The Crown Prince Who Raises Alt Characters

Chapter 228 Leaflet - The Case of Martial Artist Miss J (E/N: From now on, Zhang is no more. Welcome Miss J, Jang instead!) There is a word, "rumor." If interpreted literally, it means a sound like the wind, or a story carried on the breeze. (E/N: it makes less sense in english) Unfounded gossip with no clear evidence or source, merely spreading from person to person by word of mouth. The story that spread from the realm of the evil path could be said to be a perfect example of such rumors. "The Heaven-Breaking Lord, known as the pinnacle of the Seven Hegemons, was defeated by a mere scholar? And that scholar ascended to immortality after the match ended?" "I've long known that those evil path bastards were prone to bluffing, but this is going too far." The process and conclusion of the civil war that occurred within the evil path. The martial artists who heard this, especially those from the orthodox path, could hardly contain their mockery. It was only natural that they would react this way. The Heaven-Breaking Alliance, which had boasted of unifying the evil path and succeeding the old Samaryeon, was brutally defeated in their first battle to demonstrate their might. And their opponents were the Hao Sect, centered around fortune tellers and courtesans, along with wandering ronin and village people who were merely learning to read at the academy. "If they could be defeated by such a ragtag group, then the Heaven-Breaking Lord's reputation must have been false from the beginning, wouldn't you say?" "They say the Seven Hegemons' martial prowess ranges from peak mastery to the Transformation Realm, but now I see it was all empty rumors." "Hahaha! Transformation Realm my ass! If they're the type to lose to ignorant fools who don't even know proper martial arts, I could easily subdue them with just one punch!" (E/N: for reminder transformation is roughly equal to 6th rank) The orthodox martial artists mocked the evil path and looked down on the battles they had fought. Among them, some advocated caution, saying that surely the entire evil path couldn't all be fools, but conversely, others argued that since the evil path's bluffing had collapsed, they should quickly strike them down and fill the entire martial world with the orthodox path's banner. Cheongmyeong-un and his group, among the orthodox martial artists, belonged to the latter category. "Is this the village where that academy or whatever is located?" Liu Empire. A city in Mao Province. Looking at the scene spread before his eyes, Cheongmyeong-un muttered mockingly. It was actually closer to a city than a village in scale, but Cheongmyeong-un's companions actively agreed instead of bothering to correct this. "They've set up various things to keep up appearances, but it's all half-baked. Compared to Inju, it lacks refinement." "It's a city of lowly evil path bastards, isn't it? Those who lack tradition and history can only go so far by throwing money at decorations." "Yes, exactly." Of course, apart from what they were saying with their mouths, their eyes were busy exploring the city's scenery here and there. They had only just stepped in and examined the entrance, but there was no doubt about its vast scale and large population. This meant that if they could properly establish themselves on this land, the profits they could gain would be limitless. 'If I can drive out these pathetic evil path bastards and plant the Cheong family's banner on this land... both my family's and my own reputation will rise even higher!' Perhaps he might claim one of the Eight Heroes' positions, or the Eight Heroes might become the Nine Heroes, Cheongmyeong-un thought as he curled up the corners of his mouth. As they toured the city as if sightseeing, something strange soon caught their eyes. On the backs of children walking the streets hung bundles of a rather unique form. While typical bundles were carried on one shoulder or held by hand, what the children wore had two large loop-shaped straps that went over both shoulders and were supported by the back. Thinking this was convenient timing, Cheongmyeong-un stepped forward and asked one of the children. "Hey kid, let me ask for directions for a moment." "Yes?" At Cheongmyeong-un's words, the child walking down the street turned around. It was a young girl with cute features that oddly resembled a swallow. "Do you know where that academy of some guy named Juga or whatever is?" "...It's not 'Juga or whatever,' it's Juyul's academy?" "What?" At the girl's attitude of openly showing her displeasure, Cheongmyeong-un felt absurd. It was just as he was about to say something. "If you're looking for the academy, just go straight down that way over there. As long as you don't turn off the path midway, you should be able to get there without getting lost." A man nearby extended his arm to guide Cheongmyeong-un's group in the right direction. Cheongmyeong-un frowned briefly, but perhaps thinking it was petty to get seriously angry over every little attitude from such a young child, he said nothing more and turned to leave. After they left. The remaining girl and man conversed. "Oh my. Uncle Zhang Oh. Why did you have to interfere like that?" "Soyeon. I told you not to recklessly confront martial artists. Those arrogant bastards might cut down commoners without a second thought." "Hmph. I'm confident in running away, you know? And sister is busy enough without having to deal with people like that too." "That's exactly what the instructor said. She'll handle such people herself, so send them all away so innocent civilians won't suffer damage." "Sister's problem is that she's too kind-hearted." None other than that 'Lady of Trampling Fire' being kind-hearted, indeed. Zhang Oh, a member of the Hao Sect and disciple of Juyul's academy, chewed over those words and soon let out a hollow laugh. While it might not have been true in the past, looking at her recent behavior alone, it didn't seem entirely wrong. After calming the grumbling Soyeon, he soon spoke to the residents who were discretely watching from nearby. "Come on, come on! The instructor will handle it herself, so everyone relax and go back to what you were doing!" "Tsk. I was hoping my sling would breathe fire for the first time in a while." "Those bastards have such filthy looks in their eyes, can't we just bury them all?" "Oh come on, Instructor Jang will handle it herself. Leave it alone." The residents each muttered a word or two before returning to focus on their livelihoods. Zhang Oh thought to himself. Those people just now, do they even realize they've narrowly escaped death? 'Well, I can't even be certain they're safe yet.' Zhang Oh prayed that they wouldn't do anything foolish in front of Jang Hualing. Even he thought it was an unlikely prayer to be fulfilled. *** "Huh, what on earth are those strange buildings?" "No tiled roofs, no paper-covered windows, they're rather unsightly for buildings." Cheongmyeong-un's group, who had been commenting on the defensive buildings used in past battles, finally discovered their destination, the academy, and their eyes lit up. Unlike the other buildings around it, the academy possessed a very orthodox yet refined elegance. A sheer cliff and waterfall. The white building with tiled roofs beneath it. In the courtyard where pine trees grew, a woman was sweeping with a broom. At first, Cheongmyeong-un had dismissed her as merely a maid and paid no attention, but as he drew closer and the woman's figure became clearer, he caught his breath. "Oh my." Her figure was voluptuous, and her face was refined. The clothing she wore was plain, the kind that market women might wear, but even that could not completely conceal the woman's beauty. The only flaws, if they could be called that, were the scar carved across her face and the horns on her head... wait, horns? "A dragonkin?" At Cheongmyeong-un's muttering, the woman's sweeping stopped. She looked at Cheongmyeong-un and his group, then asked. "What business brings you here?" "Ahem. This place called Juyul's academy, is this the right place?" It was sudden disrespectful speech, but the woman answered calmly without showing great anger or displeasure. "That's correct. However, the academy is currently not accepting new students, so if you've come seeking learning, please return." "Ah, never mind. I haven't come for such trivial purposes." Cheongmyeong-un spoke with an arrogant air. "I want to buy this land and building. Where is the owner?" "...My master, the owner, has departed." "Then I suppose I can talk to you." Cheongmyeong-un took out silver coins from his chest and casually tossed them at the woman's feet. "From today, this place is occupied by our Cheong family." The dwelling of Juyul, who was known to have defeated the Heaven-Breaking Lord. His intention to make that place his new stronghold was both a provocation toward the evil path and a display toward the orthodox path. The Heaven-Breaking Lord, known as the strongest of the evil path. If an orthodox martial artist occupied the dwelling of Juyul who had defeated such a Heaven-Breaking Lord, that momentum and fame would inevitably become widely known throughout the martial world. 'Since it's been revealed that those evil path bastards are just empty braggarts anyway, an orthodox invasion is inevitable. I need to secure a good position before other bastards come rushing in, so I won't be buried and can raise my reputation.' Satisfied with the plan he had conceived, Cheongmyeong-un spoke to the woman. "Ah, if you have nowhere to go, you may continue to stay here. I will mercifully employ you as a servant—" "That's unnecessary." "—What?" With a clink, the woman picked up the silver coins at her feet and held them out to Cheongmyeong-un. "In case my master returns, even by the slightest chance, I have absolutely no intention of selling this land or this house, nor will I ever consider it." So please return now. At the woman's incredibly firm words, Cheongmyeong-un blinked. Reading the mood, his companions were the first to flare up. "You wench!! The lord speaks kindly to you and you act out not knowing your place!! Do you need to see pain before you come to your senses!" "There's no need to waste more words, my lord! She's just a dirty evil path wench anyway! Without paying any price, we should properly punish her and then seize the land!" "All of you, be quiet. We are not lowly evil path members, so how could we oppress common people with force?" At Cheongmyeong-un's words, everyone around immediately became as silent as if they had eaten honey. Cheongmyeong-un, who had reached the peak mastery realm in his mid-forties, had been evaluated since his youth as talented but of poor character. He had drawn his sword in fits of rage at drinking parties and cut down innocent people multiple times, but the fact that the victims' voices couldn't spread due to the Cheong family's power was something that those who served Cheongmyeong-un knew all too well. But suddenly making such statements and pretending to be a gentleman, they couldn't help but be flustered. Of course, with the perceptiveness typical of subordinates, they immediately realized the reason. 'He's pretending to be refined because that wench's beauty is exceptional!' Cheongmyeong-un subtly moved closer to the woman as he spoke. "Is it because the money is insufficient? Then I'll give you three times this amount." "The amount is not what matters. I am simply fulfilling the courtesy I must maintain toward my master as his disciple." "Hehe, but isn't he just a fugitive? Or rather, would it be more accurate to call him a fraud?" "...What are you saying?" For just a brief moment. A chilling aura swirled in the woman's voice. But without noticing this, Cheongmyeong-un continued speaking. "If this Juyul truly possessed such formidable skills, why would he have disappeared after defeating the Heaven-Breaking Lord? And with such ridiculous excuses about ascending to immortality and whatnot." "...The talk about ascending to immortality is just something people around here made up on their own." "That doesn't matter much. What's important is that he disappeared. If he were truly confident in his abilities, why would he have done so? Having defeated an evil path master, he could have lived his entire life revered on that reputation alone." It was an explanation that starkly revealed Cheongmyeong-un's values. Someone who achieved such feats wouldn't disappear without properly receiving the rewards. Conversely, the fact that he disappeared was proof that the achievement itself was false from the beginning. "Or perhaps the duel with the Heaven-Breaking Lord itself was a fraud? He might have offered bribes or whatever to the Heaven-Breaking Lord to stage a fake evenly-matched fight, but when real martial artists like me from the orthodox path started coming, he got scared and hid—" That was the last thing Cheongmyeong-un was able to say. Because immediately after grabbing Cheongmyeong-un's entire face, tremendous heat began emanating from her palm. Sizzzzzzzzz!! "Mmph, uuuuuugh!! Uuuuugh!!" As if his face had touched a red-hot iron plate, Cheongmyeong-un let out a scream. He tried somehow to shake off the woman's hand, but it was useless, as if he were caught in the grip of a giant dragon. "My, my lord!!" "Release that hand!!" Swoosh! Clang! Cheongmyeong-un's gang tried to engage in combat with their weapons drawn, but this was a futile action. Before they could even swing the weapons in their hands, an overwhelming heat wave struck them. "Hngh...!" Moisture evaporated from their eyeballs, leaving them bone dry. The moment they inhaled air, violent pain was felt in their throats and chests. Their legs, trembling like newborn deer, collapsed powerlessly before they could take even a single step. It was no longer even a battle. It was a one-sided massacre. Before they all lost their lives. "Tsk." The woman, Jang Hualing, disrupted the internal energy circulating through her body and then threw Cheongmyeong-un to the ground. His face bore burns as if branded with a palm-shaped iron, but Jang Hualing felt no sympathy. The others hadn't been directly handled, so they could be healed with time and care, and for Cheongmyeong-un, who had openly insulted her master, it was mercy enough just to let him live. Considering Jang Hualing's respect and affection for Juyul, not only Cheongmyeong-un who had treated her master as a fraud, but the entire Cheong family itself deserved to be erased from the martial world. She was only restraining herself because such actions wouldn't please her master. "...Sigh. I'll have to get clothes made again." Looking at her own clothing, which hadn't burned without a trace but was singed and tattered here and there, Jang Hualing sighed. She had been one who wore fancy ornaments to hide her broken horns and scars, and enjoyed luxurious clothing and cuisine if only to forget past poverty. However, to practice the teaching that if one's heart was truly upright, there was no need to be ashamed of outward scars, and if one's spirit was abundant, there was no need to be ashamed of past poverty, she had recently been adhering to plain clothing as much as possible, which was not an easy task at all. For unless it was the old clothing made from the silk of the spiritual creature called Crimson Flame Demon Silkworm, it couldn't withstand her own power and would burn up. At least compared to before, she could suppress the fire somewhat, so it only ended up singed, but in the past, the clothes themselves might have turned to ash. After going into her residence to change clothes, she roughly tied up the gang that was sprawled in the courtyard like dried corvina and dragged them to the city. The city people took them over as if accustomed to such things and treated them, and the Hao Sect informed the Cheong family of this fact, extracting a hefty ransom before returning them. Some of the defeated would occasionally rampage within the city while Jang Hualing was absent, but they soon became docile after being beaten by the suspiciously powerful commoners' clubs. In addition, as orthodox path masters who boldly challenged Juyul's disciples were frequently and brutally crushed, Juyul's reputation, which was initially dismissed as mere bluffing, grew higher with each passing day. *** "This one is still well-behaved at least. ...Is it because she hasn't gotten involved with the other kids?"