Chapter 64
Chapter 64
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: Seizing the Initiative (2)
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Jiangshi were one of China's most iconic yokai, and surprisingly, the concept originated from Taoism.
What defined ancient China?
Endless wars breaking out without respite.
Because of that, the land overflowed not with water, but with the corpses of soldiers mobilized for those wars and left dead on the battlefield.
Yet the prevailing belief in ancient China was that funerals had to be held in one's hometown.
Thus, to transport the bodies of fallen soldiers back home for burial, they attached talismans to make the corpses movable—these were jiangshi.
The so-called jiangshi arts...
In other words, the origins of this sorcery for manipulating the dead were as follows...
'In the original story, this was a setting with barely any weight.'
There were two reasons for that.
First, the jiangshi technique itself had fallen out of practical use.
Even the Jinju Clan, the sole inheritors of the art, appeared in the original story already wiped out. Moreover, botch the technique even once, and the practitioner's vital energy would drain away rapidly, with qi deviation lurking around every corner—it was perilously dangerous.
And it wasn't even that powerful.
The corpse of a high-realm martial artist in life might boast steel-surpassing toughness as a jiangshi, but without intelligence or fluid movement, it was just a sturdy scarecrow.
Nor could the practitioner control the corpse remotely.
Infuse it with qi for remote manipulation? What would distinguish that from sword control arts?
It's the same as wielding a corpse instead of a sword. At that level, why bother with the cumbersome, floppy hassle of a body? Just slice them up easily with your sword.
And that was just the start—its reputation was trash, drawing every curse under the sun as "miscellaneous sorcery" and worse.
The Jinju Clan had originally been based in Chenzhou, Hunan Province. Why else would they relocate to the swampy wilds of Wuling Mountain on the southwestern fringes of Dongting Lake, a barren place shunned by people and hard to survive in?
Stay near Hunan, and the government was right there, ripe for a purge. Move elsewhere, and those Justice Alliance bastards would hound them daily over "sorcery" this and that. So they vanished entirely into the remote swamps.
At that moment, Ryeon, who had been listening quietly, spoke up.
"Then how do we find them?"
"I don't know either."
"Really?"
"Yeah. How vast do you think Dongting Lake is?"
"How big?"
"It's called a lake, but you could call it a sea and not be wrong."
And surprisingly, that was true.
By area alone, Dongting Lake spanned the size of six or seven Seouls.
The Wuling Mountains even boasted over a hundred peaks.
In a mountain range of such insane scale, how many swamps could there be?
In the game, one click marked the destination and teleported you there. But in reality? No way.
"This is ridiculous. What are they expecting the sect leader to do, exactly?"
"They can't find it, so they're telling me to."
"So why make the sect leader do what they can't?"
"That's what the Chief Inspector role is for."
"Can't you just quit?"
Cheongun shook his head.
He could quit the Chief Inspector position if he wanted, but there was no real reason to.
The role wasn't half bad.
It came with legitimacy and authority—convenient in many ways.
"They probably did find evidence of contact between the Jinju Clan and the cult. That's no lie."
"How do you know?"
"They said it themselves. Information from a secret meeting."
"Secret meeting? Are those guys trustworthy?"
"You could say so."
He could've figured it out even without the secret meeting.
In the original story, the Jinju Clan had various ties to the cult anyway.
Though the difference was that the cult raided them to steal their inherited jiangshi arts, wiping them out—not some alliance.
"How long will it take?"
"Not long."
Jeok Hwa-ryeon blinked at that.
"You just said you don't know the location."
"I don't. But someone who does, does."
"Who?"
Cheongun extended a finger, pointing to one corner of the room.
Ryeon's gaze followed.
There sat So Ye-rin in the corner, wearing a constipated scowl.
So Ye-rin asked incredulously.
"How dare you spout that so casually? How do you know?"
"Because you're one of the Jinju Clan."
At those words, So Ye-rin's face froze like ice.
"...How do you know that?"
"I know everything."
"Don't dodge—explain properly!"
"No thanks, snake woman."
"You, you bastard!"
So Ye-rin fumed, grinding her teeth, then calmed herself with a mocking scoff.
"Ha! Even if we assume you're right, what reason would I have to spill clan secrets to the likes of you...?"
"Want to get kicked out of the Filth Gate?"
"...Fine, but I'll make an exception this time!"
True to her past as Filth Gate leader.
Her pivot was lightning-fast.
Then, Ryeon, who had been listening quietly, spoke up again.
"Sect leader."
"Yeah?"
"You don't mean you're going with that woman, do you? Just the two of you?"
"That's right. Need a guide."
So Ye-rin suddenly let out a chuckle.
"The kid's awfully sensitive. What, jealous?"
Ryeon's face flushed red.
"What nonsense is..."
"Your ears are red."
"That's not it!"
"Then what? Can't stand sharing the sect leader?"
So Ye-rin grinned playfully.
"Dongting Lake is a treacherous, rugged place. Preparations start from the road itself—plenty to handle. I'm the best companion for the job. But look at you: peak mid-realm martial arts at best, a country bumpkin clueless about everything. What, gonna flaunt those freakishly huge tits again? Hohoho!"
"...You filthy bitch."
Here we go again.
Cheongun clicked his tongue.
Undeterred, the spark between them refused to die.
They went on bickering about who was better, showing no signs of stopping.
Finally, exhausted, Ryeon whipped her head toward Cheongun with pleading eyes.
"Sect leader! You really plan to take just her? What about me?!"
"Pathetic wench. Losing the argument, so now emotional blackmail?"
"Shut up, you wrinkled old whore!"
"What did you call me, you ignorant villager?!"
Good, keep going.
Winner's my side.
Cheongun watched contentedly.
A few days later, in the morning.
Cheongun had been walking for a while before entering the foothills of Dalu Mountain.
Strike while the iron's hot—he was heading straight for the Jinju Clan.
Cheongun usually traveled alone, but this time he had company.
Two of them, no less.
He'd planned for just So Ye-rin, but Ryeon's relentless whining made it three.
Cheongun didn't mind.
With more people, the journey was far from boring.
Besides, this was Cheongun's first long-distance trip.
Travel's always exciting.
His steps naturally lightened with enthusiasm.
Dongting Lake lay in northern Hunan Province.
Quite a distance from their spot in central Sichuan, but the issue was Cheongun's total lack of geographic sense.
Even as a game veteran, he hadn't memorized every terrain detail to perfection.
Fortunately, So Ye-rin proved knowledgeable about the Central Plains' layout.
Then, as Ryeon walked quietly along the mountain path, she asked,
"So, where are we headed now?"
So Ye-rin answered.
"To Jiangjin."
"Jiangjin?"
"Yes. A port city on the western outskirts of Chongqing. From there, we take the waterways east."
Chongqing—a familiar name.
The Romance of the Three Kingdoms regular, where Liu Bei took it and Guan Yu and Zhang Fei roamed.
One might nitpick how a riverside city—not oceanfront—qualifies as a port, but the Yangtze was so massive it couldn't be crossed ordinarily. Inevitable.
"We cross this range first, so follow me quietly without complaint..."
That was when it happened.
Whirrr!
Thuk—!
Before So Ye-rin could finish, a spear half her size flew and stabbed into the ground at her feet.
A green flag affixed to the shaft.
Unmistakable—the bandits' emblem.
"Ha?"
So Ye-rin sighed in disbelief. Moments later, bandits poured out from the dense underbrush.
A burly bald brute, likely the leader, took the front, swinging his sword showily.
"I'm Kang Ho-cheon, chieftain of Yunbong Mountain Stronghold! This is Yunbong territory, rulers of Dalu Mountain. If you value your lives, pay the toll... Gasp!"
Kang Ho-cheon sucked in a sharp breath mid-sentence.
So Ye-rin was glaring at him with full murderous intent.
Just eye contact crushed him with immense pressure.
Worse, the man behind her: two swords at his waist, fishing rod slung over his shoulder.
Any martial artist up on rumors would know what that meant.
'Mad Heaven Sword!'
Kang Ho-cheon, who had bellowed boldly, paled and staggered back.
Then.
"I see."
Cheongun nodded understandingly and stepped forward.
Kang Ho-cheon swallowed hard, watching.
"Great hero, p-please pass. I failed to recognize you and misspoke."
The current era had its Three Madmen.
A title for the three craziest in the Central Plains. The chattiest? Mad Heaven Sword Cheongun.
Even bandits knew to pick targets.
He bowed again, hoping they'd pass, but Cheongun just smiled faintly.
Soon, Cheongun reached him and held something out.
A jingling pouch.
"This is...?"
"A hundred silver taels."
Gulp.
Kang Ho-cheon swallowed.
"Why offer such a fortune to me...?"
Cheongun didn't answer.
Just smiled at him.
"Toll, perhaps?"
"..."
"If so, it's fine. Go ahead."
"..."
"R-really, great hero."
"..."
...Fuck, what the hell?
Why won't he leave?
Kang Ho-cheon swallowed again.
"C-can I really take it?"
"..."
"Great hero? Please say something..."
"..."
No reply.
Ignore him? Cheongun stood firm, blocking the way.
After agonizing hesitation, Kang Ho-cheon reluctantly took the pouch, eyes on Cheongun.
"Th-thank y..."
That was when.
Shing—!
Cheongun abruptly drew his sword.
And in a distant tone, said,
"You took my money."
"Pardon?"
"Unforgivable. Come at me."
"..."