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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator:Bobt
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A hawk was flying in the clear and cold sky.
As it soared high, the hawk surveyed the lush forests, streams, and valleys below, searching for prey. Although it preferred small game like mice or snakes, today the hawk hoped to simply find the carcass of a large animal. Naturally, it was much easier to just land and tear into meat rather than going through the trouble of hunting.
Something lying by the riverside caught the hawk’s eye. It circled overhead to get a better look. The form of a collapsed person could be seen with their head submerged in the water, while a horse grazed nearby. The hawk found it hard to make sense of the scene.
However, it couldn’t pass up this chance for an effortless meal. The hawk descended slowly, landing not directly on the body, but on a riverside tree to observe the situation more closely first.
The hawk could see that the collapsed person’s right shoulder was stained red, clearly from a large wound. Perhaps they had come to the river to wash the injury, but succumbed to their condition.
What about the horse grazing beside them? The hawk figured it was of no concern. In its experience, horses that accompanied humans were always dull and daft. It could approach and start picking at the body now with no reaction.
The hawk spread its wings to fly towards what seemed to be a corpse. But at that moment, someone appeared on the other side of the stream. The hawk quickly folded its wings and assessed the situation.
The newcomer was a young girl carrying a net. Based on her clothing and brown skin, the hawk recognized her as one of the humans that lived together upstream. It hoped the girl would just leave the body alone. Humans had the strange habit of burying or covering their dead with stones.
However, contrary to the hawk’s wishes, the girl began cautiously approaching the collapsed figure – which the hawk hoped was a corpse. The hawk should have been startled then by the horse that stepped forward to block her way.
The brown horse, peacefully grazing just moments before, now neighed loudly at the approaching girl as if it were a guard dog protecting its master. But the girl carefully walked up, raised both hands to pet the horse’s neck and soothe it.
“It’s okay, I’m not trying to hurt him. You’re a loyal one, aren’t you? And clever too.”
The horse, which had been growling almost like a real dog, quickly calmed under the girl’s touch and praise, whinnying as it led her towards the body.
The girl used gentle hands to pull the body out of the shallows and examine it. To the watching hawk’s dismay, she then began the worst possible action – with some effort, she lifted the body onto the horse’s saddle and began leading it upstream by the reins.
The hawk briefly considered swooping down to chase the girl off, but decided it would be a waste of energy for no gain. It was best to fly off now and seek another target. The girl leading the horse’s reins turned to look back at the hawk flying into the distant sky. Between the blue expanse and drifting clouds, a dark speck grew more distant.
After watching it a moment, the girl turned and continued leading the horse. The brown steed, Jojo, followed her happily with a spring in its step, enjoying her hand stroking its neck.
* * *
“Name, Jang Geon. Age, appears to be in late twenties. Martial arts level, at minimum on par with skilled members of the Martial Alliance patrol… Is this really all?”
Ji Shiren looked at the other person with an unsatisfied expression. In the dimly lit inn room, the one facing her had their face and figure completely concealed by a large bamboo hat and black veil.
They were an secret envoy from the local Martial Alliance intelligence network that Ji Shiren had pressured her superiors to make contact with. Seeing the traces of Jang Geon’s fist techniques, she felt the need to investigate him and took the opportunity to look into other matters as well. But the information the envoy provided was woefully inadequate.
“Well, what else would there be? He’s not some famous figure from the Central Plains or a warrior of a great family. There are countless wandering martial artists like him roaming the wilderness. The only reason his name is even in the records is because he’s collected some bounties.”
“No, I mean, if he’s someone who came from the Central Plains, shouldn’t there be information on what region he’s from, what clan he belongs to, that sort of thing?”
Shan Hu interjected, unable to remain silent. However, the veiled envoy’s attitude didn’t change.
“If you want to know his history before sailing over, try asking the intelligence organizations on the Central Plains side. I’m someone who gets a splitting headache just from the monthly Alliance reports I have to compile. What do you expect me to do when you ask about some unimportant martial artist who uses an unusual fist art but mainly wields a sword?”
“Well, I mean, that’s true, but… Still, if you’re going to call yourself an envoy, shouldn’t you have something more…”
“Look, the only other thing I can tell you is that the fist art he used isn’t the Emperor’s Fist. The corpse’s skin was intact, right? That’s what the dead bandit had.”
Shan Hu perked up, feeling this was finally some useful information, and leaned forward to reply.
“Yes. But the internal organs were pulverized.”
“Hm. Contrary to common knowledge, the Emperor’s Fist used by the Imperial Army isn’t such a clean technique. Pulverized innards match the fist art that warrior used, but the real Emperor’s Fist is even more gruesome. A single blow ruptures the qi and blood throughout the body, leaving horrible bruising all over. The amount of inner energy required for that one punch is also immense, so only the truly ancient monsters among the Imperial Army can use it.”
Shan Hu nodded, satisfied to hear such fascinating details. But Ji Shiren asked with a stern face:
“What if it’s a new fist art developed from the Emperor’s Fist as a foundation?”
A chuckle could be heard from under the bamboo hat and veil.
“Like I said, the Emperor’s Fist consumes far too much inner energy, so it’s practically been abandoned even within the Imperial Army. With that much energy, you could swing a sword a dozen times – that’s their reasoning. But due to its power, it’s still classified as a top-tier martial art and kept under strict security. The Imperial Army won’t even consider it due to inefficiency, while the martial arts sects and great families have never even laid eyes on the technique. So how could it possibly be developed further?”
The envoy leaned back in their chair and continued.
“I understand why you of the Scarlet Sentinel suspect him to be an elite Imperial Army expert. But just because he’s a young master of unknown origin using a pseudo-Emperor’s Fist, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s an undercover imperial agent. He may simply have extraordinary talent in the martial arts. Besides, based on his fondness for collecting bounties, as long as he’s helpful to the Martial Alliance, there shouldn’t be any issues, right?”
Ji Shiren pondered those words for a moment before sighing lightly and standing up. She then extended a hand to the envoy, who looked confused for a moment before realizing and handing over the prepared documents.
Downstairs in the inn, the six children who had been kidnapped by the Scarlet Serpent Group were currently having a combative meal. The real information Ji Shiren had wanted from the envoy was about the children’s homes and the human trafficking organization. Asking about Jang Geon had just been an extra query.
After collecting the documents, Ji Shiren and Shan Hu gave brief farewells to the envoy and left the room. Now they would return the children to their families and use the envoy’s intel to crush the trafficking ring. That was their job, after all.
The envoy, seeing them out, removed the bamboo hat with a creak of floorboards as their footsteps descended.
“Phew, damn. I thought I’d suffocate in there.”
The man who emerged from under the hat was Yang Hong. Wiping the beads of sweat from his forehead, he took out a single sheet of paper from his chest. It contained a brief message:
[Jang Geon. Second son of the Jang family of Hunan. Known to have shown exceptional martial arts talent from a young age. His merchant father wished for him to join the Imperial Army. However, had some unknown falling out with his family. After the conflict, he wandered the Central Plains before heading to the New World. Had many martial arts teachers in his youth but none above Bing-rank.
Security Clearance: Ding-rank. Above is information requested by Dark Dragon Seven.]
“…Shit. Is that it? Shouldn’t you find out what that family conflict was about? Why is the empire’s intelligence so half-assed? And the security rank is Ding? For a guy who solo’d a Scarlet Sentinel squad and used a pseudo-Emperor’s Fist? The Imperial Court and Martial Alliance may be big in size but they’re all show.”
Yang Hong, a secret envoy for the Martial Alliance and also a member of the imperial Dark Dragon intelligence service, scratched his head in frustration. He pondered how to leverage this information to extort more funds from both organizations. It occurred to him that he might need to seek out this Jang Geon himself first.
His job was to travel the area, assess the situation, and gather intelligence. Just like Ji Shiren, it was his line of work. To him, the Martial Alliance and Imperial Court were just convenient fronts to facilitate his tasks.
* * *
Countless people were laughing and chatting. There were so many that shoulders bumped into shoulders, but not to the extent of needing to apologize each time. Amidst the throngs, some people were riding large structures and cheering. However, they all seemed to be lacking in color somehow. A bit faded.
As he observed them, he realized his eye level was only around their waists. And that there was a warm hand holding his right hand.
Turning to look, he saw a woman. A woman firmly grasping his small hand for some reason. A face showing the hardships and weariness of life despite her young age. An expression of displeasure at the excessive crowd. The most distinct person in this somewhat faded world. Sensing the gaze looking up at her, she lowered her head. And even in her irritation at the overwhelming mass of people, she made an effort to smile for her young son.
Knowing it made her happy, he smiled back.
“Huh? Is this guy smiling?”
“Seems like he’s having a good dream.”
“Is that so? Oh, wait, I don’t think so. Looks like he’s waking up.”
Jang Geon instinctively circulated his inner energy as his hazy vision returned. The inner force sleeping in his dantian rushed forth at its master’s call. Jang Geon’s vision cleared, allowing him to make out the two faces filling his view.
“Oh. Now that his eyes are open, he’s even more handsome. I think he’s better looking than the Central Plains people living in the village downstream.”
“So he’s handsome, then what?”
“No, I’m just saying. Don’t the Central Plains folks have a saying that what’s good is good?”
The two people bantering in front of Jang Geon as if he weren’t there were a girl and a middle-aged man. With healthy brown skin, they were observing Jang Geon with mysterious golden eyes.
“Could I trouble you for some water?”
The two, chatting amongst themselves, looked startled at Jang Geon’s sudden words.
“…He speaks our language?”
“…I see. And quite fluently at that.”
“I learned a bit in the past. I don’t know the languages of the tribes beyond the mountains at all though.”
The girl beamed at his words.
“Wow! This is the first time I’ve seen someone from the Central Plains speak our language so smoothly! You understand everything I’m saying?”
“…I get the gist of it.”
“Amazing… No wonder the horse with him was so smart. With an owner like this…”
The girl suddenly froze mid-sentence, her smiling face still in place. Then she rapidly began turning red. She discreetly rose from her seat. The middle-aged man looked at her and asked:
“Where are you going?”
“…I’ll go fetch some water.”
She whispered the reply and promptly exited the tent. The man watched her leave with a quiet chuckle before turning to Jang Geon and speaking – in the language of the Central Plains.
“She seems embarrassed about calling you handsome. Normally she’s quite bold, but she gets rather shy at times.”
This time it was Jang Geon who was a bit surprised. The man’s Central Plains speech was extremely fluent.
“…I’m Jang Geon.”
“Oh? You’re not going to ask how I speak your language so well?”
As Jang Geon slowly sat up, he realized he was shirtless and his previously pierced right shoulder was thickly caked with dried mud. Based on the strong scent, it wasn’t ordinary mud.
“Our lands have known each other for over a century. Just as I speak your tongue, it shouldn’t be strange for you to speak ours.”
“…That’s a fair point. The Central Plains people I’ve met until now have all found it amazing, so I assumed you would too.”
Jang Geon carefully tried moving his right arm. No matter how skilled a martial artist, this kind of penetrating wound could easily lead to permanent disability if mishandled. The poison he belatedly detected had worsened the injury. He hadn’t collapsed by the riverside for no reason.
“Hm. Seems medicine was applied. You have my thanks.”
As Jang Geon tested his arm and noted the greatly reduced pain, he expressed his gratitude. But the middle-aged man suddenly laughed.
“Well. From what I’ve observed over the past two days, I’d say you would have recovered even without my help. You have a remarkable healing ability, Jang Geon. Your ancestors must be watching over you. Ah, I’m known as Chi Feng. That would be ‘Scarlet Wind’ in your people’s way. Nice to meet you.”
Scarlet Wind. Jang Geon surmised that he was a warrior. Perhaps he had even trained in martial arts. After introducing himself, Chi Feng quietly watched Jang Geon examine his wound before abruptly speaking.
“My niece will return with water soon. Before then, let me ask you something.”
Jang Geon raised his head to meet his gaze. Chi Feng’s golden eyes seemed to glimmer as if trying to penetrate the truth.
“Are you on the run from someone?”
“No.”
“Then why did you collapse in the valley? And with that injury? I apologize for prying, but I need you to help me confirm you’re not a threat. If you’re not, I’ll do whatever it takes to ensure the tribe’s safety.”
Jang Geon had to ponder for a moment. He was too tired to recount the past several days in detail. So he slowly laid back down and said:
“…You need not worry. Those who were pursuing me are all dead.”
Chi Feng looked stunned at that response for a moment before laughing heartily. As Jang Geon listened to his booming laughter and watched the girl quietly re-enter, he thought to himself – based on everything he had learned, these people discovered hundreds of years ahead of schedule were definitely not the helpless natives he had read about.
He thought this while looking into her golden eyes.
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