Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 392

392. Rough Sailing

Hangzhou, the former site of the Azure Dragon Alliance headquarters.

Construction was already in full swing at the site where the Azure Dragon Alliance headquarters would be rebuilt.

The remains of the burnt-down Heroic Alliance were cleared without a trace, and the empty lot was piled high with stone and lumber.

Carpenters and craftsmen bustled about, and the frames of some buildings were already up.

“It’s faster than I thought.”

Yunhyun said, looking at the headquarters site.

Younghojoon shrugged.

“That’s what happens when you pour in people and money without holding back. But don’t worry, we won’t build it as shoddily as the Heroic Alliance did. I’ve called in all the famous master carpenters from around Hangzhou.”

A *master carpenter* (*大木匠*) is a craftsman who oversees construction, especially of large structures like temples or houses. Their expertise ensures quality construction, so there’s little to worry about with them in charge.

Moreover, since the headquarters required multiple buildings, quite a few master carpenters were hired.

“The Heroic Alliance headquarters was built so poorly that the master carpenters said it was a good thing it burned down.”

“Is it that bad? What was so wrong with the Heroic Alliance headquarters…”

“It was a mess.”

Younghojoon frowned as he spoke.

“From the beginning, the buildings were built quickly by forcibly mobilizing people, so what could have been done properly? In the end, the people working on it only cared about the appearance. And there weren’t any skilled master carpenters either.”

Those who don’t know are just impressed by the appearance, but those who do know can’t help but see things differently.

The previous Heroic Alliance headquarters building was so poorly built that every master carpenter who passed by clicked their tongue in disapproval.

“If you want things done right, you have to treat people right from the start, but they were just stingy, so there was no way it would work. Maybe that’s the limit of Yeom Joongbu.”

That was quite a surprising statement.

When Yunhyun turned around, Younghojoon smiled.

“So we’re calculating and paying them exactly what they deserve. What better treatment is there than paying them properly? And we’re fully accepting the master carpenters’ opinions on practical matters.”

Yunhyun smiled awkwardly.

Seeing him suddenly switch to realistic topics, that was the usual Younghojoon.

“Of course, this is all thanks to the Alliance Leader. It’s all thanks to our capable Alliance Leader who brought in the full support of the court and the great sects. As someone said, the world is ruled by the budget, isn’t it? Hahaha.”

Younghojoon laughed heartily.

He was truly a man of romance befitting Hangzhou, even though the content of his speech was a little different.

Younghojoon, who was laughing, suddenly looked around.

“But where is Sword Old Master?”

Guest Elder was next to Yunhyun, but Sword Saint was nowhere to be seen.

Yunhyun answered Younghojoon, who was looking around.

“He left a little while ago.”

“He left?”

Younghojoon’s eyes widened, but he soon nodded.

“I see. That’s the kind of person he is. Where did he say he was going this time?”

“He went west. He said that Seojang [a region in western China] is noisy these days.”

“Seojang, now that you mention it, there’s a rumor that a new Living Buddha has appeared in Seojang… Well, it’ll take him a long time again this time.”

Younghojoon shrugged.

Yunhyun said with a smile.

“Rather than that, I have something I’d like to discuss with the Chief Strategist for a moment. Is that alright?”

“I’m always fine with that.”

Younghojoon smiled.

“I was just about to take a break. There’s a good place, so let’s go together. Shall we go, Elder?”

Guest Elder nodded silently.

Younghojoon took the lead, and Yunhyun and Guest Elder followed behind him.

***

The ‘good place’ that Younghojoon mentioned was a small teahouse in downtown Hangzhou.

It wasn’t large, but it was full of old decorations and the soft scent of tea.

“It’s a really nice place.”

Yunhyun said in admiration.

The group was led to a secluded spot in the backyard.

The shade of the trees blocked the view of the street, making it hard to believe it was downtown.

“The tea is also very good. The owner here picks the tea leaves himself, and he has a very good eye.”

With that, Younghojoon ordered tea from the maid.

Soon after, the tea came out and a warm fragrance spread around.

The three quietly savored the tea.

Yunhyun was slightly surprised after tasting the tea.

“It’s good, isn’t it?”

Younghojoon said with a smile.

“Yes, it’s very good.”

Yunhyun had no choice but to nod.

It was amazing that the same kind of tea leaves could taste so different.

Guest Elder was also silently savoring the tea, seemingly satisfied.

“Actually, Sword Saint said this…”

Clink.

Yunhyun put down his teacup.

And he told Younghojoon about the conversation he had with Sword Saint.

Younghojoon listened to Yunhyun’s words with a firm expression.

Younghojoon was silent until Yunhyun’s story was over.

“…Is it Ileun this time?”

Younghojoon gave a bitter smile and poured tea into his teacup.

Pour, pour, pour.

The warm scent of tea rose, and Younghojoon wrapped his hands around the teacup.

“Another great person’s name is coming out.”

Sip.

Younghojoon took a sip of tea and pondered for a moment.

Then he slowly opened his mouth.

“Actually, who Ileun is was a matter of interest to the Murim Alliance [a martial arts alliance] as well. He’s one of the Hwanwoo Five Greats, after all.”

Yunhyun’s eyes lit up.

The Murim Alliance would definitely be interested in this matter.

“Of course, the Murim Alliance didn’t know about the Hwasan Pledge [a secret agreement]. But a master comparable to the Divine Monk and Sword Saint could pose a serious challenge to the Murim Alliance system just by his existence.”

The Murim Alliance couldn’t even handle one Divine Monk.

There was no way they wouldn’t care about Ileun.

“To tell you the conclusion, the Murim Alliance couldn’t figure out who Ileun was. Even though he was one of the five strongest people in the world, they couldn’t find any trace of him.”

They investigated all the masters in the world, but they couldn’t find Ileun.

They couldn’t dismiss it as a rumor either.

The Divine Monk had spoken of Ileun’s existence as a matter of course, and the Tang Clan had also confirmed through divination that Ileun was a real person.

“As time passed, the search for Ileun eventually fizzled out. First of all, the existence of an absolute master comparable to the Divine Monk and Sword Saint was uncomfortable for the heads of the great sects…”

Younghojoon shrugged.

“Isn’t the Jianghu world [the martial arts world] full of eccentric people? The result was an extremely rational and realistic judgment that it was better to leave him alone if he didn’t show himself.”

“I see.”

Yunhyun nodded.

The Murim Alliance had no choice but to do so.

Younghojoon clicked his tongue.

“But it’s amazing. He’s skilled in music, seems wealthy, and has mastered Poisonous Energy Art… He doesn’t wear a black veil all the time, does he?”

If he did, he would attract even more attention.

Yunhyun asked Younghojoon.

“Is there no way to find him?”

Younghojoon fiddled with his teacup.

“Guest Elder has already looked into the Poisonous Energy Art, and being wealthy is too broad. Hmm, music…”

“How about looking for famous performers?”

At Yunhyun’s words, Younghojoon suddenly turned to Guest Elder.

“Do you happen to know what the music you heard at that time was?”

“I don’t know.”

Guest Elder said with an indifferent expression.

“I’ve never heard such music anywhere. No, others won’t even be able to imitate it. I’ll never forget the spirit contained in the soft melody.”

“He put his inner strength into the music; is that because he’s a master?”

“That’s not the meaning.”

Guest Elder said quietly.

“It wasn’t like sound skill. But I could definitely feel it. The majestic aura like a great river flowing through the music.”

It wasn’t just Guest Elder who felt it.

The Divine Monk and Sword Saint who were there, as well as Yeom Joongbu, had changed their expressions.

“I see.”

Younghojoon gave an awkward smile.

“If he’s someone who plays imperial court music, it won’t be difficult to find him. Musicians receive official positions and pass on their skills from generation to generation, so we can search all the families of musicians belonging to the government.”

The music played at imperial rituals and official events is *Aak* (*雅樂*).

The musicians who play Aak have official positions, although their ranks are not high, and they pass on their skills to their descendants.

If we investigate their families, we can narrow down those who are suspected of being Ileun.

“The problem is if that’s not the case.”

Younghojoon sighed.

“*Sogak* (*俗樂*) can be played by anyone. If you have a little bit of skill, you can imitate it just by watching, and there’s no systematic educational institution, let alone proper treatment of musicians, so I don’t know where to start looking.”

“That’s not true.”

Guest Elder suddenly said.

“Ileun’s performance was definitely not something that could be done by learning it haphazardly. He must have been properly taught by a master.”

Yunhyun’s eyes widened.

For Guest Elder to say this much, Ileun’s performance must have been deeply impressive.

“A master… Well, it’s common for famous musicians to teach their disciples. The person who taught Ileun must have already passed away, but we can look for his colleagues or disciples.”

It is common for famous musicians to teach their disciples after they retire.

If he was good enough to teach Ileun music, he would have passed away a long time ago.

“But there’s another problem.”

Younghojoon sighed.

“We can’t suddenly ask if they know Ileun, and we can’t interrogate them if there’s an absolute master who plays well around them, can we? We don’t even know his name or appearance.”

If you ask if they know Ileun, most people will nod.

There’s no one who doesn’t know the Hwanwoo Five Greats.

But that’s exactly why it’s even harder to find Ileun.

Like hiding a tree in a forest, the Divine Monk hid Ileun in the fame of the Hwanwoo Five Greats.

It was truly rough sailing from the start.

How long had it been?

“Hmm, this won’t work.”

Younghojoon finally said.

“We’re just going around in circles in the same place if we talk among ourselves. We need the help of experts in times like these.”

“Experts?”

Yunhyun asked back with a puzzled expression.

“Yes, experts. And they’re also current workers.”

Are there such people?

Younghojoon smiled at Yunhyun, who was still puzzled.

“Let’s go to a brothel.”

“Yes?”

Yunhyun asked back without realizing it.

“If they’re musicians with proper skills, they’ll naturally be in high-end brothels, right? Oh, you don’t know because you haven’t been there?”

“No, I’ve been there…”

He had been to the brothel of Mu Han and had heard Ye Qi’s performance.

He was definitely good, but he was suddenly taken aback when he said he was going to a brothel.

“Then it’s okay. I’m very familiar with the brothels in Hangzhou.”

Younghojoon had a beaming smile on his face.

“As expected, there’s no such thing as wasted effort in the world. Who knew that the hardships of my wandering days would be used like this?”

Yunhyun gave a bitter smile.

It depends on how you give meaning to it, but he wouldn’t call going around brothels a hardship.

“Come on, let’s go quickly.”

“Wait a minute. It’s still daytime.”

The sun is still in the middle of the sky, so it’s too early to go to a brothel.

But Younghojoon shook his head.

“We have to prepare, don’t we?”

“Prepare?”

“Yes.”

Younghojoon nodded.

“I’m sorry to the Alliance Leader, but going like that is not polite to the brothel. You have to buy new clothes and trim your hair a bit.”

Yunhyun was embarrassed.

Is a brothel not a prestigious temple, but he’s showing respect?

“I’ve never heard of that…”

“You wouldn’t have heard of it because you don’t go. The place I’m going to today is not a place that treats you well just because you have a lot of money. Rather, the place where you can clearly know that money isn’t everything in the world is that brothel.”

He wondered what was everything, but Younghojoon was already getting up from his seat.

“It’s going to be sunset like this. Elder, you’re going too, right?”

Yunhyun turned to Guest Elder.

He was hoping, but Guest Elder nodded.

Younghojoon smiled.

“Well, then a fun time will begin now. Shall we get up?”

At Younghojoon’s words, Guest Elder got up.

Yunhyun also put down his teacup and got up from his seat, following behind Younghojoon.

Younghojoon’s steps out of the teahouse were as light as if he were flying.