Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Faith! Safety! Privacy Protection!
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“Hey, you bastard! I told you to back off! You want me to really kill this bitch?!”
Ah!
Five gold nyang.
That guy really is the Lowborn Heavenly King.
Tsk.
No helping it.
No matter how good the money is, I can't just let an innocent person get sacrificed for it.
Fuck!
Five gold nyang!!!
“Back off!”
“Alright, alright. Why get so worked up? I'll back off, so let the woman go first.”
“You think I'm some idiot? You want me to really kill her? Three, two, one...”
“Got it! I said got it! Damn your temper. Happy now?”
I took two steps back.
The guy stared at me like I was insane.
The woman he had hostage looked at me the same way, like 'What kind of lunatic is this?'
For the record, the woman was wearing a veil.
Or more like a mask made of thin cloth?
Only her eyes were visible.
Very pretty eyes.
“You... you bastard... You think I'm messing around...”
“Wait!”
His dagger was about to actually pierce the woman's throat.
Just a little deeper, and there would've been blood.
“So tell me clearly. How much further back do I go?”
“Go back the way you came.”
“You're crazy? Then you'd just kill the woman, obviously.”
“You bastard... Before I kill this woman and then myself, get lost!”
“Tsk. Here's the deal. I'll toss my sword away, so let her go. Fair, right?”
The guy.
He seemed to hesitate for a moment.
“You think I'm a fool? Get lost!”
“Then you're calling me the fool? I'm not going back! No way in hell! How many times do I have to say it!”
The guy.
His face turned red then purple.
He couldn't advance or retreat, just fuming.
“Sigh. Hey! How about this!”
“...?”
“I'll throw my sword way over there. Then... yeah, this tree! I'll tie myself up tight to it. See these vines? I'll bind myself with them, you let the woman go and hightail it outta here. Sound fair?”
The guy.
He pondered again.
This time, longer.
Then.
“Fine! But tie it properly. Toss the sword first!”
Whoosh.
Thud!
I really threw it far.
It flew straight and embedded deep into a distant tree.
I quickly gathered the wild vines sprouting chaotically from the ground.
And soon started binding myself with them.
Wasn't easy tying my own body, that's for sure.
“Do it right! Tie it tight, you bastard!”
“I'm doing it! If you don't like it, come tie it yourself!”
The bastard.
Scared of me, apparently. Wouldn't come near.
So I grunted and wrapped the vines around myself over and over.
“Whew. Tough stuff. Hey! This good enough? It'll take half a day to untangle and chase you down... Hey, you dog bastard!”
I yelled curses at the guy.
He'd been deep in thought, but snapped to and looked at me.
“You bastard, think carefully. Even tied up like this, I'm not someone you can mess with lightly! Go while I'm being nice. Unless you really wanna die.”
That bastard.
He'd been debating killing me moments ago.
All bluff on my part, really.
Guess I got a talent for tying people up.
Tied myself too tight.
If he charged to kill me, I'd be done for.
Still, lucky break.
He looked pretty scared of me.
“This woman... I'll let her go, so don't follow.”
“You get lost first! Before I change my mind. And remember this. Today's your last warning. Show up in my sights again, and you're dead for real! Now scram, bastard!”
The guy.
Glared at me fiercely for a bit, then shoved the woman with a thud! and bolted without looking back.
Soon, he vanished from sight... vanished... damn it!
“Puhahaha! You stupid rogue bastard! I'm the Lowborn Heavenly King Jang Pal-sam! You just lost the five-gold-nyang bounty on my head over that worthless wench! Kehahaha!”
Ah, that bastard!
He really was the Lowborn Heavenly King?
Five gold nyang just riding off like that.
Damn it all!
What can you do?
The carriage is gone, not coming back.
Better untangle these vines... damn!
Why won't they budge?
“Nngh. Nngh.”
Grunting away, but they really wouldn't loosen.
So.
“Hey! You there, miss! Don't just stand there gawking, come help! This happened while I was saving you!”
A bit slow on the uptake?
Eyes look sharp and pretty, though.
Well, must be, wandering deep in these mountains alone.
“Don't come empty-handed. See my sword over there? Bring that. Only way to cut these vines.”
Bit dim, but listens well.
But then.
Whoosh!
Stab!
Huh?
My sword was buried deep in the tree.
She pulled it out easy?
What?
Trained in martial arts?
Stride stride.
Whoosh!
Slash!
Slash! Slash!
“Wait!”
The woman yanked out my sword and strode over.
Then swung the Azure Stream Sword at me without hesitation.
Vines thick as a grown man's wrist severed clean.
My limbs and neck came perilously close a few times too.
“Easy! Easy... No rush, right? You almost sliced my wrist! Careful, it's sharp. So be care... ful!!!”
She was about to swing again, so I yelled.
Almost cursed her out.
Finally, she started cutting more carefully... like hell!
Whoosh!
Chop chop chop chop!
In the blink of an eye.
Vines shattered to bits.
This woman.
She's trained in martial arts.
Heading back to Dacha Village.
Thinking about what just happened still makes my hands and feet shake.
In that short time, my limbs and neck nearly got severed dozens of times over.
But... this woman keeps following me.
Thought maybe her sect was nearby, but apparently not.
Just lost, it seems.
Planning to escort her only to Dacha Village.
Not that she asked permission before tagging along.
Decent martial skill, but seems a bit slow-witted, so I'm just going with it.
“I'll go with you as far as Dacha Village. Got a job to finish right now.”
“Rogue?”
“Yeah.”
I nodded.
Things were hectic earlier, didn't notice.
Up close like this... hmm.
Not just pretty. Stunningly, incredibly beautiful.
Tense enough to make my whole body stiff.
“I need to go all the way to Chang'an.”
“Ah, I see.”
Didn't mean to sound curt, but it came out that way.
Lost my mom young, been a rogue earning coin—no time for women.
Yibo-reong's just about the only woman I've chatted with up close like this.
Still.
A first-rate rogue like me, tensing up over a pretty face?
Training's lacking.
After this job, hellish training back home.
“To Chang'an, you say.”
“Yeah. Congratulations.”
Again, words came out blunt against my will... uh!
She stopped dead in her tracks.
“What? We gotta hurry...”
“To Chang'an.”
“Congratulations.”
“Congratulate what?”
“Then my condolences. Aw, poor thing, must be tough.”
Did I go too far?
I don't mean it that way, but my mouth keeps betraying me!
You're too damn pretty, that's why I'm nervous!
Anyway, she looks pissed.
Usually expressionless, but now it's angry expressionless.
Gotta smooth it over and get going... whoa!
She held out silver.
Ten nyang, even.
But seriously, every time, she treats people like hires and shoves money first?
“To Chang'an?”
“Yes.”
“Need an escort, miss?”
“Yes.”
“Faith! Safety! Privacy protection too! I'll get you to Chang'an safe and sound!”
Whoa!
This woman just smiled.
Behind the veil, her eyes definitely crinkled.
“Here, take it.”
I took one nyang from the ten silver she offered.
She tilted her head.
“One nyang upfront. Rest of nine after safe delivery to Chang'an.”
“Okay. Sounds good.”
“But miss, gotta report that bandit to the higher-ups. Mind detouring to this Dacha Village place first?”
“Of course. Not in a rush.”
“Thank you kindly. Let's go, miss.”
And so I took on another job.
Arrived at Dacha Village.
Villagers busy rebuilding the razed place.
Lucky part: our quick intervention meant almost no casualties.
Still hunting Lowborn Path remnants, no one back yet... one guy's here!
Ran into Silent Wolf.
Told him everything: letting Lowborn Heavenly King escape, picking up this woman.
With his okay, I set off for Chang'an with her again.
“Where's your sect?”
After leaving Dacha Village and walking a good bit.
She started talking, bored maybe.
“Don't have one.”
“Master then?”
“Nope.”
“Self-taught martial arts?”
“Yeah.”
“Genius, huh?”
Hey, who's she teasing?
But then.
She paused a step, then continued.
Wondered why.
Whoa!
This woman can do sound transmission too?
I'd have to know how!
Damn embarrassing!
Gonna learn transmission fast.
I nodded vigorously.
I blinked.
Tilted my head.
Nod nod.
Stare straight ahead.
What do I do?
Told me not to reply, but keeps asking?
Ah!
Wanna run.
Shouldn't have taken this job from the start.
This woman's weird as hell.
“Um... miss.”
“...?”
“Someone tailing us? My senses are sharp, but I don't feel a thing. Relax and keep going.”
“Ah... okay.”
Guess it was a joke.
Looks bored now.
Ah!
Come to think, never asked her name.
“So, miss, what's your name? Sect or family?”
“I'm...”
That's when.
Dust cloud racing toward us from afar.
Horsemen, dozens?
About a hundred mounts.
I knew who they were right away.
All hundred-odd horses pure white.
Riders in white uniforms embroidered with silver threads.
Young handsome leader up front with golden threads.
Hundred-Li Clan's young lord Hundred-Li Gyeongjun and his Hundred-Li Sword Demon Squad.
Heading to Dacha Village after hearing about the Lowborn Path, looks like.
Battle's long over. Tsk tsk.
I hurried aside with the woman.
They thundered past toward the village... ack!
Why stop?
Over a hundred riders kicked up a massive sandstorm and halted.
Soon, Hundred-Li Gyeongjun at the front wheeled his horse slowly toward us.
Stopped right in front of us.
Stared hard at the woman.
Then.
“Miss, could you remove your veil?”
I stepped forward, blocking him.
Hundred-Li Gyeongjun now stared at me.
“Who're you?”
“Her escort warrior, Hundred-Li hero.”
“You know me?”
“Of course. Who in Chang'an doesn't know Hundred-Li Clan's young lord, the Gold-White Swift Sword Hundred-Li Gyeongjun?”
“And you block my path?”
“I'm her escort.”
For a moment.
Murderous madness flickered in his eyes.
Then suddenly.
“A rogue?”
“Yes. On my way back from wiping out Lowborn Path on Hundred-Li Clan orders, got hired to escort this miss.”
Huh?
He's smiling?
Smirking.
But... a sneer.
“Pfft. I see. Got it.”
Ah!
Rogues get this treatment daily, true.
But in front of a woman, it stings my pride.
“What? Move.”
“Told you. Fulfilling her escort contract.”
The guy flashed killing intent again.
But soon ignored me, turning to the woman.
“Miss, no misunderstanding. Just checking you're not suspicious. Please remove the veil...”
I cut him off, shouting.
“Told you clear: this escort comes with faith! Safety! Privacy protection! Miss, no need to remove it if you don't want.”
“You bastard... Think you can get cocky just 'cause I'm going easy... gasp!”
As Hundred-Li Gyeongjun exploded at me.
She removed her veil.
Instantly, he gasped, eyes bulging like saucers.
The hundred Sword Demon Squad behind him gawked too.
Most shocked was me.
Her unveiled beauty shamed the heavens themselves.
And moreover...
“Kang Baeka. From Azure Sword Forest.”
One of the Five Great Martial Lords, Azure Heaven Sword Lord Kang Yubaek.
His sole blood kin, granddaughter: Azure Sword Divine Eye Kang Baeka.