Chapter 331: Xi'an (2)
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Even if not as much as before, Myeong-gyeong had brightened up. It seemed Myeong-gyeong had inevitably grown into somewhat of an adult.
Still, one could hardly tell an adult to whine like a child, so I had no choice but to leave him be. Wishing for a child to remain a child was the greed of adults. Just as I had, with the passing of time, a child was bound to helplessly become an adult.
“What kind of place is Xi’an?”
Myeong-gyeong asked.
“It is a good place.”
“What kind of answer is that?”
“There really is no other way to describe it than as a good place. For starters, with the Mount Hua Sect and the Zhongnan Sect present, unorthodox factions and black-path scoundrels cannot gain power, and on top of that, as the starting point of the ancient Silk Road connecting to the Western Regions, commerce is bustling as well. You could say it is the most important place in the northwestern region of the Central Plains continent.”
“You should have said it like that from the start.”
“I thought you might find it boring if it got too long.”
“Do not treat me like a child. I have reached fifteen years of age now, you know?”
The age of fifteen was still a child. However, without uttering those words aloud, I merely chuckled softly. Of course, even from that alone, Myeong-gyeong perceived my inner thoughts and narrowed his eyes.
In truth, Xi’an was quite a decent place to live. It even boasted a track record of being selected by none other than Muk Hui-yeong as the most livable place in the Central Plains.
Suzhou and Hangzhou, compared to heaven above, had many entertainment pleasure districts where black-path forces were heavily formed, but Shaanxi’s Xi’an was not like that.
Even if Mount Hua and Zhongnan did not specifically engage in policing activities, as long as the two were stationed side by side, black-path scoundrels naturally could not hold their heads high. Of course, there were plenty of petty thugs loitering about, but there was nowhere in the Central Plains without such people.
A place where commerce and public order were maintained, yet also brimming with black markets and gambling houses. This dual nature was the charm of the region called Xi’an.
“Shall we do some gambling once we arrive, Senior Brother? There are many amusing gambling houses there……”
Even before I could finish my sentence, a strike instantly flew at the back of my neck. Looking back, Cheong-hwa was retrieving the edge of his hand.
“Ah.”
“There really is nothing you will not say. Is that something proper to say?”
“It was a joke.”
“What joke? It seems you would truly go.”
“What do you mean? I do not particularly like gambling. I prefer earning money honestly.”
“Honesty, is it……”
Cheong-hwa glared at me. I felt wronged. Even if I might have told a few lies in daily life, I had never lied while doing business. I had merely concealed the truth slightly, minimized it, or exaggerated it. Honestly, I believed that much ought to be understood given the nature of the profession.
“You must be making some strange self-justification again.”
“What do you mean? You are cornering an innocent man.”
“Do you think I do not know you?”
Cheong-hwa clicked his tongue. Namgung Hwi watched me as if finding it fascinating. Since Namgung Hwi had probably only ever seen me as the Leader of the New Justice Association, this was likely his first time witnessing me mingling with people of the Wudang Sect like this.
“You seem to possess some human warmth too, Elder Brother.”
“There is no one overflowing with human warmth as much as me.”
“Seeing how you work, you appeared rather devoid of human warmth.”
Namgung Hwi chuckled. I grinned as well. Come to think of it, it had been quite a while since I took Namgung Hwi under my wing, but this was the first time he had joked with me so directly.
After that, Namgung Hwi, who had felt quite awkward and out of place, mingled well enough with the Wudang Sect members and shared conversations. As we had no particular reason to rush using lightness skills right now, we walked while enjoying the scenery.
Of course, doing things quickly was better than doing them late, but that did not mean we could run around for every single matter. At present, the Central Plains was also locked in a tug-of-war between the Immortals of the martial world and the Immortals of the imperial realm, so there was nothing particular we could do immediately.
We entered Xi’an while making idle chit-chat. Filling the conversation with lighthearted chatter rather than heavy, headache-inducing topics was my own deliberate intention.
Because becoming tense before even getting down to serious work produced more bad results than good ones. It was far better to face the situation directly before tensing up and concentrating.
“Where are we going now?”
“I intend to visit the Zhongnan Sect.”
I said. For now, the ones clashing on the front lines between the Palace of Heavenly Worship and the martial artists of the New Justice Association were the Zhongnan Sect and the Mount Hua Sect.
As the two originally had bad relations, they were bound to be clashing even more intensely now.
The streets of Xi’an were distinctly different from when I had come years ago with Yeo Hong-yang and Myeong-il. That was the characteristic of a bustling place. Whenever one came, it had always changed. That meant the region was alive.
A merchant always had to go to a lively region to make money. In that respect, Xi’an was one of my favorite cities.
“Let us go.”
Naturally, the Zhongnan Sect was on Mount Zhongnan, and the Mount Hua Sect was on Mount Hua. Yet ironically, there were not many Mount Hua Sect members on Mount Hua itself, nor were there many Zhongnan Sect members on Mount Zhongnan.
The place where they were present in the greatest numbers was indeed Shaanxi’s provincial capital, Xi’an. Because all of them claimed to be the hegemons of Shaanxi, their influence in Xi’an was their very pride.
Thus, in Xi’an, there were separate Xi’an branches for the Zhongnan Sect and the Mount Hua Sect. In fact, those were places with far more fighting strength than the main mountains.
The Zhongnan Sect’s Xi’an branch was located in the south of Xi’an, while the Mount Hua Sect’s Xi’an branch was located in the north of Xi’an. We headed toward the south of Xi’an.
“Oh. Isn’t that person the Leader of the New Justice Association?”
“I think it is him?”
When going all the way to Gansu, I would use the disguise art learned from Dang Se-ui, but as far as Shaanxi’s Xi’an, there was no reason to use disguise arts. On the contrary, not using disguise arts and having people recognize me was actually helpful.
“It’s the Leader of the New Justice Association.”
“Where?”
“Over there.”
Perhaps because the Zhongnan Sect was also affiliated with the New Justice Association, there were indeed many people who recognized me. It seemed I had now become quite a prominent figure in the Central Plains as well.
While walking toward the branch, a bunch of children huddled together in an alleyway poked their heads out and peered at me.
Finding that cute, I chuckled softly. Just then, a few of the children came running toward me.
“Ex-Excuse me! Are you really the Lord Leader of the New Justice Association?”
One of the children tightly shut his eyes and shouted. There seemed to be no malice in particular. Nodding my head, I answered in as gentle a voice as possible.
“Yes. What is it?”
“I-I want to become a martial artist like the Lord Leader of the New Justice Association too. What should I do?!”
This was another bewildering situation. Although there had been many cases where people recognized me, this was the first time someone had approached me directly like this, so I looked back and forth between Cheong-hwa and Namgung Hwi.
Cheong-hwa wore a proud expression, while Namgung Hwi wore a look of slight envy toward me.
Indeed, there was no group with a stronger desire for recognition than martial artists. For a child who was a complete stranger to recognize and respect me had something inherently ticklish to the heart about it.
“Mmm……”
I was flustered. In the first place, I hailed from a merchant background. Hence, I could not readily fathom the minds of children who had been martial artists from an early age. It was right when I was pondering what I should say.
“That will be difficult.”
The words abruptly emerged from Myeong-gyeong’s mouth. The child looked about three years younger than Myeong-gyeong. Roughly the age Myeong-gyeong had been when I first saw him.
“Eh.”
“What makes my Junior Brother extraordinary is not simply his martial prowess. It is the mindset of being capable of sacrificing oneself for others. That is a path far too difficult to forge. Nor is it a recommended path.”
Myeong-gyeong unexpectedly gave serious advice. The child stared blankly and nodded his head. Spoken so dispassionately, he also appeared slightly disheartened.
However, Myeong-gyeong’s words did not end there.
“However, even so, you have potential. While the other kids were afraid to approach my Junior Brother and speak to him, you stepped forward as their representative and spoke up, did you not?”
The sullen expression on the child’s face brightened. Myeong-gyeong stepped back as if he had said all he needed to say. Myeong-gyeong also placed both hands on his hips and puffed out his chest, looking proud as though he himself had been recognized through me.
“Just keep going as you are. That will do.”
Offering advice, I patted the child’s head. Delighted, the child repeatedly bowed at the waist.
“Thank you, thank you so much!”
The children returned to the alley where they had been peeking at me. They tried to touch the spot where I had patted him as if it were sacred ground, but the child who had received my pat refused to allow it.
It was quite an endearing sight, bringing a smile to our entire group.
Carrying warm feelings in our hearts, we headed for the Zhongnan Sect’s Xi’an branch. When we arrived at the Xi’an branch, numerous martial artists of the Zhongnan Sect had already come outside.
Among them was an unexpected figure, namely that the Zhongnan Sect Leader, Autumn Wind Wanderer Cho Seo-gi, had also come out.
“Association Leader, you have arrived.”
“Sect Leader, you were here as well.”
“Clashes have been frequent of late, so I had no choice but to leave the main mountain.”
“Ah. I see.”
I nodded my head.
“How did you know I was coming and come out in advance like this?”
“Haha. Right now, there is not a single street or inn in Shaanxi where people are not talking about the arrival of the New Justice Association Leader. It seems you underestimate your own standing far too much.”
I let out an awkward smile. Indeed, I had expected as much ever since an unfamiliar child came running just to exchange a word with me.
“Please come in.”
Cho Seo-gi guided us inside. Even if the Zhongnan Sect Leader were present here, coming out in person was another matter entirely. It meant that the Zhongnan Sect respected me, the New Justice Association Leader, to that extent.
In fact, in the vicinity, I also caught sight of the face of Gentleman Sword Yeom So-cheon, with whom I had shared a spar before. I greeted him with a glance, and Yeom So-cheon courteously offered a martial salute as well.
We were guided to the Xi’an branch manager’s office. It seemed the Sect Leader was currently using the branch manager’s office.
Although Zhongnan disciples moved around us as if escorting us, the only ones who actually entered the branch manager’s office were Cho Seo-gi and Yeom So-cheon.
“Gentleman Sword is attending as well, I see.”
When I spoke, Cho Seo-gi replied.
“Elder Yeom is currently the Xi’an branch manager.”
“Ah. Is that so?”
Then he certainly had every reason to attend. Yeom So-cheon brought out prepared tea. However, the tea was piping hot as if just brewed. It seemed he had applied heat to the teacup to make it hot.
I took a sip of the tea and opened my eyes wide.
“It is Xinyang Maojian.”
The tea was Xinyang Maojian, a famed tea produced in Henan. Indeed, as it was tea enjoyed by the Sect Leader and elders of Zhongnan, anything less than a famous tea would not suit their dignity.
Yeom So-cheon smiled as if grateful that I had recognized it.
“Indeed. Your knowledge of tea is quite profound.”
“I am a merchant, so how could I not know tea?”
“Haha. You are not a merchant right now, are you?”
“I thought so as well, but it seems once a merchant, always a merchant.”
At my words, Cho Seo-gi laughed. I had been in earnest, but Cho Seo-gi seemed to perceive it as a joke. Well, given that I was not doing business right now and only handling martial-world affairs, it was understandable he heard it that way.
“Right. What brings you to Zhongnan?”
“I wanted to see things directly with my own two eyes.”
“The Mount Hua Sect? Well, it is always the same. There are only minor clashes.”
“It seems there are no particularly major incidents.”
“Indeed. You could say it feels like a taut tension pulled from both sides.”
I understood that metaphor. Because the very state of affairs in the martial world right now was just like that. I had thought Shaanxi, being the front line, might be a bit different, but it seemed to be the same.
“I see.”
“Your coming here will boost the morale of Zhongnan’s disciples, but there will be nothing particular for you to do. Or would you care to do some sightseeing in Xi’an?”
Cho Seo-gi said in a leisurely voice. I shook my head.
“No. I have a separate task to handle.”
“What is it?”
I smiled first. Originally, I had several plans.
A plan for when Zhongnan was clashing fiercely with the Mount Hua Sect, and a plan for when they were not clashing particularly much. I had thought through every possible contingency. That was the reason why I had walked instead of using lightness skills. To devise plans.
And just now, one of the plans was selected. Since I had learned the current situation of Shaanxi.
“I came to tear down the Mount Hua Sect.”
Cho Seo-gi’s eyes widened. The companions seated on my side also turned to look at me all at once. Because I had never brought up such words at all, my companions also seemed bewildered.
Since I had come all the way to Shaanxi anyway, I intended to do everything that needed to be done before leaving.