Chapter 303

The name ‘Green Forest’ originates from an old rebellion that took place in Hubei Province’s Green Forest Mountain.

At the time of the Xin Dynasty, it lasted only fifteen years, not long enough to be recognized as a proper dynasty.

Founded by a nine-year-old kid with no dad (the greatest saint of the western regions!), it collapsed when he was a 24-year-old fresh carpenter.

Based on Qing’s hometown, it would take sixteen years for a full educational course: six years of elementary, three years of middle, three years of high school, and four years of college.

Fifteen years sounds long, but in reality, it’s an incredibly short time.

Anyway, Wang Mang, the first and last emperor of the Xin Dynasty, is famous for being a legendary fool, garnering no good reviews other than his innovative attempts.

His name gave rise to the term “Mang-Takjo,” used negatively to describe a rebel, tyrant, bandit, or beast.

Wang Mang, Dong Zhuo, Cao Cao – Mang-Takjo.

His innovative attempts did outlast the nearly two thousand years since, as he was the first to implement the radical idea of state-owned agriculture and the prohibition of private property.

As a result, the Xin Dynasty is considered the most disastrous period in Chinese history.

Not just a failure, it was a total mess.

If our great hero had studied Chinese history, he would have realized, “Oh, this is the quick path to destruction,” and would’ve long grasped those radical ideas.

Sadly, back then, no one cared about the foolish history of those who perished from drug abuse, which is quite the shame.

So, for nearly two millennia, the Central Plains were dyed red by the fervor of these revolutionary ideas.

Thus, the first popular uprising in the Central Plains arose, the Green Forest Rebellion, heralded by the Green Forest army folks.

There had been uprisings before, but they were all led by local aristocrats or armies wielding their swords backward. The first instance of pure commoners taking up arms with farming tools instead of pitchforks was indeed the Green Forest army’s emergence.

From the results, you can see how those bandit scums proudly called themselves Green Forests.

However, since the Green Forest army were rebels, the name of Green Forest Mountain was eventually replaced by the name Great Red Mountain.

Yet, although the name ‘Green Forest Mountain’ was erased, its spirit remains in the hearts of the Green Forest folks.

Green Forest Mountain is no longer a real mountain in the Central Plains, but exists in the hearts of those carrying on its spirit.

This is precisely why the main base of Green Forest is located at Mount Tianzi in Hunan.

Since Green Forest no longer exists, there’s no need to establish a base at Great Red Mountain (formerly Green Forest Mountain).

It’s not like they ran away.

With the Wudang Sect, Shaolin Temple, and the Namgung family nearby, and with the government forces ready to gather thousands of cannons at Huang Palace under a punitive order in just five days, it’s not about running away.

Green Forest lives on in spirit.

Meanwhile, speaking of Mount Tianzi, it’s also the favorite mountain of the Han people, the roots of Qing.

Almost everyone over middle age among the Han has visited this sacred place at least once.

It’s truly the holy mountain and spiritual homeland of the Han people.

Although, they don’t know it by the name ‘Mount Tianzi.’

Instead, the Han refer to it as Zhangjiajie.

Thus, Zhangjiajie! Mount Tianzi! Green Forest Jeilchae!

And there’s the Great Chief of the Ten Thousand Green Forest, who also doubles as the head patroller, his alias being In Green Forest, a man said to embody Green Forest itself.

In Green Forest, Wang Cheol-gun.

That ‘Green Forest itself’ Wang Cheol-gun was currently staring down at his son’s corpse.

The body, prepared for burial, was pristine.

Washed up, stitched, and dressed in proper mourning attire, despite its pallid state, it looked ready to wake up any moment.

But the deceased would never open his eyes.

Only someone who hasn’t lost a child could dare speak of the father’s heart.

Of course, if Qing saw this, she would probably just scoff.

Here’s this bandit leader who makes a living off killing others’ kids, and he’s sad about his own?

But in truth, isn’t it more painful to prick your own fingernail than to worry about someone else’s pain?

So, while Wang Cheol-gun’s fury may not be justified, one can admit it was quite substantial.

“What happened to Guyun?”

“Great Chief.”

“I’m asking you what happened!”

Jeilchae Fan Master Bu Hyeol-cheol was flustered, merely fidgeting with his lips.

His shoulder blades and leg bones were ground to dust, fingers torn off, and one of his shin bones was sticking out of the skin.

And yet he wasn’t dead; he was thrashing painfully in a puddle, unable to even roll over, ultimately drowning when the filthy water rose to cover his face.

When discovered, he was already buried in the muck.

The Great Chief ground his teeth at this.

“What a funny woman. Butchering people like a butcher and robbing them of gold and silver, yet still praised as a charity worker? Whether it’s us or her, how are they any different?”

Which, of course, would’ve made Qing laugh.

But Wang Cheol-gun was dead serious.

“You said it was Seomun Qing. Let all the mountains know. If you bring her, I’ll fulfill any wish of yours. I’ll even give you the master position of Green Forest. No need to capture her alive—torture her to death in the most horrific manner and then bring me the body. Or better yet, I’ll go myself.”

“Yes, Great Chief.”

“All patrol teams and combat units will apply their full strength to hunt down Seomun Qing. If there are any mountain bands that protect her while she passes through, I’ll personally visit them and deal with them.”

The father’s fury freezes cold.

Though it might seem he lost reason, he was highly rational.

He did not extend his vengeance to the women in the North Sea who were just along for the ride, knowing that declaring war would only result in Green Forest being the one to suffer.

So saying they’d focus on Seomun Qing was akin to quietly handling matters internally.

Even saying he’d give up the master’s position would mean little—if someone without sufficient skill took on the role of the Great Chief, they’d soon find themselves challenged and quickly killed.

Regardless, he was the top head of a notable group in the Central Plains.

He wasn’t someone to be underestimated.

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Meanwhile, as someone was grinding their teeth and shedding blood tears, Qing was lost in thoughts wandering around Xi’an.

Xi’an has sights in every direction:

east there’s the hot spring rumored to be loved by Yang Guifei,

west you’ve got ancient temples hosting real relics of the Buddha and even the tomb of Empress Wu Zetian,

to the north, you’ve got the Bell Tower market street—a starting point of the Silk Road—and to the south, the famous temple holding the remains of the second most famous monk, Xuanzang.

Just for reference, the first is the Buddha, the third is Avalokiteshvara.

Of course, Xi’an is vast.

Not just vast, but extremely, extremely vast.

So, not having the stamina to explore beyond Xi’an, I could only hit up the bustling markets of the Central Plains to snack and snack some more, seeking out the key technicians of flood recovery work.

But then,

“Rumor said the lady got hit by a carriage.”

One household had a terrible vibe, so I casually asked a passing servant who told me she died after being run over.

“Do you know where she went? She said she was off for drinks and hasn’t returned since…”

Another household was mourning, having lost someone who went for a drink and went missing.

“Oh God, oh no…”

One household was holding a complete wake.

One person went hiking on a rainy day only to return with a broken neck.

Another was last seen getting dragged out of a gambling den.

Someone passed away possibly from food poisoning, another died suddenly, another went out and never came back…

It can’t just be the heavens punishing them all at once; it just can’t!

On the contrary, it seems people could’ve been involved.

“Lady, if only you’d shown up a bit sooner. I reckon they’ve all kicked the bucket.”

After the flood recovery efforts took a month, and the ten days of traveling to Xi’an, it’s been more than a month since then.

Of course, no one dies for no reason.

They probably did something to deserve it, and I’m fine with thinking that’s why they met their ends.

The dilemma is, it’s impossible to know whether Zhangxing Company is under scrutiny or purposely screwing things up.

So, Qing hastily rushed around, crossing out names one by one as the sun began to set, ultimately finding not a single name left.

Hmm. What do I do now?

This definitely indicates that Zhangxing Company has something fishy going on, right?

But truth be told, it didn’t bother Qing much.

All I needed to do was visit, remember the boss and any other high-ranked sinners, then drop by at night for a heart-to-heart.

However, if there were no obvious wrongdoers when I visit, the case would plunge into a rabbit hole.

Before doing that, I figured I should do a little evidence gathering.

But in matters like this, isn’t the best consultant just around the corner?

Right, it’s Seolga, the supreme expert on midnight raids, assassination, kidnapping, and arson in the Central Plains, right?

If Seolga caught wind of this, he’d probably be utterly stunned.

Honestly, he had never once thought of himself as particularly clever.

In fact, he didn’t even care about stratagems or schemes.

It was just Qing who bumped him up to the neighborhood genius out of sheer whimsy.

Either way, Seolga, alias Seolga-ryun, warmly welcomed Qing during his nighttime visit.

“Coming to me at this hour brings back memories. What, here for me to suggest another target for elimination?”

“Wow, how did you know? Truly Seolga!”

Seolga frowned a bit at that.

“You think it’s because those involved in nighttime killings are from the Demonic Cult? Or is it just your personal hobby?”

“No, it’s not that. The thing is…”

Qing proceeded to explain the findings from her inquiries.

In response, Seolga rubbed his chin, deep in thought.

Wait, what happened to his beard? Did it really just vanish?

Of course, Qing could never hold her curiosity back.

“Bad side effects.”

“What’re the side effects supposed to be? It won’t drop off in the end, right?”

“Fortunately, my thing should be just fine. Lately, it’s been standing upright every morning as if to say ‘life is good.’ Want to confirm?”

“Trying to get me with that face doesn’t work. And your voice too.”

“As for my voice, it sounds like this.”

“Whoa.”

Qing couldn’t help but exclaim at the surprisingly womanly voice that came out, albeit a bit rough for a woman.

“It’s just a catching technique. When you’ve lived as a fugitive, you learn a thing or two.”

“Oh, can I learn it too?”

“For a guy to make his voice sound like a woman’s, that’s easy once you get the trick down, but the reverse requires a specific martial art tailored for it. A woman’s throat has a narrower sound box, making it naturally difficult to mimic. Hmmm, but maybe if you stretch it out?”

“Ah, so that’s how it works.”

“But still wouldn’t it stretch if you just kept pushing it?”

“Repeating such fruitless teasing could come off a bit desperate, no? And isn’t it about time I regained proper sensations?”

“I was hoping to see your face redden. You always seem to have no fun.”

“Hey, I’m down for dirty jokes too. What? You planning to share something naughty? I wouldn’t mind.”

Seolga shook his head in refusal.

“A woman’s shyness is charming when you want to be intimate, but it’s problematic if she leaps right in the front.”

“Ooh, I see.”

“You see, that attitude is the issue. Hmmm, anyway, it seems Zhangxing Company has made some moves. Let me have the list.”

“Can’t we just grab a suspect from Zhangxing Company and question them? That’s why I came to you—to find a notorious suspect to grab.”

Seolga shook his head again.

“Isn’t the definition of a suspect a bit vague? Just because someone looks bad doesn’t mean they are. Plus, I’ve only been in Xi’an for less than half a month.”

“Hmm.”

Oh man, but I know…

Qing swallowed her next words.

Seolga skimmed over the list and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“A few of these folks likely survived. I’ll dispatch people to locate them, so just wait patiently.”

“Wait a second, how did you recognize them immediately?”

“Isn’t it obvious there are a few with missing families? Some disappeared with their children.”

These key technicians are actually pretty friendly with each other, you know.

They work with one another often enough.

So, it’s reasonable to assume some ran off when they saw their family members suddenly gone.

So, those who’ve gone off with their families are definitely guilty and likely to face a gruesome death.

On the other hand, those who may have run off alone, just to stay alive, could still have a chance of survival, even if they fall into either category of bandit or masterful father.

About three or so would still have a good chance of being alive.

At Seolga’s explanation, Qing clapped her hands together.

Truly the neighborhood genius!

This isn’t just an ordinary neighborhood. Xi’an is one of the grand cities in the Central Plains!

Thus ensues why the masters always advised having wise folks around to rely on.

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