A New Threat (3)
The unidentified shadows numbered nearly dozens of people.
It was impossible to tell if they were martial artists or not.
Not only were their clothes varied, but their weapons differed as well—some wielded swords, others bows, and some spears.
Those without swords, bows, or spears all carried bamboo spears, sharpened at the tips.
However, they shared one common trait.
They all wore cloth masks over their mouths.
At any rate, since they didn't blindly lunge at living people to bite them, they were definitely not revenants.
Yet despite not being a revenant horde, Wang Yi Sam was utterly shocked.
Just moments ago, there had been no one visible in any direction—east, west, south, or north. How had dozens of people surrounded them in that instant?
It was the stuff of ghostly tales.
He might have been tense if it had been a revenant horde encircling them, but he wouldn't have been this startled.
The mystery deepened because of Seo Baek and Song Hyeon.
These two could sense revenants like ghosts, yet they hadn't noticed until they were surrounded. Wang Yi Sam couldn't comprehend it.
There was no way dozens of people surpassed Seo Baek and Song Hyeon in skill...
Suddenly, a thought struck him.
'Could they be bandits from the green forest?'
Green forest bandits—thieves who hid in rugged mountains beyond the reach of official authority, preying on travelers to steal their lives and possessions.
But Wang Yi Sam, seasoned in the ways of the murim, sensed they weren't bandits.
Their eyes were different.
Bandits who sought to plunder others had a distinctive gaze—one that viewed their targets as mere prey, full of contempt.
In contrast, the eyes of those encircling the group burned with hostility. Not the greed of thieves, but the cold glare of those defending their own.
Soon, a rough-looking man stepped forward from the encirclement, breaking the silence.
"Who the hell are you?"
They had lain in ambush and surrounded the group in an instant. A preemptive strike could have yielded great results.
Yet they held back?
It meant they would attack only after confirming friend or foe.
Seo Baek figured it best to respond in kind.
'Of course, even if they'd ambushed us, I wouldn't have just taken it lying down.'
Seo Baek cupped his fists in salute and replied.
"We are travelers passing through the forest to avoid the revenant horde. And who might you be?"
"Travelers?"
The man sneered.
"You must know what kind of place this is."
"Isn't this the epicenter where revenants ravage the Central Plains?"
"You know that and still travel through? What a load of dogshit!"
The man curled his lip in mockery.
But Seo Baek continued with an impassive gaze.
"Our destination is the Shaolin Temple. If even Shaolin makes dogs laugh, then dogs these days must have no fear."
"...!"
At Seo Baek's words, the man's eyes changed, and everyone surrounding them drew in a sharp breath.
There was another startled by it: Wang Yi Sam.
'Junior brother, why'd you mention heading to Shaolin?'
Hadn't they faced trouble multiple times after revealing that? Wang Yi Sam couldn't fathom Seo Baek's intentions.
Seo Baek had his calculations.
The group had arrived at the foothills of Xiao Shi Peak on Song Mountain.
Though the terrain was rugged and Shaolin still some distance away, they had entered its territory.
Thus, he suspected those surrounding them had ties to Shaolin.
If they were hostile to Shaolin and attacked?
'We cut them down and move on.'
Now that they had reached Song Mountain, Seo Baek had no intention of wasting more time.
Quick and decisive. If these blockers showed goodwill, fine—but otherwise, he'd carve a path by force. That was why he'd named Shaolin.
As the people murmured, a rather refined voice came from behind.
"Shaolin Temple?"
The crowd parted, and a middle-aged man stepped forward.
His voice, expression, and movements exuded noble dignity.
His face was strikingly pale, as if rarely touched by sunlight, almost feminine.
'A scholar, perhaps?'
At least not a farmer or merchant.
Yet his hands, protruding from the sleeves of his yellow robe, were scarred and rough. Upon closer look, a long scar ran beside his eye, hidden by his hair.
And his gaze piercing Seo Baek's group was sharp.
This scholarly-looking middle-aged man bore the weathered face of one who had endured the revenant apocalypse.
"Gang Pyo, don't act rashly."
"Understood."
At the middle-aged man's word, the rough-looking man named Gang Pyo bowed and retreated.
Seo Baek observed him, thinking,
'He's their leader.'
The middle-aged man saluted Seo Baek's group with cupped fists.
"I am Gil Sang-baek, lord of the Underground Hall. You're heading to Shaolin?"
"Yes."
"Then let me ask: why?"
"To stop the revenant outbreak."
Seo Baek stated their purpose without hesitation.
As he figured, these were people who had made a hideout in the heart of the outbreak.
The grand cause of halting the revenants would surely resonate, so he'd boldly played his hand.
His guess proved right.
Gil Sang-baek eyed the group briefly, then saluted and made an offer.
"Coming to this perilous place to stop the revenants— you've suffered much. The Underground Hall offers safe shelter. Why not rest?"
To Seo Baek's group, weary from constant travel, it was like rain in drought.
But the others clearly distrusted them.
"Lord, do you know who they are before inviting them in?"
Gang Pyo whispered behind Gil Sang-baek.
Gil Sang-baek shook his head at him, then spoke loudly for all to hear.
"The Underground Hall welcomes any—martial artist or not—without discrimination. Isn't that so?"
"..."
Gang Pyo grimaced but fell silent, out of arguments.
Gil Sang-baek's tone was kindly, almost benevolent. But the next moment revealed he was no mere good Samaritan.
He turned to Seo Baek's group with a chilling gaze and added,
"Except revenants, that is."
"..."
At Gil Sang-baek's signal, the people lowered their weapons aimed at the group.
"Follow us."
"Then we'll impose briefly."
Seo Baek glanced at Song Hyeon, who gave a slight nod of agreement. Before scaling Song Mountain's cliffs in earnest, a short rest was wise—Seo Baek's thinking aligned with his.
Seo Baek's group followed Gil Sang-baek.
Wang Yi Sam sidled up to Seo Baek and whispered,
"Junior brother, you sure it's safe tailing these guys?"
"I'll decide if it's safe. If they become obstacles, we remove them and proceed. Simple."
"Tch, fair enough."
Knowing Seo Baek and Song Hyeon's prowess, Wang Yi Sam had no retort.
"Lady Joo has lightness skills and mystical arts besides, so guarding herself is child's play."
"Right. And me?"
"If trouble hits, run like hell."
"Got it."
Anyone else saying that might have sparked Wang Yi Sam's rage, but from his superior Seo Baek, he accepted it without fuss.
With orders clear, Wang Yi Sam's mind eased. Ease brought notice to others' flaws.
He realized most Underground Hall members carried bamboo spears, not swords.
"Tch, putting on such airs with mere bamboo sticks?"
"What's wrong with bamboo spears?"
To his surprise, Seo Baek pushed back.
"Underground Hall? Weird name, but a murim faction wielding bamboo spears? Ridiculous."
"Everyone's fled; where's a forge? Bamboo spears are easy to make without one."
"Uh, yeah."
"Spears are the most efficient against revenants, too."
To kill a revenant, one had to destroy the Blood Thread Worm in its heart meridian, located at the base of the skull and neck. Even slashing the throat with a sword from the front often left it intact atop the neck.
A spear's length allowed easier upward thrusts from below.
Seo Baek explained to Wang Yi Sam,
"No need for famed sect spear arts—just precise form pierces the heart meridian."
"I see."
"Even if it misses the neck, stabbing anywhere halts a charging revenant's momentum."
"Tch."
Wang Yi Sam shut his mouth again. Seo Baek was spot on.
In these metal-scarce times, bamboo spears were the best improvised choice over swords.
What caught Seo Baek's eye was their mouth coverings.
'They know about revenants.'
Revenants sniffed living breath like hounds.
Ordinary folk without internal arts couldn't hold breath long. Thick cloth masks minimized leakage.
'Can't block it perfectly with cloth, but better than nothing.'
Did they know not to show emotions like joy or rage?
That was unclear yet.
Non-murim folk letting revenants close enough to read faces likely wouldn't survive.
They had revenant knowledge, but scarce resources.
Seo Baek wondered what the Underground Hall truly was.
His curiosity resolved quickly.
After mere dozens of steps, the Underground Hall members halted.
Gil Sang-baek turned to the group.
"This is the Underground Hall's Metal path."
Wang Yi Sam whispered into Seo Baek's ear again.
"Metal path? What the hell?"
"Not sure, but seems they've named paths after the five elements."
The five elements—wood, fire, earth, metal, water—from yin-yang theory.
Meaning five paths total.
Wang Yi Sam caught on and grumbled,
"Tch, complicating it with elements. East, west, south, north, center would be simpler."
Seo Baek unusually frowned.
"Senior Wang, you hit the nail on the head."
"Huh? What'd I do?"
Wang Yi Sam blinked, baffled by the sudden praise.
His offhand gripe held truth.
"They named the five paths to hide locations from outsiders. Directions are intuitive; elements obscure them."
"Ah."
Bamboo spears aside, this oddly named faction obsessed over security details.
Then Gil Sang-baek stepped aside, revealing the path.
"...!"
Seo Baek frowned a second time.
Hidden by brush and rocks, a wide tunnel plunged underground.
The Underground Hall was exactly that—a faction beneath the earth.