Chapter 256: Pursuit-1
Chapter 256: Pursuit-1
"Gongja!"
Jin So-eun, who had been carrying Myo A-ran on her back while moving, spotted Seonwoo Jin waiting for them and cried out in delight.
Seonwoo Jin smiled brightly and welcomed her in return.
"You are unharmed, Jin Sojeo. Truly a relief!"
"Well, that is thanks to you, Gongja, for luring them away..."
Jin So-eun could not finish her sentence, feeling as though tears might well up again for some reason.
It was because seeing Seonwoo Jin safe and sound had made her choke up inside once more.
Though she had sobbed sadly earlier at the fact that he had a fiancée, absurdly enough, the single fact that he was safe was enough to make her feel perfectly happy.
Seonwoo Jin, unable to meet Jin So-eun's glistening eyes brimming with tears any longer, smiled and spoke to the swordsmen standing around her.
"Saje, you have all worked hard. You did well."
The five swordsmen who had followed Seonwoo Jin's orders and brought Jin So-eun answered with expressionless faces.
"It was nothing, Daesahyeong."
"It was no trouble, Daesahyeong."
They, who called Seonwoo Jin "Daesahyeong," were the martial artists of the Pasan Fourth Squad of the Six Harmony Swordsmen, who had been turned into soul-lost seals by the Hengshan Sect.
The swordsmen of the Pasan Fourth Squad, who until just recently had been unable to speak a single word and could only carry out orders, had improved to the point where they could now respond to Seonwoo Jin's words.
It was all thanks to the efforts Seonwoo Jin had devoted to them in the meantime.
Seonwoo Jin had been using the soul-possession art to overlay new memories onto them.
The setup was that they were saje brothers who had all learned martial arts under the same master, and among them they served him—the youngest—as their Daesahyeong.
Whatever memories he implanted, Seonwoo Jin himself had to be in a position to give them orders, and since he could not fabricate an overly complex past for them, he had no choice but to implant the memory of them being saje brothers who had grown up together serving the same master in the mountains.
It was still a work in progress, so only a rough framework was in place, but he planned to take his time going forward to flesh out the details.
It was then.
Jin So-eun abruptly spotted the disheveled, wild-haired eccentric lying injured beside Seonwoo Jin.
It was Ma Yu-gyeom.
She asked Seonwoo Jin.
"But Gongja, why is that person...?"
Seonwoo Jin answered with a bitter smile.
"Ah, the Pa Cheon-jo of the Six Harmony Swordsmen from the Hengshan Sect came. He was injured while fighting them."
"Ah, Pa Cheon-jo..."
At the mention of Pa Cheon-jo, Jin So-eun understood immediately.
Having witnessed the might of Pasanjo herself, she could fully fathom how fearsome the Pa Cheon-jo must be.
She swallowed hard and spoke.
"So Jin Tae-do and even Pa Cheon-jo have come. How on earth could they have tracked us?"
At that question, Seonwoo Jin's expression briefly darkened.
It was because he, too, had been pondering that very issue.
'There is no way they could have followed us here without some means. We moved without leaving any traces behind. Pa Cheon-jo met Ma Yu-gyeom, and Jin Tae-do was heading toward the temple where Jin Sojeo and Myo Sojeo were. In that case, just who were they tracking?'
Seonwoo Jin pondered for a moment, then abruptly looked at Ma Yu-gyeom.
He was lying still with his eyes closed, a devastated expression on his face.
Seonwoo Jin cautiously tried speaking to him.
"Ma Jojang, could you perhaps tell me how you came to encounter Pa Cheon-jo?"
Ma Yu-gyeom, who had been silent for a moment, slowly opened his mouth, still with his eyes closed.
"Those Taoists asked me whether I had seen Inparang. Rather than heading toward some specific direction, they seemed to simply know that you were somewhere in this vicinity."
At that answer, Seonwoo Jin was able to reach a conclusion quickly.
'They simply knew we were somewhere in this area. That would mean they received intelligence from someone. Then what actually allowed them to pursue us...'
Abruptly, Seonwoo Jin's eyes turned toward Myo A-ran, who was being carried on Jin So-eun's back.
Her condition had worsened compared to earlier, and she was sweating coldly with a pale, wan face.
It was clearly because she had been carried on Jin So-eun's back as they moved, unable to rest properly.
It was then.
Seonwoo Jin's eyes widened greatly, and he turned his head hurriedly toward the forest, saying,
"Already?!"
At those words, Jin So-eun also looked in that direction with a startled expression.
It was because, although nothing had yet registered in her mind's eye, she could sufficiently guess what Seonwoo Jin must have sensed.
Seonwoo Jin quickly lifted Ma Yu-gyeom onto his back and said,
"Ma Jojang, it seems we must move again. Please endure the discomfort."
Ma Yu-gyeom answered with a hollow expression.
"Do not waste your strength. Just leave me and go. In any case, I have no reason to remain alive..."
But Seonwoo Jin had no intention of listening to him.
It was because, since earlier, he had been repeating nothing but telling them to abandon him and go.
Regardless of what Ma Yu-gyeom said, Seonwoo Jin, having hoisted him onto his back, quickly issued instructions to the Six Harmony Swordsmen.
"Saje, scatter in different directions and follow us."
"Yes, Daesahyeong."
"Understood, Daesahyeong."
Since they were connected to Seonwoo Jin through the heart-soul bond via the gu poison anyway, they could find their way to wherever Seonwoo Jin was no matter where they went.
Seonwoo Jin spoke urgently toward Jin So-eun.
"Jin Sojeo, how is your stamina?"
"Yes, I am fine. Let us go quickly."
With those words as the last, Seonwoo Jin, carrying Ma Yu-gyeom on his back, and Jin So-eun, carrying Myo A-ran on hers, launched their bodies once more and began their flight.
Then, a short while later, the pursuers, including Jin Tae-do, arrived at the spot where they had disappeared.
Hwiiiiik! Tadak!
Among them, the subordinate who was holding the white cat Baek Ah cried out.
"It seems the bastards lingered here briefly, Jangmunin! It has not been long since they left this place!"
Jin Tae-do ground his teeth and said.
"They are carrying two wounded, so they too will inevitably tire soon. Keep pressing them!"
"Yes! Jangmunin!"
"Yes! Jangmunin!"
They began pursuing once more, heading precisely in the direction Seonwoo Jin had moved.
Behind Jin Tae-do's party, the Pa Cheon-jo Six Harmony Swordsmen were also silently following them.
***
The pursuit continued without pause until daybreak.
Seonwoo Jin tried changing direction several times to shake off the pursuit, but Jin Tae-do's group followed tenaciously without straying in the slightest.
It was a dire situation.
In terms of absolute speed, Seonwoo Jin and Jin So-eun were faster than Jin Tae-do, who was leading his subordinates along.
But unlike Jin Tae-do's side, which had only their own bodies to bring, Seonwoo Jin and Jin So-eun each had someone on their backs.
It would not show immediately, but if this continued, who would tire first was obvious.
Seonwoo Jin's expression darkened as he foresaw what lay ahead, when Ma Yu-gyeom, who had been carried on his back, abruptly spoke again.
"Leave me and go, Seonwoo Jin."
Hearing those words, Seonwoo Jin let out a hollow laugh even as he ran and retorted.
"That again? Ma Jojang, it seems you still do not know me well. I will never abandon you and go. So you give up, Ma Jojang."
Ma Yu-gyeom let out a sigh and spoke again.
"You may not know this, but Jin Sojeo over there will not be able to last long carrying Myo Sojeo on her back. If you want to take her with you, you must carry her yourself."
At those words, Seonwoo Jin abruptly looked at Jin So-eun's face.
And he had no choice but to acknowledge that Ma Yu-gyeom's words were not wrong.
Because Jin So-eun was already looking slightly exhausted.
There was no way to know how long this chase would last, but if this situation continued for more than a day, she would surely be unable to endure.
That was when it happened.
Myo A-ran, who had been practically unconscious on Jin So-eun's back, suddenly parted her pale lips with great difficulty.
"No. You must abandon me."
At those words, Jin So-eun startled and cried out.
"What are you saying, Myo Sojeo?! Why on earth would we abandon you!"
Myo A-ran shook her head weakly and spoke toward Seonwoo Jin.
"Gongja, you've surely figured it out already, haven't you? What the reason is that they can pursue us. The reason they can follow without losing our direction is precisely because of me. Most likely, when I was held captive on the ship, the food I ate contained something like Tracking Incense."
"What?! What do you mean?!"
Jin So-eun looked at Seonwoo Jin with startled eyes.
And from his unperturbed, heavy expression, she could realize that Myo A-ran's words were true.
Myo A-ran spoke again.
"It is all my fault. Getting captured by them, and foolishly eating the food they gave me without a second thought. So it is only right that I take responsibility. Abandon me, Gongja. If you use me, you'll be able to confuse them."
Listening to her, Seonwoo Jin's expression looked heavier than ever before.
Jin So-eun looked at Seonwoo Jin with worried eyes and asked.
"Surely... you're not? You're not actually thinking of abandoning Myo Sojeo, are you, Gongja? If it's Seonu Gongja, surely there's some other way...."
But Jin So-eun, who had been speaking like that, could not finish her sentence in the end.
Because she had the thought that in this situation, being chased from such close range, and moreover with the enemy knowing our exact location and pursuing us, even Seonwoo Jin would have no sharp solution.
Receiving Jin So-eun's anxious gaze, Seonwoo Jin ran in silence, lost in thought for some time.
***
Meanwhile, the growing fatigue was no different for Jin Tae-do's subordinates who were chasing Seonwoo Jin and his group.
As they continued the pursuit without rest, their footsteps grew increasingly heavy.
But Jin Tae-do, rather than granting his men rest, continued to spur them on.
"Do not slow your pace! If we keep following, they will have no choice but to tire first!"
Through Six Harmony Swordsman Ja Seong-jin-in, Jin Tae-do had been able to hear that the one Inparang was carrying on his back was the shaggy-haired man who had used that bizarre ice sword technique.
And naturally, he could also deduce that he was, in fact, the White Wolf Sword.
That meant the bastard was now responsible for two injured people.
He absolutely could not miss this opportunity.
"Hold on! The one carrying the wounded will surely tire first! It won't be long now!"
At his encouragement, Jin Tae-do's subordinates gritted their teeth and continued the pursuit.
That was when it happened.
The subordinate who was leading the way with Unmyo Baek-a shouted.
"Sect Leader! It seems the bastards have changed direction heading up the mountain!"
"Up the mountain, you say?"
At those words, Jin Tae-do frowned.
Until now, the bastards had been fleeing by changing direction here and there around the lower slopes of the mountain.
This was because the upper part of the mountain exposed bare rock cliffs, so to conceal their tracks, they naturally had to move through the densely forested lower slopes.
But now the bastards had changed direction and suddenly begun climbing upward.
He could not understand it.
It was a situation that made him suspect they had pulled some other bizarre trick.
However, while thinking that and suddenly looking up toward the top of the mountain, Jin Tae-do's eyes instantly flew wide open.
"That is?!"
Jin Tae-do's subordinates shouted.
"It's the bastards! Those two, each carrying one person, are climbing up the mountain!"
It was true.
As they climbed higher up the mountain where the forest was sparse, the figures of the bastards had become visible from below.
The figure of the bastard running while carrying a bizarre shaggy-haired man in white robes was entering Jin Tae-do's eyes with clarity.
Ja Seong-jin-in then shouted toward Jin Tae-do.
"Jin Sect Leader!"
At his voice, Jin Tae-do glanced over at him.
Ja Seong-jin-in was staring at Jin Tae-do with burning eyes.
Jin Tae-do could not fail to know what those eyes were asking for.
Jin Tae-do nodded and shouted.
"Let us go!"
The moment those words ended, Jin Tae-do, Ja Seong-jin-in, the other Six Harmony Swordsmen, and those among the pursuers who had reached the transcendent peak level shot forward at terrifying speed.
Pah-ang!
Until now, their speed had no choice but to be based on the subordinate responsible for Baek Ah.
Because only with him could they keep their direction.
But now, in this moment where Seonwoo Jin's position had come clearly into view, there was no longer any need to match his speed.
All they had to do was catch the bastard at top speed.
'I will not let you get away this time!'
Gritting his teeth, Jin Tae-do flew toward Seonwoo Jin with incredible speed.
Last time, even running at top speed, he had ultimately lost the bastard's trail, but this time felt different.
Indeed, perhaps because he was carrying a wounded person, or because of Jin So-eun fleeing alongside him, the distance to the once-so-swift bastard was closing little by little.
In an instant, the pursuing and fleeing groups were flying like arrows toward the rocky, cliff-ridden upper reaches of Phoenix Mountain.
That was when it happened.
Having witnessed something, Ja Seong-jin-in urgently shouted toward Jin Tae-do.
"Sect Leader, look up there!"
At his voice, Jin Tae-do looked up at the peak of Phoenix Mountain, formed of massive stone.
The peak of Phoenix Mountain consisted of two peaks, Bongam and Hwangam, jutting upward like twins.
Two colossal peaks abruptly thrusting up like warts of the earth, and stretching between those two peaks, from peak to peak, was a bridge dozens of jang long.
It was a bridge woven from wooden planks and rope, swaying precariously.
The moment Jin Tae-do saw that swaying bridge, he could realize why the bastard was running toward the summit.
And what he intended to do upon climbing up there.
Jin Tae-do shouted urgently.
"Increase your speed further! It appears the bastard means to cross that bridge and shake us off!"
The place they were now climbing was the Bongam side.
If those two bastards reached the peak of Bongam before them, crossed the swaying bridge, and then cut it down?
No matter that he was one of the Thirty-Six Stars of the World, leaping across a gorge dozens of jang wide from Bongam to Hwangam was impossible.
The distance to the bastard he had barely managed to catch up to would widen immensely once more.
"You wretch!"
Jin Tae-do desperately increased his speed.
The wind brushing his skin was growing sharp as a blade.
At that moment, the sight of Jin So-eun, running beside the bastard, stumbling suddenly entered his eyes.
She looked heavily fatigued.
Inparang immediately supported her and kept her running, but their speed was in a state far lower than before.
Seeing that, Jin Tae-do shouted in his heart.
'Good!'
In this state, it seemed he could catch up by the time the bastards arrived before the bridge.
Now he could truly finish this.
Filled with elation in his heart, Jin Tae-do bellowed loudly.
[ Inparang! ]