Chapter 42

As Jo Hwi left behind the reunion with his family and stepped back onto the main road, the voice of Han Seol-hyun, who was deeply reluctant, echoed in his ears.

"…You have a wonderful family."

Han Seol-hyun had spent the entire night in heartfelt conversation with Gwa Ae-yeong.

In the end, Han Seol-hyun had grown close to Gwa Ae-yeong and wanted to stay a few more days, but Jo Hwi's constant urging to hurry on the road prevented her from doing so.

The kind face of Gwa Ae-yeong, who had warmly smiled and peeled fruit for her, still lingered in her mind.

"Yes, they are good people."

"…."

Han Seol-hyun's heart ached as she thought of her dear mother and the memories of the past, which seemed to be right before her eyes.

Tears began to stream down her face, falling to her throat.

Thump, thump.

Biting her lip tightly, Han Seol-hyun burst into small sobs, a sight that could have shattered any man's heart.

"Hey, Miss Han, why…"

Jo Hwi, who was flustered, was left behind as Han Seol-hyun, with tears in her eyes, gazed at the northern sky.

Struck by a sudden heart attack in the clear sky, Jo Hwi was at a loss, but all she could think about was the bitterly cold northern sea, which she missed so much.

Sighing softly, Jo Hwi took a step back, not wanting to disturb her moment of nostalgia.

Somehow, Jo Hwi could understand her longing for her hometown.

Although he didn't have many good memories, Jo Hwi also missed the cold and harsh Seoul of the Republic of Korea.

"Do you want to ride the sword?"

"No, no!"

From the very beginning of their journey, Jo Hwi had suggested they ride the sword together to arrive quickly, but Han Seol-hyun had firmly refused.

"At first, I couldn't adapt, but once I got used to it, riding the sword is the best when I'm feeling down."

"…."

Jo Hwi extended his hand.

"Get on."

Han Seol-hyun hesitated because of this.

Experiencing sword flight as a martial artist was indeed a great honor, but on the other hand, she would inevitably have to be in close physical contact with him.

"I'll follow you using my lightness technique as I have been."

"Hmm."

If Han Seol-hyun were to follow using her lightness technique again, they wouldn't be able to travel fast.

Jo Hwi, who wanted to reach Lake Poyang as soon as possible, grabbed her hand and soared into the sky.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

"Kyaa!"

This was Han Seol-hyun's first flight in her life.

At this point, she had no idea that she would later beg Jo Hwi countless times to ride the sword.

* * *

In the world of martial arts, whether it was an individual or a sect, everything revolved around strength.

Even the righteous sects, who valued propriety and righteousness, were no exception. This was the nature of the world of martial arts.

The flags representing the major sects began to appear one by one along the shores of Lake Poyang.

The first sect to arrive was unexpectedly the hard-to-find Sichuan Tang Family.

As the Five Poison Flag of the Tang Family passed in front of the Great Black Guesthouse on the shores of Lake Poyang, the flags of all the minor sects retreated, cowering in fear.

This was the world of martial arts.

No matter how much one shouted for justice, a hero without power and fame had no place to stand.

The Tang Family's experts, who looked so dignified, seemed somewhat arrogant.

The Dark Dragon Chief and the Sea Dragon Chief, who led the experts, soon shouted proudly.

"The Tang Family of One's Own!"

The Tang Family, standing alone and proud.

The experts of the Tang Family, who followed their chiefs, shouted in unison.

"Never Forget Gratitude or Enmity!"

They never forget a favor or a grudge.

Their declaration, filled with resolve, made everyone, whether they knew the Tang Family or not, hold their breath.

Those who didn't know the Tang Family were amazed by their fierce declaration, while those who knew their venomous hearts couldn't help but tremble in fear.

However, there was one flag that didn't bow even to the Tang Family's Five Poison Flag.

On this flag, the Taiji symbol, representing the interplay of yin and yang and the creation of all things, was engraved.

"Southern Venerable!"

"It's the Wudang Sect!"

This was the flag of the Wudang Sect, also known as the Southern Venerable Wudang (南尊武當) or the True Martial Holy Sword Gate (眞武聖劒門).

Along with the Northern Shaolin, it was one of the two great sects of the martial world and a Daoist holy land that must be mentioned when discussing the lineage of Central Plain swords.

Although the Wudang Sect was currently overshadowed by the prosperity of Huashan, its long-standing reputation as a prestigious sect could not be ignored.

This was the reason they did not bow to the Five Poison Flag of the Sichuan Tang Family.

Soon, a Daoist from the Windmill Valley walked out from the Wudang procession and approached the Sichuan Tang Family's procession.

"Boundless compassion, I am Qingxu. It is an honor to meet the heroes of Sichuan."

Qingxu Zhenren.

He was the current leader of the Wudang Sect and the senior brother of Wu Huang Qingyun Zhenren, the current leader of the martial alliance.

Although his fame was overshadowed by Wu Huang, his martial prowess was among the top in the martial world.

His Taiji Wisdom Sword, which had reached the Seventh Star, was almost legendary.

Since the founding of the sect, only a handful of Wudang swordsmen had refined the Taiji Wisdom Sword to the Seventh Star.

Tang Wuhu, the head of the Sichuan Tang Family, greeted Qingxu Zhenren with a formal bow.

"Grandmaster, it's been a long time."

"Hehe, indeed, the Flying Dragon Emperor. Your martial arts have become even more formidable."

Qingxu Zhenren was slightly surprised.

The aura of the Flying Dragon Emperor, which had always been sharp and exuded a dense killing intent, had completely changed.

There was no killing intent; instead, he had gathered all his energy internally, refining it cleanly, which proved that he had entered a new realm.

"It was a stroke of luck. I was fortunate."

Tang Wuhu's stroke of luck was the life-and-death battle with Jo Hwi.

After pushing himself to the limit and rising to his feet, while his body was a mess, his mind was racing towards enlightenment.

"Boundless compassion… hehe…"

Qingxu Zhenren smiled bitterly, almost self-mockingly.

Until now, the weakness of the Sichuan Tang Family had been that, despite their immense combat power, their head was young and weak.

But it seemed that he had made tremendous progress.

This meant that the Tang Family might produce an absolute expert in the future.

For the Wudang Sect, the emergence of another absolute expert in the Five Great Families, not the Nine Great Sects, was not a pleasant matter.

At that moment,

"Ha ha ha! Head of the Family!"

Jo Hwi, who had suddenly appeared at the entrance of the main road, was looking at Tang Wuhu and laughing heartily.

Han Seol-hyun, who was beside him, performed a grand bow.

"I greet my benefactor."

"Benefactor?"

Jo Hwi approached Tang Wuhu and whispered in his ear.

"She is the woman who took the Heavenly Ice Order from you. She practices the Northern Sea Ice Technique."

"Oh ho."

Tang Wuhu made a formal bow.

"That courtesy should be shown to Xiao Xiaohui. It was a transaction, not an act of righteousness."

Han Seol-hyun quietly nodded and stepped back, and only then did Tang Wuhu remember Qingxu Zhenren.

"Grandmaster, this is Xiao Xiaohui of the Zhaogang Grand Trade Association."

A look of surprise flashed across Qingxu Zhenren's face.

Is this young man the famous Little Sword God?

He had guessed that the young man would be junior due to the "Little" in his nickname, but he hadn't expected him to be so young.

"Boundless compassion, I am the leader of the Wudang Sect, Qingxu…"

"Hello, how are you? But Head of the Family, we should catch up after a long time, right?"

The flustered Tang Wuhu.

"Xiao Xiaohui?"

For the leader of the prestigious Wudang Sect to be chatting casually in the middle of a formal greeting!

"Ah! Tang Family, Never Forget Gratitude or Enmity! How can you stand here in front of your benefactor like this!"

Jo Hwi, who had already run far away towards the inn.

"Hey, stop it!"

"What kind of greeting is that!"

"Boundless compassion! Truly arrogant!"

Unlike his agitated disciples, Qingxu Zhenren wasn't angry.

He had never been treated this way in his life as a respected figure in the martial world, so he found it rather refreshing.

"Hmm."

Sighing, Tang Wuhu awkwardly followed Jo Hwi.

To Jo Hwi, the Wudang Sect was just the sect of the Wu Huang, whom he didn't particularly want to get close to, and who had suddenly appeared at the Zhaogang Grand Trade Association and made unreasonable demands.

* * *

When Jo Hwi entered the Great Black Guesthouse with Tang Wuhu, the innkeeper, Ye Hu, looked flustered.

It was understandable, as the owner of the Zhaogang Grand Trade Association, which had taken over all the guesthouses around Lake Poyang, had chosen to visit a competing guesthouse instead of his own.

Jo Hui was a key figure in the current Lake Poyang business world, essentially the eye of the storm.

"Hmm."

Jo Hui was calmly scanning the interior of the Great Black Guesthouse.

It was tempting.

The Great Black Guesthouse, as its name suggests, had grown under the protection of the Black Heaven League for a long time.

Therefore, it was located in the best spot around Lake Poyang, and the skills of the chefs were exceptional, making it the only guesthouse that had managed to survive despite the expansion of the Zhaogang Grand Trade Association.

For this reason, Jo Hui had persistently sent employees to try to buy the Great Black Guesthouse, but the innkeeper, Ye Hu, was unwavering.

Jo Hui put aside his greedy thoughts for a moment and looked back at Tang Wuhu.

"Did you come alone? What about the other family members? Since we haven't seen each other in a long time, why don't we all sit down together?"

"There's no need. I sent them all to the Zhaogang Grand Trade Association first."

Jo Hui laughed bitterly, feeling frustrated.

The people of the Tang Family had no sense of generosity. Although the martial world was harsh, how could they be so devoid of ease?

"Still, you are the leader of the great Wudang Sect. Is it appropriate to treat you this way?"

Jo Hui smiled.

"Do Daoists not eat or drink?"

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

Jo Hui's smile became more meaningful.

"Do I seem like the kind of person who likes to boast or show off?"

After a moment of thought, Tang Wuhu couldn't help but smile bitterly.

At such a young age, he had reached the realm of absolute mastery and gained the reputation of the Little Sword God.

At the same time, he was the absolute ruler of the business world, owning a large trade association that spanned Anhui and Jiangxi.

If he were an ordinary young talent, he might be arrogant about his achievements, but Jo Hui was not such a person.

"Xiao Xiaohui is not that kind of person."

"Then why would you gather people for the grand opening of your sect and proclaim your power so grandly?"

After pondering for a moment, Tang Wuhu's face hardened as he recalled Jo Hui's words earlier.

"Impossible!"

"Yes, that's right. In preparation for this grand opening, I've plastered the Zhaogang Grand Trade Association's headquarters with our products—alcohol, food, carriages, weapons, and more. To them, it's like a new world of wonders. How will they react?"

"Huh…!"

There were several things Jo Hui was aiming for through this grand opening, but the one he had prepared with the most effort was a massive scale of product placement advertising (PPL).

The grand opening was one of the grandest events in the martial world.

Naturally, Jo Hui didn't miss this golden opportunity. He integrated a large-scale advertisement into the grand opening.

"Their eyes will be dazzled. Even the high-minded Daoists of Wudang will not be able to maintain their composure after tasting the Black Spring Water and Six-Layered Silk, the Cold Tea and Ice Wine. After driving the cloud-like carriages and handling the high-quality but affordable weapons, how can they return empty-handed? They will likely grab onto my pants to do business with me."

Suddenly, Tang Wuhu felt a chill run down his spine.

Jo Hui's smile was so chilling that it was as if he were looking at an Asura.

It was undoubtedly going to happen as Jo Hui had declared.

Tang Wuhu himself had become addicted to the food and alcohol sent by the Zhaogang Grand Trade Association as a token of gratitude for trading Sichuan's iron ore.

The magic of Black Spring Water and Ice Wine.

The first time he tasted it, the miraculous, refreshing taste that penetrated from the top of his head to the tips of his toes was something he could never forget.

Currently, the Sichuan Tang Family was entirely paying the profits from trading iron ore to the Zhaogang Grand Trade Association.

Black Spring Water and Cold Tea, as well as Ice Wine, fundamentally required Cold Yin Ice Qi.

However, because Sichuan was so far from Jiangxi, the Zhaogang Grand Trade Association had to transport them through specially designed ice chambers, which required enormous transportation costs.

But it was inevitable, as the family members of the Tang Family had become so accustomed to the attractive products of the Zhaogang Grand Trade Association that they couldn't live without them.

Even the closed-off Sichuan Tang Family, like being blinded and having their nose cut, had no choice but to fall into Jo Hui's clutches.

Now, Jo Hui was declaring that he would extend his clutches to the entire martial world.

Through the grand opening.

To Tang Wuhu, Jo Hui seemed like a monster.

If the martial world became addicted to the taste of the Zhaogang Grand Trade Association, how enormous would his influence be in just ten years?

His business acumen was more terrifying than his martial arts skills.

Still, Jo Hui was an old friend who had ended the Tang Family's history of struggle.

This was the driving force behind not stopping the transaction with him.

"Still, there's something I really want to ask you, Xiao Xiaohui."

"Go ahead."

"How is the Devil Sect really operating? Are they really in seclusion?"

At first, when Jo Hui confidently declared that the Heavenly Devil Sect was practically in seclusion, Tang Wuhu didn't believe it.

What kind of people were the Heavenly Devil Sect?

They were cruel and ruthless people who had tormented the Tang Family for four hundred years in Sichuan, coming all the way from the distant region to offer a foothold to the Heavenly Devil, a figure who might never appear.

But those tenacious people had disappeared as Jo Hui said.

Their Sichuan branch had completely withdrawn, and there was no sign of activity in Qinghai and Tibet.

The Tang Family mobilized all their intelligence to track the activities