It's Not Me
The streets buzzed with the clamor of the crowd.
"Two seats left on the ferry crossing the Huai River! Half price if you come now!"
"One copper coin for one steamed bun!"
This was Huainan.
It was one of the cities located on the northern border of Anhui Province.
Once I crossed the Huai River here and entered Henan Province, I would finally be able to reach Luoyang.
And once you enter a city, there is one thing you must do.
Clink.
"Waiter! Bring me some noodles, Dongpo pork, and a plate of pan-fried dumplings! And prepare a hot bath in my room!"
Fill your stomach, then sleep like a log.
No matter how much of an expert you are, sleeping outdoors always leaves you feeling drained.
That was why taking breaks at inns along the way was absolutely essential to refresh oneself.
Scurry.
"I'll bring the noodles first!"
I had cut a half-piece of silver to pay, and the service was spectacular.
My food came out even faster than the customers who had arrived before me.
"Thanks for the food~"
Everything I ordered this time, except for the Dongpo pork, was cheap and came in large portions.
Last time, I spent money like water without realizing its value and blew through twenty gold taels, so I have to be careful now.
Slurp.
"Mmm~ Delicious!"
Cheap food didn't necessarily mean bad taste.
After sleeping rough, just having some warm broth settled my stomach perfectly.
Nom, nom, nom.
As I was warming myself up with the noodles,
Screeech.
"Have you been starving for days? That seems like a lot of food for a lady to eat alone."
A man built like a bear naturally slid into the seat opposite me.
"What? A beggar?"
It was a bit rude for a first meeting, but I couldn't help it.
Because he literally looked like a beggar.
Scratch.
"Hahaha! How embarrassing. If you have any leftovers, do you mind if I have some?"
"..."
I had indeed ordered enough to have leftovers.
If I ate all of this, my stomach would probably bulge out like a pregnant woman's.
But,
"No."
I might share with another beggar, but absolutely not this one.
Slump.
"Why so cold? Did I offend you in some way—"
"You're from the Beggars' Sect."
Startled.
"H-How did you know?"
"It's obvious. What kind of beggar just strolls into an inn so naturally?"
Normally, if a beggar tried to enter an inn, the owner would immediately grab a club.
Yet this guy had managed to sit in front of me without causing any commotion. He must have used some unique footwork to slip past the owner and the waiter.
On top of that,
Whoosh.
I whipped my chopsticks forward, stopping them right in front of the beggar's eyes.
"See? What kind of beggar has the guts to—"
"Whoa! You scared me!"
"Huh?"
Crash!
The beggar lost his wits and tumbled backward.
"W-What?! So fast! I heard the Namgung Family's guest was an expert, but to this extent—"
"Guest? You know who I am?"
He approached me knowing my identity?
Scratch.
"Ahem! The entire Namgung clan came out to see off a single guest, so how could I not know? I just heard the rumors a bit faster than others."
"I have nothing to give you, so get out."
It was annoying enough that he was from the Beggars' Sect, but he approached me knowing who I was?
This guy didn't even deserve a single dumpling.
"Well... forget the food. Are you perhaps looking for a guide? I know the way to Luoyang like the back of my hand—"
Clap, clap, clap.
"Owner! This beggar keeps bothering me!"
"Gasp! M-Miss!"
Thud, thud, thud.
At my call, the owner marched over, brandishing a club.
"Hey, you filthy beggar! Are you trying to ruin my business?! How did you even get in here?"
"Wait a moment, owner! We are currently discussing the future of the Jianghu—"
Drag.
"Jianghu my foot! Get the hell out!"
"Let go of me! I still have things to say..."
"Why you...!"
Thwack!
"Argh! Wait! You hit my bone!"
Thwack! Thwack!
"Alright! I'm leaving! I said I'm leaving!"
"Miss! Please, help me!"
"Wow, this guy is persistent."
I tolerated him loitering around the inn, but he had followed me all the way across the Huai River.
I was starting to lose my temper...
Flinch.
"Whoa! Please don't hit me! I can't even react to your fists, Miss Yeonhwa."
At least he was becoming more submissive after I beat him up a few times on the way.
Shake head.
"How is hiring you as a guide helping you?"
He was the type to keep following me until I knocked him out. In that case, it wouldn't hurt to hear him out one last time.
"Ahem!"
Rustle.
The beggar proudly lifted his outer tunic.
Five knots were revealed at his waist.
"Knots?"
I heard that the Beggars' Sect indicated rank by the number of knots.
The lowest was one knot, and the Sect Leader had nine, right?
"I am Tongmuk, a five-knot disciple of the Beggars' Sect. My master is Elder Jeong Jin, the Law Enforcement Elder and the junior brother of the current Sect Leader. I reached the Peak realm this year at the age of twenty-six."
"Sure. I'm Yeonhwa, an orphan with no master. Satisfied?"
"No, no, no! I didn't say that to brag!"
"Then why?"
"Doesn't it seem strange to you? I'm the disciple of the Law Enforcement Elder and have reached the Peak realm, yet I'm still only a five-knot disciple."
"Is it...? Maybe you're just weak?"
He had cried like a little girl when I hit him earlier.
Fuming.
"You shouldn't judge everyone by your own standards! This is actually quite impressive!"
"Oh? Dropping honorifics now, are we?"
"I-I'm sorry. Please put your hand down first..."
Clench.
"If you keep beating around the bush, my fist is flying. Summarize it in one sentence."
"Well... to become a six-knot disciple, I need to make a contribution to the sect. So please let me follow you and gather some information."
"Why didn't you just say so from the start?"
Brightening up.
"S-So that means you'll allow—"
"No? You're basically saying you want to sell my information. Why would I agree to that?"
In modern terms, he was asking to be my paparazzi.
Of course I wouldn't let him.
Prostrating.
"Please, I beg of you! If I don't do this, I'll have to go on a scouting mission into the Unorthodox Faction's territory!"
"Then go there. It suits a righteous sect member perfectly."
"Ugh..."
Trembling.
Fumbling.
Tongmuk, the bear-like beggar, fumbled in his inner pocket and pulled out a wooden plaque with trembling hands.
"What's that?"
"It's a Beggar's Plaque given to me by my master. It's a one-time use, but it allows you to issue an absolute command to any branch of the Beggars' Sect—"
Snatch.
"Fine, follow me."
I knew playing hard to get would pay off. Did he really think he could tag along for free?
Other beggars would probably dig into my background eventually anyway, so it wasn't a bad idea to sell my info at a high price beforehand.
"Um... when you use it, you must never say I was the one who gave it to you!"
It must be an incredibly valuable item, seeing how anxious he was. That made me feel even better about the deal.
"Got it. Now, lead the way."
"Y-Yes, ma'am!"
Step, step.
Scribble, scribble.
"So you ran into the Blue Dragon, Namgung Hyeok, while subjugating the Blood Sect?"
"Yeah."
Even as we headed toward Luoyang, Tongmuk kept asking trivial questions at every opportunity.
Of course, I only fed him information that was safe to become public knowledge.
"But is it really okay to write down such minor details? I'm starting to worry for you."
"Haha, while the quality of information is important, speed is what matters most."
"Is that so?"
Step, step.
Pause.
As we walked, Tongmuk suddenly stopped and perked up his ears.
"Miss Yeonhwa, don't you hear something strange ahead?"
"A strange sound?"
...
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Boom!
"Oh? I actually do."
The sound of scraping metal, and even something exploding.
"Is someone fighting?"
"It sounds like a two-on-one situation. The two on the losing side are fleeing."
"W-What?! How do you know that?"
"My hearing is exceptionally good. Even the Sect Leader was amazed by it."
I guess even a useless bug has its talents.
He must have used those ears of his to track me down.
Patter, patter.
"Oh? They're coming this way!"
The sounds grew louder until two figures appeared in the distance. Shortly after, a third figure chased close behind them.
"What do you want to do?"
"Well... we should at least hear them out. If they're innocent, we'll help."
It had been only a few days since I decided that being a heroic martial artist suited me.
I couldn't just turn a blind eye so soon.
...
Patter, patter.
Whoosh.
"Pant..."
"Huff..."
After waiting a few minutes, the two ran up to us, gasping for breath.
One was a sturdy man, and the other was...
"Huh?"
A woman wearing a face veil in the exact same manner as me.
She had a slender build, but her height was almost identical to mine.
"Oh... you two look quite similar from behind."
Tongmuk seemed to think so too.
Tremble.
"Pant... huff... We are Paeng Ha-yun and Paeng Mu-gang of the Hebei Paeng Family... We are being pursued by an unorthodox expert due to a misunderstanding... May we ask for your assistance...?"
The woman with the face veil, Paeng Ha-yun, spoke while her legs trembled violently.
The Hebei Paeng Family?
Was the Hebei Paeng Family that clan based in Beijing? I recalled they primarily used saber techniques.
"But what do you mean by a misunderstanding?"
"It seems... huff... he has mistaken me for someone else..."
She was so exhausted that her face veil fluttered with every breath.
Wouldn't it be easier to just take it off at that point?
Patter, patter.
Thud!
As soon as Paeng Ha-yun finished speaking, a fierce-looking man carrying an axe landed heavily before us.
"This is a grudge that must be settled. Outsiders, do not interfere."
"T-That's the Ridge-Cleaving Tyrant Axe, Bae Man-gang?!"
Whisper, whisper.
"Is he famous?"
"He's an expert from the Green Forest. I heard he reached the Transcendence realm two years ago..."
"What?!"
A Transcendence-realm expert?
Hmm... now that I think about it, since they're settling a personal grudge, there's no real reason for an outsider like me to get involved...
Shouting.
"How many times do I have to tell you that my sister is not the one you're looking for?!"
The brother's voice sounded incredibly frustrated, suggesting it really was a misunderstanding.
"Then she should take off her veil and show her face! Why does she keep running away?"
"I've told you repeatedly! My sister has a scar on her face!"
"Ha! Will showing a little scar kill her?"
It seemed the sister was extremely self-conscious about showing her scar.
Because of that, they had reached a deadlock, leading to this situation.
Glance.
"Ahem, I am Tongmuk of the Beggars' Sect. May I ask what kind of grudge this is?"
We needed to know the circumstances to even attempt mediation.
"This is a grudge involving our Green Forest's brother organization, the Eighteen Water Bandit Clans of the Yangtze River."
"The Eighteen Water Bandit Clans of the Yangtze River?"
"Yes. Some devilish wench severed the arm of a lad from the fifth clan, crippling him."
Huh?
Why does that sound so familiar?
Tilt head.
"It might be rude of me to say, but losing an arm while committing piracy doesn't seem like much of a grudge..."
"It's not just because he lost an arm!"
"Pardon?"
"After cutting off one arm, that fiend said, 'Oops, I cut the wrong arm by mistake,' and proceeded to cut off his other arm too! How could we not harbor a grudge?!"
Startled.
"Oh my... that is indeed cruel. And you believe that person is Miss Paeng here?"
"They said that wench has red eyes and covers her entire face with a veil. I wanted to verify it, but she stubbornly kept running away. If that isn't proof of her guilt, what is?"
...
Oh, shit! Time to get the hell out of here!
Slinking away.
"Haha... Well, I hope you two can have a constructive conversation and clear up this misunderstanding. Tongmuk, let's go."
"Huh? Miss Yeonhwa. Are we just leaving?"
"Hurry up!"
Drag.
I grabbed Tongmuk by the ear and dragged him away.
However,
"Hold on!"
Startled.
"Yes?"
"Now that I look closely, you're wearing a face veil too. Take it off."
"..."
"..."
"What is this? Are you refusing to show your face like that Paeng girl?"
"Well... it's not that..."
"Then what?"
"It's really not me..."
Shouting.
"Don't make me laugh! If it's not you, then just lift your veil!"
"..."
If I refused, we'd fight. If I took it off, we'd fight anyway.
In a situation like this, there was only one way out.
Stomp.
"You unorthodox fiend! How dare you harass innocent women under the pretext of settling a grudge!"
"W-What?!"
"Miss Yeonhwa, weren't we just leaving?"
Point.
"Members of the Paeng Family! I, Yeonhwa, shall offer my humble assistance! Let us fight this villain together!"
"Thank you! I don't know how we can ever repay this debt!"
"With four of us... we should be able to manage somehow..."
When I offered to help, the two siblings regained their fighting spirit and raised their sabers once more.
Four against one is definitely better than one-on-one, right?