NOVEL NEXT Chapter 173
Who would have thought I’d hear that troublesome guy’s title here.
Looks like if I run into that guy, it’s inevitable we’ll have to fight once.
“Seven Star Sword King is at Seongcheon Trading Company…this is going to be troublesome.”
“Seven Star Sword King?”
“…I… I don’t know much about him.”
As Mok-kyeong slightly blushed and confessed, Seo-ryeon began her explanation with an elegant smile.
“He is one of the finest swordsmen among the hundred great martial artists. He’s also renowned as the head of the Seven Star Sword School, a school consisting of a single individual.”
“The head of the Seven Star Sword School inherits the famed blade, Seven Star Sword, and as such the character for ‘seven stars’ is always part of their title!”
Upon hearing this familiar tale, Hye-ryeong happily interjected into the conversation with excitement.
…Would you please stop pushing your chest forward?
It’s really hard not to look.
“Hye-ryeong young lady knows him as well…”
“The Hainan Sword School has ties with the Seven Star Sword School! I’ve heard that the previous head of our school was close friends with the previous master of their school!”
That’s something new to me.
Nodding at this new information, I took a sip of tea. The lukewarm tea made its way down my throat.
Ah, I wish I could have a refreshing drink.
Unfortunately, the water in the Central Plains isn’t as pure as that in the Korean peninsula, making it quite a hassle to find refreshing water. If you want such water, you’d practically have to retire deep into the mountains.
If only I could learn ice cultivation, then I could enjoy cold water or alcohol daily. But unfortunately, my body is incapable of learning ice cultivation.
Thus, I can only make do with lukewarm tea.
“In any case, the news is that the Seven Star Sword King is at Seongcheon Trading Company, as mentioned by that person over there.”
“This situation is becoming quite problematic.”
“I’ve only heard rumors, but he’s said to be quite eccentric… Is that true, Seo-ryeon young lady?”
“Much like the extraordinary wanderers of the martial realm, Seven Star Sword King is indeed an unconventional figure.”
“By unconventional… what exactly makes him so?”
To Mok-kyeong’s question, Seo-ryeon sighed softly before replying.
“He acts as he pleases, unlike the previous head.”
“I’ve heard from Sect Leader that he’s a straightforward gentleman… although he did sigh deeply!”
Some might say he’s the most troublesome person.
Regardless of other aspects, he seems to have injured his head during training, leading him to act on whims.
That’s the Seven Star Sword King I know.
From the moment of his first appearance, declaring he’d become the Green Forest Sword King, only to occupy a mountain and ruthlessly control bandits, then lose interest and disappear within less than half a month.
Though he was somewhat helpful, his unpredictable movements often gave headaches even to the protagonist in the original story.
To put it bluntly, he could be on the righteous side today, the evil side tomorrow, and then join the Demonic Sect the day after.
Though he’s not wicked enough to become a demon lord, he is certainly a troublesome character.
But apparently, he’s at Seongcheon Trading Company?
Please let it be a lie.
I initially planned to just grab the Three Treasures Sword Technique and leave, knowing that with this guy being involved things will undoubtedly get messy.
“You seem to encounter incidents wherever you go.”
“How come we can’t just have a quiet day?”
“But isn’t it fun, like being the protagonist of a martial arts novel?”
“What?”
“In the novels I read when I was young, wherever the protagonist went, something would happen! Like visiting a village and encountering wicked sect members attacking! Climbing a mountain and meeting a reclusive expert who teaches martial arts!”
…Are there martial arts novels in this era?
If they do, it’s not strange, but it still feels weird hearing it from Hye-ryeong.
“Mother, I’ve read many as well. They used to place them conveniently when I was learning to read easily.”
“…I’ve read them too when I was young.”
“Isn’t it fun?”
“Some people even collect martial arts novels.”
Then maybe I could take some content from the martial arts novels I read before reincarnating and publish them here… No, I don’t even remember them well. All I can recite now is the Lord’s Prayer; it’s the only thing that comes to mind.
Plus, I’m not exactly gifted with writing skills.
“About these martial arts novels… I do find them intriguing, but now we should focus on Seongcheon Trading Company’s issues.”
“Great Hero Wi, may I inquire about your plan?”
“Originally, I intended to select a suitable candidate, make them the trading company head, and receive the secret manual as a reward. But if the Seven Star Sword King is there, then… ”
“He’s already gotten involved with Seongcheon Trading Company’s matters?”
“Yes. Hye-ryeong, that’s exactly why this is a headache.”
Martial Prohibitions aren’t inherently bad, but it’s troublesome to get entangled with someone troublesome.
It’s not that I want to abandon the Three Treasures Sword Technique now.
The Three Treasures Sword Technique is an advanced martial art.
Advanced martial arts are worth more than a sky-high price, so one shouldn’t easily give up on them.
Particularly, if one aims to surpass even the peak of martial arts.
If someone asks why I have such fixation, it’s perfectly reasonable.
The power of advanced martial arts isn’t just about their superiority but because within them lie the principles that guide one’s path.
A martial artist’s journey is like walking through dense fog where you can’t see even a step ahead.
If someone were to take your hand and guide you down that path, wouldn’t it be easier and simpler?
Even setting a few milestones can propel a person to develop further based on them.
Like how Grandmaster Taeheo gave me insights through his wisdom, my objective is to gain these milestones through the Three Treasures Sword Technique to guide my path.
“Still, it has to be done. Obtaining an advanced martial art like the Three Treasures Sword Technique is never easy.”
“I will assist to the best of my ability.”
“Me too!”
“Great Hero Wi, given my association with Seongcheon Trading Company, I believe I can be of some help.”
“Thank you.”
See, I do have good fortune.
Smiling faintly, I looked at the three.
——————————-
“Damn, why the heck must we go through all these procedures?”
“Haha, Master Sword King, every matter must undergo certain procedures.”
“I can’t figure out the merchants either.”
A man with a scruffy beard leaning against a wall was gulping down alcohol from a bottle. His face had already turned bright red.
If it were someone ordinary, they might have already warned him about excessive drinking, but no one among the trading company dared to utter such advice.
After all, the one lying drunk under the daylight was none other than Seven Star Sword King, Master Jang Mugok.
For someone at that level, excessive drinking meant practically drowning in alcohol, otherwise it held no real meaning.
Any martial artist of top-tier caliber could expel alcohol through their internal energy.
‘Is this what a master of the hundred great martial artists looks like?’
Cheng Yunbiao, the Vice President and eldest son of Seongcheon Trading Company, sighed silently.
He knew Seven Star Sword King was a peculiar individual, but he never imagined one who would start drinking heavily in broad daylight. He genuinely doubted whether bringing Seven Star Sword King into the fold was the right choice.
‘His skills are undeniable, so my decision was not wrong. Definitely not.’
A master can expel intoxication in an instant.
“Then please rest well. I have things to deal with…”
“Call me when it’s time to start.”
Forcing a pleasant smile to not burden the man further, he bowed and turned his back to leave.
‘I must quickly drive away my lunatic younger brother and settle this matter.’
The longer the issue lingers, the more it would jeopardize the trading company. Ideally, he needed to resolve things within his family swiftly and get the company back on track.
Because of the conflict between the trading company and the security agency, major disruptions were already occurring in Seongcheon Trading Company’s transactions.
‘This hardship over the Three Treasures Sword Technique is because of that trinket. Dad became consumed by such an object despite having witnessed its consequences.’
Long ago, Seongcheon Trading Company had secured the Thunderclap Three Treasures and the first half of the Three Treasures Sword Technique.
He wouldn’t have expected that such a costly item would bring the trading company to this state.
“The brother who doesn’t even know what’s important to a merchant…”
Tsking his tongue, he stopped in front of an elaborately decorated door.
“Father, it’s Yunbiao. May I come in?”
“…”
“I’ll come in then.”
He quietly opened the door and approached his father lying lifelessly on his sickbed. He gazed down at him silently before murmuring softly.
“Father, didn’t you say that being too greedy would lead to disaster?”
With a look of frustration, he gazed at his father before abruptly turning and leaving the room.
Silence once again fell upon the room as the father was left alone.