WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Haruto
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◈ The Martial Alliance Rulebook Archives ◈
Chapter 47: Shadow of the Clan (3)
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Lamp-Extinguishing Executioner, or more precisely, the one who had styled themself with that name, hurried toward a private home.
Having failed the mission, they had to report it.
Fortunately, the night was still deep, and ordinary people untrained in martial arts could not see through Lamp-Extinguishing Executioner's stealth.
Even if they woke and saw Lamp-Extinguishing Executioner's movements, they would only think themselves unlucky that a fox had raided the chicken coop.
After circling several homes and catching three chickens, Lamp-Extinguishing Executioner left one alive and swiftly cut off the heads of the other two.
They grafted those two heads onto the living chicken. Then they cut off and grafted on legs as well, creating a bizarre chicken with three heads and six legs.
But that was not the end.
Finally, they tore a wing from one of the chickens and inserted it into the living chicken's back. A monstrous chicken with three heads, three wings, and six legs was complete.
The Black Lotus Society called it a Three-Headed Six-Legged Fowl.
Strangely, the wing embedded in the middle of its back began flapping on its own. The blood flowing from the severed surfaces stopped, and the fowl's three heads began a discordant chorus.
It was done.
[What is it?]
A human voice came from the chicken's left head. This was why the Black Lotus Society's intelligence organization, the Many-Eyed Court, called itself the place where many eyes dwelled.
They could use Anomalies with many eyes to watch over the martial world and secretly exchange messages.
Gripping the chicken's right head, Lamp-Extinguishing Executioner said, “The Embroidered Uniform Guard has intervened. The person I fought directly was a Commissioner. I also confirmed that several Captains and Enforcers were operating nearby.”
The left head fell silent for a moment, then spoke with a low sigh.
[Return.]
“Will that be all right? I recall the Anomaly Destruction Hall specifically requested this target.”
The commission Lamp-Extinguishing Executioner had received was truly strange. The Anomaly Destruction Hall, which pursued Anomalies rather than people, had unusually requested a human corpse.
More precisely, they wanted the target captured if possible, but requested the recovery of the body if that proved impossible.
At first, Lamp-Extinguishing Executioner had planned to attempt a capture as well. But the target had been assigned the night watch, and Lamp-Extinguishing Executioner had extinguished the lamp.
From then on, the Anomaly Destruction Hall's request to take the target alive had become worthless.
From what they had seen and learned from masters of killing, the more strictly one followed one's own principles, the more rewarding the killing became.
It was regrettable. They had to return without fully carrying out their will because of outside pressure.
[If you are told to continue the killing even after the Embroidered Uniform Guard has appeared, I will go there myself and settle the matter.]
“......”
Lamp-Extinguishing Executioner remained silent. The voice from the left head lightly rebuked them.
[Are you ashamed before your martial uncle?]
“What martial uncle? How could a traitor who left the Many-Eyed Court for the Anomaly Destruction Hall be my martial uncle?”
[Soso Soso's reassignment was forced through by the Society Leader. It was not a betrayal of us.]
Lamp-Extinguishing Executioner recalled the person who had taught them about rewarding killings. The assassin who had said that assassins must kill people had apparently been blinded by ambition and moved to a place where Anomalies were killed.
“Hmph. A washed-up relic beaten by the fish-reeking half-beast of the Records Office.”
[Is that so....]
The Many-Eyed Court's Far-Sighted Eye knew well that Lamp-Extinguishing Executioner's words and feelings did not match. Had they not admired Soso Soso, they would not have chosen their own epithet in the same fashion.[1]
[Return and report in detail what happened.]
Far-Sighted Eye knew well that Soso Soso was eager for a killing.
To proclaim a glorious return to the Anomaly Records Office.
Soso Soso would likely wish to carry out a killing personally, under the pretext of making up for the Many-Eyed Court's failure.
A martial artist's shattered pride was such a troublesome thing to manage.
* * *
By an odd coincidence, the day Murong Sung decided to pursue the culprit after meeting Yeok Cheonmyeong was the same day Lamp-Extinguishing Executioner received the order to withdraw.
* * *
“How did it go?”
Jaksu approached, his hair disheveled. I nodded and answered.
“When I said I knew nothing, he rather curtly said that he understood. It seems he intends to lie low.”
I thought of the choice Murong Sung would make. With no supervisor on hand to embellish and report his achievements to the Martial Alliance in a more exciting and realistic fashion, staging a major operation was slightly less appealing.
“Murong Sung will probably fire a few arrows to pressure Iron-Steel Stronghold. Attrition is the best thing the attacking side can force on the defenders.”
They would continue scattered attacks on Iron-Steel Stronghold, forcing its defenders into a situation where they had no choice but to exhaust themselves.
If things went according to plan, by the time the Martial Alliance dispatched a proper supervisor, the bandits of Iron-Steel Stronghold would be worn out because they could not sleep properly.
Then, if Murong Sung personally led martial artists to wipe out Iron-Steel Stronghold, it would make an excellent scene for publicity.
Naturally, that was good for me as well. The tighter the encirclement and the more thorough the suppression, the less likely anyone would interfere with my investigation of the Anomaly at Iron-Steel Mountain.
“That's a relief. Whew, dealing with those arrogant clan types is always uncomfortable.”
“Why? Do you think you will be the one to strike first?”
“I'd be embarrassed to make a spectacle of myself. When I see them swaggering around because they are from a clan, it reminds me of my old home.”
Jaksu spoke quite calmly. It was the first time I had heard about the Captain's past.
“Oh? So you came from a fairly well-off family?”
He gave a faint laugh.
“About as well off as most. Ha, I can finally relax a little. Come this way. They've set up a separate camp for outsiders like us.”
As I silently followed Jaksu, I fell into thought.
I had heard that an Anomaly might appear, but I did not know exactly what kind of Anomaly it would be.
Even Jade Scale, who had read the Heavenly Order herself, said, “I cannot rule out the possibility that I was wrong.”
'At least the worst it can be is a Human-grade martial type.'
That still meant it could kill people. Suddenly unnerved, I took a deep breath.
There was nothing unusual in the scent that reached my nose. The smells of grass and earth mingled with the sweat of martial artists, boiling rice, and smoke from the fires.
It seemed the Anomaly had not yet fully entered its active phase.
I recalled Jade Scale's instructions. She had said that if we searched around Iron-Steel Mountain for one xun, or ten days, without finding any clues, it would mean she had read the Heavenly Order incorrectly and we should return.
Of the ten days allotted to me, one day was already drawing to a close.
'No, I've only been holed up in the camp. Doesn't that mean I haven't actually searched properly?'
The Martial Alliance needed to send someone in charge soon so I could get out of here.
I fell asleep with that thought in mind.
The next day:
“Research Officer Yeok. I, Murong, have searched the nearby homes and found traces of the culprit.”
“...?”
* * *
It was absurd. How had they found Lamp-Extinguishing Executioner?
Murong Sung grinned.
“Please consider the supplies I, Murong, requested from the Martial Alliance.”
“Oh!” I exclaimed.
“Tracking incense!”
Murong Sung nodded proudly. Now I understood what had happened.
“Oh. There was something like that among the supplies?”
Jaksu asked with a puzzled look. Of course, special supplies such as tracking incense had to be handled discreetly. The very act of procuring tracking incense could reveal that someone intended to pursue a target.
The list of supplies I had received came from the Anomaly Records Office, so it included every concealed item. It seemed the list given to the White Sword Squad had deliberately omitted confidential matters.
“As expected, Research Officer Yeok already knew. But the culprit is unlikely to know. Even the supervisor was informed only verbally, and the records merely describe it as spices or incense to repel insects.”
To impersonate a supervisor, Lamp-Extinguishing Executioner would have had to pretend to inspect the transported supplies. They seemed to have come into contact with ingredients used in the tracking incense during that process.
The punitive expedition to Iron-Steel Mountain also had masters of tracking arts who had arrived by a different route from the White Sword Squad.
They explained that tracking incense was normally stored as ingredients until immediately before use, to prevent confusion.
Only after finding the target were the ingredients mixed into finished incense and applied to the target.
The tracking incense Lamp-Extinguishing Executioner had inspected had likewise not been finished, but remained in ingredient form. They had not known its true nature.
As a result, while checking the ingredients, they had not taken precautions to remove the lingering scent from their clothes, and a faint trace of the fragrance had seeped into them.
It was also their misfortune that they did not know masters of tracking arts had already arrived at the Murong Clan's camp.
“I, Murong, will corner that bastard like a rat. Please look favorably upon my efforts.”
Murong Sung treated me with the courtesy of someone reporting to a superior. The attitude was as baffling as it had been yesterday, so I only wished him good fortune and left.
“How the hell did you get him wrapped around your finger like that?”
Jaksu asked as though he had seen something extraordinary. But I did not know the answer either.
“I don't know either....”
Murong Sung's pursuit party never got to depart.
Just as they were about to leave, the field supervisor sent by the Martial Alliance branch arrived.
Author's Note (Afterword)
2026/08/11
The Hanja for the Three-Headed Six-Legged Fowl’s Korean name has been changed from the former Changbu (蒼芙) to 𪁺𩿧.
After checking the original text of the Classic of Mountains and Seas, I found that 𪁺𩿧 was correct.
2026/08/11
I confirmed that the characters are corrupted in mobile environments. While I inquire with Novelpia about displaying the original characters alongside the Korean, I will temporarily retain the previous Hanja and revise them once the issue is resolved.
In component notation, the new name is a combination of the bird character formed from “esteem” plus “bird,” and the bird character formed from “give” plus “bird.”
I recalled the list of transport supplies Jade Scale's side had sent ahead of time. Along with the usual supplies one would expect for bandit suppression, such as arrows and padded vests, there were several special items like tracking incense.
Were they planning to extract some concession from the Murong Clan in exchange for sending tracking incense and specialists to handle it?
A few parts of it were quite puzzling. For example, did a mere campaign to suppress a mountain stronghold really require special items like tracking incense?
Iron-Headed Fire Axe was a Peak realm expert. If Iron-Headed Fire Axe escaped and bore a grudge, they could become a considerable nuisance later. - Chapter 40, The Gap Between the Records Office and the Anomaly Destruction Hall (4)
Footnotes:
[1] Both aliases are compressed Hanja phrases whose syllables form descriptive epithets. Soso Soso's reads "chatter, converse, vanish, smile," while Lamp-Extinguishing Executioner encodes the rule of extinguishing a lamp before killing.
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