Chapter 5
Chapter 5
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Pruning (2)
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A moment later.
Having heard the full story, Ouyang Jue and Liu Zhangming saw Bai Chuan off in front of the inn.
“We will handle this matter well.”
“Truly…”
As Bai Chuan, choked with emotion, tried to kneel, Ouyang Jue quickly stopped him.
Liu Zhangming watched this and nodded, thinking, *As expected*, but Ouyang Jue’s thoughts were different.
‘Living like a Taoist is quite difficult.’
If Liu Zhangming hadn’t been there, he would have berated the man harshly.
-Please don’t draw unnecessary attention.
At the telepathic message, Bai Chuan flinched and replied.
“Ah, my apologies.”
A natural smile played on Ouyang Jue’s face.
“It is fine. This is, after all, a natural act for a man of the Path.”
Liu Zhangming watched them with a proud expression.
“Junior Brother, shouldn’t we be going now?”
“Yes, we should.”
Ouyang Jue shrugged once and gave Bai Chuan a slight bow.
“We will see you in a day, in front of the main gate of the Golden Ring Merchant Guild.”
“…Pardon?”
Why in a day?
Bai Chuan hurriedly reached out to ask, but it was already too late.
*Whoosh.*
Ouyang Jue’s figure, which had been there just a moment ago, vanished without a trace, and Bai Chuan’s hand cut through empty air.
In an instant, the two martial brothers had moved far into the distance.
Wondering if this was the power of a martial artist, Bai Chuan was deeply impressed.
‘My, what a ghostly swift young hero.’
The senior brother, Liu Zhangming, who could show benevolence even to a stranger, and the junior brother, Ouyang Jue, whose cunning seemed far beyond his young age.
Bai Chuan gazed at the ridge where the two had disappeared with eyes full of hope.
‘It felt as if the entire world had been plunged into darkness.’
After the Golden Ring Merchant Guild took everything, he had felt so ashamed that he couldn’t face his deceased wife, even considering taking his own life.
But now, there was hope.
‘I still have a place I must go.’
Finally, Bai Chuan began to walk home. He planned to eat at least some thin gruel today to regain his strength.
* * *
“…Bright.”
Shielding his eyes from the setting sun with his palm, Ouyang Jue began to sort through his thoughts.
To put it simply, Bai Chuan was a victim.
A good man who had never used dishonest means, save for the custom of slipping a few coins to the gatekeepers, nor had he ever squeezed anyone out of greed.
In short, he was a pushover who thought everything could be resolved by playing fair.
‘…Just like the person right next to me.’
Ouyang Jue’s gaze shifted to Liu Zhangming.
Martial arts? Excellent.
Personality? Faultless.
But even so, shouldn’t he at least know how to be suspicious of others?
‘What if Bai Chuan had been a spy sent to deceive us?’
It was a leap, but now that they had descended from Mount Hua and set foot in the martial world, they had to consider every possible danger.
Even the beggar they had encountered at the inn had shown up too quickly.
How could he have tracked them to the place they were eating so soon after they left Mount Hua?
And to lie there so brazenly in plain sight.
Given what Ouyang Jue knew of the Beggars’ Sect, this situation could be explained in one way.
‘Because he’s a simpleton who pays no attention to his surroundings, and on top of that, he’s righteous.’
Rather than risk being suspected for tailing them stealthily, it was better to just follow them openly.
Perhaps something like this had even happened?
“Haha, what a coincidence to meet three times in one day! Let’s travel together!”
At those words, the beggar would flinch and take a step back, but seeing not a speck of hostility, he would nod readily.
‘…Even that sounds plausible.’
Ouyang Jue rubbed the goosebumps that had risen on his arm.
Just then, Liu Zhangming spoke to him.
“Junior Brother, there is something I wish to ask.”
“Please, speak freely.”
“Did you send a formal notice beforehand?”
At that, Ouyang Jue blinked, then dug a finger into his ear.
‘Did I hear that right?’
It felt as though he had heard something unreal.
He was about to ask for clarification, but his face twisted severely.
“A formal notice?”
“Yes, a formal notice.”
Liu Zhangming’s expression was serene, as if he were stating the obvious.
“We are visiting the merchant guild that manages our finances. If we go like this, how is it any different from a surprise raid?”
“…But that’s exactly what it is.”
“Even if that is so! As disciples of the great Mount Hua, is there not a certain decorum we must uphold?”
It went without saying, but in the martial world, no one cared if it was the ‘great’ Mount Hua or the ‘grand’ Mount Hua.
There was only survival of the fittest, the rule of the strong.
The martial world was a place where the strong and the cunning survived.
Even the leader of the Green Forest bandits was someone you could just kill and dispose of the body, and that would be the end of it.
And yet, he wanted to send a formal notice first, clearing his throat and observing proprieties.
Ouyang Jue was dumbfounded.
“Senior Brother, there is a proper way to handle things.”
“A proper way?”
“We are going to expose their corruption. If we tell them we’re coming, how do you think they will react?”
At those words, Liu Zhangming set aside his own argument and considered it for a moment.
“…Hmm.”
“Didn’t you realize a few things after hearing the story just now, Senior Brother?”
The lines on Liu Zhangming’s forehead deepened.
Listening to Bai Chuan’s story, he had come to a new realization.
‘What I have seen and heard is different from the hardships people actually experience.’
What was it like when he went out with the Sect Leader or the other elders?
They wore fine clothes, ate good food, and returned after being treated with what felt like excessive respect.
Most of the stories they heard were beneficial and sweet.
But this outing with Ouyang Jue was different.
“Those men are demons. Demons that feed on the lives of countless people.”
The resentment that poured from Bai Chuan in every moment was beyond imagination, and the curses he uttered were enough to fill twenty pages of a book.
From what they had seen of his conduct so far, he was clearly a good man.
But when he spat his enmity toward the Golden Ring Merchant Guild, he became a different person.
An enemy who had not only killed his wife but had stolen everything from him.
To think he harbored such a venomous heart toward the Golden Ring Merchant Guild, even though he had only ever walked a righteous path.
It was suffocating just to listen.
It was a story of the world he had never heard on his previous excursions, and at the same time, a true facet of the martial world.
‘Perhaps Junior Brother is right.’
Liu Zhangming still didn’t want to believe that everyone was like that.
Yet, he couldn’t deny Ouyang Jue’s words. What a contradiction this was.
Liu Zhangming’s gaze turned to Ouyang Jue.
He became curious about what kind of martial world was reflected in those two eyes.
“Can you show this Senior Brother?”
“Show you what?”
“The true face of the Golden Ring Merchant Guild, the one Master Bai spoke of.”
Seeing the troubled look in Liu Zhangming’s eyes, Ouyang Jue gave a faint, bitter smile.
He still didn’t know.
The malice harbored by the collective known as the martial world, the ambition to rise higher no matter what sins one had to commit.
How would Liu Zhangming react if he saw someone commit the grave sin of killing their master, only to be accepted as a disciple by a powerful expert?
It hadn’t happened yet, but Ouyang Jue couldn’t erase the look of pity from his eyes.
Instead, he masked his sympathy with a deep laugh.
“Just follow this Junior Brother closely!”
As he laughed, Ouyang Jue’s teeth clenched so tightly that wrinkles formed at the edge of his jaw.
* * *
An hour later.
A martial artist lay prostrate on the floor, clutching his shattered knee.
‘Is this really happening?’
He still couldn’t believe it.
When did it all go wrong?
When he revealed they were disciples of Mount Hua?
Or when he mocked the boy for not even being of age?
…Or was it when he had used a killing move?
He couldn’t remember clearly. No, he didn’t want to.
‘He even knew about Bai Chuan.’
The man wanted to deny this reality.
He wanted to dismiss this sensation, where every single hair on his body stood on end, as just a nightmare.
*Throb!*
If only it weren't for this pain, like a blade twisting inside him, he might have been able to.
The martial artist could only stare blankly at Ouyang Jue, who was rummaging through the ledgers with the Guild Master forced to sit by.
‘This is bad, I have to get up and stop him. If the ledgers are revealed, we’re completely…’
But his ankle, regardless of his will, showed no movement.
Not only were the ligaments completely torn, but shattered bone fragments were digging into the surrounding flesh, preventing any motion.
His sense of feeling, in particular, was gone.
Like a sailboat adrift and motionless on the vast ocean, the man’s foot had no sensation at all.
Even the will to move was gone.
The martial artist clawed at the wooden floor with his bare hands.
“…Ugh, arghhh!”
Ouyang Jue’s sharp hearing picked up the sound.
There might be other martial artists waiting near the Golden Ring Merchant Guild.
“Be quiet.”
*Thwack!*
Though he didn't look, the tip of Ouyang Jue’s foot exquisitely struck the man’s vital point.
“Gahk.”
Unable to bear the pain, the man fainted. Liu Zhangming did nothing to stop it.
If Bai Duanxian had been here, he would have clicked his tongue in dismay.
To think that Liu Zhangming, sent to control Ouyang Jue, was not only failing to stop him but was halfway condoning his actions.
This was not in line with Liu Zhangming’s character.
However.
That was only if the opponent hadn’t resorted to cowardly tactics first.
“I had trusted that you would not act in such a manner.”
At his words, the Guild Master coughed up foam.
“Kh, khak. Young Master Liu, it’s a misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding?”
Liu Zhangming maintained an uncharacteristically cold smile.
“I still trusted you enough to send my Junior Brother first. But what was your response?”
*Cough.*
The Guild Master tried to evade the question with a loud cough, but Liu Zhangming showed him no mercy.
No matter how gullible he might seem, he was still a martial artist.
‘His windpipe isn’t even injured.’
He wasn’t foolish enough to be deceived by such a fake cough.
Liu Zhangming pushed his bitterness down.
This time, at least, Ouyang Jue had been right.
In the martial world, trust was lighter than a piece of paper.
Liu Zhangming’s expression turned grimly serious.
“Not only did you try to kill my Junior Brother, who is not even of age, but you committed such evil acts against a man named Bai Chuan.”
“Ghk, ghhh… You’ll regret touching me.”
“Not an ounce of remorse.”
Liu Zhangming let out a long sigh, then looked at the Guild Master with a disgusted expression.
It was bad enough that they had embezzled Mount Hua’s assets, but to use that wealth to torment the common people…
It was an utterly unjustifiable act of evil that no one could forgive.
While Liu Zhangming was watching the Guild Master, the Guild Master was staring up at Ouyang Jue.
‘…This one is the most dangerous!’
“Ten taels and three mace… a profit of four taels.”
*Clack, clack.*
Not only was he calculating by flicking the abacus beads with all ten fingers, but his speed in finishing the calculations was astounding.
His decisiveness in striking at the throat of the Golden Ring Merchant Guild, something no one from the Mount Hua Sect had even dreamed of touching.
And he had even brought the justification of Bai Chuan, leaving them with no way out.
This way, no one would connect the embezzlement to the Golden Ring Merchant Guild.
No, for this, they would be praised even more.
The two martial brothers stepped forward for the sake of a righteous man named Bai Chuan, despite the potential reprimand from their sect.
What a fine, resonant tale!
“You’ve skimmed off quite a lot, haven’t you?”
As if he had known everything from the start.
Ouyang Jue’s smile was so sharp it was more than enough to send a chill down the Guild Master’s spine.
‘Did I really let a mere brat intimidate me?’
That thing called pride made the Guild Master spit out a sarcastic remark.
“…Y-You’re quite fast at calculating, heh heh.”
*Thump.*
At those words, Ouyang Jue paused his calculations.
“Don’t laugh.”
The words that followed flowed into his mind as a telepathic message.
-If you truly don’t want to die.
“…!”
For a Taoist, the killing intent in his voice was far too thick.
‘H-He’s serious!’
*Gulp.*
As the fear-stricken Guild Master unknowingly swallowed, Ouyang Jue smirked.
“Because you’d be better off using the time you’re spending laughing to think about how you’re going to spit out all the money you’ve embezzled.”
‘Don’t tell me… he’s already finished all the calculations?’
As the Guild Master’s lips trembled, Liu Zhangming warned him.
“You will also provide just compensation to the merchant, Bai Chuan.”
“J-Just compensation, you say…?”
“That will be up to him to decide.”
Liu Zhangming had answered in accordance with the teachings of the Tao, but to the Guild Master, it sounded even more sinister.
‘Does that mean I have to die if he tells me to?!’
Perhaps they had told Bai Chuan to make him a slave.
The Guild Master’s face filled with horror.
“Anything but that…!”
“It is all your sin. Bear it.”
Cutting him off firmly, Liu Zhangming turned his gaze to Ouyang Jue.
Less than half an hour had passed since he had picked up the ledgers, yet Ouyang Jue was already setting down the abacus.
Seeing this, Liu Zhangming was also greatly surprised inwardly.
‘Not only is he skilled in martial arts, but he’s also proficient in practical matters. Jeok has grown up well without my knowing.’
Feeling proud, Liu Zhangming asked, just in case.
“Are the calculations already finished?”
“Well, this isn’t such a big deal.”
Ouyang Jue wiped his nose with a finger and tossed a piece of paper at the Guild Master’s face.
“Have at least half of this ready by noon tomorrow.”
The Guild Master’s hand reflexively went to the fluttering paper, and at the numbers that came into view, he let out a scream of agony.
“…N-Noooo!”
Three taels of gold, which was one hundred and twenty taels of silver.
It was enough money to fill twenty storehouses with rice from the southern regions and feed three counties.
The image of Jo Hun’s gaunt body unconsciously surfaced in his mind.
*Grit.*
Ouyang Jue paid no mind to the Guild Master’s scream.
As the image of the emaciated Jo Hun contrasted with these men who had grown fat on the sect’s wealth, his anger surged anew.
“Then why did you have to touch the Mount Hua Sect’s assets!”
At those words, the Guild Master clung to Ouyang Jue’s trousers.
At this rate, he was on the verge of not just bankruptcy, but being sold off as an unpaid slave.
With ruin staring him in the face, pride and everything else was forgotten as tears welled up in his eyes.
“I-I’ll do better from now on! So please…!”
“Let go.”
Shoving the Guild Master away carelessly, Ouyang Jue said to Liu Zhangming.
“Senior Brother, let’s head back to the inn.”
“Alright.”
*Creeak—*
As they opened the door, the two martial brothers came face to face with a stranger.
To borrow Ouyang Jue’s expression.
‘Is he trying to show off that he’s an assassin?’
His features were particularly unpleasant to encounter in the evening, so Ouyang Jue met Liu Zhangming’s gaze.
The meaning passed between them.
-It seems we’ll have to spend the night here.
Liu Zhangming’s face hardened, his expression shifting to one of cold fury.
“These bastards still haven’t learned their lesson!”
“Wait.”
But Ouyang Jue stopped Liu Zhangming.
Regardless, the Golden Ring Merchant Guild was a civilian entity.
If Liu Zhangming got involved, it would only lead to gossip.
But Ouyang Jue was confident he could use this differently.
“I will handle this.”
“…?”
“A single move will be enough. Senior Brother, please make sure the Guild Master doesn’t escape.”
*Squeeze…!*
As the saying goes, some dogs only learn through the fist.
Ouyang Jue’s fist clenched with such force that the skin turned white.