Chapter 404: Chapter 404

“You already knew who I was before we met at the Black Thought Alliance, didn’t you?”

“……”

His words left my mind blank. Most of the people I’d met in this life were already people I’d known in the previous one.

But…… how did he know that I knew him?

‘Could it be…… him too?’

A flicker of hope flared, but I quickly shook my head. Impossible. There was no way. Moreover, his behavior at the Black Thought Alliance had not been that of someone who knew the previous life.

A bitter laugh slipped out at myself for harboring such an irrational hope. And yet.

‘What if…… that irrational thing actually happened?’

The futile hope stubbornly reared its head from deep inside my chest. I’d long felt the dizzying weight of trying to single-handedly hold back a vast, predetermined despair. If someone like Dam Ak had experienced the same thing I had…… wouldn’t the odds of changing that predetermined despair also increase?

“The truth is……”

“You probably first learned my name from the Metropolitan Examination answer sheet. After all, I was the person who wrote the finest answer in history.”

“……?”

“I know it well. That Young Master Jin possesses an exceptional memory along with deep scholarly learning. That’s probably why you value me more highly than any warrior.”

My hope went cold, fast.

“A warrior’s sword can only save or kill one person, but a scholar’s brush can save or kill thousands—tens of thousands. I will not deny that truth.”

“Ah…… right……”

Yeah, thinking about it again, there was no way someone like me existed twice. If there were, I wouldn’t be running myself ragged alone like this, would I?

If that bastard Clear Water True Man had seen the future I’d seen, he’d have shaved his own head, torn the Righteous Path Association apart with his bare hands, and immediately pivoted to countering the Demonic Cult.

Same went for Dam Ak. If he knew the future I knew, he never would have spouted that bullshit about how it was fine if he died, or how the Black Thought Alliance would survive if he was sacrificed.

“Even so, I cannot accept treating people’s sacrifices as something natural simply because it was their choice.”

“……I see.”

After the excitement cooled, his words somehow felt listless. In contrast, Dam Ak was looking down at his own hands, his shoulders trembling slightly.

“Is there truly…… enough value in me to be worth the guards’ sacrifice?”

“……”

“Is there truly…… enough value in me to be worth the risk you’re taking?”

Judging by his demeanor, he was about to say something like “I can’t stand by and watch any more sacrifices” or “just let me die here.” He also seemed fairly angry about the current situation.

Hmm, what should I say…… How could I persuade this man to show even a little more attachment to life?

Thinking it over, I found the answer. A blindingly clear one.

TAP, TAP, TAP.

“Wh-What are you——”

When I struck his Sleep Acupoint and Mute Acupoint, his alarmed eyes slowly drooped shut. My eloquent “persuasion” caused his body to crumple like a rag doll.

“Jin…… Mas……”

“Whether you’re worth it or not—let’s survive first, then figure it out.”

The old saying that a strong body makes for a relaxed mind was dead right. I gently “persuaded” him, slung him onto my back, and started running.

***

“Two have been dealt with.”

At the report from a Fierce Tiger Unit member who’d checked the carrier pigeon letter, Myeong-jin nodded.

“Foolish lot—did they think they could escape the cordon just by shaking us off? And that Dam Ak? Is he dead too?”

“Dam Ak has not yet been found.”

Not yet found…… Myeong-jin stroked his chin, lost in thought.

“Peculiar. Dam Ak is said to have no martial training…… He should have been the very first one caught.”

If they were heading to Anhui through Mount Jukho, the journey would take three times longer. Add to that the burden of an untrained person, and getting caught in the cordon of the Beggars’ Sect and Righteous Path Association spread across this area was quite literally a matter of time.

“Where is Hyeon-yeong?”

At Myeong-jin’s words, the Fierce Tiger Unit members looked toward Heavenly Bridge. Hyeon-yeong was still standing atop the bridge, gazing down into Despair Valley.

Myeong-jin walked over and stood beside him.

“We’re moving out now. What are you staring at so intently?”

But Hyeon-yeong continued looking down into the dizzying abyss below. No matter how skilled a martial artist, a drop of this magnitude was enough to inspire fear. Just as Myeong-jin, starting to feel dizzy, lifted his head and shook it—

“Captain, do you believe someone could survive falling from here?”

“Hm?”

Hyeon-yeong still gazed into the depths below Despair Valley.

“If someone fell from here while holding a person with no martial training…… would you be confident they could survive?”

“Hmm……”

Myeong-jin, who had been shaking his head, peered down from Heavenly Bridge once more. The space between the cliffs was vast, and the depth was impossible to gauge. A rough estimate put it at least two hundred jang. Factoring in the sheer cliff faces, and the sharp, jagged outcroppings protruding between them…… Even alone, one would be hard-pressed to survive barring extraordinary circumstances.

So why was Hyeon-yeong unable to leave this spot?

“Surely you don’t think he fled down there?”

Only at Myeong-jin’s challenge did Hyeon-yeong finally raise his head.

“Among the reports on Jin So-un, there was mention that he may be deeply versed in the Concealment Art. Several years ago, during the Academy Regular Exam, he also has a record of breaking through a Heavenly Net and Earthly Snare deployed by three sects, along with his junior brothers.”

“……”

“The final moments were too chaotic. No matter how I think about it, I did not sense all six presences moving.”

Myeong-jin also nodded. The vast, almost absurd level of inner qi. Those waves of Sword Qi crashing in like tides—in the chaos of deflecting them, smoke bombs had detonated as well, tangling their hands and feet even further.

He’d sensed the fugitives dashing past them, but he had no confidence that it had been all six.

“Was it the same for you?”

“Yes.”

Myeong-jin’s gaze drifted once more to the dizzying gorge below.

“……You think he fled down there, don’t you.”

“If one could properly ride this gorge down, it would be possible to head for Jagwi again. And from Jagwi, passing through Eunhyeon leads straight to Anhui Province.”

In that instant, cold sweat ran down Myeong-jin’s spine. He realized with a start what he’d overlooked.

“While we waste time at Mount Jukho, they’re trying to forge a Life Path through a Dead Path!”

“I cannot be certain, but aside from that, I see no other way out of Hubei Province.”

Goosebumps prickled across his skin. Why hadn’t he thought of that from the start?

Dam Ak was a man who had shaken off pursuit with every trick in the book all the way from Wuhan. Sacrificing his own allies to press forward was only natural for someone like him.

Fear crept in. The Righteous Path Association was being toyed with to this extent by a man who’d never trained in martial arts. If he returned to the Black Thought Alliance, could the Murim Alliance truly remain intact?

Myeong-jin rushed straight to the Fierce Tiger Unit.

“We head for Jagwi, effective immediately.”

“I thought we were standing by here?”

“If they’re on Mount Jukho, they’ll die within the Righteous Path Association and Beggars’ Sect cordon regardless. So as a contingency, we go to Jagwi.”

“Yes sir!”

The Fierce Tiger Unit had barely finished preparing to depart when Myeong-jin stopped them once more.

“You all saw it, didn’t you? Jin So-un’s display of power?”

“……”

Those valiant Fierce Tiger Unit members swallowed hard at the mere mention of his name.

The power he’d demonstrated in that brief span of time had utterly transcended their imagination. They’d seen such displays from people within Wudang, but for someone outside Wudang—a disciple from a sect so obscure they hadn’t even known it existed—to radiate such overwhelming force was a profound shock.

Myeong-jin’s voice carried more resolve than ever.

“He must die here. He will become a great obstacle to Wudang’s future…… no, to the Murim Alliance’s future.”

It wasn’t just Dam Ak. Jin So-un—Jin So-un too could not be left as he was.

“This is all for the peace of the murim.”

“Yes sir!”

The Fierce Tiger Unit members set off with more fighting spirit than ever before.

Meanwhile, Hyeon-yeong was still standing atop Heavenly Bridge, gazing down into Despair Valley.

‘Could he have survived?’

No—before that. Could he himself have jumped from here? And not even for his own sake, but for the leader of the Black Thought Alliance—practically an enemy?

Furthermore, Jin So-un had proven himself through his vast inner power and deeply cultivated martial arts, earning the recognition of those around him. Having graduated from the Murim Academy and being a promising talent within the Murim Alliance, his path to advancement was all but guaranteed. Unless he was defecting to the Black Path for personal gain, what could possibly be his reason for jumping from here?

“……How strange.”

No matter how he considered it, he could not find the answer. The man’s judgment and choices…… were not rational.

“Hyeon-yeong, let’s go!”

“Yes.”

Hyeon-yeong left the spot, breaking off his train of thought. But the unresolved question still circled in his mind.

***

After waking from his “persuasion,” Dam Ak no longer went on about the weight of life or whatever other scholarly talk he’d been spouting.

He seemed to be taking care not to get “persuaded” again. See? It really was the ultimate method of persuasion. Truly brilliant, Jin So-un.

The spot where I’d washed up following the gorge stream was, thankfully, Jagwi. If it had been the Hwanggang River, I’d have lost my mind. The result of a life-or-death gamble being a trip back inside the cordon—the thought alone was horrifying.

With no more guards to carry Dam Ak, I had no choice but to carry him myself.

Running with sopping-wet clothes and a dark-skinned man on my back……

“Fuck……”

The unpleasantness was endless. On top of that, this man wouldn’t stop airing his grievances.

“Can you not use Grass-Skimming Flight, by any chance?”

“Excuse me?”

“Hmm, the staff at the Eastern Depot use Grass-Skimming Flight when carrying palanquins at a run.”

This man was crossing a line.

Those people didn’t have to fight. All they had to do was say “I’m from the Eastern Depot!” or “Do you know who’s riding in here?” and the path would part wide open. By contrast, the moment our identities were discovered, hundreds of people would come screaming for our heads.

Comparing someone who had power instead of balls to someone who only had a pair of balls—what use was that?

“Your clothes are already filthy anyway, so just go ahead and throw up.”

“There’s nothing left to throw up.”

“How fortunate.”

I hitched him back up as he kept sliding down. His weight on my back was surprisingly light. Considering the outward difference between his past life self and his present self was negligible, he must have weighed this much in the previous life too.

‘……He shouldered that entire burden alone, with this body.’

It was hard to believe that someone this light had single-handedly propped up the Murim Alliance. What kind of cruelty had I—had the Murim Alliance—inflicted on him in the previous life…….

“Can’t you dry these clothes? Martial artists can summon wind and cleave mountains and all that, can’t they?”

The guilt that had been weighing on my heart vanished in an instant.

……Should I dump him? This man was incredibly fussy.

“I didn’t do it for your sake, Strategist Dam.”

“For my sake?”

“Think you can handle it?”

“Handle what?”

If he was going to say things like that, I’d just have to show him.

FWOOM!

As I drew up my qi, scalding energy burst from my entire body, threatening to split my uniform. The moisture in the damp martial arts uniform evaporated in an instant, and my body felt a layer lighter.

“BLEGH!”

Naturally, the side effects manifested behind me.

“What is this ungodly smell……”

Dam Ak’s face turned blue from the naturally occurring odor produced during the drying process. His clothes, meanwhile, remained thoroughly soaked. He dry-heaved repeatedly.

“What did I tell you?”

“If it was going to be like this, you should have warned me!”

Wow…… should I really dump him? Patience. He’s not even my direct superior. Just a little more.

“Unless you want to be ‘persuaded’ again, keep quiet.”

“……”

Throughout the journey from Jagwi to Eunhyeon, I minimized contact with settlements and main roads. Once we reached Eunhyeon, arriving in Anhui Province would be quick.

By the time the Righteous Path Association and Beggars’ Sect realized Dam Ak wasn’t on Mount Jukho, we’d be in Anhui Province too.

While running toward Eunhyeon—

Far in the distance, a Sensory Perception was closing in at terrifying speed.

‘Don’t tell me……’

What had felt like the faint presence of a small wild animal gradually swelled, until it had grown into the unmistakable presence of a single person.

“No way……”

“Is something wrong?”

Something wrong? I didn’t know either. I was dying to find out myself. The distance between Mount Jukho and Jagwi was substantial. You’d normally have to backtrack and come through a Horse Station.

Even without using the gorge stream as I had, you’d need to cross sheer cliffs and cut through mountains to arrive here in this amount of time.

‘No, setting that aside…… how did they even figure it out?’

I’d completely killed my presence at the last moment and fallen into Despair Valley with Dam Ak. In the chaos of the Ten Thousand Seas Heaven-Earth Sword Formula unfolding and smoke bombs detonating, who could possibly be certain their opponent had jumped into a gorge?

And yet, the presence in the distance was unmistakably heading for me. The gap between us kept shrinking.

If I went full speed with Unrivaled under Heaven Movement Art, Dam Ak wouldn’t be able to hold on and would be thrown off. But I couldn’t maintain this pace either.

The distance closed further. The time for a decisive call had arrived.

ZING—

I began pulling the Heavenly Silkworm Thread endlessly from the Flying Dragon Claw. Then I used the long strand of thread to bind my body and Dam Ak’s together tightly.

Despite my bizarre behavior with no explanation, Dam Ak asked with certainty.

“A pursuer?”

Having wound the Heavenly Silkworm Thread snugly around us both, I nodded. Dam Ak gripped my shoulders tightly.

“Don’t worry about me.”

I’d expected him to chastise me—to ask if this was the result of sacrificing the guards. But instead, Dam Ak wrapped his legs around my waist and locked both arms firmly around my neck. Then, pressing his entire body flush against mine, he whispered in my ear.

“No matter what happens, I’ll stay attached.”

Fuck, that startled me. That line just gave me chills. Well, had he developed at least some desire to live?

I rapidly increased the speed of Unrivaled under Heaven Movement Art. The approaching presence began to gradually fall away.

BANG!

A signal flare sounded from behind. What good was firing that now? By the time your people regrouped, I’d already be in Anhui Province.

As the fading presence grew fainter and finally became imperceptible—

I began running in earnest. Once we entered Eunhyeon, the pursuers could no longer close the gap.

The moment a brook cutting through the forest came into view, I kicked off the ground and leapt over it in a single bound. But just then—

SHRIEEK—

A sharp streak of Force Qi was hurtling straight at me.

‘When——?’

There wasn’t even time to think. At this rate, not just me but Dam Ak might die. I didn’t have the time to form Force Qi, so I scattered Sword Qi instead.

CRASH—!

A massive shockwave engulfed my body, wrenching my trajectory completely off course. As I was about to slam into a large tree on the other side of the brook, I twisted in midair to avoid it—and the instant I kicked off the tree to launch forward again—

THWACK!

A powerful kick struck my chest. With an impact that felt like my sternum might shatter, I was hurled backward at the same speed I’d been flying, skidding across the ground in a long streak.

Tough weeds were ripped from the earth, leaving a trail clearly scored where my legs had plowed through.

The moment I raised my head to identify this damned ambusher—

“I had a feeling…… and you really did come all the way here.”

There stood Wudang’s guardian spirit, Hyeon-yeong, looking down at me with a cold expression.