Chapter 136: Hidden Intentions
Since the building had a structure where the center was open, one could look down into the interior of the inn, making the stiff face of the innkeeper clearly visible.
‘What did the innkeeper do to deserve this?’
As the saying goes that words become seeds, it felt somewhat like my fault.
[Kakaka! This is great!]
The stone monkey, who had issues with his personality, seemed excited, though.
‘Sigh! Since it is a voice echoing in my head, I cannot even block my ears…’
Meanwhile, the main culprit of the commotion stepped inside.
“He’s young.”
He had an appearance with his hair neatly swept back and tied into a single ponytail, along with a robust build. His broad, unwrinkled shoulders looked confident, as if they had been that way since birth.
A handsome man, who could be described as the epitome of a rugged male, shouted openheartedly.
“Who is it! The bastards who dared to touch the people of the Changcheon Merchant Group!”
“Changcheon Merchant Group?”
It was a place I had heard of.
It was also a name one must naturally have heard if one had stepped foot in Martial World.
The Namgung Clan.
A giant clan with the motto of “A Thousand Generations of Righteous Swords”, it was a prestigious clan that occupied one of the seats of the Five Great Clans alongside the Sichuan Tang Clan.
Its reputation and power were evaluated to be on par with the Nine Great Sects.
‘Even if it is the outskirts, if it is a place in Anhui that would dare to touch the Namgung Clan…’
There was one.
The Eighteen Water Bandit Fortresses of the Yangtze River.
A water bandit group based on the Yangtze River, its notoriety was a match for the Green Forest.
Even if a person just breathes and lives, they consume resources. The food people eat and their living expenses do not just fall from the sky.
If an organization is large enough to be called a clan, the wealth it consumes is also that much greater. Therefore, it is bound to establish its own sources of income.
For example, while the Sichuan Tang Clan focused on profits from medicine and herbs, the Namgung Clan was known to earn profits by operating merchant groups.
In fact, Anhui, where the Namgung Clan was located, was rich in water and had well-maintained waterways and canals, making logistics through ships convenient.
From the perspective of the Namgung Clan, which grew its power based on canals and waterways, there was no way they would leave the Yangtze River, which cut through the center of Anhui, idle.
Therefore, I had heard that the conflict was intensifying between the Namgung Clan, which had formed merchant groups around the Yangtze River, and the Yangtze River Water Bandit Alliance, which conducted business (?) around the Yangtze River.
‘From what I heard in passing, the situation of the Water Bandit Alliance hasn’t been very good lately, right?’
The Yangtze River Water Bandit Alliance operated against merchant ships carrying goods through the Yangtze River.
However, just like the Green Forest, they tended to keep their own lines.
Since capsizing ships and plundering all the goods could lead to merchants abandoning the waterways or the government intervening, they maintained the level of collecting a reasonable toll.
However, as the Namgung Clan recently expanded its influence outside of Anhui and absorbed merchants, the position of the Yangtze River Water Bandit Alliance became difficult.
As more merchants entered the shadow of the Namgung Clan, a reduction in profit (?) due to business restrictions occurred.
From the perspective of the Yangtze River Water Bandit Alliance, it was an unfair situation of having their perfectly fine livelihood taken away, but the only ones who would empathize with thieves were fellow members of the Unorthodox Path.
The justification lay with the Namgung Clan.
‘Has the relationship now intensified to the point where they clash even in places that aren’t waterways?’
Perhaps the situation had become more serious than what I had heard.
The young man, who appeared to be a rising star of the Namgung Clan, shouted gallantly.
“Come forward like men!”
“Kuhahaha! A young brat doesn’t know his place and is acting up!”
At the young man’s provocation, about a dozen giants leaped up from their seats and glared with wide eyes.
Only the poor innkeeper wore a tearful face.
The rising star of the Namgung Clan threw a money pouch to the innkeeper.
“That should be enough.”
The innkeeper, who checked inside the money pouch, stepped back with a deeply moved face. It seemed to be quite a sum.
Having paid the price, the rising star of the Namgung Clan, preparing to go wild properly, cut a candle placed nearby to the size of a finger joint and lit it.
“I will let anyone who remains standing on both legs by the time this candle is fully burned go.”
He was putting on all kinds of cool poses.
“He’s the protagonist.”
A hollow laugh escaped me without my realizing it.
It was words and behavior that would make him kick his blankets quite a bit when he recalled them later in life.
“What do you think? What if this were a situation in a novel you read?”
Yi Hwa watched the inn, which was becoming a mess in the commotion.
Perhaps because he had the skill to back up his mouth, the rising star of the Namgung Clan took the upper hand relatively easily.
“It’s cliché.”
“You must have read quite a bit too.”
Perhaps feeling teased, Yi Hwa’s lips pouted slightly.
It was a cuteness that made me want to stroke her head, but my attention shifted elsewhere.
“The Yangtze River Water Bandit Alliance didn’t make a sloppy move either.”
There was someone disguised as an inn guest, secretly gathering their energy.
Having scattered clowns to draw attention in front, they had hidden a real dagger.
From touching the Changcheon Merchant Group to the design of inducing carelessness in the one lured by the bait.
It was not an accidental clash. It was a trap dug with the intention of truly killing whoever fell for it.
[You are slow to realize.]
A scolding flew from Master Zhang Sanfeng, who had apparently grasped it long ago.
‘I’m sorry.’
Along with reflection, I picked up a chopstick.
As I infused the divine power of metal, the weak and soft wood became hard like steel.
“It wouldn’t do for the protagonist to die.”
Flicking my finger, I recalled the appearances of the Tang Clan experts I had seen during the Tang Clan’s internal rebellion.
Thud!
“……!”
Since it was in the midst of a commotion, a sound that no one except the person involved would have noticed echoed faintly. It was the sound of a chopstick piercing someone’s back of the hand.
The one whose back of the hand was pierced could not even scream, looking around in all directions while breaking out in a cold sweat. His pupils shook violently from how flustered he was.
“He’s not bad.”
The back of the hand is a place where many nerves are concentrated. Although the pain must not be small, his cultivation seemed to be quite deep.
Toward him, I prepared a phrase.
‘Was it done like this?’
Referencing the Divine Monk elder a while ago, I tried to imitate it.
A language that transmits words not with the mouth, but with the will.
[If you move, you die.]
The astonished man hurriedly pulled the chopstick out of the back of his hand. Then, as if he had become a bronze statue, he sat in a upright posture and did not budge at all.
‘It seems to have been transmitted well.’
A sound transmission technique that transmits words through thoughts instead of the mouth.
Because it was an ultra-supreme technique called the Mind Language of Wisdom, I had half-doubted whether it would work, but it felt like it went better than expected.
I had tried to make the most of the sensation I felt while talking to the masters, but I did not know it would work so well.
With the hidden blade neutralized in that way, there was no one to block the rising star of the Namgung Clan.
While being unilaterally beaten, there were those who occasionally glanced behind, but the price of looking away was costly.
“Hmph! I will not take your lives. Be grateful for Namgung’s mercy!”
Despite facing about a dozen water bandits with a sharp sword, he did not kill anyone. It was a skill worthy of boasting.
The rising star of the Namgung Clan walked out of the inn exactly as he had entered, with his shoulders held high.
Just then, the candlelight swayed, sending up a puff of smoke.
“It’s classic.”
Watching the rising star of the Namgung Clan disappear beyond the smoke, I smirked.
‘How would I have been?’
The answer came easily.
If I had taken action, I did not think it would have ended like this.
Even if I did not kill them since it was the middle of the city, I probably would have crippled them so they could never play the bandit again for the rest of their lives.
Because when taking action, it was better for the future to nip the bud completely.
‘Should I take action?’
However, I soon shook my head and dismissed it.
This was a matter between the Namgung Clan and the Eighteen Water Bandit Fortresses of the Yangtze River. There was no justification or reason to interfere any further. Even if a third party blindly intervened in someone else’s business, they would not hear anything good.
It would be a relief if I did not end up taking the blame later.
‘Let’s go quietly, quietly.’
When Yi Hwa, who was staring at me as if waiting for instructions, entered my sight—perhaps contemplating the same thing—a bitter smile formed on its own.
“The inn is in such a mess, I don’t know if the duck soup can even come out.”
“……Yes.”
Perhaps because it was not the answer she expected, Yi Hwa’s shoulders slumped.
***
Namgung Han, the rising star of the Namgung Clan, adjusted his disheveled attire and feigned composure as if nothing had happened.
Just as he was about to board the carriage laden with cargo, a clear voice called out to Namgung Han.
“Did you finish your business well?”
“Ah… Yes, Uncle!”
He was a man around forty, with a neatly grown beard like a scholar.
Namgung Jo. The person in charge of the Changcheon Merchant Group this time.
“It took you long.”
“Haha! Well, since it’s a foreign place, there are foods that don’t sit well with my stomach.”
“Then why did you turn the inn upside down?”
“Yes? Ah… Ahaha…”
Namgung Han laughed out loud to hide his embarrassment, attempting to brush off the sharply penetrating question.
However, there were those everywhere who did not let this pass.
“Did you go and teach those guys a lesson?”
Those who appeared to be laborers sparkled their eyes.
In the exciting surrounding atmosphere, Namgung Han shrugged his shoulders as if it were no big deal.
“Well, cutting off necks in an inn full of people would be too cruel to the owner. I just made them crawl around for a few months!”
“Wow! As expected of the Young Master!”
“Hey, you bastards! The Young Master took care of all the aftermath for you!”
“Wahahahaha!!”
In the direction the laborers were shouting, people with broken limbs wrapped in splints were gathered.
Grimacing in pain, they smiled brightly at their colleagues’ words and bowed toward Namgung Han.
Namgung Han enjoyed the cheers and support of the people with an extremely excited face.
Whack!
That was, until Namgung Jo smacked the back of his head.
“What if it was a trap? Why did you run amok like that alone?”
“There was no trap that could even be called that.”
“I’m asking you what you think would have happened if it were a trap.”
“Well… even if there was such a thing, wouldn’t it be enough to just break through it head-on?”
“Break through, my foot. You talk big when ‘the result just happened to be good,’ you brat.”
Whack!
Namgung Jo clicked his tongue and gave Namgung Han’s head another rap.
“You need to be beaten more, you fool.”
Whack!
Only after hitting him three times in that manner did Namgung Jo stop his scolding.
Staring at the back of Namgung Jo who turned around and walked away, Namgung Han let out a sigh.
“Sigh! It ended quickly this time.”
Because he considered that it had passed quietly compared to the trouble he caused, Namgung Han smirked.
Perhaps because the surrounding cheers that had continued until just now remained somewhere in his body, he kept smiling.
Then,
“Hmm? …The result just happened to be good?”
Only late did Namgung Han realize there was something bothering him about his uncle’s words, tilting his head.
***
Knowing the disposition of his nephew, Namgung Han, Namgung Jo had been fully prepared outside the inn in case of any situation.
That was why he was able to notice.
That someone who was dangerously suppressing their presence and sharpening their blade was inside the inn.
And also that there was someone who subdued such a person.
Recalling the person who subdued him with a single chopstick, Namgung Jo turned his gaze toward the bridge outside the town.
“They were definitely beggars.”
The duo on the second floor of the inn dressed in shabby beggar clothes.
Their projectile technique was so stealthy and exquisite that one would believe it even if they were said to be an expert of the Sichuan Tang Clan. They were a considerable expert.
“Before leaving, I should at least go and say thank you to the local Beggars’ Sect Sub-Branch Leader.”
It was the moment a strange misunderstanding was being built.