A Tale Of A Scribe Who Retires To The Countryside [EN]: Chapter 211

211. The Deal

Even after moving locations, Guigyonsura seemed anxious. Of course, it wasn’t visible on his face.

However, the aura he exuded conveyed his emotional state without any exaggeration.

“Aren’t you going to drink your tea?”

No-gun asked with a relaxed expression, lifting his teacup.

“Ah, I didn’t even order you one from the start, did I?”

It was obvious he was teasing. Guigyonsura glared at No-gun with a fierce look.

“Can you guarantee the safety of my lady?”

No-gun shrugged.

“How can I guarantee that? It’s not like I’m the one who kidnapped your lady.”

Thump.

A chair fell over with a loud noise. It was because Guigyonsura’s face twisted and he abruptly stood up.

“But one thing is certain.”

No-gun said, looking straight at the standing Guigyonsura. Even Guigyonsura’s fiery gaze seemed to have no effect on No-gun.

“The more rashly you act, the more danger your lady will be in.”

Guigyonsura gritted his teeth. But No-gun’s words were correct.

“If you understand, don’t break any more chairs and sit down.”

Guigyonsura, who had been standing with his lips bitten, slowly bent down and righted the chair.

Clack.

The chair stood upright, and Guigyonsura sat down.

Thud.

It was as if Guigyonsura was surrendering to No-gun.

But No-gun didn’t miss the fleeting, sharp glance Guigyonsura cast at Son-bin.

“There’s no need to blame yourself so much.”

Slurp.

No-gun sipped his tea, making a noise.

“The Jianghu [the martial arts world] isn’t a place you can navigate with martial arts alone. There isn’t a master in the world who hasn’t been backstabbed, and there are even fewer who have only been backstabbed once. Even if you talk about martial arts or strategy, in the end, the one who sees through the other’s psychology wins. Of course, the one who’s even better than that is the lucky one.”

Son-bin nodded without realizing it. It was convincing, coming from No-gun of all people.

“See? Even this guy says so.”

No-gun suddenly pointed at Son-bin. Son-bin was a little taken aback, but he had to nod again at Guigyonsura’s gaze.

Guigyonsura sighed quietly. But soon, he raised his head and looked at No-gun with fiery eyes.

“What… what should I do?”

“For now, you must wait. And next, you’ll have to go on a rampage.”

“Rampage?”

Guigyonsura frowned at No-gun’s words. Wasn’t No-gun the one who had just told him not to act rashly?

“In my opinion, that child, Hyulbong, was kidnapped solely because of you. If it weren’t for you, that lady wouldn’t have needed to be kidnapped.”

Guigyonsura bit his lip.

“Are you trying to get rid of your lips?”

No-gun said sarcastically.

“They kidnapped her because you were there; if you weren’t there, they would have just openly assassinated her. So, in the end, you protected that child. There’s no need to blame yourself too much.”

Guigyonsura didn’t seem to be greatly comforted. However, his aura was definitely calmer than before.

“I heard about your situation before coming here. It seems that your faction and the Demonic Sect Alliance are fighting to secure their respective territories amidst the conflict between the Blood Dragon Gate and the Namgung Clan…”

“It’s not about securing territory.”

Guigyonsura said in a low, rough voice.

“My lady seeks to save people’s lives.”

“I’ve never seen a grave without an excuse. Most justifications end up being just that. It’s even more true in groups. Personal beliefs are easily swept away in an instant.”

No-gun spoke in a cynical tone.

Basically, No-gun doesn’t trust groups of people. Even if Hyulbong personally has noble intentions, enforcing them within a group is another matter.

“My lady is different.”

Guigyonsura replied in a cold tone.

“Yeah, yeah. You can do as you please.”

No-gun waved his hand. He acted as if he didn’t care at all.

“The one behind the woman who kidnapped Hyulbong is obviously the Demonic Sect Alliance.”

Guigyonsura’s eyebrows twitched. It was because No-gun had identified the gender of the culprit at the same time as the mastermind.

“The culprit was a woman?”

“Didn’t you even know that? Well, it doesn’t really matter whether it’s a man or a woman. Anyway, here, your choice is…”

“What’s the evidence that the Demonic Sect Alliance is behind it?”

“Are you going to keep interrupting me? Then would the Yunnan Blood Dragon Gate or the Namgung Clan have done it? Why would those guys bother with something like kidnapping? Frankly, if the Blood Dragon Gate pulls out, what can you do? Right now, those guys are the ones with the power to control the entire situation, so what are they lacking that they would do that?”

The reason the newly formed Hyulbong Union was able to withstand the Namgung Clan, one of the Five Great Clans, was basically thanks to the Yunnan Blood Dragon Gate joining forces.

If it weren’t for them, the Hyulbong Union would have already been defeated piecemeal.

“Ugh, I’ve said too many unnecessary things.”

Slurp.

Perhaps he was thirsty, No-gun gulped down his tea.

“Would you like more?”

Sa Su-yeon said. Son-bin, Shin-ui, and Dang Wora were quietly listening to the conversation between the two, while the five children and Seo-rin were tasting the snacks that had been brought out, constantly marveling.

“It’s okay. Order more for those kids to eat.”

“Yes!”

No sooner had No-gun finished speaking than Seo-rin jumped up and went to place an order.

The five children who were eating snacks looked at No-gun with respectful eyes. No-gun chuckled and looked at Guigyonsura again.

“Here, your choices are threefold. First, abandon everything and search the entire Guizhou Province like a madman to find Hyulbong. Then the Demonic Sect people will be delighted. Because if you and Hyulbong disappear, this place will be theirs. Those guys will keep spreading false rumors, and you will become a wanderer, led by those rumors, not even knowing if that child is alive or dead.”

A shiver ran down Guigyonsura’s spine. Even he thought that there was a very high probability that No-gun’s words would come true.

Chasing the faint shadow of Hyulbong, he would wander the world.

“Second, go to the Demonic Sect Alliance’s sects as they are and smash them to pieces. The Yunnan Blood Dragon Gate won’t step in, and the heads of the Demonic Sect Alliance will be hiding deep. Then, when the situation becomes serious, they will secretly release Hyulbong and demand an apology for your violent acts, claiming they have nothing to do with it. You will save your lady’s life, but that child will have no choice but to give up everything to protect you.”

Guigyonsura couldn’t choose this method either. The only consolation was that he could save Hyulbong’s life, but it would result in him ruining her dream.

“What’s the third option?”

“Trust us and wait.”

No-gun looked straight at Guigyonsura.

“If you don’t show any reaction, the enemies will become anxious. They will be confused because they don’t know what you’re thinking or what you’re planning to do. Naturally, there will be gaps, and in the meantime, we will rescue your lady.”

Guigyonsura couldn’t answer.

Regarding the question of whether they could find the missing Hyulbong, he had already confirmed that No-gun had taken some measures. Even if that wasn’t the case, No-gun would definitely be better than Guigyonsura himself.

The problem was that this was a choice that could only be made by completely trusting Namgung No-gun.

Guigyonsura was silent for a moment. But from the beginning, there was no room for choice.

“What do you mean by going on a rampage?”

“Stay still, but never be quiet. You need to show them exactly what kind of person you are, what your anger is like, at least once. That way, those guys won’t be able to act recklessly. If you strongly confirm your presence, those guys will be more wary of you. And that will guarantee your lady’s safety.”

“To what extent should I do it?”

“As you please.”

No-gun said, shrugging his shoulders.

“Do it as flamboyantly as possible. For example… That’s right, it would be good to smash this Daru [teahouse] to pieces, wouldn’t it?”

Son-bin hurriedly intervened in their conversation.

“Um, wouldn’t that be too much of a disservice to the owner here?”

He couldn’t help but feel sorry for forcing a sacrifice on an ambiguous person. But No-gun snorted.

“What’s there to be sorry about? Any other person would have been smashed a hundred times over. Imagine if a high-ranking official of the court had suffered such a thing. The owner of this Daru would be unconditionally sentenced to death without any room for excuses.”

“It’s okay, Young Master Son.”

Sa Su-yeon said to Son-bin.

“I will separately seek the Daru owner’s understanding and compensate them.”

“But I can’t cause trouble for Miss Su-yeon…”

“I have some leeway, and I want to help.”

After pondering for a moment, Son-bin nodded. Dang Wora suddenly spoke to Sa Su-yeon.

“If it’s not enough, I’ll help you.”

Sa Su-yeon smiled at Dang Wora.

“It’s okay. The head of Yewon [a branch of a merchant guild] in Hangzhou taught me how to sign. She said that any branch of the Five Great Merchant Guilds would recognize it.”

Hwa-wol, the head of Yewon in Hangzhou, had been entrusted with the management of trade taxes and gifts coming to Sa Su-yeon. She had also taught her how to use them through the Five Great Merchant Guilds.

Guigyonsura turned his head and looked at No-gun.

“What do you want?”

There was no way there wouldn’t be a price. Namgung No-gun was by no means a righteous hero or a gentleman. Guigyonsura knew that much clearly.

“If I say it, can you give it to me?”

No-gun pursed his lips.

“I will give you anything except my life and this sword. Because my life belongs to my lady.”

Guigyonsura said in a heavy voice. No-gun had a displeased expression, but he didn’t say anything in particular. He couldn’t even mock the resolution of a warrior who risked his life.

“I don’t need things like that.”

No-gun’s eyes became serious.

“That sword, is it Hyullang?”

Guigyonsura’s eyes flashed.

“That’s right.”

“The previous owner was Hyulma?”

Without a word, Guigyonsura nodded.

“Is Hyulma your teacher?”

“He’s not exactly a teacher. But, it’s true that he taught me.”

“Where is he now?”

No-gun was looking at Guigyonsura with sharper eyes than ever before.

“Is he… still alive?”

“Is that what you want?”

Guigyonsura also looked at No-gun with intense eyes.

“Yes.”

“Save my lady.”

Guigyonsura said with a stern face.

“Then I will tell you everything.”

“Alright. Alright, but didn’t you learn any etiquette? The way you talk to your elders…”

“Is etiquette necessary when killing people?”

No-gun frowned at Guigyonsura’s answer. Guigyonsura continued speaking with a calm expression.

“But if you save my lady, I will consider it.”

No-gun chuckled. And so, the deal between the two was made.

“Kids! Snacks are here!”

Just then, Seo-rin’s triumphant voice echoed on the second floor of Daru.

The children’s gazes all turned to Seo-rin, and Son-bin couldn’t help but smile at Seo-rin’s proudly smiling face.

*

*

*

Tta-dak, tta-dak [sound of horse hooves].

“Damn it.”

A noblewoman in a luxurious carriage muttered a curse under her breath amidst the sound of horses’ hooves.

She was dressed elegantly like a madam from a wealthy family, but her eyes were extremely sharp. Moreover, she couldn’t hide her anxiousness and kept biting her nails.

‘How did it come to this?’

She had the alias Somyeonrang in the Jianghu world.

Somyeonrang mainly took on dishonorable requests, utilizing her excellent stealth, poison, and tracking skills.

But surprisingly, she hadn’t incurred much resentment, nor had she particularly made a name for herself.

That was because she had a business policy that emphasized self-preservation, not taking on jobs involving large sects or killing anyone.

But Somyeonrang’s policy was facing a crisis today.

‘They said the only problem was Guigyonsura, but this is different!’

In Somyeonrang’s view, Guigyonsura was a naive kid with flaws all over the place, even though his martial arts were beyond compare.

The fact that he never left Hyulbong’s side was one such flaw.

Wasn’t that openly revealing that his weakness was Hyulbong?

Just looking at that, Guigyonsura was someone Somyeonrang could handle, although the risk was high enough.

Somyeonrang took her time and completed all the preparations. Now that she had even prepared the hard-to-find Hwatan [a powerful explosive], Daru was practically Somyeonrang’s territory. Somyeonrang was absolutely confident in her success.

But if Namgung No-gun was there, the story was very different.

‘Why is Namgung No-gun there?’

Namgung No-gun was a former supreme master known to have lived in seclusion in Namak.

As someone in between the righteous and the demonic, he had never belonged to any faction, and as his alias ‘No-gun’ suggested, he was a veteran who had experienced all sorts of things in the Jianghu world.

No-gun wasn’t bound by righteousness or justification. He didn’t particularly pursue profit either.

As someone classified as being in between the righteous and the demonic, he was neither good nor evil, but his methods were unrestrained, and you never knew which way he would bounce, making him an even more troublesome opponent.

The difficulty level was qualitatively different from a naive kid like Guigyonsura who ran wild believing only in his martial arts.

‘No-gun is dangerous, No-gun is. Besides, the others didn’t seem ordinary either…’

When the group entered Daru a little while ago, Somyeonrang doubted her eyes.

Namgung No-gun was one thing, but there were more than one or two people who had obviously reached the pinnacle of mastery.

“Hoo-oo.”

Somyeonrang calmed her excitement by taking a deep breath.

Understanding the opponent’s skills was the most basic of basics. Especially for those like Somyeonrang, who were absolutely disadvantaged unless it was an ambush, it was an essential condition for survival.

“I really thought I was going to die.”

In that short moment of waiting for the third-rate martial artists to attack as planned, Somyeonrang felt like she was going to heaven and hell every moment.

She didn’t even know if it would be possible to give up the request and quietly retreat.

Unexpectedly, it was Guigyonsura who gave her the opportunity. The moment he became enraged and wielded his sword, Somyeonrang knew that this was an opportunity that would never come again.

“I was lucky.”

Somyeonrang bit her lip and muttered.

In fact, she wasn’t confident. No matter how meticulous her preparations were, it would be difficult to even buy time in front of a monster like Namgung No-gun.

But unexpectedly, Namgung No-gun’s reaction wasn’t very active.

‘Wait, could it be!’

A chilling feeling flashed through her chest, and Somyeonrang quickly turned her head. She slightly lifted the cloth covering the carriage window and looked around the carriage.

Tta-dak, tta-dak.

The carriage, which covered all sides and even the roof, was slowly leaving the bustling streets of Guiyang. There were no signs of anyone following, nor was there anyone in sight.

Somyeonrang carefully covered the window with the cloth after looking around for a while.

She had confirmed that there was no one there, but her anxiousness didn’t subside. She felt like the terrifying Namgung No-gun would pop out and smash the carriage at any moment.

‘They didn’t say that this girl was related to No-gun, did they?’

Hyulbong, who had lost consciousness, was sitting across from her.

Her face was covered with a veil, so her expression couldn’t be seen, and her clothes were covered with an outer garment, so her attire was also hidden. At first glance, she looked like she had fallen asleep, tired from going out.

“I think I’ll have to ask for more money.”

She had done something ridiculously dangerous. Of course, she would have to get more. Now that Hyulbong was in her grasp, those who had commissioned the job would have no choice.

Tak, tak.

Somyeonrang knocked on the carriage window to signal the coachman. It meant to drive as fast as possible. She had deliberately made him drive slowly until they left the bustling streets, but now she wanted to get as far away from Namgung No-gun as possible, even if it was just a little bit.

“Giddy up!”

Tta-dak, tta-dak.

As if understanding Somyeonrang’s anxious heart, the coachman vigorously drove the horse. As if a fire was lit on its tail, the horse began to gallop, increasing its speed.

But Somyeonrang hadn’t even noticed that several people were following behind them.

*

*

*

Son-bin and his group came out of Daru. Everyone had many questions for No-gun, but no one asked, knowing that No-gun would tell them on his own.

“Tsk. I just came out of Daru and I’m thirsty, what a frustrating situation is this? Ugh.”

No-gun grumbled as if he was in a bad mood. But no one didn’t know that it was to hide his true feelings.

Because No-gun’s eyes were revealing his complicated feelings as they were.

“Let’s go to another Daru. Or let’s eat something.”

“Let’s do that.”

Son-bin said with a smile. No-gun chuckled at the smile.

At that very moment, an explosion erupted from behind the group.

Kwang!

No-gun frowned and turned around. All sorts of debris were pouring out from the second floor of Daru, where they had just come out. It seemed that the remaining Hwatan had exploded.

“I told this guy to be careful…”

“Dust is not good for the body. Let’s go if we’re going.”

At Shin-ui’s urging, No-gun also turned his head and hurried his steps. The group also glanced at Daru once and immediately followed behind No-gun and Shin-ui.

Kung, ku-kung, kiii.

People began to gather at the continuous explosions and strange sounds.

“What is it?”

“Oh my, look at that!”

People gathered in an instant. Leaving the murmuring people behind, Son-bin and his group left the place as if they didn’t know anything.

The news that Daru, which was located behind the bustling streets, had been smashed swept through Guiyang that day.

It was a decent pavilion, but the roof was half blown off and the walls were blown out with a loud explosion. The pavilion quickly became a hideous ruin.

What was surprising was that this was the work of only one person, Guigyonsura.

It was a well-known fact that his martial arts were highly skilled, but people trembled with fear at the fact that a person could do such a thing with their body.

It was not known why Guigyonsura did this.

The half-tilted pavilion was revealing its hideous appearance to the people passing by, and the atmosphere in Guiyang, which had been turbulent due to the Demonic Sect’s tyranny, was getting worse and worse.