The Hwangbo Clan’s Beloved Live-In Son-in-Law - Chapter 47

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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 47

 

Now reduced to three—no, four including Yingying—the pursuit team safely arrived in Hanzhong after several days.

 

Hanzhong was a strategically important city connecting Sichuan and the Central Plains, but it wasn’t as large as one might think.

 

Baimadian and Hanzhong Checkpoint had made quite a name for themselves, but the group didn’t stop there and headed straight to the Alliance’s liaison office.

 

The liaison office was an ordinary private residence, distinguished only by the large pigeon coop in its courtyard.

 

That’s how it had always been.

 

Having Alliance buildings larger than local sects would truly be putting the cart before the horse.

 

After showing the Jayuneong token to the manager, they immediately received brush, ink, and paper.

 

They wrote the same brief coded summary of the situation on three sheets.

 

When they handed these to the manager, he brought out three pigeons before their eyes, tied the messages to each bird’s ankle, and released them.

 

Watching the messenger pigeons’ tails disappear into the distance, everyone let out a soft sigh without exception.

 

The tension that had enveloped the group eased slightly.

 

“Let’s rest a little now.”

 

Namgung Bin said, looking at his younger brother.

 

Unlike Wei Zibai and Huashen, who had remained at the guest village to recover before departing, the rest of the group had moved without rest.

 

It was to relay the situation as quickly as possible.

 

“Those bastards must be far ahead by now.”

 

Suddenly, Namgung Seol spoke with a regretful expression.

 

Seven days and nights? Perhaps they had gotten much farther than that.

 

Not only had they failed to catch up before entering Chengdu, they had even lost their trail.

 

The first objective of their mission had essentially failed.

 

Of course, given that the enemy’s purpose of moving to treat Tougui and Gwanghwa had been shaken, it wasn’t entirely a failure.

 

Namgung Seol seemed more concerned about damage to his elder brother’s reputation than himself.

 

“It doesn’t matter. Let’s focus on recovering first.”

 

Namgung Bin spoke gently.

 

Yet his expression was stern, and from Xie Baowei’s perspective, he seemed troubled by the new scar on Namgung Seol’s face.

 

“We must rest when we can.”

 

Considering that a messenger pigeon would travel from Xi’an to Luoyang, and instructions would come down after the situation was assessed there, they needed to rest for several days.

 

Whatever the enemy’s purpose, the pursuit team’s objective remained unchanged.

 

Following Gwanghwa, Shihui and Qitian had simply been added to the list.

 

Battlefields had many variables, and mission changes were commonplace.

 

Though Namgung Bin and Namgung Seol had joined Jayuneong from the beginning, they had worked hard to prove themselves accordingly.

 

They weren’t green rookies, in other words.

 

The same was true for Xie Baowei.

 

“Well then, I’ll take my leave.”

 

The liaison office did have rooms for guests, but they weren’t particularly comfortable.

 

Usually, if there were many in the group, they would either impose on local sects or stay at inns.

 

Since it didn’t matter much to Xie Baowei, he planned to settle in at the liaison office.

 

Those two would figure things out for themselves.

 

“I’m thinking of going out to the market. Yingying, want to come with me?”

 

Suddenly, Namgung Seol spoke to Yingying.

 

Yingying was a child who didn’t easily warm up to others. Namgung Seol wasn’t particularly friendly either.

 

Like most people from Anhui, they only got along among themselves. Whether Sichuan or Anhui, from Xie Baowei’s perspective, they were all birds of a feather.

 

Still, he had been quietly looking after her quite a bit, though their relationship remained somewhat distant.

 

“…Yes.”

 

“Good.”

 

Yingying hesitated before answering. Namgung Seol grinned.

 

For a moment, both Namgung Bin and Xie Baowei’s eyes focused on Yingying, but Namgung Seol stepped in front of her as if to block their gazes.

 

“Let’s go.”

 

Yingying took the hand he extended.

 

She glanced at Xie Baowei briefly, but soon turned her head away.

 

“I’ll go find a guide.”

 

Namgung Bin chuckled softly at seeing Yingying like this and left first.

 

“Take care.”

 

Those words were meant for the child. Namgung Seol and Xie Baowei rarely spoke to each other.

 

Especially since Namgung Seol was that way, Xie Baowei accommodated him accordingly.

 

Still, when he sent a look that said to take good care of the child, Namgung Seol met his eyes through the silk threads hanging from his bamboo hat.

 

Yingying, holding Namgung Seol’s hand, walked away with quick steps.

 

Her swaying head seemed a bit excited.

 

…It had been an excessively boring and difficult journey for a child.

 

No leisure, no time to rest, dangerous…

 

She’s a perceptive child. Sadly so.

 

Xie Baowei rested his chin on his hand.

 

Right now he felt like a really bad adult.

 

He shook his head.

 

He followed the manager who was waiting to show him to his room and left the courtyard.

 

Namgung Bin and Namgung Seol’s luggage was roughly gathered together.

 

Then suddenly, looking outside, he saw the sky was clear.

 

He took a deep breath.

 

His dantian still tingled and his body felt precarious like wet paper.

 

Several days…

 

Sigh.

 

“I’ll have to start resting tomorrow.”

 

***

 

The group had arrived in Hanzhong at midday. Normally they would have pushed themselves to arrive the previous day, but they hadn’t.

 

It wasn’t so much out of consideration for Yingying, but because of Xie Baowei.

 

“Ugh.”

 

Xie Baowei, who had retraced his steps, descended into the steep valley below.

 

He had come down relying on a tough rope, and as soon as his feet touched the ground, his knees nearly buckled before he managed to straighten them.

 

He pressed firmly on his slightly aching left leg. It was an injury from the first battle, and he hadn’t had a proper chance to treat it.

 

Still, he was used to it now.

 

Let’s see.

 

-…We’ve been running low lately because there’s been a lot of demand for medicinal herbs. Ah, who would have known that Baimadian and Hanzhong Checkpoint would end up like that.

 

Baimadian was a sect that started from a horse stable, mainly using short whips or flails.

 

Hanzhong Checkpoint was a sect founded by some deceased person from Sichuan, and both groups weren’t belligerent, so they had gotten along well.

 

Then an outsider came to Hanzhong. A quarrel broke out, and they were humiliated.

 

There was no need to know more about it.

 

“This should be enough.”

 

Dendrobium, Polygonum multiflorum, Poria, Panax notoginseng. All herbs good for stopping bleeding and boosting energy, famous for being precious.

 

Especially the Polygonum multiflorum and Dendrobium he had just picked were truly top quality.

 

It had been worth coming deep into the mountains.

 

Splash.

 

A deep mountain ravine indeed.

 

The mountain forests of Hanzhong had a different charm from Shandong, but after being tired of the constantly humid and heavy air near Sichuan, finding water felt refreshing.

 

He immersed his body deeply in the valley stream.

 

Relaxing his body, he sank along the water’s flow.

 

It wasn’t deep, so water ripples shimmered before his eyes.

 

-Brother! Are you playing here again? You’re not a child left by the waterside, so why do you jump in whenever you see water?

 

Fresh laughter, bustling, warm, and cozy.

 

The scent of humanity.

 

Family.

 

Hope.

 

Splash.

 

Ah.

 

Perfect timing.

 

Opening his eyes at the sound, he saw an animal’s snout above the rippling water.

 

A well-formed brown body, gentle eyes, large antlers.

 

Normally they would have already hardened by this time, but he was lucky.

 

Very, very expensive and precious wild deer antler velvet shimmered before his eyes.

 

Slowly.

 

Though his breath was caught up to his chin, Xie Baowei waited quietly.

 

The stag hadn’t noticed Xie Baowei yet and was just lapping water at the shallow shore.

 

The distance was about ten steps.

 

If he approached now it would flee, so he had to finish it in one strike.

 

He scraped the ground and selected a suitable stone.

 

One chance, and himself?

 

Of course.

 

Splash!

 

“Roar!”

 

With the sound, Xie Baowei stepped on the ground and rose.

 

Ignoring the heavy resistance that clung to him as he escaped the buoyancy, he lightly gripped the stone he had prepared.

 

He planted his left foot deeply and shifted his body to match the unbalanced stance.

 

His bow-curved torso snapped forward in an instant.

 

The stone flew like an arrow.

 

Thwack!

 

“That’s right.”

 

Watching the staggering stag, Xie Baowei smiled pleasantly.

 

It was an innocent smile, just like in those old childhood days.

 

-Roar.

 

Until he heard the sound of a real tiger.

 

“…Life.”

 

Sigh. A deep sigh escaped naturally.

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

“What’s that?”

 

“A, a tiger.”

 

“Did he catch it alone?”

 

A commotion arose in Hanzhong City as the day was ending.

 

Some man had entered carrying a large tiger and a stag on a sled made of tree branches roughly tied together with rope.

 

It was Xie Baowei.

 

“It was an old one.”

 

“Isn’t an old tiger still a tiger? Look at those teeth and claws still intact. You probably wouldn’t even know what bit you.”

 

“Hey! What unlucky words!”

 

“Wow. Look at those antlers. They’re good enough to use as deer antler velvet, not just deer horn!”

 

“That bundle is also full of medicinal herbs. They’re from deep valleys…”

 

People flocked to see the rare spectacle.

 

Though there were many hunters in Hanzhong, few brought back tigers they’d caught alone.

 

Moreover, deer antlers all hardened during this season, making deer antler velvet difficult to obtain.

 

In short, it was like a ginseng digger striking it rich.

 

“Make way!”

 

So it was natural for word to spread here and there.

 

By the time Xie Baowei’s cart reached near the medicine shop he’d visited during the day, people were swarming behind him.

 

“Hey. I said move!”

 

Stop.

 

Xie Baowei’s steps, as he moved his spoils while appropriately responding to the pouring attention, came to a halt.

 

Someone was blocking his path.

 

It was a figure who had roughly pushed through the gathered crowd.

 

“An outsider.”

 

Blue martial robes, two swords hanging at his waist, thick hands.

 

“I am Seo Yun of the Hanzhong Swordsmen.”

 

He looked young. Mid-twenties perhaps? His face was stern and he seemed stubborn.

 

He spoke informally from the start, but whatever.

 

It didn’t matter.

 

Nod.

 

Xie Baowei roughly nodded his head and stepped aside.

 

Whoever you are, you go your way. I have my own way to go.

 

His body was too tired from the unexpected battle.

 

He planned to just recuperate during his remaining time.

 

But Seo Yun, who had come looking for trouble, wouldn’t step aside.

 

“How dare an outsider carelessly hunt Yingshan’s great tiger.”

 

And he shouted angrily.

 

Xie Baowei’s tired eyes turned toward the man.

 

“…Isn’t there an official in Hanzhong?”

 

Though hunting tigers required official permission, people didn’t live strictly following all such rules.

 

Moreover, cases like this where he was attacked first were different.

 

There was no need to just die.

 

However, whatever the case, that was something the officials and Xie Baowei should resolve. Besides, the money he’d already paid at the city gate wasn’t small.

 

Who are you to interfere.

 

Irritation crept into Xie Baowei’s eyes.

 

“Bastard. How insolent. I won’t stand by and watch an outsider steal away Hanzhong’s precious things!”

 

Shing.

 

A sword was drawn from Seo Yun’s waist.

 

A smooth and natural draw.

 

Quite impressive for his age, but.

 

What bullshit.

 

Hmph. Xie Baowei snorted.

 

He’d seen much worse.

 

“…I am.”

 

Sigh. With a deep sigh, Xie Baowei opened his mouth.

 

Was there really a need to see blood.

 

Regardless of what kind of person he was, he was currently working for the Wulin Alliance.

 

Sometimes, the power of one’s backing was stronger than the individual.

 

Let’s go easy. Before Xie Baowei could say more.

 

“Hey! Listen here, Twin Crushing Wind! Are you trying to shame all the people of Hanzhong? Can’t you step back?”

 

A voice came from the crowd and someone jumped out.

 

This was also a young man.

 

White martial robes, a coiled whip at his waist, horsehair decorating the end.

 

Surely.

 

“I am Jang-hwi, Horse Commander of Baimating.”

 

Then, Jang-hwi grabbed Seo Yun’s head and forcibly made him bow.

 

Haha. With that expression, it seemed like something troublesome was about to happen. Xie Baowei frowned.

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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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