Chapter 32 - The Second-Rate Warrior Seeking Legends (4)

"The people of Hunan Province called the Demonic Spirit Plateau the land where heaven meets the earth. The Demonic Spirit Plateau is barren, with no rain throughout the four seasons, so it is called a hell among herb gatherers. It differs from the information others possess, but it accurately points to the location of the Amitabha Holy Water."

At the owner's words, I asked a question.

"What is the information that other people possess?"

"There is a valley at the deepest part of the Demonic Spirit Plateau. It is a place that not only bold local hunters but even herb gatherers absolutely never approach. It is a place called the Valley of Despair. Recently, a herb gatherer accidentally set foot in that valley and was found after six months. He brought back a story that he saw a pillar of ice shining like the sun in an inner cave of the Valley of Despair."

A pillar of ice shining like the sun referred to the state in which the Amitabha Holy Water preserved its extreme yin properties before it was refined.

"The people of Jianghu began to gather here in Yueyang following that rumor."

Around that point, I thought, 'If he is going to tell me everything like this, why should I pay twenty taels of gold?'

"Haha, I am offering this much so you can consider it compensation for my earlier rudeness. If you wish to obtain the actual information, you must pay twenty taels of gold."

"What is that information?"

"It is a map of the inner cave of the Valley of Despair."

It was an unexpected answer.

"A... map?"

"You remember the herb gatherer I mentioned earlier, right? We tracked down that herb gatherer and produced a map."

Hmm, I was curious, but...

"Even so, twenty taels of gold seems too expensive."

"Considering it is the price of your life, wouldn't you say it's not that expensive?"

"There's no proof that the map is accurate, either."

"That would be true if you intend to spend half a year in the cave."

"... Is the cave really that vast?"

The owner pulled his hands out from his sleeves and took out a scroll about the length of a forearm.

As the scroll unrolled with a flutter, its width appeared to be about a foot, and inside it, drawings of hundreds of tiny rooms resembling an anthill could be seen.

"They say the small caves are about the size of this room, and the large spaces are so vast that you'd wonder if they stretch all the way through the Valley of Despair."

"Hmm."

"What do you think, are you not interested?"

The owner quickly rolled the document back up and neatly tied it with a leather strap. It was a suitable size that wouldn't be easily noticed by others if carried well, but.

"It's a shame, but I have no money."

"I heard that with the Silver King Token, you can borrow bank notes indefinitely from the bank."

"If I were to repay all of that, I wouldn't be able to even if I worked my whole life."

The moment the owner showed the map.

Because the map was already clearly imprinted in my mind, there was no need to waste twenty taels of gold on it. More importantly.

"My, my... I'm growing even more curious about your identity."

"Ah, rather than that, would you like to buy a piece of information?"

"... Information?"

"Yes."

"What kind of information are you talking about?"

During my stay at the stable inn, I had created a classified document matching the Murim Alliance's standards.

The travel expenses I received from Wangga Manor were sufficient, but it would be foolish to just sit on the information in my head without turning it into money. In addition, there was an important transaction I needed to make with Haomun in the future, so I needed to sow the seeds now.

"It is a classified document related to the Beggars' Sect's expansion into Hangzhou."

"..."

The owner's face turned pale white.

The Beggars' Sect was a faction that represented a pillar of the Nine Sects and One Gang, and at the same time, served as the eyes and ears of all Jianghu.

As such, they had always been in conflict with Haomun, an organization of a similar nature.

The Beggars' Sect was far greater in overall power, but in places where entertainment and commerce were developed, Haomun held a tight grip on information.

That was why Haomun had been able to maintain its existence despite decades of fierce secret feuds.

"Hmm... It is good information, but there is no way to know if it is accurate."

"Let's do this."

I took the document out of my chest pocket, tore it in half, and handed it over to the owner.

The owner carefully accepted the document, read it slowly, and then looked at me with his eyes wide open.

"Do you intend to sell it?"

"... How much should I give you?"

"Twenty taels of gold."

The owner furrowed his brow.

"Wouldn't it be faster to just ask for the map?"

"No. I don't need the map. Give it to me in money."

"Are you serious?"

"I don't think I'll be able to obtain the Amitabha Holy Water. I just plan to get some money and sightsee around the Yueyang Tower before I leave."

"Understood. Please wait a moment."

While the owner stepped away for a moment, I looked around at the nearby items and discovered one that caught my eye.

"Why is this here?"

It was an artifact shaped like a closed silver flower bud.

"Does it catch your fancy?"

"Why is this here?"

"It somehow found its way here."

"Would Sichuan stay quiet if they found out about this?"

When I subtly probed him, the owner flashed a meaningful smile.

"As expected, you are no ordinary person. How about it? I will give it to you for one tael of gold."

"If I use this, the ghosts of Sichuan will follow me for the rest of my life."

"That is true. Then how about I just give it to you as a gift?"

"You're giving something this expensive as a gift?"

"Think of it as a friendship fee."

"A bad friend indeed, giving such a dangerous gift."

The owner lifted the sleeves hiding his hands and chuckled.

"Isn't it inherently more fun to hang out with a bad friend?"

The owner was observing me with sparkling eyes. I could see his strong will to dig into me and extract whatever he could from me.

Was this what set apart the man who would one day become Haomun's thirteenth leader?

Establishing a personal connection with Yang Gunbaek, the future leader of Haomun, was a choice that wouldn't cause me any harm. I picked up the artifact and said.

"You have a point."

"Then, I look forward to our future dealings."

* * *

My mood was not very good after leaving the black market inn.

The fact that the spot where I believed the Taiyi Sword Emperor met his end was the very same space where the Amitabha Holy Water would be found meant that I, too, had to throw myself into that chaos.

"Hey! Are you just going to walk past?! My shoulder is broken right now!"

"If you had such a useless shoulder, shouldn't you have thrown it away long ago?!"

CLANG! CLANG!

With martial artists gathering, sporadic fights broke out in all directions.

It wasn't just a fight between local thugs. Experts with terrifying names were all engaging in such brawls.

'Nine-Fingered Divine Beggar Ma Gosan, Golden-Horned Bronze Man Sa Mu-in, Paradise Boy Seo Hyeonjae... I have to compete with guys like these?'

It wasn't just the Underworld; there were plenty of experts from the Orthodox faction as well.

The Orthodox faction, in particular, dressed in matching colors to distinguish friend from foe, moving together in groups of at least twenty and as many as a hundred.

'It would be too late if I go in after the battle for the Amitabha Holy Water ends, right?'

This event would drag on for a whopping two months.

After that, the Namgung Clan, having lost their precious daughter, along with the martial sects of the Orthodox faction and the Underworld, would spend another half a year at the Demonic Spirit Plateau to figure out what happened inside.

Ultimately, if I waited for all of that to end, I wouldn't even be able to take the Murim Academy exam.

'Still, I'll have to go in.'

It was a place where a secret manual of the Taiyi Sect might be hidden. It was a situation where I had no choice but to enter, even if it was a place where not just five hundred, but ten thousand people had died. Furthermore, looking at it positively, I might be able to obtain the Amitabha Holy Water along with the Taiyi Sect's secret manual.

"Let's do what needs to be done first."

If there was a chance I might obtain the Amitabha Holy Water, I at least needed to prepare for it.

I headed to a jewelry shop at the entrance of Yueyang's brothel street.

Unlike the shabby interior, the items on display were all rare and beautiful in design.

In the middle of it all, a scrawny old man who matched the shabby interior far better than the beautiful jewelry was packing tobacco leaves into a long bamboo pipe.

"Are you here, you weirdo?"

The old man stared at me intently, still looking at me as if I were a suspicious person.

After arriving in Yueyang, I spent a day at the stable inn, and then came straight here the next day to entrust the Heavenly Silkworm Thread to that old man.

"Is it completely finished?"

"You still need to tell me how you knew."

On the day I first visited the jewelry shop, I abruptly handed over the Heavenly Silkworm Thread, and the old man looked at me as if I were crazy.

Whether he did or not, I told him about the item I wanted to make with it, and after pondering for a long while, the old man asked me how I knew his true identity.

Since I couldn't tell him that he and I would meet in the future, I told him I would explain once the item was finished.

"Please tell me if the item is finished first."

The old man casually tossed an item wrapped in cloth to one side.

The item that emerged from the cloth had a bizarre shape.

The leather was too wide to be called a bracelet, and there were too many decorations attached to it for it to be considered gauntlets meant to wrap around the hands and feet.

"It's your turn."

"I found out by giving Haomun ten taels of gold."

The old man's true identity was Jang Dowon, the Artisan of Ten Thousand Hands.

It was a fact I knew because he was someone I had formed a connection with in the Murim Alliance in my past life.

He was sold to a blacksmith at the age of ten and took up a hammer, and after that, he learned his skills as he was sold around to carpentry shops, leather workshops, and so on.

Despite his miserable circumstances, he gained the ability to create anything with his outstanding talent, but because his innate birth was lowly and he never showed off his skills, he was a presence buried in obscurity.

Later, when the Demonic Cult returned, he threw himself into the Murim Alliance, forged fourteen divine weapons and extraordinary artifacts for the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Noble Clans, and then vanished without a trace again.

Since I couldn't tell him about that series of events, I simply gave him a vague excuse that I had found out through Haomun.

"My worth is only a mere ten taels of gold?"

Was he more angry about that part rather than being suspicious?

"Isn't that because they don't know your true value yet, old master?"

"Enough. Stop buttering me up and look at the item."

"Oh, there's a dragon on it?"

"I named it the Flying Dragon Claw."

"How do you use it?"

In that short amount of time, Jang Dowon had created such an item with the Heavenly Silkworm Thread I had given him.

"Try pulling your palm inward."

CLACK.

As the back of the hand part was pulled tight, a hook-shaped arrowhead popped out.

"It is made of cold iron, so it should be able to pierce through most rocks."

"Are you telling me to throw this and pierce them?"

"You know the characteristics of the Heavenly Silkworm Thread, right?"

"It has the characteristic of expanding when internal energy is infused into it. So you infuse internal energy to stretch it out, and then retrieve the internal energy to pull it back and use it. That's amazing."

However, Jang Dowon's eyes narrowed as he watched me marvel at it.

"You foolish brat. Do you think you entrusted it to me to make such a shoddy item?"

"Eh?"

"The Heavenly Silkworm Thread can even change direction depending on the amount of internal energy you blow into it."

"Eh?"

When I made a dumbfounded expression, Jang Dowon continued his explanation in a seemingly excited voice.

"By weaving different threads together and varying the way internal energy is infused into each, you can change its direction. Ah, since I wound it tightly in the first place, if you have enough internal power, the Flying Dragon Claw will shoot out on its own without you having to throw it."

"What does that..."

"You should understand if I've explained this much, tsk. If you don't understand, then it's not meant for you."

I didn't ask the question because I didn't understand. I asked again because I couldn't believe it.

Furthermore, the ends of the hooks were jointed, so they could close and open like a bird's foot.

"I didn't make it for a greenhorn like you to use in the first place. To use it, you need relentless effort and minute control reminiscent of acupuncture..."

WHIRRRR!

The hook shot out from the Flying Dragon Claw and changed directions back and forth like a snake flying through the air. Passing right by Jang Dowon like that, the Flying Dragon Claw cleanly snatched a silver ring located at the end of the display cabinet and began to return once again.

WHIRRRR!

The sound of a small pulley cheerfully spinning echoed from the inside of my wrist, and when the Heavenly Silkworm Thread was completely wound up, a silver ring lay in my hand.

"Is this how I use it?"

This time, it was Jang Dowon who made a dumbfounded expression.

His eyes also held the marvel he felt as the artisan who had created it.

"Hoh... Even seeing it with my own eyes, I cannot believe it."

Jang Dowon made me demonstrate it a few more times, and every time, I effortlessly accomplished the tasks he instructed.

"Ahem. Well, it seems you can imitate it decently enough."

"A moment ago, you said you couldn't believe it."

"Enough! Go back if your business here is done."

He waved his hand as if annoyed, but the corners of his mouth were slightly raised.

"Ah, rather than that, I have one more request."

"Again? Eeying, why didn't you request it all at once."

"It wasn't in my plans either."

I explained the shape of the item I needed to collect the Amitabha Holy Water.

At that, Jang Dowon's mouth gaped wide open.

"You brat, just what exactly is your true identity?"

"Haha, if I tell you, will you make it for free?"

Jang Dowon's brow furrowed heavily once again.

* * *

Having ordered an item capable of collecting the Amitabha Holy Water in preparation for any unforeseen situations, I asked Jang Dowon and headed to the guest house with the most foot traffic.

It was because I thought it would be necessary to roughly tag along with some group rather than going alone for now.

I wouldn't be able to trust them to the end, but at least I wouldn't randomly get stabbed in the back along the way.

While heading to the guest house like that, someone entered my qi sense, which had grown sensitive thanks to my 60 years' worth of internal energy.

'What is it?'

There was no one I could possibly meet in Yueyang right now.

Even if I knew some of them, they wouldn't know me, as most of them would be connections from my past life.

'Could it be.'

Suddenly, Gye Yeonseok, who had hurled curses at me with bloodshot eyes, came to mind.

Did he hire an assassin?

Since he would immediately be pointed out as the culprit if he targeted me within the Taiyi Sect, he must have waited for a moment when I was out... As my thoughts reached that point, the hair on my head stood on end.

If I were attacked unexpectedly in the midst of a dense crowd, I would have no way to react.

And that suspicious aura elegantly parted the crowd and quickly lunged toward this side.

The moment I immediately drew up my internal energy to react.

"Young Master Jin!! What brings you here?"

The true identity of the suspicious aura was none other than Seong Moran of the Iron Sword Sect.

Seong Moran was looking at me with a bright face, holding a chicken skewer in one hand.

"Ah... You startled me."

"I know, right. I was startled too. To think I'd see someone here who is hard to spot even in Hefei."

"What brings you here, Lady Seong?"

"Me? I came to find the Amitabha Holy Water, of course."

Perhaps realizing she was holding a chicken skewer in her hand, Seong Moran quickly hid the chicken skewer behind her back and spoke.

"Are you alone?"

"No. With a younger friend. A few people helping that younger friend and my friends also came along."

"Ah... Do you have a party with you?"

"By any chance, did Young Master Jin also come to find the Amitabha Holy Water?"

"... Well, you could say it's something like that."

"With whom?"

"I am alone."

"Oh my... I knew you had guts, but you really don't value your life, do you."

"... Um, Lady Seong, your words seem a bit harsh..."

"No. They aren't harsh at all. How could you think of going to find the Amitabha Holy Water completely alone?"

"I was actually just about to look for a party."

"Ah, really?"

"Yes."

"Then how about moving together with us?"

If it was an expert on Seong Moran's level, I would be able to trust her and entrust my back to her.

Of course, on the premise that she wouldn't stick a knife in my stomach.

Of course, I would be fine since I was wearing the Heavenly Silkworm Garment.

"Would that really be alright?"

"Ah, hold on a moment."

Seong Moran looked behind her and moved her lips. She must have been sending a sound transmission to someone.

However, after moving her lips for a good while, Seong Moran suddenly shook her head, her cheeks burning red.

It seemed like things weren't going well.

"Lady Seong, if it makes you uncomfortable, it's fine. I don't have to force my way in."

"A-No, it's not that! It's because that y-younger friend was teasing me."

"Teasing you?"

"Ahem, anyway, they said it's fine for you to join as long as we can reach an understanding regarding the first claim to the Amitabha Holy Water."

In the case of such group actions, there were many cases where the right of first claim to treasures or spiritual elixirs was agreed upon before entering, and it seemed they were talking about that.

Because in reality, there were countless instances where groups entered without such agreements or broke their promises, resulting in them turning their blades on each other in the end.

I nodded my head and said.

"Of course."

"They said they are coming this way now."

A moment later, the area ahead became noisy, and the crowd began to part to both sides.

Seeing the attire of the men standing at the front, I could immediately figure out their true identity.

'The Namgung Clan!'

Although the streets of Yueyang were lined with countless experts, experts greater than them right now could be counted on one hand.

Knowing that, all the people had stepped aside to make way for them.

The moment I grabbed one of Seong Moran's arms and tried to pull her outward.

"Seonhwa!!"

"!!"

Seong Moran raised her hand high and greeted her.

"Unnie! You disappeared so suddenly, you startled me. Is this... that gentleman?"

"Uh... Ahem, this is Young Master Jin Sowoon of the Taiyi Sect."

The woman who had called Seong Moran 'Unnie' formed a small smile on her lips.

The men who had stepped back to the sides of the street smiled foolishly at her beautiful appearance.

Namgung Seonhwa greeted me while lightly clasping her hands in a martial salute.

"Hello. I am Namgung Seonhwa."

The party I had decided to join was the group fated to die in this struggle.