Chapter 615

The road to Yunnan Province—the region officially known by that name, though people in the Central Plains commonly called it Nanman—was long and arduous.

Prrrff. Prrf.

The horse’s breathing was ragged.

We had ridden without a break for a full four shichen¹ since leaving Mount Daebyeol. Now, having entered Hubei on the fine horses Ju Hwaran had procured, we eased the reins for a moment in an unfamiliar ravine.

“If we keep traveling like this, it’ll take quite a while. You’ve been to Sichuan before, Pavilion Master, so you know that, don’t you?”

“Me?”

Of course I knew. Just thinking about it made my calves cramp even now.

I nodded without thinking as Ju Hwaran looked at me with her clear, sparkling eyes.

“Of course. It was really fucki—”

“Pardon?”

“It was a little… difficult. A little.”

I’d barely stopped myself from saying that something had almost fallen off back then.

I, Jin Taekyung, was merciless toward men, but a warm and considerate gentleman toward women.

Of course, despite having lived this long, I had never once been in a relationship.

“Even using a movement technique, it took me nearly half a month.”

“Sichuan alone is well over three thousand li² away. And if you traveled without any shortcuts, that’s remarkable.”

The praise felt good, but she probably hadn’t brought this up just to compliment me.

I gave her a questioning look. Ju Hwaran smiled and pulled an old leather scroll from inside her robes.

What’s that?

Just as I began to wonder, Song Ilseom, who was sitting in the saddle and inspecting the edge of his willow-leaf saber, spoke with an unexpected look on his face.

“It’s made of horsehide. Is that from the horse caravans?”

Ju Hwaran nodded.

“You recognize it. Yes—more precisely, it’s a map they used.”

“I heard you couldn’t buy one of their maps for ten thousand gold pieces.”

“As Young Bureau Head of the Yongbong Escort Bureau, I can tell you there’s nothing in this world money can’t buy. But my grandfather gained a friendship worth more than gold. He was given this map as a token of it.”

Hmm. I see.

…Actually, I didn’t understand a damn thing.

Except that Ju Hwaran’s grandfather, Escort King Ju Gongsan, had received an amazing map from someone in these horse caravans.

After patiently listening to them, I spoke up.

“Um, Young Lady Ju. Sorry, but what exactly are the horse caravans?”

“They’re descendants of the northern mounted tribes.”

“For hundreds of years, they traveled the ancient trade routes, carrying goods between the Outer Lands and the Central Plains. There aren’t nearly as many of them now.”

“……”

Well, all right. Now I knew what the horse caravans were.

But I was pretty sure I had asked Ju Hwaran. Why were the answers coming from two dark-clad men?

Song Ilseom and Sama Pyo, who had spoken almost at the same time, turned to look at each other.

“You’re more knowledgeable than you look.”

“Than I look? Have you forgotten where the Black Dragon Demon Gate is located? Horse caravans are still active in Gansu, where our sect is based.”

“Operate? You mean they’re being squeezed dry?”

Song Ilseom gave a short laugh.

“I’ve heard the rumors. The Black Dragon Demon Gate controls the trade routes and collects enormous tolls.”

“I heard you were a wandering martial artist. Do you have some bad blood with our sect?”

“Not particularly. I just want to kill any demonic, heterodox practitioner I see.”

“We agree on that point. I can’t stand meeting people who draw their weapons before anything else. So, are you finished tending to your weapon?”

“Not yet. But it’ll have blood on it soon enough, so I can finish later.”

“Then let’s move somewhere else for a while.”

How the hell had the conversation gotten here?

I stared blankly at the two men as they amicably turned their horses around, then opened my mouth.

“Move where, you lunatics?”

Song Ilseom and Sama Pyo answered at the same time.

“It’s personal. Stay out of it.”

“The horses need a rest anyway. Have some tea. We’ll be back shortly.”

“……”

One was an individualist. The other was Guan Yu.³

The Nanman expedition had barely set out, and already it was showing signs of falling apart. As Fire Dragon Pavilion Master, I had to step in.

Whish!

Two sharp blasts cut through the air.

Song Ilseom and Sama Pyo landed on the ground after avoiding the Finger Qi I had fired at them. Just as they reflexively began to draw their weapons, I warned them in a calm voice.

“You’ll regret drawing those.”

“……!”

“……!”

It wasn’t just a warning. They felt the immense qi pressing in from every direction and froze.

Unmistakable astonishment appeared in their trembling eyes.

He’s strong.

That was what their gazes said.

And it was an undeniable fact.

Sama Pyo, the Black Dragon Saber, was Young Sect Leader of the Black Dragon Demon Gate, the dominant power in Gansu, and the unorthodox faction’s foremost young prodigy. Song Ilseom, the Soul-Chasing Guest, had become a legend by cutting down countless enemies on battlefields and in life-and-death duels. Both of them understood exactly what they were facing.

No—because they were anything but mediocre Peak masters, they understood it all the better.

A person standing at a higher place could see farther and grasp the whole picture.

I was already two moves above them before, but the pressure they’re feeling now must be much greater.

As always, I had woken up stronger than I’d been when I fell asleep.

While developing a martial art that could be widely taught to modern Hunters, I’d gained a small insight. I hadn’t created anything extraordinary, so I couldn’t call it a full step forward…but even a quarter of a step was a significant gain.

It was a shame my allies were the first to feel the results instead of Dark Heaven.

“We have thousands of li² left to go. If you still want to fight, do it now and keep going until one of you dies. Otherwise—”

“Pavilion Master.”

I was fond of Ju Hwaran, but now wasn’t the time to listen to her. I gave her a slight shake of my head at her tense expression and continued.

“Otherwise, team up and come at me. This is your only chance. You won’t get another.”

“……”

“……”

Song Ilseom and Sama Pyo stared at each other, lips pressed tight. It didn’t take them long to decide.

Shrrrk. Click.

With a cold scraping sound, the two blades that had been faintly exposed disappeared from view.

They climbed back into their saddles as though nothing had happened. Ju Hwaran watched them and let out a quiet sigh.

“Whew… I’d hoped this wouldn’t happen.”

So had I. But I’d thought long and hard about the possibility before accepting those two into the Fire Dragon Pavilion.

Their feelings toward each other probably aren’t very good. Especially from Song Ilseom’s perspective.

It went back decades, to when the orthodox and demonic factions had divided the world between them and fought their decisive battle.

A bold young escort named Zhu had accepted a woman’s commission and made the Ten-Thousand-Mile Escorts a legend. The child that woman bore grew up, had a son, and passed away.

That son was Song Ilseom—the last descendant of the Guangdong Chen Family, which had been wiped out by demonic, heterodox arts.

Unless he was Buddha or Jesus, it was only natural that he would harbor hatred toward the unorthodox faction.

I just didn’t think it would come to a head this fast.

Shit, how many shichen¹ had we even been on the road? Was the whole expedition already about to fall apart? I was starting to understand why college students hated group projects.

And that was true even if I excluded the two men who had become archenemies faster than anyone in Murim history.

“Captain, maybe it’s because I got hit in the stomach earlier, but I keep needing to take a shit.”

“My lord. Don’t fight. Taishan worries when my lord is in danger. And gets hungry.”

“……”

Look at this lineup. For fuck’s sake.

Watching Hyuk Mujin, whose stomach was more active than his body, and Taishan, the Tiger Giant Child, who seemed to have an inventory instead of a stomach, made my vision go dark.

But even here, I had one ray of light.

“Young Lady Ju.”

“Yes?”

“Thank you. I’m really glad you’re here.”

I meant it. Beautiful or not, she was the most normal person in the group.

It was true that her martial arts were slightly weaker than those of the other members, but she had extensive knowledge of Murim and was excellent at finding her way.

The fact that she had found a shortcut known only among the horse caravans proved it.

So why wasn’t she answering?

“Young Lady Ju?”

“……”

“Um, Young Lady Ju?”

I called again, but she said nothing. Still gripping the reins, she turned her head away and stammered.

“I-I think we should go this way.”

“What? No, you’ve done a great job. I meant—”

“I’ll ride ahead and look for the horse caravans’ markers. Hyah!”

“Uh. Wait—what?”

I didn’t get another word out. Ju Hwaran hurried away as though she and her horse were one, leaving me staring blankly after her. Then I felt eyes prickling the back of my head and turned.

…What’s with these guys now?

Song Ilseom. Sama Pyo. Hyuk Mujin. Even Taishan.

Exactly four pairs of eyes were fixed in place, staring holes through me.

Their mysterious gazes were impossible to interpret. I flinched instinctively and asked,

“What? Why are you all looking at me like that?”

“Hmm. It’s nothing.”

“I’ll go on ahead, Pavilion Master.”

Song Ilseom and Sama Pyo slowly rode forward, both wearing complicated expressions. Hyuk Mujin and Taishan answered reluctantly.

“Uh, I was just looking. Because I need to take a dump.”

“If you need to take a dump, why look at me?”

“When I look at you, whatever was about to come out goes right back in.”

“Taishan. Just looking because hungry. Nothing else.”

“What the hell does being hungry have to do with me?”

“Nothing. Just… just… Hmm. Taishan gets it now. Taishan understands a little.”

What kind of bullshit was that?

I could understand Hyuk Mujin, but having that giant glutton look at me with such pity was deeply unsettling.

Before I could press him, Taishan smacked his half-dead horse on the rump and charged off.

“Taishan! Go! Horse go too!”

The horse, already looking half-dead, staggered into a run. Hyuk Mujin hurried after him.

“Hey, wait! Let’s go together!”

“No! Don’t follow! Taishan only runs forward!”

“I have jerky.”

“Taishan! Found friend! Together forever!”

Lunatics…

But why did I feel like I was the one being ignored by those lunatics?

I grabbed my reins, my face twisting as though I’d bitten into something foul.

“Hey. Let’s go too.”

Prrrff.

“……”

Now even the damn horse was giving me a look.

I smacked its head as it snorted, then squeezed its sides hard. With a small whinny, it raced through the ravine.