Chapter 333: Xi'an (4)

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A heavy tension hung over the entire inn. Even the patrons who had paid no mind when the black-path thugs arrived now busily gathered their belongings and looked for a chance to leave.

The most flustered ones were neither the black-path thugs nor the guests, but the martial artists of the Mount Hua Sect. They had never imagined they would be threatened right in the Mount Hua Sect’s own front yard.

“D-Do you know where this place is, daring to grip your sword hilt?!”

“Xi’an doesn’t all belong to you, does it?”

“……What an audacious fellow.”

The Mount Hua martial artist at the very front glanced behind him and whispered. One of the martial artists behind him nodded and lightly flew out of the inn.

Gauging my level from the qi curtain I had deployed, he had immediately gone to summon reinforcements. It was a wise judgment.

“Are you planning to call people and fight a war of attrition? The illustrious Mount Hua Sect?”

“The Mount Hua Sect is not so foolish as to commit the folly of the Duke of Song’s misplaced mercy.”

I smacked my lips. I wanted to provoke him somehow to lead this into an easy fight, but Mount Hua’s Daoists were not that stupid.

I slowly looked around. Before long, the crowd had receded like an ebbing tide, and the waiter along with a man who appeared to be the owner retreated into the kitchen, nervously poking only their eyes out to watch us with bated breath.

“Since this might cause damage to the shop, let us step outside for now.”

“You are not an utterly atrocious sort, at least. Very well.”

The Mount Hua Daoist accepted my proposal as if he had been waiting for it. I could hear the owner and the waiter let out sighs of relief upon hearing our voices.

Had I been a mere martial artist, it might have been different, but as a fellow merchant, I could not bring ruin to another’s business.

We stepped out into the courtyard. The Mount Hua martial artist kept glancing behind him to check if I would ambush him, but I had no reason to strike his back in such a cowardly manner.

As the Mount Hua martial artist stepped forward into the plaza gripping his scabbard with a menacing aura, and I followed behind identically wearing a scabbard, the people in the plaza scattered of their own accord.

“What is that?”

“It seems the great hero of Mount Hua is about to impart some teachings.”

Naturally, a circular crowd formed around us. Straining my hearing to listen to what the onlookers were saying, none of them seemed to believe the Mount Hua martial artist would lose.

Indeed, I was currently in disguise, and to make it easy to wipe away traces like powder later on, I had fashioned my face to appear around my own age group. On the other hand, that Mount Hua martial artist over there was a man who looked past thirty years of age. That meant he was at least a first-generation disciple.

A first-generation disciple of the Mount Hua Sect would be an expert impossible to overlook in this region. When people looked at Mount Hua experts, their eyes were filled with stability and comfort.

Just as it had been in Xiangyang of Hubei, people here had no choice but to be favorable toward the Mount Hua Sect. Because those who were not favorable could not survive in such a place.

In fact, some children even shouted at me.

“You villain! Get out of Xi’an right now!”

“Great hero of Mount Hua! Please get rid of that unorthodox scoundrel!”

The Mount Hua martial artist smiled bitterly, yet never let down his guard.

Because the only person here capable of even gauging my strength was that Mount Hua martial artist alone.

“This poor Daoist is a first-generation disciple of the Mount Hua Sect, Seo Eun-han. May I ask the great expert’s venerable name?”

Seo Eun-han bowed respectfully and offered a martial salute. The crowd began buzzing just from that. To see someone of a Mount Hua first-generation disciple’s stature show courtesy to a ruffian like me was apparently quite astonishing.

“A nameless nobody like me has no name worth revealing.”

I spoke in an openly insolent manner. If I revealed that I was the Leader of the New Justice Association here, an enormous commotion would break out. Right now, I came to secretly probe the Mount Hua Sect, not to wage an all-out war.

“Do my eyes look like knots on a tree? The internal-energy control displayed by the great expert was by no means a skill a nameless nobody could exhibit.”

“I thought the Mount Hua Sect was completely dead, but it seems there is someone whose instincts are still sharp after all.”

“……”

Seo Eun-han glared at me, but could say nothing in return. The ones infuriated by my insolent mention of the Mount Hua Sect were rather the onlookers of Xi’an.

“How dare that reckless stripling insult the Mount Hua Sect!”

“Great hero! Please drive that wicked rascal away at once!”

Looking troubled, Seo Eun-han repeatedly gripped and released his sword hilt. He knew as well. That if he charged at me alone, he had absolutely no chance of winning.

“The great expert is truly putting me in an embarrassing position.”

“You keep calling me a great expert. I’m not a dead man, you know.”

Instead, I drew my sword and licked the back of the blade with my tongue. It was one of the typical actions often performed by unorthodox martial artists.

“There is no need to put on an act. I have a rough guess as to who you are.”

Internally, I was startled, but I did not show it on my face. I thought it was mere empty bluster. However, the voice transmission that struck directly into my ears was enough to shatter my composure.

—Association Leader of the New Justice Association. What on earth is it that you want?

I could not help but admit that I was flustered by this. Though concealed beneath disguise, if one were at the level of a Mount Hua first-generation disciple, subtle stiffening of facial muscles could easily be discerned.

—What are you talking about? New Justice Association Leader?

—Currently, the only orthodox martial artist in Xi’an capable of carrying out such bizarre conduct is the New Justice Association Leader.

—Doesn’t anyone look at me and see an unorthodox martial artist?

—It is my first time seeing an unorthodox martial artist who cares about bringing ruin to a single inn.

—You are making wild guesses. What if you’re wrong? It’s simply because my deceased grandparents ran an inn when I was young.

I desperately struggled to the point of lying, but Seo Eun-han was not an easy man to fool.

—It is widely known that the New Justice Association Leader is skilled in disguise. Furthermore, it is a fact known to the whole world that the New Justice Association Leader has entered Xi’an. In addition, judging by the skin of your neck that disguise could not cover, you appear to be a young man who has not even reached thirty; who else besides the New Justice Association Leader in this age group could wield such a qi curtain?

—……

I was in the position of a cornered rat. This was something I had not anticipated. Of course, if I wanted to leave the scene, I certainly could, but fleeing like this would undoubtedly look unsightly.

Because it would leave me with nothing to say even if the Mount Hua Sect blabbered that the New Justice Association Leader roamed around in disguise only to be repelled by a Mount Hua martial artist. Even for the sake of the New Justice Association’s prestige, I could not run away.

—The New Justice Association Leader would do well to be a bit more conscious of his own position. What leader of the martial world moves around pretending to be an unorthodox scoundrel like this?

—……Man. To think I would even receive a lecture.

—Am I not older than you? That is how I understand it, at least.

It was so utterly correct that I had nothing to say in return. I thought there would be no chance of getting caught as long as my disguise wasn’t stripped, but far more information about me had reached the Mount Hua Sect than I anticipated.

Come to think of it, I had indeed been careless. My arrival in Xi’an had naturally reached the ears of the Mount Hua Sect, and from their perspective, since I was an enemy commander, it was only natural they held intelligence on me.

Even so, there was hope. The fact that Seo Eun-han had spoken via voice transmission rather than shouting it aloud to the people meant that their side also wished to downplay this incident.

As I saw it, there was a clue in that. If it were me, I would blow up the enemy commander’s scandal to the fullest extent, so the very act of hushing it up meant something had gone wrong internally on their side.

“Please eliminate that villain quickly! Great hero!”

“Shh. Quiet down. Aren’t they concentrating right now? The battle will end in a single move.”

“How do you know that?”

“That’s how it went in the novel I read.”

The onlookers were uttering complete nonsense. They believed we were locked in a tense battle of nerves while glaring at each other, but in truth, we were exchanging a swift conversation.

—The Mount Hua Sect is backing the black path, isn’t it?

—……What are you talking about? Making such absurd slander.

From here on, it was my turn on the offensive. Judging from the reaction of those black-path fellows earlier, Mount Hua backing the black-path thugs had to be regarded as fact. Indeed, Seo Eun-han had also replied only after a brief silence, so there was no clearer proof than that.

—The black-path rascals already confessed everything. You’d better not think of stalling for time.

Seo Eun-han seemed to belong to the rather sharp-witted sort, but he still could not defeat me, who was far more crafty in dealing with people.

With an indignant expression, Seo Eun-han immediately looked around the surroundings. He was searching for the black-path thugs who had leaked the secret. However, there was no way they were standing around watching. Naturally, they had fled long ago.

—Actually, they didn’t confess anything. It seems you need more cultivation of mind and body. How can you naively believe everything someone else says?

There was no need to tell him, but I did anyway. That way, he would realize he had taken the bait. Upon realizing it, Seo Eun-han’s face flushed red as he trembled.

—I was told the New Justice Association Leader possesses a deceitful tongue and to avoid exchanging words with you as much as possible. It was truly the case.

—The Mount Hua Sect’s intelligence-gathering capability is surprisingly good, isn’t it?

—Do not underestimate our sect.

—I don’t intend to underestimate you, though.

Just then, the crowd parted behind Seo Eun-han, and a group of martial artists with plum blossoms embroidered on their sleeves appeared. It was the reinforcement Seo Eun-han had summoned.

Approaching before me with utmost vigilance, the Mount Hua martial artists soon began to deploy a sword formation. That alone caused the atmosphere among the crowd to shift distinctly.

“A sword formation by the great heroes of Mount Hua!”

“Is that fellow surprisingly formidable?”

The onlookers buzzed. At that moment, Seo Eun-han channeled internal energy and utilized Six-Harmony Voice Projection.

“People of Xi’an, please return to your respective places and focus on your duties. This is a matter for the martial artists of the Mount Hua Sect.”

Seo Eun-han looked left and right and offered a martial salute. The onlookers kept looking back with regret, but they could not disobey a dispersal order issued by a Mount Hua member.

“Disband the sword formation and stand guard.”

Seo Eun-han said to the Mount Hua martial artists who came as reinforcements. It appeared Seo Eun-han held the highest generational rank here.

“Will you be all right, Senior Brother?”

“Even if you deploy a sword formation, he is not someone you can match anyway.”

At Seo Eun-han’s words, the disciples of Mount Hua hesitated. However, without raising further objections, they scattered around the perimeter to prevent ordinary civilians from approaching.

“It seems the Mount Hua Sect is having a very hard time?”

“On what grounds do you make such a claim?”

“Seeing that when a first-generation disciple called for help because of danger, only a handful of little second-generation disciples showed up, doesn’t that mean the elders have their hands full with busy matters?”

It was the complete opposite of the Zhongnan Sect right now. While Zhongnan even had its Sect Leader present at the Xi’an branch, Mount Hua did not even have an elder available to deploy.

“……You are truly a difficult person to deal with. I had heard plenty about you, but experiencing it firsthand is dizzying.”

Seo Eun-han clicked his tongue. Everything I said seemed to be spot on.

“Surely you aren’t the highest person in charge of the Xi’an branch, are you?”

“That is not the case. It is merely that our branch manager is busy at the moment.”

“Is that so? He must be terribly busy.”

Seo Eun-han moistened his lips with his tongue. When talking with someone, clues accumulated bit by bit.

Trembling eyes, body movements, line of sight, and so forth. Though Seo Eun-han might not know it, even now he was continuously handing clues over to me. Even seasoned merchants dropped clues like that, so no matter how intelligent a Mount Hua first-generation disciple might be, he could not deceive my eyes.

“Right, you must have something you wish to discuss with me.”

I said. From the moment Seo Eun-han withdrew his reinforcements, he had no intention of fighting me.

Though we were enemies at present, we were both orthodox sects after all. Mount Hua did not share direct blood grudges with us like the Zhuge Clan; they had simply sided with the former Martial Alliance and current Palace of Heavenly Worship, nothing more, nothing less. Hence, I was fully willing to converse as well.

“That is correct.”

“What is it?”

“First, I would like to ask what the New Justice Association Leader wanted to see here.”

“Just grasping the overall situation? I had no grand objective.”

I lied nonchalantly. Seo Eun-han had no choice but to believe those words.

“And so, how does it seem to you?”

“How does it seem? I thought that you folks have gone as far as you could go.”

As I spoke while picking at my ear, Seo Eun-han’s face flushed red. However, having been caught colluding with the black path, he had nothing with which to refute me.

“……There is something I wish to tell the Association Leader.”

Seo Eun-han changed the subject. Grinning, I cut him off.

“I think I know what it is.”

“What, are you some kind of fortune teller?”

“Not a fortune teller, but I am certainly from Wudang.”

“What absurd nonsense……”

Before speaking, I unfolded a qi curtain. Because the Mount Hua people standing guard nearby might overhear.

“The Mount Hua Sect is divided, isn’t it?”

At my words, Seo Eun-han’s eyes opened wide as if tearing at the corners. Seeing him merely gaping his mouth without uttering a word, I had struck the vital point hard.

“Shall I help you?”

I said in a whisper. Seo Eun-han stared at me with dazed eyes.

This looked like things would be resolved much more easily than expected.