The Battle for the Heavenly Sword - Chapter 37

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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37
Woo Geom-san Competes for Supremacy
Although there was a minor incident on the first day, the journey after that went smoothly.
There were a few perilous moments, but they passed without any crisis as major as the one on the first day.
The wolf attacks they had worried about did not happen, and those presumed to be bandits did not show so much as a shadow.
Thanks to that, Woo Geom-san’s group was able to safely descend the mountain after ten days. However, having walked along harsh mountain paths for ten days, the people’s appearance was a complete mess.
Their clothes were torn here and there, and their unkempt, disheveled hair brought beggars to mind. Even so, smiles were visible on the young men’s faces.
Though there had been twists and turns, everyone had made it down safely.
The donkeys and the tea they carried on their backs were all safe as well.
Guangu County boasted a scale that could not be compared to Yunjung Village.
The number of households alone was a staggering one thousand, and the population exceeded five thousand people.
Because it was a major crossroads where the Official Road passed through, there were also many people who stopped by and left.
With so many people coming and going, the market was naturally well-developed.
There were also plenty of inns, so guests had no trouble finding a place to stay.
Woo Geom-san asked Baek Wol-sang.
“Are we selling the tea today right away?”
“No. The merchants have to come in too, so we’ll have to wait a little.”
“Is there an appointment?”
“Of course. When we trade and part ways, we promise exactly when to meet next time. They’ll arrive within two days at the latest.”
“I see.”
“We have an inn we always use when we come to Guangu County. Let’s wait for the merchants there.”
“Understood.”
Woo Geom-san followed Baek Wol-sang and the others into the inn they frequented.
A flag with the words Zhuyang Inn written on it hung at the entrance of the inn.
At the back of the inn, there was a separate stable where the donkeys could go and a warehouse where the luggage could be stored.
Baek Wol-sang said.
“Put the donkeys in the stable and store the tea in the warehouse.”
“Is it safe?”
“The tea?”
“Yes!”
“Of course it’s not safe. That’s why we have to stand night watch in pairs.”
“Are there many thieves?”
“Lately, the Yunjung Tea harvested from our village seems to have become famous. Perhaps because of that, there are many petty thieves who sneak in aiming for the tea. We’ve caught them several times already, but they keep targeting it.”
Baek Wol-sang shook his head with a fed-up expression.
“We must not let our guard down then.”
“Petty thieves are something we can handle well enough on our own, so don’t worry too much.”
“I’ll stand night watch too.”
“No need. Thanks to you, we were able to reach this place safely, so if we even make you do night watch, we’d lose face. Relax and rest well for two days while checking out Guangu County. It’s the world you haven’t seen in five years.”
“Still…”
“Enough. Do as I say. It’s free time until the merchants come, so enjoy it to your heart’s content.”
“Thank you.”
Woo Geom-san was sincerely grateful for Baek Wol-sang’s consideration.
In fact, having lived in the mountains for a full five years, he did not know how the world was turning.
During that time, he had been engrossed only in martial arts and had no interest in worldly affairs, but since he had come outside anyway, he wanted to walk around various places in Guangu County and hear stories of how the world was turning.
Baek Wol-sang smiled gently and said.
“Do you have money? If not, should I give you some?”
“I have money to use.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes! My grandfather gave it to me.”
“Still, if it’s not enough, let me know.”
“It’s more than enough for me to use alone, so don’t worry.”
Woo Geom-san showed a confident smile.
Inside his tunic, he possessed quite a bit of money, including several money vouchers worth a thousand silver taels each.
It was money Baek Ho-yang had given him to use when needed.
When he participated in the war against the Cheonmyeong Association, it was money that his close friend and elder of the Shaolin Temple, Great Master Hui Kong, had packed for him.
Baek Ho-yang said he did not need it, but Great Master Hui Kong had forced it into his hands, saying he would need it if he stayed in the secular world.
He had suddenly come to possess a lot of money, but Baek Ho-yang barely used it, only storing it before passing it down exactly as it was to Woo Geom-san.
Thanks to that, he had come to hold this much money.
Woo Geom-san left his sword at the inn and headed toward the market.
This was because he knew there was no place like a market to grasp how the world was turning.
Beyond Woo Geom-san’s expectations, the market was bustling with many people.
“Selling spices brought from the Western Regions.”
“We have good quality silk.”
“Hey there, young man, come over here.”
The streets were very noisy with the voices of merchants soliciting customers.
“Nice!”
At the sight of the market reminiscent of his hometown, Woo Geom-san smiled naturally.
The Woo Family Manor was located at a transportation hub where a river and a canal intersected, so countless people visited every day. Therefore, the atmosphere here was similar.
Although it could not be compared in terms of scale, of course.
While walking and thinking of his hometown, he felt a touch secretly slipping into his flank.
It was the hand of a kid who brushed past his side.
“Tsk!”
Slap!
Woo Geom-san clicked his tongue and lightly flicked the boy’s hand away. At that, the boy scowled deeply and glared at Woo Geom-san.
The boy was a pickpocket.
To the boy, Woo Geom-san, who was looking around here and there like a country bumpkin, seemed like good prey. That was why he targeted his shirt, but he ended up failing before he could even steal the money.
Out of resentment, the boy glared at Woo Geom-san with wide-open eyes.
“This country bumpkin bastard…”
“Who, me?”
“Yeah! You country bumpkin. How dare an idiot like you strike my hand?”
“That’s because you tried to steal my money, so isn’t that obvious?”
“I won’t let you get away with this!”
“Me? Why?”
At the boy’s attitude of playing the victim and turning on him, Woo Geom-san wore an incredulous expression.
The boy did not answer and vanished among the people.
Woo Geom-san shook his head and muttered.
“The world is ruined. To fail at thievery and get angry instead.”
Thinking that all sorts of things happen, Woo Geom-san moved his steps.
The pickpocket boy had mentioned revenge, but it did not concern him much. His courage was not so small that he would swallow fear over a mere pickpocket boy’s threat.
With his hands behind his back, Woo Geom-san strolled through the market and looked around leisurely.
Perhaps because it was a market where quite a few people came and went, there were also many fascinating items.
Ornaments and trinkets made of jade, beautiful silk clothes that made one’s eyes dizzy just looking at them, and even splendid porcelain that was unknown which potter had crafted. It truly seemed to have everything except what it lacked.
Woo Geom-san took all of it into his eyes.
When he was at the Woo Family Manor, Woo Geom-san also had a fair amount of material desire. If there was an item he coveted, he absolutely had to buy it. Therefore, he also bought many unnecessary things. However, while living on Cheonbaeksan, his material desire had vanished.
When he saw splendid and good items, he merely thought, ‘It’s pretty!’ and no particular desire to buy them arose.
It seemed to be because he had become accustomed to the life of a destitute mountain valley after all.
Having toured the market for a long time, the place Woo Geom-san finally stopped at was a stall where an old woman sold noodles.
The beef noodles she boiled right on the spot looked so delicious.
‘I overcame material desire, but I cannot beat my appetite.’
Woo Geom-san chuckled and sat on a low stool in front of the stall.
“Hello.”
“Welcome.”
“Give me a bowl of beef noodles, please.”
“Wait just a moment. I’ll make it for you quickly.”
“Yes!”
The old woman, whose back was heavily hunched, immediately began to boil the beef noodles.
She blanched the pre-made noodles in boiling water, placed the garnish, and whipped up the beef noodles in a flash.
The appearance of the beef noodles was so good that it could hardly be seen as food made at a street stall.
“Looks delicious.”
Just looking at it made saliva pool in his mouth.
Woo Geom-san first took a sip of the broth straight from the bowl.
The deep meat broth delighted his tongue.
Having thoroughly moistened his mouth, Woo Geom-san stirred the noodles with his chopsticks.
When he felt the broth had sufficiently soaked into the noodles, he took a large chopstickful and brought it to his mouth.
Slurp!
The noodles were sucked into his mouth in an instant.
Woo Geom-san put the beef noodles in his mouth like that until it was full and chewed away.
Seeing that sight, the old woman smiled a good-natured smile and said.
“That fellow sure eats heartily. Shall I roll another bowl for you?”
“No. This much is enough. But this is too delicious.”
“Really?”
“Yes! To a serious degree.”
“Hehehe! You speak so funnily too. Here! I’m in a good mood.”
The old woman placed a few more chunks of meat on top of Woo Geom-san’s beef noodles.
“You don’t have to do this…”
“Just eat it when it’s given.”
“Yes ma’am!”
Woo Geom-san nodded and put another chopstickful of beef noodles into his mouth.
The more he chewed the noodles, the richer the meat aroma felt.
Even at the Woo Family Manor, he had never eaten beef noodles this delicious.
The beef noodles made by famous chefs at large inns were also incomparable to the beef noodles the old woman in front of him made haphazardly.
‘They say eccentrics and experts are as numerous as grains of sand in the Jianghu, and experts are hidden everywhere. This person is a true expert.’
It was not necessarily that one had to master martial arts exquisitely to be called an expert.
Someone who achieved mastery in a single field was an expert.
In Woo Geom-san’s eyes, the old woman possessed a skill that fully deserved to be called an expert.
Thanks to the old woman’s beef noodles, his mouth was delighted.
It was like feeling the pleasure of the secular world after a long time, so he felt good.
It was then.
Thud!
Someone sat down beside Woo Geom-san.
It was a man dressed in entirely black from head to toe.
The man, whose body was covered with a black bamboo hat on his head and a black cloak, had a black object wrapped tightly in cloth hanging on his back.
Beneath the bamboo hat, uniquely red and thin lips were visible.
The moment he saw the man’s bright red lips, Woo Geom-san naturally thought of a snake.
The man spoke to the old woman in a voice as cold as a snake.
“A bowl of beef noodles.”
“W-wait just a moment.”
The old woman, who swallowed her fear at the chilling man’s voice, hurriedly made the beef noodles.
Woo Geom-san thought that such a reaction from the old woman was natural.
This was because such a chilling momentum was flowing out from the entire body of the man sitting beside him.
An ordinary person would find it majestic enough to choke their breath and shrink their lungs just by being close.
Woo Geom-san wrinkled the tip of his nose.
It was because of the scent of blood naturally flowing from the man’s body.
Too thick a scent of blood was deeply embedded in the man’s body.
‘Just how many people did he kill for…’
Woo Geom-san furrowed his brow without realizing it.
Although Woo Geom-san did not have that much Jianghu experience, he at least knew that for this thick a scent of blood to waft from a person’s body, they had to kill countless people.
‘What kind of man is he?’
Curiosity about the man’s identity arose naturally.
At that moment, the man turned his head and looked at Woo Geom-san.
Even though it was hidden by the bamboo hat, the man’s fearsome eye light was felt.
“Why are you looking like that? Is there a problem?”
“No. I’m sorry if I caused you concern.”
“Be careful. Useless curiosity shortens one’s lifespan.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Despite Woo Geom-san’s apology, the man did not withdraw his gaze.
This was because it bothered him strangely.
A decent person would have their knees tremble or swallow fear even if they saw him from afar.
Those who were exceptions were only the famous experts in the Jianghu. But even they would be on guard the moment they saw him.
Because experts recognized each other.
The reactions of the people who faced him mostly did not deviate from these two categories. However, the reaction of Woo Geom-san sitting beside him deviated from the normal category.
He certainly apologized, but even so, he did not seem afraid or on guard.
‘Is he an expert who mastered martial arts?’
To view it like that, Woo Geom-san’s momentum was too ordinary.
If one mastered martial arts above a certain level, they were bound to project a unique momentum knowingly or unknowingly, but such a trace could not be found at all in Woo Geom-san.
‘An unusual fellow.’

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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