A Boat Party and a Scumbag's Karma
The waves of the Yangtze River rolled endlessly onward. Zigui was a port city. One might wonder how a port could exist on a river, but the Yangtze’s shipping volume accounted for a full third of all goods moved throughout the Central Plains. That said, not every city along the river automatically prospered through commerce. Zigui was exactly that kind of place.
The overland roads extending from Zigui were poor, and more importantly, it sat close to Yichang. Yichang connected to a major highway leading straight to Chongqing. Where land and water met, great development followed. But Zigui, nestled beside the massive natural barriers of the Three Gorges, had little reason for merchant caravans to stop by.
These gorges were considered the most beautiful among the three great canyons of the Yangtze. Thus, Zigui, positioned at the entrance to the gorges, was popular with tourists. In other words, even if Cheong sat in an inn all day waiting for an escort company to pass by, there wouldn’t be much to see.
Honestly, if she wanted to join a merchant caravan, she could simply visit the local branch of any escort company. At Cheong’s level of skill, any escort agency would leap to their feet, bow deeply, and treat her like a treasured guest. They would even carry her on their backs the entire journey if she asked. The only downside would be enduring the nickname “Back-Mounting Demoness.” It meant exactly what it sounded like.
However, Cheong had no idea about any of this. She knew almost nothing. From the beginning, she had never tried to learn. Even if knowing something could be useful, she never bothered seeking out information she lacked.
Anyway, in Cheong’s mind, an inn was basically a meeting spot. It sounded ridiculous, but in a way, it wasn’t entirely wrong.
She was sitting in the inn with her chin propped on her hand, watching tourists pass by, when a young man suddenly appeared and flashed a bright white smile. His teeth were impressively straight.
“My, my. It seems a flower without an owner has bloomed here.”
Cheong glanced around the inn. It was rather quiet, and the few patrons present were either plainly dressed or worse. Tourists were generally wealthy, so they ate at proper restaurants, drank tea at teahouses, and enjoyed alcohol at taverns. In a tourist city like this, the only people who used a multipurpose inn like this were wanderers like Cheong or particularly hard-up travelers.
There didn’t seem to be any suitable “flowers” around. Cheong pointed at herself with a doubtful finger. The young man responded with a charming eye smile.
What? Me? For real? Why?
Cheong was slightly taken aback.
“This humble one is called Cha Nam-jeong. Might this beautiful lady grace me with the honor of hearing her esteemed name?”
Cheong stared intently at Cha Nam-jeong. There was only one reason.
-598. This bastard’s karma level is……?
Come to think of it, she really had held back for a long time. Those humiliating moments when she had no proper way to respond and could only endure the nuclear barrage of insults with tears in her eyes…
And now, right here, there was a guy worth killing.
It had been a while since her bloodlust had stirred so strongly. Cheong grinned. It was a chilling smile.
“Seomun Cheong.”
“Ah! Lady Seomun! By the way, your companions seem rather heartless.”
“Why?”
“If they weren’t, how could they possibly leave a beauty like you all alone?”
“I don’t have any companions.”
“Aha. I thought as much. In truth, I knew it the moment I saw you. No companion would dare leave the side of a fairy who has descended to this mortal world.”
Look at this smooth-talking bastard. “What’s your name?” “Did you come alone?” “Oh, you’ve been to clubs before?” Next up is probably “Want to grab a drink outside?” right?
“So?”
“Haha. The truth is, I’ve been summoned by His Majesty and must head to Beijing. Once I receive my official seal, I’ll be quite busy, so I came out to enjoy the breeze one last time.”
“Hmm.”
Cheong looked uninterested. So he had become a government official after all. Surprisingly, her reaction aligned with the common sentiment of the era. Martial artists of this time tended to look down on officials. It was all thanks to the great and respected senior Mucheon-daeje.
“Actually, my father serves as the Supervisory Commissioner of Hubei. He pulled some strings for this position.”
What the hell is wrong with this guy? How could he brag so proudly about getting a government post through nepotism? Was this the legendary spirit of Zhonghua passed down through the ages?
Amazingly, Cheong had guessed correctly! This was the essence of five thousand years of Chinese history—guanxi! A father’s connections were the son’s connections. Even if it wasn’t something to boast about openly, it was undoubtedly the ultimate status symbol that everyone envied.
“Which brings me to this. I was thinking of taking a pleasure boat out on the river tonight. If the lady is willing, would you join me?”
“A pleasure boat, you say……”
“Ah, not the tiny little rowboat you’re imagining. I mean a grand vessel the size of a palace, where we can enjoy exquisite cuisine, fine wine, and the moonlight on the Yangtze. If you could spare me a little of your time, it would be a kindness I would remember for three lifetimes.”
In the end, the “want to grab a drink” line had arrived. But there was the promise of precious food and alcohol. There was also a high probability of blood. Refusing this would mean losing half of life’s joys, wouldn’t it?
Cheong folded immediately.
“In that case, I should be the one asking you.”
“Oh! My lady! Thank you!”
“It’s nothing.”
“Then I’ll send someone at the hour of the Rooster. Shall I have them come to this inn?”
Cheong nodded.
“Yes. That works. See you then.”
---
Cha Nam-jeong thought life was far too easy.
This was because he was the one and only precious son of Cha Sun-dan, the Supervisory Commissioner of Hubei’s External Security Office. The position was a high-ranking post directly under the Emperor’s secret police, the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s inspection division. With the authority to investigate officials of county magistrate rank or higher, his power was immense.
Moreover, he was the only son of the Cha family, a clan that had always been blessed with few children. From a young age, Cha Nam-jeong had been able to obtain anything he wanted with nothing more than a flick of his tongue or finger.
It was the worst possible way to raise a child.
Cha Nam-jeong could have anything. So naturally, he began to crave the things he couldn’t have. And what was that?
That’s right! He would take a woman who said no by force!
That was the conclusion Cha Nam-jeong reached. He carried out his grand first operation—and was immediately caught. How well could a kid plan his first crime, after all?
His father, Cha Sun-dan, had only said one thing.
“A man can make that kind of mistake.”
It was the moment a legendary rapist was born.
In truth, Cha Sun-dan felt wronged. Forcing oneself on a reluctant woman was something every man experienced at least once, wasn’t it? So he had let it slide, but even heaven seemed to have no mercy. Even for a father who loved his son dearly, this had crossed a line.
The reason he had used up favors to secure his son a position in the military was both to curb that vile hobby and in the desperate hope that harsh training and hardship might straighten the boy out.
Regardless, all crimes tend to grow bolder over time. Cha Nam-jeong was no exception. At first, he targeted easy prey like courtesans. Then it became married women from ordinary households. After that, any woman at all. Then it was beautiful women. And now, he had reached beautiful female martial artists.
It wasn’t that Cheong was particularly unlucky. Nor was it the influence of her Heavenly Slaughter Lone Star fate that had drawn them together. She had simply come to his attention naturally.
She was neatly dressed but in worn clothes, sitting alone in an inn in a tourist city. That practically screamed “I’m poor.” And what kind of skill could a poor wandering swordsman possibly have? Her face was pretty enough to be called a beauty.
“Heh, did you see that bitch’s reaction? She acted all coy, but the moment I dropped my father’s name, she folded instantly. Wanna bet on how she’ll react tonight?”
On the pleasure boat, Cha Nam-jeong was chuckling with his bodyguards.
“She looks soft. I bet she’ll cry her eyes out and then go limp. One tael on that.”
“I’ll take that bet too.”
“Tsk. Those types are no fun. It’s better when they scream, curse, and put up a real fight.”
The conversation was utterly vile.
“But isn’t she supposed to be a martial artist? Women who pretend to be martial artists are usually as fierce as men, Young Master.”
“You think so?”
Cha Nam-jeong giggled, his lower body already swelling with anticipation. It was about time for the servant he had sent to fetch her to return. He licked his lips.
He had no idea what kind of disaster he was inviting.
Soon, he would be crushed by the calamity he had summoned himself.
---
“Whoa, it’s a boat.”
Cheong let out an impressed sound. As Cha Nam-jeong had claimed, it wasn’t quite palace-sized. Still, it was large enough to be a twenty-person fishing vessel. It was the kind of ill-fated ship that production workers were inevitably dragged onto at least once in their lives. For something she had been dragged into, it was actually pretty fun.
In truth, Cheong regarded the civilization of the Central Plains as only slightly more advanced than primitive society. So even a boat of this size looked impressive to her. It was the same logic as a baby being praised as a genius for babbling nonsense.
Wow, they have boats! Wow, three-story buildings! Wow, there are carriages! Ancient China is amazing!
A pleasure-seeking man from the Central Plains came out to greet Cheong.
“Lady Seomun, thank you for coming.”
“It’s nothing. I’m the one who gets to eat for free.”
“Haha. Come this way. I’ll show you my pride and joy, the Small Sun Lake.”
“Oh. Are you the owner?”
“Haha, I don’t take it out often, so I can’t really call myself the captain. Still, the owner is the owner.”
When she climbed aboard and looked out, the sight that unfolded before her was one Cheong had never seen in her life. An absolutely stunning spread of every delicacy imaginable was laid out in a long U-shape.
At this level of hospitality, even the evil karma of -601 might decrease a little—
What the hell? This bastard. He couldn’t even wait and his evil karma went up again?