Chapter 9

The streets of Infinite were already bustling with people.

The Dragon Phoenix Gathering and Heavenly Dragon Battle were still half a month away, but many had set out early to spectate.

Those who had frequented Martial Arts Tournaments knew from experience that arriving with some leeway was necessary to secure lodging.

Especially with a grand festival like this year's, where the Heavenly Dragon Battle and Dragon Phoenix Gathering were held together, half a month wasn't even that early.

Of course, the rudeness was a given, and the exorbitant prices charged by innkeepers were annoying, but it was something to be endured, and better than watching this great spectacle while sleeping rough.

Thanks to this, the merchants of Infinite were enjoying an early boom. Not only from Hubei, but also traders from other provinces flocked to Infinite, and various events were held every day.

Jeong Charyeon trudged through the crowd.

Wearing a bamboo hat with a veil, no one recognized her. Even without the hat, the crowd was so dense that it wasn't even possible for anyone to recognize her.

She wandered here and there, wherever her feet took her. Her gloomy mood didn't dissipate. The more she thought about it, the more resentment she felt towards her father and sister. Of course, she understood.

But even so, she never expected them to tell her to attend the Dragon Phoenix Gathering with trash like Jang In-geol, at least according to her standards.

What do they think of me?

Merchants all around shouted themselves hoarse.

"Come on, new goods have arrived! West Lake Dragon Well tea, special price only today at half the price!"

In these days when fakes were rampant, selling the expensive Dragon Well tea at half the price was like advertising, 'This tea is fake! You're a fool if you get tricked!' Nevertheless, people swarmed, tempted by the cheap price.

"A miraculous sword hilt decoration made of noctilucent stone fragments that glows in the night for only two taels."

There was no way noctilucent stone could be that cheap, and even if it glowed with some cheap luminescent material, the thought of a sword handle glowing in the night made it perfect for getting killed.

The world seen after growing up was full of incomprehensible things.

Deceiving and being deceived, hurting and being hurt.

The rumors she heard were always stories with perpetrators and victims.

Back when the word 'Jianghu' alone filled her heart with excitement, when her heart fluttered at the sight of the sword at her waist, Jeong Charyeon had resolved to become a great Martial Artist someday.

But now?

Was she really growing up to be the kind of Jianghu person she had dreamed of as a child? The more she felt that Jianghu was a hotbed of all sorts of schemes, the more she realized that honesty was no longer a virtue, the more insecure she became.

Even to her, stuck in the Righteous Sword Sect, Jianghu was approaching with such a frightening face, she feared how much more terrifying and hideous the real Jianghu would be.

Perhaps she was afraid of the fact that she was now at the age where she had to go out into that Jianghu. She tried to muster her courage a dozen times a day, but Jianghu was still frightening.

Suddenly, she felt like drinking.

When it came to alcohol, she only wet her lips on family birthdays. That tasteless alcohol was tempting her today.

But she hesitated to go to an inn and drink alone. What if someone recognized her and it reached her father's ears? Even if I were a parent, I would really hate it if someone said, 'Your daughter was drinking alone at a tavern.'

If only I had a friend to have a drink with at times like this.

What a mess my relationships are.

Her relationships couldn't be normal. Men sent strange glances before becoming friends, and women chose to be jealous of her rather than fostering friendship.

It was just easier to be alone.

As the street jokes went, it was a world where you lived alone anyway.

"Wahahahaha!"

Cheers and laughter erupted from an empty lot in the corner of the market. A performance troupe was putting on a street performance.

Another thing that had increased a lot since the end of the war was these street performance troupes. There was nothing as effective as art in soothing the hearts of weary people. Of course, few people saw it as art, but in any case, countless street performances touched the hearts of many.

The most popular subject of those performances was, of course, the Orthodox-Demonic War twenty years ago. There were many stories depicting their heroic exploits, and today's performance was also about the battle between the Heavenly Demon and Yue Buxian, who was the leader of the Orthodox Alliance at the time. Of course, the fact that those two had fought was an unproven story.

The performance was almost at its end. Was that why? The lines that poured out were all the more melodramatic and didactic.

"Do you realize now how terrible your vile ambition was? Look! Who will compensate for all that noble blood? Do you think your death can compensate for their deaths?"

"To think that the dream of unifying the demonic cult would end so futilely..."

Ah, what lines born from such poor imagination.

I'd rather throw one more Hidden weapon than recite such lines.

"Foolish one! You are still only dreaming."

"Yue Buxian! I will definitely kill you!"

"Come! I will show you the eternal immutability of the path of righteousness."

The two clashed. Perhaps because they were actors who had learned basic Martial arts, the two men nimbly swept across the stage.

After exchanging swords a few times with exaggerated acting, the Heavenly Demon finally fell to Yue Buxian's sword.

People cheered and applauded.

Jeong Charyeon shook her head.

"Unbelievable!"

It was a truly pathetic performance. If the real leader of the Orthodox Alliance had defeated the Heavenly Demon, there would be at least a hundred monuments commemorating the event in the Central Plains by now. Besides, the makeup of the actor playing the Heavenly Demon was a sight to behold.

He was fiercely made up in red, making him look like a true demon.

"Even if it's the demonic cult, this is too biased a performance."

Well, I guess they can't very well have a performance in broad daylight where the Heavenly Demon beats up the leader of the Orthodox Alliance, can they?

Just then, someone next to her said.

"I think so too. It's really the worst."

Startled, she turned to see a youthful-looking man standing with his arms crossed, she didn't know when he had arrived.

The man caught Jeong Charyeon's eye at once. No, not just her, but any Martial World person would take notice of his appearance.

The first thing that caught her eye was the two weapons he carried on his back. He carried a greatsword that looked really heavy and a sword that was one forearm's length longer than a normal sword, crossed in an X shape.

There were many people in Jianghu who carried multiple weapons. But most of them were of the same type, like twin swords, or weapons that assisted the main weapon. It was very rare to see someone carrying both a sword and a saber together like this.

Moreover, the sword and saber were so large and long that it didn't seem easy to draw them from his back. In addition, the sword and saber were wrapped in white and black cloth, respectively, all the way to the handles, and the drooping cloth hung down to his waist.

It seemed like he was dressing up to match the trends of young people these days, or maybe they were stage weapons used by these performance troupes.

His appearance was kind and likable. Especially his eyes, which were clear and deep, but with a hint of mischief and playfulness that made him look young. It was as if a rich young master had dressed up to the nines and gone out.

Then, one thing strongly drew her gaze.

It was the tattoo on the back of his hand.

The tattoo on his left hand was a blue Heavenly Dragon. The figure of the Heavenly Dragon looked as if it would ascend to heaven at any moment.

The tattoo on his right hand was a red demon. It was a vivid and terrifying figure that looked as if it would snap its mouth shut if you touched it.

The two contrasting tattoos made him look truly unique.

"The Heavenly Demon's Nine Calamities Demonic Art is an invincible Demonic Art, no one can beat him in a one-on-one fight."

The man spoke as if he had seen the Heavenly Demon's Martial arts himself.

"Besides, there's no way someone like Yue Buxian could beat him."

The old men standing next to him frowned and glared at him.

To the conservative old men, the leader of the Orthodox Alliance was truly a great figure who protected them from the evil demonic cult.

The man didn't care about the gazes around him.

"Moreover... the Orthodox-Demonic War didn't end so anticlimactically."

His expression and tone were so serious that he really looked like someone who had run through the battlefields of the fierce battle. But that couldn't be. The person in front of her was a young man of a similar age to herself, too awkward to even be called a man.

Jeong Charyeon turned her gaze to the stage where the actors were giving their final greetings.

'Pathetic.'

Why do they all boast like this? Isn't boasting the most vulgar way to protect oneself? When I went to banquets with my father as a child, everyone would boast about themselves. It was as if they were desperately trying not to be ignored or forgotten by others if they didn't.

'Well.'

On the other hand, I also thought, what's wrong with boasting a little in this day and age? These days, Martial World people value practicality more than chivalry. A world where they'd stab a friend in the back for a few coins.

The man standing behind her stood next to Jeong Charyeon.

As soon as Jeong Charyeon turned around, he suggested in a friendly manner, as if he were meeting a friend after a long time.

"I'm thirsty, let's have a drink together. If you don't like day drinking, you can have tea."

"You?"

Jeong Charyeon stared at him, dumbfounded, and the man gave her a puzzled look in return.

"Why? I thought we were about the same age. I'm twenty. How about you?"

"....."

Damn it, he's older than I thought. He looks young, though. I had a feeling he might be lying about a year or two.

"And why don't you take off that thing on your head? Judging by your figure, you probably have a decent face."

It was quite rude, but he said it so naturally that she missed the chance to get angry for a moment.

"We're all friends if we're young people. Aren't you annoyed by kids who are too formal? You too, right?"

I wanted to retort, 'You talk too much,' but the man's mouth never stopped.

"It's my first time in Infinite. Are you a local? Take me to an inn with good drinks and good food. I'll buy you a drink."

Jeong Charyeon was regretting wearing the bamboo hat.

If they saw her face, they wouldn't act so carelessly.

She turned around, thinking she should just ignore him. The man followed her for a few steps.

Jeong Charyeon stopped abruptly and said coldly.

"Do you know me?"

"No."

"Then why are you hitting on me?"

"What else should I do to a woman I've just met?"

"What?"

Jeong Charyeon was speechless at the man's blunt words.

"Do you want to get beaten up?"

"Don't do that. I don't fight with women."

Jeong Charyeon's most hated words came out.

"You don't fight with women?"

"Yeah, I don't fight with women."

Okay, if that's how you want to play it.

"Are you that strong? Strong enough to go easy on women?"

She gripped her sword threateningly. She wasn't angry enough to cut him down. But he was a little too annoying to just let go. She decided to scare him a little.

"Don't misunderstand. It's not because I look down on women. It's just that my mother, who gave birth to me, is a woman, so that's why I won't fight."

What? What kind of ridiculous thing is that? Jeong Charyeon was momentarily speechless.

"Women... there are many times when I don't understand them, but still, I basically respect them. And you'll understand when you see my mother. Why I respect women."

His attitude was quite serious, and it didn't seem like a story he had made up on the spur of the moment.

Okay, let's just drop it. I'm already in a bad mood.

Jeong Charyeon let go of the sword hilt.

Then the man grinned and said.

"You're surprisingly simple-minded, aren't you?"

"What?"

With that, the man grabbed Jeong Charyeon's arm and pulled her along.

"Come on, let's go quickly. I'm hungry and thirsty."

Jeong Charyeon was flustered. It was a little funny to call it a man's touch, but anyway, it had been too long since she had been grabbed by the arm by someone else.

Jeong Charyeon asked coldly.

"You're a Jianghu person, aren't you?"

"What if I am?"

"Then you should keep your manners."

The man's eyes deepened for a moment. He said cynically.

"Do you think this Jianghu is worth it?"

"......!"

Clang!

Why did I draw my sword?

It was unconscious. Even as she drew her sword, Jeong Charyeon regretted it. It wasn't something to draw a sword over.

But the moment she heard those words, she was angry. It felt like something she was worried about, afraid of, but on the other hand, cherished more than anything else, had been trampled on in an instant. That must have been why.

Whoosh--

It was a reflexive sword draw, so it was quite fast. Of course, she didn't intend to cut the man down. She had just drawn her sword out of anger, but that alone was a threatening and dangerous moment.

"Whoops!"

The man quickly dodged the sword and ran away.

The seriousness had already disappeared from his face. He pouted.

"Why are you being so scary?"

That's what he said, but his face was full of relaxed smiles.

Clang.

Sheathed the sword and turned around.

She was embarrassed. Her face was flushed.

She felt like an immature kid who couldn't control her emotions for a moment.

On the other hand, she was furious.

Jeong Charyeon, who had taken a few steps, stopped.

Don't be ridiculous. This Jianghu isn't so bad that it can be ignored.

She turned around.

The man was still standing there, looking at her.

Jeong Charyeon said calmly.

"But you're living in this Jianghu."

Why am I doing this when we're just going to part ways and never see each other again?

Then the man smiled brightly. It was a smile full of goodwill. With a kind face that made it hard to get angry...

Looking so innocent.

Jeong Charyeon turned and walked away.

Because it was a marketplace, because it was a street... yes, it must have been because it was noisy.

She didn't hear the whisper of fate that echoed in her ear.

...It's just beginning.