Chapter 233 – Treasured Sword (6)

From the fur-cloaked intruder to the sudden appearance of a young master enveloped in a storm-like energy wave.

An unimaginable event unfolded in Xi’an’s martial world.

Was this a challenge to the order established by the evil faction in the martial realm?

Only the winter wind moved noisily through the inn’s window frames, which had fallen as silent as a dead mouse. It struck the windows as if dancing.

People clad in silk, their glossy skin reflecting the lantern light, remained quiet.

They were individuals affluent enough to visit a high-end inn even during famine. From all directions, they silently observed the two figures with inorganic gazes.

To Lazy Flame Dragon, it seemed trivial.

“Did someone die?”

He tilted his head side to side before speaking flatly.

“Leader, I checked around.”

He used an odd title, as if he were an evil faction martial artist. He stood in the middle of the inn, now a mess from his full-body energy wave.

Chopsticks lay scattered everywhere, and the lanterns strung above were tangled, emitting a faint orange glow.

It matched the hue of Lazy Flame Dragon’s robes.

“No place to stay, though. Everything’s full.”

He tossed the words out playfully.

Due to his disguise, he had temporarily abstained from poppy.

The wastrel of the Hwangbo Family was famously addicted to the opium poppy, and since entering Xi’an without anything in his mouth, his temper had soured.

He considered it fortunate that his Leader could still recognize him.

Jeong Yeon-shin slightly furrowed his brow. Seeing the shattered wall, he realized they would need to compensate with money, but posing as an evil faction member made handing silver to the innkeeper difficult.

Even doing it secretly was the same. Xi’an’s martial world was said to be a chaotic den where people’s lips could not be trusted.

‘No surprise from a clan noble…’

Lazy Flame Dragon, standing blankly, had lived like a prince of Jinan since birth. That was typical of martial clan nobles.

Changing his behavior would be hard. Jeong Yeon-shin could only look at him with pity.

Lazy Flame Dragon raised the corner of his mouth.

“I can read your thoughts, Leader. You hide it well when holding a sword.”

Radiant Demon Wing Leader was not adept at reading personalities. Those around him knew this well. Lazy Flame Dragon thought to himself. At my age, it’s worth watching.

‘Though I can’t see it myself.’

With an inward smirk, he spoke.

“Let’s stay here. We had to wreck one place anyway. It worked out well. Truly a promising talent favored by the Leader.”

“No needless destruction.”

“Try going half-starved yourself, Leader. I never imagined such torment after joining.”

Jeong Yeon-shin gently relaxed his brow. Without realizing it, his gaze shifted sideways.

This subordinate, unreadable even in black, was suffering, and he could not reprimand him further.

He knew neither the pain of Scorching Divine Meridian nor the sensation of poppy. Nor would he ever.

‘If only the liquor smell would dissipate in time.’

Shaking his head inwardly, Jeong Yeon-shin tightened his grip with his right hand. The thick hair of an evil faction member gathered in his grasp.

The prodigy of Reverend Remaining Earth Sect, who casually spoke of killing commoners, twitched.

The evil faction Leader paid it no mind.

With a push, he shoved So Yu-rang’s head away and lightly kicked the leg of a backless chair.

The sound of it scraping the floor under his toe was brief. Unlike Desolate Fortress, it was wooden.

A sudden question arose. How many noble clans were in Xi’an’s martial world? Did any high-born families join the evil faction?

‘I’ve seen a corrupt magistrate from a Hwangbo branch…’

Jeong Yeon-shin spoke slowly.

“Where’s Eye Beauty?”

It was Zhuge Qing-ya’s alias during the mission. She earned it for her supreme mastery of observation techniques among Radiant Demon Wing’s masters.

Lazy Flame Dragon was Great Idler, and Hyeon Won-chang was True Brother.

Meaning a grand wastrel and a genuine elder brother, they were names rough enough for the illiterate evil faction martial world. Jeong Yeon-shin had coined them all.

“She’s probably coming with True Brother,” Lazy Flame Dragon replied. “That side likely struck out too. These guys seem to use inns as bases due to a lack of estates.”

He concluded, lowering Hyeon Won-chang to a younger brother.

With a soft motion, he placed his foot on So Yu-rang’s throat, who was coughing dryly.

The throat bone, which had boasted of judging commoners’ deaths like a magistrate and teaching Radiant Demon Wing Leader, flinched.

A polished black leather shoe pressed down carelessly under his chin.

“Rising stars dying in foreign lands is common in the martial world. Do you know why?”

A choked gasp escaped!

“It’s because they don’t know their place,” Lazy Flame Dragon said with a white grin. “Tell me how you got that Nine Yang Single Form before I pluck out those useless, insolent eyes.”

His smile gleamed. Madness tinged it.

Then, the inn’s wooden floor trembled with sudden footsteps.

Hesitant patrons abandoned their meals and rose. Xi’an’s people were accustomed to martial conflicts.

They had the insight to sense the escalating tension.

Realizing escape would soon be impossible, they hurried out from the upper stairs and both sides. The inn grew bustling in an instant.

Dust rose faintly from the relatively clean floor. Some left awkward remarks, masking their anxiety.

“We fear disturbing the honored ones’ affairs. We’ll take our leave…”

“We’ll shut ourselves in and keep silent about today! Absolutely silent…!”

They avoided entanglement with outsiders, fearing future repercussions.

Their behavior revealed their intent. It reflected the current state of Xi’an’s martial world.

Even seeing Reverend Remaining Earth Sect’s masters crawl helplessly, they adhered to the vast order tied to Yu Ling and Tyrant Sword Sect’s evil factions.

They passed the two intruders without a glance.

Jeong Yeon-shin did not stop them.

Lazy Flame Dragon, idly kicking So Yu-rang and Ge Du-jin, stepped aside subtly.

When warriors, likely Reverend Remaining Earth Sect lackeys, eyed him, he mimicked his Leader with a sly smile.

The amusement of teasing Jeong Yeon-shin outweighed his pain.

“What.”

He muttered curtly, feigning innocence.

A creak sounded.

A quick-witted man in silk flung open the inn door.

A strange breeze rushed in. Jeong Yeon-shin’s black collar fluttered as he stood still.

The polished rosewood inner door brushed the hands of fleeing patrons. Amid the cold wind, raucous noise poured in.

It was the clamor of Xi’an Lantian County’s evil faction crowd.

Laughter and shouts drifted from distant inns and taverns through window cracks. The wind carried a raw, meaty stench.

A martial world he had never experienced.

The folded sunset light danced over Jeong Yeon-shin’s lashes through the door.

So many were tied to Jeong Hye’s disappearance. He didn’t know where his detestable elder brother was. The whereabouts of Sword Dragon, the great hero who had aided him repeatedly, were also a concern.

‘Is there no way to resolve everything at once?’

Radiant Demon Wing Leader’s dark eyes sank deeply.

***

Read only at nineheavens.org

Translated by Nine Heavens!

https://discord.gg/XC9DTsTQ9Z

***

The life of an inn boy was utterly exhausting.

In Xi’an, it was even more so. Mount Zhongnan’s fall and the Thirteen Evil Sects’ rise had turned it into an evil faction haven.

The vast city’s martial artists split into two camps: Tyrant Sword Sect’s factions and Yu Ling’s affiliates. Now, several sects shared each territory.

In Lantian County, Shao Bai Gate served Tyrant Sword Sect, while Reverend Remaining Earth Sect revered Yu Ling.

It was their world.

They clashed suffocatingly among themselves. Even magistrates and officials ignored the people’s plight.

Making commoners bow their heads became as routine as a meal. Even the inn boy at Northern Bright Inn knew this.

The shaggy-haired boy, head lowered, carried a banquet tray to the top floor.

With a firm press.

The wooden stairs creaked with each step, but he muted the sound by weighting his toes.

Xi’an’s evil faction order must not notice a mere inn boy.

Being seen by evil faction masters in any way was never good. Fortunately, the boy was seasoned in this.

“I’ll bring the dishes.”

He kept his voice low and composed.

He entered a room where orchids lined the windows, basking in vibrant sunlight.

Reaching the table of two, he kept his eyes on the floor. It was a meeting between Reverend Remaining Earth Sect Leader Wei Ri-hwa and Shao Bai Gate Leader Jang Gi-il. He had to act as if serving royalty.

He could not look at either face. He dared not even try.

Evil faction leaders ruled Xi’an mysteriously, instilling natural fear in commoners.

With a soft motion.

He carefully placed the food on the table. The spicy aroma of kung pao chicken wafted from his fingertips.

It was between two leaders exuding formidable presence.

As he arranged the banquet, the sharp-witted boy quietly thanked the standing dining custom. It spared him from seeing the rulers’ faces.

“So, I hear you took in Mount Zhongnan’s surviving disciples. How are you treating them now?”

A deep voice rumbled. It was Shao Bai Gate Leader Jang Gi-il.

“Treating them?”

The woman across from him scoffed. Only an equal leader could show such attitude. She was Reverend Remaining Earth Sect Leader Wei Ri-hwa.

A demon of the evil faction who prioritized her sect’s safety, she was rumored to have once been Jang Gi-il’s childhood friend.

“You, the secular leader who first betrayed Mount Zhongnan, prattle on loftily?” she said. “What a revolting, laughable act. Mind if I vomit here? We’ve seen each other’s worst already.”

Her voice dripped with mockery.

Jang Gi-il’s reply was calm.

“Xi’an has long been Mount Zhongnan’s city. To gauge the people’s hearts, we can’t just oppress them.”

“The people’s hearts?”

“How long do you think we can detain those coming and going?” he asked. “To secure goods in famine, we should keep the gates open. Word of the people’s state will eventually reach Desolate Fortress.”

“Scared of the imperial dogs?” she retorted. “What’s fearsome about those who always split their forces? Don’t plan to rely on the Thirteen Evil Sects? Is your vision so narrow from a mountain sect? Or are you testing me to smuggle Mount Zhongnan disciples?”

“…Aren’t you the one probing my intentions?”

The sound of a tilting wine bottle echoed softly. A perilous toast.

The conversation of those controlling Xi’an’s martial world choked the inn boy’s breath, sending dread to his heart.

To the people, they were mountain gods. His hands trembled faintly.

Even as he sliced a large mooncake and portioned kung pao chicken into small bowls.

“I hear the Hanzhong Martial Alliance dispatched an investigation team,” Jang Gi-il said, shifting topics. “To examine the incident’s cause.”

Perhaps it was an intriguing subject. Wei Ri-hwa’s voice carried a laugh, though closer to a sneer.

“Their guts are swollen solid. They still think Shaanxi’s theirs. Since Zhuge Patriarch left, defections have piled up. They can’t read the times.”

“You reported to Shaanxi’s First Demon, I see,” he said. “Always cautious, aren’t you? Yu Ling’s three top masters aren’t human. They’re inhuman beasts.”

“And hasn’t our Gi-il worn himself out pleasing Ghost Soul Divine Sword?” she shot back. “Rumor says Tyrant Sword Sect’s finest woman favors you. Quite a relief, huh?”

Names like heavenly deities flowed from the two rulers’ mouths. The inn boy’s hand froze for a moment.

But only a moment. He finished setting the table and hurried out with quick steps.

He couldn’t leave Northern Bright Inn’s premises. He was fully confined. It wasn’t entirely bad.

He heard the evil faction leaders’ talk and wasn’t killed. He caught their final words too.

“After eating, I’ll check on the rats.”

“Xi’an Chivalrous Sword Ge Du-jin got taken down, I hear. Barely put up a fight, they say. To a brat.”

“Some well-trained fool playing hero,” she said. “Dealt with riffraff for a day or two? Vermin never stop crawling out. If his skill’s decent, maybe I’ll take him as a lackey.”

Power surged in Reverend Remaining Earth Sect Leader’s voice.

An energy wave leaking through the door crack grazed the inn boy’s collar askew. She could serve as a Thirteen Evil Sects’ enforcer.

A strange rumor spread through Xi’an Lantian County’s streets. Tales of an evil faction Leader under twenty and his wild subordinate.

Martial artists were territorial. The evil faction even more so.

The region’s grimly tense martial world froze. The top-floor talk at Northern Bright Inn sketched the outsiders’ fate.

A chilling air brushed the inn boy’s legs as he descended the stairs.

The steps stayed silent again.

***

The inn wall’s shadow stretched slightly sideways. A fence taller than a person blocked the cool sunlight. Full winter had set in.

Soft chatter drifted from within.

“Observation techniques are clearly fine training. Eye Beauty, your confidence shows it. You don’t cut your hair, do you? It’s really long.”

“Yes…?”

“Thanks. I got everything I needed. Put the brush and ink in my satchel. Reverend Remaining Earth Sect will come.”

“Shouldn’t we prepare more? Maybe a few more swords…”

“One Northern Light Sword is enough,” he said. “My observation technique is still incomplete. It’ll be perfected in a month, but until then, I can’t hold back. Focus on mastering its principles over reading the enemy’s moves. Just prepare the surface. The content will be filled in gradually.”

“Complete Annihilation Evil Compendium… Is it a martial art to pass down?”

“Yes.”

“I see. I heard there’s a place like Shaolin’s Scripture Pavilion. Different from Desolate Fortress, right? If you’re passing it down, surely to that arsenal…”

“Not there.”

“Then…?”

“To the martial world.”