Chapter 42 Zhi Hougui (3)

Chapter 42 Zhi Hougui (3)

Seeing this, Baek Dong-il awkwardly stammered.

“He’s… a sworn brother from a drinking party!”

” “Even if Jie Huogui is as generous as they say, I doubt he’d take on a younger brother over drinks.”

Faced with Gu Yangji’s words, Baek Dong-il couldn’t bring himself to say he was his real younger brother and instead drew his sword.

But, does that bastard know?

‘That could be the answer itself.’

Gu Yangji clicked his tongue lightly.

“Step aside. I must deal with Jik Hogwi now. I’ll let you off this time.”

“Deal with him?”

Only then did Baek Dong-il’s gaze turn to the corpse.

A stab wound pierced the center of his chest.

Blood trickled sparsely through the wound.

Baek Cheong-il’s face had long since turned deathly pale; it seemed too late for any divine intervention to save him now.

‘Truly, my elder brother…’

Unable to contain his grief, Baek Dong-il drew his sword.

Clang!

Seeing this, Gu Yang-jeok’s gaze instantly turned cold.

“Do you think you can handle this?”

“……”

“That so-called sworn brother of yours, that worthless Jikho-gwi, couldn’t defeat me. How do you think you could possibly be my opponent?”

Gu Yangjeok shook his head lightly.

“I have no desire to kill both heirs of the same family in a single day. Get out of my way.”

Hearing this, Baek Dong-il inwardly smirked.

‘He’s tired!’

That shallow judgment flashed through his mind.

“Go! I’ll kill you to comfort my elder brother!”

“…What a fool.”

Without even drawing his sword, Gu Yangjeok grabbed Baek Dong-il’s blade with his bare hands and twisted his wrist.

Snap!

The blade shattered completely.

And even the interest on Gu Yangjeok’s face faded.

“You lack even the most basic skill.”

Even a child like Zhao Hun would have at least prevented the blade from snapping when twisted.

But Baek Dong-il hadn’t even attempted that.

He seemed like someone who had never even learned sword techniques.

“So the Black Dragon Sect Leader abandoned you. That’s why it’s known you have only one son outside the sect too…”

“……”

Even to Gu Yangji’s taunt, Baek Dong-il found no fitting reply.

Because it was the truth.

Baek Dong-il had learned not a single martial art from the Black Dragon Sect.

Yet, retreating while Baek Cheong-il’s corpse lay before him would have been against his principles.

‘He was the only brother who ever treated me well.’

A flicker of resolve crossed Baek Dong-il’s face.

“Put it down and leave.”

“You intend to trample even this final kindness?”

Baek Cheong-il hadn’t taught his younger brother a damn thing.

Despite Gu Yang-jeok’s incessant babbling, Baek Dong-il stood rooted to the spot in the alley, refusing to budge.

Even if shame made him tremble.

Though his legs trembled with fear, Baek Dong-il did not step aside.

A peculiar smile played on Gu Yang-jeok’s face.

‘Uncharacteristic of the Dark Sect. Or perhaps… he wasn’t raised that way.’

The latter possibility was clear.

He possessed no inner strength, his sword technique was mediocre, and even his resolve was weak.

Gu Yang-jeok asked him.

“Why are you so obsessed with this brat?”

“He’s family!”

“…Well, it’s not like you’ve done anything particularly good for him?”

Baek Dong-il’s face froze instantly at Gu Yang-jeok’s words.

Gu Yang-jeok’s lips twisted viciously.

“You’re delusional.”

“Wh-what delusion are you talking about!”

“Does this bastard seem to have treated you purely out of good intentions, like you?”

“…….”

Gu Yangji’s words gradually turned into ones that scratched at a corner of Baek Dong-il’s heart.

“That’s not it. If he truly cared for you, why wouldn’t he have taught you a single martial art and just left you neglected? On top of that…….”

Gu Yangjeok gestured with his chin toward Baek Dong-il’s back.

“Isn’t that place a famous spot completely unrelated to the Black Dragon Sect? Unless you came to see the lake, you wouldn’t have any reason to go over there, right?”

“Shut up!”

Confusion spread across Baek Dong-il’s face.

” Even if my elder brother thought that, he was always the one who welcomed me with a smile. Don’t insult my brother, who was a true man!“

”So, if it were Jihogui, would he have told you to fight here?”

At those words, Baek Dong-il’s movements froze.

‘He fell for it.’

Gu Yang-jeok immediately shot out a thick aura of killing intent.

“Go back. This is your last chance.”

“…Guh!”

As Baek Dong-il turned his back and sprinted off somewhere, Gu Yang-jeok raised his head high.

“Bum, you were watching, weren’t you?”

“Of course.”

“Then show some sense befitting an old bum.”

At those words, Cheolpunggae grinned, revealing yellow teeth.

“Well, of course I did!”

Hearing the clear answer, Gu Yangjeok watched Baek Dong-il gradually fade into the distance with a look of pity.

‘Foolish man.’

At least Baek Cheong-il had spirit. He had the heart to think of his men even as death approached.

That was why he left a dying wish for his body to be cremated.

And that wasn’t all.

He wore a merchant’s disguise, came to see him even after witnessing the annihilation of the Shaanxi branch, and yet the existence of the gunpowder warehouse remained undiscovered.

In contrast, Baek Dong-il was dull.

His skill, his presence, even his intelligence.

He fell far short compared to his elder brother, Baek Cheong-il.

Gu Yang-jeok hoped Baek Dong-il would flee as far away as possible.

That was his objective.

‘Now he’s a grateful friend who’ll expose the Black Dragon Sect’s headquarters and secret base.’

A sneer crept onto Gu Yangji’s face. Without this purpose, he would have cut Bai Dongyi’s throat long ago.

Watching this, Cheolpunggae frowned.

“It keeps occurring to me, but you’re truly insidious.”

“You’re just figuring that out now?”

Gu Yangji smiled faintly.

Now, Baek Cheong-il’s corpse would be sold ‘little by little’ at a high price to the powerful figures who held grudges against him.

* * *

The next day.

Gu Yangji summoned the beggars of the Open Sect and the Sanghyeon Sword to an open field.

“The matter with Baek Cheong-il, including the Shaanxi branch, is settled. “

Thirty taels of gold in total.

The land prices in Chang’an, the heart of Shaanxi, and the manor itself were substantial, but this was the money obtained after discreetly handling Bai Qingyi.

Of course, it wasn’t handled directly by Gu Yangji.

After all, Taoists shouldn’t conduct business using personal grudges.

‘Iron Wind Dog is Iron Wind Dog, but I didn’t expect Bai Qian’s resolve to be quite so formidable.’

Gu Yangjie realized the Gold Exchange wasn’t just a simple errand service; it could become a much greater ally.

His gaze then shifted to Sanghyeon Sword and the beggars.

“When are you paying up?”

“Khm, hm!”

Greed and reluctance coexisted strangely.

The former belonged to the Open Sect, while the latter emanated from Sanghyeon Sword, the Hwasan Sect’s master of the inner sect.

At first glance, there seemed no means to fully satisfy both.

But Gu Yangjeok had already considered how to resolve this matter.

Gu Yangji asked Cheolpunggae.

“As far as I know, the Open Sect’s sole precept is that you must not accept money through private transactions, but only through begging. Is that correct?”

Cheolpunggae nodded firmly at those words.

“Correct.”

Seeing the beggars’ faces cloud over momentarily, Gu Yangji continued.

“But it seems those present here… no, the great heroes of the Beggars Sect, are not satisfied with that.”

“That’s right!”

“You young whippersnappers know something after all!”

Gu Yangji couldn’t help but smile, feeling strangely like he’d become an animal trainer.

“Then might this junior Gu Yang make a suggestion?”

At that moment, Sang-hyeon-geom shot the beggars a displeased glance and spoke up.

“…Any method that will elevate the honor of the Huashan Sect is acceptable.”

“Eeek! You bastard!”

“I was just getting into it!”

“Haha, please calm down.”

Gu Yang-jeok let out a dignified yet cheerful laugh, befitting a late-stage cultivator.

” “I anticipated this might happen, so I’ve been contemplating a way to satisfy both the Open Sect’s precepts and the honor of Huashan.”

Not having heard that part, Cheolpung-gae promptly asked.

“What is it?”

“Establishing a medical clinic.”

“A medical clinic?”

“Yes.”

Gu Yang-jeok briefly recalled the man who had been tormented while he watched over the Black Dragon Pavilion from the inn.

“I’ll use that gold to establish a hospital that helps those born with disabilities.”

“What?”

One or two beggars grumbled.

“What’s in it for us?”

“Begging gets you free meals.”

At that, the beggars chuckled.

But Sanghyeon-geom’s face still showed deep concern.

“Yes, as you say, establishing the clinic with that money is possible, but how do you plan to maintain it?”

Gu Yangjeok answered as if he had expected that question.

“I plan to discreetly seek support from the Daoists located in Shaanxi.”

“From them?”

Sanghyeon-geom judged it wasn’t entirely impossible.

After all, the number of minor Taoist sects easily exceeded dozens.

But whether they would quietly provide support here was what made him tilt his head in doubt.

At that moment, Gu Yangji gave a sly smile.

“We’ve already finalized the arrangements with the Zhongnan Sect.”

“……?!”

At those words, not only Sanghyeon-geom, but even Cheolpung-gae’s eyes widened.

Where was Zhongnan?

Wasn’t that the place where Ye Dongbin had attained enlightenment in the past, the very cradle of Taoism? A place where the Zhongnan Sect and the Huashan Sect had always maintained only an ambiguous friendship due to their differing Taoist philosophies?

That the Zhongnan Sect had promised support meant Sanghyeon-geom couldn’t help but show his excitement.

“Is that truly the case?!”

“Why would I lie about such a matter?”

Only then did Gu Yangji begin to elaborate.

“The world knows the Open Sect dealt with the Madman, but those present here know who truly subdued him.”

“……”

As silence seemed to signify unanimous agreement, Gu Yangji spoke without further delay.

“After that incident, I made frequent efforts to contact the Zhongnan Sect.”

Gu Yangji briefly explained the events that had transpired since.

Whether when he met Ha Jin’e at Huashan, or after descending the mountain.

Gu Yangji and the Golden Ring Trading Company had continuously exchanged secret letters, enough for Yu Zhangming to notice.

At that time, Gu Yangji issued one instruction.

Contact the Zongnan faction’s secular family and subtly hint who had dealt with Duzheguang.

His calculation was that this would allow him to borrow the Zongnan faction’s favor someday.

‘Like now.’

Zongnan could also get a piece of the action in its own way, while Huashan could gain the honor of abandoning all that gold to aid the weak.

How could the smaller sects following them refuse?

At least for the next three years, no, five years, it should hold.

If even a few fools could be saved during that time, that alone would suffice.

“…Well, I suppose this makes me seem a bit more like a Taoist master.”

The old him would have swallowed it whole and then some.

Gu Yangji unconsciously scratched the back of his head.

That day, a new nickname stuck to Gu Yangji.

Plum Blossom Sword Hero.

Anyone who knew his true nature would have laughed themselves silly.

But Gu Yangji, who had proposed establishing a clinic for the weak, was already sufficiently worthy of being called a hero.

* * *

Had it been ten days?

Arriving at the entrance to Huashan, Gu Yangjie found himself face to face with an unexpected figure.

“Headmaster? What brings you all the way here?”

“…….”

“Oh dear, if you meant to encourage me, you could have done so from above, heh heh.”

“Enemy.”

Bai Danxian’s expression as he spoke was utterly serious, causing Gu Yangjie to wonder for a moment if he’d made a mistake.

But the words that followed were unexpected.

“Well done.”

“Who am I?”

Gu Yangjie struck his chest, displaying a spirited demeanor.

“This Gu Yangjie is the Plum Blossom Sword Hero.”

At those words, Bai Danxian smiled brightly.