Chapter 62

Early morning.

The subordinates of Ha Jeon-ik who had gathered paid no mind to Cheol Myeong-ho as they swept the floor, tidied desks and chairs, and carried lumber down the stairs that someone would transform into a training hall. They were the disciples of the Palryong Gate who had latched onto the project to convert the underground gambling den into an underground training hall.

Curious, Cheol Myeong-ho asked Ha Jeon-ik, who was seated beside him.

“How many died trying to take on the Prince?”

Ha Jeon-ik replied.

“Only three died, and all were killed in a single blow. What’s more, one was the enemy’s master. Meng Laoshi—he was the most skilled martial artist in the Eight Dragons Sect. Though he was blind, I never imagined he’d die so pitifully. The gap is simply too great.”

“Heh heh heh, all in one blow.”

Ha Jeon-ik nodded.

Cheol Myeong-ho spoke as if determined to make the best of the situation.

“Ha Mun-ju, let’s do our best. Truth be told, my left hand was crushed by my master too. It was broken in several places. Above all, he made me swing the Three Calamities Sword Technique a million times. I wonder if there’s another man in this world as mad as him.”

Ha Jeon-ik narrowed his eyes as he looked at Cheol Myeong-ho.

“A million times?”

Cheol Myeong-ho sighed and nodded.

“I swung it while walking, swung it without sleep, yet I haven’t even reached eighty thousand times. My arm is like an umbrella, and the umbrella is like my arm.”

“Master Cheol, are you telling me you’re counting every single one?”

“Why else would I be counting them? Do you know how that enemy general ended up dying at the hands of the Crown Prince?”

Ha Jeon-ik replied, subtly lowering his voice.

“I don’t know. I’d been wondering about that.”

Cheolmyeongho narrowed his eyes and spoke in a bleak tone.

“He died for the mere offense of disrupting my training. Before I could complete a million repetitions, Jikye’s men dared to touch me—that was their undoing. Poor wretches.”

Cheolmyeong-ho clasped his face as if weary.

Cheol Myeong-ho peered at Ha Jeon-ik’s expression through his fingers.

‘What a moron.’

A tremor was occurring within Ha Jeon-ik’s pupils. Cheol Myeong-ho was actually a bit intimidated by Ha Jeon-ik, the Eight Dragon Gate Master, and was trying to calm himself.

Clang!

As the iron door swung open and Dan Woo-sung entered with an expressionless face, Ha Jeon-ik rose with a pale expression.

“……Just give me your orders.”

Dan Wooseong tilted his head slightly at this nonsense and asked Cheol Myeongho.

“How many times have you done it?”

Cheol Myeong-ho answered immediately.

“Seventy-four thousand eight hundred… No, let’s just say eight hundred.”

He’d actually forgotten the rest, so it became eight hundred again.

Dan Woosung replied in a monotone.

“That’s quite a few.”

Cheol Myeong-ho replied with an awkward smile.

“I need to work harder. Only ninety-two thousand five hundred and twenty times left now. I’ll get it done quickly, so you absolutely have to teach me the next one too.”

Dan Woo-sung replied as if Cheol Myeong-ho’s expression and tone were strange.

“What’s with you, you crazy bastard… Anyway, Ha Moon-joo.”

“Yes, just give me your orders.”

At the request to just give orders, Dan Woo-sung proceeded to issue every conceivable command.

“Contact the intelligence organization and find out about the movements, trends, and rumors surrounding the Demon Sect.”

“Yes.”

“Find out if any renowned masters from the White Path have gone missing or gotten caught up in incidents lately.”

“I will look into it.”

“Investigate the connection between the two. And I’ve heard that when the Black Path begins its activities, it very frequently makes contact with the Dark Path first. They might be moving to use them as cannon fodder or to provoke a fight with the White Path. Find out if any such approaches have been made among the factions known to Ha Mun-ju.”

Ha Jeon-ik answered, his eyes wide with genuine shock.

“Understood. I’ll connect with my subordinates, contacts, and intelligence networks to uncover everything.”

Dan Woo-sung said only what he needed to say, then vanished without another word.

When Ha Jeon-ik looked at Cheol Myeong-ho, Cheol Myeong-ho pointed at the iron door where Dan Woo-seong had vanished and said.

“Did you see that? That stubborn bastard. That arrogant little shit who just says what he wants and disappears. He wasn’t like that back in the day. He used to live by taking my beatings. This is how he gets his revenge.”

Ha Jeon-ik replied as he struggled back into his chair.

“Master Cheol, watch your tongue.”

“Watch my tongue? No… Ha Mun-ju, am I wrong? He’s a complete madman. You, well… how should I put it? You’re just screwed. If either of us disobeys the Master from now on, we’ll both ascend together to wherever Jikyeo went.”

Ha Jeon-ik nodded with a troubled expression.

“I see. I’ll keep that in mind.”

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The friend of that utterly insane man returned to the Galaxy Merchant Guild and watched the escort squad sitting in formation. They were all practicing qigong while under the effects of elixirs.

Danju Han Yeop quietly bowed his head slightly to Danwoo Sung as he passed by. Danwoo Sung returned to his quarters and looked at the Ssangbo brothers sitting in the lotus position. The Ssangbo brothers were also absorbing the essence of the elixir using the Black Bull Bantang Gong’s mental technique.

After looking around, Danwooseong found there was nothing specific for him to do.

Returning to his room, he focused solely on regulating his breath and energy, as if synchronizing with the other warriors of the guild, hoping only that this time would pass quietly. The entire Eunha Guild had fallen into a stillness deeper than ever before.

It was only as the sun began to set that Commander Ihwa-eon quietly came to find Danwooseong.

“Brother, the old man we spoke of earlier has arrived.”

“Yakdosang?”

“Yes. He is currently in the reception room.”

“Understood.”

Arriving at the reception room with Chief Officer Lee Hwa-eon, Dan Woo-sung looked at the old man. He was a small, white-haired elder, his face beaming with a smile. After exchanging brief greetings and sitting down opposite him, the old man spoke.

“I wanted to meet you in person to trade the elixir. You may call me Master Yang for short.”

Given Master Yang’s advanced age, Danwooseong also used respectful language.

“I see. I understand.”

“The elixir I wish to trade with you is the Moon Dan Flower. Have you heard of it?”

Dan Wooseong shook his head.

“Never heard of it.”

“There are three types of elixirs that can make a pharmacist rich enough to live comfortably for the rest of their life: the Empty Blue Stone Milk, the Natural Wine Fruit, and the Moon Dan Flower. Of course, there are also elixirs like the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng or the Human-Shaped Snow Ginseng. These, however, can only be obtained by those in the martial world. Chasing such illusions is futile.”

Because they freeze to death. On the other hand, those three things are things you might encounter only when you’re extremely lucky in the ordinary realm of medicine.”

Dan Woo-sung nodded.

“Did you bring them?”

Master Yang shook his head.

“Of course not. The Moon Dan Flower is an elixir that cannot be stored. It withers the moment it is picked. One must go directly to where it grows and consume it oneself. For matters concerning the Moon Dan Flower, you should consult senior members of the guild with extensive martial world experience. I wouldn’t dare to…

This is precisely why I insisted on meeting you in person. I had no choice. If I had simply directed you to the location, there was a risk that Confucius would take the moon-shaped flower and leave without paying. Please don’t misunderstand. It’s merely the caution of a mapmaker.”

Dan Woo-seong asked.

“What should we do? If it’s a miraculous elixir that rivals the fame of the Gongqing Oil, let’s proceed in a way that ensures the deal goes through.”

Master Yang said.

“Fifteen thousand taels as an advance payment. I wish to receive the remaining fifteen thousand taels after the transaction is completed.”

“Thirty thousand.”

“Yes.”

Dan Woo-seong tilted his head slightly.

“For Gongcheng Oil-grade, that seems too cheap.”

That’s not the case. If I could have brought the item here and made the transaction immediately, I would have offered a higher price myself. But that’s impossible with the Moon Dan Flower. It requires the presence of the user. And if, judging by Confucius’s attitude and words, I felt uneasy, I would have considered turning back right then and there.

. I’m not the owner of the Moon Dan Flower.”

Dan Woo-seong nodded and said to Yi Hwa-eon.

“Bring thirty thousand nyang in bank drafts. Fifteen thousand nyang I’ll give you right here.”

Lee Hwa-eon studied Dan Woo-sung’s gaze before replying immediately.

“Understood. I will bring it.”

Dan Woosung asked the two elders.

“Where is Wol Dan-hwa?”

“If you’re available today, I’ll show you right away.”

Dan Woo-sung nodded.

“Once the chief steward brings the money, let’s depart immediately.”

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“Brother, have a safe trip.”

Lee Hwa-eon deliberately grabbed Dan Woo-sung’s arm and squeezed it lightly. It was a warning to be careful. Dan Woo-sung tapped Lee Hwa-eon’s hand in response.

“I’ll be back. If Miss Baek happens to come looking, tell her I went to Long Valley Mountain on business.”

“Understood.”

Suddenly, Dan Wooseong met Lee Hwa-eon’s gaze and grinned. The two elders said,

“Go now. The road is quite long.”

Danwooseong, his face instantly expressionless again, climbed into the carriage the two elders had ridden in.

Inside the rattling carriage, Dan Wooseong asked the two elders sitting across from him.

“How long do you think it will take to reach Yonggoksan?”

“We’ll reach the foot of the mountain in half an hour. The climb is the problem. Have you eaten?”

“I’m fine.”

“Then if you find a place to eat before climbing the mountain, you should eat first. It’s fortunate the moon is bright tonight, but the mountain path is quite treacherous.”

Danwooseong nodded, then crossed his arms and closed his eyes. For a long while, the carriage rattled on toward Yonggoksan without a word.

Yang Nosa gazed intently at Dan Woo-seong, who had his eyes closed, then spoke to the driver.

“If you see a place to eat down below, stop for us. It’s better to fill our stomachs before climbing.”

The coachman replied curtly.

“Understood.”

A short while later, the driver halted the horses. The two elders pulled back the carriage curtain to look outside.

“Fill your stomachs and go. We’re at the foot of the mountain.”

Dan Wooseong and Master Yang stepped down from the carriage and headed toward the area where small inns were clustered together.

Dan Wooseong glanced at the coachman who wasn’t following.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

“I’ll wait here.”

Entering the inn, Dan Wooseong sat across from Master Yang and spoke first.

“Let’s have a drink.”

“Certainly.” As Master Yang ordered various dishes, Dan Wooseong glanced toward the inn’s entrance, then gazed intently at the darkening mountains below.

The two elders also gazed into the darkness, then looked at Dan Wooseong and smiled.

“Your Highness, what are you looking at?”

Danwooseong stared intently at the faces of the two labor and management representatives before asking casually.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Huh?”

Yang No-sa wiped the smile from his face and replied as if he hadn’t heard correctly. Dan Wooseong asked again.

“Why are you grinning like that? At the merchant guild and now in the carriage. Is it a habit?”

Just as Master Yang was about to answer, the waiter brought over the liquor and cups, setting them down on the table. As he placed the cups, the waiter looked down at Dan Wooseong.

Dan Wooseong picked up the bottle first and poured liquor into the two elders’ cups. After the waiter stepped back, the two elders smiled again and said.

“Is something bothering you?”

Dan Woo-sung tapped his fingers slowly on the table as he spoke.

“Let me think for a moment. The enemy forces have been dealt with, and the Eight Dragon Gate wouldn’t dare do this to me. The organization of assassins hired by the Duke of Gu Yang has no real justification. There seems to be someone else left, though…”

Dan Woo-sung muttered to himself, then pointed at the wine cup.

“Drink.”

Master Yang absolutely never drank. Dan Woosung muttered again.

“It’s not the Namgung Clan or the Dokgo Clan. They’re not that low-level.”

Dan Wooseong pointed at Yang Nosa with his finger as he spoke.

“There’s definitely something going on. Someone who holds a grudge against me…”

“Your Highness, what on earth are you implying?”

Danwooseong stared into the pitch-black darkness outside the inn when the courtesan Suran’s words suddenly came to mind.

‘Would you mind waiting just until the light appears?’

Dan Woo-seong tore his gaze from the darkness and fixed it on the two elders.

“What is your relationship with the head of the Soseonpa?”

Only then did the smiles vanish from the two elders’ faces.