830 - I Am This Murim’s Crazy B*tch

"If you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles," a very famous saying goes. Of course, it's a simple principle, but knowing your enemy is no easy task. Conversely, if the enemy knows you, it means no matter how much you fight, you can't corner them. Thus, one of the ancient pieces of advice passed down in the martial world is to hide thirty percent of your ability, so that they cannot fully understand you. Any well-organized group would desperately devise means for this kind of information security. And the simplest and most convenient method of information security within a group is to not provide any information to its members in the first place. This was the method used by the Blood Cult. So, Qing smacked her lips as she recalled her candid conversation with Dongjook. Hmm, that bastard, didn't know much. Still, it wasn't a complete waste either. ... ...... ……… Qing's impression after hearing Dongjook's voluntary testimony was simple. "Start over from the beginning." "Pardon?" "From the beginning. Let's see if you make even the slightest mistake this time." Extracting information is difficult. Even after extracting information, it's hard to trust it; believing the words of just one person without cross-verification is the act of a fool. However, since a person's brain has its limits, if you ask them to repeat from the beginning, it's not easy to remember the fabricated parts. "This bastard, your story is different from last time, isn't it?" "What did I say previously?" "Are you playing tricks? You want to keep your body intact, huh? I'll take one of your eyes. You have two, so losing one isn't much, is it?" "W-Wait! Aaaaah!!!" "Alright, let's forget what you said before. Be honest from now on." Isn't this the fun in extracting information? Then, again. And once more. The Blood Cult is centered around the exalted Blood Maitreya, who is heard directly by the great dignitaries— Splat! Qing hit Dongjook's head. "What the hell is Blood Maitreya, you brat? It's Blood Demon, idiot." "Y-Yes, Blood Demon, under the Blood Demon……" The leader of the Blood Cult, Blood Demon, commands formidable高手(gosoo), and these are called Great Dignitaries within the Blood Cult, each establishing subsidiary groups utilizing their own specialties. Dongjook's affiliation is with the subdivision of Sword Demon, known as the Sword Guardian Division of Blood Gotha, and his mission was to protect 동포(dongpo) in Yunnan together with Blood Order warriors. "Blood Order warriors?" "They refer to warriors who have not yet joined a subsidiary group." Upon hearing it, it roughly meant they were recruits. Blood Order warriors are taken in by various subsidiary groups according to their achievements and talents. Those without talent or skill are not taken by anyone, and they drag around performing guard duties or menial tasks. Sword Demon is present? Unlikely. Then, who's there? I heard it's Blood Order priests under Poison Demon. Then, is Poison Demon present? No idea. What kind of conspiracy are they scheming in Yunnan? No idea. What do you know? Who is that guy? He's the son of 정망(Jeongmang), the right-hand man of Sword Demon and the master of Blood Gotha. Well. Even if he's the son of Sword Demon's right-hand man rather than Sword Demon himself, isn't he just a small fry? In fact, right-hands like that often think more than their masters, so there's no guarantee that Jeongmang is the only one claiming to be Sword Demon's right-hand. Anyway, Jeongryu is a worst-case body type, less than a Third Tier in skill, but he relies on the halo of his father and brothers, going out on plausible missions and achieving results. "He has brothers? Oh, that piqued my interest. Would their names be something like Jeonggeojang?" "Jeongsu-jang and Jungji-jang. The great lord received a divination that having water characters in their names was favorable." 水(shui), 池(chi), 流(류), all have water-related characters, but hmm, it felt like a punch to the gut. "So, can I leave now……" "Hmm? Where are you going? That's different from the promise." "Pardon?" "I promised to save you, but I didn't say I'd let you leave unharmed. And the first thing I hate the most in the world is a bad person, and the second is a traitor. Betray your 동포(dongpo) to save yourself? You're dead." "No, but that's different from the promise, aah!!!" ……… …… … Hmm. It was truly enjoyable. Should I do it again next time? When starving for a long time, I thought it would be nice to feel satisfied with just one good grip. Once you get a taste of the feel, your hands start to itch. Humans are just so fickle, aren't they? Still, hum-hum, Qing hummed a tune naturally. A song from her homeland, where she could barely remember the title. Although Zhongyuan wasn’t primitively lacking, it still suffered from a lack of musical variety, perhaps. Qing crossed the alleys. On the outskirts of any city and near streams where water flows, ironworks gathered. Eventually, everywhere the sound of metal clanging echoed: clank, clank, clank from the hammering. Qing perked her ears, listening to the sound, and followed the deepest resonant pounding of iron. Entering the ironworks, the hot air rushed in. As the hammer clanged against metal, a blacksmith threw a wary glance at the swordswoman with a large sword strapped to her back. Qing showed her palms, signaling for them to continue their work. And soon enough. As the sound of boiling water hissed, the blacksmith pulled out a sickle and, wiping away sweat, spoke to Qing. "I'm sorry, but we don't handle swords here. If you want to straighten a sword, try the third workshop left, Bang's ironworks." "Oh, I didn't come to see swords. Do you perhaps have a suitable iron plate? The sound here was quite pleasing." No blacksmith dislikes hearing compliments about the sounds of their hammering. The blacksmith's expression softened as he asked again. "Iron plates, you say? What kind? Steel, cast iron? And what's the size and thickness you need? What's it for?" "Oh. I plan to place it on my chest." "Uh? Pl-ehm, placing it there?" "Yes. Like this, you see?" Terms: 1. 동죽(Dongjook) is translated as simply "Dongjook." It doesn't have additional context or symbolism in the text. 2. 혈미륵존(Blood Maitreya) is translated as "Blood Maitreya." It refers to a projected title, indicating a deity-like reverence in the context of the Blood Cult. 3. 혈와대(Blood Gotha) is translated as "Blood Gotha." It appears to be a division or group within the Blood Cult. 4. 동포(dongpo) is contextually translated as "compatriot/one's kinsmen," indicating members of the Blood Cult. 5. 정망(Jeongmang) is translated as "Jeongmang," a name that signifies the person with authority within the Blood Gotha. 6. 정수장(Jeongsu-jang), 정지장(Jungji-jang) is translated as "Jeongsu-jang" and "Jungji-jang," names given based on a divination favoring water character, implying their father's belief in certain elements in names. Word play note: The text plays with characters' names having "water" elements. This culturally implies a harmony with nature or aligning with certain favorable elements, adding depth to the names' mentions. Qing awkwardly made a hand gesture, as if feeling out an imaginary watermelon, placing it in front of her chest. The blacksmith's expression was filled with bewilderment. "You mean to say you'll place an iron plate there?" "Yes. It's incredibly inconvenient. Without muscles, it's like tearing through paper. It feels heavy, sweaty, and makes my clothes puff up, just making me look bulkier. Everyone keeps trying to sneak a glance here or there. Frankly, it doesn't have any advantages." "Well, you've certainly had a hard time, haven't you…?" "Anyway, I want to place something under my clothes." Qing, too, engages in a kind of learning. She had experienced serious damage to her chest protection several times. In fact, it's hard to even call it "protection." Due to her protruding chest, it gets in the way of blades it wouldn’t otherwise touch, it’s painful when shaken, and it causes strange resistance in movement from unnecessary recoil. Of course, Qing, whose physical durability surpasses humans, is already used to this after living for over half a decade. Moreover, even if she adds an iron plate, unless the opponent was in the Transformation Realm at minimum or one of the unlucky few of the Transcendent Realm swarming her, she’s safe. In front of Sword Qi, what use is an iron plate, which is why martial artists do not wear armor. Anyways, metal or otherwise, it’s like paper in front of Sword Qi—hit properly and you're dead. It’s better to rely on defensive techniques while wearing lighter garments. Besides, a lightweight body like hers explains why martial artists don’t don armor. Overwhelming offensive power must be countered by deflecting or dodging, not defense. However, this time was different. Having observed Tang Nanah, Qing realized that poison users' combat styles largely involve throwing poisoned objects. And since most hidden weapons are small and light, even with considerable force, piercing an iron plate is difficult. Of course, even if any poison penetrates Qing's massive pectoral region, beyond lies her superhuman pectoral muscle and an automatic responsive muscle layer that reacts defensively. But it’s extremely and genuinely painful. If the fat layer is just right, removing a fully embedded hidden weapon is still a monumental task…… Thus came Qing's ingenious idea: steel chest plating! The undergarment culture of Zhongyuan barely covers or prevents chafing and was a notion transcending its time. Yet, the blacksmith was perplexed. "How, should I mold two iron bowls for you?" "Uh, hold on. No, that would continuously impact the solar plexus. Just a long iron plate of about this height and width should suffice. I can adjust by folding it accordingly." "That, I mean, huh." The blacksmith stopped thinking! There's no point in ruminating on absurdity; after all, aren't there all sorts of peculiar people among martial artists? "Do you need it right away? If it's just making an iron plate, it can be done in a half Shi Chen. I'll flatten one right out." "Oh, please do." Thus, Qing acquired the iron plate! She then took a room at the inn, molding the iron plate to her liking, fitting it against her chest for a while. Finally, achieving a satisfying result. First, she wrapped her fat layer with coarse cloth for compression, placed the gently curved iron plate over it, then fixed everything with more cloth. Trying it on with her regular clothing didn't seem unnatural. Due to the pressure inside the plate, the skin stuck unpleasantly, resulting in a bothersome fit. But it's better than pain. In fact, it's all just precautionary. Since Qing didn't intend to raid the Odokmun. If it were only Odokmun, it would be one thing. But with the involvement of the Blood Cult, Qing couldn't discern whether it was full of poison users or if any other members of the Blood Cult mixed in. She had already told her friends. In case the evil scheme revealed through spreading a strange disease prompts them to flee or hide, Qing intended to scout for their status and tracking. Jega Yi-Hyun had headed to the Dianchang Sect, so support would soon arrive. When they decide to purge the enemies, at least one person needs to assess the situation at Odokmun. Of course, if they only see poison users and they seem manageable, there might be no need to wait for backup and just cause a ruckus. Primarily, it was reconnaissance—just to scope and scrutinize the enemy. Truth be told, her intention was a bit self-serving, also wanting her friends safe afar. From Dianchang Sect’s perspective, there's no point in risking the life of Jega, a prominent heir from a distant noble family, in battle. Heimei would stay at Dianchang Sect to care for Jayer. Those who went to assist with Lang-jungda should figure things out there, or at least help in developing medicines or observing experiments. Qing felt apologetic to the warriors of Dianchang Sect. But this body, skilled at transcending realms with a Heavenly Sword Flower technique, would fight alongside them. Plus, it’s originally the territory of Dianchang Sect. They ought to be grateful, not apologetic. Anyway, to erase such guilt, she needs to scrutinize and gather information on the enemy's movements as thoroughly as possible. Therefore, I first need to hide my position. Having let 정류장(Jungnyujang) and his minions escape, the Blood Cult minions are likely lying in wait en route. So it seems it's time for some covert movement. I'll use the main roads near the border, then go directly west through the mountains. It's a straightforward movement as shown in my previous journey to Guangxi. The Blood Cult martial artists might feel wronged. Given the mission to draw out the most powerful thief, Eminent Emperor of Thieves, how could they anticipate that said thief would choose to pass through an uncharted forest without roads or even a small village? Terms: 1. 오독문(Odokmun) is translated as "Odokmun," maintaining its name as it seems to be an organization or affiliation. 2. 광서(Guangxi) is translated as "Guangxi," referring to a place name in China. 3. 광도적지존 음미적 도독련(Eminent Emperor of Thieves) is translated as "Eminent Emperor of Thieves," signifying a title or rank indicating that character's supremacy or notoriety among thieves. 4. 강철 가슴싸개(Steel chest plating) is translated as "Steel chest plating," referring to Qing's innovative protective design. 5. 정류장(Jungnyujang) is used directly as "Jungnyujang," indicating a name perhaps of a minor or less significant character in the context. 6. 전투법 (Combat Method) was interpreted in context as "combat styles" focusing on poisons. Note: Qing's conversation with the blacksmith humorously highlights her practical yet unusual request for a tailored iron plate for unconventional protection. The narrative's tone maintains light sarcasm and humor within serious martial world contexts.