The Battle for the Heavenly Sword - Chapter 38

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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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38
Woogeom Jaengpa
Around sunset, Woo Geom-san returned to the Zhuyang Inn.
The image of the man he had met at the old woman’s stall selling beef noodles flickered in his mind, but he deliberately forced himself to stop thinking about it.
What mattered to Woo Geom-san was not the identity of a man he had met for the first time in his life, but the disposal of the Yunjung Tea he had brought from Cheonbaeksan.
“Is that you, Geom-san?”
“Did you have a good time out there?”
The young men guarding the storehouse where the Yunjung Tea was kept were the first to welcome Woo Geom-san.
“Has anything happened?”
“A couple of guys were loitering around, but they ran away when they saw this.”
One of the young men brandished the straight sword hanging from his waist.
It was a straight sword used for logging, but its blade was razor-sharp and looked quite threatening.
An ordinary person would have no choice but to get frightened and flee.
Woo Geom-san smiled and said,
“I’ll take over after dinner. You guys should get some rest then.”
“Don’t worry about us, just get some good rest yourself.”
“Still…”
“Brother Wol-sang said that if you insist on guarding, we should kick you out. Otherwise, he’d kick us out. If you don’t want to see us expelled from our village, just go rest.”
“Brother Wol-sang is really too much…”
Woo Geom-san let out a faint sigh and walked inside the inn.
On the first floor of the inn, the young men from Yunjung Village were gathered together having a meal.
“Welcome back.”
“You’ve come at just the right time. We ordered your food too, so just sit down and eat.”
“Thank you.”
Woo Geom-san sat in an empty seat.
Since he had just eaten beef noodles a moment ago, he was not very hungry. Even so, he could not reject the consideration of the people who had ordered food for him.
Watching Woo Geom-san pick up his chopsticks, Baek Wol-sang asked,
“So, did you see a lot of the market?”
“No. I couldn’t see much.”
“Why?”
“I just happened to meet someone who caught my attention.”
Originally, he had intended to walk around the market and listen to the stories of how the world was turning. However, his plan went awry when a man thick with bloodlust sat down next to him.
It was because the man’s scent of blood kept bothering him.
In the end, he had only eaten beef noodles and returned to the Zhuyang Inn.
Baek Wol-sang said as he ate the food laid out on the table,
“We have to get a fair price this time, so everyone needs to stay sharp. We must be fully prepared because we don’t know what kind of flaws they’ll try to find.”
“Don’t worry, brother! The tea harvested this time is top-grade. No matter how hard they try to find flaws, it will be useless.”
“Still, merchants are bound to find flaws somehow. If there aren’t any, they’ll make them up. So if you don’t want to get your nose cut off with your eyes wide open, stay sharp.”
“Understood.”
The young men replied with solemn expressions.
Woo Geom-san asked Baek Wol-sang,
“Do the merchants slash the prices a lot?”
“Since the year before last, they’ve been trying to cut prices by making this or that excuse.”
“Is that so?”
“Anyway, those merchants can’t be trusted. Just a few years ago, they said our tea was the best and they’d give us whatever we wanted, but seeing them change their faces completely…”
Baek Wol-sang shook his head as if the mere thought of it was dreadful.
Dealing with merchants who were skilled at calculations was several times harder and more exhausting than farming deep in the mountains.
Woo Geom-san nodded at Baek Wol-sang’s words.
He also knew very well how tiring it was to deal with merchants.
“Would it be alright if I stay with you when you negotiate with the merchants?”
“It would be reassuring to have you.”
“Then I will stay quietly by your side.”
“Do that.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m the one who’s grateful.”
Baek Wol-sang smiled broadly.
Although Woo Geom-san was much younger than him, he was a dependable younger brother.
It was not simply because he had learned martial arts, but because of his serious yet gentle demeanor, being by Woo Geom-san’s side made one feel at ease. That was why he relied on him a lot.
Even after that, Woo Geom-san shared various conversations with Baek Wol-sang and the others, eating for a long time.
“Whew! I overate for the first time in a long while.”
Returning to his room, Woo Geom-san rubbed his stomach.
Not long after eating beef noodles, he had dined with the young men, so his stomach bulged out.
Because he had overate after a long time, his stomach felt bloated. However, Woo Geom-san did not worry much.
The Choyeon Simgyeol was a heart method that pursued harmony. It could return an imbalanced bodily condition to its original state in an instant.
In fact, in less than fifteen minutes, his bloated stomach found stability. Then, Woo Geom-san took a thick book out of his bosom.
On the cover of the book, Jeonjin Mugong Chongyo was written in a grand, powerful calligraphy style.
It was a book written by Baek Ho-yang himself.
It was a treasure among treasures, created by adding Baek Ho-yang’s own realizations to the secret heritage martial arts of Quanzhen that had been passed down for generations.
Most of the Quanzhen Sect’s martial arts, which Baek Ho-yang had not been able to pass down directly, were contained within it.
Woo Geom-san read the Jeonjin Mugong Chongyo intently whenever he had time.
Just as climbing a large mountain allowed one to see the lower surrounding mountains at a glance, Woo Geom-san, who had mastered the Choyeon Simgyeol—the highest martial art of the Quanzhen Sect—could easily understand the principles of the martial arts in the Jeonjin Mugong Chongyo.
Among the martial arts in the Jeonjin Mugong Chongyo, the one that caught Woo Geom-san’s interest was none other than the Nine Heavens Soul Returning Method.
It was the acupressure blood circulation technique that Baek Ho-yang had used to save the moribund Woo Geom-san, possessing the efficacy to save even a person who had set one foot across the threshold of the underworld, as long as they were still breathing.
Not merely because it had saved his own life, but due to the fact that it could save the lives of others, Woo Geom-san delved particularly deep into the Nine Heavens Soul Returning Method.
“If what I understand is correct, the Nine Heavens Soul Returning Method can be unleashed with needles rather than acupressure.”
Needles were a very familiar tool to Woo Geom-san.
To rehabilitate his ruined hands, he had held needles every single day. Thanks to that, he had gained a hand sensitivity that was more delicate than anyone else’s.
Although acupuncture needles were thinner and sharper than regular needles, the method of use was largely identical. If he put in the effort, it seemed he could master the Nine Heavens Soul Returning Method with acupuncture needles as well.
“I should visit Blacksmith Street tomorrow. Though I don’t know if there’ll be a place that can make such fine needles.”
Making regular needles and making acupuncture needles required dimensions of delicacy that were worlds apart.
Any blacksmith shop could make large acupuncture needles without difficulty, but the fine needles Woo Geom-san needed could not be easily made unless by a special artisan.
He did not know if there would be an artisan of that level in Guangu County, but he still had to look for one.
Woo Geom-san read the Jeonjin Mugong Chongyo while imagining himself executing the Nine Heavens Soul Returning Method with needles.
He did not know how long he had been delving into the Nine Heavens Soul Returning Method like that.
Woo Geom-san, who had been reading the book while forgetting the flow of time, raised his head because of a stealthy presence felt outside.
“Whew! It seems an uninvited guest has arrived.”
Woo Geom-san let out a faint sigh and put the Jeonjin Mugong Chongyo into his bosom.
As his Choyeon Simgyeol reached the realm of Muwi Eunggi, the movements around him could be felt as clearly as the lines on his palm without him even having to consciously try.
Thinking that it was also a problem if his senses were too sharp, Woo Geom-san opened the window.
***
The Zhuyang Inn consisted of three buildings: the main building, the stable, and the storehouse.
From the time they first settled here, they had built an independent stable and storehouse to do business targeting travelers and merchants.
Thanks to this, most of the merchants entering Guangu County stayed at the Zhuyang Inn.
It was because the Zhuyang Inn was the only place that could store many horses and goods all at once.
However, that did not mean the Zhuyang Inn protected the goods kept in the storehouse.
They rented out the storehouse, but protecting the goods was entirely the responsibility of the merchants or travelers.
For that reason, the merchants staying at the Zhuyang Inn hired escort guards or took turns guarding the storehouse by setting up a rotation.
Thanks to that, an incident where goods were plundered at the Zhuyang Inn had not occurred yet. However, that did not guarantee such a thing would not happen in the future.
The boy Jin Seo-ho was lying prostrate on the roof of the building right next to the Zhuyang Inn.
Jin Seo-ho was a pickpocket.
Having lost both of his parents at an early age, Jin Seo-ho naturally drifted into the underworld.
The underworld of Guangu County was ruled by a gang called the Cheongmun Gang.
The leader, Oh Gang-yeol, was an expert who had mastered external martial arts, and because his martial arts were strong and his personality was ferocious, there was no one around who could match him.
Based on his powerful martial strength, he led the Cheongmun Gang and was involved in everything that made money, including theft, pickpocketing, and gambling dens.
Knowing that Jin Seo-ho’s talent was outstanding, Oh Gang-yeol raised him as a professional pickpocket.
Jin Seo-ho’s hand movements were smooth and stealthy, so he had never missed a target even once. However, that was only true until yesterday.
Today, for the first time, Jin Seo-ho tasted failure.
And that was against a man who looked like a pale-faced scholar.
Because the man was looking around with a wondrous expression, Jin Seo-ho had approached him thinking he was a rustic bumpkin, but the man grasped his movements like a ghost and slapped his hand away.
The hand that had been struck by the man at that time was still throbbing.
Since he had tasted failure for the first time, Jin Seo-ho had intended not to work anymore today. But today, the Cheongmun Gang to which he belonged issued a total mobilization order.
The target was precisely the tea kept in the storehouse of the Zhuyang Inn.
Plundering the tea and bringing it to the Cheongmun Gang was today’s mission.
Jin Seo-ho muttered with a dissatisfied look on his face.
“I can’t understand it. To think that all the pickpockets and thieves of the Cheongmun Gang are being mobilized just to steal some tea.”
Pickpockets meant cutpurses, and thieves referred to burglars.
The thieves professionally raised by the Cheongmun Gang were famous for stealing items without leaving a trace.
Although their specialized fields were different from Jin Seo-ho’s, they knew each other well since they belonged to the same Cheongmun Gang.
Five thieves, four pickpockets, and ten martial artists who had learned martial arts were mobilized.
It was not a huge number of people, but they were all the elites of the Cheongmun Gang.
The very fact that all of them were mobilized meant that this matter was just that important.
“What on earth is the gang leader thinking?”
Thinking of Oh Gang-yeol, Jin Seo-ho frowned.
Guarding the storehouse where the tea was located were two village youth.
They were sturdy, but even so, they were nothing more than rural farmers.
Of course, they had their companions inside the inn, but they were likewise ordinary people.
To mobilize as many as ten martial artists to steal items from such people was an incredibly inefficient matter.
Oh Gang-yeol was by no means a person who took unreasonable risks, so Jin Seo-ho was curious about the reason he was going this far.
“Whatever, what do I care about that human’s thoughts?”
On Jin Seo-ho’s face as he shook his head, a deep loathing was evident.
Because he had been terribly exploited since childhood, he hated Oh Gang-yeol and the Cheongmun Gang.
He was only staying still because there was no way to escape; otherwise, he would have left the Cheongmun Gang long ago.
Naturally, not a shred of affection remained for the Cheongmun Gang and Oh Gang-yeol.
It was then.
Those who were hiding on the roof of the building on the opposite side sent a hand signal.
“It’s starting.”
The martial artists who had been waiting outside the Zhuyang Inn sauntered over and approached the storehouse.
At the appearance of strangers, the young men guarding the storehouse leaped up and shouted.
“Halt!”
“Who gave you permission to use the inn’s storehouse?”
One of the martial artists who approached the storehouse said in a loud voice,
“What nonsense are you talking about? We formally rented the storehouse from the Zhuyang Inn.”
“Even so, you should have gotten our permission. Don’t you know that all the storehouses in Guangu County are managed by our Cheongmun Gang?”
“Don’t talk nonsense. I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
The young men drew their straight swords and shouted.
They had used the Zhuyang Inn for decades.
While using the storehouse of the Zhuyang Inn, they had never once experienced this kind of trouble. Therefore, they immediately realized that the martial artists were lying.
A martial artist of the Cheongmun Gang said with a sinister expression,
“Fuck! You talk way too much. If we say so, then it is so, why are there so many words? Either pay us the usage fee or take out your goods, choose between the two.”
“We have already paid a fair price to the Zhuyang Inn. There is no reason for us to give you money.”
The young man raised his voice, not being pressed down by the momentum of the martial artist.
Although he had not learned even a single stance or half a move of martial arts, the momentum of the young man who had lived his whole life in a remote mountain valley to protect his family was by no means inferior to that of a martial artist.
“Ha, fuck! Seriously talking too much. Do you want to die?”
In the end, the martial artist unleashed his bloodlust.
“Stop!”
“You bastards!”
At that moment, Baek Wol-sang and the young men who were staying in the Zhuyang Inn came rushing out in a crowd.
They stood beside their comrades and confronted the martial artists.
Instantly, a victorious smile hooked onto the lips of the martial artist who had been unleashing his bloodlust.
‘Hehe! You fell for it.’
The plan of the Cheongmun Gang was simple.
While the martial artists caused a commotion at the entrance of the storehouse, the thieves and pickpockets would stealthily slip the tea out.
By now, the thieves and pickpockets must have started their movement.

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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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