Chapter 83
Chapter 83
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 83
Chapter Title: Bandits at Feng Clan Village
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A carriage raced swiftly down the main road.
Sprawled atop it, Yang-hui was chattering away.
"Heh heh heh, Ascending Sword Dragon. Kyaa! Chui-dal, doesn't it just sound great?"
"Brother. How long are you going to crow about your nickname?"
"Until I'm sick of it?"
"...Dude, you're making such a racket over one little nickname?"
"What was that? Someone without a nickname muttering under his breath? Can't hear you."
"..."
Chui-dal pulled a frustrated face and shot pleading looks at Dang Gun, Dang Yeon, and Gu-ak, begging for backup.
Gu-ak ignored Chui-dal flat-out.
"Ahem. Little brother, congratulations once again. Ascending Sword Dragon—what a splendid moniker, as fine as One-Day Chivalrous Fist."
Gu-ak, who had once borne the title Blood Lord, had received the mantle of One-Day Chivalrous Fist from Baek Mu-ryang after joining the Baek Clan Manor.
Seven years had passed since then. One-Day Chivalrous Fist had settled in as his official nickname, and Gu-ak was utterly delighted with it.
"Baek Ik Pavilion Master! Even you?!"
Chui-dal turned even more desperate eyes toward Dang Gun and Dang Yeon.
But the two of them each bore flashy nicknames of their own: Dark Dragon and Venom Flower.
"Hahaha, cut your little brother some slack, Chui-dal. Ascending Sword Dragon—if I earned a title like that, even I'd be floating on air."
Dang Yeon, Chui-dal's last hope, sided against him too.
She wore a mischievous grin.
"Exactly. At your age, snagging a cool nickname like that? You'd be over the moon."
"No way... Sister Yeon too...?"
"Hee hee, once you get your own nickname, you'll get it, Chui-dal."
Pitying Chui-dal's utter despair, Dang Gun turned to Yang-hui.
"Still, don't tease Brother Chui-dal too much. No nickname is bad enough—adding mockery on top? How heartbreaking."
"Fair enough. Got it."
Watching Yang-hui nod along, Chui-dal felt a surge of annoyance instead.
"I say it and you ignore me completely! But Brother Dang speaks, and you nod right away! That's discrimination!"
"You and Brother Dang the same?"
"We're both people! What's the difference?!"
"This punk."
"Haha, Hui brother. Just bear it this once."
"Ungh."
Amid his irritation, Chui-dal felt a twinge of curiosity.
'I've noticed it before, but Brother Hui's weirdly soft on Brother Dang.'
What was it? The same words, but he'd listen more carefully when Dang Gun said them.
'Really strange. Brother Hui's this lone wolf type, full of himself, does whatever he wants...'
"Hey. You just trashed me, didn't you?"
"N-no!"
Chui-dal hastily switched topics.
"Anyway, brother. Why'd you invite the Jeongwol Sect?"
Just yesterday, before departing the Jeongwol Sect, Yang-hui had invited their heavyweights to Baek Clan Manor.
It made no sense to Chui-dal.
"To make Baek Clan Manor Muju's overlord, don't we have to sideline the Jeongwol Sect? So why invite them?"
"Chui-dal."
"Yes."
"You see the one, but not the two?"
Yang-hui pulled a bored expression. Chui-dal grinned inwardly.
Never one to put it nicely, this guy.
"This thick-headed little brother's brain can't figure it out, so explain already."
"Simple. We have to patch Baek Clan Manor's weakness."
"Weakness? Does Baek Clan Manor even have one?"
Over the past few years, Baek Clan Manor had undergone earth-shaking changes, growing at a pace that outstripped even "one step to the moon."
As someone who'd watched it all from right beside them, Chui-dal couldn't spot any glaring flaws.
"What weakness? We're building our forces just fine."
"I'll field that one. All right with you, Hui brother?"
Yang-hui nodded at Dang Gun's question.
He was curious about the Tang Clan young lord's take anyway.
"Of course."
"Right. Brother Chui-dal, Baek Clan Manor's weakness boils down to one thing: not enough people."
"People? But young lord, we have plenty of warriors under Baek Clan Manor."
As Baek Clan Manor's name spread far and wide, countless warriors had begged to join their ranks.
Gu-ak, as master of both Baek Ik Pavilion and Gangsaeng Pavilion, had taken in no small number of black path warriors and reformed them.
Thanks to that, Baek Clan Manor's retainers now numbered well over a hundred.
"You're right, Brother Chui-dal—not a small number. But let's compare to my Tang Clan."
True to his thoughtful nature, Dang Gun first sought Yang-hui's permission with a glance.
"Hui brother. I hope what I'm about to say doesn't bruise your feelings."
"Just facts. If it stings, it stings. Go ahead, Brother Dang."
"Very well."
Dang Gun continued.
"My Tang Clan boasts more than twenty peak experts."
"Ah."
A single word, but it hit Chui-dal like lightning—Baek Clan Manor's weakness laid bare.
"No upper echelon."
"Spot on."
Martial arts were an art demanding decades of devotion.
"Think Nine Great Sects for comparison. Baek Clan Manor lacks first-generation disciples and elder-level veterans. We're onboarding promising new blood and raising them up, but they can't shoulder the power of third-gen disciples or higher yet."
Of course, they could recruit lone wanderers to plug the gap.
The issue was...
"Why would peak experts bother joining Baek Clan Manor? Bigger, flashier sects are a dime a dozen."
Baek Clan Manor was growing fast, no doubt.
But they still fell woefully short.
'Four years left on the ten-year pact with the Tang Clan. We need to balloon our forces five or six times bigger by then.'
Five or six times the growth of six years, crammed into a mere four.
"We'll devour them. If not possible, at least turn them into allies. That's why I invited Jeongwol Sect to Baek Clan Manor."
Chui-dal gazed at Yang-hui with a touch of awe.
Just a year older, his big brother. Yet the breadth and depth of his thinking? Incomparable.
"But is it okay spilling this in front of Merchant Jin?"
The carriage naturally held Jin Geum-bo, the client of this escort job.
Yang-hui shot Jin Geum-bo a deliberately impish look.
"Said it for him to hear. No issue. You knew already, right, Merchant Jin?"
Jin Geum-bo gave an awkward chuckle.
"Ha, haha. This Jin can only marvel at the blueprint from Ascending Sword Dragon young hero. Now I see why Baek Clan Manor's risen like a shooting star these past few years."
"No need for the gilding."
"Gilding? It's plain truth. Truly impressive, Ascending Sword Dragon young hero!"
Jin Geum-bo had once called him Young Master Hui, but since the Ascending Sword Dragon title, he'd stuck to "young hero" without fail.
A silver tongue laced with flattery to butter up the mark.
So very merchant-like... or perhaps...
"My apologies once more, Merchant Jin. Sorry for delaying the escort over personal business."
"As I said before, it's fine! Watching young heroes' dashing exploits? That's an honor!"
"No need for me to drum up more flashy fame?"
"Th-that... uh..."
Seasoned merchant though he was, Jin Geum-bo couldn't hide his fluster.
Yang-hui had pierced straight to his hidden motives.
'What a terrifying young hero. How much has he figured out?'
The only intel Jin Geum-bo had fed Baek Clan Manor was one thing: he wanted Ascending Sword Dragon on the escort.
Yet he couldn't shake the paranoia that his secrets were already exposed.
"Anyway, no worries. We'll see the escort through, as promised."
"...I trust you, Ascending Sword Dragon young hero."
At that moment, the carriage began slowing to a halt.
"Ah. Yangtze already."
The northernmost tip of Jiangxi Province, Jiujiang—and right at its northern border flowed the Yangtze.
The group planned to ride it all the way to Anhui.
"Ferry landing... there it is."
They waited a few shichen at the landing.
When a large ship big enough for the whole carriage arrived, Gu-ak raised a hand.
"Captain. One carriage, six people. What's the fare?"
"Where to?"
"Anhui."
"Handy—right on our route. Hundred silver nyang."
Chui-dal's eyes bugged out.
"On the route and still hundred silver? What a rip-off, Ak!"
Yang-hui smacked the back of Chui-dal's head and pulled out the money pouch.
"Kid, crossing a whole province? Hundred nyang's a steal."
The captain pocketed the fare and had his crew load the carriage aboard.
With all passengers settled, the ship leisurely pulled away from the landing.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Yang-hui's group disembarked near Anqing in Anhui Province.
It was the most efficient spot to head to their destination, Gyesu.
"Merchant Jin. From here to Gyesu, we'll push straight as possible."
"Escorts call the route. I'll follow."
"Might need some overnight camps en route."
"Camping's an old friend to merchants. No worries."
He said it was fine, but for a non-warrior merchant, roughing it outdoors wasn't pleasant.
So Yang-hui stuck to a straight path but steered toward inhabited areas as much as possible.
"Small mountain hamlet called Feng Clan Village up ahead. We'll overnight there."
"Understood, young hero."
Feng Clan Village was a place he'd crashed at a few times in his past life as a ronin roaming the jianghu.
Ten-odd years from now, but as a clan village, it had to still be standing.
'Village chief was around my age, I think.'
A faint memory from his past life surfaced.
The young chief, idolizing warriors since boyhood, showing up at night with booze in hand.
They'd shared a merry drinking session.
'Maybe teach him a basic technique this life.'
A trifling diversion for one who defied time.
Such were his thoughts when...
'Hm?'
His sharp senses picked up on trouble unfolding over the ridge.
Chui-dal and the others noticed soon after.
"Hui brother. Sounds of commotion."
"Brother, bloodstains up ahead."
"I know. Beyond there..."
Mid-sentence, he launched himself forward.
Ki Cheonbo. Swift, swift, swift.
Like a gale, he devoured a hundred zhang in a single breath.
Near the entrance to Feng Clan Village stood a thatched-roof hut. Before it, a man swung a blade.
Rough features, leather garb. He screamed "bandit" just by looking.
Yang-hui drew his sword.
Ching!
He batted aside the bandit's blade, then lashed out with a foot.
"Who the hell are—kuaak!"
His toe struck the dantian dead-on. The bandit tumbled screaming.
"Kuaak! Kuaaaak!"
Ignoring the screams, he eyed the near-victim: a middle-aged woman.
Trembling in terror, too scared to even voice thanks.
"Hui brother. What's the situation... bandits, looks like."
Dang Gun caught up via lightness skill, his face hardening at the sight.
That instant, the woman clutched Yang-hui's pant leg.
"H-help! Bandits in the village!"
He spread his senses wide.
"Brother Dang. Twelve more inside the village besides this one."
"Twelve? Noted. I'll kill them all."
A brutally cold declaration, but Yang-hui nodded nonchalantly.
"Got it. I'll calm this woman and follow."
The Dang siblings and Gu-ak shot toward the village center.
Chui-dal stayed by Yang-hui's side instead of following.
"B-brother. Killing all twelve—that's overkill, isn't it?"
"..."
Yang-hui silently eyed Chui-dal.
Come to think of it, the kid was only fourteen.
Far too young to be numb to death.
"Chui-dal. One thing to remember."
He swung his sword.
The head of the writhing bandit separated from its body.
"No one living the thief's life deserves mercy."
That was the moment.
"Because they're scum like this."
Yang-hui seized the arm of the woman lunging at his back.
A short dagger gleamed in her grip.
"Die! Die! Please...!"
Even pinned down, the woman flailed wildly.
A powerless woman ambushing a martial artist—and after failing, this defiance?
One explanation.
"Who's the hostage? A kid?"
She gave no answer, but her flickering eyes betrayed her.
"A kid it is."
They'd snared a hostage ahead of time and coached a villager to play victim.
'Spotted the carriage from afar and set the trap.'
Yang-hui sealed the woman's pressure point, then spoke.
"Kid as hostage, huh. Chui-dal, let's go."
Cold fury swirled through his veins.
These vermin needed uprooting, root and stem.