Chapter 56: Enchantress (3)
Translator: bjgoofy
The time required to load supplies onto the Zhuge Family’s ship was two days.
They also mentioned that there was someone who would accompany us, as they had a letter to deliver to the Namgoong Family, the leader of the Seven Great Families.
Thus, we decided to wait for two days and then board the Zhuge Family’s ship to head to the Namgoong Family.
Although the Namgoong Family was in a state of turmoil due to a major incident, we couldn’t afford to halt our journey.
Even the strategist wasn’t aware of the details, but he said that the food for our blue lizards was only available there, so that was reason enough.
“This way.”
“Yes, Military Strategist.”
So, I thought I would get two days of rest on land before setting off, but the next morning, right after breakfast, the strategist came looking for me.
Following him, I ascended to the very top of the Heavenly Martial Pavilion, the highest building in the Murim Alliance.
Apparently, the highest-ranking person here wanted to meet me.
It was because a meeting had been arranged with Zhou Zhonghe, the Fist Emperor, and the leader of the Murim Alliance.
He had even sent a personal letter, and upon hearing that I had arrived, he expressed his wish to meet me.
The eighth-floor summit of the pavilion, without an elevator.
By the time my calves started aching, we arrived, and a servant, who had been waiting in front of an elegant door, announced our arrival.
“A-Alliance Leader, the strategist and the young hero of the Tang Family have a-arrived.”
“Very well, let them in.”
A benevolent old man’s voice was heard from inside.
The servant, who had stammered, hesitated, unsure of which door to open first, then blushed and stepped aside.
At that moment, the strategist’s voice was transmitted to me.
[It seems that he is a new servant who was assigned thanks to you replacing the previous one. He must still be inexperienced.]
As I stepped inside through the door opened by the novice servant, I found an elderly man waiting for us.
He appeared to be of a similar age to Grandfather Man of Ten Thousand Poisons, but what stood out the most was his entirely white hair and eyebrows.
His first impression was that of a weary man who had endured all the hardships of the world.
Stepping further inside, I respectfully cupped my hands and bowed my head.
“I, Wei Soryong of the Sichuan's Tang Family, greet the Murim Alliance Leader.”
“Oh, so it’s you! Come in, quickly!”
The alliance leader hurried over, grabbed my hands, and smiled warmly.
As he held my hands, he asked with a face full of curiosity,
“So, those little ones on your wrist and waist, surely, they don’t just bite anyone?”
Nunim had told me that the alliance leader was powerful enough to be counted among the Three Emperors, ranking among the top three in the Central Plains’ Murim. Indeed, he was a master.
Until now, no one had realized that the centipedes were clinging to my body, but the alliance leader had immediately noticed.
"Of course not, Alliance Leader."
I rolled up my sleeve to show him the centipedes, and he examined them with a fascinated expression.
“So these are the young of the Blue-Spotted Centipede. Even with all I’ve experienced in the Murim, this is the first time I’ve seen something like this. Well then, have a seat. I must serve you some tea.”
“I appreciate the hospitality.”
As the strategist and I took our seats and received the tea he personally prepared, the questioning began.
As expected of an elder in the same age group as Grandfather Man of Ten Thousand Poisons, he started with background inquiries.
“So, you have become the son-in-law of the Sichuan's Tang Family?”
“Yes, Alliance Leader.”
“Then, what about your parents?”
“I am alone in the world, without any to rely on.”
I responded with an elegant classical phrase that I had always wanted to use at least once.
At that, the alliance leader turned his gaze toward the strategist instead of me.
With a look of sympathy, the strategist answered on my behalf.
“I heard from the Tang Family Head that he lost all his past memories. Before he was discovered by the Tang Family Head, he lived alone on Haenam Island, catching and selling snakes.”
“I see… So that’s how it was. You must have lived a lonely and difficult life, young hero.”
“That’s not the case. I had friends, so it wasn’t too lonely.”
“....”
I smiled as I said that I had friends like my centipedes, but for some reason, the alliance leader only looked at me with even greater pity.
‘Wait a minute.’
Thinking about why he was making such an expression, I suddenly realized.
To an ordinary person, saying I had no human friends and only raised insects as companions probably sounded like an incredibly tragic story.
It was akin to saying I couldn’t make friends, so I named my bugs and treated them as companions.
‘Ah, my dear blue lizards are so cute. You’re happy being with hyung, right?’
Wouldn't it seem similar to the man stranded alone on a deserted island naming a volleyball? (T/N: Referencing Tom Hanks' film "Cast Away")
"Ah, it's not like that..."
"No, it's alright. When a person is lonely, such things can happen..."
"No, that's not..."
I was about to firmly deny it, but the alliance leader just gave me an awkward smile.
As if trying to smooth over the uncomfortable atmosphere, he cut off my words and explained the reason he had called me here.
"The reason I summoned you here is because you have accomplished a great deed, and I wish to reward you."
The alliance leader had called me to give me a reward.
Any lingering sense of unfairness disappeared instantly.
After all, gifts have a way of making all grievances disappear.
However, I couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled.
"You mentioned a reward, but I already told the strategist what I needed?"
I had already informed the strategist of my requests.
"I have heard about that as well. But that only requires compiling and sending the information stored within the Murim Alliance. Do you realize how significant your achievement is? You have made a discovery that will prevent those parasitic Blood Cult bastards from ever setting foot in the Central Plains again. A mere reward like that is far from sufficient."
He insisted that what I had done was no small feat and that I deserved even more.
Since he was offering more than what had already been given, I decided to show the virtue of humility.
Receiving more would certainly be nice, but immediately accepting without hesitation was not our way.
Our ancestors always taught that it was polite to refuse at least three times.
"I only happened to come across this while trying to save my family from those who invaded our household. The fact that I saved them, along with the reward I was already promised, is enough for me."
Just as I finished speaking, the atmosphere suddenly turned cold.
"...."
The alliance leader paused for a moment and, with a hardened expression, murmured to himself.
"You just happened to obtain it while trying to save your family..."
‘What? Did I say something wrong?’
Sensing the shift in mood, I glanced at the strategist, who was looking at me with slightly widened eyes.
As I stood there, confused, the alliance leader's voice reached my ears.
"I see... Now I understand why I feel such a sense of kinship with you. It’s because we are alike..."
"...Huh?"
The alliance leader suddenly declared that he and I were alike.
No matter how I looked at it, I couldn't see any resemblance between us, so I blinked in confusion.
At that moment, he pulled out a book from his robes and tossed it toward me.
Thud.
"You don't seem to understand what I mean by 'alike', but I wasn't referring to our appearances."
"Ah... Haha..."
Realizing that he had seen through my thoughts, I let out an awkward laugh.
His next words, spoken in a bitter tone, reached my ears.
"I lost my family and the woman I loved to the Blood Cult bastards. In the end, I gained enlightenment and achieved martial mastery while desperately struggling to save the last remaining member of my family.
I heard you threw yourself at a Blood Cult elder while poisoned in order to save your Tang Family members."
"Uh...? Well... Yes..."
"That makes you similar to me from thirty years ago. Powerless yet willing to stake everything with desperate determination... You must have thrown yourself into it with all your heart."
Listening to his story, I began to understand why he thought we were alike.
Both of us had risked our lives to protect our families.
Both of us had no one to rely on, truly alone in the world.
It was a sort of unspoken bond between men.
Just as I was beginning to grasp his meaning, he continued speaking.
"This is my own unique martial art, Iron Chest Technique, which I developed from my family's martial arts. I have never taken a disciple, and since my family has already been wiped out, this technique will disappear with me when I die.
I shall give it to you as a reward. I even permit you to pass it down to your descendants. I have no intention of taking on the role of a master, so tell the Tang Family not to worry."
"A-Alliance Leader! Your martial art!?"
I had intended to ask if he could provide something like Ice Jade, but instead, he was offering his personal martial art.
The strategist’s mouth hung open in shock as he looked back and forth between us, which meant this was definitely an incredible gift.
After all, the alliance leader was said to be one of the strongest people in the Murim, so his martial art had to be extraordinary.
“Thank you, Alliance Leader. I will make sure not to bring disgrace to your esteemed name.”
At my response, a warm smile spread across his world-weary face.
***
“The alliance leader allowing someone to inherit his martial art... I can’t believe it. But for now, keep it a secret from everyone except the elders of your family.”
“Why is that?”
On my way out after receiving the book containing the alliance leader’s martial art, I questioned the strategist, who had just advised me to be cautious.
He lowered his voice and explained discreetly.
“The person the Blood Cult wants to kill the most is the alliance leader. Do you think they’d take kindly to someone inheriting his martial art? Not to mention, you were the one who uncovered their Energy Scattering Poison. If word of this spreads, nothing good will come of it.”
‘W-Wait, is that how it works?’
Listening to the strategist’s explanation, I realized that I kept crossing bridges of no return with the Blood Cult.
Honestly, it was a bit frightening, but what could I do?
I simply resolved to train diligently and take them down in the most despicable, underhanded way possible, with Hemorrhagic Poison.
“I understand, Strategist.”
“Well then, I still have more to discuss with the alliance leader, so I’ll have to part ways with you here. Will you be able to find your way back to your quarters?”
“Yes, Strategist, you don’t need to worry.”
“Since we’re leaving early tomorrow morning, today will be our last day here. Be careful on your way.”
“Then, I’ll take my leave.”
After giving the strategist a respectful bow, I left the Heavenly Martial Pavilion and made my way to my quarters.
Since it was around noon, I figured I could grab a light meal with nunim and also check whether the reward I received was actually a good thing.
And, of course, I needed to ask her why she had gone no hesitation mode yesterday.
“Excuse me, Young Hero Wei?”
Just as I was heading toward the Guest Hall, I heard someone calling out to me.
I looked around and turned my head to see a man carrying a spear stepping out from the shadow of a wall.
‘That’s definitely Spear Dragon Yang Sheng-hou.’
Judging by how he had been waiting in the shade of the wall, it seemed like he had been lying in wait for me.
The man named Spear Dragon Yang Sheng-hou approached me and cupped his hands in greeting.
“Young Hero Wei, it’s a pleasure to see you again.”
“Ah, yes. Nice to see you again.”
An awkward exchange of greetings.
“Are you just passing by? Or were you looking for me?”
When I asked him why he had stopped me, he once again cupped his hands and spoke politely.
“Yes, I heard that you had visited the Heavenly Martial Pavilion, so I came to find you. I have a request to make.”
“A request?”
We weren’t particularly close, and we had only met for the first time yesterday. What could he possibly want?
‘It can’t be that he’s asking me to be his guarantor, right?’
I blinked in surprise, and he once again cupped his hands and asked,
“Forgive me, but may I request a duel with you?”
“A duel?”
“Yes, Young Hero.”
A duel is a contest of martial arts, where martial artists tested their skills against one another.
From what nunim had told me, it was similar to sparring in Taekwondo.
However, since it involved real weapons, there was always a risk of injury.
That’s why it was usually only done between close acquaintances or in official matches, such as the Murim Martial Arts Tournament.
So I made a fist salute in return and answered.,
“No, you may not.”
I had a good idea why he was acting like this, but honestly, I wasn’t in any condition to engage in a fight.
The biggest issue was that my centipedes determined whether a situation was a friendly duel or a real battle based on killing intent.
If this guy even released the faintest trace of it, he’d be dead in an instant.
Upon hearing my refusal, he looked flustered and blurted out,
“Huh? B-But, Young Hero! As a man, you must prove to me that you are worthy of Poisonous Flower!”
‘What do you mean, “prove”? You crazy bastard. This is like a university student challenging a middle schooler to a sparring match…’
According to nunim, she and this guy weren’t even close, nor had they spoken much. Yet, here he was, getting all worked up by himself.
I shook my head and replied,
“It’s too dangerous, so no.”
At my response, he pleaded,
“I’ll remove the spearhead and hold back my strength… Please, just enough to convince me…”
He seemed to think I was refusing out of fear, so I explained it to him.
“No, it’s not about me. It’s dangerous because you might die, Young Hero Yang.”
And then, it happened.
His eyes turned dark.
‘This bastard… is seriously losing it over a middle schooler?’
Sensing the change, I quickly used qinggong to leap backward.
Then, I heard the sound,
-Tsurur.
-Tsur!
-Chomp. Chomp. Chomp.
The centipedes poked out and bit the empty space between me and him.
“W-What is this!?”
His face twisted in shock at the sudden appearance of the centipedes.
I let out a sigh and spoke to him.
“I just saved your life.”
*****
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