Chapter 317

“Ah.”

Sunlight broke across Ju Hwaran’s long, fluttering eyelashes. Even after waking, she lay in bed for a long while, staring at the ceiling.

The night before, she and the Yongbong Escort Bureau had finally reached Xi’an.

Black Stone Stronghold, led by Heavenly Axe, had been the final obstacle on their escort mission.

They had passed through Xi’an’s safe, bustling streets and unloaded their baggage at a secluded inn. Beds, warm food, and hot bathwater had all been waiting for them.

After checking every item in the shipment, Ju Hwaran had collapsed into sleep.

At last, the end is in sight.

This place was safe. There were no bandits blocking the mountain roads, nor wandering martial artists concealing their identities and attacking in groups. Once they delivered the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng—the primary objective of this escort mission—to the Zhongnan Sect, it would all be over.

The Yongbong Escort Bureau would receive the reward its efforts deserved, and they would all return home together.

Along with thirty-three funerary urns.

Thirty-three…

Ju Hwaran’s eyes suddenly flickered faintly.

Thirty-three bone urns. Thirty-three faces. Memories of laughing and crying with them flashed before her eyes.

“Ah, I shouldn’t be doing this…”

Ju Hwaran rubbed at the corners of her eyes with her sleeve, then slapped both cheeks hard. The sharp crack brought her scattered thoughts back, if only a little.

“This is only the beginning. I have to keep my head.”

The escort mission was not over yet.

Three days remained until the deadline agreed upon with the Zhongnan Sect, and the mission would not be complete until the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng had been safely delivered.

“And then… it’ll be a new beginning.”

Muttering softly, Ju Hwaran reached inside her robes. She pulled out a tightly sealed wooden casket, checked it, then put it away again and secured it with a cord.

Just that brief exposure left a cool fragrance lingering at the tip of her nose before it faded.

Inside the casket was the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng, an ancient elixir coveted by every martial artist in the Murim.

“Stay focused, Ju Hwaran. You’ve only taken the first step.”

That was when someone spoke from outside the door.

“Hwaran, are you awake?”

It was a familiar voice. Ju Hwaran straightened her clothes before answering.

“Yes, Uncle Heo. You may come in.”

“Then excuse me for a moment.”

A moment later, Chief Escort Heo Jun opened the door and entered with a bright expression.

“We’ll be able to return to the Escort Bureau sooner than expected.”

“You mean…”

“The Zhongnan Sect is waiting in Xi’an.”

“The Zhongnan Sect?”

“That’s right. And I hear the Taeeul Merciless Sword himself has come. Hahaha.”

Unlike Heo Jun, who was smiling, Ju Hwaran’s gaze sank deeply.

The Zhongnan Sect? And the Taeeul Merciless Sword came all the way to Xi’an himself?

Their return had been moved forward, so she should have been happy, just like Heo Jun.

But the more she thought about the arrogant, discourteous attitude the Zhongnan Sect had shown them until now, the more unease crept up from the depths of her heart.

“Uncle Heo, don’t you think something is strange?”

“Hm? What do you mean, strange?”

“There are still three days until the agreed-upon deadline.”

“Only three days. Even traveling slowly, it takes no more than two to get from Xi’an to Mount Zhongnan.”

“You used to say it all the time, Uncle. There are no coincidences in the Murim. It’s a place where nothing should surprise you, no matter what happens.”

“Hwaran, what are you trying to say?”

Under Heo Jun’s utterly baffled gaze, Ju Hwaran spoke gravely.

“The Zhongnan Sect has been quietly hostile toward the Yongbong Escort Bureau all this time. They must have wanted this escort mission to fail more than anyone. That’s why they deliberately imposed such difficult conditions.”

“But we accepted them. And we’ve performed admirably.”

The conditions demanded by the Zhongnan Sect had been extremely difficult. The other heads of escort bureaus who had flocked there, lured by the Zhongnan Sect’s reputation, had even shaken their heads emphatically and abandoned the commission.

If they failed to transport the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng within the specified period, the mission would be deemed a failure, and they would have to pay an astronomical penalty.

But after much deliberation, Ju Hwaran had accepted the Zhongnan Sect’s commission.

For one reason alone: to raise the Yongbong Escort Bureau to greater heights.

And we had to pay a terrible price for it.

Something that should never have happened had happened.

Information about the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng had been leaked.

Ju Hwaran was not a fool. She simply lacked experience. She possessed a sharp mind capable of considering every possibility and keeping all options open.

The suspicions she had kept buried until now were slowly taking shape. Ju Hwaran spoke quietly.

“Perhaps… perhaps the Zhongnan Sect…”

“Enough.”

Heo Jun cut her off, his face hardening.

“Stop. I know what you’re thinking, but anything beyond that is absurd. No—it’s dangerous.”

“But—”

“I know the rumors about the Zhongnan Sect. It’s also true that they’ve been keeping us in check so they can expand their own escort bureau. But what you’re suggesting, Hwaran… is dangerous speculation.”

“Uncle Heo…”

“As your uncle and as the Chief Escort of the Yongbong Escort Bureau, I’m asking you. Don’t put yourself or the bureau in danger.”

Though they shared not a drop of blood, he was an uncle who had always treated her warmly, ever since she was a child.

When he deliberately poured out those words with such a stern expression, Ju Hwaran could no longer continue speaking about the Zhongnan Sect.

“Phew.”

As Ju Hwaran let out a quiet sigh, Heo Jun gently put an arm around her shoulders.

“I’m sorry if I was too harsh.”

“No. I suppose I was being overly sensitive.”

“You had reason to be. The Zhongnan Sect did something it had never done before. Who would have expected them to send the Taeeul Merciless Sword instead of a Hall Master or Chief Steward?”

The Taeeul Merciless Sword was one of the Zhongnan Sect Leader’s two Senior Brothers.

He normally remained at the main sect and rarely showed himself in public. There was one simple reason people had remembered him for so long.

The First Sword of Zhongnan.

He was a Supreme Peak master produced by the Zhongnan Sect, a terrifying swordsman said to have mastered the ultimate principles of the Heavenly River Thirty-Six Swords.

There had to be great significance behind a figure comparable to the Sect Leader, the Wind-and-Cloud Sword Lord, personally stepping forward.

That was what Ju Hwaran found most puzzling.

“Why the Taeeul Merciless Sword, of all people?”

“He must be in a hurry. Zhongnan spent a fortune acquiring the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng because of the Roaring Fury Swordsman’s Internal Injury, after all. His one and only Senior Brother ended up in that state. Imagine how he must feel.”

On the surface, it sounded reasonable.

But Ju Hwaran clearly remembered what her father, Ju Hogun, had told her years ago.

He said the man was frightening.

Her father had been so benevolent that people called him the Junzi Sword.¹ If even Ju Hogun, who judged others generously, had described him that way, then the Taeeul Merciless Sword had to be every bit as sharp as his swordsmanship.

I can’t let my guard down until the very end.

After gathering her thoughts, Ju Hwaran asked Heo Jun about the one person still weighing on her mind.

“What about Captain Song?”

“Ah, about that…”

Heo Jun hesitated before answering.

“I had trustworthy escorts watching him discreetly day and night, but as you know, Hwaran, everyone let their guard down last night…”

“You took your eyes off him.”

“I have no excuse. It was my fault for failing to keep a closer watch.”

As Heo Jun awkwardly avoided her gaze, Ju Hwaran let out a small sigh.

“Haa…”

Song Ilseom, whose origins were unclear and whose reputation among the public was poor, had been one of their primary subjects of surveillance.

Her suspicions of him had grown particularly strong after he met Jin Taekyung.

I told him over and over to keep a close eye on Song Ilseom.

Heo Jun was certainly a good man. He had served the Yongbong Escort Bureau for more than thirty years and had been close enough to Ju Hogun for them to address each other as brothers.

But the careless side he occasionally showed, like now, had also led to mistakes both large and small.

All I can do is hope it doesn’t happen this time.

The milk had already been spilled. In any case, the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng was in her possession.

Hiding her disappointment, Ju Hwaran spoke.

“Where did the Zhongnan Sect ask us to meet?”

“At a teahouse called Tengwang Pavilion on the western edge of Xi’an. They want us there by noon.”

Tengwang Pavilion was a famous teahouse that Ju Hwaran had occasionally visited herself.

There would be plenty of witnesses, and the atmosphere was quiet, making it the perfect place to conclude an escort mission.

“We’ll leave in fifteen minutes. Please prepare.”

Baek Museong came to Xi’an Tower while we were in the middle of packing.

“Are you really leaving right away?”

“I’d like to stay a few more days too, but as you know, our schedule is a little tight.”

“That’s unfortunate. If possible, I would have liked to escort you to the main sect.”

“I’ll stop by on the way back. Give me a tour of Huashan then.”

“Haha, don’t worry. I’ll take responsibility for showing you everything properly.”

There it was again. The full-course promise.

Not that I was expecting the full course. I just hoped that when we met again, he wouldn’t be busy beating the hell out of someone like he had been this time.

Then, as I stared at Baek Museong’s face while he laughed heartily, a thought occurred to me.

Should I at least mention it? The Yongbong Escort Bureau and the Zhongnan Sect.

While I was debating, Baek Museong touched his face and asked,

“Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?”

“…”

“Young Hero Jin?”

“Oh, no. Something else just crossed my mind.”

Shit, I don’t know.

When you got right down to it, the Zhongnan Sect and the Yongbong Escort Bureau were both complete strangers to me. Whatever dispute they had was theirs to resolve.

I already had more than enough problems of my own. Worrying about this too would just be sticking my nose where it didn’t belong.

This is the Murim, after all.

I muttered inwardly as I seated Jeok Cheongang on the pack frame. Then I picked up the furs and began piling them over him one by one.

Even as I worked, I couldn’t understand why Ju Hwaran kept coming to mind.

Song Ilseom, whom I had only glimpsed in passing, came to mind along with her.

Now that I think about it, he was a suspicious bastard. He stank even worse than Gung Gibang.

After learning about the relationship between the Yongbong Escort Bureau and the Zhongnan Sect, I found myself wondering who that bastard really was.

His Level was a staggering 110. At that level, he could probably strip one of the Ten Dragons and Phoenixes clean to the bone.

He had looked to be in his early to mid-thirties at most, but… who was he, and which sect did he belong to?

Could he be an assassin sent by the Zhongnan Sect? No, that’s probably going too far.

Had he simply fallen for Ju Hwaran’s beauty and decided to stay?

No. If that were the case, there would have been no reason for him to hide his true abilities. Was this one of those stories where the protagonist hides his power? Did some loser hiding his power look cooler when he rescued her?

Ju Hwaran. We only exchanged a few words, but she seemed like a good person. She had a refreshingly direct way of speaking too.

She also possessed extraordinary martial talent, having reached the Peak realm at her age.

And then there was… right. The dimples that appeared when she smiled were pretty. So were her half-moon eyes.

Come to think of it, she looked like a cat.

Cats had always been my favorite animals.

“Um, Captain?”

“Hm? Yeah?”

I turned and saw Hyuk Mujin staring at me strangely.

And not just him. Gung Gibang, Cheongpung, and even Baek Museong were all looking at me the same way.

“What? Why is everyone staring at me?”

“Well, the thing is…”

Hyuk Mujin cautiously pointed at the pack frame.

“In my humble opinion, Great Hero Jeok is going to suffocate at this rate.”

“Gasp!”

I hurriedly flung aside the furs that had piled up like a mountain.

Jeok Cheongang, who had nearly gone to meet that person while still in a coma, was breathing faintly.

“Oh, Benefactor! You’re just like me!”

“Did you just insult me?”

“Ah. No, no. That isn’t what I meant…”

Ignoring Cheongpung as he instantly drooped, I began piling the furs back on. Jeok Cheongang’s slight frame quickly disappeared beneath them.

Only after making sure enough air could pass through did I hoist the pack frame onto my back.

“All right. If everyone’s ready, let’s get going.”

We stepped outside amid Xi’an Tower’s lavish hospitality.

The bustling streets of Xi’an were packed with people. Over the din, Baek Museong spoke.

“I’d like to see you off, but you won’t allow it, will you?”

“We’ll be seeing each other again later anyway.”

“Haha. I knew you’d say that. Then I’ll be off. Stay well, Martial Uncle Cheongpung.”

“Take care, Martial Nephew Baek!”

In the end, I hadn’t even brought it up.

Good. This was fine.

Just as I was about to turn away, alone in my lingering unease amid the warm farewells, I overheard someone speaking.

“Did you hear? The Taeeul Merciless Sword of the Zhongnan Sect is in Xi’an.”

“What? The Taeeul Merciless Sword? Why on earth would he come here?”

“How should I know? Someone saw him heading toward Tengwang Pavilion in the west. Apparently, he’s meeting with the Yongbong Escort Bureau… but I can’t say for sure.”

The whispering voices slowly faded into the distance.

I asked Cheongpung,

“Cheongpung.”

“Yes, Benefactor.”

“Have you ever had tea?”

“Yes! I have!”

“No, you haven’t tried tea yet.”

If I said you hadn’t, then you hadn’t.