Chapter 91
Chapter 91
Translator: Penny
Chapter 91
Between Favor and Falsehood (1)
Ma Lingyin's destination was the West Spear Gate, one of the two most prominent sects in Henan Province.
The other sect was the East Sword Association. For centuries, the West Spear Gate and the East Sword Association had been fierce rivals, vying for dominance as the representative sect of Henan Province.
Just as Ma Jeongsu had previously traveled to Shandong to establish connections with the Yang Association, Ma Lingyin appeared to have already forged close ties with the West Spear Gate.
The evidence was clear: the atmosphere was exceptionally warm. A lively banquet was held and lasted for over two hours.
We made no attempt to eavesdrop on their conversation. While it would have been possible to listen in, penetrating the eight guards surrounding them hardly seemed worth the effort.
The man who had stopped me from entering the room earlier, the one radiating an unsettling aura, particularly bothered me. Ma Lingyin might be hiding nearby.
He clearly seemed stronger than Chilho, both in martial arts and temperament.
After two hours, Ma Lingyin emerged from the West Spear Gate.
The carriage didn't return to the estate but headed in another direction.
Once again, I followed the carriage from a distance. By avoiding close approaches, I ensured they wouldn't detect my pursuit.
After an hour's ride, we arrived at the East Sword Association, surprisingly, a rival organization to the West Spear Gate.
This bastard! He's playing both sides!
Sure enough, another boisterous drinking session lasted for two hours.
I couldn't fathom how he was manipulating both factions, but it was clear he was leveraging some unique skill.
Considering how he treated me, I couldn't help but suspect he was brazenly using both sides while claiming to be meeting with his "opponent." He likely employed nine truths and one decisive lie to manipulate them.
He possessed skills far surpassing those of Ma Jeongsu, who had come down to Shandong. I recalled Ma Jeongsu's earlier assessment of him:
A cunning Ma Lingyin.
Cunning? How could such a weak word possibly describe this slippery snake? Ma Jeongsu had completely misjudged him.
The carriage left the East Sword Association and headed toward the Zhengzhou Martial Arts School, presumably to meet Chu Dochi. It remained there for about fifteen minutes.
Chu Dochi saw the carriage off, and it departed again.
What a truly diligent bastard.
Even as dawn broke, the carriage didn't return to the estate.
I was stunned to see the carriage heading straight for the inn where I was staying.
Using my Lightness Skill, I returned to the inn ahead of them.
I soared to the second floor and entered my room through the window.
A moment later, someone knocked on my door.
When I opened it, Ma Lingyin stood before me.
"Did I wake you?"
"No, I haven't been able to sleep yet."
I didn't bother pretending to have been awakened. My keen instincts told me I might be exposed, and besides, it seemed natural not to be able to sleep on a day like this.
"I've never had trouble sleeping before, but last night, I couldn't drift off. By the way, you've been drinking, haven't you?"
"If I'd known you'd be up, I would have come to see you earlier."
"What's the point of saying that now?"
"Haha. Just the reaction I expected from you."
He chuckled, clearly amused by my prickly demeanor.
"Are you going to keep me standing here?"
"Come in."
He entered the room and glanced around. Since I hadn't left anything out, there was nothing for him to discover.
"If you couldn't sleep, why didn't you have a drink?"
"I don't drink alone."
"I see."
"The name Ma Lingyin... I remembered it yesterday. One of the most promising heirs to the Martial Arts Alliance Leader was named Ma Lingyin. Could that be you?"
"Indeed. It's me. And there are now five heirs, not six."
"You're from a Prestigious Orthodox Faction, yet..."
"Why am I holed up in this underground lair, engaging in suspicious activities?"
"Exactly."
I nodded in agreement.
"You said it yourself, didn't you? That the difference between a knight-errant and a petty man is as thin as a sheet of paper."
Those were the words I'd spoken to Chu Dochi in the carriage.
"I did."
"Isn't it the same? Whether it's a prestigious faction or..."
What exactly are you comparing?
But I remained silent.
"I think I understand, more or less. Damn it. I'm already craving a drink this early in the morning."
Ma Lingyin pulled something from his robe and placed it on the table: a banknote worth one thousand taels.
"If you can't sleep tonight, go to a brothel and have a drink. The scent of women might help you sleep."
An unexpected act of kindness.
This monster's tail keeps wagging at me.
I grinned and pocketed the banknote.
"Thank you."
"Are you truly grateful?"
"To be honest, I act tough, but I couldn't sleep all night. I killed several of your subordinates, and that No Regrets... you told me not to mention it again, but it's still weighing on my mind. So why are you treating me so well?"
"Very well, I'll tell you why I'm treating you specially. First, you consumed three of those precious No Regrets Demonic Spirit Elixirs, didn't you? They're cheaper than Elixirs with the same effect, but each one still requires considerable time and a vast fortune to create."
"Is that the only reason?"
"Of course not. There's another reason I feel favorably toward you."
"What is it?"
"Seeing you, I've come to believe anew in the existence of fate between people."
"Fate? Between men? What kind of embarrassing nonsense is that?"
"The moment I saw you, I knew we were destined to be deeply connected. Let's just say I took a liking to you."
If it hadn't been me, I thought, any ordinary man in his twenties or thirties would have been swayed by his smooth talk. How could anyone resist when he casually offered a thousand taels and claimed to have taken a liking to you?
"Anyway, thank you."
I patted my chest and grinned.
"I'll make good use of this money."
That day, I didn't monitor Ma Lingyin.
In the evening, I actually went to a brothel. I summoned the most beautiful courtesan and ordered the most expensive wine and dishes.
I drank with her, laughing and playing without any pretense of caution against surveillance. For some reason, I had a feeling he would be watching me today.
It didn't matter if he was watching or not. I'd just treat it as a day off.
I stayed out late, but I didn't sleep with the courtesan. I only wanted to put on a show of revelry, not actually indulge in it.
In my past life, I'd been intimate with many women. So I had no aversion to sleeping with courtesans or anyone else.
But right now, I hadn't broken off my engagement yet, so I simply didn't want to sleep with another woman.
"You have a woman you like, don't you?" the courtesan asked me.
"No, I don't."
"No, you definitely do."
"I don't. Stop making wild guesses."
"Women have an instinct for sensing a man's wandering eye."
"Enough, Hwarin. This older brother of yours wants to live freely."
The courtesan chuckled softly.
"Why are you laughing?"
"Just because. Men who've wandered their whole lives always say that. Now they want to settle down with someone, tired of freedom."
"Don't be fooled. It's just a line to seduce you. Those types would go mad if they were tied down for even a day."
"Maybe so." She smiled.
I lay my head on the courtesan's lap, gazing at the moon through the window.
Suddenly, Song Hwarin's face overlapped with the bright moon, floating into my mind.
Is she doing well? She must be training hard. I remembered the day we walked through the market together. That day had been so good.
The courtesan, looking down at me, spoke.
"The person who comes to mind right now is the one I love," I said, looking up at the courtesan.
"I thought of you," I added.
The courtesan giggled, glancing at the moon through the window. Even this woman, who lived through days as fierce as war, seemed at peace tonight.
"The moonlight is especially beautiful tonight," she murmured.
At the same time, Song Hwarin stood by the window, gazing up at the moon.
"What are you thinking about so deeply?" Suran asked.
"Him," Song Hwarin replied.
"Huh?" Suran was startled. "You mean Young Master Byeok?"
"Why? Shouldn't I be thinking about him?" Song Hwarin asked with such nonchalance that Suran was flustered.
"No, it's just... you've never..."
"That's right. I've never thought about him before. And I've never told you that I have."
"Yes."
Suran's confusion quickly turned to concern. "Young Lady, are you worried about something?"
"No. I'm just being honest with you. I thought about him."
Suran realized that Song Hwarin's feelings for Byeok Ridan had grown far deeper than she had imagined.
"You're getting closer to him, aren't you?"
These words, meant to comfort Song Hwarin, had no effect whatsoever.
"No. He's drifting further away from me."
Suran looked utterly bewildered.
"The more I reveal new sides of myself, the more he withdraws."
The emotion in Song Hwarin's eyes was unmistakably regret.
Suran, her expression wavering between understanding and confusion, declared firmly, "To me, you're the best, Young Lady."
A smile returned to Song Hwarin's face. She beckoned Suran closer.
As Suran approached, Song Hwarin draped an arm around her shoulder and gazed up at the moon once more.
This gesture, entirely unprecedented, left Suran inwardly flustered.
She's definitely changed.
The moonlight filled Song Hwarin's deepened eyes.
The next day, a mission was assigned to me:
Eliminate the Lecherous Buddha. The Lecherous Buddha had originally been a Martial Monk from a renowned temple in Henan Province. However, after suffering a Qi Deviation, he became obsessed with lust, repeatedly raping donors and fleeing into the shadows.
Many Martial Artists had lost their lives trying to track him down.
Even after that, the fiend continued to roam Henan Province, raping numerous women. He eventually vanished without a trace, but today, I received orders to kill him.
"Is he an enemy of Young Master Ma?"
"No."
"Then why?"
"He's a fiend we've been unable to capture for years. But this time, we've finally gotten lucky and discovered his whereabouts."
A trap?
That was my first thought.
Could Chu Dochi have hoped I'd be killed by the Lecherous Buddha in a staged accident? But why? If he wanted me dead, there were far easier ways to accomplish it.
Moreover, Chu Dochi went even further.
"Capture him and hand him over to the Martial Arts Alliance's Pellet Branch."
"The one with the bounty on his head?"
"That's right."
"What about the bounty?"
"You can keep it."
I blinked, utterly bewildered. Chu Dochi looked like he had anticipated my reaction.
I raised my voice sharply.
"What the hell are you trying to pull?"
"What do you mean? We're capturing a villain, aren't we?"
"Bullshit! What kind of dogshit scheme is this?"
"Watch your mouth!"
Chu Dochi, who had been answering calmly, glared at me with a look that said he would no longer tolerate my insolence.
I took a step back.
"Very well. Why do you want to kill him?"
"As I said before, isn't he an evil man?"
"And aren't you just as evil?"
Chu Dochi twisted his lips into a sneer and scoffed.
"To be honest, I don't understand Young Master Ma either. Why would he show you such favor?"
It seemed he, too, was unaware of Ma Lingyin's true intentions behind the order.
"Fine. I'll capture him first. I need to vent my pent-up anger on him."
For now, I had to follow orders.
I wasn't ready to let go of this trail just yet.
Two days later, I entered the Zhengzhou Branch of the Martial Arts Alliance.
The man I dragged behind me was the Lecherous Buddha. Every bone in his body had been shattered, leaving him unable to move on his own.
His lower body was particularly gruesome, caked with dried, crimson blood. That was the first part of him I'd broken during our fight.
"I've captured a wanted criminal," I announced.
The martial artists guarding the entrance stared in shock. "Who is that man?"
"The Lecherous Buddha."
The name sent a ripple of shock through the group. Every Martial Arts Alliance member in Henan Province knew of the Lecherous Buddha.
"I brought him alive, so you can verify his identity easily."
After that, the Zhengzhou Branch erupted into chaos.
The Branch Head, having received the report, rushed out with his subordinates.
Once Branch Head Pyeong Seo confirmed the captured man was indeed the Lecherous Buddha, he turned to me, his face etched with astonishment. "May I ask your honorable name?"
"The Martial Arts Comrades have been calling me The Nameless One," I said.
"Oh! The Nameless Great Hero was you all along!"
The Zhengzhou Branch Martial Artists cheered and applauded.
The Nameless Great Hero, who had defeated the Butcher Yeom Hwa—a symbol of authority—and boldly warned the Heavenly Blade Gate, was immensely popular among martial artists. Now, having captured the Lecherous Buddha as well, their cheers erupted spontaneously.
While the bounty was being prepared, Zhengzhou Branch Martial Artists, having heard the rumors, swarmed to catch a glimpse of me.
Just yesterday, I had been surrounded by enemies at the Qiu Family Manor. Now, I was a hero, surrounded by martial heroes.
That day, I became the hero of the Zhengzhou Branch.
The bounty was a staggering seven thousand taels. This man had committed countless atrocities. I had eliminated a villain and pocketed a fortune. This time, it wasn't a trap.
The only remaining question was Ma Lingyin's motive.
Why had she shown me such extraordinary favor?