Chapter 186
Chapter 186
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 186
Chapter Title: Unorthodox Sects
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Sapa generally referred to the sects opposed to the Orthodox sects. Unlike the Orthodox sects, which at least outwardly championed justice and placed great importance on their public image, Sapa members couldn't care less about any of that and were the type who relentlessly pursued only their own gain.
The most representative forces were the Green Forest bandits, the Yangtze River Waterway Stronghold, and the Hao Clan, but the problem was that those were pretty much all there was.
Simply put, joining a Sapa sect from the start meant you had already committed at least one or two crimes, or had every intention of doing so. So how could people like that trust each other and watch one another's backs?
Those disappointed by the rigid, hypocritical ways of the Orthodox sects and unable to join them would rather become wandering swordsmen or settle for some minor sect. Almost no one ever ended up joining a Sapa sect.
Even the so-called representative forces like the Green Forest or the Yangtze River Waterway Stronghold were really just organized bandit groups in the end. The smaller sects that couldn't even compare were little more than thugs who scraped by, using the martial arts they'd barely learned to plunder a few remote villages out of the Orthodox sects' sight and live high on the hog.
In the end, the current reality of Sapa was nothing more than a gathering of martial artists who were temperamentally unsuited to the Orthodox sects but didn't want to wander aimlessly either.
And they had to toe the line carefully, too, lest they catch the eye of the imperial troops fed up with them or some renowned master eager to boost their fame by wiping them out.
And right now, there was a man here walking that tightrope.
*Puff puff*
"Damn it, our income's down from last month."
In a certain region far from the central plains teeming with Orthodox sect forces.
He led a small sect called the Iron Blood Sect, and as he puffed on his pipe, he scowled at the ledger in his hand.
"Hey, exactly how much has it dropped? Didn't I tell you to fudge the numbers a bit?"
"Brother, if you don't write the numbers in the ledger, is it even a ledger?"
*Smack!*
"Ow!"
"I'm your brother? Call me Sect Leader. And who told you to talk back? Don't you know I can't read numbers?"
"That's why a guy who can't even read numbers is throwing a fit over the ledger..."
*Thwack!*
"Ow!"
"If I don't check it, how would I know if you're embezzling or not, you punk?"
It looked less like a sect and more like a gang of thugs.
That was unavoidable, given the nature of Sapa and the fact that the sect's total members didn't even number ten.
They had some camaraderie built up from sharing meals over the past few months, but camaraderie was just that—camaraderie.
In a world where it wouldn't be strange for one to slit another's throat while they slept, they naturally didn't bother with formalities.
"It's down about thirty percent."
"Why?"
"They say a lot of martial artists have been passing through nearby lately. We got cautious, worried we might catch someone's eye and start trouble, so we couldn't collect properly from some areas. The others are out handling that right now."
"What the hell are those bastards doing passing through a backwater like this..."
*Puff puff*
He boasted a hefty build and plenty of muscle on the outside, but in truth, his body was slowly rotting away from booze and smoke.
The man himself knew it well enough, but he had no intention of quitting.
'Better to live wildly and die young than quit and drag it out.'
Unlike those thriving martial artists at their peak, his was a life where it wouldn't be odd if he died from one wrong step at any moment.
For him, the ideal end was simply to enjoy each day to the fullest before checking out.
"Oh, Sect Leader, have you heard the news? They found the annex of some guy called Shin Tu. Looks like that's why all the martial artists are on the move."
"Pfft, as if. Even if we went, we wouldn't get a scrap or even the dust."
"Who said anything about going? I value my life too much for that. It'd be asking for disaster."
"Right? Like I always say, a moth has to stick to mulberry leaves to survive."
Heading there without the skill to survive properly, just hoping to snag a crumb, was nothing but a dog's death.
If it were someone desperate enough to grasp at straws, maybe, but the man was already content with his lot in life. No need to take such risks.
"I'm heading in. If some woman shows up, send her straight to my room."
"You called another whore?"
"Heard a hot new one just came in, so I gave it a shot. No idea what she looks like, but he said she's top-notch, so she must be stacked..."
*Bang!*
"Is this the Iron Blood Sect?"
As the men chatted, a woman pushed open their front gate and strode in.
Long black hair, red eyes exuding a seductive aura somewhere.
Clothes that seemed noble yet felt utterly foreign to the central plains.
She was a peerless beauty who could leave a man momentarily entranced with just a glance.
The two men stopped talking and stared at her for a bit before turning to whisper to each other.
"She's insane. Why would a woman like that sell her body? Isn't she some noble lady?"
"No idea. Maybe her family fell on hard times or something."
"Price is the same as usual, right? She'd cost three times a normal whore."
"Yeah, same price. Guess they're giving a newbie discount."
The men assumed the woman was the whore they'd summoned—there'd be no other reason for her to come to a place like this, after all.
Especially not someone so stunning. If she wasn't selling herself, what business would she have in a den full of nothing but men? Rumors would spread like wildfire.
"Too bad her chest is small. At that level, it's not just small—it's flat..."
"What are you two whispering about? A guest has arrived, yet instead of greeting her properly, you're slacking off."
The woman snapped open a fan and frowned.
"Is that the setup today?"
"I didn't request anything special... Did that guy coach her?"
Seeing that only deepened the men's misunderstanding, and soon the one called Sect Leader stood and approached her.
"Hey, you're from Deokchini, right? Money's already paid, so let's head to the room."
"...What kind of backwoods name is that?"
"Huh? Aren't you here to sell your body?"
"Sell my body..."
The woman paused, wondering if she'd properly studied central plains speech, then realized her initial guess was correct and burst into laughter.
"Pfft... Pffft... Ahahaha!"
"W-What? Why are you suddenly laughing?"
"This is hilarious. To think they'd treat this body like a common whore. I took on a woman's form because she seemed amusing, but I never expected this kind of treatment..."
'What's her deal? Crazy bitch?'
When asked if she was a whore, she suddenly laughed and muttered to herself. One scenario flashed through the man's mind.
She used to be a rich young lady, but her family fell, forcing her to sell her body, and now she couldn't accept her fate and had lost her mind.
'Such a pity for a young, pretty thing. Tsk tsk.'
He felt some sympathy, but the money was already paid.
Hoping she might be a virgin for his long-awaited first time, he placed a hand on her shoulder.
*Slice*
"Who gave you permission to lay hands on this body?"
"Uh...?"
Seeing his five fingers severed in an instant, pain surged belatedly, and he clutched his hand.
"Aaaargh!!!!"
"B-Brother?!"
"Quiet. I left you your palm, didn't I? That voice of yours would suit the Second Legion Commander better than me."
"Y-You fucking bitch!"
"Oh?"
*Hiss*
The man felt the atmosphere around him chill in an instant.
He'd cursed without thinking, but his opponent was a master who could sever his fingers before he even noticed.
Burning with vengeance against such a foe wouldn't help his survival one bit.
"P-Please spare me. I'll do anything you want."
He hadn't survived this long leading a small Sapa sect on brute strength alone.
His head wasn't the sharpest, but when it came to instincts for survival—reading the room and grasping situations—he could confidently call himself top-class.
"Hm. At least you have some sense. Most would lose their heads and swing wildly."
"I-It was my fault for failing to recognize a noble guest. This much is fine."
"I was going to make you a ghoul at first, but I've changed my mind. No blood for you."
"Pardon?"
As the man gaped, unable to comprehend, a few drops of the woman's blood slipped into his mouth.
It happened before he could even register it.
And the moment he felt something enter his mouth, the change hit.
*Crunch! Crinch!!*
"Gaaargh!!!!"
"If you endure, you'll become a bloodsucker too. Fail, and you'll melt into a puddle of blood. Good luck."
The woman thought of a toy she'd sent off expecting it to die, only for it to return alive, and turned her back to him.
"Even so, daring to treat this body like a whore is unforgivable."
"Grrrrraaaargh!!!!"
"I'm not uninterested in the pleasures of the flesh as a woman, but this body has high standards."
As the man writhed in agony that twisted his entire body, the woman approached the other man, who was now trembling and wetting himself.
*Shiver shiver*
"Uh... Ahh..."
"Fear not. You still have some use to me."
Terrified, the man offered no resistance as she reached out to him.
When he opened his eyes again, they were red.
"Grrr..."
"Come to think of it, it's been ages since I last made a ghoul. Can you speak?"
"Give me... your orders..."
"Hm. Good thing my skills haven't rusted."
With that, she turned to look back where the screaming man had been.
He was gone, leaving only a massive puddle of blood.
"Hm. I thought maybe the humans in this world were unusual, but apparently not."
Just in case, she'd fed her blood to people in every other sect she'd visited so far, and the results were all the same.
That girl must have been the special one after all.
Varshutin crouched by the blood puddle, dipped a finger in to taste it, then spat it out immediately—apparently not to her liking.
"Now, guide me to the other sects you know of. This body wants to finish up quickly and rest."
"Under...stood..."
"The other places had at least ten members, but only two here? What a waste of my time walking over."
She left the Iron Blood Sect with the newly made ghoul, leaving the blood puddle behind.
