Chapter 149 - The Ones Wearing Black Masks (8)

Eccentric Hand of All Things Dang Hyeokjae.

As a collateral member of the Tang Clan, he was the one who developed standard hidden weapons like the Heavenly Thunder Sphere and Torrential Rain Fire Needles, and invented the Tang Clan's forbidden hidden weapons, including the Hellish Tribulation Flame King Bomb.

But these were only a fraction of his work; he was an eccentric famous for surviving numerous life-threatening crises while testing flying contraptions and water-walking machines.

He had never been active in Jianghu, and it was known that he thoroughly despised wandering outside.

Anyway, considering that the Demonic Cult hesitated for a long time in Sichuan during the Orthodox-Demonic Great War because of the Tang Clan's artifacts and poisons, his current reputation was simply underrated. It was an undeniable fact that he would be one of the pillars supporting the Tang Clan in the future.

"..."

"Why aren't you saying anything? You aren't going to claim ignorance now about the fact the Divine Sword personally confirmed by writing a letter, are you?"

Which meant he was the one who made the White Hair Fire Tube I had received from Yang Gunbaek in the past.

However, with his appearance, I felt as though the debt I thought I had paid off had been resurrected.

I couldn't help but feel it was quite unfair. Didn't the Azure Emperor Divine Sword personally send a letter, and didn't even Dang Seo-hee say they would pretend it never happened?

"That meant they wouldn't make an issue of it, but shouldn't you still pay the price for actually using the White Hair Fire Tube?"

"... Isn't it the fault of the person who let such a precious item like the White Hair Fire Tube roll around in the underworld in the first place?"

"Oho... So you procured the White Hair Fire Tube in the underworld?"

"..."

"Do you know how much money it costs to make one of those? It takes a whopping five gold taels. Five taels. You understand well enough that this isn't something that can just be brushed off simply because they decided not to make an issue out of it, right?"

"..."

If someone said a single hidden weapon cost five gold taels, I would have pointed my finger and called it an absurd lie, but hearing that the White Hair Fire Tube cost that much, I actually felt the urge to ask if mass production was possible.

It was expensive, but its effectiveness was absolutely stellar.

Honestly, if I could just build up a stockpile in preparation for the Demonic Cult, I wanted to hoard as much as possible.

"Furthermore, the White Hair Fire Tube was an item I made by disposing of my personal assets. Shouldn't proper payment be made for it?"

Listening to his story, I couldn't help but tilt my head.

"It's an item you made personally?"

"That's right. Within the clan, whenever I say I'm going to make something, they always oppose it right off the bat."

"... Then it must have remained your personal property even after you made it."

"Of course it did."

"Then why was it rolling around at an information broker inn?"

"...!"

Dang Hyeokjae blinked a few times before scratching his head vigorously.

"It's strange. Doesn't it make absolutely no sense that an item designated as a forbidden hidden weapon by the Tang Clan was rolling around like junk at an information broker inn?"

"... Actually, the clan stopped me from testing it in real combat after the first trial."

'So he secretly tossed it onto the market?'

'To see what kind of effect it would have?'

I was so dumbfounded that I was completely speechless.

This person was quite out of his mind, too.

"..."

"Ahem. I got a little sidetracked. Anyway, you owed me a debt, so we'll say you paid it off with your recent exploits. How about it? Fair, right?"

'It's not fair at all.'

However, thinking it wouldn't be right to push someone who seemed to be missing a few parts in his head, I nodded.

"Well, let's go with that. By the way, I know you don't like wandering outside, so how did you end up snatching a Branch Chief position in the Murim Alliance?"

"Because a lot of interesting things have been happening in Jianghu lately. I wanted to meet someone."

"Interesting things?"

"I heard there was a guy who dismantled a five-hundred-year-old array, snatched the Golden Dragon from the Zhuge Clan, and easily used a forbidden hidden weapon whose method of usage was unknown."

"... Are you talking about me?"

"Yeah."

Seeing him mention the Zhuge Clan's Golden Dragon, it seemed he already knew about Zhuge Cheongi.

"Do you know Cheongi?"

"He's the brightest genius the Zhuge Clan has ever produced. It's just that his light is so bright that others can't see it, that's all."

"If you wanted to see me, you could have just come to find me. Why are you acting as a Branch Chief?"

"Ah, I don't really like traveling. Honestly, I don't really like meeting people either. Wouldn't it be hard for someone like me to go looking for you on my own? So I tried to meet you through the Murim Alliance, and somehow ended up here."

"..."

'What does "somehow" mean?'

I completely failed to understand why someone trying to meet me was in Yueyang.

If I hadn't come to Yueyang, we might never have crossed paths in the future.

"Why did you want to meet me?"

"I wanted to ask how you knew the method to use the White Hair Fire Tube."

"..."

"How did you use it?"

Adding a few minor lies, I explained the method of using the White Hair Fire Tube.

Dang Hyeokjae nodded continuously and meticulously jotted something down on a small piece of paper.

"I tried to make a weapon that was useless to enemies but useful to allies, but I suppose its usage was bound to be discovered by someone as observant as you."

"Still, I think it's a very useful item. It would be perfect for large-scale battles."

"Really?"

Dang Hyeokjae suddenly grabbed my hand and shook it up and down.

"Exactly! It's hard to predict where poison will flow depending on the wind direction or location. Naturally, collateral damage to allies is inevitable. On the other hand, mechanical hidden weapons are clean, don't you agree?"

"..."

"The idiots in the clan don't understand that. It's always poison, poison, poison. To begin with, poisons are tricky to handle, so they're hard to carry around during long-distance travel."

I didn't know what he had so many complaints about, but Dang Hyeokjae spat out every curse word imaginable all by himself for quite a while.

I felt like I finally understood why, despite inventing numerous artifacts in the clan, he wasn't treated well.

He, too, was a mutant within his clan, just like Zhuge Cheongi and Moyong Jaehwa.

"... Ugh, if only the blockheads in the clan thought like you, the Tang Clan would have achieved twice its current prosperity."

"Couldn't you just prove it to them? It's not like the Tang Clan is a sect that rejects hidden weapons."

"Do you know how much money it costs to prove it? What about the location? The time? Do I make the artifacts all by myself? And where am I supposed to find a skilled blacksmith?"

'I smell it...'

'I smell something delicious.'

It felt like a rare ingredient unknown to others was being treated like common weeds.

"What if there was a place that fulfilled all those conditions?"

"Hm?"

"Furthermore, the backer providing the funds has quite a deep knowledge of such artifacts. You could make various artifacts for that person, and use them to gain the Tang Clan's recognition. Under the condition that the Tang Clan allows it, of course."

"Of course they'd allow it. Do you know how many engineers our Tang Clan dispatches every year? But who is this backer?"

When I raised my hand, his curious gaze slowly followed my finger. And at the end of it, I pointed to an incredible sponsor.

Tap, tap.

"... You?"

Dang Hyeokjae scanned me with a suspicious look.

"Hmm, let alone money, you don't seem to have much knowledge about artifacts either, though?"

I fired the Flying Dragon Claw equipped on my left hand, snuffed out the flame of an oil lamp, and then retrieved it.

"What do you think?"

Dang Hyeokjae kept his mouth wide open, at a loss for words.

'Nice. Another addition to Jin Sowoon's jewel box.'

* * *

Around the time Jin Sowoon was picking up an eccentric named Dang Hyeokjae.

Inside a closed-door sect in Hefei, Anhui Province, three people were having a close conversation.

"The merchant group has settled down to some extent. As you suggested before, we've named it the Daecheon Merchant Group."

At the words of Jin Taesan, who seemed to have lost quite a bit of weight, Hong Mungi, whose cheeks had similarly hollowed out, nodded.

"You've worked hard all this time. You'll be able to get some rest now, too."

"I feel like I just want to eat and sleep for about seven days and nights."

Hong Mungi nodded at Jin Taesan's words.

More than the hardship he himself had gone through to master the martial arts of the Taiyi True Scripture, Jin Taesan had worked ceaselessly to stabilize the Taiyi Sect.

According to the elders of the Council of Elders, didn't they say his nosebleeds never stopped a single night?

Regardless, just watching the Taiyi Sect's assets visibly improve made it unnecessary to verify just how tremendous Jin Taesan's efforts had been.

"You've worked hard. Thanks to you, the future of the Taiyi Sect is solid."

"How could it be just my doing? You have suffered greatly as well, Sect Leader."

Compared to Jin Taesan, Hong Mungi's suffering over that period had also been no small amount.

Because of his inherently mediocre martial talent, how difficult had it been for him to train his martial arts all alone?

Furthermore, without anyone to learn from, all he could do was stubbornly cling to the martial arts and persevere.

Thanks to that tenacity, he had roughly managed to raise his accomplishments to a level where he wouldn't be embarrassed in front of his disciples.

"Why does it sound like only the two of you suffered?"

Because Kang Chaeseok grumbled, the two men glared at him.

"To be frank, what exactly have you suffered through?"

At Jin Taesan's sharp remark, Kang Chaeseok puffed air through his nose, as if finding it ridiculous.

"Do you have any idea how hard I worked conducting special training for the kids who returned from the Moyong Noble Clan? Look at this. My firm skin has gotten wrinkles, wrinkles I tell you."

However, the wrinkles that had formed around Kang Chaeseok's eyes weren't very noticeable. No, they were probably just from having so many reasons to laugh without any worries or concerns.

"Yes, yes. You worked hard too. Anyway, seeing everyone in the sect living so diligently, I can't help but feel proud as the Sect Leader."

Jin Taesan pointed a finger at Kang Chaeseok and said.

"Sect Leader, please exclude your praise for this guy. How do you think I, who actually suffered, would feel then?"

"Hey, I suffered too, I tell you!"

"Hmph! Then why does your monthly liquor tab keep going up?"

"..."

"I'm asking why you're drinking every three days when you used to only drink once every seven days and nights."

"Ahem, t-that's... Hmm! R-Right! I just drank to relieve my fatigue because I have so many kids to teach!"

"Hmph! Who among the current disciples even needs your hand? They all do perfectly fine on their own."

In truth, the Taiyi Sect's disciples were full of youths possessing outstanding comprehension that simply couldn't be compared to their masters.

In particular, the kids Jin Sowoon had brought in mostly possessed martial talent that would not fall short even when compared to the rising stars of the Nine Sects and One Gang or the Five Great Noble Clans.

"Did you think I wouldn't know you go around drinking because you have nothing to do?"

"..."

At Jin Taesan's scolding, Kang Chaeseok merely twitched his lips and couldn't offer much of a retort.

Ultimately, Sect Leader Hong Mungi stepped in.

"Taesan, you know our friend Chaeseok has been working hard too, don't you? Let it go."

Hong Mungi hastily tried to change the mood.

"Come to think of it, a missive arrived from Sowoon. He said he'd be sending a candidate for a disciple."

"Again?"

Jin Taesan furrowed his brow, but Kang Chaeseok burst into a bright laugh.

"Look at this, your son sends disciple candidates without prior notice every time, so you can imagine how exhausting it must be for me."

"..."

Ignoring Kang Chaeseok's words entirely, Jin Taesan looked at Hong Mungi.

"Well, he said the choice is up to me, but anyway, since it's a kid Sowoon sent, I suppose it's right to accept them."

"Ahem, of course. Since they probably won't even have the basics down, I'll have to suffer and sweat blood for a while."

"..."

For whatever reason, the comprehension of the youths Jin Sowoon occasionally sent was universally incredible.

Just as a tree with strong roots grows well anywhere, youths with outstanding talent quickly reveal their prowess as long as their foundations are properly established.

When it came to establishing foundations, there was no one who could follow Kang Chaeseok, so Jin Taesan couldn't press him any further.

Right then, one of the Four Great Disciples came inside and spoke.

"Sect Leader... Someone has arrived with a letter from Eldest Senior Brother."

The gazes of the three men tangled together.

Wasn't it the disciple they had been talking about just moments ago?

"Right, since it has come to this, guide them this way."

"... All the way here?"

"Yes. It's probably a kid who will become a Four Great Disciple. They're someone who came with your Eldest Senior Brother's recommendation."

"... Pardon? A-A Four Great Disciple?"

The Four Great Disciple's face twisted subtly.

Seeing him hesitate helplessly like a puppy bursting to take a dump, Kang Chaeseok shouted angrily.

"What are you doing! Hurry up and bring them here!"

"... Ah, yes! U-Understood."

Snapping to his senses, the Four Great Disciple bolted out like an arrow.

It was a sight showing that his Taiyi Eighty Thousand Divine Steps had reached a high stage.

The three men watched that sight with satisfaction as they waited for the new disciple.

Thump, thump, thump.

Along with the loud sound of footsteps, a massive, burly man stepped into the hall.

The three men, who had been drinking tea, naturally turned their gazes toward his enormous bulk.

"Hm?"

"Who?"

To the three men harboring doubts, the burly man respectfully cupped his fists and spoke.

"I offer my greetings. I am Buk Wonpyeong, who has come hoping to become a disciple upon receiving Young Hero Jin's introduction."

Pfft—

Trickle—

Kang Chaeseok spat out all the tea in his mouth, while tea trickled out of Jin Taesan's mouth.

The "kid" they had been waiting for was a bit larger than they thought.

Three Purities Water Divine Dragon Buk Wonpyeong.

He was the disciple candidate Sowoon had mentioned.

* * *

"Why are you only arriving now?"

Returning to Jang Dowon's shop, Jang Dowon had reverted to the gruff man he used to be.

'This is better.'

Jang Dowon puffed on his long pipe before turning around and bringing back a large bundle and a long iron rod.

"What are these?"

"What do you mean, what are they? They're what you ordered."

"I did?"

I had certainly asked him to make the iron bow for Moyong Jaehwa to use, and to carve the White Fragrance Jade—one of the artifacts I received upon becoming the representative—into fine pieces to make ornaments.

But let alone ornaments, what was I supposed to do with an iron rod?

"Huh! Don't tell me you actually made them?"

Right then, Geumpyo threw the bundle open and smiled radiantly.

"You really made them!"

Wondering what was going on, I turned my head, only to see some very familiar items pop out.

"Flying Dragon groups?"

They were none other than the Flying Dragon groups, just like the one equipped on my left hand.

Geumpyo quickly pulled the Flying Dragon groups out of the bundle one by one and handed them to Eunho and Dongryong.

"... What the hell is this?"

"Ah, we made a separate request for them."

"You guys? Putting money aside, where did you get the Heavenly Silkworm Thread?"

"Jaehwa happened to mention that his clan had plenty of Heavenly Silkworm Thread, so we asked him to make ours while making Jaehwa's as well."

"..."

Jang Dowon frowned deeply.

"I didn't even get to sleep properly making so many things in such a short time. Know that I'll be collecting the full price."

"Do you guys even have money?"

"Uh? Senior Brother, I just remembered something urgent I have to do."

"Me too!"

"Brothers, wait for me!"

And just like that, the damn Geum-eun-dong brothers bolted off in a flash.

"You've got some good junior brothers."

"They've got a good senior brother, more like."

"You're still young, so you don't realize just how good your junior brothers are."

"Those brats eat nine servings of rice per meal."

"Whatever. Just check the other items."

"Come to think of it, why can't I see the iron bow?"

"Isn't it right there?"

"Pardon?"

What Jang Dowon held out was the crude iron rod made of steel.

"There are grooves on both ends, so string this onto them. I don't have the strength to string it anymore."

"..."

No matter if it was made of iron, wouldn't forcefully bending it cause it to deform or break?

However, surprisingly, the iron rod bent precisely as it was flexed, and then snapped right back to its original shape with a *twang*.

"If a burly man requires an iron bow for his strength, the tension should naturally be at that level."

It wasn't just an ordinary iron bow.

At this level, it was enough to be called a treasure, even if it wasn't quite a divine artifact.

I couldn't help but be amazed that he had crafted such a treasure in merely fifteen days.

"What are you talking about? How could I make it in such a short time? I'm just giving you something I made in the past."

"Ah... Is that so?"

"I used up all my time making the Flying Dragon groups and that necklace. Anyway, that item shouldn't be too bad either."

It wasn't just "not too bad."

It was definitely greater, if anything, than the iron bow Moyong Jaehwa used in the past, certainly not lacking in any way.

"Thank you, Elder."

"Thanks my foot, just pay the price properly."

I handed over a pre-prepared banknote worth five hundred gold taels to Jang Dowon.

After checking the amount on the banknote, Jang Dowon looked momentarily surprised before letting out continuous fake coughs, pretending it was nothing.

"And, by the way..."

"Yes."

"Ahem... Hmm..."

For some reason, Jang Dowon hesitated for a long time, unable to bring himself to speak.

"Please speak comfortably, Elder."

When I said that, Jang Dowon, who had been dragging his feet for a while, finally opened his mouth as if he had made up his mind.

"Well, uh, I heard from your junior sister that you were looking for an artisan to work in your sect, so I was wondering... if the treatment is somewhat decent."

"Pardon?"

"I've had some realizations from this recent incident, you see. That's why I'm asking what your sect is like. Anyway, how is it?"

Come to think of it, considering that Jang Dowon ultimately entered the Murim Alliance all by himself in my past life, it probably proved that something else had happened in the meantime.

After all, dangerous incidents were common occurrences in an era of chaos.

Whatever the case, it wasn't a bad thing for either Jang Dowon or me.

"For someone of your level, Elder, we will naturally offer you the highest treatment."

'I'm sorry, but all Fifteen Divine Artifacts are mine now. Hehehe.'