Chapter 41 - A First-Rate Warrior Stirring a New Wind (3)

As soon as word spread that my body had recovered enough to walk around outside, a line of visitors formed.

"You saw earlier, right? I am Cha Seokdu, the Peak Master of the Four Emperors Peak."

"I am Kang Maengji, the Gang Leader of the Black Death Gang. You must have heard my name, right?"

"I am Go Gilsan, the Sect Leader of the Four Dragons Sect."

"The Gang Leader of the Blood Spear Gang..."

"The Dogap Sect..."

Normally, as a disciple of the Taiyi Sect, sitting down with the leading experts of the Underworld Murim would have been a highly burdensome situation, but they barged in without caring at all about my circumstances.

"The Underworld Murim owes you a great debt."

At Cha Seokdu's words, those gathered together nodded in unison.

"If it weren't for you, I can't even imagine how much turmoil would have erupted across the entire Underworld Murim."

"Not at all. Putting beliefs aside, I merely did what obviously had to be done."

"No. Both we and the hypocrites of the Orthodox faction know full well how difficult it is to do what obviously must be done while putting beliefs aside. For instance, the Murim Alliance's lukewarm response was, in a way, because the majority of the personnel in the Demonic Spirit Plateau were warriors of the Underworld Murim, was it not?"

"..."

"Therefore, what you did was an incredible and tremendous feat that cannot be exchanged for anything."

Cha Seokdu scratched his cheek as if embarrassed.

"Thanks to that, we also learned that there are some pretty decent guys even among those hypocrites."

"Ahaha..."

I honestly didn't know whether I should be happy about this situation or not.

Because before the Demonic Cult appeared, the Murim Alliance's main enemies were the Underworld and the heterodox sects.

"If I had my way, I would like to invite you and all the people of your sect to throw a grand banquet, but..."

"Pardon?"

I cried out without realizing it, and without giving me time to fix my reaction, Cha Seokdu's face filled with regret.

"... If we did that, you would all suffer a great ordeal."

I quickly continued speaking in order to lessen their feelings of gratitude.

If it became known that I was genuinely invited by Underworld sects, it would be a problem if I didn't go, and an even bigger problem if I did.

"I have received sufficient reward in the fact that the principles of Jianghu were upheld without distinguishing between Orthodox and Underworld. Therefore, any further gratitude rather feels like excessive courtesy to me."

A peculiar emotion lingered on the faces of Cha Seokdu, Kang Maengji, Go Gilsan, and the others.

Because of their menacing appearances, I couldn't tell at all if it was anger at rejecting their goodwill, or joy at not having to pay a price.

"Bwahahaha. Truly amazing. Amazing. How is it that such talents endlessly spring forth in the Orthodox faction?"

When Cha Seokdu burst into a hearty roar of laughter, the other Underworld martial artists also burst into roars of laughter together.

"... Haha."

I felt exactly like a piglet caught by hunters, not knowing when it would be turned into a whole roast.

"Even so, if we do not repay our debt, putting the Underworld's name aside, it would be no different from giving up on being human. Take this."

What he held out was an identification tag about the size of two finger joints.

"The Four Emperors Peak will repay this debt whenever you need it."

"...!!"

I couldn't help but be inwardly flabbergasted.

Because the identification tag he was handing over right now wasn't just a regular identification tag, but closer to a token of gratitude.

And an identification tag handed over by the leader of a sect staking his sect on it, at that.

This was akin to a promissory note that the Four Emperors Peak would repay their debt at any time.

In Jianghu, no matter how deeply entrenched in the Underworld, if they did not repay the debt attached to this identification tag, they would be branded as a sect lacking even the minimum of trust and would find it hard to survive even among the Underworld Murim.

Furthermore, there was no expiration date on a token of gratitude. As long as the Four Emperors Peak remained through the generations, no matter whose hands the identification tag was in, it was equivalent to a binding pact that the Four Emperors Peak had to step forward at least once. This identification tag was also a symbol of deep trust that could not be repaid with money.

While I was worrying whether it would be okay for me, a disciple of an Orthodox sect, to accept this, the leaders of the other sects also stepped forward.

"It's the same for our Black Death Gang."

"Me too..."

The identification tags piled up one by one like that.

The table was filled with a whopping twenty identification tags. There were more sects that actually participated, but it seemed they had selected representatives to narrow it down among themselves.

"Uh..."

"Do not reject this, because that would turn us into beasts in human skin, no matter how much we are of the Underworld."

After pondering his words for a moment, I nodded and stood up from my seat.

Once the Orthodox-Demonic Great War broke out anyway, both the Orthodox faction and the Underworld would all be massacred. In front of those crazy Demonic Cult bastards, what did Orthodox and Underworld matter?

I recalled once again the true legacy of our Great Martial Ancestor that I had kept in my head.

Wouldn't a foundation gradually be built where we no longer had to walk on eggshells around other sects?

"Setting aside identity, how could I refuse the goodwill of my seniors in Jianghu? Thank you. I will use them well."

After all the Underworld sects had left like that, without even a moment to collect my thoughts, the representatives of the Orthodox sects entered.

Because the sheer number of participating Orthodox sects was relatively low, there weren't as many as the Underworld sects.

"It seems the Peak Master of the Four Emperors Peak came and went."

Namgung Jinmyeong smiled as he looked at the identification tags piled up on the table. While I was debating whether I should clear them away or not, he read my mind and waved his hand.

"It's fine. Peak Master Cha Seokdu asked me what kind of reward would be good for you, so I let him know."

The Peak Master of the Four Emperors Peak and the Minor Patriarch of the Namgung Clan exchanged such words?

"Thanks to them turning Yueyang upside down, handling matters was easy. Merchants, don't they use others' misfortunes as an opportunity?"

The situation was like this.

As tens of thousands of people gathered at the Demonic Spirit Plateau and supplies ran short, they had to procure supplies from the nearest city, Yueyang.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the merchants drastically raised the prices of goods, and just as the Orthodox sects were about to bite the bullet and get ripped off, the Underworld sects thoroughly wrecked and threatened the merchant groups and escort agencies alike, stabilizing the prices again.

I could only let out a hollow laugh at Namgung Jinmyeong's claim that it had been a perfect joint operation between the Orthodox and Underworld factions.

"Ha... Haha..."

Having built up a deep grudge against the Murim Alliance through this incident, the Namgung Clan was openly showing themselves building relationships with the experts of the Underworld Murim for the Murim Alliance to see.

But could I act as unreservedly as he did? Not quite.

He was the Minor Patriarch of the Namgung Clan, and my sect was the Taiyi Sect.

He nodded as if telling me not to worry.

"No one will say you colluded with the Underworld because of your actions this time. If such a person exists, I will kill them with my own hands."

"... Pardon??"

"It's a joke."

I clamped my mouth shut at the bloody joke, and he chuckled as if he found it amusing.

"They say you caught the Sovereign Sword Technique with your bare hands, but your guts don't seem that big?"

At Namgung Jinmyeong's words, a strange light glinted in the eyes of the people sitting around us.

"Great Warrior, is that true?"

"Ah, I'm telling you it is. You have no idea how surprised our San was. He almost dropped his sword right there."

People were looking at me with eyes full of wonder.

I studied Namgung San's expression to see if Namgung Jinmyeong's words might be an insult to him, but he was even wearing a smile, looking completely unbothered.

"Now, now, there are still more people waiting, so let's quickly clear the room."

There are still more people waiting?

While I screamed internally, a warrior from the Mount Heng Sect stepped forward.

"I am Ha Minjung's Eldest Senior Brother. Thank you for saving our youngest junior martial brother."

A middle-aged man who looked old enough to be Ha Minjung's father bowed his head while offering a fist-and-palm salute.

I almost pretended to know him.

As the next sect leader of the Mount Heng Sect, he was famous for being fair and just even within the Murim Alliance.

"It is an honor to meet the Seven Kills Soul-Extinguishing Great Warrior."

"... Do you know me?"

"I have heard much of the Great Warrior's renowned name through rumors."

"You make me even more ashamed... I heard my junior martial brother spoke harshly to you. Thank you for saving him without discriminating against him despite that."

"Don't mention it. There wasn't anything particularly hurtful said anyway. Please tell him to recover quickly."

The Seven Kills Soul-Extinguishing Song Jeongmu looked at me with a peculiar gaze.

"You are... a surprising person in many ways."

After saying words whose meaning I couldn't understand, Song Jeongmu pulled something out from his robes.

"... This is a gift our Sect Leader asked me to deliver to you."

What he handed over was a thick leather pouch slightly larger than a palm.

"This is...!"

"These are one hundred Demon-Subduing Talismans crafted by our sect."

"!"

"!"

The others listening were even more shocked than I was.

The demon-subduing efficacy of the Mount Heng Sect's martial arts was famous even before the Orthodox-Demonic Great War broke out.

The Demon-Subduing Talisman was a talisman with the most outstanding efficacy among the Mount Heng Sect's secret arts, holding the power to drive out demonic trickery and disturbing poison.

However, crafting this talisman was so demanding that rumors circulated in Jianghu that there were actually fewer Demon-Subduing Talismans than Lesser Restoration Pills.

"Are you really allowed to give me this many?"

A single Demon-Subduing Talisman held the value of 10 taels of gold.

If it was not just one or two, but one hundred of such Demon-Subduing Talismans, that meant he had brought all the Demon-Subduing Talismans they had crafted since the past.

"We originally brought them to unravel the array. But the array was so powerful that we couldn't even think of using them. The Sect Leader told me not to be stingy with you, who saved his disciple from inside that array."

Since they were giving it without burden, was there any need to refuse?

Furthermore, once the Orthodox-Demonic Great War breaks out, the Demon-Subduing Talisman would show significant effectiveness against the Demonic Cultists, and its value would jump up to 100 taels of gold per piece.

"I will gratefully accept it."

"Will you come to Mount Heng sometime?"

"...?"

"No, actually. It should be about time for you to come to the Murim Alliance."

"... That's probably the case."

"Right, then let us see each other at the Murim Alliance."

Following Song Jeongmu, the people of the Shandong Ak Clan and the Yangga Manor left their identification tags.

"I heard from Jiryang that you have a lot of interest in Qimen arrays."

I had been thinking about mechanical traps and formations and Qimen arrays for the defense of the Taiyi Sect.

Once the Orthodox-Demonic Great War broke out, the damage suffered by sects with mechanical traps and formations and Qimen arrays installed showed a staggering difference compared to those without them.

However, aside from the fact that these mechanical traps and formations or Qimen arrays themselves cost an enormous amount of money, the places capable of installing them could be counted on one hand, so it was common for it to be difficult to install even if you had the money.

Because of that, I had subtly asked Yu Jiryang—whom I had built a relationship with this time—about the installation cost and necessary materials for a Qimen array, but it seemed that had reached the ears of his superiors.

"Therefore, we are thinking of installing a Qimen array in the Taiyi Sect for you. What do you think?"

My mouth fell wide open.

"Are you serious? It was something I wanted to request first. However, I know that the installation of a Qimen array requires quite a lot of expense. Roughly how much should I expect?"

As for mechanical traps and formations, I had already secured the funds in advance thanks to planning to hire Zhuge Cheongi to install them early on, but I hadn't been thinking about Qimen arrays.

"About that cost. How about exchanging it for what you gained inside... the Boundless Indestructible Soul-Extinguishing Array?"

"What I gained, you say?"

"Didn't you say you stepped onto the wrong path once?"

It seemed the story I had casually mentioned in passing to Yu Jiryang had been reported up as well.

I had nothing to lose anyway, and if the Qimen array installed in the Taiyi Sect could become even more powerful through the Boundless Indestructible Soul-Extinguishing Array, wasn't that an even better thing?

"Understood. I leave it in your capable hands."

"No, rather, we are the ones who should say that."

With Yu Jiryang being the last, the people left, and only Namgung Jinmyeong and Namgung San remained in the room.

In truth, while receiving these gifts, it was the turn I was looking forward to the most.

Just what had the Namgung Clan, which occupied a seat among the Five Great Noble Clans, prepared?

They definitely said last time that they wouldn't wipe their mouths clean with just giving me the Great Origin Divine Pill. If I expected more than that, would I look too much like a thief?

While I was lost in these various thoughts, Namgung Jinmyeong held out an envelope.

'A bank note?'

Honestly, even if I received identification tags as tokens of gratitude, how well could I really utilize those identification tags?

Especially since if I received help from the Underworld, things wouldn't just blow over easily.

In that respect, the same went for the Namgung Clan's identification tag.

In times like this, simply slamming down some clean cash wasn't a bad option either.

"To think you are doing this when you've already given me the Great Origin Divine Pill..."

I subtly pretended to refuse once. Of course, if he took it back right here, I planned to curse him for the rest of my life.

"Didn't I say it back then too? Would the world-renowned Namgung Clan turn a blind eye to the debt we owe the benefactor who saved both my daughter and our warriors with just a single Great Origin Divine Pill?"

"Haha, that's true."

While saying that, I subtly pulled the envelope, but wasn't the paper visible through the slightly opened envelope a bit different from a normal bank note?

Perhaps noticing my reaction, Namgung Jinmyeong burst into hearty laughter.

"Puhaha, you may go ahead and check it."

"... Ah, well."

"Actually, what I have to tell you can only be said once you've seen it."

Feeling anxious, I quickly pulled the paper out of the envelope.

However, something completely different from what I expected was written on it.

[... Please be sure to visit.]

The contents were a letter, not a bank note. And an invitation from the Patriarch asking me to visit the Namgung Clan, no less.

"My father said he absolutely wishes to see you once."

"..."

If it was Namgung Jinmyeong's father, that was the Patriarch of the Namgung Clan, the Azure Emperor Divine Sword Namgung Taeha.

Setting aside the fact that he had reached a lofty realm I couldn't even compare to, even looking at seniority in Murim, he was not in a position to be sending me an invitation.

In cases like this, sending an invitation to the sect and having the representative of that sect deliver it as an order to their subordinate was the proper method that fit the seniority.

But the Azure Emperor Divine Sword—of all people—had lowered himself to the utmost to send a formal invitation directly to a disciple of the Taiyi Sect.

"Uh, well..."

I had received an enormous invitation, but my burden had only multiplied instead.

"I apologize. Even if my actions were righteous, I don't believe it was to the extent of receiving an invitation like this from the Azure Emperor Divine Sword."

I phrased it as humbly and indirectly as possible, but Namgung Jinmyeong and Namgung San still did not lose the smiles on their lips.

"Ah, there's no need to feel so burdened. My father said he has a separate matter to see you about."

"Pardon?"

Neither in this life nor my past life had I ever met the Azure Emperor Divine Sword even once.

That was certainly the case, so how did that person know me and want to meet me?

"I heard you took my father's treasure, the Seven-Hued Jewel?"

"!!"

At the out-of-the-blue remark, I glared at Namgung San and demanded an answer as to what the hell was going on, but didn't this guy Namgung San suddenly start whistling while looking at the ceiling?

"Ah, no, t-that is..."

"Furthermore, upon hearing the story that his own grandson had been fleeced of not just the Great Origin Divine Pill but even the Celestial Silkworm Yarn, my father almost fainted."

The story was becoming more and more of a spectacle.

"So do visit without feeling burdened."

Is this guy kidding me right now?

"Ah right, he says that if you don't visit, my father will personally come looking for you."

If you don't come get hit, I'll chase you down and beat you. Is that it?

At that spine-chilling story, I quickly answered.

"I will be sure to visit as soon as I finish my urgent matters."

At the very least, if I went to him and got hit, I'd probably get hit one less time.

At my words, Namgung Jinmyeong nodded in satisfaction.

Namgung San also turned his head back to look at me. Just as I was glaring at him and demanding an explanation, Namgung Jinmyeong opened his mouth again.

"And I have one favor to ask of you."

"Please speak."

"I plan to bring someone in, but I would like you to listen to what he has to say."

Just who could be a figure that Namgung Jinmyeong would refer to with the honorific 'he'?

Moreover, a person whom I specifically had to listen to?

Unable to guess the target, I simply nodded, and at the sight of the old man and Seong Moran cautiously entering through the opened door that followed, I was able to understand why he had said such a thing.

"It has been a while."

He was none other than the Iron Sword Sect Leader.

"Have you been well during this time?"

I answered with a fist-and-palm salute.

"..."

The Iron Sword Sect Leader only stared without answering.

Compared to when I saw him last time, the man looked incredibly haggard.

The flesh on his entire face had deflated entirely, and both eyes were hollowly sunken, making that face that used to look foul turn even more ill-tempered.

"I have not been well."

"Ah... I see."

"The grandson who is to inherit the clan has been thrown into the Golden Jade Prison, the Ninefold Sword has been taken, and the Iron Sword Sect's name has fallen to the ground. How could I have spent the time well?"

Perhaps because it was different from what they had discussed beforehand, Namgung Jinmyeong showed signs of panic for the first time.

"... However, those are all due to my own flaws and my own mistakes. If we talk of your mistakes, it would only be that you uncovered them."

Namgung Jinmyeong's hand, which had been reaching out to stop him, slid back down.

"But the target of that resentment has saved the life of my one remaining granddaughter. If things are like this, is it not the case that I can no longer even resent you?"

He continued speaking words that made it impossible to tell if he was blaming the other party or blaming himself.

"Upon hearing the news that Moran was trapped inside the Soul-Extinguishing Array, I swore to the heavens. I swore that I would offer my life if only they would return Moran to me."

The Iron Sword Sect Leader suddenly dropped to his knees and prostrated himself on the floor.

"!"

"!"

"!"

I was not the only one in the room; Namgung Jinmyeong, Namgung San, and his granddaughter Seong Moran were all present together.

Greatly alarmed, I hurriedly tried to help the Iron Sword Sect Leader up.

"Please stand up. I merely did what was obvious."

"It might be an obvious matter to you, but it is not so for me. In a situation where I even bet my life, what does kneeling matter?"

He spoke in a sorrowful voice.

"I offer my apologies to my benefactor. Please forgive this old man for the sins he committed in the past."

Frozen at the sight of him laying down the weight of the reputation and years he possessed, the people couldn't say a word.

I nodded and said.

"... I will accept your sincere apology, Sect Leader. So please stand up now. If you continue like this, wouldn't my saving Lady Moran become a flaw instead?"

"Please do so, Sect Leader. If you place such a burden on him, won't the relationship between the Taiyi Sect and the Iron Sword Sect continue to be awkward moving forward?"

When even Namgung Jinmyeong stepped in, only then did the Iron Sword Sect Leader rise from his spot.

Like the others, he pulled out an identification tag from his robes and placed it down.

"From now on, we will not encroach upon the Taiyi Sect's position in Hefei. Furthermore, I will put in the effort so that our two sects can build a good relationship in the future."

"I am grateful for just the words alone."

When I offered a formal fist-and-palm salute, the Iron Sword Sect Leader simultaneously clasped his fist and palm and bowed his head deeply.

Seong Moran looked as if she had something she wanted to say, but overwhelmed by the massive weight her grandfather was showing, she couldn't carelessly open her mouth, and instead kept looking in my direction the entire time they left.

"Phew. Truly amazing."

Namgung Jinmyeong let out a breath of relief as if he had broken a sweat.

"You can say that again. From his position, it couldn't have been easy to act like that."

At my words, Namgung Jinmyeong spoke as if asking what I was talking about.

"I was talking about you."

"Pardon?"

"At the age of having just reached your crown-wearing age, where else is there a figure who can receive tokens of gratitude not only from the Orthodox sects but also from the experts of the Underworld Murim, and receive a deep bow from the Iron Sword Sect Leader? Forget my son, even that Yong So-ah only made a name for himself with his martial arts at your age. Isn't that so?"