Chapter 21
Although I had beaten up their Sect Leader, the Qinghua Sect still didn’t treat their guests poorly.
I had no intention of staying overnight, yet they offered me a room and even prepared a meal—basically doing everything expected of good hosts.
“Wait, but what’s with just a bunch of greens?”
I couldn’t really complain, though; it was obvious that those side dishes took a lot of effort to prepare. Honestly, making seasoned vegetables is no cakewalk.
Surprisingly enough, it actually tasted pretty good. The chef knew what they were doing.
“Can’t you tell just by looking? This is a Taoist sect.”
“A Taoist sect? Like the Wudang Sect?”
Well, if we’re talking about Martial World, the Wudang Sect naturally comes to mind. When I asked about it, Chun-bong nodded.
“Exactly. But honestly, I didn’t expect them to be more civilized than I thought.”
Chun-bong pointed at the only meat dish with her chopsticks.
“Well, they do offer meat, and there’s rice too. You’d be surprised; some people completely abandon fire and eat raw rice instead.”
“Isn’t that just bonkers?”
I chuckled while Chun-bong stuffed her cheeks full of meat.
“You know, most martial artists are kind of nuts.”
Like the folks who bathe in virgin blood, conduct human sacrifices, stab corpses, or self-harm with hot sand.
Basically, martial artists are the type who would do anything for their craft.
Among them, the righteous sects at least pretend to know right from wrong, while the evil sects just care about their martial prowess.
“Exactly.”
“Just look at you. You’re a fool too.”
“Hey, Kim Chun-bong! How can you say that to someone as great as me?”
“Oh, please.”
“Huh…?”
“Look.”
Chun-bong slammed her chopsticks down after finishing a bowl of rice.
“And you, that Essence-Unity Divine Technique.”
“Oh, right! You saw it too, right? Wasn’t it epic? I looked so cool, didn’t I?”
“If you’re not careful, you’ll end up in serious trouble.”
“Oh come on, you say that all the time.”
I grumbled as I shoved the last bite of rice into my mouth. The meat was all gone, leaving me with plain rice.
Greens? Sorry, but I can’t manage more than a couple of bites on a bowl of rice.
“Don’t you understand why even within the same sect, factions exist? There’s a kind of energy that aligns with each martial art. Would you be able to use the Wudang Sect’s martial arts with the inner energy you cultivated using the Yellow Cloud Divine Art?”
“Why wouldn’t it work?”
“Hmm…”
Chun-bong seemed to hesitate for a moment, like she was about to argue back.
“Anyway, just be careful. If something surprisingly works, it doesn’t mean forcing incompatible things is a good idea; that’s bound to cause trouble.”
“So you’re worried about me, huh? Wow! My Chun-bong has grown up! So mature now!”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Just do whatever you want.”
Such a brat. She was embarrassed but was putting on a tough front.
—
After finishing our meal, since we were being treated as guests, we decided to check out the sect.
“Hmm… Sect Leader said we could observe the group training today.”
Good. Sect Leader had learned his manners well.
Satisfied, I nodded and smirked.
“Let’s go, Kim Chun-bong!”
“This should be interesting.”
To cut to the chase, it was actually quite impressive. Even if the individual levels weren’t exceptionally high, they moved in sync, making me understand why humans form communities.
This is usually called a cohort, and if the Qinghua Sect was this organized, I was curious how it would compare to the Shaolin’s 108 Arhat Array.
Did that even exist here?
“108 Arhat Array? That’s famous. I’ve heard it can even face peak masters.”
“What about transformative masters?”
“Couldn’t say. It might stall them for a bit.”
What a bummer. If it were merely transformative masters, I could crush everything on my own and wouldn’t even care about the cohort.
After wandering about the sect for a while, we wrapped up our Qinghua Sect tour.
Naturally, we couldn’t go deep inside, only visiting the areas accessible to outsiders, and by the end, it had gotten dark.
“Shall we head back?”
“Yeah. I’m tired.”
Yawn Chun-bong let out a little yawn.
As I glanced at her, I noticed her eyelids were drooping a bit.
It wasn’t exactly a tiring schedule for a top-tier master, but it was clear she hadn’t fully recovered.
After playfully tugging Chun-bong’s cheeks a few times, I stopped by the Sect Leader’s hall before leaving the Qinghua Sect.
“Did you rest well?”
“Yeah, sort of. But I have one request.”
“Speak.”
Upon hearing my request, the master raised an eyebrow.
“It’s not a tough request, but… do you really need it?”
“Come on, you lost the duel, didn’t you?”
“I planned to grant your request.”
Letting out a sigh, the sect leader gestured for Qingyun to see us off.
It seemed he had a lot on his plate.
Looks like he handles everything that pops up.
“Well, take care.”
“Don’t come back?”
“I didn’t really say that…”
“Your expression says otherwise.”
I chuckled, teasing a bit as I remarked.
“Your shoulders are so stiff.”
“What do you mean by that all of a sudden?”
“It just looks like your energy is too tightly controlled. If you relaxed your shoulders and let your energy flow, you might achieve more.”
At my words, Qingyun’s eyes widened.
He looked skeptical for a moment but shook his head as if to change his thoughts.
“…Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind.”
As Qingyun nodded respectfully, I waved goodbye.
Once the Qinghua Sect was far behind and out of sight, I grinned.
“I must be crazy. Just now, I sounded like a martial arts master, didn’t I?”
“If you hadn’t said that…”
“What?”
Anyway, I had indeed sounded like a martial arts master, right?
Feeling all accomplished now.
“Now, it’s time to walk the path of flowers!”
“Do you really think so?”
“You brat.”
—
Upon getting home, I gently laid Chun-bong down on the bed.
“What’s going on…?”
“Sleep.”
“What do you mean, seriously.”
“Oh, be good. Time for naptime~.”
“You crazy…”
Chun-bong looked stiff as if startled, but she quickly fell asleep after I patted her belly a few times.
It seemed like I couldn’t stay here forever.
Looking at Chun-bong’s condition, it seemed she needed to consume more elixirs, yet there was no way to find any around here.
‘I should at least ask at Qinghua Sect once.’
They probably had something. If a lowly sect like the Black Tiger Sect had elixirs, surely a proper sect would have at least one or two.
I could think about the cost of the elixirs later.
After confirming that Chun-bong was completely asleep, I stepped out of the house, heading toward the red-light district.
Entering that street always left a bad taste in my mouth. I made my way toward the inn I had visited before.
‘What was it called again? Red Moon Pavilion.’
Now that I think of it, that name seemed hastily put together.
A place with courtesans, just adding a moon (月) character to the already sloppy name.
Tsk.
I clicked my tongue, looking around the area near Red Moon Pavilion.
It hadn’t been long since I smashed the Black Tiger Sect, and maybe that’s why there weren’t any roughnecks around yet.
“Excuse me.”
As I stepped into Red Moon Pavilion, the sweet scent and soft light wrapped around me.
“Welcome.”
Maewol greeted me with a smile. Standing beside her were two big guys with imposing physiques.
Although Red Moon Pavilion was clearly affiliated with the Black Tiger Sect, I wondered where they found those bodyguards.
But I didn’t want to dwell on it. Instead, I shared my purpose with Mae-wol.
“I have a request.”
“A request? You’ve taken down the Black Tiger Sect and now are the owner of the inn; please simply state what you desire.”
“How long do you think it will take to gather all the courtesans in this area?”
Maewol raised an eyebrow slightly. It didn’t take long before she supported her chin and pondered my question.
“A day… or two at most. It shouldn’t be difficult.”
“What if we include the inns that aren’t affiliated with the Black Tiger Sect?”
“Hmm… That would…”
This time, she took a little longer to think. Meanwhile, I explored around Red Moon Pavilion.
For a place in such a back alley, the establishment looked pretty decent. I had no clue how they raked in their profits, but it seemed the Black Tiger Sect had some good cash flow.
And at that moment, whether by coincidence or fate, I locked eyes with that same woman I had met on my first day in the martial world.
Upon closer inspection, the swelling on her face had decreased a bit. Maybe her treatment got better now that the Black Tiger Sect was gone.
Tsk—*
The woman clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes as she walked away.
What an obnoxious person.
I couldn’t help but chuckle at Maewol, who was still lost in thought.
“I’ll ask for the request in a week. I’ll inform the other inns myself, so keep that in mind.”
“Ah, you needn’t go through that trouble…”
“Don’t worry. It’s not difficult.”
With that, I turned to leave. Just as I waved goodbye and was about to step out of Red Moon Pavilion, Maewol caught my arm.
“Since it seems you’re alone today, care to stay the night?”
Her voice oozed with seductive charm. I wasn’t foolish enough not to understand what she was getting at.
But I gently pushed her away with the hilt of my sword.
“No.”
Even without exerting much force, Maewol stepped back, understanding my refusal.
She smiled, albeit with a hint of disappointment, and slightly tilted her head.
“Then shall I expect you next time?”
As I shot her a quick glance while exiting, I ultimately halted my step.
“Where did you learn that martial art?”
At my question, Maewol’s expression stiffened momentarily. However, she quickly regained her composure and forced a cheerful smile.
“That’s…”
“Never mind.”
I left Red Moon Pavilion and dragged my feet along the dirt path.
“Ugh.”
The moon shone brightly in the night sky. Bursting frustration compelled me to increase my pace.
Melding my mood with the flow of Yellow Dragon Crossing, I returned home and dove straight toward Chun-bong.
“I’m back, Chun-bong!”
“Gyaaa…!”
Chun-bong, still half-asleep, pushed my face away groggily with her eyes all drowsy.
“What’s going on…! Why are you waking me up?”
Hehe, I smirked, “I’m sorry.”
“What the actual hell…”
Chun-bong’s sleepy eyes snapped open, practically glowing with a shocking intensity that was a little alarming.
“What’s wrong?”
“Come here!”
“…I’m here, aren’t I?”
“What’s that smell?”
“Huh…?”
I shivered with anxiety. Chun-bong narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
“Cut the crap.”
“Alright.”
I stopped shaking. Chun-bong, still glaring at me, finally spoke.
“…You jerk, you went to that inn, didn’t you?”
What the? How did she know?
But still, I hadn’t spent a single cent. I felt justified.
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