14. When I went to see the fire, I felt like hitting that guy Cha Seong-tae every time I saw him, much like the Bright Seat Master of the Demon Sect.
Following the flow of my thoughts, I briefly recalled the Bright Seat Master.
A rare talent who had thrived within the Demon Sect, he was a man who had become the youngest Bright Seat Master in history, even though he was only two or three years younger than me at the time.
The Master was not originally a descendant of the Demon Clan; he was a talent recruited from outside the sect.
He was a distant relative of a prominent family in the righteous martial world, but as I mentioned earlier, rumors spread that he had sexually assaulted several women using his charm, leading to public disgrace.
Consequently, he had no choice but to throw himself into the Demon Sect.
In this life, I intended to capture the Bright Seat Master before he joined the Demon Sect.
Though he was a pervert, his martial arts skills were exceptionally high.
I planned to beat the perversion out of him.
I aimed to grow stronger than my previous competitors, to meet the talented individuals of the martial world I knew in advance, to recruit them as subordinates, to torment them like Cha Seong-tae, or to use them as slaves like the Master.
Meanwhile, I thought of beating to death those who were beyond redemption in the Demon, Righteous, and Black Sects.
It was strangely common for those who faced public disgrace to throw themselves into the Demon Sect.
Additionally, those who fell out of favor with the Sect Leader often sought out the Martial Alliance, ending up trapped in their nets.
It was a trend for talents to move between opposing factions.
I aimed to intercept talents as a medium- to long-term goal.
This was the so-called strategy of dividing the world into three parts.
I planned to insert myself into the martial world, which was divided between the Martial Alliance and the Demon Sect, turning it into a three-way battle.
Somehow, even I felt that this was not a particularly fitting plan, but a man should always have grand dreams.
Cha Seong-tae, who had just returned from a brief outing, entered while pinching his nose.
He spoke in a nasally voice, “We need to close this inn. The reason for closure is the foul smell.” I briefly rummaged through my memories of how the previous Cha Seong-tae had died.
In truth, he wasn’t particularly famous, so there was little I could recall.
However, one thing was certain: Cha Seong-tae probably met his end somewhere due to that mouth of his.
“Seong-tae.”
“Make your excuses.”
“I was training in martial arts, not making a mess. What do you know, you rascal?”
“To say that a foul smell arises while training in martial arts is unheard of. Don’t lie. For the sake of the dignity of Il Yang Hyun, I will close the Jaha Inn from today. Otherwise, I will really send some cleaning kids, so choose.”
“Then send them. For now, let’s go to the Plum Blossom Pavilion together.”
“Why?”
“To wash up.”
“Oh, it stinks, so wash in the stream.” I forcibly grabbed Cha Seong-tae, who was pinching his nose, and put my arm around his shoulder.
His face twisted in response.
“Ugh…”
“Cut it out.”
“Yes.” Cha Seong-tae spoke while only breathing through his mouth. “Isn’t this a bit excessive? We’re not that close.”
“Oh, you’re getting on my nerves.” When I turned serious, Cha Seong-tae flinched.
“I’m sorry.” I glared at him and said, “Let’s change clothes. Take it off.”
Cha Seong-tae looked me straight in the eye and retorted, “Hey, you brat. Just put your arm around me.” I hit Cha Seong-tae once and then headed toward the Plum Blossom Pavilion like friendly brothers.
Upon arriving at the Plum Blossom Pavilion, the doorman who had previously been beaten by me was pinching his nose with his hand.
“We accept drunkards, but we don’t accept those who have soiled their pants.”
Cha Seong-tae replied, “Do you want to die? Get out of the way.” When I looked at the doorman, he seemed to still hold a grudge from when I had beaten him, avoiding my gaze with a sour expression.
I liked this about my hometown.
There weren’t many who would shrink back just because they had been hit a few times.
Perhaps that was why someone like me could suddenly appear in the martial world.
As Cha Seong-tae and I entered the Plum Blossom Pavilion, reeking, the women passing by screamed and fled.
Cha Seong-tae seemed to find it amusing and was enjoying the situation.
“Get out of the way. I’ve pooped. I’ve really pooped. Hehe.” I didn’t want to smile for no reason, so I moved my tongue around in my mouth.
I thought again that he was someone you couldn’t let your guard down around for even a moment.
After washing a few times with water, I entered the wooden bathhouse.
As I soaked in the hot water, with steam rising, I felt all my fatigue wash away.
“Ugh…” A sound that made no sense escaped my lips.
It was a gift for me, who had raised my skills to the level of the Golden Valley Soaring Art.
Suddenly, the feet of the bathhouse spread apart, and a large towel-wielding Chae-hyang appeared out of nowhere.
“I will assist you with your bath.” I looked at Chae-hyang approaching from inside the tub and waved my hand.
“What kind of assistance is that? It’s fine.”
“Seong-tae oppa told me to come. After you finish bathing, I’ll dry you off.”
“That won’t work.”
“What won’t?”
What else could it mean? It meant that the beauty trick wouldn’t work on me.
“I have hands and feet. I can dry myself off with my feet, so put down the towel and leave. Men and women should not bathe together, and even Zhu Bajie and the spider demon didn’t bathe together.”
“Really?”
“Let alone the most popular girl at the Jaha Inn and the Plum Blossom Pavilion bathing together. What kind of ridiculous situation is this? Next time you get such orders, just say I told you not to come, and don’t come. I’ll have a word with Cha Seong-tae. You should act like a proper lady.”
There are sometimes those who do things that aren’t asked of them, and Cha Seong-tae was one of them.
Chae-hyang slightly bowed her head and replied, “Thank you. And I’m sorry for what happened last time.” A neat apology is something to be accepted.
“Sure.” I wondered why she was being so polite when her true feelings slipped out.
“Still, you will get rid of Jo Sam-pyeong, right? I’m curious, so I’m asking.”
“Why? Should I let him live?”
“Oh, no. I was captured by Jo Sam-pyeong and brought here. I’m not originally from here.”
“If you have a place to return to, you should go back.”
“It wasn’t such a comfortable place. It was too poor, so I didn’t want to go back.”
“Tell the other courtesans too. Those who want to go back should go. This is the word of the Jaha Inn’s master.”
“Your skills were so good, but why were you getting beaten back then?” If she kept throwing such sharp questions, I would be in trouble.
I replied, only showing my head above the edge of the tub.
“Sometimes you have to get beaten to take revenge.”
Chae-hyang chuckled.
“That’s nonsense.”
“A gentleman’s revenge takes ten years, but a courtesan’s revenge starts with getting beaten. You should read more books. Don’t just practice singing. The more books you read, the better you’ll sing.”
“Really?”
“No, I just made that up.”
Chae-hyang tilted her head.
“Hmm.” As I waved my hand to indicate my intention to dismiss her, Chae-hyang folded the towel around her body and left the bath.
‘That sly one.’
Indeed, the beauty trick doesn’t work on me.
Dangerous moments often come unexpectedly.
It is often said in the martial world that one should be cautious of three things: old men, children, and women, but I think differently.
In fact, if you exclude old men, children, and women, you are left with strong men.
Healthy men are likely to be martial artists.
But should we be cautious of the rest? That means we should be cautious of everyone.
Until my martial arts are perfected, I am the same.
At such times, if I were to be careless and neglect my training due to Cha Seong-tae’s beauty trick, I would ultimately fall behind when competing against the top masters.
It wasn’t that Cha Seong-tae intended for this to happen; it was a trap set by the mysteries of life, and that was my conclusion.
In any case, now is not the time for that.
After washing myself clean and changing into new clothes, I noticed that the gazes of those looking at me had changed slightly from before.
There were even those who didn’t think I was the master of the Jaha Inn.
When martial arts become strong in youth, one’s appearance and impression change.
I hadn’t realized this fact before, as my martial arts had grown stronger with age.
It’s true that I had become a bit more handsome than before, but in any case, I was different from the perverted Master of the Demon Sect.
I wasn’t someone who met women through martial arts, desire, status, or coercion, so I left the Gilu and headed straight to the Jaha Inn.
On the way to the Jaha Inn, I saw flames rising from somewhere.
It seemed that people were flocking to see the fire.
“It looks like there’s a fire.” I followed along, pushing through the crowd to see that what was burning was none other than the Jaha Inn.
“……”
It was a strangely twisted situation.
I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.
Who would have thought I would witness my home burning down twice? I muttered to myself without realizing it.
“Why do you keep setting fire to my house? What sin does the house have?”
Could it be that even inns have destinies? The flames licking at the sky seemed to glare at me, as if to say that in this life too, I should not have a cozy home.
Of course, Cha Seong-tae wouldn’t have done such a thing.
Jo Sam-pyeong, who had returned with his subordinates from the Plum Blossom Pavilion, was looking at the Jaha Inn, and his subordinates were throwing torches at it.
Jo Sam-pyeong was the most handsome among the Jo brothers.
With his good looks, he was tasked with bringing innocent girls, so it was no surprise.
Seeing his face after a long time made me feel even more unlucky.
From within the crowd, someone shouted, “What will you do when Jaha returns?!”
“Are you saying you can burn someone else’s house so carelessly? You’ll be punished by heaven!”
Jo Sam-pyeong turned his head toward the voice and said, “Bring me that Jaha. Where is he?”
The crowd of Il Yang Hyun was fierce.
Someone in the crowd shouted, “Damn pillar brother!”
“Who are you? Don’t hide like a rat; come out, you bastard!” When Jo Sam-pyeong yelled, silence fell.
I wondered why Jo Sam-pyeong was so bold, and then I noticed a man in a black robe nearby, watching the situation with a cold expression.
He certainly looked like a superior master compared to Jo Sam-pyeong.
As I watched the Jaha Inn burn, I spoke up. “Sam-pyeong, there’s your brother’s grave behind the inn. What do you plan to do, burning it without even retrieving the body?”
Jo Sam-pyeong turned his head sharply in my direction, glaring. “Who the hell are you?”
I pushed through the crowd and stepped forward. “It’s me, you bastard.”
Jo Sam-pyeong didn’t recognize me at once, looking me up and down as he asked, “Who are you?”
This guy didn’t recognize me either; could the beauty effect of martial arts be this great? I looked at Jo Sam-pyeong and spoke in a calm tone. “Why are you burning an innocent house? How will you compensate for it?”
Only then did Jo Sam-pyeong show a surprised expression. “You, Jaha? What’s going on, you bastard? Why are you like this? Why do you speak like that?”
In the meantime, Jo Sam-pyeong whispered to the man in the black robe beside him. “Senior Nung, it’s him.”
The man called Senior Nung tilted his head with a displeased expression and spoke in a subdued tone. “Jo Sam-pyeong.”
“Yes, senior.”
“What do you mean by this?”
“Yes?”
“Are you asking me to kill the Jaha? I came to congratulate you on establishing your faction, but this is quite disappointing. You don’t plan to establish a faction with skills that can’t even kill a single Jaha, do you? The entire martial world would laugh at you. My name shouldn’t be mentioned in such ridicule.”
The man in the black robe looked me up and down and said to Jo Sam-pyeong, “Kill him. If your skills are so poor that you can’t even kill a single Jaha, then it’s better for you to join your brothers.” No matter how much you admire the martial world, you should at least have a sense of conscience.”
Jo Sam-pyeong replied with a flustered expression.
“No, Senior Nung.”
“And why am I your senior? I’ve never had a junior like you.”
In any case, the words spoken by the man in the black robe were correct, so I chimed in. “Jo Sam-pyeong, he’s right.
You should have a conscience.
Let’s say the loser burns to death.
Come here.”
My last words made the atmosphere truly tense.