Book 28 Chapter 8

Waving a softener

-Busy doorstep

The flag was flapping in the wind.

A flag emblazoned with a sword and lotus flower was flapping furiously in the wind, a peculiar flag that sometimes fluttered violently whenever someone with the word "flying" in their name passed in front of them, reflexively exuding a momentum that said, "Don't come, don't see me, just go away!

The banner, which had once flown in only a few parts of Sichuan, had in recent years spread across the entire Jianghu. It's no exaggeration to say that the entire warlorddom has been stunned by the rapid expansion of the Zhongyuan Banner, which has surprised even the absolute powerhouse of the banner industry, and has even entered into trading relationships with the Heavenly Martial Academy and the Martial Spirit Academy, so that no one knows who the masters of the banner are anymore. Even Zhongyuan Banner, the absolute powerhouse of the banner industry, was wary of Zhongyang Banner's rapidly expanding power.

But no one has yet figured out why the Zhongyang flag, which was just an obscure marker on the edge of Sichuan just a few years ago, has grown so rapidly, or its hidden power and secrets. Now the flag was flying out of Sichuan and into the middle of Hubei.

Not far away, however, was a man gazing at the flag, a young man whose bangs were long enough to cover his eyes. The young man's bangs swayed gently from side to side in the wind, but despite his best efforts, they failed to reveal his face.

Bi Ryuyeon has led the rescue team to this place, the Hubei branch of the Zhongyang Mark Bureau.

The Hubei branch was farther south than the Black Heavenly Blind, so it would be a long way back, but it was necessary to make sure we could infiltrate.

For some reason, there were a lot of people in front of the Hubei branch of the Zhongyang Mark Bureau right now.

I should say that it was a good thing that the markings were going well, but the crowds didn't seem to be the ones requesting the markings, because all the well-dressed middle-aged people in their early fifties were accompanied by young women.

Given the age difference, she wasn't a wife, and judging by her demeanor, she wasn't a mistress, but she wasn't a maid either, either, given the way she was dressed.

Not a wife, not a concubine, not a maid, so what remains is…….

"It's a daughter."

Jang Hong swept his eyes over the men and women gathered in front of the reception desk set up beside the main entrance of the Hubei branch of the Zhongyang Mark Bureau and spoke up.

"Do you have any evidence, Brother Zhang?"

Bi Ryuyeon said lightly.

"She's not a wife, she's not a concubine, she's not a maid, she's a daughter, so she's the only one left, and a daughter would be more likely to show it off, not try to hide it so carefully."

A group of middle-aged men who seemed to have some money were carrying a group of maidens, most of whom had their faces covered with cotton thread, and a few stout servants, who surrounded each of them, their eyes darting in all directions. All of them looked uneasy.

"I'm sure it is."

Biyou nodded in understanding.

"But you all don't seem to be of low status, and yet you've come to the kingdom with a maiden… it's strange."

"I see."

Jang Hong felt his curiosity piqued, and in times like this, it was quickest to ask the right people.

"Excuse me. What the hell is going on, and why is it so crowded?"

Jang Hong's question was answered by a guard from the Imperial Guard.

"Oh, that's what they're all scrambling for: 'votes'."

"Bodyguards? That many? Did something happen?"

There were several types of marksmen, but the bōpō were primarily responsible for guarding individuals. Escorting the transportation of goods wasn't their only job. It's just what they're most famous for.

But even so, it wasn't unusual for so many people to be looking for bodyguards, each with their own daughter in tow.

"No, you didn't?"

"What the hell do you mean, you take off the bangs and you take off the tail and you take off the tail and you take off the bangs and you take off the tail and you take off the tail and you take off the bangs and you take off the tail and you take off the tail and you take off the tail and you take off the tail and you take off the tail and you take off the tail and you take off the tail and you take off the tail."

"It's about the dead tree incident, Go.neck.or.nothing."

The security guard said, keeping his voice as low as he could for fear of other guests overhearing.

"The dead tree incident?"

Jang Hong, disdainful of such guardedness, asked aloud.

In an instant, the temporary reception room fell silent. They all stared at Jang Hong with stunned expressions on their faces, as if to say, "How could you be so careless as to say such an abomination?" It was clearly a look of condemnation. Jang Hong couldn't help but shake his head as he received all of their condemning gazes.

"Shhh! Please be quiet. Quiet."

The guard said, stunned.

"What the heck is going on? Tell me something."

"Since you don't know about it, I'm guessing you're not from around here. There's been a spate of 'serial father-daughter kidnappings and murders' in Hubei province lately, and the strange thing is that the kidnapped virgins are being subjected to this and that, and then abandoned with their entire bodies withered like dead trees."

I checked …… and it was still going on.

"Is that true?"

"Yes, so there were stories of ghosts, and in fact, the other virgins were kidnapped and never found, but a few days ago, one of the missing virgins washed up in the river, skinny as a bone, and at first they didn't recognize her because she was all bones and shriveled up leather, but then they realized she was the one who had been kidnapped a week earlier, because of the clothes she was wearing."

The entire province of Hubei was shaken when it was revealed what had happened to the abducted maidens. It was worse than just being kidnapped, attacked, and then sold to the giru.

There was an almost certain suspicion that the culprits behind the sporadic kidnappings of virgins here and there were probably the same people. Moreover, the abductions were indiscriminate, with no regard for the girls' identities. Their faces weren't covered much either, as if they were suffering from virginity blindness.

So how could the fathers of daughters be at ease, and so all the people who had money ran everywhere to get bodyguards. As a result, the Hubei branch was overwhelmed by the influx of voters, and there were not enough voters to go around.

"Huh huh, I can't believe that happened……. That's definitely freaky."

"There's even a story that the father of the daughter whose body was found not long ago was a considerable landowner, and that he paid a large sum of money to ask the warlords to hunt down the bastard."

"You're asking for revenge."

They say they're there to exterminate a demon, but they're really there to avenge their daughter. Of course, the Honorary Sect can't do the 'revenge' for you, but if you're asking them to catch a serial attacker, it's a good cause. The fact that there were so many people in the capital seemed to indicate that the situation was quite serious.

"How many virgin disappearances have we had?"

"From what I've heard, it's over a hundred if you add up the ones from the last couple years."

"Fifty, a hundred……!"

Jang Hong and the others couldn't help but gape at the guard's words.

Ten is already too many numbers, but a hundred is a lot…….

"Tear him to pieces! He deserves a thousand deaths! That's what men are for! They can't relax for a second! To prevent this from happening again, we must cut him down!"

The entire body of Yue Jing, who was listening next to him, instantly emitted a terrifying flesh color.

The men around him couldn't help but cringe at the ghastly sight of her flesh. It was the kind of flesh that made them feel nauseous. In particular, Jang Hong's complexion had become very pale, as if he had suddenly been drained of blood.

With his life in serious danger, Jang Hong needed to get attention somehow.

"Uh-huh, did the body have any other features?"

He asked in a more serious, calm, and authoritative voice than usual.

"Hmm, now that you mention it, I think I heard somewhere that he had a blue artisan (掌印: palm print) just above his navel."

"Blue craftsman!"

Suddenly, Jang Hong's eyes widened.

"What's the matter, Mr. Zhang, are you guessing something?"

As people's eyes focused on him-yes, he had succeeded in drawing attention to himself-Jang Hong soon shook his head.

"Oh, nothing. It can't be, he's been dead for fifty years."

His last words were so small and to himself that no one could hear them. He didn't want to spread the word any further than necessary. It wasn't their business anyway; they had better leave that to the prestigious organization they'd been commissioned by, and they had better things to do right now.

"By the way, what can I do for our guests?"

Only then did the guard remember his original mission and ask what they were here for.

"Are they inside?"

Bi Ryuyeon asked. The guard couldn't help but frown as the young man stepped forward to ask.

"Have you come to see the landlord?"

"I guess you could say that."

"May I ask where you are from?"

The first step was to verify their identity.

"I can't tell you that."

Bi Ryuyeon smiled and replied, "It's best to keep the fact that they're here in the Hubei region a secret if possible, for you never know where the eyes and ears of the Black Heavenly Blind might be.

"Well, that's a bit of an awkward answer."

The guard was sweating profusely; he was not about to let an unidentified person inside.

"Did you make a promise?"

I asked just in case. There were a lot of people who didn't want to reveal their identity to an asshole like him, so they just shrugged it off.

"Not at all."

Her answer was unapologetic.

"Well, I can't interview you then, you'll have to at least identify yourself……."

"And what's your name?"

Bi Ryuyeon laughed in disbelief.

"I'm just a marker for a marker."

The guard replied with a stern look.

Despite his soft-spoken demeanor, the guard was surprisingly willing. Apparently, Zhongyang Customs had done a good job of training him. It's not surprising that this security guard would eventually get a job at Zhongyang Stamp Bureau. It's instinctive for any organization to be hungry for talent.

But just because they revealed their names didn't mean they were going to reveal their identities. Instead, she said

"Hmm, I'll keep that in mind, about half a shijin."

The half hour was a very short time. But it was enough time for one person's name to be passed on to another, for Bi Ryuyeon to say, "By the way, that leopard guard at the gate seems to be a pretty good one. Little did he know that this brief memory would prove to be the turning point in his destiny.

"Go in and tell them that the owner of the Lotus Sword Plaque is here, and they'll know."

A few moments after that.

Zhang Yiha, the head of the Hubei branch of the Zhongyang Marking Bureau, came running over barefoot. In his haste, he had forgotten to put on his shoes. After he had barely calmed his ragged breathing, he said, "I'm sorry.

"Is Confucius the owner of the 'Softening Sword Plaque'?"

Bi Ryuyeon nodded and pulled out a card from her bosom. Of course, it had been given to Zhang Wuyang, the sovereign eighteen swords of the Zhongyang Clan, or as she was now called, the Iljin Clan Girl, not long ago. The wielder of this softened sword plaque wielded almost as much power as the sovereign. Zhang Wuyang had been given the title because the Zhongyang Marked Bureau was expanding its power at a furious pace.

"What brings you to the capital, Confucius?"

Zhang Yiha's demeanor was extremely polite. After all, the owner of the Softening Sword Plaque was no less than the co-manager of the Zhongyang Mark Bureau.

"I need to ask you a favor."

"Whatever you need, I'll do it immediately."

I didn't ask why Zhang was doing it.

"Hasten to organize a party, one bound for Wuchang."

There is no better way to hide a large number of unattended people than by walking. This is because you can enter a building without concealing your presence. However, while this was true in theory, there were many challenges in practice.

For one thing, there were far too many people in this group to draw attention to themselves. Some of them were of such a race that there were fewer strangers than acquaintances in all of black and white politics, especially when paired with a thief who roared like a blazing fire and a silver-haired swordsman who was as cold as ice.

It's not that I didn't think, "Why don't we just cut them off and walk away?" but the power they had was too valuable for that.

So, for the time being, there was nothing better than disguising themselves as traveling marksmen in order to pass through the checkpoints while keeping their unusual bodies hidden. Even if they couldn't completely block the momentum that flowed unconsciously, they could control it with their will to appear somewhat weaker, so it wasn't a problem, and it was perfect for moving in groups.

Moreover, by the time he reached the Hubei branch, he would have traveled to Wuchang, the seat of the Black Heavenly Blind, many times, and most likely would have come into contact with their officials.

So, after a bit of bustling around, a party set off in haste to get out of the Zhongyang marking station that very day, and to everyone's surprise, it was the Iron Heart Chief of the Hubei branch.

One oddity was that almost all of the markers were scantily clad and covered their faces with bamboo sticks.

Following Zhang Yiha's lead, the party began to head north.

Toward the center of the upcoming dark clouds and storms.

Not knowing what harsh fate awaited them.