Chapter 90 - Time to Hunt (4)

The next day, Yang Gunbaek visited the Cangqiong Merchant Group.

"What a relief. This puts my mind at ease, at least a little."

Yang Gunbaek seemed quite pleased that we were traveling with the Namgung Clan and the Iron Sword Sect.

"For now, I scraped together everything I could from the information broker inns in the neighboring provinces."

As he said that, Yang Gunbaek untied his bundle, revealing a heap of items inside.

"Fortunately, I was able to procure three Purple Return Pills."

Originally, martial arts referred to the method of utilizing true qi, born from the process of accumulating true qi internally to achieve the Dao and advance toward enlightenment.

Similarly, the process of reaching enlightenment also includes alchemy.

This is a branch of pharmacology born not from directly accumulating true qi, but from the process of ingesting pure crystallized qi to build true qi internally and advance toward enlightenment.

The sect that spent a long time researching solely this alchemy to establish a school of pharmacology was the Dohyang Sect.

The Purple Return Pill was considered a high-quality core among those produced by the Dohyang Sect.

"Of course, the price doesn't match the core Young Master Sowoon gave me, but..."

"It is fine. I am simply grateful you managed to procure items of this caliber on such short notice. More importantly, what about the other thing I requested?"

"Ah, I have them right here."

Yang Gunbaek pulled out four items resembling small, oval-shaped trays from among the bundles.

"This type of protective gear isn't commonly used, so I had to make them myself. Their durability might not be very high."

"That is fine. We will only be using them as a temporary measure."

They were items that wouldn't see much use once the melee was over.

I first tried attaching a tray to my left arm.

It was an item I used back in my Minor Orthodox Unit days. Attached like this, I could freely use my left hand while it also served as a small shield.

If there was a single drawback, it was that other warriors didn't look upon it kindly.

Knowing this, Yang Gunbaek looked at me with mixed feelings before speaking up.

"... I brought this just in case. If it offends you..."

Inside the bundle he hesitantly offered was a set of golden armor shaped like undergarments.

"It is one of the items sold at the information broker inn. It was created to protect high-ranking officials from assassinations. It is made by thinly molding copper pieces one by one to form a garment."

"It's Golden Scale Armor."

"You know of it?"

"I know it well."

It was an item I had used to my heart's content during my Minor Orthodox Unit days in my past life.

Yang Gunbaek still mumbled hesitantly.

"Um... Are you sure you are alright with it...?"

"I like it very much. How many did you manage to get in total?"

"I only have three for now."

"That is perfect."

"Are you truly alright with this?"

"Isn't a little embarrassment better than losing one's life? Thank you for your consideration."

"Ah, and this is a personal gift from me."

"A gift?"

"Have I not given you a friendship fee before?"

Yang Gunbaek was referring to the time at the Demonic Spirit Plateau.

He held a small wooden box in his hand.

Opening the wooden box, a musty, heavy scent immediately wafted out.

However, its shape looked familiar.

"It's the core of a Single-Horned Black Toad."

"There is someone else who needs that core, so I couldn't bring it perfectly intact. I ask for your understanding regarding that."

"Did you bring this for me?"

"If it is you, Young Master Sowoon... I'm sure you can fully digest it, right?"

I couldn't stop smiling at Yang Gunbaek's thoughtfulness.

"With a sum like this, we are not just friends. We must be close friends."

At my words, Yang Gunbaek smiled brightly as if satisfied.

* * *

"..."

The faces of the brothers, Geumpyo and Eunho, scrunched into frowns.

In contrast, Dongryong strapped the tray-shaped shield to his forearm and swung his hand around.

Then, he immediately performed small sword forms in the empty air by himself.

He was instinctively practicing how to use the shield to better utilize his swordsmanship.

The instinct of the Heavenly Slaughter Star was subconsciously seeking out the optimal way for him to grow stronger.

We had already resolved the issue of the sword array breaking due to his advancement in sword forms.

Just by me stepping into the sword array and demonstrating how to achieve harmony, Dongryong had evolved himself to the next level in that short span of time.

It was much faster than I had expected. At this rate, there would be no one in his age group who could match Dongryong.

The problem was the other guys.

"Do we really have to wear this?"

"We have our own face to maintain as warriors."

Geumpyo and Eunho's grumblings.

Now that their teamwork was starting to click a little, they were suddenly caring about appearances.

At times like this, showing them once is more effective than a hundred words.

I drew the Black Dragon Sword and swung it twice in a flash.

SWISH!

SHING!

And at the same time, the fronts of Geumpyo and Eunho's robes split wide open.

"You've already died once each. Oh my, if only you had been wearing this armor, you wouldn't have died. What on earth should I tell Geumpyo and Eunho's parents?"

"..."

Dongryong mimicked a crying expression.

"Sob, brothers..."

"How truly deplorable. What would your parents say when they hear you died because you refused to wear armor just to show off a little? I am agonizing over this so much."

"You stupid idiot brothers!"

"..."

"... We'll wear it. It won't even show if we wear it underneath anyway."

"... It's gold, so it looks wealthy and nice."

I held out the shields.

"... Ah, that's really a bit..."

"... I think this is taking it too far, Eldest Senior Brother."

"Oh my, if they hear that you got an arm chopped off because you refused a shield..."

"We'll wear it. We'll wear it."

"Oh, how reassuring!"

The guys didn't lift their heads from the moment they equipped the armor and shields.

Among the warriors of the Namgung Clan and the Iron Sword Sect, they kept their heads bowed deeply as if branded as sinners, making a special effort to avoid catching the eyes of Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran.

By the time we were leaving Suzhou, they had completely hidden themselves among the warriors of the Namgung Clan and the Iron Sword Sect out of fear that people might see them.

Seong Moran looked behind her and spoke.

"They're annoying."

"... You must not realize how useful this shield is. Rather than a warrior's pride..."

"Huh? No. Not that."

Seong Moran pointed to the rear.

"They aren't coming close, yet they aren't falling far behind either. They're just like a pack of jackals."

"..."

She was talking about Song Baek's group, who had been tailing us ever since we exited the North Gate.

"Should we just deal with them and go?"

"If we get close, they will probably retreat and put distance between us again."

Initially, if it had only been the disciples of the Taiyi Sect, it would have been a one-sided hunt, but now we had the elite warriors of the Namgung Clan and the Iron Sword Sect with us.

Even among warriors at the Peak Realm, the level of martial arts and depth of understanding differed greatly. If they engaged in a battle now, it was clear that the losses would be immense.

"They are waiting because they know that."

"So how long are they going to keep waiting?"

"Either until they rush us first,"

I pointed toward the eastern forest.

Inside the forest, warriors wearing similar attire repeatedly appeared and disappeared between the trees.

They were a new group targeting us, separate from Song Baek's pack.

"Or until the martial artists of the Mount Cangshan Sect arrive."

"Are they just going to keep watching?"

Seong Moran said while looking at those hiding in the forest, and I shook my head.

"They will start before then."

From their perspective, it's only the Namgung Clan and the Iron Sword Sect right now, but if they drag this out, they'll have to deal with Wudang, Mount Hua, and Mount Cangshan all at once.

And my prediction was spot on.

"I wouldn't have minded being wrong about this."

While we were marching north toward Henan Province.

On the first day, while everyone was setting up their pots and cooking rice to prepare for camping out.

The first attack began.

"Ambush!"

CLANG CLANG CLANG!

Assailants swarmed in from all directions.

Those on watch quickly noticed the attack, and upon receiving the signal, they calmly faced the enemies as expected of the elites of the Namgung Clan and the Iron Sword Sect.

"Dammit..."

Thanks to the difference in the warriors' skill levels, our side suffered no casualties.

However, because we were attacked while preparing to camp, most of the food being cooked was overturned or ruined by dirt, making it inedible.

"Let's just prepare it again for now."

Nodding their heads in resignation, the warriors began to prepare the meal again.

Just as steam was rising from the pots, the warriors on watch shouted.

"Enemy!"

"Damn it all!"

"Shit!"

Once again, the warriors kicked off the ground and rushed forward. This time they tried their hardest not to let the fight affect the rice, but after the melee ended, the food was invariably overturned again.

"Phew... They waited on purpose to attack, didn't they?"

Namgung Seonhwa let out a small sigh.

I nodded.

"They probably know they have no chance of winning in a head-on clash in the first place."

Though the attacks were from different groups, their strategy was identical.

Exhaust us until we can't think straight, and achieve their objective when we are at our weakest.

They were executing the basics of the continuous wave tactic, something they hadn't even been formally taught yet.

"We'll have to stop by the branches as much as possible until we reach the location of the Third Gate."

"That will be easier."

"Please pass word to everyone to stop cooking rice. Tell them to fill their stomachs with jerky or dry rations for now."

"Yes, my lady."

Just as I had taken a seat beside Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran, tearing into some jerky.

SLURP.

SMACK.

GULP.

From one side, the sound of someone swallowing something like porridge could be heard.

"...?"

The gazes of the warriors chewing on jerky all turned to one spot.

The Geum-eun-dong Brothers had properly boiled a pot of porridge just for themselves, soaked their jerky in it, and were having a hearty meal.

"..."

Then, making eye contact, they offered the porridge to the other warriors.

Perhaps still feeling awkward around them, the warriors showed off their jerky and tried hard to ignore the offer.

"..."

Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran looked at me with complicated expressions.

Having nothing else to say, I scratched my cheek and spoke.

"They have a bit of a strong appetite."

* * *

The Murim Academy's standard exam becomes much more difficult the higher your score.

They call it an exam in the first place, but it is closer to a trial, and the score is ultimately determined by how many admission tokens you possess.

In any case, being skilled enough to hold many admission tokens meant it was easy to draw the caution of other examinees.

From the start, what the Murim Academy used to measure results was the admission tokens held in the examinees' hands.

They don't care whether those tokens were earned by passing the exam or stolen from an opponent.

This rule makes the exam even more brutal.

For this reason, the disciples of the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Noble Clans also cooperate with each other to take the exam. Otherwise, it is an exam that cannot be taken at all.

Looking at it from that perspective, the harshest trial falls upon an examinee whose own abilities are solely the most outstanding.

Even if they perform excellently in the exam and acquire many admission tokens, if they lack the strength to protect them, they will merely become a target for countless other examinees.

"Looking at it that way, we are no different from holding Thunderbolt Bombs and jumping into a pit of fire."

Seong Moran had been surprised when she heard that Wudang, Mount Hua, and Mount Cangshan were targeting the Taiyi Sect disciples, but when she heard they were carrying over a dozen admission tokens, she almost fainted.

'What was the highest record in the standard exam's history again?'

Just in the previous generation, Yong So-ah, a genius swordsman said to appear once in a millennium, entered the Murim Academy with the highest score.

At that time, he held five tokens from the First Gate and two tokens from the Second Gate. Since one could inherently only possess one Third Gate token, his total was six.

And even that was a record achieved together with the elite warriors of the Wudang Sect.

But right now, Jin Sowoon had a total of seventeen admission tokens. Excluding the six for each of the three Geum-eun-dong Brothers, he could secure eleven for himself alone—a fact that couldn't help but make one gasp in astonishment.

Thanks to this, the news that all the examinees in the world were targeting Jin Sowoon made perfect sense.

Of course, that didn't mean she ever thought about parting ways with him.

They had already had their lives saved once at the Demonic Spirit Plateau. That alone was reason enough, but there was something more that couldn't be explained by that alone.

A desire to somehow keep staying together...

"..."

Because she herself didn't know what kind of feelings were driving her to act this way, she merely felt apologetic toward Namgung Seonhwa.

"... Ah, ahaha. I-It's fine, *Unnie*. This was something we were bound to experience anyway once we passed the Third Gate, right?"

When she honestly spoke her mind, Namgung Seonhwa somehow stammered awkwardly and blushed for some reason.

She was simply grateful.

It had been a week since they left Suzhou.

Fatigue was gradually beginning to show even on Namgung Seonhwa's fair and beautiful face.

And yet, Namgung Seonhwa was in relatively good condition.

The warriors of the Iron Sword Sect and the Namgung Clan were in an even worse state.

The relentless attacks swarmed in at all hours.

Especially because they were attacked whenever they tried to eat, it had been far too long since they had a proper meal.

Above all, the greatest agony was the sense of crisis that they could be attacked at any time and in any place.

Because of this, the warriors couldn't sleep even when it wasn't their turn to keep watch, and even when they needed to eat, they couldn't consume food properly due to the stench of blood permeating the air and the severed limbs of their enemies scattered everywhere.

"But I'm genuinely curious."

"About what?"

"Why do the disciples of the Taiyi Sect look completely fine?"

"..."

It wasn't as if they were receiving special treatment.

Rather, because their numbers were fewer, they suffered even more.

They stood watch the same way and engaged in battle the same way.

"I asked Eunho. He actually said it's easier now because there are more people together."

Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran, who had already grown quite close to the Geum-eun-dong Brothers, spoke casually.

"Easier?"

"Yes. He said it truly felt like death would have been better when they were just by themselves."

"..."

Come to think of it, the disciples of the Taiyi Sect were indeed a little different.

If they were attacked while cooking, the three Geum-eun-dong Brothers prioritized protecting the rice above all else.

Sometimes, the three brothers would even take turns eating rice while maintaining their sword array.

The first time she saw that bizarre sight, Seong Moran stared blankly at the spectacle, unaware that an enemy's sword was approaching her own heart.

When battles dragged on and they missed a meal, they made sure to pull jerky from their pockets and shove it into their mouths even while running.

They paid no mind to the blood flowing all around or the severed fingers scattered about.

It was a daily routine for the warriors of the Namgung Clan and the Iron Sword Sect to watch the Taiyi Sect disciples' obsession with meals with utterly appalled expressions.

What about sleep?

Even without attacking, the enemies would radiate killing intent to raise the tension or make loud noises in the middle of the night to prevent deep sleep.

However, the three brothers of the Taiyi Sect would press each other's acupoints to simultaneously fall asleep whenever they weren't on watch.

"... Isn't that too dangerous?"

At Seong Moran's question, Jin Sowoon, who was tearing into some jerky, looked up.

"What is?"

"Pressing their sleeping acupoints."

"They will eventually wake up if there is a loud noise, won't they?"

"That's exactly it. They end up ignoring small noises and sleeping through them..."

"They must trust each other."

"Pardon?"

"These battles of ours will continue. And if we keep missing sleep, we will eventually be struck by an enemy's sword. Thus, they sleep while trusting the warriors around them. That way, at the very least, they won't get hit by an enemy's sword due to sleep deprivation."

And only then could she realize who was the source of those three brothers' bizarre behavior.

'I knew this man wasn't ordinary from the start, but...'

Oblivious to the look Seong Moran was giving him, Jin Sowoon spoke nonchalantly.

"Lady Seong. Could you press my sleeping acupoint?"

The way the Geum-eun-dong Brothers acted was likely largely due to Jin Sowoon's influence.

From what she had heard from the Geum-eun-dong Brothers, Jin Sowoon seemed to be revered like a god among his martial brothers back at their sect.

"... Alright."

As Seong Moran pressed his sleeping acupoint, Jin Sowoon's head slumped deeply as if he were dead.

Watching that sight intently, Seong Moran looked at Namgung Seonhwa and spoke.

"Seonhwa, could you press my sleeping acupoint too?"

"... Yes, *Unnie*."

For the first time in nearly a week, Seong Moran was able to fall into a deep sleep.

* * *

"I'm told that Mount Cangshan is blocking Zhenjiang."

Having passed through Danyang, we halted our march when Zhenjiang was only half a day's distance away.

The urgent message delivered by Haomun's messenger hawk contained news that every path we could take had been blocked off.

Along with Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran, I entered an emergency meeting attended by the representatives of the Namgung Clan's warriors and the Iron Sword Sect's warriors.

"And here I thought we'd finally be able to rest once we reached Zhenjiang."

Our original plan was to take a ship from Zhenjiang, cross Hongze Lake, and reach Sihong in one fell swoop.

Since the Cangqiong Merchant Group had a ship prepared in advance at Zhenjiang, we would at least be able to rest comfortably while aboard.

"If we board a ship, there will surely be those who see it and chase after us."

"Even so, we'd at least be able to eat in peace."

Seong Moran shook her head, looking utterly sick of it all.

Those damn assailants would sometimes just kick our rice pots and run away.

After suffering that for three days straight, you lose all motivation to even cook rice.

"First off, Mount Cangshan waiting at Zhenjiang is the biggest problem."

Even without that, Song Baek's group was gradually starting to close the distance. The gap was already merely thirty zhang.

If we were surrounded by enemies from both the front and back, the outcome would not be good at all.

"At least it is fortunate that Wudang and Mount Hua are absent."

According to Haomun, because Mount Cangshan and Mount Hua were located in close proximity, they were expected to naturally move together. However, unexpectedly, Wudang and Mount Hua had moved together while Mount Cangshan had split off independently to head toward us.

Because of this, all our strategies had been thrown into disarray.

They said Mount Hua was moving from Anhui Province into Henan.

It was a strategy to intercept us on the path leading to the Third Gate.

If it were the original strategy, we would have faced no issues at least until we entered Henan.

"In any case, there is no way back, whether to Anhui Province or Henan Province."

If we turned toward Anhui Province right now, we would encounter Mount Hua and Wudang, and to head into Henan Province, we would have to break through Mount Cangshan.

Considering the continuous attacks and pursuits from the other groups during all this, utilizing Zhenjiang was still the easiest and most convenient path.

"The battle at Zhenjiang will be the most crucial."

Namgung Seonhwa's voice fell low.

She was anticipating a battle at Zhenjiang far fiercer than anything we had experienced thus far.

Just as Seong Moran had experienced, there was a possibility that Namgung Seonhwa could lose her own warriors.

It was a situation where we had to keep in mind that in the worst-case scenario, the lives of Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran themselves could be at risk.

"It's fine! Don't worry! We're going to win anyway! The Namgung Clan and the Iron Sword Sect are together, so what is there to fear!"

Seong Moran's spirited voice paradoxically made her look afraid.

Namgung Seonhwa also forced a smile and nodded.

"There is another way."

The one who spoke up was Kang Seopyo, the representative warrior of the Namgung Clan. He was one of the personnel who had entered the Demonic Spirit Plateau alongside Namgung Seonhwa.

"You leave the warriors behind."

"..."

Namgung Seonhwa's face stiffened rigidly.

To use the ship at Zhenjiang, they could travel up the water and board it secretly.

But those waiting at Zhenjiang would certainly not be ignorant of this.

To hold them down, there had to be people acting as bait.

Kang Seopyo was talking about this tactic of using themselves as bait in a roundabout way as "leaving them behind."

"The opponent is Mount Cangshan. If we all try to go, we might end up with no one making it."

"No, I won't do that."

Namgung Seonhwa shook her head.

If they combined the pursuers chasing them so far with the unknown number of enemies waiting at Zhenjiang, the personnel remaining at the Zhenjiang port might not survive facing them all.

"My lady. Do you not know well what immense agony lacking power in Jianghu brings? Right now, you must only think about entering the Murim Academy."

Until recently, she had been taking the standard exam without proper support due to the war of nerves with the branch line.

Before Namgung Seonhwa could continue speaking, Kang Seopyo looked at me and said.

"Young Master, I apologize for saying this, but may I entrust the lady to you once again this time?"

"..."

"We will break through Zhenjiang no matter what it takes."

As if the discussion had already been settled, the Iron Sword Sect's representative warrior, Cho Mubin, continued.

"Furthermore, you will need us to prevent any other ships from setting sail."

"Captain Cho!"

"My lady, for the sake of the Sect Leader, you must absolutely enter the Academy."

If they were going to block ships from sailing out, it truly meant that all the warriors of the Namgung Clan and the Iron Sword Sect had to risk their lives.

I shook my head.

"That won't do."

Kang Seopyo and Cho Mubin looked at me. Unlike Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran, they seemed to have expected me to naturally accept the plan.

"But right now..."

"Right now might be an issue, but isn't after the Third Gate the biggest problem? If all of you are gone now, the two ladies might be placed in true danger."

"..."

Caught in this dilemma, I looked at Namgung Seonhwa.

"Lady Seonhwa."

"Yes?"

"I am sorry to ask you this out of the blue in a situation like this, but..."

"Huh? R-Right now...? W-What is it?"

Flustered bewilderment tinged Namgung Seonhwa's face. Yet, on the other hand, her expression became filled with anticipation.

Seong Moran's expression was even more unusual.

"..."

It was a look of disbelief, as if she wanted to cover my mouth somehow.

I had no time to consider each of their feelings right now, so I continued.

"By any chance, how much are the horses we are riding worth?"