Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Shadow watched Youngho buying and eating sweets in a marketplace a short distance away from the Unorthodox Faction’s quarters, and a question arose in his mind.

At first, he thought Youngho was buying a gift to curry favor with the Gold-Blood Hall. But surprisingly, the moment Youngho bought the sweet, he put it straight into his own mouth.

“Mm. This is good.”

He chewed the sweet, smacking his lips, then bought some taffy and chewed on that as well. To Shadow, who kept all emotions tightly restrained, Youngho’s inefficient behavior was difficult to understand.

Youngho’s current movements were, how should he put it…… like Cheonung. Watching Youngho move so freely, Shadow kept thinking that he looked exactly like the Lord.

But that could not be. No matter how much a person wore a monster’s skin, he could never become a true monster.

That was why it felt even stranger. He was clearly a different person from Cheonung. Yet Youngho’s actions, moving about like an old man whose depths could not be fathomed, were in some ways even more peculiar than Cheonung’s.

Soon, after buying a large amount of sweets, Youngho began heading toward the place where the Gold-Blood Hall’s branch hall was located.

As he stretched the taffy long and ate it, Youngho thought,

‘It’s different.’

It was different. It had to be. After all, this was just taffy sold in a common marketplace.

The reason Youngho bought so many sweets and taffy was none other than his disciple. Before the Regression, Youngho had only a single disciple.

Youngho’s disciple, Yoon Seojeong, truly loved sweets. His hobby had been making confections and taffy, and since he focused solely on making sweets outside of training, his skill at it had reached an exceptional level.

Youngho himself had tasted them and marveled, so that alone said everything.

Youngho still remembered it. When he praised the taffy his disciple gave him, that disciple would sometimes pop sweets right into his mouth.

Even in the midst of war, the disciple had lightly made and eaten taffy.

To others, it might have looked carefree, but at the time, no one said anything to the disciple or tried to stop him.

Back then, even they had known it. That without doing at least something like that, they would not be able to endure the war.

There had even been those who regained their strength thanks to the disciple’s taffy and returned to the battlefield.

The disciple, who always fed taffy to those around him, kept smiling as he went about. Thinking of that, Youngho suddenly felt a bitter taste coming from the taffy in his mouth.

Damn, he had sunk too deeply into his thoughts for a moment. Youngho spat the taffy in his mouth onto the ground and stood before the Gold-Blood Hall branch hall.

Youngho spoke to the guards.

“Is the Branch Hall Master inside?”

At those words, the guards’ previously expressionless faces began to turn fierce.

“You’re a brat with a sharp tongue.”

Despite their harsh words and expressions, the guards did not rashly lay a hand on Youngho. On the surface, he looked like nothing, but there could be something hidden.

For example, powerful backing, or perhaps he was actually an incredible master.

There was also the thought that, without some sort of card up his sleeve, he would never dare address the Branch Hall Master in such a manner.

Thus, one of the more composed guards stepped forward and spoke.

Youngho disliked having to look up at a guard, but knowing this was a time to rein in his temper, he maintained a blank expression as best he could.

“State your identity.”

“Youngho.”

“……?”

“Who’s Youngho?”

“I heard the Lord’s new disciple is named Youngho.”

“The Fifth Young Master wouldn’t come here, would he?”

“You never know.”

They probably thought they were speaking quietly, but every word reached Youngho’s ears.

“I am the Fifth Young Master. So are you letting me in, or not?”

The guards whispered among themselves once more, and soon one of them went inside the building.

“How long do I have to wait?”

“Please wait for one dakyung.”

At some point, the guards’ tone had become polite. However, their eyes were filled with contempt. Those were the eyes of Unorthodox Faction members looking down on the weak.

They were eyes one could see anywhere, but feeling that gaze again after so long made Youngho feel murderous intent welling up inside him.

Just as killing intent was about to flash in Youngho’s eyes—

“They say to let him in.”

At those words, the guards nodded and cleared the way.

“Thanks for the trouble.”

With that single remark, Youngho entered the branch hall.

At that moment, a broad-shouldered man stepped forward to face Youngho.

“Are you the Fifth Young Master?”

“Yeah. And you are?”

“I am Horyeung, Unit Leader of the Blood Wolf Unit.”

“Unit Leader…… you must be quite strong.”

“I may be old, but I’m still at least a wolf that can hunt.”

“Why belittle yourself? From what I see, you’re more than that.”

“You overestimate me.”

“Hm…… let’s say that’s fine. Anyway, I came to see the Branch Hall Master, so why did you come to me instead?”

“The Branch Hall Master is currently receiving another guest, so it seems you will have to wait a little. I ask for your understanding.”

“Ah, that’s fine. It’s my fault for coming without notice. I came in such a rush that I almost feel apologetic.”

“Thank you for your generosity.”

“No, no. So I can just sit here, right?”

“Yes.”

“Got time?”

“For now, yes.”

“Then keep me company with some conversation.”

“What interesting story could you possibly have with an old man like me?”

“Let’s see…… about your future? Be honest—don’t you want to retire?”

At those words, Horyeung’s eyes widened.

“Why? You want to know how I knew?”

“If you would permit the rudeness, I would like to know.”

“It’s because of your way of speaking.”

“Pardon?”

“You’re too polite for an Unorthodox Faction member.”

Thanks to Horyeung’s expression, which clearly said, ‘How could you know that from just that?’, Youngho chuckled and said,

“You want to avoid pointless fights and live peacefully, right? No, you just want peace itself, don’t you?”

“That’s correct.”

“That’s a kind of depression, you know.”

“Pardon?”

Depression? What was that supposed to mean? No matter how old he was, he did not think he could be suffering from depression.

Horyeung was about to open his mouth to deny it, but Youngho spoke faster.

“More precisely, it’s a symptom that comes from working too much. You look to be past sixty, so you must have had your vigorous years, and as the unit leader of the Blood Wolf Unit, you must have had plenty of fights.”

“That is true.”

“A person’s mental strength isn’t infinite. No matter how strong someone’s will is, if they spend their entire life killing people, they’re bound to grow tired.”

“Are you saying that I’m tired right now?”

“Yeah. Mentally, a lot.”

“Heh…….”

At Youngho’s words, Horyeung let out an unconscious sigh. He was tired. Yes, that word was accurate.

He was tired. He no longer had the passion to break through walls as a martial artist, and all he wanted now was a safe and peaceful life in his later years.

At that moment, Horyeung realized it.

‘So I really was exhausted.’

By acknowledging it, even if it was not an enlightenment about martial arts, he gained at least a small realization about life.

Watching Horyeung sink into thought for a while, Youngho thought,

‘This guy seems just right…….’

Even if it was not a peaceful old age, he could at least make it so that Horyeung would have a stable one.

The two continued their conversation a bit longer. Time passed so quickly it hardly felt like time at all.

With the feeling of talking to someone of the same generation, Horyeung was able to bring out his own stories with a genuine smile.

As they talked, before he knew it, Horyeung heard what a servant said and spoke.

“The Branch Hall Master says you may come in.”

“Really? Then I’ll be going.”

“Yes. I wish you good health.”

“We’ll meet again soon.”

“Yes?”

“It’s nothing.”

With those words, Youngho went to meet the Branch Hall Master of the Gold-Blood Hall.

Entering the reception room, Youngho looked at the woman sitting across from him and thought,

‘She’s pretty after all. Well, not to the level of being the most beautiful under heaven like my disciple, but still.’

Unaware of Youngho’s thoughts, the woman smiled brightly and said,

“I greet the Fifth Young Master. I am Yeo Jeonghye, the Branch Hall Master of the Gold-Blood Hall.”

“I’m Youngho. Nice to meet you.”

“For what reason have you sought me out today……?”

“I do intend to pay the price, but could you have a conversation with me for a moment first?”

“If you intend to pay, then anything is possible.”

“Really? Then stop the Orthodox–Demonic War from happening.”

In that instant, the atmosphere in the room turned icy cold.

“What are you saying right now……?”

“Hm? You heard me, didn’t you? Or do you want me to repeat that irreverent remark once more?”

“No. That won’t be necessary.”

At some point, Yeo Jeonghye’s face, which had been wearing a bright smile, twisted into a vicious expression.

Looking at Youngho, who was smiling cheerfully as if he found this all amusing, Yeo Jeonghye thought,

‘Is he insane?’

No matter that he was the Fifth Young Master, he would know her disposition well. Everything she had done until now had always been soaked in blood and souls.

‘And yet he acts like this?’

She had been intrigued when he said he came to see her out of the blue, but she had not expected him to bring up such a heavy topic with such a beaming smile.

In an instant, Yeo Jeonghye weighed the gains and losses and spoke.

“As you know, our hall is a place that will do anything for money.”

“I know. That’s why I came here.”

“If the Orthodox–Demonic War breaks out, our hall can reap enormous profits. If you are telling us to give that up, then you must have clearly considered the compensation for that, correct?”

What Yeo Jeonghye was saying now was this: could he give the Gold-Blood Hall something even greater than the profits gained from the Orthodox–Demonic War?

At those words, Youngho nodded.

“Of course I can give something. Ah, but not right now.”

At that, Yeo Jeonghye’s eyebrows shot up.

“You didn’t come here just to play word games…… and you wouldn’t be unaware of how important your life is…… would you?”

“Of course not. My life is more important than anything else except for one person. Let’s talk about the Orthodox–Demonic War later. That’s a matter for the future.”

“No matter that you are the Lord’s disciple, you should be careful with your words.”

“Don’t give me pointless threats. I need an escort for now. I’ll pay the price.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I’ll tell you the location of a gold mine.”

At that moment, a chilling killing intent brushed past Youngho’s neck. Even so, when Youngho’s expression did not change in the slightest, Yeo Jeonghye frowned, clearly irritated, and said,

“What exactly is it that you want?”

“I told you. An escort.”

“Someone who can’t even protect his own body dares to speak about the Orthodox–Demonic War?”

“What’s there to discuss? I just said it once. So I’ll give you the location of one gold mine. Are you making the contract or not?”

Yeo Jeonghye took a deep breath, steadying her body and mind.

“You are exceedingly arrogant.”

Lightly ignoring those words, Youngho began speaking only what he wanted to say.

“Here, I’ve marked the location of the gold mine on this map, so handle it as you see fit, and assign the unit leader of the Blood Wolf Unit, Horyeung, as my escort.”

“That is not possible.”

“Why not? He already seemed like he was about to retire anyway, so just give him to me.”

“He is far too outstanding.”

“He looked pretty exhausted to me. Just give him to me. Or is even a gold mine not enough as payment?”

“Even if it truly is the location of a gold mine as you say, time will be required.”

“I know working a gold mine is complicated. Just try it once. Or you could just kill me instead.”

At that moment, killing intent began to slowly rise from Yeo Jeonghye’s body.

Seeing that, Youngho snorted and said,

“Bullshit.”