Sichuan's Mad Dragon (Novel) - Chapter 85 - Let's Talk Somewhere Nice
Chapter 85 – Let’s Talk Somewhere Nice
===================
Translated by Heavenly Cat
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
===================
‘Big catch?’
The Night Guest muttered to himself in bewilderment.
The moment Ju-seong yanked his left hand back while twisting his lips…
-Tok, tok, tok. Clatter!
Inexplicably, the railings around him were severed, and the razor-thin threads began rapidly constricting.
Only then did the Night Guest grasp the situation.
Threads too thin to see had been tied to railings here and there. If the Night Guest hadn’t spotted them and had kept leaping upward, he would have been sliced into pieces and died.
‘When did he—?’
When had he anticipated this and set up the threads?
-Clatter…!
His accelerated thoughts stretched time, but the threads were steadily closing in.
The moment the threads from all directions crossed each other, the Night Guest would be divided into pieces like meat in a butcher shop.
‘Should I cut them? No. The way those wooden railings were sliced didn’t look normal. These aren’t ordinary threads.’
The cut surfaces of the wooden railings were as smooth as if rubbed on a whetstone.
Those threads were no ordinary treasure.
He couldn’t dodge. He was currently suspended in mid-air. Kicking off the air was a feat only the Ten Supreme Masters of the World could maybe… maybe… pull off.
The Night Guest gnashed his teeth, then pulled a handful of golden sand from his robes.
“Hoo!”
He blew a breath infused with internal energy at the sand.
-Swooosh…!
A golden sandstorm swirled massively around him.
Ju-seong sensed that his internal energy infused in the Heavenly Silkworm Silk was about to be cut off and immediately withdrew it.
Once Ju-seong’s internal energy vanished, the Heavenly Silkworm Silk corroded even faster and snapped apart.
‘It’s fine. I have spare Heavenly Silkworm Silk…’
Ju-seong was pained but consoled himself.
Next to the gauntlets, the Heavenly Silkworm Silk had been his most useful tool.
Originally, the Bai tribe artisan Bai Li in Yunnan had given it to him for use with iron flying daggers attached.
But Ju-seong found handling just the Heavenly Silkworm Silk without daggers more suited to his temperament.
Because Heavenly Silkworm Silk was an excellent weapon in itself.
‘What on earth is that stuff?’
The golden sandstorm had corroded and snapped the Heavenly Silkworm Silk, then blew toward Ju-seong’s party as well.
Ju-seong, Heuk-wol, and Cheong-jin instinctively sensed danger and thrust their palms forward, unleashing palm force.
Ju-seong’s palm force was blood-red, Heuk-wol’s was vermilion. Cheong-jin’s was peculiarly billowy in texture, tinged blue.
In any case, the three masters’ palm forces pushed forward and neutralized the sandstorm.
Ju-seong saw his palm force collide with the sandstorm… holes punched through it as if it were rotting away… and it lost momentum entirely. His eyes widened.
Of course, the golden sand had also turned to dark brown and fallen to the floor…
‘If it were used on a person, they’d melt in a heartbeat.’
Ju-seong felt cold sweat run down his spine.
Simultaneously, he felt a desire to analyze that stuff, which seemed to be an extremely powerful poison.
Either way, the Night Guest didn’t seem to have any more golden sand on hand.
His face showed clear dismay.
He had traded a rare treasure for a cheap trick from his opponent.
In other words, it was a losing trade.
Ju-seong signaled to Heuk-wol with his eyes before the man could leap again.
-Shrrr!
Heuk-wol’s two chain sickles shot upward, seizing the high ground and blocking the Night Guest from jumping again.
‘Damn grasshopper… Jump again and you’ll get a hole in your head.’
While the Night Guest hesitated, Cheong-jin leaped up and slashed down with a long strand of sword thread drawn from his sword.
The deep blue sword thread transformed into a fog-like shape and swept a wide area.
The way his internal energy billowed like mist seemed to be a characteristic of Qingcheng Sect’s cultivation method.
Ju-seong was inwardly impressed.
‘Truly peerless.’
The technique was the Blue Cloud Red Dawn Sword, where blue clouds drift and a red sunset blooms. Ju-seong had heard of Qingcheng’s famous sword technique before.
In his street storyteller days, he had misinterpreted “red sunset” as “red river”.
So he had babbled nonsense about Qingcheng’s swordsmanship making blood flow like rivers, embarrassing himself when corrected.
‘Embarrassing memories… But now I fight shoulder to shoulder with a swordsman who wields the Blue Cloud Red Dawn Sword.’
He hadn’t yet reached the stage of drawing out the red sunset, but blue clouds pervaded the area.
A technique that turned the surroundings into one’s own domain.
Where Cheong-jin’s internal energy had spread like mist, others’ internal energy circulation and breathing were impeded.
-Boom!
The Night Guest had no choice but to waste substantial internal energy by detonating an energy wave to push back the blue mist.
Using that opening, Cheong-jin’s sword stabbed in fiercely.
-Thud…!
Cheong-jin’s eyes widened at the sight of his deflected blade. The Night Guest had hidden behind a large umbrella he had produced from somewhere.
Ju-seong muttered in disbelief.
“There really are jianghu people who use umbrellas.”
He had thought the man wore the woven straw cape just to make his farmer act more convincing, but…
-Swish-ack!
Ju-seong stepped back, his forearm nicked by the rapidly spinning umbrella ribs.
‘The cape was to hide that umbrella.’
The umbrella’s tips were fitted with sharp iron spikes, and each rib was a razor-sharp blade.
The Night Guest opened and closed the umbrella freely as he fought. Sometimes as a shield, sometimes as a sword.
That wasn’t all.
When the Night Guest spun once…
-Pang!
Unknown hidden weapons spilled from his cape and covered the floor around him.
‘Iron caltrops?’
Caltrops… or makibishi… were hidden weapons with four spikes joined together.
They were typically scattered on the ground, mostly used by military forces to halt advancing armies.
Ju-seong, Cheong-jin, and Heuk-wol instinctively stepped back to avoid the caltrops.
Overreacting because of the golden sand earlier.
‘Each time he sees a hidden weapon inside his cape, he infuses it with energy and fires it when needed…’
There were many things about this man that piqued Ju-seong’s interest. Did all Night Guests of the Assassination Curtain use such bizarre weapons?
Meanwhile, the Night Guest was also glaring at Ju-seong, eyes smoldering with greed.
“That thread earlier… It was Heavenly Silkworm Silk, wasn’t it?”
“You’re well-informed. For an assassin scum.”
At Ju-seong’s reply, the Night Guest grinned and rested the umbrella on his shoulder.
“In the Assassination Curtain, I’m known as the ‘Rare Weapon Obsession.'”
Rare Weapon Obsession.
‘In short… A weirdo with a weird obsession for weird weapons.’
The word “obsession” already had a slightly damp, perverted ring to it, so Ju-seong furrowed his brow.
The Night Guest pointed the umbrella tip at Ju-seong and said.
“You have spare Heavenly Silkworm Silk, don’t you? I’m going to take it.”
Ju-seong snorted and spread his legs shoulder-width apart.
“Crawl through here. Every round trip, I’ll give you a strand. If you explore my crotch twenty times, you can tie Heavenly Silkworm Silk strands to all twenty fingers and toes. Truly a profitable deal.”
Before Ju-seong even finished speaking, the Night Guest forcefully opened his umbrella ribs, and a gale blew toward Ju-seong.
-Whoooosh!
The caltrops on the floor were swept up and targeted Ju-seong.
‘What a pain in the ass to fight. Impressive, though.’
Ju-seong had resolved to crush every Assassination Curtain and Ten Thousand Ears Gang member on sight, but the man’s fighting style truly appealed to him.
Ju-seong fired off a giant palm force as if to lower his guard.
It looked like a finishing move that poured out all his internal energy, but…
-Rattle…
In reality, it was just an empty husk of a palm wind… enough only to scatter the incoming caltrops.
He had already grasped the subtlety of the illusory energy the Vajra Pavilion Master had used.
In the meantime, Ju-seong realized the man was also deploying illusion through his words.
The Night Guest’s desire for Ju-seong’s Heavenly Silkworm Silk was genuine.
But his claim that he would kill Ju-seong here and now to take it was a lie.
-Thwack!
He had leaped upward again. Clearly, he hadn’t forgotten his original objective of killing the child.
He probably knew that he couldn’t hold out long against three peak masters anyway.
But Ju-seong hadn’t expended much internal energy on that empty palm force, so he had enough to stop the man.
-Swish…!
Ju-seong used a variation of King Yama’s Letter, manipulating a needle shot upward to drop back down.
The Night Guest wasted a moment in mid-air deflecting the needle aimed at his crown.
That moment was enough for Cheong-jin to follow him up and strike.
Cheong-jin leaped to the same height as the Night Guest and set his sword ablaze with deep blue sword energy.
“Are you done showing off?”
To Taoist Cheong-jin’s mild question, the Night Guest swore.
“Damn it.”
-Kwa-Boom!
Forget the Blue Cloud Red Dawn Sword… a plain horizontal slash struck the Night Guest.
The man tried to deflect with his umbrella opened, but the curve of the umbrella was ill-suited to redirect an opponent like this.
Qingcheng’s sword was the mightiest of the mighty; blending heaviness and speed, each slash was loaded with tremendous force.
Blue mist filled the hall for an instant before dispersing.
The Night Guest tumbled down with his umbrella and both legs severed.
That he hadn’t died instantly was purely due to the mercy of Cheong-jin, the Taoist.
Ju-seong looked around and slowly spoke.
“What a mess. How are we going to compensate the Shancha Inn owner? For the record, I’m flat broke. Not a single coin. Surely… the heroic ladies and gentleman of Emei and Qingcheng will cover these damages?”
The reputation of famous orthodox sects was weighty. The difference between an ordinary jianghu person and a proper sect member was whether or not they paid compensation after trashing a marketplace or inn.
Cheong-jin nodded in reply.
“Of course. We must compensate for the broken furniture and the day’s ruined business.”
Ju-seong nodded and said.
“Now… Let’s deal with the remaining issues. Heuk-wol, let’s have a look at that child you’ve been keeping.”
Heuk-wol surveyed the surroundings, then sighed deeply, realizing she was cornered.
“Haah… Boy! Come down. It’s over.”
The moment her words fell, the boy from last night came trotting quickly down the stairs.
“Lady… Are you okay? Who are these people…”
But the child spotted Cheong-jin and froze, eyes going wide.
“Taoist Cheong-jin…”
“…It’s been a while, Yeo-woon.”
Cheong-jin seemed genuinely surprised at having recovered the kidnapped child so easily.
And come to think of it, now that all fighting was done, Heuk-wol was the kidnapper… and murderer of a Qingcheng lay disciple.
It wouldn’t be strange if Cheong-jin attacked Heuk-wol to punish her right now.
And that scenario actually played out.
Cheong-jin drew his sword and aimed it squarely at her.
“You. We just fought on the same side, so I don’t want to be harsh. Disarm yourself immediately and reveal your identity.”
Despite her disabled left arm and considerable internal energy expenditure, Heuk-wol showed no sign of being intimidated. She countered with a cutting tone.
“And if I refuse?”
“If you refuse, then by the ways of the jianghu…”
“Ah, wait, wait! Why are you already going jianghu style, you two… This is exhausting. Let’s hear each other out first, fight or whatever after. I had a few drinks with her last night… Heuk-wol here is actually a deep person. Genuine.”
“…Why is the young hero suddenly speaking casually to me?”
“Come on, Taoist, let that slide… Look at what the kid’s doing. Kids are the most honest. Would she rush over to check on Heuk-wol if Heuk-wol had been tormenting him?”
Cheong-jin looked back and forth between Heuk-wol and Mok Yeo-woon.
Mok Yeo-woon stood planted before Heuk-wol, arms spread wide.
It was a spirited display of protecting someone dear, which was almost adorable. Cheong-jin sighed softly and said.
“Yeo-woon, what’s with impersonating ordinary kids your age?”
“Ah, I got into the habit after a few days. Greetings again, Taoist Cheong-jin.”
“You… What is this…?”
Heuk-wol seemed even more flustered.
After all, the Mok Yeo-woon Ju-seong remembered had spoken just like any other kid his age… quiet and composed, sure, but ordinary nonetheless.
It seemed it had all been an act.
Ju-seong smirked.
“He’s quite something.”
In terms of precociousness, the boy reminded him of himself, having grown up early on the streets.
Yeo-woon glanced back at Heuk-wol and said.
“I figured if I acted just like other kids, you’d feel sympathy for me and, more importantly, wouldn’t be on guard. You know?”
“Wait, so all this time, everything was…?”
“Yes, it was all an act. Obviously, a once-in-generations prodigy like me wouldn’t be the same as kids my age.”
Yeo-woon turned and walked back to Cheong-jin.
“Well… It ended up like this. Taoist Cheong-jin, please don’t punish that person too harshly. She doesn’t seem like a villain.”
“Did you learn anything?”
Yeo-woon shrugged.
“Ask her yourself.”
“Hmm…”
From the positions of the three, Ju-seong could tell Yeo-woon had considerable affection for Heuk-wol.
He’d been kidnapped and traveled with her for less than a month… how could he have feelings for his kidnapper?
‘Either he’s a total brat, or…’
Ju-seong entertained various possibilities as he observed the two.
Then Ok-wol spoke up, her voice disbelieving.
“Now that I hear your voice… Could it be…? Seon-ha senior sister? Is that you?”
Heuk-wol, who had been ready to draw her chain sickles at any moment, twitched her shoulders.
“Heavens, Senior Sister…! What on earth…”
Ok-wol approached with trembling voice, step by step.
-Slash!
A chain sickle briefly traced a silver arc and left a long gash on the inn floor.
“That’s far enough. Don’t come any closer. I’m no longer of Emei Sect. Didn’t you all expel me?”
“Senior Sister, that was the Sect Leader who…”
“I don’t want to hear it. And don’t call me Senior Sister. I’m already an outsider… what good is a friendly title?”
The one who had kidnapped the Qingcheng child was, it turned out, a former Emei disciple of the second generation who, having suffered some incident, had harbored resentment and left, now returning for revenge.
Her method of revenge was kidnapping a Qingcheng prodigy to sow discord between the two sects.
This was as much as Ju-seong could deduce.
Ju-seong rubbed his forehead.
‘What an absolute mess.’
He realized he was the only one here not entangled in grimy grudges.
In this complicated situation… misunderstanding, conflict, tearful backstory, and various other messes… he was the only one who could sort things out.
He clapped his hands to draw attention and said.
“Okay, okay. Listen up. Let’s move somewhere else and talk, hm? Somewhere nice. I know a really nice place.”
* * *
“…Your idea of a ‘nice place’ was Cheongpung Pavilion?”
Came Heuk-wol’s incredulous question.
Ju-seong nodded.
“You killed the Pavilion Master, didn’t you? No one’s going to collect on a tab we run up. Let’s eat and drink to our hearts’ content.”
The people currently accompanying Ju-seong were masters from famous major sects, qualitatively different from the riffraff.
Together with them, Ju-seong was confident Chongqing’s government office would turn a blind eye to whatever havoc they caused among evildoers.
‘Definitely different from roughing it with a rootless beggar. Wonder how that drunkard’s doing.’
Ju-seong smirked, thinking of his unpolished sworn brother.
He pushed open the large doors of Cheongpung Pavilion with both hands.
Since they were in such good company of jianghu heroes, he decided to revive his old barker skills to hype things up.
“Come out, all you dregs of the Ten Thousand Ears Gang—!”
His voice, pressed down with internal energy, shook all of Cheongpung Pavilion.