Chapter 720: Heading to Jinan
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 720: Heading to Jinan
A long time ago, a murderer known as the Shanxi Blood Demon lived in Shanxi Province.
It would not have been an exaggeration to call him pure evil itself. He committed countless atrocities that left all of Shanxi trembling in terror.
Murder, rape, assault, kidnapping—he committed every evil act one could possibly perpetrate through force. He was a demon for whom the word "lawless" was perfectly suited. That was the Shanxi Blood Demon.
The government troops and martial artists of Shanxi Province formed a subjugation force to oppose him, but it was all in vain. No matter how hard they tried, they could not catch him, for he was as cunning as his martial arts were profound. Whenever he felt he was losing a test of strength, he fled without a moment's hesitation. He never even started a fight he couldn't win.
Consequently, the government and the martial artists were left frustrated and eventually disbanded the subjugation force. They had concluded that he could never be caught.
Following this, the merchant houses and sects settled in Shanxi began to migrate to other regions to escape him. They felt threatened by the existence of a killer whom even a force of hundreds could do nothing against.
Their migration gradually began to devastate Shanxi Province. As the martial clans moved away, public order naturally deteriorated, and outlaws began to spring up like bamboo shoots after a rain. As security worsened, merchant houses withdrew their businesses and moved elsewhere. With the businesses gone, money stopped circulating, and the commercial districts eventually collapsed.
The existence of a single villain, the Shanxi Blood Demon, had brought ruin to an entire province.
In the end, the burden of this suffering fell entirely upon the commoners, who possessed nothing and could not afford to move. People lamented the fact that they were powerless against the Shanxi Blood Demon, the being who had destroyed their beloved home and livelihood.
Then, one day, an incident occurred where the Shanxi Blood Demon’s head was blown apart.
While attempting to kidnap and violate a young girl as usual, his head was crushed by a woman who had come from out of town.
The people were stunned. A demon they had been unable to deal with for years had lost his life so easily.
They praised her. It was thanks to her that they were able to escape an eternity of suffering.
And the young girl saved by her grew to admire her. She began to dream—a dream of becoming a wonderful female martial artist, just like the woman who had saved her life.
The girl put in blood-vomiting effort to change her frail constitution. With hands as soft as fern brakes that had only ever turned the pages of books, she gripped a wooden sword. she changed her vegetarian-centered diet to one focused on meat. She saved her allowance to obtain even the smallest crumb of an elixir, and if there was a cheap elixir to be found, she did not hesitate to travel to the provinces to find it.
She began to live her life for her dream.
Exactly ten years later, she was able to join the organization to which the female martial artist she admired belonged. She had moved one step closer to her dream.
The woman believed that she would soon be able to achieve her goal.
However, her dream was completely shattered not long after—by a man who was nothing short of hideous.
The man was a hero. A great hero who had saved countless people during the past Great War of Righteousness and Demons. He was also the husband of the female martial artist she admired.
Yet, that very man kidnapped her. He locked her in a secret basement and began to unleash his foul desires without hesitation. Her pure body, which she had cherished for twenty-three years, was completely broken. She was treated not as a woman, but as something closer to livestock, forced to endure his depravity.
[Let’s use her for just one more month.]
And when she had endured all that filth, the man spoke. He said they should use her for just one month more.
"Aaaaah!"
The woman bolted upright, letting out a scream.
"Haah... haah... haah..."
She began to breathe raggedly, turning her head to scan her surroundings. Her eyes fell upon a neatly organized room. Seeing this, she realized she had been dreaming.
"Sob... hic... ugh..."
Soon, the woman burst into tears. She simply could not escape this nightmare. Ever since she was kidnapped and sexually abused by that man, she had spent every single day plagued by nightmares. It was an ordeal far too cruel for someone as young as her to bear.
"Why... why... why me...?"
She began to weep uncontrollably. She had only been running toward her dream. Yet, the steps she took toward that dream had plunged her into a pit of despair. How could she not shed tears?
It was while she was weeping so piteously.
Knock, knock, knock.
Suddenly, someone began to knock on the door.
"Wait... just a moment!"
Wipe, wipe.
Hearing the sound, the woman hurriedly began to wipe away the tears wetting her eyes. She felt she could not show herself like this to anyone.
"Come in."
Having wiped away all her tears, she stood up and spoke.
Creeeeak.
The door slowly opened, and a handsome middle-aged man appeared.
"Welcome... Benefactor."
Seeing him, the woman quickly bowed her head in greeting.
"Were you crying again?"
The man who entered spoke in a calm tone.
"N-no, I wasn't."
"Why don't you try lying after you've wiped the tear stains from your eyes?"
The man spoke with a playful expression.
"........I cried... just a little... just a tiny bit."
The woman spoke slowly, her head hanging low. She felt embarrassed that her inner feelings had been discovered.
"Crying is not a sin. Didn't I tell you? You must cry when you are sad so that the sadness can be relieved, even if only a little."
"............Do you ever cry, Benefactor?"
"Hmm, unfortunately, I haven't felt sad even once since I reached my current realm. So, there is no need to cry."
The man spoke with a mischievous smile.
"What... what kind of answer is that..."
Hearing his words, the woman smiled faintly. His humorous tone naturally brought a laugh to her lips.
"If I... reach that realm... will I also be able to escape this sadness?" she asked him curiously.
"Perhaps. Because you will realize that all things in the universe are ultimately just a fragment of nature."
The man nodded in affirmation. Upon reaching a certain realm, one naturally becomes more indifferent to human affairs. Through mental completion, a perspective is gained that allows one to view human matters more objectively.
If she reached that realm, she would likely be able to escape her sadness. Rather than being bound by those emotions, she would pursue a higher path of martial arts through mental cultivation.
"Should I start practicing martial arts now?"
"Hmm... personally, I wouldn't recommend it. It's quite sad when a human stops being human. And it takes a long time, too."
The man spoke in a calm tone.
"Then... must I live a life of suffering, plagued by nightmares forever?"
The woman asked, looking at the man with tearful eyes.
"No, there is a much simpler and easier way than reaching a higher realm."
"An easier way?"
"You can take revenge. You take a cruel revenge on the one who gave you those horrific, nightmare-like memories."
"........He is the World's Greatest Martial Artist."
The woman spoke with a look of sorrow. The target of her revenge was the World's Greatest Martial Artist. Seeking revenge against such a man might be even more difficult than reaching a higher realm.
"Not anymore."
The man spoke with a thick smile on his lips. He might have been in the past, but he was no longer the World's Greatest Martial Artist. His arm had been severed by the Sword God, and he had surrendered the title of the World's Greatest. He was no longer a mountain-like existence that could not be overcome.
"Besides, an opportunity has just arisen."
"An opportunity?"
The woman asked with a puzzled expression. The sudden mention of an opportunity left her bewildered.
In response to her question, the man pulled a letter from his robe and handed it to her. The woman took the letter immediately.
Crinkle.
She unfolded the letter and began to read it slowly. After reading for some time, her eyes widened as she looked at the man. The letter contained information so shocking it was hard to believe.
"Is... is this really true?"
The woman asked in a trembling voice. It was so shocking that she questioned if the information was reliable.
"The one who sent the letter is Yoon Je-gyeom."
The man answered her question in a calm tone.
"The Sword Emperor..."
Hearing that, the woman looked as if she accepted it. If it was a letter sent by the Sword Emperor, Yoon Je-gyeom, she felt she had no choice but to believe it.
"The opportunity has come, Ja So-ryeong."
The man spoke as he looked at the woman, Ja So-ryeong, who was clearly shocked.
"A golden opportunity to bring about the downfall of Lee Jae-won, the root cause who oppressed you and made you suffer."
The man looked at Ja So-ryeong with a steady gaze.
"You can have your revenge."
"Re...venge...?"
"Yes. You will be able to escape that horrific nightmare."
The man looked at her with a clear gaze and continued.
"Will you join me?"
"......Gladly."
Ja So-ryeong nodded and replied. She felt she would do anything if it meant escaping this terrible nightmare.
"Good. Then get ready."
"Get ready?"
"We are going to Jinan."
The man spoke in a calm tone.
"To witness the downfall of Lee Jae-won."
A thick smile played on the man's lips.
*
Shandong Province.
In front of the city gates.
A long procession began to pass through the gates all at once. They were all support supplies heading toward the Cheonmu Alliance, which was facing the Great War of Righteousness and Demons.
Some sent support unstintingly for the sake of justice in the Murim, while others did so to establish a connection with the Cheonmu Alliance.
As a result, the gate guards became incredibly busy. They had to inspect and investigate every single person, allowing only those who were verified to enter the city.
"Dammit, this is exhausting."
Ho-gye, a gate guard, scowled and spat out a curse. His irritation had peaked because of the endless procession that showed no sign of stopping despite constant inspections.
"Tell me about it. Shouldn't they hire more people at this point?"
His colleague, Go Do-su, chimed in with his own complaints. The workload had increased explosively, yet there was no talk of hiring more staff. It was all due to the stinginess of the City Lord, who treated spending his own money like cutting his own flesh.
"As if that salt-merchant-like fellow would ever hire more people."
Ho-gye scowled even more and began to badmouth the City Lord.
"That guy chose the wrong profession. He'd be better suited as a salt merchant than a City Lord."
"Exactly. If he were, we wouldn't be suffering like this."
The two gate guards began to chuckle as they exchanged jokes. They felt that if they didn't do at least this much, the resentment building in their hearts wouldn't be relieved.
Step, step.
Just then, the sound of footsteps began to reach their ears. The gate guards quickly turned their gaze forward. They saw a decent-looking man walking toward them.
"Stop right there!"
Ho-gye raised his voice, putting on a dignified expression. He was stopping the man for trying to enter the city as he pleased without standing in line.
Hearing his words, the man stopped in his tracks immediately.
"If you want to enter the city, go to the back of that line and wait your turn!"
Ho-gye spoke, pointing his finger toward the end of the wagon procession.
"I'm in a bit of a hurry."
The man spoke with a calm expression.
"Is there anyone here who isn't busy? I can't move you up in line for that reason! Go back at once!"
Ho-gye spoke with a firm expression. Everyone here was busy. How could he ignore the order and try to pass just because he claimed to be busy? It was preposterous.
Hearing those words, the man immediately reached into his robe.
"W-what are you trying to do!"
Seeing this, the gate guards immediately gripped their spears and aimed them at him. They thought he might be pulling out a weapon.
Whoosh.
Just then, the man pulled something out and tossed it to the gate guard.
Snatch.
The gate guard quickly caught the flying object.
'Is it money!?'
Ho-gye, who caught the object, brightened up and a smile formed on his lips. He held a glimmer of hope that it might be a bribe. He lowered his gaze and peeked at the object in his hand.
'Gold!?'
His jaw dropped immediately. A bright golden light that made his eyes bulge entered his field of vision.
'It's a windfall!'
Ho-gye was overjoyed. He thought the object the man threw might be a gold piece. He had stumbled upon unexpected luck. Ho-gye began to examine the golden object more closely, intending to confirm if it really was gold.
'Hmm... the shape is unusual.'
The golden object had a very peculiar shape. A dragon was embossed in gold on both sides, and rubies were embedded in the dragon's eyes. In the center of the object, the word "Inspector" was engraved.
'Wait... Inspector?'
In an instant, Ho-gye's expression turned to one of shock. He realized that the object the man had handed him was a badge. There was only one rank that used an inspector's badge decorated with golden dragons and rubies.
'The Special Inspector Badge!'
The Special Inspectors, who were delegated the authority of the Imperial Family to conduct inspections. This was the identification badge that proved their status.
"T-this... what on earth..."
Ho-gye looked at the man with trembling eyes.
"Shh."
The man, meeting Ho-gye's eyes, placed a finger to his lips, signaling him to be quiet. It was a sign not to make a scene.
"Y-yes, sir!"
Ho-gye replied immediately, standing perfectly at attention.
"Now, may I enter?"
Seeing this, the man spoke with a thick smile.
"P-please, enter!"
Ho-gye immediately handed back the badge and allowed him entry.
"Thank you."
Taking the badge, the man began to walk away with a relaxed expression. Ho-gye just stared blankly at the man's retreating back. Thinking that he had personally seen a Special Inspector, whom he had only heard of in rumors, made him feel as if he were dreaming.