Chapter 303: The Fire in Chang’an (5)

The name “Green Forest” originates from a peasant rebellion that occurred long ago on Mount Lulin in Hubei province.

It was during the Xin dynasty, which collapsed after only 15 years and is too short to be recognized as a full dynasty.

It was established when the greatest sage of the Western Regions (fatherless) was a 9-year-old child, and fell when he was 24 and working as a young carpenter.

Even by the standards of Qing’s homeland, 6 years of elementary school, 3 years of middle school, 3 years of high school, and 4 years of university is 16 years.

15 years sounds long, but it’s actually such a short time.

Anyway, Wang Mang, the first and last emperor of this Xin dynasty, is also famous as a historical idiot who receives no positive evaluation except for his innovative attempts.

The first character “Wang” in the phrase “Wang-Tak-Jo-Ui”, used to mean all sorts of bad things like traitor, tyrant, son of a bitch, or beast, is from Wang Mang’s name.

Wang Mang, Dong Zhuo, Cao Cao, Sima Yi. Wang-Tak-Jo-Ui.

However, his innovative attempts were nearly 2000 years ahead of their time.

He was the first person in human history to implement very red and red ideas like banning private property and collective farms on a national scale.

As a result, this Xin dynasty period is considered the most ruined time in Chinese history.

It wasn’t just ruined, it was completely ruined.

If Comrade Karl had studied Chinese history, he would have realized “Ah, this is the shortcut to ruin” and given up on red ideas early on.

But how regrettable that no one was curious about the history of those idiots who were ruined while smoking opium at the time.

Anyway, the Central Plains were thoroughly fucked with blood by the stand up wave that was nearly 2000 years ahead of its time.

Thus arose the first peasant rebellion in the Central Plains, which was the emergence of the Green Forest Army, the seniors of the Yellow Turban rebels.

There had been uprisings before that too.

But they were all cases of local clans or armies turning their swords around, and this Green Forest Army was the first case of civilians purely saying “We’re all going to die like this, if we’re going to die anyway we might as well kill” and taking up bamboo spears instead of farm tools.

You can see the result in how those thief bastards call themselves the Green Forest Way.

Anyway, since the Green Forest Army was also a rebel group, the name Mount Lulin was erased and replaced with the name Mount Dahong.

However, while the name Mount Lulin was erased, the green spirit of Lulin remained in the hearts of the Green Forest Way members.

Mount Lulin no longer exists as an actual mountain in the Central Plains, but exists in the hearts of the Green Forest Way members who inherit the spirit of Lulin.

This is why the Green Forest First Branch, the headquarters of the Green Forest, is located on Mount Tianzi in Hunan.

Since Lulin no longer exists, there’s no need to establish a base on Mount Dahong (formerly Mount Lulin).

It’s definitely not that they ran away.

It’s not because the Wudang Sect, Shaolin Temple, and Nangong Clan are neighbors, and even the government’s military base Zhumadian is connected by official roads so that thousands of cannons could gather in just five days with an imperial eradication order.

Because Mount Lulin is in their hearts.

Meanwhile, Mount Tianzi was also the mountain most loved by the Korean people, Qing’s roots.

It’s a sacred place visited at least once in their lifetime by almost the entire Korean population over middle age.

It’s truly the spiritual mountain and heart’s hometown of the Korean people.

However, they don’t know the name Mount Tianzi.

Instead, Koreans call this Mount Tianzi “Zhangjiajie”.

And so, Zhangjiajie! Mount Tianzi! Green Forest First Branch!

And there is a man who is the leader of the Ten Thousand Green Forest Branches (the number 10,000 means “all” or “entire” to Central Plains people) and Chief Inspector of the Ten Thousand Green Forest Branches, with the title “Human Green Forest”, said to be the Green Forest itself.

Human Green Forest Wang Cheolgun.

This “Green Forest itself” Wang Cheolgun was currently staring down at his son’s corpse.

The corpse of his son, with the funeral rites completed, is clean.

The body has been washed, wounds stitched, and dressed in clean burial clothes, so although pale without blood, it looks like he could open his eyes at any moment.

But the dead will never open their eyes.

How a father feels looking down at his son’s corpse is not something those who haven’t lost a child can dare to speak of.

Of course, if Qing had seen it, she would have just snorted with derision.

Saying what’s so sad about your own child dying when you make a living killing other people’s sons and daughters, or someone’s parents, as the leader of a bandit group.

But isn’t it natural that one’s own fingernail hurts more than someone else’s child dying?

So while Wang Cheolgun’s anger may not be justified, the level of his anger was appropriate.

“How did you say Guiseon ended up?”

“Branch Leader.”

“I’m asking how he ended up.”

The First Branch Vice Leader Bloody Iron Ghost So Bangjeon just moved his lips, not knowing what to do.

Both shoulder blades and leg bones were ground to powder, fingers were torn off, and one shin bone was completely exposed.

Yet he didn’t die, so he was writhing in terrible pain with his limbs crushed, thrown into a puddle.

Unable to even turn his body, he eventually drowned with his nose buried in the rising muddy water, so when he was found he was already stuck in the mud.

The Branch Leader ground his teeth.

“Isn’t she a funny bitch. Butchering people like a butcher, robbing gold and silver to use as her own, and even being praised for relief efforts. If we’re going to butcher people and rob gold and silver, what’s the difference between us and that bitch?”

Again, these are words Qing would laugh at if she heard.

But Wang Cheolgun was serious.

“You said her name was Ximen Qing. Let all the mountain branches know. If they catch that bitch, I’ll grant any wish. Even if they want the position of Green Forest leader, I’ll give it. No need to catch her alive. Torture her to death in the most horrific way possible. And bring her corpse to me. No, no need to bring it. I’ll go myself.”

“Yes, Branch Leader.”

“All patrol teams and combat teams are to focus all efforts on hunting down Ximen Qing. If there’s any mountain branch that holds back and doesn’t come forward when that bitch passes by, tell them I’ll personally visit and beat them down.”

The anger of a father who lost his child freezes coldly.

In fact, while he seemed to have lost his reason, he was also in an extremely cold and rational state.

He didn’t extend his revenge to the Divine Maiden Sect or the Northern Sea girl who was said to have just been beaten up without doing anything, because if he declared war like that, the Green Forest would be the one getting wiped out.

So saying to focus on Ximen Qing personally was the same as saying to handle it quietly according to internal rules.

The statement that he’d give even the position of Green Forest leader if desired was just that, because in reality if someone without ability takes the Branch Leader position, they’d soon face challenges and die a dog’s death.

Anyway, he’s the leader of a group famous throughout the Central Plains.

He’s not such an easy person.

While someone was grinding their teeth and shedding tears of blood, Qing was deeply absorbed in sightseeing Xi’an.

Xi’an has sights to see in all directions – east, west, north and south.

To the east are the hot springs said to have been loved by Yang Guifei, to the west is the over thousand-year-old Famen Temple enshrining Buddha’s actual bones and also Empress Wu Zetian’s tomb.

To the north is the Bell Tower and Drum Tower which also marks the starting point of the Silk Road, to the south is Xingjiao Temple enshrining the relics of Xuanzang, the second most famous monk in the world.

For reference, the most famous is Buddha, and the third is Bodhidharma.

Of course, Xi’an is large.

Not just large, but very, very large.

So she couldn’t busily go around sightseeing outside Xi’an, but just went around the most prosperous areas of the Central Plains, buying and eating snacks over and over while searching for the core technicians of the water control project.

But.

“The master was hit by a carriage, they say.”

One house had a very bad atmosphere, so when she discreetly asked a servant passing by, they said he was hit by a carriage and died.

“Do you know his whereabouts? He said he was going out drinking but hasn’t returned…”

One house, the person went out drinking and went missing.

“Aigo, aigoo…”

One house was in the middle of a funeral.

Someone went hiking on a rainy day and returned as a corpse with a broken neck.

Someone was last seen being dragged out of a gambling den after causing trouble.

Someone ate something bad and died after being sick, someone died suddenly, someone went out and didn’t return…

Unless heaven was collectively punishing those involved, there’s no way there could be such a string of funerals and disappearances.

In other words, humans could have done it.

“Damn. I should have come earlier. They must all be dead.”

Focusing on flood recovery took a month, and it took over ten days to come to Xi’an, so it’s already been well over a month.

Of course, those who died didn’t die for no reason.

They must have died for doing things deserving of death, so you could say “that’s how it is” for those who deserved to die dying.

But this way, there’s no way to know whether Jangheung Trading Company did shoddy work on the project, or if they deliberately messed it up.

So Qing hurried around with clicking steps at a faster pace.

Crossing off names one by one on the list, by the time the sun set, not a single name remained.

Hmm. What to do?

Looking at this, Jangheung Trading Company definitely has something fishy, so they must have carried out a massacre.

Of course, Qing wasn’t particularly disappointed.

She could just visit first, remember the company leader and other high evil karma bastards, then visit at night and go through a sincere counseling process.

However, if there’s no one with particularly high evil karma when she visits, the case would reach a dead end.

So she was thinking of gathering some evidence before that.

But for matters like this, the best person to consult was right nearby.

Isn’t Seol Ganom right there, the Central Plains’ top expert on night attacks like raids, assassinations, kidnappings, arson, etc?

If Seol Ganom heard this, he would be completely dumbfounded.

Seol Ganom had never once thought of himself as a smart person from the start.

Moreover, Seol Ganom had no interest or intention in things like strategies or being an advisor.

It was just Qing arbitrarily picking him as the neighborhood’s top intellect to consult.

Anyway, Seol Ganom, alias Seol Garyeon, welcomed Qing who visited in the middle of the night.

“Coming in the middle of the night like this reminds me of the old days. Why, have you come to ask me to tell you who to catch and kill again, like back then?”

“Wow. How did you know? As expected of Seol Ganom.”

At this, Seol Ganom frowned deeply.

“Was going around killing people at night not because you were in the Demonic Cult, but just your hobby?”

“No. That’s not it. Actually…”

Qing reported the results of her inquiries today.

At this, Seol Ganom stroked his slender chin, going “Hmm.”

But wait, even the beard marks are all gone?

Of course, Qing doesn’t hold back when she’s curious.

“It’s a side effect.”

“Just how far do these side effects go? It’s not like your dick will fall off later or something, right?”

“Fortunately, my cock is expected to remain intact. These days it stands up well every morning, so life is quite enjoyable. Why? Want to check for yourself?”

“It’s a bit jarring when you flirt with that face. And your voice too.”

“The voice, well. Like this.”

“Ooh.”

Qing let out a rare exclamation of admiration.

Because in the “like this” part, a voice that was definitely womanly, though thick for a woman, came out.

“It’s just a trivial skill. When you live as a fugitive, you end up learning all sorts of things.”

“Oh. Can I learn it too?”

“For a man to make a woman’s voice, it’s easy once you get the knack, but for the opposite you’d need to find a martial art specializing in that. A woman’s vocal cords are narrow, so you imitate with inner force, but it’s not easy to widen something that’s originally narrow. Hmm. Well, wouldn’t it widen if you poke it?”

“Ah. That’s how it works.”

“Still, wouldn’t it widen if you poke it?”

“Isn’t it a bit ugly to deliberately repeat flirting that doesn’t work? And now that your senses seem to have all returned, is there any need to substitute flirting for sexual desire?”

“I was just trying to see you blush once. Why are you so no fun?”

“Well I like dirty talk too? Why? Are you going to tell me some naughty stories? Then I welcome it.”

Seol Ganom shook his head.

“A woman should have some shyness to be embraced, if she strips and pounces herself, even an erect cock would die again.”

“Ooh. And then?”

“That’s the problem with that attitude. Hmm. Anyway, it seems Jangheung Trading Company has made a move, give me the list. I’ll look into it.”

“Can’t we just kidnap suspicious guys from Jangheung Trading Company one by one and ask them? That’s why I came to ask you to tell me who’s suspicious.”

Qing came to ask him to tell her who to catch and beat up, like in the Demonic Cult days.

At this, Seol Ganom shook his head.

“Isn’t the criteria for suspicious guys ambiguous? It’s not like we can tell they’re bad guys at a glance. Besides, I’ve been in Xi’an for less than two weeks.”

“Hmm.”

I know though.

Qing swallowed her words.

Seol Ganom roughly skimmed the list and said, scratching his chin:

“A few of these guys should be alive. There are some whose whole families went missing. Some fled with their children too.”

Core technicians usually get along well with each other.

Because they work on many projects together.

So there must be some who fled after seeing the string of funerals.

Those who took their whole families or fled with their children definitely ran away in the night.

Of course, even fleeing alone is barely surviving, so those who fled together probably all died.

But among those missing, some must have fled alone to save just themselves, or to keep their families from getting involved.

Whether they’re bastards or great heads of households, there’s a high chance that three or four of those who fled alone are still alive.

Qing clapped her hands at Seol Ganom’s explanation.

As expected of the neighborhood’s top intellect!

Now it’s not just any neighborhood.

Hasn’t he become the top intellect of Xi’an, one of the Central Plains’ top cities?

This is why the sages said you should keep wise people by your side.