Flash Blade Wi Yeon, 34 years old.
Rank 2 in Chang'an's Western Rogue Market.
Blood Flower Yi Boreong, 27 years old.
Rank 5 in Chang'an's Western Rogue Market.
Both of them were young.
Young, yet strong.
Young and strong, but also seasoned, clever, meticulous, and ruthless.
That's how they had risen to become the second- and fifth-ranked figures in the Western Rogue Market at such a young age.
Clang!
"You wanna die?"
"No. I want to live."
Wi Yeon immediately pressed the flat of his blade lightly against Yi Boreong's sword back.
Only then did Yi Boreong finally sheathe her blade.
That woman was terrifying.
"I was hoping you'd spare me a moment."
No!
I've already said the same thing over a hundred times!
I'm seriously gonna puke!
"Of course, Great Hero Wi."
In the martial world—especially among rogues—
that's how the weak had to act if they wanted to survive long.
He hadn't even glimpsed the first chapter of the latter half of the 32 Rogue Arts yet. He couldn't just die like this, right?
"Silent Wolf. Get the situation from this guy."
"Yes, Great Hero!"
In the end, I was a rogue called Silent Wolf.
A man who served as one of Flash Blade Wi Yeon's right-hand limbs, and quite famous in the Western Rogue Market himself.
To him, for three full hours (about six hours)... damn it!
Only after repeating the same story over two hundred times could I finally escape the Hundred-Li Clan.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
It took one day to capture the Human Money Five Ghosts.
Two days to bring the Human Money Five Ghosts and the women back to Chang'an.
A full half-day at Jade Water Manor and the Hundred-Li Clan.
By the time I finally left the Hundred-Li Clan, it was too late at night to head home.
So I had to spend the night at a cheap inn.
It had taken a total of four days.
Now it was time to go home... but I had no sword.
Me, a rogue and a swordsman—did it even make sense to be without a sword?
Yeah, I had 25 taels of silver right now.
The sword I'd used before had cost 2 taels.
For an iron sword that cheap, it had lasted pretty well.
Even when fleeing from the Horizontal Mountain Seven Blood Demons, I hadn't lost it—but I'd been planning to buy a new one anyway.
Yeah, it was just a feeling!
I had 25 taels of silver!
Today, let's splurge for once!
I headed to the weapons market in Chang'an's western market with light steps.
Of course, the high-end weapon shops there all sold only expensive swords as a matter of course.
No matter how much I wanted to splurge, there were almost no swords I could buy with 25 taels.
So I had no choice but to head to the cheap weapon shops in the market.
The places where poor third-rate martial artists and third-rate rogues mostly shopped.
The one thing to watch out for here was simple.
Just don't get scammed.
"World's Best Armory?"
What a flashy name.
But.
"Why won't you sell it! I brought money! Fifty taels of silver!"
"I told you! That sword already has an owner!"
"No, what kind of sword has an owner, and why hasn't that damn owner shown up in five whole years? So just sell it to me!"
"I'm not selling! I'm not selling, so get lost!"
"I'm offering fifty taels of silver!"
"The one with the Dragon's Eye! Only the one with the Dragon's Eye can own that sword."
"Have you ever seen such a crazy old man! In all the world, how can a person have a dragon's eye? Sell it!"
"Not selling! Get out!"
"Fuck, you crazy old geezer! See if I ever come back here! Ptooey!"
"I wouldn't sell a real sword to a guy like you who can't even recognize one! Don't ever come back to my armory!"
The man looked vicious.
After a fierce argument with the diminutive old man, he finally stormed out of the World's Best Armory.
I was a little curious.
About what had happened.
And what kind of sword they were fighting over.
So I quietly approached.
"What happened?"
I cautiously spoke to the old armory owner.
He was still fuming as he turned around with a huff.
But suddenly, the old man's whole body stiffened, and his eyes widened like saucers.
"Y-You..."
"Yes? Me? What about me?"
"You have the Dragon's Eye!"
Ah!
What kind of twist was this?
"The Dragon's Eye! Finally, the one with the Dragon's Eye has come! You! Wait just a moment! Don't go anywhere—stay right here! Got it?"
"Ah, yes."
The old man scurried into the back of the armory.
He didn't emerge for quite a while, and when he did, beads of sweat dotted his forehead.
More than that, his eyes and breathing revealed just how excited the old man was.
"Here, take it."
"What... is this?"
"It's the Dragon Sword."
"The Dragon Sword?"
"Yes! The legendary Dragon Sword, which only one with the Dragon's Eye can possess—that's this sword."
It was a sword case.
A wooden box adorned with ornate decorations, luxurious even on its own.
The old man handed it to me, his face still flushed with excitement.
"Open it."
"Ah, yes."
I opened the sword case slowly and carefully, almost in a daze.
And there was the Dragon Sword... Huh?
It was incredibly ornate.
But it also seemed a bit crudely made somehow.
"You!"
Before I could examine the Dragon Sword closely,
the old man gripped both my shoulders tightly and called out.
"You're a swordsman with the Dragon's Eye!"
"Ah... it's just a bit sudden..."
"You are the Dragon Sword's true owner. I've spent my life selling swords, but I'm absolutely certain—you're its master."
"So... can I take this sword?"
"It's not just that you can—you must! There's only one owner for this sword: you!"
Something exciting was building up.
My heart fluttered, trembled, and strength seemed to surge through me.
Was this fate?
Was I becoming one of those heroes from the martial tales?
Lately, fortunes had kept coming my way— was I finally getting a divine sword to stay with me for life?
"Fifty taels of silver."
Huh?
I'm the Dragon Sword's owner.
No one but me can wield it.
But I still had to pay fifty taels?
"I don't have much money on me..."
"Hmm. That's tricky. Considering how long I suffered to obtain this Dragon Sword and await you... So, how much do you have?"
"Twenty-five taels of silver."
"Ahem. No helping it. But the Dragon Sword has found its master, so that's fortunate. Truly fortunate. Just pay the twenty-five and take it."
"Is that really okay?"
"Of course. I'd love to just give it away, but swords—nay, weapons—are like that. Giving one for free brings trouble. So pay what you have and go. Treat the Dragon Sword with care."
"Ah, yes! Thank you so much!"
"Life and death. A sword imbued with the energies of heaven. Don't draw it lightly. When you do draw it, be sure to sever your enemy's throat."
"Ah... yes! I'll keep that in mind!"
"I wish you good fortune."
I'd obtained the Dragon Sword.
I was overjoyed, practically bouncing.
In case someone might target the Dragon Sword, I wrapped it carefully in cloth and concealed it before leaving.
It would take three days to reach Martial Mystery Village—two if I hurried.
But my steps felt lighter than ever.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Horses are expensive.
Far too expensive for someone like me to even dream of.
So wherever I went, I had to walk.
It was fine.
I had the Dragon Sword.
Even if someone offered me a Red Hare, I wouldn't trade it for this sword.
That's why my steps were so light.
I walked, got too excited, and ended up running.
I had to stay overnight at an inn midway, but otherwise, I just ran.
A distance that should have taken two days even rushing—I covered it in one by running through the night, returning to Martial Mystery Village.
Oh, right!
I had something to check with the neighbor uncle about the latter half of the 32 Rogue Arts.
After running all night, it was morning.
Should I head to the neighbor uncle first?
He was probably out weeding endlessly again today.
With that, I quickened my pace even more and arrived at the village entrance.
I'd arrived.
This was definitely my Martial Mystery Village.
Ah!
What... the hell was this?
Our village, which should have been overrun by weeds taller than a grown man's height everywhere,
had changed.
It almost made me think I'd come to the wrong village.
The village was clean.
Not just here and there—the entire village had been cleaned spotless.
All the weeds were cut down, and even the paths crisscrossing the village were swept pristine.
But the problem was those weeds that had blanketed the village.
They'd been trimmed, but not just trimmed.
The village spread before my eyes now, along with the weeds,
looked like a single work of art...
As if someone had painted the entire village with the overwhelming grandeur of One Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains and the mystical fantasy of Dream Journey to the Peach Blossom Land.
"Hey, Village Chief! You back? Eaten yet?"
Way over there.
In the middle of the village.
The neighbor uncle was waving cheerfully at me with a bright smile.
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