Chapter 24

Ch. 24

The Fist King, Creating Fortuitous Encounters 2

Dan Wooseong first briefly wrote the introductory guide for Solitary Ultimate Sword.

"Even beginners can easily learn Solitary Ultimate Sword. However, to unfold it perfectly requires time, training, and meditation. Reading text and accepting the sword are completely different matters. The ultimate secrets of Solitary Ultimate Sword can never be comprehended without accompanying pain and effort. But if someone becomes capable of handling this Solitary Ultimate Sword, they will be able to compete with those called World's Best..."

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Around the time when Dan Wooseong's Solitary Ultimate Sword created with all his might arrived, Failed Scholar Zhou Zi-liang passionately made the fortuitous encounter location, and Sima Ge disguised as a white-haired old man fiercely conducted personal training, Lee Ja-eon the youngest finally arrived at Nine Flower Mountain.

It was after about a hundred days had passed since the idle gang conspired together.

After unpacking his luggage at the Ahn house, Lee Ja-eon gazed intently at Nine Flower Mountain wrapped in light mist.

No matter how he thought about it, this place was a location filled with divine energy.

Good air, clear water, and quiet.

Not only that? The mountain terrain was treacherous as if it would absolutely not permit the approach of clumsy Jianghu Heroes.

Lee Ja-eon took a deep breath. The clear air pierced into his lungs.

"Good."

Lee Ja-eon thought as he set out for a stroll with his hands clasped behind his back.

'There must be a reason why big brother suddenly became strong. He either picked up and ate some elixir somewhere. Or discovered some secret manual. Or simultaneously received martial arts and inner qi from a retired martial artist. That means Nine Flower Mountain has already become the backyard.'

Lee Ja-eon stopped walking.

Come to think of it, he wondered if he had made an unnecessary trip.

Then he resumed walking again.

'No. Nine Flower Mountain is just the starting point. I'll search thoroughly whether it's elixirs, secret manuals, or meeting retired martial artists - I'll only work hard. Before fortuitous encounters come find me, I'll go find fortuitous encounters first. If there's really nothing, I'll thoroughly search Mount Sohua, Mount Yeoshan, Mount Taebaek, Mount Jongnam, Mount Ami, Mount Kunlun, Mount Dobong, Mount Huang, the back mountain, side mountain, front mountain, even the mountain in our neighborhood to obtain fortuitous encounters.'

Lee Ja-eon grinned as he looked around Nine Flower Mountain's walking path.

'I can't lose to brother. He's someone who used to get beaten by me... My intelligence is also superior. I'm more manly-looking. I was better with the sword. If I get fortuitous encounters, I'll definitely become stronger. This is an undeniable fact. Just wait. I, Lee Ja-eon, will become strong and return.'

Lee Ja-eon muttered to himself.

"I'll investigate everything from Mount Baekdu to the East Sea."

The man obsessed with fortuitous encounters looked around here and there, confirmed there was definitely no one around, then sublimated his rising Lofty Spirit into laughter.

"Hahahahahahaha...!"

An echo rang through Nine Flower Mountain. It was extremely noisy.

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Failed Scholar Zhou Zi-liang, who heard the echoing laughter, woke up Sima Ge who was napping with the Solitary Ultimate Sword secret manual covering his face.

"Old man, wake up. Seems like he's come."

Sima Ge, disguised as a white-haired old man, put down the Solitary Ultimate Sword secret manual he was reading and replied.

"He came? Ah, I fell asleep again."

Zhou Zi-liang tilted his head.

"Why do you sleep the moment you close your eyes? I only told you to disguise as an old man, but you've actually become a real old man."

Sima Ge replied while stuffing the secret manual into his bosom.

"Maybe it's because the air is clean, but sleep keeps pouring out. The air is one thing, but the secret manual's content is too strange."

"What's strange about it?"

"The content is too profound. Where did he get this kind of secret manual?"

"What do you mean where did he get it? Our rich Ragamuffin friend probably bought it with money."

"I doubt it. This is a secret manual that can't be obtained with money... It's too profound. It's difficult."

"Crazy bastard, what does a secret manual being profound have to do with you sleeping?"

Sima Ge came to his senses and replied.

"Hey, what's the name of this sword technique?"

"It's called Solitary Ultimate Sword."

"Do you even know what Solitary Ultimate Sword is?"

"I don't know."

"It's a legendary sword technique. The more I read, the more I think it might be genuine. I'm not making excuses, but when I think deeply about the secret manual's content, my stomach keeps churning and that's why I often fall asleep. When I ponder the content, I get tired without realizing it. I should look at it moderately, otherwise I might fall into Narrow Escape from Cultivation."

"Did you come here to train in making excuses?"

"What would you know, you desk scholar."

Zhou Zi-liang didn't know much about martial arts so he couldn't understand well, but Sima Ge was sincere.

He had to be...

Because the Fist King's martial scholarship was written there.

First, everything was simple and explained in an easy-to-understand way. However, the more he read, the more he had to infer meanings, and the deeper he dug, the more he ended up rereading the secret manual. He was already in the process of reading it hundreds of times repeatedly, so it was natural in a way that he would fall asleep as if fainting while pondering the meanings. Since it was a secret manual left by the Fist King, its value was at a level that wouldn't be inferior at all compared to the martial arts secret manuals of existing major sects.

Sima Ge said.

"Let's prepare. First, I'll accept the youngest as a disciple, then I need to continue researching while having matches. It's a sword technique that's difficult to learn alone. It's practical-oriented."

Zhou Zi-liang took out Zhuge Liang's feather fan, the crane feather fan he had bought with money, gently created a breeze, then changed his tone and replied.

"Understood. Senior brother, then let's go give him his fortuitous encounter."

Sima Ge also stroked his white beard and replied.

"Junior brother, if the youngest passes the trap, wait a few days then go to the Ahn house to get a meal."

"Hehe, that won't happen. Because I've set up psychological warfare."

"I'll trust you."

The two immortals moved to the prepared location.

Their nicknames were Twin Immortals of Nine Flower, with Sima Ge's nickname being Sword Immortal and Zhou Zi-liang's nickname being Scholarly Immortal.

The Scholarly Immortal who studied geomancy analyzed the walking paths from various angles, then set up traps that could flow into the fortuitous encounter location, and arranged it so that when the youngest followed the traps, he would reach the waterfall of the separate heaven and earth that could be called the core of the fortuitous encounter location.

Actually, if this method failed, the two people planned to just go find the youngest. They planned to accept him as a disciple anyway because it would be a waste of their preparations.

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Lee Ja-eon, who was taking a stroll, stood still in a daze as soon as he saw something.

"What's this... so sudden."

He thought it was a natural walking trail, but suddenly a small sign was erected.

「Beware of Falling Rocks」

It was even stranger because even when Lee Ja-eon looked around, he couldn't see any dangerous cliffs where rocks might fall. Usually signs saying "beware of falling rocks" are written roughly, but the person who wrote this "beware of falling rocks" seemed to have studied writing for quite a long time.

The handwriting had an elegant yet magnificent charm.

It was handwriting that contained the Failed Scholar's loneliness and superficial style, but Lee Ja-eon interpreted it this way.

Anyway, this was Nine Flower Mountain.

While rustling and examining the surroundings, Lee Ja-eon briefly heard someone's voice and moved toward it. Before walking much, another sign appeared, but this time the writing was extremely small.

"What on earth does it say?"

The moment Lee Ja-eon approached and barely read "Beware of Falling" written on the sign, the foot he was standing on slipped and Lee Ja-eon tumbled down. If he had stepped on ordinary mud, Lee Ja-eon wouldn't have fallen so messily, but it was seriously slippery as if something more had been applied. With a soft sound, his body sank slightly, then Lee Ja-eon's figure rapidly descended as if riding a slide.

"Uhhhhhhh..."

When Lee Ja-eon tried to reduce speed by placing both feet on the left and right sides, the shoddily made slide broke and he spun around briefly before flying through the air.

Whoooooosh...

It was a place where a waterfall fell.

Lee Ja-eon, who flew in a curve, fell into the waterfall. Was it an illusion that he glimpsed a white-robed old man near the waterfall? Lee Ja-eon stuck his head above the water surface with an inexplicable pounding heart.

A white-haired, white-robed old man was sitting cross-legged near the waterfall.

Lee Ja-eon looked up at where he had fallen.

'Beware of falling?'

When Lee Ja-eon looked at the old man again, the Sword Immortal of the Twin Immortals of Nine Flower let out a long sigh with his eyes closed. It was a sigh mixed with reproach asking what kind of fellow had disturbed his training.

When Lee Ja-eon turned his head with surprised eyes, a middle-aged man waving a crane feather fan was walking over from not far away.

"What fellow is this? To disturb senior brother's training."

In the wet Lee Ja-eon's head, only the words "senior brother" and "training" could be heard. He hurriedly jumped out of the water.

The Scholarly Immortal asked again.

"I asked who you are."

Lee Ja-eon shook off the water and replied politely.

"Ah, yes. I am Lee Ja-eon of the Galaxy Merchant Group."

"What brings Young Master of the merchant group to this treacherous mountain?"

"Ah..."

Lee Ja-eon's eyes moved here and there, then looked at the middle-aged man dressed as a scholar and replied.

"I came to train."

"Training? Do you mean martial arts or studies?"

"Martial arts."

The Scholarly Immortal made a strange expression as if disappointed, then shook his head and trailed off.

"What's so great about mere martial arts."

When the Scholarly Immortal became displeased and stepped aside, Sword Immortal Sima Ge opened his eyes with a smile on his lips.

"You came to train in martial arts?"

Lee Ja-eon's head turned sharply.

"Ah, yes!"

The Scholarly Immortal, who seemed like he would observe from the side, interjected again.

"Senior brother must be pleased. All those obsessed with martial arts are senior brother's juniors, aren't they?"

The Sword Immortal smiled benevolently.

"Where are seniors and juniors in martial arts? Studies and martial arts are the same. There is only diligent effort."

Lee Ja-eon looked back and forth at the two immortals, then knelt down.

"This junior in learning pays respects to the seniors."

The Sword Immortal smiled pleasantly and nodded several times.

Then simultaneously, Sima Ge and Zhou Zi-liang closed their mouths. The roughly matched dialogue had run out, so they had nothing else to say. From now on, they planned to respond according to the youngest's words each time.

Sword Immortal Sima Ge, who had run out of things to say, stroked his long beard and gave a hearty laugh.

Then Scholarly Immortal Zhou Zi-liang also had nothing particular to say, so he fluttered his crane feather fan unnecessarily and cleared his throat.

While two fake immortals were meeting a shut-in martial artist in such pleasant weather...

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Dan Wooseong, sitting at his desk, was supporting his chin with a serious expression.

On the desk Dan Wooseong was looking at, a gift that had arrived from outside after about a hundred days was placed.

It was a very small medicine bottle.

How should he accept this?

He had actually created fortuitous encounters and sent the youngest to Nine Flower Mountain to make him strong, but a true fortuitous encounter had come to Dan Wooseong.

Therefore, Dan Wooseong was pondering with a serious expression about what a proper fortuitous encounter was.

He thought that nothing was a stroke of luck.

Next to the medicine bottle was a letter with brief content. It was a letter Lee Seongmin had given his son to read.

「A gift for the long trust and long friendship you have shown me.」

It was a letter sent by a great merchant his father respected. He heard it was a merchant who could compete for the position of the richest person in Central Plains. If Lee Seongmin had lived his entire life through deception and taking others' profits, such a gift wouldn't have come. Because he had maintained trust and faith throughout his life, such a fortuitous encounter had come to Dan Wooseong.

The medicine bottle Dan Wooseong was gazing at contained Empty Clear Stone Milk.

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