Chapter 44: He Wouldn’t Dare to Die

When the Merchant King grandly began to speak, even the Martial Gods pretended not to care while secretly pricking up their ears.

Especially the Sword Immortal, who had been losing at Go, suddenly turned his whole body as if he was about to engage in something serious.

“You should finish the move you were making.”

The Noble Enchantress spoke softly to the Sword Immortal, but he pretended not to hear.

Even that seemed amusing to her, as she only laughed and let it pass.

The Merchant King continued speaking, not forgetting to lean his halberd against the ground to maintain his air of dignity.

“If the Hwa-un Trading Company is one of the Ten Great Trading Companies of the era, then a mere Black Path sect could never handle its scale. Surely, like a pack of wolves, they have joined hands and are threatening the trading company.”

“I understand.”

“However, those of the Black Path are inherently base, knowing nothing but their own gain. That is why they came to be called the Black Path in the first place. Sow division among them. A wheel that begins to wobble will burst apart on its own.”

After speaking thus, the Merchant King gazed at the distant sky with wistful eyes and added,

“And do not trust people. Least of all, merchants.”

Hearing such words from the man whose epithet was Merchant King gave it a strange weight. Having given his advice on the greater current, he went on to offer smaller pieces of counsel.

Jin Seong-un listened carefully to the Merchant King’s words and nodded.

Just as he was about to take his leave after bidding farewell—

The Divine Thief, who had been quiet longer than even the Merchant King, suddenly stopped him.

“Hey, there’s something I’ll tell you before you leave.”

“I’ll listen.”

The Divine Thief stared straight at Jin Seong-un.

Their eyes locked, a silent clash.

Jin Seong-un could not guess the reason, and inwardly he was puzzled. Then, at that moment—

Tak.

A hand pressed down on his shoulder from behind. Startled, he turned his head, only to find the Divine Thief there.

When he looked back to the front, the Divine Thief who had been standing there had vanished.

Jin Seong-un blinked.

This was not mere speed or subtlety of movement technique. It was as if the man had shifted through space itself.

As Jin Seong-un stood dumbfounded, the Divine Thief laughed as though greatly satisfied.

“Hahaha! Yes, that’s the expression I wanted. The ones here never seem to be surprised by anything.”

“Do you think we would be startled by such a shabby footwork?”

“So you’re saying Seong-un is even shabbier for being startled by my shabby footwork?”

As always, the Merchant King and the Divine Thief squabbled whenever they found the chance.

When the Merchant King cleared his throat, the Divine Thief, savoring a faint sense of victory, continued speaking.

“I just deceived your eyes. Seong-un, what do you think would happen if a sword qi suddenly came flying from behind?”

“If it’s within my ability to sense, I could avoid it even without seeing.”

“Exactly. Once a martial artist reaches a certain level, he no longer relies solely on sight—he can feel qi. This sense reacts faster and sharper than any other. And so, the trick is to turn that against them.”

The principle was simple.

One released a human-shaped qi phantom in the place one had just been, and simultaneously shifted away with a movement technique.

Since qi sense reacted faster and more sharply than sight, in that instant it seemed as though one had teleported.

Of course, it required extremely delicate qi control combined with exquisite footwork.

“I’ve already taught you Step Without Shadows, so this should be within your reach. People call this art the Technique of Exchanging Two Forms.”

Jin Seong-un had heard of the term before.

The phrase was often used to describe movement so fast it seemed like teleportation.

He had thought it was just exaggerated praise for movement arts, but it turned out to be a real technique.

“Of course, even you won’t be able to master it right away. Practice diligently on your way to this Hwa-un Trading Company or whatever. Even if you can only reach half the level I just showed, it may one day save your life….”

The Divine Thief trailed off. And then—suddenly he appeared two steps to the side of where he had been.

“…I’m not sure if that’s a good thing.”

Jin Seong-un scratched his head, looking uncertain.

At this, the Divine Thief let out a strained laugh.

Unlike the Divine Thief, who could shift within a span of ten steps, Jin Seong-un had only moved two. Yet, at this pace, he might soon reach ten, or even beyond.

The Divine Thief was greatly unsettled but kept his composure outwardly.

“…Truly, you are my disciple.”

At that, the Martial Gods listening erupted.

Especially the Merchant King, who had taught Jin Seong-un not only martial arts but many other things, openly scowled.

“And why should Seong-un be your disciple?”

“Because I’ve taught him Step Without Shadows, and now the Technique of Exchanging Two Forms. Naturally, he’s my disciple.”

“Hmm. Can you truly say you taught him? From my perspective, Seong-un merely observed and grasped it on his own. In truth, since I’ve taught him the most, it would make me his true master.”

Just then, the Sword Immortal intervened.

“Have you all forgotten that Seong-un has been recognized as a successor of Quanzhen Sect?”

“That was only because Wudang’s elder kept questioning, and we had to force the matter!”

The Merchant King retorted, but the Sword Immortal shook his head firmly.

“The name of Quanzhen Sect is not so light. Whatever the reason, he has inherited the name. Strictly speaking, that makes him my disciple. While we’re on the subject, disciple Jin Seong-un, pay your respects to this master.”

In truth, the Sword Immortal had no intention of forcing a master-disciple relationship on him. But watching the Merchant King and the Divine Thief bicker over who could claim him, he felt a petty urge.

How could a sword genius, inheritor of Quanzhen Sect and the Sword Immortal’s art, become the disciple of a merchant or a thief?

With the Sword Immortal joining in, the air turned strange.

The Martial Gods’ gazes shifted toward the Noble Enchantress.

While tidying up the Go stones, she spoke with a voice as natural as flowing wind.

“Is it so important whose disciple he is?”

At her words, the Sword Immortal, the Divine Thief, and the Merchant King all felt slightly embarrassed.

Then she added,

“After all, every martial art Seong-un practices stems from my Women’s Moon Heart Method.”

“?”

The three-way quarrel turned into a four-way battle.

The only one uninterested was the Blood Demon, who stared up at the sky.

Just as Jin Seong-un looked awkwardly between the four Martial Gods—

“Watch.”

A voice rang like clashing steel. The Blood Demon was holding his palm up toward the heavens.

Suddenly, blood seeped from his palm. The blood quickly coalesced into a small sphere.

Barely the size of a fingernail, the blood orb soared endlessly into the sky until it disappeared.

Zzeoong—!

The entire sky was dyed crimson. As when a tidal wave of blood had surged before, immense vibrations of qi and a chilling aura dominated the space.

If that blood orb had been directed at something other than the sky, the result was not hard to imagine.

After displaying such an overwhelming scene, the Blood Demon kept his gaze fixed on the heavens and said,

“Remember this.”

Just two words.

See, and remember.

Yet no matter what elaborate reasons or arguments were made, there was an even stronger force at play.

The Martial Gods, who had been quarreling, simultaneously felt a sense of crisis.

The thought of Jin Seong-un, who had inherited their ultimate arts, becoming the Blood Demon’s disciple was enough to send chills down their spines.

“Isn’t he the disciple of all of us, and at the same time, the disciple of none?”

The quick-witted Merchant King suddenly said this. The other three hastily nodded.

Thus, with the Blood Demon’s intervention, the Martial Gods’ dispute came to a clean end.

“…Go safely, stay well. Always beware of people, beware of water. And don’t eat just anything carelessly.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

The Merchant King spoke as though sending off his own child, and the other Martial Gods each added a word of advice.

And so, Jin Seong-un bowed deeply, then departed from the Martial God Realm.

Two men ran along a forest path.

Jin Seong-un and Seo Yu-gyeom had chosen not to use a carriage, opting instead for light footwork.

Neither of them liked feeling stifled, and the situation with the Hwa-un Trading Company did not seem relaxed enough for leisure.

They crossed rivers, climbed mountains.

When they encountered sheer cliffs, they would pause and look down.

“If we fall while crossing, will we die?”

“Most likely.”

“But it would be fun, wouldn’t it?”

“Probably.”

The two usually chose the dangerous path.

First, because dangerous paths were often the quicker ones.

Second, because they had confidence in the thought: surely, we wouldn’t die.

But “surely” often kills people.

“Uwaaaaaah!”

Seo Yu-gyeom, slipping as he descended the cliff, let out a long scream, stretched thin like taffy.

Jin Seong-un turned his head and looked at him. Even in mid-fall, Seo Yu-gyeom’s eyes seemed to plead for help.

In an instant, Jin Seong-un drew his sword and unleashed sword qi downward at the cliff.

It was a vast, pure-white sword qi. Usually, he restrained its size since battles often took place in inns, but this time there was no need.

Kwaaaang—!

With a thunderous explosion, a fierce wind blasted in all directions. Thanks to this, their falling speed slowed. Just before hitting the ground, Seo Yu-gyeom somehow kicked off the cliff and regained his balance.

He landed stylishly. It was half by luck, but the result was cool all the same.

“…I survived, right?”

At Seo Yu-gyeom’s absent-minded remark, Jin Seong-un chuckled.

He had found this process rather enjoyable.

Having spent his whole life working in an inn, this was his first time traveling such a long distance, seeing towering mountains, broad rivers, and sheer cliffs.

Everything was new, and with Seo Yu-gyeom constantly talking, causing trouble, and filling the air with noise, there was never a dull moment.

Thus, the first day passed.

.

.

.

After four days, Jin Seong-un realized something.

That he was, in truth, deeply introverted.

‘…I want to go home.’

Naturally, his body was fine, but his spirit felt weary. It wasn’t that he wasn’t having fun, but he longed for the comfort of his familiar bed.

Seo Yu-gyeom, on the other hand, still seemed brimming with energy. Pointing to a wide lake ahead, he said,

“Shall we try crossing it in ten steps?”

“….”

Jin Seong-un’s expression soured.

But Seo Yu-gyeom, too delighted, dashed forward before an answer could come.

As the days passed, his eyes and voice seemed ever more alive.

How could someone with such a personality have spent half his life in the shadows as an assassin? Jin Seong-un simply couldn’t understand him.

Sichuan Province, Deyang.

A medium-sized city where the Hwa-un Trading Company was based.

To the south lay Chengdu, a bustling hub of trade. To the north was Mianyang Lake, which brought tourism.

In short, it was a location ripe with money, the kind of place people with a nose for profit coveted. Indeed, the Hwa-un Trading Company, along with several minor trading companies and Black Path sects, had gathered there.

Though Chengdu just south of it housed the Tang Clan of Sichuan, unlike other orthodox clans, the Tang Clan didn’t care whether it was Demonic or Black Path, so long as they themselves were not harmed. This allowed such things to happen.

Thus, Deyang was full of merchants, Black Path sects, a few orthodox sects, wandering travelers, young visitors, and retirees living out their final days.

The two men entered the city.

Jin Seong-un, looking utterly weary, said,

“At last, we’ve arrived.”

“Too bad, I was enjoying it.”

Seo Yu-gyeom burst into laughter.

Seeing this, Jin Seong-un felt an urgent desire to settle things quickly and return home.

The two walked through the marketplace.

Jin Seong-un observed how different Deyang was from Yichang.

Yichang, being in Hubei—the heart of the Orthodox Faction—had been peaceful and quiet, especially since the downfall of the Prosperity Association had rid it of major Black Path sects.

Deyang was different. Men who clearly belonged to the Unorthodox Sect strutted down the streets, exuding menacing auras.

Even when they passed each other, there were subtle contests of qi. The strong glared, and the weak lowered their gaze.

But when both thought themselves stronger, fights inevitably broke out.

“Next time we meet, I’ll gouge your eyes out…!”

Jin Seong-un watched as the victor shouted, while the loser kept his swollen, battered face bowed.

It was a raw, primal scene.

“Truly a strange place.”

At Jin Seong-un’s calm remark, Seo Yu-gyeom chuckled.

“Yichang was too peaceful. There are places far worse than here. For example, the Black Path in Shaanxi is far more brutal than in Hubei or Sichuan. And as for Qinghai, bordering the Demonic Cult—there’s nothing more to say.”

“Have you been to all those places, Young Master Seo?”

“Of course. The only places I haven’t been are the North Sea and the Demonic Cult’s territory. Ask me anything you want.”

“Ooh…”

Seo Yu-gyeom puffed his chest out, looking proud.

Jin Seong-un gazed at him with a hint of admiration before speaking.

“First, we should learn what’s happening in the trading company.”

“That’s easy. Just grab one or two of those Black Path scoundrels and rough them up a bit—they’ll spill everything.”

“Isn’t that too violent?”

“That’s just how Deyang is.”

At that moment—

Someone squeezed between them and draped his arms across their shoulders, as though they were old friends.

Seo Yu-gyeom’s words about Deyang were proven true in real time.

“Hey, smile.”

The man spoke threateningly.

Of course, both Jin Seong-un and Seo Yu-gyeom had sensed him coming long before.

– Let’s follow. We needed someone to explain the situation here anyway.

Seo Yu-gyeom suggested via telepathy.

Since arriving in Deyang, Jin Seong-un had decided to follow Seo Yu-gyeom’s lead, so he simply nodded.

He subtly turned his head to look at the man’s face. He didn’t look a day over twenty-five.

Next to him, Seo Yu-gyeom’s face came into view.

He was wearing an expression like a child on the eve of his birthday.

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