Chapter 1015

Our force numbered a staggering three thousand, but every last one of them was a martial artist, so we moved far faster than common sense would suggest.

Only two days after leaving Tianshui, on Gansu’s eastern edge, we had already passed Lanzhou, the provincial capital, and were pressing on without slowing down.

It must have been around then that the bitterly cold plateau and vast wilderness gave way to a narrow road lined on both sides by rocky hills of every size.

This place…

Sometimes, when I left the modern world behind and roamed the Murim, I found myself stopped short by nature’s grandeur. Places untouched by human hands, holding the passage of countless ages within them.

I let go of my reins and gazed in silence at the endless view below the plateau. A soft voice reached my ear.

“This is the Hexi Corridor. It’s called that because it runs west of the Yellow River like a corridor. I don’t know who first named it, but doesn’t it suit the place?”

I agreed, but that aside, the voice was easy to recognize. It would have been even if Sama Pyo and Taishan hadn’t been away.

There was only one person around me with a voice that fresh and clear.

“You certainly know your stuff, Young Lady Ju.”

Ju Hwaran gave a shy smile.

“It’s only natural. I did lead the Escort Bureau for a while, even if it wasn’t very long. And I am the Escort King’s granddaughter, after all.”

She had a point, but she was being modest, too.

Being born into a martial family didn’t mean you had to learn martial arts. Likewise, Ju Hwaran hadn’t been obliged to take over the family business. She knew the geography of the Central Plains and so much else through her own effort.

Come to think of it, the Yongbong Escort Bureau wasn’t in a situation all that different from the Jin Family of Taiyuan’s at first.

Both families had left their former glory behind and begun to fall into ruin.

One small difference was that, unlike the Jin Family of Taiyuan, which had three sons and a whole lot of testosterone, Ju Hwaran was an only child—and had to bear that much heavier burden alone.

Though her father, the Head of the Escort Bureau, was still there, unlike mine, even if he was bedridden.

But that was all in the past.

The Head of the Yongbong Escort Bureau had recovered his vitality and returned to the front lines. And the huge sum of gold I’d beaten out of the Taeeul Merciless Sword in return had been more than enough to pull the crumbling family back onto its feet.

And the Jin Family of Taiyuan had risen into the ranks of the Five Great Families, filling the void left by the Murong Family—or rather, the Murong household.

If Dark Heaven didn’t exist, we could’ve wrapped things up here with a happy ending for everyone.

But reality wasn’t something you could ignore. You had to face it, and opportunity always came in the midst of crisis.

That was how Ju Hwaran and the Yongbong Escort Bureau, and I and the Jin Family of Taiyuan, had overcome their crises and grown stronger.

It was only the many sacrifices we’d made along the way—and the fact that more would inevitably come—that weighed heavily on my heart.

And besides…

No. Not right now. I’ll leave it there for the moment.

I pushed away the memory of Namho coming to me just yesterday, his face unusually grave. I pushed away his low voice, too, though it still seemed to linger in my ears.

Ju Hwaran was watching me with concern. I forced a smile as if nothing were wrong.

“Ah, sorry. I was just… just thinking about something.”

“It’s all right. I understand. The coming battle must be weighing on you.”

What was I supposed to say? I couldn’t tell her something I wasn’t even certain of myself.

I watched her profile as she rode beside me, then spoke almost on impulse.

“That’s part of it. But I’ve also been thinking about relationships.”

“Relationships?”

“Between people. Trust, hopes. Things like that.”

I looked toward the narrow pass between the distant rocky hills, where thousands of our allies were pouring through like a flood.

“Nothing’s easy, I suppose, but I find this especially hard. The connections and feelings between people.”

“How they feel…”

Ju Hwaran murmured the words to herself, then added quietly, “I think I understand.”

“I thought you might, Young Lady Ju.”

She’d been through it herself. How could she not?

I still remembered it clearly: during the conflict with the Zhongnan Sect, Ju Hwaran had personally cut down Chief Escort Heo Jun, who had betrayed her from the shadows.

She once followed him like a real uncle. The wound from that must still be with her.

That was why relationships were so difficult.

You could readily give someone something, but no one knew whether they’d give as much in return, more—or nothing at all.

That’s why I’m hesitating so much, too.

Then Ju Hwaran blurted out something that swept the doubts creeping back into my mind clean away.

“It’s Wolhwa, isn’t it?”

“Y-yes?”

I’d almost agreed without thinking. I blinked at her.

What? Had I heard her wrong?

“Um, sorry, what did you just say?”

Without turning her head, Ju Hwaran answered, “The woman named Wolhwa. The Lower District Sect’s Branch Leader in Shaanxi. Isn’t she?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“Exactly.”

“No, I meant that she’s the Branch Leader in Shaanxi.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes.”

“And?”

“Pardon?”

“Never mind.”

What on earth was this conversation?

I stared at her, speechless. Then a violent fit of coughing cut through the pounding hooves.

“Cough! Cough! Couuugh!”

What was that idiot doing now?

I turned to say something to Hyuk Mujin, who was practically convulsing in his saddle, and saw him desperately shaking his head. Namho and Song Ilseom rode on either side of him, looking at me with pity.

A suspicion struck me.

Hmm.

Hmmm.

Was this… what I thought it was?

This isn’t exactly the best time for something like this.

Still, I had to clear up a needless misunderstanding.

Feeling a little strange, I spoke.

“Um, Young Lady Ju?”

“Yes. Go ahead.”

She kept her eyes fixed straight ahead, as if she’d spotted her family’s sworn enemy up the road. Her ears, meanwhile, had perked up.

I scratched my chin, though it didn’t itch.

“Well, this isn’t something you’re particularly curious about, but I thought I’d mention it.”

“That’s right. I’m not particularly curious, but I’ll hear you out.”

“I’m not very close with Wolhwa.”

“……”

“We did have some dealings, sure. Just a year or two ago, she was the Branch Leader in Shanxi, not Shaanxi. The Lower District Sect and I had various mutual dealings, so we got to know each other a little.”

After a brief silence, Ju Hwaran spoke.

“You talk about her awfully casually for someone you’re not close to. You even call her by her name.”

“You’ve got the wrong idea. I only call her that because she isn’t here. Face-to-face, I’d address her properly every time.”

“I see. So you sometimes exchange heartfelt missives like this one, too?”

“Missives?”

I blinked. Only then did I begin to understand why she’d brought up Wolhwa.

The missive the Lower District Sect member who’d guided us to Gansu had given me. The one sent in Wolhwa’s name.

“Was that why?”

“Why what?”

“That’s, well…”

How was I supposed to put this? Was it even a good idea to say what I was thinking?

While I hesitated, Ju Hwaran finally turned and looked me straight in the eye.

“Can I ask what was written in that missive?”

Strange.

Our saddles jolted with every pounding hoof, and the wind whipped past us. Yet her voice reached me more clearly than anything else, though it was barely half as loud as usual.

Maybe that was why I stared at her for a moment, then answered before I knew it.

“No.”

“Ah.”

Her expression dimmed slightly, and she fell silent. I went on.

“I can’t tell you what’s in it. I haven’t read it yet.”

“……!”

“With everything going on, I’d forgotten about it. Want to read it together now?”

I didn’t need an answer. Her beaming smile was enough.

Inventory open. Summon.

As I slipped my hand inside my robe and spoke the command, I felt something solid between my fingers.

I pulled out the bamboo tube the Lower District Sect member had given me a few days earlier, removed the rolled-up missive, and unfolded it in front of Ju Hwaran.

Hesitation? The slightest worry?

Not a trace. Not even a pinch.

Why would I have anything like that? Wolhwa only teases me with wordplay when we meet in person. When it comes to business, she’s meticulous.

I had reason to be certain. This wasn’t the first time she’d sent me news.

Perhaps because of the agreement with the Jin Family of Taiyuan, I’d received a couple of missives while I was away. They’d contained useful information: the locations of Lower District Sect branches, how to make contact in an emergency, and the latest news from Shanxi or Shaanxi.

Information. Nothing more.

It was the Lower District Sect’s Shaanxi Branch Leader looking after a valued client, not Wolhwa writing to me personally.

So I unfolded the missive without a moment’s hesitation—and immediately realized something was wrong.

Young Master Jin, have you been well?

Maybe it’s because we haven’t seen each other in so long, but I miss you terribly. I missed you so much that you appeared in my dream last night!

Rustle.

I let go on instinct, and the paper rolled back up.

Ju Hwaran had brought her horse close to mine to read along. She spoke in a voice so gentle it felt out of place.

“Could you open it again?”

“……”

“I was reading it.”

“…Um, Young Lady Ju?”

“Yes. Go ahead. I’m listening.”

I hurriedly opened my mouth, feeling like I had to say something. But her soft reply—and the steady gaze she fixed on me—sent a chill down my spine.

It was as if my body had forgotten I’d gained the power of Unaffected by Cold and Heat long ago.

How am I supposed to explain this?

I felt as though I’d stepped into a deep swamp with no way out. While I struggled to find the words, Ju Hwaran gave a faint smile.

“Never mind. It’s fine. You don’t have to say anything.”

“Y-yes?”

“Don’t mind me. Go ahead and finish reading. It sounds like a very deep and important conversation. Well, I’ll leave you to it.”

“Wait, Young Lady Ju—!”

Thud-thud-thud!

Before I could finish shouting, she urged her horse forward and sped ahead.

I stared after her, then silently unfolded the missive again.

Unlike usual, it was full of trivial personal chatter. And at the very end, it had one line that put the finishing touch on the whole thing.

Hoping for the day the Yellow River runs clear and we can meet again,¹

Wolhwa

“……”

She really was trying to get me killed.

I stared at the words. Anyone who read them would think we were on very intimate terms.

Hyuk Mujin approached cautiously.

“Um, Captain.”

“What.”

“I can see the Qilian Mountains.”

“Get lost.”

“Yes, sir.”

God, I want to die.