Chapter 17
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Turn - 1
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Time passes. Several suns set, several nights fade away. Small changes begin to stir in Jiangming.
One. The inn hosting the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering is gearing up for its grand opening. Silks and ornate decorations stream inside one after another.
A man called the chief steward arrives, fanning himself as he barks orders. Laborers haul heavy loads—porcelain, jade, perfumes, and the like. He yells over and over that these are luxuries none of them could afford in a lifetime of toil.
Carriages begin lining up outside the village, one by one. Each bears a majestic flag: Iron Chain Gang, North Blue Sect, Hua Clan. Families and sects whose names even I had heard at least once now assert their presence in Jiangming.
Two. Martial artists flood the village. Sword-bearing men in conical hats sprout up everywhere like mushrooms after rain.
Retainers, trainees, ronin seeking work, people refusing to reveal their identities. The village youths huddle in groups, whispering about their nicknames, sizing up the lineup of young heroes headed for the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.
Chilling rumors of sword fights sometimes drift through the air. No one dares wander outside carefree anymore.
And finally, the ghost stories slithering through the back alleys. Some call her a celestial fairy. Others, a demon. Whispers spread of a murderous specter stalking Jiangming, glaring martial artists to death.
Yet her true nature remains shrouded. Everyone just spins pointless guesses. Even the Tian Clan is no exception.
A massive wanted poster plastered on the main street. Beneath the crude sketch, the words read:
- Vicious murderer. Reward for any information on her whereabouts.
I spotted it on a snow-covered road and felt a flicker of relief. She hadn't been caught yet. It gladdened me, though I couldn't say why. I just knew it did.
Gazing at the girl on the poster, I buttoned my collar tight. Unaware of the catastrophe looming ahead, I pressed on.
The inn's completion must have freed up some time for him.
"Missed me, haven't you?"
The World Dragon reappeared at the gambling den. It was obvious he'd summoned me through a messenger.
Young masters from merchant houses and escort agencies guzzle rice wine. Their faces, watching the crickets clash, look far brighter than before.
"Huh? Bai, my little brother. Admit it—you missed me. Feels good seeing my face again, right?"
"Yes."
"You spineless brat. How're you gonna pay off that debt without any guts? Don't forget. Only then can your mother live a little easier."
"Tha..."
A casual pat on the arm as he mentions my mother. Something hot surges up, forcing me to bite back my words. Luckily, the crickets choose that moment to start fighting.
I manage to divert the World Dragon's attention to the bets. It doesn't make me happy.
Instead, I close my eyes and imagine a kitchen knife gripped in my hand.
The next steps flow naturally.
Grip his arm tight and yank—he'll lose balance. Instinctively, he'll step back with footwork to create distance. Crack. That's when I lightly punch his face.
Thrust my palm to control his vision. The moment he blocks, drive the knife in my other hand deep. Stab, into his chest. Stab, into his gut.
A dagger's a springy weapon. I recall lessons from the old training hall long ago: It won't kill a man in one or two strikes unless you hit vitals. Risk of counterattack otherwise.
Five stabs might do it. Ten, and he'd surely die. It feels like I could repay all my broken pain and anguish in one go.
Ensure no one ever looks down on me again. Etch it deep so no one dares hurl words like that at my mother.
But after that...
After that, nothing. Familiar helplessness crashes in. I open my eyes and murmur softly.
I whisper it so small, hoping no one hears.
"One seom of rice."
"Huh? Brother, what'd you say? You mumbled—I couldn't catch it."
And right beside me, the World Dragon leans in with ears cupped, mimicking me ridiculously. Silently, I chant in my mouth.
Fifty jeon for one seom of rice. Fifty jeon, one seom. Fist clenched tight, no response. My long-honed survival instincts boil down to utter non-reaction.
The World Dragon is scarier without a sword. Show a reaction, and he bites harder. Persistent as a wolf hunting prey. He won't stop until he gets the response he craves—trembling humiliation.
At the very least... I try not to react. Cling to hopeful thoughts, at least.
Yeah. At least during the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, he won't come looking for me.
I catch myself wondering whether to fret over the fifty-jeon shortfall or rejoice at avoiding the World Dragon's face. The sheer wretchedness of it torments me.
Best quit thinking altogether today. I try to empty my head as much as possible. Just endure for now. Survive, and he'll be gone for a while.
But his thoughts betray me utterly.
"Planning to take you to the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering. How about it? Work as a serving boy."
Boisterous laughter erupts everywhere.
A trap. I know without looking. Something awful awaits me. My face freezes, and he drops the weightiest offer yet.
"One day. Just one out of the whole seven. I'll wipe a hundred nyang off your debt."
"For real?"
"Of course. I'll even write you a receipt. Everyone, witness this. I, the World Dragon, stake my honor on it!"
I close my eyes. What hell has he cooked up for me? I steel myself. My debt. My father's swaying corpse. My mother's lifelong needlework.
The promise of erasing a hundred nyang for one day's no-running was too sweet to refuse.
"...I'll do it."
"Smart choice. No regrets, heh heh."
In the end, I nod.
Now, let me speak of that day. I'm finally ready to tell it.
One day. Someone's life flips upside down in a single day.
A warrior tumbles off a cliff, gains a fateful blessing, rises to rule the world.
A lost herbalist swallows a peerless elixir and climbs the ranks.
A monk entering martial arts late enlightens during wall-gazing meditation, becomes an Arhat. Xu Lü the Advancing Vajra's tale is famous.
But the world holds no comedies alone—one man's fortune is another's doom.
A vicious nightmare you refuse to believe ever happened.
Close your eyes, open them: nothing changes. Drown in liquor: you can't rewind to that day. All that's left is regret, remorse, chest-ripping pain, and gnawing torment that surfaces now and then.
That was my day.
The weather was unusually clear.
I rose early, hardened my resolve. I knew the World Dragon would pull some stunt, so I vowed to protect myself. If I don't crumble or break, I win.
Just serving boy at an inn. With all those heavyweights, he couldn't risk a big scene. A hundred nyang for that? Worth it.
Right before leaving for the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, I glanced at my sleeping mother. Wrinkles etched on her side-sleeping face, raspy breaths from lack of medicine.
That seals my determination.
Enough to laugh off whatever comes.
It'll be fine.
Chanting it like a mantra, I head to the inn. Nothing much inside. People teach me tasks half-heartedly; some look at me with pity.
How much time passes?
The World Dragon calls me to the fifth floor. Sure enough, a wine cup flies at my face.
"What the hell is this? Can't you redo it?"
"I'm sorry. I'll bring a new one."
I bow deep. Something warm touches my head—it's a plate with duck dish. Amid faces different from his usual playmates, the World Dragon bellows triumphantly.
I have to serve more dishes several times. Each round, he heaps abuse and insults on me. His tirade only stops once the young masters at the table shower him with attention.
Young heroes and masters, clad in fine silks with ornate swords at their waists. Heirs to famed clans and sects. Eager to impress them, perhaps? Comments like echo, so his scheme seems to work.
Having steeled myself beforehand, my mind stays calm. Just endure till day's end for a hundred nyang. After the third round, even I stop caring—whatever he spews, I let it slide.
If that had been the end of it. If that was all his childish scheming...
I probably never would've met the Girl again. My life might've stayed the same.
But it wasn't.
What the World Dragon had prepared for me far exceeded my wildest guesses.