The Hwangbo Clan’s Beloved Live-In Son-in-Law - Chapter 31

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 31

Grand Alliance of Righteous Chivalry and Martial Arts of the Four Seas

“…They said the Hwangbo Family was just at the level of local gentry.”

Xie Baowei nodded heavily.

Below a large signboard written in bold, dragon-like calligraphy, stood a main gate as grand as the signboard itself.

Walls stretched out on either side, their ends invisible from where he stood.

The main road in front of the gate was wide enough for three or four horse-drawn carriages to run side by side, and it was filled with people coming and going.

On both sides, vendors sold goods and food he had never seen or heard of before, and behind them, houses spread out like a spider’s web.

Xie Baowei had never been to Huangdu so he couldn’t be sure, but the scale seemed comparable to the imperial palace where the emperor resided.

“…How outrageous, truly outrageous.”

“Pardon?”

“Nothing.”

Xie Baowei shook his head, having momentarily entertained anti-martial world thoughts.

Anyway, the line was too long.

The vast main gate was firmly closed, and in front of it stood two guards with imposing presence like stone statues.

On either side were smaller gates (though they were actually quite large), with guests forming a long line on the left while those with passes freely entered and exited on the right.

“…Shall I arrange lodging for you to rest there?”

“It’s fine.”

Before joining the left line, Xie Baowei looked at Yingying.

Yingying firmly grasped the hem of Xie Baowei’s pants and shook her head.

Xie Baowei gently stroked the child’s short hair as if he had expected this.

“Let’s wait then.”

…

Xie Baowei soon regretted it.

He should have eaten lunch before coming.

No, he should have at least fed the child first.

Without much thought, he had joined the line and lunchtime had already passed.

The line moved faster than expected and they were already halfway through, making it awkward to leave now.

“Let’s have something delicious for dinner.”

“…Yes. I’d like that.”

It was an unexpected response. He had thought she would just say “It’s fine” again.

When Xie Baowei looked at the cart, Yingying was leaning against the blanket, stroking her own hair.

Something about it was endearing, making Xie Baowei smile warmly.

-Snort.

“Bear with it, you rascal.”

Rather, Chun-gil seemed bored and was acting up.

Xie Baowei patted the horse’s neck.

The line began moving again.

People came to the Wulin Alliance for various reasons.

Some carried bundles of goods, loudly declaring their business intentions and selling items to those in line, while others grabbed each other by the collar, pleading for judgment.

Some came trembling with crude portraits, and others simply came to meet people.

Most matters were resolved quickly, keeping the line moving, but sometimes cases took longer, causing delays.

“Oh, there’s Hyeseo!”

“Nam Gilin is with her too!”

Hearing murmurs, he turned around to see Jegal Seolhye walking with a very handsome man.

Behind them followed a group of guards, whether subordinates or servants.

They ignored the long line and headed for the right gate.

He had wanted to see the main gate open, but it seemed even they didn’t use it regularly.

Suddenly, looking at the hungry child, the long line behind him, and the considerable wait still ahead, Xie Baowei raised his hand high.

“…Ahem.”

Well, it’s not like passersby would turn around for that.

Xie Baowei glanced at the child and the men in line before and behind him, then opened his mouth.

“Miss, Miss Jegal!”

Though it was a bit embarrassing, with a “what the hell” attitude, he raised his voice quite loudly.

Jegal Seolhye and her party looked toward Xie Baowei.

The surroundings stirred.

“Does he know Hyeseo?”

“Who is he?”

“Lucky guy.”

“But why is he in line….”

Xie Baowei brazenly kept waving his hand.

Fortunately, Jegal Seolhye waved back.

“Oh, you came!”

Though Jegal Seolhye’s party had left the Hwangbo Family first, they had apparently handled other business and coincidentally arrived at the same time.

Jegal Seolhye called out cheerfully.

“See you inside.”

…Damn it.

Her bright smile was refreshing.

The man beside her looked at Xie Baowei and asked something, and Jegal Seolhye answered with a smile.

The man’s face hardened as he stared intently at Xie Baowei.

But Xie Baowei didn’t catch that look.

“What, they’re nothing to each other.”

“Just, just a passing acquaintance.”

Under the fierce gazes, Xie Baowei quietly lowered his hand.

She definitely did that on purpose.

Xie Baowei turned to look at the child.

The child was sleeping with her eyes closed.

Ha.

“Open your eyes, it’s fine.”

Shake shake.

Right. Right.

Xie Baowei sighed again.

.

.

.

After some time, Xie Baowei was finally able to stand before a clerk at a desk.

The clerk looked back and forth between Yingying and Xie Baowei and said.

“We’re not recruiting guards right now… Are you perhaps applying for membership?”

“No.”

“Then?”

“I came as a guest. To see Bifeng and Miss Hahee from the Hwangbo… no.”

“…Your name?”

“Xie Baowei.”

“Oh? Ah, yes, Xie Baowei!”

The clerk smiled and slapped the desk.

At his pleased expression, Xie Baowei smiled awkwardly.

His story must have spread this far.

“You are a membership applicant! Look here. Special membership applicant. Xie Baowei. Recommended by Chief Strategist Jegal Seolhye of Hongchaekhwon.”

“Huh?”

“A recommendation from Hyeseo. Usually such recommendations go to Jayuneong, but unusually this one’s for Cheongjukrim, so I remembered it.”

“Huh?”

“Please go in.”

The guard tilted his head as if finding it strange and gestured with his hand.

Then he added one more comment.

“Goodness. If you had come through that right door over there, you could have entered right away. Didn’t Miss Hyeseo tell you?”

Crack.

Xie Baowei gritted his teeth.

“Damn.”

Xie Baowei was speechless.

***

The Wulin Alliance’s military forces are largely divided into two groups.

Cheongjukrim, which grows densely like green bamboo to protect the Alliance.

Jawunyeong, which boasts peak skills like magnificently bloomed peonies.

One builds achievements in Cheongjukrim to advance to Jawunyeong, and warriors of Jawunyeong take on even more dangerous missions.

However, as more people from great families directly join Jawunyeong, the friction between them is gradually intensifying.

“The Hwangbo Family hasn’t joined the Alliance, so isn’t that natural?”

“…Why would I join the Alliance?”

“Then, go find your way around on your own.”

“Hah.”

Jegal Seolhye was easy to meet.

She made time for him as if she had been waiting.

“If you want to wait for a letter from Quickstrike Mace, well, you could go wait at the market. But really, sometimes you two have separate missions and your paths might diverge… meeting people in this vast Central Plains isn’t easy at all. Right?”

“So you want me to work for the Alliance?”

“Then, did you expect to get information for free?”

Quickstrike Mace was Hwangbo Yeonghil’s alias.

Xie Baowei frowned as he recalled the young face of the boy who used to follow Hee-mae so well.

Finding people in the Central Plains was truly not easy.

Especially for external personnel who moved around various places on long-term missions.

That was also the reason why Hwangbo Yeonghil left his family to come to the Alliance.

“Has this been discussed with the family too?”

“…Originally I was planning to, but…”

Wouldn’t he have gotten beaten up several times if he had?

Jegal Seolhye scratched her cheek, thinking of the strange reactions surrounding Xie Baowei.

She had grasped the peculiar relationship between the Hwangbo Family and Xie Baowei, but how should she put it.

Those straightforward personalities and truly touching, straightforward stories.

“What’s the point of just waiting anyway? You get paid and have something to do.”

“I have plenty of money.”

“…Well. That’s true. Goodness, regional foundations are really scary, aren’t they? To think the Hwangbo Family has already recovered like that.”

Jegal Seolhye shrugged her shoulders.

Like her own family, this was how the power of local influential families rooted in their regions manifested.

Thinking that it was Xie Baowei before her who made those roots even tougher, those reactions weren’t entirely incomprehensible.

“Please help me out a bit. I’m dying from being short-handed these days.”

Jegal Seolhye smiled wryly and groaned.

It was funny, but she looked genuinely desperate.

Though the bandits had been suppressed, the entire Central Plains was in chaos instead.

Conflicts between those who left Guizhou for other regions and the original locals were problematic, but the fact that so many rough people had gathered in Guizhou was also an issue.

Since they all scattered in all directions, even though they had caught the main fire, embers were igniting everywhere.

The imperial army that should calm this was now turning outward to catch external threats, and local officials turned a blind eye, saying it was martial arts world business.

This was why the Wulin Alliance had become frantically busy.

However.

“That’s not my concern.”

Xie Baowei crossed his legs and sat sideways, snorting dismissively.

Not my problem.

And this was supposed to be the attitude of someone asking for a favor?

Jegal Seolhye scratched her cheek as if troubled.

She was now getting back the anger she had provoked due to her momentary mischief.

But she still smiled.

Because her smiling face had never failed to work.

“Don’t smile. What, because you’re pretty?”

“…Huh? You might not know, but I’m one of the Central Plains’ Five Beauties. If you say that outside, you’ll get stoned.”

“…Are people’s eyes all crooked?”

“What?”

Jegal Seolhye gritted her teeth.

She had tried to provoke him with insincere words… what?

Xie Baowei continued speaking.

“Central Plains Five Beauties or whatever. What’s all that about? Those are just words made up by rich kids hanging out together. Five Beauties? Five Beauties?”

Jiangnan Wall? Pure Fairy? Blue Jade? …What about Hye? Hah, really. Nonsense. Five Beauties, my foot.

The fact that Hee-mae isn’t included is proof that everyone’s eyes are crooked.

Xie Baowei grumbled.

Jegal Seolhye gaped in disbelief at how he was frowning as if he had never been serious.

“…Seriously?”

“What?”

He seemed serious.

Sister… Sister is beautiful, she really is, but.

Jegal Seolhye shook her head.

“Never mind. Never mind. Sigh… That, well. Damn. You know that information about people within the Alliance doesn’t easily leak outside, right?”

Jegal Seolhye spoke as if she didn’t want to drag the conversation out any longer.

This was the main point.

Xie Baowei nodded.

Since the Alliance was as strong as it had many enemies, this was natural.

“Of course I can’t just tell you for free.”

“I am her husband.”

“The current Bifeng of the Wulin Alliance is Hahee. Not Huangbo Lüli.”

“Couldn’t you at least tell me Yeonghil’s location?”

“Why would we?”

“Hah.”

Jegal Seolhye drew a cold line.

“At least the Alliance’s official position is always like that. Quickstrike Mace joined the Alliance and quickly built achievements to rise to Jawunyeong. We might lose such talent, you know?”

“I have no such intention.”

“We have no way of knowing that.”

“Bullshit.”

In fact, it was just pretense.

The Hwangbo Family did have channels to contact Hwangbo Yeonghil.

However, when he was dispatched somewhere in another province like now, it was truly difficult to reach him unless Hwangbo Yeonghil directly sought out someone connected to the Hwangbo Family in the region.

So usually letters were delivered through the Alliance.

For similar reasons, countless people entrusted such things to the Alliance.

Why only for Xie Baowei?

“Right. It is bullshit. But it’s also true that the higher-ups are worried.”

“About what?”

“Naturally, about your meeting with sister.”

“Why.”

“Hah….”

Jegal Seolhye pressed her forehead.

Looking out the window, she saw the sky had grown darker.

Soon, the sun would set.

Turning her head to look at the room, she saw a handful of unorganized books and twice as many unprocessed documents piled up.

Her eyes grew tired and sad.

At the prime of her youth….

Damn it.

“Sister Yulhee. No, it’s been six years since Hahee joined the Alliance, and now it’s almost seven years. Do you know how many cases she’s solved, achievements she’s earned, bandits she’s swept away, and families she’s destroyed during that time?”

How much would it take for her to be called Iron Blood Mace?

“The proud guards of Jawunyeong complete at most five missions a year, sometimes just one. But you want us to just hand over the Alliance’s representative guard who works like an ox to the Hwangbo Family? And even throw in the Quickstrike Mace as a bonus?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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