Dudududu!
Four fine horses galloped down the official road. Exhausted from the lack of rest, the horses panted heavily, but we couldn’t slow the reins.
[16 hours 25 minutes 32 seconds, 31 seconds, 30 seconds.]
Three full shichen, a whole six hours, had already passed. We had tried to find fresh horses at a small village along the way, but all they had were small, slow packhorses.
We have to rest at some point.
It was a dead end. We were pushing ourselves hard, but the time limit was tight, and the horses wouldn’t be able to hold out if we continued like this.
Is there no other way?
It was the moment I was about to suggest to Wol-hwa and Jin Mu-gyeong that we rest, even for a little while.
“Huh?”
“Young Master Jin! Ahead!”
Even without Wol-hwa’s shout, I had already seen them. Dozens of yards ahead, dark-clothed men blocked the road. They were all dressed shabbily, with a curved saber sticking out from their waists. At this point, it was getting tiring to even say it.
The Crimson Wind Brigade.
The men, who had been surrounding what appeared to be commoners and threatening them, whipped their heads around at the sound of hooves. The bandits, spotting me riding at the head of the group, grinned, revealing yellowed teeth.
“Well, well, look what we have here. The next customers have already arrived. Halt!”
Alright then.
If he says halt, I have to halt. What choice do I have?
Thwump-thump!
“Keoheok!”
“Gack!”
The fine horse I was riding trampled two or three of the men blocking our path before finally coming to a stop. Not only the bandits but also the captured travelers stared at me with wide eyes.
“You, you son of a—”
I leaped nimbly from the saddle and asked.
“I’m asking just in case. You’re the Crimson Wind Brigade, right?”
“Who are you?!”
“Judging by your reaction, I guess you are. We don’t have time, so let’s end this quickly.”
Without hesitation, I kicked the leg of the man closest to me.
Crack. With a sickening sound, the man with the broken shin collapsed. It all happened in an instant. The men, who had been momentarily stunned, quickly drew their curved sabers and spears.
“Kill him!”
“A man should always watch his back.”
“What?”
“I said, watch your back.”
The moment ten pairs of eyes turned behind them at my words.
Crash! Crack!
The three fine horses, charging at full speed, swept them away.
The battle was over before it even began.
The men who were sent flying like bowling pins lay like living corpses, and the rest were easily subdued.
“P-please spare me.”
“I won’t kill you. Though I’ll have to fix a few places.”
“Hic!”
While Jin Mu-gyeong was methodically breaking the arms and legs of the surviving bandits, Hyeok Mujin brought over the horses that had been tied up by the side of the road.
“I think we can switch to these healthy ones. There are ten of them, so we can take them all and switch out whenever they get tired.”
I thought the same. Unlike the last group, it was fortunate that the bandits we met this time each had their own horse.
Still…
Just how many of these Crimson Wind Brigade bastards are there?
According to the information we got at the shrine, over a hundred remnants had scattered throughout the northern parts of Shanxi. Some went to the mountainsides, some hid in remote villages or bustling towns, and then gathered at a rally point upon receiving an order.
These aren’t defeated soldiers.
They were ambush troops carrying out an operation. The Crimson Wind Chief was replenishing his forces in the highlands to head south, while at the same time having his remaining subordinates move north.
I could more than guess why Wol-hwa had described the Crimson Wind Chief as a formidable figure.
The judgment to retreat swiftly when the tide of battle turned against him, the meticulousness to prepare for the next plan even in the midst of it, and the drive to execute that plan.
On top of that, I had heard his personal martial skill was also formidable. At this point, I felt sorry for treating him as a simple bandit.
This has gotten seriously messy.
I now understood why the quest difficulty had changed to Peak. I just hope it’s not a case of things getting worse and worse, like finding out the Crimson Wind Chief is a peak master or something, right?
When I asked Wol-hwa just in case, she immediately nodded.
“Yes. That’s correct.”
“…Ah.”
“There’s always a reason for someone to rise to prominence so rapidly. It’s not widely known yet, but according to our branch’s intelligence, the Crimson Wind Chief is indeed a peak master.”
I was so flabbergasted I had to ask.
“Why is a peak master playing bandit?”
“There are even transcendent masters among mountain and river bandits, so why can’t a horse bandit be one?”
“Transcendent masters? As mountain and river bandits?”
“You can ask the leader of the Eighteen Green Forest Stronghold or the chief of the Yangtze River Waterway Alliance if you ever meet them. Not that you ever will.”
“…I sincerely hope so.”
A transcendent master. I truly hoped I would never have the occasion to meet one.
I shook my head and mounted my newly acquired horse. Jin Mu-gyeong and Hyeok Mujin, having tied up the Crimson Wind bandits and handed them over to the commoners, followed suit.
[15 hours 59 minutes 13 seconds, 12 seconds, 11 seconds.]
Even in this moment, the time limit was ticking away. We left the commoners bowing their heads in gratitude and kicked the sides of our horses.
“Hiyah!”
***
In the deepest inner court of the Hengshan Sword Sect, there existed a flower garden that only a very few people could enter. The Tiger of Hengshan, Cheol Mu-baek, was the only outsider who had been granted that right.
“This is the first time I’ve been here.”
“It was a special place. My father would visit the garden whenever he was troubled.”
Lee Sowol, who was walking through the snow-covered garden with a soft crunching sound, suddenly stopped when she found a single frost-covered flower.
“It was a flower my mother liked.”
“Was it?”
“Yes. Whenever she tended to the garden, she would always bring me here and tell me the names of the flowers.”
After being lost in thought for a moment, Lee Sowol continued.
“But I can’t remember it now.”
“It was a long time ago, so that’s understandable. Don’t worry about it.”
“Uncle Cheol.”
“Yes?”
“I… hate flowers. I only followed my mother because she liked them; I was never actually interested in flowers. It’s the same reason my father visited this garden.”
Lee Sowol slowly looked around the snow-covered garden. The flowers had withered, and the single burial mound in the center of the garden had increased to four. Her eyes, silently gazing at the burial mounds where her family slept, sank deep.
‘Whose fault is it?’
Perhaps it was her own fault for being born the daughter of a martial artist. That was the reason she had to lose her father and two older brothers in succession, following her mother ten years ago.
‘I should have stopped him until the end…’
Suddenly, the memory from two months ago rose up and clouded her vision. It was a conversation between a father and daughter, shared alone one late night.
‘I must connect you with the third son of the Taiyuan Jin Family.’
‘The third son? Don’t tell me you intend to match me with that scoundrel?’
‘No. But it will become a scandal that will be hard for you to endure.’
‘I see.’
‘Is that all?’
‘What can I do? It is my fault for having a heartless father.’
‘You are a child I can never understand. Are you truly alright with this?’
‘If I say I dislike it, will you change your mind?’
‘I would at least look for another way.’
‘So, in the end, war with the Taiyuan Jin Family is a foregone conclusion.’
‘Now is the opportune time, with the Eccentric Hero of Shanxi and Heavenly Jin Blade away. An opportunity that will never come again.’
‘Even without the Family Head and the Second Young Master, the Taiyuan Jin Family is strong. I implore you to reconsider.’
‘Impossible. The decision has already been made.’
‘In that case, you must win. Become so strong that no one in the land of Shanxi would dare to even whisper about a scandal involving me.’
‘…If you were a man, I would have made you the Young Sect Leader.’
‘I’m glad I was born a woman. I have no interest in being the Young Sect Leader of our main branch.’
Her worries became reality not long after. Perhaps a fortnight had passed when Lee Sogun returned as a cold corpse. A short while later, Lee Cheon-baek, and eventually, even her eldest brother, Lee Sogwang, were lost.
Now, I am alone.
And so, the last remaining blood of the Blood Wolf Sword, Lee Cheon-baek, became the new sect leader.
A hand, nailed with resolve, carefully touched Lee Sowol’s shoulder as she stared silently at the burial mounds.
“I am sorry. I should have come sooner…”
“Uncle Cheol, please don’t say that. If you hadn’t come, our main branch would not have been able to hold on until now.”
The Hengshan Sword Sect was being relentlessly pushed back by the fierce onslaught of the Crimson Wind Brigade. If the peak master known as the Tiger of Hengshan hadn’t rushed over after hearing of Lee Cheon-baek’s death, the enemies would never have retreated.
“I will surely tear that bastard’s limbs apart and kill him.”
Thinking of the Crimson Wind Chief, Lee Sowol shook her head. In a life-or-death duel between peak masters, Cheol Mu-baek had a slight edge. There had already been one clash, and Pung-yang had a record of retreating with a light internal injury.
‘But such an opportunity will not come twice.’
The Hengshan Sword Sect had always gathered information on the horse bandits of the northern highlands and kept a keen watch. There were dozens of bandit groups in the highlands, but among them, the Crimson Wind Brigade, led by Pung-yang, had grown at a frighteningly conspicuous rate. A man particularly strong and meticulous among the highland chiefs. That was Pung-yang.
‘A man like that would never fight a life-or-death duel with Uncle Cheol. If he rashly tries to face him, he’ll be the one who gets taken down instead.’
Lee Sowol turned her head toward Cheol Mu-baek.
“Uncle Cheol. Can you tell me again about Pung-yang’s martial arts?”
“The beginning of the Peak realm. He was a man whose saber techniques and dagger throwing skills had reached a high state. However.”
A deep furrow formed on Cheol Mu-baek’s brow.
“Every one of his techniques was incomparably sinister. It seemed he had learned the arts of the demonic path.”
“The demonic path…” After the great war between the righteous and demonic factions, the demonic path became synonymous with the word death in the Central Plains. There might be unorthodox sects that pretended to be righteous, but there were none that proudly proclaimed themselves to be unorthodox.
“It is just a guess for now. I will know once I face him again.”
“I believe in you, Uncle Cheol. But do not underestimate the Crimson Wind Chief. He has as many subordinates as he needs to take his place in death.”
The enemies attacking from both above and below numbered close to three hundred. In contrast, the Hengshan Sword Sect, even after gathering all the warriors from its various branches, didn’t even reach half that number. With the situation being as it was, the morale of not only the ordinary martial artists but also the newly appointed high-ranking officials was low.
“Sowol. May I say one thing?”
He was a benefactor who had risked his own life for the sake of his friendship with a dead comrade. Lee Sowol bowed her head politely.
“I will take it to heart.”
Cheol Mu-baek opened his mouth heavily.
“Leave.”
A single word, filled with many meanings.
But Lee Sowol’s answer held not a shred of hesitation.
“I’m sorry.”
“It is not too late yet. You must survive.”
“It is not over yet. And I will survive.”
“If you think this is what my friend Cheon-baek would have wanted…”
“Uncle.”
At her firm voice, Cheol Mu-baek closed his mouth. Lee Sowol’s clear eyes were filled with a steely resolve.
“This is what I wanted. As the Sect Leader of the Hengshan Sword Sect.”
“Haa…” Cheol Mu-baek let out a sigh instead of an answer.
“I am already greatly indebted to you, Uncle. I will not resent you even if you leave now.”
“Will you only be satisfied if you hear my answer?”
Lee Sowol shook her head. Since she was young, Cheol Mu-baek had cherished her like his own child. In a way, he was more of a father to her than her own father.
“I will never forget this kindness. You are the benefactor of myself and the Hengshan Sword Sect, Uncle Cheol.”
“I’ve watched you since you were young… you are truly a shrewd child.”
“I was shrewd when I was young, and now I’m a stubborn woman.”
Seeing Lee Sowol’s faint smile, Cheol Mu-baek could only let out a series of deep sighs.
“Is there any chance of victory?”
“As of now, one in ten.”
“What did you say?”
“But if reinforcements arrive, it will be five in ten. Or more.”
“Reinforcements? From the Taiyuan Jin Family, perhaps?”
“Two hours ago, a messenger falcon arrived from the Hao Sect’s Zhengyang branch.”
“How many are they sending? A hundred? Two hundred?”
“Four. One of them is the Heavenly Jin Blade, Jin Mu-gyeong, and another is…”
Lee Sowol let out a dry laugh. It was because she was reminded of her ill-fated connection with him.
“The Hidden Dragon of Shanxi, Jin Tae-kyung.”