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“Next stop, the Open Sichuan Branch!”

Miho, being such a noticeable presence, ditched her stunning beauty and followed me as just an ordinary girl.

Daezongga seemed rather cautious around me, probably due to having burnt himself once too often around me. The disciples of the Open were glaring at me like I was a meal ticket.

But I stood my ground and chuckled. “No need to give me those death stares!”

Daezongga shot back, “I couldn’t help it; you’re just too good-looking to ignore!”

“Haha, no way!”

I waved it off. “If you wanted to avoid me, you would’ve moved your base long ago. Seems like I still have business to do with the Open.”

“Think whatever you like. We just believe you can pay handsomely,” Daezongga remarked.

“Well, thoughts are free,” I replied, shifting gears to my request.

“I have two requests. First, find the ‘Tao King’ for me.”

“That’ll cost you two hundred silver coins!”

“You’re really jacking up the price here!”

Two hundred coins wasn’t a huge sum for me, but for just a tip-off? That felt like highway robbery. Having handed over gold bars to the Sect Leader for a piece of intel didn’t come close to this absurdity.

The Tao King has become quite the hot topic in the Sichuan Martial World. His martial skills are no joke either. Plus, he’s got a talent for evasion. Considering all that, I think two hundred is actually a bargain,” Daezongga explained.

“…?”

The Tao King, Baekjisang, was the top mahjong player in the last century in the Sichuan Martial World and quite a gambler to boot, but also a martial artist. He’d only been around for about four or five years, yet had left behind legendary stories with countless gambling wins. Even gamblers from other regions acknowledged him as the best. The kicker? He was just in his twenties!

As I stood there with my arms crossed, Daezongga continued, “Many are hunting down the Tao King, but we haven’t really joined the info-gathering frenzy until now. There’s no immediate gain for us, which is why we’ve been sitting on the sidelines. But if you’re serious about the request, then we’ll get to work.”

“You think you can catch up just because you’re joining late? Seems a bit overconfident,” I replied, hinting at their money-grabbing scheme.

Daezongga didn’t appreciate it, and his face turned sour. “It’s not that we haven’t been tracking; it’s just we haven’t had the reason to. There’s no information we can’t uncover if we set our minds to it. At least not in Jianghu.”

“Is that so?”

“What’s it gonna be? Will you pay for the info?”

After a moment of thought, I responded, “How soon can you find him?”

“I can’t make any promises.”

“I don’t have all the time in the world. Paying this much, I want results fast.”

I was serious; I needed to know where the Tao King was since I couldn’t spend an eternity searching for him. Besides, I wanted to lend Mangnyang a hand with the little time I had to spare.

Daezongga sighed. “I’ll do my best. What’s the second request?”

“I’ve heard Dongbang Mu-gyeol is heading south towards the Southern Barbarians. Can you keep tabs on him?”

“Already on it. You’ll have to pay if you want the details.”

“So you were already on the case?”

“Let’s just say… not exactly, but let’s stick with that for now. That’ll be another two hundred silver coins.”

Daezongga suddenly trailed off as if he had more to say, but I chose not to pry. I nodded and pulled out four hundred coins from my hidden stash.

“Here you go.”

Upon receiving the coins, Daezongga laid out Dongbang Mu-gyeol’s suspected route and current position, along with a map of Yunnan and a brief rundown of the local geography.

“Currently, he’s made it to Jinghong. We’re hot on his trail.”

“Wow, that’s quite far south!”

Jinghong was way south of Kunming—almost the southern tip of the Central Plains.

“He’s just about to cross over into the Southern Barbarians. For whatever reason, he’s stopped there, though…”

“Hmm…”

I pondered aloud, “If I go to Jinghong, could I get more info from the Open?”

“For sure! I’ll let them know ahead of time.”

“Then…”

With enough info in hand, I exited. Miho, who had been silently observing, chimed in.

“It feels like you’re rushing things. How about taking a moment to gather your thoughts?”

“What do you mean?”

“Right now, you seem oddly obsessed with tracking Dongbang Mu-gyeol. You feel this need to catch him before he slips away, but is that really necessary?”

I glanced over at Miho. She smiled and added, “What’s important isn’t chasing after him like a madman but figuring out his actual goal. After all, whether he’s alive or dead, it doesn’t directly affect your current mission to topple the Demon Subduing Hall, does it?”

“Are you suggesting I don’t need to chase him down right now?”

“Exactly. Dongbang Mu-gyeol is darting around like he’s on fire, but his goal is singular. We can just wait until he circles back around to the Central Plains to ambush him.”

“…”

“Well, expanding the scope of investigation into Kunming isn’t a bad idea either. It may seem hasty, though.”

I got what she meant, and she was right. What I truly wanted was the intel that Dongbang Mu-gyeol possessed. I was digging up information on the disease plaguing the White Lotus Sect, and if I waited until he returned, I could still intercept him then. Plus, I hadn’t even scouted for any experts to help me battle Dongbang Mu-gyeol yet. I realized I was acting recklessly and had been carried away.

“Thanks, Miho.”

“Heh, if you try to grab too much at once, you might end up with nothing.”

I nodded. “Let’s head back to Mangnyang. I need to discuss what to do next.”

I thought I could return to Sichuan later to check on the Tao King’s whereabouts, but I should consult Mangnyang first for guidance on what lay ahead.

“Oh, that’s not right.”

Miho’s response caught me off guard. I blinked, and she looked back at me with a smug smile.

“Let’s go to Dongyoung.”

“What? Why Dongyoung?”

Her expression shifted to one of playful annoyance as she crossed her arms and glared at me.

“Hmph… You get to flit all over the place thanks to the lightning, but I’m stuck going through all these convoluted routes just to find you every lifetime. You don’t expect me to keep wandering those thousands of miles every time, do you?”

“Ah…”

“Instead of dragging me around while you chase the lightning, just come to Dongyoung and save my route. It’ll make things easier for both of us.”

I had to admit, she had a point. I’d been so wrapped up in my urgent matters that I hadn’t considered how much traveling Miho was doing. I scratched my head, apologizing.

“Miho, I’m sorry.”

She burst into laughter. “Hahaha, it’s all good. But I do have one more thing to check while we’re at it…”

“What?”

“How about you sneak into the site of the Moon Sovereign’s ruins on Mount Muni and swipe the Seven Luminaries while you’re at it?”

“…”

I couldn’t deny that was a possibility. After all, I had already been near the door to the Moon Sovereign’s site; using lightning to snag a quick win was tempting. But then it hit me why Mangnyang hadn’t suggested that.

“What would we do if Izanagi no Mikoto woke up?”

The Dharma Guardian of the Wind Spirit Sect almost got himself killed while going up against the demon beast that is basically a powerhouse divine being. Right now, I didn’t stand a chance against something like that.

“Why should we care if we don’t end up fighting?”

“And what about the Koreans?”

Miho looked back at me as if I’d said something ridiculous.

“Why are we worried about them? They’ll figure it out.”

“…”

“The important thing is to grab the Seven Luminaries quickly. That way, we can topple the Demon Subduing Hall sooner.”

In that moment, I realized just how detached her judgment was from human concerns. She didn’t flinch at the thought of innocent lives at risk. To her, it seemed life and death were mere trifles, and she simply didn’t care. That was the mindset of the great demon, a nine-tailed fox.

‘But then again, ignoring potential consequences sounds like a valid approach…’

Besides, I had no clue about the power of the Moon Sovereign’s divine treasure, the Heavenly Gathering Cloud Sword. It could be a game-changer for my next life, saving me years of buildup.

As Miho lightly touched my chin, she said, “You seem to be taking this reincarnation thing seriously. But remember, being a Reborn Person is your greatest weapon. You don’t need to worry about those Koreans; just focus on getting the Seven Luminaries.”

“…”

Her words were enticing. ‘Feels tempting…’

But I quickly shook my head and replied firmly, “No, I won’t do that. I can’t irresponsibly unleash a divine being into the world.”

Miho shrugged. “Did you really catch my drift? The Sea God—an Old Ruler—was driven away by the Goryeo clan, after all. If they could deal with him, then an insignificant protector of the Moon shouldn’t be too hard.”

“The Twelve Joules might manage to defeat it, but normal humans will perish in droves during the process.”

“Ugh, stop worrying already! Why do you care?”

I insisted, locking eyes with her as I pressed on, “So how’s that any different from me?”

“…”

Miho was left speechless. “You’re basically no different! You would just toss others aside to get what you want—just like those sorcerers from that tribe who sacrificed innocent lives for their gains.”

“It’s not the same! If I build power through reincarnation, I can take down the Demon Subduing Hall with less effort! If that’s what Mangnyang means by righteousness, then it’s a noble sacrifice.”

“Absolutely not.”

I sighed, pouring my heart out to Miho. “If I were to disregard all morals to gain strength, I could’ve doubled my power ten years ago. I could have easily sunk to a level as depraved as them.”

“Hmm.”

“But if I become no better than the Demon Subduing Hall, what’s left for me? And what would then be the point of taking them down? What do I hope to accomplish this way?”

Realizing the essence of my words seemed to give Miho a more serious expression. I nailed my point, stating, “I’ve learned a lot from both you and Mangnyang. And I’ve figured out what it means to be human. So even if I face hardships ahead, I’ve sworn to hold this one principle close.”

“And what’s that pledge of yours?”

That day still lingers in my memory. Taking a deep breath, I said, “I vowed to kill my body before my spirit.”

The day Miho sacrificed herself, where my weakness nearly overwhelmed me. I had chosen to kill my physical self to protect my soul.

A heavy silence settled in.

Miho looked stunned, shaking her head in disbelief. “Looks like I brought this all up for no reason.”

“Nope! I’m grateful we explored the possibility.”

With a bitter smile, Miho muttered, “Baek Woong, you’ve now become neither human nor demon…”

I held my tongue, not finding anything to counter her with.

In due time, I took Miho and used the lightning technique to head to Goryeo’s Uljoo, specifically Dongnae. I’d visited as the bodyguard of the Jeong clan, positioned on the southeast tip of the peninsula, near Dongyoung.

As we reached the harbor of Dongnae and I marveled at the Goryeo ships, Miho spoke up, “If we catch a boat now, we’ll hit Dongyoung in about two hours.”

“That’s pretty close.”

“By the way, can you perform the Water Floating Step?”

I shook my head. “Not really.”

“That’s odd! I thought your martial prowess was unparalleled in the Central Plains, and yet you can’t even master basic techniques like the Water Floating Step or Grass Skimming Technique?”

I reflected on her question, replying, “The Water Floating Step isn’t something you just pick up by leveling up in martial arts. To be honest, I’ve focused solely on weaponry techniques, leaving no time to grasp the intricacies of light body techniques.”

Honestly, it wasn’t that strange. Having gained a unique martial arts style, that didn’t guarantee harmony with other techniques. While Lee Kwang had introduced me to Thunder Shadow Step and Heavenly Gathering Kill, even that had been a struggle. Picking up the Water Floating Step or Grass Skimming Technique instead seemed out of reach.

Miho chuckled and teased, “Hahaha! Why don’t you take some time and learn the Water Floating Step from Lee Kwang? That could be quite the catch!”

“That sounds good, but I have something more urgent in mind,” I replied.

“What’s that?”

“I haven’t mastered the Soul Removal Technique yet.”

I told Miho about the Soul Removal Technique I learned from the Thunder God lineage’s master, Extreme Tiger. After listening carefully, she said, “Why not flex those contacts of yours?”

“Who do you mean?”

She giggled, “The best inspectors serving the Dongyoung shogunate!”

 

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