Chapter 23

* * *

“So, that is... Kang Ryung is a suspect in the murder of Kang Chong... and as you can see, there are also unfair contracts with the natives...”

Guo Xian, the branch chief of Jiangshancun of the Wu Lin Alliance, bowed deeply, cold sweat trickling down his face. Normally, he was confident in his martial arts and took pride in his role as the branch chief, often holding his chin high. But now, he couldn't do that. If he made a mistake, he might have his dantian destroyed, be hanged, or be dragged to the Wu Lin Alliance's detention center to work until he died. All because of the woman standing before him, her arms crossed and eyes cold.

A large scar ran from her left forehead to her right cheek, and there were smaller scars below her lips and on her left cheek. Despite these, her sharp jawline, large eyes, high nose, and full lips made her a beauty. Her face was unforgettable.

She spoke.

“Branch Chief Guo, did you really not know?”

Guo Xian's hands trembled. If he had done nothing wrong, or if he had more time, he wouldn't be trembling or bowing. He would have sent this patrol officer away with a report of no issues and a suitable gift.

But this woman arrived in Jiangshancun before he could cover up or resolve the incident. She toured the village and quickly confirmed the murder of Kang Chong, then followed the trail to this native valley village.

Kang Ryung, that scoundrel, had thirty swordsmen with him, but the native village showed no signs of being disturbed. Instead, the natives had detained the swordsmen to report Kang Chong's murder and claim self-defense.

After a moment of deliberation, Guo Xian decided to be brazen. Kang Ryung had killed his hometown friend and fled with the swordsmen. There was no evidence that he had received a bribe.

“T-that patrol officer. I really didn't know he would do such a thing. If I had known, I would have detained him in Jiangshancun first. If you want to criticize my incompetence... I will humbly accept it.”

Ji Sein, with her cold gaze, nodded.

“Understood, Branch Chief Guo. Then first, tie up those swordsmen and return to the village to prepare compensation for the residents through the Merchant Guild. Also, prepare a document with your branch seal recognizing the land ownership of the natives.”

“Ah, is that possible? Understood! I'll go prepare the document and squeeze the Merchant Guild! I'll also prepare gold that the natives have never seen! Hahaha!”

Guo Xian, relieved, quickly answered and mounted his horse. As he approached the prisoners, Shan Hu, who had been watching, frowned and turned to Ji Sein.

“Why let him go? He accepted bribes and tacitly approved the massacre of the natives. There's evidence, right? The bribe ledger found in that Kang Ryung's safe.”

“Yes. With our authority, we could send him away immediately. But what about afterward?”

“...Afterward?”

Ji Sein, unclasping her arms and placing her hands on her waist, watched Guo Xian ride away. Her eyes were very cold.

“If we send him away now, there will be a security vacuum here. It will become easy prey for any bandits nearby. Though he is corrupt, he usually maintains order. He will continue to do his job until the Censorate and the new branch chief arrive.”

Shan Hu smiled, understanding.

“Ah, so the Censorate will deal with him then?”

“Perhaps. He might have his dantian destroyed and be dragged to the detention center. That would be hell for him.”

“Lucky. Anyway, it's disgraceful that someone with the Wu Lin Alliance's name accepts bribes and neglects their duties. Shouldn't we file a complaint with the Nomination Department? Why are all the branch chiefs we meet so corrupt?”

Ji Sein chuckled.

“Because we only visit such places.”

“...Ah, that's true.”

Shan Hu, nodding in understanding, noticed two natives standing nearby, mouths agape, watching them. She smiled and said casually.

“Ah, you're there? You two can speak Central Plains language, right? Then what you just heard is a secret.”

Ji Feng and Bi Lang, who had inadvertently learned about Guo Xian's future, barely nodded. The Wu Lin Alliance people who arrived were both kind and cold.

Ji Sein turned to the two natives.

“The dead and the swordsmen will be taken away by Branch Chief Guo and the alliance members. But I heard there was one whose identity couldn't be confirmed. He fought a martial artist.”

Ji Feng, understanding who she meant, led the two patrol officers to the outskirts of the village. There, the decapitated body of Tang Jianxiang lay among the dead swordsmen, covered with white cloth but not buried.

Ji Feng pointed to the bodies. Among them was a corpse with a clearly severed head and body, even under the cloth. Ji Sein confirmed it was the right one and pulled off the cloth without hesitation.

A pale head and body in black clothing were revealed. Shan Hu, though disgusted, sat down and carefully examined the severed head and body.

Ji Sein, arms crossed, watched and asked Ji Feng and Bi Lang.

“What name did he give?”

“Tang... Tang Jianxiang? Probably Tang Jianxiang.”

Ji Feng, who had been busy rousing the tribal warriors and focusing on his breathing, nodded uncertainly, while Bi Lang answered. Ji Sein continued.

“He threw darts and used poison, right?”

“The poison was a bluff. Thanks to Zhang Jian, we knew.”

“Only Zhang Jian noticed... Did you see him throw the darts?”

Bi Lang shook his head.

“No. When I arrived, I only saw the darts on the ground, the decapitated body, and Zhang Jian.”

“Hmm...”

While Ji Sein rubbed her chin, Shan Hu, who had been examining the body, stood up and looked at her.

“...This is a bit strange. He uses the Tang surname, is skilled with darts, and can easily deceive people. From the body, he seems to have practiced dark arts. Could this be...”

“Tang Men 唐門?”

Shan Hu's expression stiffened. He forced a smile.

“No, it can't be that family. They were wiped out by the Yellow Army a hundred years ago... It must be a coincidence.”

“It was around the time the New Continent was discovered. If some survived and crossed the sea, it makes sense.”

“...Then why would he reveal his name so confidently? Given his surname and skills, it would naturally suggest Tang Men.”

Ji Sein turned to Bi Lang.

“Because he was confident. He didn't plan to let anyone live, not even his fellow swordsmen. But... there was Zhang Jian.”

Shan Hu, looking bewildered, stood up.

“Do you really think the mad Tang family has returned? If so, then... it should be reported to the alliance as a top priority...”

Ji Sein, still looking at Bi Lang, said.

“It's not worth making a fuss over. There's no solid evidence. He could just be inspired by old stories of Tang Men. But since he practiced dark arts, it should be reported.”

Bi Lang, tilting his head, continued to look at Ji Sein.

“Do you know Zhang Jian well?”

“About the martial artist? Not really.”

“But you do know him, right?”

“...Yes.”

Bi Lang's eyes sparkled.

“Then do you know where he went?”

Ji Sein, seeing his sparkling eyes, hesitated and then smiled apologetically.

“I don't know. I didn't expect to hear about Zhang Jian here.”

“Right...”

Bi Lang, disappointed, slumped. Ji Feng, patting his shoulder, turned to Ji Sein.

“Thank you both. We thought we would have to find you, but you came and solved the problem.”

“It was our duty.”

With enough information for their report, Ji Sein and Shan Hu left the valley tribe before sunset. As they rode down the mountain path, Ji Sein suddenly stopped and looked back. She saw Bi Lang standing outside the village, watching the sunset.

Shan Hu, who had been riding beside her, stopped and said.

“Zhang Jian, the martial artist, doesn't seem to have helped them without a significant cost.”

“Why?”

“He won the heart of that girl. That's a valuable prize.”

Ji Sein chuckled and looked at Shan Hu with a knowing eye. Shan Hu shrugged and smiled.

“Stop being silly, let's go.”

As they left the valley, Bi Lang continued to watch the distant sunset.

* * *

The setting sun cast a red glow on Zhang Jian's face.

Zhang Jian sat cross-legged on a high rock, eyes closed. Below, Zhaozao, untethered, grazed on dry grass, passing the time. Yesterday, they had traveled all day, leaving the mountains and forests behind and reaching the wilderness, where no people or animals were in sight.

However, while the surroundings appeared calm and quiet, Zhang Jian's inner world was in turmoil, like a storm in a small teacup.

The spirit bead given by the valley tribe's spirit was a pure essence of energy, a simple, compact sphere. It was the form of the elixir many martial artists sought.

Originally, the inner core of a spirit creature or an elixir made from it could not be easily consumed. The inner core contained not only pure energy but also intense toxicity. Swallowing it directly could cause severe internal damage, even death.

Even an elixir that neutralized the toxicity of the inner core could scatter the energy throughout the body if not prepared properly, losing much of its effectiveness. Thus, consuming an elixir was not easy, even if one had it.

But Zhang Jian simply swallowed it. He thought the spirit wouldn't give him a toxic item and was excited to try a real elixir for the first time. In the Central Plains, he had tasted ginseng due to his wealthy family, but this was his first elixir.

The spirit bead, once in his mouth, dissolved and flowed through his meridians, not his esophagus, to his dantian, where it reformed. Zhang Jian quickly mobilized his inner energy, running it through the eight extraordinary meridians and twelve regular meridians.

The inner energy he had cultivated since childhood, slowly and firmly, easily accepted the new, unfamiliar energy. Zhang Jian enveloped and assimilated the energy that tried to scatter, transforming it into a dense silk or solid steel, reinforcing his meridians and breaking through stagnant blood.

The spirit bead did not completely dissolve. It melted just enough for Zhang Jian to handle, then froze like ice in the center of his dantian. About half of it remained. The rest would take some time to dissolve, but not too long.

As the spirit bead solidified, a light wave emanated from Zhang Jian, seated on the rock, pushing away the dust. Zhaozao, curious, lifted his head and looked at Zhang Jian.

After two hours, Zhang Jian's eyes, which had flashed with a clear light, calmed down.

A faint smile appeared on his face as he watched the setting sun.

“The elixir is indeed good.”

Satisfied with his inner energy cultivation, Zhang Jian jumped down from the rock and mounted Zhaozao. Feeling the light weight on his back and the taps on his sides, Zhaozao shook his head and started walking briskly. Despite needing to hurry to find a village by nightfall, Zhang Jian was relaxed, even whistling.

The whistling idler and the lazy horse slowly made their way through the wilderness, searching for a village.