The air had grown hot and muggy. In the distance, high mountains and deep valleys came into view.
The Deputy Stronghold Lord of the Water Dragon Stronghold pointed toward the rapidly approaching shore.
“This is as far as we can take you, Great Hero Jin. Once you disembark, head straight on for ten li1 and you’ll be in Yunnan. It won’t take long.”
The Yangtze’s tributaries stretched across a vast part of the continent, but they didn’t reach the interior of Yunnan Province.
No, that wasn’t strictly true. The waterways didn’t simply end there.
The problem was that continuing by water to the plateau in northern Yunnan would take us much longer to reach our destination.
Our highest priority is the Nanman Beast Palace, after all.
The Quest I had received required me to reach Nanman, but the Fire Dragon Pavilion’s mission required us to head for the Nanman Beast Palace.
I gave the Deputy Stronghold Lord a small bow.
“Thank you. You must be busy raiding merchant ships, yet you brought us all the way here.”
“Oh, please, don’t say that. You’re no ordinary person. If Great Hero Jin calls for us, we should drop everything and come running at any time. I’m almost sorry to part ways with you, heh heh heh.”
He looked far too happy for someone who was supposedly sorry.
Then again, I’d made him bang his head against the ground and hold a push-up position in front of his men whenever the mood struck me. He probably was happy to say goodbye.
I laughed along with him. “Ha ha. Really?”
“Of course. Heh heh.”
“Then it would be perfect if you stayed nearby, wouldn’t it?”
“Heh heh heh. What?”
“I was worried about how we’d get back after we finished here. But if you’re sorry to part ways, that solves it.”
“……!”
“So wait nearby.”
The smile vanished from the Deputy Stronghold Lord’s face. He stammered, “Ah, no. That might be a little difficult. We have things to do as well…”
“I know. You can send the rest of the ships back and leave just one or two here.”
“G-Great Hero Jin, please. Wouldn’t it be better if you sent word once you’d finished your business in Yunnan?”
“Hmm. But then I’d have to wait too long.”
“……”
There was no trace of happiness left on his face. As he hung his head, I gently rubbed his shoulder.
“I know it’s an unreasonable request, but let’s impose on you a little.”
“No, even so…”
“Come on. Let’s impose on you a little.”
“……”
“Ah, fuck. Answer me already. You’ve got to know how to conduct yourself if you want to survive in Murim.”
“Gasp.”
The Deputy Stronghold Lord’s face went dark. His answer was all but decided.
A short while later, I finally extracted a promise that they would remain anchored nearby until we returned. After I disembarked, the gazes directed at me were far from ordinary.
“I thought I was watching a Third Rate wandering martial artist.”
“I mean no offense by this, but does the Jin Family of Taiyuan have roots in the unorthodox faction?”
“That’s our Captain. You never disappoint.”
“Taishan thought Pavilion Master was a water bandit.”
“I think the Pavilion Master made the right decision. If something happens in Nanman, we can ask them for help. Don’t you agree?”
That last answer was the only correct one.
As expected, Ju Hwaran is the only person who understands me.
I turned to her, moved. “Exactly. You said what I was thinking, down to the last word.”
“Oh! Is that really what you were thinking?”
“Huh?”
“I only took your side because everyone else was criticizing you. I thought someone should support the Pavilion Master…”
“……”
Is my image really okay as it is?
I was still pondering that as we walked along a crude road nothing like those in the Central Plains. Then a familiar sound rang in my ears.
Ding.
System
Quest
Seeds Planted in Nanman
You have arrived in Nanman after traveling thousands of li, but Nanman is sparsely populated and outsiders are not welcome.
With your limited knowledge and information, you cannot afford to act rashly. Make contact with the Hidden Shadow Pavilion agent the Murim Alliance planted in Nanman long ago and obtain detailed information.
Grade: Peak
Restriction: Jin Taekyung and Fire Dragon Pavilion members
Mission: Make contact with the Hidden Shadow Pavilion agent (Incomplete)
Reward: Chain Quest
???
Failure: Stats decreased
System
Entered Nanman.
Mission, Enter Nanman, completed.
Quest, Journey to Nanman, successfully completed!
Quest completion rewards acquired!
A small amount of EXP acquired!
A small amount of Fame acquired!
Achievement, Thousands of Li in Search of Nanman, achieved!
Nanman is a perilous land with erratic weather, filled with all manner of wild beasts and venomous creatures. Outsiders must always beware of endemic diseases and poison.
Acquired: Advanced Antidote ×10, Intermediate Antidote ×20, Basic Antidote ×30!
A new Chain Quest has been created.
Would you like to check the Quest window?
Y / N
System
Entered Nanman.
Mission, Enter Nanman, completed.
Quest, Journey to Nanman, successfully completed!
Quest completion rewards acquired!
A small amount of EXP acquired!
A small amount of Fame acquired!
Achievement, Thousands of Li in Search of Nanman, achieved!
Nanman is a perilous land with erratic weather, filled with all manner of wild beasts and venomous creatures. Outsiders must always beware of endemic diseases and poison.
Acquired: High-Grade Antidote ×10, Intermediate Antidote ×20, Basic Antidote ×30!
A new Chain Quest has been created.
Would you like to check the Quest window?
Y / N
System notifications sounded one after another as holographic windows filled the air.
The Deputy Stronghold Lord had been telling the truth. We hadn’t seen a single person nearby, but after walking for a short while, we had apparently stepped into Nanman territory.
Pretending nothing had happened, I answered in my head.
Confirm.
Ding.
System
Quest
Seeds Planted in Nanman
You have arrived in Nanman after traveling thousands of li1, but Nanman is sparsely populated and outsiders are not welcome.
With your limited knowledge and information, you cannot afford to act rashly. Make contact with the Hidden Shadow Pavilion agent the Murim Alliance planted in Nanman long ago and obtain detailed information.
Grade: Peak
Restriction: Jin Taekyung and Fire Dragon Pavilion members
Mission: Make contact with the Hidden Shadow Pavilion agent (Incomplete)
Reward: Chain Quest
???
Failure: Stats decreased
Hmm.
Make contact with a Hidden Shadow Pavilion agent.
I read the new Chain Quest several times, then recalled a conversation I’d had with Song Ho, the Chief of the Hidden Shadow Pavilion, before leaving Henan.
“After the Great Faction War ended and the first Alliance Leader, the Martial God, disappeared, the Hidden Shadow Pavilion was disbanded. But even now, decades later, enough people remain to keep its intelligence network alive.”
“You mean…”
“Didn’t I tell you? The Hidden Shadow Pavilion has eyes and ears everywhere.”
After the Great War that had shaken the world ended, people had gradually settled into peace. But not everyone had.
The Thousand-Faced Fox Song Ho and the Hidden Shadow Pavilion certainly hadn’t.
“They’ve stayed at their posts all these years with nothing but a sense of duty to a greater cause and the courage to see it through. Find our man as soon as you reach Nanman. He’ll be able to give you information and plenty of help besides.”
“How am I supposed to find him? You’re not just going to give me his name and address, are you?”
“There’s a secret code known only to Hidden Shadow Pavilion agents. I’ll tell you where to go to verify it. You should be able to meet him there.”
It struck me again how remarkable that was. Nearly fifty years had passed since the Great Faction War, yet the Hidden Shadow Pavilion’s intelligence network was still alive.
Especially in a backwater like Nanman. They must have wanted to leave.
Thanks to their sacrifice, though, the Fire Dragon Pavilion’s mission could become much easier.
After sorting out my thoughts, I spoke to the Fire Dragon Pavilion members as they moved forward while keeping watch over their surroundings.
“We’re going to Yeongin.”
“Yeongin?”
Hyuk Mujin tilted his head. “Never heard of it. Where is it?”
“It’s a county seat about two hundred li1 from here. Much less developed than any county seat in the Central Plains, of course.”
Ju Hwaran had answered for me. She went on, “Several different ethnic groups live there together. That doesn’t mean they never clash, though.”
Something about how readily she answered caught my attention. “Have you been there before?”
Ju Hwaran smiled and nodded.
“Didn’t I tell you? Three years ago, I finally pestered my father into letting me join an escort journey to Nanman.”
“Oh. So that was Yeongin.”
“Yes. I wasn’t there long, but I still remember it vividly. Captain Song came along too.”
Everyone turned to Song Ilseom. He raised an eyebrow.
“I never want to come to Nanman again. It was a horrible place. But Yeongin was relatively tolerable. The ethnic groups there were comparatively mild-tempered.”
From Song Ilseom, that was high praise.
Then again, that must have been why he had been able to escort a shipment across this rough and dangerous land of Nanman.
“But why are we going to Yeongin?” Ju Hwaran asked.
Now everyone looked at me. They’d probably wanted to ask from the start and had held back.
There was no reason to hide it. “I’m planning to meet a Murim Alliance informant there.”
“Then we certainly need to go. News from Nanman rarely reaches the outside world.”
Nanman was about as remote as a place could get.
Dozens of ethnic groups lived deep in its jungles. They were deeply wary of the Han Chinese from the Central Plains, and they had fought countless wars among themselves to defend their territories.
That was why even major Escort Bureaus and merchant companies were reluctant to make the journey. A successful trip could bring back spices, medicinal herbs, and rare gems—but the dangers lurking in the jungle could cost them their lives.
Even without an ethnic group suffering from anger-management issues, countless poisonous creatures, wild beasts, and highly lethal endemic diseases were serious obstacles.
“But Yeongin should be fine,” Ju Hwaran said with a bright smile. “Our Yongbong Escort Bureau has had ties with the people there since the time of its former leaders, and the ethnic groups living there are relatively friendly toward the Han Chinese.”
“Oh. Is that so?”
“Yes. You’ll see when you meet them. They’re good people.”
Hk, ptui.
A glob of sticky phlegm landed by our feet.
Living up to the name Bai, or “White,” a tribesman dressed in white glared menacingly at us before disappearing from sight.
I watched him go, then turned cautiously to Ju Hwaran.
“Um, I’m asking just in case, but does someone like that count as one of the nicer ones among the ethnic groups?”
“……”
“Young Lady Ju?”
After a pause, she said, “Hmm. That man seems a bit rough. Most people aren’t like that.”
“Right?”
“Yes, yes. Of course. I know because I’ve been here myself.”
The moment Ju Hwaran finished speaking, a middle-aged ethnic woman dressed in clothes as colorful as a peacock covered a child’s eyes and muttered,
“My word. Those Han bastards had the nerve to come all the way here. Let’s go inside before the sight of them ruins your eyes.”
“Mom. Mom. I can’t see.”
“It’s okay, sweetheart. Let’s hurry away from those vicious men. Honey! Come out quickly! Han bastards have entered the village!”
“What? Wait there. I’ll get my plow and smash those Han sons of bitches’ heads in!”
“……”
“……”
For an instant, Ju Hwaran’s pupils shook violently.
Clinging to one last shred of hope, I asked, “They’re just a little rougher than average too, right?”
“……Probably. I think.”
But Ju Hwaran’s hopes were brutally ignored.
Before long, the ethnic tribesmen filling the roadside began openly displaying their hostility toward us.
“So they really are Han Chinese.”
“They’ve got some nerve. Send word to the chief at once.”
“I already sent someone.”
“Get the women and children indoors. Gather the men and keep an eye on those Han bastards.”
I felt like a criminal.
No. To them, we were already criminals who deserved to be torn apart and killed.
The others could feel it too, even though they couldn’t rely on the System to translate for them as I could, or speak the local language as Ju Hwaran did.
“Captain.”
“What?”
“I think we’re fucked.”
Hyuk Mujin swallowed hard and went on in a whisper. “I don’t know what they’re saying, but the atmosphere is extremely hostile. Wouldn’t it be better to get out of here?”
Hmm.
A leader’s job included calming his subordinates. I answered sternly.
“It’s not like that.”
“It isn’t?”
“No. They’re staring because they’re curious about Han Chinese.”
“Then why do they have axes?”
“They probably came over after chopping firewood.”
“And the swords?”
“They probably came over after slaughtering something.”
“……”
Don’t look at me like that. I feel guilty enough.
I did my best to ignore Hyuk Mujin’s distrustful gaze and crossed through the ethnic tribesmen radiating a menacing aura. I stopped in front of a wooden building.
Poison Flower Pavilion
The sign was so old it looked ready to crumble. This was the meeting place the Thousand-Faced Fox had told me about.
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