Pay‑to‑Win King of Martial Arts (Novel) - Chapter 204 - Probe Battle (3)

Chapter 204 – Probe Battle (3)

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou. This was that very Hangzhou of the saying that heaven has paradise above and Suzhou and Hangzhou below.

As far as I knew, Hangzhou had several hundred thousand households and a population of several million. It was that prosperous, and because the scenery was so beautiful, its pleasure quarters were likewise highly developed.

Using her hand as a shade to block the harsh sunlight, Peng Chae-hyang looked out over Hangzhou.

“It’s beautiful. Hangzhou.”

“Is this your first time in Hangzhou?”

“Yes.”

It was not particularly surprising. There were no famous sects or great families in Zhejiang. And on top of that, Peng Chae-hyang was not really a person who enjoyed pleasure for its own sake. So it was only natural that she had never had occasion to come to Hangzhou, the sacred ground of entertainment.

“Daoist Myeong-gyeong would have liked it if he’d come too.”

“Did you get attached to him after fighting with him so much?”

“What do you mean, fighting with a child like that? I was just humoring him.”

For someone who claimed she was just humoring him, her face had reddened quite a bit. But I did not say that aloud. Every person had a final scrap of pride that ought to be protected.

In any case, Myeong-gyeong and Martial Grand-Uncle Cheong-yu had already returned to the Wudang Sect. They had to relay the results of the Martial Alliance meeting to Wudang. I, on the other hand, had come straight from the Martial Alliance to Hangzhou because I had many people to meet in Zhejiang.

“We’re gathering in Hangzhou first, then going on to Zhenhai, right?”

“That’s right.” It was about time for the people drafted from each clan and sect to begin arriving.

Of course, I had already come to Hangzhou a month earlier and had been arranging the board. I had just returned from meeting the head of the Zhejiang Merchant Association, after all.

“But why aren’t we gathering in Zhenhai directly?”

“Maybe because if we’re already in Zhejiang, everyone wants to have some fun in Hangzhou first.”

“Surely that’s not really the reason?”

“Of course not.”

Peng Chae-hyang bit her lip and trembled. Teasing her really was enjoyable.

“To begin with, we have to disguise everyone as members of the Radiant Crystal Merchant Company, report everything to the officials, and work out the operational plan. There’s a lot to do, so we gather in Hangzhou first. If martial artists roamed around in a big group in a backwater port village like Zhenhai, they’d attract attention immediately.”

At my explanation, Peng Chae-hyang nodded as if it made sense. I stared at her in silence. The wind blowing in from West Lake scattered her hair.

“People from our clan will probably come this time too.”

“Probably.”

“When they do, I’m going back.”

“What?”

It was such an unexpected statement that I was genuinely startled. Still looking out over West Lake, Peng Chae-hyang continued.

“Originally I was only going to be away for a year, but now I want to go back sooner.” “So you’ve gotten tired of me already.”

“Don’t say weird things. To be precise, I still don’t want to go. My father will dislike me, I’ll be worked to the bone inside the clan, and in the middle of all that I’ll still have to train my martial arts. It’ll be a really hard life.”

“And yet?”

“Yet after watching the way you live, Young Master Muk, I realized something.”

“What was it?”

“That people have to keep moving forward. You’re the same age as me, yet you’re advancing that quickly, so I felt like I couldn’t just stay where I was. Whatever happens, the place I belong is the Hebei Peng Clan.”

“That’s true.”

I nodded. Suddenly I remembered the time she had cried bitterly because she was not being taken to the Martial Alliance. The clever girl had truly grown a great deal during this brief journey through the jianghu.

“You thought it through well.”

I said that sincerely, offering my blessing to Peng Chae-hyang’s future.

“And there’s another reason I’m going back.”

“What is it?”

“That is…”

Unlike her usual self, Peng Chae-hyang dragged the words out.

And the answer that came was a hollow one.

“I’m not telling you.” “What?”

“You always teased me, so this time I teased you once.”

Peng Chae-hyang turned to me with a bright smile. For a moment I simply stared blankly.

It was not because I had been unexpectedly teased, but because Peng Chae-hyang looked beautiful when she smiled.

“Good grief.”

I hastily came back to my senses and turned my eyes toward West Lake. Beside me, Peng Chae-hyang looked out over West Lake too.

And then the next day, the people of the Hebei Peng Clan arrived in Hangzhou, and Peng Chae-hyang returned to them.

When I had brought her from the Hebei Peng Clan, I had not thought anything of it. But now that she was leaving, I found myself secretly feeling reluctant. It made me realize once more how frightening human attachment could be. I forced myself to shake it off by thinking that where there was parting, there would also be meeting.

After the people of the Hebei Peng Clan arrived, people from the other sects and families also entered Hangzhou one by one.

The faces among those who came were illustrious. Even I, who did not know the prominent masters of this era’s jianghu all that well, recognized them all.

In my view, they had likely sent true masters less because of Longyuan and more because of their pride. When so many famous houses were gathered together, they could not very well show a face of being inferior in force.

The Wudang Sect too had sent someone who could fully represent it, and for me he was both utterly unexpected and deeply welcome.

“…Master?”

“Heh. It has been a while.”

The person Wudang had sent to the Longyuan search party was none other than my own master, Cheong-hwa. As expected, where there was parting, there was also meeting.

* * *

I was so glad to see Master, someone I had not expected to encounter here, that for a moment I pinched a cheek to see whether it was real.

Mine would hurt, so I pinched Master’s instead…

Smack.

“You really do keep finding fresh new ways to commit a crime against your teacher and ancestors.”

“Ugh…”

Cheong-hwa’s hand blade was as hard as ever to avoid. I had wondered whether, now that I was plastered over with fourth-grade talents, I might be able to dodge it at least a little.

“Come on now. I was just happy to see you after so long, so I played a little joke.”

“If I tease you, that’s fine. But if you do it to me, then it isn’t.”

“Hah. So the Wudang Sect really does have absurd injustice like that in it.”

“It’s a rule for the sake of order, you brat.”

Cheong-hwa raised his hand one more time.

I reflexively tucked my neck in, but fortunately he didn’t hit me again. I knew he was only striking playfully, but it still hurt.

“Myeong-yeop will likely come too. I sent him on an errand, so he’ll arrive in a bit.”

“I see. It’ll be nice seeing Senior Brother Myeong-yeop again too.” “That’s right. Breathing outside air again makes it feel like my lungs are being cleansed.”

“By the way, have you come out of the Cave of Repentance completely?”

“As if. It’s only been a little over half a year since I went in.”

“Only that much? Time really does crawl.”

“It passed well enough for me. When I came out, I was surprised to hear that half a year had already gone by.”

If it were me, I felt like I would go mad just sitting still in that dark Cave of Repentance.

Could a master of Cheong-hwa’s level really endure it alone? It was a genuinely mysterious thing.

Sensing my expression, Cheong-hwa let out a snort.

“At your level, understanding me is still impossible.”

“That’s a pretty annoying way to say it.”

“Your mouth. Your mouth.”

When Cheong-hwa suddenly raised his hand, I covered my mouth with both hands.

“Anyway, I don’t know why I was sent out either. Senior Brother Sect Leader just told me to go help you.”

“I see.”

I could more or less guess what the Sect Leader was thinking. At present, among the Cheong generation, aside from Cheong-ui, the one who stood out the most was of course my own master, Cheong-hwa. The Sect Leader likely did not feel entirely at ease about locking up his martial younger brother, and may have wanted to let him breathe some outside air for a while.

Even without trying to reason it out, seeing Master after so long was truly welcome, and it was reassuring too.

“Now that you’ve come, Master, I can make as much of a mess as I like. That’s reassuring.”

“A mess? I heard we were cooperating to find the treasure on the treasure map.”

“That’s the wrapping paper. The contents will probably turn into a mess. And if it doesn’t, I’ll make it into one.”

“I’d almost forgotten, being in the Cave of Repentance. The fact that you’re insane, I mean.”

“You say whatever you want to your disciple.”

“Better than being a disciple who has no words he won’t say to his master.”

Had he learned how to talk to himself while alone in the Cave of Repentance or something? Somehow, teasing Master no longer felt as easy as before.

Anyway, the part about it becoming a mess was the truth. Even if I did nothing, it would become a mess eventually. It had to.

Master, not knowing yet that the orthodox path was already split from within, could only react the way he was.

“Hey, Junior Brother.”

Right on cue, Myeong-yeop arrived. Both his hands were loaded down with bundles of things.

“Senior Brother, it’s been a while.”

“Sure has.”

“What’s all that?” “Food for me.”

Cheong-hwa naturally took the bundle from Myeong-yeop. Once he undid it, a sweet smell spread out first. Inside the bundle were candied sweets.

Cheong-hwa immediately tossed one into his mouth and began chewing. Then he glanced at me.

“Want one?”

“…I’m fine.”

I might need to spare a little thought to the matter of my master’s tastes becoming suspiciously similar to Senior Brother Myeong-gyeong’s. The unfortunate thing was that there was a good chance I myself was responsible for that.

“Let’s go for now.”

I led Cheong-hwa and Myeong-yeop to West Lake Tower. The attic of West Lake Tower was where the separate treasure-map detachment would gather.

Around West Lake Tower there were already plenty of people milling about. I had requested that each of the Five Great Families and the Nine Great Sects send no more than three people.

The reason was simple. There was a limit to how far one could go in disguising people as members of the Radiant Crystal Merchant Company.

Of course, one could always bribe the responsible official to keep his mouth shut, but if one created such a weakness to begin with, it would only become troublesome later.

And besides, three people were already plenty. Even if fourteen forces each sent three, that made forty-two people. If one then added the Martial Alliance members who would naturally tag along, it would amount to enough useless mouths to found a small sect of their own.

I had threatened that if they sent more than three, I would not lend them the Radiant Crystal Merchant Company uniforms at all, so they would probably observe the limit.

“Well now, this really is a welcome face.”

While we stood near West Lake Tower, someone recognized us and approached. It was a familiar face to me as well. “Thousand-Poison Scholar. It’s been a while.”

“Boundless Divine Sword. I heard some rumor that you had gone into the Cave of Repentance, but I guess it was all false?”

The one who had come over was none other than Thousand-Poison Scholar Tang Se-ui. At his side stood two gloomy-looking men with their mouths covered by green cloth.

“These are the captain and vice-captain of the Hornet Unit.”

Tang Se-ui introduced the two men to us. They saluted us with clasped fists and bowed their heads.

“Are those two on some sort of vow of silence?”

“No, the Hornet Unit specializes in poison work, so there are many deaf-mutes among them. Side effects from poisons they consumed in childhood.”

“The Tang Clan never changes.”

Cheong-hwa clicked his tongue in amazement. I too thought it was remarkable.

Cheong-hwa introduced Myeong-yeop and me to Tang Se-ui.

Tang Se-ui laughed heartily.

“Daoist Myeong-yeop is someone I’m seeing for the first time, but I certainly know Young Hero Muk. He was the hottest thing at the last Martial Alliance meeting.”

“Was he now? What sort of nonsense did this disciple of mine pull off this time…”

“He made quite a number of entertaining scenes. I wanted to see him separately too, but somehow he simply wouldn’t meet me.”

I smiled in embarrassment. Tang Se-ui was lightly rebuking me in a roundabout way for not meeting him. Since Tang Se-ui was far senior to me, it would have been natural if he felt displeased.

“At the time I was busy, so not only you, Great Hero Tang, but everyone else as well, I was unable to meet. I hope you’ll understand.” “Haha. Do you think I don’t know that? I was joking.”

Fortunately, Tang Se-ui did not seem to be taking it deeply to heart.

As we exchanged idle conversation, we climbed up to the attic of West Lake Tower. Many people had already gathered there.

Among them there were faces I recognized and faces I didn’t. And among the familiar faces, there were those I was glad to see and those I was not.

And the least welcome of them all came toward me with a smile.

“So you’ve come, Young Hero Muk. We’ve all been waiting for you till our necks grew long.”

“I greet the Alliance Leader.”

At the sight of Su Je-heon, Cheong-hwa immediately gave a respectful fist-and-palm salute. Smiling, Su Je-heon returned it.

“It has been a while, Boundless Divine Sword. Have you been well?”

“Yes, much the same as always.”

While Cheong-hwa and Su Je-heon exchanged greetings, I quickly swept my gaze across the room.

Inside the attic, many eyes were already darting around before I had even moved my own.

It was a savage probe battle beneath the surface.

The feeling was like hundreds of snakes crawling.

Seeing that, I bared my teeth in a grin. It was the moment the true hunt for the treasure map began.