Chapter 25
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: I Want to Go Home
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Senior Disciple's eyes were serene like a lake deep in the mountains, yet lurking at the bottom was an unfathomable chill.
She wrapped her hand around the back of mine and asked softly.
"Yi Yi. Do you know what the scariest thing in the jianghu is?"
It was a sudden question, but pressed by her aura, I fell deep into thought.
The emptiness in my bosom still brought a lingering fear, so my answer naturally drifted that way.
"Thieves? ...They are scary. They say you can lose your nose right under your open eyes, and it wasn't an empty phrase."
At my response, Senior Disciple let out a soft chuckle.
"Yes, thieves and pickpockets are frightening too. They take what you have. But there are things even scarier than that."
"Then... bandit lairs or black path gangs?"
"Those are certainly things to be cautious of. Lives hang in the balance."
Senior Disciple shook her head and stared straight at me.
Nothing else came to mind, so I shut my mouth.
"......"
Suddenly, her index finger plunged toward my lips.
The unannounced intrusion pressed down on my tongue and delved deep into my mouth.
A strange, sweet flavor lingered on the tip of my tongue.
"But the scariest thing is this tongue right here. Rumors in the jianghu travel a thousand li on wings with no feet, and even baseless clouds can turn sworn friends into mortal enemies."
"Mmph... Yes...."
I mumbled around Senior Disciple's finger.
The Daoist teaching of guhua jiwen—the mouth is a gate that invites calamity—flashed through my mind.
But in this urgent situation, why bring up such a basic principle now? I wondered.
"But... why suddenly talk about that...?"
As I asked with my eyes, Senior Disciple withdrew her finger with a strange smile instead of answering.
A thread of saliva stretched and snapped.
She gave my back a light push.
"Let's see how our little junior handles it."
A chilling anticipation laced Senior Disciple's voice.
"It's your possession, so go retrieve it with your own hands. Shouldn't a Mount Hua disciple show these rude thieves that we're no blind fools?"
Pushed by her hand, I faced the murmuring crowd once more.
Senior Disciple's intent was a test staking the pride of Mount Hua Sect.
I stood in the midst of the bustling throng like a sailboat adrift on a vast ocean.
Behind me, her silent calm aimed at my shoulder like a dagger, and the cold emptiness in my bosom pierced to the bone.
Despair washed over me.
Finding the thief who had vanished into this sea of people was no different from searching for a needle dropped in a flowing river.
"Rumors...... Rumors travel a thousand li......"
I licked my dry lips and glanced back at Senior Disciple.
She remained with arms crossed, wearing that enlightened smile.
A wordless pressure to figure it out yourself.
That smile weighed down on me like a thousand-ton iron block.
Senior Disciple's words echoed in my ears.
I desperately wracked my brains.
This wasn't something martial arts could solve.
There was no opponent to draw my sword against.
What was needed wasn't force, but information.
I don't know who stole it. But the thief will surely open their mouth.
A priceless spirit pill, the Summon Pill.
If they had it in hand, an ordinary person couldn't contain their joy and would brag, while even an expert would have to spread quiet rumors to sell it on the black market.
So where would those quiet whispers reach first?
Then, a word flashed through my mind.
"The Nine Great Sects and One Gang......."
The pillars upholding the Central Plains martial world.
Sects like Shaolin and Wudang revered honor, so they'd be blind to the backtalk of street rabble.
But the "One Gang" was different.
There is no place under heaven without beggars, so all jianghu rumors end up in the beggars' bowls.
The Beggars' Sect.
The nexus of jianghu intelligence and the origin of rumors.
They hadn't stolen it.
But if someone boasted of obtaining a Summon Pill or quietly haggled with a fence, who would sniff it out first? Them, of course.
My eyes hardened coldly.
I realized Senior Disciple's words about "tongues" and "rumors" went beyond mere warnings—they were a lesson to read the flow.
"Then...... their tracks might have reached the Beggars' Sect ears already."
Only then did Senior Disciple nod at my murmur.
Her expression was oddly mixed, like finally grasping the obvious or well done.
But she still didn't speak.
Did it mean something was still lacking?
I swallowed dryly and scanned the surroundings.
The dim corner of the inn, the shadowed spot under the eaves, or the busy passageways.
I began searching for their watchful eyes somewhere nearby.
And soon, I spotted a ragged man squatting under the inn's doorpost, dozing off with nods.
Tattered clothes, face caked in grime.
A beggar through and through.
Feeling glad, I nearly rushed over in one step.
"There he is! Hey, you!"
The moment I lifted my foot, a heavy grip seized my nape.
"Ack...!"
My breath caught, body yanked backward.
Turning, Senior Disciple loomed with a cold gaze, clutching my collar.
"Where are you rushing off to like that?"
"There... isn't that a Beggars' Sect disciple? We should hurry and ask......."
"Hmph... A Mount Hua disciple acting so rashly."
Senior Disciple clicked her tongue and released my nape.
She straightened her robes and admonished softly.
"The Nine Great Sects and One Gang are the pillars upholding jianghu order. Though their garb is shabby and their dwellings humble, they are still a sect, a part of the jianghu. Is it proper for a disciple of a righteous sect to barge in without manners?"
Her tone was firmer than usual.
My face burned at her words.
I realized my haste had nearly led me to rudeness just because he was a beggar.
"Ah...... I was short-sighted. My apologies, Senior Disciple."
"You haven't learned yet, so it's understandable. Jianghu etiquette is more complex and sensitive than any blade."
Senior Disciple softened her stern expression into a gentle smile.
She patted my shoulder.
"I'll show you just this once. Watch closely. This is how you ask for 'the way' in the jianghu."
Senior Disciple moved with graceful steps.
She approached the beggar I had spotted earlier.
But her demeanor was not that of one giving alms to a supplicant.
It was like visiting an old acquaintance or greeting an honored guest—elegant and refined.
As Senior Disciple neared, the dozing beggar sensed her presence and groggily opened his eyes.
His gaze sharpened through tousled hair for a moment, then he rose politely.
"It's a pleasure to meet a brother of the Beggars' Sect. I am Plum Blossom Yeon of Mount Hua."
"An honor to meet one so renowned in the jianghu. This humble one is Yi Jie Gai, Little Iron."
Senior Disciple smiled softly and got to the point.
"I wish to request an audience with the branch leader of your Wudang sub-branch. Mount Hua has urgent business requiring the Beggars' Sect's aid."
Little Iron's eyes flickered slightly.
He sensed it was no trifling matter for Mount Hua—a righteous sect, no less—and its famed Plum Blossom Swordswoman from the Dragon-Phoenix Tournament to seek help personally.
"Mount Hua and the Beggars' Sect have shared righteousness since ancient times. How could we neglect a noble guest's request? However......"
Little Iron trailed off, glancing around.
The noisy crowd made it unfit for secretive talk.
"Ears are everywhere here, so I'll lead the way. It's humble, but I'll guide you to where the branch leader resides."
"Thank you. I won't forget this favor."
Senior Disciple nodded, and Little Iron swiftly turned, slipping into the crowd like an eel. She glanced back at me with a gesture to follow.
"Hurry and follow. Don't lose him."
Senior Disciple signaled me and hurriedly chased after him.
We pushed through the throng into an alley, where the scenery turned rundown abruptly.
Unlike the main street lined with splendid inns and shops, it was crumbling walls and a slum reeking of decay.
Little Iron navigated the maze-like alleys familiarly and ducked into a shabby shanty.
Creeeak—
The worn hinges groaned as the door opened, wafting out musty mold and thick alcohol stench from the dim interior.
From the deep back, a man lounging crookedly on a straw mat bolted upright.
A red sash with three knots hung at his waist.
Undoubtedly the branch leader of the Wudang sub-branch, a Three-Knot Beggar.
"Well, well, who might this be? What brings the world-renowned Plum Blossom Swordswoman to such a hovel?"
The branch leader hastily straightened his robes and bowed.
His face was rough with beard and sweat-streaked, but his eyes burned sharp and alive.
"Greetings to a brother of the Beggars' Sect. I am Plum Blossom Yeon of Mount Hua. Forgive my unannounced visit."
Senior Disciple politely cupped her fists and pulled me to her side.
"This is my junior brother, Yi Yi. From this Dragon-Phoenix Tournament..."
"No need to say it! Who doesn't know the prodigy who felled the Peng heir? But why have two such luminaries come to this stinking den personally..."
Senior Disciple wore a troubled look as she explained the situation.
The Summon Pill, prize of the Dragon-Phoenix Tournament victory, stolen from the crowd the moment we descended the mountain.
"Heh heh... Darkest under the lamp, they say. The world's top prodigy pickpocketed—quite the conundrum."
The branch leader stroked his goatee and tsked.
"It just happened, so it hasn't reached my kids' ears yet. From experience, even fencing a spirit pill like the Summon Pill secretly would take at least four days for rumors to spread..."
My heart sank at his words.
Four days? The culprit could flee a thousand li in that time.
"Br-Branch Leader! What if the thief swallows it alone instead of selling?"
At my frantic question, the branch leader shrugged.
"Then... nothing to be done. How do you extract a pill gone down the gullet?"
Darkness closed in before my eyes.
Seeing my dazed expression, the branch leader chuckled and added.
"But don't despair too much. The Summon Pill's no ordinary elixir, eh? Even if swallowed, the thief couldn't handle the surging qi. If someone nearby suddenly skyrockets in skill or goes mad from qi deviation within days... that's your man, high chance."
Hope sparked at the prospect of catching the thief.
"Then, Branch Leader! Send your brothers out now to scour for suspects...!"
As I stepped forward urging, Senior Disciple blocked me.
Her firm hand pressed my chest, halting me.
"Yi Yi. That's enough."
She pushed me back, then bowed deeply to the branch leader again.
"Thank you for the valuable information, Branch Leader. We were too flustered and nearly imposed unreasonably. Knowing the Beggars' Sect brothers already have ears open is great comfort."
"Heh heh, no need for such words. Mount Hua's affairs are the Beggars' Sect's too, no? I'll have my kids comb every corner for suspicious signs."
"Thank you. We won't forget this grace."
The branch leader smiled contentedly at Senior Disciple's courtesy.
She subtly placed a few taels of silver on the table from her bosom.
"A small token for the brothers' trouble. Meager, but please share a drink."
"Oh dear, Lady Heroine, you're too kind—we scarce know where to stand. But refusing such sincerity is impolite, so we'll gratefully accept."
Leaving the branch leader's hearty laughter behind, we exited the shanty.
Outside, I exhaled held breath and asked Senior Disciple.
"Senior Disciple, why leave in such haste? Couldn't we have asked more?"
She stopped and turned to me.
Her gaze was stern yet warm.
"The more urgent, the more you must circle back. The Beggars' Sect trades in information, not your subordinates. It's proper to pay fair price and seek cooperation rather than rack up debts. Don't be so hasty. The net is already cast."