Chapter 124
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 124
Chapter Title: Chapter 35. The Broken Sword (3)
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Flying Tiger downed his cup of liquor in one gulp. Then, in a calm, steady voice, he said,
"It's a memento from someone I once crossed paths with. I received a favor from him, and he's the only person who's ever left me with a sense of debt in my short life."
"Ho, that must sting, having such a precious item broken."
Chaeng-geum drawled lazily, but to Flying Tiger's ears, it sounded like he was trying to undermine the bond between him and the Shandong Elder.
"Not really."
"Truly?"
"What, curious about the reason?"
"If it bothers you to say, no need. I don't mind either way."
Chaeng-geum, figuring he'd achieved his petty goal, smirked obnoxiously and backed off a step.
Flying Tiger then drew the shattered Azure Stream Sword from his belt and placed it on the table.
Ma-yeop's Azure Stream Sword had been cleaved apart by the Shandong Elder's single stroke, leaving only about a quarter of the blade intact. As a sword, it had reached the end of its life.
Flying Tiger caressed the ruined blade and murmured to himself,
"I'm a blade wielder, not a swordsman. And I'm plenty satisfied with my own blade. Still, the reason I carried this nuisance around was to never forget. Any guess what I didn't want to forget?"
"Perhaps... revenge for that benefactor of yours?"
Sama Gul-gi asked with a groan, and Flying Tiger nodded, eyes fixed on the Azure Stream Sword.
Suddenly, he gripped the sword in a reverse hold and slammed it point-down into the table.
The hilt quivered.
"Heh heh heh! Chaeng-geum, I'm not the type to fondle a dead man's balls. With my enemies still alive and kicking, why would I cling like an idiot to some worthless hunk of metal? My pure rage is reserved solely for them!"
'How dare you touch me, my family, or my friends? Die, you bastard!'
How simple and clear was that?
That was why 'revenge' remained the most enduringly beloved virtue among the jianghu wanderers.
Some had even maimed their own bodies in pursuit of it, others honed their blades in silence for over a decade, and there were tales of some licking out the filthy entrails of beasts—some say the gallbladder—to fuel their vendetta.
Why did such stories persist through oral tradition? It was proof of the jianghu's obsession with vengeance.
And now, as Flying Tiger clearly defined his target and vowed retribution, everyone approved, if only for the spectacle.
Ridiculously enough, they didn't care who that blade was aimed at, or why.
"Well said. A true man must act accordingly."
Even Ilgwangma boomed approvingly, and Bong Yeon-ja nodded beside him. The Shandong Elder himself, who had broken the Azure Stream Sword, glanced at Flying Tiger while stroking his wild, weed-like beard.
Meanwhile, though Flying Tiger had averted his gaze, Chaeng-geum was lost in thought. Of course, he'd provoked Flying Tiger first, so the glare was fair enough—but that intense stare still left him uneasy.
Then Ho Ye-hwa, sitting beside him, nudged Chaeng-geum under the table and said with a smiling face,
"Haha, your spirit runs high, little brother. I hope you achieve it. But say... could you give a hint about who you're angry at? Oh, don't misunderstand. I'm not trying to meddle. Just that I know a fair bit, so maybe I can help."
Help my ass.
Flying Tiger snorted inwardly.
"Annoying. Since when are we that close? Tch, but I should clear up any misconceptions on my end. I have business with the Golden Sand Gate in Guizhou Province. There's my own circumstances, so don't pry further."
"Wait. Did you say Golden Sand Gate in Guizhou? That place near the border of Sichuan and Yunnan?"
"Oh? You know it too?"
Ho Ye-hwa acted informed, piquing Flying Tiger's curiosity as well.
"I did say I know a fair bit. Unfortunately, no personal ties. Or wait—since you've tangled badly with them, maybe it's fortunate? Ha~ Anyway. I thought it was a long-established prestigious house with solid foundations. How'd you end up crossing them? Their sect leader is Taedo Hong... hmm, Hong In-hoe, was it?"
Probing, huh?
Flying Tiger frowned.
"Prestigious house? A sect formed by deserters and all sorts of criminals suddenly becomes prestigious? What a joke. And the leader's not Taedo Yuk Ban-su but Hong In-hoe? Who's that? Did he overthrow Yuk Ban-su to take the head seat? Strange. Yuk Ban-su's no pushover."
"Ah, so the leader was Yuk Ban-su, not Hong In-hoe? Looks like I got it wrong."
"Hmph! To avoid misunderstandings, I'm not out to fight the whole Golden Sand Gate. Things got complicated, so I need to investigate starting there. I have business with one of their hall leaders in the Sixth Hall and the ones riding his coattails."
"......"
"Hey, Ho Ye-hwa. I'm a man who keeps precise accounts. If you really want to help, stop testing me and pick a clear side. If you need my blade, I'll lend it. If you need to bow, pretend to at least. Consider this a request and a warning. Got it?"
"...I'll keep that in mind."
Ho Ye-hwa shrugged and backed off. This time, Sama Gul-gi called out to Flying Tiger with a serious expression.
"Hey, Flying Tiger warrior."
"Ha~ Now even Brother Sama's joining the interrogation?"
"It's too important for me to ignore. So......"
"Fine. Out with it."
"That broken sword."
"Huh? You know this sword?"
Flying Tiger had spoken casually when Sama Gul-gi pinpointed the Azure Stream Sword, thinking 'Wow, what a strange connection~', but inwardly he panicked.
'Of all things? This is bad......'
If it came out that the Azure Stream Sword belonged to Ma-yeop of the Qingcheng Sect, it would spell serious trouble.
Even if he brushed it off sloppily here, investigating Ma-yeop would eventually expose Flying Tiger's lies.
Worst case, the focused suspicion and scrutiny would trip him up regardless.
On the other hand, Flying Tiger's tale of revenge wasn't entirely false.
The Golden Sand Gate was a real sect in Guizhou, one of the most brutal and lawless even in that wild, godforsaken province. Deserters, slaves, death row inmates—those backed into absolute corners had banded together to form it.
One of its Sixth Hall leaders had gotten involved in a local turf war, gone to extort as usual in the vulgar sense, fallen into a trap, and been gruesomely murdered.
One might wonder how a hall leader could fall so easily, but it was simple: another Golden Sand Gate hall leader he'd long clashed with had orchestrated it and lent support.
Anyway.
The victim was a man surnamed Son, and it caused quite a stir at the time, but some innocents were caught and executed instead, burying the case.
So how did Flying Tiger know this secret?
The story went like this.
Everyone thought he'd died, but Son had miraculously survived and fled. His body was wrecked, though. Given his scummy reputation, word getting out would draw killers by the dozen.
Son escaped Guizhou, reached a city in Sichuan, joined a merchant caravan as a porter, and followed the Silk Road out of the Central Plains entirely.
After twists and turns, he joined a fanatical Western Region cult, regained his martial arts with a shaman's aid, and became an instructor training initiates.
This Son was one of the nine instructors who had trained Flying Tiger and his cohorts as assassins.
Of course, he wasn't one of the two masters Flying Tiger acknowledged—Mu Sabu and Mun Sabu—so Son was just some passing bastard. Nothing more, nothing less.
Thus, Flying Tiger's story was the backstory of that damned fool he'd personally beheaded on the 'Heaven-Shattering Day'.
"I don't know much. Just something I recall hearing from an elder in my clan long ago. Swords forged by prestigious Taoist sects bear their school's unique patterns, often tied to the Ten Symbols of Longevity. For example, the Wudang Sect's Pine Pattern Sword. That's why I'm asking: maybe your benefactor hailed from one of those?"
It was news to Flying Tiger.
Looking closely, the Azure Stream Sword's blade was etched with flowing wave patterns. Such motifs could be interpreted a dozen ways—a nose ring if it snagged your nose, an earring if your ear. Flying Tiger knew its name meant 'clear stream' and could guess, but otherwise he'd never have imagined.
'Could this spark another issue? He claims not to know but acts like he does? Ten years off my life. And why ask this if it's so important? Probably......'
Flying Tiger calmed his surprise and replied nonchalantly,
"Come to think of it, I do vaguely remember hearing something similar. But he shied away from his past, so I never got the full story on the sword either. Honestly, if he's sunk low enough to join the Golden Sand Gate, you can guess his background."
"Then how did you and he......"
"Meet? I brought food to a starving beggar kid once. Yiliang County in Yunnan was so remote, outsiders were a novelty. That started it."
"......"
Sama Gul-gi sank into thought.
Chaeng-geum and Ho Ye-hwa perked up their ears.
Good. I've diverted attention.
"About three years? He laid the foundations for me. Good memories. But... memories nonetheless. Think we can drop it? I've shown plenty of sincerity."
Flying Tiger tossed out a bunch of fake clues about his identity and background, then irritably ended the conversation.
A few more meaningless rounds of drinks followed before the banquet wrapped up. The late-night affair stretched past midnight.
Chaeng-geum, the man in charge at Jeonghyeon Pavilion, had suspected Flying Tiger throughout but ultimately accepted him. Thus, Flying Tiger meaningfully closed out a long, eventful day.
He'd foreseen from the start that the path wouldn't be easy.
Yet Flying Tiger was steadily trudging toward his goal.