The Romance of the Rogue
The Four Seasons Request, to be honest, had already stripped the Changcheon Squad of any real meaning as a band of rogue martial artists. Why had they deliberately chosen to establish their group identity as a rogue unit rather than joining a sect or a faction? The reason was simple: a rogue company was the most suitable vessel for achieving two goals at once. First, the freedom to move without being tied to any single region or organization. Second, the ability to secure operating funds smoothly. A rogue band was the group best equipped to accomplish both objectives with ease, so the three of them had created the Changcheon Squad without hesitation.
But now, there was no longer any need to remain shackled to those two premises. For one thing, the second objective had been completely fulfilled. Funds? With the Five Tiger Plaque alone, they could receive unlimited support from the branch stores of the Hebei Paeng Family’s merchant guild and their affiliated partners. And that wasn’t all. In addition to the Five Tiger Plaque, Namgung Woo possessed another token—one whose original owner was none other than Moyong Hye, the matriarch of the Hebei Paeng Family.
When he had left the Hebei Paeng Family, Moyong Hye had said this was all she could give him and handed over her personal token.
“I have already married into another family, so I cannot dare promise you the aid of the Moyong clan. However, I still possess the personal wealth I accumulated while I was part of the Moyong Family.”
At first, Namgung Woo had tried to refuse. He had already received so much from the Hebei Paeng Family—why take even more? Besides, no matter how much money Moyong Hye had saved, how significant could it possibly be? It felt uncomfortably like snatching away someone’s pocket money.
But he had been wrong. Moyong Hye’s personal fortune far exceeded his imagination.
“Divide the world into north and south; the wealth of the north gathers in the Moyong clan, and the wealth of the south gathers in the Nine Dragon Association.”
The Moyong clan, which practically monopolized the triangular intermediary trade connecting the north, the eastern seas, and the Central Plains, was the greatest merchant house under heaven. There had been a time when they ranked among the top in martial prowess among the Seven Great Families, but after truly tasting the flavor of money, their interest had shifted entirely from martial training to merchant operations. As a result, their pure combat strength now sat at the bottom alongside the Jegal Family.
Yet the Moyong clan stood tall across the world through sheer financial power—so much so that it was said they alone covered thirty percent of the Murim Alliance’s operating expenses and ten percent of the Great Ming imperial court’s tax revenue. Heaven’s First Gold Family. That was the title attached to the Moyong clan. They had fallen completely, gloriously, into the corruption of capital.
Naturally, the personal wealth of Moyong Hye—one of the clan’s most cherished daughters—rivaled the entire fortune of an average sect. Namgung Woo had shaken off his guilt and accepted Moyong Hye’s token.
In any case, the Changcheon Squad had already secured a budget comparable to that of a mid-tier sect or higher. There was no need to cling desperately to requests just for money. Nevertheless, Namgung Woo had followed Yang Jeong’s suggestion.
‘There’s the romance of being a rogue, you know.’
It brought back the sweet nostalgia of the days when he had thoroughly enjoyed playing Chukrok Murim. There had been a time when he, along with Namgung Pung and Namgung Mae, had roamed the entire world of Chukrok Murim, taking on all sorts of requests as a trio. His body had changed, and his memory had grown far sharper; even now, he could recall those joyful moments with perfect clarity.
‘Besides, there are clear advantages to traveling in numbers.’
Even if their speed slowed a little, the information they could gather from others and the time they could save by avoiding needless quarrels were definite benefits. It wasn’t for nothing that Paeng Ha-ryeong wore a veil while traveling. It was best to avoid such pointless commotion whenever possible.
It took exactly two days to travel from Jinjiang to Nanjing. The distance was roughly one hundred and twenty li—about sixty kilometers. Treating it as training for their light footwork, they ran the whole way, and Nanjing arrived before they knew it.
“Whoa~ Everyone kept saying Nanjing was incredible, but it really does seem even bigger than Beijing!”
Yang Kvae let out an exclamation in front of Nanjing’s outer wall. Nanjing was built in four concentric layers: the Outer City surrounded by the outermost wall, the Capital City enclosed by the inner wall, and within that, the Imperial Palace City and the Emperor’s City at the very center. As the strategic base that had allowed Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang to seize the world, Nanjing had been reborn as the greatest city in the Central Plains with his full support. Although it had since relinquished its status as capital to Beijing under the emperors who succeeded the Yongle Emperor’s will, in terms of sheer size and prosperity, Nanjing still surpassed Beijing.
“Yaofang Gate…”
Namgung Woo quietly read the plaque above the gate they had just passed. Yaofang Gate was one of the eighteen outer gates, located in the northeast. Travelers coming from Jinjiang usually entered Nanjing through this gate.
The moment they stepped past Yaofang Gate and into the city proper, their eyes were drawn to the massive wall in the distance. The outer wall had been impressive, but the inner wall was even more so. Towering pavilions rose high behind it, proudly displaying their lofty stature, while Mount Zhong, with its elegant ridges, stood tall as living proof that humans could not yet surpass nature.
Beijing had been built with meticulous planning as an administrative city—grand, yet somewhat plain. Nanjing, while also a planned city, blended beautifully with nature and embraced multiple layers of value at once. Of course, this was not through ordinary eyes, but through the Changnyeongmanan, which seemed to gaze down upon the world from the heavens.
“Instead of standing here, let’s get moving.”
Paeng Ha-ryeong grabbed Namgung Woo’s wrist and pulled him along. He had been completely absorbed in observing Nanjing with his Changnyeongmanan. Thump. Thump. Their bodies brushed against passing pedestrians, but neither Namgung Woo nor the citizens paid it any mind. With so many people around, bumping shoulders was simply part of daily life.
‘Honestly, if we’re only talking about grandeur, modern buildings are far more impressive… but…’
Even by Namgung Woo’s standards, the unique charm of pre-modern walls and buildings was more than enough to captivate his attention.
“Ha-ryeong.”
“Yes?”
“Once this job is over, let’s really take our time and tour the city properly on the way back.”
“Yes!”
Yang Kvae took the lead for the group. Although none of the four had been to Nanjing before, Yang Kvae stepped forward with confidence as their guide.
“No matter how huge Nanjing is, the places where the Rogue Association would be are all pretty much the same, Captain.”
Where did rogue martial artists receive their requests? Some contacted clients personally, but that method was reserved for those with strong personal connections or established fame. Most rogues found work through the Rogue Association that existed in every major region.
“Then is there something like a rogue plaque? One that works at the Rogue Association?”
Namgung Woo asked, recalling settings from novels he had occasionally read in his modern life and from Chukrok Murim.
“Wow, as expected of the Captain. If something like that existed, wouldn’t all the rogues become one single organization? But actually implementing that would come with more than a few problems.”
“The Rogue Association is nothing more than a middleman. For it to have the independent control and management power you mentioned, Captain, it would need an enormous budget and manpower. Realistically, that’s difficult.”
“Most of these Rogue Associations are started by retired rogues who gather their old connections. But grudges and favors aren’t easily settled, you know. So the ones who claim they’ve washed their hands of the jianghu and retired go around spreading exaggerated rumors. ‘I retired with honor, but you didn’t come find me back then, so this is all your fault’—that kind of blame-shifting.”
Nanjing was big. Extremely big. Even walking briskly while chatting, it was impossible to tell when they would arrive.
“Maybe we should just find lodging first.”
“Ah! There’s a branch of our family’s merchant guild here in Nanjing too, Gaga.”
Paeng Ha-ryeong raised her voice, seizing her chance to contribute. Even though she wore a veil, her clear and elegant voice drew the gazes of everyone nearby.
“If we use the family’s merchant guild, rumors will spread.”
The mere fact that the Jegal Family had made a move had already caused rumors to spread wildly from Wuhan in Hubei Province all the way to Jinjiang in Southern Zhili. If word got out that guests had visited the Paeng Family’s merchant branch on top of that, what would happen? Their group was already drawing attention simply by the presence of Namgung Woo and Paeng Ha-ryeong. It wouldn’t be long before rumors began circulating that the Paeng Family was also aiming for the Four Seasons Request.
“Captain, I’m telling you, we’re almost there. The Rogue Association usually sets up a bit away from the main commercial districts, but in a big city like Nanjing, there are multiple associations, so we’ll arrive soon.”
Just as Yang Kvae had said, after walking for nearly one full hour, they finally reached the Rogue Association. The building was bustling with people who were obviously martial artists at a glance.
“See? Didn’t I tell you?”
Yang Kvae spoke proudly as he pushed aside the hanging screen that served as the door and stepped inside. At that exact moment—
“No! How many times do I have to say it! I’m telling you we need a Peak Realm expert!”
The moment they entered the Rogue Association, a loud voice rang out. A young man was shouting at someone who appeared to be an association staff member. Yang Kvae grinned at the content of the shout and turned to look at Namgung Woo.
“This looks like the perfect moment for this Peak Realm expert Yang Kvae to step forward, doesn’t it, Captain?”