Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Chang'an Fragrant Flower Pavilion (1)
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Ink Sword Grove, the evening we arrived. The people sent by Manager Jang had come.
They were handpicked individuals known for their tight lips.
There wasn't really anything that needed to stay secret just yet, but I still didn't want my story spreading everywhere, so I'd emphasized that point.
Anyway, they immediately set to work cleaning and preparing meals, while Seolha and I watched them closely to make sure everything was in order.
Whenever a maid or cook referred to Seolha as "madam," she firmly insisted they not call her that.
But her face was smiling. And her tone toward them grew endlessly gentle and kind.
Man. She's adorable. So cute. Seeing that side of her makes it impossible for me not to smile too.
With the sun fully set, it was time to call it a day.
The quiet sound of footsteps approached, and Seolha, who had gone to check on Namgung Yeonhwa, opened the door and entered.
"Young hero. Yeonhwa's awake. She wants to come pay her respects to you. Is that alright?"
"She woke up early, huh? But what kind of sick patient goes around making formal greetings? Let's go now. I'll head over myself."
At my words, Seolha smiled warmly once again.
She probably knew I'd say something like that. It was just a polite formality on her part.
"Namgung Yeonhwa of the Namgung Family pays her respects to her benefactor. Ugh."
"Ah, enough. Lie back down. Honestly, forcing yourself up like that is a strike against you. Manners in proportion to the situation, right?"
Namgung Yeonhwa tried to rise from the bed but grimaced in pain, and I spoke to her.
"Still... how could I express my gratitude to my benefactor while lying down..."
"I said it's fine. If you really want to do it properly, do it once you're healthy. For now, just focus on recovering quickly."
"Thank you... young hero."
Namgung Yeonhwa had grown quite gaunt from lying in bed for so long, but even so, she was a woman of considerable beauty.
Actually, calling her a woman might be a bit premature. She still had a youthful innocence.
Given her age, it might be more accurate to call her a girl.
In any case, judging by her looks, she was quite promising.
Once her body was fully healed and she put on a little weight, she'd probably look just as stunning as Seolha.
"You've heard the situation, right? How I plan to treat you?"
"Yes, young hero. I have. Please... I beg you."
Telling a martial artist, "I'm going to shatter your dantian and create a new one. That's the treatment," would probably get you stared at like a madman.
They'd probably react like the legendary healer Hua Tuo, who got executed for saying, "I need to open the prime minister's head to cure his headaches."
But Namgung Yeonhwa showed no such reaction.
Of course not. She'd seen Seolha's example.
Any martial artist could sense, even if it was still small, that Seolha's dantian was newly formed.
And Seolha must have explained it directly.
"Don't think about anything unnecessary. Focus on building your stamina. The better your physical condition, the easier it'll be to shatter your broken dantian. Once it's completely destroyed, I can remake it like Seolha's. Got it?"
"Yes, young hero."
"Good. Any questions?"
At that, Namgung Yeonhwa glanced at Seolha, then at me, before cautiously speaking up.
"Um... if I may be so bold..."
"It's not bold at all. Speak freely."
"Why are you bestowing such grace upon us?"
There it is, that question. I knew it was coming.
"Because of Seolha's beauty."
"Pardon!?"
"It's true. That's the biggest reason, more than anything else. I liked Seolha's figure, and holding her felt good. So I wanted to keep her by my side, and this is just a bit of help to make that happen."
"Is that... really the only reason?"
"Yeah. I'm not that complicated a guy."
"Could it be you have some connection to our family or this region..."
"Yeonhwa! The young hero isn't like that! He only learned about the family's situation after he agreed to help me!"
Namgung Yeonhwa looked slightly startled as Seolha jumped in to defend me.
"B-but, Sister! I still can't believe it! Ever since the calamity befell our family... it's been nothing but people targeting us! And that day... that day..."
Unable to continue, Namgung Yeonhwa finally broke into sobs.
I understood. Her reaction was perfectly normal.
So I had no intention of holding it against her. Why would I?
The Namgung Family, rapidly declining after the Righteous-Demonic-Evil Great War.
With much to possess but few to protect it, greedy scum must have swarmed like flies.
Moreover, on the day these two women fled, the Namgung Family had been wiped out.
So it was only natural they couldn't trust anyone or reveal their true feelings lightly.
"If you can't believe it, you don't have to. I'm not forcing you. But no matter what you think, I'll remake your dantian. I promised Seolha. So build your stamina. You want to recover quickly too, right? So you can seek revenge or rebuild. Isn't that so?"
"Young hero, I'm sorry. Let me apologize on Yeonhwa's behalf."
Seolha grabbed my arm as she spoke, and I replied with a smile.
"What's there to apologize for? Don't worry about it. You take care of that girl. Oh, right. I'm going out to look for those Shadowless Gate bastards, so don't wait up. Not sure when I'll be back."
"You're... heading out now?"
"The rats will be more active after dark."
"True, but..."
"Yeah. So I'll be off."
"Yes, young hero. Oh, and one more thing."
"Hm?"
"In Chang'an here, people from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult show up from time to time. I don't think anything will happen to you, young hero, but getting tangled with them could be troublesome."
"The Demon Cult? Those Heavenly Demon Divine Cult guys from the border regions?"
"Yes, young hero."
"No way. Why would those guys come all the way here? Didn't they retreat after the Righteous-Demonic-Evil Great War?"
"No. The Central Plains martial world is currently like a power vacuum, and the Demon Cult has partially fulfilled their long-cherished dream of returning. With even the sects that should be suppressing them effectively sealed away, places like Gansu Province have already fallen under Demon Cult influence."
"Is that so? Huh. The Demon Cult?"
"Um... young hero? You're not thinking something strange, are you?"
"Huh? What strange thoughts?"
"I haven't served you long, but right now, you have that look like you're plotting something..."
"Wow, you've got sharp eyes. But don't worry. You know that. You think something's gonna happen to me?"
"No, not that, but... troublesome things and difficult things are different."
"Of course. Anyway, you're thoughtful. Worrying about stuff like this."
As I said that and cupped her cheek, Seolha tilted her head slightly into my hand.
And Namgung Yeonhwa watched us with an incredulous expression.
"What? Something to say?"
"No... nothing."
"Jealous? If you're jealous, just say so. Oh. If you want a hug too, you gotta heal up first. Right now, you're all skin and bones."
"Wh-what are you saying!"
"Young hero..."
Both Namgung Yeonhwa and Seolha looked at me with awkward expressions.
And as I watched them, a glimpse of the future flashed in my mind.
I'd probably have both these women in my arms on the same bed someday.
Yeah, definitely. If not, that'd be the real problem.
"Anyway, I'm heading out."
With that, I left the two women behind, changed clothes, and departed Ink Sword Grove.
On my way to find the Shadowless Gate scum.
My current appearance was that of a perfect playboy rogue.
The Shadowless Gate. A sect formed by those in lowly trades.
But in reality, it wasn't like that.
Coachmen, pickpockets, gamblers, errand boys. Folks like that add no real value even if you call them Shadowless Gate.
No matter how much you squeeze them, rooting out the higher-ups is practically impossible.
They're expendable tails that can be cut off at will.
So before you dig up the top, the connections get severed.
Then they go into hiding, becoming even harder to track. Can't have that.
They need to come to me on their own.
That's the answer I came up with.
Me as the bait. Or playing the fool of a client.
There are plenty of brothels in Chang'an.
Even top-tier luxury spots like Jade Radiance Pavilion. So without hesitation, I headed to one of those.
My outfit screamed money leaking from every pore.
The moment a guy like me walked into the brothel, the treatment was already on another level.
"I heard that whenever you're in Chang'an, you absolutely have to visit Fragrant Flower Pavilion, so I came to check it out. My expectations are high, so let's see if you can satisfy me."
As I placed a bill of exchange from Xi'an Merchant House on the table, a mid-level courtesan checked it and her eyes widened.
Women like her are trained to control their expressions, yet she reacted like that.
That meant the bill I'd put down was worth quite a sum, enough to elicit such a response.
Thanks to that, my treatment shot up to the highest level.
They escorted me to a private annex here too, and as I lounged obliquely on the bed, about ten lovely courtesans entered.
"Young master. Which girl catches your eye? Please choose personally."
The woman who guided me said that, and I gave the courtesans a quick once-over.
Damn. They're all great. Must be the money, huh?
Not quite on Seolha's level, but none of them were lacking in any way.
Is this place doing a selection system? Interesting. Guess every brothel has its own style.
"All of them."
"All of... them?"
"What, not enough?"
The woman looked a bit troubled.
I pulled another bill from my bosom and handed it to her.
Her eyes widened even more than before, her hands trembling slightly.
"Good now? I'll be here two days. If that's still not enough, say so. I've got plenty of money."
"N-no! Not at all! How could it not be? It's more than enough. No need to worry. Girls! What are you doing? Serve the young master properly!"
I gave her a smile in response.
It was a bit excessive spending. But no matter. Think of it as operational funds to make contact with the Shadowless Gate. Not a waste at all.
Plus, I still had plenty of Night-Luminescent Pearls. More ways to turn them into cash.
So no desire to skimp on money. It's there one day, gone the next, anyway.
And so, surrounded by ten courtesans, I began reveling in earnest.
Ah. This might give the wrong idea. This is purely part of the job.
Absolutely not because I wanted to party hard.
No need to feel any pangs of conscience.
Since I'm here, might as well enjoy it properly.