Sichuan's Mad Dragon (Novel) - Chapter 146 - The End of Autumn

Chapter 146 – The End of Autumn

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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 words everyone inwardly expected but didn’t want to hear came from Ju-seong’s mouth.

The words spat out took shape and became weights, hanging heavily on people’s hearts.

Ju-seong surveyed his surroundings and spoke again.

“When I was young, I made and sold cheap quack pills on the streets. They were fakes made by mixing some herbs with various grains in water… But pills are originally made that way. Fake or doctor-made, the ingredients are basically the same, right? Herbs and grains and such.”

Ju-seong paused, recalling the gruesome scene he’d witnessed in Vajra Pavilion’s basement.

Human blood flowed in streams, pooling into a central pond. A pond of sin.

“In Sichuan Province, I witnessed those who grind people into pills. Those who’ve abandoned being human.”

He deliberately directed his gaze toward where the commoners had gathered.

“Martial artists were capturing commoners and slaughtering them like livestock to make pills.”

The commoners stirred. Martial artists using force against commoners was taboo. Of course, behind-the-scenes bullying was commonplace, but it wasn’t something that happened openly in broad daylight on the streets.

But beyond simply harming… systematically capturing and grinding people into pills?

This meant the Cradle of the Demonic Path’ threat didn’t only hold a blade to martial artists’ necks.

Ju-seong looked toward the section where martial artists stood. “Consider this, fellow martial artists. What kind of thing would a pill be, made by forsaking humanity and grinding up living people? And what of the martial power of those who consume such things…? Are you getting the picture?”

What Ju-seong presented to the martial artists wasn’t ethics or morality, but a tangible threat.

The Blood Essence Pills those bastards were producing could restore a decrepit old nun’s vitality in an instant. They were mass-producing such things across the entire Central Plains.

Whoever consumed them would gain considerable martial prowess in a short time.

Enough power to overturn the balance of jianghu in an instant.

The eyes of martial artists who intuitively grasped the severity sank instantly. Ju-seong inwardly snorted.

‘Your eyes finally get serious when your rice bowl’s about to be flipped. These martial artist bastards…’

Ju-seong swallowed these words and revealed more of the undisclosed story. He’d been authorized by the Martial Alliance to expose this much.

“The Emei Sect didn’t attend this Ascending Dragon Assembly. Do you know the inside story? Elder Jeong-hwa, the Evil-Slaying Sword, passed away at the hands of those demons.”

Ju-seong slightly twisted his words to heighten the sense of crisis. He made it sound as if they’d directly killed Elder Jeong-hwa.

“Oh my?”

“Elder Evil-Slaying Sword…?”

Ju-seong scanned the stirring spectators and continued.

“That’s not all. They’ve also threatened the Zhuge family’s legitimate heir and Wudang Sect disciples. Young Master Zhuge Xian will verify this fact.”

Zhuge Xian, standing among the Military Affairs Division officials, called out loudly.

“It is absolutely true. We were attacked by their operatives near Lake Dongting. Along with Taoist Song-un who’s not present here.”

Song-un was past the age of thirty and had hardly ventured into jianghu even with his master, so he wasn’t present this time either.

Of course, one missing witness didn’t matter. Who would dare doubt the testimony of the Zhuge family’s eldest son?

One impatient martial artist raised his hand high and shouted.

“Listen here, Mad Dragon… No, Ju-seong! So what is those bastards’ identity? You said they’re wearing the mask of a sect we know? Which sect is it?”

As someone of at least mid-sized sect leader status, he’d spoken up with some confidence. Those around nodded in agreement.

They were just as curious.

By now, they’d been drawn in by Ju-seong’s story, dying to know the details.

Not simply because of Ju-seong’s eloquence, but because the story was intimately connected to their safety.

Ju-seong nodded, then suddenly thrust out his arm, pointing somewhere in the sky.

“Those who hide in shadows to whisper secrets, who fondle dirty gold while selling blades and stories. Had they stopped there, they’d be mere rats of jianghu, cunning dogs. But their true nature was far more vile and revolting. The Ten Thousand Ears Gang. And the Assassination Curtain, practically their blood allies. They are the Cradle of the Demonic Path lurking beneath jianghu’s surface!”

Ten Thousand Ears Gang and Assassination Curtain.

Names familiar to the people. The two sects shared the trait of operating across the entire Central Plains, including the north, despite being evil path.

Selling blades for money. And ferreting out others’ secrets.

These were services always in demand regardless of orthodox or evil affiliation.

With such penetration, the Cradle of the Demonic Path had operated in the shadows.

The moment Ju-seong finished speaking, the Martial Alliance Leader stepped forward slightly and emanated his presence.

The crowd, which had been boiling over, was pressed back into solemnity and calmed down.

A voice emerged, low and rumbling, contrasting with Ju-seong’s spirited tone.

“Fellow martial artists… The Ten Thousand Ears Gang’s headquarters is there in the south. And countless evil path sects form a wall to shield them.”

He then drew his enormous blade and spoke.

“I swear on my blade, whoever stands in their way, they shall be punished without fail. Just as the White Path Alliance once exterminated the Cradle of the Demonic Path in ancient times.”

Only then did Ju-seong understand the Martial Alliance Leader’s intentions.

‘Was he an ambitious man after all? He didn’t seem like it.’

The Martial Alliance Leader intended to advance into the south. Ostensibly to punish the Ten Thousand Ears Gang for their demonic path activities.

But the actual purpose was naturally to clash with the evil path bastards.

Frankly speaking, what headquarters could a cell-structured organization like the Ten Thousand Ears Gang have?

He seemed to intend touring and smashing every location with a Ten Thousand Barbarians branch, which would mean turning Jiangnan upside down.

In other words…

‘A Great Orthodox-Evil War? That’s going too far, isn’t it.’

Ju-seong tilted his head slightly. Of course, most people, unlike Ju-seong, were swept up in the immediate atmosphere and were cheering for the Martial Alliance Leader.

“Waaaaah! Exterminate the Cradle of the Demonic Path!”

“Long live the Blade King!”

“Drive the Ten Thousand Barbarians bastards from this sacred jianghu!”

The commoners rejoiced at the news that those who captured them for pill ingredients would be punished, while martial artists were pleased at the prospect of crushing the rising new martial faction threatening their positions.

From today, the Ten Thousand Ears Gang was officially a public enemy of jianghu.

‘The Ten Thousand Barbarians bastards will definitely be cornered, and I’ll be able to relax at least in the north. But…’

Ju-seong felt somehow uneasy.

‘Why do I feel like the whole flow is being played on someone’s palm?’

Perhaps having mastered all Three Heavenly Perceptions had sharpened his intuition. Of course, it was just a feeling, so there wasn’t much he could claim.

‘If they’d at least tried to assassinate me here, it might be different, but they didn’t interfere even until I finished speaking…’

That meticulous intelligence organization was letting their dark secrets be exposed like this without doing anything?

Ju-seong gazed at the crowd under the pale cloud-covered sky with a strangely uneasy feeling.

The end of autumn. Jianghu was flowing toward an unknowable destination.

* * *

“Wooow…”

“You’re drooling.”

“Wooooow…”

Bai Li was staring half-spaced out at the Myriad-Year Cold Iron sitting in its wooden box, exuding an elegant presence.

Red Beggar and Fat Fist had already made a big fuss earlier and left.

Ten Thousand Barbarians and public enemy and whatnot aside, handling one’s own business first was the order of things.

Ju-seong was scheduled to visit the Martial Alliance’s Grand Repository and Elixir Repository at a set time a week later, but before that, he’d come to entrust the Myriad-Year Cold Iron to Bai Li.

“Can you work with it?”

“If I have a workspace, yes. I know the processing method theoretically. We of the Bai received the Dali Kingdom imperial smithing techniques directly. I’ll have to find a nearby forge.”

Ju-seong stroked his chin and asked.

“By the way, is this thing really that impressive?”

“Its ability to hold internal energy is extremely excellent. How to put it… it takes a long time to cool down? Even after you stop channeling internal energy, the sword energy doesn’t immediately dissipate… it stays maintained.”

“Oh. That is interesting.”

“The weight-to-volume ratio is heavy, and the hardness is absolutely overwhelming. Its stiffness is relatively soft, making it flexible.”

“Mm… From what you’re saying, it seems more suited for making a sword than hidden weapons?”

Just looking at how Ju-seong’s flying daggers’ parts were made of Kunlun Iron told the story.

Kunlun Iron was a metal from the southern barbarian lands with opposite properties to Myriad-Year Cold Iron. High stiffness but low hardness, light for its volume.

People said Myriad-Year Cold Iron showed its true worth when made into a flexible soft sword.

Even the Martial Alliance Leader’s blade was said to be made of sturdy, stiff Hundred-Refined Pure Steel rather than Myriad-Year Cold Iron.

In short, though the most precious in jianghu, it wasn’t a universal material that would make any weapon a divine artifact.

Bai Li placed a confident hand on her hip.

“That’s why I’ve already designed hidden weapons that can only be made with Myriad-Year Cold Iron.”

Ju-seong watched her pull out and unfold design documents, then smirked and asked.

“How did you know I’d win?”

Bai Li curved her fox-like risen eye corners and replied.

“I believed in you, Young Master. That you would definitely give me a chance to work with Myriad-Year Cold Iron.”

Ju-seong casually changed the subject.

“So, show me these hidden weapon designs?”

Bai Li confidently showed him two designs.

The first was a simple hidden weapon consisting of ten metal balls.

“Utilizing the heavy weight and energy-retention capabilities of Myriad-Year Cold Iron to deliver powerful singular strikes.”

“Mm, it’s similar to what I had in mind. I’m also considering training deeper in the Finger Flicking Technique.”

Bai Li nodded and showed the next design. This time, Ju-seong was genuinely surprised, eyes widening.

“My, my… I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

Bai Li lifted the corner of her lips.

“Since you seem pleased, let’s find a workspace now.”

* * *

-Flap! Flap flap flap!

The small silver-white object Ju-seong threw changed direction an incredible five times in mid-air before embedding in the target.

“Amazing.”

Approaching the target to examine it closely before retrieving the hidden weapon, Ju-seong spoke with pure admiration.

Bai Li wore a satisfied smile.

“So the Soul-Chasing Flying Butterfly pleases you.”

Ju-seong smiled broadly. In his hand was a long needle with wings attached like a butterfly’s.

Made by spreading Myriad-Year Cold Iron thin… very thin. So thin it could be tucked between book pages without being noticed.

And no matter how much you crumpled or rolled it for storage, it returned to its original shape the moment you pulled it out.

A hidden weapon meeting every requirement.

Being Myriad-Year Cold Iron, it retained internal energy even after leaving the hand. Thus it could maximize Ju-seong’s technique of using internal energy instability to twist projectile trajectories.

Adding wings and reducing weight to the extreme made it even better.

-Flap flap flap flap flap!

This time it changed direction seven times before embedding.

Ju-seong chuckled.

“It’s truly magnificent.”

If he observed an opponent’s subtle habits and eye movements during the exchange of moves, he could predict their next response.

If he threw this needle anticipating which direction they’d dodge, it would look exactly like a butterfly changing course mid-flight to chase its target.

Ju-seong spoke.

“A dull name like Soul-Chasing Flying Butterfly doesn’t suit this thing.”

He lightly flicked the silver-white butterfly wing with his index finger.

“Soul-Chasing Phantom Butterfly. That’s better.” A butterfly that relentlessly chases an enemy’s soul… that would be this hidden weapon’s name.