Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Bustling Chaos in Zhang'an
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"Shall we go see our cloud bridge?"
"Waaah! This is exciting!"
"I wanna see the cloud bridge quick!"
The neighbor uncle was leading his kids toward the cloud bridge.
Hold on!
Did our village even have a bridge?
Oh!
Now even I have no idea anymore.
No way that uncle's claiming he can build bridges well too, right?
"Why don't you all come to my place?"
"Sure thing, Jin, the great hero."
I led Green Snake Blade O Makeong, Wang Dal, and the Yin-Yang Monk back to my house.
But just as we were about to head out, Wang Dal froze like he'd seen a ghost, not budging an inch.
We all tilted our heads, wondering what was up with him.
Then, in a trembling voice like he'd spotted a specter, he said,
"Ov-over there... those two oxen... they're plowing the field all by themselves without a soul around..."
Only then did O Makeong and the Yin-Yang Monk turn to look toward the fields.
Both of them were dumbfounded by the impossible sight.
"Th-those oxen... we bought them with you at the ox market last time, Great Hero Jin... how are they plowing without anyone..."
Oh!
How do I even explain this one?
No clue!
"Let's head to my place first. We can have some tea and talk it over there."
I hurriedly ushered the three of them inside.
I brewed some tea.
We exchanged quick updates on how we'd all been.
And caught up on the Zhang'an news.
"So right now, the rogue markets in Zhang'an are in an uproar. One of the Four Great Rogue Kings, Tragic Rogue King Go Taebo, showed up leading dozens of elite rogues and top-class ones, right?"
"Just like Brother O Makeong said. When it comes to Tragic Rogue King Go Taebo, even the heads of our four great rogue markets in Zhang'an have to tuck their tails and yield several moves ahead. He's a massive figure."
"Not just our West Rogue Market, but the East, South, and North ones too. Everyone's just watching his every move."
"Is he here on some commission?"
"Nobody knows. They rented a decent-sized manor on the outskirts of Zhang'an and they've been holed up there for days without stirring. Just his rogue underlings coming and going, but we can't figure out what they're up to."
"Hmm... doesn't seem like something we need to worry too much about."
I said that, but it was nagging at me.
Tragic Rogue King Go Taebo.
I'd heard before that he'd mastered the latter half of the 32 Rogue Arts.
"True enough. But Great Hero Jin, that's not the real bombshell."
Tragic Rogue King Go Taebo had come to Zhang'an.
And there was even bigger news than that?
I tilted my head and leaned in to hear what O Makeong had to say.
"They're saying Azure Sword Forest is visiting Zhang'an."
"Azure... Sword Forest?"
"Yes. Word is, the forest lord himself, Azure Heaven Sword Lord Kang Yubaek, is coming in person."
Azure Heaven Sword Lord Kang Yubaek.
One of the five strongest people under heaven.
A superhuman who'd already transcended human limits.
The closest to being the supreme martial artist in the world.
One of the Five Great Martial Lords.
"Why would the Azure Heaven Sword Lord come to Zhang'an...?"
Honestly, even I couldn't help but be shocked.
He was a figure from an entirely different world than mine.
Just catching a glimpse of his face from afar would be a fateful encounter in itself—that's how extraordinary he was.
"You know how Azure Sword Forest occasionally comes to recruit disciples..."
O Makeong couldn't finish his sentence.
"Daddy! Daddy!"
"Daddyyy!"
Because the kids had come swarming into our house.
Looked like they'd been playing in the water.
They were soaked to the bone.
But every one of them was grinning ear to ear—they must've had a blast.
"Daddy! Can we go eat at that uncle's house?"
"I wanna eat what that uncle makes!"
"He said we gotta get Daddy's permission to eat! Hurry! Hurry!"
Right on their heels came the neighbor uncle, equally drenched.
"Aigoo. Sorry to interrupt your chat. The kids were having so much fun they got hungry, but I couldn't just feed them without asking..."
"Oh, no, we're grateful. But making you go to all this trouble..."
"Trouble? Nah. If you're that worried, just look after our village chief a bit when you're working from now on. Haha!"
"We're already in his debt every day."
"Really? Oh! Our village chief's the man!"
"Uncle, you sure? There are a lot of kids."
"Psh, why you gotta say that, Chief? You know I cook pretty well. Hahaha!"
And with that, the kids and the uncle trooped off next door again.
"That's the slash-and-burn farmer from before, right?"
"Yeah."
"Seems like a good guy."
"A bit suspicious, but yeah, good person."
"Suspicious?"
"Kinda. Anyway, so the Azure Sword Forest lord's really coming to Zhang'an? The whole city's gotta be flipped upside down."
"Don't even get me started. We don't know for sure if the Azure Heaven Sword Lord himself is coming, but nine times out of ten, it's to scout disciples, right?"
"I've heard that if Azure Sword Forest sends people when there's no big incident, it's almost always for recruiting."
"So all the major sects in Zhang'an are losing their minds. Especially the Hundred-Li Clan—they're acting like they'll uproot their foundation pillars. Desperate to impress the Azure Heaven Sword Lord and get even one of their blood kin into Azure Sword Forest."
"Ah... but the Hundred-Li young lord's pretty old, isn't he?"
"Even if they can't take him as a disciple, Azure Sword Forest's rumors are legendary, right? Even if someone's too old, if they've got exceptional talent, upright character, and strong chivalry, they hand out advanced sword manuals for free."
Ten Thousand Flowers Sword Technique, Heavenly Stream Sword Technique, Azure Wind Sword Dance, and more.
Every swordsman who's mastered them is now a renowned master shaking the world.
All of them were advanced sword manuals given freely by Azure Sword Forest.
"And above all, just forging a connection with Azure Sword Forest and leaving a good impression on the Azure Heaven Sword Lord would skyrocket your status in the martial world, wouldn't it?"
"Sure would. Yeah."
"Zhang'an's kicked off a massive cleanup operation right now."
"Cleanup?"
"Yep. Sweeping away all the filthy street vendors, scrubbing the streets clean. You know Obin Village?"
"Yeah. The famous slum in Zhang'an."
"Leveled it flat. Forced everyone living there to relocate."
"Whoa! They're going that far?"
"That's just the start. They're rounding up all the street toughs, black path scum, pickpockets, thieves—everyone—and throwing them in the brain prison. That's why us rogues are swamped right now. All those jobs are going to rogues."
"Huh? Then shouldn't you guys—O warrior, Wang warrior, and Yin-Yang monk—be out there working hard too?"
"We just got back from a job far away. Been separated from the kids for twenty days, so we gotta spend a few days with them no choice. We passed on this round."
They really took good care of their kids.
"Sounds like you were on a commission from afar?"
"You know Phoenix Heaven Manor in Hanzhong?"
"Oh! Yeah, I escorted the Fish Gold Family daughter thereabouts and came back."
"Phoenix Heaven Manor's done for. Near-total wipeout. The manor lord and all his direct kin dead, servants scattered to the winds. We handled the aftermath."
"So the Fish Gold Family's revenge finally succeeded."
"They poured in mountains of silver, so they had to win. Oh! Heard about the Fish Gold Family's only daughter's marriage?"
"No. She got married?"
"Yep. To a young, handsome, dirt-poor scholar. He moved in as their son-in-law... You seem awfully pleased, Great Hero Jin?"
"Whoops! That obvious? Haha."
"Hahaha!"
Did I look too happy?
"Speaking of, it'd be great if the Azure Sword Divine Eye came along with the Azure Heaven Sword Lord. Right, Great Hero Jin?"
"Well... getting to lay eyes on one of the Four Great Beauties would make my life's dream come true. Haha."
Azure Sword Divine Eye Kang Baeka.
The Azure Heaven Sword Lord's one and only blood granddaughter.
One of the Four Great Beauties under heaven.
But what was truly shocking was her moniker.
Despite being one of the Four Great Beauties, not a word of it touched on her looks.
Azure Sword.
It meant her swordsmanship had already reached a profound realm.
Among the rising stars of the martial world, she outshone even the Seven Dragons and Four Phoenixes.
Rumored to vie for the top spot among them.
Divine Eye.
Her insight surpassed even her swordsmanship and beauty, it was said.
She had eyes that pierced through martial arts and people alike, already entering the divine realm.
Even the Azure Heaven Sword Lord admitted her judgment of character outstripped his own.
"If this Zhang'an visit really is for recruiting disciples from Azure Sword Forest, then there's a good chance Azure Sword Divine Eye Lady Kang Baeka will come too, right? Give it your best, Great Hero Jin."
"Me? Come on, be serious. Haha."
"Who knows? If Lady Kang Baeka's people-reading eye is really that sharp, she'll spot your true nature in a flash. Haha."
It was the kind of talk that put a smile on my face just hearing it.
But realistically, no way.
They lived in a completely different world from me...
And here they came again.
"Daddy! Daddyyy!"
"Daddy! I wanna live here!"
"Daddy! Uncle's cooking is sooo good! I wanna eat his food every day!"
"Me too! Me too! I wanna live here!"
"I love this village so much! It's so fun! Let's live here!"
The kids swarmed in, clinging to their dads' necks, piggybacking, tugging arms, throwing full-on tantrums.
The neighbor uncle's cooking must've been insanely good.
Heck, even I went nuts after one bite—what about the kids?
O Makeong and the others looked embarrassed and apologetic toward me amid the chaos.
So I said,
"No reason you can't. If you want, come to our village anytime. I'd welcome you more than anyone..."
That was when it happened.
"Young Hero Jin, you home?"
It was Silent Wolf.
What was Silent Wolf doing here?
I hurried outside.
The neighbor uncle was in our courtyard helping one of the kids pee... wait, why in the courtyard?
"Young Hero Jin. Good, you're ho—looks like you have guests."
"Great Hero Silent Wolf. Long time no see. What brings you...?"
"Heard the rumors?"
"If it's Tragic Rogue King and Azure Heaven Sword Lord, I just did."
"We're keeping a cautious eye on Tragic Rogue King, but that's not it."
"Because of the Azure Heaven Sword Lord's visit?"
Silent Wolf nodded and said,
"Figure you get the Zhang'an vibe by now, so straight to the point. The Zhang'an martial folk, centered on Hundred-Li Clan, put out a big commission for us rogues. It's for the Heavenly Commoners Brigade—thieves who call themselves heaven-sent folk."
"I've heard the name a few times. Ghosts who flicker east, flicker west, impossible to catch—the most rampant bandits these days."
"Commission to wipe 'em out. Base pay for top-class rogues: five taels of silver. Ten taels gold per Heavenly Commoner taken down. And five taels gold on the head of their chief, Heavenly Commoner King."
With Azure Heaven Sword Lord's visit looming, Hundred-Li Clan and Zhang'an's martial world must be desperate.
For bandit scum like Heavenly Commoners, bounties usually topped out at one or two gold taels no matter how high.
"Lady Blood Flower Yi Boreong's call to arms?"
"No."
"Then Great Hero Flash Blade Wi Yeon's...?"
"It's a muster order from Three Absolutes Martial Rogue Ha Jeokhan, head of Zhang'an's West Rogue Market."