The Continuum of Bonds

Hak Yu regarded Seo Joo-cheon with a piercing gaze. Any martial artist would have recognized it at once: a light like that in a man's eyes could not be produced without inner energy.

"Hero Po may already have noticed, but I am, in truth, a retired martial artist. The martial world, however, will not leave me in peace. I worry that Yu Seong will be swept up in my old grudges."

Having opened that far, Hak Yu went on.

"A few days ago, men with whom this old man had a blood feud finally tracked me down. I drove them off, but I was injured doing it. With my leg in this state, I meant to rest a day or two and then move on."

Seo Joo-cheon only nodded, listening closely to Sanho-ong's words.

"Might I ask where Hero Po is headed?"

"To the Yongcheon Sect."

"The Yongcheon Sect in Xi'an?"

"That's right."

"Hmph. Then this works out well. On your way, could you take Seong to the place I mentioned? It happens to be a village along the road to the Yongcheon Sect, so you wouldn't even need to turn back."

Seo Joo-cheon hesitated over how to answer. Accept, and a Karma would be generated. Refuse, and the bond with Yu Seong would be severed.

Lately he had grown cautious about Karma Generation — because of the penalties that followed a failed Karma Mission. A single mistake, a single unfinished task, and he could lose an arm the way Dokgo Ho-in had. It was not something he could take lightly.

If I want to keep the bond with Yu Seong, I have no choice but to grant the request.

Seo Joo-cheon rubbed his chin.

"Very well. But are you certain you should place a request this important in the hands of a complete stranger?"

Hak Yu let out a breath of relief, as if he had been bracing himself for a refusal.

"Hoo. You may not believe me, but looking at you, Hero Po, a strange sort of trust takes hold. At my age, a man develops an eye for people — and I believe you are someone who will help the boy. Forgive an old man for asking too much."

"There's nothing to forgive. I already said I would help. If difficulties arise, I'll deal with them."

"Before you take Seong on to Xi'an, please deliver him to Hwang Manor, in a small village called Seokcheon."

"And you won't be going, Elder?"

"It is better for the boy if this old man stays away."

Seo Joo-cheon frowned.

From a narrative standpoint, Hak Yu's separation from Yu Seong might well have drawn Seo Joo-cheon closer to the child — and might even have been safer. But lately he had come to understand that this world was not a work of fiction. It was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the reality in which he now lived. He could no longer treat a human bond so lightly.

Hak Yu might have been a supporting character of his own creation, but meeting the man face to face, he found he could not discard him the way one struck a name from a manuscript. The person standing before him was a living, breathing human being. These people were no longer simple figures on a page.

And so Seo Joo-cheon found he could not turn his back on Hak Yu.

"I don't know the particulars of your situation, Elder. But I don't believe Yu Seong will take well to being separated from his grandfather — not like this. The boy has no one else to lean on. I cannot convince myself that he will manage once the two of you have parted."

It was not the answer Hak Yu had expected. He studied Seo Joo-cheon, sinking into thought.

"If you come along with Yu Seong, I will take you both to Hwang Manor. If you ask me to deliver the boy alone, I refuse. One way or another, Yu Seong is going to need his grandfather."

It was not the answer he had wanted. Hak Yu's white beard trembled faintly.

"Hrm. If this old man travels with you, it may well become more dangerous."

Seo Joo-cheon gave a short, dry laugh.

"Even if it is, will it be more dangerous than the Undying Demon?"

Of course he knew that Go Man, the King of Slaughter, was more dangerous than Hyeok Chung, the Undying Demon — but he put on a bit of empty bravado all the same.

"It could be more dangerous still."

Hak Yu's voice was firm, as if he meant to turn Seo Joo-cheon's decision around.

"I don't care."

Seo Joo-cheon's tone was just as unyielding. Hak Yu stared into his eyes, trying to read the will behind them.

"We're traveling with Young Hero Jang of the Jang Family Clan. Move with us, and you'll be safe."

"Looking at you, Hero Po, I think I understand why they call you the First Hero."

Hak Yu abandoned the idea of remaining behind, and a smile touched his mouth.

"But why are you so determined to help Yu Seong and me?"

Hak Yu knew perfectly well that the martial world offered no kindness without a reason. The situation was suspicious enough, and Seo Joo-cheon took no offense at the question.

"I don't know if you've heard, but even my fight with the Undying Demon came about because I was helping Young Hero Jang and the Mount Hua Sect. It wasn't as if some overflowing sense of chivalry drove me to pick that fight. I simply have a stronger sense of compassion than most people."

"Compassion, is it."

Hak Yu found the answer convincing, and yet he could not easily believe that there were still martial artists in the world willing to stake their lives on compassion. He had long thought the old code of the jianghu had fallen into the dirt. He had never imagined he would see that code again — and in an Unorthodox martial artist, of all people, rather than someone of the Orthodox path.

In Seo Joo-cheon, Hak Yu could find not the faintest trace of an ulterior motive.

"Then I shall pack a few things and come out shortly."

Once the decision was made, Hak Yu moved quickly.

The only person displeased by the growing company was the coachman. The more passengers the carriage took on, the heavier the burden on the horses.

Jang Hyeon-nam, on the other hand, was glad they could help Hak Yu and Yu Seong.

"I'd been uneasy about it myself — a young child gathering herbs alone while caring for a sick grandfather."

Jang Hyeon-nam exchanged greetings with Hak Yu, and was more than willing when he heard they would be traveling together as far as the village of Seokcheon.

Hak Yu is a far greater master than I expected. He could still hold his own among the active ranks without the slightest shame. To conceal his aura so thoroughly that even Jang Hyeon-nam doesn't catch a hint of it — that already puts him at the realm of Returning to Origin Simplicity.

Of course, Seo Joo-cheon had never given Hak Yu a particularly detailed backstory. In the novel, Yu Seong was the important supporting character; Hak Yu had been little more than a sacrificial lamb meant to trigger the child's awakening. And yet the Hak Yu of this reality was a true master.

"If you wish it, Elder, you and Yu Seong would be welcome to stay with our Jang Family Clan."

Kind-hearted Jang Hyeon-nam could not simply look at the pitiful old man and child and let them pass. The Jang Family Clan was large; it always needed more hands. People like Hak Yu and Yu Seong could easily have been taken in and given work.

"I am grateful for the offer, but we already have a place to stay."

Playing the part of a simple village elder, Hak Yu only made Jang Hyeon-nam look at the two of them with still more pity. Even so, the young man did not press the matter further, and helped them into the carriage.

Seo Joo-cheon did not like the penalty attached to a failed Karma Mission. Most of the time, that penalty was death — and not necessarily his own, which made it all the more grating.

He had already handed Hak Yu a fine medicine for sword wounds at the Tang Clan branch, and so the Karma Mission to treat Sanho-ong had been completed. There had been no reward and no failure penalty; the whole thing had passed so quietly he might never have known a Karma had existed at all.

But like the mission to protect Jang Hyeon-nam, this one's penalty was death.

If I fail to protect Jang Hyeon-nam or Yu Seong properly, the odds of us dying only goes up. That's a heavier burden than it looks.

Seo Joo-cheon turned over in his mind whether granting Hak Yu's request had been too rash a kindness. He found, however, that he did not regret the choice.

The karma I created is mine to settle. That's only right.

Before leaving the Tang Clan branch, Dang Seol-yong had spoken with Jang Hyeon-nam for a long time. Watching the two of them from a distance, Seo Joo-cheon felt a quiet satisfaction. It was a good thing for the protagonist to form close friendships with powerful allies.

When she had finished that long conversation, Dang Seol-yong came toward Seo Joo-cheon.

"If we part like this, who knows when we'll meet again."

Seeing the regret in her eyes, Seo Joo-cheon smiled.

"I'm certain the day will come when I see you again, Miss Dang."

"I've incurred a great many debts to you in this short time."

The coldness she had worn at their first meeting had softened, but the light in her eyes had only grown brighter. It was a gaze fuller of passion than of ice, and there was a heat in it.

The next time we meet, she'll be even stronger.

It was a feeling he had both as a writer and as a martial artist.

"Perhaps it's because we fought the Undying Demon together, but I feel a real comradeship with you."

Dang Seol-yong agreed.

"I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠think this will stay with me for a very long time."

She had no wish to explain what, exactly, would be remembered — or rather, she could not explain it.

Seo Joo-cheon did not want to let the moment of her reluctance to part slip by.

"As a comrade, might I ask a favor?"

The words were barely out of his mouth before he flinched inwardly.

Surely something like this won't trigger a Karma Generation… right?

Fortunately, no message appeared in the empty air.

"A comrade's request? I'll hear it, at least."

Dang Seol-yong smiled, watching the man who never let even the smallest opening pass him by.

"Would you happen to have an extreme poison refined from a supreme toxin? Liquid, if possible."

Dang Seol-yong looked at him for a moment, then nodded.

"I do. This is a Tang Clan branch — we keep poisons of that caliber. Shall I give you a vial?"

"A poison refined by the Tang Clan wouldn't come cheap, I imagine."

"I'll give it as a token of comradeship. The only condition is that you grant me a favor in return someday."

"If it's a request worthy of a comrade's token, then of course."

Dang Seol-yong wanted, even in this small way, to tie a thread of fate between them.

"Wait here a moment, then."

"You're not going to ask why I need it, or what I mean to use it for?"

At his question, Dang Seol-yong smiled — a real ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠smile. She had, without question, begun to smile more often.

"I trust you, Hero Po. A question like that would be meaningless."

As if embarrassed by her own words, she turned quickly and headed for the storehouse.

The poison ran in a thin stream as she filled her own vial. She was about to stopper it when she paused. Then she took another bottle down from the shelf, poured a little of its contents into the vial of toxin, capped it, and shook her bottle to mix the two together.

When she came back out of the storehouse, she placed her vial in Seo Joo-cheon's hand.

"I'll put it to good use. Take care of yourself, then."

With Seo Joo-cheon's farewell, the carriage rolled out of the Tang Clan branch. Dang Seol-yong watched it recede, and murmured to herself.

"Comradeship. Comradeship."

Of all the people she had known and parted from, none had left her with a feeling quite this reluctant. Perhaps, as he had said, something like comradeship had indeed taken root.

"But does comradeship make the heart feel this tight?"

She sent that unaccountable feeling away on a sighing breath of wind.

The coachman had told them Seokcheon was two days away by carriage. Seo Joo-cheon hoped they would reach it without incident.

But he already had a fair idea of the truth: the assassins who had attacked Hak Yu were still circling nearby. In the original story, those assassins were supposed to kill Hak Yu and abduct Yu Seong. They would be following somewhere, waiting.

"We'll have to camp here for the night."

There was no village worth stopping in before they reached Seokcheon, which meant one night in the open. At the coachman's word, Seo Joo-cheon set his sworn siblings to making camp.

These four had slept rough as often as they had eaten a proper meal, ever since their days as the Shaanxi Four Fiends. The preparations were finished in no time. They placed the carriage at the center, built campfires around it, and hung a small pot over the flames.

Using the cooking tools the coachman had packed in advance, and the vegetables and ingredients obtained from the Tang Clan branch, they put together a surprisingly respectable meal. Kang Chu-mi did most of the cooking, with Ham Cheon-yeong helping.

Sang Ryo ate what Kang Chu-mi had made and marveled.

"Of all the meals I've eaten while camping, this is the finest."

He looked genuinely moved, and devoted himself to eating. Jang Hyeon-nam agreed and ate with equal enthusiasm.

While the others enjoyed the food, Seo Joo-cheon's gaze swept the darkening woods around them.

If the men who attacked Hak Yu haven't withdrawn, they'll come tonight. After tonight, they won't get another chance.

Hak Yu seemed to share the same concern. He came up beside Seo Joo-cheon and spoke quietly.

"Hero Po. I have something to tell you."

Seo Joo-cheon already knew the circumstances, but he listened as if hearing them for the first time.

"Most of the men who attacked this old man are dead. Three escaped with their lives. They will likely come for me tonight — to take Yu Seong."

"Shall I help?"

Hak Yu gave a generous laugh at the man who offered help without even asking for the story behind it.

"Hahaha, no. Three of them I can handle on my own. Don't trouble yourself over it, Hero Po."

If he couldn't trust Blood Crescent Hak Yu, who could he trust? Hak Yu was a legendary assassin — the man who had raised the King of Slaughter. Dealing with three subordinates the King had sent would be no great difficulty.

"In a little while I'll go into the forest, as if I were taking a walk. If a full two hours pass and I haven't come back out, I leave what follows to you."

"Understood."

Seo Joo-cheon agreed so readily that Hak Yu looked at him with a peculiar expression.

"You really are a strange one, Hero Po."

"In what way?"

"Even in a situation like this, you don't ask for the whole story."

"Doesn't everyone have circumstances they can't speak of?"

"Hahaha. If you'd asked, I'd have been hard-pressed for an answer. I'm grateful you didn't. This old man has never spoken so easily to another person in all his life. And yet from you, Hero Po, I feel a kind of closeness. It's strange."

Seo Joo-cheon smiled.

"Must be because I have a friendly face."

Hak Yu gave a short laugh.

"Hahaha. A friendly face isn't the first thing anyone would say about you, Hero Po. You often give off a rather chilly impression — but that's precisely what this old man likes about you."

It was not because Seo Joo-cheon had offered to help Yu Seong that Hak Yu had taken a liking to him. Under ordinary circumstances, that would have made him more suspicious, and he would have kept his distance. And yet, for reasons he could not name, the man did not feel like a stranger. He felt almost like kin.

I must be going senile in my old age.

That same feeling had likely played its part in his asking Seo Joo-cheon to take Yu Seong as far as Hwang Manor — and in his allowing himself to be persuaded to come along. Hak Yu, born under the Heavenly Killing Star, had lived a lifetime in lonely solitude. A man like him was not supposed to feel such things simply because he had grown old.

"You may not believe me, but I feel a strange affection for you and Yu Seong as well, Sanho-ong. That's probably why I'm traveling with you even though I can tell you're a dangerous man."

"Hmph. Is that how I come across?"

"Well. You seem like a retired senior, that's all."

"And even so, you never asked what I used to do?"

Hearing himself called senior, Hak Yu let his speech slip into something easier, more familiar.

"If you've been living alone as an herb gatherer with your grandson, Senior, you must have a story you can't tell. What good would come of dragging it out into the open?"

"You're a truly interesting Unorthodox, aren't you?"

"Everyone seems to say that."

"Then this old man will take a short walk. This is about the time those bastards would make their move."

"Why not eat first?"

"If I eat, the smell of food will cling to my breath and my body, and they'll catch the scent. I'll eat when I return."

"Then I'll set your meal aside, Senior."

"I'd appreciate that."

Hak Yu was just setting his staff to the ground, preparing to limp into the forest, when someone came pushing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠through the undergrowth.

The man hurled whatever he had been dragging in both hands onto the ground with a heavy thud.

"These fellows were hiding in the woods, watching this way. Do you know them?"

Hak Yu's brow furrowed as he looked at Seo Joo-cheon. That was enough to confirm they were the assassins he had spoken of.

"And the other one?"

At Hak Yu's question, the middle-aged man answered.

"The moment he saw me he went straight for an assassination technique, so I killed him."

Seo Joo-cheon ran a Character Search on the man who had appeared — and started in shock.

A once-popular saying sprang unbidden to mind.

Hyung, what are you doing here?

It was the appearance of a figure for whom that phrase was a perfect fit.