After finishing up at the Cheonghwa Merchant Guild, I returned to the Centipede Sect with a slightly heavier pouch—only to find the three vagabond brothers still lying side by side in front of the gate.
Even though the gate that had been crushing their bodies had long since been removed.
I asked the gatekeeper, who was opening and closing the door repeatedly to check whether the once-torn gate had been properly fixed.
"I have something I'd like to ask."
"Who—ah! You're already back, Sect Leader. And Great Hero. As you said, I only had to work on the joints, and I was able to fix it in no time!"
"Good. By the way, why are those fellows still lying there?"
They may be vagabonds, but they're Peak Realm martial artists. Men who would inspire fear and admiration wherever they went.
But now they were lying on the ground, covered in dirt, looking so pitiful that even a passing neighborhood child would shake their head.
Unless all three of them had some peculiar taste, this was incomprehensible.
Yet the gatekeeper simply answered with a look that said, "What do you mean?"
"Well, didn't the White Moon Sword Lord, the Great Hero, tell them to stay put and not move?"
"…Ah."
Come to think of it, he had told them to stay still and then gone to the Cheonghwa Merchant Guild just like that.
After a moment of thought, he sorted out his thoughts. Then he walked toward the three, who were lying there looking up at him with desperate expressions.
"They're more obedient than I expected."
"T-thank you!"
"How could we defy the words of the White Moon Sword Lord!"
"To begin with, we only moved because we were paid—we have nothing to do with the Centipede Sect!"
"You must have thought about running away at least once while I was gone, right?"
"…Is it really alright for us to go?"
"Of course not, brother. If he were to chase after us, we'd be dead anyway."
"Ah. I just stayed put because you two weren't moving. I couldn't very well run off on my own."
Indeed.
Are they a fool, a coward, and just men who are too loyal for their own good?
I know this well, having lived as a wanderer myself, albeit briefly.
Don't get scammed, don't stick your head into dangerous affairs, and don't let misplaced sentiment lead you into wrong choices.
Those who can keep these rules survive long as wanderers.
For the record, I failed all three and quit right away.
Those three… somehow, when they band together, they do everything they're told not to do.
"Get up first."
The moment permission was granted, the three of them sprang to their feet. In the past, I would have just cut them down, but since the head of the Cheonghwa Merchant Guild had spared them, what point was there in harming hired wanderers who were just doing a job for money?
"As you've probably guessed, the job from the Cheonghwa Merchant Guild is done. You won't need to worry about them anymore."
"…!"
For some reason, the three of them turned pale. I could tell they were misunderstanding something, but I couldn't be bothered to correct them, so I just let it slide.
"Now then, I have a task I'd like to entrust to you. A wanderer wouldn't pick and choose jobs, would he?"
"Uh…"
"What are you hesitating for, big brother? Just say yes!"
"Then our fee is… yep. We'll do it for free, young master. I completely understand."
I chuckled at the sight of them playing off each other like a one-man band, then called for Tang So-wol.
Did she already have some inkling of what I was planning? Tang So-wol wore a sly smile, unlike her usual self, and spoke up.
"Is it that thing, young hero Cheon?"
"Yeah. For people we can't fully trust, that's the best option."
Tang So-wol flicked her wrist, and a thin Cow Hair Needle flew toward the three.
They were skilled enough to try dodging by instinct, but it was pointless.
Not only was Tang So-wol's martial level higher, but blocking a hidden weapon shot at this distance in a surprise attack was no easy feat.
The three, startled out of their wits, pulled the Cow Hair Needles stuck in their necks.
I let a bit of killing intent flow toward them as they jumped around in a fuss, calming them down.
"Enough. You've probably guessed by now, but the needles that just hit you are coated in poison. You might feel fine for now, but after a month, your muscles and internal energy will begin to harden, and you'll die before two months are up."
"You said you were entrusting us with a task, so how could you…!"
"…If we complete the task, will you give us the antidote?"
"Either way, we'll die together, brothers."
"Hmph. At least you understand one thing. That's right. If you complete the task successfully, I'll hand over the antidote along with your payment."
"Hah! How can we trust those words! If we're going to die anyway, then at this point, even us younger brothers might as well…!"
"For your information, the payment is ten Gold Coins per person."
"What is it you want us to do?"
The man who appeared to be the eldest narrowed his eyes, then relaxed them. The other two, who had been trying to stop him, stared at him in disbelief, but he paid them no mind.
Thanks to the generous donation—no, the generous contribution—I had extracted from the Cheonghwa Merchant Guild, I had deliberately called for a higher price, but I hadn't expected this kind of reaction.
I let out a hollow laugh and pointed toward the Centipede Gate.
"It's a bodyguard mission. You're to protect the people of the Centipede Gate and escort them to the Sichuan Tang Clan."
"…Is that all?"
"Once you arrive at the Tang Clan, you'll wait there with them until I return. That should be sufficient."
"Understood…"
I stared at the back of his head as he bowed with a puzzled expression, then asked.
"By the way, what should I call the three of you? Do you have aliases?"
"Uh? Yes, we do."
After hesitating for a moment, the guy pointed at himself and his companions and continued.
"We each have our own aliases, but… people usually call us the Nine Hollows Three Peaks when referring to us brothers together."
"I can roughly get the Three Peaks part, but what's the Nine Hollows?"
"It's the name of our hometown village."
"…"
Three Peak Realm masters traveling together should be a formidable force, yet somehow it's a strangely shabby alias.
Shaking my head, I continued.
"Anyway, the work starts today. If you want to live longer than a month, do well on your own."
"Yes!"
Leaving their crisp response behind, I headed toward the Centipede Gate building and whispered to Tang So-wol.
"Thanks for playing along. That kind of poison isn't something you just whip out casually… but it seems they fear poison because of the Heavenly Poison Sect's infamous reputation."
"Yes."
"Hm?"
Tang So-wol and I looked at each other, both tilting our heads in confusion.
"…So it was just a bluff after all?"
"It really is poison, you know?"
"…"
"…"
Good heavens.
Surely it couldn't be that in that brief moment, with only the tiny amount of poison that could fit on a Cow Hair Needle, such a thing was actually possible?
"No. It's not the kind of poison that kills a month later, as young hero Cheon suggested."
"Then what?"
"It's a poison that only makes your stomach ache, not enough to kill you. The diarrhea is just a bonus."
"…"
Somehow, I felt I understood why Gu Gong-samjeol had become so docile after being hit by that poison needle.
If even Tang So-wol, who came from the Tang Clan, could use poison this freely without hesitation, then the Heavenly Poison Sect must be even worse.
Tang So-wol, receiving my intense gaze, blushed as if embarrassed.
"Hehe. I learned all of it from young hero Cheon."
"…Right."
I had enough sense not to add any unnecessary words here.
Seol Ri-hyang and Seomun Hwa-rin nodded after hearing roughly what I had learned from the Cheonghwa Merchant Association and what I planned to do next.
"That's good. Doesn't it make achieving your goal, Cheon Hwi, that much easier?"
"While I'm concerned that you'll be away from home longer than initially stated, aside from that, I too am in favor."
"Ah, you needn't worry about that, senior Seomun Hwa-rin. I've already arranged to send someone."
On the way here, I had spoken with Maeng Yu-baek about this and that, mostly about what he planned to do once this matter was concluded.
If I managed to cure the Beast Palace Lord of his poison, I would earn his great favor, and if he set his mind to it, Maeng Yu-baek could re-enter the succession race for the Beast Palace.
Moreover, unlike before, he would be starting from a position where he could seriously vie for the seat of Young Palace Mistress.
However, Maeng Yu-baek chose to completely withdraw from the other affairs of the Beast Palace and instead follow me and Tang So-wol on the road to the Tang Clan.
He said he figured there was more to see and learn here than with the Murim Alliance or the Black Alliance.
"So I decided to send the sect members on ahead. By now, Lord Centipede should be explaining things well enough. I've also secured a decent escort."
"Hmm. An escort, you say? Are you talking about those vagrant bastards who tried to storm this place and ended up at your mercy instead?"
"That's right. They're properly afraid of me, and I've made some preparations with Tang So-wol's help, so you needn't worry too much."
"If you say so… Well, taking them all the way to the Beast Palace would waste too much time, and leaving them behind would be a worry in itself. This is the better choice."
Seomun Hwa-rin nodded. Seol Ri-hyang nodded along with her, though she didn't look like she understood much of it.
"…Is there something you're curious about? If not, I intend to move out right away."
"Hmm. If I had to say… I'm just wondering where exactly you plan to use the money you squeezed out of the Cheonghwa Merchant Guild?"
"It wasn't squeezed out, it was donated. Besides, even if I kept it, I wouldn't have much use for it, so I intend to contribute it toward purchasing Senior Seomun Hwa-rin's estate."
"Young hero…!"
Beside them, a deeply moved Seomun Hwa-rin's eyes were sparkling, but Seol Ri-hyang didn't stop there.
"Is that all?"
"Hm?"
"No, I was asking whether there's anything for me."
"…Do you need a house?"
"You're the only one I need, Cheon Hwi?"
Seol Ri-hyang suddenly said something that made my face grow hot, then shook her head. I stared at her, wondering what she was up to, and she let out a short sigh.
"Ugh, forget it. Though I suppose it's not easy to find fruit in the summer."
"…"
Surely she didn't mean she wanted a snow pear? Ever since she'd glimpsed my memories, Seol Ri-hyang often said things with hidden meaning. The possibility was real enough.
Only when she saw me flinch did she nod with satisfaction.
"Yeah. I'll settle for this reaction for now. Anyway, going to the Beast Palace is all well and good, but how exactly do you plan to get in?"
"I intend to simply reveal my identity and walk in."
"But the Palace Lord is sick, isn't he? That's why his children are running wild on their own. If you bring back the youngest who left the clan in a situation like this, anyone would see it as you butting into a family feud."
"The Cheonghwa Merchant Guild leader made a similar misunderstanding."
"Wouldn't anyone? If you're unlucky, even if they're fine with fighting among themselves, they won't allow an outside force to interfere. The entire Beast Palace could turn against you, Cheon Hwi. I'm curious how you plan to handle that part."
"Don't worry. I have a perfectly solid plan."
"Oh?"
"Just trust me."
"Hmm. If you say so, Cheon Hwi."
Seol Ri-hyang nodded, still looking somewhat uneasy.
The South Man Beast Palace is ferocious.
That is the perception widely known across the Central Plains, and it is also true that they do have such a disposition.
But this is slightly mistaken. Strictly speaking, the South Man Beast Palace is not ferocious—it merely follows the principle of the survival of the fittest.
The strong rule from above. In return, they bear responsibility and rights toward the weak.
The weak submit to the strong. If that does not sit well with you, then topple the one above and become the strong one yourself.
Is this not a pattern one might see among animals? The leader can obtain many things—whether prey or mates—but must always protect the pack and fend off challengers.
Without knowing these aspects, a person seeing someone from the South Man Beast Palace for the first time would indeed think them ferocious.
Before the regression, after the Demonic Cult's invasion, clashes between the South Man Beast Palace and the Central Plains had grown frequent—and that was how I came by this information.
Knowledge, as they say, is useless unless you put it to use.
And so, I decided to put it into practice myself. I would teach them the logic of power in terms easy to understand.
CRASH!
"Come here!"
I kicked open the Beast Palace's front gate, killing intent pouring off me in waves. At that, everyone became quite friendly.
It truly was a flawless plan.
"Ah, a-ah…"
For some reason, Maeng Yu-baek squeezed his eyes shut.
Anyone looking at him would think he'd sold the country down the river.