Chapter 66
Chapter 66
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: I Want to Establish a Mysterious Jade Palace Branch in Dong-ro!
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Two women sat on the second floor of a floating house.
The seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl frowned as she glanced toward the entrance.
"We ordered the food an hour ago, and it's still not here."
Due to prying eyes, they couldn't dine at an inn and had instead ordered food to be brought to their floating house.
The girl, who had a short sword about two hand-spans long at her waist, looked at the woman of about twenty, dressed in vibrant clothes, who was gazing out the open window.
"My lady, are you very hungry?"
The lady, with short twin swords strapped to her shoulders, spoke while looking out the window.
"I'm fine."
The girl's voice was clear and ringing, while the lady's voice was as soft as a spring breeze.
"I gave the waiter two whole silver coins to bring our food here, you know?"
Just then, the floating house swayed gently. Someone had stepped onto the boat.
The girl shot to her feet.
"The food must be here!"
At that moment, the lady looking out the window perked up her ears. Sensing something, she quickly slipped out the window.
"Aeng-a! It's an enemy! Get away!"
The girl, Aeng-a, hastily followed her lady toward the window.
"Ah!"
The lady shot out of the window headfirst, only to discover Go Un-hyo standing stock-still on the railing right in front of her. Unable to stop in time, her head collided with his chest.
"Ah!"
The girl, trying to follow, was blocked as her head bumped into her lady's rear, which had come to a halt outside the window.
"Oof!"
The lady pushed back from Go Un-hyo and immediately shook her sleeves.
"Get back!"
*Flutter!*
A wave of brilliant, iridescent colors poured out from her.
*Swoosh!*
Go Un-hyo flinched as hundreds of flowers suddenly bloomed before his eyes, and enchanting colors spread like a rainbow, pouring down on him.
From within the flowers, a beautiful bird fluttered up.
Go Un-hyo reflexively reached out to catch the bird.
Just as the fluttering bird was about to be caught in Go Un-hyo's large hand…
*Kreeeak!*
The bird instantly transformed into a giant venomous snake, baring its sharp fangs as it attacked Go Un-hyo.
Go Un-hyo quickly retreated, thrusting his fist toward the snake.
*Pow!*
"Ack!"
In an instant, the snake vanished, and the lady, spitting blood, was sent flying into the river like a dry leaf.
A normal person would have been terrified by the snake's attack, but the iron-willed Go Un-hyo had attacked instead of backing down.
The lady fluttered like a flower petal as she fell into the river.
The girl, leaning out the window, let out a piercing scream.
"Aah! My lady!"
Go Un-hyo fished the lady out of the river.
I looked at the lady lying on the bed.
Soaking wet, she lay there unconscious, while the girl watched over her, crying by the bedside.
The girl continued to weep, glaring at us.
"Who are you people to treat us like this?"
The lady, having taken Go Un-hyo's fist to her face, was unconscious and limp, one eye and her temple bruised black and severely swollen.
If Go Un-hyo had put any real force into his punch, her head would have shattered, killing her instantly.
The girl, now a little angry, spoke.
"If you don't leave right now, our companions will be here soon to teach you a lesson!"
I sat down in a chair near a table.
"Wake her up."
"My lady is unconscious!"
"I know she's awake. Get up."
Despite Jang Ung's words, the lady remained motionless, and the girl shrieked.
"If you don't get up, I'll throw you in the river."
When the lady still didn't move, Jang Ung moved to grab her.
"How dare you!"
The lady suddenly sat up, her hands reaching for the twin swords on her shoulders.
But before she could, Jang Ung's fist exploded against her face.
*Crack!*
"Aack!"
Jang Ung hadn't hit her hard, so she came to after about ten breaths.
The lady sat on the bed, both eyes now bruised black, her entire face swollen.
She had been hit on the left side of her face by Go Un-hyo, and now Jang Ung had punched her on the right.
With two punches, her small face had puffed up like a large, squashed dumpling. It was a marvel that a human face could swell to such a degree.
I sat in a chair some distance from her, while Jang Ung spoke quietly to the lady.
"Tell us why someone from the Mysterious Jade Palace has come to Dong-ro Prefecture."
"…"
At Jang Ung's abrupt mention of the "Mysterious Jade Palace," both the lady and the girl flinched.
The girl clenched her fists, trembling as she protested.
"Hey! Why are you calling us members of the Mysterious Jade Palace?"
"Are you not from the Mysterious Jade Palace?"
"Who says we're from the Mysterious Jade Palace?"
"Aeng-a, that's enough."
As Aeng-a flared up, her lady stopped her.
The lady looked at me, sitting to one side, and at the standing Go Un-hyo, before addressing Jang Ung.
"Who are you?"
Her voice was cold, but her face was so swollen that her expression was unreadable.
"Did you not come to meet us?"
At Jang Ung's words, the lady's eyes widened.
"Then…"
Her two eyes, buried in swollen flesh, darted around before fixing on my face. She shot to her feet.
"Ah! Are you the Fire Dragon Sword?"
When I didn't answer or even look at her, she tried to approach, but Jang Ung extended an arm to block her.
"State your name within the Mysterious Jade Palace and your purpose for coming to Dong-ro Prefecture."
The lady gave me a respectful fist-and-palm salute.
"My name is Cho-seon, the Branch Palace Lord of the Mysterious Jade Palace's Hangzhou branch. I wish to make a deal with Master Ak."
First, Snow Cloud Palace Lord Hwa U-gun had called me "Young Hero Ak," and now I was being called "Master Ak."
Jang Ung was a font of information, but he had said he knew almost nothing about the Mysterious Jade Palace.
That was a testament to how secretive their activities were, and since they weren't considered part of the martial world, there was little need to investigate them. He had only just learned that they had a branch in Hangzhou.
"Speak."
"I wish to speak with Master Ak alone, not you."
Her two eyes, buried in their sockets, shone with stubbornness.
Jang Ung looked at me.
"You may leave."
I sat across the table from Cho-seon, with the girl named Aeng-a standing behind her with a sulky expression.
"Speak."
Cho-seon frowned and stared intently at me, which I found annoying, but I waited patiently.
I thought that if she remained silent, I would count to ten in my head before taking other measures. She opened her mouth when I reached seven.
"Master Ak, you are quite handsome."
"Is that all you have to say?"
Her face was swollen and scowling, yet her voice was as gentle as a spring breeze.
What's more, she was bleeding from her nose, which made her look ridiculous.
Cho-seon glared coldly.
"You are very blunt, aren't you?"
And still, her voice was like a spring breeze.
I was about to stand up when Jang Ung sent me a telepathic message.
[My lord, please do not get up. She is trying to flirt with you.]
'Flirt?'
[Please wait a moment.]
I thought about Jang Ung's use of the word "flirt" and an image of Ja-un came to mind.
Ja-un was always full of bright, cute charm when she was with me. Yes. That was charm, that was flirtation.
'But to say that the actions of this woman, whose face is distorted like a squashed dumpling, are flirtatious is a bit of a stretch…'
Then, it dawned on me.
'Could it be?'
As Jang Ung had said, this woman named Cho-seon was likely trying to flirt, just like Ja-un would.
However, she had forgotten that her face had been pummeled and mashed by Go Un-hyo's and Jang Ung's fists.
Understanding this made me a little more tolerant.
Cho-seon pouted with her split lips, which looked more like a sneer. I understood the intent, but it was hard to get used to.
"Our Palace Lord wishes to establish a branch palace in Dong-ro Prefecture."
'A Mysterious Jade Palace branch?'
"In the future, Dong-ro Prefecture will flourish into a metropolis greater than Hangzhou. That is why we wish to establish a branch."
The Mysterious Jade Palace was looking ahead.
But we had just driven out the Demonic Emperor's Grand Union and the Dong-ro branch of the Ten Heavens of the Unorthodox Path, yet the Mysterious Jade Palace wanted to open a branch here.
They couldn't possibly be unaware of this fact. If they knew and were still making this proposal, they must have something prepared.
Since I knew nothing about the Mysterious Jade Palace, it wouldn't hurt to hear their terms.
Cho-seon waited for me to ask something, but when I just sat there silently with my arms crossed, she stared at me.
In truth, she was probably gazing at me deeply, but with her eyes buried in swollen flesh, it looked like a glare.
"Why aren't you saying anything?"
"Are you not going to state your terms?"
"I will."
"Then speak."
"Honestly!"
Cho-seon pouted, then took a thin booklet from her robes and placed it on the table.
"Look at this."
I opened the booklet. The first page listed five or six names with what appeared to be descriptions of them. The second and third pages were the same.
"What is this?"
"The people listed there are spies."
At those words, a thought flashed through my mind.
"Are you saying there are spies among the new recruits who just joined the Dong-ro Branch?"
"That's correct."
"This many?"
"No. The first page lists the six spies who have infiltrated the Dong-ro Branch. The second page onward is a list of spies in the six Martial Alliance branches within Zhejiang Province, including the Hangzhou branch."
"Is this all of them?"
"This is all the spies in the Martial Alliance's regional and local branches within Zhejiang Province. If you wish, we can provide a list of all the spies in the entire Martial Alliance."
I read through the booklet again to the end and set it down on the table.
"Are you certain?"
I hadn't expected the Mysterious Jade Palace to come forward with information about spies who had infiltrated the Dong-ro Branch.
"You can verify it."
I called for Jang Ung.
"Verify this."
Jang Ung had been listening from outside, so no explanation was needed.
"I will."
Jang Ung picked up the booklet and left.
Cho-seon spoke confidently.
"There's more."
"What else?"
Cho-seon held up a single finger.
"We can find out anything Master Ak desires."
"How long would it take?"
"That depends on what needs to be found."
From the way Cho-seon spoke, she was no amateur.
I recalled a name from the list Sang Gang-jo had shown me, one that he had been unable to find.
"I want you to find out about the Blood Crow Saber."
"I will."
Her reply was too easy.
"Do you know of the Blood Crow Saber?"
"I've never heard the name. Is it a person?"
"How long will it take?"
"Three days will be enough."
The Blood Crow Saber was one of the seventy-odd names out of Sang Gang-jo's list of two hundred twenty-six that he had been unable to identify.
I was curious about Cho-seon's usual appearance and expression.
"Is there anything else you need to find out?"
This was a test of the Mysterious Jade Palace.
"Can you find out where the Alliance Lord of the Martial Alliance is?"
"I'll look into it."
Her answers were too simple.
"Is there anything else?"
"I want to know about the Eternal Martial God Family."
Cho-seon's eyes widened.
"The Eternal Martial God Family... that's a difficult one."
"Why is that?"
"Very little is known about the Eternal Martial God Family."
"Then forget it."
"No. I will do my best to find out what I can."
If the Mysterious Jade Palace could discover the whereabouts of the Alliance Lord, whom the Demonic Emperor's Grand Union and the Ten Heavens of the Unorthodox Path were desperately searching for, the Martial Alliance would have no choice but to keep them close.
"If you open a Mysterious Jade Palace branch in Dong-ro Prefecture, what will you do?"
"Make money."
"How will you make money?"
"Through sorcery."
"You mean things like exorcising or summoning ghosts?"
"That is one form of sorcery."