episode_0047

When Cheongun opened his eyes, it was night. ‘How much time has passed?’ Cheongun blinked his eyes, then sat up. And flopped back down again. He closed his eyes. Bedroom arts or whatever it was. Honestly, he hadn’t expected any results, but he couldn’t just not try. After all, assuming it succeeded, wasn’t it the fastest and simplest method? He just had to control his lust. And there was even someone willing to help. Of course, it looked like she had no intention of genuinely helping, only wanting to satisfy her own desires and tease him. But there was no reason to refuse Ryeon’s taunt, asking if he was scared to even try, so he inadvertently got caught up in the mood. His reason snapped. And the result? ‘…Damn it.’ Naturally, it failed. Peace of mind? Don’t make him laugh. His head was filled with nothing but worldly troubles. It was the expected outcome, so the shock was minimal.

Just then. Ryeon’s arm from behind him pulled Cheongun closer. He allowed himself to be pulled, opening his eyes. “Gate Lord-nim, are you sleeping?” “I am.” “Sleep well.” “Alright.” He quickly turned his back and lay down. Then Ryeon gently lifted the blanket and burrowed into Cheongun’s embrace. “What are you doing?” Cheongun asked, and Ryeon quickly replied. “I’m cold.” Ryeon made no secret of her stubborn determination to get into Cheongun’s arms. Cheongun was dumbfounded. What was she doing? She told him to sleep well, didn’t she? With the inevitable squirming movement behind him, he considered pulling out his wooden moktak again but decided against it. It was too much bother to try and break her stubbornness. More than anything, the night wind was indeed cold. Furthermore, due to her demonic arts, Ryeon’s body was filled with yin energy, making her feel the cold more severely than an ordinary person. When Cheongun remained still, Ryeon took it as permission. She arbitrarily dug under the blanket, clung tightly to Cheongun, and even meticulously tucked the edge of the blanket around them. Perhaps she really was cold, as she shivered, pressing closer to find warmth. Now that the cold seemed to have somewhat receded, Ryeon mumbled.

“Gate Lord-nim, what about the bedroom arts?” “Can’t you tell by looking?” “Heh, you failed, didn’t you? I thought so. What are you going to do now?” “What else? I’ll have to find another method.” Ryeon nodded, seemingly understanding. “Are you going to look for a spiritual herb or something?” Cheongun thought. As Ryeon said, there was no other method besides a spiritual herb. “Gate Lord-nim, you have a lot of money. Can’t you just buy one?” “Spiritual herbs available on the market are mixed with impurities, so they won’t help.” “Then what will you do?” “I’ll have to find natural ones, like an Ice Crystal or Snow Ginseng.” Of course, even those would only be effective if they were spiritual entities that had absorbed pure yin energy for thousands of years. Naturally, such natural products were not common. They were a stroke of luck, and among them, a heaven-sent stroke of luck from ages past. However, if he could raise his cultivation level in a short period, it was also an absolutely necessary item.

“Is it that urgent?” “Extremely urgent.” “But Gate Lord-nim, who among your age group is your match? Why the rush?” “What good is it if there are no rivals my age? I need to have no rivals in the entire world.” At his words, Ryeon’s eyes sparkled. “That was a bit cool just now.” “Stop talking nonsense and go to sleep.” “I can’t sleep.” “Sleep anyway.” “Alright.” “And get off me. You’re uncomfortable.” “I’m cold. I’ll just sleep like this.” Ryeon yawned. Then she turned her body around and buried her face in Cheongun’s chest. “Hehe.” Ryeon chuckled softly, seemingly in a good mood. Then she closed her eyes. At the sight, Cheongun clicked his tongue. “Haa.” He considered saying something, but he was too sleepy to even bother.

****

It was only when the sun rose that he finally came to his senses. “Gate Lord-nim, wake up.” Ryeon brought a cup of tea to Cheongun, who was sitting up with a messy face. Cheongun looked up blankly at Ryeon. “Why are you doing something you don’t normally do?” “Don’t you like it?” “It’s good.” Cheongun reached out and took the teacup. He was parched from just waking up, so it was perfect. He gulped down the warm tea and then fell into thought. First, the bedroom arts had failed. In his mind, he drew a big X over the three characters for “bedroom arts.” What Cheongun needed now was mental cultivation. The most traditional method was to cultivate oneself by reading Buddhist scriptures. However, Cheongun’s patience would never tolerate such a tedious activity. That was why Jin Mooseong, considering Cheongun’s usual temperament, had separately suggested the bedroom arts, but that too had failed spectacularly. So, only a fortunate encounter remained. To absorb the extreme yin energy, a natural inner elixir was needed. Because Cheongun had knowledge from the original story, he naturally knew about most of the fortunate encounters that existed. The Ten Thousand Year Ice Crystal. It was a natural inner elixir that grew in the extreme northern snowfields, specifically within the Ice Heaven Wall covered by glaciers. The problem was that Cheongun only knew its general location. The continent’s landmass was incredibly vast, and finding the exact location with only the fragmented information marked on a game map was no easy feat. Moreover, wasn’t this ancient China? It was an era where everything was ‘if not, then not,’ and geographical information was treated as precious. Therefore, information was needed. It would be good to join a merchant group heading that way. Or joining an escort agency’s procession wouldn’t be bad either. Cheongun stood up and strode out. And went straight to the point. “I’ll be back.” “Where are you going again?” “To the Hao Gate.” His destination was the Hao Gate. He already had business with the Hao Gate, so it was perfectly timely.

****

After using his lightness skill for a while, he soon arrived at the city gate. He had been using his lightness skill for quite some time, and he felt a slight hunger. Cheongun looked at the scabbards hanging from his waist. To his left, the Red Night Sword. To his right, the Final Demonic Sword. It was truly a ridiculous sight. He would never have done it if not for his master’s coercion, which was close to a threat. A Swordsman, by default, would naturally use a one-handed sword. Of course, there wasn’t actually such a rule, but that was the common perception. There were twin blades, but no twin swords. Even if there were, it would be a strange style that only some hipster sect would use. Therefore, Cheongun’s appearance, carrying two swords, one on his left and one on his right, was shocking to the martial artists of the Central Plains in many ways. It was no different from a rogue monk gnawing on a pork hock and chugging large gulps of raw liquor in broad daylight. And then those two met in one place. “Bang Jongdae?” “Young Master Cheong!” Cheongun entered, nodding a greeting to Bang Jongdae, who was sitting in a corner of the inn with a table full of food. Pork hock, lamb stew, steamed pork buns, sliced boiled pork, Dongpo pork… Why had he ordered so much? Seeing Cheongun’s expression, Bang Jongdae smiled kindly and said, “All of this is thanks to Young Master-nim.” “Thanks to me?” “Yes, thanks to Young Master-nim winning the Tang Family Gathering, I won a large payout from the sparring gambling.” “Ah, I see.” Cheongun inwardly marvelled. A monk who won gambling payouts and indulged in meat and alcohol. Indeed, Bang Jongdae. He truly was the rogue monk Cheongun had personally ‘taught.’ Cheongun’s expression softened. And he pressed his palms together in a perfect posture. “Namo Amitabha.” “Namo Amitabha.” After exchanging such greetings instead of cupped-fist salutes, Bang Jongdae asked, “What brings Young Master-nim here?” “I have business at the Hao Gate.” “The Hao Gate, you say?” Just then, a server approached. And asked Cheongun, who was standing idly, “Customer, may I guide you to an empty seat?” At the server’s question, Bang Jongdae seated Cheongun. “Young Master-nim, this is also fate, so please sit and eat with me.” “For free?” “Haha, of course.” “Then I won’t refuse.” A moment later, the two quietly ate the lavish spread. Bang Jongdae constantly observed Cheongun’s face as he ate. He looked the same as usual, but there was a subtle look of deep contemplation on his face. More importantly, what were those two swords hanging from his waist? What kind of martial artist in the world would so brazenly carry two swords, one on each side? It was quite a ridiculous sight, but Bang Jongdae did not bother to ask. Was it just yesterday or the day before that Young Master Cheong started acting so unpredictably? It was simply Cheongun acting like Cheongun.

However, Bang Jongdae was not the only one who found it strange. Various types of wandering warriors gathered in the Four Corners Pavilion. The city of Chengdu, where the Tang Clan was located, was always bustling with martial artists due to the abundance of high-quality weaponry. Among them, many were unaffiliated wandering warriors and escort guards from escort agencies. Namhyuk, who was sitting across the way, was one such person. Namhyuk, who had been glancing at the swords hanging from Cheongun’s waist, whispered to his companion sitting next to him. “Brother Ju, did you see those?” At Namhyuk’s words, Ju Seoljin subtly shifted his gaze. He had already been finding it strange that a monk wearing prayer beads had come in earlier and was eating a lavish table full of meat and wine. Then, a moment later, a young boy who seemed to be an acquaintance came in and joined him. But the boy’s condition was also not normal. Carrying two scabbards? It was truly a ridiculous sight. At the same time, it was unpleasant. A wet-behind-the-ears punk, who clearly looked to be under twenty, was so consumed by ostentation that he shamelessly wore two swords on his left and right. It was utterly astounding. The aura he faintly exuded seemed ordinary, so he wasn’t a master. Of course, he might be a master who had reached the state of returning to simplicity, but such a master would certainly not carry two swords in such a ridiculous manner. Namhyuk’s lips curled into a smirk. “Brother Ju, did you see? Some rogue monk has completely gone mad, drinking alcohol and gnawing on meat in this inn in broad daylight!” When Namhyuk suddenly shouted loudly, everyone’s gaze turned in unison. When Namhyuk gave him a look, his companion Ju Seoljin also cackled loudly and chimed in. “It’s a mess, a total mess. With a monk looking like that, Buddha would be horrified. How much has he eaten for the top of his head to be so greasy with meat fat?” The surroundings quieted down. Soon, a few people sitting nearby agreed with his words and chuckled. They were escort guards belonging to the same escort agency. Meanwhile, Bang Jongdae, who had been enjoying his drink, simply sat still and chuckled softly. His eyes were smiling, but his face was flushed crimson. Judging by the grip on his prayer beads, he seemed quite angry. Cheongun, on the other hand, paid them no mind and focused solely on eating. Then, Namhyuk, who had been diligently teasing Bang Jongdae, opened his mouth. “Look at that. Some nobody carrying two swords. Is he trying to make up for his poor skill with numbers? Or is one for show and one for actual combat? Seeing such an idiotic sight, I’m so embarrassed I can’t even lift my face… Agh!” Namhyuk let out a scream mid-sentence and clutched his mouth. A sudden, immense impact had struck him. When he gingerly took his hand away, fragments of pork hock bone and broken teeth tumbled out of his mouth. “You f*cker! Which damn bastard dared to… Agh!” Namhyuk’s companion, Ju Seoljin, sprang to his feet, but before he could finish his words, he similarly clutched his mouth. When he, too, took his hand away, pork hock bone and broken teeth fell to the floor. Namhyuk and Ju Seoljin stared at Cheongun, blood streaming from their mouths. Cheongun, with a faraway expression, continued to gnaw on the pork hock bone and said, “It’s fine to insult my companion.” “What?” “But insulting me is unforgivable.” “……”