Chapter 332: Xi'an (3)

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It was safe to say that the Zhongnan Sect and the Mount Hua Sect practically split Xi’an in half. The south was the domain of the Zhongnan Sect, while the north was the domain of the Mount Hua Sect.

I decided to disguise myself and walk around. The disguise technique learned from Dang Se-ui was truly useful. Even decent martial artists would have to look closely at near distance to notice anything amiss, so when merely wandering the streets like this, there was virtually no one who could recognize me.

First, I stepped into an inn managed by the Zhongnan Sect. Establishments managed by the Zhongnan Sect were easy to spot. They openly hung a flag that read Zhongnan, after all.

“Welcome!”

Nodding my head, I looked around the inn.

The inn was clean. Considering that inns were frequently favored as battlegrounds for martial artists, it was being remarkably well maintained.

As it was a business establishment, Zhongnan Sect martial artists were not stationed here permanently, but if anything happened in this inn, martial artists of the Zhongnan Sect would come rushing within half a ke. Knowing this full well, no one dared to make a mess here.

“Waiter.”

“Yes. Would you like to order?”

“Give me one Yangrou Paomo.”

“Yes. Right away.”

“Has business been good lately?”

I asked casually. The way I gathered information was not very different from others. It was collecting intelligence while pretending to be a pure customer like this.

I often used this method when digging into the weaknesses of other merchant companies as well. Though there were times I ordered subordinates to collect intelligence, I had a personality where I was only satisfied if I did it myself.

“Oh, business is booming. It is so good that I wonder when it has ever been this good before. Even if I had three bodies, it wouldn’t be enough.”

“To that extent?”

“Of course, of course. The northern part of Xi’an is completely ruined right now.”

I was slightly surprised, but asked without showing it on my face.

“If it is the north, isn’t that the Mount Hua Sect’s domain?”

“Yes. That’s right. Because that area is quite chaotic, people are flocking toward the south.”

“Oho.”

This was news I had not heard even at the Zhongnan Sect’s Xi’an branch. Well, it made sense that they did not know. Usually, they only tracked the movements of martial artists and did not track how commercial districts shifted.

“Are you saying the commercial district is chaotic?”

“Yes. That’s right. I hear quite a few black-path scoundrels are active in northern Xi’an right now.”

“Can that happen when the Mount Hua Sect is right there?”

“I don’t know the details either. People say the Mount Hua Sect martial artists somehow don’t seem to care about maintaining public order. So people ended up gathering in the south.”

“Ohora.”

This was a truly subtle trend. No matter how much black-path rogues rampaged, they would not be able to make large moves as long as the Mount Hua Sect was present.

There were only enough black-path ruffians for merchants to feel it directly on their skin. The Zhongnan Sect and the Mount Hua Sect probably did not even realize such a thing was taking place.

Catching hold of the waiter and continuously asking about Xi’an’s trends, I was able to obtain more information than from the Zhongnan Sect’s Xi’an branch.

In the middle of our talk, the Yangrou Paomo I ordered arrived, so I could no longer question the waiter. Other customers were entering as well.

Silently eating the Yangrou Paomo, I busily darted my eyes around.

Certainly, business was good at the inn. However, people’s food did not diminish very quickly. Nor did my Yangrou Paomo.

If rumors circulated that an inn of this caliber was delicious, it meant that the commercial district of southern Xi’an was simply like this right now.

Although southern and northern Xi’an were divided for convenience, naturally no such physical boundary line existed.

Of course, if someone walked around wearing Zhongnan Sect martial robes, Mount Hua martial artists would pick a fight, but that had nothing to do with ordinary civilians. Even now in disguise, I could cross over freely and pick up on local trends.

I went deeper into the northern region. The closer I got to the Mount Hua Sect’s branch, the better.

The figures of Mount Hua Sect martial artists, who were nowhere to be seen in the central district, began to appear occasionally.

In a large city like Xi’an, I knew the geography and inns inside out, so there was no reason to wander lost.

‘Was Yijia Inn a fairly well-known place around here?’

I immediately turned my steps and headed toward Yijia Inn. While in the south I sought out the most average place possible, in the north where rumors claimed business was failing, I wanted to visit a place with as many people as possible. To listen to people’s stories, the more guests there were, the better.

Arriving in front of Yijia Inn, a Mount Hua flag was hanging outside. It meant this place was also an inn under the protection of the Mount Hua Sect.

“Welcome.”

“Give me one order of dumplings.”

“Yes, sir. One order of dumplings!”

Entering inside, I looked around at the seats. People were seated sparsely here and there. Compared to the Yijia Inn I remembered, which was always bustling with patrons, it was distinctly quiet. I sat at a table as close to the center as possible. It was a spot where the most sounds could be heard.

Straining my hearing as much as possible, I listened to their conversations, but nothing noteworthy came up. Just the usual talk of how tough life was whenever Central Plains folk gathered.

Soon, the dumplings arrived. This was why I had ordered only a single dish at the inn in southern Xi’an.

It was the moment the dumplings were set on my table. A group with broad shoulders and bizarre tattoos painted on their forearms reeked unmistakably of black-path scoundrels.

“Waiter! Take our order over here.”

“Yes, right away.”

Contrary to my expectations, the black-path ruffians truly seemed to have come just for a meal. Though entirely rowdy and rough around the edges, they did not appear to have come to cause a scene.

Naturally, when black-path thugs entered an inn, wasn’t making a mess the normal course of action? It was quite a disappointing development. Here I was wondering if I might see the faces of Mount Hua Daoists.

The other customers merely watched cautiously without standing up to leave. It meant they were not uncomfortable to that extent. Indeed, black-path rogues were human beings and paying customers too. They could come to eat food.

However, this was rather advantageous. When black-path members appeared, communication flowed easily in a different sense. Back when I was a merchant, I actually got along better with black-path figures than orthodox ones. Merchants and the black path were inextricably linked, after all.

Concluding my thoughts, I picked up the dumpling plate and chopsticks and stood up.

“Hello there, gentlemen.”

I directly walked over to the black-path group’s table and naturally sat down beside them. The waiter, the guests, and even the black-path thugs all stared at me as if looking at a madman.

“What’s this?”

“Are you crazy?”

I chuckled softly at the black-path men’s rough reaction. This was originally how black-path people were. But if you knew the method, they were easier to handle than orthodox ones.

Taking five taels of silver from my pouch, I set it down on the table with a thud. Since there were five of them, they could each take one.

“A fee for sharing the table.”

“Haha. Friend. How have you been?”

“I’ve been well. And you?”

“We are always barely scraping by, of course.”

One of the black-path thugs immediately slung an arm around my shoulder. Of course, even while doing so, he did not stop eyeing me with snake-like eyes.

He was assessing whether I was someone from whom more money could be extracted or not. However, my attire right now was made of plain hemp cloth. One could not fathom me through such clothes.

“So, do you have some business with us?”

“What business would I have? I just want to hear some stories about the world people live in.”

“The world people live in, eh? We know all about that sort of thing.”

“Right? I came to the right place.”

The black-path men’s food arrived. Serving the dishes, the waiter looked at me with deep suspicion.

“There are a few things I’m curious about.”

“Haha. Ask anything.”

Wait. When questioning black-path thugs, one had to use a slightly different way of speaking.

When curious about the Mount Hua Sect, one did not ask, ‘How has the Mount Hua Sect been lately?’

“I heard the Mount Hua Sect has completely gone to ruin?”

“What?”

The black-path thugs showed signs of fluster. Northern Xi’an was the Mount Hua Sect’s domain. Speaking of such things in this place, they could not help but be bewildered.

“Where did you hear such talk?”

“A bird told me by day, and a mouse told me by night.”

At my reply, the expressions of the black-path men turned subtle. They knew as well. Not many people could speak so casually while looking at their menacing appearances.

“Ahem. We don’t really know about that. We are mere black-path rogues. How could we know anything about a place like Mount Hua?”

In an instant, I checked all their faces. The black-path thugs were finding this seat considerably uncomfortable right now.

In fact, there was no reason for them to be. Because just as they said, there was no way black-path ruffians would know about the Mount Hua Sect. But being uncomfortable to that extent paradoxically meant they knew something.

“We’ll put this money to good use. Sorry we don’t have anything to tell you.”

Scooping up the five taels of silver I had placed, the black-path men tried to get up. However, I had no intention of letting them leave.

“Sit down.”

I unfolded a qi curtain and let my aura flow out. As they were martial artists as well, they had no choice but to realize.

That right now, I was someone they could not match even if hundreds of people of their caliber banded together.

“……Why are you doing this to us?”

“I told you to sit down, for now. People are watching.”

At my words, the black-path men sat back down hesitantly.

“I’m not doing this because I want to ruin your meal. You ordered food, so shouldn’t you eat before leaving? Hurry and eat.”

Picking up food with my chopsticks, I placed a piece before each of the black-path men. The black-path thugs neatly brought their legs and hands together in front of them and watched my face anxiously.

“What is it that you want?”

Their speech had shifted to extreme honorifics. I shook my head.

“Hey, what do you mean what do I want? I told you earlier. I just want to hear stories about people’s lives.”

“……”

“What is the reason?”

“What reason do you mean?”

“Why is the Mount Hua Sect backing you bastards?”

The black-path men’s eyes grew wide. Though they swiftly managed their facial expressions, I had already confirmed all their reactions.

I threw it out believing there was more than a ninety percent chance, and it hit the mark precisely.

“Wh-What are you talking about? The Mount Hua Sect backing black-path thugs. That makes no sense at all.”

The black-path men made excuses, but their trembling voices could not be helped.

“It makes no sense. The black-path rogues of northern Xi’an, who should be badmouthing the Mount Hua Sect more than anyone else, would never hesitate to answer a question about whether Mount Hua had fallen.”

“That’s because this is Mount Hua’s territory, so……”

“In the first place, does it make sense that black-path thugs come into Mount Hua territory and calmly eat meals like this? Originally, Mount Hua Daoists wouldn’t even let black-path scoundrels step foot inside.”

At my words, the black-path men fell silent. Through this conversation with them, I discovered that the Mount Hua Sect and the black-path forces had shifted into a symbiotic relationship, or at least that Mount Hua was backing them.

The black-path thugs hesitated. I wondered if I should flare my aura further, but there was no need.

“Who is making such a commotion!”

Kicking open the inn door, three martial artists entered. They were men clad in martial robes with plum blossoms embroidered on their sleeves.

The black-path men leapt to their feet and immediately rushed to the Mount Hua Sect martial artists.

“Heroes. That person threatened us.”

“He seemed to be digging into the Mount Hua Sect.”

The sight of black-path thugs clinging to Mount Hua and begging to be saved was awkward beyond belief.

“Who do you think you are, going around threatening the people of Xi’an?”

A Mount Hua martial artist barked at me. I let out a dry chuckle.

“Since when did the Mount Hua Sect treat black-path rogues like human beings?”

“Black-path martial artists are people of Xi’an as well. As long as they have done nothing gravely wrong, we also have an obligation to protect them.”

“What an enlightened perspective.”

I sneered. I knew well that people of the Nine Great Sects didn’t give unorthodox or black-path people the time of day.

Originally, I intended to merely scout the situation before leaving, but the plan had changed.

“I suppose I will have to see what you are hiding.”

I took hold of my sword hilt. And I unfolded a qi curtain across the entire inn. Sensing the qi curtain expanding, the expressions of the Mount Hua martial artists completely changed.