The first place Baek Woo Jin headed after becoming the Divine Dragon was the private training room granted to him.
It wasn’t for some lofty martial artist reason like he gained some kind of enlightenment after the duel, or because he wanted to improve his shortcomings right away.
It was.…
Just a simple escape.
“Ugh, I’ve had enough.”
Before the spectators who had come to watch the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering could leave, they bombarded him with all sorts of requests just to see him one more time.
He had already experienced this when he defeated Namgong Soo, but now that he had become the Divine Dragon, the attention was even worse.
What troubled Baek Woo Jin the most were the vassals of the Shaanxi Baek family who were sent under Baek Yeong Hak’s orders.
“They’re ridiculous, really.”
It seemed Baek Yeong Hak knew that his relationship with his son wasn’t good, so he only sent the few people who had secretly looked out for Baek Woo Jin when he was young. Of course, since these people had no real connection to him now, he dismissed them after only seeing their faces.
Through the small window in the training room, Baek Woo Jin could see the sun slowly setting. By now, most of the spectators would have left the academy, so he stepped out of the training room.
“Time to go collect my money.”
A broad grin spread across Baek Woo Jin’s face.
He had bet all the 300 taels of silver he borrowed from a Hao Sect disciple, along with the 150 taels of silver of his own money, all under his name. The payout was a staggering 50 times the bet.
“450 taels of silver at 50 times… wow!”
That amounted to 22,500 taels of silver!
Depending on how he used it, it was enough money that he could live extravagantly for quite some time without worrying about finances.
As he made his way to the gambling den where the bets had been placed, he saw quite a few people who couldn’t bring themselves to leave, staring blankly at the money they had lost.
“This is why gambling is so dangerous, huh.”
He was reminded once again that gambling was the quickest path to ruin.
Baek Woo Jin sighed softly and blocked the path of a busy-looking servant who was rushing about.
“Oh, welcome—huh!”
The servant, who had been bowing his head reflexively, looked up and gasped when he recognized Baek Woo Jin.
“I’m here to collect my winnings.”
When he took out the small iron token he had received after placing the 450 taels of silver bet, the servant’s eyes widened to the point of almost rolling back.
“Aah…!”
He barely managed to cling to what little composure he had left.
“P-Please, this way.”
The place the servant guided him to was a room at the far end of the second floor of the inn. When he knocked on the door, a familiar voice was heard from inside.
“What is it?”
“Th-There’s someone here to collect their winnings.”
As soon as the servant finished speaking, a clattering sound came from inside the room and the door swung open with a sudden bang.
“Ah, welcome!”
The disciple of the Hao sect, who had lent Baek Woo Jin 300 tael of silver while acting high and mighty, now greeted him with a completely different attitude than during their first encounter.
The world sure is thrilling.
A different kind of thrill swept through Baek Woo Jin’s entire body, one unlike what he felt when he used that lightning attack.
Seeing someone who had once looked down on him and treated him like an insignificant person, suddenly change their attitude always gave him an exhilarating rush.
Baek Woo Jin spoke to him with a bright smile,
“Hand over my payout.”
The Hao sect disciple’s face began to turn black.
“Y-Young master…, no, Young Hero Jade-Faced Divine Dragon!”
“Yeah, what is it? I hope what you’re about to say isn’t something like you don’t have the money or you’re short on it.”
Watching his face turn from black to white was quite a spectacle too.
“P-Please kill me!”
Without warning, the Hao sect disciple prostrated himself flat on the ground.
Baek Woo Jin entered the room and sat down in a chair. Following that, the disciple turned his head towards him.
“Recite it.”
When Baek Woo Jin spoke in a cold voice, the disciple swallowed nervously before opening his mouth.
“Th-The amount I owe you, young hero, is 22,500 silver taels. But… I don’t have that much on hand.”
“There seemed to be a lot of people placing bets. Where did all that money go?”
“Some of it was loaned out to gamblers, and some was taken by the upper merchant branch that came to provide support…”
In short, it meant they were using the money earned from the bets to expand their business through high-interest loans.
“So how much can you give me now?”
“A-About five thousand silver taels.”
“And the rest?”
“Even if we contact the upper merchant branch, I doubt we could pay the full amount all at once.”
“…….”
“—Please kill me!”
The disciple began slamming his head against the ground in desperate pleading, but there wasn’t a hint of emotion in Baek Woo Jin’s eyes as he watched.
“Your life isn’t worth more than my money, is it?”
“N-No, it’s not.”
The disciple felt a cold chill run through his chest. After all, wasn’t the Jade-Faced Divine Dragon destined to become a leader of the orthodox faction? He had assumed that, like others in his position, Baek Woo Jin would have a merciful heart. But that was far from the truth.
“Instead of irresponsibly asking me to kill you, how about you come up with a solution?”
After witnessing with his own eyes Baek Woo Jin defeat Myeong Jin and ascend as the Jade-Faced Divine Dragon, the Hao sect disciple spent days and nights racking his brain for a solution. No matter how madly he pondered, there was only one possible way.
“Currently, not only our branch but even the upper branches that were dispatched can’t provide the full amount of 22,500 silver taels at once. So… how about paying in installments…?”
“Installments, huh…”
Baek Woo Jin had already anticipated this possibility. After all, 22,500 silver taels weren’t just a random number.
“You’re not planning to pay me exactly 22,500 silver taels like a thief, right?”
The Hao sect disciple’s face twisted as he buried his head deeper into the ground.
“O-Of course not.”
“I’ll give you two options.”
“…I’m listening.”
Baek Woo Jin raised his right index finger.
“First, you can pay in installments, but the amount you owe me will be raised to 30,000 silver taels.”
“Young hero! That’s…!”
Paying in installments would ultimately mean that the Hao sect’s branch was indebted to Baek Woo Jin. The Hao sect disciple was well aware of this fact and had already considered paying some interest, but not this much.
Damn, the problem is that we’re at a disadvantage here.
The real problem was that they were completely powerless in this situation.
Most of the Hao sect’s disciples came from insignificant backgrounds. They were either courtesans, inn workers, pickpockets, and coachmen. However, alongside the Beggar Sect, one of the Nine Great Sects, they held control over the world’s information.
Given the Hao sect’s nature as an information broker, the most important thing was not martial strength but trust. Who would do business with someone without credibility?
If Baek Woo Jin decided to spread word of this incident, the situation would escalate. The upper branches would gather money to pay him off, and both the Hao sect disciple and his branch would disappear without a trace.
That can’t happen!
He couldn’t even count the years he had thrown away to climb this high.
The Hao sect disciple asked him with a cautious tone,
“Then what is the second option?”
As if he was waiting for that question, Baek Woo Jin raised his middle finger.
“Second, you raise the amount you owe me to 25,000 silver taels.”
The Hao sect disciple’s face eased just a little. While 25,000 silver taels was still a hefty amount, it was what he had considered in the worst-case scenario.
“And…”
The problem was, that wasn’t the end of it.
“While you’re in debt to me, you will also provide any information I need free of charge.”
“That… that much I can manage.”
“And one more thing.”
Although the value of information was significant, it couldn’t compare to 5,000 silver taels. Just as the Hao sect disciple was about to accept Baek Woo Jin’s second proposal, another condition followed.
“The day before the final match, someone ordered an evil deed against me.”
“Ah…!”
The Hao sect disciple’s face turned pale as he raised his head.
“Find out who it was. And I don’t just mean bringing me information about him—you’re going to tell me everything, from how many spoons are in his house to how many times a day he takes bites of side dishes.”
Sweat beaded on the Hao sect disciple’s forehead.
F*ck!
There were two Hao sect branches inside the academy. One was the branch he belonged to, and the other was a bit more influential than his own. It catered to the children of noble clans or rich families; they handled requests and traded information.
Considering that the incident took place inside the academy, the possibility of outside forces being involved was nearly nonexistent. Unless he had somehow forgotten a request he had taken due to amnesia, the culprit was most likely from the other branch.
This essentially meant betraying a fellow disciple.
5,000 silver taels, or loyalty to a comrade.
The decision didn’t take long.
“How much time are you giving me?”
“Hmm, let’s say about a month.”
“I’ll uncover everything about the bastard who dared to scheme against you!”
Camaraderie never existed within the Hao sect to begin with.
***
The once bustling academy was beginning to return to its usual atmosphere.
The street stalls that had lined the roads were all cleared away, and the martial arts stage set up at the Grand Martial Arts Arena had disappeared without a trace.
As he walked through the streets, the only noticeable change was the gazes directed toward him. He had always attracted attention due to his handsome appearance, but now the emotions behind those gazes had shifted noticeably.
“Huh…”
Because of this, Jegal Yeon Ji was having a hard time. Every time people focused on Baek Woo Jin and turned their attention to her as well, she would cling tightly to his sleeve and hide behind him.
The place they headed to was the private training room that had served as a perfect refuge on the final day of the Dragon and Phoenix martial arts tournament.
“Wow… it’s so big.”
Since it was a training room reserved for the Divine Dragon, its size was huge. It was large enough to comfortably accommodate over a dozen people.
It seemed like a waste from Baek Woo Jin’s perspective. If they reduced the size a little, perhaps those who were less privileged could have been provided with a more comfortable environment.
“From now on, Miss Jegal can use this room too.”
“Eh… is that really okay?”
“I heard anyone can use it as long as they have my permission.”
Though it was oversized, this aspect did appeal to him.
Baek Woo Jin glanced around the room and then looked steadily at Jegal Yeon Ji, who was smiling with delight.
“You have something to tell me, don’t you?”
“W-What do you mean?”
Her feigned ignorance brought a playful glint to Baek Woo Jin’s face.
“If you really don’t know, I suppose there’s nothing I can do.”
When he turned to leave, Jegal Yeon Ji hurriedly ran over and grabbed the hem of his robe.
“I-I’ll tell you!”
“Alright, go ahead.”
He turned back toward her as if he had been waiting all along.
“Well, it’s originally called the Divine Elixir…”
The Divine Elixir.
A pill meticulously refined by the Jegal clan which made it a treasure among treasures. With a single pill, one could gain nearly 20 years’ worth of internal energy.
“I ground it up finely and mixed it with something else…”
The internal energy Baek Woo Jin had gained from the “hangover remedy” she gave him was equivalent to just over 10 years’ worth.
“Why would you give me something so precious?”
“Th-That’s because…”
Jegal Yeon Ji, with her face flushed, fidgeted with her fingers and twisted her body nervously.
Baek Woo Jin placed his hand on her shoulder.
“Close your eyes.”
“Hic!”
She started to hiccup.
“I-I’m not ready for this yet, m-my mind isn’t… hic!”
She tried to wriggle free from the hand on her shoulder, but she couldn’t feel any strength in her body.
Baek Woo Jin leaned in a little closer and repeated himself.
“I said, close your eyes.”
“Y-Yes…”
In the end, Jegal Yeon Ji closed her eyes.
“Open your mouth.”
“A-Already to that part…?”
Though she spoke as if embarrassed, she obediently opened her mouth.
Baek Woo Jin found her to be irresistibly cute at that moment.
“Keep your eyes closed.”
“Y-Yes.”
He gently lifted his hand from her shoulder and reached into the inner pocket of his robe before he pulled out a small wooden box.
It was the same box that contained the pill he had won as a prize at the Dragon and Phoenix Martial Arts Tournament.
As soon as he opened it, a fragrant scent filled the training room. Baek Woo Jin carefully took out the pill, split it precisely in half, placed one half back in the box, and held the other in his palm.
“Alright, here we go.”
Baek Woo Jin flicked the pill into her open mouth with his thumb and forefinger, then immediately covered her mouth.
“Mmph!”
In an instant, the medicinal pill melted from solid to liquid and slid down her throat.
When Baek Woo Jin confirmed this and removed his hand, Jegal Yeon Ji cried out in surprise.
“Yo-Young master Baek! This is…”
“It’s half of the Immortal Carp Pill.”
“W-Why would you give this to me…?”
“You gave me something too.”
In this barbaric world where swords crossed in violent combat, there was only one rule to follow.
Repay both kindness and grudges twofold.
Since Jegal Yeon Ji had shown him kindness, he was simply returning the favor.
“B-But…!”
She seemed to be distressed over having consumed such a precious thing. But before she could continue protesting, he forcibly seated her on the floor of the training room.
“Hurry up and start cultivating before the energy dissipates.”
After saying that, Baek Woo Jin winked and added with a grin.
“We can save the kiss for afterward.”
“Heeh….”
Jegal Yeon Ji’s face turned bright red as she crossed her legs and began to focus on energy circulation.
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