Chapter 52
Chapter 52
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Chang'an Ink Sword Grove Tang Pharmacy (3)
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A fortnight had passed since returning from Sichuan, but Tang Sohye was still busy.
Chang'an was a massive city. And there were countless pharmacies in the surrounding areas as well.
Tang Sohye visited each one, gathering their situations and troubles before resolving them one by one.
There weren't any major issues, but the problems had piled up due to the dire circumstances in Sichuan during that time.
They were tasks not easy for one person to handle alone.
But Tang Sohye had received training specifically to act as a proxy for the young lady of the household.
So she handled everything on her own without asking for much help.
"Is there nothing I can help with?"
"No. There are no difficulties severe enough to trouble you with, Grove Lord. It's the Tang family's business, after all."
"If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to tell me. I'm not the type to be stingy about helping with such things."
"Your words alone are enough to fill me with gratitude, Grove Lord."
She was still impeccably polite, but she drew a clear line up to a certain point.
Even so, she never acted rushed or desperate.
After all, she was the one who had chosen to follow me of her own accord. So I waited patiently, calmly.
"Is the intelligence network being restored properly?"
"Yes, Grove Lord."
"Then, could you tell me a bit about the current state of the Central Plains? Would that be alright?"
"Of course, Grove Lord."
"I've heard that most of the righteous sects are in dire straits. How are they faring now? The Nine Great Sects and Eight Schools... no, the Beggars' Sect was wiped out entirely, right? Just the Nine Sects and Five Great Families."
"After the Righteous-Demonic Great War, many pillars of the righteous factions suffered massive losses. Kunlun was the first to be exterminated due to the Demonic Cult's assault, and before word even reached the Central Plains, the Kongtong Sect took near-annihilating damage and sealed their gates."
"Kunlun exterminated? Not a single survivor? And Kongtong sealed their sect?"
"Yes, Grove Lord."
"Kunlun... well, they were on the front lines holding back the Demonic Cult. Even so, total annihilation. And Kongtong is in Gansu Province, right? Was the Demonic Cult's offensive that fierce?"
"Indeed, Grove Lord."
"Shocking. Anyway, continue."
"News of the Kongtong Sect reached Sichuan and Shaanxi, allowing some preparations, but it was the unorthodox and evil sects that proved problematic. Before the Demonic Cult's elites arrived, they committed arson and all sorts of vile acts without restraint, causing heavy casualties. Since the Demonic Cult's main force headed toward Shaanxi rather than Sichuan, Shaolin, Wudang, and Zhongnan suffered horrific losses and blows close to annihilation, forcing them to seal their gates. Mount Hua Sect was exterminated."
"Exterminated? Mount Hua Sect?"
"Unfortunately, yes."
"Hah... I hadn't heard that. Truly unexpected. So we'll never see the plum blossoms they bloom at sword's edge again?"
"Not quite."
"Hm? What do you mean? You said they were exterminated."
"Have you heard of the White-Haired Specter?"
"White-Haired Specter? No, I haven't. I only emerged from secluded training fairly recently, so I might not know. Tell me about her."
"There is a woman known as the White-Haired Specter. Two years ago, a chillingly beautiful woman with disheveled snow-white hair appeared and began assaulting the unorthodox and evil sects that had oppressed Mount Hua Sect during the Righteous-Demonic Great War."
"And? Did that woman wield Mount Hua's sword techniques?"
"Yes. She was too elusive for many sightings, but the swordsmanship she uses is unmistakably Mount Hua's Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword."
The White-Haired Specter is believed to be a woman around the age of Mount Hua's youngest disciples at the time of the Great War.
"The 'Specter' in her name must come from her being a vengeful ghost."
"Yes, exactly."
"I see..."
It piqued my interest. How could anyone hear this and just brush it off with 'I see'?
A sect annihilated. Mount Hua Sect, no less. In any martial arts novel, they'd appear in a hundred out of a hundred.
It was hard to believe such a sect had been wiped out, but for its last survivor to roam as a vengeful ghost? And a woman at that. A chillingly beautiful one. How could I not be curious?
"Tang Sohye."
"Yes, Grove Lord."
"Where might I encounter this White-Haired Specter?"
When I asked, Tang Sohye replied with her usual impassive face.
"No one knows where the White-Haired Specter will appear. She operates alone and is incredibly elusive. Her martial prowess is so profound that no pursuit has succeeded to this day."
"That impressive?"
"In the current murim, few factions have the manpower to track her down."
"Ah, I suppose so. But there must be some way, right?"
"What method do you mean?"
"Just compile a list of the sects involved in Mount Hua's annihilation during the Great War. She's a vengeful ghost, after all."
"That's already been done. However, over forty unorthodox and evil sects were involved in Mount Hua's destruction. Seven of them have already been exterminated by the White-Haired Specter."
"Oh, really? Over forty? And seven already wiped out?"
"Yes."
Seven in two years. The unorthodox and evil sects aren't that formidable, so it shouldn't be too hard.
Still, for a lone woman to wipe out one sect per season isn't easy.
How strong is she? Probably beyond the Transformation Realm.
"How old is she said to be? Anything known?"
"Estimated to be twenty-four now."
"Hah. Young."
Twenty-four and at Transformation Realm. Impressive. She must have exceptional talent.
Well, to even enter Mount Hua Sect, she had to have talent.
Mount Hua doesn't accept just anyone as disciples.
Even so, reaching that level at her age isn't just talent alone.
Though I plan to raise Seolha and Yeonhwa to that level even younger.
"Just in case, could you give me that list of unorthodox and evil sects? With their exact locations."
"Understood. I'll prepare it. But... Grove Lord?"
"What?"
"Do you intend to meet the White-Haired Specter?"
"Who knows? It's not like I can meet her just because I want to, right?"
"No, that's true."
"But who knows? Fate might bring us together. So I'll keep it in mind. And if I force it, couldn't I make it happen?"
"Pardon?"
"Excluding the exterminated ones, there are still over thirty left, right? Those unorthodox and evil sects."
"Yes, but..."
"Then what if I wipe out all but one? Wouldn't she show up at the last one?"
For the first time, an expression cracked Tang Sohye's stoic face.
Astoundment. That was the best word to describe it.
"Well... if it's you, Grove Lord..."
But she immediately acquiesced.
Well, of course. She'd seen my martial prowess with the Phoenix Feather stance in front of the Tang family elders, so she could gauge my strength to some extent.
"But if I did that, the White-Haired Specter would probably resent me greatly, don't you think?"
"I'm not sure."
No, she definitely would resent me.
Revenge is like that. Even after doing it yourself, it feels hollow. If someone else does it for you, nothing could be more empty.
So it's the best way to meet the White-Haired Specter, but also something I shouldn't do.
"Anyway, prepare it since we don't know what might happen. You seem busy lately, so take your time."
"It's not difficult to prepare."
"Good. Handle it as you see fit. Anyway, that's that. Anything else?"
"There are sects not formally part of the Nine Great Sects but of comparable standing: Hengshan Sect, Haenam Sect, and Botah Gate. Hengshan was exterminated, but Haenam benefited from its geography and suffered no losses in the Great War. Botah Gate fared similarly."
"I see. Well, those places are pretty remote. I get the picture. What about the families?"
"The Zhuge Family was exterminated. The Hebei Peng Family, Jinju Un Family, Huangbo Family, and Moyong Family, being relatively far north, avoided sealing or annihilation but lost many elites."
"No place left unscathed. So Haenam Sect and Botah Gate are the most intact now? Are they the largest of the righteous factions?"
"No. The largest righteous sect currently is Mount Tai Sect."
"Mount Tai Sect? Never heard of them."
"A sect located on Mount Tai, the Eastern Peak among the Five Peaks. During the Great War, it was just a minor sect and escaped unscathed, but it rapidly grew afterward and is now the largest in the righteous factions."
"This might sound a bit off, but for them, the Great War turned into a blessing in disguise."
"However, their reputation isn't the best."
"Oh? Is that so?"
"It's not openly discussed. But there are suspicious aspects."
Like a mid-sized company that suddenly hit the jackpot? Or a nouveau riche?
That happens often. They grow into majors, but past deeds aren't entirely clean, leading to downfall later.
Maybe Mount Tai Sect is the same?
"Then look into that too. Mount Tai Sect's shady side. I need to know what it is."
"Yes. I'll compile a report."
"Good. Then get back to work. I've held you up too long."
"It's fine, Grove Lord."
"Good if it is."
With that, I stood, and Tang Sohye rose as well.
"Ah, absorption seems to be going well. Four done?"
"Yes."
"When will the current one finish?"
"I expect around midnight tomorrow."
"I see. Then opening the next one would be around morning. I'll stop by before heading out for the day."
"Understood, Grove Lord."
Tang Sohye, who always used formal speech and called me Grove Lord without fail.
Others might call her cold, but to me, it was her way of maintaining boundaries.
An intentional attempt to keep distance, perhaps?
But I could find even that endearing.
Honestly, everything Tang Sohye did was the epitome of what men like: stoic, strict, competent, boyish beauty who excels at her work.
Watching such a girl loosen up would be a delightful sight.
So for that day, I enjoy this side of her now.
Save the tasty treats. They're best savored at the end. Satisfyingly.