My Banquet Begins (2)
When I returned home, the place was in complete chaos.
Word had spread about my fight with Song Hwarin. Even Song Wookyung was at our house.
“You fool! There’s no one more pathetic in this world!”
My mother rushed over and smacked me hard on the back of my head. My father tried to calm her down.
“Dear, please, calm yourself!”
It reminded me of the day I woke up in the body of Byeokridan. I had been beaten by my mother then too.
Ah, the pitiful life of a man who gets beaten by women, whether he’s the one hitting or getting hit.
“Why on earth did you do such a thing?”
My mother was truly furious. She had always hoped for things to go well with Song Hwarin, so hearing that I had knocked her down was beyond shocking.
My father and Song Wookyung probably felt the same, even if they didn’t show it.
Of course, the person most upset was undoubtedly Song Wookyung.
“I’m sorry.”
I thought it was for the best. It might finally make my parents and Song Wookyung give up on the idea of our marriage.
Especially my father, who looked at me with disbelief. When I comforted him over the Ma Jeongsu incident and shared drinks, I was nothing like this.
Song Wookyung approached me. It was a situation where a punch wouldn’t have been surprising. I was ready to take it if it came.
But instead of throwing a punch, he asked calmly.
“Why did you do it?”
“I wanted to have a proper duel with Rini. She’s strong, so I had to give it my all, and things ended up like this.”
“Is that really all there was to it?”
He was probably asking if it was revenge for the last incident. I had told Suran, Song Hwarin’s guard, that it was revenge, hoping it would reach Ma Jeongsu’s ears, but I couldn’t say that to Song Wookyung.
“Yes, that’s all.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Song Wookyung studied me for a moment, then broke into laughter.
“Hahaha! Our son-in-law, turns out you’re quite strong.”
I was taken aback by his unexpected words.
He turned to my father and said, “As you know, our daughter’s martial skills are not insignificant. But to defeat Rini so decisively, that’s quite an achievement, isn’t it?”
Goodness! I never expected to be praised.
My father shook his head and said, “Still, hurting Hwarin was clearly wrong.”
“In duels, injuries happen sometimes.”
“That’s why he should have been more careful. He deserves to be punished.”
Song Wookyung nodded in agreement. “Indeed, he should be punished. Leave it to me.”
He looked back at me.
“Are you ready to accept your punishment?”
“Of course.”
“Good. Once Rini recovers, you’ll meet her often. That’s your punishment. Understood?”
In the current atmosphere, I couldn’t possibly say no.
“I’ll do my best.”
My response was closer to ‘it’s going to be tough,’ but Song Wookyung accepted it with a smile.
“That’s settled then.”
He turned to my father with a cheerful tone. “How about a drink? It’s been a while.”
My mother, who had been watching anxiously, looked relieved.
“I’ll show off my cooking skills for the first time in a while. It’s been ages since you tasted my food, hasn’t it?”
Song Wookyung exchanged a slightly awkward glance with my father. It was a silent plea for help. My mother’s cooking was, to put it kindly, not her strong suit. ‘Not great’ was a generous assessment; in truth, it was the worst.
My father looked between them and then turned his head towards the window, unable to say anything. His tongue was no different from anyone else’s; it was only his deep affection for my mother that kept him silent.
Song Wookyung said to my mother, “There’s no need to trouble yourself.”
“Your expression looks like you’re being forced to eat poison.”
“Haha, that’s not true. It’s a misunderstanding.”
As Song Wookyung flustered, my mother laughed and said, “I’m just joking. I’m well aware of my cooking skills. The only time my cooking is needed is when I want to serve a feast to my enemies.”
“It’s not that bad.”
Realizing his slip, Song Wookyung regretted his words. They implied her cooking was indeed terrible.
My mother smiled and said, “You took the bait too easily, it wasn’t fun.”
Song Wookyung laughed heartily, albeit a bit late.
“Hahaha. I’ve always been a boring fish, haven’t I?”
After a round of lively banter, the parents left the room.
I doubt Song Wookyung was truly laughing inside. What father could be happy when his daughter was injured and bedridden?
But since the incident had already happened, he was likely trying to keep things pleasant, considering his friendship with my parents.
At least it seemed certain that this incident wouldn’t disrupt their friendship.
The next morning at dawn, I sat in a cave deep in the mountains where I had once unblocked my meridians. The cave was so secluded that I often came here when something important was at hand.
I had learned two crucial things at the recent banquet.
First, someone was targeting Song Hwarin. Second, Ma Bonggi was behind it. In other words, Ma Bonggi, or Cheondo Moon, was starting to expand their influence in the martial world.
Could they have only come to Shandong? I didn’t think so. I was sure his kin were spreading similar schemes across the land.
Even in a situation where I might have been poisoned, I didn’t let revenge consume me. Partly because I hadn’t fully recovered my martial arts, but mostly because I felt I had lived enough and wanted to start anew. I was willing to let most things go…
But not this.
This was the martial world I had protected, losing sleep over it.
I had worked hard to prevent those with money and power from bullying and trampling the weak.
And now, these wretched fools were causing trouble before the scent of my death had even faded?
Sighing wouldn’t solve anything. I needed to regain my strength and set things right. These bastards would pay.
Calming my boiling anger, I looked down at the pouch before me.
It was what I had taken from Ma Jeongsu’s vault, the first spoils of this battle. I didn’t even know what I had grabbed. That made my heart race even more than when I had the Millennium Pyangcho in front of me.
Carefully, I opened the pouch.
The first thing I pulled out was the Cheonjo Sword.
Chaaang.
How long had it been since I last held the Cheonjo Sword?
In truth, the Cheonjo Sword wasn’t my preferred weapon. It was a treasured sword passed down from the previous leader, and I had used it for a time. It had been stored in the martial alliance’s treasury, and now it was in my hands.
Holding the Cheonjo Sword brought back memories.
A treasured sword has its own power. Just wielding this Cheonjo Sword would make me thirty percent stronger than with my current sword.
But I couldn’t use the Cheonjo Sword as it was, with so many who would recognize it.
I had three options.
Bury it here in the cave, sell it on the black market, or modify it so it wouldn’t be recognized.
Selling it on the black market was the first option I dismissed.
Though I needed money, selling the Cheonjo Sword was too risky.
Its value as the sword of a former leader made it hard to price, and even the black market, which prioritized customer safety and secrecy, might take an interest in me if it was the Cheonjo Sword.
Buying elixirs with a few ten thousand nyang was a different matter entirely.
I wasn’t worried about Ma Jeongsu searching the black market. The organization was too large to be swayed by ordinary pressure.
Overturning the black market would require action at the level of the martial alliance. And I would be wearing a disguise, so there was no fear of being tracked.
That left two choices.
Hide it or modify it?
In the end, I decided to modify it.
If it had been my unique weapon, the Sura Myungwang Sword, I would have hidden it in a safe place. I wouldn’t have dared to tamper with it. I would have wielded it once I fully regained my martial arts.
But the Cheonjo Sword wasn’t as precious to me. It was enough if it served my current needs.
In my current state, lacking inner strength, the Cheonjo Sword would be a great help.
I set the Cheonjo Sword aside and opened the pouch again.
This time, I pulled out some banknotes.
There were high-value notes and smaller ones. Counting them, the total came to eighty-two thousand nyang.
Fifty thousand nyang were in high-value notes, and the remaining thirty-two thousand were in smaller notes that could be used immediately.
The high-value notes, which could be traced, couldn’t be used carelessly.
The only way to use them was to wear a disguise and go to the black market to buy something very expensive. Although the black market wouldn’t leak customer secrets, to be safe, it was best to buy something like an elixir that wouldn’t leave a trace.
I decided to use the fifty thousand nyang that way. The remaining thirty-two thousand would be kept for emergencies.
I trusted Gong Suchan, but he could make mistakes. And I might need money. Asking Gong Suchan for money every time would be a hassle. It was a shame not to grow it through investment, but I needed funds for emergencies.
Next, I pulled out a few sheets of paper. They were documents related to the establishment of a martial arts school.
I didn’t need it at all, but Ma Jeongsu would feel a bit lost without it. Of course, its absence wouldn’t halt the establishment of the martial arts school. After all, he was the one with the power.
This time, I pulled out a box the size of an adult’s forearm.
You never know what’s inside a box, so it’s best to open it carefully. It could explode, or poison might seep out.
But I didn’t think this was one of those dangerous things. They wouldn’t store something like that with money or documents.
Still, just in case, I held my breath and slowly opened the box.
“Aha!”
I couldn’t help but exclaim with joy at what I saw inside.
Nine blue leaves with distinct, mystical white veins. Incredibly, it was the Divine Nine-Leaf Herb.
This was an elixir with even better effects than the Millennium Sun Herb I had taken before. While the Millennium Sun Herb granted ten to fifteen years of internal energy, the Divine Nine-Leaf Herb bestowed fifteen to twenty years.
I had bought the Millennium Sun Herb for forty-four thousand nyang, so this was worth at least seventy thousand nyang.
It might have been offered by one of the Shandong families, or perhaps Ma Jeongsu had brought it down this time. It was an unexpected bounty, to say the least.
“Hahaha.”
Laughter of pure joy burst forth. The thought that this belonged to Ma Jeongsu made it even sweeter. I felt like shouting for joy.
After savoring the moment, I looked down at it with a calm heart.
I wanted to give it to my parents or Guangdu, but now was the time for me to grow stronger.
Unless it would be more effective for them than for me, the benefits I would gain were incomparable.
I immediately consumed the Divine Nine-Leaf Herb.
I chewed and swallowed it carefully, not wanting to waste even a trace of its energy. I didn’t leave out a single root or leaf. The sharp taste of the elixir filled my mouth.
I then began to circulate my energy using the Celestial Martial Heart Technique to absorb the herb’s power.
Sssssss.
The Divine Nine-Leaf Herb began to dissolve into my body.
Once again, I absorbed all the herb’s effects, even more quickly and thoroughly than before. The Celestial Martial Heart Technique had now perfectly adapted to my body.
After circulating my energy a few times, I checked my dantian.
Originally, I had twenty-four years of internal energy.
At this moment, my dantian held forty-four years of energy. I had absorbed a full twenty years’ worth from the Divine Nine-Leaf Herb.
“Hahaha.”
Another burst of joyous laughter escaped me.
I was now just sixteen years away from reaching a full cycle of internal energy. At this rate, it wouldn’t even take two more years of training.
Plus, I had fifty thousand nyang set aside for the black market.
If I was lucky enough to find another elixir there, my internal energy would increase even more.
Please, let there be an elixir.
I forced myself to calm the excitement bubbling within. It’s crucial to stay composed at times like this.
I checked the pouch again.
The rest were various medicines: gold wound ointment, internal injury medicine, antidotes for common poisons—all top-quality. Even the small container of gold wound ointment was worth several hundred nyang. Of course, they were worth every penny.
I’ll make good use of these.
I just needed to change the packaging, and there’d be no problem. They were expensive, but available all over the central plains.
I burned all the documents. They were of no use to me and could be dangerous if found in my possession. It would only cause trouble for him.
I packed the sword, the banknotes, and the medicine bottles into the pouch and left the cave.
The sun was rising over the distant mountains. It was more brilliant and uplifting than ever.
I paused to take it in, then hurried down the mountain.
There was much to do before the day was over.