Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Can I Trust You?
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After safely wrapping up my schedule and returning to Shaanxi, I slowly began planning my trip.
Places with renowned righteous factions like the Nine Great Sects or Five Great Families would be the safest bet if possible.
'Henan... Hubei... Qinghai... Sichuan... Anhui...'
Deep down, I really wanted to catch a glimpse of Kunlun Mountain, but heading that way felt too daunting.
Unlike Mount Hua Sect, which had some ties to the secular world, those folks were genuine Taoist cultivators holed up deep in the mountains—they wouldn't take kindly to someone using divination sorcery to make a living.
Sure, Mount Hua Taoists who picked fights weren't exactly rare, but they were mostly young hotheads or juniors. The real heavyweights didn't say much.
But Kunlun? No way.
It's legitimately terrifying.
I couldn't risk heading into a place like that(?) just to see a mountain.
For pretty much the same reason, I had to steer clear of Wudang Sect at all costs.
'Sichuan... or Anhui and Henan...'
To get from Shaanxi to Anhui, I'd have to pass through Henan anyway, so it made sense to lump them together as one option.
Sichuan, or Anhui plus Henan.
'Come to think of it, Sichuan's home to the Tang Clan, right?'
That was Dang Ayoung's family, so if I went that way, I could probably count on her for some help.
If I timed it right, maybe even travel together.
So, Sichuan it was—since I already knew someone there...
'...What the hell is this ominous vibe?'
The moment I tried to settle on a destination, a seriously bad feeling washed over me.
I hadn't even done a reading, but somehow, it felt like my life would be over if I went that way.
'Heavenly lords, did you just drop a hint or something?'
Of course, our lofty heavens don't hand out revelations like that.
It had never happened before, not once.
So this was purely my gut feeling...
'Hmm...'
I couldn't see my own future, but as a fortune teller who peered into others', maybe I could trust my instincts here.
'Yeah. Hunan and Anhui it is.'
Sorry, Dang Ayoung, but if my gut was screaming that I'd be in deep shit over there, what choice did I have?
I could always invite her along later.
I kept up my usual business as always, but cut back on gambling to start saving a little money here and there.
Two weeks later, the item I'd been waiting for finally arrived.
"Here you go—liquor brewed with twenty-year-old wild ginseng. I tried to snag more, but they basically said I'd have to kill them first, so this was the limit."
"Ooooh..."
There it was, right before my eyes: ginseng wine in a massive jar, radiating a brilliant golden glow.
This was something I couldn't buy even if I tried—reservations were booked solid.
Considering wild ginseng was practically an elixir around these parts, something no one dared touch, this was one of the absolute best liquors I could hope to get my hands on.
Purely in terms of value, it might even outshine ten taels of gold.
"How on earth did you manage this?"
"Heh, through perfectly peaceful means, of course?"
No matter how I sliced it, this wasn't something they'd hand over willingly—but as long as there was no outright violence, it counted as peaceful.
"What, you saw they had a ton of different liquors stocked up? Liquor exists to be drunk—hoarding it serves no purpose. I'm sure this one's just waiting for someone to enjoy it."
The subjugation squad leader would weep blood at those words, but that wasn't my problem.
"Oh, and the investigation results on those bloodsuckers came back. Curious?"
"Wasn't it just some freak who'd mastered dark arts?"
"That's what we thought too... but there turned out to be a lot more tangled up in it. Pretty shocking findings, actually."
"What, you mean it's actually tied to the Blood Cult or something?"
I'd blurted that out without much thought, distracted by the liquor,
but...
"...Probably."
...It was real.
.
.
.
"...Jiangshi?"
"Yes. We've confirmed that every bloodsucker identified in this incident was already dead beforehand. The most recent ones weeks ago, the oldest a few months."
The jiangshi I knew hopped around like zombies with their legs pressed together and arms outstretched, but apparently it meant something a bit different in this world.
Basically, it just referred to undead, so pretty similar overall...
'Sucking blood... long nails... died and came back?'
This was basically a vampire, wasn't it?
They didn't burst into flames in sunlight, but otherwise, straight-up vampires?
Maybe I should've brought some garlic...
'...Nah. No way.'
Why the hell would vampires exist in the Murim world?
Best to chalk it up to coincidence.
"Anyway, the Murim Alliance is in an uproar over it... but the details are above my pay grade—I don't know them."
"You don't know either?"
"No matter how impressive I am, I'm still just a late-generation disciple. That's not my lane."
Dang Ayoung let out a sigh and shook her head.
It was clear the Murim Alliance was treating the Blood Cult matter with extreme seriousness.
'I hope those guys don't stir up any trouble down the line.'
For the record, if the Central Plains got swept up in war, I'd bolt for the mountains immediately.
It'd be boring as hell, but beats living in a world where death was on the table.
By then, Master would probably be around too, so at least I wouldn't be alone.
-Rustle-
I carefully stowed the liquor away and pulled out my travel guide to read it over again.
It was a book compiling famous spots in Anhui Province—I planned to hit every single one it mentioned.
"You've been reading that book a lot lately, huh? Got your eye on Anhui?"
Oh, right—I hadn't mentioned it to her.
"I'm heading out on a trip soon."
"..."
"Miss Tang?"
"...Where to?"
Dang Ayoung's voice came out strangely cold.
"On a trip. I've been cooped up in Shaanxi long enough—time for a change of pace. Thought I'd head to Anhui for some fun, passing through Henan."
"A trip..."
"I've made a killing lately. Feels like a waste to blow it all on the same old liquor and gambling every day."
"..."
"Why the silence, Miss Tang?"
"When?"
Something about Dang Ayoung's vibe felt off.
Blatantly different from her usual self.
"Preparations are just about done. I'll probably leave soon—within the next few days."
"...And your face?"
"..."
I wondered why she was getting so serious.
Turned out it was about my face.
That curious about it, huh?
"Didn't I say I'd show you someday? Anytime after I get back..."
"How do you know when you'll be back?"
"..."
"Show me before you go. Today."
Dang Ayoung stepped closer and gripped the back of my chair.
Her posture made it crystal clear she wasn't letting me slip away. I started mulling it over inwardly.
'Can I really reveal it?'
[Do not reveal your face. Fate decrees that face will bring you great calamity later.]
Master's prophecy.
Combine that with the brutally honest impression from the mirror,
and if I'd shown my face right from the start of my Jianghu debut, I might not have even made it to Shaanxi.
I'd probably have been kidnapped and sold off midway—my looks screamed "prime ransom bait from a wealthy family."
'Well, Dang Ayoung wouldn't pull something like that.'
Her clan was already one of the top houses in the Central Plains. No way she'd stoop to it.
But there was another worry...
"...You can trust me, right?"
I was concerned that once she saw my face, her attitude might shift—or that she'd go blabbing to others.
"Don't tell anyone?"
"I won't say a word, no matter what."
"Haa..."
Alright.
Dang Ayoung was trustworthy enough.
No way our relationship, built over all this time we'd known each other, would change over something like showing my face.
It'd probably just hit her like seeing a cute little brother.
Young on the outside, sure—but full-grown adult on the inside, so she wouldn't treat me like a kid anyway.
"Let's go somewhere private."
"...Pardon?"
"What? I can't exactly show it in a crowded spot. Got a place where it's just us—no one else around? Don't even have my own place; crashing at inns."
".....Huuuu..."
Dang Ayoung let out a strangely ragged breath.
Her thinking sound was always so peculiar.
"Um... how about... my house?"
"You have a house here in Shaanxi, Miss Tang?"
"I don't use it much... but yeah, it's there."
"Perfect. Let's go there."
-Tremble-
Dang Ayoung's body shuddered.
"Th-then... we're going. To my house, right? You're the one who said you'd come?"
Why the need to confirm over and over? So annoying.
I grabbed the hand of the frustratingly hesitant Dang Ayoung.
"Which way? It's late—better hurry."
I was in a rush to show her quick and get back to crack open that ginseng wine.
So her dawdling was seriously getting on my nerves.
"...Night..."
For some reason, her voice sounded eerily ominous tonight.
.
.
.
Dang Ayoung's house turned out way nicer than I'd imagined.
Even for a solo pad, I hadn't expected it to be this spacious.
"Training requires all sorts of facilities, you know. Poison research... training..."
That explained why she didn't use it much.
A place this huge all to herself? Even I'd feel overwhelmed.
"You got all the doors shut tight?"
"...Yes."
Once I'd confirmed every door inside was secured, I placed a hand on my cloak's hood.
-Thump thump-
After getting the cloak, I'd kept my face hidden almost constantly—now, the idea of showing it to someone else had my heart pounding on its own.
Master had told me to keep it covered. Was it really okay to ignore that?
The thought kept bubbling up.
Last chance to back out.
Lower the hood and reveal my face...
-Scratch scratch-