CRS Chapter 12

Eunho dragged the fortune teller along by the hand.

“Hey! Let go of me and we can talk!”

Just as the fortune teller shouted this, Eunho stomped his foot hard and unleashed his movement technique.

The fortune teller could barely open his eyes against the strong wind pressure hitting his face.

When he managed to open them with difficulty, he saw the scenery around them changing in an instant.

‘This, this must be a demon!’

Upon arriving at a nearby mountain, Eunho carelessly tossed the fortune teller aside.

Experiencing such speed for the first time in his life, the fortune teller felt dizzy and began vomiting while leaning against a large tree.

“How disgusting. So, fortune teller, what’s your name?”

“Haa… It’s Yi-ryang.”

The fortune teller, introducing himself as Yi-ryang, glared at Eunho.

This damn yokai, he must be thinking.

“If you don’t look at me nicely, I’ll pluck out your eyes.”

Yi-ryang’s eyes immediately became prettier.

“You spineless bastard. So, Yi-ryang, what makes you think I’m a yokai?”

After accumulating so much merit to become human, he thought.

Yi-ryang tilted his head.

“You look like a yokai from every angle.”

Thwack!

Eunho’s sweet flick landed on Yi-ryang’s forehead.

It was a simple flick, but Yi-ryang’s body flew two jang away and crashed into a tree.

Having seen too many sword saints, fist kings, and famous masters recently, Eunho had failed to control his strength.

“Is he dead?”

It was a pity. He was an interesting kid with many questions.

As Eunho approached the crashed Yi-ryang to touch him.

Yi-ryang suddenly sprang up and threw several talismans.

Not stopping there, he muttered something incomprehensible and spread his palm towards Eunho.

“By the urgent command of the law!”

A wind filled with fresh Taoist energy struck Eunho’s face.

Eunho’s hair fluttered wildly, and Yi-ryang momentarily felt lightheaded.

‘What kind of yokai is so handsome?’

He had heard of yokais that bewitched people with their beauty, and he wondered if this was one of those.

If even he, a man, felt this way, he thought women would surely be helplessly captivated.

On the other hand, Eunho was dumbfounded.

“What are you doing right now?”

Startled by Eunho’s cold voice, Yi-ryang was greatly flustered.

“You’re really not a yokai?”

Normally, even a decent yokai would writhe in pain when hit by the Taoist wind.

It seemed the young man before him was indeed human.

Eunho let out a mirthless laugh and tried to give Yi-ryang another flick.

But Yi-ryang’s form had already disappeared from his spot.

“To think you were really human… I apologize for my rudeness.”

The surrounding area was already under the influence of the formation Yi-ryang had deployed.

As Yi-ryang’s form reappeared behind him, Eunho chuckled.

What a cunning fellow.

The more he watched, the more curious he became.

Yi-ryang leisurely moved his feet, trying to escape.

Once trapped in the formation, he thought the other wouldn’t be able to catch him.

However, contrary to his conviction, he felt a strong resistance at the nape of his neck.

Eunho, who had approached without him noticing, was holding onto his collar.

“H-How?”

“Where do you think you’re running off to after accusing an innocent person of being a yokai?”

Although he couldn’t exactly be called completely innocent, what did it matter?

He was human now, and that was enough.

Thinking this, Eunho nodded.

“I’ll ask again. What made you think I was a yokai?”

“It was a feeling.”

Yi-ryang was confident, and Eunho was bewildered.

“My master said that if nothing else, my discernment is top-notch.”

“I see. You have quite the discernment indeed.”

It seemed he had seen something, and Eunho had to admit that his discernment was at least worth acknowledging.

“It looks like you can even read the will of heaven a bit.”

“How do you know that?”

Reading the will of heaven was the domain of Taoist practitioners.

Even if the young man before him was a high-level martial artist, it shouldn’t be easy to know this.

Yi-ryang looked at Eunho suspiciously.

“Didn’t I tell you to look at me nicely?”

Yi-ryang’s eyes became pretty again.

“Let’s go.”

“Where?”

“Home, of course.”

“Ah, farewell then.”

With those words, Yi-ryang turned around.

Their parting seemed cleaner than expected.

Of course, that was only Yi-ryang’s thought.

Eunho, who had grabbed Yi-ryang by the nape, stomped his foot once more.

Strong wind pressure… changing scenery, and even a scream.

“Aaargh!”

***

Eunho’s movement technique was truly at its peak.

To have arrived at Cheonha Merchant Guild so quickly was proof enough.

Clicking his tongue at Yi-ryang, who was vomiting, Eunho moved on.

“Follow me.”

Realizing he couldn’t escape anyway, Yi-ryang silently followed Eunho.

He still had some doubts remaining.

If he really was a demon…

Yi-ryang secretly fingered the talismans in his bosom, hidden from Eunho’s view.

Eunho spotted a gatekeeper he knew and greeted him cheerfully.

“Hey!”

However, for some reason, the gatekeeper only avoided his gaze.

Something was off.

Eunho’s doubts grew with each gate they passed.

“Are you perhaps being ostracized at home?” Yi-ryang asked.

“…”

His suspicion was justified.

Not just the gatekeeper, but the servants, warriors, and even merchants all avoided eye contact.

‘Has something happened at Cheonha Merchant Guild?’

Just then, someone who absolutely couldn’t ignore him came into view.

“Chief Steward Jang, has something happened at home? Everyone seems a bit strange.”

Chief Steward Jang showed an awkward expression and spoke with a forced cough.

“Ahem. You should go see the Master…”

“Hmm.”

He doesn’t want to talk, it seems.

I’ll know when I get there.

Eunho hurried his steps.

And what awaited him was Ha Jin-wi’s thunderous voice.

“How could you act so recklessly!”

It seemed that all the things he had been holding back had burst out due to the Peng Ji-yeol incident.

“Don’t you know how dangerous Peng Ji-yeol is…!”

After ranting for a while, Ha Jin-wi noticed Yi-ryang and asked.

“And who is this person who came with you?”

“Umm…”

Eunho pondered for a moment before answering.

“He’s a fortune teller.”

Ha Jin-wi’s expression crumpled greatly.

That’s when Yi-ryang stepped forward.

“My name is Yi-ryang. I have an interest in the Tao and am traveling the country to study. To meet such a renowned merchant in person like this, it seems the heavens are favoring me today.”

Eunho shot a contemptuous glance at Yi-ryang’s glib tongue.

Regardless, Ha Jin-wi seemed somewhat satisfied with the response.

However, his anger hadn’t completely subsided, and he glared at Eunho.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You’re asking because you don’t know?”

“I’m asking because I don’t know.”

“Haa… Why have you been causing so much trouble lately?”

Eunho was dumbfounded.

What did I do?

And as usual, Eunho wasn’t satisfied until he voiced his thoughts.

“What did I do?”

Ha Jin-wi’s neat beard trembled slightly.

“What… did you do? I could understand you beating up those kids at the school, but causing a commotion at the elder’s funeral, and then…”

“So should I have just watched while Somi was being harassed?”

“…”

He had a point.

But Eunho’s brazenness was incredibly irritating.

“Fine. Let’s put that aside! I hear you were also disrespectful to Elder Chu?”

“No. I simply answered the questions I was asked. Should I have responded politely to every attempt to test me just because the other person was an elder and a famous master? I don’t think that’s the attitude a son of the family should take.”

Ha Jin-wi was genuinely baffled.

He couldn’t understand when his son had become so eloquent.

“Alright… alright. Let’s put all that aside!”

As the voices of the two grew louder, Yi-ryang rolled his eyes around, unnecessarily trying to read the room.

“At the Peng clan… that bear… I can’t even bring myself to say it.”

As the father expressed his dismay, the filial son Eunho spoke on his behalf.

“That bear bastard threatened Somi.”

Ha Jin-wi held his forehead.

He knew. But it shouldn’t have been done.

This time, Ha Jin-wi took a rather stern attitude.

Acting that way towards the head of one of the Five Great Families was not only improper but also extremely dangerous.

Moreover, the opponent was an absolute master known for his hot temper.

If the Sword Saint hadn’t been there, something terrible would have surely happened.

“Father. That bear bastard isn’t as dangerous as you think…”

“Enough. I came back and discussed it with Chief Steward Jang, and I think you lack social experience, Eunho.”

A strong sense of foreboding struck Eunho’s mind.

Such premonitions always come true!

“Go along with this escort mission.”

“Father, I’m busy.”

“Yes. Go along.”

“No, I…”

“Go.”

“Yes.”

It’s impossible to disobey father’s words.

Perhaps it’s because of the original boy’s memories.

***

And so, Eunho sat on the roof of the moving carriage, lost in thought.

“But why am I…?”

Yi-ryang had been dragged along to join the escort mission by Eunho.

“How could I leave a suspicious fellow like you near my family?”

“Then why not just let me go?”

“How could I just let a suspicious fellow like you go?”

Yi-ryang’s eyes squeezed shut tightly.

Dealing with a master who wouldn’t listen to reason was more troublesome than he had expected.

“Then let me ask one thing.”

“?”

“How did you catch me back then? Even a martial arts master shouldn’t be able to break through a formation so easily.”

But Eunho was unimpressed.

“Are there really people who fall for such shallow tricks?”

“It’s common for people to fall for it! Unless they’re a Taoist like me or someone from the Zhuge family.”

While the Zhuge family, famous for their formations, might be able to do so, it was difficult for ordinary martial artists.

“There was a big flaw in that formation. Want me to tell you?”

Yi-ryang’s eyes sparkled brightly.

“I’ll tell you depending on how you behave.”

“Ah.”

Yi-ryang became serious at the tone that seemed to be toying with him.

“Eyes.”

They became pretty again.

“By the way, where is this escort mission heading?”

“I heard we’re going to Mount Wudang.”

“Hup!”

Yi-ryang’s eyes began to shine incomparably brighter than before.

Mount Wudang, known as the ancestral home of Taoism, was a place every Taoist practitioner longed to visit.

Eunho couldn’t understand his reaction.

“Is Mount Wudang really that great?”

The one who answered was Jang, the escort leader riding a horse nearby.

He was the leader of this escort mission and, as an escort leader, had extensive experience traveling the world.

“Young Master is unusually indifferent. How often does one get the chance to visit Mount Wudang?”

His tone was somewhat brusque for speaking to the young master.

But that was because, from Escort Leader Jang’s perspective, an easy escort mission had just gained an unnecessary concern with the addition of the young master.

“Hmph, what’s so good about those Taoist fellows.”

Eunho disliked Taoists.

He hated them very, very much.

It was because they reminded him of those celestial immortals.

Moreover, Mount Wudang was practically overflowing with wannabe immortals, to the point where it could be considered a terrestrial Heaven, so he hated it the most.

No, perhaps he hated Shaolin more?

He had heard it was a place where Buddha-like fellows spoke like Buddha and trained like Buddha.

Wudang and Shaolin.

Just thinking about them made his skin crawl.

“Ugh. Just thinking about those Taoist fellows gives me goosebumps. I’d rather… where was it again? Right, those Demonic Cult guys would be better.”

Escort Leader Jang’s eyes nearly popped out at Eunho’s shocking statement.

“What if someone hears you say such things?”

Although they weren’t in Wudang’s territory yet, it wasn’t something good for anyone to hear.

In the martial world, there were countless eyes and ears everywhere.

Escort Leader Jang, with his extensive worldly experience, knew the fear of losing one’s head over a single word.

That’s when it happened.

“Indeed. It is truly unfortunate that we have come to hear those words.”

At the voice that came from somewhere, Escort Leader Jang raised his hand to stop the escort.

‘Could it be that Wudang Taoists really heard us?’

If so, it would be a big problem.

Even with Cheonha Merchant Guild’s name, if they were openly disrespected, they wouldn’t tolerate it.

The escorts who saw Escort Leader Jang’s hand signal each picked up their weapons and surveyed the surroundings.

However, Eunho’s gaze was fixed on one spot.

Soon, men with enormous builds appeared from the bushes at that spot.

Seeing them, Escort Leader Jang breathed a sigh of relief.

‘Just mountain bandits, it seems.’

The mountain bandits burst into laughter at the sight of the alert escort party.

“Hahaha! Looks like everyone’s startled. Don’t worry! Unlike those petty Taoist fellows, we’re mountain men with broad minds!”

Although it was a somewhat absurd situation, encountering mountain bandits was inevitable for an escort party.

Escort Leader Jang skillfully stepped forward and spoke.

“Are you not the heroes of Aso? We are an escort party from Cheonha Merchant Guild.”

His words were full of pride.

Although Aso was a large mountain stronghold belonging to the Eighteen Forest Strongholds, Cheonha Merchant Guild had already made agreements with most of the Forest Stronghold.

Having already paid a substantial passage fee in advance, there was no reason to be afraid.

“We know that Cheonha Merchant Guild has already paid the passage fee. The problem is that the fee has increased since then.”

The mountain bandits each guffawed and chimed in.

“Hahaha! Brother, even I think that’s too much!”

“Hey, keep quiet. We all have to make a living, don’t we?”

From what he heard, it seemed like the bandits before them were trying to extort money on their own, not on behalf of Aso.

It was ridiculous to pay a passage fee to mountain bandits who weren’t even the imperial court, but it was also unreasonable to eliminate the countless bandits.

It was more profitable to pay a small fee and complete the escort mission.

But to make such an unreasonable demand?

Yi-ryang, who had been observing the situation, said to Eunho,

“Won’t this lead to some big trouble?”

Eunho nodded.

“It is a big deal. To think Cheonha Merchant Guild’s money has been leaking to such fellows. We’ll have to get it back.”

Escort Leader Jang’s eyes squeezed shut.

He had been trying to navigate the situation somehow, but that damn young master’s statement had ruined everything.

“Hey, kid. What did you just say?”

Eunho’s form disappeared.

He reappeared next to the bandit’s head.

Eunho whispered in his ear.

“I said, guide us to your home.”