Chapter 46: City of Peace and Love (3)
Chapter 46: City of Peace and Love (3)
Murong Cheong wrinkled her nose the moment she stepped off the transport ship. Having grown up in the port cities of the Liao River, she was no stranger to the peculiar stench of a harbor, but the thick, sweltering odor of a crowded Han Chinese population was almost unbearable.
It was still stiflingly hot. Unlike the cool, dry air of Liaoning, Tianjin was located south of Beijing. It was a place where a sticky, unpleasant breeze blew even when one stood perfectly still.
"A Westerner half-blood?"
"Is she alone? Hmm..."
"Leave it be. Look, she’s carrying a blade."
"Everyone who comes to Tianjin carries a blade, even the snot-nosed brats. What’s so special about that?"
Her light brown hair and sky-blue eyes stood out far too much among the Han people.
While it was said that Western merchants weren't uncommon in this region, it wasn't exactly a safe place for a woman to wander alone. (Then again, there was no such thing as a safe region to travel alone in the Central Plains.)
She bit her lip slightly as the gazes around her grew increasingly predatory.
These wretches, who would drop dead from a single strike, dare to look at me like that.
She grumbled under her breath, adjusting her grip on her sword hilt.
It had been a mistake. She should have at least procured a bamboo hat before coming, but she had rushed out so blindly that she hadn't thought it through.
Just then.
"Hey, niece!"
"....??"
Whish! Murong Cheong reached out as something came flying toward her.
The object landed softly in her hand, as if wrapping itself around her fingers.
It was a black bamboo hat, one that looked quite expensive.
As she stood there dazed, holding the hat, the crowd parted, and a young man walked through.
He approached with a cheerful smile and greeted her with easy familiarity.
"It’s been ages! You should have told me you were coming."
"Me, why niece?"
"Why? Because your uncle and I decided to become sworn brothers. By seniority, that naturally makes you my niece. Don't try to argue."
"Sigh."
Murong Cheong let out a short sigh as she recalled her good-natured uncle's face, then placed the bamboo hat on her head.
Dressed in men's clothing and now wearing the hat, she looked like any other common ronin you might see anywhere.
As soon as the young man appeared, the third-rate Black Path warriors lingering nearby quickly averted their eyes.
It was because the youngest young master of the Peng family had become famous in the area over the past few days, having spent the last few days scattering silver coins wherever he went.
Peng Hyeon-hwi stood beside Murong Cheong, grinning broadly.
"I have a lot to ask, but for now, just smile and walk."
"....?"
"If you stay here like this, you're bound to end up dead in some back alley. For your uncle's sake, I can't just let that happen."
Peng Hyeon-hwi let out a short sigh.
Her disguise as a man seemed flawless in itself.
She looked like an excessively handsome man—the kind you could accept at face value. Her sharp eyes and cold, overbearing gaze were so far removed from the feminine ideal of this era that it actually helped the disguise.
In truth, information gathering in this era was purely analog, and the reliability of wanted posters converged toward zero. There was almost no chance anyone would recognize her as Murong Cheong.
Considering that even in the 21st century, with modern montages, criminals often went uncaught and cold cases were rampant—and given that this damn country had provinces larger than the entire Korean Peninsula with massive populations—it was no surprise.
One could say she simply wasn't famous enough yet for her name and specific features to have spread beyond her local martial arts circles.
Regardless, it was a relief.
"Young Master, who is this...?"
"Ah, don't mind him. Just wait a moment. He's an old friend from Beijing. I invited him here to show him some hospitality in Tianjin."
"Oho, seeing his extraordinary bearing, he must be a young master from a noble house?"
"Of course. He was a friend I studied with back when I was preparing for the civil service exams."
"Then I shall leave you to it. Please, enjoy catching up."
Our Tianjin guide rubbed his hands together and retreated.
He was likely scurrying off to report to my eldest brother.
It was a situation that made me want to sigh, but there was no way to stop it in the first place.
Even without that guy, the news that I had met someone at the port would reach my brother's ears before the day was out.
Only after the crowd had thinned did I sigh and speak to the youngest daughter of the Murong family.
"What on earth are you doing here? It's like you're throwing your life away."
"It was urgent."
"I'm sure it was. What was so urgent?"
"That is a secret. I am carrying out a very pressing and covert operation."
"Well, you certainly look 'covert' to me."
If you're going to be covert, you should've worn colored contacts.
When I smirked while looking at Murong Cheong's bright blue eyes, she made an indignant face and pressed her brow.
"And why are you here? Were you stalking me?"
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
"If not, are you saying we met by chance? That makes no sense. Hebei is a vast land. There are many people in Tianjin."
She was still speaking in a way that sounded like a malfunctioning translator, but communication was somehow possible.
To be fair, an enormous number of people were moving up and down the Grand Canal at this very moment, and the floating population flowing into Tianjin was incomparable to any other city of this era.
Most of the cargo crossing Northern Zhongyuan intersected at this spot.
It was a crossroads where massive amounts of goods coming up from Jiangnan were unloaded, sorted, and sent out along the Hai River and the Yellow River.
The probability of meeting someone by chance here, someone you had met in a completely different region?
It would definitely be faster to find a "Mr. Kim" in Seoul. There are more people in China than there are Kims in Seoul.
When I didn't answer, Murong Cheong's gaze grew suspicious.
"First, there's something I should apologize for."
"As I thought, has the Dragon Slaying Alliance planted spies in Liaoning? Is the Dragon Slaying Alliance afraid of Liaoning's development?"
"No one cares about that backwater... anyway. Whatever reason you have for being here, things are about to get difficult."
"Pardon?"
"My brother dotes on me quite a bit."
At the same time, I dipped my finger in my teacup and wrote a character on the table: Ear (耳 - There are ears listening).
Murong Cheong looked at me with an expression of disbelief.
Her face clouded with a complex expression, and her lips quivered.
Immediately, a Sound Transmission reached me.
[What on earth did you do to have your own brother surveilling you? What have you been doing within your family? Beheading Blood Wolf?]
"This is driving me crazy. Why has my nickname spread all the way to Liaoning?"
[Sound Transmission!! Use Sound Transmission! You said there are ears listening!]
"A gentleman does not learn such trivial tricks."
[Just shut your mouth! I will understand even if you use written communication!]
Murong Cheong's Sound Transmission rang sharply in my ears.
I didn't know a Sound Transmission could be so loud.
Contrary to my first impression, she was quite a hot-tempered friend.
When I nodded, Murong Cheong let out a long sigh.
[Why would someone under surveillance even contact me?]
—You would've died if I left you alone. Why did someone from the Murong family come here?
Thus began a fantastic conversation where one side used Sound Transmission and the other wrote on the table.
[Write briefly. If it is too long, it is difficult to understand.]
—What were you doing instead of learning to read?
[I am fluent in three languages. Rather, you should blame your own deficiency for not learning the Northern tongue. Han people are fools who only know the Han language. You must respect me. The Murong clan are geniuses of language and—]
—Give me a break.
Was this really her character?
—The Dragon Slaying Alliance is watching me. It won't take long for your identity to be exposed. Tell me why you're here. I'll help you, so handle it quickly and get out.
[Why are you helping me?]
—I have to repay the favor I owe Brother Murong. What else?
[Hmm...]
Murong Cheong seemed lost in thought for a long while.
She appeared to be weighing whether she could trust me.
In truth, from her perspective, trusting the youngest master of the Peng family who appeared in Tianjin—the headquarters of the Dragon Slaying Alliance—was actually the stranger choice.
But regardless, it was a fact that I had shown her goodwill.
Without my help, she might have been attacked by the "free-spirited messengers of peace" in Tianjin, and even if she had fended them off, the resulting commotion would have made her situation much worse.
And for Murong Cheong, who had no connections in Tianjin, there was no one else to ask for help to carry out her "covert mission."
Honestly, wasn't the Murong family's tradition a bit too reckless, dumping a solo mission on a kid who couldn't even speak the language properly? It was the perfect recipe for dying in a foreign land.
Murong Cheong finally seemed to make up her mind and cautiously parted her lips.
[My uncle has disappeared.]
—Brother Murong?!
[No. I have many uncles. We are a clan alliance. One of them has vanished.]
Murong Cheong hesitated for a long time before saying the next part. Finally, she spoke weakly.
[He disappeared after taking a secret manual from the Secret Vault Hall...]
—Isn't that just him running away...?
[No!! Do not compare our clan to the murky and despicable customs of the Han people! We do not do at night what cannot be done during the day...! Stop your slander! Is the Hebei Peng family envious of our honor?]
Why is someone who talks this much still so bad at the language?
I had to calm Murong Cheong down before I could hear the full story.
Murong Cheong muttered dejectedly.
[I was the first to notice, so I came alone... If the other uncles find out, they will surely send an assassination squad. Uncle Cheon-ju was someone who doted on me very much...]
Right, that makes sense.
There was no way a great sect like the Murong family would send a mere greenhorn to catch an elder who had fled with a secret manual.
—But why Tianjin?
Even by sea, the distance from Liaoning to Tianjin wasn't exactly short.
One had to pass through the Bohai Sea and come down to the Yellow River to reach it, and navigation in this era was basically coastal.
It was still 400 years too early for humanity to conquer the open seas, and by the standards of this time, the Yellow River was no different from an ocean.
There was a reason why Joseon envoys traveled from Hanyang to Beijing on foot.
Sailing was essentially a gamble. A gamble with your life.
[The last place my uncle was confirmed to be was Yanjing. He took a ship from there. And...]
—Every ship coming out of Beijing stops in Tianjin at least once. I see.
Yanjing was an old name for the capital of the Yan State.
It was the ancient name for what is now Beijing.
Since the Murong family claimed to be descendants of the Murong royalty of the ancient Yan State, they stubbornly continued to call Beijing "Yanjing."
At this point, I was certain. She also suspected her uncle.
It was only natural. Disappearing with a secret manual? That alone was suspicious enough, but if his path led toward Beijing, it was even more so.
Hebei was the territory of the Dragon Slaying Alliance. For the Orthodox Faction, this place was a den of demons with a difficulty level akin to a Demon King's castle. Entering this area with a secret manual was a clear sign of betrayal.
And he even used the waterways? In a world where the northern part of the Grand Canal was practically a private business operated by the Dragon Slaying Alliance?
[Can you help me? The reward...]
—I've already received the reward.
I cut off her Sound Transmission and dipped my finger in the teacup.
—Your uncle didn't help me because he expected a reward.
This wasn't just meddling.
The Murong family was a great sect that practically ruled Liaoning, a power that could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Hebei Peng family.
How much gratitude could I earn by helping the precious daughter of the Murong Family Head and returning the secret manual by catching their traitor?
Whether it was for my eldest brother, my second brother, or for my own future.
As they say, the more friends you have, the better.
When I nodded readily, Murong Cheong stared at me for a long time before giving a slight nod and looking away.
"Thank you."
She whispered quietly, without using Sound Transmission.
"So, how do you plan to help...?"
"First, we go to the brothels and gambling dens."
"....?"
Murong Cheong fell into a state of confusion upon hearing Peng Hyeon-hwi's cheerful declaration.
"Oh my, Young Master!!"
"Welcome! Shall we call for Seohwa today?"
"Please come to us today! We've been practicing the zither diligently, wondering when you'd return...!"
"My, the young master who came with you is quite handsome as well! This must be what they mean by a 'friendship as precious as gold and orchids'!"
She watched blankly as Peng Hyeon-hwi laughed heartily, surrounded by numerous courtesans even in broad daylight.
"You crazy lecher."
She whispered quietly to herself.