Chapter 91
Chapter 91
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 91
Chapter Title: The Thorn of Gyerim
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Guangxi Province, located at the southernmost tip of the Central Plains.
It was quite a lucrative area despite being far from the center.
This was because the northern routes passed through Sichuan, home to the Ami, Qingcheng, and Tang Family sects, blocking normal passage.
Legitimate trade went safely through Sichuan, but most smuggling took place via Guangxi routes.
With smuggling as the main business, evil factions had firmly entrenched themselves throughout Guangxi. Government control was lax, making it an ideal place for operations.
However, even more famous than the provincial capital was the northern city of Gyerim. Covered in vast groves of locust trees, it was a must-visit spot for all merchants and travelers.
With so much traffic, inns, taverns, escort agencies, brothels, and merchant branches lined the streets.
As mentioned earlier, with minimal government oversight, evil factions held sway.
At night, the outskirts turned into a bustling night market of black-market goods, gambling dens, and pleasure quarters.
But as the saying goes, every beautiful flower has its thorns.
That thorn was Gyerim's sole upright faction: Baekga Manor.
They had endured for generations as a force the evil factions dared not touch.
Following the founding lord Baek Hyeoksan's will, they provided charity so no one starved within a hundred li, earning universal respect.
"These heaven-defying bastards! How dare they!"
Baekga Manor's grand hall was in an uproar.
The elders seated at the central table raised their voices in clamor.
In the center of the hall, the woman holding the letter trembled as if struggling to contain her rage.
"Manor Lord! This is clearly an insult to our house!"
"Indeed! To send such a letter! We must cut off their heads at once!"
The elders bellowed as if ready to draw their weapons on the spot.
But the woman kept her eyes tightly shut, saying nothing.
Her name was Baek Yeorin, current lord of Baekga Manor. Despite being a woman, she was a renowned martial artist in Guangxi known as the Windchime Blade.
The single letter in her hand was wrapped in red silk and sealed with blue and red threads—a proposal of concubinage from No Yeongchan, the leader of the Tyrant Faction, who had long eyed Baekga Manor's territory.
"Silence, all of you!"
The deep voice of Grand Elder Sima So calmed the room.
But faces still flushed with barely contained fury.
"What do you think?"
Baek Yeorin asked Sima So in a voice she had barely steadied.
"A provocation."
"Provocation? This is outright contempt! Grand Elder, we must rally our warriors and attack the Tyrant Faction immediately!"
"Enough! I said be quiet!"
"......"
Sima So scolded again, and Outer Elder Lee Imsaeng scowled but shut his mouth.
"Grand Elder, speak your thoughts."
At Baek Yeorin's words, Sima So pondered briefly before speaking slowly.
"We cannot overlook such an insulting proposal, but fighting them would bring more losses than gains."
"Hm."
It was a cold, realistic judgment.
Ten years after the bloody massacre, Baekga Manor's power was less than half its peak.
No—even surviving near-annihilation was a near-miracle.
It was all thanks to Baek Yeorin, who had forsaken marriage and labored tirelessly for the manor.
A fact everyone in Baekga Manor knew.
Yet now, a man over fifty had sent this proposal to mock her—not as a wife, but a concubine.
No vassal could tolerate their lord being humiliated.
It warranted immediate war, but it wasn't a simple decision.
Baekga Manor had Gyerim's full support.
If attacked, even unaffiliated experts would rally to its aid.
That was why, despite the evil factions' superior strength, none dared touch the weakened Baekga Manor.
No Yeongchan's absurd proposal was meant to provoke them into striking first.
The spark of war.
Who started it mattered greatly—it became justification.
If Baekga Manor couldn't endure and attacked, it would be their war, forfeiting outside help.
Though filled with skilled warriors, the weakened clan would suffer heavy losses striking first.
So they had to endure.
Baek Yeorin bit her lip. Yes, endure. The time wasn't right yet.
A little more strength, then fight—it wouldn't be too late. Hadn't she endured countless humiliations for ten years?
"Send word to No Yeongchan."
"Manor Lord!"
"No fighting."
"......"
"Say we'll meet."
Her weary voice silenced further protests from the elders.
They knew she was the angriest one there.
"Oh! Nice scenery."
Jinmu admired the roadside locust trees.
Locust trees everywhere.
Not just the main road—blossoms lined every path, creating a stunning vista.
Yeongcheon County, situated before Gyerim's heart.
Villagers tilling vast fields on both sides, low hills rising in gentle rows—it was truly a paradise on earth.
"Gyerim isn't a small city. It's a vast region encompassing fourteen counties."
Baek Pyo spoke with distant eyes, reminiscing.
I understand the nostalgia of returning home after so long.
But Jinmu knew.
That was just an exclamation.
He had wandered the martial world long ago and visited several times—how could he not know?
And arriving with Baek Pyo stirred fresh memories.
"Hm, but it's not the same as before."
As Jinmu reminisced, Baek Pyo's gaze fixed on one spot.
In the past, Baekga Manor dominated all of Gyerim. All fourteen counties were under its influence. The peaceful Gyerim he remembered from long ago.
Crash!
"You bastard! I said pay up by today!"
No thugs extorting merchants right in front of him.
"Yeah? Lucky day!"
"What? Wanna go? Fine, draw your sword, punk!"
No evil martial artists glaring, drawing blades, snarling at each other.
Shing.
They were holding back too well.
"Hey, stop. Enough. You want blood right after arriving?"
"......"
Baek Pyo sighed and sheathed his sword at Jinmu's words.
That temper.
What's wrong with thugs shaking down merchants or drunks brawling among themselves?
If needed, they can report to the authorities themselves. Why step in like some apostle of justice?
Put a "righteous" label on them, and they all act like this.
Martial artists handle martial matters. Criminals, the law. Don't they know basic societal order?
Anyway, seeing this guy's personality, best to ditch him quick.
Send him to Baekga Manor soon and go hunt for the Two Forms Heart Art.
"Come on, let's go. Gotta get home quick. You wanna see your sister, right?"
"I never said I wanted to see my sister..."
"Don't be shy. Hurry up."
Jinmu strode off briskly, and Baek Pyo glanced back several times at the thugs harassing people and disrupting the street before following.
Rushing out without savoring Yeongcheon's sights, Jinmu reached Gyerim's center in less than an hour.
Baekga Manor lay a bit outside the city center, amid locust groves.
Time to part soon.
Human bonds should form and break cleanly, but parting felt a bit regrettable after traveling together.
Still, with the bond they shared, he planned to buy Baek Pyo a meal before sending him off—dragging the reluctant man to an inn.
Yeah, he'd earned a famous dish after all the hardship...
"No seats available, sir."
"Huh?"
"Fully booked."
As Jinmu lifted the inn's curtain, the waiter bowed nervously, blocking the way.
Jinmu peered inside curiously. Plenty of seats?
Ah, customers are there. Standing, not sitting—that's why.
Glancing past the waiter, it made sense.
The air was thick with killing intent prickling the skin.
On the first floor, sword-bearing men from two factions glared fiercely, divided into evil and upright groups.
When those two meet? Staring contest first. An ancient, natural law. Nothing unusual.
And fortunately, the evil side had the edge.
'Sturdy fellows.'
Bodies of the upright, hearts still evil? Their outfits looked familiar from before. Tyrant... something Faction?
"Huh?"
Baek Pyo's eyes narrowed suddenly.
"What?"
"......"
Jinmu asked, but Baek Pyo's gaze stayed locked on the upright faction's warriors.
"What? Why?"
"......"
This guy's manners are getting worse. Answer your benefactor politely.
But one more chance. Parting soon anyway.
"Hey, let's go. No seats, eat elsewhere. Inns aren't just this one."
Not wanting needless trouble today, Jinmu turned.
"Hey! Wait!"
Baek Pyo shoved past the waiter and entered.
"This guy."
Doesn't listen at all.
The Gaiety Inn, quite famous in central Gyerim.
Its owner had a lucky yet miserable day.
Too many customers.
Pre-reserved guests filled the first and second floors.
The Tyrant Faction and Baekga Manor, vying for Gyerim's dominance.
Worse, the leaders themselves had come, leaving the owner on pins and needles.
The atmosphere screamed imminent bloodshed.
Why do these bastards always meet at inns or taverns?
Streets, fields, even their own homes—plenty of places! No other spots available?
And why this inn out of so many?
Representing all Central Plains taverns, the owner inwardly raged, but powerlessness was its own crime in this world.
He served the second floor, eyes darting for any sign of fight.
"Grateful for the Tyrant Leader's words, but this manor lord humbly declines."
No Yeongchan grinned slyly at Baek Yeorin's refusal.
"Decline? With your skills and beauty, nothing lacking. Just worried you're still alone."
"Thank you for the high regard. No need to worry about me."
Another refusal, but No Yeongchan showed no sign of backing down.
"Heh, what worry? As the ancients said, cloud-rain passion, yin-yang union—not empty words. Pity a woman over thirty hasn't known such joy."
"......"
His blatant lechery furrowed Baek Yeorin's fine brows in fury, and the elders exuded chilling auras, ready to draw blades.
"Oh? Talk, you said—now drawing swords?"
No Yeongchan smirked, as if savoring the tension.
"A misunderstanding. Shall we draw over something this trivial?"
Instead, Baek Yeorin smiled, raising a hand to calm her elders.
"Baekga Manor seeks no needless fights from misunderstandings. Grateful for the proposal, but refused—you know this. Please withdraw."
"The famed Windchime Blade tucks tail like a cur—no choice. Think on the proposal. Good is good, no?"
His serpentine eyes raked her body one last time before rising.
"Then I'll go. Nice meeting. Hope for more such gatherings. Tavern's fine, bedchamber too."
"......"
No Yeongchan relentlessly provoked Baek Yeorin.
Considering her humiliation as a woman, a fight wouldn't be odd.
"Ah, why not the bedchamber now? What's a wedding? In this martial world, chance encounters forge bonds."
Even more overt provocation. But Baek Yeorin clenched her fists, enduring with a forced smile.
He was baiting her to draw first. She had to hold out.
Humiliation could be borne. But war would bring devastating losses.
And those losses might collapse the Baekga Manor she had barely preserved.
"Come on? I'll treat you well."
Thwack!
As No Yeongchan approached with lewd eyes, a strike echoed from below.
Kwachik! Pow!
Commotion filled the inn.
A fight downstairs? Despite all warnings.
Baek Yeorin's brow deeply creased as she shot up, signaling the others. Instantly, Tyrant Faction and Baekga warriors on the second floor drew swords.
"Who the hell are you?"
At that moment, a warrior ascended with chilling killing intent.
A face that seemed familiar.
"Now what's this?"
No Yeongchan frowned at the Tyrant Faction man in his grip.
And then.
"O-oh... bro...ther-in-law?"