Chapter 20:Even a woman understands the way of the chivalrous.
“H-how?”
Dang Hwa-rin stared at me with eyes full of disbelief.
Striking acupoints—especially on a target moving as violently as she was—is by no means an easy feat. It is a technique that requires not only precise knowledge of the body’s pressure points but also the internal energy to distribute one’s force appropriately.
Naturally, Dang Hwa-rin could not comprehend how I, having been struck by the Muscle-Weakening Poison, managed to strike her acupoints.
“Even a tiger gives its all when hunting a rabbit. It seems you took this wager too lightly, Miss Dang. That is the secret to my victory.”
I chuckled and shifted my position to the side, making it easier for her to see. Even without internal energy, striking a few acupoints was no difficult task for someone with my heightened senses.
“Victory? I haven’t collapsed to the ground yet.”
“Would you like me to lay you down, then?”
“…….”
Even if she remained standing, her body was stiff. The outcome was obvious, was it not? Instead of continuing to be stubborn, Dang Hwa-rin simply bit her lip hard.
“I concede. I let my guard down. Still, this is astonishing.”
“Anyone is bound to let their guard down at some point. There is no need to be so surprised.”
“No, I mean you, Mr. Jang. I would believe it even if you told me you were a Unit Leader, not just a squad leader of the Alliance. How is it that someone like you holds no official rank?”
The Murim Alliance consists of various organizations, but those responsible for combat are divided into three main divisions. With five units under each division, the Alliance operates a total of fifteen combat units. Even as a coalition of various sects and families, they possess a formidable self-sufficient military force.
I smiled faintly and met Dang Hwa-rin’s sharp gaze. Though she had every reason to be angry, her pupils were still filled with curiosity and intrigue.
“The Alliance is full of talent. People like me are a dime a dozen.”
“You are being far too humble.”
“I am merely stating the facts.”
The night deepened. A full moon looked down upon us from the sky, and the hooting of an owl echoed from afar. What more was there to say? I took a step toward Dang Hwa-rin.
“Then, if you’ll excuse me.”
“W-wait a moment!”
Dang Hwa-rin’s eyes went wide as she shouted in a panic.
“What is the matter?”
“I am a maiden of purity! I have never allowed the touch of any man!”
“One encounters all sorts of things while living in the Jianghu. Do not let it trouble you.”
“I made a promise to my late mother! I must marry the man who lays a hand on me!”
“…….”
My hand, which had been about to reach for the front of her robe, stopped dead. I looked at Dang Hwa-rin with an incredulous expression.
“That is an extreme way of thinking. It does not suit you, Miss Dang.”
“Extreme? I am a woman, too!”
“I will try to minimize contact as much as possible. I need to focus.”
It seemed Dang Hwa-rin was trying to buy time with conversation. It was not an acupoint strike that would be easily undone, but I could not spend the entire night here, so I reached out to strike her mute point.
“Do you have any idea how much of the people’s blood and tears are contained in this jewel!”
Dang Hwa-rin’s eyes blazed with fire. Since sympathy did not work, she was changing her strategy. I was, admittedly, curious to hear what this bold woman had to say.
“This jewel was obtained from the Western Regions at a massive cost by the wife of Grand Tutor Jo Chi-baek!”
“What is it you wish to say?”
“Do you not know? Where do you think that money came from? It was squeezed from the blood and sweat of innocent, powerless people! Such things must be stopped!”
“So, you set out as the Thousand-Faced Fox for this reason?”
“Yes! That mad Emperor has no interest in the lives of the people! We must be the ones to step up! We cannot just turn a blind eye to the tyranny of corrupt officials!”
“Hmm….”
It was a noble thought. While children of other great families were busy enjoying their lives, the young Dang Hwa-rin was going out of her way to suffer. She might have believed she was practicing her own form of chivalry. But, well, is the world ever that simple?
“I doubt stealing this jewel will make the corrupt officials come to their senses.”
“They will at least be cautious. They won’t be able to torment the weak as they did before!”
“I wonder. My thoughts differ. Wouldn’t they squeeze the people even harder to compensate for their losses?”
“Then we must stop them again! Chivalry is not achieved in a single stroke! One must persevere without giving up to punish evil and uphold justice!”
Chivalry, evil, and justice. While I had spent my years in a haze of alcohol, gambling, and bloodshed, the more I looked at this young woman, the more impressive she seemed. I chuckled and tapped her mute point.
“W-wait—!”
Before she could finish her sentence, Dang Hwa-rin’s mouth snapped shut. I ignored her wide-eyed glare and began to search the front of her robe. Feeling somewhat awkward about rummaging through a young female warrior’s clothes, I moved my hands carefully and spoke.
“Admirable. I shall cheer for your chivalrous deeds wherever I go.”
*Tap. Tap. Tap.*
They said it was a jewel the size of a thumb. I couldn’t easily find where she had hidden it.
“However, do not push yourself too hard. No matter how many of those men you kill, another will always take their place. I worry that you might bring disaster upon yourself if you are caught. Ah, here it is.”
I pulled an object the size of a thumb from her robes. It was wrapped in cloth, and upon unwrapping it, I found it was indeed a blood-red jade that glowed with a crimson light.
“Oh!”
The light of the small blood jade set in the ring had felt strange, but seeing this one was even more unsettling. I felt a sudden, boiling urge for slaughter rising within my chest.
I glanced at Dang Hwa-rin. Her eyes, which had been burning with a sense of justice, looked somewhat vacant after seeing the blood jade.
‘A strange object indeed.’
I wrapped the blood jade back in the cloth and tucked it into my robes. Dang Hwa-rin’s gaze returned to normal. Her eyes seemed to hold many words, but I did not grant her the ability to speak.
“Miss Dang. It was a brief encounter, but it was a pleasure to meet you. As per the terms of our wager, I shall take the blood jade.”
“…….”
“In exchange, take this.”
I removed the ring and slipped it onto her ring finger. Dang Hwa-rin’s pupils trembled from side to side. I looked into her eyes, which sparkled like stars, and offered my final farewell.
“I pray that the chivalry you believe in comes to pass.”
*Tap, tap.*
I partially released her acupoints. It would take some time for her to return to normal. That was enough time for me to slip away.
*Whoosh!*
I pushed off the ground and put distance between myself and Dang Hwa-rin.
“Jang U-gil!!!”
I could hear Dang Hwa-rin’s shout from afar, her mute point likely having cleared. I waved my hand toward the woman bathed in moonlight.
And just like that, I had completed another request.
* * *
Ten days later, Azure Cloud Pavilion.
“What do you mean you can’t find him! If the Beggar Sect can’t find him, then who on earth can?”
“Hmm… well. The Beggar Sect?”
“Pavilion Owner! Do you think I’m joking with you right now?”
The past ten days.
Dang Hwa-rin had visited the Azure Cloud Pavilion as if it were her own home.
In response, the Azure Cloud Pavilion Owner, No Cho-san, would fidget and repeat the same words over and over.
Jang U-gil has disappeared. He left no traces behind. There is no way to know where he headed.
None of it was enough to satisfy Dang Hwa-rin.
“Oh, my. How could I ever joke with someone as lowly as me, Miss Dang? That is a completely preposterous notion.”
“You must find him. He must have gone to the Imperial Capital or the Murim Alliance. Just tell me where he is.”
“Yes, yes. I will inform you the moment news arrives.”
“Here. This is the advance payment.”
*Thud!*
Dang Hwa-rin placed a heavy pouch on the shelf.
No Cho-san’s eyes widened as he stared at the pouch.
“If you confirm his location, I will give you this much more.”
“Oh, my! I will certainly complete the task!”
“I’ll trust you.”
“Yes, yes! Please, take care! Young Lady!”
After staring at No Cho-san in silence for a moment, Dang Hwa-rin turned on her heel and vanished outside the Azure Cloud Pavilion.
Only then could No Cho-san straighten his hunched back.
“Goodness. Terrifying. Truly terrifying. There’s no stopping a woman in love.”
No Cho-san shook his head and grumbled.
I opened the bookshelf and stepped out.
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t you know why Miss Dang is searching for you so desperately, Benefactor?”
“It’s because I messed with her, obviously.”
“Aigoo. You’re sharp when it comes to women’s bodies, but you’re dim-witted when it comes to their hearts, aren’t you?”
“Huh?”
No Cho-san crossed his arms and wore a smug expression for the first time in a while.
“When it comes to a woman’s heart, I’m the expert. It was written all over Miss Dang’s eyes. ‘Jang U-gil is my man. I will catch him and make him mine.’”
“Talk sense. Why would the daughter of the Tang Clan care for a guy like me?”
“Oh, my? When someone is blinded by love, do you think they see things like that?”
“Love, my foot. It’s only been a few days since we met.”
I turned my head away at his absurd remark.
No Cho-san, as if he had finally found something amusing, continued to tease me.
“At this rate, she’s going to storm the Murim Alliance. What will you do? You can explain away other things, but it’ll be exposed that you aren’t actually affiliated with the Murim Alliance.”
“Don’t worry. I am a genuine member of the Murim Alliance.”
“Huh? What kind of nonsense is that? You, a member of the Murim Alliance? Wasn’t that just a scam?”
“A scam? What do you take me for?”
This world is a Murim without common things like CCTV or computers.
Which meant that forging an identity with a few documents was nothing.
Though, it was impossible to create something entirely out of nothing.
The fact that the White Dragon Unit leader of the Murim Alliance loved to gamble had been a golden opportunity for me to acquire a new identity.
‘I wonder if that guy ever quit gambling.’
It was one day last year.
The requests weren’t going well, and the rain was damp and miserable, so my mood was absolute trash.
As luck would have it, the guy I caught lurking around a gambling den was the White Dragon Unit leader.
I made up my mind and cleaned him out completely.
The guy, having lost everything he had, still had enough of a temper to start putting up various things as collateral.
Eventually, he crossed a line he shouldn’t have.
‘Thanks to that, I obtained my Murim Alliance status.’
The man who lost everything to me had his debts forgiven in exchange for adding my name to the Murim Alliance registry.
As for the badge, I felt it was shameless even for me to ask for that, so I had it made through the Beggar Sect.
Regardless, I was a formal member of the Murim Alliance, properly listed in the registry.
“Why are you silent? Benefactor! The Murim Alliance? Tell me more! How did you do it?”
“If you practice chivalry and righteousness, the Murim Alliance is bound to make an offer. You should try practicing some chivalrous deeds yourself, Pavilion Owner.”
“Chivalry? Keuk-keuk-keuk! Chivalry for people like us! That’s a funny thing to say!”
No Cho-san and I killed time by exchanging idle chatter.
That was also the reason I remained here in Chengdu even after completing the mission to recover the Blood Jade.
“Ah! The Hubei Branch said they received the Blood Jade well. But they said they haven’t secured the reward yet. They say they need a bit more time.”
“I understand. That aside, when does the Tang Clan say they are departing?”
“It seems their preparations for departure are in the final stages… I believe they will leave within a few days.”
“I see.”
The schedule for finding the Secret Cave of the Fighting God had been delayed more than I thought.
It was likely due to the Mount Qingcheng Sect, who had been aggressive enough to attempt kidnapping Dang Hwa-rin.
But now, it seemed they were even prepared to shake off Mount Qingcheng.
“Pavilion Owner. What about the thing I asked you to prepare?”
“Ah. You mean the request to put you in the expedition team? Don’t worry. That guy might look sloppy, but he’s someone who gets the job done. Let’s see. It’s about time he arrived.”
Speak of the devil.
As soon as No Cho-san mentioned it, someone opened the door to the Azure Cloud Pavilion and stepped inside.
“Is anyone here—huff! Y-you!”
The man who had entered the Azure Cloud Pavilion in high spirits.
He took one look at me and was struck with sheer terror.
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