The Dang Clan's Forbidden Jade Leaf
The Dang Clan of Sichuan was notorious for placing such heavy emphasis on blood ties that it was often criticized as insular and clannish.
Even though it was classified among the righteous sects, it chose its means without scruple to achieve its ends, and when repaying a grudge, its temperament was vicious beyond compare.
It was a family that specialized in poisons and hidden weapons—fields scorned in the jianghu—and was frequently dismissed by other sects.
That was the Sichuan Dang Clan.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
I was now passing through the grand gates of the Sichuan Dang Clan and walking into the inner courtyard.
True to its status as the overlord of Sichuan, the compound was vast, and the surrounding walls stood tall and sturdy, as if declaring that no intruder would be tolerated.
But what impressed me most was the brilliant illumination everywhere, with guards standing watch without the slightest gap.
"Your security is impressive."
I scanned the surroundings, checking for any vulnerabilities.
Just in case a situation arose where I'd need to make a quick escape.
"Lately, some unsavory groups have been targeting our main house."
"Heavens! To target the mighty Sichuan Dang Clan? They're out of their minds."
"Exactly."
With a subtle compliment to the clan, not only Dang Gi-hyeok but his attendants flashed satisfied smiles.
To them, I was an envoy from the Murim Alliance, so every word from my mouth naturally carried weight.
We passed through the inner courtyard and various halls, eventually arriving at the rear garden.
"Alliance Warrior Jang."
In the rear garden thick with bamboo, Dang Gi-hyeok turned to me with the dancing bamboo grove at his back.
"What is it?"
"Just a heads-up: our young miss is a bit... unique."
"...?"
There was only one woman called "young miss" in the Dang Clan.
Dang Hwa-rin, the third daughter of the current clan head, the Poison King Dang Jeok-pung.
Despite being a woman, she was deeply immersed in martial arts, frequently roamed the jianghu, and was infamous for causing frequent incidents.
I'd even heard tales of her exploits in passing.
She stirred up so much trouble that her nickname was "Dang Clan's Little Chaos."
"I've heard the rumors."
"Haha, I figured as much."
Dang Gi-hyeok and his men gave awkward chuckles.
"She enjoys mingling with martial artists from across the world, and when a renowned warrior from Seongdo visits, she often spars with them."
"As expected of the Dang Clan's prized daughter—truly exceptional."
"The clan head himself has lamented that she should have been born a son."
"I see. But why summon a lowly warrior like me?"
Dang Gi-hyeok stepped forward, lowering his voice.
"Well... that was my mistake. Sorry about this."
"Mistake?"
"I reported your visit to her and ran into the young miss on my way out. When she asked what was up, I mentioned you without thinking..."
"And?"
Dang Gi-hyeok averted his gaze, looking up at the moon hanging round in the sky.
"She loves martial arts, but she also craves adventure."
"...?"
"Yes. She took an interest in your mission pursuing the Thousand Face Fox. Her eyes lit up when she heard... Sigh... This might get a bit troublesome. My apologies."
"..."
Why not just spread it around the neighborhood?
As I furrowed my brow without a word, Dang Gi-hyeok's eyes drifted even higher toward the sky.
"This isn't something for the forbidden jade leaf to get involved in. I'll talk her out of it."
"Her stubbornness is like iron tendons. Even the clan head yields to her will."
"Tch! Why'd I have to blab about something pointless?!"
"...Sorry."
Dang Gi-hyeok subtly turned his head away.
Whether Dang Hwa-rin knew or not didn't really matter much. What could she do to bother me anyway?
Still, incurring a favor from Dang Gi-hyeok might prove useful later, so I let my displeasure show as I gazed toward the bamboo grove.
"Is she in there?"
"Yes. Walk a bit further, and you'll see a pavilion. The young miss is there alone."
"You can go now."
With that, I walked ahead without looking back.
Dang Gi-hyeok called out hastily from behind.
"She might challenge you to a spar—don't be startled!"
"..."
I halted and slowly turned my head.
"Let's go!"
Unable to meet my eyes, Dang Gi-hyeok grabbed his two attendants and scurried off.
"Tsk tsk. Bunch of grown men."
Even if the clan head's daughter was intimidating, weren't they supposed to be warriors? Pathetic, cowering like that.
I clicked my tongue and made my way through the dense bamboo.
The ancient bamboo towers nearly as high as the halls.
The thick leaves rustled shh-shh in the wind, with pale moonlight filtering through intermittently, asserting its presence.
It should have felt eerie, but my exceptional senses confirmed no one else was around.
"Must be her."
A short walk later, a round clearing appeared amid the grove.
In the center stood a pavilion, where a young woman stood with hands clasped behind her back, gazing at the moon.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
I approached the pavilion without hiding my footsteps.
"Come on up."
The woman, presumably Dang Hwa-rin, spoke without even glancing my way.
I'd expected a tomboy from her reputation, but her voice was clear and refreshing, her posture graceful.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Jang U-gil of the Murim Alliance."
Younger than me in both past and present lives, she was still the daughter of the Dang Clan head, so I offered proper courtesy first.
"You stopped by Cheonun Pavilion?"
Yet Dang Hwa-rin's gaze remained fixed on the yellowish moon.
"Yes. Collecting old paintings is a hobby of mine."
"Is that so? Quite an unusual pastime for an Alliance member."
Dang Hwa-rin turned to face me.
Clad in the Dang Clan's signature green martial robes, her hair tied back tightly. Her fair face bore a slight flush from the late autumn breeze, and her large, round eyes held a calm sharpness rather than madness.
Early twenties, by the look of her.
The Five Dragons and Five Phoenixes of the jianghu were famous, but she could easily rank among the phoenixes in beauty.
"I don't have any profound knowledge."
The corner of Dang Hwa-rin's mouth curved softly upward.
"Cheonun Pavilion deals in all sorts of works, but I hear the old pavilion master is greedy and often cheats travelers. Hope you didn't get scammed."
"Really? Still, I snagged a pretty decent piece this time."
"Oh? Mind if I take a look?"
"Of course. It's an authentic Sam Bong Do."
I unfurled the Sam Bong Do painting I'd bought from Cheonun Pavilion with a whoosh.
The pavilion master hadn't recognized its true value.
I wondered if Dang Hwa-rin would.
"Hmm... authentic, huh."
Dang Hwa-rin's brow furrowed slightly.
"How much did you pay?"
"Haggled it down from five gold taels to one. Not a bad deal, right? Haha!"
"What? One gold tael? Hohohoho!"
Amused beyond words, Dang Hwa-rin threw her head back and laughed heartily.
Her mischievous grin made the "Little Chaos" nickname suddenly click.
"I should pay that pavilion master a visit. If he keeps scamming people, what will out-of-towners think of Sichuan?"
"Huh? S-scam?"
Even Dang Hwa-rin couldn't see its true worth.
As expected, it was visible only to me.
"That's a fake. Sam Bong Do copies are all over Sichuan. If I'd known, I'd have stopped you. Let me apologize on his behalf."
"Goodness... a fake..."
I deliberately let my fingers tremble, feigning shock.
At my naive act, Dang Hwa-rin's smile widened further.
"Have a seat. I've prepared a simple spread with drinks."
As she said, a small table held a white sake bottle and a few side dishes.
Instead of sitting right away, I stared blankly at the painting.
"I paid gold for... this..."
Glug glug glug.
Amused by my reaction, she laughed even harder and filled two cups to the brim.
"I'll gift you a real masterpiece, so don't take it too hard. Sit down already. I've got a ton of questions."
"Oh! Thank you!"
"No big deal."
Dang Hwa-rin raised her cup like a man.
I lifted mine and clinked it against hers.
Clink—the sound echoed through the bamboo grove.
"So, what brings the young miss of the Dang Clan to summon a nobody like me...?"
"You're from the Murim Alliance. Of course I have to treat you right."
Dang Hwa-rin's eyes curved into crescents.
"Aw, I'm not worth that much..."
She downed her cup in one go, still smiling.
Her beauty rivaled even the Monghwan Lou Owner, yet her demeanor was utterly masculine.
No escorts, no maids—just casually sharing drinks with a strange man from outside.
Downing sake so boldly while staring right at me.
Beyond her personality, the fact that this was inside the Dang Clan grounds played a role.
"Why aren't you drinking? No poison in it. Go on."
"Haha! I was just momentarily entranced by how boldly you drink, young miss."
"Hohoho! Most men get flustered when I stare like this, but you don't bat an eye. You're no ordinary fellow yourself."
"Nah, like I said, I'm just a lowly..."
I raised my cup.
That's when I noticed the ring on her pinky.
The red ring made of blood jade, a gift from Nan-sim.
"Oh! What a pretty ring! It almost seems to glow."
"Yeah... so it does."
I looked up at Dang Hwa-rin.
She peered down at the ring with an innocent smile, beaming brightly.