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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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As soon as we arrived at the village at the foot of Mount Yunhaeng, Ha-seol asked,
“What’s the plan?”
“…”
“We’re here, but how are we going to find this… Red Lotus, this cure-all?”
I fell silent, lost in thought for a moment.
‘I could just mobilize people and ask around. We’d find it quickly enough. But that would draw unwanted attention…’
It was better to search based on the clues from the novel for now.
But wandering around aimlessly without any prior knowledge of the mountain was also a bad idea.
I turned to Ha-seol, who was meticulously supervising the porters unloading the goods.
“There are two ways to do this. Slow and safe, or fast and risky. Which do you prefer?”
“Hmm…”
She considered for a moment, then replied,
“Slow and safe.”
“Why?”
“While elder brother’s condition is serious, it’s not deteriorating. And causing a stir here could make things worse.”
“…”
“Besides, I prefer the slow and steady approach. I avoid unnecessary risks when handling the trading company’s affairs.”
“I see.”
I nodded casually and looked towards the owner of the martial arts school who was watching the porters.
‘The Yunhaeng Martial Arts School, was it? And his name… Geom Jung-hu, if I recall correctly. I heard he runs a school at the foot of the mountain…’
He was probably a martial artist whose cultivated skills were nothing special.
Honestly, my encounter with Heavenly Slaughterer after saving Hwa-ryeong had been a fluke.
The chances of running into an absolute master like that were astronomically low.
Geom Jung-hu was probably a second-rate martial artist at best.
Recalling this, I approached Geom Jung-hu, who was staring blankly at the goods, and said,
“Excuse me, Master Geom.”
“…Ah, yes! Second Young Master.”
“I have a question for you.”
“Hmm…! Ask away. I know this area and its rumors like the back of my hand!”
Geom Jung-hu was a good-natured man, and he seemed grateful to Ha-seol and me for bringing business to the village.
He was also likely aware of the Silver River Trading Company’s influence in the region.
“…How many peaks are there on Mount Yunhaeng?”
“Hmm, the peaks of Mount Yunhaeng, you say?”
He sounded slightly puzzled.
It wasn’t every day someone asked about the mountain’s geography.
I added quickly,
“Ah, I heard the scenery is beautiful, so I was thinking of taking a stroll with my sister.”
“O-Oh… I see.”
“If you don’t mind, I have a few more questions.”
“Hmm… well, to answer your first question,”
He cleared his throat.
“There are about thirty peaks on Mount Yunhaeng. It’s not a particularly large mountain, but it shouldn’t be underestimated.”
“…”
Thirty peaks.
That was quite a lot.
I committed the number to memory and asked,
“…Could you tell me the names of the peaks in the central area, excluding the outer ones?”
“Hmm… that’s easy. There are four main peaks in the central area: Uhyeon Peak, Gongsu Peak, Isan Peak, and Bumo Peak.”
‘Fewer than I expected.’
I now had a clearer idea of my next course of action.
I had to search these four peaks.
“Thank you for your help.”
I thanked him and returned to Ha-seol.
“…What did he say?”
“It won’t take as long as I thought. There are fewer areas to search than I expected.”
“That’s good.”
“Let’s go.”
We set off to explore Mount Yunhaeng.
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Using the village as a base was time-consuming, but building a shelter deep in the mountains was impractical.
So, we had to work quickly.
I used my lightness skill to reach Bumo Peak first and recalled the description from the novel.
‘It mentioned a sheer cliff, almost vertical, facing another cliff…’
That clue alone wasn’t much to go on.
But I had another lead.
I need to find the successor of the Heavenly Sword Sect.
I thought as I moved swiftly through the trees.
The Heavenly Sword Sect was a single-lineage sect mentioned in the novel.
They were incredibly generous to the protagonist.
And the successor, described as the protagonist’s first love, was the current inheritor of the sect.
‘Honestly, the whole ‘protagonist randomly saves a girl falling off a cliff while practicing lightness skill’ trope is a bit ridiculous…’
I’d accepted it as part of the novel’s plot back then, but now it seemed absurd.
I continued searching for any trace of the Heavenly Sword Sect.
As I moved through the trees, scanning my surroundings, the sun began to set.
‘I’ll rest here and continue searching tomorrow.’
Dusk was settling in.
I prepared to spend the night in the open.
Crackle!
I built a small fire and made a makeshift bed.
I’d left most of my belongings in the village to travel light, but I had enough for a few nights in the wilderness.
‘I’m starting to feel sleepy.’
I yawned as the fire crackled.
Searching the mountain at such a pace was exhausting.
‘Ha-seol said she’d search the other peaks… but she’ll be much slower than me.’
She was probably less than half as fast.
That meant I’d have to cover at least three of the four central peaks.
But since I’d suggested this plan, I couldn’t complain.
Suddenly, I sensed something.
“…”
Multiple presences.
Three, maybe.
Then, figures emerged from the trees.
Rustle!
They were rough-looking men with crudely made swords at their waists.
Bandits.
They grinned when they saw me.
“A kid. What’s he doing here?”
“Doesn’t look like he ran away from home…”
“…”
They muttered amongst themselves, discussing what to do with me.
They clearly saw me as nothing more than a child.
I didn’t want to waste time explaining.
‘I don’t want to cause a commotion in the middle of the forest.’
Just as I was thinking this, they drew their swords and pointed them at me.
“Hey, drop everything and take off your shirt!”
“Do as we say, and we might let you live, kid.”
I stood up slowly.
One of the bandits, sensing my lack of fear, asked,
“What are you…?”
Wham!
I punched him and sent him flying.
“…I needed a guide anyway.”
I figured using these locals would be the fastest way to find the Heavenly Sword Sect’s hideout.
“Y-You little…!”
The other bandits, seeing their companion go down so easily, charged at me.
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