Sichuan's Mad Dragon (Novel) - Chapter 118 - Plan of Severing Intestines
Chapter 118 – Plan of Severing Intestines
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Translated by Heavenly Cat
Edited by Celestial Knight
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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The Martial Alliance Leader’s office.
Chief Strategist Zhuge Myeong-jun sat across from the Martial Alliance Leader as if this were his own office, both engrossed in paperwork.
Both men were over fifty and had worked together for some fifteen years. In the early days, Zhuge Myeong-jun had to guide him through everything, but by now, they were in sync.
In a moment of respite, Zhuge Myeong-jun looked up and asked.
“Martial Alliance Leader.”
“Did I give you permission to speak?”
“Ah… come on.”
“I’m joking. What is it?”
“Well… did you enjoy the team battle?”
“Mmm.”
“That fellow in the rags looked full of chivalrous spirit, and the strange one from Sichuan, and the unsettling one from Hainan Island… those three left an impression. They’ve already got aliases.”
“Mmm.”
When the Martial Alliance Leader nodded as if to say ‘go on,’ Zhuge Myeong-jun continued.
“Gallant Beggar, the Mad Dragon of Sichuan, and the Sword Wolf of Hainan… such were the aliases. Naturally, the more intuitive an alias, the better… those lads struck lucky. If they perform well in the main competition, that is.”
“The one from Sichuan is quite something. For his age.”
“Indeed.”
“Is that all you wanted to discuss?”
At the Martial Alliance Leader’s question, Zhuge Myeong-jun hesitated briefly before speaking.
“Martial Alliance Leader. These past few days, sometimes you’ve been gazing at distant mountains with a melancholy expression… it frankly gives me the chills. With your fearsome face, I just can’t get used to it…”
“Mmm.”
Blade King Yelu Cho was not a man of many words. He quietly fingered his blade’s handle.
Zhuge Myeong-jun waved his hand and continued.
“Well, as a subordinate, you know how it is. When a superior seems troubled, one wants to share that burden, and all. You understand, right?”
Yelu Cho exhaled deeply and tapped the table… tok, tok.
With fingers as thick as young bamboo, when he tapped the table, the stack of documents on it bounced in unison.
Before long, from within his gray beard, a low answer emerged.
“I’d have to tell you eventually. A directive came from the imperial court.”
“Hmm, what do those eunuchs up north want now?”
Traditionally, the Eastern Depot handled communication with the martial world, so Zhuge Myeong-jun sneered.
But Yelu Cho did not smile. He simply tossed a single short phrase onto the table.
“Orthodox-Demonic War.”
“…”
Zhuge Myeong-jun was speechless for a moment, then spoke.
“Martial Alliance Leader, no… Elder Brother.”
“Myeong-jun-ah. The eunuchs of Northern Zhili are ordering us to bleed.”
His suppressed voice was like that of a crouching predator. Zhuge Myeong-jun slowly reached out and covered the back of Yelu Cho’s massive hand.
“Elder Brother, how many Orthodox-Demonic Wars have been fought involuntarily since ancient times? And as a result, the conflict with the demonic sects deepened… wars of vengeance broke out on their own, too. The gentlemen in Beijing must have laughed watching it all.”
“You’re right… the Martial Alliance Leaders who claimed to command jianghu have been quite pitiful.”
Zhuge Myeong-jun leaned forward.
“Elder Brother, I hear there’s a rising power in the northern steppes… gathering scattered barbarian tribes and harassing the borders.”
“I know. They call him the Foremost Under Heaven Beyond the Frontier. Because of him, there are gaps in national defense; that’s why bandits run rampant in Shaanxi.”
“Apparently, many of the Eastern Depot’s eunuchs have been drafted and sent to the front lines.”
The candle flame danced uneasily.
Zhuge Myeong-jun’s eyes caught its light and glowed yellow in the darkness.
“Now, while the court’s capacity is stretched thin… this is the only chance.”
“Chance? For what?”
“The chance to make this Orthodox-Demonic War the last Orthodox-Demonic War.”
Yelu Cho finally understood what the strategist meant.
“You’re speaking of total war. Which the court has forbidden.”
Zhuge Myeong-jun nodded.
“Eradicate the demonic sects from the Central Plains forever… and create a jianghu where martial artists no longer die uselessly at the court’s command.”
“Much blood will flow.”
Zhuge Myeong-jun hesitated, then spoke resolutely.
“…If it’s blood shed of our own will.”
Yelu Cho replied, rubbing his face with both hands. It had been a long time since he’d uttered such a long sentence.
“Myeong-jun-ah, that’s merely a cowardly rationalization. The young ones who will be moved by our incitement and go to war… are they truly shedding blood of their own will? Or are they puppets swinging swords with our will implanted in them?”
“…”
“Isn’t our petty stubbornness in defying the court’s orders going to crumble too many lives?”
“But by doing so, elder brother, jianghu will save much more blood in the future. Through the complete eradication of the demonic sects, the livelihood of Jiangnan will also stabilize. We are those who manage all of jianghu. We must see broadly and look far.”
Dark shadows fell across Yelu Cho’s face. He recalled the face of the eunuch who had given him orders at a remote pavilion.
The mockery that had lingered on that face, and the gaze that looked down on martial artists like insects.
“…”
He silently pulled a blank sheet of paper toward himself, picked up a brush, and wrote.
Then he pushed the still-wet sheet across to Zhuge Myeong-jun.
Written on it were these words:
斷腸之計 (Plan of Severing Intestines).
A plan made with a heart-rending, intestine-severing resolve.
Yelu Cho’s voice emerged, suppressed.
“Prepare a draft, Chief Strategist.”
Zhuge Myeong-jun bowed deeply.
“I receive your command, Martial Alliance Leader.”
* * *
Ju-seong strolled through the marketplace with Red Beggar, thoroughly enjoying the attention. No one accosted him or glared at him unpleasantly.
“How does it feel to be famous, Brother?”
“Absolutely fantastic.”
People like Ju-seong… those who attracted interest… meant good business for the merchants.
The Ascending Dragon Assembly lasted three months, and not many stayed anchored in Anqing the whole time.
Usually, people came once for the team battle to scout promising talent.
Most were local gentry or wealthy merchants with their own affairs. So they left Anqing after the team battle to return home or tend to business elsewhere.
Then, after about two months, they came back around the Round of 16 to watch the top-tier matches.
Those too poor to afford the travel expenses stayed put. But few of them actually went out and spent money.
That’s why people like Ju-seong mattered.
Some spectators developed a special attachment to certain participants… people who could easily go back home but instead camped out for the entire tournament.
Such people stayed in Anqing, ate expensive meals, gambled, and stayed up late at taverns arguing passionately.
Why?
To never miss a match of their favorite participant.
“Hey, Mad Dragon! Thanks to you, I’m going to make a fortune this Assembly!”
A market merchant shoved a tray of dumplings into Ju-seong’s arms on the spot.
“Thanks. I’ll share nicely with this beggar here.”
“Hahaha! Gallant Beggar, you enjoy them too! Great match the other day!”
“Thanks. If you like me so much, throw some work to the beggars wandering around. Lot of people flooding in… I bet you’re short-handed.”
“As long as they come washed, they’re welcome.”
“Hmm… I’ll pass that along.”
Red Beggar looked slightly displeased, but in any case, the only beggar who insisted on not washing was Red Beggar himself.
He couldn’t impose his stubbornness on other beggars.
For the next few months, the streets of Anqing would see beggars in rags who at least didn’t stink.
Ju-seong and Red Beggar went under a bridge in the city center and shared dumplings with the beggars.
This was the group Red Beggar had brought to Anqing.
Ju-seong neatly folded his silk robe and set it in a corner, then plopped unceremoniously onto the ground to share dumplings.
Red Beggar shot him a sidelong glance and chided.
“Hey, if you’re gonna sit so casually, just sit down in your clothes. And if you’re worried about them like some dandy, stay standing… pick one.”
Ju-seong smacked his brother’s head and barked.
“Punk… are you rich? Got money? Those clothes are expensive, you bastard. Unless you’re buying, shut it.”
The beggars snickered at the two of them.
Red Beggar rubbed the back of his head and asked one of them.
“Don’t just laugh… did you look into it?”
“Ah, yes, Brother. A guy named Chu, a peddler… used to be a scout. That old man loves jianghu gossip. He’s staying at a cheap inn on that corner, anyhow. Until last year he worked for an escort agency in Guangdong. Blew out his knee, started limping, got fired, and now he’s just a peddler.”
It was a conversation style that made one’s head ache just listening. Clearly a distracted fellow.
Red Beggar also waved his hand to cut him off.
“Hey, skip the weird tangents. Just the point.”
“Ah, yes, bang… er, gang head… I mean leader. What was it? South Sea Wanderers’ Society Association. Right? I heard rumors are already circulating around Hainan Island. Something about kidnapping kids and training them as assassins. On the Guangdong coast, if you mention the old monsters of Hainan Island to crying children, they stop crying at once.”
“Right, right. What about their martial arts? What do they use?”
“Hmm, from what’s been seen when killing pirates and fighting Hainan demonic sect guys, they use all sorts… Ah! The old monsters usually use swords. Apparently pretty high-level swordsmanship.”
Ju-seong and Red Beggar exchanged glances and nodded.
“South Sea Wanderers’ Society Association is the likely candidate.”
Cho Yu-gyeong was most probably a warrior raised by the South Sea Wanderers’ Society Association on Hainan Island.
As they pondered various possibilities, a familiar voice struck Ju-seong’s ears.
“Oh my, Young Hero Ju? Long time no see?”
“Hmm?”
Ju-seong turned his head, and there stood a fox-eyed woman in white, blinking at him.
“…What brings you here, young lady?”
“…To participate in the Ascending Dragon Assembly. Aren’t you the same? The streets are already buzzing with your reputation.”
“Did you compete in the team battle?”
“My match is tomorrow.”
“Oh… best of luck. I didn’t know you were here.”
“I arrived a while ago, but Anqing is incredibly vast. By the way…”
Her upturned eyes curved into a graceful arc.
“You’re using the ones I made for you well, aren’t you?”
Bai Li, the young blacksmith of the Bai tribe village in Yunnan, smiled proudly.
Back when Ju-seong was in Yunnan, he’d saved the Bai tribe village from danger and, in return, borrowed her skills.
“…”
Red Beggar cast a disapproving glance at Ju-seong. What business would an Ascending Dragon Assembly participant have poking around under a bridge where beggars gathered?
It was obvious she’d tracked down Ju-seong’s whereabouts.
Ju-seong raised his gauntlet-clad hands and smiled back.
“This is the most precious thing I carry. Thanks to these, I’ve escaped tough spots several times. I always wear them.”
At Ju-seong’s words… that he always wore them… Bai Li’s face suddenly flushed red. Seeing her reaction, Red Beggar tilted his head in confusion.
‘What’s with this woman?’
He hadn’t said he liked her or anything… why that reaction?
“Anyway… I’d like to look over your equipment again. I was thinking of changing inns too. Could you tell me where you’re staying?”
“Hmm? The Changchun Inn by the riverside.”
“I’ll pack my things tonight and head there. Crimson Iron is a pretty sensitive metal… needs regular maintenance.”
“Ah… I’d be grateful. What should I do in return?”
Bai Li shook her head and waved her hands.
“I already owe you a great debt… why would I seek payment for helping my benefactor? I’m just doing it because I want to.”
At this point, Red Beggar was starting to get irritated.
He stared at Ju-seong and chewed over a rather disrespectful thought toward his brother.
‘Handsome bastard…’
As Red Beggar fumed, Bai Li’s eyes glinted slightly as she asked.
“By the way, do you know what the grand prize of this Assembly is?”
At her question, Red Beggar answered instead.
“First, there’s a substantial amount of gold… but that’s just a formality. The real reward is separate. Apparently, you get one gwan of Myriad-Year Cold Iron.”
“Myriad-Year Cold Iron.”
Ju-seong repeated with interest. After all, wasn’t that a legendary metal spoken of only in jianghu lore?
Bai Li smiled slyly.
“Actually, I didn’t come to Anqing to make a name at the Ascending Dragon Assembly. I wanted to see that material at least once… and if possible, work with it myself.”
She looked Ju-seong straight in the eye, her eye corners curving gently.
“So, Young Hero… please make sure you win.”