Chapter 114
When Baekji arrived in Xi'an, he went to the Yang Merchant Guild.
Although the merchant guild was closed, the estate remained.
"Hey, is anyone there!"
When he knocked on the main gate, the door opened after a moment.
-Creak.
Wu Ping, who had opened the door, saw Baekji and hurriedly prostrated himself.
"Huh? General Manager Wu? You were here, General Manager Wu?"
"I asked the Sect Master to let me take care of the Yang estate. When the Guild Master returns, there must at least be an estate left for him to have face."
Wu Ping personally brought out tea.
In that vast estate, a few old servants with nowhere else to go remained and guarded it.
"I heard it was closed, but it's really gone bankrupt."
Wu Ping lowered his head.
"There was no choice if we were to preserve even the estate. If we didn't close the merchant guild, it would have been taken over entirely."
"Yes? Who was trying to take the estate?"
"..."
"It's okay. You can tell me. I'm a righteous person."
Wu Ping sighed.
"It's not something that can be helped with force."
"What is it?"
"The Namil Sect is trying to take over the commercial rights of the Yang Merchant Guild under the pretext of restoring Guild Master Yang."
"Oh... so Guild Master Yang was alive after all."
"That... is not certain. They brought a document with Guild Master Yang's seal, but no one has seen him in person."
The Namil Sect had come with a contract bearing Yang Jongu's seal and had urged them to hand over the commercial rights of the Yang Merchant Guild.
"Did the Meixian Fang just watch?"
"The Zhongnan Sect is behind the Namil Sect. The Meixian Fang... was excommunicated from Huashan because of the last incident."
"Oh dear... the Huashan Sect is too much. The Meixian Fang must have offered them quite a bit over the years."
"The Namil Sect was able to come out so openly because Huashan gave its tacit approval. There must have been a deal between Zhongnan and Huashan."
"Yes? What does that mean?"
"Huashan must have received some concession from Zhongnan in exchange for handing over the sphere of influence of the Yang Merchant Guild and the Meixian Fang to the Namil Sect."
"Your imagination is overactive. Huashan is a prestigious righteous sect. It's a sect I like. They wouldn't engage in such a scheme."
Wu Ping was surprised. He himself was from a Huashan secular family.
He had never heard that Baekji had a close relationship with the Huashan Sect.
"Do you have a connection with Huashan?"
"Well, we're not on bad terms."
"..."
"Is it okay if I stay for a few days? I'll pay for my meals."
"Of course. You can just stay comfortably."
"No. I'm not so shameless as to freeload in a ruined house."
Baekji took out a bank note from his money pouch.
"There are quite a few of us. Go and buy a lot of delicious food."
It was clear that Mado would ask him to pay for the money anyway.
Wu Ping, not knowing the situation, reluctantly received the bank note.
* * *
In the darkness, Jang Sam whispered, "They all went to fight the Meixian Fang. There are only a few brats left."
"Hmm. But I'm not healed yet..."
"If the 'Three Swords of Zhongnan' aren't here, there's no one who can handle us."
Last time, they had been defeated by the joint attack of the 'Three Swords of Zhongnan'.
"They have to be there for it to be a proper revenge."
Senior Oh, as if remembering that time, said with a resentful face.
"Revenge can wait."
Senior Oh and Jang Sam were hiding next to a small estate on the outskirts of Xi'an.
It was an estate that the Namil Sect secretly used as a safe house.
Jang Sam, hearing the news that the Namil Sect and the Meixian Fang were having a big fight, had suggested that they attack the empty safe house.
Senior Oh, who was still having trouble moving, was reluctant, but he could not stop Jang Sam, who said he would go alone, limping.
"They won't think we've come again. Let's hurry in and bring Guild Master Yang out."
"Are you sure Guild Master Yang is there?"
"I confirmed it with a servant who does outside work."
Senior Oh stood up, leaning on his sword, and his back ached.
The thought of entering the enemy camp with this body was not appealing at all.
"Jang Sam... I don't think this is right. What would a servant know? Let's confirm it, and when our bodies are healed, then we'll go..."
"Are you looking down on servants? You were once a servant too, hyung-nim."
"Yes..."
"If you're really going to be like that, then wait here. I'll go and rescue him."
"I can't do that."
Senior Oh reluctantly made up his mind.
The two climbed over the estate wall.
Jang Sam went towards the backyard as the servant he had bribed had told him.
As they passed the moon-shaped gate and followed the wall, a shout was heard.
"Who's there?"
The two hurriedly crouched down at the bottom of the wall.
"What is it?"
"I think I saw a suspicious shadow."
"Check it out."
Two warriors with swords approached.
―What happened? There's an ambush!
―Not all servants know everything. Let's take them out!
Jang Sam stood up and charged towards the approaching brats like a bull.
―Hey, hey... Jang Sam!
Although Senior Oh tried to stop him, it was already too late.
"Enemy!"
"It's a surprise attack!"
Piiik―!
A whistle blew.
"Aigoo..."
Senior Oh sighed and stood up.
The back that had been stabbed ached.
If he went to a doctor with this path, he would be treated as a seriously injured patient...
"The path of a great hero is truly rough."
* * *
Hongyan came to the Yang Merchant Guild in the evening.
"Right now, Xi'an is in a touch-and-go crisis."
"Don't use difficult words, just speak simply."
"The Namil Sect has gone to attack the Meixian Fang."
"Openly?"
"Their justification is clear. They say they are avenging Guild Master Yang and rescuing Mei Yanqing and Yang Zhaoling."
"To attach such a reason..."
"That's how the brats of the righteous sect are. They are brats who would attach a grand cause even to breathing."
Hongyan, like a member of the Demonic Cult, immediately criticized the righteous sect.
"The Meixian Fang will be shattered."
"That's not the case either. The 'Zhaoling Sect' is supporting the Meixian Fang."
"The 'Zhaoling Sect'?"
"Wu Jeonhwa and the daughter of the 'Zhaoling Sect' leader are getting married."
"Wu Jeonhwa? Isn't Wu Jeonhwa was Yang Zhaoling's fiancé?"
"The Mei and Wu families have split, so will the marriage take place? Mei Yanqing and Yang Zhaoling are in a state of confinement."
"Yes. It seems Wu Tai is trying to take over the Meixian Fang for sure."
"But..."
Hongyan, as if she were about to reveal a big secret, lowered her voice and whispered, "The mantis is aiming for the cicada, but the sparrow is watching from behind."
"A sparrow?"
"The 'Iron Horse Sect' is secretly moving south. Among the 'Four Hegemons of Shaanxi', the strongest and most cruel brats are said to be the 'Iron Horse Sect'."
"Yes. A mantis, a cicada, a sparrow... they're all the same."
Baekji said indifferently.
In his eyes, they were all just brats fighting amongst themselves.
"Oh! It's not that simple. There is one person behind the 'Iron Horse Sect'."
"Sigh, what's so complicated? Who else is there?"
"The top ten masters... have you heard of the 'Iron Palm Divine Whip'?"
"I know... but in terms of ranking, he's below Mado. More importantly, have you found out about Guild Master Yang? And my disciples?"
"They say Guild Master Yang has taken refuge in the 'Namil Sect'."
It was as he had heard from Wu Ping.
"The disciples... have no presence at all."
"Yes? What does that mean?"
"The people that the branch pays attention to must be at least the martial force leaders of a sect. Since there is no known information, it's like looking for a needle in a haystack in Xi'an."
Since his disciples were being ignored, Baekji was offended.
Why is even Jang Sam's name so common?
"Ah. Is that so? So my disciples have no presence... they fought to the death with the 'Blood Corpse Brigade'..."
"That was known as a fight with the Martial Alliance."
"They immediately suppressed the escort warriors at the Hongmeng Brothel."
"A fight at a neighborhood brothel is not even counted."
"It was a Demonic Cult branch... if that fact becomes known, they will become heroes who fought the Demonic Cult. That would help them make a name for themselves..."
As Baekji's words went off on a tangent, Hongyan cut him off.
"Anyway... I'm doing my best to find out..."
* * *
"Are you okay?"
Yang Jongu said, looking at Senior Oh, who was bleeding profusely from his back.
"Hahaha! I am not the Senior Oh of the past. Have you heard of the 'Wandering Great Hero'..."
Senior Oh, who was pale from blood loss, laughed heartily with a contorted face, but he did not seem to be in his right mind.
"Hyung-nim, get a grip and get your bearings."
Jang Sam said, kicking the 'Namil Sect' warrior who was coming at him with a sword with his limping leg.
"Ugh!"
The warrior, who was hit in the side by Jang Sam's kick, fell down.
It was Senior Oh and Jang Sam, who had fought a life-and-death battle against the Demonic Cult members and the Martial Alliance members.
They should have been able to easily take care of the remaining warriors of the 'Namil Sect'.
Since they had been injured not long ago, they were struggling.
Yang Jongu's condition was also not good.
He had suffered internal injuries when he was being chased by Wu Ping, and since he had not been properly treated, it had become a chronic problem.
Although the 'Namil Sect' had not tortured him, they had subtly pressured him.
Since Yang Jongu had a strong heart, he had endured; a weak-willed person would have already succumbed.
After knocking down the chasing warriors, the three ran along a dark alley.
"I think we're lost."
As Senior Oh had taken whatever path he could, he had come to a place he did not know.
"I know this place."
Yang Jongu said, looking around.
Yang Jongu knew every nook and cranny of Xi'an as if he were looking at the palm of his hand.
"If you follow this road, you'll reach the estate."
When Yang Jongu said 'estate', he meant the Yang estate.
Jang Sam shook his head.
"Those brats will search the Yang estate first. Let's take refuge at my house for now."
The poor neighborhood was to the south.
Senior Oh, looking at the bloodstains he had left, said, "We can't go home... if we lead the enemy there, Janghwa could be in danger."
Even in that situation, he was worried about Janghwa.
Yang Jongu, after thinking for a moment, said, "Once we enter the estate... they won't be able to rush in carelessly. They also have to be mindful of the government office."
Although it was a vague hope, there was no other way.
Senior Oh sat down on the spot and said, "Let's catch our breath first... let's go when the day breaks. If people are coming and going, they won't be able to kill us openly."
"If you sit down now, you won't be able to get up."
"Whether we die this way or that way..."
"Don't you remember when we were climbing the cliff? If you fall..."
Senior Oh stood up.
"That's right! It was twice as bad as death."
The three supported each other and went towards the Yang Merchant Guild.
* * *
Although Jang Sam did not know, all sorts of eyes and ears were laid out in Xi'an.
The escape that had taken place at the estate on the outskirts of the east gate in the early evening quickly spread throughout Xi'an.
Not only the 'Zhaoling Sect' and the 'Iron Horse Sect' who were hiding in Xi'an, but also the Demonic Cult branch, the 'Tianshan Brothel', the 'Haomun', and even the 'Heukdo' gangs who wanted to get a piece of the action in the fight of the whales all poured out into the streets.
"Catch Yang Jongu. If you catch him, you get the Yang Merchant Guild."
"If you take Yang Jongu to the 'Zhaoling Sect', you can get a big share."
The road to the Yang Merchant Guild was already crowded with several gangs, keeping each other in check.
* * *
When someone knocked on the door, he opened it to find Mado standing there.
"What is it at this hour?"
Baekji, who was about to go to bed, asked with sleepy eyes.
"The ki outside is chaotic."
"Yes?"
When Baekji spread his ki, he really did feel all sorts of miscellaneous ki flocking around.
"This is not the mountains. Xi'an is a big city."
"So?"
"It's natural that there are many people. How can you live if you pay attention to every single one? Turn off your ki. You won't be able to sleep if you pay attention to every little ki."
"..."
"Take this opportunity to learn how to control your ki. Because you're leaking ki like that, people are scared. The more of a master you are, the more you have to hide your ki and look like an ordinary person."
"..."
"If you go around saying 'I am an absolute master', what do you think people will do? Do you think they'll say 'let's have a match'? No. They'll stab you in the back, or use poison, or use all sorts of tricks."
"Why?"
"Because they'll lose if they fight you head-on."
"Why me?"
"Because you're an absolute master."
"You can go around boasting that you caught Mado, the second in the ranking of the top ten masters."
"..."
"An absolute master should just live quietly as if dead. The martial world is full of brats who do crazy things to make a name for themselves. This is the reason why the other top ten masters are in hiding."
Although Mado thought it was a strange logic, since she knew that Baekji was cunning, she obediently agreed.
"Alright."
(End of Chapter)