Chapter 251. Nine Paths of Death, One Path of Life (1)

"Damn."

Zhou Xuchuan got up from the ground, rubbing his still-stinging cheeks.

While he knew the current had swept him away, he had no idea where he was.

Let's see...

First, he checked his body. He inspected the area where the hole had been—starting from his heart.

"Whew."

He let out a sigh of relief.

His clothes were in tatters, but his body was fine. There was no gaping hole through which the wind could blow.

His shattered heart was beating normally, and his blood and flesh had returned to how they were before he was injured.

Manifestation of One's Path, Regression, had properly activated.

"I really thought it was a terrible nightmare, but to think this is fucking real."[1]

Zhou Xuchuan felt a surge of anger when he thought about what had happened. The memories of what he had just gone through were still flashing before his eyes.

Hong Gao, who was called the Divine Fist, had eventually gone mad and committed the heinous sin of killing his own master. Just when he was about to punish him, Tang Mingren had appeared from behind and betrayed him.

"Avaricious Wolf!"

Crack!

He cursed his past self for trusting and standing beside one of his greatest enemies. The sheer stupidity of it made him laugh bitterly.

Is this the first time I've lost like this?

While he had faced setbacks and made mistakes before, none had been as devastating as this. This was his first true failure—and it had nearly cost him everything.

"If I didn't have this ability, I would have died..."

When his heart had been destroyed and a hole created in his chest, he had just barely managed to use Regression while protecting his fading consciousness.

This was only the second time he had used it, so he wasn’t entirely sure it would work. Thankfully, it succeeded.

Just what kind of poison did he use?

The shock of Tang Mingren's betrayal had left him unable to focus, and he almost failed to detoxify the Extreme Formless Poison.

He had wanted to use Regression right away, but even that had been difficult.

His mind had gone blank, his body unresponsive. The poison had paralyzed his ability to think, making it nearly impossible to act.

Even though I've come this far, I wasn't able to recover properly... it's hard to say that he gathered all the poisons of the world, too... no, it's not that impossible, is it?

The Head Archivist, who, putting the Poisonous Areas of the Central Plains aside, had even roamed around the entirety of the Southern Jungles like it was his own home, came to mind.

"Little Ghost. How long has it been since I lost consciousness?" he asked Little Ghost, who was kneeling to the side with her arms raised in punishment.

"Three days," she answered, still holding her arms up.

"Three days? And you can put your arms down."

Zhou Xuchuan had assumed it had only been a day or two, but it had been longer than expected. His unstable mental state must have made time seem shorter.

"For now, I should verify my condition first before looking around."

He asked Little Ghost to protect him as he began to circulate his qi.

He started the Lesser Cycle of Heaven. There didn't seem to be any issues.

He had really returned to his state before he was injured. However, since he had been fighting at that time, his qi reserves had also been exhausted.

Still, his qi reserves were ridiculously massive anyway, so it didn't matter.

After finishing his qi circulation, he instinctively reached for his sword, but it wasn't there. He rummaged through his clothes just in case, but not only his money pouch but his emergency medicines and elixirs were gone.

While his money and emergency medicines didn't particularly matter, losing his elixirs was far more concerning.

Wow, I really did lose a lot.

The Divine Fist, Hong Gao.

If he were to pick out the one person who would be the center of the Righteous Faction, before this, he wouldn't have been able to leave out the Divine Fist.

Hong Gao had been

that

important.

That blow was really greater than the fact that he had lost to Blessed Existence's schemes.

Even Tang Mingren's betrayal was less shocking.

It still didn't feel real.

I should have been more cautious from the beginning.

It wasn't that he hadn't known that Hong Gao had personality issues, it was just that he had never expected things to turn out this badly.

Moreover, Hong Gao had his master, the Divine Monk. He firmly believed that the abbot would have been able to correct the problem if it arose.

Above all, Hong Gao was supposed to be someone who would influence the future of the

murim

, so Zhou Xuchuan had been afraid that he would cause a problem by interfering.

But he should have made that decision as he observed the situation. After all, things had already been too far removed from his knowledge of the future.

Have you colluded with the Dark Heavens Association, Hong Gao?

Zhou Xuchuan didn't know when it started. However, the most important and shocking part was that Hong Gao cooperated with the Dark Heavens Association.

Of course, he couldn’t be completely certain just yet. But given the circumstances, it seemed highly likely. After all, Hong Gao hadn’t cared about the appearance of Zhou Xuchuan or Tang Mingren at the time.

Let's reflect.

It would be a lie if he said he didn't feel uncomfortable. His self-loathing and self-reproach had only grown stronger.

But I can't afford to despair because of that.

His enemy was the terrifying Dark Heavens Association.

Even if he gave it his all, it wasn't enough. And the slightest flaw in his plans would ruin everything.

That was why he couldn't just stand still.

Don't give up. Don't sit still. Think a little more while you still have time. Otherwise, more people will die.

Zhou Xuchuan's eyes turned cold.

Since you've become the next great threat after the Dark Heavens Association, I won't let you go.

He swore to himself once more.

Don't let your guard down. This is what happens when you make even the slightest mistake. Zhou Xuchuan, you useless bastard. Reflect. You useless bastard.

***

Shandong, the Gold Will Merchants.

"Oh, oh dear!"

Someone cried out from the magnificent building. It was like the sound of a pig being slaughtered.

"Woe is me! What am I supposed to do if you go like this?! Oh, Great Hero!"

Li Yicai cried out in genuine sorrow.

His sobbing spread out beyond the manor.

"Is there some sort of feast going on around here? Why do I keep hearing the sound of pigs being slaughtered?"

"Shh! Be careful what you say. That's the Head Merchant of the Gold Will Merchants."

"Oh dear, that was dangerous. But why is he crying like that?"

"Didn't he have some sort of relationship with the Sword Dragon?"

"Oh, I guess I was wrong about him. I thought he had no love or affection for anything but money, but to think he's sobbing so deeply over someone else's death."

"The Hero of the

murim

left in vain. It seems the Head Merchant was actually worried about the future of the

murim

in his own way."

The evaluation of the Gold Will Merchants, which had been in the dirt, improved a little.

"

Sob

, I'm reminded of my daughter."

"How does that make you think of your daughter? Wait, is it because her voice resembles that pig Li Yicai?"

"My daughter really loved the Sword Dragon. When she first heard the news of his death, she didn't believe it, but lately, she won’t stop crying... she won’t even eat."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk."

Some time had passed since the news of the Sword Dragon’s death broke, yet the rumor remained on everyone's lips.

That was how shocking his death had been to the Central Plains

murim

. Waves of mourning spread far and wide.

That was how big the hero's absence was. No, to be exact, that was how big Zhou Xuchuan's empty seat was.

Wasn't there the saying that tigers left their pelts behind when they died while people left behind their names? After death, a person's name shined even brighter.

Many were sad that the Righteous Faction had lost their beacon of hope.

Some, overwhelmed by despair, went half-mad and ran wild.

The morale of the Righteous Faction's martial world had plummeted. Fortunately, their hatred for the Demon Cult had only grown stronger.

"Oh my~ Oh my~!"

"What's with all this noise?!" someone ran out shouting, kicking open a door.

Just what sort of crazy bastard is that?

The servants who were quietly doing their work were startled.

Did that person know who was crying right now? That was Li Yicai! The person closest to becoming the Merchant King!

How could anyone yell at a person like that?! They all thought that no one but a lunatic would say something like that.

The servants, worried that they might get in trouble, tried to catch this crazy bastard and bring him to their master.

"Ah! Young Master Shengji!"

However, it turned out that while the person in question may not have been insane, he was just a

different

type of person.

He was Zhuge Shengji, an investor who helped found Gold Will Merchants. He had just as much influence as the owner of the company.

However, he usually stayed in the annex and rarely came out, making it difficult for the servants to catch a glimpse of him. More than half of the people employed by the Gold Will Merchants had never actually seen Zhuge Shengji.

However, he was so handsome that even if they didn't know his face, they all recognized him immediately.

"Who is it?! Who's squealing like a pig?"

"T-that's... it's the Head Merchant," a nearby maid answered hesitantly. While answering cautiously, her eyes were busy memorizing Zhuge Shengji's features.

Zhuge Shengji looked displeased, perhaps annoyed at being interrupted while studying. He marched across the yard, opened the door to Li Yicai's office, and entered.

Long live!

Please do something about that crying!

The people who were secretly distressed by Li Yicai cheered inwardly.

"Head Merchant. What on earth is going on that's making you cry so much?"

Zhuge Shengji approached Li Yicai, who was sitting in front of the desk.

"Oh my, isn't this the one, throughout Heaven and Earth, the only Honored One, the Greatest Mind of Zhuge, Zhuge Shengji? Welcome, welcome."[2]

Li Yicai bowed and rubbed his palms together.

"..."

As always, he seemed to vomit his praises.

"Head Merchant. How much did you lose this time?"

"Pardon? How much did I lose?"

"Last year, didn't you sob like a baby when you lost your wallet because there was a hole in your pants?"

Li Yicai was a person who was crazy about money.

He was even nicknamed the Money Bug.

However, he wasn't a miser. He was someone who could accept losses if it meant gaining greater profits.

His motto was that if one were afraid of spending money, one wouldn't be able to make money. In truth, even if one had to suffer an immediate loss, there were many times when it would later turn into greater profit.

However, even this worldly Li Yicai hated and feared something more than anything else.

Meaningless losses.

In particular, if he lost money by mistake, or if someone he invested in committed suicide or got involved in a

murim

incident and was ruined, he would feel sorry for himself all day long and often cry.

"That's not it, Young Hero. I'm just sad because I lost the person who made me who I am today."

"Um, by any chance... your... parents?"

Zhuge Shengji scratched his head.

"Of course not. My parents passed away early."

"Then who...?"

"Oh, you haven't heard the news yet?"

Li Yicai gave Zhuge Shengji a pitying look.

"News?"

"Well, since the Young Hero always studies and never leaves the annex, it's understandable that you wouldn't know. Please calm down and listen carefully." Li Yicai said with difficulty.

"Great Hero Zhou Xuchuan has passed away."

"Huh?"

Zhuge Shengji doubted his ears.

"I didn't believe it either, but after checking with various sources, it seems to be true."

"What kind of nonsense is that? Hyungnim is dead?" Zhuge Shengji asked in disbelief.

"It's unfortunate, but it's true, Young Hero."

Li Yicai wiped his tears with his sleeve.

"What's with all this fuss?"[3]

Zhuge Shengji snickered.

"If that monster, or rather, Hyungnim, is truly dead, I'll cut off my own hand."

"Young Hero... should we prepare to amputate?" Li Yicai said regretfully.

"I don't know if you're trying to surprise me or if you're planning something with Hyungnim, but I don't believe you."

"

Sob, sob, sob.

"

As expected, he's denying reality.

Li Yicai hadn't believed it at first either, so he had tried to investigate from various angles, but it was no use. Zhou Xuchuan was dead. That was the truth.

"Young Hero Zhuge, no, Great Hero Zhuge, when you come to your senses, please come see me. I have something important to discuss with you."

"Why are you suddenly awkwardly calling me Great Hero?"

"Well, shouldn't we divide up the shares of the Young Hero Zh... Ju or whatever? Life is cruel. Shouldn't the living live as well as the dead had? Let's see..."

Li Yicai wiped his tears with his sleeve and tapped the abacus.

Knock knock.

"Would you mind waiting a moment? I'm a little busy with my calculations."

Knock knock.

"Great Hero. I understand how you feel. It may be rude to the deceased, but at times like this, you should come to your senses and be certain of your share. Ju... What was it again? Anyway, Ju-something, that guy would also wish that for us from the heavens."

"I didn't say that."

"He definitely would have—huh? I?"

Li Yicai put away the abacus and raised his head.

There was only one person standing in front of him...

Yet, somehow, he saw two.

For a split second, he thought Zhuge Shengji had used some kind of clone technique, but then quickly remembered that the young man didn't know anything about formations.

Most importantly, they looked too different for it to be a clone technique. At the same time... it was still a familiar face.

"Agh!"

Li Yicai fell backward.

"It's a ghost! It's a ghost!"

"No. I'm that Ju-something or another."

Zhou Xuchuan kicked Li Yicai's buttocks.

1. The author doesn't really curse this directly often, so I've chosen to keep it in. Normally, I tend to try to avoid using any major expletives. ☜

2. Popularized by the hit Manga Jujutsu Kaisen, the phrase, 천상천하 유아독존 (天上天下唯我獨尊), or 'Throughout Heaven and Earth, I alone am the Honored One,' is attributed to the Buddha. The full quote (at least according to what's taught in Korea - don't quote me on accepted scripture as I'm definitely not an expert on this) is 天上天下, 唯我獨尊. 三界皆苦, 我當安之. Or, Throughout Heaven and Earth, I alone am the Honored One. The world is mired in the three pains, and I must bring peace upon its lands. ☜

3. In Korean, the term for a ridiculous statement is 'to knock on a skylight while you sleep.' ☜