Chapter 21: Chapter 21

Luoyang was as big a city as I’d heard. Even when approaching from a mile outside the city gates, the grandeur of the city was visible from the hill. The city walls were incredibly high, seemingly stretching on for dozens of miles. Since my life as a courier never required me to travel to Luoyang, this was my first time visiting.

“Indeed, it’s the largest city under heaven… the fortress of the emperor…”

I was constantly filled with awe as I passed the guard posts. Unlike other cities, where one security check is enough, Luoyang had an unusual setup. First, there was a check at the outer wall, then another a hundred paces away, and I heard that yet another check was required to enter the inner city. This gave me an idea of the immense scale of the place.

A guard inspected my belongings and said, “What’s this? Are you a diviner?”

I’d already concealed the scroll in a hidden compartment of my luggage. The only incriminating item I carried was a scroll with a map of the royal palace, so it shouldn’t be suspicious.

I grinned and replied, “I’m still in training.”

“Heh… you should go to Vermilion String1 Street. You’ll find many people like you there.”

The guard clucked his tongue and strangely offered me this advice.

‘Vermilion String Street must be a gathering place for diviners and fortune tellers.’

In a large city like Luoyang, it seemed that people in the same profession would form a street to attract more customers. This was a sight I had never seen in other cities, which fascinated me.

As I entered the streets of Luoyang, I was a bit stunned.

“……!!”

It’s so big!

Both the streets and the shops were dazzling and far more grand than anything I’d ever seen. The buildings I was accustomed to seeing were usually three stories high, but here there were many that were five or even six stories. The streets were so wide that it was shocking to see four carriages could pass through them simultaneously. What was more astonishing was that despite such vast streets, they were packed with people.

“Whoa whoa, move aside~”

Clip-clop, clip-clop.

A carriage whizzed by. It seemed to belong to a high official, and the crowd seemed accustomed to making way for such vehicles. Deeper into the city, the sounds of people chattering and hawking their wares filled the air.

Various foods were also being sold. There were many unfamiliar yet fascinating foods displayed on stands, and several restaurants seemed professionally run. Especially noteworthy were the liquor stores, some of which were as eight stories tall. I had to crane my neck to see the top. The sounds of frying dumplings or fish and their delicious smells filled the air.

Normally, a city would have a few guesthouses, making selection easy. But Luoyang was different. Entire streets were filled with guesthouses and liquor stores; there seemed to be dozens on a single street alone. Given the size of Luoyang, there must be so many that it would be difficult to keep track.

‘Incredible…!!’

I’ve heard people from courier agencies say that living in Luoyang was the best if one could afford it. I’d always thought that all places are more or less the same for living, but now I understand why they’d say such a thing.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed, I entered one of the guesthouses. It was still early evening, so my plan was to have dinner and then find a room for the night.

“Welcome~.”

The grandeur of the city was reflected in the scale of the liquor store. As soon as I entered the first floor, the hostesses, dressed neatly and looking elegant, bowed in unison to greet me. Usually, there would be about three hostesses in a guesthouse, but this one seemed to have at least ten just on the first floor. This clearly was a thriving place frequented by many patrons.

I took a seat at a table guided by one of the hostesses. To my surprise, she presented me with a wooden board.

“What’s this?”

“Please choose the food you’d like and let us know!”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“……!!”

I was shocked. In regular guesthouses, you’d typically get to choose from dumplings, buckwheat noodles, chicken dishes, and maybe one or two side dishes. So when a waiter casually listed off the types of food, you would just pick one from these options. But this wooden board listed more than 20 types of dishes and beverages.

Slightly trembling, I asked, “Can your chef really prepare all these different dishes?”

“Hahaha! Our chef is none other than Red Chef Cheon. You won’t have to doubt his skills.”

“Uh…”

Red Chef!

I’ve heard of it too. Among the qualifications for chefs, there’s one called ‘Four-colored Chef’ divided into four levels: Blue, Red, Black, and White. A ‘Blue Chef’ is a master recognized in the imperial cooking competition, while a ‘Red Chef’ is a level below but still considered a master in a city. Where I come from, in the Gwanjung (Guanzhong) region, they are extraordinary chefs whom only high officials would frequent.

However, it was also exorbitantly priced.

‘What the hell…’

I was somewhat shocked to realize that even just a few dishes could cost up to a nyang of silver. The expensive dishes cost around 3-4 silver each.

“Give me one dumpling.”

“Yes…”

The price seemed several times higher than an ordinary inn. I wanted to leave, but ended up ordering a dumpling out of social obligation.

‘Geez… This is going to cost me a lot for boarding. Do I have to work here too?’

I had a total of 40 silvers given to me by Mang-ryang as an initial fund. Ordinarily, this would be more than enough money to sustain some exploration and pay the toll for a major operation. In other regions, this amount could last me for about three months, but in Luoyang, I’d run out of money in less than a month. Everything, including inns and entertainment expenses, was expensive.

I had no intention of heading straight into the imperial palace just yet. For the time being, I was thinking of staying in Luoyang to hone my martial arts and meticulously plan my next steps. If caught, the minimum penalty is death, and my whole clan would be exterminated. It wasn’t something I could undertake lightly.

I have plenty of time. I felt the need to find some part-time work to survive in Luoyang for a long-term stay. Furthermore, the detailed information I would gather from living here would aid my covert mission.

While eating my dumpling, I asked a waiter.

“Excuse me, do you know of any way to make a living in Luoyang through martial arts?”

There weren’t many people around, and the waiter seemed experienced. He glanced around and then kindly answered my question.

“It seems you’re a martial artist. Hmm… I’ve seen some people trying to break into training halls, but they usually end up in bad shape. The practical choice would be to join one of the major sects as a guest.”

[TL/N: A guest here refers to intellectuals, scholars, strategists, or warriors who have not officially joined a lord’s service but are currently under their hospitality. These individuals often serve as informal advisors or aides, and their relationship with their host is based on mutual respect rather than formal allegiance.]

“What do you mean ‘end up in bad shape’? Have you seen or heard something?”

“Hahaha…”

The waiter only laughed and said nothing. I soon realized he wanted a tip, so I discreetly gave him 20 coins. When his expression remained disappointed, I reluctantly added 30 more coins. Only then did he speak.

“Judging by the way you talk and your accent, you must be from Anhui. In Luoyang, the Zhongnan Sect and the Huashan Sect are powerful, but even they can’t exert much influence within the Luoyang city walls. The reason is mainly because there are experts inside the city who can rival them and are currently running martial arts training halls.

“Rivaling the powerful nine sects, you say?”

I was surprised. Just considering the Huashan Sect, which is one of the nine major sects, they have at least four peak experts. The sects’ martial arts are based on Taoist high-level techniques and long-practiced combat skills, which are formidable. I couldn’t easily imagine anyone rivaling them.

The waiter nodded.

“In Luoyang, the two biggest and strongest sects are called the Twin Gates Four Families (雙門四家). It refers to two major sects and four prominent families.”

“Hmm.. Go on.”

I subtly spoke and gave him an additional silver coin. Despite the significant expense, it had an immediate effect. The waiter eagerly took the coin and began to divulge information fluidly.

“These six factions are responsible for recommending candidates for the imperial military examinations or civil service exams every year. If you’re from the countryside, it’s not easy to beat someone from the Twin Gates Four Families unless you’re truly exceptional. It’s not about bribes or money; their martial arts skills are simply superior.

The Twin Gates refer to the Iron Blood Gate and the Great Sword Gate. The Four Families are the Jang Clan, Seo Clan, Lee Clan, and Han Clan.

People in Luoyang commonly abbreviate them to ‘Iron Sword Jang Seo Lee Han’.”

“Twin Gates Four Families! Iron Sword Jang Seo Lee Han!”

These were the sects and families I had to remember while operating in Luoyang. I repeated ‘Iron Sword Jang Seo Lee Han’ silently to memorize it, and then I continued to ask.

“So, are you saying that martial artists who tried to break training halls in Luoyang all lost to the Twin Gates Four Families?”

“Even an elder from the Huashan Sect was defeated by the master of the Great Sword Gate in just 100 breaths. The Huashan Sect tried to expand its influence in Luoyang by requesting duels, but it ended in a disaster.”

“……”

I realized that the skill level of the ‘Twin Gates’ Sects were more than I had anticipated, and let out a quiet sigh.

While it might be easy to think that the leader of the Great Sword Gate is on par with an elder of the Huashan Sect, the reality isn’t so straightforward. An elder of the Huashan Sect is a pinnacle expert who roams all over the Central Plains and is a great expert deeply trained in swordsmanship for decades. The fact that the leader of the Great Sword Gate could defeat an elder of the Huashan Sect in just 100 breaths was not a matter to be taken lightly.

The waiter spoke with a look of caution.

“Ah, you shouldn’t speak of this matter casually. Everyone knows, but if the inner disciples within the Huashan Sect hear of it, it would be troublesome.”

“I understand. So tell me in more detail.”

My eyes glinted coldly.

“Where are these Twin Gates Four Families located in Luoyang?”

“Well, you see…”

As the waiter enthusiastically explained regarding Twin Gates Four Families, I ordered another vegetable dish. As I input the information about Twin Gates Four Families one by one into my head, I thought,

‘This is perfect. A perfect opponent.’

Over the past three years, I had mostly focused on studying and had not practiced my martial arts, so my skills had stagnated. But that didn’t mean they had deteriorated. On the contrary, through meditation, my concentration and vitality had improved, so I had the intuition that my martial arts would rapidly improve if given the opportunity.

What I needed now was the process of integrating my powerful inner energy into my martial arts.

I needed real combat experience.

After gaining the qi of the Millennium Snow Ginseng, I had not found a worthy opponent to fight, so this martial pilgrimage seemed like it would be of great help to me.

After finishing my meal, I decided to stay at this inn. Although I might run out of money in 2-3 weeks, I might find an opportunity to challenge someone before that.

The method I’ll try is directly challenging training halls!

Like a bolt of thunder, I wanted to challenge the Twin Gates Four Families, a colossal martial arts school in Luoyang, and face off against their elite martial artists one by one. Though it may appear as a simple challenge, they would undoubtedly give their all for their honor, making it a life-or-death struggle in some sense.

And if I could gauge the skills of the Twin Gates Four Families’s experts, I would also have a precise measure of the skills of the high-ranking warriors in the imperial palace, the imperial guards, and even those in the Golden Guards. Among what Mang-ryang had told me was this:

[The skills of the Golden Guards? Hmm… if ten Golden Guards combined their powers, even an elder of a major sect could not escape death. There are at least thirty such Golden Guards milling about in the inner palace, so a direct confrontation should never happen.]

“……”

I made up my mind internally.

If I couldn’t achieve a total victory by challenging the Twin Gates Four Families, I shouldn’t even attempt to infiltrate the imperial palace. If my martial arts were lacking, I should be prepared to go into hiding and train for several years. I also had to consider the possibility of becoming disabled or killed while fighting Iron Blood Jang Seo Han group.

But I was not afraid.

Thanks to the Heavenly Tome of Dark Mysteries, the fear of death was actually a welcome sensation.

And since the identity of the Heavenly Tome of Dark Mysteries is unknown, making my future uncertain, stealing the anonymous scriptures from the imperial palace is a mission I must accomplish. It may be troublesome and risky, but avoiding it would be detrimental in the long run.

‘Let’s proceed carefully.’

Even so, I will avoid death if possible, and maximize my skills.

And when I feel I’ve reached that level, I can start planning.

I’m prepared to spend 10 years in Luoyang if needed.

朱弦 or Zhu Xian[↩]