Volume 5
Chapter 3 Part
2
In the Trading
City , What Kind of Secrets Are People Hiding? 2
Translator : PolterGlast
Akira handed Saki a
wrapped package.
As soon as the package
was unwrapped, an appetizing aroma and steam escaped.
The heat, which could
be felt even through the thick paper, warmed Saki's cold fingers.
"It's a Jian bing
(煎餅). Let's use it to
warm up and satisfy our hunger."
"...Thanks."
Following Akira's
example, Saki took a bite without hesitation.
She took a breath as
the small shrimp and plenty of green onions spread throughout her mouth.
They laughed, exhaling
the heat that traveled down to their stomachs.
The flavor of the fish
sauce that filled their mouths gave Akira and Saki a sense of being in a place
far from Takamagahara.
After negotiating the
price, Dai Tian Lingying and Li Fengjun also received their paper-wrapped
snacks.
The ingredients were
simple, with just cheap river shrimp.
The shopkeeper, who
was not interested in them, put away the money and lit a cigarette.
"If you're going
to fry them, you should use glass shrimp instead of river shrimp. Do you have
any five-spice powder?"
"That stuff is
more expensive than pepper nowadays."
"Where are the
ingredients from?"
"Everywhere.
...To be honest, I'd say cinnamon and fennel.
I heard a rumor that the
officials are sticking to the inland distribution routes."
Fengjun, who was
eating the Jian bing regardless of the heat, interrupted Lingying.
"The route might
reopen in two days."
"...I'll keep my
expectations low."
Without responding
properly, the shopkeeper opened a newspaper.
—That means the conversation is over.
A historic
reconciliation between Qingdao and Rondaria. The girl frowned slightly at the
headline she saw in a corner of the newspaper.
When Lingying and
Fengjun joined them later, Akira and Saki looked serious.
"Even though the
Dōgyō family is in charge of the northern defense, it's strange that people
from Takamagahara can walk around so freely."
"Takamagahara has
been cut off from the rest of the world for hundreds of years. For them,
Takamagahara is just a remote, insignificant place.
As long as you pay
attention to your clothing, you'll be fine as long as you don't look too
different from the Rondarians."
Fengjun, standing
beside Lingying, threw the empty paper wrapper into the fire.
The smell of burning
paper faded into the cold air, and he licked the grease from his fingers and
said in a rough voice.
"Akira, was
it?" "—Fengjun."
Ignoring his senior
sister's sharp warning, the boy did not change his rude tone.
"Excuse me, Lord
Yotsurugi. Your Western-style attire won't stand out in Qingdao."
Akira and Saki's
uniforms were indeed influenced by Western styles.
Looking at the people
walking in the distance, away from the market, they realized that Fengjun's
observation was correct.
"Regardless of
what Fengjun said, the problem with that attire will arise after we leave
Qingdao.
—What I want you to keep in mind is that, as a general
rule, you should not use your skills."
"Skills?"
"Was it spirit
techniques, as they are called in Takamagahara? If anyone sees you using them,
you will be in big trouble not only in Qingdao but possibly in the entire
Dongling Province."
"It's true that
using spirit techniques in public is strictly prohibited even in Takamagahara,
but is there more to it?"
Even in Takamagahara,
using spirit techniques in public was strictly prohibited.
But the ominous
undertone made Akira and Saki wary.
"That's true, but
if you're tracked down by a gang, the Yuzenma Sect will find out about your
movements.
If a martial artist
from outside their jurisdiction were to use their skills in Dongling Province,
it would definitely offend the pride of the sect."
A gang was a group of
people united by a single profession.
From simple craftsmen
to beggars. The ties that bind them together for the purpose of mutual aid are
known to be strong.
Smaller gangs were
connected to larger gangs, and ultimately, all of them were under the control
of the six sects in that area.
If it was a gang in
Dongling Province, it would undoubtedly be under the control of the Yuzenma
Sect.
There was no doubt
that they could not escape this network without being able to fly.
"Even if we can't
move today, we need to act quickly.
Lord Yotsurugi, have
you decided on a course of action?"
"If the
cooperation of the Yuzenma Sect is necessary to obtain tickets, then the basic
plan remains the same as I mentioned earlier.
I have one question,
though. How well-known is Dai Tian Lingying within the Yuzenma Sect?"
"You..."
Fengjun's eyebrows
furrowed at Akira's casual question, but Lingying's palm stopped him from
saying anything further.
Without pursuing the
boy, who was backing down, Lingying rephrased the words.
"I'm a member of
the lowest-ranking family, so I don't have much influence.
But the upper echelons
of the Yuzenma Sect must have a grasp of the composition of each sect."
"They don't have
up-to-date information?"
"Even though the
Yuzenma Sect is skilled in assassination, I don't think they would waste their
resources on someone as insignificant as me.
...However, if it were
known that Dai Tian Lingying was in Qingdao, information about her would be
gathered from everywhere."
"In that case, we
only have one chance.
—Saki."
"Understood. I'll
ask Mitsugi-san about the inn.
—Shall we follow the original plan regarding Miss
Lingying?"
"...I don't
mind."
Akira, Saki, and the
others exchanged few words, their conversation drowned out by the surrounding
noises.
After the sound of
people's footsteps and steam faded, no one remained in the street.
◇
After settling into
separate rooms at the inn to get some rest for the next day, Fengjun, looking
at the thin, dirty walls of his room, let out a sigh of frustration.
"Are you sure
about this, Shijie (Senior Sister)?
If they find out so
much about our situation based on mere speculation, we won't know how the
Yuzenma Sect will react."
"Since they've
shown the Haiheng Company to us, it's better to assume that we have a certain
level of trust.
...More importantly,
the relationship between the Yuzenma Sect and Rondaria is deepening
rapidly."
Lingying calmly
responded to Fengjun's complaint and looked down at the floorboards.
Perhaps it was cheap
wood, the bark, which had been exposed to the sea breeze from the harbor, was
peeling back in places.
She remembered the information
she had obtained from the owner of the food stall.
It was a coded message
about the tension between the various sects.
"They said that
the supply of cinnamon (Cideren Sect) and fennel (Yuanlinwu Sect) has been
disrupted.
—Since both of them are being provoked by the Yuzenma
Sect and Rondaria, I don't think they will remain silent."
"Can we trust the
information from a small gang?"
"It's because
they are small, they can be trusted.
Since they are at the
bottom, they are more likely to commit crimes and sell cheap information for
money."
The information she
had given Akira and the others was slightly false.
Although the
surveillance network of the gangs reached every corner, its control was not
absolute.
The harbor gang that
they had used to travel to Takamagahara was a case in point. Since they were
involved in secret activities such as smuggling to Takamagahara, some of them
would choose to remain silent.
"Do you think we
can contact the Yuzenma Sect?"
"That's what
Shijie (Senior Sister) wants, but it's a bit difficult.
Even if we ask them
for a favor to get a ticket, we'll probably have to get off at Fangyu
Province."
Lingying did not seem
disappointed by her junior brother's answer. She pondered the situation,
comparing it to the plan she had formed in her mind.
"I wonder what
Lord Yotsurugi's purpose is in going to Bharatush. If we knew that, we could
adjust our approach."
"I heard he's a
newcomer to the Eight Families. Maybe he's just doing this for a little bit of
military achievement."
"Despite that, he
has the trust of the other Eight Families.
Instead of seeing it
as a reckless act of youth, it seems like they approved of it.
It’s just my guess,
but I think his alliance with us was originally used to serve his own interests
in going to Bharatush."
Lingying had not
simply accept Akira's request without thinking.
She had confirmed
through probing conversations that Tsonma was only a transit point.
Although the benefits
were sufficient reason to agree, she was still uneasy because she did not know
how the situation would develop in the long term.
Even if it's just the
outcome, it would be ideal if she could avoid a conflict between Rondaria and
Shinkenten Sect. However, there is still uncertainty as to how things will play
out in the long term.
"We should take
precautions. ...Let's join forces."
"I'll do as you
say, Shijie (Senior Sister), but I don't have any connections there."
"If you don't
have any connections, we'll just have to create some.
Get in touch with the
Harbor Gang. —I heard they've been saving up a lot of money, so they definitely
have connections elsewhere."
The handsome boy
smiled wildly at the girl's decision.
He gracefully moved
away from the wall and disappeared out the window.
◇
The freezing cold of
the harbor enveloped the boy.
He distorted his face
as he kicked the pillar and went from wall to wall.
He danced silently
through the air, and his feet softly landed on the roof tiles.
His breath was white.
Below, the flow of people on the bustling street was even more lively than
during the day, as befitted the reputation of the sleepless city.
He snorted and turned
away without interest.
A flash of silver
light caught his eye, and Fengjun dodged just in time.
He looked up sharply,
and their eyes met, filled with contempt.
"Where do you
think you're going?"
"Haoran..."
A man with a handsome
face, his robe fluttering behind him, stood on the roof opposite, his feet
planted firmly on the tiles.
Fengjun let out a
bitter sigh at the sight of the person he least wanted to see.
—The man's face looked very much like his own.
He had carefully
concealed his presence when leaving the inn, so he should have been able to
avoid detection.
His footprints must
have been discovered because he had used his physical enhancement technique to
avoid the eyes of the gang.
"I heard that you
were seen at today's flea market.
I didn't expect to see
my foolish little brother running around like a rat."
"Hmph. I thought
you had forgotten about me a long time ago."
"I had forgotten.
Until I heard that the fool I sent to the Heavenly Sect was wandering around
the outskirts of the Yuzenma Sect.
—What does my foolish brother, who has cut ties with
the Yuzenma Sect without knowing its plight, want with us after all these
years?"
"Considering that,
you're doing quite well. Looks like you don't know what's happening to Tsonma
after the betrayal of the Yuzenma Sect."
"Isn't that a
good thing?
With steam engines and
abundant resources. Rondaria's greed is interesting to watch from afar."
"I'd like to join
in on that. I apologize for disturbing your garden, but could you please turn a
blind eye to this cute little brother of yours who's just wandering around
sightseeing? —Brother."
Haoran, the man
Fengjun was addressing, twitched his eyebrows at Fengjun's desperate plea.
Gradually, his
shoulders began to tremble, and then he burst out laughing.
"...Don't worry.
I'm not the least bit optimistic that you, a small fry, can crawl around on
your own.
If you tell me who
you're working for, I'll just break your limbs and let you go."
"You probably
just want to bring father here. Stop making such a fuss.
—Or is it that you still hold a grudge because the
woman you liked fell for me?"
It was unclear whether
his last remark was serious or not.
—What was certain was that Fengjun's final
light-hearted remark had enraged Haoran.
Haoran took a sharp
breath and his body tensed slightly.
—In an instant, a refined spirit power exploded
soundlessly, shattering the tiles and accelerating him forward.
It was a powerful technique
of physical enhancement, called Pofeng Shunshin (破風迅行).
Literal translation:
Breaking through the wind, swift movement.
Leaving behind a sound
that seemed to split the very air, Haoran landed on the roof where Fengjun had
been standing. The momentum of his landing shattered the tiles, and a scream
tore through the night air.
Fengjun landed on
another roof, his tongue clicking in annoyance as he watched his older brother.
"Silence is
supposed to be the virtue of the Yuzenma Sect. What would Father think if he
saw the head of the assassins making such a commotion?"
"Recently, the
Yuzenma Sect has had to change its strategy.
When you see cannons
lined up offshore, martial arts seem like child's play."
Haoran stood up
leisurely. A new pair of short swords peeked out from between his fingers.
He showed no signs of
backing down.
Fengjun tried to find
an opening to escape from this situation and sighed inwardly.
Even since childhood,
his older brother had been admired as one of the most talented members of the
Yuzenma Sect.
Although he made light
remarks, Fengjun recognized his brother's abilities.
"Draw your
weapon. Let me see what you've got."
"Tch!!
―Seeii!"
Haoran attacked again,
and their breaths crossed. A sharp blade shot out from Haoran towards Fengjun,
who was darting through the night sky.
—There was no way to avoid it. Making a split-second
decision, Fengjun concentrated his spirit power.
The Six Teachings of
Tsonma, Great Diamond Strength, ―Tian Gang Bu Huai (indestructible heavenly steel).
With a single sweep of
his hand, he deflected two of the blades, and with a flick of his finger, he
deflected the third.
Sparks flew through
the darkness as Fengjun's posture was completely disrupted.
His opponent was not
so naive as to let him off the hook. Ahead of his eyes, a blade pierced the
air, leaving a dull glow in its wake.
"—It's
over!"
"Damn it!"
The deadly blow was
about to strike Fengjun.
In a last-ditch
effort, the boy tried to meet the blow head-on.
―But then he clearly saw the blade shatter from the
blow that fell from above.
Jakuen Gayou, a sword
that had been drawn for only a moment, melted away into the air.
Akira sheathed the
perfectly clear blade and let out a short breath.
How many people could
recognize such a weapon whose only thing they could see at that moment was the
hilt?
Drawing the divine
weapon was a gamble for Akira.
Fengjun and Akira
landed on separate roofs and glared at each other.
"Who are
you?"
"A martial artist
from the Shinkentenkyo. That should be enough for you."
"—You, you can
speak the language of Tsonma?"
Confusion and shock
crossed. Only the darkness of the night witnessed the intense confrontation.
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