Chapter 22
Chapter 22
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: The Reason There's No Sword Qi
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Henan, Luoyang.
The largest prosperous city in the Central Plains, and the hub closest to the very heart of the Central Plains.
As befitting the grandest of bustling cities, Luoyang's streets teemed with people coming and going, while countless merchants shouted to attract customers.
In the center of such a Luoyang stood a massive fortress.
By the emperor's command, it was the greatest sect in the martial world, tasked with suppressing and controlling the righteous factions from the middle of the Central Plains.
The people of the world called that fortress the Tyrant Heaven Citadel.
Deep underground of that Tyrant Heaven Citadel.
A group of men strode swiftly toward the deepest depths.
At the forefront of the group was a middle-aged man draped in ornate robes.
His neatly groomed beard and dignified face might have given the impression of a refined gentleman at first glance, but his sharply glinting eyes and the cunning light within them ruined the effect.
This man was none other than Gui Dao—no, Gui Zun Ju Do-han, who had succeeded the previous citadel lord Ju Cheon-mu as the new lord of Tyrant Heaven Citadel.
"Where's the body?"
"We've placed it in an empty underground storehouse."
At the report from his subordinate following right behind him, Do-han headed straight for the underground storehouse.
-Bang!
The storehouse door flew open as if it might shatter.
Inside what should have been an empty storehouse, seventeen coffins came into view.
"......"
Do-han stepped up to the massive coffin in the center among the many and kicked off the lid.
A foul stench wafted out as the hulking corpse of a giant sprang forth.
It was the body of Shin Je-gon, one of the four great guardians under Do-han.
"...It's really Cheonchu."
One of the guardians he'd sent on a simple errand had returned as a corpse.
All the others who might explain what had happened were gone too.
"Heh, heh heh..."
For a moment, Do-han let out a hollow laugh of disbelief before quickly wiping the smile from his face and calling over the men at the rear of the group.
They were the coroners who worked within Tyrant Heaven Citadel.
"Examine it."
"Y-Yes!"
Trembling under the citadel lord's sky-high command, the coroners approached Je-gon's body.
Do-han grimaced at the unpleasant stench emanating from them and stepped back a few paces.
How much time passed.
The coroners who had inspected Je-gon's body finally stood up.
"What's the cause of death?"
"Y-Yes. Aside from the wound on the neck, there are no other injuries to speak of. It seems like... the neck was severed in a single strike..."
Do-han twisted his lips at the coroner's report.
"So you're saying Cheonchu Shin Je-gon died in one strike?"
"I-It wouldn't explain the body's condition otherwise..."
The coroner instinctively sensed the citadel lord's mood plummeting and trembled violently.
"Tch. Get out."
"Y-Yes!"
Do-han glared at them sharply for a moment, clicked his tongue, and sent the coroners away. Only Do-han and his close aides remained in the storehouse.
"Do any of you understand this? Cheonchu dying in a single strike?"
"......"
His aides could only shut their mouths, their faces etched with confusion at the question.
"Where was the body found?"
"Yes, in a field near Hwangcheon County. Considering the state of the other bodies, reports suggest it was the work of the mining bandits who've set up nearby."
"...So you're saying Cheonchu died at the hands of mere bandits? You expect me to believe that?"
Cheonchu Shin Je-gon.
He had been one of the four great guardians protecting the previous citadel lord Ju Cheon-mu, a master acknowledged by everyone in Tyrant Heaven Citadel.
In his youth, there were still tales circulated among the citadel's warriors of how he'd slain over fifty martial artists single-handedly.
For such a Je-gon to die at bandits' hands?
Even a stray dog would laugh at that.
Do-han couldn't help but suspect the investigation team's incompetence.
"The investigation team's incompetence knows no bounds. How many do I need to rip apart as examples before they shape up?"
As if responding to Do-han's rage, a sinister aura began spreading in all directions.
His close aide, Grand Overseer Jin Mu-gun of the General Affairs Bureau, shuddered under the ghostly energy that raised goosebumps all over and urgently offered counsel.
"Th-The investigation team's speculation isn't entirely without merit."
"...What do you mean by that?"
Do-han slowly reined in his aura at Mu-gun's words.
Mu-gun let out a small sigh of relief and began explaining calmly.
"Truth be told, the mining bandits reportedly nearby are ones we've had our eyes on for some time. Already four of the citadel's warriors have died at their hands..."
"Mere bandits besting Tyrant Heaven Citadel warriors?"
As Do-han's face twisted again, Mu-gun hurriedly continued his report.
"Th-The mining band's chieftain, a man named Im Chun-il, is said to possess terrifying martial arts and divine power. Even the county magistrate of Hwangcheon County couldn't handle them and requested aid from us..."
And the four warriors sent in response had returned as corpses as well.
"......"
Do-han clamped his mouth shut, deep in thought.
"...Everyone out except Grand Overseer Jin."
He suddenly ordered everyone but Mu-gun to leave the storehouse.
Now alone with just the two of them.
Do-han glanced warily toward the door for a moment before approaching Mu-gun and asking,
"...No manual was found?"
"...Yes. Even Hero Shin's Paeryong Sword was missing, so it seems the bandits looted it."
Do-han ground his teeth at Mu-gun's words.
The manual he referred to—Blood Burst Technique—was not something to be leaked lightly.
Obtained through an ally cooperating with his 'great cause,' it was an item meant for the peace of this martial world.
Not something to fall into the hands of mere bandits!
"...Hoo."
Do-han forcibly calmed his rage at the situation derailed by some bandits with deep breaths.
Then he issued orders to Mu-gun.
"Order the Blood Maniac Squad to exterminate the mining band. If it's them, they'll slaughter and burn every last one, lair or not."
"...Yes!"
Blood Maniac Squad.
One of the fifteen combat units under Tyrant Heaven Citadel, infamous for their excessive and brutal methods—the squad of murder ghosts.
Sending the Blood Maniac Squad was tantamount to declaring total annihilation of the mining band.
"And just to be sure, send the investigation team afterward to double-check the lair."
"Understood."
Do-han nodded at Mu-gun's reply and once more looked down at Je-gon's body.
"...To lose him so pointlessly. All the effort I invested in this one was wasted."
His voice held not a trace of sorrow for losing a guardian; it was utterly cold.
His face equally icy as he gazed at Je-gon, Do-han suddenly grew curious about the face of the one who had slain Je-gon in a single strike.
'I'd like to see that bastard's face.'
*
"Hum~ Hum hum~"
I hummed a tune as I drove the carriage along the road.
My master, seated beside me, looked at me with clear displeasure.
"Are you that pleased?"
"Of course. The start of an adventure is always thrilling. And our first goal is the Nangong Clan! Just thinking about seeing the Soaring Sky Endless Sword Technique and Imperial Sword Forms in person...!"
Nangong Clan.
A family that shows up so often in wuxia novels, it's rare to see one without them.
Put simply, they're the most famous house around?
They're often depicted as the leaders of the Five Great Clans, but whatever, that doesn't matter.
What matters is that the Nangong Clan is a renowned sword house famous for their sword techniques.
And their most representative arts are, of course, the Soaring Sky Endless Sword Technique and the Imperial Sword Forms.
I also vaguely recall things like Lightning Thirteen Sword Thunders or Great Cyclic Sword Method, but still, those top two are the most famous.
As commonly described, the Imperial Sword Forms are:
-The single sword strike roared like thunder from an angry heaven, crashing down upon the horde of evildoers.
-The raised sword resonated with the heavens, pressing down on everyone around with suffocating pressure.
And the Soaring Sky Endless Sword Technique:
-He leaped toward the blue sky, striking at the foe's vital points like an eagle snatching prey.
-A sword as free and boundless as the infinitely vast sky—that is the Soaring Sky Endless Sword Technique.
"Kuh..."
A single sword that crushes all—the emperor's blade!
A sword technique mimicking the freedom of the heavens!
Just thinking about it set my heart racing.
In just a few days, I'd get to see such arts firsthand...!
"...What nonsense is that? Soaring Sky Endless? Imperial Sword Forms? I've never heard of the Nangong Clan having any such techniques."
"...Pardon?"
What was this?
I couldn't hide my bewilderment as I looked at my master.
Was he teasing me because he didn't like how excited I was?
I stared at him with that suspicion, but what I saw was my master's genuinely perplexed face.
...He really hasn't heard of them?
"N-No way~ You must not know, Master. You're not from the Nangong Clan—how would you know all their family arts?"
I tried to brush it off, but his response was utterly serious, dashing my hopes.
"Do you know why we're heading to the Nangong Clan first?"
"Uh, because it's the closest?"
In truth, Gun-gang County was near the border of Henan and Anhui Provinces.
Even closer to Hefei than to Kaifeng or Luoyang in Henan.
"That's part of it, but there's a sworn brother of mine in the Nangong Clan. We're close enough to know each other's martial arts. So I know all the names of their clan techniques. None of what you mentioned are among them."
-Thud!
It felt like a massive boulder had dropped onto my chest.
What? No Imperial Sword Forms in the Nangong Clan?
"Besides, Imperial Sword Forms? Even if it's just a technique's name, do you think the imperial court would allow anyone to call their sword 'Imperial'?"
"......"
I was too shocked to say anything for a long while.