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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: Three Times the Opportunity, Three Times the Danger (1)
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Following Geum Sihyeon, rumors spread throughout Baekhwa Academy that the other two, Mo Yongtaek and Unhak, had also reached the Peak realm.
The National Unrivaled Society enjoyed its greatest golden age since its inception, and 'that spot,' meticulously repaired and cleaned with Geum Sihyeon's money, became a sacred place for its members.
Of course, the fact that this achievement was tainted by the disgrace of card-swapping remained a secret shared by only three people.
Furthermore, the mahjong parlors near the academy were bustling with first-class martial artists, and professional gamblers welcomed their new marks with beaming smiles.
[Baekhwa Academy Gallery]
[Author: Anonymous]
[Title: Mahjong Truly Contains All of Life]
[(Photo of only one copper coin left in the purse from winnings)
The truth of life: If you're not sure, don't bet...
I joined a gambling den and lost all my silver, so I can't answer any questions...]
- I also went broke today trying for a Grand Slam lol
- You can play 100% safe mahjong at the National Unrivaled Society, why did you go to a private parlor?
ㄴ(Author) Well... enlightenment comes from 'real combat.'
- Ice Princess: Hwahawang, where is this place? O.O Princess wants to go too!
ㄴ(Author) A new place called Sincheon Mahjong opened up near the academy's southern food alley.
Regrettably, due to a tip from one loose-lipped person, a mahjong parlor was utterly destroyed by Mo Yongseol, root and branch.
Nevertheless, mahjong's popularity continued to soar. It could truly be called the trend of the era.
Moreover.
"Empty your mind. Your mind."
"Empty-handed we come, empty-handed we go. Empty-handed we come, empty-handed we go."
"Hey junior, spare a coin. Who knows? Good fortune might return."
Since Unhak kindly explained his enlightenment to everyone who asked, rather than keeping it to himself, peculiar beings—neither 丐帮 beggars nor vagrants—began to appear at the academy.
In Buddhist teachings, it was non-possession.
In Taoist teachings, it was effortless action.
Martial artists who couldn't let go of their desire for enlightenment, but could let go of their possessions, began to line up and embrace frugality.
To that extent, the granaries of the common people in Xi'an became abundant, which could be called a great blessing for the entire Murim.
However, no matter how much the latecomers struggled, they were less popular than the original '맛집' (a popular, authentic restaurant). At the center of that whirlwind, Geum Sihyeon, the first to reach the Peak realm—excluding Luri, who was already at that level—received the greatest attention since his admission to the academy.
And he was a man who knew how to cleverly exploit the situation.
[Handshake Event Where You Might Gain Enlightenment]
[Feat. Mo Yongtaek, Unhak]
In a corner of Dongcheong Hall, Geum Sihyeon held a modest event for male academy students. Leading his two slaves, bound by debt.
As a result of actively moving, even dangling the bait of providing low-grade elixirs just for attending, Geum Sihyeon managed to obtain most of the IDs of the first-class academy students in Dongcheong Hall within a single day.
The academy students, unaware that their personal information was being leaked, simply smiled broadly, shook a hand, received good energy, and even got an elixir.
It was the completion of a world where no one was hurt.
However.
"...These lowly wretches don't know their place and are making a fuss."
A man appeared, disgruntled by the situation. It was Mo Yongwicheon.
But Mo Yongtaek was no longer the Mo Yongtaek of the past.
"Yo. First-class junior."
He carved three lines of a river (川) onto Mo Yongwicheon's brow.
"What did you say?"
Ignoring Mo Yongwicheon's indignant reaction.
"You should call me Brother Taek. My birthday is earlier than yours, after all."
Grinning slyly, Mo Yongtaek pointed a finger skyward. A wisp of true qi emerged from his fingertip, lingered in the air for a moment, then burst like a firecracker, emitting a brilliant light.
It was the Peak Challenge, currently trending on MuTube Shorts.
Not to be outdone, the two men sitting next to Mo Yongtaek also went *pyong, pyong*! Adding two more streaks of brilliance.
"Ohhh!"
"I've never seen it in person...!"
In proportion to the first-class academy students' exclamations of admiration, identical, smug smiles played on the lips of the three idiots.
"Th-this...!"
Mo Yongwicheon's expression twisted into an indescribably bizarre contortion, as if he had just realized his first love was actually a cross-dressing boy.
The rumor that Mo Yongwicheon had entered secluded cultivation spread the very next day.
* * *
May at Baekhwa Academy was quite overflowing with freedom.
It was the same in the original work.
After the exam period, which lasted until the end of April, the entire month of May was filled with a continuous string of events, festivals, and the like, with no classes.
It was a crucial weekend, a time when I should have been diligently building affinity with women to rush towards a happy ending. Instead, I left the academy with a little girl, still too young to be called a woman.
In Luri's arms, Wolfie was quietly nestled.
"Candy."
"I'll buy it for you later."
"Hmph."
There were two reasons to bother carrying this sugar-addicted baggage.
- Young Master. I'm sorry, but could you please look after Luri today? In return, I'll treat you to something delicious for dinner!
It was Nang Sojeo's request. Daram had been struggling with city life recently, so it seemed she wanted to go to a nearby mountain for some fresh air. As for Luri, if left alone, she would still be stuck in her room all day, spewing out nonsensical 'Pika-Pika' posts.
From a broad perspective, I readily agreed, both to deal with the harm to the gallery and to enjoy a cozy dinner date with Nang Sojeo.
The other reason was, of course, Master Blade. Although I had brought him into my house, I still couldn't trust him 100%, so I intended to use him as a minimal safety measure, since things had come to this.
Returning to my family home with the 'baggage' and a light heart, I was immediately assailed by all sorts of slander as soon as I entered the main gate.
"The Third Young Master has brought a girl... no, a woman!"
"Finally, the Geum family will have an heir! Oh, dear, this is no time for this, Madam! Madammm!"
"He rejected all the marriage proposals until now... His taste is..."
"Aaack! No!"
And then a fierce storm passed. It was just a casual thought of bringing one more cat, stubborn as a mule, on top of Wolfie, but how did things turn out like this?
Even my mother came out and doted on Luri for a while, making my heart ache to see it.
I need to get either my eldest brother or my second brother married within this year.
Anyway. Surprisingly, the old men seemed to have a connection. I saw Master Life-and-Death Physician and Master Blade drinking heavily in the garden in broad daylight.
"Oh, Sihyeon. It's been a while."
"Nephew!!!!"
Unlike the venerable Physician, who greeted me with dignity, his long white beard flowing, Master Blade, clean-shaven, immediately rushed towards Luri.
However.
"Smells like alcohol."
"Ugh...!"
Today, too, Master Blade was blocked by Luri's iron wall.
After that, I trained with Sword Demon Master for about two *shichen*.
And I hit a wall. It wasn't merely a matter of internal energy or enlightenment; even in terms of understanding the sword as a weapon itself.
Each of Sword Demon Master's movements was akin to the very essence of orthodoxy (常軌).
The sword's most primal purpose. A sword most faithful to stabbing people to death and cutting people to death.
From the application of energy to every subtle movement, every breath—if perfection could be forged, it would be Sword Demon Master's sword, it seemed.
"Quite good."
"...I feel I'm still far from it, though."
Sword Demon Master, who had carved cuts all over my body, grinned.
"That's why I like you. Those who have learned martial arts half-heartedly are all full of stubbornness, and it's not easy to correct their mindset."
"How did you correct them?"
"I beat them until they were on the verge of death, or I just killed them."
A clear smile, devoid of any regret, hinted at Master Blade's rotten personality.
I sighed and gripped the sword again.
Meanwhile, Master Life-and-Death Physician was pestering Luri, who sat blankly.
"Hmm. Peculiar, I tell you. No matter how I look at it, it's peculiar. Could I just take your pulse once?"
"No."
Respect for elders, truly Luri-style.
I fixed my gaze on Master Blade once more and swung my sword. About 5 seconds later. Another small hole *pyong* appeared in my body.
While I was quickly staunching the *pishushuk* gushing blood.
"Speaking of which, didn't you say the internal energy cultivation method you learned was the Northern Darkness Divine Art?"
"Yes, sir."
"Hmm. Northern Darkness."
Master Blade suddenly swung his sword, instantly scarring the outer wall of the training ground. Without a single broken part, an exquisite technique that merely etched fine scratches very cleanly. The two characters 'Northern Darkness' (北冥) were instantly engraved into the wall.
"Is this how it's written?"
"Yes, sir."
I replied reluctantly, already thinking about billing him for repairs.
"I saw a strange stone chamber near Wuhou Temple with these two characters carved at the entrance, along with unreadable script. It seemed a bit much to force my way in, so I left it as it was."
Such high-level information, out of nowhere? My respect for Sword Demon Master increased by 10. Unreadable script... that would be Korean, wouldn't it? Could it be that there's even follow-up after-sales service (AS) opportunity prepared for this martial art? My heart fluttered slightly.
"Where is Wuhou Temple?"
"It's a temple in Wuzhang Plains. They say it was built to commemorate Wuhou."
"Who is Wuhou?"
Sword Demon Master made the most demonic expression I had ever seen on him.
"Hahaha, now that I think about it, what happened to the decoction I was boiling?"
"...Danger."
Master Life-and-Death Physician and Luri, who had been bickering, hastily pressed the escape button and vanished. I should have escaped when things felt suspicious, but sadly, I missed my chance.
"Wuhou is an abbreviation for Zhongwu Hou, referring to the Prime Minister of Shu Han, the Sleeping Dragon, Master Zhuge Liang. His miraculous stratagems moved even the heavens, and he dedicated his entire life to the revival of Shu from the position of Prime Minister. In particular, the phrase '鞠躬盡力 死而後已' (Jūgōng jìn lì, sǐ ér hòu yǐ), meaning to exert oneself to the utmost until death, is a saying that can serve as an example for any martial artist. He was first born in Xuzhou, yes, that fellow Cao from the 'Evil Trio'..."
From then until sunset, I was educated on the 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms: Kongming's Campaigns' until my ears bled. My respect for Master Blade decreased by 30, and in its place, an aversion to Shu filled me.
* * *
It was Cheon Luri who rescued Geum Sihyeon, who was suffering in the bottomless pit of the Three Kingdoms.
Cheon Luri appeared, dressed in colorful and cute clothes that could easily be called 'new clothes.'
- Oh, dear. Where are you going? If you don't mind, would you be my conversational companion for a while?
Unfortunately, Cheon Luri saw only pure goodwill and affection in the eyes of the middle-aged woman who approached her.
- Oh, dear, you're truly beautiful. My daughter was once your age too. Now she's a tomboy, but... dear, would you like to try this on too?
Unable to refuse, she was dragged along, ate snacks *ong-nyang-nyang*, and when she came to her senses, she had already been reduced to a dress-up doll.
"And so, Master Sleeping Dragon finally summoned the southeast wind, startling Zhou Yu—*cough*." Wi Jiryong, who was in the middle of a lively discussion about the Battle of Red Cliffs, clutched his heart and collapsed the moment he saw Cheon Luri.
"Thank you, Luri."
Geum Sihyeon looked at Luri with a genuinely moved expression.
"Hmph."
For some reason, Luri, feeling pleased that she had subdued Geum Sihyeon, lifted one corner of her mouth.
"Wow, wow! Luri, what is this? Where did you get these clothes? You're so incredibly cute...! Young Master Geum, you also look truly magnificent today!"
Myonarang, who had spent the entire day hiking in the mountains with Daram, also seemed charmed by the sight, continuously doting on Cheon Luri.
Thus, it became somewhat distant from the sweet and romantic date Geum Sihyeon had dreamed of.
"Luri, try this too! It's delicious!"
"*Umnom*."
From an outsider's perspective, the time passed so harmoniously that it looked like a loving couple on an outing to the night market with their young daughter.
Everyone passing by couldn't help but smile contentedly at the sight.
*Kkaddeuk. Ppadeuk. Eujeok.*
"I'm jealous, I'm jealous, I'm jealous, I'm jealous, I'm jealous, I'm jealous, I'm jealous, I'm jealous, I'm jealous, I'm jealous, I'm jealous, I'm jealous, I'm jealous, I'm jealous, I'm jealous, I'm jealous...!"
Except for the red-haired woman in the distance, grinding her teeth, biting her nails, and muttering continuously as she watched them.
* * *
The next day, after engraving the cozy dinner date with Nang Sojeo deep in my heart.
I packed my bags for a journey that was neither too far nor too close.
Wuzhang Plains is located near the northern side of Mount Taebaek. Based on my estimate from running during midterms, it's a distance that can be covered leisurely in three days round trip, even without relying on Wolfie.
That means I have enough time to go and return without missing the academy festival's schedule.
The Mind Sword Tournament, the Martial Arts Tournament. These are big events that would be a shame to miss.
- That area? Bandits and rogue martial artists alike, I smashed them all. It's probably the safest place in the Central Plains right now.
Master Axe had casually certified it, spinning his axe handle with a flourish.
At the very least, I wouldn't encounter any problems during the journey.
The only problem was. Just like I felt when I picked up Wolfie before—three times the opportunity means three times the danger.
"Hmm."
Junior Hero's specialty: suffering alone and monopolizing the gains.
Senior Hero's specialty: suffering together and sharing the gains.
I considered bringing along a master for greater safety, but...
Master Sword and Master Chicken were busy with academy matters. Master Blade seemed like he'd just take me straight to the Demonic Cult if given the chance, so he was ruled out.
And taking Luri or Nang Sojeo to a potentially dangerous place felt a bit wrong.
Conclusion. My specialty as a supreme genius: using debt to share the suffering and monopolize the results.
Anyway, if it's related to the Northern Darkness Divine Art, I'm the only one who can claim it.
I summoned the idiots. Between us, there was no need for lengthy, tedious, and pedantic explanations.
"I found a place with an opportunity. First two to volunteer."
"Let's go right away. My luck must be good today."
"How could I refuse Brother Geum's request?"
Three-person party. Formation complete. We immediately left the academy.