Chapter 25: It’s Been a While

“Since I gave you information first, now it’s your turn to give me yours.”

Yeo-wol took out a piece of paper from her sleeve.

“Here you go.”

“Thank you.”

I stored the paper in my sleeve without even checking the contents.

This too was a non-verbal expression that I trusted Yeo-wol and Ma Sok.

“We went through a lot of trouble finding that.”

“You’ve worked hard.”

I had thought from the beginning that it would not be easy to find.

But at the same time, I thought that the Rogues’ Guild would be able to do it, and that thought was correct.

I was grateful.

“Why are you looking for that person?”

“It’s a secret.”

Since it was information obtained by paying a fair price, there was no need to tell them more than this.

There was something that everyone here knew.

Between the information Yeo-wol gave me and the information I gave to the Rogues’ Guild, which one held a much higher value.

“The payment…”

“I will take this as payment for this information.”

Before Yeo-wol could finish her question, I waved my sleeve and made the first move.

“Really?”

“It’s enough.”

It was not because I was a nice person.

I did so because it was not a loss even if I took that as payment.

The reason was that the biggest gain I could get from Yeo-wol and Ma Sok right now was their trust and hearts.

“Since my business is done, I will get going.”

“Just a moment.”

Yeo-wol stopped me as I was about to stand up.

“Is there something else you want to say?”

As if it was difficult to bring it up easily, Yeo-wol fiddled with the hair behind her ear before opening her mouth.

“The ten thousand nyang that I have to give you this year, could you give me a little more time?”

Come to think of it, the time to receive the remaining ten thousand nyang for the sale of the Immaculate Pomegranate was approaching.

However, since I had lent ten thousand nyang to Yang Su-rin in the first year and had kept the remaining ten thousand nyang plus the ten thousand nyang I received last year, a total of twenty thousand nyang, without using it, I had not paid much attention to it.

It meant that receiving the money late was not a problem.

However, the part that bothered me was…….

“Did a problem arise?”

This part.

“The great enterprise is not proceeding as smoothly as I thought, so there are some setbacks in funding.”

Ma Sok answered on behalf of Yeo-wol.

“Setbacks.”

I organized my thoughts.

Yeo-wol became the leader of the Rogues’ Guild around the time Myeong-gae had been eating alms for five years.

Even then, everyone was surprised that Yeo-wol, not Geombigak, had ascended to the position of leader.

It was because Geombigak’s faction was slightly ahead.

The power of the Immaculate Pomegranate was great, but at this stage, it would not have been enough to overturn the difference between Yeo-wol and Geombigak.

“It doesn’t matter if you give me the money late.”

“Thank you.”

Yeo-wol’s face brightened.

Weren't information merchants people who thought of credit as gold, just like merchants?

She must have relieved a great worry of her own.

In the meantime, a thought occurred to me; wouldn't it be okay to help a little more?

It was because one piece of information I had, which was of no value to me but would be of great help to her, came to mind.

“Do you have any connections in Sichuan Province?”

“What? Why all of a sudden?”

Based on the Central Plains Murim, Anhui was biased to the east, and Sichuan was biased to the west.

In the perception of the people of the Central Plains, Qinghai, Tibet, and Xinjiang would be considered outside the borders, so it was not an exaggeration to say that Sichuan Province was the western end of the Central Plains.

Simply put, it was incredibly far.

“Do you have them? Or do you not?”

“There is no place in the Central Plains that our Rogues’ Guild’s hand does not reach.”

That was good.

It was because a miraculous encounter that I had given up on because I had no business to go there was sleeping in Sichuan Province.

“On the border of Sichuan Province and Tibet, there is a small city called Baiyu.”

As I opened my mouth, Yeo-wol and Ma Sok focused.

It was because they knew full well that the information I provided was all extraordinary.

“If you go about two hundred li north from the center of Baiyu, you will find a place called Mount Hasu.”

It was called Mount Hasu because Fleeceflower Roots grew well there since ancient times.

“Search that mountain thoroughly.”

This was as far as I could tell them.

“What’s there?”

“There will be a colony of hundred-year-old Fleeceflower Roots. It will be helpful to you.”

The reason I told them this information without any lingering attachment was because I also knew that the colony would be discovered around next month by a merchant traveling between Tibet and the Central Plains.

A colony of Fleeceflower Roots.

I knew the quantity was about a hundred roots.

A hundred roots of hundred-year-old Fleeceflower Roots could not be obtained with money in a short period of time.

It was because buying spiritual medicine with money in the Central Plains Murim was in itself an opportunity.

Was Yeo-wol the only one aiming for that opportunity?

If she could secure several hundred-year-old Fleeceflower Roots, there would be nothing better for raising mid-level masters and increasing her forces in a short period of time.

Since Yeo-wol already had a Transcendent Peak master named Ma Sok, I told her this information because I thought what she needed were mid-level masters to support him.

As my guess was correct, Yeo-wol’s face lit up.

“How on earth do you know such information?”

This time, it was a question filled with admiration rather than a subtle sounding out.

It was a part that Yeo-wol was always curious about because I held information that even the Rogues’ Guild had not secured.

“Haha.”

But I did not answer and just smiled.

Since the Jianghu Murim was originally a place where mysteries and eccentrics were rampant, she would have no choice but to create me in her own imagination.

Originally, the empty space of information was filled with imagination and inference.

I knew that her imagination would be beneficial to me.

“As I have repeatedly emphasized, please keep information about me top secret.”

“Of course. Trust me.”

There was nothing for her to gain by leaking my information.

She was closer to someone who would actively hide my information.

“What about the payment?”

And the reason I liked her so much was that she did not try to get a free ride just because we were friends.

Wasn’t it proof that my judgment in choosing Yeo-wol over Geombigak was correct?

“I offered it as a gesture of goodwill as a friend, so no payment is needed.”

I knew that sometimes, such gestures of goodwill that did not expect payment created a more prosperous relationship.

Yeo-wol would become the leader of the Rogues’ Guild.

And I would become the leader of the Murim Alliance.

In order to prevent the stirrings of the Great War of Righteousness and Evil, a close connection between the righteous and unorthodox factions would be important, so she would be of great help to my future endeavors.

It was an investment for that time, so it was a gain.

***

In the Jianghu Murim, there were places where fights happened quite frequently.

The first was a tavern, the second was a high-class restaurant, and the third was a mountain pass guarded by the Green Forest Bandits.

This was an immutable truth proven by long years of accumulated experience.

The common point of these three places was that they were places where people rested.

“How much?”

“One nyang of silver for a night’s stay. Food is extra.”

“Here you are.”

Lee Chun-baek, a wanderer with no fixed abode.

Since he had many talents and did not feel much financial difficulty, it was somewhat inevitable for him to visit high-class restaurants every time to rest his body.

Whether he stayed at a tavern, a high-class restaurant, or slept on the road.

Since fights happened frequently in all those places anyway, choosing a high-class restaurant where he could rest his body comfortably was the most rational choice, wasn’t it?

He was not picky about his sleeping arrangements due to his long life as a wanderer, but high-class restaurants had their special advantages.

The fact that a skilled cook made all sorts of dishes, and that Geomnamchun wine was always available.

The cheap wine of taverns did not suit Lee Chun-baek’s taste at all.

“Hmm.”

As Lee Chun-baek took a seat, the people who were glancing at him quickly turned their heads away.

In fact, Lee Chun-baek had no memory of getting into a fight after being provoked.

It was because the Jianghu Murim was a world of the law of the jungle.

If you looked weak, you would get provoked, get caught in a fight, and get beaten up; that was the Jianghu Murim, but on the other hand, if you did not look weak, no one would bother you.

Lee Chun-baek had the appearance of a wanderer who always wore a sword.

His impression was not that good either, so no one bothered to mess with him.

Even so, Lee Chun-baek had been caught in a fight at a high-class restaurant exactly once.

Although it was a situation he had jumped into himself.

‘That fellow Myeong, I wonder if he’s doing well.’

That fellow was the only friend he had given his heart to in such a short time.

Udangtang!

“You pretty-boy-looking bastard!”

Today too, a loud shout erupted in the peaceful restaurant.

It was the same as usual.

“Master Mok! Please don’t.”

“Yumei, step aside for a moment!”

This incident seemed to be a matter of love, a regular staple of quarrels that happened in high-class restaurants.

“Sir. I think there’s a misunderstanding, I have never looked at that lady.”

A man wearing a bamboo hat answered.

‘Oh, dear.’

I could see why he was being provoked.

Just by looking at his lower face showing below the bamboo hat, I could tell he was a handsome man.

However, he looked a bit of a pushover.

Those who gave off a scholarly feel were the best prey in the law-of-the-jungle Murim, weren't they?

“What? Are you saying that our Yumei is not attractive?”

The man wearing the bamboo hat let out a deep sigh and then,

“That lady is not my type. So don’t worry.”

he replied.

“What?”

The aspect of the conversation was exciting.

Lee Chun-baek became interested in the love drama that had come in the midst of his tedious daily life and continued to watch.

“You bastard! Do you know who I am!”

The man called Master Mok took out his trump card.

“I am Mok Il-hun, a collateral branch of the Sinchang Mok Clan!”

It was a finishing move that made most hooligans whimper and run away.

But……

“Ah, is that so?”

The man wearing the bamboo hat just reacted indifferently.

“Eek!”

Chaeng!

Perhaps feeling that he himself had been insulted, the collateral branch fellow of the Mok Clan drew his sword.

Considering that fights in restaurants usually started with fists, this love drama was characterized by a radical development.

Wasn’t the marketplace a place where it was also a shame if a martial artist who drew a sword put it back without even cutting a radish?

“Die!”

The collateral branch fellow of the Mok Clan swung his sword.

‘Oh, no.’

I did not know if it was because I was reminded of that friend after a long time, or if it was because the voice of that man in the bamboo hat was similar to that friend’s voice.

Lee Chun-baek quickly flew his body.

It was the second time in his life he was being meddlesome.

Just as Lee Chun-baek’s body rushed to block the sword,

Cheok.

The palm of the man wearing the bamboo hat covered Lee Chun-baek’s face.

‘Oh, no.’

Was it a trap?

Lee Chun-baek, who was about to draw his sword reflexively, flinched.

The reason was that the opponent’s hand had only blocked his path, and he did not feel any intention to attack at all.

Only then did Lee Chun-baek’s gaze, having regained its composure, take in the space.

“……!”

And he was surprised again.

It was because he saw the man wearing the bamboo hat catching Mok Il-hun’s sword using the index and middle fingers of his other hand.

This man was a master.

Regardless of Lee Chun-baek’s impression, the man in the bamboo hat continued to speak.

“Mok Il-hun of the Sinchang Mok Clan’s collateral branch.”

He called him solemnly, and then…….

Changkang.

He shattered Mok Il-hun’s sword with just the strength of his fingers.

“Devote yourself to training your martial arts. Do you understand?”

“Ah, I understand.”

Mok Il-hun, completely intimidated, took the woman named Yumei and hurriedly left the restaurant.

The man took off his bamboo hat.

His gaze turned towards Lee Chun-baek.

“Brother Chun-baek, it’s been a while.”

Although he had changed somewhat with the power of time, it was a face that was impossible not to recognize.

“Yes, it’s good to see you.”

It was the face he had missed, Dancheon Myeong.

***

“Brother Chun-baek, have you eaten?”

“Not yet.”

“Me neither. Let’s eat something first.”

The meal was served.

For the duration of one mealtime, Lee Chun-baek and I focused solely on eating without any particular conversation.

Even though we had met after two years, it felt as if we had been doing this just yesterday.

Ggolggolggol.

After finishing the meal, I poured him a glass of Geomnamchun wine.

“Kya-”

“Keu-”

We looked at each other and smiled at our unchanging selves.

“It can’t be a coincidence.”

Lee Chun-baek started the conversation.

I nodded.

I should not tell lies to a trusted friend.

“I borrowed the power of the Rogues’ Guild a little.”

“Why?”

“Because I wanted to see you.”

“Puhat.”

As expected, Lee Chun-baek’s threshold for laughter was low.

It was a side of him I could not have known when I had only encountered him through information during my Myeong-gae days.

It was true that I had come looking for Lee Chun-baek because I wanted to see him.

“Brother Chun-baek.”

I poured him another glass of Geomnamchun wine.

“Will you do a job with me?”

But it was not just because I wanted to see him that I had mobilized the Rogues’ Guild.

I needed someone I could trust to work with, and no one else but Lee Chun-baek came to mind.

Lee Chun-baek nodded his head.

“Let’s do it.”

Lee Chun-baek agreed without even asking what the job was.

“If it’s a request from you, I’ll grant it anytime.”

A child-like smile formed on Lee Chun-baek’s face.

As expected, my judgment was not wrong.