Chapter 38: First Solo Mission (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 38: First Solo Mission (3)
Namgung Jun returned to Hefei with the Yeongjun Merchant Group.
Naturally, he was still disguised as a shabby laborer, just as he had been when he started.
Having arrived safely back at their headquarters, Merchant Guild Leader Jang Il-su and the other merchants bowed respectfully to Namgung Jun.
"Thanks to you, Young Hero Namgung, we were able to return safely."
"I only did what was necessary."
As Namgung Jun turned to leave without another word, Jang Il-su quickly stopped him.
"Young Hero Namgung, is there anything our merchant group can do to help? We can track down the bank bills or gather information on the other merchant groups in Hefei."
"If you make one wrong move, you could draw the ire of the Clear-Center Sect and invite disaster. It's too dangerous."
Having already reached his decision after much deliberation, Jang Il-su’s eyes did not waver.
"The moment we refused their deal, we had already earned their wrath. Didn't the Blood-Pearl Sword himself come after us? Now that it has come to this, we are riding a tiger and cannot get off. Helping you bring down the Clear-Center Sect is our only path to survival."
Jang Il-su carefully gauged Namgung Jun’s reaction before asking, "Young Hero, forgive my presumption, but are you planning to face the Clear-Center Sect all by yourself?"
"Ah. So it seems."
Normally, simply securing evidence of the Clear-Center Sect's atrocities would have been enough.
‘But from the way things are unfolding, dragging this out will only make matters worse.’
In the time it would take for him to report to the main clan via carrier pigeon and for them to dispatch reinforcements, the Yeongjun Merchant Group—and countless other victims—would suffer.
He could not simply turn a blind eye to their plight.
Namgung Jun knew this was the moment to exercise the authority Kang Mong had spoken of.
After a brief moment of contemplation, he nodded.
"Yes. For now, that appears to be the case. Of course, I will still report the situation and request reinforcements."
This meant Namgung Jun would have to act alone for the time being. Even so, Jang Il-su wasn't fazed.
"If you say it is possible, Young Hero, then I believe you."
Jang Il-su nodded, his eyes filled with absolute trust.
"It will take some time to quietly gather physical evidence and testimonies from the various places that have suffered under the Clear-Center Sect's tyranny, as well as to track the bank bills. What will you do in the meantime, Young Hero?"
"I plan to look around Hefei on my own and observe the Clear-Center Sect's activities."
"I see. Please be careful."
Namgung Jun added one last warning.
"The same goes for you, Merchant Guild Leader. Now that the Yeongjun Merchant Group has returned safely, they will undoubtedly be watching your every move."
"Do not worry. When it comes to secrecy, merchants are no less skilled than martial artists. It’s how we make our living, after all."
Watching Jang Il-su walk away with a determined expression, Namgung Jun organized his thoughts.
‘Thanks to them, I can save a great deal of time.’
Steadfast Blade and Jang Il-su. Without their help, he would have had to expend immense effort just to gather circumstantial evidence against the Clear-Center Sect using the items left behind by the Blood-Pearl Sword.
No one would have blamed them for backing away after surviving such an ordeal. He was deeply grateful that they were stepping up.
‘I cannot let this time go to waste.’
While he left those tasks to them, Namgung Jun had no intention of sitting idly by. He would investigate the Clear-Center Sect’s operations from another angle.
*
Hefei, Anhui Province.
It was a land where heading north brought one to the majestic Huai River, and heading south led to the grand Yangtze River. A strategic hub connecting the Central Plains and Jiangnan, it was also a fertile region capable of producing all kinds of crops.
Naturally, countless interests and businesses flourished here, with sects of all kinds intricately entangled in its affairs. In chaotic times like these, the blades of martial artists were drawn far too easily. They did not hesitate to resort to bloodshed just to secure the most trivial of benefits.
In the midst of the bustling streets stood a boy wearing a black bamboo hat.
‘It’s always bursting with vitality, no matter when I visit.’
Namgung Jun slightly lifted the brim of his hat. Just as it had been in his past life, the Hefei of today was crowded with a diverse array of people.
He ordered a bowl of noodles from a street-side stall and observed the passersby. Though countless people gathered and dispersed in a constant flurry, his sharp eyes missed nothing.
Amidst the crowd, his gaze lingered on a few individuals. They were all carrying weapons. Some carried them ostentatiously over their shoulders, and the common folk who saw them quickly averted their eyes and steered clear.
‘So those are the disciples of the Clear-Center Sect.’
Namgung Jun’s eyes narrowed as he ate his noodles. He spotted a group of children following behind the disciples. Though their ages and genders varied, they all had one thing in common: they were carrying farming tools.
‘The Clear-Center Sect… they seem to have their hands in many pies.’
Stirring his noodles with his chopsticks, Namgung Jun finished his meal and casually set off. He tailed them from a distance, but none of the Clear-Center Sect disciples noticed his pursuit.
‘This is the place.’
Namgung Jun pushed his bamboo hat up to get a better view.
Hefei’s terrain was a series of endless gentle slopes and low hills. These were the Huadong Hills, and because the land was so fertile, they often yielded bountiful harvests.
Of course, such bountiful harvests were only possible through an equivalent amount of blood, sweat, and tears.
"Move faster!"
"If you don't fill your quota today, don't even think about going home!"
The Clear-Center Sect disciples paced around the fields, shouting commands at the children scattered across the hills. Their methods were brutal.
If a child was slow in tending to the crops, a disciple would poke them in the waist or back with a scabbard. If they failed to till the soil properly, they would be struck on the buttocks.
Even so, the children could only hold back their tears and work through the sorrow. They knew all too well that they could never defy the disciples of the Clear-Center Sect.
"Huff…"
Un-chan, vigorously swinging his sickle, paused to catch his breath. His thighs throbbed as if they were about to burst, and his lower back ached as though his spine were being ripped out.
Yet, Un-chan gritted his teeth and kept his hands moving. He had to.
"Brother… my hands won't move properly."
"It's too hard."
At his younger siblings' quiet whimpers, Un-chan managed a faint smile.
"We're almost done. I'll help you, so take a little break when they aren't looking."
Un-chan subtly shifted his body to shield his exhausted siblings from view. His own clothes were drenched in sweat, but he paid it no mind.
"The sun is setting soon! Keep moving!"
Un-chan couldn't rest for even a moment. He simply kept his head down, silently working his hands and feet.
Only after the sun had fully set were the children allowed to go home. In their hands, they held a pitifully small amount of grain.
‘Those bastards. There's sand mixed in today, too.’
Once he discarded the sand at the bottom, barely half the grain would remain. It was hardly enough to boil a single meal's worth of gruel.
It was then that the shabby door of their thatched cottage swung open, and a boy appeared. He looked to be at most two or three years older than Un-chan.
Yet, an indescribably powerful aura washed over Un-chan, leaving him speechless.
‘A sword.’
After staring blankly at Namgung Jun for a moment, Un-chan snapped back to his senses. Spotting the sword at the boy’s waist, his first instinct was to shield his younger siblings.
"We don't have anything for you to take!"
"It seems I've caused a misunderstanding."
Seeing Un-chan's defiant face, Namgung Jun set down the bundle he was carrying.
Un-chan's siblings were the first to react. The rich aroma of food wafting from the bundle made their mouths water. With a gentle smile, Namgung Jun untied the bundle, revealing several dishes he had packed from an inn.
"It's meat!"
"There are dumplings, too! More than ten of them!"
There were over five different kinds of dishes. Not only his siblings' but even Un-chan's eyes widened in shock.
"Eat."
As his siblings prepared to dive into the food, Un-chan grabbed them firmly.
"Stop!"
"Brother!"
"Listen to me! Stay still!"
At Un-chan's shout, his siblings froze. Having calmed them down, Un-chan glared at Namgung Jun.
"What do you want? Bringing food all of a sudden…"
"You're very wary."
"That's because no one who carries a sword can be trusted."
Un-chan's gaze was fixed on the weapon at Namgung Jun's waist.
Namgung Jun let out a bitter smile. This was how the common folk viewed martial artists.
‘This is precisely why martial power demands responsibility.’
Just by looking at Un-chan's eyes, he could tell what kind of existence the Clear-Center Sect was in Hefei.
To avoid frightening the children further, Namgung Jun unfastened the sword from his waist and placed it on the floor behind him. Then, sitting down with a soft thud, he gestured to the food again.
"I want to hear your story."
"What story?"
"About the Clear-Center Sect. And what happened to you."
Un-chan stared at Namgung Jun for a long time.
‘His gaze doesn't waver. It's so… upright. He doesn't seem much older than me, so how can he have eyes like that?’
Though his life had been short, Un-chan had dealt with enough people to pride himself on being a decent judge of character. He had seen countless martial artists, but none possessed a gaze as clear as this boy’s. His eyes, sharp as lightning, were spotlessly pure.
"..."
Looking between Namgung Jun and his starving siblings, Un-chan hesitated before finally speaking.
"Last year, a terrible famine struck Hefei. It was a rare disaster, and the damage was devastating."
Even those with money couldn't buy food. Most of Hefei suffered, but the hardest hit were the orphans who had no one to rely on. There was no work, and begging on the streets yielded nothing.
As they were slowly dying, the Clear-Center Sect reached out to them.
"The Clear-Center Sect opened their granaries and distributed food. Of course, even then, they didn't give it away for free."
The sect made the orphans work and gave them food in return. At the time, the children were simply grateful to receive anything at all.
"And the problem started after that?"
"Exactly. The problem started after the famine was over."
Although they worked in exchange for food, the tasks demanded by the Clear-Center Sect were far too demanding for children. With the high intensity of the labor and no proper meals or rest, it was nothing short of slave labor.
Once the famine passed, some orphans tried to find other work or return to their old lives. But the Clear-Center Sect crushed any attempt to leave. Once they had labor in their grasp, they had no intention of letting go.
"If we try to find other work, they interfere by any means necessary, forcing us back under their control."
Occasionally, some orphans complained or tried to run away, but they were either beaten severely or would quietly vanish.
As Un-chan calmly recounted his story, he found himself on the verge of tears.
"And those bastards gradually reduced our pay. They gave us barely any food, or stuff that was practically rotten, or mixed with sand and dirt."
Namgung Jun asked, his eyes cold and sunken, "Could you not ask for help from other places? The other righteous sects in Hefei?"
"On the surface, they make it look like they're paying us and employing us fairly. Besides, the Clear-Center Sect is too powerful. The other righteous sects won't interfere."
Un-chan's fists trembled violently.
"And those bastards deliberately gathered only orphans. They targeted us because we have no one to protect us."
"I see."
Namgung Jun stared for a long moment at Un-chan's siblings, who were frantically devouring the food, and then stood up.
"You have done well to protect your siblings through all this. You've endured a lot."
At Namgung Jun's quiet words, Un-chan's eyes widened. It was comfort offered by a boy barely older than himself. Though the words were plain, a wave of emotion swelled within him, as if he had finally been acknowledged by an adult.
"Endure just a little longer."
Un-chan stared blankly at Namgung Jun's profile as he fastened his sword back to his waist.
"What are you going to do?" he asked.
Pulling his bamboo hat low, Namgung Jun turned his back completely.
Even though he couldn't see the boy's face, Un-chan knew with absolute certainty that it must be contorted in a mask of cold fury. He didn't know why, but he felt it in his bones.
Chink!
As Namgung Jun placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, a chilling sound cut through the air.
"I must hold them accountable."
Un-chan wanted to ask more, but he couldn't.
In the next instant, Namgung Jun's figure had vanished as if he had never been there. It was as if he had been talking to a ghost.
Un-chan suddenly lowered his gaze.
The warmth from the food still left in the thatched cottage proved that Namgung Jun was no ghost.
*
When Namgung Jun returned to the Yeongjun Merchant Group, Jang Il-su rushed out to meet him.
"Young Hero! The Clear-Center Sect has sent an invitation to a banquet."
"A banquet?"
"But it seems this is no ordinary banquet."
Namgung Jun took the invitation Jang Il-su handed him. It appeared that most of Hefei's major factions were being summoned to gather.
"Both those who submit to the Clear-Center Sect and those who oppose them have been invited."
"Hmm."
"What should we do?"
Namgung Jun smiled coldly as he read the thinly veiled threat regarding non-attendance.
"Then let's go and see what they want."