HDCLSSRS Ch 182
by berryChapter 182 Encounter (6)
Nanju County was the capital of Gansu Province.
Though bordered by deserts to the north and sheer canyons to the west, making it an unforgiving land, it was nevertheless a thriving and prosperous city.
Its wealth came from the immense profits generated by trade routes leading to the Western Regions.
Not only Nanju, but the other cities throughout Gansu also prospered from the merchant caravans that traveled through the province, earning fortunes through tolls and commissions on goods sold.
“There are so many people.”
Entering such a lively city for the first time in a long while, Kang Ung looked visibly excited.
The marketplace was so crowded there was barely room to walk.
It wasn’t difficult to spot foreigners from the Western Regions wearing clothing unlike anything seen in the Central Plains.
His eyes darted everywhere, fascinated by the unfamiliar wares spread across the street stalls.
“Finding someone here…”
Baek Ryeoil clicked his tongue.
“It’s like searching for a needle in the desert.”
The cold remark instantly poured water over Kang Ung’s excitement.
His cheeks reddened in embarrassment, feeling he had behaved too frivolously for a disciple of a great sect.
“I have somewhere I need to go.”
Baek Ryeoil glanced around the bustling streets.
“Let’s split up.”
“Gather whatever information you can.”
“Then meet back at that teahouse.”
“Master!”
Before anyone could answer…
Baek Ryeoil had already vanished into the sea of people.
Panicked, Kang Ung hurried after him.
The attendants from Yakseon’s household and Paeng Dohwan had long since disappeared from sight, swallowed by the crowd.
“Master!”
Despite Kang Ung calling after him…
Baek Ryeoil continued walking without slowing.
…What’s gotten into him?
His master had always been independent, unpredictable, and impossible to control.
Yet beneath all that…
There had always been a pattern.
After spending years at Baek Ryeoil’s side…
Kang Ung had gradually learned those subtle rules.
That understanding allowed him to anticipate his master’s actions.
As long as he didn’t cross certain lines…
Living with him wasn’t difficult.
But…
Over the past few days…
Everything had changed.
At some point…
His master had begun acting completely outside those familiar patterns.
Just like now.
Pushing through the endless crowd, Kang Ung barely managed to keep up.
Normally…
Baek Ryeoil would slow his pace or wait for his young disciple.
Today…
He was already far ahead.
As though he’d forgotten Kang Ung entirely…
Lost in his own thoughts.
Even during their journey to Nanju…
Kang Ung hadn’t relaxed for a single moment.
For some reason…
Baek Ryeoil had been in an unusually dark mood.
Is it because Dokgoe escaped?
He dismissed the thought.
That wasn’t exactly a rare occurrence.
If anything…
This time they had actually uncovered a worthwhile lead.
The situation should have improved.
Yet Baek Ryeoil’s irritation only seemed to deepen.
Then… is it because of Young Master Paeng?
The two had clashed badly in the past.
Perhaps old resentment remained.
But Kang Ung quickly shook his head.
It was Baek Ryeoil himself who had chosen Paeng Dohwan as a companion.
If he truly hated traveling with him…
No one could have forced him.
Then the only ones left… are Yakseon’s attendants.
Kang Ung couldn’t pretend he was particularly happy to see them either.
Whenever he saw those attendants…
He thought of Yakseon.
And whenever he thought of Yakseon…
His thoughts inevitably drifted to Seong Muyon.
Come to think of it…
Baek Ryeoil had been glaring at them almost constantly.
Worry spread across Kang Ung’s face.
What if Master loses control again…?
Baek Ryeoil normally possessed remarkable self-restraint.
Yet…
Certain subjects caused that restraint to collapse with shocking ease.
Over the past two years…
It had happened twice.
Kang Ung was certain he would never forget either incident for the rest of his life.
Even calling it “losing control” was merely Kang Ung’s respectful way of putting it.
The truth was…
Baek Ryeoil had gone completely berserk.
The first time…
Was during a confrontation with the Dongting Eighteen Water Strongholds.
The second…
Occurred while visiting Hangzhou.
As befitted a great city…
Hangzhou was home to countless unusual organizations.
One of them…
Was Hwachun Pavilion, a group of enchantresses who cultivated sinister arts.
Their leader had taken a particular interest in Baek Ryeoil.
No matter how coldly he rejected her…
She persisted.
Eventually…
She resorted to every underhanded technique imaginable in an attempt to make him hers.
Only after Baek Ryeoil demolished nearly half of Hwachun Pavilion’s magnificent buildings…
Did its leader finally surrender.
Their sect narrowly escaped annihilation.
Compared to the Dongting Eighteen Water Strongholds—
Where ten of the eighteen strongholds had burned or sunk, leaving only eight behind—
That could almost be called mercy.
At least…
They had survived.
By the time Kang Ung finally forced his way out of the crowd…
Baek Ryeoil had vanished completely.
“……”
His shoulders slumped.
With no better option…
He returned to the teahouse where they had agreed to meet.
Fighting through the crowd once more…
Kang Ung finally spotted the teahouse.
Only the two masked attendants—a tall one and a short one—were seated at a table placed beside the street.
Apparently…
Paeng Dohwan had also gone elsewhere to gather information.
Yakseon’s attendants are exhausting Master’s mental state.
Baek Ryeoil was already on edge.
Even the smallest conflict might snap the final thread of his reason.
Shouldn’t a good disciple prevent something terrible from happening?
He had to make sure the two attendants crossed paths with Baek Ryeoil as little as possible.
Once their mission ended…
They would leave soon enough.
For the sake of preserving Yakseon’s goodwill…
Everything had to conclude peacefully.
Resolving himself…
Kang Ung started toward the teahouse.
Then…
Something strange caught his eye.
The teahouse had placed its outdoor tables near a quiet alley.
Several young men, barely in their teens, were loitering around the masked attendants.
Judging by their careless posture…
They looked like local street thugs.
Even in a city filled with foreigners wearing exotic Western attire…
The masked attendants clearly stood out.
The youths openly stared at them.
When they received no reaction…
They apparently decided the attendants looked easy to bully.
One of them casually flicked a sunflower seed shell at them.
Badger flinched.
Then angrily turned toward the group.
The Owl quietly reached across the table and caught his wrist.
“Leave them….”
“They’ll lose interest soon enough.”
With his hearing enhanced…
Kang Ung heard every word as clearly as though they were standing beside him.
In reality…
They were still some distance away.
He hurried forward…
But pedestrians constantly stepped into his path.
Unfortunately…
The bullies’ curiosity wasn’t so easily satisfied.
The moment the Owl glanced away…
One of them snatched their travel bundle.
Laughing loudly…
They bolted into the alley.
Badger immediately sprang to his feet.
He raced after them without hesitation.
His movements were astonishingly swift.
Perfectly efficient.
Kang Ung’s eyes widened.
That person…
Does he actually know martial arts?
His own experience wasn’t yet sufficient to accurately judge another person’s cultivation.
He could only rely upon appearances and instinct.
Until now…
He had assumed all of Yakseon’s attendants were ordinary civilians.
Not only he…
Even Paeng Dohwan and Baek Ryeoil had treated them as ordinary people.
Apparently…
He had been mistaken.
Quickly shoving people aside…
Kang Ung ran into the alley.
Sure enough…
The thugs hadn’t gotten far.
They now stood facing Badger.
Kang Ung had originally followed to protect him.
Yet curiosity suddenly overcame him.
Instead of revealing himself…
He hid behind the corner and quietly watched.
“W-What the hell?”
One of the youths shouted.
“How are you so fast?”
From where Kang Ung stood…
He could only see Badger’s back.
Badger silently raised one hand.
His meaning was unmistakable.
Return the bundle.
There were five thugs.
Badger stood alone.
Despite their obvious numerical advantage…
The youths still looked shaken.
Even so…
None of them wanted to lose face by backing down.
“So the freak hiding behind a mask actually has decent moves.”
Apparently…
They had never heard of Yakseon.
For decades…
The most famous thing about the Divine Physician had been her masked attendants.
Throughout the Murim…
Even children knew of them.
Any sect that didn’t wish to offend Yakseon constantly reminded its members:
“Never lay a hand on Yakseon’s attendants.”
Eventually…
Even ordinary civilians had heard the warning.
These thugs…
Living on the outskirts of society…
Were likely too busy figuring out how to swindle people to pay attention to such stories.
“Boss!”
One of them grinned.
“I bet there’s something valuable inside!”
“Look at the quality of their clothes!”
“Let’s see.”
The leader laughed as he untied the bundle.
The moment he looked inside…
His face twisted in disgust.
“What a pile of garbage!”
He pulled out a dark-colored ceramic pot.
It was a medicine pot used for brewing herbs.
As the bundle opened…
Medicinal herbs…
Bandages…
Ointments…
And countless other items spilled across the ground.
To the thugs…
None of it held any value.
Badger froze when the herbs scattered.
Then…
His anger visibly deepened.
He strode toward them.
“Tch!”
The disappointed thug clicked his tongue.
“What a waste of time!”
“You can have all this worthless junk back!”
In a fit of irritation…
He hurled the medicine pot toward the nearby wall.
Instinctively…
Kang Ung lunged forward.
The moment he took his first step…
He realized the medicine pot was far beyond his reach.
He couldn’t make it in time.
Then—
Badger vanished.
Before Kang Ung could even process what had happened…
Badger was already standing before the wall…
The medicine pot safely cradled in his hands.
Footnotes
- Nanju (Lanzhou) — A major city in Gansu Province and an important trade hub connecting the Central Plains with the Western Regions via overland caravan routes.
- Dongting Eighteen Water Strongholds (동정십팔채) — A confederation of eighteen notorious pirate and bandit strongholds traditionally associated with Dongting Lake in wuxia fiction.
- Hwachun Pavilion (화천루) — Literally “Flower Heaven Pavilion.” In this novel, it is an organization of enchantresses who practice seductive and unorthodox mystical arts.