.
“It cost so much to rent that it would be a waste. If it is all right with you, would the Righteous Path Association also like to board with us?”
Hye-seong’s face twisted violently, as if he had tasted shit.
It felt truly refreshing.
After boarding the pleasure boat, my companions could not calm their excitement for quite some time.
Because on a boat shining more splendidly than any other boat on Dongting Lake, the only people who could fully enjoy it were us.
“Young Master Jin, are you all right with this?”
Seong Mo-ran, who had been exclaiming over Dongting Lake’s night scenery for quite a while, asked as if the thought had suddenly occurred to her.
“What do you mean?”
“In the end, Diancang was not punished. And the Righteous Path Association is still openly active like that.”
“Ah…… You mean that. Of course I am all right.”
“Yes?”
“Everyone who needs to know about this incident knows. In the end, they know that Diancang did this.”
“That is true.”
“And at the same time, they also know that the Yuwol Sect was sacrificed. From now on, the sects under Diancang will begin a fierce battle of reading the room. Whether they should remain with Diancang or leave.”
“Still, Diancang’s name carries weight…….”
“Of course it does. Right now, pretending not to know and staying is more profitable than leaving. But if a second or third incident occurs, they will no longer be able to find a reason to stay.”
“You think something like this will happen again?”
“Why do you think it will not?”
I looked at the countless boats floating like stars on Dongting Lake and said,
“A massive existence like Diancang will never collapse because of one or two people’s immorality. Because Diancang itself has already become a giant living creature.”
“Then what are you going to do?”
“It is simple. Break it little by little, step by step, as if savoring it.”
“Diancang?”
I turned my gaze to Seong Mo-ran.
“Diancang, and anyone else.”
“……I really do not understand you, Young Master Jin.”
Seong Mo-ran shook her head and said,
“By the way, the wealth the Yuwol Sect had gathered must not have been small. Thinking that Diancang swallowed it all whole is a little regrettable. It was originally theirs, though.”
Taking advantage of the gap as the conversation ended, Namgung Seon-hwa quickly slipped in.
She looked anxious, as if she were somewhere she should not be.
“Young Master Jin. Is this…… all right?”
Namgung Seon-hwa pointed to the floor as she spoke.
“It seems there is no one on this boat except us.”
“Did I not tell you? If we are going to play anyway, should we not play grandly?”
“Still…… Still, this is a little too much. There is no one but us on this huge boat.”
It seemed even Namgung Seon-hwa under heaven had never spent money this recklessly before.
As she said, I had rented the largest boat on Dongting Lake.
However, unlike what she said, we were not the only ones here.
“Oh my, I am hurt. Have you forgotten me?”
Hae-ryeong appeared with those words.
When they heard there was no limit on food orders, the Gold-Silver-Copper Brothers, who had been ordering and eating food like madmen, stopped and looked at Hae-ryeong.
A splendid golden crown and fluttering silk clothes.
It was attire more suited to this splendid boat than anyone else here.
“Lady Hae-ryeong…….”
“Pavilion Master of the Ten Thousand Guests Pavilion…….”
“…….”
Not only Seong Mo-ran and Namgung Seon-hwa, but even Sa-ryeon, who was seeing Hae-ryeong for the first time, stared at her in a daze.
“The arrangements are complete, Young Master Jin.”
“As expected, you are excellent.”
“Then shall we enjoy the banquet after finishing the remaining work?”
“Let us do that.”
My companions tilted their heads as if they could not understand the conversation between Hae-ryeong and me.
I looked at Seong Mo-ran and said,
“You said it was regrettable that Diancang swallowed the Yuwol Sect whole, did you not?”
“Huh? Yes…….”
“If you come with us now, you will not feel that way very much.”
“Yes?”
Seong Mo-ran and Namgung Seon-hwa looked at each other with questioning expressions.
We headed to the lower part of the boat.
Hae-ryeong guided us between the warehouses where all sorts of goods were stacked, and we followed her.
And when we reached one warehouse after passing through a complicated path.
My companions’ mouths fell open.
“……Why is that person here?”