The Genius Youngest Disciple of the Wudang Sect

Chapter 142

On the way back to the Wudang Sect.

We can't go straight to the Wudang Sect, but we have to stop by the Zhuge family first.

Of course, Zhuge Yun and Zhuge Ling are not children who can't even find their way home, but I promised their father that I would take them home, so I must do so.

As I made that promise, I fumbled in my bosom.

Heavy—

I feel very good when I feel the weight of the two heavy pouches in my bosom.

One is the travel expense pouch given by the head of the Zhuge family, and the other is the money pouch given by the head of the Nangong family.

The money given by the head of the Zhuge family has hardly been used on the way, so it is almost intact.

And the money pouch given by the head of the Nangong family contains so much money that it is too much to be called travel expenses.

If you combine the two pouches, it would be about ten gold coins in total, and I'm thinking of stopping by Yangbeon on the way back to see old man Gyu-sam.

Because it is a given that if I invest diligently whenever I get money, it will come back to me as a large sum of money someday.

"We're finally here! We're finally in Wuhan."

About ten days after leaving the Nangong family, we were able to reach Wuhan, which we had also stopped by on our way to the Nangong family.

Although it was a schedule that was about three days later than I had thought, there was no reason to go back quickly anyway, and I was training diligently, so it was good to go slowly.

"Hwi-ya. We're going to stay at that inn we stayed at last time, right? I'm going to look around this area a bit before I go in."

"Yes. Go ahead. Was the name of the inn the Flying Dragon Inn?"

"I think so. See you later!"

Above all, Zhuge Yun is so excited to look around and draw a map, and I can't bring myself to tell him to just do it roughly and come back because we have to go back quickly, when he has such a bright face.

He likes it so much, but his family forbade him so much, so it's only natural that he would become strange.

We parted with Zhuge Yun and headed straight for the Flying Dragon Inn.

When we arrived there, the large man we had seen last time was about to block us, but he recognized me and quickly let us in.

Was his name Mo Yong-hae? I asked him if he was related to the Mo Yong family, but the fact that he said his surname was Mo and his name was Yong-hae was deeply ingrained in my memory.

"It's been a while. Uncle Mo Yong-hae."

"I'm glad that the Taoist master remembers me. Please come in."

The group went into the inn first, and I was about to go in, but I stopped and looked at his face.

Although he had hidden it by powdering his face like women do, my eyes could not be deceived.

"Why is your face such a mess? It looks like you've been beaten up badly."

"B-Beaten up? No."

"But you have bruises on your face like that? This isn't just one or two hits."

"It's nothing. Taoist master."

"It doesn't look like nothing."

I approached him and pressed his arms and legs with my fingers.

Then Mo Yong-hae, who was groaning in pain.

"You've been beaten up badly. Looking at the marks of the beating, it seems it wasn't just a person with brute force, but a person who knows how to hit people properly. Did someone cause a scene here?"

When I said this much, he looked around with a helpless expression and then opened his mouth.

"Actually... I was beaten up a little."

"It doesn't look like a little. At this rate, if you were unlucky and got hit in a vital spot, you could have really died. What is it? Did a customer cause a scene?"

"That's not it, but... it's similar."

"What do you mean, it's not but it's similar?"

In fact, it was none of my business, but when I came to my senses, I was interrogating him.

Although it was a short acquaintance, he was a person I quite liked.

Although he looked rough, he had a sense of duty in his work, and although he had a little more strength than others, he was a person who did not harm others.

I tend to like such ordinary citizens.

"Taoist master. I beg you, please stop asking and go in. If I tell you this story, I feel like it will only get bigger."

"I'll listen to the story, and if I think it's worth making a big deal out of, I'll do that, and if not, I'll ignore it. Don't feel burdened and tell me."

"That's why I can't. I can't drag you into my business, Taoist master."

"Why not?"

"That's because... you are a guest of our inn, Taoist master. Getting a guest involved in such a matter is an act of disqualification as a person who works at an inn."

At his sincere words, I felt a pang in my heart without my realizing it.

My meddling is starting to kick in properly.

But it was clear that a person of that type would not talk the more I pressured him to talk, so I decided to take a step back for now.

"I understand. I'll go in. However, if you need help, please tell me. Before I am a guest here, I am a martial artist who pursues righteousness and chivalry, and a Taoist of the Wudang Sect, the head of the orthodox sects."

"Taoist master...!"

At my serious voice, Mo Yong-hae let out a voice as if he were moved.

His expression also seems to have almost come over.

It's been a while since I've eaten the food of the Wudang Sect, so pretending to be a righteous Taoist like this is now a piece of cake.

I turned my back to him as if I were indifferent and followed the group into the inn.

If I've done this much, Mo Yong-hae will surely come to see me soon.

What if he doesn't come to see me even after I've done this much?

Then I'll stop meddling and go my own way.

Either he's a fool who can't eat even when he's spoon-fed, or he's a stubborn person who can't take advantage of a situation in front of his pride.

It will be one of the two.

***

Even when Zhuge Yun came back to the inn at night with an exhausted face, Mo Yong-hae did not come to me.

I thought he had no intention of asking for help, so I was about to go to sleep, but Zhuge Yun came up to me with a hesitant face.

"Th... Hwi-ya."

"Yes. Older brother."

"I have something to say for a moment."

"What is it?"

"You see..."

He couldn't bring himself to say it and was fidgeting.

'How can a person be so transparent... what's the use?'

I can roughly see why he is like this.

The city of Wuhan is not a small place. It means that you can't check every corner to be able to draw a map just by wandering around for half a day.

So he will want to ask me if we can stay here for another day or two.

But I am not in a position to grant his request.

I also have a schedule and a plan.

My plan now is to go back to the Wudang Sect quickly, report what I have obtained from the Nangong family, and somehow receive a reward for raising the prestige of the Wudang Sect.

I have to go back to the Wudang Sect as soon as possible...

Knock, knock—

At that time, I heard someone knocking on the door from outside.

"Who is it?"

"I... Taoist master, it's me, Yong-hae from earlier. Mo Yong-hae."

"Uncle Mo Yong-hae?"

"I'm sorry for the late hour, but may I have a word with you for a moment?"

I looked back and forth between Zhuge Yun and Mo Yong-hae, and then I answered first.

"I understand. But could you wait a moment? I was also in the middle of a conversation."

"Yes. Taoist master. I will be waiting in the dining hall, so please come down when you are comfortable."

And I hear the sound of footsteps returning.

When the sound of footsteps could no longer be heard, I said to Zhuge Yun, "Aigoo. Older brother. Why is your face so haggard? This. It seems the schedule is too tight. Right?"

"Huh? Ah, right. It is a little tight, isn't it?"

"Then shall we just rest here for a day or two? It's too boring to just train every day, right? Sometimes we can also do some sightseeing around here... what do you think?"

Then Zhuge Yun's face lit up.

He grabbed my hand and said, "Hwi-ya. You knew what I was going to say all along, didn't you?"

"Well... that's right. What else would you have to say to me other than that?"

"Ah. Is that so?"

At his foolish laugh, a small laugh also came out of me.

If you set up training and a schedule like this madly, you become so happy with just a little bit of rest and free time.

In fact, happiness is not far away.

A pleasure like a glass of cold water on a very hot day. Isn't that what happiness is?

Of course, in this case, I was the one creating that heat.

***

Zhuge Yun said he would tell Zhuge Ling and our senior brothers that there would be no training tomorrow, and then he left the room excitedly, and I also went down to the dining hall immediately.

But in the dining hall, where I had expected only Mo Yong-hae to be waiting, there were quite a few faces I had never seen before.

When I looked at Mo Yong-hae with a puzzled expression, he came up to me and said with an apologetic face, "Taoist master. I'm really sorry for not telling you in advance. Actually, the person you need to talk to is not me, but my master."

"Master? Who is that..."

As I said that, I turned my head and looked at the faces I had never seen before.

There are six of them in total. But there is one man who looks to be of the highest status, and the other five seem to be his bodyguards.

The man looked like a gigolo, and his face was also smooth.

And he has as many as five bodyguards. He must be a person of quite a high status.

"Hello. Taoist master. I should have introduced myself first, but I have committed a discourtesy."

Unlike my first impression, he greeted me very politely and courteously.

"I am Gongsun Huan, the owner of this Flying Dragon Inn and the master of the Shi-yue Pavilion, the best brothel in Wuhan."

"I am Unhwi of the Wudang Sect."

When I returned the greeting, he smiled with crescent-shaped eyes and sat down again.

He gestured for me to sit, and as if responding to his suggestion, I pulled a nearby chair and sat down roughly.

"First of all, I apologize for bringing you here at such a late hour, Taoist master. In fact, although we are in a very chaotic situation, I could not decide whether it was right to drag you, a martial artist and an outsider, into our business."

"To be honest, it's a little absurd. I didn't say I would help you, but I said I would help Uncle Mo Yong-hae over there."

At my words, Mo Yong-hae and the martial artist closest to Gongsun Huan flinched at the same time.

But the reason they flinched felt a little different. Uncle Mo Yong-hae was because he had a guilty conscience at my words, and that man seemed to dislike the fact that I had referred to Gongsun Huan as 'that person'.

"I'm sorry. Since Yong-hae's business is our business, I thought it was the same thing. My thoughts were short. If you are uncomfortable with this place, you may go up. Since I have troubled you, I will not charge you for your stay today."

But I like the attitude of that gigolo-like guy named Gongsun Huan.

Although I don't know if he is sincere, he has been consistently humble to me.

I like people who do well in front of me. Even if they talk behind my back, shouldn't they at least pretend not to in front of me?

Although people sometimes dislike it as hypocrisy, I think hypocrisy is much better than being rude.

"Hmm... no. There's no need for that. It seems something has happened, so I'll listen to the story and think about what to do."

"Thank you very much. Taoist master."

He bowed his head to me once more and then continued, "In Wuhan, there are five particularly outstanding inns, which are called the Five Inns of Wuhan. Do you happen to know about them?"

"Yes. I've heard of them. I know that this is one of them."

"Then the story will be faster. Right now, we... this Flying Dragon Inn is being attacked by one of the other Five Inns of Wuhan, a place called the Feng-yan Inn."

"Attacked?"

"The Feng-yan Inn is not far from here. They have fewer customers than our inn, and as a way to overcome that, they are trying to make our inn close down."

"They're trying to make one of the five great inns in the vicinity close down and take their customers naturally. That's what you're saying."

"You are correct."

Although he nodded his head with a happy face, I rather frowned.

"If it's something like that, it will be a little difficult for me to help you. Originally, it is the law of our sect that we cannot interfere in such private matters... I'm sorry. I just meddled and wasted your time. I hope the dispute will be resolved well."

"Would you please listen to my story a little more?"

I was about to get up from my seat cleanly, but I sat down again and looked at him.

Because listening to the story was something I could do enough.

"The matter of being attacked that I mentioned a little while ago... it's not just that we are being challenged by them, but that they are really hiring martial artists to secretly attack our staff and customers."

"Uh... they're really trash, aren't they?"

"That's right. The reason that is possible is because only our inn has no backing."

"Backing?"

"For example, the Feng-yan Inn... the Red Snake Gang, a Black Way sect, is its backing. In fact, although I said they hired martial artists, those martial artists are also all Red Snake Gang martial artists."

"Red Snake Gang...?"

I tried to recall my memory. I'm sure I've heard of them before...

Since it's not a name that stands out in my memory, they are not very dangerous guys.

"And that Red Snake Gang is a group that is affiliated with the Evil Way Alliance."

"Evil Way Alliance?"

I was so surprised that I asked back in a loud voice without my realizing it.

The Evil Way Alliance.

Because they were the danger itself that could possibly degenerate the orthodox martial world that had been developed so hard.

(End of Chapter)