novelraw Chapter 30
Chapter 30
Chapter 30:
12. Upper Feast (1)
Jeong-min packed all his belongings.
Is the travel pack a bit small? He thought so for a moment, but they would stop by inns over the course of the fifteen-day journey, and street food would suffice for meals.
This should be enough.
He looked across at Hyeok Jang-ho and Hyeok Mun-ha, who were struggling over with their luggage.
The two of them were carrying packs twice the size of Jeong-min's.
"…Isn't that heavy?"
"We're fine, Junior Cult Leader."
Hyeok Jang-ho and Hyeok Mun-ha answered with ease.
Jeong-min asked once more.
"Brothers, are you truly sure you'll be alright? It will be a long journey. If you're worried about your little brother, you need not come along."
"No, Junior Cult Leader. We're going because we want to."
"And that way of speaking! Stop it!"
Jeong-min shuddered and opened his mouth.
After three straight days of hearing it, he felt the Madness Curse might relapse.
Junior Cult Leader—what on earth kind of absurd thing to call one's own brother.
"Please call me by name, brothers. I'm embarrassed to even look you in the face when you do that."
"We will, Junior Cult Leader…."
"I said stop."
"A-alright. Little brother."
Hyeok Jang-ho and Hyeok Mun-ha's manner of speech visibly softened. How long will that last.
Appearing before the three of them were Heavenly Demon Hyeok Je-un and his mother, Hyeok Seol-hwa.
Mother.
Hyeok Seol-hwa had not been able to properly enjoy herself during Jeong-min's recent Junior Cult Leader investiture ceremony.
The reason was simple. Her husband and father of her three children, Bang-rip, had been locked away in closed-door confinement.
There was no way she wasn't troubled.
Her expression is very dark.
As if she hadn't slept properly in days, the skin beneath her eyes was hollow and shadowed.
Jeong-min deliberately spoke in a bright tone to put her at ease.
"Mother. I'll be off."
"Yes… Will the three of you really be alright?"
"We'll be fine."
Hyeok Je-un stepped forward.
"Hunan is far. It would be good to at least take horses."
The place the three of them had to head was Hunan.
They needed to arrive there within fifteen days, and going on foot would leave the timing somewhat tight—which was why Hyeok Je-un said as much.
Of course, Jeong-min agreed, but—
"Relying only on horses stiffens the body."
Even Hyeok Je-un had to nod at that.
He turned his head and gazed down at the Xinjiang borderlands below Tianshan.
"The martial tournament 'Upper Feast Battle.'"
The Upper Feast Battle.
That was the tournament being held in Hunan—the very one Jeong-min had been intent on entering all along.
It was said that the Upper Feast Battle, held on a nationwide scale, drew in rising talents from all manner of prestigious families.
It was a tournament Jeong-min had already known well even in his days as the Nameless Sword Wraith.
And the reason Jeong-min intended to enter the Upper Feast Battle was simply—
He's going to be there.
One of the targets of Jeong-min's revenge.
That person would likely be around the same age as Jeong-min right now.
Then I'll stomp him out while the sprout has yet to properly take root. That was Jeong-min's thinking.
Some may call it cowardly.
But I'm originally from a line of assassins—what does cowardly even mean to me?
If you don't like it, be stronger than me.
That aside, Hunan.
Directly above Hunan is Hubei.
There were 2 reasons Jeong-min needed to go to Hubei. The first was to find Instructor Yeom, whom Gyeong Ga-ryeong had mentioned.
She said he could treat the Demon Vein.
And the second was……
Jeong-min shook his head. Now was not the time to worry about what lay ahead.
Think only of what is immediately before you. That is the fastest path to revenge.
"Then I'll be going."
"Yes. Jeong-min."
"Yes?"
When Jeong-min, Jang-ho, and Mun-ha turned around—
Hyeok Je-un stood there with a sorrowful expression on his face.
"Come back safely."
* * *
Carrying the pack on his shoulders turned out to be a heavier journey than expected.
Even just descending Tianshan, Jeong-min and his 2 brothers came close to tumbling down several times.
"Be careful, brother."
"Yes, Junior Cult Leader."
"I told you to stop calling me that."
"Understood, little brother."
Hyeok Jang-ho and Hyeok Mun-ha's manner of speech visibly softened. How long will that last?
To reach Hunan, taking the straight-line route was fastest. Cross the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, and you'd be right in Hunan.
The problem was that along the way, they might run into mountain bandits or water bandits.
Ah, no way. Would something like that really happen?
If they showed up, he'd just beat them all down.
The first day passed without incident. They ate a bowl of stale rice for a few coins at a nearby tavern, and slept well at an inn.
The second day was the same. The only memorable thing along the way was a few children running noisily, clutching flowers. Nothing else. They hadn't eaten a proper meal and were hungry.
The trouble broke out on the third day.
"What's good here?"
"The braised fowl and fish liver sell well."
"Give us 2 of each, then."
"Yes, sir!"
The 3 of them stopped at a roadside inn in Qinghai and took a seat.
After placing their order with the server boy, Jang-ho removed his outer shoes. The back of his heel was bruised purple.
Jeong-min took off the hat he'd been wearing and set it down.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. It's my first time walking this long—my heels are all worn through."
"I brought some ointment. Shall I lend it to you?"
"I'd be grateful if you'd put it on for me."
As the 3 brothers checked on each other's condition, the freshly made braised fowl and fish liver were set on the table in no time.
The server boy, who looked to be right around Jeong-min's age, set down the food but showed no sign of leaving.
Jeong-min found this strange and looked up.
"Ah, do you need payment in advance?"
"No. It's not that."
The server boy glanced back and forth at the 3 brothers' faces for a moment, then bowed in a full ceremonial greeting.
Jeong-min reflexively bowed in return, and the server boy relaxed his posture.
"You 3 are heading to Hunan, aren't you?"
"……How did you know that?"
"Ha ha, take a look around."
Around?
Only then did Jeong-min lift his head and survey his surroundings.
Sure enough, every single guest was thick-bodied and young-faced.
Seeing that each of them had a sword, a flail, or some other weapon hanging from their waist, there was no doubt they were all martial artists.
Hyeok Jang-ho let out a sigh.
"How strange. Is this an inn exclusively for martial artists?"
"That's unlikely."
I see. Jeong-min nodded.
These were all participants in the Upper Feast Battle, heading to Hunan.
Guess everyone's path happened to overlap. Thinking that, a small smile tugged at Jeong-min's lips.
So I've met all the enemies here already.
Jeong-min examined the faces of the martial artists one by one.
But something about them struck him as odd. Their bodies were clearly rugged, and they seemed to have accumulated a decent amount of Internal Energy, and yet……
Somehow, every single one of them looks feeble.
To Jeong-min's eyes, they all seemed frail.
Didn't they say the Upper Feast Battle only gathers rising talents?
Come to think of it, given the rewards of the Upper Feast Battle, there would certainly be preliminary rounds—but how would those work?
Jeong-min had only known, in his past life, that a thing called the Upper Feast Battle existed and that a certain person would be competing in it. He had no knowledge of how the rules were structured.
The winner of the Upper Feast Battle receives 5 gold ingots—roughly the equivalent of 600 million won. That's fifty years' worth of an average household.
There wouldn't be many sects willing to pass up an opportunity like that.
Naturally, each would dispatch their rising talents, and if so, there would certainly be preliminary rounds to select only the strongest seeds among them.
"Hey! What did you just say?"
"Did I say something wrong? Why are you suddenly getting worked up, you little—"
Just then, a commotion broke out on one side.
The server boy left, and as Jeong-min looked over, 2 martial artists who had been seated at the same table got into a quarrel. It seemed a trivial argument had ignited.
"You're about to throw a punch, aren't you?"
"Yeah, let's see it. Either way, you're going to get knocked out in the preliminary rounds of the Upper Feast Battle—so I'll cut your throat right here."
"This guy, I swear! Watch your mouth. There's a limit to how much I'll let slide."
"Then don't let it slide!"
Emotions are running high.
To be honest, whether they fought or not, Jeong-min didn't particularly care.
The problem was that they were ruining the mood right beside him, and the braised fowl didn't taste right at all.
It had been days since he'd had a proper meal. Could they not stay quiet for just a moment.
No choice.
Just as Jeong-min was about to stand and silence them, Mun-ha stopped him.
"Brother?"
"Junior Cult Leader. Allow me to handle this."
I told you to stop calling me that.
Mun-ha suddenly set his face with resolve and rose from his seat.
He walked over to where the 2 martial artists were fighting. The 2 martial artists immediately quieted and looked up at Mun-ha.
"What the hell are you?"
"Could both of you please keep it down? You're disturbing those of us trying to eat."
"What? Are you the innkeeper?"
"No. I'm merely another guest."
"Then sit down quietly. This is our business."
But even after hearing that, Mun-ha showed no sign of leaving—so the martial artist shot to his feet.
"Hey, didn't you hear me?"
"I heard you."
"Then why aren't you getting lost? Want me to bore out your ear holes?"
The martial artist grabbed Mun-ha by the ear and laughed mockingly.
Even then, Mun-ha's face remained calm.
"Will you please keep it down? If you promise, I'll return to my seat right away."
"So why in the world would I make a promise to you, of all people."
"Because you're being loud."
"Is this guy seriously messing with me?"
Schling!
The martial artist drew his sword. At that, the other martial artist on the opposite side looked alarmed.
"Hey, what are you doing? Someone's going to die."
"Let them. This guy started it."
Mun-ha glanced between the 2 men, then turned to the one still seated and asked.
"Does that mean you have nothing to do with this fight?"
"……Tsk, listening to you, the way you talk…."
Schling! At last, the seated martial artist drew his blade as well.
From where Jeong-min sat, it looked as though something about Mun-ha's manner of speaking—the way it had a lecturing quality to it—had set both of them off.
Oh no.
Well, spending all his time tending to his little brother would naturally make his speech more grown-up.
But in a situation like this, it only brought about a 2-against-1.
Come to think of it, I have no idea how strong Mun-ha actually is.
And not just Mun-ha—same with Jang-ho.
He'd heard that both of them had only just begun receiving instruction in the Heavenly Demon Divine Art from their grandfather.
For an ordinary person, reaching even the 1st Stage of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art takes years. In that case, it was hard to say either of them had reached the 1st Stage yet.
Will he be alright?
Gazing over there with that thought in mind, Jang-ho was calmly scooping a spoonful of fish liver into his mouth without a care.
"Junior Cult Leader—no, little brother. If you're not going to eat, I'll finish it all."
"……?"
Doesn't this brother worry at all about Mun-ha? Or am I the one being too anxious?
Holding that confusion inside, he looked back toward Mun-ha.
At last, Mun-ha let out a long, heavy sigh—haa.
"I'll ask once more. Will you 2 keep it down?"
"Sure, we will."
"After we drop your head on the floor!"
Swish!
2 blades came slicing down through the air.
One could feel that they were indeed martial artists—the sword energy was sharp and swift.
And yet—
"Hm."
Thwap!
Mun-ha caught both swords with his 2 bare hands, precisely.
"What—?!"
"What the—!"
And then, his body flipped clean in the opposite direction—followed by a spinning back kick.
Thud! Crack!
Both martial artists, sent flying by one leg each, tumbled across the floor.
For a moment, everyone in the inn stared over in stunned silence, unable to grasp what had just happened.
Jeong-min was no different.
What was that? Those movements just now.
Light.
While that thought crossed his mind, Mun-ha straightened his posture, gestured with his chin toward the back, and warned the 2 fallen martial artists.
"Don't make so much noise. The Junior Cult Leader is eating."