Chapter 127: Chapter 127

Beside Jeok-sein who was smiling brightly while looking down the hole, another man popped out. Seeing Jang Geon’s face, he raised his hand in delight.

“Oh, we finally meet. Glad to see you! Do you remember us?”

Jang Geon wore a slightly reluctant expression. As far as he knew, Jeok-sein and that man were Martial Alliance patrol officers. So meeting them in Gowon City, the eastern frontier, might not be a strange thing. The problem was the incident that occurred before taking the journey to Gowon City in the past.

Back then, he faced those claiming to be the Soaring Eagle Unit of the Martial Alliance and set their memorial day for them.

“Wow, is this fellow smart? How did he know the floor here would cave in?”

The man, San-ho, spoke looking at Jojo as if it were marvelous. However, the fellow snorted with a puff of air and tilted his chin up arrogantly as if telling him to serve him properly. Finding such a fellow hilarious, San-ho let out a casual hollow laugh.

Jeok-sein between the two shook her head gently and spoke to Jang Geon down below:

“It has been a while, Martial Artist Jang. This seems to be quite a peculiar reunion.”

“…I agree.”

After looking up at them while scratching his chin for a moment, Jang Geon soon recalled what he had to do and came to his senses. His gaze looked back and forth between Jeok-sein and Namgung Cheon, who had passed out with rolled-up eyes in the corner over there.

“That turned out well.”

“We will lower a rope or stick here soon… What did you say?”

Jeok-sein, who was looking for something suitable to lower down the hole, heard Jang Geon’s murmur, looked down, and asked back. But Jang Geon did not answer, instead turning around and approaching Namgung Cheon.

Namgung Cheon, tumbling with an arm lost and a large wound on his upper body, looked half like a corpse. But Jang Geon pulled him to lay him straight, and began poking deep into various places of his wounds with his fingers. Even though his fingers dug in deep by two finger-joints or so, Namgung Cheon failed to regain consciousness.

Having struck his acupoints for a moment, Jang Geon stood up while dusting his hands clean once the measures were finished.

Namgung Cheon’s body did not have a restriction like Murong San-san. That seemed to be due to the powerful demonic arts he possessed. His power was violent enough to easily tear through an ordinary person’s qi channels, and that violence was not permitting any obstacles on the path it usually traversed.

“If he were completely fine, acupoint striking wouldn’t work well either.”

Of course, the current Namgung Cheon had no strength remaining to do so. Jang Geon sealed his dantian and performed simple first aid on his ruined interior. Despite having an arm lost and bones and internal organs severely damaged, stimulating his qi channels like that made Namgung Cheon’s breathing considerably easier. Though he was in a state where even a young child could smother his nose and mouth without resistance, surviving with such wounds was itself a moment where the demonic power of demonic arts could be glimpsed.

Jang Geon hoisted him onto his shoulder and approached the hole. In the meantime, Jeok-sein had found a rope from Jojo’s saddle and lowered it below. However, Jang Geon, glancing up, did not grab the rope and leaped lightly to stand above the hole.

Jeok-sein and San-ho checked the height difference between underground and ground level, which clearly seemed over a jang, and looked at Jang Geon with astonished eyes. If one were an outstanding martial artist, it was a height one could sufficiently leap, but adding the weight of a person on top of that and leaping lightly like this was impossible at an ordinary level.

Having come up like that, Jang Geon scanned the surroundings once. That place was in the middle of an alleyway. The yellow sunlight of late afternoon lit only the upper parts of houses and shops, casting somewhat dim yet cool shadows. Roughly looking around, it seemed if one went two houses over, the bookstore they had entered would appear.

“Martial Artist Jang?”

Jeok-sein called Jang Geon who was looking around. It was because his appearance did not look very relaxed. Turning to her at that call, Jang Geon casually passed over Namgung Cheon whom he had hoisted.

“Please hold onto him for a moment. His internal and external wounds are severe, so he must take rest.”

“No, who on earth is this man?”

“A demonic practitioner bearing the surname Namgung.”

Jeok-sein and San-ho failed to understand that meaning for a moment and stood blankly, then soon gaped. If he bore the surname Namgung, he was of demonic family bloodline. And that meant a key figure of the Palace.

“W-Wait! Martial Artist Jang! What on earth right now…”

Shouldering Namgung Cheon, Jeok-sein could not hide her panic and tried to grab Jang Geon. But Jang Geon mounting Jojo was faster than her hand. From atop Jojo, Jang Geon spoke to Jeok-sein looking up at him with round eyes:

“Wait at the inn where Jojo was, when I finish my business, I shall go there. Hear the detailed story from the friend down below.”

And he lightly pulled Jojo’s reins and sprinted off toward the other end of the alleyway. Both Jeok-sein holding Namgung Cheon and San-ho standing beside her looked with blank eyes at the receding backs of Jang Geon and Jojo. Soon the two turned their heads with those same blank eyes and looked at each other as if asking what kind of situation this was.

While the two blinked their eyes, Son Gwang’s voice echoed from down below the hole behind them:

“Excuse me… Please pull me up… I can’t leap like Warrior Jang…”

* * *

Jang Geon, riding Jojo, composed his breathing while exiting the alleyway. He felt it while emerging from underground, but internal energy consumption in the duel against Namgung Cheon had been too great. If he used lightness arts to run quickly to the tribe alliance, he would be exhausted upon arrival. So to save internal energy, he had mounted Jojo.

“Oh dear.”

However, upon exiting the alleyway, people packing the main street came into view. People who had finished their day heading to taverns or inns, or heading home, had come out in crowds. Among them, those riding carriages or horses were not absent, but all of them were moving leisurely among the crowd.

Even Jang Geon was in a situation where he would feel panicked. Right when he didn’t know how the situation of the tribe alliance was turning out, he came to lose time on the road.

At that moment, Jojo raised his head and snorted with a puff.

And charging boldly, he stepped on boxes in the corner of the alleyway with a crash and mounted the roof of the shop beside it. People passing by in the surroundings were startled by that sight, screamed, and scrambled back.

“Wh-What’s that?”

“…A horse, a horse went up onto the roof!”

Whether people shouted or not, Jojo stood majestically on the roof and snorted roughly as if telling Jang Geon to direct the direction.

Flustered by the fellow’s wild movements, Jang Geon involuntarily laughed at his appearance. And he lightly pulled the reins in the direction where the tribe alliance was located. Snorting once more as if pumping up spirit, Jojo began running recklessly over the roofs of Gowon City’s buildings.

“What’s that? Is that a horse?”

“Heavens, how up there…”

All the people walking on the main street looked at Jang Geon and Jojo. It couldn’t be helped. The appearance of man and horse leaping lightly over roof and roof as if wings were attached caught the eye too much, and one could not easily tear one’s eyes away.

Jojo stepping on the roofs made loud clattering sounds echo. There were even people inside houses who came outside in surprise to check.

The roofs of the buildings had flat rooftops, and some had splendidly laid tiles. Even when stepping on such tiles, Jojo leaped splendidly between roofs without slipping even once. Of course, there were tiles that cracked with a crunch, unable to withstand the weight of the two.

Thus, for a short while running along the highest sky road in Gowon City, Jang Geon pulled Jojo’s reins again upon seeing the clear roadside ahead. The fellow, understanding Jang Geon’s intent from just that, lightly stepped on top of a carriage parked beside an inn and landed on the roadside. Having descended back to flat ground, Jojo exhaled a puff of air and sprinted forward.

One of the patrons exiting the inn was startled by Jojo suddenly popping out like that, collapsed to a sit, and looked blankly at them receding.

Afterward, exiting Gowon City and heading toward the encampment of the tribe alliance, Jang Geon could soon feel commotion in those tents visible far away. Starting from the fact that there were no warriors stopping him unlike last time, it was already letting him know that some problem had arisen.

Jang Geon did not hesitate and led Jojo between the tents. Thereupon, native people gathered in a circle inside came into view. Those standing at the very outside among them heard Jojo’s horse hooves and turned around. People who saw Jang Geon’s figure shouted:

“Again! A Central Plains person has come again!”

“Catch him!”

Jang Geon, bringing Jojo to a halt by pulling his reins, felt the situation was not good seeing the natives looking at him with faces full of anger. Jojo, breathing roughly, also hesitated and stepped back at the sight of people approaching with fierce eyes.

“Wait! He is not! He is not an enemy!”

At that moment, someone shouted like that and pushed through the crowd. It was River Rock, to whom he had entrusted the cleanup of the tea house this morning.

Jang Geon dismounted from the saddle seeing blood splatters on his face.

“…It seems I was late.”

“Late? What is?”

River Rock, who was calming the other warriors, opened both eyes wide in bewilderment at Jang Geon’s words. Jang Geon felt that though fatigue was on his face, there was no anger or despair.

“Did Central Plains people not raid?”

River Rock opened both eyes round as if asking how he knew that. And before he could speak something, a voice echoed from behind the natives.

“Wondered why you came so hurriedly, it seems you intended to help us.”

At that voice, people scrambled back to open a path. Beyond the path formed by people stepping back, a man walked slowly.

He was a tall middle-aged man, wearing only lower pants with nothing draped over him. He was even barefoot without shoes. However, on his exposed bare skin and face, red blood that did not seem to be his was copiously drenched.

In his appearance, drenched in blood without any weapon, let alone decoration, there was some stark wild instinct and creepiness. Because of that atmosphere, even Jang Geon could not recall who he was in a single instant. The man who appeared with the shaman named Flowing Bone last night. He was the Great Warrior of the tribe alliance.

Jang Geon’s eyes passed him to look behind him. Over there, corpses that seemed to have become rag dolls by the teeth and claws of some beast were tumbling around.

* * *

Jang Geon was invited into the Great Warrior’s tent.

In the middle of the large tent, a bonfire was burning, and hides were laid on the floor, making it soft. Sitting inside after being told to wait a moment, soon someone pulled back the tent entrance and entered. It was the elder named Flowing Bone whom he had met yesterday.

“Oh, you came quickly. Did the work you intended finish well?”

“…Yes. I caught the torso.”

Because the height of the tent was low, he could not stand up to greet him. Flowing Bone waved his hand as if telling him not to mind too much, bent his waist, entered, and sat on one side of the bonfire. Placing the staff he held on his knees, he smiled gently and looked at Jang Geon.

“Right, having caught that torso, you must have heard words that they would raid our Great Warrior?”

“…It seems there was no need for me to come help in particular.”

Flowing Bone shook his head.

“Even so, your goodwill does not fade. Even though we are not relatives, friends, or people of the same tribe, did you not rush over to help us? So I am grateful for that heart.”

The old man bowed his head lightly saying so. As Jang Geon bowed his head in return, soon a new person pulled back the tent and entered inside. It was the Great Warrior Crazy Horse, his hair soaked from wiping off blood.

He smirked seeing Jang Geon and Flowing Bone who had entered first, approached the bonfire, and sat down. Sitting like that, he shook out his hair, looked up at Jang Geon, pulled up the corners of his mouth to smile again, and wiped his nose with a snort.

“So there was a warrior among Central Plains people too. I am called Crazy Horse. Somehow I come to be called by names like Great Warrior or chief of the alliance.”

“Jang Geon. A wanderer.”

“Mm. A fellow whose words are clean.”

Crazy Horse said so and laughed haha. He didn’t seem to be as serious a figure as thought. Watching him for a moment, Flowing Bone spoke:

“That torso you caught. Is it true he was the arch-fiend of those who raided this place a moment ago?”

Jang Geon nodded.

“That is correct. Called the Palace, they are descendants of those who fled from the Central Plains long ago.”

“Ho-ho, the Palace of Demons…”

“They slaughtered the eastern tribes and pinned that crime on the western Central Plains people. I hear the Martial Alliance currently might not even know that eastern tribes gathered in Gowon City.”

Flowing Bone fixed his gaze on the bonfire and fiddled with his chin. Beside him, Great Warrior Crazy Horse also sat with arms crossed, gazing at the bonfire.

Jang Geon watched them quietly and said:

“…These are facts you already knew. Is there something more you are curious about?”

At his words, the Great Warrior and shaman raised their heads and looked at each other. After meaningful gazes were exchanged, Flowing Bone’s mouth opened:

“You are not affiliated with that place called the Martial Alliance, right?”

“Yes. I am merely a wanderer.”

Flowing Bone nodded his head and continued speaking:

“There is a reason the people of the tribe alliance have no choice but to suspect western people. As numerous warriors confirmed traces, the Central Plains people who slaughtered tribes all came from the west and returned to the west.”