.jpeg){kind=tracking}
Chapter 123: Is Aging a Noble Title?
Baek Jeolgeom, Lee Shinwoong, abruptly stood up and shouted, but then he suddenly stopped.
The reaction from the customers in the dining hall was completely indifferent.
The three men and women at the table across from him glanced at him briefly and then continued their conversation with a smile.
The two men and women at the adjacent table didn’t even bother to look up.
It felt as though he was shouting alone in a world of the deaf.
The elders and the young man, who were directly involved, were even more indifferent.
They acted as if the situation had nothing to do with them and didn’t even spare it a glance.
There were a few customers in the distance, but the atmosphere in the dining hall was so calm that they were solely focused on their meals.
Lee Shinwoong suddenly felt like a fool.
It seemed he had overreacted to the words “human butcher.”
A thought crossed his mind that “maybe they were really discussing martial arts.”
But he couldn’t just sit back down in this situation. That would be truly foolish.
Lee Shinwoong walked resolutely towards the table of the elders and the young man.
“I’ve heard you keep calling the sword heroes 'human butchers'...”
At that moment, Yeon Jeokha interrupted him.
“You’ve been talking about something that doesn’t concern you for a while now. Why are you so nervous? Are you a great hero? A Swordmaster?”
“What, what?”
Lee Shinwoong was surprised by the young man’s blunt words.
In Shandong, everyone knew Baek Jeolgeom. Yet, this young man spoke as if he were neither a great hero nor a Swordmaster.
Though he was furious, Lee Shinwoong couldn’t respond. Who in their right mind would claim to be a great hero or a Swordmaster?
Thinking that arguing with a young man would only result in a loss, Lee Shinwoong turned his attention to the elder.
“Hey, who are you to call the sword heroes 'human butchers'? You carry a sword, so I assume you’re a martial artist. What’s your famous title?”
Shim Tong, the Old Dao of Nine Heavens, murmured with a bored expression.
“You’re an old man with no manners. You should introduce yourself first.”
Lee Shinwoong’s eyes sharpened, but he couldn’t contradict the elder.
Holding back his anger, he responded.
“I am Baekjeolgeom Lee Shinwoong of the Baekgeom Sect. And what is your honorable name?”
“You don’t need to know.”
“Grr! Are you mocking me?”
Lee Shinwoong’s fury echoed through the dining hall.
Some of the customers in the corner stood up, startled, unsure whether to leave or stay.
As the tension mounted, Baekhwageom So Mujin quickly stood up and approached Lee Shinwoong.
“Disciple, please calm down for a moment.”
So Mujin lightly pressed Lee Shinwoong’s shoulder, calming him, and then addressed the elder.
“Respected elder, I am Baekhwageom So Mujin of the Baekgeom Sect. If you have no intention of fighting, you shouldn’t provoke us like this.”
“Hmph! It was that guy who provoked, not me. He should consider himself lucky not to have been hurt for messing with the young master and me. How dare a ‘sword butcher’?”
Shim Tong had heard the nickname Baekjeolgeom long ago. He was known to be an impulsive master, even in Henan Province.
“Baekjeolgeom” was a nickname given by the orthodox faction, meaning he had killed many masters of the evil faction. Therefore, the evil faction called him a “sword butcher.”
Upon hearing “sword butcher,” the faces of So Mujin and Lee Shinwoong hardened.
Especially So Mujin, who carefully inspected the swords of the elder and the young man.
Only those of the evil faction referred to Baekjeolgeom as a “sword butcher.” Perhaps, as Lee Shinwoong suspected, they were connected to the bandits of Five Peaks Mountain.
When So Mujin reached for the hilt of his sword, Seol Chasu, unable to bear it any longer, stood up and bowed to So Mujin and Lee Shinwoong.
“Greetings, respected elders. I am Seolchasu of the Zhengzhou branch of the Justice Alliance.”
So Mujin paused, looking at Seol Chasu with confusion.
He didn’t understand why the Justice Alliance was suddenly being mentioned.
“My two companions are also from the Zhengzhou branch of the Justice Alliance.”
“Ah, I see. Nice to meet you. But what’s going on here?”
“We are on a mission under the supervision of these two. Could you let it pass for now?”
“How can I know you really belong to the Justice Alliance?”
Lee Shinwoong interjected.
“The Justice Alliance doesn’t cooperate with the evil faction. Who are you to make such a claim?”
“We’re not claiming anything. We really are acting under orders from the Leader...”
But Lee Shinwoong wasn’t willing to listen.
“Hmph! Now they even mention the Leader. The Leader would never collaborate with the evil faction! Even if he did, he wouldn’t send young people like you. Who are you really?”
Faced with Lee Shinwoong’s continued questioning, Seol Chasu could only blink.
First, he said the Justice Alliance wouldn’t work with the evil faction, and now he didn’t believe them because of their youth.
Yeon Jeokha, who had been silently watching, spoke to Shim Tong.
“This is a mess. Is age a noble title? Don’t become like that when you grow old, okay? Although you’re already old.”
“Jejeje, of course. Only the incompetent rely on their age.”
The sarcastic remarks from the two finally caused So Mujin to lose his composure.
“What? Incompetent? Do you really want to die?”
When he showed his intent to fight, his disciples Ju Yunseong and Won Jacheong rushed over.
At that moment, Namgung Cheon slowly stood up.
“Elders So and Lee, please calm down.”
With someone else intervening, So Mujin calmed down a bit.
He realized they were outnumbered and decided to ensure who was on his side.
“And who are you?”
So Mujin felt a slight apprehension upon seeing that the man appeared to be in his thirties and exuded an unusual energy.
“I am Namgung Cheon of the Namgung Family.”
Hearing the name, the expressions of So Mujin and Lee Shinwoong brightened.
The Namgung Family was a prestigious family of the orthodox faction, and they thought he might help them.
But their hopes were dashed by Namgung Cheon’s next words.
“The young Seol Chasu and his companions really belong to the Justice Alliance. And it’s true they are on a special mission under orders from the Leader. I can vouch for them. In fact, we are part of the same group.”
So Mujin carefully inspected Namgung Cheon.
The light in his eyes and his demeanor were not ordinary. He didn’t seem like someone inferior.
‘This isn’t good. This isn’t good at all.’
He quickly counted in his head. Two from the evil faction and five from the orthodox faction, a total of seven.
Though he was furious, So Mujin held back.
The real enemy was the bandits of Five Peaks Mountain.
If they got injured here, they wouldn’t be able to complete their mission.
“Jeje. If the Namgung Family vouches for you, then I’ll trust you. I wish you success in your mission.”
So Mujin even offered kind words and turned around.
Lee Shinwoong, still fuming with anger, also restrained himself as he assessed the situation.
As the four of them returned to their seats, Yeon Jeokha murmured loudly.
“First, they don’t believe them because they’re young, but they trust Namgung Cheon just because of his surname. They have no criteria, it’s all their way.”
“Jejeje, young master, let it go. The weak always have to tread carefully.”
Though So Mujin clenched his fists, he didn’t turn back.
He grabbed Lee Shinwoong, and they returned to their seats.
They thought they wouldn’t see them again.
-----------------
The sound of hooves echoed on the main road.
So Mujin and his group were riding toward the village of Hahyeopjeomchon.
Lee Shinwoong, slightly behind, sped up his horse to catch up to So Mujin.
So Mujin slightly slowed down to listen to his companion.
“Master, the carriage is still following us. We don’t know who they are or their intentions.”
So Mujin looked back with a somber expression.
Since leaving the inn in Ziyoujin, a carriage had been following them closely.
“Maybe they’re just heading in the same direction.”
So Mujin hoped that was the case.
If they were related to the bandits of Five Peaks Mountain, it would be a problem.
“And if they’re not?”
“I don’t know...”
So Mujin shrugged.
At that moment, he didn’t have a clear solution.
“Oh! Master, look at the smoke! There’s smoke rising! Something must have happened in the village.”
At Lee Shinwoong’s words, So Mujin directed his gaze forward.
Until recently, everything was calm, but now black smoke was rising.
“It seems the bandits are raiding the village again. Let’s hurry!”
So Mujin frowned as he advanced.
He thought the situation wasn’t that serious, but the sight of the smoke gave him a bad feeling.
Common bandits don’t usually set fires so brazenly.
Lee Shinwoong, following his master, looked back with concern.
He didn’t feel good about riding towards the bandits with unknowns behind them.
‘I hope there are no problems.’
Hahyeopjeomchon.
In the center of the village, the bloodthirsty butcher Gok Ilgi was standing, observing.
In front of him, the Red Demon Jang Ye was dragging the village chief.
“Please, spare me!”
Jang Ye smiled as he responded.
“Old man, who said we were going to kill you? Just answer our questions.”
“Yes, yes. Just ask.”
The village chief lowered his head before the man with the massive axe.
“Someone told me they saw a round stone with eight figures engraved on it in this place. Do you have it?”
The village chief frowned, not understanding.
Gok Ilgi nodded.
Suddenly, Jang Ye dragged another villager and beheaded him in front of the village chief.
“Oh no! Why are you doing this?”
Gok Ilgi asked again.
“Every time you don’t answer correctly, I’ll kill one person. Now tell me, where is the stone with eight figures engraved on it?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about... Oh!”
The village chief’s eyes widened as he remembered seeing something similar in the shrine of the local deity, on the outskirts of the village.
-
(Up to '50' more ch4pt3rs)
Publication of up to 5 weekly ch4pters, thanks.
---