The moment I saw Cha Seong-tae, I was hit with the urge to punch him. In that sense, he was on equal footing with the Left Guardian of the Demon Cult.

Following that thought, my mind briefly drifted to the Left Guardian.

A man who had risen through the ranks of the Demon Cult with his rare five-star talent.

Back then, despite being two or three years younger than me, he had become the youngest Left Guardian in history.

The Left Guardian was not originally from the Ma Clan—he was an external recruit brought into the cult.

He was a branch descendant of a prestigious orthodox martial family, but as I had previously mentioned, rumors of him sexually assaulting several noblewomen with compound surnames had spread, leading to his downfall. With nowhere else to go, he had no choice but to join the Demon Cult.

This time around, I planned to capture him before he defected to the cult.

He was a pervert, but regardless, his martial prowess was exceptional.

I would beat the perversion out of him.

I aimed to grow stronger faster than my past rivals, gathering the talented individuals of Jianghu before they were claimed by other factions. I would either make them my subordinates, torment them like Cha Seong-tae, or enslave them like the Left Guardian.

As for those who were irredeemable, whether they were from the Demonic Path, the Orthodox Faction, or the Unorthodox Faction—I would kill them ahead of time.

For some reason, the Jianghu of this era had a peculiar trend where individuals who became public outcasts often ended up joining the Demon Cult. On the other hand, those who fell out of favor with the Cult Leader would sometimes willingly surrender themselves to the Martial Alliance, throwing themselves into its dungeons.

Talents frequently switched between opposing factions, as if it were a fashion statement.

My long-term goal was to intercept these talents before they defected.

The so-called Three Kingdoms Strategy of Jianghu.

The Martial Alliance and the Demon Cult had long divided the martial world between them. I intended to force my way in and turn it into a three-way battle.

It didn’t quite suit me, but a man should have grand ambitions.

As Cha Seong-tae staggered back in, still pinching his nose, he spoke with a nasally voice.

“We should shut this inn down. The reason? Stench.”

I briefly searched my memories to recall how Cha Seong-tae had died in my past life.

To be honest, he wasn’t famous enough for me to remember much.

But one thing was certain.

He had probably been beaten to death somewhere because of his damn mouth.

“Seong-tae.”

“What excuse do you have?”

“It’s from martial arts training. I didn’t take a shit. Not that a fool like you would understand.”

“I’ve never heard of martial arts training that smells like shit. Stop lying. For the sake of Ilyang County’s dignity, Zaha Inn will be shut down starting today. Unless, of course, you want me to send in some real cleaners.”

“Then send them. But first, let’s go to Maehwaru.”

“Why?”

“To wash up.”

“Ah, but you stink. Just bathe in the stream.”

I grabbed Cha Seong-tae, who was still covering his nose, and threw an arm over his shoulder. His face contorted in agony.

“Urk…”

“Quit overreacting.”

“…Yes.”

Breathing solely through his mouth, Cha Seong-tae muttered,

“Isn’t this shoulder grab a bit much? We’re not even close.”

“Oh, now I’m pissed.”

The moment I gave him a cold glare, Cha Seong-tae flinched.

“…I apologize.”

I kept staring at him before speaking.

“Change your clothes. Take them off.”

Looking me dead in the eye, Cha Seong-tae shot back.

“You bastard, just keep your damn arm around me.”

I smacked him once before dragging him off to Maehwaru like a pair of close brothers.

When we arrived at Maehwaru, the guard who had previously been beaten by me pinched his nose and said,

“We allow drunks in, but we don’t take men who’ve pissed themselves.”

Cha Seong-tae snapped back.

“You wanna die? Move.”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

When I looked at the guard, he averted his gaze with a bitter expression—probably still holding a grudge over the beating I gave him last time.

This was what I liked about my hometown.

There weren’t many people who cowered just because they’d taken a few punches.

Maybe that was why someone like me had managed to emerge in Jianghu.

As Cha Seong-tae and I walked through Maehwaru, reeking to high heaven, the women scurried away, screaming.

Amused by the sight, Cha Seong-tae grinned and played along.

“Step aside! I’ve shit myself! I’ve shit my pants! Hihihi.”

I had no intention of indulging him, so I rolled my tongue around in my mouth.

This bastard required constant vigilance.

***

After washing up several times with clean water, I stepped into the wooden bathhouse.

The steaming hot water enveloped me, instantly melting away my exhaustion.

“Uuuhh…”

A meaningless groan escaped my lips.

It was a gift to myself for reaching the Flaming Rooster stage of Golden Rooster Freeform.

Suddenly, the door to the bathhouse swung open.

Holding a large towel in her hands, Chae-hyang appeared out of nowhere.

“I will assist you with your bath.”

As she approached the tub, I waved her off.

“Since when do entertainers assist with bathing? Forget it.”

“Seong-tae told me to come. If not the bath, I can at least help dry you off afterward.”

“Not happening.”

“What’s not happening?”

What else?

Her seduction tactics.

“I have hands and feet, don’t I? I can dry myself with my feet if I have to. Leave the towel and go. Not only do men and women not bathe together, but even Zhu Bajie and the spider demoness didn’t share a bath.”

“…Excuse me?”

“And yet here we are, with the most popular courtesan of Maehwaru standing in a bathhouse with Zaha Inn’s errand boy. What kind of ridiculous scene is this? Next time, if you’re given an order like this, just say I told you not to come and don’t come. I’ll deal with Cha Seong-tae myself. Act like a proper courtesan.”

There were always people who did unnecessary things—Cha Seong-tae was one of them.

Chae-hyang bowed her head slightly.

“Thank you. And… I apologize for before.”

A sincere apology deserved a proper response.

“Alright.”

Just as I was wondering why she was being so polite, Chae-hyang revealed her true intentions.

“You will take care of Jo Sam-pyeong, right? I was just curious.”

“Why? Should I spare him?”

“No, no. I was captured by Jo Sam-pyeong and brought here. This isn’t my hometown.”

“If you have a place to return to, you should go back.”

“It wasn’t exactly a comfortable place. We were too poor. I don’t want to go back.”

“Tell the other girls, too. Anyone who wants to leave should leave. That’s what Zaha Inn’s errand boy says.”

“…If you were so strong, why were you getting beaten back then?”

These sharp questions were troublesome.

Leaning my head against the edge of the tub, I replied.

“You have to get beaten first to take revenge.”

Chae-hyang chuckled.

“That makes no sense.”

“They say a gentleman’s revenge is never too late, but an errand boy’s revenge starts with getting beaten first. You should read more books. Don’t just practice singing. The more you read, the better you’ll sing.”

“Really?”

“No, I just made that up.”

Chae-hyang tilted her head.

“Hm.”

As I waved my hand, signaling for her to leave, she folded the towel and set it down before exiting the bathhouse.

That cunning little fox.

***

As expected, beauty traps don’t work on me.

Danger often arrives without warning.

There’s a saying in Jianghu that the three things one must always be wary of are the elderly, children, and women. But I had a slightly different perspective.

If you exclude the elderly, children, and women, what remains? Able-bodied men.

And able-bodied men had a high probability of being martial artists.

So why should one only be cautious of the first three?

That basically meant be wary of everyone.

Until my martial arts reached completion, I was no exception.

If I let myself fall for Cha Seong-tae’s beauty trap and neglected my training, I would eventually fall behind when facing true masters at the peak.

Not that Cha Seong-tae intended it that way, but such was the treacherous nature of life’s ironies—an unexpected trap laid out by fate itself.

Either way, now was not the time for that.

After thoroughly washing myself and changing into fresh clothes, I stepped outside.

I could tell that people’s gazes had changed.

Some didn’t even recognize me as the errand boy from Zaha Inn.

When a martial artist strengthens their skills at a young age, their appearance and aura undergo changes.

In my past life, I had grown stronger later in life, so I had never realized this.

It was true that I had become slightly more handsome than before.

But in any case, I was not like the perverted Left Guardian of the Demon Cult.

I had never used martial prowess, status, or coercion to be with women, so I simply left the brothel and headed straight for Zaha Inn.

On the way back, I noticed flames rising somewhere in the distance. A crowd was rushing toward the scene, eager to watch the spectacle.

“A fire, huh?”

I followed the crowd, pushing my way through the spectators, and looked ahead.

The thing that was burning…

Was none other than Zaha Inn.

“……”

How oddly poetic.

I let out a hollow chuckle at the absurdity of it all.

To think I would get to witness my home burn down twice.

A muttered complaint escaped my lips before I realized it.

“Why do people keep setting my house on fire? What did my house ever do wrong?”

Did inns have fates of their own?

The raging flames almost seemed to glare at me.

As if to say, You will never have a peaceful home in this lifetime, either.

***

 

Of course, Cha Seong-tae wouldn’t have done something like this.

Standing in /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ front of the burning Zaha Inn was Jo Sam-pyeong, who had returned with his subordinates.

His men were hurling torches into the flames, ensuring the inn was thoroughly consumed.

Among the Jo brothers, Jo Sam-pyeong was the most presentable.

Since his job was to lure in naive young women, it was only natural that he had a decent face.

Seeing him again after so long, I was once more reminded of just how much I hated him.

Somewhere in the crowd, a voice shouted,

“What if Zaha comes back?! What will you do then?!”

“You think you can just burn someone else’s home?! You bastards will be struck by divine punishment!”

Jo Sam-pyeong turned in the direction of the voices and sneered.

“Bring me Yi Zaha. Where is he?”

The people of Ilyang County were bold.

Someone from the crowd spat,

“Damn pimp bastard.”

Enraged, Jo Sam-pyeong roared,

“Who said that?! Come out, you rat-bastard! Show yourself, you sons of bitches!”

At his outburst, silence fell over the crowd.

I had been wondering why Jo Sam-pyeong was acting so bold—then I noticed him.

A man in a black robe, standing nearby with a cold, detached expression, observing the situation.

Compared to Jo Sam-pyeong, this man was clearly a more formidable martial artist.

While I was still watching the Zaha Inn burn, I finally spoke.

“Sam-pyeong, your brother’s grave is behind the inn. Shouldn’t you at least retrieve the corpse before setting the place on fire?”

Jo Sam-pyeong’s head snapped toward my direction, his glare sharp.

“Who the hell said that?!”

I shoved my way through the crowd and stepped forward.

“It’s me, you motherfucker.”

Jo Sam-pyeong looked me up and down, seemingly not recognizing me.

“Who the hell are you?”

Even this bastard didn’t recognize me?

Was the cosmetic effect of martial arts really that impressive?

With a calm voice, I asked,

“Why are you setting fire to an innocent building? How do you plan to compensate me?”

At last, Jo Sam-pyeong’s expression twisted in shock.

“You… Zaha? What the hell?! What happened to you? Why do you sound so different?”

As if seeking confirmation, Jo Sam-pyeong turned to the black-robed man beside him and said in a snitching tone,

“Senior Neung, it’s him.”

The man called Neung frowned, tilting his head slightly before speaking in a low voice.

“Jo Sam-pyeong.”

“Yes, senior.”

“What exactly are you asking me to do?”

“…Excuse me?”

“Surely, you’re not asking me to kill an errand boy for you, are you? I only came here to share a congratulatory drink with you over your gang’s formation. But if you can’t even handle a single errand boy, I must say I am terribly disappointed. Were you planning to form a gang without even being capable of that? The entire martial world would mock you. And my name should not be associated with such disgrace.”

The black-robed man glanced at me up and down before turning back to Jo Sam-pyeong.

“Kill him. If your skills are so pitiful that you can’t even defeat a mere errand boy, then perhaps you should simply follow your brothers to the afterlife. No matter how much you admire Jianghu, you should at least have some self-respect.”

Jo Sam-pyeong stammered in shock.

“N-no, Senior Neung, that’s not—”

“And why would I be your senior? I’ve never taken a disciple like you.”

Still, the black-robed man had spoken the truth.

I decided to back him up.

“Jo Sam-pyeong, he’s right. Have some self-respect. Let’s make this simple—the loser burns in the fire. Come here.”

My final words completely shifted the mood.

Tension flooded the air.