Chapter 247 – Punishment, Fate (4)

“Lord, have we arrived?”

One of the mounted warriors escorting the carriage spoke.

He was a figure clad in a striking dark teal military uniform.

His familiarity was evident as he gripped the reins of his steed and signaled a subordinate with a glance.

The subordinate, receiving the silent command, scanned the surroundings and spoke.

“For the next hour, the local commoners shall refrain from walking. The clarity and wisdom of the regional magistrate attending to state affairs must not be disturbed.”

He infused his voice with true energy. He had taken control of the road.

The carriage of the Xi’an Prefecture regional magistrate was lavish.

From the elegantly curved roof edges, reminiscent of palace rafters, to its antique charm, it was enough to draw the eyes of the masses upward.

Those who had poked their heads out of windows along the road quickly withdrew. Even those who had slowed their steps nearby hastened their pace to pass by.

A soft rustle sounded.

A slender woman in scholarly attire stepped down from the carriage first.

She wore a green official robe with proper decorum, and a sword with a red tassel hung at her waist.

It was the insignia of an investigating officer, fourth in rank among Xi’an Prefecture officials yet wielding authority second only to the regional magistrate.

As an official trained in martial arts, proficient in both civil and military affairs, she oversaw the empire’s punishments.

Colorless energy waves visibly pulsed around her body.

Investigating officer.

In a world where superhuman martial artists existed, it was a position requiring the ability to protect oneself.

Her gaze, sharp as she surveyed the inn from beneath her neatly worn official cap, was notably piercing.

“You may disembark. The ground is firm. The martial artists do not fight on the official roads.”

She spoke.

A heavy step sounded.

“Xi’an is truly convenient.”

A robust man stepped out of the carriage and spoke.

“The roads stretch straight and connect in all directions. Such wide official roads are rare. Being assigned here is a great stroke of fortune. Even after years, I feel the same.”

“The emperor’s grace is indeed profound.”

“The Radiant Arts Squad Leader likely thinks so too. He has gained a treasure of a land, has he not? Martial artists are those who carve grain with their blades, and how many cities as prosperous as this exist in the world? He is remarkably wise.”

“…”

“He lives in quite a decent place. It seems the leader has good judgment.”

He recited this as if chanting, adjusting the wide sleeves of his blue robe.

The regional magistrate Wang Wei-xiu’s diplomacy had already begun. He understood the sensory paths of martial artists well.

He spoke under the assumption that every word was already reaching the Radiant Arts Squad Leader’s ears.

It was a rhetoric that reinforced the authority of the government while simultaneously giving face to the formidable evil faction leader.

“Let us go.”

Wang Wei-xiu spoke.

***

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Translated by Nine Heavens!

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***

Commoners had died.

The scale of the incident at Great Moon Gorge was not small.

From a peak severed by Ghost White Divine Sword’s strike, nearly a hundred people had fallen. All met gruesome, instant deaths.

It differed from the deaths of blade-wielding wanderers. These were non-martial artists massacred in the martial world.

“It is not the squad leader’s fault.”

Cheong Myeong scratched the back of his hood and spoke.

“They were not caught in the battle’s aftermath. That deranged demon did it on purpose.”

He sat casually with his hips perched on the edge of a tea table. It was a gathering of the Radiant Demon Wing’s elite.

Baek Mi-ryeo and Hyeon Won-chang had joined them in the inn’s private annex, making it a completely informal setting. It meant they could speak as seniors and juniors.

“I did not say anything.”

Jeong Yeon-shin replied calmly.

His breathing was deep. This was so despite his upper body being entirely wrapped in plain cloth.

White bandages were tightly wound around him, and he wore only a loose robe over them. At that moment, Jeong Yeon-shin’s torso was the focus of Baek Mi-ryeo’s attention.

Everyone had seen the horrific wounds. The marks of sword energy waves that had splashed across his body formed sharp lines.

Grievous injuries never before seen on Lightning Genius’s frame. It was a first since joining Desolate Fortress.

“They must hurt terribly.”

Concern seeped from Baek Mi-ryeo’s gaze as she examined the dark red bloodstains.

It was enough to make Jeong Yeon-shin feel he had to hide his embarrassment. It felt different from his grandfather’s dramatic intrusion at the ceiling.

It was because this was an unprecedented state.

The internal injuries were as severe as the external ones. He had forcibly unleashed the Eternal Blossom Fist after executing Azure Flame Solar Eclipse.

Thanks to that, he had thwarted the elder overseer of Tyrant Sword Sect’s escape, but the recoil had severely weakened the blood vessels of his upper body.

Only after applying Radiant Demon Wing’s standard wound salves and consuming internal injury pills did the worsening stop.

Even in a famine, countless Radiant Demon Wing masters had scattered in all directions to procure medicine for their squad leader.

Jeong Yeon-shin had told Lazy Flame Dragon to bring opium instead, but they had recoiled in horror and refused.

“Let us focus on recovery. We will fetch good medicine.”

“They say near ink, one turns black. We should bury that wastrel first. A dragon? More like a drug fiend.”

“Hey now? This young master had no intention of giving any either.”

Even as the region buzzed with talk of Ghost White Divine Sword’s slaughter, the inn remained remarkably calm.

‘A day or two of rest will not suffice.’

Baek Mi-ryeo bit her lower lip slightly. At that moment, Cheong Myeong, also glancing at the squad leader, gave a faint smile and spoke.

“How old was our leader again? He has already taken down a pillar of Tyrant Sword Sect.”

He asked despite knowing.

His intent to shift the topic was transparently clear.

The Blue-Eyed Demon Sword was known to be cold as frost to incompetent peers, but he had shown Lightning Genius much leniency since his initiation.

A faint smile curved Jeong Yeon-shin’s lips.

“Seventeen…”

His reply slipped out like a sigh, suppressing the pain.

Puzzlement flickered across Cheong Myeong’s face.

“Hm? The year has not turned yet. Though the winter solstice is near.”

“Was it not sixteen?”

Hyeon Won-chang interjected abruptly.

“Ah.”

A low exclamation escaped Jeong Yeon-shin’s lips.

Unconsciously, he had calculated his age based on his shortened lifespan. With roughly two years and a few months left, he had naturally mistaken it for seventeen.

He had lived that way since donning blue robes until wearing the black garb.

It made gauging his goals easier.

“…”

A brief silence fell.

“The regional magistrate has arrived!”

A voice infused with energy boomed loudly. It was a grand shout.

The tea table of the four trembled as if struck by the sound. Baek Mi-ryeo, Cheong Myeong, and Heon Won-chang’s eyes sharpened.

Jeong Yeon-shin murmured quietly.

“Regional magistrate…?”

***

“To meet a hero of this generation brings me boundless joy. Rumors say you felled Ghost White Divine Sword. At first, I could not believe it. Ah! I am Wang Wei-xiu, a fourth-rank regional magistrate overseeing the deepest heart of Shaanxi’s eight prefectures. In martial terms, I am akin to a supreme master of the government.”

Regional Magistrate Wang Wei-xiu outwardly bore an upright demeanor.

His words sounded superficially just.

Even if one wished to end the conversation quickly, his status ensured the meeting would stretch on.

In terms of authority alone, even the leaders of major factions could not compare.

“I know a regional magistrate is fourth-rank.”

“Indeed, you are different from the ignorant fools swept away by your hand.”

“Your flattery is excessive. I heard the leader of Reverend Remaining Earth Sect was a juren who passed the provincial exams. Before joining the evil faction, he was a talent in both civil and martial arts. He could not have been ignorant of a magistrate’s rank.”

Jeong Yeon-shin spoke calmly. He sat across from Wang Wei-xiu in the inn’s main hall.

He had not revealed his identity, yet he had not expected a visit from the regional magistrate.

Kang Chang-mu and Shin So-bin, whom he had sent to investigate the local officials’ actions, had not yet returned.

The duties of a Desolate Fortress squad leader had walked right to him.

“Something smells off.”

“Just give the word, and I will take the heads of those government dogs.”

Cheong Myeong and Hyeon Won-chang’s voice transmissions reached him. Jeong Yeon-shin merely tilted his head slightly.

Beside him stood Baek Mi-ryeo, while beside Wang Wei-xiu stood the investigating officer, both appearing as attendants.

Jeong Yeon-shin felt a gaze intently examining the bandages wrapped around his abdomen and chest.

It was the stare of the woman who had introduced herself as the investigating officer.

She oversaw property penalties, imprisonment, and executions for all Ming citizens in this vast region. She had to guard against assassination attempts by martial practitioners on the front lines.

Her sharp jawline and tightly closed lips hinted at an overbearing nature.

Faint energy waves emanated from near her brow, betraying traces of eye technique training.

‘She is assessing my condition and prowess.’

Jeong Yeon-shin realized it instantly.

He raised his head and met her eyes. At that moment, the investigating officer’s energy waves thickened as if she had been waiting for it.

Jeong Yeon-shin paid it no mind and simply gazed at her steadily.

In an instant, the faint blue gleam of the Lowly Revelation Technique pierced back into her vision. It laid bare a vast and intricate depth of knowledge.

“Gasp…!”

The investigating officer quickly averted her eyes.

She could not fully mask the panic flooding her face. The information within the structure of energy in his gaze loomed so massively it seemed to choke her.

Fear surged momentarily. Had she lingered, she might have become a fool.

Breathing heavily, the investigating officer thought to herself. That is not human. I must flee.

But she had no chance to speak. The Radiant Arts Squad Leader’s gaze did not permit it. Like a spider luring flies into its web.

“…Treating me this way will not profit you.”

Wang Wei-xiu spoke, reacting to Jeong Yeon-shin’s demeanor and the clash of auras. He did not hide his displeasure.

He knew when to press hard. Regional Magistrate Wang Wei-xiu was adept at wielding power.

He differed from the regional magistrate of Huguang Province’s Yunyang Prefecture, who had died abruptly. That one had openly coveted wealth and glory.

‘Likely killed by some lowly martial artist claiming to be a heroic knight.’

Wang Wei-xiu thought to himself.

Since before the Song Dynasty, the position of regional magistrate had been called a prefect.

Exercising power openly in broad daylight, rather than scheming in shadows, was far more advantageous. The Yunyang magistrate had been foolish.

If even circumstantial evidence of a magistrate’s murder remained, even the most renowned martial artists would have to fear the wrath of Desolate Fortress warriors.

Known as a lord because he commanded investigating officers, inspectors, and aides, a magistrate’s personal safety was no trivial matter.

Unlike county soldiers, one could not rely on lightness skill against those with supreme movement techniques.

‘It is like an invisible army. Think carefully. You cannot touch me.’

The presence of the mounted warriors waiting outside the inn alone would affirm the regional magistrate’s standing.

Raising fine horses in a famine? That itself testified to immense authority.

Wang Wei-xiu gazed steadily at the youthful supreme master before him and spoke.

“You seem to dislike beating around the bush. If you keep a few minor promises, I will recognize you as the grand lord of this vast land. With martial prowess that felled Ghost White Divine Sword, you are certainly qualified.”

“…You will recognize me as the lord of this land?”

“You heard correctly. My authority exceeds your imagination. It can even prevent interference from above in our governance.”

“…”

Jeong Yeon-shin looked quietly at the regional magistrate before parting his lips.

“How do you plan to cover up the deaths of the commoners killed by Ghost White Divine Sword? The imperial court will surely come to investigate.”

“You worry over trifles. It is a time when starvation is common. The tax revenue will not shift much. As long as the funds going upward remain unchanged, the rest is just connections and political finesse. Fortunately, the Imperial Censor understands my intent well.”

“Imperial Censor.”

Jeong Yeon-shin repeated briefly before speaking again.

“Do you intend to fill the tax quotas through exploitation?”

“Fear not. I will share generously with you. As I said, if you keep a few minor promises.”

Regional Magistrate Wang Wei-xiu continued with an impassive expression.

“Shaanxi is becoming the domain of evil factions. It began with Zhongnan Sect’s annihilation. That alone is not a major concern, but the problem is that Blood Flame Sect’s blood demons are rising alongside it. Figures like the Blood Swordmasters are deluding villagers into becoming followers and vanishing. The rabble they enchant cannot comprehend reason. Commoners turned into blood demons only spawn more blood demons. With their minds gone, they neither tend fields nor pay taxes.”

“…”

“Whenever rumors of red hair surface, go and exterminate them. You must do so to maintain your interests. When I summon you, drop everything and come immediately. Fulfill just this much properly, and it will far surpass the seven great sects you destroyed. I will not demand more. Collecting rent from the rabble to live off is something you can handle as you see fit.”

“Blood Flame Sect. That is useful information.”

“You are quite reasonable. They say those with supreme martial arts are one of two kinds. Either clever from knowing letters well, or eccentric as befits a master. You are very wise.”

Wang Wei-xiu stroked his jet-black beard as he spoke.

A faint smile curved the corners of his mouth. That was until the Radiant Arts Squad Leader’s murmured soliloquy followed.

“No need to wait for Dawn Tree Sword and Mystery to bring evidence.”

“Hm?”

“Seize him. If he resists, behead him.”