Chapter 248 : Sichuan (5)
Chapter 248: Sichuan (5)
After leaving Guangyuan County, the promising young disciples of the Orthodox Faction traveled for several days before finally arriving at Mount Qingcheng.
Except for the moments when Peng Ji-gwang opened his mouth and killed the vibe, the trip had been pretty cheerful. Hwangbo Yeon, who hadn't really been joining in the group's conversations and had instead been quietly keeping an eye on her younger sister as they climbed the mountain, suddenly said, "Something feels... off. The atmosphere here is too desolate."
The others looked around and realized she was right.
"Now that Miss Hwangbo mentioned it, we haven't seen a single hiker besides ourselves."
For a mountain this famous, having zero tourists was definitely weird. Even on Mount Hua, which is beautiful but a nightmare to climb, they still ran into people all the time.
“…It seems the rumors were true.”
When Zhuge Eun-yeong muttered as if she knew something, the rest of the group nodded with understanding expressions on their faces.
Since they were all scions and disciples from prestigious families and sects, they'd all heard the warnings before setting out on this martial journey. The tensions between the three major powers in Sichuan Province had gotten seriously bad lately, so they needed to be careful.
As a tense atmosphere began to settle over the group
As the group started radiating a noticeably tense atmosphere, Peng Ji-gwang puffed out his chest and stepped up.
"Hahaha! What’s there to worry about? Even if Sichuan is a mess right now, who in their right mind would mess with us at Qingcheng?”
He marched ahead as if saying, "Just follow me," leaving the others to force awkward smiles or sigh inwardly as they trailed behind.
They kept climbing Mount Qingcheng for a good while longer and didn’t see a single soul until they reached the main gate with the [Qingcheng Sect] plaque hung on it.
And even at the entrance to the Qingcheng Sect itself, that same desolate atmosphere hung heavy in the air.
“Who are you, and where did you come from?”
A Qingcheng disciple asked them coldly, and Peng Ji-gwang answered loud and proud.
"Greetings! I am Peng Ji-gwang from the Hebei Peng Family! And this is the Hwangbo Family’s daughter, Hwangbo Yeon, also known as the Fist Phoenix. This is her sister, Miss Se-hui. And this guy is….”
He introduced himself with a voice full of pride, then went on to point out each member of their party one by one, sharing their titles and affiliations.
But the Qingcheng disciple didn’t seem all that impressed by the grand intro.
"And what brings such distinguished individuals to our sect at a time like this?"
"We started our journey in Shandong and have been stopping at various provinces and sects along the way to hold martial exchanges."
"A martial journey, you say..."
The Qingcheng disciple seemed to think it over for a moment before nodding and saying, "Wait here just a moment."
Looking at their clothes and names, they didn’t seem to be lying. Especially the uniforms from Wudang and Mount Hua, as a fellow member of the Nine Sects and One Gang, there was no way he could mistake them.
One of the Qingcheng disciples standing guard at the gate headed inside and soon came back with an old Taoist priest.
"You've traveled a long way. I'm Cheon-un, an outer elder of the Qingcheng Sect."
“Greetings, Taoist Master Cheon-un.”
(TL Note: Not the most accurate, but the most familiar term. The raw is actually called 진인 (Jin-in) or Zhenren in Chinese. The Hanja for Jin-in or Zhenren is 真人. 真 means Truth, Real, or Genuine. 人 means person. In other words, 真人 is a person who has seen the Truth and has attained the Dao or the Way. It’s usually translated as "True Person" by people unfamiliar with the Wuxia or Xianxia genre, and "Real Person" by mtlers. I could translate it as Truth Seeker but it sounded too cool for a minor character.)
As the Orthodox scions cupped their fists in respect toward Taoist Master Cheon-un, he returned the gesture casually before speaking.
"You must be tired from climbing the mountain. Come inside for now."
Taoist Master Cheon-un led the scions to the Guest Reception Hall. It was a building normally used to receive visitors to the Qingcheng Sect, but lately it had been empty.
After having tea and refreshments brought out, Taoist Master Cheon-un made small talk with them, essentially just going through the motions.
He knew their purpose was martial exchanges, but his plan was to be polite just enough to send them away without a fight. With things being so dangerous in Sichuan right now, the last thing the sect needed was someone getting hurt in a meaningless sparring match.
Unaware of Taoist Master Cheon-un's true intentions, the group chatted with him about the things they'd seen and experienced on their martial journey.
And that’s when retard Peng started talking about what happened in Guangyuan County.
“There was this gang called the Black Island Gang bullying the locals, so we gave them a serious beating before coming here, Master Cheon-un. Hahaha.”
Hearing him brag, Cheon-un couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
"Magnificent! That is exactly what young heroes of the Orthodox Faction should do!"
The important figures of the Qingcheng Sect were well aware of the truth behind the Black Island Gang in that county. It's just that they'd been too busy dealing with other matters to directly attack that place themselves.
But now these kids from another province had gone and taken care of the Black Island Gang for them; how could he be unhappy hearing this news?
These guests he'd initially thought of as nothing but a nuisance turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
Taoist Master Cheon-un's attitude completely flipped.
“Ah, right. Didn't you say you came here to spar?”
"That's correct, Taoist Master Cheon-un."
"Hahaha! Look at my memory. I will speak to the Sect Leader about it, so please wait a moment.”
Taoist Master Cheon-un left the Guest Reception Hall right away and soon returned with several Qingcheng disciples in tow.
They spent the evening sparring on the training grounds and were treated to a sumptuous feast.
Unlike the cold reception they first got when they arrived, the scions were treated like they were Qingcheng’s ancestors and left in high spirits the next day.
Two days later, they reached a village on the outskirts of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province.
It was a village where everyone had the surname Tang.
The Tang Family Village.
At the center of that village stood a massive estate. It looked less like an estate and more like a small fortress; this was the Sichuan Tang Family's manor.
They passed through the heavily guarded village and arrived at the mouth of the Tang Family’s manor.
"I've heard the rumors. Is it true that you were the ones who took down the Black Island Gang in Guangyuan County?"
They were greeted by Tang Cheol-jin, an outer elder of the Tang Family, who was openly displaying his displeasure.
"Hahaha! That's right, Elder! As young heroes of the Orthodox Faction, how could we let those scumbags terrorize innocent people?"
When the oblivious Peng Ji-gwang answered boastfully, Tang Cheol-jin clicked his tongue.
"Tsk. Didn't your family elders teach you that in the martial world, you shouldn't carelessly stick your nose into other people's business?"
"!?"
Even though the martial world reveres seniority, it can’t be denied that those words were rude to say, even more so when the opponent is a child of another prestigious family.
Peng Ji-gwang's face turned bright red, but Tang Cheol-jin didn't seem to care one bit.
"Guangyuan County was a place under the management of our Sichuan Tang Family, and now you've gone and made things complicated."
Tang Cheol-jin said this as if he had nothing to hide, and the scions’ expressions naturally grew complicated.
“…If it is a place managed by the Tang Family, why did you leave a group of the Black Path like the Black Island Gang untouched?”
Unable to understand the situation, Taoist Un-baek of Wudang stepped forward to ask, and Tang Cheol-jin answered bluntly.
"Those Black Path thugs are like vermin. You kill them, but they never go away. So, it’s better to keep a tame group in charge and just watch them to make sure they don't cross the line. But since you guys wiped out the Black Island Gang, now a bunch of even nastier bugs are going to swarm in.”
The young warriors were speechless at his twisted logic.
But Tang Chol-jin didn’t care what they thought.
"Anyway, you came here for martial exchanges, right? Do you want to stay the night?”
The group exchanged looks, and Hwangbo Yeon stepped forward with a salute.
"The Tang Family must have important matters to attend to, yet we came here thinking only of ourselves. We'll take our leave now, so please forgive our rudeness."
"Fine. Off you go, then."
It was the definition of turning someone away at the door.
Peng Ji-gwang looked like he could barely contain his anger, but the others quickly grabbed him and dragged him away from Tang Family Village.
Tang Cheol-jin watched the young warriors retreat far into the distance before clicking his tongue and turning back toward the family estate.
'Why did those brats have to make a mess at a time like this?’
Not long ago, they'd received word that money was flowing into a backwater place called Pingliang County in Gansu Province.
So the Sichuan Tang Family had ordered the Black Island Gang leader to send people there.
The plan was to let the Black Island Gang take over the area themselves, and in the event they failed, fabricate some justification for the Tang Family to step in and take over directly.
But something far more urgent than Pingliang County had happened here in Sichuan recently, and while they were focused on that, the Black Island Gang had gotten crushed by those stupid kids.
Reclaiming Guangyuan County wasn’t an option right now, and all because of a rumor spreading across the whole province.
***
After leaving Tang Family Village, the group went to an inn in the capital’s market district.
Just to be safe, they got a private room on the top floor and ordered some food and drinks.
When the waiter brought out the Bamboo Leaf Liquor they'd ordered, Peng Ji-gwang chugged it down before slamming his cup onto the table hard enough to nearly break it.
BANG!
"I know this is the Tang Family's home territory, but wasn't that way too damn rude?"
"...Please calm down, Young Master Peng. As you said, this is the Tang Family's home territory, so many ears are listening around."
When Zhuge Eun-yeong cautiously said this while glancing around, Peng Ji-gwang poured himself another cup of wine and chugged it down.
Taoist Un-baek watched him and sighed.
"Brother Peng Ji-gwang is right about this one. More importantly, backing a Black Path gang? That just doesn't make any sense."
"Given the atmosphere in Sichuan, it might be best if we just pretend we didn't see anything."
Zhuge Eun-yeong said this as if trying to soothe Taoist Un-baek and changed the subject as if trying to shift the mood.
“Still, thanks to the Fist Phoenix stepping forward, we were able to return without any major incidents.”
"That's true. If we had stayed in a place where they hated us that much, I wouldn’t have been able to swallow a single bite.”
“Indigestion would’ve been the least of our worries. It’s the Tang Family, remember?”
When Taoist Myeonghwan from Mount Hua said that, everyone except Peng Ji-gwang gulped and nodded.
The Tang Family was famous for poison and hidden weapons; they could’ve been killed without anyone ever finding the bodies.
“You know the Tang Family motto, right? They repay kindness twofold, but grudge tenfold."
"We only got off this easy because we're junior members of the Murim Alliance. If it had been anyone else, they’d be dead by now….”
Everyone shook their heads as if the mere thought was horrifying, and silence briefly fell over the table.
'How can people who claim to be part of the Orthodox Faction protect criminals?’
'They say gratitudes and grudges in the martial world are complicated, but I never thought they'd be twisted like this.'
'How dare they humiliate me, Peng Ji-gwang!'
Each of them was lost in their own thoughts, reflecting on the day's events.
And what broke that strange silence was a very small noise coming from another room far down the hall.
"Hey, have you heard that rumor?"
"Which one?"
"The one about the Heavenly Demon Secret Cave."
"The Heavenly Demon Secret Cave? Why the hell is that ancient story making the rounds now?"
"Because it's not ancient history anymore, that's why it's spreading. They say the Tang Family, Qingcheng, and Emei are all running around with their asses on fire because of it.”
The Heavenly Demon.
The leader of the Demonic Cult coiled in the distant land of Xinjiang.
Hearing that name, the young warriors who had been sitting quietly all looked at each other.