A Token of Friendship
Early the next morning, Yeomga Manor lay shrouded in a thin veil of mist.
With the Divine Venerable Sword at his waist, Ouyang Qiangang rode a glossy-coated black horse out through the manor gates. He still wore the human-skin mask of Hahu Gang, and he meant to keep that face until the Emperor's command had been carried through to its end. A simple travel pack was slung over his back, and tucked within his robe were the Nine Dragon Divine Talisman and the carved statuette of Podae Hwasang, the Laughing Buddha — both gifts from the Emperor.
"Young Master, please, be careful."
Sangguan Wan'er's voice was thick with worry. The faint redness around her eyes suggested she had hardly slept at all.
"My lady, don't worry. I'll come back safe and sound, in perfect health."
Yeom Pung took hold of the horse's bridle and spoke with grave earnestness.
"Young Master, no matter what happens, don't overexert yourself. Remember — nothing in this world is more precious than your life."
"I will keep your words in mind, Elder Yeom."
When Ouyang Qiangang pulled the reins, the horse surged forward with vigor.
Clip-clop— clip-clop—
Glancing back once, he watched Yeomga Manor, Sangguan Wan'er, and Yeom Pung dwindle into the distance. Then Ouyang Qiangang turned his gaze forward. Sentiment over partings was best kept brief.
Arriving at the west gate of the Imperial Capital, he witnessed an unexpected sight. About a hundred paces from the gate, in the shade of a hackberry tree beside the road, stood a strikingly handsome young man in flowing silk robes. It was Yeon Sa-hyeok of Gold Mountain Tower. This time there were neither chairs nor tables — only, as at their first meeting, the two old men standing behind him like immovable mountains.
As Ouyang Qiangang looked down from horseback, Yeon Sa-hyeok offered his greeting first, a gentle smile on his lips.
"Young Master Hahu, I trust you are well?"
The gaze Ouyang Qiangang leveled down at him from the saddle went cold.
"Young Master Yeon. What brings you out at this early hour?"
His tone was courteous, but wariness bled through it. Crossing paths with Yeon Sa-hyeok so near the very spot where he was to meet Han Jo and Pung So-cheong was far too neat a coincidence to be chance.
"I heard word that you were departing on a long journey. I came to see you off."
Though he was the one looking up, Yeon Sa-hyeok's expression remained utterly at ease.
Ouyang Qiangang clicked his tongue inwardly. The intelligence network of Gold Mountain Tower — reputed the finest in the Great Merchant League — had certainly earned its fame.
"For a man of your standing to come out in person for someone like me, this is an honor beyond my deserts."
"Beyond your deserts? Are you not the savior of the Imperial Family itself?"
"I hear things have not been going smoothly for Gold Mountain Tower of late. And yet you seem to have leisure to spare, Young Master Yeon."
A subtle thorn lay buried in Ouyang Qiangang's words. That Gold Mountain Tower had been driven into dire straits since the Second Prince affair was an open secret throughout the Imperial Capital.
For an instant, a fine twitch passed around Yeon Sa-hyeok's eyes — then it was gone.
"However pressed one may be, one cannot let a friend depart on a long road without seeing him off."
"Were we friends, then?"
"I consider us so."
"And what will you do if the Second Prince ever returns?"
"That is a matter for the day it happens."
"Friend and foe so hopelessly blurred — it makes my head swim."
"In the world of merchants, there are no eternal enemies and no eternal friends."
"How convenient you all live."
"That was a compliment, was it not?"
"Think whatever you like."
"Thank you."
A flicker of something bitter crossed Yeon Sa-hyeok's lips and vanished. Ouyang Qiangang clicked his tongue inwardly.
'What is this man really after?'
Doctor, I am detecting tension in Yeon Sa-hyeok's biometric signals. He appears perfectly composed on the surface, but inwardly he seems anxious.
Yeon Sa-hyeok drew something from within his sleeve. It was a bracelet wrought of some unidentifiable black metal — as though it had been carved from darkness itself, it drank in every ray of light around it. And the unknown patterns etched across its surface were so uncannily intricate they seemed almost to writhe with life. This was no ordinary object.
Yeon Sa-hyeok spoke.
"I would like you to have this."
"What is it?"
"Shall we call it a token of friendship? So long as you carry this bracelet, you will receive the same treatment as myself at every establishment under Gold Mountain Tower."
Yeon Sa-hyeok went on with his explanation.
"At taverns, guesthouses, and teahouses, you and up to ten companions may make free use of the facilities; a thousand silver nyang is available to you on the spot, and sums of up to a hundred thousand nyang can be advanced to you interest-free."
Ouyang Qiangang's eyes narrowed a fraction.
"That is a rather burdensome gift."
"Please, feel no burden. It is merely a sincere expression of friendship."
"I was told there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world."
At Ouyang Qiangang's bluntness, Yeon Sa-hyeok gave a wry smile.
"As it happens, one exists right here."
His hand remained outstretched as he continued.
"Are you not the man who already saved the Imperial Household? To maintain a connection with someone such as yourself is, in itself, a great honor to me."
Doctor, the material of this bracelet is highly unusual. It resembles the Divine Venerable Sword, yet it is a substance that exists in none of my databases. The patterns on its surface are no simple decoration, either — something is hidden within it. And Yeon Sa-hyeok appears entirely unaware of this object's true value.
Hearing that, Ouyang Qiangang accepted the bracelet without further ceremony.
"Then I shall receive it with thanks."
The moment the bracelet settled into his hand, Ouyang Qiangang felt a strange sensation he could hardly put into words. Yet no matter how he examined it, he could find nothing out of the ordinary.
'Was that just my imagination...?'
"I will put it to good use," he said.
"If you do, then I am the one who must thank you."
A smile spread across Yeon Sa-hyeok's face — a satisfied smile, as though he had already accomplished everything he had come to do.
'Hahu Gang... the man who holds the absolute trust of the Emperor and the Crown Prince. With no telling what storms may come, forging a link in advance can hardly hurt.'
Yeon Sa-hyeok knew perfectly well that the bracelet was a mysterious relic which had slumbered in Gold Mountain Tower's treasury for hundreds of years. Its exact purpose he did not know, but of one thing he was certain: it was no common trinket. A gift of this caliber, he had judged, would go far toward keeping his ties with Ouyang Qiangang intact — and so he had brought it.
"Then I will take my leave. May you have a safe journey."
"And success to you as well, Young Master Yeon."
Yeon Sa-hyeok bowed his head in farewell, then turned with his two old attendants toward the heart of the Imperial Capital. Until his retreating figure dissolved into the morning mist, Ouyang Qiangang kept his eyes lowered to the bracelet.
Doctor, Yeon Sa-hyeok is now completely out of range. Let us go find Han Jo and Pung So-cheong.
'I suppose we should. But this bracelet... it really does hide something... Akasha, run an analysis and give me the results.'
Understood, Doctor.
Ouyang Qiangang fastened the bracelet around his left wrist and set off for the appointed place.
A dozen-odd li beyond the west gate of the Imperial Capital, Ouyang Qiangang met Han Jo and Pung So-cheong at the agreed spot. Both had led their horses out and were waiting for him.
Pung So-cheong spoke first.
"Let's be off. It's a good five hundred li to Ghost Gate Mountain — hardly a stroll."
The three wheeled their horses around at once and set out at a gallop for Ghost Valley Village.
The four-day journey passed in near-total silence. By day they rode without rest; when night fell, they made camp wherever the ground allowed. On the third evening, having seen to dinner from their dry rations, the party settled into a ring before the campfire. All three gazed into the flames, lost in their own thoughts.
The Vice Envoy of the Eastern Depot, the Branch Master of the Hao Sect, and a divine doctor of unknown identity. Not one of them broke the silence first. They could hardly yet be called comrades. They shared a single goal, but the intentions hidden beneath it were each their own — a strange companionship, to say the least.
At last, Han Jo spoke.
"Tomorrow we reach Ghost Gate Mountain. From that point on, we must tread carefully."
Pung So-cheong nodded.
"Ominous rumors have clung to that place for a hundred years and more. They even say few of those who enter the Valley of Lost Souls ever come back out in one piece."
In the afternoon of the fourth day, Ghost Gate Mountain rose into view. Even at first glance, it was a mountain that felt deeply wrong. Its entire bulk was smothered beneath gray cloud, its summit lost from sight, and a thick fog lay stagnant over the foothills.
The moment they set foot on Ghost Gate Mountain, the very air changed. Unlike any other mountain, a deathly stillness hung over it — not so much as a single birdsong. In the sunless forest, the soil gave off a damp, fishy reek, and whenever the wind stirred, branches knocked together with a mournful clatter. Every tree stood grotesquely twisted, as if soldiers who had died in agony had frozen in their final moment, hands clawing toward the sky. It was a sight to raise the hair on one's neck.
'Akasha, can you analyze this sinister energy?'
Analysis already in progress, Doctor.
Akasha calmly reported her findings.
High concentrations of baleful qi particles have been detected in the soil and atmosphere of this region. They constitute a form of "mental contaminant" capable of directly affecting the minds of living beings. Prolonged exposure is dangerous.
Ouyang Qiangang's eyes deepened.
'Baleful qi... no wonder the place felt vile from the moment I first laid eyes on it...'
The road leading to the Valley of Lost Souls had once been a well-kept highway, or so it was said. But after the great battle a century ago, all human traffic had ceased, and the road had since decayed into a narrow trail buried under shrubs and creeping vines. Along a path too narrow for two horses to pass abreast, the three led their mounts in single file.
After another fifty-odd li, a colossal gorge opened up before them. It was the Valley of Lost Souls. The closer they drew, the stronger the ghostly aura became, until an indescribable chill of baleful, yin energy pressed against their skin. Even the horses grew restless, slowing their steps of their own accord.
Doctor, the baleful qi concentration is rising sharply. At this level, anyone with weak mental fortitude could easily be affected.
'Hm...'
Ouyang Qiangang glanced back. Contrary to his fears, Han Jo and Pung So-cheong wore calm expressions, seemingly untouched by the baleful qi.
"How does it compare to when you came before?" Ouyang Qiangang asked.
"The baleful qi has grown thicker," Pung So-cheong replied, her fine brows knitting slightly. "It's unmistakably stronger than on my first visit."
"Young Master, we should be on our guard," Han Jo put in after her. "Something about this place has changed."
As the sun leaned toward the western horizon, they arrived before a hill where a small village lay. Twenty-odd thatched huts clung to the hillside in a huddle, their roofs woven from silvergrass and straw, their walls crudely plastered with mud and timber. Narrow dirt lanes wound between the houses, and here and there the traces of small kitchen gardens were still visible.
Han Jo pointed at the village and lowered his voice.
"That is Ghost Valley Village."
Not a single sound rose from the village. No smoke of cooking fires, no laughter of children — not even the bark of a dog. It was said this had once been a poor village of slash-and-burn farmers, folk who foraged herbs and scratched a living from potatoes and sweet potatoes. But now, as though the entire village had turned into one vast tomb, only a dreadful silence came out to meet them.
Ouyang Qiangang's eyes went cold.