Sichuan's Mad Dragon (Novel) - Chapter 128 - Jianghu-Style Problem Solving
Chapter 128 – Jianghu-Style Problem Solving
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Translated by Heavenly Cat
Edited by Celestial Knight
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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[A martial artist must never let rudeness slide.]
This was the Divine Physician’s philosophy.
It was rare for the Divine Physician to say such things. He generally despised the stiff-necked types who strutted around jianghu, and he never really considered himself a true jianghu man anyway.
But his words were absolutely right.
Committing an act of rudeness is like tasting food with one’s lips before eating. In other words, it means gauging how easy a target is before inflicting greater harm.
Besides, Ju-seong hadn’t just suffered rudeness… what he’d experienced could easily be considered a grudge.
‘That guy’s left arm is done for.’
The bones were completely shattered. On top of that, the tendons connecting the shoulder blade to the upper arm must have been shredded to rags.
Even with treatment, it would never be as good as before.
In addition, he’d sent a signal that even a fool could understand to the spectators.
‘That bastard is the culprit. I’ve taken my revenge.’
You can convey intent without a single word. No… not saying a word was the wiser choice.
The opponent was one of the Three Great Families of the world.
Evidence could be fabricated, witnesses could be created or eliminated.
Even if Ju-seong blabbered about detecting her by scent, all he’d get was mockery.
But if Ju-seong said nothing at all, the other side couldn’t refute either.
‘Checkmate, you bastard.’
Ju-seong muttered coldly as he descended from the Blue Stage.
This was the first of Ju-seong’s matches where not a single laugh, not a single frenzied cheer, had erupted.
The possessed-looking way he had targeted the left shoulder with vicious malice had left an impression. ‘You injured my left shoulder, so I’ll cripple your left arm’… it was that kind of vindictiveness.
Most of the spectators weren’t martial artists.
That day, those who watched Ju-seong’s match could taste the blood of jianghu lingering in their mouths as they offered only awkward cheers.
But after all the day’s matches ended, the streets of Anqing became an utter madhouse.
The great shamefulness of one of the three mightiest families ruling the highest waters of jianghu had been exposed.
When the flaws of the successful were discovered, people tore at them all the more eagerly.
* * *
“Damn it, damn it, damn it!”
Family Head of the Peng family, Peng Chu-san.
He was in his guest room deep within the Martial Alliance, clutching his head and grinding out curses.
The situation had gone utterly foul. Mad Dragon, that damned wretch, had splattered filth all over the Great Hebei Peng Family’s front.
“That nameless bastard of no clan…”
Peng Chu-san’s stomach churned. That man had completely ruined his eldest son.
Body, reputation, spirit.
All three things a martial artist had to keep intact were smashed to pieces. In the worst case, he might have to change his successor to his second son.
But the second boy had too martial a temperament… he actually lacked the qualities of a family head.
That wasn’t to say he was chivalrous.
He was a martial-arts maniac who knew nothing else, and his competitive spirit was too strong.
He’d even been forbidden from participating in the Ascending Dragon Assembly for that reason.
Just then…
-Deolkeok.
The dark guest-room door suddenly swung open, and a wiry figure strode in.
“Oh… Uncle!”
Peng Chu-san forgot his dignity as family head and hastily rose. The gaunt old man before him was the Peng family’s Grand Elder and a Martial Alliance Council Elder.
Council Elder Peng Hak-gyeong.
In his youth, he’d gone by the alias Iron-Blood Saber.
A mere Grand Elder title could be ignored as a backroom geezer… but Council Elder was different.
Peng Hak-gyeong strode right up and glared silently at Peng Chu-san.
“Don’t tell me you didn’t know what your son was planning.”
“…”
Of course he knew. Even if fledgling young warriors hatched plots among themselves, the adults tracked their every move.
The only difference was that those who truly believed they hadn’t been caught were the foolish ones.
Those smart enough to read tacit approval from the elders’ silence were clever.
In that sense, his eldest son, Peng Hyeok, had been a clever one.
But his uncle Peng Hak-gyeong seemed to think otherwise.
“Ever since you kept praising that Hyeok boy as having the quality of a king or outstanding cunning worthy of a family head, I’ve been displeased.”
“…”
Peng Chu-san hung his head and clenched his fists. Regardless, Peng Hak-gyeong continued with contemptuous eyes.
“Like father, like son… the brat is just as treacherous. People used to call us the renowned saber house that cuts through earthly passions with decisiveness.”
“I know.”
“But thanks to your son’s filthy scheme, we’re now looking like petty imitators of those Zhuge family scholars. How do you intend to restore the Peng family’s fallen honor?”
“Uncle, how can you say that? The one who shamed us was that worthless… ”
-Cheolsseok!
The old man’s palm slapped Peng Chu-san’s face.
Past his prime, yes, but the touch that once made every evil-path martial artist tremble still lingered.
A few more slaps followed, and Peng Chu-san’s left cheek was swollen red.
“You goddamn pathetic fool! Your dead father was exactly like you… good for nothing but petty tricks! Seeing your son do the same treacherous crap, I guess blood really doesn’t lie!”
Peng Hak-gyeong had been rather extreme in his youth… so despite being the eldest, he had lost the succession to Peng Chu-san’s father. It had been decades ago, but Peng Hak-gyeong had always resented it.
“Put the second son on the heir’s seat immediately!”
So that was the conclusion.
Peng Hak-gyeong had mellowed with age and somewhat fixed his lone-wolf temperament.
But he had a special attachment to Peng Chu-san’s second son, who resembled his own younger, born-warrior self.
‘This old man’s hell-bent on bringing the Peng family under his wing!’
The second son had trained under this old man since childhood, building closeness.
If the second son became family head, he’d share power with the old man’s children and grandchildren instead of his own siblings.
Peng Chu-san himself would be relegated to Grand Family Head and, lacking the family’s support, never make it to the Council of Elders.
Peng Chu-san had never been particularly warm to his second son. And the second son didn’t care much for a father who blatantly favored the eldest.
At this rate, everything would tumble into the abyss.
‘In that case…’
A dangerous light flickered in Peng Chu-san’s eyes.
* * *
Meanwhile, Ju-seong was blinking at an unexpected guest who’d come to see him.
“…You’re from the Military Affairs Division.”
A young woman with a face that still looked like baby fat nodded.
“Yes. My name is Zhuge Hye, Young Hero Ju. I’ve heard my older brother owes you.”
“Ah, so you’re Young Master Zhuge Xian’s sister. A pleasure. Is the young master doing well?”
“As you know, he won through his recent matches without issue, but he’s planning to forfeit the next quarterfinal round and diligently assist the Military Affairs Division instead.”
“Who’s his opponent?”
Zhuge Hye giggled mischievously and answered.
“My brother’s unlucky, even if I say so myself. Of all people, his next opponent is the disciple of Buddhist Vessel.”
Among the ten top experts under Heaven, those ranked highest by seniority were the so-called Twin Vessels… or the Two Vessels.
Tao Vessel and Buddhist Vessel. Meaning ‘vessel that contains the Way’ and ‘vessel that contains Buddha-nature.’
Tao Vessel was the Wudang Sect’s Neungbo Taoist… the master of Taoist Song-un, who had journeyed with Ju-seong in Jingzhou.
And Buddhist Vessel was, strangely, an old monk of Shaolin who had never even received a dharma name.
Despite all urging, he had refused a name and simply swept the temple grounds with his broom.
His belated disciple, taken in his twilight years, was that famous participant.
Ju-seong nodded slowly.
“That’s quite… unfortunate. Even if they exchanged blows it’d be something, but that shiny fellow is just…”
Usually finishing matches in one strike, and if the opponent was strong, within five exchanges at most.
‘Does losing your hair mean you lose human decency too?’
Ju-seong briefly prayed for Young Master Zhuge Xian’s well-being, then asked.
“So, what are you here to discuss?”
Zhuge Hye suddenly bowed her head and said.
“We apologize that the host’s negligence caused you an unfair loss, Young Hero.”
Ju-seong stared at Zhuge Hye’s crown with disinterest and spoke.
“Are you the Martial Alliance’s representative? You’re just a low-ranking member of the Military Affairs Division. What authority do you have coming here? Are you so great that you can admit the Alliance’s failure?”
At speech that stabbed like a knife to the chest, Zhuge Hye quickly raised her head, her ears flushing red with embarrassment.
“That… that’s…”
“I asked if you came on behalf of the Martial Alliance. A simple yes or no will do. Why are you stalling? Is your hearing bad? What exactly is the problem?”
“No…”
Zhuge Hye was not yet twenty.
Apparently she didn’t have the iron face to calmly deflect what a street thug spat at her.
“That was too harsh!”
Seeing the soft creature tearing up and protesting, Ju-seong immediately corrected his attitude.
‘She just came on orders from above.’
Zhuge Hye’s outstanding looks, her measured tone that gently pressed down with each word…
A young man might fall for that and inadvertently accept the apology.
That was probably why the Military Affairs Division had sent a lowly member like Zhuge Hye.
‘Typical jianghu-style problem-solving.’
When men pick up swords, they become twice as simple. Food, drink, brawls, women. That’s what their minds get stuck on.
So naturally, honey traps were often used in jianghu… especially to gloss over shady business like this.
‘What’s this girl done wrong?’
Ju-seong raised both hands and soothed Zhuge Hye.
“Now… Miss. Wipe your tears. I accept your apology. Happy? Why would the Alliance apologize to me in the first place? The Peng family should apologize… or not. Not that I expect it.”
“…sniff. Can I report to my superior that you accepted the apology…?”
When Zhuge Hye asked cautiously, Ju-seong sighed and nodded.
“Do as you like. But that wasn’t all you came for, was it?”
“Actually, the main topic is separate.”
Zhuge Hye said, quickly recomposing herself.
‘Was that crying act fake?’
Ju-seong looked at her suspiciously and asked.
“Let’s hear it.”
“If you win the championship, please expose the atrocities of the Ten Thousand Ears Gang before the audience.”
Ju-seong widened his eyes at the sudden mention of the Ten Thousand Ears Gang.
“What?”
“The Martial Alliance has investigated most of your history, Young Hero. You’ve tangled with the Ten Thousand Ears Gang multiple times. And according to news from Mount Emei, those creatures have been doing truly horrific things.”
Ju-seong raised one corner of his lip and chuckled.
‘This woman’s acting was on point.’
A woman who’d cry over a little harsh language couldn’t possibly have access to high-level Alliance secrets.
“What makes you so sure I’ll win? There’s that bald guy, you know.”
Zhuge Hye stared at Ju-seong for a moment, then spoke.
“According to very hard-to-obtain intelligence, several years ago you were performing tricks and peddling fake medicine in the Fujian Province area.”
“You really dug up my past thoroughly.”
“It was only five or six years ago. Back then, you were truly a performer in an acrobatic troupe.”
“That’s right. I’m from a performer background. That’s why I can work the crowd like crazy.”
“In just those five or six years, Young Hero, you’ve gone from a commoner to a peak-level martial artist.”
Zhuge Hye toyed with the teacup in front of her, then spoke.
“The higher-ups believe you were born with talent equal to the founding ancestors of martial sects.”
“Oh…”
“In other words, Young Hero Ju-seong… you are a martial artist with the potential of a Grand Master.”
A word carrying deep resonance echoed through the guest room.