Chapter 97: Chapter 97

Jang Geon naturally opened his eyes as he woke up.

Wooden beams supporting the ceiling in an orderly, regular shape came into view. From the window on his right, a bluish light seeped in as if dawn were breaking, and glancing slightly to his left, the woman with whom he spent last night lay asleep resting on his arm.

Gently pulling his arm out from under her head, he slipped out of bed. Neatly covering her again with the disheveled blanket, Jang Geon picked up the clothes he had cast off last night, dusted them off, and began putting them on. Though slightly damp and carrying a musty smell, it felt like an entirely wearable condition for him, accustomed to camping in the wilderness.

Having put on even his outer coat, Jang Geon picked up the scabbard standing on one side. Looking at it for a moment, he smoothly drew it, revealing a blade remaining a little less than half. Having lost half of itself, the blade seemed somewhat dull and worn, as if it had also lost its sharp vigor.

Jang Geon recalled the Three Fathers and Sons Blacksmith Shop of New Sichuan. He had paid a lot of money, and it seemed like a sword with its own backstory, so breaking it like this brought a sense of regret. However, an edged weapon ultimately wore down as it was used, and since he had used it thoroughly well so far, Jang Geon neatly cleared his mind. He would be able to obtain a decent sword here in Gamsan as well.

Sheathing the half-broken sword back into its scabbard and picking up his bamboo hat, the woman who had awoken at some point was propping her chin up and lying down, looking over here. Meeting eyes, Jang Geon and she wore small smiles on their lips and quietly looked at each other for a moment.

She spoke first.

“So-hyang.”

“So-hyang?”

“That’s my name. Not Geom Jung-chan.”

Jang Geon remained silent for a moment at her showing her real name, then soon smiled again and spoke.

“So-hyang. I will remember it.”

“Even so, don’t give that name if you look for me at the Dark Dragon Corps.”

“Then?”

“Agent No. 3. Say you are looking for Dark Dragon Agent No. 3.”

Wearing his bamboo hat, Jang Geon answered while tying the strap.

“I will do so.”

“…Farewell.”

At her words, Jang Geon held the brim of his bamboo hat, gave a light tip in greeting, turned his body, and left the room. Propping up her chin, So-hyang dropped her head onto the bed once he left the room and stared at the closed door. She spent a long time lying on the bed Jang Geon had departed.

* * *

When Jang Geon stepped outside the courtesan house, Gamsan’s street was enveloped in hazy fog. The air touching his skin was chilly yet damp, and the outlines of the street buildings grew unclear, appearing as a single large connected mass. Due to last night’s rain, the ground beneath his feet was a quagmire, mud sticking thick to his shoes.

And amidst it were people tightening their collars and busily moving their steps.

Carriages clattering from early morning, a man running vigorously while carrying a heavy pack on his back, a middle-aged woman walking hurriedly carrying a cloth bundle—people heading to work and people starting their day were moving busily through the hazy fog.

Jang Geon closely examined those people visible faintly beyond the fog one by one as he slowly advanced toward Great Peace Pavilion. The courtesan house where the Martial Alliance secret contact was disguised and Great Peace Pavilion were on the same courtesan house street, but the distance was quite far. Walking leisurely to arrive at Great Peace Pavilion, by that time the fog had thinned, and sunlight was faintly visible.

Looking at that sunlight for a moment, Jang Geon soon opened the door of Great Peace Pavilion and entered. Thereupon, the clerk who was wiping the floor reflexively spoke.

“We are not open for business, come back tonight… Warrior Jang?”

At that single phrase ‘Warrior Jang’, a clattering noise resounded from the kitchen area, and soon Louzhu Gwan Su-chan and his son Gwan Ryang appeared.

“Wow! Warrior! You’re completely fine?”

“You rascal! What kind of speech is that all of a sudden!”

Gwan Ryang looked back and forth blankly between Jang Geon and his father at his father’s scolding, then spoke.

“Father was the one who said something big happened to the Warrior, wasn’t he?”

“That’s… after the Warrior left… noise broke out across the entire night street of Gamsan…”

Jang Geon smiled faintly at the Louzhu watching his reaction and spoke.

“Is a meal available now?”

“Ah yes, of course it is. I will prepare it right away. Ryang, guide the Warrior to his room.”

“Yes. Follow me. I’ve cleaned up the messy room completely.”

Arriving at the special room on the third floor he had used until yesterday, Jang Geon devoured the grand breakfast the Louzhu subsequently prepared for him. Gwan Ryang disappeared briefly while Jang Geon was dining, then returned with warm tea and abruptly asked.

“Is it true?”

Sipping his tea with a slurp, Jang Geon smacked his lips and answered.

“What.”

“Is it true that Warrior Jang is actually an inspector warrior sent from the Martial Alliance main headquarters, and while busting the Black Blood Gang, you also thoroughly turned the Gamsan Branch upside down? And surprised by that, the branch quickly dispatched warriors to clean up the night street in a single night? Thanks to that, the back-alley gang problem that tormented Gamsan for weeks was completely settled, they say.”

Setting down his teacup, Jang Geon looked at Gwan Ryang as if amused.

“Setting facts aside, that’s story from a mere few hours ago… How did you come to know that?”

About to answer immediately, the fellow suddenly shut his mouth tight and began rolling his eyes about. Rolling his mind so transparently, he answered.

“…Th-That, Gamsan City is the place where we live after all, isn’t it? Whatever happens, rumors are bound to spread quickly. Right in our courtesan house, if a rumor starts about who fought with whom, or who likes whom, before a single night passes, the entire courtesan house street talks about that rumor. What’s more, it seems the Warrior wandered here and there throughout Gamsan City. Then even if we didn’t want to know, we couldn’t help but know…”

However, while Gwan Ryang rambled so earnestly, Jang Geon merely stared at the fellow blankly with an expressionless face rather than an understanding expression. Under that gaze, Gwan Ryang gradually lowered his head and finally confessed.

“…Father told me. The part about being an inspector warrior or whatever was overheard from other aunts talking.”

Jang Geon finally smiled faintly and asked.

“How did your father come to know that?”

“…Father is the president of the Giru District Promotion Association here. Father learned a lot, so he helped out with many things here and there. Thanks to that, people on the courtesan house street inform Father first whenever there’s any news.”

“Then was that president getting beaten by Black Blood Gang thugs?”

Gwan Ryang fiddled with his fingers and answered.

“Being president isn’t anything grand… He just holds that title. And that no one could help back then was unavoidable. They were thugs boiling over throughout Gamsan City, so what could merchants do to help? That’s why the rumor about the Warrior spread even faster. That a chivalrous hero had appeared.”

Jang Geon nodded his head and raised his teacup again. He felt once more that Great Peace Pavilion Louzhu Gwan Su-chan must be a descendant of a prominent family. Perhaps his standing up to the Black Blood Gang was also out of the thought that he was a representative of this street in his own right.

Just then, a voice echoed from outside the door.

“Warrior Jang, I have something to tell you briefly, would that be alright?”

It was Gwan Su-chan’s voice. Gwan Ryang wore an ‘oops’ expression. Because he had been eating side dishes together while bringing tea. Watching the fellow wipe his mouth with his sleeve as if he hadn’t eaten anything, Jang Geon answered.

“Come in.”

The door opened, and Gwan Su-chan, who entered, was holding a long, large wooden box. Entering the room, he bowed respectfully in greeting and sat before Jang Geon.

Gwan Su-chan set the wooden box down before himself, glanced at his son, and opened his mouth.

“I don’t know if you’ve already heard from my boy. Though I am a worthless fellow, I have overheard many things and am doing the work of a representative of this street. I have an acquaintance at the Gamsan Branch, so I heard of Warrior Jang’s exploits first. You wouldn’t happen to be offended by that, would you?”

Jang Geon gently shook his head. He considered that it was a rumor that would not last long anyway. That was because he would leave this place before long, whereas the Martial Alliance branch would remain to handle Gamsan’s security, and they would surely inflate the branch’s merit as much as possible to turn back the ruined public sentiment while concealing the story about Jang Geon.

However, whether knowing what Jang Geon was thinking or not, Gwan Su-chan opened the wooden box he had brought.

“…I don’t know if I have the qualification to do so. However, I knew that I must offer thanks to Warrior Jang on behalf of the people of Gamsan. In my heart, I would like to gather all the revenue of the courtesan house and give it to you, but… forcing that on my family wouldn’t make me much different from those Black Blood Gang thugs, would it?”

Inside the wooden box, a single large sword lay reclining. The length was not long, but thanks to a strangely dark color and a broad blade, it was a sword with heavy dignity. Looking at the handle portion of that blade, Jang Geon could tell that it was originally a blade fitted into a long pole for use.

“Shamefully, among my ancestors long ago, there was one who served as a general of the Empire. After him, our family fortune declined, so we only held civil posts, eventually ending up like this… At any rate, this sword was one used by him, said to be a sword made of mysterious cold iron of the North Sea in the Central Plains. However, at the time, there was no person who could perfectly handle this iron, so it was said to be an unfinished item.”

Watching Gwan Su-chan take it out so it could be seen clearly, Jang Geon asked.

“Unfinished?”

“Yes. They said that hundreds of years ago, ironworking technology fell short compared to now. However, now there are plenty of blacksmiths who can handle this sufficiently. There are several even in Gamsan. Ryang will guide you, so take it and forge it into the shape you desire. Do not worry about the cost, for I will bear it all.”

That ancient blade, said to be hundreds of years old, strangely showed no sign of being worn or rusted at all. Looking at that strange black light, Jang Geon asked Gwan Su-chan.

“It is your ancestor’s item, is it alright to give it to me?”

“Even if I kept it, it would merely become a curious antique. A sword should be in the hands of a warrior.”

“Then I will accept it without further refusal. As it happens, I was in need of a sword.”

On the contrary, Gwan Su-chan smiled as if satisfied and bowed his head slightly.

“Compared to what you did for me, my courtesan house, and the people of Gamsan, it is nothing.”

Afterward, Gwan Su-chan left the room, and after the clerks cleared the breakfast table, Jang Geon also immediately set out to find the blacksmith shop with Gwan Ryang leading the way. Stopping by the stable to see Jojo before leaving the courtesan house was a bonus.

“Is it fun playing around?”

The fellow, receiving a brushing from the stable clerk, snorted as if telling him not to pick a fight and go away. His appearance, having gained a considerable amount of weight over the past few days, seemed happy eating and playing around. Tapping the fellow’s nose bridge, Jang Geon spoke.

“Don’t click your tongue for no reason, since you get to play for a few more days.”

To forge a new sword, that much time would be needed. He also had to receive his reward from the Gamsan Branch. So teasing the fattened Jojo a bit more, Jang Geon soon began moving onto the streets of Gamsan following Gwan Ryang.

Perhaps due to the Martial Alliance’s swift sweep last night, there were not very many people walking the streets. However, perhaps because the thugs tormenting people had vanished, those people’s faces were not very dark.

Gwan Ryang led Jang Geon to the outskirts of Gamsan City. When asked why a blacksmith shop was located on such outskirts rather than downtown, the fellow tilted his head and answered.

“What was it? I think they said it’s because water is important. If it’s too close to the coast, there’s saltiness in the water, so they set up the blacksmith shop where clean fresh water gushes out. In my opinion, fire seems more important. Intriguing, isn’t it?”

Arriving while engaging in light banter with Gwan Ryang like that, a broad blacksmith shop was filled with weapons and farming tools without distinction. And besides Jang Geon and Gwan Ryang, there were several customers, with a clerk attached to each introducing items. Beyond a small door on one side, sounds of hammering metal and the rough voices of blacksmiths echoed.

“Quite big, isn’t it? Actually, it’s a famous place in Gamsan. A blacksmith shop visited by warriors and farmers alike.”

A clerk approached Jang Geon as well. When asked what he was looking for, showing the large sword inside the wooden box, the clerk who recognized the iron immediately went inside and brought out a white-bearded old man. Possessing a magnificent physique ill-suited to his face and beard, that old man abruptly took the sword to examine it without saying a word, then spoke to Jang Geon.

“What shape?”

Jang Geon unstrapped the sword he was wearing and handed it over. Receiving even that, the old man spoke briefly.

“Come back in three days.”

Having spoken so, the old man held the two swords and walked back inside with large strides. At an appearance that would be rude if considered rude, the clerk bowed his waist flusteredly.

“Though the elder’s words are rough, his skill is the best in Gamsan. Without a doubt, if you come in three days and see the finished product, you will know the elder’s skill. So…”

Jang Geon waved his hand to signify it was fine. And looking at Gwan Ryang, he spoke.

“Looks like I’ll be staying for three more days.”

“I won’t charge lodging fees. In return, tell me the story of what happened last night.”

Gwan Ryang smirked as he said so, and Jang Geon also smirked back and ruffled the fellow’s hair. He wondered if Gwan Su-chan had found a way for him to stay a bit longer, hoping Jang Geon would teach Gwan Ryang a bit of martial arts. If he knew the outline of last night’s incident, he would also know that Jang Geon had defeated three demonic practitioners alone.

“No! What is that! That’s bad! That’s stealing!”

Thinking about what simple things he could teach while rubbing Gwan Ryang’s hair, Jang Geon turned his head at a voice someone yelled out in rage from one side of the blacksmith shop.

There, a clerk and a customer covering his head and face with a hood were present, and as surrounding attention focused, the clerk tried to calm the customer flusteredly.

“Stealing, customer? Our blacksmith shop merely connected the seller and the buyer. Our blacksmith shop has expanded its business beyond simply making and selling items to appraising and brokering items, and joined the trade association of Gamsan here…”

“Don’t use difficult words! Central Plains speech is hard for me!”

Roughly pulling off the hood he was wearing, the customer continued yelling at the top of his lungs. As his skin was revealed by removing his hood like that, Gwan Ryang beside him whispered to Jang Geon.

“Oh, a Westerner. It’s a Kunlun Slave.”

However, how that customer heard Gwan Ryang’s whisper, he whipped his head around, glared over here, and shouted.

“I am not a slave! I am a free man!”