Chapter 140

“This is about something.”

Yeon Mujin pointed at the shed skin of the red carp that Bukgung Yoon was holding like a spoil and said.

“If that thing really is a ten-thousand-year carp, wouldn’t this be useful too?”

“…Huh?”

Everyone had been so busy rescuing the red carp that they hadn’t thought of that.

Now that he mentioned it, really….

“Ten-thousand-year carps are said to possess extremely yang properties. Depending on the carp’s age, one inner core could contain more than 60 years of martial arts qi….”

“60”

“Years?”

“of qi?”

An 60 years denotes sixty years’ worth of cultivation.

Accumulating that much power is every warrior’s dream.

At the mention of one 60 years of qi, the members of the External Protection Troops’ eyes lit up.

“One inner core from that carp could grant 60 years of qi of cultivation?”

They looked as if they were about to cut open the carp’s belly and take the core at once.

“Everyone calm down. It’s all just rumor, and there’s no guarantee that carp is a ten-thousand-year one. It might just be a fish with red markings.”

“Maybe not ten-thousand years, but if it’s a fire carp, it should have resistance to intense yang qi, right?”

“Wouldn’t that be so?”

Yeon Mujin picked up the carp’s shed skin.

“Hold this for a moment.”

“Yes?”

Yang Gwan-wol, caught off guard, took the carp’s shed skin.

“Stretch it out. Good. Spread it and hold it out in front of you. Stretch it as long as you can.”

“Yes? Like this? …Whoa? Wait a moment!”

It was already too late. Yeon Mujin grabbed Yang Gwan-wol’s sword and began to pour his internal qi into it.

Wooooooooom!

A misty haze, like fog, rose from his sword body.

It was an auxiliary technique of the Three-Trial Sword Method that Yeon Mujin had developed last time.

“Argh! captain, are you insane?!”

Yeon Mujin swung the sword down toward the carp’s shed skin.

He didn’t just swing casually; he put real force behind it.

And then,

Kaaang!

“Argh!”

With a great explosion, Yang Gwan-wol’s scream burst out.

Yang Gwan-wol rolled backward five times and shouted angrily at Yeon Mujin.

“Captain! I almost died!”

“You didn’t die. Spread what you’re holding in your hands again.”

There wasn’t a single scratch on the carp’s shed skin.

Yeon Mujin examined it slowly and told the members.

“It seems to be a ten-thousand-year carp.”

“Isn’t it just tough?”

“No, I swung it with yang qi infused. There’s not even a scorch mark. It means it has resistance to intense yang qi.”

“So the inner core would be 60 years of qi?”

Yeon Mujin swatted Yang Gwan-wol for talking nonsense.

“Cut it out, do you intend to kill the creature our manor lord saved with your own hands?”

“Isn’t there a way to extract only the inner core? Leave its life intact….”

“Why? You try leaving the life and just pulling the insides out then.”

Yeon Mujin clicked his tongue.

“And the carp isn’t ours. It’s a spirit beast of the Ghost Valley Manor—who gives you the right to take its inner core?”

Yeon Mujin suddenly felt the sharp stares of the External Protection Troops aimed at him.

“Why are you staring like that?”

“It’s strange to get used to, since captain is saying something sensible.”

“If it’s spiritual pill, he’d be the type to steal it even from someone’s pocket.”

“Who on earth do you think we’re calling the most shameless person alive?”

Yeon Mujin had apparently completely forgotten that he’d already stolen and eaten the Great Heavenly Pill.

“So quietly hide the shed skin for now. Make sure A-Bi-Gyu-Hwan doesn’t notice.”

“…Didn’t you just say he wasn’t shameless?”

Ai Ja, the big-eared one, suddenly appeared and said.

“You can take it.”

“Yes?”

“You saved the red carp’s life, so a measly shed skin is nothing.”

“Gwan-wol, did you hear? Elder Ai Ja said you may take it, so don’t think about stealing it.”

“The External Protection Troops’ leader, you heard him say to keep it carefully.”

“You must have bad hearing. The voices are similar so you got confused.”

Aija looked at Yeon Mujin with an incredulous expression.

“Well… let it be for that. Considering the efforts you and the Flying Swallow Hall Lord put in at Hundred Ghost Mountain, it feels wrong to compensate with just the shed skin. We have prepared a separate reward.”

“Is it that creature’s inner core?”

“I can’t cut open the red carp’s belly.”

“The tail of a Seven-Wish Fox, the velvet antler of a Black-Horned Deer, the feather of a Three-Legged Crow, the venom gland of a Two-Headed Lion—any of those will do.”

“For someone who says ‘anything is fine,’ those requirements are pretty specific.”

“When asking for payment, the more specific the request, the better.”

Aija heaved a deep sigh.

“You’re really consistent. Consistently shameless.”

“My spine is rather steadfast.”

“So I see the rumors about the External Protection Troops’ leader circulating within the clan were mistaken.”

“Rumors tend to be exaggerated.”

“No, they were drastically downplayed.”

The External Protection Troops members nodded in agreement.

“So what will you give us?”

“I will give you homemade Japanese ginger alcohol.”

“…Japanese Ginger Alcohol?”

The troop members looked disappointed at the mention of alcohol.

The only one not disappointed was Yeon Mujin.

He knew exactly what kind of thing Ai Ja’s Japanese Ginger wine was.

“It is alcohol brewed from Japanese ginger that grows on Hundred Ghost Mountain. Japanese Japan is a common herb, but when brewed with my secret method, it becomes somewhat special.”

“What makes it special?”

“Hundred Ghost Mountain’s Japanese ginger alcohol has the effect of dispersing the drinker’s martial energy—an effect called San-gong (dispersing merit).”

“San-gong…?”

“Japanese Ginger alcohol is not a poison, so it won’t be detected. Body’s effect is not temporary. Japanese Ginger grown for centuries on the Hundred Ghost Mountain has a special medicinal property: when ingested, it absorbs internal qi and excretes it as waste. The drinker won’t realize their internal qi is being drained. If one drinks a lot and then goes straight to the latrine… the next day they’ll find the internal qi in their dantian reduced by half. Of course, since I brewed it myself, the taste and aroma are guaranteed.”

At Ai Ja’s boast, the External Protection Troops all shuddered at once.

If that was true, it would be hell for martial artists.

At that moment Yang Gwan-wol asked Ai Ja with a serious face.

“Elder Ai Ja.”

“What is it?”

“Is that really true?”

“I swear it on the names of my brothers.”

“Then if one drinks the waste excreted by a warrior who consumed Japanese Ginger alcohol, could one acquire that person’s internal qi?”

“….”

Ai Ja was stunned and could not answer for a while.

“I’ve never tried that… but it probably wouldn’t work.”

“Hmm….”

Yang Gwan-wol smacked his lips, looked around, and said suddenly.

“Why are you all looking at me like that? It was a joke, a joke! Can’t these people even take a joke?”

But no one believed him.

They had all seen how serious Yang Gwan-wol’s gaze had been when he asked the question.

“There will be a lot to tell when we return to the Flying Swallow Manor.”

“Not only getting aroused by the male but drinking someone else’s waste….”

“As soon as we get back, we should re-elect the deputy captain. We can’t let the name of the External Protection Troops be smeared with feces—well, urine, can we?”

“Hey, I said it was really a joke! Hey! Where are you all going!”

While everyone turned their backs, only one person—Yeon Mujin—remained and patted Yang Gwan-wol on the shoulder.

“Pig, don’t worry.”

“Captain, do you believe me?”

“If we ever need to use Japanese Ginger alcohol, I’ll be sure to tell you to hide in the latrine.”

“….”

Bukgung Dam-deok conveyed that he would remain at Hundred Ghost Manor for a while.

Bukgung Yoon and the External Protection Troops boarded the carriage bound for Taewon, leaving Hundred Ghost Mountain.

They had left the Flying Swallow Manor empty for too long.

Yeon Mujin had two thoughts.

No, three? He wasn’t sure. He began to list them one by one.

First, from the effect of having taken the Great Heavenly Pill last time, his internal qi had increased considerably.

Soon his internal qi was expected to exceed 30 years of qi.

Why is 30 years important?

30 years of qi is the condition for the regression pill that allows Yeon Mujin to return to the Bukgung Family each time he dies.

In other words.

It means that even if Yeon Mujin dies now, he can always return to the day the Bukgung Guard Tournament takes place.

In other words, Yeon Mujin now had a choice.

“….”

Yeon Mujin glanced at Bukgung Yoon beside him, who was lost in deep thought.

Did she have the qualities of a Family Lord?

Was Bukgung Yoon capable of preventing the Bukgung Family from ruin?

He couldn’t give a definite answer to that question.

Bukgung Yoon was an idealist. Certainly more so than her other siblings.

While the other siblings fought to kill competitors, Bukgung Yoon fought to survive.

That was the difference Yeon Mujin saw between the youngest daughter and her brothers.

Not yet….

‘Decision deferred.’

It wasn’t a situation so hopeless that he had to regress immediately.

Now, onto the next issue.

‘By now, that thing should be about to happen….’

‘That thing’ referred to the complete burning down of the Namgung Family’s building in Anhui Province.

Because of that incident, Namgung Geom, a current member of the Three Lord, searched furiously for the culprit.

Of course Yeon Mujin knew who had done it.

The culprit was an individual named Raging Evil, a member of the Three Evils.

This Raging Evil guy contacted a certain person to avoid Namgung Family’s notice….

‘Granny, has he met that guy by now?’

It was Yeon Mujin’s former mount, Shapeshifter Demon, who had parted from him on Mount Hwa.

Raging Evil and Shapeshifter Demon shared an old bond.

The burning of the Namgung Family, as Yeon Mujin remembered it, sometimes escalated into a major incident depending on the point of regression, and sometimes quietly died down.

There were so many variables that changed each time that predicting them all was nearly impossible.

Only one thing never changed: Raging Evil hid with Shapeshifter Demon’s help.

So why did Yeon Mujin care about the Namgung Family’s burning, which was someone else’s problem?

If this incident escalated into the big event Yeon Mujin remembered,

This incident could trigger the total destruction of either the Great Young lord’s Manor or the Second Young lord’s Heavenly Martial Manor.

‘If that happens, Bukgung Yoon will take one step closer to becoming Family Lord.’

It could be a potential windfall for Yeon Mujin.

The worst case would be the Second Young lord’s faction losing and the Grand Young lord’s faction winning.

With the Heavenly Martial Manor gone, the Great Young lord would wield unchecked power and be on the path to becoming Family Lord.

Therefore, at this time, one must be on high alert toward both manors.

‘I should pester Chun-sik for information as soon as we return.’

“As soon as we return.”

“Yes. As soon as we return. …Huh?”

“As soon as we return, I should visit the Glorious Flower Manor.”

“Yes, that’s right. The Glorious Flower Manor. Wait, huh?”

“What are you so deep in thought about?”

“I dozed off for a moment. What did you just say?”

“I said I need to pay a visit to the Family Lord.”

“Why all of a sudden?”

“I have something I want to ask Father.”

Hmm.

It seemed Bukgung Yoon had also made some decision herself.

Her expression was a bit more serious than usual.

“Well, do as you will.”

The Bukgung Family Lord was not someone she couldn’t meet. If his daughter wanted to see her father, he wouldn’t refuse, would he?

And the two people’s plans fell apart the moment they arrived at the Flying Swallow Manor.

There was a guest at the Flying Swallow Manor they had not expected.

“Oh. You’re finally here.”

“Brother, what brings you here…?”

Namely, Bukgung Yeong-no, the lord of the Heavenly Martial Manor, greeted Yeon Mujin’s party lying sideways with one arm propping his head.

“I stopped by on business. But is that a cask loaded on the back there?”