Ep412 - I Became a Drunkard in a Martial Arts Novel.

It was always a dream. Baek Woo-jin. The hero who pulled her out of the abyss and protected her family from the treacherous Blood Sect. Watching him, she often felt inadequate. ‘Woo-jin shines so brightly, and what am I?’ Unlike him, who spread radiant light across the entire martial world with his strength alone, she felt she couldn’t emit even a modest glow by herself. All she possessed wasn’t truly hers but belonged to her family. So she made a decision. ‘I will shine on my own.’ She vowed to stand by his side, not as a woman cloaked in her family’s halo, but as Geum Yeo-ul, a name that radiates independently. Initially, she planned to rise from nothing, but due to her father’s vehement opposition, she accepted some assistance to establish her own trading company. ‘Baek-Geum Trading Guild.’ Named by combining Baek Woo-jin’s family name with her own. Her trading company was launched at the perfect historical moment. After all, war offers merchants the golden opportunity to handle large sums of money. In the escalating conflict between the righteous sects and the Blood Sect, she traveled extensively, earning money wherever she went. Of course, she never engaged in underhanded dealings. From here to there, she only sold goods at fair prices for the effort of transporting them. This was influenced heavily by her father’s constant advice. ‘The path of deceit may be swift, but it’s fleeting. The righteous path may be slow, but it’s everlasting.’ She never forgot and practiced her father’s teachings even as she set out on her trading journey. Through these endeavors, she accumulated a decent amount of wealth. But that was it. The martial world was already saturated with large and small trading companies, leaving little room to maneuver. Attacking competitors with aggressive trade tactics seemed equally challenging. Thus, as an alternative, she attempted trade between the martial world and the foreign lands. Although bustling with many traders, these areas were less intense compared to the martial world. ‘Who knew it would become the greatest opportunity of my life?’ From the Eastern Sea to the Tibetan Plateau, and even the Great Desert. She ventured wherever there was profitable merchandise. Upon reaching the Northern Sea, she discovered a new opportunity. The village near the Northern Sea Ice Palace was perpetually covered in cold snow. Surviving the harsh cold, even when dressed in layers, was a daily struggle. Fortunately, the Northern Sea locals had a unique tea that kept their bodies warm. ‘Sohan Tea.’ The name, derived from its ability to dispel the cold from the body. However, the Northern Sea residents couldn’t often enjoy this tea. The tea leaves required to brew Sohan Tea grew only in scant quantities in the sunniest spot in the Northern Sea region. Then, she learned from a plains tribe member she helped during her trade journey. The ingredient cherished like gold by the Northern Sea residents was abundant in the plains. The revelation struck her like lightning. ‘This is it!’ She promptly converted all her assets into supplies and headed to the plains. Arriving there with hopes of making massive profits, she was met with a significant dose of despair. The tribes of the plains prioritized fists over words. They viewed her supplies not as trade goods but as loot. She had to fight desperately to protect the supplies that were essentially her entire fortune. Battling them, she absorbed the essence of her elixirs, and her cultivation level rose rapidly. ‘I must endure.’ She won against marauders while losing a bit of her supplies in the process. This cycle repeated dozens of times. Exhausted and reaching the end of her rope, she finally arrived here. To the tribe revered by all on the plains, led by Bagatur. To the tribe honored with that glorious title, led by Bayan. "Oh... Bringing such an amount of supplies to the plains, is it a new way for the Central Plains people to commit suicide?" Though his joke was rather grim, he was the first person on the plains with whom she could truly converse. Desperate, she proposed a trade, and Bayan accepted. He sought battles with strong opponents, finding no satisfaction in robbing the weak. "Snatching cheap weeds is much better than messy plundering." Thus, she struck her first deal. With the help of Bayan’s warriors, she gradually increased trade with more tribes. Food and tea leaves. Both sides constantly needed these items, allowing her to consistently transport goods between the Northern Sea and the plains, eventually matching the profits of notable trade groups. Once her travels across the plains and to the Northern Sea stabilized. ‘Now, it’s time.’ She finally resolved to return to Baek Woo-jin's side. Thus, it was on what was supposed to be her final business trip — one that would also allow her to bid farewell to Bayan, who was more or less her benefactor. ‘To think I’d meet him like this….’ She had reunited with him in the most unexpected place. Her thoughts raced feverishly. ‘How’s my hair right now? My face? My clothes…!’ Nothing seemed right. She hadn’t prepared well for this trip, focused solely on making money! Yet, amidst her confusion, her body moved instinctively toward him. ‘I want to embrace him.’ To hold him tight, the same yet even more gallant than before as she finally met him again after so long. “Baek Woo-jin…!” She wanted to shout his name and run to hug him tightly. But— Boom! Unintentionally, Bayan intervened with an axe strike, blocking her path. A fierce voice soon followed. “Do not come any closer.” It was not a suggestion or advice, but a warning. An ominous warning that anyone interfering in their battle, regardless of who they were, wouldn't be spared. “But, Chief Bayan…! He's an important person to me.” She thought that explanation would suffice. Bayan was someone she found to be the most understanding. However— “Whether he’s your lover or husband, what's forbidden is forbidden.” His stance was unwavering. “Until this battle is over, no one can interfere with him and me.” Bayan’s gaze turned to Baek Woo-jin as he spoke. “Isn't that right?” To his question, Baek Woo-jin grinned, not at Bayan, but at Geum Yeo-ul, whose face was full of concern. “Just wait a little. I'll deal with this lively old man and come to you right away.” “Ah….” With those words, all her worries and anxiety dissolved instantly. Even though she had experienced it several times, it was still astonishing to her, and she watched him with dazed yet amused eyes. ‘Yes. If he says so, then it must be.’ While she found relief, the tension between the two combatants intensified. The change was due to Baek Woo-jin. He finally shed his mask of calm and unleashed his fierce energy. “Ha ha! You’re more impressive than I thought.” Bayan laughed madly. He was overflowing with joy, unable to contain it. His blood boiled with a thrill that exceeded his expectations of Baek Woo-jin’s aura. As he tightened his grip on the axe and prepared to advance again— “Hey, old man.” “What is it?” “Since someone is waiting for me, let’s finish this quickly.” His confident tone only heightened Bayan’s eagerness to fight. “Yes. There’s a certain allure to wrapping things up swiftly.” To finish quickly meant to unleash all the secrets one had hidden away. For a master of his caliber, there was only one true hidden card. The Mental Projection. Projecting the form of one’s martial prowess accumulated over a lifetime into the world. “I’m curious.” Indeed, he was curious. “To see the world of a young lad who hasn’t even lived half my life.” The young prodigy, beyond mere words of genius, what kind of world will this heaven-gifted calamity reveal? Baek Woo-jin replied with a bitter smile. “It’s going to be very gloomy and bleak.” At their feet, the world began to change. On one side, the lush grass grew even taller, while on the other, the vibrant grass turned yellow, withered, and finally crumbled to dry earth. One side’s light shone hotter, more radiant, while the other was shrouded by clouds. The plains grew richer with life. On the world crafted by his presence, warhorses shaped by his aura appeared. Ten thousand horses, eager and impatient, pawed the ground as if they couldn’t wait to gallop across this plain. “Now, tell me. How will you deal with my thousand horses?” In response, the once brittle ground trembled, and gravestones rose. And instead of rain, swords poured down from the somber sky. Some rusted, some shattered, but each gleamed with a peculiar sharpness. “Mm…!” A groan escaped Bayan's lips upon witnessing this. ‘How could such a young one….’ What kind of life had he led to bear so many gravestones in his heart? The hint of pity that brushed Bayan’s eyes disappeared swiftly. ‘Now is no time for sympathy.’ Even a moment of complacency could be fatal. His opponent’s aura matched him in every way. At the forefront, under the blistering sun, he mounted a towering black steed, closest to its heat, and spurred it forward. "Ha!" Bagatur, capable of performing the feats of a thousand warriors of the plains. Following him, ten thousand horses. It was nothing short of a "thousand armies and ten thousand horses." “Let’s see if you can stop this!” Neighing furiously, the confident shouts and the thunderous galloping pierced the plains, encroaching upon the world of another. Simultaneously, as if not to be outdone, swords rained down from the sky, slicing through the air with keen edges. It was world against world. Domain against domain, where two colossal auras finally clashed. --- **Author's Note** I will meet you again in the next episode. Thank you for always reading. Have a restful night. (_ _)