On the night six young men and women slipped secretly out of Henan, two men clinked wine cups in a moonlit pavilion.
Clink.
The cups tilted with a clear ring. Fire King Jeok Cheongang drained his wine in one gulp and muttered, “The wine doesn’t taste right tonight.”
Mae Jonghak smiled from across the table. “Perhaps Yeoahong1 isn’t to your taste.”
“I don’t know. My throat’s been scratchy and my tongue bitter for a while now. You haven’t poisoned it, have you?”
No one else could have said that, even as a joke. Only Jeok Cheongang could—and only Mae Jonghak, sitting opposite him, could laugh it off.
“Me, poison Great Hero Jeok? Never. Though I may try it someday.”
“Do your research first. I’m confident I could withstand even Formless Ultimate Poison now.”
“Oh. Then I’ll look into it, even if I have to put the full strength of the Murim Alliance behind the effort.”
Jeok Cheongang answered gruffly. “How frightening. Anyone listening might think you were serious.”
“Oh, that was a joke? And here I thought…”
“…?”
Surely not.
Mae Jonghak nodded as though he had only just realized it was a joke, sending a chill down Jeok Cheongang’s spine.
What a lunatic old man.
His looks had grown younger, but he was just as insane as he’d been forty years ago. Then again, Jeok Cheongang didn’t have to look that far back for proof. Cheongpung alone made it obvious.
Like master, like disciple. Those two…
His hand jerked as he filled his cup.
Disciple.
Wine splashed over the brim. Reflected in it was the bitter expression of a middle-aged man.
Jeok Cheongang gazed at his own face, familiar yet still strange, then spoke without warning.
“Nothing will happen to him, will it?”
Mae Jonghak filled his own cup. “Are you worried?”
“Worried? Why would I be? Once a man’s past twenty, he ought to go his own way. He’s old enough to start a family.”
Jeok Cheongang tried to sound confident, but his mouth still tasted bitter. He was thinking of someone who must be heading south by now.
Mae Jonghak caught the emotion that briefly crossed his face.
“He can’t have gone far.”
“Even though we already said our goodbyes, what would be the point of seeing him again? It would only make it harder to leave.”
“Now that you mention it, I suppose you’re right.”
“So? What’s your answer?”
“Hm? To what?”
“You become Alliance Leader and suddenly go deaf? You know… what I asked you earlier.”
Jeok Cheongang toyed with his cup before continuing more cautiously.
“Nothing will happen to him. Right?”
Mae Jonghak thought for a moment. “Maybe. Maybe not.”
“…You call that an answer?”
“Well, it was something I said. It just came out of my mouth.”
“Damn it. You’re driving me insane. Anyone could give me an answer like that!”
“Oh. I suppose that’s true.”
“Then give me a proper answer as Alliance Leader. A proper answer!”
Mae Jonghak smiled at Jeok Cheongang’s outburst.
“He’ll do fine. Just as he always has.”
“You mean that?”
“Of course. If I didn’t believe in him, why would I have entrusted the Fire Dragon Pavilion with such an important mission?”
Jeok Cheongang’s voice softened. “Have you made preparations in case things go wrong?”
“The Hidden Shadow Pavilion has eyes and ears throughout the realm. Nanman2 is no exception.”
“…!”
“Sending the Fire Dragon Pavilion to Nanman2 is the fastest and most reliable option. We don’t have enough time to raise an army right now.”
The Murim Alliance was by no means smaller than it had been during the Great Faction War. If anything, it was larger. Shaolin Temple, the Sichuan Sect, and several other sects had suffered heavy losses, but not a single province in the Nine Provinces3, still the territory of the orthodox faction, had fallen.
The problem was the time and supplies it would take to gather troops and send them to Nanman2. The Fire Dragon Pavilion, led by Jin Taekyung, was one of the few cards the Murim Alliance could play with confidence.
“Hmm.”
None of this eased Jeok Cheongang’s worry. As he silently glared at his cup, Mae Jonghak muttered almost too softly to hear.
“There is one especially reliable source of support.”
“Hm? What was that?”
“Nothing. Just talking to myself.”
“Don’t try to fool me! I heard you say something with these ears!”
“Calm down and finish your drink. Then I’ll think about it.”
Jeok Cheongang stared at him. “Why do you keep trying to make me drink this tasteless wine?”
“Great Hero Jeok.”
“What?”
Mae Jonghak held his gaze. “You’ve already drunk five jars of that tasteless wine.”
“…”
“You’re on your sixth.”
“…”
“Let’s drink.”
Jeok Cheongang fell silent and raised his cup. The fragrant wine slid down his throat, nowhere near as bitter as he’d claimed. Moonlight touched his face as he tipped his head back.
I wonder where he is down there.
Heartless brat. You could’ve at least shown your face once before leaving.
The words in his heart scattered on a breeze that came from somewhere.
Clip-clop. Clip-clop.
The old horse walked slowly, and the straw packed around my entire body was cold and prickly. Outside the carriage, the voices of hawkers and passersby gradually faded.
Did we make it out?
The thought had barely crossed my mind when someone whispered in my ear.
“Captain. I need to take a shit.”
“…”
Hyuk Mujin, you insane bastard. You’re really doing this here?
We needed to move as little as possible, which meant I could not even subdue him by force. I lowered my voice as much as I could and barked, “You lunatic. I told you to go before we left.”
“I’m nervous. That’s why. I’m nervous.”
“Then hold it, you son of a bitch.”
“Why are you swearing at me? I can’t say a thing around you.”
“How am I supposed to not swear? What are we going to do about the smell if you shit in here?”
Even a fart under the same blanket would make me swear. I refused to suffer anything worse while we were buried together in straw.
“I’ve been thinking about that. If I just went, wouldn’t the smell make it easier to get through inspection?”
“Die. Please, just die.”
“I’m sorry. I’ve held it as long as I can, but I don’t think I can hold it anymore. This might be the end for me.”
“Hey, Mujin. Wait. Just wait a second.”
“I’ll accept my punishment later.”
No! You bastard!
I was so terrified I was about to spring up, disguise be damned, when—
“We’ve passed through the center of Luoyang. We’re on an empty mountain road now, so you can come out for a moment.”
“Gasp!”
“Phew!”
Rustle!
Hyuk Mujin burst through the straw and sprinted toward the bushes. Saved at the edge of a cliff, I bowed repeatedly to my savior.
“Thank you. I’ll be a good person. Thank you so much.”
“The inspection must have taken a while for Hyuk Mujin to be that desperate. I’m glad we weren’t too late.”
The voice was familiar. The smiling woman’s face was not.
In the moonlight spilling between the high branches, the freckles across her cheeks and her dry, rough skin stood out.
No matter how many times I look, it’s amazing.
Her features and a few small details had changed, yet the whole impression she gave was different.
Ju Hwaran noticed me staring and touched her face. “Ah, I have changed a little, haven’t I?”
“Yes. But your eyes are still the same.”
A smile flickered in her beautiful dark-blue eyes.
“That isn’t something a disguise mask can alter. If Captain Song hadn’t helped, it would have been difficult to obtain a mask this good on such short notice.”
Song Ilseom, sitting on the driver’s bench, added flatly, “It was nothing. Just a little trick I learned to survive.”
“That’s impressive for a little trick.”
“I assume that’s empty praise, but I’ll thank you for it.”
That bastard has to take everything the wrong way. I meant it.
Song Ilseom had made the mask that turned Ju Hwaran into someone else entirely. I knew he’d started at the bottom and been through all kinds of hardship, but I hadn’t expected him to know how to make disguise masks.
He’s more useful than I thought.
The things he’d learned as a wandering martial artist would surely help us on the road ahead. I was admiring him in spite of myself when a thought made my eyes widen.
“Wait. Why don’t I have one?”
If I had a disguise mask, I wouldn’t have needed to ride like a piece of luggage beside a shit bomb that might go off at any moment.
Song Ilseom clicked his tongue at my protest. “Everyone’s features are different. Just making the mold for a disguise mask takes days. How was I supposed to make yours in the time we had? A poorly fitted mask would only draw more attention. If you’re so upset, you should have learned a disguise technique.”
Hyuk Mujin emerged from the bushes looking thoroughly relieved and joined in.
“Then what about Young Lady Ju? You said it takes days.”
“The Young Bureau Head’s mask…”
Song Ilseom trailed off, then frowned. “What a pointless question. Shut up and get back under the straw. And keep that shit smell out of my face.”
“You shit too. What are you getting on my case for…?”
Song Ilseom glared as Hyuk Mujin grumbled his way back into the straw, then turned to me.
“Can I cut him?”
“No.”
I turned to Ju Hwaran. “The others must be out by now, right?”
She knew whom I meant and gave a small nod. “Probably. They went through the West Gate, where inspections are the weakest. They should have left Luoyang ahead of us.”
Taishan’s size worried me, but Ju Hwaran had planned too carefully to overlook it. Besides, we had the Alliance Leader’s Hall and the Hidden Shadow Pavilion behind us. I could afford to relax.
Rustle.
Hyuk Mujin poked his head out of the straw. “Are we going straight to Mount Daebyeol, then?”
“Of course. We’ll change horses once along the way, but nothing will happen before then.”
Ju Hwaran continued without pause. “If we keep moving, two shichen4. With thorough inspections, it could take three shichen4. Once we meet the other two at Mount Daebyeol…”
“We leave Henan immediately. Correct?”
She smiled and nodded. “Just as you said, Pavilion Master.”
“…Pavilion Master?”
“Why? Isn’t that the right title?”
Technically, it was. It just felt like a set of clothes that didn’t fit. I smacked my lips and nodded.
“Well, never mind that. We shouldn’t have any problems before Mount Daebyeol, then?”
“Not at all. You could have a good long sleep and wake up before we arrive.”
Henan was the Murim Alliance’s base. An enemy attack here was all but impossible. Still, I let out a quiet laugh, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
“What is it?”
“Nothing.”
How could I put it? I thought for a moment before going on.
“It just feels strange to think I’ll be dreaming again after so long.”
“Dreaming?”
“Yes. I dream sometimes. I sleep so deeply I wouldn’t notice if someone carried me away.”
Ju Hwaran looked puzzled. Song Ilseom frowned as if I were talking nonsense. Leaving them to it, I burrowed deep into the straw piled in the carriage.
Two shichen4 to Mount Daebyeol if we’re quick. That’s plenty of time.
It was time to have the dream I’d put off for so long.
Logout.
Ding.
With the clear chime of a bell, my alert consciousness slowly began to sink.
Footnotes
-
Yeoahong is a traditional Chinese rice wine whose name literally means “Daughter’s Red.” ↩
-
Nanman is a historical Chinese term for lands and peoples to the south, outside the central regions of China. ↩ ↩2 ↩3
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The Nine Provinces is a traditional name for the lands of China, not a reference to nine modern administrative provinces. ↩
-
A shichen is a traditional time unit of approximately two hours. ↩ ↩2 ↩3
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