Chapter 83: Chapter 83

Jang Geon put on his trousers, tied his belt, and walked out of the tent.

As if last night’s festival had been a lie, the valley tribe was facing a busy morning. Those preparing for a hunt from early morning, those trimming dried hides, those carrying loads of firewood—the tribe members each looked busy with their respective tasks.

Gathering his loose hair and tying it roughly, Jang Geon approached the water bucket beside the tent and abruptly plunged his head into it. Enduring until feeling stifled underwater, Jang Geon popped his head out and blew out a long breath, *pu-*.

“Haha. Even your washing is quite fierce.”

As he wiped his face, someone approached and spoke to him. It was Red Wind, holding a wooden bowl.

“Is that mine?”

Inside the bowl was thick porridge with a grilled fish placed on top. Roughly shaking off the water, Jang Geon accepted it and sat on a wooden barrel placed to one side. Feeling hungry, he immediately picked up the fish and chewed it crunchily.

Red Wind stood with arms crossed, quietly watching him eat, before suddenly asking.

“Was last night enjoyable?”

Chewing away, Jang Geon coughed lightly. Then he looked up at Red Wind. The middle-aged tribe warrior wore a subtle smile.

“…Mm, it was enjoyable. I rested comfortably for the first time in a while.”

“Comfortably? Heheh…”

Laughing slyly at Jang Geon’s answer, Red Wind was about to ask something more when he flinched in surprise at a hand slapping his back.

“Do not tease Jang Geon. Why are you acting like that when you’re not a child?”

The hand that slapped Red Wind’s back belonged to Bi-rang. Dressed lightly, she approached Jang Geon and held out a wooden cup she had brought. Accepting it, Jang Geon felt his hazy memories of last night grow vividly clearer. And Bi-rang, perhaps thinking along similar lines, showed a mysterious eye-smile with a slightly flushed face before leaving the spot.

Watching her receding back as she walked away with a pleased smile, he sipped from the cup to find sweet honey water. Setting that cup down and munching on the fish again, Red Wind, who had been staring at him dully, spoke up.

“Right, well. I’m glad you rested well. But… why did you come?”

Chewing, Jang Geon looked up at Red Wind as if asking why he said it like that. However, Red Wind looked serious.

“Returning because you missed the festival you left behind last time doesn’t seem to fit your temperament. Did you perhaps come to check if the ownership of this valley was handled well? Ah, that went well. A weekly patrol comes out from the Martial Alliance branch once a week too. We even created documents in the Central Plains people’s style and keep them well-stored. From what I hear, there aren’t many cases resolved as smoothly as ours…”

“Was there not a tribe destroyed in the south recently?”

Red Wind’s expression hardened. He kept quiet for a moment before speaking up again with a grave face.

“…Do such rumors circulate among the Central Plains people too? That’s right. Not long ago, a southern plain tribe vanished. They say only ashes remained, and our friends on the plain side think it’s the work of the Central Plains people, so they plan to unite as one and officially protest to the Martial Alliance. Perhaps… the Central Plains people in that region might get driven out to the western coast.”

“In the plain, many cities including Salt Lake City have already been built due to gold and various products. And in each of those cities, the interests of numerous sects and clans are intertwined. The Martial Alliance is an association of those sects and clans. Getting driven out might be the opposite case.”

Red Wind uncrossed his arms, rested his hands on his waist, and continued speaking.

“Look here, Jang Geon. I know full well that you Central Plains people—that is, martial artists—are strong warriors. But beyond this mountain range where we are, a vast land stretches out as well. And there are also very many tribes and people there. Each of them has their own history so they won’t unite easily, but if you Central Plains people push people east like that…”

“Do you know the history of the Central Plains?”

Red Wind, who was sharing his thoughts in his own way, hesitated at Jang Geon’s words spoken while setting down the empty bowl. He spoke somewhat timidly.

“That… what was it, there is a great tribe called ‘Han’, and aren’t the ones who fled them the Central Plains people from a hundred years ago?”

“Then do you also know what that great tribe Han, the Empire, is capable of doing?”

“…Well?”

Jang Geon picked up the wooden cup he had set down and took a sip. Quietly watching the tribe members intent on their respective tasks, he continued speaking.

“The history of the Han Empire exceeds a thousand years. Naturally during that time, there were more than a couple of occasions when the people suffered from disasters like drought or flood, and since the taxes collected in the midst of that remained the same, there were more than a couple of instances where they rose up finding it hard to make a living. Hundreds of thousands, or in large cases, millions joined peasant rebellions. How history twisted I know not, but during the early five hundred years of the Empire, such massive peasant rebellions occurred almost every hundred years, they say.”

Red Wind heard the mention of history twisting, but simply thought he had misunderstood. It was because Jang Geon was speaking in Central Plains language now.

“…The way the Han Imperial Court solved that was very simple. They just killed until no further resistance was made. Utilizing the great experts of the Imperial Army.”

At those words, Red Wind tilted his head for a moment. Just like the statement about history twisting, he could not be sure if he had correctly understood the Central Plains word ‘ten thousand’. As far as he knew, even the number ten thousand was a truly enormous number. It was a number that required dozens of this valley tribe. To kill tens of times that number?

Jang Geon took another sip from his cup.

“The truly astonishing part is that even with people dying like that, it was likely fewer than those who died during the chaotic periods of original history. Furthermore, during the latter five hundred years after water control projects were settled to an extent, such peasant rebellions were almost nonexistent. Thus, combined with continuous development of farmland and farming methods, advancement of medicine, neatly paved highways, and powerful centralization, the current Han Empire exceeding a population of a hundred million easily was forged.”

Jang Geon’s eyes slowly moved toward Red Wind.

“…The Martial Alliance is fundamentally an association of numerous sects and clans. Thus they rarely speak with one voice. But if they were to unite as one under some pressure—that is, by someone pushing in from the east—what do you think would happen?”

Even if there were things Red Wind failed to understand along the way, he could tell right now what Jang Geon was trying to say.

“…They also possess strong military force, so are you saying a second Han Empire will appear on this land? And like the Han Empire did, they will not hesitate to kill us by the hundreds of thousands or millions…”

Massaging his temples as if his head ached, he suddenly continued.

“No, no. That is too leapful an imagination. If our plain friends unite and send a strong protest, the Martial Alliance will catch the culprits and punish them. How could that develop into something like a war between Central Plains people and us and birth a new great Central Plains tribe? In truth, uniting between tribes is no easy task. There are many who don’t care whether other tribes die or not, and much gratitude and resentment are intertwined among them. No, why did you bring up the story of those southern plain friends in the first place? It just makes my head ache for nothing!”

Watching him shake his head, Jang Geon drained all the honey water and stood up from his seat. Then, walking inside the tent, he spoke.

“I must meet One-Eyed Cloud.”

“What? Look here, my friend, just because you want to meet him doesn’t mean recklessly…”

Red Wind said no, but Jang Geon was already coming out from inside the tent with his sword and outer robe. Red Wind let out a sigh.

“…I don’t know anymore. I’ll take you to the front, so handle it yourself.”

* * *

“Let him in.”

“…Yes.”

Red Wind had not said anything after arriving, but answered reluctantly at the words from inside. And with that same reluctant face, he opened the path for Jang Geon.

Having put on his outer robe on the way, Jang Geon smoothed his attire with a few taps and stepped inside. Inside the dim tent sat One-Eyed Cloud, seeming half-buried in the shadows. He had both eyes closed.

Sitting before him, Jang Geon asked.

“Do you know why I came?”

“…You met the evil spirit of the plain. Did you by chance vanquish them?”

At the words spoken by One-Eyed Cloud with closed eyes, Jang Geon pulled out the black spearhead from his chest fold and laid it down. And only then did the old man open both eyes and look down at the spearhead.

“Heh… You vanquished them all by yourself? Without borrowing the power of another shaman or spirit?”

“I benefited a bit thanks to Jojo.”

“He is no different from your legs, so there is no need to distinguish. At any rate, you want to know what exactly happened to them…”

Jang Geon answered while looking into One-Eyed Cloud’s white and red eyes.

“It did not seem to be something that could happen commonly.”

Looking at the spearhead with deeply sunken eyes, One-Eyed Cloud spoke.

“…Commonly? I saw them appear in the southern plain through the sea of stars in days past. And until I saw them like that, I did not know a spirit could transform to such an extent. Such a spirit filled with such wrath and sorrow could never be born by natural means… It was a monster born from backlash against the cycle. Had you not stopped it, it would have fed on the blood and flesh of countless Central Plains people even afterward, becoming an even greater evil spirit. And by then, it would have become a massive evil deity beyond distinguishing between Central Plains people and us… It is not that I do not understand their sorrow and wrath, but it is truly fortunate that peace was found at your hands, even if late…”

At the old man’s words, Jang Geon gave a light nod. And with the same calm gaze, he asked again.

“What came to my mind while fighting that entity were the ones I met here the other day and the talismans they held. By my guess, these two do not seem to be completely separate incidents.”

“Yes… I too could realize it only after looking at the night sky. The spell you burned away for us—the true calamity that would unfold when that spell was truly used on a spirit. I can only say thank you to you once more.”

Picking up the spearhead and pushing it a bit further forward, Jang Geon spoke.

“If it were a matter related to martial arts, I could have solved it alone. But I am a layman regarding such spells or spirits.”

“…I understand your thought. You are asking whether we could learn about those who committed this horrific deed through that keepsake?”

“Yes. I also thought about visiting the tribe that was likely burned, but I did not think traces would remain even if I went there.”

Nodding his head, One-Eyed Cloud looked straight into Jang Geon’s eyes of different colors.

“I understand your thought well. And far from demanding a reward, I want to thank you on their behalf for moving for the sake of a spirit that sought your life… For now, Sad Wolf and I also need preparation. Rest until nightfall.”

Jang Geon wore a slightly puzzled expression.

“…If Sad Wolf, Bi-rang?”

“Do you not remember what I told you before? She is the child who will become the next shaman. My health has not been good lately, so that time is not far off either… She is still a young child, so it is truly a sorry affair.”

“Is becoming a shaman something to feel sorry about?”

One-Eyed Cloud hardened his face and spoke while looking at Jang Geon.

“…The shaman of this valley cannot have a companion. Meaning playing with fire with you ends with this meeting… Leave the spearhead and go. When preparations are done in the evening, I will call for you.”

At One-Eyed Cloud’s dismissal, Jang Geon lowered his eyes for a moment to look at the black spearhead. Then he stood up abruptly, turned around, and left the tent.

Watching his receding back, One-Eyed Cloud closed both eyes and let out a deep sigh.

* * *

“What did you talk about?”

“Is there a wide, secluded clearing somewhere?”

Waiting outside the tent, Red Wind tilted his head at the sight of Jang Geon asking something off-topic without answering his question.

“…What are you trying to do?”

“I plan to move my body a bit.”

Red Wind nodded as if understanding.

“Aha, that, martial arts practice? Good, follow me.”

Despite having his question ignored, Red Wind took Jang Geon to a spacious clearing in the forest without saying much. Looking slowly around the place, he spoke.

“It’s not that far, so you know the way back, right? Whatever you talked about, tell me later. Otherwise I’ll have to ask my niece.”

Saying that, he returned. Wearing a thin upper robe with a single sword strapped to him, Jang Geon stood still in the middle of the clearing, sensing Red Wind’s presence fading away. And when he had moved completely far off and no human presence could be felt in the clearing, Jang Geon slowly drew his sword.

And in that same slow movement, he began to swing his sword.

It had been quite a while since he drew his sword solely for practice. Most of his martial arts practice took place inside his head during journeys in the wilderness, becoming physical reality only when an actual fight broke out. And that was possible because he had built a solid foundation when he was in the Central Plains. Martial arts were ultimately about moving the body, and the more proficient one was at it, the more one could be called an expert.

Jang Geon’s slow sword swirled inside the clearing, drawing smooth trajectories. Yet that gentle curve would at any moment display a sharp straight line like a lightning strike, and the next moment turn flamboyant when it seemed simple. As if unleashing several completely different martial arts in succession, his movements displayed entirely contrasting aspects every single moment.

His once slow movements transformed as violently and swiftly as a lightning strike plunging from the sky. It was a wildness as if intending to overturn all the grass and soil of this clearing.

Yet from a certain moment, those movements gradually slowed down again. The lightning became like a shot arrow, then like a flying bird, and finally turned slow just as when he first drew his sword.

However, there was no end to that slowing. What had slowed like a turtle grew so sluggish afterward that one wondered if it was human movement, and from an indistinguishable moment, transformed into appearing completely unmoving.

Jang Geon thus became like a stone statue holding a sword with both hands in a wide forward swing posture. Yet if someone had truly focused their mind and watched him, they would have been able to tell that his movement, seemingly stopped now, was actually continuing very slowly yet ceaselessly without a single break.

“Euh? Are you alright?”

As dusk fell, Red Wind coming to retrieve Jang Geon asked as if bewildered upon seeing him. But Jang Geon naturally relaxed his posture, sheathed his sword, and turned to look at him.

“…He says preparations are complete. Shall we go?”

Jang Geon let out a final light breath and nodded his head. It was time to check what the native shaman needed preparations for to do.