Chapter 32

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Jang Geon was standing at the classroom door, a cigarette in his mouth, watching the sun rise. The sunlight filled the clear, dust-free, and fog-free sky, illuminating the world with a distinct sharpness, devoid of any ambiguity. Sitting casually on a box, he watched the scene, a cigarette in his mouth, unable to distinguish whether the hope of morning or the futility of the repetitive days was filling his heart.

The villagers, who had extinguished all the lights in the inn overnight, were either sitting on something or sprawled on the ground, watching the dawn break. Seeing their silence, it seemed as if the noise of fetching and splashing water just moments ago was a lie. Jang Geon took a deep drag on the cigarette in his mouth and exhaled with a sigh, the smoke slowly billowing out.

At that moment, he felt a gaze and turned his head to see the young waiter, Ho-ryong, standing with his face smudged with soot, looking at him.

"Why?"

The boy didn't answer Jang Geon's blunt question and stared at him for a long time. Then, with a similarly blunt tone, he said:

"Uncle, is that it?"

"...What is it?"

"That thing. The warrior who helps the weak, the wronged, and the good. The one who fights off the villains."

Jang Geon chuckled.

"So, what is it?"

Ho-ryong crossed his arms and tilted his head, as if the words weren't coming to him. Then, suddenly remembering, he said:

"Oh, right. That's it, a hero. Uncle, are you a hero?"

"Why would I be a hero?"

"...You fought off the bad guys, helped put out the fire, saved the lady, and saved me too. And you didn't even ask for money after saving us."

Jang Geon removed the cigarette from his mouth, holding it between his fingers, and said:

"You might not have asked for money yet."

"Oh, then should I tell the lady to prepare some silver coins?"

At Ho-ryong's words, Jang Geon laughed again and replied:

"Forget it. Tell her to use the money to repair the inn. It's almost completely burned down, so it needs to be rebuilt."

"...So, you are a hero, right? You don't take money."

Faced with the boy's persistent questioning, Jang Geon chuckled and took a deep drag on the remaining cigarette. He flicked the ashes off with his fingers and discarded the butt. After finishing the cigarette, he brushed off his clothes and stood up.

"Heroes freeze to death. That's not what they are."

Ignoring the boy's blank stare, he walked over to the bucket of water and washed his hands, then approached the old man, Go, who was sitting nearby with a bandage on his thigh.

The old man, Go, tried to stand up when he saw Jang Geon approaching. Jang Geon gently pressed the old man's shoulder and brought over a box for him to sit on.

"Sit down."

"Ah, no, even so... You're the village's savior..."

Jang Geon shook his head.

"Forget it. Just tell me where Xue Weiliang lives."

"...Do you really intend to go there?"

Jang Geon's expression remained unchanged, even as the old man's face showed surprise.

"Things between us have reached a point of no return. His son died by my hand."

The old man's eyes widened even more, realizing that the reason for the martial artists' rampage last night was sitting right in front of him. But his expression soon turned somber.

"You did the right thing. Xue Shangzheng was a violent and disrespectful man, just like his father. Some of the girls at the ranch were even mistreated by him. He deserved to die."

"...The fire and the knife wound on that bridge were ultimately my fault, but are you not resentful?"

Despite Jang Geon's question, the old man smiled and shook his head.

"The fire and the knife wound were caused by Wu Zhongxu and his men. You, Sir Jang, saved this old man and the village. Why would I have any reason to resent you?"

The old man slowly continued, his smile fading.

"But... Going to Xue Weiliang's mansion alone..."

"I need to finish this."

The old man, seeing Jang Geon's calm demeanor and expression, nodded as if he had made a decision.

"Then I'll guide you. There are hills to cross and a shallow river to ford, so a guide is necessary."

"To that bridge?"

"This is nothing compared to when I was gored by a buffalo in my youth!"

In response to Jang Geon's retort, the old man shouted and tried to stand up. But as soon as he stood straight, he groaned and fell back down, looking embarrassed as he looked at Jang Geon.

"...I'm old now..."

Jang Geon, smiling faintly, was about to ask for directions when someone else spoke up.

"I'll guide you."

Turning his head, he saw the innkeeper, Lady Yu, standing there. She had just washed her face and hands, which were clean and damp. The old man tried to stop her.

"Girl, you almost died last night. Where are you going?"

"How old do you think I am? And I'm fine now after dealing with that man last night. I know the way to Xue Weiliang's mansion, so I'll guide him."

"But, girl. You need to tidy up the inn..."

Lady Yu, placing her hands on her hips and standing slightly askew, replied:

"I'll do it when I get back. I'm not going to fight; I'm just guiding the way."

"Is it okay to leave the boy here?"

She turned her head at Jang Geon's sudden question and met the eyes of Ho-ryong, who had already approached. Despite his apparent anxiety, the boy just stared at her without saying a word. After a moment, Lady Yu looked back at Jang Geon and said:

"I was the only one who rested all night. The others need to rest too."

With her decision made, Jang Geon stood up.

"Do you have a horse?"

"We have one. It's in the stable since the fire at the inn."

Jang Geon walked over to where Zhaosun was resting. The old man, Go, tried to stand up again, groaning.

"At least have some breakfast and rest a bit..."

"There's no point in delaying. I'll eat after I finish this."

Jang Geon, now mounted on Zhaosun, looked around Qing Shu Village as Lady Yu fetched her horse. It was a simple place, with no tall or grand buildings like other frontier villages, just old wooden houses clustered together, each with its own sign for a doctor, a fabric shop, and so on. The people who had fled from the exploitation of the Central Plains and faced it again, yet still managed to survive, had a tenacious life.

"Let's go."

Lady Yu, riding her horse, said this. Jang Geon nodded and looked at Ho-ryong, who was staring up at him. The boy, trying to hide his anxiety, alternated his gaze between Jang Geon and Lady Yu.

Jang Geon said to the boy:

"Don't worry. Your aunt will be back soon."

Though it was just words, Ho-ryong nodded and smiled slightly. Jang Geon turned to Lady Yu and said:

"Lead the way."

Lady Yu nodded and rode ahead. Jang Geon followed, urging Zhaosun forward. The villagers, the partially burned inn, and the buildings of Qing Shu Village they had just been looking at disappeared from their view.

Jang Geon and Lady Yu rode north out of Qing Shu Village. As they left the village, the gentle hills and dry grass sparkled in the morning sun, welcoming them. The two people and their two horses kicked up yellow dust as they rode.

After a while, Jang Geon increased Zhaosun's speed and rode alongside Lady Yu, asking:

"How long will it take?"

"We should arrive before noon. But are you really going alone?"

"Who else is there?"

Lady Yu slowed down a bit.

"Xue Weiliang has nearly twenty remaining martial artists, and he himself is a skilled fighter. Will you be okay?"

Jang Geon didn't mention that if he didn't go now, an angry Xue Weiliang might take revenge on the village. She probably already knew. He put on the wide-brimmed hat he had tied to Zhaosun's saddle and replied:

"If I don't fight now, Xue Weiliang will use money to chase me. Now, with his power reduced, is the opportunity."

"...You really plan to go alone, without any backup. I thought you were that."

"What?"

Lady Yu tilted her head, as if the word wasn't coming to her. She often acted like Ho-ryong, despite not being related.

"Oh, that. The undercover imperial guard. The imperial guard who travels the New Continent in disguise."

"Why did you think I was an undercover imperial guard?"

She glanced at him while riding, aware that many in the New Continent disliked the emperor. After all, the New Continent had fled from his army and control.

"Well, a young skilled fighter traveling alone, and you work with Yang Hong."

The unexpected name made Jang Geon look at her.

"Yang Hong? Why Yang Hong?"

"...It's a well-known story in the underworld that Yang Hong used to work for the imperial court in the city. Didn't you know?"

"I didn't. How did you know?"

Lady Yu hesitated a bit.

"...Being the only inn in this area, I've heard a lot of things. And thanks to these things, I have a steady income."

Jang Geon smiled strangely. The innkeeper who gathered information and sold it through underground channels was a familiar figure to him. Whether it was the Hao Gate or the Kai Gang, they were familiar figures, but they didn't appear in the Central Plains.

"What did the imperial court use a fraudster and thief for?"

"I don't know the details. But the fact that Yang Hong survived working for the imperial court and wasn't killed by the imperial guards afterward makes him famous among fraudsters and thieves."

"Despite his notorious reputation, he's not pursued by the martial arts alliance."

"It seems he pays the bounty regularly. He doesn't do things that would get him hanged or caught."

Jang Geon smiled again, this time thinking about Yang Hong. He had always felt something odd about Yang Hong, despite his mediocre martial arts skills. Now he understood why. He would have to investigate him more the next time they met.

"I'm not an imperial guard. I considered it, but it felt like joining the army twice, which made me feel sick."

"...Joining the army twice?"

Lady Yu tilted her head, not understanding. Jang Geon looked no older than his late twenties, and even that was due to his unkempt beard. If he cleaned up, he would look much younger. The idea of joining the army twice was hard to grasp.

"There is such a thing. Do we need to cross that river?"

"Ah, yes."

They crossed the shallow river and soon reached a hill where they could see a wide plain and a few low hills. On one of the hills, they could see many cows, all enclosed in a wooden fence.

Lady Yu, looking at this, said:

"...Originally, there were many wild buffaloes here. But because they couldn't be tamed, they were either killed or driven away. This allowed the ranch to raise cows that could eat the abundant grass. Did you know that this ranch sells the most cows to Ganshan City?"

Jang Geon, without answering, looked away from the fence and at the mansion beyond it. He confirmed the people loitering outside the mansion and said:

"Go back now."

At his firm words, Lady Yu hesitated, unsure of what to say. After a moment, she looked at Jang Geon and said:

"...Thank you. For saving me and Ho-ryong."

"Then next time, give me a discount on a private room."

She was momentarily stunned by Jang Geon's joke but then laughed lightly.

"Sure. I'll tidy up the inn and wait for you. I'll make it as nice as the inn in Tianhou City, so look forward to it."

Jang Geon nodded, and she turned her horse around. Jang Geon watched her ride back the way she came, then pulled Zhaosun's reins to head toward Xue Weiliang's mansion. Zhaosun moved at a steady pace, neither too fast nor too slow, following Jang Geon's intent. When Lady Yu looked back, he was already beyond the hill.

*

As Zhaosun walked leisurely past the wooden fence, the cows inside blinked their large eyes and stared at Jang Geon. Whether they were chewing their cud or defecating, they all looked at him with blank eyes as if something had passed by. After passing the cow fence, they came to the knife-wielding men standing outside.

The midday sun was bright and piercing, despite the cool weather. The knife-wielding men, forming a semicircle with the mansion behind them, and the middle-aged man sitting in a chair in the center, squinted in the sunlight. Only Jang Geon, wearing the wide-brimmed hat, had his face hidden in the shadow of the brim.

Zhaosun, which had been trotting, now walked slowly. All the more than twenty people in the courtyard were watching Jang Geon and Zhaosun. Some were smoking, some were chewing something, and some were sitting on a barrel, shaking their legs, all with fierce expressions, staring at the approaching Jang Geon.

Zhaosun stopped. Jang Geon, sitting on him, slightly lifted the hat to face the middle-aged man, presumably Xue Weiliang, who was staring at him with a short pipe in his mouth, his eyes burning with anger.

"Have you been waiting?"