Chapter 29
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: The Darkness of Hangzhou (1)
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The three left the inn.
Before long, Neung Ryeoun and Cha Myeonghak finally coughed up the blood they had been holding back.
“Cough!”
Neung Ryeoun and Cha Myeonghak realized their own weakness.
They could only grip their innocent swords tightly.
*Clench!*
They were furious.
No matter that he was the Wandering King, the reality that they couldn't even stand against him for a single move was infuriating.
“Are you furious?”
“…”
The two said nothing.
How could they possibly express it with words?
“I’m furious too.”
“…!”
“As expected, the world is vast, and the strong are many.”
It was just as Cheon Seonhak had said.
Rebirth was merely the starting point.
‘Even knowing this, it seems I was too careless.’
The Wandering King was a master of the Transcendent Realm.
Even Cheon Seonhak had only recently broken through that wall and entered the Transcendent Realm, so the Wandering King must be walking a path far ahead of him.
‘Perhaps I was the frog in the well.’
Cheon Muryang felt as if he had seen another sky beyond the sky.
“But, one day, I will surpass even that Wandering King.”
“…”
“If you wish to call yourselves my right and left arms, shouldn’t you be able to do at least that much?”
The two clenched their fists.
Weakness was not a problem that only put their own lives on the line.
‘I must become stronger. I must be able to protect my lord, no matter who the opponent is.’
It was a shared resolve.
Cheon Muryang, seeing the firm will in their eyes, smiled inwardly.
‘They’ll grow much stronger from now on.’
Those who harbor will shall become strong.
And for them, wasn't there a path to become stronger?
“The sky you have seen—do you think that sky is so low?”
*Thrum!*
The sky they had seen.
If they could reach the zenith of that sky.
They would surely be able to achieve what they set out to do.
“I don’t need answers like ‘I will try’ or ‘I will do my best.’ Everyone tries, and everyone does their best.”
That was just an excuse.
The disciples of the Nine Great Sects and One Union would try and do their best, just like Neung Ryeoun and Cha Myeonghak, wouldn't they?
“Become strong. Show me with your sword. That is the path for those who wield the blade.”
Each and every word pierced their hearts like daggers.
“Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
The two made their resolve once more.
That they would become strong.
And thus, truly become Cheon Muryang’s right and left arms.
“The same goes for me.”
All that advice was also directed at himself.
“Dammit, it seems we all still have a long way to go.”
Cheon Muryang walked on with a smile.
“But, we have things to do. Are you alright?”
“We will follow you.”
Despite their internal injuries, the two stood behind Cheon Muryang without a care.
“Good. Then let’s go.”
“Yes.”
*Glance.*
Before leaving, Cheon Muryang looked back at the shabby inn one more time.
[Wanderer's Hall]
Looking again, even the name of the inn was very fitting for the Wandering King.
“Let’s meet again someday, Wandering King.”
The single exchange with him had left a greater lesson than expected.
‘It was an unexpected fortunate encounter.’
It was truly a strange fate.
To think he'd visited an inn because he was hungry, run into the Wandering King of all people, crossed swords with him, and survived.
‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, as they say.’
And so, Cheon Muryang left the Wanderer's Hall and headed for the back alleys of Hangzhou.
At a certain point, light and darkness diverged.
The disparate scene was truly peculiar.
“The boundary between light and darkness.”
The back alleys of Hangzhou exuded a dark and gloomy aura, as if announcing a division of territory.
A few steps away, the bright lanterns of Hangzhou were abundant, yet conversely, even those bright lights could not illuminate this place.
“A place completely beyond the reach of the Cheon Family’s influence… How ridiculous is that?”
Cheon Muryang walked through the back alley with a self-mocking smile.
The deep-seated gloom here was none other than a disaster of the Cheon Family’s own making.
‘I should have suspected this sooner.’
And yet, the Cheon Family had neglected this darkness in Hangzhou.
That was their mistake.
The darkness fed on darkness and grew, eventually rejecting the Cheon Family’s order and beginning to expand on its own.
Thus, the underbelly of Hangzhou was the only place beyond the Cheon Family’s watch.
In other words, it was the perfect place for those who wished to bring down the Cheon Family to hide.
‘It’s only natural that those unjustly cast out would cry for rebellion against the Cheon Family here…’
But the Cheon Family lacked the capacity to even care about that.
It was so now, and it would be so for the future Cheon Family as well.
And so, he intended to correct the Cheon Family’s mistakes before it was too late.
Before things became irreversible.
Suddenly, Cheon Muryang asked Neung Ryeoun and Cha Myeonghak.
“What do you two think of the Cheon Family?”
“…?”
They had probably never thought about it before.
So, Cheon Muryang changed the question.
“Are you prepared to die for the Cheon Family?”
No hasty answer came.
Because Cheon Muryang did not want one.
“I’ll hear your answer after this business is finished.”
“…”
It wasn’t just Cheon Muryang being put to the test.
Neung Ryeoun and Cha Myeonghak would also be tested.
‘Because the people they are about to face were once those who bore the resolve to give their lives for the Cheon Family.’
When they faced them.
Whatever choice Neung Ryeoun and Cha Myeonghak made, Cheon Muryang decided to respect it.
And so, he started walking again.
“Stop.”
*Halt!*
Cheon Muryang stopped in his tracks.
It seemed he had arrived at his destination.
“No one is allowed past this point.”
“Ah, so as long as I’m not ‘no one,’ there shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
Cheon Muryang gave a sly smile.
Then, he nodded his head.
At that, Neung Ryeoun thrust a pre-prepared money pouch at them.
“How about this much?”
“Ah, that’s more than enough. You’re not just ‘no one,’ I see. Go on in.”
“Thanks.”
They took the money pouch and opened the way with beaming smiles.
But their eyes were still filled with caution.
Of course, Cheon Muryang only looked like a foolish young noble who had come to enjoy the back alleys of Hangzhou.
‘As expected, they’re not just simple thugs.’
They were beaming as they took the bribe, but their eyes weren’t smiling.
Just seeing that wariness meant they had reached a certain level of skill.
To compare, they were on a similar level to the inspectors Cheon Muryang had cut down.
However, unlike those men who were steeped in pleasure, these ones seemed accustomed to blood and death, so they were likely stronger.
“Hmm.”
Passing them, Cheon Muryang was able to face the reality of what was happening in the deepest part of Hangzhou.
“So a market was opening. Was this the kind of market it was?”
Just as Geumsan had said, a market was open.
The crowd seemed even larger than that of Hangzhou’s main market.
[Cheap, cheap.]
[We also have foreigners you can communicate with!]
But this was not a market where ordinary goods were bought and sold.
Because what they were buying and selling were people.
*Grit.*
Unlike Cheon Muryang, who maintained his composure, Neung Ryeoun and Cha Myeonghak could not endure the disgust.
“Do not act rashly.”
“…!”
“Face it with your own two eyes. This is the reality of the Cheon Family turning a blind eye to the darkness of Hangzhou.”
The two realized.
That Cheon Muryang was even more furious than they were.
“Understood.”
In that moment, Neung Ryeoun and Cha Myeonghak learned from Cheon Muryang how to swallow their anger.
*Step, step.*
The three took in all the “products” these people were handling.
They ranged from young children to foreigners.
Cheon Muryang looked at their eyes, which seemed to have already given up on life, and blamed himself.
‘How can such a horrific market be held so openly? Have they truly abandoned their humanity?’
Even if they had been abandoned by the Cheon Family and become vengeful demons, how could they abandon basic decency?
The clothes Geumsan had bought for him before had become too large after his rebirth, so Cheon Muryang’s fists were hidden by his sleeves.
*Clench!*
Thus, even when he clenched his fists so hard that his nails dug into his skin, it wasn’t very noticeable.
*Drip.*
A drop of blood fell to the ground.
But a nearby passerby stepped on it, leaving no trace.
It was then.
“Young Master over there, what have you come all this way to see?”
A man approached Cheon Muryang with a bright smile.
He rubbed his hands together lightly as he looked Cheon Muryang up and down.
‘With that handsome face and those fine clothes, he’s definitely a pushover.’
Having come to that conclusion, he guessed at what Cheon Muryang might want and whispered to him softly.
“We have some stunning women, too. Heheheh. If you want something unusual, we have Westerners as well.”
“…How much for one?”
“Straight to the point, I see.”
He quietly held up his fingers.
“Three gold pieces.”
“…”
It was the business of buying and selling people.
A price where they didn't even deal in silver.
“It’s not expensive at all. The price might seem a bit… you know, but there’s a reason for it.”
“A reason?”
“Yes, yes. If you’ve come this far, you must show a certain level of dignity, mustn’t you?”
Cheon Muryang scoffed.
Hearing his words, a faint memory surfaced in Cheon Muryang’s mind.
‘Right. They used to say even scoundrels have their own class.’
The scoundrels called it dignity, and how much money they could spend to maintain that dignity was ultimately what divided their ranks.
The market price here must have soared due to the scoundrels’ flaunting of their wealth.
“Dignity… Who usually comes looking for it?”
“Oh, don’t even ask. A few days ago, the Young Master of the Taeheung Sect stopped by.”
The Taeheung Sect.
That name was definitely a key ally of the Cheon Family.
“The Young Master of the Taeheung Sect…”
Cheon Muryang gave a bitter smile.
Seeing this, the man thought it was his chance and began listing a few more names.
“The Young Master of the Munseong Sect, the third son of the Geumhwa Guild, the head disciple of the Yongyu Sect, and so on. They’ve all used our services.”
“Do they come often?”
“Of course, of course. Absolutely.”
“I see.”
Cheon Muryang smiled.
Then, showing a gold piece to the man who was expecting something, he asked.
“Heek!”
“Do people from the Cheon Family come here?”
“The, the Cheon Family, you say?”
“Yes.”
“Of course. They’re VVIP guests. The likes of us can’t even dare to meet them.”
“Really? So you’re selective with your customers here?”
“That’s right. Even among us black merchants, there are ranks. The folks from the Cheon Family, you see over there?”
He pointed to a Confucian shrine.
“The deals happen over there.”
“…Is that so. Let me ask one more thing.”
“Yes?”
“Did people from the Cheon Family come today as well?”
“Ah, well… I heard some honored guests arrived, but I’m not sure if they’re from the Cheon Family.”
“Thanks.”
Cheon Muryang gave the gold piece he'd taken out to the man who provided the information.
“Oh, my, I, I never thought I’d meet someone so generous…!”
His mouth hung wide open, unable to close.
Cheon Muryang strode toward the Confucian shrine the man had pointed to.
Seeing this, the man tried to stop him.
“B-but if you go that way…!”
“Ah, since I too am from the Cheon Family, am I not a VVIP guest?”
“Huh?”
The man’s eyes widened.
At the same time, Cheon Muryang’s warning was heard.
“Since you gave me information, I’ll give you a warning in advance.”
“A w-warning, you say?”
“Yes. I don’t know about today, but if your merchandise hasn’t changed the next time I come here…”
Cheon Muryang made a throat-slitting gesture with the side of his hand.
“You die.”
“Huk!”
He was startled.
It was because he felt as if a cold, sharp blade had touched his neck.
“You’d do well to remember that.”
“…!”
Cheon Muryang left the man, who had collapsed to the ground with his legs giving out, and headed for the Confucian shrine.
“Neung Ryeoun, Cha Myeonghak.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Investigate the Taeheung Sect, Munseong Sect, Geumhwa Guild, and Yongyu Sect that man mentioned today.”
“Understood.”
Cheon Muryang’s eyes were sunken deeper than the abyss.
“Good. Let’s see just who these honored guests are.”
Weren’t things getting interesting?
Cheon Muryang had a feeling he might encounter someone unexpected here.
“Not just anyone can come here.”
“Step back.”
“…”
Security at the Confucian shrine was tight.
It meant only selected individuals could enter.
“Your training is lacking. How can you act as guards when you don’t even recognize me?”
Cheon Muryang clicked his tongue.
He continued.
“Not knowing me in Hangzhou is a problem, you know.”
“…?”
“Perhaps the Great Young Lord of the Cheon Family also falls into the category of ‘just anyone’?”
Their expressions stiffened.
Cheon Muryang pressured them back with a scoundrel-like smile.
“Do I truly not have the right?”