Chapter 90: The Ginseng Diggers (1)
The Garden of Joy was a secret place where spiritual dicines grew in abundance.
In the first place, since spiritual dicines were things that could only be created with the grace of the heavens, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the Garden of Joy was a place where the grace of the heavens had poured down like a waterfall.
The point to be noted here was that the Garden of Joy was large in scale.
In particular, I rembered that the Garden of Joy discovered during my ti as a branch leader was of an unprecedentedly large scale. So much so that the entire strength of the Murim Alliance had beco stronger.
What more could be said when over three hundred types of spiritual dicines were discovered there?
This was the sa as saying that it would be very difficult for to swallow the Garden of Joy all by myself.
The situation was different from the Immaculate Pogranate, the Vermilion Fruit, and the Ten-Thousand-Year-Old Fleeceflower Root that I had already taken.
I did not leak them to the world.
It was because I had taken them myself for the progress of the Healing Sage’s Mind Cultivation Art.
I had only divided seven drops of the Immaculate Pogranate, of which I had secured a large quantity and had a surplus, to those around . The remaining three drops were still in my possession.
In fact, even ten drops of the Immaculate Pogranate were only about the size of a thumb joint, so as long as I didn't put it on the market, it was not difficult to take it alone.
However, as I said before, the Garden of Joy was too large in scale to monopolize alone.
In the first place, there was no way or reason for to stuff that many spiritual dicines into my stomach.
So of it would have to be used as ingredients for the Erald Rescue Pill, and the rest should rightly go to the Murim Alliance.
It wasn't out of a sense of justice that the Garden of Joy should return to its original owner in history, but because a strong Murim Alliance would also be a stepping stone to prepare for a possible Great War of Righteousness and Evil.
This also should not be done carelessly.
In any case, this inevitably ant that the existence of the Garden of Joy had to be made known to the world.
If there was even a small mistake in this process, I dared to guess that the result would be a bloody affair.
I knew that a bloody affair was sothing that happened without hiding greed, even for a single spiritual dicine or a treasure map.
Given the scale of the Garden of Joy, it would not be strange if a war between sects were to break out.
It was right to make sure that such a thing never happened.
In my past life, a bloody affair due to the Garden of Joy did not happen.
The reason being, the Murim Alliance had stepped up to the front faster than anyone.
However, in this case, I had to be at the forefront.
The Murim Alliance should rightly be the rear guard supporting .
That was the only way to hand over the ingredients for the Erald Rescue Pill to the Beggar’s Gang for free.
Since both the Chief Strategist Singija and the Emperor Breaker Yeom Gi-ha were as faithful as Chwipung-gae, there would be no problem.
Before that…
I would also need to create a plausible reason for to discover the Garden of Joy.
I was no longer the illegitimate second son of the Dancheon Clan that no one paid attention to.
I had already earned the moniker Divine Dragon of Dancheon, and in terms of martial prowess, I was a master who had reached the State of Harmony, comparable to the Ten Great Masters of the World.
I could not be unaware of the fact that many eyes in the Beggar’s Gang were focused on due to the matter of the Yin Blood Divine Demon.
I had also already ford ties with the Rogues’ Guild and the Murim Alliance's Special Operations Unit.
In fact, it ant that I was a being who was drawing the attention of all three of the world's major intelligence organizations.
If I were to ignore all cause and effect again this ti and discover the Garden of Joy out of the blue, I knew that my excuses would beco aningless.
I could feign ignorance, but the situation where I would have to spin lies to Chwipung-gae, Ma Sok, Yeo-wol, Singija, and Yeom Gi-ha would not be pleasant.
The best way would be to expose the process of finding the Garden of Joy.
“Brother Chun-baek, are you busy?”
“Well, I’m always like this.”
It ant that he was not busy.
“Will you do a job with ?”
“With you, anything.”
Although it seed like he would have granted my request even if he had been busy.
“Thank you.”
“What is there between us?”
First, I would have to play the part of a ginseng digger with Brother Chun-baek for a while.
Since there were two seasons left until the Garden of Joy was naturally discovered, pretending to search for spiritual dicines for about one season would be enough.
It would also not make sense to discover the Garden of Joy in just one season.
Well, if I said it was a coincidence, they would have no way to argue.
Ti flows in one direction.
I couldn't say it was an immutable truth because I knew of the counterexample of the unexplainable regression that had happened to , but in most cases, it could be said that ti flows in one direction.
The ti that had been the Start of Winter had passed through Light Snow and Heavy Snow and had reached the Winter Solstice.
The Winter Solstice.
The day with the shortest daylight hours.
It ant that the ti the sun illuminated the world was short, which ant it would get colder, which was the sa as saying that it had now beco the dead of winter.
Crunch. Crunch.
As if on cue for the Winter Solstice, the snow that had fallen had piled up, so the sound of our feet crunching the snow as Brother Chun-baek and I walked through the mountain rang in our ears.
Since there was no reason to expend internal energy to perform the Art of Walking on Snow Without a Trace, Brother Chun-baek and I enjoyed the crunching sound as we climbed the steep mountain.
Although Brother Chun-baek and I were climbing the steep mountain peacefully as if on a walk, it was common sense that the mountains of the Central Plains were dangerous.
It was because the strange rock cliffs, thousand-zhang precipices, and steep ridges did not welco human footsteps.
One wrong step could lead to a fall down a thousand-gil cliff.
Especially now, when the snow covered the ground, it would be even more dangerous.
The danger was not only in the terrain.
One could encounter a fierce tiger that could take the life of a decent First-Rate master, or a wild boar the size of a house.
One could also be bitten by a poisonous insect or a poisonous snake and suffer.
With an extrely low probability, one could encounter a spiritual beast or a demon that had awakened its Spirit.
Although they were conveniently divided into spiritual beasts and demons according to human standards, when faced as an enemy, both were no different from monstrous beings in that they took human lives.
Among all those problems, the biggest problem was undoubtedly that there was no path.
In the vast mountains, it was easy to get lost unless one was very familiar with them.
In the first place, since there was no path, it would be more correct to say that one had lost their direction rather than getting lost.
Therefore, no one sought out the deep mountains unless they were a ginseng digger.
This was the reason why the Green Forest Bandits could make a living.
Although they extorted tolls, they who made paths in the rugged mountains and maintained safety could be seen as a kind of private self-defense force.
They could also be seen as righteous people who perford the role of the governnt.
Although they were classified as an evil faction because they pursued money, which could be called the Way of the modern world, they could be said to be a necessary existence for the prosperity of the Central Plains.
Of course, the reality was that if they collected a proper toll, they were the Green Forest, and if they demanded more, they beca mountain bandits.
Crunch. Crunch.
The Winter Solstice. It was less cold than the upcoming Lesser Cold, but since it was already the dead of winter, we forged a path through the mountains with our breath turning white in the air.
After climbing the mountain like that for a while.
“This place seems good.”
Brother Chun-baek said, looking around.
The scene that unfolded before our eyes was quite mysterious.
It was a vast bamboo forest that had unfolded in the middle of a deep mountain, a place completely untouched by human feet.
As if the power of nature was truly great, the space was adorned with bamboo trees standing at regular intervals, as if a manor had been cultivated.
Furthermore, snow had piled up on the ground, the bamboo joints, and the small leaves.
The scene, where the snowflakes reflected the faintly spreading sunlight, was like a masterpiece of a painting.
And what would decorate the finale of that masterpiece were the two martial artists who would exchange blows against the backdrop of the bamboo forest.
Shing.
“I’m coming.”
Brother Chun-baek drew his beloved weapon.
“Co.”
Since I was the superior, the first move was Brother Chun-baek's.
Shashasak-
What Brother Chun-baek perford was a truly swift movent technique, but he couldn't avoid all the mysteries of nature.
Rustle.
The bamboo tree that Brother Chun-baek’s body brushed against scattered the snow that had piled on its leaves.
And before the snow even hit the ground…
Jjeo-eong!
Brother Chun-baek’s sword reached .
I did not draw the Dancheon Sword.
It was not that I was underestimating Brother Chun-baek.
It was because in my hand was a brilliant formless sword that surpassed the sharpness of the Dancheon Sword.
From the Start of Winter to the Winter Solstice was a period that far exceeded a month.
During that period, Brother Chun-baek and I had dueled at least once every two days.
In the twenty duels, I had never once drawn the Dancheon Sword.
Thanks to that, my formless sword had begun to form a complete shape.
It was that I was starting to get used to it after repeated practice.
This duel was not a place where I was teaching Brother Chun-baek, but a place where both sides were growing.
Jjeong!
Jjeo-eong!
It didn't take long to exchange a hundred blows with Brother Chun-baek. It was because Brother Chun-baek was also a martial artist who had far transcended the tiline of ordinary people.
“Hap!”
Jjeo-eong-!
The formless sword was a divine skill that created the form of a sword with Will, not a technique with overwhelming violence greater than Sword Flux.
Therefore, Brother Chun-baek’s Sword Flux and my formless sword repeatedly intertwined in the bamboo forest.
Since Brother Chun-baek was also a master of the State of Harmony who had achieved the complete Three Flowers Realm, he was not an opponent that could be easily suppressed with just swordsmanship without manifesting my full Will.
Furthermore, in terms of practical experience, Brother Chun-baek, who had road the Jianghu as a wanderer, was one step ahead.
“That form is becoming familiar to my eyes now.”
Spat!
Slice-
“Oh dear.”
I let out a cry of surprise.
It was because the front of my martial arts uniform had been cut off by Brother Chun-baek’s surprise attack.
“No matter how much you’ve reached a certain realm, if you keep using the sa form, you’ll be spotted even by a subordinate.”
“I see.”
Certainly, my growth had a lopsided aspect to it.
And the duels I had had with Brother Chun-baek in the anti could be said to be a process of narrowing that gap.
“Prepare yourself.”
I acknowledged Brother Chun-baek, but it wouldn't be pleasant to have my front cut by a master of the Three Flowers Realm even after achieving the Five Qis Courting the Origin.
It was not sothing I could just let go.
“Co.”
Brother Chun-baek beckoned with his finger as if he were the superior.
I suppressed the chuckle that threatened to escape at his appearance, which resembled my own, and gathered my internal energy.
Guuuung-
The formless sword I gripped gained a cluster of stars.
Pat!
That cluster of stars was shot towards Brother Chun-baek. It was the technique of the Formless Flying Sword.
“Hup!”
I focused my Will as I composed my mind. The purpose was to slightly alter the trajectory of the Formless Flying Sword, which was aiming for Brother Chun-baek’s heart in a straight line.
That was right.
I was now attempting, albeit imperfectly, the technique of the Reversal Sword Technique.
Swaeaek-
But cruelly, the shot formless sword did not alter its trajectory.
It was that my Will had not yet reached the complete Reversal Technique.
I was once again made aware of how distant the realm of the Heavenly Demon was, who had perford the divine skill of the Reversal Technique with a formless energy orb, not even a formless sword.
Unfortunately, my shortcomings did not end there.
Shuuuu-
The charging formless sword began to lose its power even before Brother Chun-baek could block it.
Although I had completed the form of the formless sword, it was still difficult to maintain the form of Will completely after it left the fra of my body.
The reason my Void-Stepping Gait was still crude was also for this reason.
It was good news that the gap of Will, which I couldn't exceed five steps before, had expanded to five zhang, but I still hadn't reached completion.
However, it couldn't be concluded as a failure.
It was because I had already foreseen the failure, which was why I was able to catch Brother Chun-baek’s back with the supre Stepping on Clouds Gait while his attention was on the Formless Flying Sword.
Click.
A brilliant formless sword was once again in my hand, which had sohow gotten behind Brother Chun-baek, and its destructive blade rested on Brother Chun-baek’s shoulder.
“Oh dear.”
Brother Chun-baek let out the sa cry of surprise as I had.
“Today is my victory.”
At my satisfied smile.
“You’re a cheat.”
Brother Chun-baek grumbled.
“It’s skill.”
“That’s true.”
He soon acknowledged it.
After a total of one hundred and thirty-seven exchanges, I had won.
It was the amusent of a ginseng digger, unfolding in the deserted mountains.
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