.jpeg){kind=tracking}
Chapter 44: Mandarins and Lemons
As expected from someone nicknamed the Immortal Sword Demon, Shim Yanggak had a sharp tongue. However, this only applied when dealing with masters. With those less skilled, he was as ruthless as the King of Hell.
It was hard to imagine Shim Yanggak following the orders of that man.
‘Could it really be Bang Tong?’
Lee Sanmung watched the old man called Bang Tong with doubtful eyes.
At one moment, his eyes suddenly sparkled.
Seeing the red sheath of the saber at Bang Tong’s waist, a memory from the past crossed his mind.
Five years ago.
While on a mission in Fuyang, Go Cheok and he had witnessed Shim Yanggak killing someone in a brothel. Shim Yanggak decapitated a warrior just because their gazes crossed.
There was no time to stop him; his attack was as quick as lightning.
They tried to catch him, but he escaped through a window after a brief confrontation.
While escaping, he used that same red sheath to block an attack.
Seeing the mark on the red sheath, the memory of the event resurfaced clearly in his mind.
Unlike other members of the Wind and Cloud Brigade, Lee Sanmung had crossed swords with Shim Yanggak once, so he was certain. That old man was not Bang Tong but Shim Yanggak, the Immortal Sword Demon.
Lee Sanmung grasped the hilt of his sword and shouted:
"Shim Yanggak, the Immortal Sword Demon! Today, you won’t escape."
In that tense moment.
Shim Yanggak held his breath and stared fixedly at Lee Sanmung.
The members of the Wind and Cloud Brigade blocked the entrance to the restaurant.
Despite the commotion, Go Cheok, the Righteous Heaven Swordsman, did not rise from his seat.
Go Cheok was a disciple of the Uicheon Sect, known for his swordsmanship. Although most disciples of the Uicheon Sect held governmental or military positions, Go Cheok was an exception and operated in the Murim world.
The Geomjon Uicheon had founded the Uicheon Sect after leaving the Shaolin Monastery and joining the Zhenyi Sect. Mastering both Buddhist and Taoist martial arts, he developed new techniques like the Hyeoncheon Palgeuk Shingong and the Palgeuk Shingong.
At that moment, Go Cheok was discreetly elevating his internal energy to protect himself from the oppressive aura he felt.
The Wind and Cloud Brigade was the armed branch of the Justice Alliance, and the leader’s orders were absolute. While they could defend themselves freely, the initial attack required the leader’s authorization.
Lee Sanmung awaited Go Cheok’s approval before crossing the final line.
The other members also looked expectantly at Go Cheok, waiting for his signal.
But Go Cheok said nothing.
He felt an overwhelming pressure, and his gaze scanned Shim Yanggak’s companions, desperately searching for the source of the oppressive energy surrounding him.
The oppressive aura, or malicious energy, was not something any master could wield. It was a sign that the user had reached the level of killing intent.
Only the great masters of Murim could achieve such a feat.
Go Cheok resisted with his internal energy while trying to discern if his attacker intended to kill him or just warn him.
Meanwhile, Yeon Jeokha was quite satisfied.
He had used a technique he learned from the Heaven Destroyer Demon Lord at the Nokrim Meeting, and it seemed to work well.
It was similar to imagining a scene in his mind, only this time he was projecting a strong intent of pressure towards his opponent.
‘Oh! This could be useful.’
He could use it to avoid unnecessary fights or to intimidate someone secretly.
As Yeon Jeokha and Go Cheok stared at each other, Go Cheok realized that the young man in front of him was the one emitting the oppressive energy.
Although it was hard to believe, it was always said to be cautious of children, women, and the elderly.
Upon confirming the source, Go Cheok felt relieved.
It seemed the young man had no intention of killing him, only a warning.
Go Cheok looked at the young man with a pleading expression.
‘Please, stop. I beg you.’
It seemed his wish was granted, as the oppressive energy suddenly vanished.
‘Phew! I’m safe.’
As Go Cheok caught his breath, Yeon Jeokha spoke.
"Sir, I think there is a misunderstanding. This man is Bang Tong. Understood?"
At Yeon Jeokha’s unexpected words, Lee Sanmung shouted angrily.
"What misunderstanding?! That old man is Shim Yanggak, the Immortal Sword Demon. Five years ago…”
Lee Sanmung couldn’t finish his sentence.
Go Cheok interrupted him with a grave voice.
"Lee Sanmung, stop and come back here. That old man is not Shim Yanggak."
"But master! I’m sure. I saw the mark on the sheath. Five years ago, I attacked him and…”
"Enough! Return to your place. All of you, return to your seats."
Following Go Cheok’s orders, the members of the Wind and Cloud Brigade began to move.
Reluctantly, Lee Sanmung returned to his seat, insisting.
"Master, he is Shim Yanggak. I’m sure. I saw the mark on the sheath."
"When you plant a mandarin south of the Huai River, it becomes a mandarin. When you plant it north, it becomes a lemon."
"What?"
Lee Muryang didn’t understand what Go Cheok meant.
"Mandarins and lemons may look similar, but their taste and aroma are completely different. Shim Yanggak and Bang Tong are different people. Don’t speak of the matter anymore."
"......"
Lee Sanmung just blinked, confused.
So, were they different people or not?
Go Cheok wrote with tea on the table in front of Lee Sanmung.
‘Shut up.’
Finally, Lee Sanmung understood that Go Cheok was pretending not to know for some reason.
He wasn’t so foolish as not to catch the hint and nodded silently.
The Ten Heroes of the Five Peaks Mountain finished eating and stood up.
Go Cheok didn’t pay attention to them until all eleven men and women completely disappeared from the restaurant. He seemed to avoid looking at them for fear of provoking a conflict.
A moment later, Go Cheok asked as if nothing had happened:
"Have they gone?"
"Yes."
Finally, Go Cheok exhaled a sigh of relief.
"They have gone. Thank goodness. Did you say they were from the Ascending Dragon Clan?"
"Yes. But what happened?"
"It’s strange. The people from the Ascending Dragon Clan didn’t seem to be from the Evil Faction."
Lee Sanmung nodded.
Definitely, the auras of the others were clear and pure.
"Shim Yanggak might be hiding his past and traveling with them."
"Hum!"
Go Cheok didn’t understand the relationship between Shim Yanggak and the members of the Ascending Dragon Clan. It didn’t seem logical for a great master to be led by Shim Yanggak. What was their relationship?
"But master, why did you let Shim Yanggak go?"
"One of them was pressing me with a killing intent technique."
Lee Sanmung’s eyes widened in astonishment at this.
As a Murim warrior, he knew what that technique meant.
"Wow! It’s incredible that someone like that is in the Ascending Dragon Clan."
"Have you ever heard of that clan?"
"Today is the first time."
"Exactly, a clan with such a master and I’ve never heard of them. I don’t know what to make of this."
The Wind and Cloud Brigade had been sent to mediate the conflict between the Heavenly Path Clan and the Ascension Clan. From the Justice Alliance’s perspective, the emergence of such a formidable clan was unsettling. It was a clan over which the Justice Alliance had no influence.
"I don’t want to get entangled with such a clan. Never."
"If I had known earlier, I wouldn’t have gotten involved either."
Lee Sanmung shuddered slightly.
The thought of facing a master with such a killing intent while trying to capture Shim Yanggak was terrifying.
-----------------
Hefei (Habbi).
When Namgung Yeon, the Heart-Reading Solitary Flower, pointed to Hwang Yeomdong of the Heavenly Path Clan as the culprit, Hwang Yeomdong didn’t deny it. He even firmly claimed it was a legitimate death in a duel.
The Ascension Clan was in an uproar.
Although both were righteous clans, the Heavenly Path Clan and the Ascension Clan had always competed secretly. This incident couldn’t be resolved with mere words.
The Heavenly Path Clan tried to quickly define the incident as a duel to calm the situation. Objectively, it was the right thing to do.
However, the Ascension Clan demanded compensation for the victim’s family. As the Heavenly Path Clan insisted it was a duel, the Ascension Clan pressed for compensation.
But in Murim, families were not compensated for deaths in duels. If that were the case, Murim warriors would never engage in duels for fear of repercussions.
The Heavenly Path Clan rejected the demand as absurd, and the Ascension Clan gathered its disciples. Soon, rumors spread that the Ascension Clan would attack the Heavenly Path Clan.
At that moment, the Wind and Cloud Brigade of the Justice Alliance arrived in Hefei.
The next day, the tension between the Heavenly Path Clan and the Ascension Clan suddenly subsided.
Thanks to the mediation of the Wind and Cloud Brigade, the Heavenly Path Clan paid a hundred taels of silver to the family of Eumcho of the Ascension Clan.
Although it wasn’t a simple case, the Heavenly Path Clan conceded.
It wasn’t made public, but the rumor that the Ascending Dragon Clan supported the Ascension Clan had caused a great impact. While guards usually exaggerated, no one would ignore a story backed by the Wind and Cloud Brigade.
The conflict between the Heavenly Path Clan and the Ascension Clan, which had shaken Hefei, ended before it began.
Despite the successful mediation, the "payment by the Heavenly Path Clan" became a topic of discussion within the Justice Alliance. Despite the successful mediation, internally it was considered a bad precedent to compensate the defeated in a duel. From the powerful Uicheon Sect’s perspective, compensating the loser was an uncomfortable outcome.
--------------
Henan Province.
Zhugou.
Eleven men and women walked along the official road, facing the early winter wind. They were the Ten Heroes of the Five Peaks Mountain. Since arriving in Henan Province, they seemed subdued. The thought that their journey was coming to an end made them feel this way.
Looking at a sign on the road, Jang Sobong, the sixth, murmured.
“Wow! We’re almost in Zhugou. In ten days, we’ll reach Five Peaks Mountain.”
“Already?”
Ha Sobaek, the youngest, couldn’t hide her sadness.
She had been enjoying her role as a heroine in the Murim world, and now it seemed that would end.
Han Chaeyeon smiled and nudged her ribs.
“Why? Do you want to keep wandering?”
“Wouldn’t you?”
“It’s not that I don’t like it. But how can one wander forever? Eventually, one must return home.”
The mention of “home” made Ha Sobaek smile bitterly.
For her, the camp on the mountain wasn’t a home. It was just a place where she stayed because she had nowhere else to go. Lately, that feeling had intensified.
“Are you going to keep living in the camp?”
“What about you? Do you have somewhere else to go?”
“No, but now I feel like I could live anywhere. I’ve learned martial arts and spent more than three months living outdoors, so I’m no longer afraid. Don’t you feel the same?”
“In a way, yes.”
Han Chaeyeon nodded vigorously.
Certainly, lately she felt she could do anything. Reflecting on it, she realized it was thanks to the martial arts and hardships she had overcome.
Yeon Jeokha, who had been listening silently, intervened.
“If there’s something you want to do, do it. Whatever it is, it’s better than stealing.”