Chapter 77
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Stop! [Halt!] (2)
Go wherever you want. Do whatever you please.
That was what Four Thousand Four had said.
The words stuck firmly in his ears.
So Vanguard decided to do just that. Whether the Zhuge Clan warriors pursued him or not, whether the Apology Assassins trailed behind or not.
Vanguard descended the mountain and entered Ningqiang County in Shaanxi Province.
Ningqiang County lay within the Zhuge Clan's territory. Even though it was a border region outside Hanzhong, it still belonged to the area under the Zhuge Clan's influence in Hanzhong.
Naturally, the military, officials, and civilians were all cooperative with the Zhuge Clan.
In short, falling out of favor with the Zhuge Clan made life in Hanzhong nearly impossible.
Vanguard was the man who had killed the Zhuge Clan Lord.
In truth, he hadn't even touched the man with a fingertip. He hadn't so much as stepped inside the walls, let alone laid a hand on anyone. But in the current world, it was known that Vanguard's group had slain the Zhuge Clan Lord.
The Zhuge Clan Lord had been assassinated by killers!
Vanguard hadn't even imagined the impact this would have on the people of Hanzhong.
But now that he was in Ningqiang County, he could feel it with every fiber of his being.
Mourning banners hung from every household.
Among the passersby, quite a few wore mourning clothes. Some had eyes swollen from weeping.
"Those Heavenly Annihilation Division bastards, every last one of them needs to be beaten to death!"
"The world's gone to hell. Some two-bit assassins strutting around the martial world! If I ever spot one of those scum..."
In every teahouse, every tavern... wherever people gathered, voices rose demanding the death of the Heavenly Annihilation Division.
The announcement of the Zhuge Clan Lord's death had this much influence.
It wasn't something they could simply retract a day or two later with a casual "Never mind, the lord didn't actually die." If they did, it would deal a massive blow to the Zhuge Clan's reputation—a gravely serious matter.
The Zhuge Clan had made this announcement with full resolve.
'Feels like I've stepped into quicksand.'
Vanguard furrowed his brow.
"Didn't those bastards all flee?"
"They caught some, but it seems the Heavenly Annihilation Division had moles planted inside the Zhuge Clan. They slipped them out under cover of night."
"Those guys came prepared down to the last detail."
"It's an assassination of the clan lord—think they'd half-ass it?"
"Come to think of it... I had a bad feeling from the moment they made the assassination public. Sigh!"
Vanguard left the murmurs behind and entered a shop with a sign reading "Blade Store."
The inside was empty.
A few fine steel longswords and blades lay neatly displayed on the shelves as if for sale, but no one was in sight.
"Here to get a sword sharpened."
Vanguard called out loudly.
"Just a moment, please."
A feeble, aged voice came from the back. Moments later, a sickly old man who looked well over eighty and could barely walk shuffled out with great effort.
"Sharpening a sword?"
"Please do a good job of it."
Vanguard untied the sword from his waist and handed it to the old man.
The elder took the sword. In that instant, the frail old man's demeanor vanished. He became solemn and composed. From the moment he gripped the sword, the elder himself had become a blade.
Chaaang!
The old man drew the sword and inspected the edge.
"Hm!"
The elder grunted.
He examined the blade for a moment, glanced at Vanguard, then looked back at the edge.
"This isn't a sword that's cut down a man..."
"Does it have to have tasted blood to deserve sharpening?"
"True enough. But this blade still reeks of the whetstone. Come back after it's drawn blood, even if it's just from a rotten plank."
The old man extended the sword back.
Vanguard didn't take it but stared at the elder instead. The old man silently held it out.
Vanguard spoke without accepting it.
"Whether to sharpen a sword is up to its wielder."
"Whether to sharpen it or not is up to the bladesmith."
"If that's how it is, then..."
Vanguard took the sword.
The Heavenly Annihilation Division had refused the meeting!
Vanguard was taken aback.
He left the blade shop but found it hard to tear himself away.
The Heavenly Annihilation Division had told him where to go next. There was a protocol for immediate action if he was denied a face-to-face.
'What was it again?'
There was no reason for the Heavenly Annihilation Division to avoid meeting him. So he'd let the protocol for a refused meeting go in one ear and out the other. It had nothing to do with him.
For now, he headed to a teahouse.
He needed a cup of tea. He'd think calmly while drinking. The Heavenly Annihilation Division refusing to meet?
'Mountain God Shrine! Right, the Mountain God Shrine!'
Vanguard remembered where he had to go.
Before finding the Mountain God Shrine, he needed to locate a General's Tomb first. The general's name didn't matter—any would do. As long as there was a General's Tomb with a Mountain God Shrine nearby.
What if there were two tombs? No need to worry. This was Heavenly Annihilation Division business.
Trickle...
He poured pale green tea into an empty cup.
Someone denied a meeting could be considered cast out from the organization. If their tail was caught, it was firmly so—better to cut them loose than rescue them.
That was Vanguard's judgment from his position.
Then again... the Zhuge Clan was on their trail. The Apology Assassins too. Meeting anyone would expose them. Cutting ties might be the wiser choice.
The path to the Mountain God Shrine... it might lead straight to his death.
The Heavenly Annihilation Division saw right through Vanguard.
They knew the easiest way to handle a traitor operating outside.
If the Zhuge Clan could kill him only by devoting their full might, the Heavenly Annihilation Division could do it with half the effort. Because they knew the man and his martial arts.
"Heh heh heh!"
Vanguard laughed.
Even if the Heavenly Annihilation Division decided to wipe out his entire group... he had to go. No choice in the matter.
"Is there a General's Tomb nearby?"
He asked the teahouse errand boy.
"General's Tomb? There's one called that on the mountain over there... but it's just a name—no stele, no statue, nothing worth seeing. What business could you have there...?"
"I've got something to check."
"Ah, I see."
The boy gave him a look like he'd seen every kind of weirdo.
Deep into the night, he moved stealthily like a stray cat.
Didn't he have tails following? He hid his body as best he could. He shook off pursuers with all his effort. If they still stuck, there was nothing for it.
Swoosh!
He headed in the exact opposite direction from where the errand boy said the tomb was.
The Mountain God Shrine wasn't on the same mountain as the General's Tomb. It stood facing it. Meaning the shrine was on the opposing mountain across from the one with the tomb.
Someone might be tailing him.
If he'd asked the errand boy, someone would have grilled the boy immediately. If he'd stopped a passerby and asked something, that traveler would have been interrogated too.
What did they talk about? What did he tell you?
Vanguard slipped into the mountain likely to hold the Mountain God Shrine.
Of course, being new to these unfamiliar peaks, he had no idea where it was. So now he had to search. In the pitch-black night, he set out to find a tiny shack somewhere.
But he knew roughly where Mountain God Shrines were usually located.
Swish!
He raced swiftly along paths people might tread.
Mountain God Shrines didn't stray from human trails. They were placed where people passed.
Swoosh!
Vanguard infiltrated the Mountain God Shrine.
Of course, he'd checked twice, three times for tails. Only after thorough scans did he conclude there were none.
The shrine was tiny. Barely enough space for one or two people to bow in prayer.
Vanguard examined the incense burner.
Traces of burned incense remained. But not recent. The ashes had absorbed moisture and grown damp. Spiderwebs draped the altar.
No incense had been lit here in ages.
Was this the right Mountain God Shrine? It had to be. If not, what could he do? A tomb on one mountain, shrine on the facing one—that was the info. Finding this place already showed resourcefulness.
Vanguard stepped out and plopped down anywhere.
Stars twinkled. The moon shone bright.
The sky blazed like it was lit by fire. But the mountains were pitch dark, visibility zero.
The mountain night was so black that no explanation could convey it to the uninitiated. Insects buzzed everywhere. Mosquitoes swarmed in droves.
But Vanguard had no time to care.
A figure stood before him. It had appeared silently, out of nowhere, watching him.
Vanguard stood too.
"Vanguard of the Seventeen Killing Squad."
He clasped his fists in salute and spoke.
"Hm... Hm..."
The man in the darkness made a groaning sound. Then he called out.
"Vanguard."
"Yes. Speak."
Vanguard replied respectfully.
His meetings were always like this. Even in a blade shop. Some shadowy figure appeared, delivered their piece, and vanished abruptly.
Of course, he could request necessities. But the shopkeeper handled that. Request from the shopkeeper, receive goods or answers from the shopkeeper—that was the system.
The stranger only relayed superiors' orders.
Vanguard never knew who he was meeting. Only one thing: he had to speak first. And the response always began with that groan, just like now.
A code to confirm each other.
At first, he'd hung on every code word, tense about whether it matched. But now, he knew by feel alone.
The man in the dark was definitely a Heavenly Annihilation Division messenger. And higher-ranked than any Vanguard had met before. His presence alone made Vanguard tense. A supreme master who made him hold his breath.
The man spoke.
"Vanguard, you must kill Four Thousand Four."
"W-what?!"
Vanguard blurted in shock.
Kill Four Thousand Four? Was it connected to the Zhuge Clan's announcement of their lord's death? Well... in the martial world, Four Thousand Four was known as the killer. Silencing him made sense as a measure.
"C-can't you reconsider...?"
"The decision is made."
"I'll check with headquarters."
"No need... Just choose: kill him or not."
Vanguard swallowed dryly.
Refuse, and he dies. Not just him—his entire Seventeen Killing Squad would be exterminated.
Four Thousand Four had fallen into a deep trap.
Had the Zhuge Clan foreseen this? Were they confident the Heavenly Annihilation Division would clean house if they just tailed him? So they let him go?
The man said,
"Hesitating like this? Not like you, Vanguard. Shall I take your silence as acceptance?"
Vanguard scowled.
The Heavenly Annihilation Division didn't value his Seventeen Killing Squad one bit. They treated them like used-up tools.
Vanguard said,
"I'll eliminate Four Thousand Four."
"Heh heh heh! Knew you would."
"..."
"He must've been useful. Even now, after answering, you're conflicted."
"Frankly, getting used and discarded— what's there to like?"
"Heh heh heh! Used and discarded. If that's how you see it, Vanguard, you're blind."
"What?"
"Want some peace of mind?"
"...?"
"Since Four Thousand Four emerged from the Nineteen Hells, he's killed around forty men."
"F-forty?!"
Vanguard yelped in surprise.
The assassins testing Four Thousand Four in three exchanges had died instead—twelve of them. He'd killed merchants and travelers on missions, plus two or three warriors. Even so, less than twenty. But forty?
"On the road, along the way... he's killed over twenty more. Unrelated to any missions. Heh heh heh! Get it? Four Thousand Four can't be controlled. That's why he has to die."
Vanguard felt dazed, like he'd been struck in the back of the head.
What was this man saying? Mumbling nonsense. When had Four Thousand Four ever killed anyone...?