Chapter 208 – That’s All Me!

===================

Translated by Heavenly Cat
Edited by Celestial Knight

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

===================

Ju-seong scanned the disguise technique manual and muttered.

“Ha… Is it time for me to experience life as an ugly man? Having been born handsome and lived thus for twenty-five years, it will be quite a change.”

At Ju-seong’s murmuring, the courtesans secretly glanced at him with bewildered eyes.

‘He’s not THAT handsome…’

Jang Hwa-yeong abandoned that thought. Just then, Ju-seong turned to her.

“I’ll only take this much, so let the rest of the courtesans divide the remaining treasures among themselves.”

The Palace of Pleasure was a martial sect as well as Jiangxi’s largest pleasure house. Naturally, an enormous amount of wealth had been accumulated.

The treasures the courtesans had brought out were only the gold and jewels; if silver, coins, and various collectibles were included, the value would skyrocket.

Even seeing the gold piled up to his waist, Ju-seong only took a chest small enough to tuck under his arm and yielded the rest.

Moved by his generosity, Jang Hwa-yeong changed her mind.

‘He is the greatest beauty of all time, making Song Yu and Pan Yue look like fireflies before a full moon!’

Ju-seong asked the remaining courtesans.

“What will you all do now?”

Senior Courtesan Jang Hwa-yeong clasped her hands respectfully and replied.

“If you wish, sir, we shall serve you. During the day… and during the night as well.”

Ju-seong glanced over the courtesans, all of whom were stunning beauties, then unhesitatingly slapped his own cheek with a palm imbued with Samadhi True Fire.

Then he wailed toward the sky.

“I am sorry for wavering for a moment, Young Lady Wol-hyang!!”

At Ju-seong’s bizarre behavior, the courtesans’ faces turned pale.

‘Oh no, he must be a madman…’

‘Shh, be quiet…’

Ju-seong composed himself and said.

“Ahem, cough. There’s no need for that. I prefer being alone. The Orthodox-Demonic War is in full swing, so even if you all flee somewhere, the Jiangxi jianghu folk won’t have time to care.”

In fact, these women, who were low-tier forces even within the Palace of Pleasure, would only be a burden to Ju-seong.

It would be different if he used them as disposable pawns, but given Ju-seong’s character, treating people that way was absolutely impossible.

At Ju-seong’s words, Jang Hwa-yeong bowed her head.

“You must be a chivalrous hero of the Orthodox path. During this war, we will never stand on the side of the Evil path.”

Ju-seong nodded.

“You’d better. If I see you on the battlefield again, you’re all scheduled for slaughter.”

“Yes, yes…”

Ju-seong stared at them for a moment, then added.

“If you have nowhere to go, go to the Green Forest King in Guangxi and seek refuge… no, wait. The Green Forest is full of nothing but rough men; who knows what would happen.”

He pondered for a moment and corrected himself.

“Go to Guizhou Province. Seek refuge with the Crimson Spider Sect. If you give them my name, the Sect Master will take you in. By classification they are an Evil sect, but they know their principles and uphold human ethics.”

“We will keep that in mind.”

“If they don’t take you there, go to Yunnan. There’s a famous quack Taoist on Diancang Mountain called Immortal April. If you give him my name, he’ll provide a place to live.”

“Understood.”

Even as she answered, Jang Hwa-yeong was inwardly shocked. The Green Forest King, the Crimson Spider Sect Master, and even the now-famous Immortal April of Diancang Mountain.

It seemed he knew every single remarkable figure in jianghu.

Regardless of Hwa-yeong’s surprise, Ju-seong licked his index finger and held it up to gauge the wind direction.

“Ah, my finger is salty; the seasoning is good. Let’s see… a southeast wind is blowing.”

He ordered the courtesans to gather dry hay in the northwest area of the Palace of Pleasure.

Then, taking handfuls of hay, he ignited them with Samadhi True Fire and threw them repeatedly toward the northwest.

After an hour of this…

-WHOOSH, RUMBLE…!

Aided by the southeast wind, the flames spread madly, completely breaking the illusory formations located in the Palace’s northwest.

“Now, you should be able to leave.”

“Thank you, sir!”

The courtesans each carried a small bundle of their shared treasures.

They weren’t worried about meeting bandits on the road. After all, they were martial artists of the Palace of Pleasure, which held a seat among the Twelve Evil Sects.

“Take care. Live well…”

Ju-seong waved his hand dismissively at those expressing their gratitude and set off in the opposite direction.

They went south, Ju-seong went north.

Suddenly realizing she didn’t even know her benefactor’s name, Jang Hwa-yeong shouted at Ju-seong’s back.

“Sir, what is your esteemed name?!”

The hero’s voice carried back on the wind.

“I am Tang Ju-seong of the Sichuan Tang Clan. But actually, the Sichuan Tang Clan doesn’t exist yet…”

His final greeting was as bizarre as ever, but Hwa-yeong engraved his name in her heart regardless.

“Tang Ju-seong…”

* * *

Disguise Arts. And Bone-Contracting Arts.

Methods claiming to be these two were common in jianghu, but as always, the “real” ones were rare.

Bone-Contracting Arts was a type of immortal technique devised and spread by ancient Taoists called immortals, who enjoyed doing strange things.

The technique of folding bones to reduce body size.

It seemed like a petty thief’s method, but deep enlightenment regarding the musculoskeletal system was melted within it.

In the case of Disguise Arts, it was a technique for changing appearance by using internal energy to distort the face… an inherently dangerous and rare method.

Thus, it was an item one shouldn’t be caught possessing.

You’d either be attacked by those who coveted it, or by those who feared it.

“If this is released in jianghu, it’ll be a total…”

Ju-seong muttered, wetting his finger to turn the pages.

In jianghu, it wasn’t only supreme divine arts that were treated as treasures.

Miscellaneous arts like bedroom arts, disguise arts, bone-contracting arts, and eye arts were also things those with a need for them would search for with eyes ablaze.

Of course, Ju-seong had no intention of selling these.

“Originally, I planned to hide and move quietly until reaching the Martial Alliance’s territory… but with this, there’s no need for that. You bastards, consider yourselves dead.”

A fierce smile was directed toward the north of Jiangxi.

Toward the place where the front line between the Martial Alliance and the evil path was boiling with heat.

“Your backs are going to sting a bit.”

* * *

The Sixth Combat Squad of the Ninth Command in the South Zhili-Jiangxi front line.

This was the designation of the unit led by Cho Yu-gyeong.

This cold and poisonous sea-man from Hainan Island was personally experiencing the massive tide of the Orthodox-Demonic War under the Martial Alliance.

‘…If only I can survive until this war concludes, I will surely make a name for myself in jianghu.’

And with good reason… he had recently succeeded in completely dominating the northern region of Jiujiang Prefecture in Jiangxi.

Of course, there were ten combat squads assigned to Jiujiang, and Cho Yu-gyeong only led the Sixth, but no one could deny that his contribution was the greatest.

In fact, when the Orthodox-Demonic War began, he had been subtly ignored by other squad leaders, but after showing overwhelming skill, their attitude had completely reversed.

“…Now, if we swallow all of Jiujiang, we will have a bridgehead to advance into Jiangxi from Jingzhou and South Zhili.”

Cho Yu-gyeong murmured while pointing at a map.

The largest force in Jiujiang was the Jarim Gang, located at Jarim Lake in the south of the prefecture.

Originally, the character ‘Jarim’ (柘) referred to the mountain mulberry tree.

Perhaps the energy of the earth was particularly dense near this lake, as the mulberries growing here were famous for being extraordinarily effective at tonifying a man’s essence.

So, about ten years ago, a martial group had monopolized the mountain mulberry forests near Jarim Lake and grew their power… that was the beginning of the Jarim Gang.

“Simply put, they’re low-class medicine peddlers. However, we must keep their money-based tactics in mind.”

If one has enough money, nothing is impossible.

They could buy countless ronin to employ human wave tactics. Or they could bribe officials to secretly bring in war weapons like spears, shields, and bows.

Cho Yu-gyeong turned his head.

He saw grim men taking naps in the shade of trees.

Clothing with branches and leaves attached for stealth, hair unwashed for days, and faces caked with grime.

Cho Yu-gyeong spoke in a low voice.

“Wake up.”

The subordinates of the Sixth Combat Squad, who had now reached the level where they could understand his intent just by exchanging glances.

As Cho Yu-gyeong’s order fell, fifteen taciturn men clumsily rose to their feet.

“Among the Jarim Gang’s outposts, there is one bandit stronghold. Our Sixth Combat Squad will handle that location.”

No answer came. Cho Yu-gyeong’s unit was quiet and gloomy.

Perhaps it was because Cho Yu-gyeong himself had hand-picked those whose temperaments resembled his own.

Cho Yu-gyeong was naturally gifted at inciting people, as he had shown at the Ascending Dragon Assembly, but beneath the surface, he was a melancholy man who preferred solitude.

* * *

“…The situation is turning foul.”

Cho Yu-gyeong murmured quietly.

“Hahaha! Why do the young talents of the Martial Alliance so ruthlessly thrust their muddy feet into another’s home! Today, I shall bestow a lesson upon those who have abandoned etiquette!”

An old man with a long beard let out a great laugh toward the heavens.

In his hand, he held the corpse of a Sixth Combat Squad member who had already become a wandering soul.

“It’s Taoist Xiangyun.”

Cho Yu-gyeong said while drawing his sword. He felt they were already doomed, but he couldn’t just flee pathetically.

Xiangyun’s disciples were already slowly closing the distance, surrounding them.

When Cho Yu-gyeong and the Sixth Combat Squad had raided the stronghold and were clearing out the bandits within, these people had appeared.

“Hoho, how shy of the young friend to know this old Taoist’s name.”

“Extortion, rape, arson, threatening officials, and murder. The Martial Alliance has compiled dozens of your crimes, yet you dare claim the title of Taoist. You truly are a ridiculous son of a bitch.”

Cho Yu-gyeong’s tongue was sharp. Taoist Xiangyun narrowed his eyes and flung the corpse of the squad member aside.

-BOOM!

The body hit the stronghold’s wooden fence and burst into pieces.

One corner of Cho Yu-gyeong’s eye twitched slightly. He deliberately avoided looking at where his subordinate had been shattered and took his starting stance.

A fierce and dynamic aura, containing the waves of the Nanhai. Simultaneously, the Sixth Combat Squad members formed a formation to pressure Taoist Xiangyun.

However…

-BOOM!

Taoist Xiangyun was a leader of the Jiangxi evil path.

Since he only raised about fifteen disciples, his force was ranked lower than the Palace of Pleasure. Because he knew no secret arts, he might even lose to the Palace Master of Pleasure in a fight.

But in terms of pure individual martial prowess, he was one of only two super-peak masters in Jiangxi Province and its undisputed strongest.

As he fiercely flicked his fly-whisk, dozens of fine bundles of qi exploded outward.

“UGH!”

The elite warriors of the Sixth Combat Squad were pushed back with internal and external injuries.

-WHOOSH!

Taoist Xiangyun elegantly flicked his robes and struck with his white-hilted sword, a yellow-white Sword Aura slicing through the air.

-CLANG!

Cho Yu-gyeong, standing at the edge of the peak-level, barely deflected the attack by slanting his blade.

But he couldn’t prevent his hand from tearing and his elbow from jarring at that single strike.

In an instant, his heart sank.

‘Is this the end?’

No, it couldn’t be. He had survived the hell of Hainan Island, crawled up desperately at the Ascending Dragon Assembly, and fought like a Yaksha as a member of the Martial Alliance.

To make a name for himself and become a hero. To not be pointlessly forgotten like the countless boys and girls who had died on Hainan Island.

‘I will definitely survive!’

Filled with spite, Cho Yu-gyeong condensed the qi on his sword.

The method he had used once during the Ascending Dragon Assembly and been scolded for by the Martial Alliance Leader… and by that guy.

Fake Sword Aura.

“…Come.”

As he held his sword wrapped in refined, deep blue energy, Taoist Xiangyun raised an eyebrow with interest.

“Oho… Though a shortcut, it’s an excellent method. I’d better crush the sprout before it becomes a problem.”

Just as the clash was about to begin again…

“Excellent my ass. Hey, you treacherous Cho bastard. Didn’t I tell you not to use that?”

At the swaggering voice, Cho Yu-gyeong’s eyes flew wide.

A familiar voice. But there was no reason for that guy to suddenly be here.

Ju-seong pushed aside the body of one of Taoist Xiangyun’s disciples whom he’d killed without anyone noticing.

“GACK…”

As the paralyzed body fell aside, the figure of the man hidden behind it was finally revealed.

Cho Yu-gyeong tilted his head for a moment.

“The voice was definitely his, but…?”

A small, ugly, and misshapen man was standing there.

The ugly man’s lips curled up, and he began to change his appearance.

-CRACK, CRACK-CRACK…!

His face distorted, and his folded shoulders straightened with a cracking sound. And through it all, his mouth remained alive and well, babbling away.

“Haven’t you heard that some freak has been tearing through the Jiangxi evil path everywhere lately?”

“…”

Cho Yu-gyeong and Taoist Xiangyun fell silent together. Certainly, rumors had been circulating for the past few months about someone… whether a madman or a freak… rampaging through the Jiangxi jianghu.

Speculation was rife that they were demons from Gansu, or a group of remnants who had secretly moved north from the front between the Green Forest and the Guangdong evil path.

Having returned to his original handsome form, Ju-seong’s lips curled up further.

“That’s all me.”