WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Haruto

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◈ The Martial Alliance Rulebook Archives ◈

Chapter 69: Cheongyeong Town (2)

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Though they did not specialize in investigating traces like the Anomaly Records Office, the people from the Ceremonial Affairs Department were martial artists as well.

They, too, could draw their own conclusions from the bloodstains.

Still, there was a slight gap between their impressions and mine.

As I examined the traces left in the Cheongyeong Town village chief's house, I felt nothing but raw dread. The Ceremonial Affairs Department's reactions, however, carried a hint of anticipation.

Their conversations usually went something like this.

"There are quite a few bloodstains left in this house!"

"Right. It looks like the servant-steward and everyone in the main household died. And each at the hands of different killers."

"Goodness, how did the Radiant Phoenix unravel such an incomprehensible matter?"

"Isn't this all thanks to the Zhuge Clan's good deeds in maintaining close ties with the Wudang Sect?"

They seemed quite pleased at the prospect of winning the coming debate against the Sima Clan, against the Black Lotus Society.

"Why are they all so worked up?"

"Hmm. I'm partly to blame for that."

"What?"

Peng Juhyeok recalled the time he had smashed Zhuge Byeok's jaw, Zhuge Yeong's older brother and the representative at the previous Discourse on Heaven and Earth.

"I wasn't included in the Discourse on Heaven and Earth. Oddly enough, even the elders at the Records Office never told me to go. But I sparred with that fellow Zhuge Byeok about ten days before the gathering."

"Ah..."

"They say the representative lost terribly because he couldn't speak properly."

Because Zhuge Byeok had suffered such an absurd defeat, the people from the Ceremonial Affairs Department and the Strategists Department had both become targets of subtle mockery and contempt.

I looked at Peng Juhyeok in renewed disbelief.

"Then what were you thinking, crushing the jaw of someone who had to take part in a debate?"

"That's the strange part."

"What is? Were you planning to beat him so badly he couldn't attend the Discourse on Heaven and Earth at all, then send someone else in his place?"

"No. It wasn't as if I bore him any ill will. There was a malignant spirit, so I drove it away."

Tsk. The moment I heard that shameless answer, suspicion welled up within me.

Still, I could not dismiss it as nonsense without considering Peng Juhyeok's character.

Most of the people I had met at the Anomaly Records Office had issues with self-awareness, like the special physician who insisted he was not an Eccentric Physician. Yet they were not liars.

Even when I spoke with the Eccentric Physician and asked about the "outside" of the Records Office, he had only said that it was not yet time to tell me. He had not made up some false story.

That meant Peng Juhyeok had truly struck Zhuge Byeok out of goodwill, at least from his own perspective.

Of course, Zhuge Byeok might see things differently after being slapped with a duel challenge and punched in the jaw.

"He received acupuncture from our White-Robed Miracle Physician, took medicine, and underwent all sorts of treatment. He was a martial artist to begin with, so he should have fully recovered by the time of the Discourse on Heaven and Earth. I don't know why he couldn't even open his mouth and got beaten down by the Sima Clan the whole time."

"Could the psychological shock have been severe? Some stranger suddenly beat him up."

"Hmm. That could be it."

Seeing him readily accept such a plausible point only deepened my conviction. At least from his own point of view, Peng Juhyeok was not lying.

I pondered the strange situation for a moment before shaking my head. It was not as though I would ever get involved with that unfortunate Zhuge Byeok.

"But what do you mean, a malignant spirit? Was it something like an Anomaly?"

"No. It seemed closer to the Soul-Binding Art or an evil spirit dealt with by the Left Path than an Anomaly. The Zhuge Clan usually specializes in that sort of thing, but it seemed they hadn't taken care of it at home."

"Huh."

I shook my head hard and headed for the lodgings. Nothing much should happen before the Sima Clan, before the Black Lotus Society, arrived.

"But this is strange."

"What's bothering you now? You're not bored because there's no one here whose jaw you can break this time, are you?"

"Hey, Brother Yeok. Do I look that much like a madman? I can't see the third participant."

"Ah."

There were ordinarily six official participants in the Discourse on Heaven and Earth, three from the Martial Alliance and three from the Black Lotus Society.

Sometimes, scholars whose knowledge and character were respected by both the Martial Alliance and the Black Lotus Society were invited, so more than six seats were prepared in the conference hall. Still, it was rare for even the spare chairs to be occupied.

It was understandable that the Black Lotus Society's side had not arrived yet, but I wondered who the third participant was.

* * *

"Ah. Now I see why the last gathering went completely to hell."

Peng Juhyeok muttered beside me.

After unpacking and waiting for the others, we heard that "the Sima Clan and its assorted riffraff are arriving," though the actual announcement had naturally been much more dignified. We headed out to welcome them.

The Ceremonial Affairs Department found my presence somewhat uncomfortable, so I stood apart from the group.

It made talking easier.

From a distance, the Sima Clan's procession came into view, along with the people from our side guiding them.

Then I spotted an unexpected face among them.

"Goodness, Zhuge Byeok is there. Did he come out to wash away the shame of the last Discourse on Heaven and Earth?"

More accurately, Peng Juhyeok spotted him. I did not know what Zhuge Byeok looked like.

But...

Zhuge Byeok's expression was strange. Anyone could see that he was completely smitten.

His expression was directed toward someone at the center of the Sima Clan procession.

A woman walking proudly beneath a parasol held by attendants. A rising talent of the Sima Clan, said to possess wisdom and strategy comparable to the Zhuge Clan's Radiant Phoenix.

Sima Gwa.

The moment Peng Juhyeok saw the scene, he nearly burst out laughing. He clutched his stomach and wheezed as though he would lose his breath before speaking to me.

"Look, Brother Yeok. The answer to why the Martial Alliance collapsed during the last Discourse on Heaven and Earth is right there! Goodness, love between the White Path and the Black Path. The Zhuge Clan must have suffered for it."

"That young lady from the Sima Clan doesn't seem interested at all."

"Then let's correct that to unrequited love from the White Path. Goodness, they say the Sima Clan is skilled in schemes. Is this a beauty trap?"

Peng Juhyeok shook his head.

"The Alliance is done for this time too."

"What do you mean, done for?"

"Usually, the Discourse on Heaven and Earth has three subjects: heavenly patterns, geography, and human harmony. The chair among the invited participants contests heavenly patterns, the next participant geography, and the last human harmony. But look."

Zhuge Yeong, the Radiant Phoenix, was currently leading the Martial Alliance's side. Even if she somehow won the contest over heavenly patterns...

"But Zhuge Byeok goes next, doesn't he? He got crushed last time, so he'll lose again. That makes it one win and one loss."

"What if what we're seeing is an act?"

Peng Juhyeok stared at me, then looked back at Zhuge Byeok, who was fawning over Sima Gwa.

He shrugged.

"If that's an act, then he shouldn't be here. He ought to join the Martial Alliance's intelligence department."

"Haah..."

I agreed with Peng Juhyeok's assessment with a sigh.

"That leaves the outcome to the final participant. And that's you."

"True. I doubt I can defeat a strategist who has spent a lifetime honing their wits. Tsk. Won't I have to walk on eggshells in the Martial Alliance for a while...?"

"Oh, I think you have a chance."

A voice came from behind us. A cold shiver raced up my spine.

We had deliberately positioned ourselves at the very edge of the Martial Alliance crowd, far from where the people had gathered.

There should have been no one behind us.

Yet I did not shiver because some unknown presence had taken up a place at our backs.

I shivered because I knew that voice.

"Senior Life-and-Death Gambler..."

"Oh, come on. I told you that you can speak casually."

Black hair swayed. A madwoman with gleaming red eyes was looking at me.

"How have you been? We meet again!"

A dangerous figure had appeared without warning. I tried to draw her attention elsewhere by asking Peng Juhyeok for help.

[Senior Peng. Could you talk with her about anything for a moment? I don't think she intends to harm us right away, but I need to look around.]

The Anomaly Destruction Hall must have sent the Life-and-Death Gambler to learn the face of the new Records Officer. But could she really be the only one dispatched?

If other members of the Anomaly Destruction Hall were nearby, I needed to identify them. The Human-Skin Chef and the Life-and-Death Gambler both carried a faint scent from spending time close to Anomalies.

If another expert had been dispatched by the Anomaly Destruction Hall, they too would carry a scent similar to an Anomaly...

[Understood!]

Peng Juhyeok sent me a voice transmission, then took a large step forward.

"Elder Mu. To be honest, considering seniority, you should be spending time with our elder Gongson Hu. It's rather pitiful that you have no friends and are trying to play with a junior in the martial world─"

"You crazy bastard."

I had asked him to have a conversation, not set it ablaze.

The Life-and-Death Gambler laughed and waved a hand.

"Oh, please. I might ignore seniority when I'm having fun, but I'm still too junior to be grouped with the special physician. I couldn't tell who you were with your face wrapped in bandages, but that nature of yours hasn't changed at all. Mad Blade Fiend?"

Ah.

The orthodox sects at least attached "Chivalric" to Peng Juhyeok's epithet. In the unorthodox sects, where they did not bother with empty formalities, they openly called him a mad swordsman.

I looked up at the sky.

Before I came here, Jade Scale had advised me, "There are no signs of an Anomaly in the Heavenly Order, but be careful."

Could that have been what she truly meant?

'Did she mean the Anomaly wasn't the problem and I should be wary of people...?'

Footnotes:

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