Pay‑to‑Win King of Martial Arts (Novel) - Chapter 175 - Embroidered Uniform Guard (2)

Chapter 175 – Embroidered Uniform Guard (2)

The Commander-in-Chief definitely had the filthy personality Wang Song had been reluctant to describe.

Keeping my guard up against the man before me, I pulled out a chair and sat down. Fortunately, at this distance he did not launch another attack.

“It seems I’ve unsettled the Commander’s mood.”

“Of course you have. You deceived me.”

“I did?”

I had asked because I wanted to protest why he had attacked me, but the answer was unexpected. Looking at the Commander’s displeased expression, he really seemed to think so.

“That Wang brat told me you were a lay disciple of the Wudang Sect and a merchant, so I let you in as a censor of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and it turns out you’re a hoodlum.”

“I am a bona fide merchant who is even a member of the Central Plains Merchant Union Council.”

“So you’re saying you’re not a martial artist? A fellow who calls fake Daoist hoodlums his brothers and can even stand against the Fighting Exalt?”

“It’s a bit much to call it standing against him. I only managed to endure a few exchanges.”

To be honest, even I felt that was not very persuasive once I had said it.

I did not know how far Wang Song had looked into me before recommending me as a censor of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but at least back then I had not yet had such deep ties to the Wudang Sect as I did now. At most, I was just fairly close to my master and my direct senior brothers. It was not to the point of feeling attachment to the Wudang Sect.

At that time, if one made every possible concession, it might have been possible to say I was not a martial artist. But now that was not easy to claim. If I denied that I was a martial artist, it would also mean denying that I was a man of Wudang.

“But I understand why the Commander is displeased. I can be called both a merchant and a martial artist.”

“I like that you admit it quickly. If you had prattled on for one moment longer, you would not have left with your body whole.”

The Commander’s smile made my insides turn slightly cold. He had meant that. If I had not admitted that I was a martial artist, he truly would have done exactly that.

Whether I was truly a martial artist or not was not what mattered. What mattered was that the Commander-in-Chief could easily break one of my limbs.

In any case, I had learned one thing for certain. The Commander-in-Chief disliked martial artists. Then again, palace martial artists generally disliked martial artists of the martial world, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was among the foremost of palace martial artists. It would have been stranger if he liked them.

“Then am I dismissed?”

Without circling around it, I asked directly.

It was true that I had made good use of the Censor’s Token until now, but in the end my work as a censor of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was a burden to me. If he dismissed me now, that would not be bad for me at all.

“What utter nonsense. Since when has there been such a thing as dismissal in the Embroidered Uniform Guard?”

But the Commander-in-Chief gave a snort.

“Once you’ve entered the Embroidered Uniform Guard, you can’t leave. How could we simply release someone who knows the palace’s secrets?”

“By that logic, wouldn’t the same be true for other officials?”

“If it’s a secret related to His Majesty the Emperor, then it’s a different matter.”

“Then even when they’re old and no longer useful, do they still keep their positions in the Embroidered Uniform Guard?”

“There is a retirement age. Men who grow that old are retired, but they are not allowed to live outside Beijing. They must spend the rest of their lives in an area directly watched by the palace. If they want to leave Beijing, they need the palace’s permission.”

“I see.”

So it was a life in which even after growing old, one could not regain freedom. I felt sorry for the guardsmen of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but then I realized this might also be my own story. The thought made me feel even more disgusted.

“But the truth is, rules like that are never properly observed.”

“Ah, I thought so.”

I felt a little reassured. Right, the Embroidered Uniform Guard was still an organization made up of people, so it had to have some flexibility. But that was only my misunderstanding.

“Most of them die before they retire. How many people of the Embroidered Uniform Guard do you think retire properly? Hahaha.”

It took talent to laugh while telling such a rotten story. I had nothing to say.

“So, you understand, right?”

“What do you mean?”

“That Wang brat said you had something to ask of me. He said I should grant it if possible. I think differently. So I said it in advance. I don’t know what you plan to ask me, but I don’t want to grant it.”

So that was it. It seemed Wang Song had not told him exactly what I wanted to ask for. He had likely intended for me to say it myself.

For a moment I wondered whether I should tell him my request. But I decided not to. He was this hostile to me and to martial artists, so I did not want to lower myself by asking for a favor.

“No. Now that I think about it, I believe I can do it myself.”

“What is it? Don’t leave a man curious.”

“You’ll have to stay curious.”

“Who knows. You really did help the Embroidered Uniform Guard in Gansu, so I might take that into account and grant it.”

The Commander-in-Chief smiled broadly. I knew he was only saying that because he was curious what my request was. Still, if I bluntly refused here, I might end up suffering for it, so I shrugged as though it were nothing important and said,

“I wanted to learn a move or two of martial arts.”

“Hm. So that was it.”

The Commander-in-Chief nodded. With his curiosity satisfied, he looked refreshed.

“Will you grant it?”

“Of course not. Why should I?”

I had expected that. Suddenly something occurred to me, and I asked,

“Will I keep working for the Embroidered Uniform Guard?”

“And what is that supposed to mean?”

“The Commander doesn’t trust me because I’m a martial artist, so what meaning is there in having me carry out a censor’s duties?”

“Well, even a fellow like you will have his uses somewhere. In any case, your direct superior is the Northern Pacification Commissioner, and that is for him to handle.”

“I see.”

Skillfully hiding my discomfort, I bowed my head.

“Then my business here is finished.”

“Fine. Be on your way, hoodlum.”

And so my meeting with the Commander-in-Chief ended without either of us even exchanging names. In the first place, exchanging names would have had little meaning. He regarded me as a martial artist, so I could have been wearing a human-skin mask and could have given him a false name as well. If anything, not exchanging names made it feel more honest.

Even after I returned from the Commander’s office, Peng Chae-hyang was still drawing attention from many people, including the Southern Pacification Commissioner. Looking troubled, Peng Chae-hyang spotted me through the crowd and immediately brightened, lifting her hand high.

“Young Master Muk!”

As soon as she welcomed me, dozens of eyes that did not bother to hide their displeasure turned toward me.

“Are you done?”

“Yes.”

“That was awfully fast.”

Being caught among all those people must have been pretty trying, because Peng Chae-hyang moved close beside me. She still seemed to find me more approachable than them.

The closer Peng Chae-hyang and I stood, the more vicious the guardsmen’s looks became, but even so they did not grumble aloud. Knowing that I was the Commander’s guest, they kept to the line. “Shall we go?”

“Let’s.”

There was no more business for us in the Embroidered Uniform Guard. If possible, I meant to give a quick farewell to Wang Song and Hyeong Tae-seong before leaving. As we started to go, the guardsmen of the Embroidered Uniform Guard spoke up in unison.

“It’s been so long since you came all the way here, and you’re leaving without seeing the Commander too?”

“He’s busy, so there is no need.”

It seemed Peng Chae-hyang was acquainted with the Commander as well. Then again, with the way she drew the attention of the guardsmen of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, it would have been stranger if the Commander did not know her.

Then again, perhaps the Commander was not much of a grand person for his rank either. The moment he was called, he came right out.

“I wondered why it was so noisy outside, and it turns out a precious friend has come.”

“We pay our respects to the Commander!”

The guardsmen immediately leaped up and saluted. The Commander waved a hand roughly to dismiss the salute, then walked over to Peng Chae-hyang.

“It’s been a while. How long has it been?”

“Ah, Commander. It really has been a while.”

Remarkably, the Commander-in-Chief was very warm with Peng Chae-hyang. Peng Chae-hyang did not seem uncomfortable with him either.

“Come by often. Come often. Things are no fun in my old age, after all. Whenever you come, even this dreary encampment brightens up.”

“I’ll try.”

I found it slightly absurd. If he was going to dislike me as a martial artist and call me a hoodlum, then he ought to be even harsher toward the proper martial artists of the Hebei Peng Clan.

It was only around then that the Commander seemed to notice my presence.

“You still hadn’t left?”

“No. We were just about to go.”

“Good. Then be off with you.”

I gave a perfunctory bow of the head and moved to leave, and Peng Chae-hyang naturally made to leave as well.

“Chae-hyang, why are you leaving?”

But the Commander stopped Peng Chae-hyang with words alone. As if the answer were obvious, Peng Chae-hyang replied,

“I already told the Southern Pacification Commissioner. I didn’t come today as a Small Banner Officer. I just came as Young Master Muk’s companion.”

“You know each other?”

“Yes.”

It seemed the Commander-in-Chief had not even known that Peng Chae-hyang and I knew each other. Could he not tell just by seeing us stand beside one another? Or perhaps he simply had not wanted to believe it.

“…What sort of relationship?”

After hesitating a moment, the Commander asked. Before Peng Chae-hyang’s face could heat up all over again, I answered for her.

“We’re just friends. We plan to go on a journey through the martial world together.”

“Together? Just the two of you?”

“For now, yes.”

At my words, the hostility of the Embroidered Uniform Guard guardsmen became much more concrete. Sounding dumbfounded, the Commander said,

“Did the Head of the Peng Clan really permit it?”

“Yes.”

“Honestly, even if he doesn’t cherish his daughter much, that’s still going too far. What if this fellow suddenly changes? Though Chae-hyang isn’t the sort to simply suffer for it.”

“I won’t suddenly change, so there is no need to worry.”

I answered indifferently and tried to leave. But Peng Chae-hyang was quicker on the uptake than I had expected. Her voice rang by my ear.

Maybe the conversation didn’t go well?

It was voice transmission.

Since I had never learned voice transmission, I could only nod.

She seemed to have guessed it from the poor atmosphere between the Commander and me. But even if she realized that, I had not thought Peng Chae-hyang would be able to do anything.

Yet Peng Chae-hyang did something unexpected.

“Commander.”

“Hm?”

“Young Master Muk is a good person.”

“…?”

Even to me, that sounded abrupt and without context. When I turned to look at Peng Chae-hyang, her face was red, likely because all eyes had turned toward her. At this rate I felt I had seen her flushed face more often than her pale, unpainted one.

“So, even if I don’t know what Young Master Muk asked for, I hope you’ll grant it.”

That was truly unexpected. I had not realized Peng Chae-hyang would go this far out of her way for me. The Commander-in-Chief seemed to feel the same, because he looked flustered.

“…Are you really just friends?”

“O-of course!”

“Then why are you stammering?”

“I do that sometimes anyway….”

Peng Chae-hyang’s voice had become so small it could have dug its way into a mouse hole. The sight of her looked pitiful and somehow cute at the same time. In fact, it did not seem to be only me who saw it that way, since a few of the guardsmen even let out short sounds of amazement.

The Commander-in-Chief looked as though he had run into an unexpected obstacle. To my surprise, the Commander-in-Chief seemed to genuinely care for Peng Chae-hyang as a person even though she was a martial artist. With someone like that taking my side, he could no longer be as heartless as before.

“Young Lady Peng, it’s all right. It doesn’t matter if the Commander refuses.”

I spoke first to stop Peng Chae-hyang. That was how I truly felt. It would help if the Commander-in-Chief of the Embroidered Uniform Guard gave me some pointers in martial arts, but at this point it was not necessary.

Originally, I had intended to head straight for the Yunchang Merchant Company, so I would not have had time to stop by Wudang in the first place, and once it was revealed that Gwan Seoye was a member of the Demonic Cult, I could not head there alone. Since I would be returning to the Wudang Sect once anyway, I could ask my martial uncles for help then. I no longer needed the Commander-in-Chief’s help.

“I truly am fine. Commander. I’ll take my leave now.”

I said my farewells like that and was about to withdraw. But the Commander shook his head.

“It’s the first favor Chae-hyang has ever asked of me in her life. I should at least grant this much.”

“Thank you!”

Peng Chae-hyang smiled brightly as she looked at me. Her eyes seemed to be asking for praise, like a puppy that had brought back a bone. Of course, that was probably only my imagination.

In any case, after Peng Chae-hyang had gone this far for my sake, it became awkward for me to refuse.

“But first, I should see whether you are at a level worth receiving my instruction.”

Yet the Commander-in-Chief was as difficult as ever. Turning toward the Southern Pacification Commissioner, he asked,

“Is the sparring ground empty right now?”

Without intending it, I was suddenly about to end up sparring with the Commander-in-Chief of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. This was not what I had wanted either.