Chapter 47 - A First-Rate Warrior Who Gathers People (6)

The people cheered.

At escaping the bleak future with an unknown end, and returning to a normal life that they couldn't even fathom when they had last enjoyed.

For this moment, at least, there was no distinction between the slash-and-burn farmers and the main village people.

The village people ran back to their village, saying they needed to slaughter pigs and cows, while those remaining on Mount Geummok pulled out pots and bowls from among the broken furniture to prepare for a feast.

Before long, liquor jars appeared, and the people couldn't stop smiling, as if they were drinking sweet liquor even without any snacks to accompany it.

"Come here, our esteemed warrior."

The old herb gatherer held my hand and wouldn't let go, as if welcoming his own child, while Village Chief Heo continued to shed tears in front of me.

While the people were partying merrily, the members of the Zhuge Clan, excluded from the feast, were examining the Iron-Clad Black Python.

"What in the...!"

Zhuge Jeong was still in a daze, as if he found it hard to believe even after seeing it with his own two eyes.

"Just what sort of trick did you pull!"

As if cold water had been poured over the merry gathering, a chill settled over the surroundings in an instant.

The people who had been drinking and laughing began to glare at the Zhuge Clan one by one with contemptuous gazes.

"Reveal in detail exactly how you caught it."

I slipped out of the grasps of Village Chief Heo and Old Man Kang, and stepped in front of Zhuge Jeong.

"The Iron-Clad Black Python is one of the demonic beasts that martial artists avoid. Do you know why?"

It wasn't that they couldn't hunt it in the first place. It was simply a target they wanted to avoid as much as possible.

"Because while it is notoriously difficult to hunt, it possesses no spiritual pill, and most of its internal organs and flesh contain poison that is harmful to humans."

Catching a target with poisoned bait was one of the long-standing traditions of hunting, but since the Iron-Clad Black Python harbored poison to begin with and thus had immunity, even that method couldn't be used.

"I am aware of that."

"That is why I detoxified it."

"Detoxified?"

"The herbs placed inside the boar's stomach melted and mixed together inside the Iron-Clad Black Python's stomach, and those combined herbs became a lethal poison to the Iron-Clad Black Python."

In Jianghu, which had lost countless warriors due to the Orthodox-Demonic Great War, the tasks that warriors were supposed to do inevitably had to be handled by civilians.

"You could catch it just by feeding it detoxifying herbs?"

"It doesn't work just by feeding them blindly. The sequence is also specifically set."

The method of catching the Iron-Clad Black Python through detoxification was a poisoning method invented by the Divine Physician's Faction while the Orthodox-Demonic Great War was in full swing. Naturally, it was a concept that had not yet emerged.

"That's absurd..."

Zhuge Jeong gritted his teeth in frustration.

It was the same for the warriors of the Zhuge Clan.

Rather than joy over catching the Iron-Clad Black Python, they were filled with the grievance of seeing the other party easily solve a problem that was difficult for them.

"You're saying you hunted it with such a ridiculous method!"

As if agreeing with Zhuge Jeong's words, the array masters and warriors of the Zhuge Clan were giving small nods.

However, there was something Zhuge Jeong wasn't seeing. It was the expressions of the village people.

"..."

"..."

The village people's expressions were now turning into those of someone who had met their mortal enemy. Beyond anger, they were even radiating murderous intent.

There was no way the tone denying the actions of the person who had instantly solved their suffering would sound pleasing to them.

Just as Zhuge Hyeon-un noticed this and tried to tell the Zhuge Clan's people to restrain themselves, I shouted toward the village people.

"Please give me your attention for a moment."

The people's gazes gathered on me.

Zhuge Hyeon-un, who had been about to speak, closed his mouth and looked at me.

"In truth, the reason I hunted the Iron-Clad Black Python was because of a request from the Zhuge Clan."

The village people looked at me, wondering what sort of sudden nonsense this was.

"As the processing through the Murim Alliance kept getting delayed, a certain esteemed member of the Zhuge Clan couldn't stand by any longer and asked me to hunt the Iron-Clad Black Python, saying the people had to be saved."

Now, even the people of the Zhuge Clan were putting on expressions of complete bewilderment, wondering what I was talking about.

"That esteemed person said, 'A single Iron-Clad Black Python is ruining the lives of hundreds of people. We can no longer wait for the Murim Alliance.' That is what they told me."

I paused my words for a moment to focus the crowd, then pointed at Zhuge Jeong.

"It is fine to express your gratitude to me, but I tell you this out of concern that you might not know who you should truly be thanking. Supreme Elder. Could you step forward for a moment?"

The people's gazes converged on Zhuge Jeong.

Dumbfounded, Zhuge Jeong didn't know what to do before slowly stepping out in front of me.

"This very person is the one who earnestly asked me to hunt the Iron-Clad Black Python."

A murmur began to grow among the village people.

At that moment, Zhuge Jeong gritted his teeth and spoke in a small voice.

"What are you doing?"

"Isn't it good for everyone?"

"What?"

Despite his timid personality, Zhuge Jeong's desire for honor was remarkably high.

The reason he returned straight to his noble clan right after completing his mandatory service in the Murim Alliance in his youth was also because he lacked the confidence to stand out among the soaring dragons and phoenixes of that era.

"With this incident, the Supreme Elder's name will resound loudly throughout all of Hubei Province. As a chivalrous warrior who constantly looks after the common folk."

"..."

Just the thought must have pleased him, as contrary to his furrowed brow, the corners of Zhuge Jeong's mouth twitched.

Seeing that, I turned toward the people of the slash-and-burn farmers' village and said,

"Oh right, and the Zhuge Clan has also decided to compensate for all the damages the slash-and-burn farmers' village suffered during the hunt."

"What?"

Just as Zhuge Jeong was about to say a word to me.

"Oh my goodness! Elder!"

Village Chief Heo rushed forward, crying.

"I knew you wouldn't abandon us. Thank you so much. Thank you so much."

As Village Chief Heo sobbed loudly, Zhuge Jeong awkwardly forced a smile and said,

"Haha, please, stand up. Didn't I... didn't I tell you? That I would definitely help."

"Thank you so much. Thank you so much. At the very least, I will be able to raise my granddaughter without being ashamed before my son and daughter-in-law who passed away before me."

At the touching sight of the two, the watching village people also began to nod one by one.

"Well, it makes sense. There's no way the world-renowned Zhuge Clan would just sit back and watch."

"That's right. No matter what, aren't we also making a living thanks to the Zhuge Clan?"

As the atmosphere reversed, the village people stealthily approached the people of the Zhuge Clan.

"Hey there, esteemed warriors. Come taste some of this liquor. I brewed it last year, and it tastes pretty good."

"Hey! Go slaughter more pigs and cows! They're warriors, so they'll eat a lot!"

Without knowing what was going on, the people of the Zhuge Clan simply began to act naturally as well.

"Compensation? What on earth does that mean?"

"Just do it for them. You have plenty of money, so how much could building a few structures for the slash-and-burn farmers' village possibly cost?"

"..."

"And doesn't it look good?"

When I pointed out the sight of the village people and the Zhuge Clan's people mingling together, Zhuge Jeong remained speechless for a long time.

"Supreme Elder. Please accept a cup of liquor from this old man."

When Village Chief Heo approached and offered the liquor, the hesitant Zhuge Jeong drank it.

"Hmm? This tastes good."

"It's a brew I made with cornelian cherry fruits. If it suits your taste, I'll send you a jar every year."

"Haha."

Then, along with the old herb gatherer, the three of them began to pour and receive drinks together.

"Hah..."

Watching that sight, Zhuge Hyeon-un let out a small sigh.

"Just what kind of person are you?"

It was a gaze like looking at a lifeform he was seeing for the very first time.

* * *

"Of course, from the moment you easily caught the Iron-Clad Black Python, the Supreme Elder's actions were as expected. Because he is absolutely not someone who would let Cheongi go."

Zhuge Hyeon-un and Jin Sowoon were heading toward the Golden Jade Prison where Zhuge Cheongi was imprisoned.

Zhuge Jeong had ultimately, though reluctantly, permitted Zhuge Cheongi's dispatch.

Having been treated so hospitably in front of all the village people, he couldn't shamelessly ignore them and be unreasonable.

Thanks to that, Zhuge Hyeon-un's curiosity about Jin Sowoon only grew stronger.

"But I didn't expect your actions at all. Just since when were you planning that?"

"I had been thinking about it from the moment he came to monitor me."

"Haha! They say the Black Flame Dragon's head is faster than the Traceless Divine Thief's feet."

"..."

Even Jin Sowoon's sight of furrowing his brow slightly whenever his moniker was mentioned looked endearing to him. Did he perhaps still think the moniker 'Dragon' was too much for him?

"Anyway, even so, how did you think of making the village people revere the Supreme Elder? What if the Elder was someone who didn't care about such gazes?"

Zhuge Hyeon-un asked endless questions, as if he had met a close friend for the first time in a long while.

Jin Sowoon was explaining things step by step without a single hint of annoyance.

"Seeing the wealth and clothes the Supreme Elder wore, I felt he had a desire to show off, and in the process of how he treated Village Chief Heo, I felt his desire for honor was also high. But the village people living near Mount Yungjung held quite a strong hostility toward the Zhuge Clan."

"That is all due to my own lack of virtue."

"Well... is that necessarily true? Anyway, seeing the person who came to monitor bring array masters and warriors, observing every possible formality even though he wasn't going to war, I felt he wanted to be revered by the people as well. And so I acted accordingly."

Hearing the interpretation of the series of events, he couldn't help but admire the other party even more.

The principles of the myriad things in the world are taken for granted when unknown, but once known, one cannot help but marvel at them.

Zhuge Hyeon-un's current feelings were exactly that.

"... The way I see it. It seems right that you should have been a disciple of the Zhuge Clan, not a disciple of the Taiyi Sect."

"I am grateful just for the sentiment."

"Really, to think there was someone who could sweet-talk the Supreme Elder so thoroughly. I can't believe it even after experiencing it firsthand."

"... Well, he is certainly very different from the Chief Strategist."

"... Huh?"

At Zhuge Somyeong's sudden mention of his position, Zhuge Hyeon-un even stopped walking.

"Do you know my father... no, the Chief Strategist?"

"Ah, yes. I met him once before at the Iron Sword Sect."

"... Did you grasp him from afar back then too?"

"No. Back then, we met separately and talked..."

"Admission Token!"

Zhuge Hyeon-un screamed in astonishment.

At that, Jin Sowoon's eyes also flew wide open, as if wondering how he knew that.

"So you were the owner of that Admission Token!"

"... How did you know?"

Was 'knowing' the extent of it? This had caused an uproar among the eminent figures of Murim.

It was about which sect's disciple the existence acknowledged by Zhuge Somyeong was—a man whose judgment of people was so strict that he had never even given an Admission Token to the people of his own family.

"D-Didn't Namgung San go look for you?"

Zhuge Hyeon-un was even stuttering his words now.

He heard that at the earnest request of Namgung San, who originally belonged to the Dragon-Phoenix Summit, he had taken it to evaluate his younger sister and decide whether to give it to her or not.

However, he only heard up to the point that a person acknowledged by Zhuge Somyeong had taken the Admission Token midway, and that Namgung San had left home to get it back.

People's attention was focused on exactly who the person facing Namgung San, the rising star of Anhui Province, was.

"Yes."

"Don't tell me it was taken?"

"I do not get robbed of what is mine."

"Hah."

He was already surprised enough by what he had seen so far. Yet, seeing sides of him he didn't know about, he was on the verge of falling over in sheer astonishment.

"Come to think of it, the Taiyi Sect disciple who saved the daughter of Wangga Manor must be..."

Jin Sowoon scratched the back of his head as if embarrassed.

He could catch on to what that meant even without an answer.

He had heard that there was a person whom Wang Geumsan, the current Lord of Wangga Manor, was itching to bring in as a son-in-law. He never imagined that it would be the young man right in front of his eyes.

"Just what is your true identity?"

"I am a disciple of the Taiyi Sect."

That was the problem.

He was a disciple of the Taiyi Sect, yet the things he accomplished, his actions, his words, and his thoughts were all extraordinary.

If an existence had achieved this level of success with the martial arts of the Taiyi Sect, it was unimaginable what kind of figure he would become if he possessed even stronger martial prowess.

'Wait, the Zhuge Clan's martial arts aren't bad either...'

As his thoughts led to that point, Zhuge Hyeon-un deeply lamented his own situation of not having a daughter.

"Truly, I envy your father and the Sect Leader of your sect so much."

"I don't know about the Sect Leader, but my father wouldn't think so. Haha."

Seeing him burst into a hearty laugh, his relationship with his father seemed good as well.

Truly, he lacked nothing, and the more one looked at him, the more coveted an existence he became.

'Right, since he will be taking Cheongi anyway, I can just keep building a connection with him during that time. If anything, there are girls in the family who have reached marriageable age...'

Just as Zhuge Hyeon-un was spreading the wings of his imagination.

The two arrived at the Golden Jade Prison.

The warriors guarding the perimeter of the Golden Jade Prison had all withdrawn the moment Zhuge Cheongi's dispatch was decided.

"Cheongi, a guest is here."

CREAK!

The hinges, which had not been opened for a long time, opened with a loud noise, and inside, a neatly dressed Zhuge Cheongi was kneeling on one knee with his hands clasped in a martial salute.

"This lowly one, Zhuge Cheongi, offers his greetings to his liege."

"..."

"..."

At Zhuge Cheongi's incomprehensible behavior, Jin Sowoon and Zhuge Hyeon-un looked at each other.

Zhuge Cheongi spoke as loudly and clearly as possible.

"In the ancient past, Liu Bei Xuande only made three humble visits to gain our Great Martial Ancestor. Yet you went out and hunted the Iron-Clad Black Python just to employ a lowly martial student like me, so how could I just stay still? I will serve you as my liege for the rest of my life, so please do not cast me aside, Great Warrior Black Flame Dragon."

Zhuge Hyeon-un was flustered by Cheongi's sudden behavior, but he also understood it to some extent.

To employ someone who had spent his whole life being denied by the very family he was born and raised in, he didn't shy away from danger; so just how greatly comforted must that wounded heart have felt?

"..."

Faced with this crucial event that might dictate his son's future, Zhuge Hyeon-un just looked at Jin Sowoon without saying a word.