Chapter 311: Wuhan
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 311: Wuhan
In Gangnam—no, in the Central Plains—there are three famous landmarks known as the Three Great Pavilions.
The Tengwang Pavilion in Nanchang, the Agyang Pavilion in Agyang, and the Yellow Crane Tower in Wuhan.
As if to prove its renown, the entrance to the Yellow Crane Tower was guarded by a martial artist who had reached the Peak Realm.
He was a master who had fully matured in his skills, not some common riffraff.
Several other first-class warriors were also on alert in the vicinity, creating an atmosphere so imposing that, unlike other gisaeng houses, not even beggars dared to linger around the Yellow Crane Tower.
“Please wait.”
As Cheon Yeo-hwa and I approached the entrance, the guards blocked our path.
Their eyes were filled with suspicion.
“...Does the Yellow Crane Tower turn away customers?”
“My apologies, but even as customers, you must present something to prove your identity before entering.”
“Identity?”
At the guard’s words, I glanced around.
We were the only ones being stopped. Other customers were entering the Yellow Crane Tower without any issue.
In fact, I could see servers rushing out to greet guests politely and guide them inside.
It’s probably not some kind of local hostility...
In a major city like Wuhan, there had to be thousands, if not tens of thousands, of tourists alone.
It was common sense that something like local hostility wouldn't exist.
Nor did it seem like they were trying to turn away customers who looked like they couldn't afford it.
If our clothes were shabby or old, that might be one thing, but they were high-quality garments we had received as a gift from the Jegal Family.
It would cost a gold ingot to have something like this tailored at a clothier's.
“If you have nothing to prove your identity, please turn back...”
“My identity, you say.”
The more I thought about it, the more irritation welled up inside me.
If the guard had given a plausible reason, I might have understood and let it go.
But to be singled out and stopped while countless other customers were walking right in was absurd enough. And on top of that, a mere first-class warrior dared to try and kick me out?
“And if I showed you, could you even handle it?”
“?!”
Shaaa-
Raw, untamed killing intent, completely unrestrained, seized the area.
The air grew heavy in an instant, and the face of the guard who had stopped me turned deathly pale.
It wouldn't have been strange if he had fainted on the spot, but I wouldn't allow it.
The same went for the peak-level martial artist standing behind him with his arms crossed.
They all broke out in a cold sweat, their faces ashen like corpses.
Yet, none of them dared to draw their swords. No, they couldn't even attempt to place a hand on their sword hilts.
Among the passersby watching, a few with sharp instincts hastily turned and fled, while those who remained began to back away one by one.
Rumble-
Just as I was intensifying my aura, pressing down on the guards—
“Your Excellency.”
A woman’s voice called out.
I turned my head in the direction of the voice and saw an elegantly dressed gisaeng standing at the entrance of the Yellow Crane Tower.
She looked to be about my age, but she had a peculiar aura. She had clearly trained in martial arts, but her presence and her realm didn't seem to align.
When I first sensed her, she felt like a master at the peak level or higher, but now, looking at her, she seemed to be a late-stage first-class warrior at best.
“It’s the—the Yellow Crane Tower Lord!”
“What?!”
“The same Tower Lord who won’t even show her face for high-ranking officials?!”
“Whoa... She’s truly a peerless beauty!”
Hearing the onlookers’ shouts, I took a closer look at the gisaeng’s face.
...Is she, though?
She was certainly pretty, but not to the point of being called a peerless beauty.
Of course, it was possible my standards had just gotten too high.
Ignoring the stares of the crowd, the gisaeng walked toward me and bowed her head respectfully.
“I am Yeon Sohyang, Lord of the Yellow Crane Tower.”
A natural grace was imbued in her every minor movement.
It was so refined that I would have believed her if she’d claimed to be the daughter of a prestigious family rather than a gisaeng.
“Did you say you are the Tower Lord?”
“...It is a title beyond my station, but for now, yes, I am.”
Even for a Tower Lord who seemed stronger than the guards, enduring my killing intent directly must have been difficult, as her complexion wasn't very good.
But I had no intention of withdrawing my aura.
If I had been turned away alone, I wouldn't have acted so forcefully.
I would have just taught the guards a small lesson and been done with it.
But since my woman had been disrespected, I had no intention of letting it slide.
“Does the Yellow Crane Tower turn away customers for no reason?”
“The lack of training among my staff is entirely my fault. I beg you, for my sake, to generously forgive the rudeness of my subordinates.”
“Rudeness...”
After a moment of thought, I withdrew my aura.
“Very well. Anyone can make a mistake. For your sake, I will consider this matter settled.”
“Ah...!”
The Yellow Crane Tower Lord’s face brightened considerably.
The same was true for the surrounding guards.
“However, in the world of Murim, mistakes come with responsibility, do they not?”
“...Pardon?”
But it was too early for them to feel relieved.
If I was going to end it this easily, I wouldn't have started it in the first place.
“If you offer up an arm, I will consider this matter settled and let it go.”
The moment my words ended, a heavy silence fell over the area.
The few remaining onlookers, and even the customers, began to hastily flee.
“...You jest, Your Excellency.”
“Does this look like a joke to you?”
A black Sword Qi flared up, covering my hand.
I refrained from using Hand Aura, as there were too many prying eyes.
“Of course, I’m not saying I’ll cut off one arm from every guard. I will simply take the arm of the one responsible.”
“...”
Even I knew it was an unreasonable demand.
For men who made their living by the sword, giving up an arm was practically the same as giving up their life.
But that wasn't my problem.
The world of Murim was, by nature, a ruthless place.
If I let myself be disrespected here and simply walked away, the rumor would spread throughout Wuhan in an instant.
Naturally, the number of martial artists who saw me as an easy target would grow.
To prevent such annoyances in advance, I couldn't let this incident go. Especially now, when the name of the Shadowless Sword was spreading, centered around Seoyu County.
Of course, using such a cruel method might earn me the stigma of being a member of the Evil Faction, but I had never been a member of the Orthodox Faction to begin with.
“...”
“If the Tower Lord finds it too difficult to choose, I will pick a suitable one and take it myself.”
Above all, with my current skills, whether I cut off an opponent's arm or their head, the Murim Alliance would likely welcome it with open arms.
That was Murim. That was the martial world.
Even in the Orthodox Faction, which revered justice and chivalry, the logic of survival of the fittest was deeply ingrained.
I walked toward the guards, my killing intent still palpable. My target was the peak-level martial artist.
His face turned as pale as a man about to die, but he couldn't even bring himself to flee.
Because I hadn't allowed it.
A Peak Realm master would know instinctively, even without being told.
If he tried to escape from this place without my permission, he wouldn't just lose an arm—he'd lose all four limbs.
Woooong-
The black Hand Qi emitted an eerie light.
Just as I was about to sever the martial artist’s arm—
—I-I received a letter from Lady Sohwa!
The Yellow Crane Tower Lord’s urgent voice, delivered via a telepathic message, made me stop my hand.
As far as I knew, the only person named Sohwa was Danri Sohwa, the Hubei Branch Chief of the Hao Clan and the Lord of Monghyeonru.
So that's it. She's with the Hao Clan?
It made sense. Otherwise, it was unbelievable that a mere Tower Lord would possess the martial prowess of a Peak Realm master.
Meeting the Tower Lord’s desperate gaze, I briefly considered it before retracting my Hand Qi.
Only then did she let out a sigh of relief.
Of course, I wasn't backing down out of respect for Danri Sohwa. It was simply a necessary choice to maintain a smooth relationship with the Hao Clan.
More importantly, I could use this incident as leverage to get a few things out of them.
“...I will show you inside.”
Whether she knew my thoughts or not, the Yellow Crane Tower Lord forced a weary smile onto her exhausted face and guided me in.
*
The Yellow Crane Tower.
One of the three great pavilions of Gangnam, its beauty had been praised in the poems of many poets and scholars.
Originally built during the Three Kingdoms period, it had undergone numerous fires and reconstructions to become what it is today.
Trickle-
“This is Yellow Crane Tower wine. It is a famous liquor from Hubei Province, with a clear yet deep aroma and a high alcohol content. Please, enjoy it.”
I looked at the cup filled with the wine a gisaeng had poured.
No, to be precise, it was the Yellow Crane Tower Lord pouring Yellow Crane Tower wine.
After guiding us to the top floor, she regaled us with the history of the tower, summoned gisaengs to perform dances, and served expensive liquor without restraint, showing us hospitality in various ways.
Thud!
I downed the wine in one go and set the cup down, letting my energy flow.
“I’ve heard enough of the story. You may dismiss the gisaengs for now.”
“...”
At my words, the gisaengs who had been playing instruments and dancing all glanced at the Tower Lord.
Sweating, the Yellow Crane Tower Lord eventually gave them a signal.
Swish-
As the gisaengs exited the room without a single footstep, only Cheon Yeo-hwa, the Tower Lord, and I remained in the private suite.
A subtle silence hung in the air. I was the first to break it.
“Tower Lord. No, may I call you Miss Yeon?”
“You may call me whatever is comfortable for you, Your Excellency.”
“Then I’ll call you Miss Yeon.”
She looked about my age, and constantly calling her "Tower Lord" felt like I was dealing with an elder, which made me feel a bit uncomfortable.
Just a tiny bit, though.
I poured myself a cup of wine and asked a question.
“May I ask about the letter you received from the Hubei Branch Chief?”
“...She said that the great hero of the Shadowless Sword would be heading to Wuhan soon, and that I should treat you with the utmost respect.”
“The utmost respect?”
Does "utmost respect" in this world mean getting turned away at the door?
“I-It’s a misunderstanding!”
As if reading my expression, Yeon Sohyang hurriedly explained.
She claimed that she had indeed instructed her subordinates to treat an esteemed guest with the utmost respect, but one of them had misinterpreted her words, leading to this incident.
However, her explanation only raised more questions.
How on earth could someone misinterpret that to the point where a mere gisaeng house guard would block an esteemed guest?
The letter from Danri Sohwa that Yeon Sohyang showed me contained a detailed description of my appearance.
It even mentioned that I would be accompanied by a woman wearing a veil, so it was logically impossible for them to have mistaken me for someone else.
“...The Branch Chief has never called anyone an esteemed guest before, so my subordinate must have assumed, as usual, that you were a spy from another faction.”
I took a sip of wine and watched Yeon Sohyang, who was sweating profusely.
It felt like a flimsy excuse, but she didn't seem to be lying.
Well... it's not my problem, is it?
I had no intention of forming a close relationship with the Hao Clan, an Evil Faction group, from the start.
It was enough if I could pay a fair price and receive their help when needed.
So, even if Yeon Sohyang were hostile toward me, it wasn't my concern.
Even if the Hao Clan tried to deceive or harm me, it wouldn't matter much.
If that happened, I would just kill them all.
A cell-based organization?
Meaningless to me, who could read fragments of a person's memory.
Tap.
“I have a connection with your Branch Chief, so I’ll consider this matter settled and let it go.”
“Ah...!”
Yeon Sohyang’s face lit up at my words.
For someone from the Hao Clan, she was surprisingly open with her emotions.
Either that, or she was a born actress.
“However.”
Of course, as I said before, I had no intention of just letting it go.
“I have two favors to ask of you.”
“Favors, you say...?”
“They’re nothing major, so you don’t need to be so tense.”
I explained my favors—no, my demands—to Yeon Sohyang.
First, to procure a high-level internal energy cultivation method suitable for a woman.
I made sure to add the condition that it had to be a high-level martial art.
Second, information about any place in the Wuhan area associated with an incredibly powerful master.
It didn't matter if it was just a folktale passed down through oral tradition.
This was to find the arrangement left by Vajra Divine Monk.
Common sense dictated that a man known as the strongest under heaven in his time wouldn't have just dug a hole with a shovel and hidden his treasure there. With some luck, I might find a trace of it.
I planned to give the internal energy method to Noel and Jeon Seoha.
To absorb elixirs efficiently, a suitable cultivation method was essential.
“A high-level martial art...”
At the mention of the cultivation method, Yeon Sohyang’s expression darkened slightly.
She looked troubled.
“Is it difficult?”
“...It’s not that, Your Excellency. It’s just that the martial arts handled within the Hao Clan are all from the Evil Faction, so I am concerned they may not be what you are looking for.”
From the Immortal Maiden Art and Chamber Arts practiced by the gisaengs, to the external arts trained by the servers, the lightness skills of the coachmen and porters, and the water techniques used by the boatmen.
Just as Yeon Sohyang said, they were all arts that were somewhat unsuitable to teach Noel and Jeon Seoha.
“While it is true that the Hao Clan handles information from all over the Central Plains, we do not deal in items such as martial arts manuals.”
“Hmm...”
Thinking about it, what she said made sense.
Do I have to go looking for it myself?
Another option was to search for one back on Earth.
The number of people who practiced systematic martial arts was small, but not zero.
“...If you are in a truly urgent situation, how about visiting the black market?”
“The black market?”
“It is an illicit market opened by the Black Market Sect.”
It was a place I had heard about from Cheon Yeo-hwa before.
The Black Market Sect was one of the Twelve Demonic Sects, considered one of the worst factions of the Black Path.
Originally, the Hao Clan was a sect of the lower classes, consisting of coachmen, boatmen, servers, and porters. The final group was human traffickers.
However, as time passed, voices within the Hao Clan grew louder, demanding a ban on human trafficking. Eventually, the traffickers left the Hao Clan and formed their own organization, which became today’s Black Market Sect.
According to Yeon Sohyang’s additional explanation, the illicit market they ran was called the black market, and all sorts of things were sold there.
People, of course, as well as herbs and poisonous plants banned by law, martial arts manuals stolen from other sects and families, and stolen goods sold by thieves.
It was certainly the best place to find an internal energy cultivation method.
“Moreover, Your Excellency’s second request is also related to this upcoming black market.”
At Yeon Sohyang’s words, I put down my wine cup and focused.
“The location of the black market changes each time, and this time it is scheduled to be held near East Lake. And, there is a strange legend about East Lake that has been passed down for hundreds of years.”
“A legend?”
“It is a legend that a Buddha descended from the heavens and graced East Lake with his touch. Martial artists once scoured the area around the lake in search of a fortuitous encounter, but they found nothing of note. Now, it has become a tale that not even children believe... Your Excellency?”
The moment I heard Yeon Sohyang’s words, a flash went off in my head.
I’ve found it.
Buddha meant Buddhism, Buddhism meant the Shaolin Temple, and the Shaolin Temple meant Vajra Divine Monk.
The pieces fit together perfectly, and a smile naturally formed on my lips.