Chapter 490

“So, did you finish your conversation?”

The Wudang Daoists returned exactly half an hour later, just as they had said they would.

I still had plenty of questions, and I wanted to move somewhere else and keep talking. Mungyeong, however, had other ideas.

“We’re done. Go back.”

“…What? We’re done? You haven’t even told me what kind of training this is!”

“You’ll naturally find out tomorrow.”

“It’s already the hour of the Pig.¹ It’ll be midnight soon. Can’t you just tell me and get it over with?”

“It’s late. Don’t forget. We begin tomorrow.”

“No, hold on. Excuse me.”

“Excuse you?”

Shhk.

I looked back and forth between Mungyeong and the short sword peeking out from his sleeve, then stiffly pointed beyond him into the darkness.

“I meant over there. That’s the way you should go.”

“…”

“Just keep going straight, then turn right.”

“It seems that wasn’t what you were trying to say.”

“I thought you might not know the way, so I figured I’d better make sure. Hehe.”

“I know. Shut up and get lost.”

“Yes, sir. Have a peaceful night.”

A little while later, after confirming that Mungyeong’s back had completely disappeared from sight, I muttered under my breath.

“Goddammit…”

It was one problem after another.

Just when I thought I had finally gotten used to Jeok Cheongang’s methods, now I had to start worrying about the Slaughter Saint’s mood too.

My eyes were already going dark just thinking about the hardships waiting ahead.

Actually, the Old Master is much better.

Leaving aside the intensity of his training, Jeok Cheongang at least told me what kind of training I would be doing.

His temper might have been as hot as fire, but he had still prepared something resembling a curriculum.

But what kind of training is so secret that he won’t even tell me?

There was a simple reason I was so curious. The Quest I had accepted by accident didn’t contain any real information either.

Quest window, open.

Ding.

System

Quest

Fake Murim Martial Artist

Sensing the war clouds that will soon gather over the world, Mungyeong has decided after careful consideration to teach you personally.

However, all things require preparation.

Before passing down his secret martial arts, Mungyeong will test you in various ways.

When this first test ends is up to you.

Grade: None

Restriction: Jin Taekyung

Mission: Earn Mungyeong’s recognition (Incomplete)

Reward: ???

Failure: ???

I looked over the Quest window two or three more times, but it remained unchanged.

Compared to the training Quest at Mount Jiuhua, where the objective had been clearly stated, this was nothing but vague nonsense.

Earn Mungyeong’s recognition.

At this point, I would rather run around with iron balls hanging from me. At least then I would have a clear objective and be able to check my progress.

But this was basically the crime of getting on someone’s bad side.

Didn’t it mean I had to keep getting put through the wringer until he decided he liked me?

This feels like it’ll take a while.

I didn’t know what Mungyeong’s training methods would be like, but one thing was certain: earning his recognition wouldn’t be easy.

Objectively speaking, it would be strange if it were.

It’s probably going to be brutal, but I’ll have to endure it.

The man I was dealing with wasn’t some ordinary martial artist. He was the Slaughter Saint, a Supreme Peak master counted among the greatest in the world. Being taught secret martial arts by someone of that caliber was a fortuitous encounter in itself.

And when I thought about it, I had already experienced two such fortuitous encounters.

The first was, without a doubt, the System.

And the second…

The Old Master.

There was no way I could leave Jeok Cheongang out of it.

If I hadn’t met him—if I hadn’t learned the Fire Gate Clan’s martial arts, passed down to only one person in each generation—then even with the System, I probably wouldn’t have attained my current strength or position.

As that train of thought continued, Jeok Cheongang’s face suddenly flashed through my mind.

Still, I should go see him.

Of course, Jeok Cheongang and I had never formally entered into a Master-Disciple relationship.

But just because we didn’t call each other Master and Disciple didn’t mean ours was merely a relationship of convenience.

We were the kind of people who understood each other without speaking. Jeok Cheongang and I quietly turned the words Master and Disciple over in our hearts.

“…”

Or maybe not. I’m suddenly not so sure.

Jeok Cheongang might think differently, but that was how I saw it.

And it was obvious that Jeok Cheongang must be troubled after swallowing his pride and personally asking Mungyeong to teach someone who was practically his Disciple.

He’s probably off somewhere moping by himself again.

Other people whispered that Jeok Cheongang was nothing more than a hot-tempered, impossibly eccentric old man. But the Jeok Cheongang I knew was tenderhearted.

He might scold and grumble, but beneath it all, his heart was practically soggy with affection for the people he cared about.

I glanced up at the bright moon and started walking.

I’ll find him soon enough. There are plenty of people around.

That comfortable thought vanished without a trace less than half an hour later.

“You haven’t seen him?”

“No, sir. I haven’t seen him for a while.”

“If you’re lying to me…”

“Why would I lie to the Captain? If I didn’t want to get beaten to death, I’d make up things that never happened and tell you.”

“Cheongpung? You haven’t seen him either?”

“No, Benefactor. Why? Is something wrong?”

“It’s… Never mind. It’s nothing. Get back to what you were doing.”

“Oh! If nothing’s wrong, would you like to see Mimi? She ate ten Blood Fish, so her belly is incredibly round!”

“Yeah. Great.”

This place wasn’t even that large. Where on earth had he disappeared to?

I searched everywhere for the missing Jeok Cheongang, but no matter whom I stopped and asked, the answers were never helpful.

“Hey, you beggar passing by. Come here.”

“No.”

“You haven’t been beaten enough lately.”

“Damn it. I have a reputation to maintain too. No matter how much of a Supreme Peak master you are, if you treat me, the Successor Beggar, like some stray dog you’re calling over from the street, what will the Sect’s disciples think?”

“Two silver nyang.²”

“Are you seriously treating me like a beggar…”

“Ten nyang.²”

Fwoosh!

“Hm. One cannot ignore a friend’s summons. What is it?”

“Our Old Master—no, our Master. Do you know where he is?”

“Sir Jeok? No idea. I haven’t seen him once since he arrived here.”

“Can you ask the other Beggars’ Sect disciples?”

“Well, we’re all busy with our assigned tasks. Still, you never know. I’ll make a round and let you know if I hear anything.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

“What are friends for?”

“Then get to it.”

“…What about the silver?”

“I’ll pay you later. But if you find my Master’s location, I’ll give you double.”

“T-Twenty nyang!² Beggerrr!”

But even Gung Gibang, who had become a slave to capitalism and run off enthusiastically, ultimately failed to find Jeok Cheongang.

I tossed him five silver nyang,² then continued making the rounds. The answers I received were always more or less the same.

“Sir Zhuge, have you perhaps seen my Master?”

“Oh, you came at the perfect time. I’m testing our clan’s formation, and I think that with a little more refinement, I can suppress the energy leaking from this fissure—”

“That’s great. Good luck.”

“Great Hero Jin! I saw him!”

“Really? Where?”

“About two shichen³ ago, he was over by the water, beating someone senseless.”

“The person getting beaten was me.”

“…Ah.”

“Great Hero Jin! Great Hero Jin!”

“Yes. You there, with your hand raised. Where did you see him?”

“If you mean Sir Jeok, I haven’t seen him.”

“No, then why are you—”

“Would you sign this martial robe for me? My son dreams of becoming a fine martial artist like Great Hero Jin. He says he’ll have no regrets if he can get your autograph…”

“…What’s your son’s name?”

“Zhuge Sopyeong. Please write something telling him to practice his martial arts diligently and not be a picky eater. Especially when it comes to green onions.”

“Wait. Then may I ask for your autograph too?”

“I got here first. Get in line!”

“What? Why are you suddenly lining up? Move to the back! Don’t line up! Ah, this is driving me crazy.”

About an hour later, after completing my grand tour, I returned to the temporary private tent that had been set up for me. By then, it was already past midnight.

After signing autographs with inspirational messages for Zhuge Sopyeong, Changwoo, Myoryeong, Jinsu, and the other budding talents, I was completely drained.

“…So where the hell is the Old Master?”

This wasn’t even the Liaodong Plain. How could he simply vanish into thin air?

At this point, he had clearly made up his mind to stay hidden. He had probably predicted that I would come looking for him and deliberately disappeared.

I’ll be seeing him soon enough anyway. For him to avoid me this much…

He must have been even more troubled than I had imagined.

I let out a small sigh, picked up the water pitcher from the wooden table in the corner of the tent, and gulped down the water.

I had been walking around and talking all day, so my throat was parched. But why did the water taste like this?

Did they scoop it straight from the river? It’s a little salty.

Even if Murim hadn’t suffered from environmental pollution yet, I couldn’t help feeling uneasy.

That was when it happened.

Beep.

System

• You have been poisoned by Potent Paralysis Powder.

• Potent Paralysis Powder is a type of anesthetic that clouds the mind and stiffens the body.

• You feel your consciousness becoming hazy!

• Your Scorching Yang Qi resists the poison!

• If you do not take action quickly, the Status condition Full-Body Paralysis will activate!

…?

No, fuck. What the hell was this?

Forgetting that my body was slowly becoming paralyzed, I stared blankly at the System window. Then a brief memory flashed through my mind like lightning.

You’ll naturally find out tomorrow.

It’s already the hour of the Pig.¹ It’ll be midnight soon. Can’t you just tell me and get it over with?

It’s late. Don’t forget. We begin tomorrow.

“…!”

Mungyeong, you son of a bitch!

My blood seemed to surge backward with rage.

At the same time, the blood carrying the paralysis powder raced through my body, and my vision began to fade.

I sucked in a startled breath, hurriedly raised my internal energy, and shouted a command in my mind.

Inventory Open, Summon!

At once, a ring appeared on my finger.

I normally kept the Myriad-Poison Ring in my Inventory to avoid attracting attention, but now it gleamed with a strange luster.

Ding.

System

• The usage conditions for the Myriad-Poison Ring have been met.

• Special Skill Poison Absorption has activated!

• Potent Paralysis Powder resists!

Hissss!

I could feel it. Deep inside my body, two energies with entirely different purposes collided.

But the Myriad-Poison Ring was a divine artifact of the Sichuan Tang Clan, one that had even absorbed Jeok Cheongang’s Formless Ultimate Poison.

And once my Scorching Yang Qi—the natural counter to poison—joined in, the paralysis powder had no choice but to collapse helplessly.

Ding.

System

• Detoxification complete!

• All traces of Potent Paralysis Powder have disappeared from your body!

• All Status conditions have been cleared!

“…Phew. You crazy old man.”

I muttered the curse as I released the breath I had been holding.

He had set a trap like this the moment midnight passed. I never imagined that “we begin tomorrow” would mean this.

Damn it. He really is an assassin.

At first, I had thought it was an ambush by Dark Heaven.

Was this what he meant by turning me into a true Murim martial artist? I was already exhausted, and the sudden attack had sent my heart pounding and made my legs go weak. With a deep sigh, I collapsed onto the bed.

Phut-phut!

“…?”

Beep.

System

• You have been poisoned by Potent Soul-Bewitching Powder!

Slaughter Saint, you fucking bastard.