Chapter 93: Xi'an (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 93: Xi'an (5)
The moment I opened the door to our room, an intangible aura surged up from the first floor, flying toward Cheon Yeo-hwa and me.
Wondering just how full of themselves they were, I released my own magic in response. Of course, I hadn't reached the level of someone like Kang Cheolho, the Hunter Association's branch manager, whose magic could take physical form, so the inn wasn't damaged.
Cheon Yeo-hwa had said it was best to avoid conflict in the territory of the Orthodox Faction, but if we let every challenge slide, they'd just see us as pushovers.
I ignored the miscellaneous auras from the first floor and focused my magic on the one who seemed strongest.
His aura and my magic clashed in mid-air, but only for an instant. My magic crushed his, swallowing it whole.
He must have suffered considerable internal injuries. That was the price for acting up without knowing his place.
As I leisurely walked down the stairs, I saw some familiar faces. The guy whose nose I'd broken looked especially pathetic.
‘He was already mediocre-looking before, but now he's just plain ugly.’
The others were also the men I’d seen at the inn during the day, but there was one new person: a middle-aged man who looked a bit like a rat.
“You're the elder?”
“Y-Yes, I am!”
Up close, his face was deathly pale. He was sweating so profusely that it was a wonder he hadn't collapsed on the spot.
He was probably forcing himself to stand, trying to maintain his dignity as an elder in front of his disciples.
“Hoh, so you are the one they call elder?”
Realizing that a fight was now unavoidable, Cheon Yeo-hwa also released her aura, pressing down on the elder. Under her pressure, the man instantly looked as if he had aged five years, his face haggard.
“Hey.”
“...Yes.”
“Hand over everything you've got.”
“...Excuse me?”
“You fucking ruined the mood.”
The bastard had committed a grave sin.
Not only did he interrupt a happy moment between me and Cheon Yeo-hwa, but he dared to show up empty-handed to apologize?
“If you're not here to apologize for what your disciples did, but to complain... I'm going to be in a very bad mood.”
This was a warning.
If you don't want to get your ass kicked in front of your disciples, hand over the settlement money.
“I-I am Su Yanggeon, the Wind-Blown Swordsman (風化劍客), the third elder of the Hundred Flowers Sect! I came because I heard you persecuted and assaulted our disciples!”
“...You were offered a toast, but you chose a penalty instead.”
“?!”
My words made him flinch noticeably, but they didn't have any deep meaning. It was just something I'd always wanted to say.
“D-Do you act so rashly knowing that the Hundred Flowers Sect is a secular branch of the great Mount Hua Sect?!”
“The Mount Hua Sect?”
Those plum blossom freaks?
Now I understood why the elder was acting so bold. He was putting on a brave face because he had a major corporation backing him up.
“This is ridiculous. Does being a disciple of a Mount Hua secular branch give you the right to harass a woman in broad daylight? A woman who already has a lover, at that?”
“What?!”
The elder, who had been trembling with anxiety, now had fury in his eyes. His anger was directed at the disciples behind him.
“You bastards! Is that true?!”
As his voice boomed through the inn, beads of sweat dripped down his disciples' faces.
His intention in scolding them now was obvious. He must be shitting his pants because I didn't flinch even when he brought up his backer, the Mount Hua Sect.
If I was right, his next move was predictable.
“...I will admit that this incident was a mistake on the part of our sect's disciples.”
Just as I expected, he took the bait the moment I threw it. After all, for a man of his station, an elder no less, to admit fault without any excuse would have been a blow to his dignity and pride.
Especially with his disciples watching from behind.
“So?”
“...I will ensure they are disciplined so that something like this never happens again...”
“Wrong.”
I cut him off.
The man didn't grasp the gist of the situation.
“Your disciples harassed my woman. I gave them a fitting punishment and was generous enough to send them back alive.”
Kwoong!
My mana circle spewed forth magic power at its master's will.
A power of a different nature than internal energy began to press down on the entire first floor of the inn.
The pressure was incomparably stronger than what I had released before. To be honest, I was overdoing it.
I had reached the 4th Circle rather hastily, and my body hadn't fully adapted to the mana circle yet. As a result, my entire body ached whenever my magic output exceeded a certain threshold.
“These people, who should be avoiding my sight at all costs, dared to bring their sect's elder to persecute me. I can't just let them walk away unscathed.”
I deliberately lowered my voice, mimicking the speech of a character from the wuxia novels I used to read. Judging by their expressions, it seemed to be working quite well.
The disciples' faces were a sight to behold. They were the ones who had mindlessly criticized me, but if they had even a shred of sense, they would have realized by now that I was stronger than their elder.
—Great Hero.
Suddenly, the elder's voice echoed in my head. I was confused for a moment before realizing it was the Telepathic Message technique common in wuxia.
It was similar to Telepathy magic.
—I acknowledge that this incident was the clear fault of our Hundred Flowers Sect, and I apologize. So please, I beg you to calm your anger...
I didn't answer.
A hollow apology from a middle-aged man wasn't worth listening to.
Besides, I didn't know how to use Telepathic Message. If I replied with Telepathy, word might get out that I don't know any martial arts, which could lead to trouble.
—Th-Then I will prepare a satisfactory compensation.
Compensation? Now he had my attention.
I thought he was just old, but it seems he knows how to use his head a little.
—How about a weapon? Within our Hundred Flowers Sect, we have one of the most renowned master smiths in all of Xi'an. The swords he forges are said to be the finest in all of Shaanxi. We even supply swords to the Mount Hua Sect.
I had been reluctant to carry Gilenium around anyway, and this was a master smith who made swords for the Mount Hua Sect, no less.
It was a tempting offer, but honestly, it was better to get weapons from the modern world. The manufacturing technology was on a completely different level.
“Money.”
I whispered, just loud enough for the elder to hear.
Rather than a sword, I'd prefer the local currency, which I couldn't get on Earth. Of course, I could bring useful items from Earth in bulk and sell them myself to make money.
But that was too much of a hassle, and it was highly likely to attract unwanted flies.
‘I don't know if the principle of non-interference between officials and martial artists exists in this world, but even if it does, it's probably useless in the face of money.’
It was more profitable to just extort rich bastards or rob mountain bandits.
—I-If you wish, I will prepare money. So please, control your energy...
I'd been thinking the elder was being overly submissive, and it seemed my display of magic power had been more effective than I'd imagined.
My body was starting to creak anyway, so I was about to stop. The elder, having realized the gap between us, acted like a dog showing its belly.
When I withdrew my magic, the disciples, who had been practically rolling on the floor, looked visibly relieved. The sweat that had been pouring down the elder's face also subsided.
“For the sake of Elder Su Yanggeon, the Wind-Blown Jelly, I'll let this slide.”
“It's Wind-Blown Swordsman...”
Whatever. I didn't like that someone weaker than me had such a cool-sounding title anyway.
The elder cautiously rose to his feet, gave a light cupped fist salute, and then left with his disciples.
After this, I probably wouldn't be invited to the Hundred Flowers Sect. His use of Telepathic Message was likely a plea to handle this as quietly as possible.
Of course, if I wasn't satisfied with the amount of money he brought, I might just put on a mask and beat the Hundred Flowers Sect disciples half to death whenever they were out and about.
Anyway, with the situation more or less resolved, there was only one thing left to do. I swept Cheon Yeo-hwa into my arms and leaped up to the second floor.
“You need not be in such a hurry...”
But I was.
The commotion had left the first floor of the inn in a mess, but that was the innkeeper's problem, not mine.
If he didn't like it, he shouldn't have sold out his guest's personal information.
*
“...Here you are.”
After the sun had set and evening had arrived, Elder Su Yanggeon returned to the inn dressed in black robes and handed me a pouch of silver ingots.
Looking closely, I saw there were a few silver yuanbao as well.
In real-world terms, it seemed to be worth about 100 million won.
Normally, I would have been satisfied and let it go, but my opponent was an elder of the Hundred Flowers Sect, one of the most prominent sects in Xi'an.
“...When the sincerity is lacking, it hurts my feelings.”
Magic power flowed from my wounded heart. The elder's face paled, and he began to tremble.
“I-I'll give you information instead...!”
“Information?”
“...If you travel southeast from Xi'an for about three days, you'll come to a small village called Jinheung Village. An old temple was discovered on a nearby mountainside.”
“An old temple?”
An old temple? Isn't that common in China?
“However, a rumor is spreading in Xi'an that this temple is where Vajra Divine Monk spent his final years.”
“Vajra Divine Monk?!”
Who the hell is that, you fucking nerd?
“So what? A rumor is just a rumor.”
“...I've heard that the Mount Hua Sect and the Zhongnan Sect are making moves. That means it's beyond the level of a mere rumor.”
“You got a problem with me speaking informally?”
“N-No, sir.”
He seems to think his age alone commands respect. Every time I speak informally, his expression sours.
Does he need a life-or-death duel to come to his senses?
“But even if the rumor is true, if it's an old temple, wouldn't it have been completely looted by now? Is it really something that would make two of the Nine Great Sects and One Alliance move?”
“They say a martial arts manual left by the divine monk might be somewhere in that temple.”
“A martial arts manual?”
“Yes. Considering the rumors that the Shaolin Temple of Henan is also making a move, it seems difficult to dismiss it as complete nonsense.”
“Hmm...”
I didn't know who Vajra Divine Monk was, but I knew what the Shaolin Temple was.
In wuxia novels, they were a sect of monks always mentioned alongside the Wudang Sect as the two pillars of the Orthodox Faction. They're the type with such heavy asses that they only scramble to move after the Murim has already gone to shit.
For a place like that to be on the move, it seemed unlikely to be a complete fabrication.
“But is it okay for you to tell me such important information? Isn't the Hundred Flowers Sect going too?”
“We are not going.”
“Why?”
“With the Mount Hua Sect making a move, we, as a secular branch, cannot dare to show our greed. Of course, it's not that we don't covet Vajra Divine Monk's martial arts, but it is said that the divine monk primarily used fist and palm techniques.”
Su Yanggeon lightly tapped the sword at his waist. True, for a sect that focused on the sword, fist and palm techniques would be of little use.
Besides, selling the information would also be difficult. They would surely fall out of favor with their parent company, the Mount Hua Sect. Why would they be crazy enough to do that?
‘...I should probably consult Cheon Yeo-hwa first.’
For the record, Elder Su Yanggeon, the Wind-Blown Jelly, was only allowed to leave after I squeezed five more silver ingots out of his personal stash.
If you're going to pay with information, at least bring something solid, not just some rumor.