Chapter 1069

When someone changes in an instant, the people around them can’t help feeling uneasy.

Especially when it happens in the middle of a chase.

“Hh…!”

At Great Sir’s sudden groan, the silence shattered—and the air around us froze.

It hadn’t even been fifteen minutes since we’d shaken off the third group of pursuers.

We’d been moving quickly and quietly, keeping low among the shallow hills and reeds. Now everyone reflexively gripped their weapons. Jeok Cheongang was no exception.

“What is it?”

At his low question, everyone—including me—turned toward Great Sir.

His face had gone rigid without anyone noticing. His pupils, usually a little unfocused, had suddenly dilated, as if reflecting his state of mind. A bead of cold sweat rolled down his forehead.

“I have a bad feeling. A really bad one.”

If we’d been in Gansu, I might’ve wondered what crazy thing he was going to say this time and let it pass.

But however unhinged he was, Great Sir was an undisputed Supreme Peak master. We were in enemy territory, with threats lurking everywhere. And though it might have been a coincidence, he’d been the first to notice the enemy using birds to spy on us. We couldn’t simply brush off what he said.

A person’s innate sixth sense had nothing to do with how advanced their martial arts were.

“A bad feeling?”

Great Sir nodded at Jeok Cheongang’s grave question.

“That’s right.”

“Explain in more detail. And be polite if you don’t want to get beaten to death.”

“Understood.”

Jeok Cheongang chuckled at Great Sir’s answer, then turned to me.

“Would it be all right if this old man taught that lunatic a lesson?”

“Would it?”

“Probably not.”

“Then why ask?”

“I thought I’d check. So it really isn’t all right?”

“You can read his palm, but you can’t lay a hand on him.”

“Damn it. What’s become of the code of the martial world?”

Jeok Cheongang sighed up at the sky, then looked at Great Sir with a half-resigned expression.

“Fine. Keep talking. What exactly does it feel like?”

“How should I put it? Like an invisible hand is squeezing my insides.”

“And?”

“My stomach keeps churning, and I’m breaking out in a cold sweat.”

“Any idea what’s causing it?”

“I don’t know. It feels familiar somehow, but… Urgh!”

Before he could finish, another groan burst from him.

Great Sir’s face went pale, and he moved before anyone could stop him.

Whoosh!

He shot away so fast he left a blurred afterimage. As he vanished among the dense reeds, Jeok Cheongang, the other Supreme Peak masters, and I hurried after him.

Or rather, we were about to.

Then a sound rang out clearly from the reeds.

Prrt, splat-splat-splat!

“…?”

What the fuck?

Just as we all began to dread the answer, Great Sir’s voice confirmed it.

“Ahhh, that’s a relief…”

“……!”

“……!”

A deathly silence fell. Jeok Cheongang stared at me in disbelief, then finally parted his tightly shut lips.

“Are you sure it’s not all right?”

“……”

“I won’t kill him. I’ll just break one thing. His arm or something, not his leg.”

At Jeok Cheongang’s earnest plea, Bow Saint muttered through her pinched nose.

“An arm might be all right…”

I’ll admit, I was tempted.

But with superhuman self-control, I resisted the urge and shook my head.

Sixth sense, my ass.

If he could just refrain from acting like a complete idiot for once, that’d be a miracle. What had I expected from someone who didn’t even know his own name?

Still, he more than pulls his weight.

I swallowed a sigh. Great Shit—no, Great Sir—emerged from the reeds after finishing his remarkably noisy business, looking completely at ease.

“Whew. I feel great.”

“…A minute ago, you said you felt terrible.”

“Me? I don’t believe I did. You must’ve misunderstood.”

“You’re really pissing me off.”

“Hm? What was that?”

“Nothing. Just talking to myself.”

“Hm. That’s a bad habit. I don’t mind, but you should break it soon. If you talk to yourself too often, people might think you’ve lost your mind.”

“……”

I must’ve lost my grip on reason for a moment.

My vision blurred, and when it cleared, a fierce-looking face was blocking my view.

“Whoa! Calm down, calm down!”

“Let go! Let go! That ugly face of yours is already bad enough. Want me to make it even worse?”

Ma Junggeol—the chief of the mounted bandits who’d somehow ended up following us this far, though he was in the horse-caravan business now—looked at me sadly.

“…That was a bit harsh.”

“Ah, sorry. I got carried away.”

Some of the sadness left his face at my apology.

“Calm down. You know Great Sir didn’t mean any harm.”

Of course I knew.

Maybe his innocence was what made it even more infuriating. He’d drawn everyone’s attention at a critical moment, and all that fuss had been over a satisfying bowel movement.

Even Shakyamuni¹ himself would have shouted, “Amitabha,² fuck this! Guanyin,³ drop dead!” and cracked Great Sir’s skull with a wooden fish.⁴

But I can’t exactly leave him behind.

If pure evil existed, maybe Great Sir was it.

I heaved a sigh and raised a hand where everyone could see it, signaling them to move out.

Every moment mattered, and we’d already wasted nearly fifteen minutes for nothing. We needed to move faster.

At this rate, it could take us several extra days to reach our destination.

The first attack had come before we’d even made it all the way down from the mountain range. By now, the enemy had caught up with us three times.

Each time, the Supreme Peak masters, including me, had led the charge and wiped out the pursuers. But the important thing was how quickly and relentlessly the enemy caught up to us.

They have eyes to watch us—and monsters that can chase us without resting for a moment.

Monsters that had forgotten death, pain, and fatigue.

That was what made the undead truly terrifying.

Reborn from death, they’d lost their emotions. Though they weren’t dead, they were already as good as dead. They’d forgotten sensation, and for the same reason, they couldn’t feel fatigue.

We haven’t been down from the mountains for long. If they keep slowing us down like this…

The words surrounded and wiped out rose in my mind. I quietly swallowed them.

Anyone who thought about defeat from the start was bound to lose in the end.

Thousands, or tens of thousands.

Even if a hundred thousand undead came to close their hands around our throats, I had to lead everyone through this dense net and keep moving.

Toward our destination far to the east, where our allies in Qinghai—including the Kunlun Sect—should be waiting.

As if she’d sensed what I was thinking, Ju Hwaran broke away from the others as we moved out and came over.

“If we can make it to Qinghai Lake in the east, they won’t be able to pursue us so easily.”

Song Ilseom, who—as always—stayed close beside Ju Hwaran like a shadow, spoke up unexpectedly.

“You’re not wrong. But only if all of Qinghai’s forces have gathered there, and those monsters aren’t pursuing us with everything they have.”

“…Captain Song.”

“No, Young Lady Ju. He’s right.”

It was a discouraging thing to say, but Song Ilseom’s judgment was clear-eyed and accurate.

You could hold on to hope in a corner of your heart, but your head had to question everything.

Plan for the worst and strive for the best.

That was the surest way to survive and win.

“How far is it to Qinghai Lake?”

“Two days if we push ourselves to the limit. I’ve gone over the map thoroughly, and there’s no route that would get us there any faster.”

The old map in Ju Hwaran’s hands was anything but ordinary.

She’d inherited it from her grandfather, the man known as the Escort King. It marked secret roads hidden throughout the land and described the features of each region in detail.

But this was Qinghai Province.

The northwest in particular was an expanse of open plains and basins, with little but scattered vegetation and reed beds. For us, it was about the worst terrain imaginable.

And for them, it’s perfect.

Ju Hwaran had said that even if we pushed ourselves to the limit, it would take two days to reach Qinghai Lake.

If the pursuers kept catching up, it might take three days, four days, or even more than a fortnight.

They’re pursuing us harder than I expected. Stealth or speed—we’ll have to give up one of them.

That left me with only one choice.

And the first thing I needed to do was obvious.

“Take it off.”

I abruptly picked up the pace as I gave the order.

Jeong Hogun, moving hunched over at the rear of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, reflexively asked, “What?”

“Say that again.”

“…What did you say?”

“I said take it off. Now.”

At the sight of Jeong Hogun’s eyes practically shaking, I added an explanation to head off any misunderstanding.

“Don’t get any dirty ideas. I’m talking about that damn armor.”

I pointed at the armor, smeared with mud to hide its distinctive shine. Jeong Hogun frowned.

“I can’t. His Majesty personally bestowed this armor on every member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.”

“So you refuse?”

“That’s right. Even an order from the Marquis of Shangshan cannot change the fact that this armor bears the authority and honor of the imperial family.”

“And you’re willing to die protecting that authority and honor?”

“That’s…”

“Fine. Keep wearing it. When you fall behind, we’ll just leave you there.”

After a brief silence, Jeong Hogun answered.

“On second thought, I believe His Majesty told us to give the Marquis of Shangshan’s orders the highest priority.”

“That’s a pretty ugly excuse.”

“Damn it.”

“I’ll take that as agreement. Don’t waste time—give the order to your men right now…”

I trailed off and stared into the hazy darkness that had settled around us.

Then I sighed and spoke to Jeong Hogun, who had just removed his helmet.

“Don’t take it off yet.”

At that moment—

Rrrrrumble.

A tremor unlike anything the previous pursuers had caused began to churn in the distance.