Chapter 55

One

Jil Gunpyeong, the former owner of Cheon-eun Jeonjang, came from a family of scholars renowned for producing several high-ranking officials over generations.

Since childhood, he was known as a prodigy and rose to an official position at the youngest age due to his extraordinary talent.

However, not long after entering the palace, he abandoned the promised smooth path and fled outside the palace.

Then, surprisingly, he set up a gambling den, which scholars despised.

His exceptional abilities were not limited to studies alone.

He achieved perfect success in everything he invested in and, by the age of fifty, made Cheon-eun Jeonjang the largest gambling den in the Central Plains.

However, the reason he was constantly the subject of public discourse throughout his life was due to his countless eccentric actions.

Jil Gunpyeong had a peculiar personality; once he decided to do something, he would pour in not just a thousand but ten thousand gold pieces to accomplish it.

With the single-minded desire to be recognized as the greatest gambler in the Central Plains, he spent over a decade searching for the Three Gambling Stars (三賭星) and organized the greatest gambling match in history.

Desiring to own the best ship from the East, he risked his life to cross the Waryu and met the leader of the Wako pirates, buying his ship.

His attempt to invite the head chef of the imperial palace to prepare the best meal on earth ended in a warning from the enraged emperor, which he had to abandon.

Then, five years ago.

When Jil Gunpyeong reached the age of seventy, facing the inevitable death, what he desired was to climb to the summit of Cheonmok Mountain.

Cheonmok Mountain, located in Lin'an County northwest of Hangzhou, was steep and pointed, resembling an eye in the sky, hence its name.

The problem was that on Cheonmok Mountain stood one of the seventy-two strongholds of the Green Forest Alliance, Cheonmok Fort (天目寨).

Moreover, the owner of Cheonmok Fort was one of the three major chieftains vying for the next chief of the Green Forest, Feng Lei Shanjun (風雷山君) Tu Nanjiang.

Tu Nanjiang, known for his domineering personality, took Jil Gunpyeong's words as an insult to himself and his brothers.

"The summit of Cheonmok Mountain is a sacred place where the Green Forest brothers are buried. If anyone dares to step into the resting place of our brothers, even their families will have to pay with their lives!"

Tu Nanjiang believed that Jil Gunpyeong wanted to climb the summit of Cheonmok Mountain merely for entertainment.

However, the summit of Cheonmok Mountain, where the graves of the brothers were located, was an inviolable territory for anyone not of the Green Forest.

He declared war on all forces related to Cheon-eun Jeonjang that very day.

Given the formidable power of Cheonmok Fort, the mountain had been a place to pay tolls and avoid conflict. But now, the sounds of swords and screams echoed through the mountain.

Despite this, Jil Gunpyeong did not waver in his resolve even as he approached the end of his life.

After Jil Gunpyeong's death, a commission letter arrived simultaneously at all martial arts groups, including Baegun Biaoju.

The content of the commission was simple: to bury a single urn left by Jil Gunpyeong on the summit of Cheonmok Mountain and bring back a branch of the Blue Wave Divine Wood (波浪神木), which only grows on the summit, as proof of success.

In return, a generous offer was made to pay 10% of Cheon-eun Jeonjang's total annual revenue.

This unimaginable reward led countless forces to attempt the Cheonmok Fort commission over the past five years.

However, no one succeeded.

Cheonmok Fort was truly an impregnable stronghold.

There were three paths leading to the summit of Cheonmok Mountain.

But each path was guarded by a subordinate fort. Attempting to break through them was equivalent to waging war against the entire Green Forest.

Many forces that bravely challenged this met with complete annihilation, suffering relentless and cruel retaliation from the Green Forest.

Yushin Yun was now planning to undertake this commission, which had a history of such brutal outcomes.

The reactions of the Jeongun Pavilion members to Yushin Yun's bombshell statement were completely opposite.

Marek, Huangno, and Zhu Tai showed almost no change in expression, as if it was not something to be surprised about.

On the other hand, Zhu Daili, Honglian, and Zhuge Jun's faces turned pale with fear.

Among them, Tang Harin maintained the coolest head.

'...To think that the method to resolve the situation is just this.'

She confirmed that her brief high opinion of Yushin Yun was a complete misjudgment.

This was truly an absurd task.

She decided to immediately make the inexperienced young lord realize how dangerous this was.

"Please reconsider. Undertaking the Cheonmok Mountain commission means putting the entire Baegun Biaoju at risk from the Green Forest."

"Risk?"

However, Yushin Yun's reaction was far from what she expected. He sneered and said,

"Bandits are nothing to worry about. I will be with you."

This unexpected response left Tang Harin speechless.

What kind of baseless confidence is this?

Does he really think he can deal with Tu Nanjiang, a major figure in the Green Forest and one of the Ten Lords of the World (天下十君)?

As silence fell in the room, Yushin Yun spoke in a low voice,

"If you, as my subordinate, cannot trust me and make excuses for such dangerous tasks, I do not need you. Even if you leave now, I will pay you for the past few days of work."

At that moment, Yushin Yun's cold gaze fell on Tang Harin.

She shuddered at the icy stare.

"Those who lack confidence can leave now."

But regardless of her thoughts, Yushin Yun finished his words without any concern.

"Miss Tang! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! If we undertake this commission, we are likely to meet a miserable end! Let's quickly quit and run away!"

At that moment, Zhuge Jun's excited whisper echoed in her ear.

However, her gaze did not turn to Zhuge Jun.

'No, why is no one saying they will quit?'

She looked at the other Jeongun Pavilion members.

Surprisingly, no one expressed a desire to quit.

Was it because they thought no other place would accept them?

Her mind became complicated. The probability of meeting a futile death if they accepted this commission was extremely high.

But if they quit here, it would mean giving up on the investigation into the series of disappearances in Zhejiang Province.

"Alright, what will you do?"

At that moment, Yushin Yun asked everyone.

"Marek, I like mountains."

"Hehe, what is there to fear for an old man waiting to die?"

"I will follow orders."

"...I came here prepared to die."

"Ugh! Me too, then."

Marek, Huangno, Zhu Tai, Honglian, and Zhu Daili answered in that order.

Now only Zhuge Jun and Tang Harin were left.

Everyone's gaze focused on them.

And.

"...I understand. I will go with you."

She spoke with great determination.

Her resolve to face the truth was stronger than her concern for her own life.

Moreover, if she and Zhuge Jun, who possessed martial arts skills, were not there, the other Jeongun Pavilion members might face a futile death due to Yushin Yun, which influenced her decision.

"Whyyyyyy!"

Ignoring Zhuge Jun's anguished whisper, she spoke to Yushin Yun.

"However, please tell me which of the three subordinate forts we will infiltrate and how."

Her tone seemed a bit rude, but Yushin Yun did not mind and calmly answered,

"We will not enter through any of the subordinate forts."

"Excuse me?"

"I have discovered an unknown path."

"......!"

This time, she was so surprised she could not even respond.

Discovering another path to the summit of the mountain.

This was something that countless martial artists with exceptional skills had failed to do over the past five years.

'Impossible! How could he?'

There were two main reasons why no one had found the path before.

First, apart from the three paths guarded by the subordinate forts, Cheonmok Mountain was filled with bloodthirsty beasts and bizarre monsters born from the mountain's spiritual energy.

Second, the numerous traps and mechanisms set by Cheonmok Fort over the years made it impossible to penetrate.

Yet, Yushin Yun claimed to have found a new path.

She carefully examined Yushin Yun's expression.

'...He doesn't seem to be lying. Could he really have found a new path?'

Then another question arose.

If he had mentioned this from the beginning, the opposition to the commission would have definitely decreased. Why did he only mention it at the end?

'Could he have wanted to test the intentions of the Jeongun Pavilion members?'

A chill ran down her spine.

If he had thought and acted to this extent, he was truly a meticulous being.

Just as she was trying to grasp what kind of person Yushin Yun was, he said something even more surprising.

"However, not everyone can participate in the Cheonmok Mountain commission."

"Excuse me?"

Everyone was taken aback.

Zhu Daili's expression slightly brightened, as if he had found a way out.

"This commission must be carried out with the minimum number of people and completed quickly. Therefore, I will only take those who possess the 'essential talents' needed to break through Cheonmok Mountain."

Tang Harin could only gasp.

She had thought the selection of the Jeongun Pavilion members was random, but it was part of a larger plan for this commission.

None of them had learned advanced martial arts.

What talents did these seemingly ordinary people possess?

As Yushin Yun paused before announcing the participants, the sound of someone swallowing hard could be heard.

"Huangno, Marek, Sima Jun, and Cai Ailin. These four should prepare quickly."

'...!'

'A!' Zhu Daili's deep sigh echoed.

"I am disappointed that not everyone can join the first commission. But it is inevitable, so please do not be upset."

"Orders are to be followed. There is no need for subordinates to feel upset."

"...Yes."

"I am also very disappointed."

Despite his words, Zhu Daili's expression clearly showed 'I am relieved!'

But Yushin Yun was not finished.

"But you will not be resting. You have another commission."

Another commission?

People's attention refocused on Yushin Yun.

" Wang San."

"Yes, Lord."

"Have 'they' all arrived?"

"Yes, they have all arrived and are temporarily parked in front of the Biaoju."

Nodding, Yushin Yun turned to Zhu Tai.

"Zhu Tai, I appoint you as the temporary leader of the commission team. I will assign the trackers, and you will move to Nanchang in Jiangxi Province at dawn tomorrow."

He then took out a folded letter and handed it to him.

"Once you arrive, read this letter and follow the instructions written inside."

"I will follow the orders!"

Zhu Tai's loud voice echoed in the meeting room.

Yushin Yun nodded and scanned his subordinates.

Then, looking at Tang Harin, who could no longer maintain her composure,

'Tsk, it's still too early for you to be surprised.'

He felt a pang of regret.

Martial World Descendant of a Reincarnated Ranker