“Yaaawn.”
A middle-aged martial artist let out a long yawn and glanced to the side.
Only a few paces away, the new recruit who had been assigned here today was standing stiffly and staring straight ahead.
What a guy. He’s got one hell of a build.
Limbs like pestles. Broad, squared shoulders.
Judging by his size alone, anyone might have suspected he hailed from the Hebei Peng Family, renowned for its sturdy physiques.
Come to think of it, I don’t even know his name yet.
The weather was cold, and there were still more than three shichen left in his shift.
On days like this, you had to flap your gums to make the time pass faster and keep warm. The middle-aged martial artist quietly opened his mouth.
“Hey there.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Good heavens, did you swallow a thunderbolt? Why are you shouting so loud?”
“I’m sorry!”
“No need to apologize. Is it because you’re new? It’s good to see someone so full of spirit.”
“Ah, thank you.”
“Yeah, yeah. That’s right.”
The middle-aged martial artist smiled, pleased. They had only exchanged a few words, but the kid seemed decent. His manner was straightforward, and unlike young people these days, he was polite too.
For a man who was slowly being treated like an old-timer fit only for the back rooms, he had found himself a pretty good conversational partner.
“Is your surname Peng, by any chance?”
“No. It’s Jang.”
“I was only curious. You’ve got quite the physique. I wondered if you might belong to some distant collateral branch of the Hebei Peng Family.”
The new martial artist scratched the back of his head.
“I’ve been pretty strong ever since I was a snot-nosed kid.”
“I thought so. Your limbs are packed with muscle. Reminds me of myself when I was young.”
Of course, that was utter nonsense. But despite his appearance, the new martial artist was perceptive enough to immediately bow deeply.
“Compared to you in your youth, Senior, I’m nothing.”
“Come now, none of this ‘Senior’ business. Call me hyung from now on. Ah, my surname is Hong.”
“Yes, hyung!”
“Heh heh. Looks like I’ve gained a good little brother. So, Little Brother Jang, when did you join our family?”
“It’s already been several years.”
What? That can’t be right. If a man like you, with a general’s bearing, had joined, I would’ve heard about it long ago…
Hong had served the Jin Family of Taiyuan for nearly twenty years. As something of an old fixture, he knew exactly which martial artists came and went.
“Ah, I haven’t been a martial artist for even a month. Before that, I was a servant doing odd jobs here and there. I mostly worked out of sight, so you may not have noticed me.”
“Ahh, I see.”
Hong looked at the new recruit with fresh interest.
A servant who became a martial artist. It wasn’t unheard of, but it wasn’t common either.
“You must have a powerful backer.”
“Pardon?”
“Oh, come now. Don’t play dumb when you know exactly what I mean. Do you think it’s easy for a new recruit to land this post?”
Grinning, Hong poked him in the side.
“Who is it? The Chief Steward is far too strict to be behind it, so did you manage to secure a solid connection somewhere in the leadership?”
“Well, I…”
“Just tell me quietly. I’ll keep it to myself. Is it the Outer Hall Master? Or the Iron Sword Squad Leader?”
The Lesser Family Head sent me here.
The new martial artist, Jang Childeuk, swallowed the words that had nearly slipped out.
People had loose tongues. If he told the truth, the rumor would spread before sunrise tomorrow.
I can’t cause trouble for the Lesser Family Head!
When it came to loyalty toward the Jin Family of Taiyuan, Childeuk was no less devoted than any martyr.
He avoided the middle-aged martial artist’s intensely curious gaze and opened his mouth.
“By the way, was this really such a difficult place to get into?”
The middle-aged martial artist looked disappointed at the change of subject and clicked his tongue. Since Childeuk clearly didn’t want to say, pressing him further would be a bit awkward.
“Tsk. You said you’d been with the family for several years, right?”
“That’s right. As a servant, though.”
“Then how many times did you come to the training hall during those years?”
“Exactly twice.”
“Right? Now, take a good look around.”
“Right now?”
“Or would you rather do it next year?”
Jang Childeuk looked around as instructed.
The Jin Family’s rear was completely enclosed by steep cliffs. Beneath them yawned a vast cavern—the entrance to the training hall.
Aside from Childeuk and Hong, not a soul was in sight.
“What do you think?”
“It’s deserted.”
“Right? How many people do you think come here in a day?”
“How many?”
Hong answered indifferently.
“No one.”
“Pardon?”
“Other than the people who come to change shifts every four shichen, nobody comes here. Ah, there is a servant who delivers meals.”
“But… this is the training hall, isn’t it?”
“It is. But does anyone train here? No. The Third Young Master came in and out a few times after causing trouble, but that’s about it.”
What an absurd thing to say.
Come to think of it, despite the name, Childeuk had never seen anyone actually training there.
The training ground, on the other hand, was always crawling with martial artists, no matter the season.
“Then why are we guarding this place?”
“It’s a symbol.”
“A symbol?”
“Long ago, Founder Jin Muryang trained here. According to legend, he suddenly attained enlightenment while training on this cliff and unleashed his martial arts. With One Strike, he blasted open the base of the cliff.”
Jang Childeuk’s jaw dropped.
He remembered hearing legends about Founder Jin Muryang. Hadn’t he been one of the greatest masters under heaven some three hundred years ago?
But how could such a thing be possible with a human body?
“Is—is that really true?”
“It happened hundreds of years ago. What does it matter whether it’s true or false? There’s a much more important fact.”
“…Yes?”
“If you sit around in front of this training hall for a few shichen every day, your monthly pay arrives like clockwork. That’s what matters. The only downside is that time passes damnably slowly.”
Hong grinned and patted Childeuk on the shoulder.
“Congratulations. You’ve been assigned to the finest post every martial artist in the family dreams of. What they call a cushy post.”
“…”
Childeuk’s face twisted.
It would be one thing if he were old enough to retire at any moment, but he was still in his prime. He had no intention of wasting his time in the training hall with nothing to do.
Oblivious to Childeuk’s thoughts, Hong pulled a strip of jerky from his robes and began chewing.
“Want one?”
“I’m fine.”
“Why? It’s salty and pretty good. Looking at the sky while chewing jerky makes time pass quickly.”
The middle-aged martial artist leaned against the entrance to the training hall and tilted his head back to look at the sky.
“Well, would you look at that. The sky is so clear. Just looking at it makes my chest feel wide open.”
Jang Childeuk reluctantly glanced upward.
As Hong had said, the weather was clear. Wisps of cloud drifted slowly across the blue sky, accompanied by several black specks.
“What are those?”
“Birds, probably.”
As Childeuk stared blankly at the sky, his gaze drifted toward the dizzyingly high cliff. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed.
“What about that thing clinging to the cliff?”
“The cliff? What’s on the cliff?”
“Yes. It’s pretty big.”
“Dunno. Must be a pretty big bird. Hold on, I brought a bottle of liquor somewhere…”
Without even looking where Childeuk was pointing, Hong pulled a small porcelain bottle from his robes.
“It looks a little too big to be a bird.”
“It could be a Heavenly Eagle. Those things are as big as people. They aren’t ordinary hawks.”
“Wow. It really is as big as a person.”
“They’re even called spirit creatures. I heard their wingspan alone is more than a jang. I’ve only seen one from a distance, myself.”
“But, hyung.”
“What? Why do you keep calling me?”
“Do Heavenly Eagles fall, too?”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
Hong, who had been tipping the bottle toward his mouth, hurriedly looked at the cliff.
At that dizzying height, a massive dot was plummeting rapidly.
“Aaaaaaah!”
Childeuk marveled.
“It really is a spirit creature. Its scream sounds exactly like a person.”
“That’s a person, you lunatic!”
“Whaaa!”
“Move! Move!”
The instant Hong screamed, a person crashed into the ground amid a shower of stone fragments.
Boom! Rumble, rumble!
Rocks and dust burst in every direction. The two men swallowed at the same time.
“D-do you think he’s dead?”
“Try falling from that height. Even the Jade Emperor would die.”
How had such a horrific calamity intruded upon their peaceful routine?
The middle-aged martial artist clutched his trembling chest and stared at the body lying facedown.
“What kind of madman falls from a cliff…”
“He looks young.”
“Does it matter whether he’s young or old? The important thing is that he’s dead.”
“That’s true, but…”
“Go turn him over.”
“M-me?”
“Who else is here besides you and me? Hurry!”
At the middle-aged martial artist’s shout, Jang Childeuk hesitantly began approaching the body.
He had only been a martial artist for a month. This was the first time he had ever witnessed someone die right in front of him.
“Huff, huff.”
The closer he got, the more clearly he could see the body.
Its limbs lay limp, and blood streamed from the back of its head as it lay facedown on the ground. Considering the height of the fall, the corpse looked surprisingly intact.
“M-may you be reborn in paradise.”
He squeezed his eyes shut and reached out to touch the body.
That was when it suddenly shot upright.
Crack!
The world flashed before Childeuk’s eyes, followed by a wave of excruciating pain.
He landed hard on his backside, his mouth hanging open, unaware that blood was streaming from both nostrils.
“Uh… uhhhh.”
“What in the… Ugh, ughhh!”
Hong’s legs gave out, and he collapsed.
“The corpse—the corpse is alive!”
“Ugh! It’s a jiangshi! A jiangshi1 has appeared!”
The dirt-covered stranger who had suddenly been written off as dead staggered to his feet.
His hair was wild, and blood vessels had burst in his eyes. He looked around, then ground his teeth.
“Fuck, Taecho Village2 again?”
Damn, that hurts.
Head, shoulders, knees, feet, knees, feet… There wasn’t a single part of me that didn’t ache. Luckily, I’d driven a dagger into the cliff and slowed my fall. Otherwise, I might have kicked the bucket.
Of course, the physique and toughness stats I had steadily raised had helped, too.
“Ow, the back of my head is throbbing.”
I touched the tender spot and found it wet with blood.
I tore off a strip of my sleeve and was wiping away the blood when—
“W-who are you?!”
“Reveal your identity, you scoundrel!”
Oh, right. These two guys were here too.
One of the two men pointing swords at me looked familiar. What was his name again…
“Jang Childeuk?”
Mr. Jang Childeuk, who had been working hard to manipulate public opinion at Honghwa Inn until just a few days ago, recoiled in terror.
“Gasp! How do you know my name?!”
“The jiangshi is talking! It’s bewitching people with its words!”
“…Who are you calling a jiangshi? Can’t you see I’m breathing just fine?”
The middle-aged man with the patchy beard glared at me and shouted.
“You evil creature! You can’t fool my eyes. If you were human, you couldn’t possibly be fine after falling from that height. Who sent you? The Demonic Cult? The Blood Cult? Or perhaps…”
“Taecho Village! Hyung, that jiangshi definitely said ‘Taecho Village.’”
“That’s right! You’re a jiangshi sent by Taecho Village!”
The middle-aged man shouted as if he had finally figured it out, then suddenly stopped and asked Childeuk,
“But where is Taecho Village?”
“I don’t know either.”
“…”
It would have been strange if he did.
I gave up on the conversation and wiped the dirt from my face with my sleeve.
The middle-aged man might not know me, but Childeuk knew my face well. This would be faster.
“Gasp! Third Young Master!”
“Yes. Long time no see.”
“Little brother, the Third Young Master? What in the world are you talking about?”
“The Third Young Master has become a jiangshi!”
“…”
How the hell did he reach that conclusion?
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