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Chapter 46
A dazzling tavern nestled in the heart of Namchang.
Among the men drinking inside, one suddenly opened his mouth.
“Hey, have you heard the rumor?”
“In a place like this, rumors fly around like flies. Which one are you talking about?”
“They say an elixir’s been discovered!”
At his words, the other men who were drinking with him widened their eyes in surprise.
That’s because they were all martial artists.
“Is that true?”
“What kind of elixir?”
“They say it’s none other than Thick ginseng!”
“Ooooooh!”
“Thick ginseng, you say?!”
People often assume that elixirs are mysterious and rarely known to the public—but that’s just a generalization. It depends on the elixir.
The world is vast and full of people, so some elixirs are discovered several times within a single generation.
“That Thick ginseng! The one where if you find just one root and search the nearby area, you’ll discover a whole field of spiritual herbs!”
Thick ginseng was so famous that even second-rate martial artists like the ones chatting here knew of it.
It was discovered frequently enough that even a few major sects regularly received shipments.
“Thick ginseng... Wasn’t it said that just chewing a single root could give you half a lifetime’s worth of internal energy?”
Their eyes began to flush red.
“Where was it discovered?”
“Close by! See that mountain over there? That’s Bukchang Mountain!”
Just one elixir could change a person’s entire life.
True, gaining internal energy doesn’t automatically raise one’s cultivation level—
—but power is one of the most tangible and immediate proofs of strength.
“This could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
“Let’s go before word spreads too far!”
“If we’re any later, we’ll be left with nothing but scraps!”
Dreams make people inflate with hope. Greed blinds their eyes.
Without even finishing their bottles of liquor, they rushed off toward Bukchang Mountain.
“There’s no tavern or inn nearby. We’ll need a place to stay.”
“What if we seek lodging at the estate near the base of the mountain?”
“Good idea. Once we find the elixir, we can pay back the favor.”
The estate of the Namgeum Merchant Guild was nestled at the foot of Bukchang Mountain. As the group hurried over, they came to a stark realization—
—they weren’t the only martial artists who had thought of doing exactly the same thing.
“You bastard! Do you know who I am?!”
“Why the hell should I care?!”
“I’m none other than Ho Soon, the greatest swordsman in Namchang!”
“Bullshit, I’m the greatest swordsman in Namchang!”
All around the estate, martial artists were baring their teeth and locking into tense standoffs.
Judging by the bloodstains here and there, it seemed fights had already broken out.
It was, quite literally, a den of tigers and wolves.
“…This is chaos.”
“…You’re telling me.”
It was a complete madhouse.
* * *
“You can ignore Namgeum Merchant Guild now and proceed with the plan.”
“Young Master... Are you really just eight years old?”
Chu Yongwol was filled with awe.
The recent rumors, the troubles plaguing the Namgeum Merchant Guild—
Everything pointed to the little boy sitting before him as the mastermind.
‘Unbelievable strategy for someone his age. And on top of that, such bold execution.’
With gratitude, Chu Yongwol bowed her head.
“I humbly thank you, Young Master, for resolving the woes of White Scroll Antique Bookstore.”
“Not at all. Besides, it’s still too early to say those woes are completely resolved.”
“Hmm? Do you plan to take further action?”
“Of course. They dared throw stones at the foundation of our house. It’s only right they pay the price.”
A faint smirk tugged at Yang-hwi’s lips. The look on his young face was chillingly fierce.
‘Loan sharks bleeding dry the poor… Best to eliminate them early on.’
Chu Yongwol, instead of being disturbed, found herself reassured by Yang-hwi’s ferocity.
Despite his age, he was extraordinary.
If her ties with the Baek family were to last for a decade or more…
‘This Young Master could become an incredibly reliable ally.’
With that thought, Chu Yongwol spoke up again.
“Young Master, as a gesture of thanks, we’d like to improve the profit share in the contract.”
“Oh! I’d greatly appreciate that.”
Joy spread across Yang-hwi’s face.
It was the reward he’d aimed for when getting involved in the dispute between White Scroll Bookstore and the Namgeum Merchant Guild.
“Haha, White Scroll Antique Bookstore truly understands the principles of honorable commerce.”
“You flatter us.”
“Then, please start the printing process immediately. I’ll take my leave now.”
“Take care, Young Master.”
Yang-hwi stepped out of the bookstore.
There, he reunited with Gu-Ak and Chudal, who had been waiting outside.
Seeing the uneasy look on Gu-Ak’s face, Yang-hwi raised an eyebrow with a playful grin.
“Gu-Hyung, we can depart now. I bet the situation over at Namgeum Merchant Guild has ripened nicely.”
“Junior Brother… Are you seriously going through with this plan?”
Yang-hwi nodded as if the answer were obvious, and Gu-Ak fell silent.
“Gu-Hyung, think about it. We invested an entire root of precious Thick ginseng just to create that mess. We can’t walk away empty-handed.”
“We still managed to sell the Thick ginseng to the apothecary at full price after spreading the rumors, didn’t we?”
“Tsk. How can you compare a miracle elixir to a few coins?”
Even setting aside the fact that the price was no mere ‘few coins,’ Gu-Ak didn’t even hear the latter half.
Tsk? Tsk-tsk?! A brat more than twenty years younger dares to ‘tsk’ at me?
Was this a dream or reality?
Gu-Ak was having an existential crisis worthy of a Zhuangzi butterfly* moment.
“Come on. Let’s go rob the Namgeum Merchant Guild.”
This was the second step in Yang-hwi’s plan, following the chaos stirred by rumors.
He intended to claim rightful compensation from the guild, now too busy trying to hold off the martial artists that had flooded their gates.
Gu-Ak snapped out of it.
“Robbery? Banditry? That’s not in my damn destiny.”
Though born from the underworl d,Gu-Ak was still, in his own way, something of a golden spoon.
He’d never stooped to thievery for profit.
…Though, technically, he had once swallowed an entire business.
“Let’s just call it noble outlawry. A justice-driven raid, if you will. We’ll give away about half to the poor anyway.”
With a hop, Yang-hwi climbed up onto Gu-Ak’s back and gestured ahead.
Then, without warning, Chudal scrambled up after him.
“What’re you doing? Let’s move!”
Just as Gu-Ak was about to leap off the ground, he hesitated.
“Hey, you two brats! Neither of you is hurt right now. Don’t think I didn’t notice—you’re trying to turn me into your personal mount again!”
Tch. Didn’t work. That could’ve been a smooth getaway.
Clicking his tongue, Yang-hwi jumped down.
“I’ll use light footwork and run. Gu-Hyung, just carry Chudal, please.”
Without waiting for a reply, he activated his internal energy.
Following the principles of The Thousand Vessel Step, Yang-hwi shot forward like an arrow.
▣ About a three-stopover distance later…
They arrived at the hill overlooking the Namgeum Merchant Guild’s estate, nestled near the base of Bukchang Mountain.
“Damn… This is intense.”
They could feel it—a swirling storm of tens, no, hundreds of martial energies.
It meant that an overwhelming number of fighters had gathered at what was, in the end, just a single estate.
“I don’t hear any fighting. Looks like they’ve come to a silent truce.”
“Seems that way.”
It looked like everyone had agreed to treat the estate as neutral ground until the elixir was found.
Of course, without the consent of the guild members inside.
“Alright, then. Time to become the muddy fish that clouds the water, Gu-Hyung.”
Yang-hwi’s plan was simple.
Gu-Ak would pretend to be a notorious underworld master, provoke the fighters who had agreed to the truce, and stir the pot into chaos again.
Then, while all the guards were distracted trying to contain the commotion, Yang-hwi would slip in and rob the guild’s warehouse.
“Chudal, you’re on lookout duty. Think you can handle it?”
“Yes, sir! Just give me a single gold coin!”
“You got it.”
Despite always preaching about the noble path, Yang-hwi had no qualms about theft today.
And since Chudal was raised in a clan of assassins, he had no moral conflict with the task at all.
Looking at the two brats,Gu-Ak gave a weary sigh.
Why was he—the one from the criminal underworld—the most law-abiding one here?
“Ugh… Just keep your promise.”
“Of course! I’ll even buy a luxury hairpin for Sister Rang and gift it to you—wait a second…”
Sensing something unusual, Yang-hwi suddenly waved his hand to cut off the conversation and turned to look in one direction.
“What’s wrong?”
“Shhh. Someone’s coming.”
And not just anyone—the presence approaching from afar exuded a chilling, sinister aura so intense it could be felt from a great distance.
‘This energy… Don’t tell me—’
Yang-hwi’s face stiffened.
Why is that bastard here right now? He should be holed up in that hellhole of theirs, far away beyond the frontier!
Kkeu geu geu ah ah—
Kkeu geu geu ah ah—
As the man drew nearer, a strange noise—like human screams—seemed to swallow up the area.
It wasn’t an actual sound, but their bodies… their very souls, felt it.
‘Gwi-no Baekma.’
Twenty-some years from now…
The entire martial world would be plunged into a massive bloodbath.
Calamity of the Demonic Sects.
A catastrophe in martial arts history, where lunatics who had trained in demonic and forbidden techniques under twisted cults rose up, claiming they would lead the world down a righteous path.
‘Why the hell is Gwi-no Baekma, a disciple of the Blood Cult, roaming around the martial world already?’
Gwi-no Baekma—the madman who controlled a hundred evil spirits as slaves through dark sorcery.
He had no business being here. Not now.
‘Was he originally nearby even in my past life, and came after hearing the rumors?’
Once more, that ghostly scream began to fade into the distance.
Gwi-no Baekma was heading directly toward the Namgeum Merchant Guild.
There was no doubt he’d come chasing the rumors of Thick ginseng.
“…We’ve got a problem, Gu-Hyung.”
“Definitely. That bastard who just passed by—he’s clearly a formidable demonic cultivator.”
If he were just another demonic martial artist, it might’ve been manageable.
But what made Gwi-no Baekma terrifying was his ability to command evil spirits to do his bidding.
What are evil spirits, after all? Simply put, they are souls tainted by demonic and wicked energy.
‘This is tricky. Those spirits of his can’t be cut down without Sword Qi.’
Evil spirits were, quite literally, ghosts.
Slashing them with a normal sword would be like slicing through water—completely ineffective.
Only materialized energy—Sword Qi—could actually inflict damage.
‘Should I give up? …No, I can’t.’
In his past life, Yang-hwi fought in countless battles as a wanderer during the wandering days.
It was through those exploits that he earned the title The Greatest Sword of the Wanderer.
However—
Since he had only been a hired sword, he knew nothing about why the wandering began, or how it might’ve been prevented.
‘It might interfere with the main family’s future plans. Better to gather intel now and nip this in the bud if I can.’
In that sense, this encounter with Gwi-no Baekma could actually be a stroke of luck.
Sure, the evil spirits were troublesome, but the man himself wasn’t all that strong. If he could just be subdued, Yang Hwi could extract the information he needed.
…And as a bonus, he could complete his original objective while he was at it.
“Gu-Hyung, change of plans. That demonic bastard will handle the distraction. Let’s go raid the warehouse together.”
Two thieves are better than one—twice the profit!
Seeing Yang-hwi grinning with delight, Gu-Ak looked at him, dumbfounded.
“You can still say that after seeing someone that dangerous show up? Honestly, your guts must be made of steel.”
“The greater the risk, the greater the reward. But Gu-Hyung, I must advise you never to take up gambling.”
Yang-hwi leapt into the air.
“Chudal, wait here. Gu-Hyung, I’m going on ahead!”
“Wait—hey!”
Tracing a wide arc, Yang Hwi circled around the mountain slope and arrived at the back wall of the estate.
“Just as I thought. Because of that demonic bastard, not only the guards, but every martial artist around must’ve swarmed to him.”
The ghostly scream of Gwi-no Baekma echoed again in the distance.
Whether any true masters had gathered here remained unknown, but someone of Guino Baekma’s caliber could probably overpower them all.
“…We may not have much time. Let’s raid it full-force, Gu-Hyung.”
And just then—
As Yang-hwi landed atop the wall—
He came face-to-face with an evil spirit shooting up from the estate.
“Huh?”
Kkeu geuk—?
‘Shit. Oh, shit!’
He was already using the spirits to sweep the entire compound?
In that split second, Yang Hwi instinctively swung his sword.
Even if he couldn’t destroy it, infusing enough Qi into the strike could at least stun it momentarily.
Swiik—!
Kkagagaaak—!
“…Huh?”
Yang-hwi blinked, momentarily stunned.
The evil spirit—
—it had vanished.
“…Why did it… die?”
[TL: Zhuangzi butterfly- This is a reference to the famous philosophical parable from Zhuangzi, a foundational Daoist text. In the story, Zhuangzi dreams he is a carefree butterfly. Upon waking, he wonders whether he is Zhuangzi who dreamed of being a butterfly—or a butterfly now dreaming he is Zhuangzi. It expresses themes of identity, the illusory nature of reality, and the fluid boundary between dream and waking life.]
---The End Of The Chapter---
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