Chapter 32 :

Second-Rate Warrior Searching for a Legend (4)

“The people of Hunan Province called Maling Plateau the land that touches the sky.”

“Because rain does not fall on Maling Plateau all year round and the land is barren, herbalists call it hell.”

“It differs from the information other people have, but it accurately points to the place where the Mita Divine Water is.”

At the owner’s words, I asked,

“What is the information other people have?”

“There is a valley at the deepest part of Maling Plateau.”

“It is a place even bold hunters nearby, and even herbalists, never approach.”

“It is called the Valley of Despair.”

“Recently, an herbalist accidentally stepped into that valley and was found six months later.”

“That person brought back a story that he saw an ice pillar shining like the sun inside a cave within the Valley of Despair.”

An ice pillar shining like the sun referred to the state where the Mita Divine Water preserved its extreme yin nature before being refined.

“People of the murim world began gathering here in Yueyang after following that rumor.”

Around then, I thought, If he is telling me all this, why do I need to pay twenty gold nyang?

“Haha, please think of this much as compensation for my earlier discourtesy.”

“If you wish to obtain the actual information, you must pay twenty gold nyang.”

“What is that information?”

“A map of the cave inside the Valley of Despair.”

“A… map?”

“There was the herbalist I mentioned earlier, was there not?”

“We searched for that herbalist and made a map.”

“Even so, twenty gold nyang seems too expensive.”

“If you consider the value of your life, is it not not that expensive?”

“There is no proof that the map is accurate either.”

“That would be true if you intend to spend half a year inside the cave.”

“…Is the cave that large?”

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

When the scroll unfurled, it looked to be about one foot wide, and inside it were hundreds of small room drawings like an anthill.

“They say the small caves are about the size of this space, and the large spaces are so huge that one might think they connect all the way to the Valley of Despair.”

“Urgh.”

“What do you think? Are you interested?”

The owner swiftly rolled the document back up and tied it neatly with a leather cord.

It was a suitable size that would not be greatly noticed by others if carried properly, but.

“Unfortunately, I have no money.”

“I heard the Silver Wang Plaque allows you to borrow promissory notes from banks without a time limit.”

“If I were to repay all that, I would not be able to pay it off even if I worked my entire life.”

The moment the owner showed me the map, the map had already been clearly engraved into my head, so there was no need to waste twenty gold nyang.

Rather than that.

“Oh dear… Your identity becomes even more curious.”

“Ah, more importantly, would you like to buy a piece of information?”

“…Information?”

“Yes.”

“What kind of information?”

While staying at the horse station, I had made one confidential document in the Murim Alliance format.

The travel expenses I had received from the Wang Family Estate were enough, but leaving the information inside my head alone without turning it into money was also foolish.

Furthermore, through this, I had an important transaction I would need to make with Haomun later, so it was necessary to sow the seed now.

“It is a confidential document related to the Beggars’ Sect advancing into Hangzhou.”

“…”

The owner’s face turned pale.

The Beggars’ Sect was one axis of the Nine Great Sects and was also the eyes and ears of the entire murim world.

Because of that, it had always been in conflict with Haomun, a similar kind of organization.

Overall, the Beggars’ Sect had far greater power, but in places where entertainment and commerce had developed, Haomun held a tight grip on information.

That was why Haomun had continued to survive despite decades of fierce secret struggles.

“Hmm… It is good information, but I cannot know whether it is certain.”

“Let us do this.”

I took out the document from my robe, tore it in half, and handed it to the owner.

The owner carefully received the document and slowly read it, then opened his eyes wide and looked at me.

“Do you intend to sell it?”

“…How much should I give you?”

“Twenty gold nyang.”

The owner’s brow furrowed.

“Would it not be faster to simply ask for the map?”

“No. I do not need the map. Give me money.”

“Are you serious?”

“I do not think I can obtain the Mita Divine Water.”

“I am just thinking of getting some money, sightseeing at Yueyang Tower, and leaving.”

“Understood. Please wait a moment.”

While the owner briefly left his seat, I looked around at the items nearby and discovered one object that caught my eye.

“Why is this here?”

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

“Do you like it?”

“Why is this here?”

“It somehow flowed all the way here.”

“If Sichuan finds out about this, will they stay still?”

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

“As expected, you are no ordinary person.”

“What do you think? I will give it to you for one gold nyang.”

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

“That is true.”

“Then how about I simply give it to you as a gift?”

“You are giving such an expensive thing as a gift?”

“Think of it as a friendship fee.”

“What a dangerous gift. You are a bad friend.”

The owner raised the sleeve hiding his hands and chuckled.

“Is it not more fun to play with bad friends?”

The owner, who was watching me with sparkling eyes, showed a strong will to dig me up somehow and extract something from me.

As expected, was the person who would become the thirteenth sect leader of Haomun in the future different after all?

For me, forming a personal connection with Yang Gunbaek, the future Haomun sect leader, was a choice with nothing to lose.

I picked up the item and said,

“That is also true.”

“Then I look forward to dealing with you in the future.”

#

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

The point where I thought the final trace of the Taeul Sword Emperor would be was the same space where the Mita Divine Water would be discovered.

That meant I too had to throw myself into that chaos.

“Hey! You think you can just walk past? My shoulder is broken right now!”

“If it was such a useless shoulder, should you not have thrown it away long ago?”

Clang, clang.

As martial artists gathered, fights broke out sporadically everywhere.

These were not just neighborhood thugs fighting either.

Every one of them was a fearsome expert with a brutal-sounding name.

‘Am I supposed to compete with people like Nine-Fingered Divine Beggar Mago San, Golden-Horned Bronze Man Sa Muin, and Paradise Child Seo Hyeonjae?’

There were more than just dark faction experts.

There were also many righteous faction experts.

In particular, the righteous faction wore matching colors to distinguish friend from foe, and moved together in groups of at least twenty to as many as a hundred.

‘Would it be too late if I entered after the struggle for the Mita Divine Water ends?’

This matter continued for no less than two months.

After that, the righteous faction and dark faction groups, including the Namgung Family that had lost its young lady, would spend another half year on Maling Plateau to figure out what had happened inside.

If I waited for all of that to end, I would be unable to even take the Martial Academy exam.

‘Still, I have to enter.’

It was a place where the Taeul Sect’s secret manual might be hidden.

Even if it was not five thousand but ten thousand people who had died there, I had no choice but to enter.

Moreover, if I thought positively, I might be able to obtain the Mita Divine Water along with the Taeul Sect’s secret manual.

“First, let us do what needs to be done.”

If I might obtain the Mita Divine Water, I needed at least some preparation for it.

I headed to an accessory shop at the entrance of Yueyang’s pleasure district.

Unlike its shabby interior, the items displayed there were all rare and beautiful in shape.

In the middle of them, a skinny old man who suited the shabby interior more than the beautiful accessories was putting tobacco leaves into a pipe.

“You came, strange fellow.”

The old man still stared at me as if looking at a suspicious person.

After arriving in Yueyang, I spent a day at the horse station, then came here immediately the next day and entrusted the Heavenly Silkworm Thread to that old man.

“Is it complete?”

“You should tell me how you knew first.”

On the day I first came to the accessory shop, when I suddenly held out the Heavenly Silkworm Thread, the old man looked at me like I was a madman.

Regardless, I told him what I wanted to make with it, and after thinking for a long time, the old man asked me how I knew his identity.

Since I could not tell him that he and I would meet in the future, I told him I would answer once the item was made.

“Please tell me whether the item is complete first.”

The old man tossed the object wrapped in cloth to one side.

What came out of the cloth had a peculiar shape.

To call it a bracelet, the leather was too wide, and to call it a gauntlet worn on the hands and feet, it had too many decorations attached.

“It is your turn.”

“I found out by paying Haomun ten gold nyang.”

The old man’s identity was Jang Dowon, the master craftsman of Mansu Manor.

I knew this because I had formed a connection with him in the Murim Alliance in my previous life.

At the age of ten, he was sold to a blacksmith shop and held a hammer, and afterward, he was sold to carpentry shops, leather workshops, and the like, learning various skills.

Even in miserable circumstances, he obtained the ability to make anything through outstanding talent. However, because his birth was lowly and he did not reveal his skills, he remained buried in obscurity.

Later, when the Demonic Cult returned, he would devote himself to the Murim Alliance, create fourteen divine weapons for the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families, and then vanish again.

Since I could not tell that sequence of events, I vaguely glossed over it by saying I had learned it through Haomun.

“My worth is only ten gold nyang?”

Was he angrier about that part than suspicious?

“Is that not because they still do not know your true value, elder master?”

“Enough. Stop flattering me and look at the item.”

“Oh, there is a dragon.”

“I named it the Flying Dragon Claw.”

“How do I use it?”

Jang Dowon had made such an item with the Heavenly Silkworm Thread I gave him in that short time.

“Pull your palm inward.”

Click.

The back of the hand was pulled back, and a hook-shaped arrowhead popped out.

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

“You are telling me to throw this and pierce things?”

“You know the traits of Heavenly Silkworm Thread, do you not?”

“It has the trait of stretching when internal energy is injected into it.”

“Then you inject internal energy to extend it, then withdraw the internal energy to pull it back.”

“That is impressive.”

“You fool. Do you think I made such a shabby thing because you entrusted it to me?”

“Pardon?”

“Heavenly Silkworm Thread can also change direction depending on the amount of internal energy injected.”

“Pardon?”

“If different strands are woven into one and the way internal energy is injected differs between them, the direction can be changed.”

“Ah, because it is wound tightly from the start, if you have enough internal power, the Flying Dragon Claw will shoot out on its own without you needing to throw it.”

“What does that…”

“If I have explained this much, you should understand. If you do not understand, it is not yours.”

I did not ask because I did not understand.

I asked again because I could not believe it.

Moreover, the tip of the hook was jointed, allowing it to open and close like a bird’s foot.

“To begin with, it was not made for a brat like you to use.”

“To use it, one needs relentless effort and fine control comparable to acupuncture…”

Pirriri-rik.

The hook shot out from the Flying Dragon Claw and changed direction this way and that like a snake flying through the air.

The Flying Dragon Claw, which passed by Jang Dowon like that, lightly grabbed a silver ring at the end of the display cabinet and began returning.

Pirriri-rik.

From the inside of my wrist came the sound of a small pulley spinning excitedly, and when all of the Heavenly Silkworm Thread had been wound back, a silver ring lay in my hand.

“Is this how I use it?”

“Huh… I cannot believe it even after seeing it with my own eyes.”

Jang Dowon had me demonstrate it several times, and each time, I did exactly what he asked.

“Ahem. Well, it seems you can imitate it decently.”

“You said just now that you could not believe it.”

“Enough! If your business is done, go back.”

“Ah, more importantly, I have one more request.”

“Again? Tsk, you should have entrusted it to me all at once.”

“This was not in my plans either.”

I explained the shape of the item needed to collect the Mita Divine Water.

At that, Jang Dowon’s mouth opened wide like a bowl.

“What exactly are you?”

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

Jang Dowon’s brow furrowed deeply.

#

After ordering an item that could collect the Mita Divine Water in preparation for any unforeseen situation, I asked Jang Dowon and headed to the inn where the most people came and went.

For now, I thought it was necessary to roughly join some group rather than go alone.

I could not trust them until the end, but at least I would not be suddenly stabbed midway.

As I headed toward the inn like that, someone entered the range of my senses, which had grown sensitive thanks to my sixty years of internal energy.

‘What is this?’

There was no one I should meet in Yueyang right now.

Most of them would be people from my previous life, people I knew even if they did not know me.

‘No way.’

Suddenly, Gye Yeonseok came to mind, his bloodshot eyes bursting with red veins as he cursed me.

Had he hired an assassin?

If he aimed at me in the Taeul Sect, he would immediately be identified as the culprit, so while I was out…

When my thoughts reached that far, my hair stood on end.

If an attack came unexpectedly amid the dense crowd, there would be no way to respond.

And the suspicious presence smoothly wove through the crowd and rushed quickly toward me.

The moment I immediately raised my internal energy to respond,

“Young Hero Jin!! What brings you here?”

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

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

“Ah… You startled me.”

“I know. I was startled too. To see someone who is hard to find even in Hefei here.”

“What brings you here, Young Lady Seong?”

“Me? Of course, I came to find the Mita Divine Water.”

Perhaps realizing that she was holding a chicken skewer, Seong Moran quickly hid it behind her back and spoke.

“Are you alone?”

“No. I am with a younger sister I know. And a few people to help that younger sister, plus some of my friends.”

“Ah… You have a group?”

“Could it be that Young Hero Jin also came to find the Mita Divine Water?”

“…Well, you could say it is similar.”

“With whom?”

“I am alone.”

“Good heavens… I knew you were bold, but you truly do not know how precious your life is.”

“…Um, Young Lady, that sounds a bit harsh…”

“No. It is not harsh at all. How could you think of going to find the Mita Divine Water all alone?”

“I was actually trying to find a group.”

“Ah, really?”

“Yes.”

“Then how about moving together with us?”

If it was an expert on Seong Moran’s level, I could trust her to watch my back.

Of course, on the condition that she did not stab me in the stomach.

Though, of course, I was wearing the Heavenly Silkworm Treasure Garment, so it would be fine.

“Would that be all right?”

“Ah, wait a moment.”

Seong Moran looked behind her and moved her lips.

She was probably sending someone a sound transmission.

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

It seemed the conversation was not going well.

“Young Lady, if it is inconvenient, I do not need to force myself into your group.”

“Ah, no! It is not that! My, my younger sister was teasing me, that is all.”

“Teasing you?”

“Ahem, anyway, she says it is fine to travel together as long as we can agree on understanding each other regarding who claims the Mita Divine Water first.”

In group activities like this, people often made promises in advance about priority rights over treasures or elixirs, and it seemed she was talking about that.

In fact, there were countless cases where people entered without such promises, or did not keep the promises, and ended up drawing blades on each other at the end.

I nodded and said,

“Of course.”

“She says she is coming this way now.”

A moment later, the front grew noisy, and people began splitting to both sides.

I immediately recognized their identity from the clothes of the men standing at the front.

‘Namgung Family!’

Although the streets of Yueyang were full of countless experts, there were only a handful of experts superior to these people right now.

Because they knew that, everyone stepped aside.

The moment I grabbed one of Seong Moran’s arms and tried to pull her outside,

“Seonhwa!”

“!!”

Seong Moran raised her hand brightly and waved.

“Unni! You suddenly disappeared, so I was startled. Is this person… him?”

“Uh… ahem, this is Young Hero Jin Sowoon of the Taeul Sect.”

The woman who called Seong Moran unni smiled faintly.

The men who had stepped aside along the road grinned blankly at her beautiful appearance.

Namgung Seonhwa gave a light fist-and-palm salute in greeting.

“Hello. I am Namgung Seonhwa.”

The group I had decided to join was a group that would die in this struggle.