East Drifter, West Wanderer. Originally, the term meant to wander aimlessly without a destination. But in the Murim, it signified the wandering vagrants of Market of Guizhou, where martial arts were sold for money.
It mattered not where one came from or what sect they belonged to. If one had skill, they could enter East Drifter, West Wanderer and receive work. If they wished, they could even become a wandering vagrant affiliated with East Drifter, West Wanderer.
“The Elite Martial Arts Tournament hosted by East Drifter, West Wanderer will be held soon.”
“By Elite Martial Arts Tournament… do you mean a martial arts competition?”
“Something like that. However, their hosting of this tournament is closer to a promotional tool to gather outstanding wandering vagrant and secure commissions from various factions.”
At Dan Cheong’s words, Baek Yeon turned pale with shock.
“Deputy Pavilion Master. East Drifter, West Wanderer is not a place for this child to go.”
“Why not?”
“East Drifter, West Wanderer is prospering day by day, so for the Elite Martial Arts Tournament, not only are Orthodox and Unorthodox factions sending masters, but even the Martial Righteous Alliance is dispatching experts.”
“Well, isn’t traveling the Gangho inherently dangerous anyway?”
Dismissing Baek Yeon’s concern lightly, Dan Cheong spoke.
“It is an insufficient place to spread one’s fame, but it is an unparalleled opportunity to gain experience. Especially since this tournament has put up a magnificent prize, I hear tremendous masters are flocking there.”
“What is the prize?”
“The Spiritual Profound Divine Sword.”
“Spiritual Profound Divine Sword.”
Bu Eunseol, repeating the name of the sword, felt his eyes sparkle.
Since it has the characters for ‘Divine Sword’ attached, it won’t break easily.
Originally, he had no interest in weapons. But the new sword art he had created shattered swords at the slightest provocation, so he needed a good blade.
“I will go to East Drifter, West Wanderer.”
“Bu Eunseol.” Baek Yeon could not hide his pained expression. “This decision now will determine your status for the next ten years. Decide carefully.”
“Thank you, Captain.”
Bu Eunseol bowed his head deeply.
“For looking upon me with favor and worrying for me. But I am a disciple of the Wolf Fang Pavilion.”
“Of course, the supreme ideal of the Pavilion is to pursue the martial way. But you must become a great figure who will take responsibility for the Wolf Fang Pavilion in the future.”
“I know. Knowing that, I decided to travel the Gangho.”
Realizing Bu Eunseol’s firmness, Baek Yeon let out a deep sigh. “That’s right. If that’s your thought, there’s nothing we can do about it.” He created deep wrinkles around his mouth and shook his head. “Do as you wish.”
“Thank you. Then may I depart right now?”
At Bu Eunseol’s question, Dan Cheong nodded.
“Of course. Still, stop by Master Wang and at least take a weapon.”
“Understood. Thank you.”
Clasping his hands together once more, Bu Eunseol bowed deeply.
“Then I will see you in a year.”
And without hesitation, he turned and left.
Truly swift and decisive. Once Bu Eunseol made up his mind, his personality is to execute it without hesitation.
“Mmmm.”
Like a grandfather sending a wayward grandson out into the marketplace, Baek Yeon sighed as if the ground were collapsing.
“Deputy Pavilion Master. This was truly something we should have stopped.”
“Who could stop that rascal’s stubbornness?”
“Still, we should have stopped him. Aren’t you and I the only ones who can guide that child properly, Deputy Pavilion Master?”
Baek Yeon wore a gloomy expression uncharacteristic of him.
“If it’s that child, he could place our Pavilion at the head of the Ten Demonic Sects. And aiming for the successor position of one of the three power factions is also plausible. If he builds rapport with the successors of the Ten Demonic Sects starting now, it is fully possible…”
Baek Yeon was so regretful he rambled on for a long time.
To soar high, martial arts alone were not enough.
Bu Eunseol was a talent that would not appear again. If only he gathered influence, he could stand tall in the Unorthodox Faction…
Yet, like a man mad for martial arts, he pursued only the martial way and looked nowhere else.
“If only that child had a little ambition, he would stand tall in the Unorthodox Murim.”
“He will stand tall. However, the place he aspires to stand tall is slightly different,” Dan Cheong murmured. “That’s why he ventures forth, even if it means traversing a path of thorns or enduring a blazing inferno. Only then will he attain strength, albeit at a slightly accelerated pace.”
“What on earth does he want to become so strong for?”
“Ha, did you not know? That child’s heart?”
When Baek Yeon made an expression saying he couldn’t understand, Dan Cheong looked at him and smiled faintly.
“That child wishes not to lose to anyone.”
“Not to lose to anyone…”
Baek Yeon could not continue his words.
Bu Eunseol was dreaming of invincibility, something even Peerless Grandmasters did not dare to dream of.
He was dreaming of becoming a master unrivaled under the heavens.
***
East Drifter, West Wanderer was situated in the barren region of Guizhou.
Originally, it was just one of many insignificant wandering vagrant coalitions that did odd jobs for money. However, after the master of East Drifter, West Wanderer changed about twenty years ago, it began to prosper rapidly.
The new Lord of the Wanderer’s Hall, hidden behind a veil, established a command system in the chaotic East Drifter, West Wanderer and operated an intelligence organization.
When proper jobs, accurate information, and clean payments were provided, skilled wandering vagrant began to flock there. Gradually establishing a system, it had now developed into a massive wandering vagrant coalition.
Murmur, murmur.
The village where East Drifter, West Wanderer was located, which would normally not be crowded, was teeming with people.
The Elite Martial Arts Tournament.
It didn’t matter which sect one came from, whether Orthodox, Unorthodox, or Heterodox. Any martial artist could participate and grasp the winner’s prize. Being the winner didn’t even require joining East Drifter, West Wanderer.
The reason for holding such an unconventional tournament was simple. Outstanding wandering vagrant and martial artists from all over gathered to participate in the Elite Martial Arts Tournament.
Wandering vagrants settled down, martial artists threw them jobs, and rumors about East Drifter, West Wanderer’s prestige spread. With just that, East Drifter, West Wanderer was reaping immense profits.
Slurp.
Bu Eunseol was sitting in a high-end inn not far from the tournament grounds, eating a meal.
In very cheap inns, the type of customers who entered was obvious. But in a high-end inn, the clientele was diverse, including not only martial artists but also merchants. Since they each had their own sources of news, if one was lucky, one could hear various pieces of information just by sitting there.
Indeed. There are many people.
Having been in the Nine Assassination Squad, Bu Eunseol had as keen an eye as any veteran of the Gangho.
The ones who caught his eye were martial artists of advanced age forming groups. It was clear they were not participants in the tournament but individuals who had come out from their factions with a specific purpose.
Indeed, it could be called a Small Murim.
He could see those who appeared to belong to the Martial Righteous Alliance or the Demonic Palace, not just Orthodox and Unorthodox factions.
Small Murim. This place is truly another small martial world.
“Excuse me, warrior.”
At that moment, a waiter approached carefully to where Bu Eunseol was sitting.
“If it is alright with you, would you mind sharing a table? The seats are all full, you see.”
Just because it was a high-end inn didn’t mean there was no table sharing. Rather, people actively practiced it as one could make unexpected connections through sharing tables.
When Bu Eunseol nodded, the waiter bowed his head.
“Thank you, warrior! Here, please come this way.”
Then, guided by the waiter, a young man dressed in flashy silk clothes approached from afar, laughing heartily.
“Hahaha. The benevolence of the Gangho has not dried up yet.”
Wearing expensive jewelry on his ears and neck, and a belt studded with gems at his waist.
At a glance, he looked like the son of a wealthy family. He stared intently at Bu Eunseol and clasped his hands together.
“Greetings.”
When Bu Eunseol nodded lightly, the young man sat down and spoke to the waiter.
“Do you have good liquor here?”
“Of course. We have White Spirit made from high-quality sorghum.”
“Hmm. Then three pots of White Spirit and one fried fish. However, make sure to scale the fish well and remove the guts through the gills.”
“Understood, sir.”
“And when frying, sprinkle oil on the back so the meat cooks well and the skin becomes crispy.”
As expected of a descendant of a wealthy family, the young man seemed very detailed and meticulous even about eating food.
“Haha. Isn’t this all for the sake of eating and living? One should eat well when eating.”
The young man smiled brightly and looked at Bu Eunseol.
But Bu Eunseol simply ate his food quietly without giving him a glance.
“Oh? That’s not how you eat Lotus Root and Rib Soup. Hey there!”
Calling the waiter, the young man spoke hurriedly.
“A plate of minced vegetables here. Quickly.”
The bewildered waiter hurriedly brought a plate of vegetables. Then, the young man abruptly sprinkled the vegetables into the Lotus Root and Rib Soup Bu Eunseol was eating.
“Come now, try eating it with these vegetables. The flavor will be much better.”
Normally, Bu Eunseol would not have let such an action pass. But for some reason, he calmly spooned up the soup, unconcerned by the young man’s rude behavior.
“……!”
A glint appeared in Bu Eunseol’s eyes as he tasted the soup. Just a little minced vegetable had been added, but the taste of the soup chewed with the meat had improved significantly.
“How is it?”
When Bu Eunseol nodded instead of answering, the young man burst into bright laughter.
“Hahaha. That is a relief!”
Just then, the fried fish and liquor the young man ordered arrived. Draining the liquor repeatedly, the young man exhaled a deep breath and addressed Bu Eunseol.
“It’s a better liquor than I thought. Would you like a cup?”
Bu Eunseol shook his head silently.
“That’s a pity. It seems you do not enjoy alcohol.”
The young man spoke to Bu Eunseol without hesitation, as if treating a fellow disciple.
“When drinking such good liquor, it is best to drink about three cups in a row without snacks. Because when the stomach is empty, you can feel the true flavor of the alcohol. Hahaha.”
Bu Eunseol was merely chewing his food silently.
With this level of non-response, usually, one would stop trying to talk. But the young man continued to speak relentlessly, unconcerned.
“Did you also come to participate in the Elite Martial Arts Tournament, brother?”
Glancing at the long sword hanging at Bu Eunseol’s waist, he rambled on.
“They say that because the Spiritual Profound Divine Sword was put up as the winner’s prize, even masters of the previous generation have mobilized in large numbers for this tournament. Indeed, martial artists are a breed that can’t help themselves when they see a good sword…”
Just as the young man’s chatter was continuing endlessly—
Crash!
A loud noise echoed from a corner of the inn.
Turning his head, he saw two young martial artists surrounding a middle-aged man carrying a Moon Wheel on his back.
“Changshan Ghost! Do you dare to strut around in broad daylight!”
Changshan Ghost, Yi Gok.
He was a Great Bandit and a murderous demon active in the Hebei region. However, because he wandered the Gangho alone and his movement techniques were so elusive, no one had been able to catch him.
“Disciples of the Northern Sword Sect, I see.”
Yi Gok smirked as he looked at the swords the young men were wearing.
“Even the Northern Sword Sect Leader couldn’t last thirty moves against me and had his head cut off. To think greenhorns dare to pick a fight.”
Slowly rising from his seat, Yi Gok licked his lips.
“I will cut off your heads and use them as wine cups.”
At that, the disciples of the Northern Sword Sect were flustered. There were many Orthodox masters in the inn, not just Unorthodox ones. They had surely thought that if they stepped forward, others would lend a hand to deal with the Changshan Ghost…
Surprisingly, everyone just watched, showing no reaction.
“Oh dear. The disciples of the Northern Sword Sect calculated wrong.” The young man sharing the table with Bu Eunseol clicked his tongue. “They must not have known the unwritten rule of East Drifter, West Wanderer well.”
East Drifter, West Wanderer was a wandering vagrant market where masters gathered regardless of faction. The unwritten rule was that no one here interfered in others’ business, claiming Orthodox or Heterodox affiliation.
“You are prepared, I assume?”
Yi Gok, a demon who had never spared anyone who touched him, revealed his yellow teeth and wore a murderous smile. As he drew the Moon Wheel from his back, the complexions of the Northern Sword Sect disciples changed drastically.
Slide.
At that moment, Bu Eunseol wiped his mouth and stood up. The young man’s eyes twinkled as if this was unexpected.
“Oh? You’re stepping in?”
The young man tilted his head.
Bu Eunseol had a fine appearance but a slender build, and his temples were flat. Although he carried a sword, he looked like a novice just entering the Gangho no matter how one looked at him.
“Brother. This is East Drifter, West Wanderer. Even if you step in, there’s no one to applaud you…”
Thud, thud.
Bu Eunseol moved his steps without caring.
As he gradually approached the stairs, Yi Gok’s gaze naturally turned toward him as well.
“What are you?”
Yi Gok frowned as he looked at Bu Eunseol approaching him.
“Are you also trash from the Northern Sword Sect?”
“Move.”
“What?”
Bu Eunseol silently pointed to the passage behind Yi Gok’s back. That gesture meant, ‘I need to leave, so do not block the passage and move aside.’
“Hehehe.”
Yi Gok giggled while rubbing his forehead as if dumbfounded.
“It seems today is the day for blood clots to throw a tantrum.”
Red killing intent shimmered in Yi Gok’s eyes. He thought Bu Eunseol had provoked him on purpose.
“I suppose I’ll slaughter you first…”
Yi Gok’s words did not continue.
Suddenly, his neck stung.
“Uh…?”
When he brought his hand to his neck, bright red blood smeared out profusely.
“Why is there blood…”
Only then did the bewildered Yi Gok discover that a sword was held in Bu Eunseol’s hand.
In the blink of an eye, he had unfolded a fast sword like lightning and severed Yi Gok’s carotid artery.
“You…!”
Flustered, Yi Gok opened his mouth.
And that was the last word Yi Gok left in this world.