I Came to Collect the Debt.
Just like martial arts, painting requires countless failures before a good piece is completed.
The same goes for portraiture.
Although the Wall General painted the face of the Radiant Master, I found nothing that pleased my heart, so I discarded this and that.
In any endeavor, to achieve better results, one must be willing to let go repeatedly.
While the riffraff of the Black Path gathered at the Huahua Mountain Manor to discuss how to overpower me, I diligently worked on the portrait with the Wall General.
"General, the cheekbones aren't that pronounced. The jawline is actually quite similar to mine. Take another look."
The Wall General examined my jawline and said, "The hair also plays a role in determining one's impression. Whether it's curly or flowing like a woman's hair is important too."
"What does that guy's hair look like?"
"It's flowing. How about the eyebrows?"
"Overall, they are straight like a ruler, but the ends curve out like feathers."
"You've carefully trimmed the eyebrows with a knife. They have a serious color."
The Wall General synthesized everything he had heard and redrew the portrait.
After a while, a likeness of the Radiant Master was finally completed.
The Wall General grinned and asked, "Do you like it?"
"It’s good. Let’s find him. I know he comes from a prominent family, but only as a branch. He should be around twenty years old."
"If he comes from a prominent family, it’s simple."
"Why is that?"
"Martial artists from prominent families pay attention to their clothing, so they never dress shabby. If he’s a color master, he must stand out among them. First, we narrow it down to prominent families, then by age, and after looking at their clothing, we compare it with the portrait. It shouldn’t take too long. What about his martial arts skills?"
"He's strong, even compared to the later generation of prominent family members of similar age."
Only then did the Wall General's eyes widen.
"Then he must be an incredible master."
"Just find out his location and let me know. He’s someone my subordinates cannot handle."
"Understood."
Thinking back, he was from a branch family, yet strong in martial arts, and having caused trouble, he must have been disliked by the masters of the main family.
If the masters of the main family considered him a competitor for the next generation's leader, they would have buried him completely to prevent any resurgence.
Thus, he had no choice but to plunge into the Demon Sect.
"Focus on finding this guy, General. Leave the fighting to me. I prefer it that way."
"Understood."
I looked at the status board drawn by the Wall General.
"By tonight, the leaders will be discussing matters at the Huahua Mountain Manor, right? They’ll have a drink too."
"That’s likely. Someone will bring up who eats from which region and how the money is handled. Just the mention of such topics won’t shorten the meeting."
It was a chronic issue of the Black Path.
In fact, a Black Path that doesn’t discuss such matters would truly be a powerful one.
Whether it’s a person or a force, the same applies.
Those with real skills generally have little interest in money.
I scratched my head for a moment in the main hall.
Some of my subordinates had already left for Yiyang County and the Black Line.
I too had to wait until evening to gather my troops.
As I fell into thought, the Wall General spoke.
"Lord, may I offer an unsolicited suggestion?"
"Go ahead."
"Although we are of the Black Path, the people living in the Southern Flower region are likely familiar with our forces. Especially if the oppressive activities of the Great Nanchal are completely halted, they would welcome us even more. If another Black Path force takes over, many things will change. There will be more deaths and injuries. Fortunately, many of the Twelve Divine Generals are still around, and your forces are not small, so please consider the heavy responsibility of the General and act cautiously."
Did he catch a glimpse of the youthful, unreasonable rebellion in my gaze? I nodded solemnly, but the word "cautious" slipped out of my other ear.
"Of course, I need to be cautious. Just because the enemy's leaders are gathered at the Huahua Divine Hall, it doesn't mean I should recklessly charge in and ambush them. Right?"
The Wall General looked at me and slightly bowed his head.
"Thank you for your consideration."
"So, you mean to say I shouldn’t rush in with the Twelve Divine Generals as if we were having an archery competition and shoot fire arrows at the Huahua Divine Hall, right? Flowers and trees are precious."
"That’s a clever point, but it’s somewhat far from what a general with many troops should do. They also have quite a few masters, so in the end, it will lead to a sword fight. Flowers and trees are indeed precious."
I nodded while looking at the Wall General.
"I was feeling a bit restless, but you’ve given me some enlightenment. Our Wall General truly plays the role of the pillar of the Black Cat Sect and the great military leader. Once you find that color master, you too shall receive a reward. You can just write it down in the ledger and collect it directly."
The Wall General clasped his hands with a pleased expression.
"Thank you, Lord."
"Since it will take some time for the troops to gather, I’ll take a trip to the Mu Yong Yi family for a while. I want to see our physician’s face too."
"Oh, have you become close with the young teacher from the Mu Yong Yi family?"
"More like sworn brothers."
"I see. Then I will also keep an eye on the Mu Yong Yi family from time to time. And Lord, in these times, please travel by carriage. I will prepare it."
"Sounds good."
As I headed toward the waiting carriage, I muttered, "If you’re going to fuss about, then you should be the one to take charge."
The waiting coachman, thinking I was talking to him, asked back, "Yes?"
"Never mind."
As I got into the carriage, the coachman, who had been informed in advance, stated the destination.
"Lord, I will take you to the Mu Yong Yi family."
"Let’s depart."
As the carriage set off and turned a corner, I spoke to the coachman.
"I’ve changed my mind. The wind is cool, so let’s not go to the Mu Yong Yi family."
"Yes."
"Drop me off near the Yunwu Association and then you can return."
The owner of the Yunwu Association was Master Su, who would likely be at the Huahua Mountain Manor now.
The coachman hesitated for a moment.
"…"
The coachman asked again, as if confirming, "Lord, may I go back and report to the executives or the Wall General before departing? Since the Yunwu Association is a dangerous place, shouldn’t we clarify the destination?"
I thought that one should not scold someone for speaking the truth and replied, "Let’s go to the Yunwu Association, which uses the name of the wave as its name. It feels unpleasant that they always share the joys of the wave without me."
"Understood."
Riding in the carriage was always enjoyable.
I admired the scenery outside as we headed toward Ihwa County, where the Yunwu Association was located.
On a warm spring day, the cool breeze felt like a vacation from the heat.
Suddenly, sensing the coachman’s worry, I reassured him, "Master Su is busy with matters and is at the Huahua Mountain Manor, so don’t worry too much."
"Yes."
I imagined what incident had occurred between Master Su and the members of the Martial Alliance.
What crime had he committed against the Martial Alliance members that led to all of them being beheaded in the marketplace, and why were the Martial Alliance members imprisoned for that crime? Was the member I knew among them? I couldn’t be sure.
In any case, during the time I was active as the Radiant Demon, that member must have been released from prison.
The member wouldn’t have been imprisoned for long if he had killed someone from the Black Path.
Even though I had returned to the past… some events are known only by their process, while others are known only by their results.
I was just curious and bored, so I was heading to check out the Yunwu Association.
"Lord, we have arrived at Ihwa County."
As I got down, the coachman had cleverly parked the carriage in a quiet spot.
I warned the coachman, "You’ve parked in just the right place. Waiting here can be boring, so you may return first. But I will be at the Mu Yong Yi family."
"Understood, Lord."
"Take this."
I took off my black robe and handed it to the coachman.
Inside, I was wearing ordinary martial attire, so it wasn’t an eye-catching outfit.
It’s instinctive for martial artists to wear something like a black robe even on warm days.
It allows for hiding multiple weapons, and if one gets hit, the clothing provides some protection.
When infused with internal energy, clothing that flutters like a robe can deflect most hidden weapons, making it quite useful.
However, the black robe is indeed a combat outfit, so it stands out to others.
After sending off the coachman, I began to explore Ihwa County.
I was curious about how Master Su’s influence compared to the Great Nanchal and what kind of business the Yunwu Association was engaged in to make money.
I was also suddenly curious as to why it was named the Yunwu Association.
I was a person filled with curiosity.
I wasn’t thinking of doing anything about the Yunwu Association; I was simply curious and had come to check it out.
The scenery of the streets was no different from that of the Southern Flower region.
The larger the Black Path’s influence, the more people there were.
Essentially, the Black Path survives by robbing the money of those who work for a living.
In an instant, I felt unpleasant thinking that the Black Cat Sect I controlled was originally such a force.
I wandered around Ihwa County with the intention of inspecting myself.
The method was simple.
I could tell just by looking at the expressions of the shopkeepers.
Whether business was doing well, if there were any troublemakers around, I could see it all.
It was a matter of pride.
If the ordinary people of the Southern Flower region walked around with worried expressions after I became the leader of the Black Cat Sect, it would be my fault.
What kind of Black Path figure was Master Su here? I poked around here and there.
I entered inns and browsed shops.
There were particularly many street vendors here.
Such people tend to work diligently even in tough times, so there was actually not much to learn.
Underestimating those who work leads to this.
After finishing my inspection of Ihwa County, I headed to the Yunwu Association.
Looking at the main gate, I thought about something.
Those who engage in shady dealings often have a small window on their main gate, just like the one I first saw at the Black Cat Sect.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
As I knocked with my fist, a small door opened with a clatter.
"Who is it?"
Seeing someone who only showed their eyes while speaking, it felt like looking at a prisoner in a cell.
"Who is it?"
I clicked my tongue and replied, "I came to collect a debt."
Bang! The sound echoed as the small door closed, and then with a creak, the main gate swung wide open.
This made it clear that these guys hadn’t paid their debts properly.
The process of opening the door was swift, accurate, and repetitive.
Moreover, there was a hint of irritation in the way they opened and closed it.
I understood this psychology.
It was likely a half-hearted intimidation towards someone who came to collect a debt.
The one who opened the door looked at me with a tilted head.
"Come in."
I replied with a stiff expression, "If you’re in a bad mood, I can come back another time."
The guy immediately retorted, "I said come in, you brat."
"Yes, then. I should go in."
This is the difference between the Black Path and the White Path.
Saying I came to collect a debt sometimes serves as a secret code for the Black Path.
However, the White Path doesn’t create debts in the first place.
Here, the White Path can be further divided into sects and prominent families.
The Martial Alliance families are inherently wealthy, so they are far from debts.
Thus, such secret codes wouldn’t apply.
In the case of sects, they live and die by honor, so if they lack money, they might forage for wild herbs to eat, but they wouldn’t take anything on credit.
Therefore, large sects are mostly found in the mountains.
No matter how much the Black Path stirs up trouble, the White Path remains a more fearsome force because of this.
Whether living in the mountains or the city, there is an endless pride and self-esteem.
The gatekeeper interrupted my thoughts.
"Whose debt is it? It can’t be the Lord’s, right? Is it the Vice Lord’s drinking debt?"
I muttered softly as I followed the gatekeeper, "Damn, that’s scary."
"What?"
The gatekeeper turned around, looking at me with a mix of disbelief and anger.
"What did you just say?"
I replied in a calm tone, "Oh, just talking to myself."
Perhaps the gatekeeper had been practicing with confidence all this time.
The hand aiming at the face of someone who came to collect a debt curved as it approached.
I grabbed the gatekeeper's wrist and gently admonished him.
"I said it was just talking to myself."
I released the gatekeeper's hand and began a staring contest with him. "…The first one to blink loses. The loser gets a flick on the forehead."
"…"
"By the way, I’ve learned the Tanji Gong technique. A flick isn’t just a flick. It’s a flick that wakes you up. It’s one of the three great flick techniques of the martial world, the Zihua Tanji Gong."
The gatekeeper widened his eyes.
No matter the situation, his determination not to close his eyes first was evident in his gaze.
With increasingly bloodshot eyes, he asked me, "Where are you from?"