Volume 1 Chapter 18 – Underworld, Martial Artists

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Translated by Rain

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Luoyang’s day was busy, and busy.

Since ancient times, Luoyang was a political, economic, and cultural center that could not be left out on the continent.

Currently, Luoyang was the center of a massive logistics distribution network encompassing the entire northern inland region of the continent.

The Grand Canal of the Yellow River was one of the biggest reasons why Luoyang became a super-giant city with a population of millions, and the amount of logistics entering and leaving through here transcended imagination.

To the extent that Semu merchants who had an interest in the inland of the Central Plains could be seen not rarely.

Even in a place bustling with all kinds of unique items and merchants of all stripes, there were those who drew the attention of people around them, none other than Yeon So-hyeon’s party.

“Oh, is that not a truly beautiful lady?!”

As one Semu merchant burst out in exclamation in clumsy Central Plains tongue upon seeing Jeong-ah, the Central Plains merchant next to him hastily grabbed and pulled his hem.

“Hey man! Where are you pointing your finger?”

“Why is that?”

As the Semu merchant looked bewildered, the Central Plains merchant slightly pointed with his chin behind Jeong-ah.

“Do you not see the guard there? He is a person of the Luoyang Sword Family.”

As soon as the words ‘Luoyang Sword Family’ were heard, the Semu merchant instantly hid his finger.

“…That Luoyang Sword Family?”

“Yes, that very Luoyang Sword Family.”

The Semu merchant had no choice but to show such a reaction.

It was because the precautions he heard countlessly from the moment he first set foot in the northern inland region were about the Luoyang Sword Family.

Although it was only that a person dressed in the uniform of a mere guard followed, for that reason, Jeong-ah did not hear that common flirtation even once.

It was in the same context that the path opened naturally in the direction the party passed.

“Hmm. I have separate business, so I will join later.”

At Yeon So-hyeon’s words, the gatekeeper blocked his way.

“What are you talking about? Surely you are not saying you will leave me, the escort, behind and go?”

Yeon So-hyeon looked at him with a look that asked what he was talking about.

“Of course I am leaving you behind? You protect Jeong-ah well.”

The gatekeeper placed a hand on his forehead and let out a sigh.

“No, what kind of nonsense… Uh? Uh?!”

While he closed his eyes to sigh for a moment, Yeon So-hyeon had long since vanished.

“The Young Master went that way!”

The gatekeeper leaped in the direction Jeong-ah pointed.

“Oh! A martial artist!”

“It is movement technique!”

Although exclamations burst out around him, he did not care and stood on the roof of a four-story building.

He hastily mobilized his eyesight to look around, but let alone the Eldest Young Master, even his shadow was not seen.

“What is this…?”

It was a thing that would make even a ghost wail.

Even though he was constantly operating his internal energy for the escort, this fellow called the Eldest Young Master had disappeared from before his eyes without the slightest sign.

Although suspicion about the identity of the Eldest Young Master, who was called the non-swordsman, soared, now was not the time.

‘Should I report first?’

But where would he report?

Even if a report was made, it was certain to be a problem.

Considering the attitude that the Sword Family took toward the Eldest Young Master, in the end, it was certain that all responsibility would primarily fall on him.

“Damn it…!”

Spitting out an oath, he returned to Jeong-ah’s side in one breath.

“Maid. I am sorry, but you will have to handle your business alone. I must find the Eldest Young Master as soon as possible…”

Before he could finish his words, Jeong-ah nodded.

“I can protect myself, so do not worry and please look after the Young Master.”

At her calm attitude, the gatekeeper was tongue-tied.

“Are you not worried?”

Jeong-ah smiled faintly and shook her head.

“For some reason, it is hard for me to dare to imagine that something will happen to him.”

“…That is so, but.”

Actually, that was also something the gatekeeper agreed with to some extent.

If he had judged that the Eldest Young Master was truly in danger, he would not have been leisurely sharing a conversation with her like this.

Because the moment he judged that he had completely lost track of the Eldest Young Master, he would have popped the signal flare for exclusive use in his chest regardless of the responsibility.

“Still, for now, I will continue to look for the Young Master.”

“See you later.”

Before Jeong-ah’s greeting ended, his figure vanished, and she shrugged her shoulders and moved her steps.

* * *

A corner street of Luoyang, at some distance from there.

The back alley, where the surrounding buildings cast deep shadows, was a place where ordinary commoners dared not even approach.

The old tattooist settled in that back alley was a retiree from the underworld, and was usually famous for being stubborn and having a dirty personality.

However, today he was in an exceptionally cautious attitude.

The one sitting comfortably on the chair was a man who boasted a truly massive bulk.

His bones and muscles were extraordinary from the start, and since his flesh was also thick, he looked like a bull sitting rather than a person.

Moreover, the finishing touch of that ferocious impression was the large and small skull tattoos that filled his massive body.

What the tattooist was carving now was also a new skull tattoo, and just the number of pitch-black skull tattoos already filled seemed to easily exceed a hundred.

But the more surprising point was that the man was enjoying a nap while receiving the tattoo.

A nap while repeatedly piercing the raw flesh with a needle.

“Ahem, ahem.”

The old tattooist, who let out a small cough, set down the needle and held up a metal mirror to align with the other’s vision.

“Is it to your liking?”

The man, who was warming his face with a hot towel, slightly raised the towel and looked into the metal mirror.

The eye light shining fiercely under the towel was like burning coal, and the grip holding the towel was filled with scars and calluses.

“Good. Next.”

He covered himself with the towel again and leaned deep into the chair.

“Yes, I will continue.”

The tattooist, who let out a sigh of relief inwardly, began to prepare to carve the next skull.

Meanwhile, the man began to enjoy a nap again, enjoying the comfortable chair, the hot towel, and the warm heat of the hearth.

The tattooist was tongue-tied inwardly.

Indeed, these fellows called martial artists were definitely different in caliber from ordinary humans.

And when the tattooist picked up the needle again,

“…!”

From behind, someone quietly covered his mouth.

The tattooist tried to resist instinctively, but seeing the blade shining blue in front of his neck, he raised both hands to express that he had no intention of resisting.

Then, another man appeared and brought a finger to his lips.

The man was not big in bulk and was thin, but the muscles of his exposed parts were vivid to the point of being disgusting, and his gaze was as sharp as a blade.

‘They are, they are assassins…!’

From their actions and appearance, the tattooist from the underworld, who quickly grasped the atmosphere, decided to cooperate quietly with the assassins.

The tattooist nodded his head slowly and withdrew slowly as guided by the assassin who blocked his mouth.

As he withdrew, two additional assassins entered through the entrance.

Holding daggers in their mouths, they did not even cast a glance at the tattooist and advanced through the narrow tattoo shop without a footstep.

“…….”

Like that, the number of people inside the narrow shop increased to more than double in an instant, but they did not emit a breath or any sign.

The target was clear.

The two assassins positioned themselves precisely targeting the man who possessed a massive bulk like a bull, and the daggers they each raised shone blue.

“…!”

There was not even a shout.

The two blades flashed toward the fatal weak points at the exact matching moment.

Crunch!

The tattooist watching that sight could not believe his eyes.

The man who was clearly asleep had caught the blades falling from both sides with his bare hands.

“Heh…!”

Before the tattooist could even draw in a breath at that sight, the two assassins who attacked the man were slammed into the opposite walls.

The left assassin’s rib cage was collapsed, and the right assassin’s jaw was crushed.

Instant death.

And the man who stood up from his seat at some point was massive enough to almost touch the ceiling.

His hands stretched to both sides were still holding the blades.

From those tightly clenched fists, blood flowed out, ran down his forearms, and dripped onto the floor.

“Hehehehe.”

A thick, low laugh befitting his bulk filled the room.

“Even if you hide your signs and hide your killing intent, you cannot hide the sharp qi of the blade.”

The man looked down at the remaining assassins with eyes overflowing with killing intent.

“…Kill him!”

The remaining two assassins rushed from the front.

“Hmph.”

Letting out a short sneer, the man spun the blades held in both hands to hold them properly.

An action that seemed only to show off; by the time that action ended, the blades of the assassins were already flying in front of the man’s nose.

However,

The blades held in the man’s hands flashed.

The blade that pierced one assassin’s belly popped out of his mouth, and the blade that dug into the other assassin’s shoulder popped out of the opposite flank.

Clearly, the blades had approached in front of his nose, but conversely, the man who moved late was fine, and the assassins were poured onto the floor in pieces.

Although he moved late, he was faster.

Although he only moved his arms, he was stronger.

“This is the difference between a martial artist and bugs like you. Do you understand?”

The man threw the blades away casually, dragged the chair that had fallen backward, and sat.

And to the old tattooist who had frozen, covered in blood and entrails, he said.

“Hey, I need to add four more skull tattoos.”

“Yes! Yes!”

The tattooist jumped up and began to prepare to carve the next skull with trembling hands.

“Oops, you did a proper job again, my brother.”

The one who poked his head inside the shop was a man whose bulk and appearance were almost identical to the man lying on the chair.

The only difference was the position of the scars and tattoos.

“Oh, brother, you are here. While you were away, I had some fun alone.”

“Well done. By the way…”

He scratched his dirty beard.

“In the end, we couldn’t find that mask craftsman. Nor the guys who went to catch the mask craftsman.”

The man sitting on the chair sneered.

“See, I told you we shouldn’t trust subcontractors.”

The man outside smacked his lips, ‘tch’.

“Still, didn’t you hear that our boys took care of that mask craftsman’s family?”

The man sitting on the chair shrugged.

“I heard they were only supposed to beat them, but they accidentally killed them all.”

“Ha. Bloodthirsty fellows.”

“Our Black Bone Gang boys tend to be a bit overflowing with vigor. Just like us. Hehe.”

The man standing outside shook his head and opened his mouth.

“But there is something that bothers me; I heard a strange story from the boys in charge of that street earlier.”

“What is it?”

The man frowned as if he also found it questionable.

“I heard that mask craftsman’s house is currently doing business normally?”

The man lying on the chair bolted upright at those words.

“Huh? Is it not that mask craftsman fellow?”

“Ah, I don’t know. The boys said it wasn’t him.”

“Then?”

“That is probably…”

The man recalled the story he heard.

“I heard it was a fellow like a scholar with a pale complexion?”