Chapter 23: Chapter 23
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“So, that… Gang Ryung is a suspect in the murder of Gang Chung… And, as you can see, there is also an unfair contract targeting the natives…”
Gwak Seon, the Martial Alliance Branch Head of Gangsan Village, bowed and groveled while breaking into a cold sweat. Normally, he possessed confidence in his martial arts and held his chin high with pride as the Martial Alliance Branch Head maintaining order in the region.
However, he could not do so right now. Right now, if he made a single wrong move, his dantian might be destroyed on the spot and he could be hanged, or dragged to a Martial Alliance labor camp to perform hard labor until he died. All because of the woman looking down at him with cold eyes while crossing her arms before his eyes.
A large scar extending from her left forehead down to her right cheek. Scars that were not small below her lips and on her left cheek as well. Yet, because of her slender jawline, large eyes, high nose bridge, and full lips, she was also a beautiful woman. It was a face hard to forget once seen.
She spoke.
“Branch Head Gwak, did you truly not know?”
Gwak Seon’s hands trembled. If he had been completely blameless, or if he had a bit more time, he would not have trembled or groveled like this. He would have sent this patrol officer away with a report stating that nothing special had happened, along with handing over a suitable bribe.
However, this woman arrived in Gangsan Village before he could cover up or resolve the incident. And after taking a look around the village, she immediately confirmed Gang Chung’s murder case, then followed the tracks and leads straight to this native valley village in a single breath.
Added to that, whatever Gang Ryung had done with those thirty hired swordsmen, the native village appeared to not have even a hair damaged, and the natives had even captured the swordsmen to report Gang Chung and claim self-defense.
After pondering for a moment, Gwak Seon decided to act brazenly. Gang Ryung was a fellow who had killed his hometown friend and fled bringing only his body and hired swordsmen. There was no way there was evidence of him bribing him right now.
“That… Officer Jeok. I truly did not know that fellow would try to commit such a deed. Had I known, I would have somehow detained him in Gangsan Village first. If you wish to curse my incompetence… I will humbly accept it.”
Jeok-sein stared at Gwak Seon with those same cold eyes, then willingly nodded her head.
“Understood, Branch Head Gwak. Then first, bind those hired swordsmen, return to the village, tell the Merchant Guild to prepare compensation for the residents here, and prepare a document under your official branch seal recognizing ownership of this land.”
“Ah, would that be acceptable? Understood! I shall go prepare the document and tightly press those Merchant Guild fellows! I will tell them to prepare gold that these native residents have never even seen before! Hahaha!”
Gwak Seon beamed, hastily answered as such, and mounted his horse. San-ho, who was watching him approach the prisoners, slightly knit his eyebrows and turned back to Jeok-sein.
“Why are you letting him go like that? That bastard accepted bribes and intended to condone the slaughter of the residents here. We have evidence, don’t we? The bribery ledger. The one found in that Gang Ryung fellow’s safe.”
“Indeed. With our authority, we could send that bastard away immediately. But what about after that?”
“…After that?”
Jeok-sein uncrossed her arms, rested her hands on her waist, and watched Gwak Seon move away. Her eyes were extremely cold.
“If we send that fellow away right now, a security vacuum will be created here. It will become easy prey for evil practitioners who might be nearby. Rotten as he is, he is someone who usually maintained lines, so if we leave him be for now, he will do his job. Until the Inspection Department arrives with a new branch head holding the ledger.”
San-ho smiled at his lips as if understanding.
“Aha. Then at that time, the Inspection Department will hang him by his neck?”
“Who knows. Perhaps his dantian will be destroyed and he will be dragged to a labor camp. For that fellow, that will be even more of a hell.”
“What a relief. At any rate, for a bastard bearing the name of the Martial Alliance to accept bribes and slight his duties. Shouldn’t we file a complaint with the Recommendation Bureau? Why is it that every branch head we meet has no normal bastard among them?”
Jeok-sein chuckled softly.
“Because we only search for such places.”
“…Ah. That is true.”
San-ho nodded his head to himself as if understanding, then discovered two native residents standing beside them with their mouths agape, staring at them. San-ho smiled nonchalantly and spoke.
“Ah, you were standing there? You two mentioned you knew how to speak Central Plains speech, right? Then what you just heard is a secret.”
Red Wind and Bi-rang, who had unintentionally learned of Gwak Seon’s future, barely managed to nod. The Martial Alliance people who had visited before they even went to seek them out seemed to be extremely kind yet cold-hearted people.
Jeok-sein turned her head toward the two of them and spoke.
“Branch Head Gwak and the Alliance members will take the dead and the hired swordsmen away. However, I heard there is one whose identity cannot be verified. The one who fought warrior Jang.”
Red Wind understood who she was referring to and led the two patrol officers to the outskirts of the village. It was to go to the corpse of Dang Gyeon-sang, whose neck had been severed. It lay laid out along with the dead hired swordsmen in a shaded spot on the outskirts of the village. They had not buried them, but simply covered each with a sheet of white cloth.
Red Wind, who led the two, pointed between the corpses. There lay a corpse whose head and body were clearly severed despite having a cloth draped over it. Jeok-sein reconfirmed with Red Wind if that was the correct corpse, then pulled back the cloth without hesitation.
A pale head and body wearing black clothes were exposed. San-ho let out an ‘ugh’, displaying disgust, yet knelt down and meticulously examined the severed head and body.
Jeok-sein crossed her arms, watched that, and asked Red Wind and Bi-rang.
“What did he state his name was?”
“Dang… Dang Geom-san? Dang Gyeon-sang? It was probably Dang Gyeon-sang.”
While Red Wind tilted his head, having been unable to hear clearly at the time due to awakening the tribe warriors and focusing on his own breathing, Bi-rang answered so. Jeok-sein continued to ask.
“You said he threw hidden weapons and used poison?”
“The poison was a bluff. We found out thanks to Jang Geon.”
“To the extent that only warrior Jang noticed… Did you see him throwing hidden weapons?”
Bi-rang shook her head.
“No. When I arrived, all I saw were bladed weapons rolling on the ground, this decapitated corpse, and Jang Geon.”
“Mm…”
While Jeok-sein toyed with her chin, San-ho, who had been examining the corpse, dusted off his hands and looked up at her while remaining squatted.
“…This is somewhat strange. Using the surname Dang, proficient in hidden weapons, and easily deceiving people. Looking at the corpse, he seems to be a demonic practitioner who mastered demonic arts. Then could this be…?”
“The Tang Clan?”
San-ho’s expression stiffened slightly. He forced a smile and answered.
“Hey, could it really be a person of that house? It’s already been a hundred years since they were annihilated by the Imperial Army… It must just be a coincidence.”
“It happens that the time the New Continent was discovered was also around then. If a portion survived, crossed the ocean, and fled here, it would make sense.”
“…Then with what confidence would he have revealed his own name? Looking at the surname and skill, the Tang Clan naturally comes to mind.”
Jeok-sein turned her head and looked into Bi-rang’s eyes.
“Literally because he possessed confidence. He had no intention of leaving anyone alive. Even the hired swordsmen on the same side. However… warrior Jang was here.”
San-ho opened and closed his mouth as if bewildered, then stealthily stood up.
“Do you really believe that madman family has been resurrected? Well then… this seems like a matter that must be reported to the Alliance with top priority…”
Jeok-sein spoke while keeping her gaze on Bi-rang.
“It’s not something to make a fuss about. Since there is no concrete evidence. He could just be someone inspired by stories of the old Tang Clan. However, since he is a demonic practitioner who mastered demonic arts, it is true that a report must be written and submitted.”
Bi-rang tilted her chin slightly and quietly met Jeok-sein’s gaze, who kept looking at her even while speaking. Then she abruptly asked.
“Do you know Jang Geon well?”
“Regarding warrior Jang? I cannot say I know him that well.”
“Then even if you don’t know him well, you do know him?”
“…That is so.”
Bi-rang’s eyes sparkled.
“Then do you happen to know where he went?”
Seeing those sparkling eyes, Jeok-sein was briefly rendered speechless. She then smiled apologetically.
“I do not know that. In the first place, I had not expected to hear about warrior Jang here either.”
“I see…”
Bi-rang grew crestfallen upon hearing that answer. Red Wind patted Bi-rang’s shoulder to comfort her and spoke to Jeok-sein.
“We are very grateful to the two of you. We thought we would have to go seek you out, but to visit directly like this and resolve the problem for us.”
“It was merely what we ought to do.”
Having gathered enough information to write in their report, Jeok-sein and San-ho left the valley tribe after that before the sun completely set. Riding their horses down along the mountain trail, Jeok-sein suddenly stopped her horse and looked back. Bi-rang was seen standing outside the village looking at the sunset.
San-ho, who had been riding beside her, stopped as well, saw that, and spoke.
“That martial artist named Jang Geon doesn’t seem to have helped them without a grand reward.”
“Why?”
“Because he took that maiden’s heart. There are few things as valuable as that.”
Jeok-sein chuckled softly and looked at San-ho with eyes saying he was talking nonsense. San-ho merely shrugged his shoulders and smirked.
“Stop talking nonsense and let’s go.”
While the two left the valley in that manner, Bi-rang remained in that spot, gazing at the distant sunset.
* * *
The sunset vanishing into the horizon illuminated Jang Geon’s face in red.
Jang Geon sat cross-legged atop a high rock with his eyes closed. Beneath the rock, Jojo, untethered, was alone pawing at the ground and nibbling on dry grass to pass the time. Having ridden all day yesterday, escaping the mountains and forest to reach the wilderness, neither people nor animals were visible in the surroundings.
However, contrary to that peaceful and quiet surrounding landscape, Jang Geon’s internal body was actively churning. Like a storm trapped inside a small teacup.
The spiritual pill given by the valley tribe’s Spirit was a crystal of pure qi. Without any complexity or specialness, it was merely a lump tightly packed into a small bead shape. And that was also the form of a spiritual elixir desired by many martial artists.
Originally, the inner core of a spirit creature or a spiritual elixir made using it could not be consumed easily. Aside from pure qi, the inner core of a spirit creature was also filled with intense toxicity, so if one casually shoved it into one’s mouth, trouble would erupt in one’s internal organs, and in severe cases, one could die.
And even for a spiritual elixir that neutralized the toxicity of that inner core, without sufficient preparation, one might fail to convert the qi into internal energy, causing it to scatter all over the body. If qi scattered like that, though the body might grow somewhat healthier, one would lose a third of the original internal energy efficacy, so even if one possessed a spiritual elixir, consuming it was no easy task.
However, Jang Geon simply ate it. Driven by the thought that the Spirit would not have given him an item filled with toxic qi, and the excitement of consuming what could truly be called a spiritual elixir for the first time, he had casually popped it into his mouth. Even when he was in the Central Plains, thanks to his wealthy family background, he had eaten ginseng, but a spiritual elixir like this was a first.
The spiritual pill that entered his mouth dissolved as it was, traveling not through his esophagus but through Jang Geon’s qi and blood to circulate throughout his entire body, then entered his dantian and condensed back into the shape of a spiritual pill. Jang Geon hurriedly raised his internal energy to charge through the Eight Extraordinary Meridians and Twelve Main Meridians.
The internal energy he had slowly and sturdily cultivated since childhood accommodated the unfamiliar qi that suddenly appeared without difficulty. Jang Geon wrapped around and melted the qi that tried to sprout out recklessly or scatter. Following that guidance, the qi transformed like dense silk and sturdy steel, roaming through the body’s meridians, clearing murky fine vessels, and tempering his qi channels.
The spiritual pill did not completely unfurl its body at once. It melted down only to the extent that Jang Geon could handle. Other than that, it froze tightly again like ice and stopped at the center of his dantian. That was exactly half. It did not seem like it would take long to melt down the remainder as well.
Simultaneously with the spiritual pill solidifying, a light wave erupted centered around Jang Geon sitting atop the rock, sweeping away a cloud of dust. Jojo looked up to see what this was and stared at Jang Geon.
A clear light sparkled in Jang Geon’s eyes, which snapped open after two double-hours, before settling down calmly once more.
Sitting just as he was, looking at the setting sun, a faint smile surfaced at the corners of his lips.
“Spiritual elixirs are indeed good.”
Having completed a satisfying cultivation of internal energy, Jang Geon jumped down from the rock and mounted Jojo’s saddle. Feeling the light weight on his back and the light taps on his flanks, Jojo shook his head and took trotting steps forward. Even though he had to urge Jojo’s steps to find a village within the remainder of today, Jang Geon was relaxed. He even whistled lightly.
An idle man whistling and a lazy horse advanced leisurely through the wilderness in search of a village.