The Battle for the Heavenly Sword - Chapter 62

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

62
Woogeom Jangpae
“Damn it!”
Luo Tieying grimaced at the pain in his flank.
Thanks to the Qingling Pill, his wound healed easily, but his crushed pride could not be recovered.
If he had lost to a famous expert in the Jianghu, he wouldn’t be this miserable.
The fact that he had suffered defeat at the hands of a bumpkin who had just come down from the mountains made him feel utterly wretched.
“If only I hadn’t let my guard down…”
He gnashed his teeth.
If he had intended to use vicious attacks from the start, he would have snuffed out that brat’s breath in a single strike.
Being deceived by that youthful appearance and letting his guard down was the cause of his defeat.
Just then, Nam Su-hyang entered the room where he was.
“How is your wound?”
“I’m perfectly fine. I will go storm back in right away, chop off his head, and bring it to you.”
“And then?”
“Pardon?”
“I’m asking what your plan is after that. What do you intend to do next?”
“That is…”
Luo Tieying stammered.
Because, of course, he had never thought about it.
Luo Tieying was a person who didn’t need to think. Fundamentally, he was someone who just needed to follow orders. That was why he didn’t calculate what kind of repercussions his actions would bring.
Nam Su-hyang was different from him.
She was a person who thought and took the lead.
She was someone who knew how to calculate what kind of repercussions her actions would bring.
Nam Su-hyang admitted that she had been too hasty.
Originally, a fight begins with gathering information on the opponent. However, she had dealt with the opponent using only fragmentary information.
The result was a bitter defeat.
If she had known the disposition of the Yunjung Village people and that there was a martial artist as strong as the young man who defeated Luo Tieying, she would have approached using a different method.
Nam Su-hyang tightly clenched her small fist and said.
“I can’t just back down like this. Since I haven’t obtained any results, returning empty-handed will only invite my brother’s ridicule. I absolutely need the Yunjung Tea.”
To procure the Yunjung Tea, she had traveled thousands of li.
Wasting nearly half a month just to get here.
To her, time was money.
Half a month was no different from spending thousands of taels of gold.
Having spent such an enormous amount of money, returning without any gains was out of the question.
Even to prove her ability to her father, Nam Tae-ha, she absolutely had to secure the Yunjung Tea.
Luo Tieying spoke cautiously.
“But all the tea they brought was taken by the Man-sang Alliance. Surely you don’t mean to plunder the goods that have already fallen into the hands of the Man-sang Alliance?”
“Of course not. No matter how ambitious I am, I know well enough that escalating trouble with the Man-sang Alliance beyond this wouldn’t be easy to handle.”
The Man-sang Alliance possessed the greatest wealth under Heaven.
Although their military might was weaker compared to the Tianjin Escort Agency, they could buy countless martial artists with their vast wealth if they set their minds to it.
No matter how strong the Tianjin Escort Agency was, it was bound to be burdensome if the Man-sang Alliance charged in with full determination.
“Then what do you intend to do?”
“I understand that Yunjung Tea is traded three or four times every year. We must aim for the next transaction.”
“Do you perhaps intend to remain here continuously?”
“That is too inefficient. First, I will draw the branches in the northwest to my side, and I’ll come back here to handle it during the next transaction.”
No matter how precious the Yunjung Tea was, it wasn’t as precious as her time.
The time given to her was not that much.
Wasting any more time would only make the opportunity to overtake her brother drift further away.
She had to move diligently. Yet, she couldn’t take her mind off this place.
“Station two Jaengjasu here to find out the date of the next transaction. I will return then.”
“Understood. I will take measures accordingly.”
“And make sure to find out the identity of the old Taoist that the boy mentioned. If it’s someone who raised an expert of that caliber at that age, he will definitely be of help to me as well.”
Right now, Nam Su-hyang needed even one more strong expert.
***
Early in the morning, Master Seo sat in front of the Zhuyang Inn storehouse, watching the people work.
Seo Gun-wol was employing laborers to load the Yunjung Tea onto carts.
Watching the Yunjung Tea being loaded tightly one after another made him feel full just by looking at it.
“This will be the last time I see this sight, too.”
Seo Gun-wol had negotiated excellently against Nam Su-hyang and Baek Wol-sang.
He had now grown to the point where the business could be safely entrusted to him.
Master Seo intended to hand everything down to his grandson and retire.
Although he was worried about the relationship with the Tianjin Escort Agency, that was a matter for Seo Gun-wol to resolve.
He wanted to return to his hometown as soon as possible and spend his time at leisure.
“Before that, I must deliver this first.”
Master Seo patted the large bundle placed beside him with his hand.
At the heavy sensation felt from his palm, Master Seo smiled.
Inside the bundle was an item he had procured with great difficulty.
Carrying the bundle, he approached Baek Wol-sang.
“Hey there!”
“Yes! Master.”
“Deliver this to your grandfather.”
“Are they books?”
“Yes! I obtained them with great difficulty.”
“Thank you. Grandfather will like them too.”
Baek Wol-sang smiled as he received the bundle.
What was inside the bundle were indeed the books that Master Seo had brought.
Whenever he came to Guangu County ever since that day ten years ago, Master Seo had always brought books.
Even if Woo Geom-san didn’t come, he kept his promise to him.
Sometimes he brought more than ten volumes, and sometimes he could only bring a single volume.
Procuring new books was just that difficult. Even so, Master Seo had brought books without missing a single time.
Knowing how difficult it was to procure books, Baek Wol-sang was also sincerely grateful for Master Seo’s hard work.
Master Seo lightly tapped Baek Wol-sang’s shoulder and said.
“You’ve suffered a lot dealing with this eccentric old man all this time. I pray everything you do goes well in the future too.”
“Thank you.”
“If fate allows, we will meet again someday. Take care.”
“I also pray that Master Seo lives in peace.”
Baek Wol-sang clasped his hands and bid farewell.
Master Seo smiled and walked to where his grandson, Seo Gun-wol, was. Then, along with his grandson, he left the Zhuyang Inn.
Baek Wol-sang and the young men silently watched Master Seo as he moved further away.
Whether they liked it or not, they had traded and seen each other for more than a dozen years.
Although he had heard in advance that he would retire this year, thinking that today was the last day seeing him made him feel regretful.
Baek Wol-sang sighed and muttered.
“They say those who meet must part, and those who leave must return, so if fate allows, we will meet again someday.”
He preciously cradled the books handed over by Master Seo in his arms.
He received books three or four times every year, but today they felt uniquely heavy.
Just then, the voice of a village youth broke Baek Wol-sang’s thoughts.
“Brother! Everything procured from the dawn market has been loaded onto the donkeys’ backs. We can leave now.”
“Really? Did you check to see if anything is missing?”
“I checked it twice.”
“Then, let’s leave too.”
“Yes!”
Baek Wol-sang and the young men led the donkeys out of the Zhuyang Inn.
Nam Mu-rin followed them at the very rear.
‘Brother said so. When this many people move all at once, the rear is the most dangerous. That’s why the strongest person must protect the party from the rear.’
For ten years, Nam Mu-rin had learned many things from Woo Geom-san.
Although he didn’t directly pass down martial arts, he learned everything necessary for daily life and trading journeys from Woo Geom-san.
Thanks to that, even though it was his first time coming down from the mountain, he didn’t panic and could cope with unexpected situations.
Not that his mind was completely at ease.
He had diligently practiced martial arts in the mountains all this time, but last night was his first time using them in actual combat.
Though he didn’t show it to Baek Wol-sang and the others, his heart thumped all night, to the point that he could barely sleep.
‘Surely they aren’t waiting to get revenge, right?’
He still couldn’t forget the venom-filled glares Nam Su-hyang and Luo Tieying had directed at him.
He could understand the saying that a glare alone could tear a person to death.
Recalling their glares, Nam Mu-rin couldn’t ease his tension until they escaped Guangu County. Fortunately, however, encountering them in Guangu County did not happen.
Only after entering the entrance of Cheonbaeksan could Nam Mu-rin relax his tension.
“Phew!”
Nam Mu-rin let out a sigh of relief and looked around.
It was a scenery not much different from when they came down.
Just entering Cheonbaeksan stabilized his mind and body, and made him feel better.
Although they had to walk for ten days along a rugged mountain path, that degree wasn’t a big problem for Nam Mu-rin.
To Nam Mu-rin, who had steadily practiced martial arts since childhood, even a rugged mountain path was no different from flat ground.
Leading the party from the front, Baek Wol-sang turned around and said.
“You are full of energy.”
“Pardon? Hehe!”
“I should hand this work down to you after doing it for just one or two more years.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Why are you so surprised? I’m getting older now too, so I can’t keep traveling this rugged path forever, can I?”
“You’re still healthy, so what are you talking about?”
“You rascal! I also inherited this work from my father when I was your age. Having done this grueling work for fifteen years, I just want to hand it over and focus on farming.”
“Are you serious?”
“Of course I’m serious. Honestly, dealing with people is exhausting, and my knees hurt, so I just want to farm. Probably everyone here feels the same way.”
As if to prove that Baek Wol-sang’s words were true, the other people spoke up one by one.
“Yeah! It’s time for us to hand this work down to our younger brothers and rest too.”
“How long are you guys going to live comfortably by yourselves?”
“If you guys have a conscience, you should start learning the work from now on.”
“Anyway, the young ones these days have no respect for their elders.”
Nam Mu-rin learned for the first time today that men could be this noisy.
It felt as if his eardrums were about to burst from their voices.
In the end, Nam Mu-rin raised his two hands and surrendered.
“Alright, I’ll do it. Instead, please lead us until next year, brothers. After that, I’ll somehow manage with the younger ones.”
“Good thinking. A guy who even mastered martial arts should take the initiative. Don’t you agree?”
Baek Wol-sang came over and patted Nam Mu-rin’s shoulder.
“Sigh! Learning martial arts is my sin.”
“Why is that a sin? Don’t you know we were safe yesterday thanks to you? Keep leading and protecting your younger brothers like that in the future too.”
“Of course.”
“Anyway, it’s reassuring to have you. Thanks to you, I can focus on farming with peace of mind.”
“Still, you have to give me advice.”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll nag you until you’re sick of it.”
“Aw! Please don’t.”
At the sight of Nam Mu-rin shuddering as if just imagining it was horrible, everyone burst into laughter.
Because they were companions who spent their whole lives together in an isolated village, they were no different from real brothers.
They all knew how many pairs of chopsticks were in each house and how much rice was in the rice chest.
Some people might think such a life is uncomfortable, but the people who grew up in Yunjung Village didn’t think so.
Yunjung Village was an isolated place where one couldn’t survive unless they banded tightly as one.
Caring for each other was natural, and in that process, they came to know each household’s affairs like the back of their hand.
It was natural to share extra rice with a household that ran out of rice during the winter, and they shared and received other necessary goods with each other.
Growing up in such an environment, the bond among the villagers was also extremely strong.
Looking at Nam Mu-rin, the smile on Baek Wol-sang’s face suddenly darkened.
“By the way, I’m worried because of the Tianjin Escort Agency.”
“They backed down after being disgraced like that, so would they really approach us again?”
“I hope so too, but the future is unpredictable, so I’m anxious.”
“If such a thing happens again, I’ll repel them. You saw it, right? I’m also quite strong.”
“Yeah! I’ll trust only you.”
Baek Wol-sang nodded and looked toward Cheonbaeksan.
In that far, distant place, Houyi Peak shrouded in clouds could be seen.
Recalling someone who would be idling on Houyi Peak, Baek Wol-sang muttered.
“Is he really trying to become an immortal? Once he goes up to Houyi Peak, he never comes down at all.”

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