The Saintess of Guanzhong
I adjusted the sword at my hip and stepped out of the inn.
“Then I’ll be off.”
“Young master, you must truly be careful. Chang’an is a place where Li Jue and Guo Si’s soldiers draw their blades at the slightest provocation.”
“I’ve heard it enough times to understand.”
It was going to cause a bit of a stir, but since she had warned me so earnestly, I gave her a heads-up in return.
“Leave only the window of the room at the far right end of the second floor open. I’ll enter through there.”
“Ah, yes. Understood.”
After giving Jeong Yun firm instructions, I buckled on my sword and left the inn.
The makeup on my face itched terribly. I slipped into a deserted alley, peeled every bit of it off, and wiped my face clean.
“Alright. Infiltration of Chang’an complete, for now.”
From here on, I would move as a spy for Cao Cao’s army and a nameless wandering hero.
I first took a more detailed look at the situation inside Chang’an.
The market, given its scale, was certainly large. It was easily twice the size of the one in Puyang, though the difference was that luxury goods were far fewer here.
Moreover, soldiers patrolled constantly, so the city felt like it was under martial law all day long.
“Sir, these skewers are delicious. Won’t you buy just one?”
“Then give me one.”
“Yes, yes! That’ll be two wuzhuans.”
I handed over two copper coins and bought a skewer, eating it as I continued wandering the market.
Most of the goods on display were shabby—clothes made from fiber scraps that could hardly be called silk, bronze bowls with peeling lacquer that looked salvaged from ruined households, and copper ornaments that had once decorated wealthy homes but were now covered in thick dust. The entire place was filled with such wretched items.
The capital of the Han Dynasty, Chang’an, had become nothing more than a flea market.
After passing through the market, I came upon a military encampment. What I saw there were all civilians being dragged away.
“Let go of me! What have I done wrong… ow!”
“You bastard, walk faster!”
It was obvious they were being forcibly bound and hauled off. Those who resisted were beaten mercilessly with clubs, or had blades pressed to their throats as they were dragged away.
Beyond the high walls came the sounds of flogging mixed with piercing screams.
“Tsk.”
I wondered how many of them were truly heinous criminals. From what I could see, both Li Jue’s and Guo Si’s armies had simply dressed up thugs in military uniforms and were running Chang’an however they pleased.
Staying any longer would only fill my ears with the tortured shrieks coming from the encampment, so I decided to move on.
As I wandered through various parts of Chang’an, the last place I visited was a district with quite a few large residences. The people living here were likely one of two types.
Either sycophants currying favor with Li Jue and Guo Si, or the powerful local clans of Chang’an who had remained even after Dong Zhuo moved the capital.
If I went through the genealogy that my grand-uncle Cao Song had given me, a few names from here might appear.
That was when a sudden commotion reached my ears.
“H-hey, hey! Who is that beauty walking over there?”
“Aigoo, the saintess of Guanzhong has come out again!”
What the hell is this?
I ran toward the source of the noise. When I got closer, an bizarre scene unfolded.
A woman had emerged from one of the mansions and was walking along the street. She was an absolutely stunning beauty. Her pure white face carried an air of refinement, and her gentle smile made her even more breathtaking.
I had seen many beautiful women by now, but she surpassed them all. Yet surrounding her were numerous government soldiers who followed her, mocking her relentlessly.
“Where are you headed today?”
“Your family’s ruined, yet you still wander around every day? Do you have some secret sugar daddy?”
“Just look at that walk. Wiggling her hips like that—who are you trying to seduce?”
The situation was crossing more and more lines. I followed behind them and reached for my sword. At that moment, someone suddenly approached from the alley.
“Young master~”
“!?”
“Won’t you spare a single coin for this poor wretch?”
A beggar had latched onto me. I tried to wave him off, but he came closer, glanced at the woman I was watching and the soldiers trailing her, then spoke.
“Those are the Grand Marshal’s soldiers. Those bastards are really persistent.”
“?”
“That young lady is the daughter of a renowned scholar here in Chang’an. After her father passed away, she’s been living with her younger sister.”
For a beggar, he knew quite a lot. I handed him one wuzhuang coin.
“Keep talking.”
“Ehehehe~ That young lady’s beauty is so exceptional that Grand Marshal Li Jue has proposed to take her as a concubine several times, but he keeps getting rejected.”
“Proposed? He’s not just dragging her off and taking her?”
“Just the other day, the Grand Marshal tried to seize a famous beauty named Dang Hui—a widow who had remained chaste. But she drank poison and killed herself instead.”
“You know a lot for a beggar.”
I handed him another coin.
“Ehehehe~ Even a beggar has ears. She was an incredible beauty too, the kind who would wail while staring toward Hongnong. That’s why the Grand Marshal is only licking his lips and doing things like this.”
So Li Jue was pulling all sorts of dirty tricks in Chang’an.
“That’s why he deliberately sends soldiers to mock and harass her, creating fear. He’s basically saying her door is open, so she should come to him on her own.”
Li Jue was having his men gaslight her in order to get her completely into his hands. She truly was an extraordinary beauty, and the fact that he couldn’t lay a single finger on her only made me more interested.
“Still, that lady is truly remarkable. Her own household is in danger, yet she can’t ignore those in need. She’s endlessly compassionate. She never gets angry, and when one of the soldiers tripped and hurt himself earlier, she even tore her own sleeve to bandage him.”
What a true saintess. If she had been born in the West instead of this era, the monks would have adored her.
A short while later, she bought some basic daily necessities at the market and quietly headed back home. During that time, the soldiers harassed her even more viciously.
“That ass is as plump as a full moon, and those huge tits—once she gets a taste of a man, she’ll pop out a whole bunch of kids.”
“And those lips, so red. Whose are you trying to bite and suck so badly?”
Ah, I really can’t watch this anymore.
I stood up, drew my sword, and walked forward.
“Aigoo, young master.”
“Hey, you bastards!”
I approached the soldiers of Li Jue who were relentlessly harassing the young lady.
“What the hell is this guy?”
“You have no shame saying such things to a woman? Where did you learn to talk like that?”
“Hah, look at this kid. Some beardless brat!”
One of the soldiers drew his blade and pointed it at me.
“You want to die? Stop acting tough and while I’m still being nice…”
I immediately struck his wrist with the scabbard and kicked him away.
“Ugh!”
“What the—?”
“This bastard!”
Three more came rushing at me. They all drew their swords and charged, but I simply beat them down using only the hilt of my blade. Compared to the soldiers of Yan Province, these men were pathetically weak. They swung wildly but only cut empty air.
I dodged lightly, slammed the scabbard into the back of one’s head to knock him out cold, kicked the ass of the one who had been talking nonstop about the woman’s rear, then stomped on the back of the fallen man.
For the last one, I knocked the sword from his hand and finished him with a flying kick to the face.
In the blink of an eye, four of Li Jue’s soldiers were rolling on the ground.
“Aigoo~ I’m dying!”
“Y-you crazy bastard, do you even know who we—aaaagh!”
I stepped on the hand of the loudest one and spoke.
“Just as the Grand General said. Li Jue may hold the title of Grand Marshal, but his behavior is worse than the leader of some mountain bandits in Guanzhong.”
“Y-you… are you referring to General Guo…?”
So they still call Guo Si “General,” huh.
I kicked him in the face to shut him up.
“Are you alright?”
“…”
She quietly looked at the fallen soldiers, then murmured with a pitying expression.
“How pitiful… Those words weren’t truly from their hearts…”
Even while being harassed, she felt pity for the soldiers who insulted her? She really was a saintess.
“These men were harassing a woman in the middle of the street. If it’s alright with you, may I escort you home?”
She approached me silently, bowed her head, and said,
“Since you have assaulted government soldiers, if you need a place to hide, you may stay at our home for a while.”
I had already caused the commotion I wanted, and I was curious about this woman. I followed her inside.
“Sister, who is that man…?”
“A guest. Take these and prepare some tea quietly.”
She handed the daily necessities to the girl inside and asked her to bring tea. Her younger sister was also an incredible beauty, though she was watching me with heavy suspicion. That was understandable.
The mansion was enormous inside, yet there wasn’t a single servant. The atmosphere felt desolate and gloomy. In such a place, the lady of the house herself guided me into the inner chamber.
“Please come in and have some tea.”
“Then, if you’ll excuse me.”
I followed her inside. The moment I entered, I received a polite greeting.
“I am the daughter of Cai the Attendant from E County in Yan Province. My name is Yan, and my courtesy name is Sohui.”
Courtesy name: Wenji
Also known as Cai Sohui.
Wow. Cai Yan.
Just hearing that name put my mind completely at ease.
Up close, she was even more beautiful. That goddess-like smile left the strongest impression.
“I don’t yet have a name worth mentioning…”
At that moment, noise erupted outside.
“Sister! Sister! Government soldiers are outside demanding we open the gate!”
When her younger sister shouted urgently from outside, Cai Yan turned to me with a calm face.
“Our house is rather large for just the two of us living here. I’ll show you a place to hide.”
“No need for that.”
I reapplied the makeup I had deliberately removed earlier. I smeared red clay on my face, reattached the fake beard I had peeled off, and laid out the trinkets I had been carrying in my robes.
“Oh my?”
“From now on, I am a merchant.”
Soon the gate opened and government soldiers rushed in.
“Lady Cai, come out!”
“Shall we go?”
I stepped out with Cai Yan as if nothing had happened. The soldiers were pointing sharp spears and blades at us, but it was almost comical. If I wanted to, I could sweep them all away in an instant.
“What is the meaning of this?”
“Lady Cai, we are looking for the man who was with you earlier. That bastard who dared to attack imperial troops while claiming he would help you—where is he?”
“…”
Cai Yan said nothing. She simply kept her gentle smile, closed her eyes, and slowly shook her head.
“Hey, you! Who are you to be inside this house?”
“Me? I am a merchant who sells ornaments. I was showing these items to the ladies when…”
“Identification tablet!”
When I showed them the tablet, the soldiers approached. I had completely changed my appearance, voice, and manner of speech for the act. The Chang’an soldiers looked at me with suspicion.
But the discipline of Chang’an’s troops was truly in shambles. After glaring at me a few times, their eyes immediately locked onto the trinkets I had laid out.
“Whoa, these are impressive. My wife would love one of these.”
“Look at the luster on these accessories.”
I pretended not to notice and spoke to them.
“Honored sirs, those are ornaments for women. I need to sell them to…”
They had already given up on finding the culprit. Instead, they each picked out a few suitable pieces from the trinkets I had displayed and stuffed them into their pockets.
“Hey, it’s not this guy!”
“What are you talking about? We still need to check.”
“The guy from the Bai family said it was a young man with no beard, pale face. Look at this one—dark face and a beard… Heh heh, you call that a beard?”
After taking what they wanted, they glanced at me and turned to leave.
“Sirs, the price for the ornaments you took…”
“What? It’s on credit, you idiot! Which trading company are you from?”
“Aigoo, never mind. Please take them.”
In the end, the soldiers left after only lining their own pockets. What idiots. Looking at the state of them, it really was as Dong Cheng had said—if there were just fifty righteous wandering heroes with a sense of justice, they could throw all of Chang’an into chaos.
Once the soldiers were gone, I casually peeled off the poorly attached fake beard. Cai Yan looked at me quietly and smiled once more.
“It seems an extraordinary person has visited our home.”
Well… something like that.
After meeting the Cai sisters in Chang’an, another spark of inspiration flashed through my mind.