The Heavenly Demon and Sword Empress's Grand Reception at Cheonhyang-ru
The province of Anhui nestled directly to the east of Henan Province.
Se-ryeong, Ye-hwa, and I had traveled to the Anhui branch headquarters of the Murim Alliance in Luoyang.
It had been to exchange the warm chestnuts harvested that afternoon for cash.
The Murim Alliance inspector, seated at the table and carefully examining the seven heads arranged before him, addressed the branch master, No Cheol.
“Unquestionably the no-ethics seven assassins.”
The no-ethics seven assassins.
A notorious alias for seven mad killers who had mastered a ruthless martial art: torturing victims to death with savage methods and feasting on their hearts.
All had crossed the Transcendence Grandmaster barrier, and especially the leader, No-ethics Great Sword, stood on the very threshold of the Transformation Realm.
Furthermore, the group’s combined assault potential was so terrifying that it would overwhelm even a standard Transformation Grandmaster.
The Murim Alliance, and even the patrician Namgung family that held the real power in Anhui, had struggled for years just to suppress them.
In the pre-regression history, they would have been sliced to pieces by the Endless Heavenly Demon in a few short years, but this time they had met a far more decisive end.
No Cheol offered us a satisfied nod, his face beaming.
“This old woman thanks the Three Heroes of Extermination in the name of Anhui’s Murim.”
Thanks to our recent, tireless patrols through the Jianghu hunting down evildoers who would have become future headaches, the three of us had suddenly gained legendary renown.
Se-ryeong, who rivaled Baekri Ye-hwa in both martial skill and beauty, had earned the alias Closing Moon Fighting Beauty.
I, too, had picked up the name Thunder-Rattling Divine Sword after using a strange technique that commanded lightning.
Honestly, I couldn’t hide how lackluster it sounded compared to the others.
In any case, the name that united us three was the Three Heroes of Extermination.
“I will pay the rewards immediately. Please wait only a moment.”
The bounty on each of the seven assassins exceeded several thousand taels of silver, and especially No-ethics Great Sword carried an eighteen-carat gold reward plus a ninth-rank official title, making the payout exceptionally generous.
A short while later.
No Cheol returned bearing the signed notice detailing the total bounty and the ninth-rank official certificate.
The certificate was a vacant official appointment document; anyone could write their own name on it or simply sell it to another party.
It seemed absurd that such a simple thing could be turned into an official seal, yet after the country had fallen into chaos, no one batted an eye at grand daytime corruption.
Still, the system had its advantages.
Except in truly exceptional cases, the official positions granted as rewards for extermination were honorary titles with no real power.
For ordinary Murim warriors they were useful only for bragging before peers.
When an ordinary Murim person received one, they usually sold it to one of the five great sects or a lesser noble family.
Those families could leverage their connections with the court to convert the title into a position of actual authority.
They would create such appointments for promising young men lacking talent within the family, shielding them from the hardship of a life of poverty.
Because the reward could be exchanged not just for cash but for manuals or elixirs, Murim warriors preferred it to ordinary wealth and saw it as far superior to selling to secular merchants.
After claiming our rewards, we left the Murim Alliance headquarters.
Se-ryeong fiddled with the envelope containing the notice and let out a delighted laugh.
“Hehe, now this old one has become a little wealthier than yesterday.”
The bounty belonged to the hunter who caught the prey; there was no need to hand it over to Master.
Since hearing those words from me, Se-ryeong had thrown herself into hunting rewards with unprecedented enthusiasm.
She seemed utterly intoxicated by the simple joy of labor she had never experienced before.
“Listen here, Mu-hwi. To share this moment of happiness with you and Ye-hwa, this one will treat the evening meal tonight. So recommend, at once, the tastiest dishes this town has to offer.”
I answered her with a light smile.
“If we’re in Luoyang, we have to try Cao Cao Chicken.”
Cao Cao Chicken was made by deep-frying chicken in oil, brushing it with honey, then steaming it with various medicinal herbs and wine.
To be precise, Cao Cao here referred to the historical figure who adored beautiful women.
That was the name given to the dish because the man himself had gone mad for it.
Asking a local, I discovered the most famous restaurant serving Cao Cao Chicken.
In a private room with a panoramic view, we sat tearing into the chicken while Se-ryeong wore an expression of pure bliss.
“Mmm… delicious!”
Watching her like that, I felt a deep sense of pride.
Of course I knew Se-ryeong loved Cao Cao Chicken; I had cooked it for her many times.
But in the pre-regression era, she had already eaten it long before meeting me, so she had never shown me that first-time, joyful expression.
It was a small comfort when I saw the scenes I had missed in the past: the loneliness of someone remembering everything alone.
Of course the food was delicious too.
How could fried chicken be anything but?
After the meal, just as with Cao Cao Chicken, we drank Anhui’s famous tea, Huangshan Mao Peak.
It was a crisp, refreshing green tea with a clean, aromatic flavor.
A smile bloomed across Ye-hwa’s face as she sipped.
“Ahh… after a day of fighting, nothing beats tea. It warms even the deepest parts of my heart.”
“Yes. Fighting was worth it.”
At my reply, the corners of Ye-hwa’s lips lifted a fraction higher.
“Hehe, now even Master understands the satisfaction of righteous deeds. How wonderful~”
“Satification? I don’t know about that. I just like the way slave girls’ night shifts taste after we finish fighting.”
She pouted, face suddenly cold.
“Haa… that’s right. It’s my own fault for expecting something… I was stupid…”
Just then, a presence sounded outside the private room door.
“Honored heroes, I will enter for a moment.”
It was the voice of the young girl who served our table.
“What is it?”
I asked.
She bowed deeply once more, straightening her waist.
“A woman wearing a blue palace dress and a golden hairpin wishes to deliver a message to you, Master.”
My fingers twitched for an instant.
“…What did she say?”
“She inquired when the day might come again to enjoy the moon reflected on West Lake together.”
Hmm, just the day I had planned to visit anyway.
“I will convey that I will follow the fragrance at once.”
“Yes~”
The young girl left, and suddenly my face felt burning hot.
It was because the eyes of Se-ryeong and Ye-hwa, blazing with scorn and fury, had locked onto me.
“You bastard…”
“You went behind our backs after doing this to us…? Even after all that, you still call yourself a man?”
I rushed to explain.
“It’s not what you think. Don’t misunderstand.”
It wasn’t a meeting with another woman.
The courtesan, the thief, the gambler, the young server, the coachman—everyone.
A martial faction formed from the lowest lives in the Jianghu, along with the beggars’ Open Sect, one of the two great information organizations of the Murim: the Xiaofu Gate.
The code name for arranging a meeting with the gate master of that place.
***
Anhui Province bordered Kaifeng Province to the northeast and Zhejiang Province to the southeast.
“Above there is Heaven, below there are Suzhou and Hangzhou.”
Heaven above, Suzhou and Hangzhou below.
The saying was apt; both the wealthy ports of Suzhou and Hangzhou were considered the most comfortable and prosperous places in the Central Plains.
And they were famous for having more rich people than any other place.
Both were thriving port cities situated beside the Grand Canal leading to Beijing, so the massive daily flow of goods made perfect sense.
Among them, Hangzhou was our next destination.
If someone asked what the ten most beautiful places in the Central Plains were, the answer would always include one name: the beautiful lake of West Lake in Hangzhou.
Tianxiang Pavilion, built on the shore of West Lake, was widely acknowledged as the number-one courtesan house in the entire Murim.
“Wow~ It really looks like a palace.”
Standing before the grand main building of Tianxiang Pavilion, Se-ryeong sighed in admiration while Ye-hwa nodded in agreement.
“Indeed. I only heard rumors, but I never imagined it would be this magnificent.”
I told them.
“Enough sightseeing. Let’s go inside.”
The three of us, cloaked in black silk and wearing broad-brimmed hats, entered the main gate of Tianxiang Pavilion.
The voices of men drunken and laughing loudly, the dazzling laughter and faint scent of courtesans, and the air thick with sticky desire enveloped us.
While we stood quietly to one side, away from the other guests, a young girl darted over and bowed deeply.
“Please come this way. Pavilion Master Lu has ordered that you be shown to the highest room immediately upon your arrival.”
Following the young girl up the stairs.
The main building of Tianxiang Pavilion was eight stories tall.
Floors one and two sold wine and food, three and four housed the gambling hall, five and six were where courtesans entertained private guests, and seven and eight were reserved for the headquarters of the Hao Sect.
The young girl led us to the door of the master’s quarters on the eighth floor and then withdrew.
The door opened by itself.
“Welcome, everyone.”
The woman waiting inside greeted us with a gentle smile.
Even if she had been the empress herself, her attire was so splendid it was believable.
Yet it suited her beauty without the slightest excess.
“The Fairy Sword Princess and the Closing Moon Fighting Beauty. It is a great honor to meet the two renowned heroes of the Jianghu. And…”
Her gaze shifted to me, who had just removed my hat, and her eyes curved softly.
“Long time no see, Prince Hui.”
She was the owner of Tianxiang Pavilion and the leader of the Hao Sect.
The courtesan boasting the highest price in the entire world.
Hwa Yu-ran, the Chaotic Fragrance and Enchanting Beauty.
One of the elders of the Hao Sect and my master’s long-time friend, frequent customer, and sometimes lover.
Thanks to her, I had met her often in my youth.
I had learned basic techniques of wine and spirit from her.
In short, she was a mother-like figure and a second master to me.
She was no hidden lover.
To begin with, she looked in her late twenties, but this year…
“Oh my, Prince Hui, what thoughts are running through your head right now~?”
“…!”
Because of the eerie, melancholic voice that slipped into my thoughts, I coughed awkwardly and bowed.
“I have been well, Pavilion Master Lu. I trust you have been as well?”
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