Tianyang County
Ten days had passed since Cheonhwa awoke.
The mopping-up of the Black Path remnants was finished, and the martial world of Baoji had found its balance again. Yet the Black Path was like weeds—no matter how thoroughly you tore them out, you turned around only to find them sprouting once more. Keeping them suppressed was precisely the duty of the Geon-gon Gate.
Still, with two more first-class martial artists emerging over these ten days, the burden should ease.
Through foundational training under Cheonhwa, several had broken through the bottlenecks that had held them back. With that, even if Cheonhwa’s party withdrew, the Geon-gon Gate would not stagger.
Now that Baoji is stable, we can focus on tracking the demonic arts.
The past ten days had served the stability of Baoji’s martial world—but they had also been time spent waiting for information. To obtain leads on the demonic arts, Cheonhwa had commissioned both the Hao Clan and the Beggar’s Sect, intending to cross-check both sides and arrive at the most accurate picture possible.
The information he requested was a single point: how the Black Guard Pavilion Master and the Plum Blossom Gate Master had come by the demonic arts. Even the two great information networks of the martial world needed time; they had only faint clues to work from. Still, they were the two great information organizations of the rivers and lakes for a reason, and before long they delivered what he wanted. Cheonhwa relayed the findings from the Hao Clan and the Beggar’s Sect to Yeonhwa and Jeokhwa.
“According to the reports, both the Black Guard Pavilion Master and the Plum Blossom Gate Master obtained martial manuals from a traveling merchant of the Silent Merchant Pavilion who had come from the west.”
“And what became of that merchant who handed over the manuals?”
“It was confirmed that he left Baoji by boat bound for Xi’an. After that, his trail goes cold.”
A Silent Merchant Pavilion trader dealing martial manuals to the Black Path was nothing unusual. The problem was that the arts traded were not ordinary unorthodox techniques but demonic arts—and that the merchant who made the deal had vanished so conveniently.
“A thorough investigation turned up something else: no such merchant exists in the Silent Merchant Pavilion.”
In other words, the man who dealt with the two masters had been impersonating the Silent Merchant Pavilion, and the true source of the demonic arts was some third party. Nine times out of ten, the real culprit behind those manuals would be that mysterious force.
“Did the merchant stop anywhere else before he disappeared?”
“Two places have been confirmed so far. Tianyang County and Long County.”
Both lay at the westernmost edge of Shaanxi Province, and both were linked to the Wei River that ran past Baoji and Xi’an. Records remained of the impostor traveling as a merchant by boat along that river.
“We’ll stop first at Tianyang County, which is closer to Baoji.”
The impostor had sold demonic arts to the Black Guard Pavilion Master and the Plum Blossom Gate Master. He might have done the same in Tianyang County and Long County—and even if he hadn’t, they could still gather details of his appearance and the like. With their next destination decided, the party began preparing to leave.
When they finished their arrangements and stepped outside, the disciples of the Geon-gon Gate stood gathered in one place. The Gate Master and the others bowed their heads as one.
“We pray for the martial fortune of the Taoist masters of the Main Mountain, who saved the Geon-gon Gate and Baoji.”
Dozens of heads lowered in gratitude made a truly imposing sight—and at the same time, proof that everything they had done until now had been right. Holding the events of Baoji in his heart, Cheonhwa passed through the main gate of the Geon-gon Gate with his companions.
The road from Baoji to Tianyang County was smooth as could be. They met no bandits or Black Path stragglers along the way, and they were not drawn into any trouble in the villages they passed. Or rather, more precisely—
There’s no one on the road.
That was when Cheonhwa felt the wrongness. Until now, not meeting a single traveler had been strange. He was not the only one who sensed it. Jeokhwa frowned as she spoke.
“This is odd. This road may not be a major thoroughfare, but it usually sees a fair amount of traffic. For it to be this empty…”
Even in the villages they had stopped at, no one knew the cause—only that while people still came from the east, travelers from the west had simply stopped appearing. Something had clearly happened in the west. Uneasy, the party pressed on toward Tianyang County.
By the time they arrived, the day had already grown dark. They stopped at a nearby inn to rest. With so few travelers about, the interior was rather empty. They had secured rooms and were about to discuss their plans over dinner when a shout rose from the back of the hall.
“Wine! Bring more wine!”
Cheonhwa felt a flicker of recognition in that voice. Looking toward the sound, he saw a man with a face flushed red from drink bellowing at a waiter.
“Young master, you’ve already had quite a lot. Haven’t you finished the amount the Manor Lord limited you to?”
“I know that. But I can’t stand it without drinking. I’ll pay double—just bring more wine!”
“Aigoo, young master! If we get caught, the Manor Lord will have our hides!”
The waiter made a pained sound as he tried to restrain him. Ordinarily a man offering more money would be welcomed with open arms—yet here the waiter was holding him back. Moreover, the man’s face looked familiar. Cheonhwa was certain he had seen it somewhere before.
“…Dan Myeong-geuk?”
It was the young master who had coveted Cheonhwa’s Okgyeong at the Hyeonhwang Blacksmith and been thoroughly thrashed for it. The name rose to Cheonhwa’s lips by reflex, and the man who reacted to it turned his gaze toward him. Their eyes met.
The moment he saw Cheonhwa’s face, the man narrowed his eyes as if struggling to place him—then the flush of drink drained from his features at once. As if he had seen a ghost, he shot up from his seat, stumbled several steps backward, and spoke in a trembling voice.
“Y-you! What are you doing here?!”
“That’s what I’d like to ask.”
“You know Tianyang County is the domain of the Dan Family Manor, and you still say that?!”
“I knew that. I simply never expected to run into you like this.”
Tianyang County was countryside compared to Xi’an or Baoji, but it was still a proper county. Unless one deliberately sought out the Dan Family Manor, there should have been no reason to meet. He had never imagined they would cross paths this way.
I was planning to visit them anyway.
The Dan Family Manor was a prominent house in Tianyang County; they would know the affairs of this land inside and out. They would also know why traffic from the west had dried up of late. And with their ties to the Zhongnan Sect, cooperation would come easily. While he was at it, he could also see how much the young master had changed.
Still, he has improved somewhat from before.
Cheonhwa regarded Dan Myeong-geuk. Completely cowed, watching Cheonhwa’s every reaction. There was no trace of the reckless arrogance of the past. Even when demanding wine from the waiter he had raised his voice, but he had not caused a scene the way he once would have. While Cheonhwa reassessed him, the man himself was on pins and needles. This was the person who had beaten him down in front of the Hyeonhwang Blacksmith and even decided his future treatment. If he fell out of Cheonhwa’s favor this time, his life as a martial artist could truly be finished.
What business brought him to Tianyang County?
Unable to grasp the situation, Dan Myeong-geuk examined Cheonhwa and his companions—then his gaze suddenly stopped. A face just past the age of sixteen, only beginning to bloom with youthful beauty, set against a refined, elegant bearing that belied her years. The unique air created by that young appearance and mature demeanor made it impossible for him to look away.
Gulp.
Dan Myeong-geuk swallowed dryly without realizing it. In all his life he had never seen a young lady like her. The urge to know who she was welled up from within—and that urge finally overcame even his fear of Cheonhwa.
“Ahem.”
Dan Myeong-geuk cleared his throat lightly, fetched a chair, and sat down beside Cheonhwa. He seemed to think this a perfectly natural way to join them—but at the sudden, complete reversal of attitude, Cheonhwa narrowed his eyes slightly.
“Taoist Cheonhwa, might I ask for an introduction to your companions?”
Cheonhwa saw that Dan Myeong-geuk’s gaze was fixed on the junior sisters. Objectively speaking, Yeonhwa and Jeokhwa’s beauty was outstanding—and indeed, whenever they went out among crowds, people stole glances at them constantly. With a somewhat awkward expression, Cheonhwa introduced his companions.
“These are my fellow disciples, Junior Sister Yeonhwa and Junior Sister Jeokhwa.”
“A pleasure to meet you. I am Dan Myeong-geuk, young master of the Dan Family Manor.”
Dan Myeong-geuk’s eyes sparkled the moment Jeokhwa was introduced. Apparently he had taken a proper fancy to her. Cheonhwa let out a light sigh and gently nudged him in the side.
“W-what is it?”
“Don’t stare so blatantly. It’s rude to the junior sisters.”
“Ugh—my apologies.”
Even as he apologized with his mouth, Dan Myeong-geuk kept stealing sidelong glances at Jeokhwa. She seemed to have noticed but chose not to show it. She knew that ignoring such things was the answer. The fellow disciple sitting beside her, however, did not.
“Why are you looking at Junior Sister Jeokhwa like that?”
At Yeonhwa’s unexpected remark, Cheonhwa and Jeokhwa froze. In contrast, Dan Myeong-geuk answered as if he had been waiting for the question.
“It is presumptuous of me to say this, but Junior Sister Jeokhwa’s lovely figure keeps drawing my eye…”
“…Forgive me, young master, but with a more beautiful junior sister sitting right next to me, that compliment doesn’t exactly stir my heart.”
Having recovered her wits, Jeokhwa cut his praise down in a single stroke. It was not mere deflection—she genuinely believed Yeonhwa was prettier, and indeed, if one had to name the most beautiful among the flower-named disciples, Yeonhwa was always first to mind. But at her reply, Dan Myeong-geuk glanced briefly toward Yeonhwa.
“Hmm. That young lady is beautiful as well, but it’s excessive. She’s so far beyond ordinary she doesn’t even feel human—so it doesn’t stir me.”
He delivered an answer of unmatched rudeness. It was not empty flattery meant to win Jeokhwa over. His expression made it plain he sincerely thought Jeokhwa the finer of the two. At the unexpected answer, Cheonhwa and Jeokhwa were stunned once more—and because of that, they failed to react properly to what came next.
Thud!
With a dull sound, Dan Myeong-geuk toppled backward in his chair without even managing a scream. The one who had struck him was none other than Yeonhwa. She twisted her expression in a rare display of open emotion—apparently the assessment that she did not look human had displeased her considerably. Leaving him groaning and rolling on the floor, she asked Cheonhwa,
“Is my face that bad?”
“No. Nine out of ten people would praise it as beautiful.”
Cheonhwa answered while looking at her tightly clenched fist. Apparently mollified, Yeonhwa relaxed her expression and returned to her seat, while Jeokhwa patted her comfortingly and glared at Dan Myeong-geuk. His rude words toward Yeonhwa had clearly earned him lasting enmity—and it was his own doing.
“So, what made you seek wine so desperately?”
At Cheonhwa’s question, Dan Myeong-geuk’s expression darkened as the emotions he had momentarily forgotten surged up again.
“Recently, a new Black Path faction has appeared in this area.”
“In Tianyang County, which the Dan Family Manor has firmly under control?”
“The Black Path is like chaff. No matter how carefully you tend things, they always spring up. So sometimes you need to clean house. But this faction was different.”
Overall their skill was clearly around third-class or worse—yet suddenly the faction master seemed to have undergone a great awakening and single-handedly overwhelmed the martial artists of the Dan Family Manor.
“I’d like to hear that story in detail.”
At a situation that sounded all too familiar, Cheonhwa’s eyes flashed. It seemed the shadowy hand had reached Tianyang County as well.