Blood at the Waterfall (2)
"Doesn't matter exactly what's going on, but it looks like someone died above the waterfall."
"What should we do?"
"Go fetch the Elder first. I'll... go check the situation."
"Don't get hurt! I'll be right back!"
I watched Hyeryeong's retreating figure as she vanished using her lightness skill, then looked up at the waterfall.
I'd said that, but how was I supposed to climb the waterfall?
If I tried rock climbing and ran into the bastard who caused this mess, I'd probably plummet to my death without so much as a yelp. The waterfall looked at least thirty feet high. It was smarter to just wait here for a body to fall rather than scale it myself. With no one to watch my back, deliberately putting myself in danger would be idiotic.
Halfway up, things could easily get even more complicated.
"Might as well search for more traces in the water..."
...No need for that.
I spotted a man falling from the top of the waterfall and immediately launched myself forward. I caught him just before he hit the water, then laid the injured man down on the bank, barely managing to keep my own footing.
Well-developed muscles. A martial artist, then.
I took the man's wrist and checked his pulse while he lay flat on his back.
...Faint, but still beating.
I stripped off his clothes. "Stripped" was generous; I basically tore the upper garment to shreds. There was no time to remove it properly, and the fabric clinging to his wounds could make things worse.
Once the torso was bare, the man's condition looked dire. A long diagonal gash ran across his chest. His internal organs were visible. Without intervention, he'd bleed out. I immediately pulled a bandage from my robes.
I didn't know how much time the bandage would buy, but doing nothing was worse.
...Even ten minutes would be a blessing.
"Hope there's a decent physician in Tongcheon."
Otherwise, this man was almost certainly dead. He was already teetering on the threshold of the underworld.
I moved the fallen man closer to the fire and waited for the others to return. Fortunately, a loud rustling came from the bushes, and Elder Baek landed lightly in front of the patient.
"Good heavens, his condition is critical. I don't know if we'll make it in time."
Elder Baek sat before the patient and began striking pressure points at a speed that left afterimages. The movements looked less like treatment and more like shoving the man straight through death's door.
I belatedly realized he was using acupoint sealing.
Acupoint sealing. One of the signature techniques of the martial world, impossible to omit from any wuxia tale. Pressing any of the hundred-plus vital points scattered across the body could subdue an opponent or slow the worsening of wounds. It had countless applications.
The technique unfolded right before my eyes. Watching someone actually stop bleeding with it felt miraculous. How had anyone discovered and developed such a method?
I should learn it if the chance arises. Most martial artists treated acupoint techniques as common knowledge, so anyone who wanted to learn could. Memorizing all the points would give me a headache, of course, but acupoint sealing had never been limited to a single purpose in wuxia stories. It worked for offense, recovery, torture, and even stimulation. With sufficient realm, one could even strike points from a distance using finger-flicking arts. It was a skill with endless practical uses.
"The bleeding has stopped for now, but we must get him to a physician quickly. Hajin, your feet are the fastest. Run straight to the physician in Tongcheon."
"Yes!"
Hajin nodded with rare seriousness, hoisted the patient onto his back, and kicked off the ground. His figure disappeared in an instant. We watched him go, then turned to one another.
"Can you tell me what happened?"
"A man fell from the waterfall. There must have been a fight up there."
"Hmm... I suppose we should go up and take a look."
I'd thought we'd finally get some rest after walking all day, but we'd walked straight into trouble. Still, once involved, there was no helping it. We moved toward the waterfall at once.
"...It seems even more people were cut down in the meantime."
"Elder. These clothes—aren't they what the Wuxia Alliance patrol wears?"
The Wuxia Alliance patrol? The ones who got slaughtered whenever they appeared in the original story?
Before my transmigration, I'd only seen them mentioned in passing. Only after hearing Hajin's words did I realize they were Wuxia Alliance martial artists.
"So they are. But why would the Wuxia Alliance patrol be in a place like this...? Don't tell me they were tracking demonic cultists and got ambushed instead. We need to go up the waterfall."
"I'll stay here and keep watch."
"Me too."
...So I was supposed to wait? I watched Elder Baek and his disciples scale the cliff beside the waterfall with swift movements, then turned to Hyeryeong, who stood blankly beside me.
"Why aren't you going?"
"What about you, Uncle?"
"...I don't know any lightness skills."
"I twisted my ankle on the way here..."
You were running around perfectly fine just moments ago.
When I stared at her, Hyeryeong gave an awkward laugh and looked away.
"Stop faking and go up."
"I'd rather stay with you. It's scary up there. Besides, if the demonic cultist shows up here, someone needs to report it to Elder Baek."
Was this really coming from the girl who'd laughed while cutting down Japanese pirates?
After offering that absurd excuse, Hyeryeong casually took my hand. Her small, slightly rough palm tickled my callused one. Even with that appearance, she really was a swordswoman.
I let her play with my hand and looked up at the waterfall.
I hoped nothing would happen.
From experience, thinking that guaranteed something would.
Why did these things keep happening to me when I wasn't even the protagonist?
"Uncle, nothing bad will happen, right...?"
"I don't know either. More importantly, demonic cultists..."
"The patrol probably spotted them by chance and tried to capture them on their own, then got caught in the crossfire."
"Good thing we found them first. We don't know how strong the cultist is, but an ambush would be a real headache."
That was exactly the sort of thing criminals loved to do. I rested my hand lightly on my sword hilt and closed my eyes.
All I heard was the steady rush of water carving through rock and the rustle of wind through the undergrowth. Somewhere, a bird sang.
If any discord intruded...
"Not yet, I suppose."
"Hm?"
"Nothing. Keep your guard up. Until we know where the cultist is, we have to assume an ambush could come at any moment."
"Got it."
Only then did Hyeryeong release my hand and begin watching the surroundings.
Yet the valley remained quiet. The flowing water seemed to whisper that nothing would happen.
But carelessness was forbidden. It was the easiest way to lose one's life.
Things were still calm, but incidents always struck without warning. If trouble had already erupted nearby, it could reach us just as easily. Better to stay vigilant even if it was tiring than to die in an ugly fashion from negligence.
"Do you think the others are all right?"
"They should be. Even a demonic cultist would struggle to face two Peak experts at once. And after committing murder, there's no reason for the killer to linger. Blood leaves the strongest trail, and attacking the Wuxia Alliance means they'll send a pursuit team."
I couldn't gauge the cultist's level from the massacre alone, but once the Wuxia Alliance decided to draw their swords, the only option left would be flight. Even the most incompetent among them were serious when it came to catching demonic cultists.
How long had we waited like that?
The sunset had faded and the moon hung clear in the sky when a faintly familiar scent reached my nose.
"...Hyeryeong."
"Yes, Uncle."
"Draw your sword."
A gaze filled with hostility—no, killing intent. Whatever the owner was, they were certainly no friend.
Instead of the cliché demand to show themselves, I drew my longsword for the first time in a while.
"Hyeryeong."
"Yes, Uncle."
"Once I start fighting the one leaking all that killing intent, find Elder Baek and bring him here."
I didn't know how strong the opponent was. They could be Second-class, First-class, or perhaps even Peak or beyond.
But what did that matter?
Fleeing from an enemy you were meant to face was a knight's disgrace.
I slowly assumed the Ox Guard stance and turned toward the source of the killing intent.
Our eyes met.
In that instant, a blood-red sword qi—no, saber qi—flew straight at me.