Winds and Waves at Shu Dao Pass (3)
Jeong Su Sa Tae's words made the martial artists' eyes flash with sharp glares.
"What do you mean by that? You never mentioned a time limit!"
Mu Heo Ja protested loudly.
At that moment, someone spoke in a quiet voice.
"They're planning to detonate the wagons at a set time."
The low voice somehow rang clearly through the tent, overpowering Mu Heo Ja's shout.
Everyone in the tent turned to look at the speaker.
It was Seo Baek.
"Does that mean we have to return to Shu Dao Pass by then?"
"Yes."
Jeong Su Sa Tae nodded at Seo Baek's question.
"We'll install these devices next to the explosives to blow up all seven wagons simultaneously. It's a necessary measure to exterminate the revenants."
Mu Heo Ja protested again.
"What if something goes wrong? Who's responsible for our safety? The Ami faction?"
"Then we'll give the Cheongsong faction the detonation time separately. But you'll have to light the fuses yourselves before returning."
"……."
Mu Heo Ja fell silent at Jeong Su Sa Tae's sharp retort.
Only then did the martial artists grasp the true meaning of the operation.
It didn't end with transporting the explosives through the secret passage. The explosives had to actually detonate to matter. In other words, Jeong Su Sa Tae hadn't been inconsiderate of the martial artists at all.
Quite the opposite—she had prepared a meticulous plan!
"We've calculated the detonation time to give you plenty of margin to return to Shu Dao Pass. Bring them here."
Two Ami faction disciples carried the items to the table.
As the other martial artists tilted their heads in confusion, Seo Baek instantly recognized what they were.
'Fuses.'
The way to detonate wagons placed in different locations simultaneously.
Make the fuses the same length.
The items on the table resembled a round table without legs. They were slightly thicker than a typical table, though.
A disciple picked up the device and opened its lid.
Seo Baek's guess was correct. The round table-shaped device contained fuses arranged inside.
But even Seo Baek hadn't anticipated its structure.
Inside the device, spiral partitions like a snail's shell divided the space, with fuses fitted along them.
And at the center of the cylinder was a hole.
'When the fuses burn out, the ember shoots out through that hole.'
Seo Baek inwardly admired the device's ingenious design.
Light the end, and the fuse would spiral inward, burning steadily until the ember burst from the center to ignite the explosives.
The timing of the ember's emergence could be precisely adjusted by the fuse length. And with the lid closed, there was no risk of the ember dying midway.
'A well-crafted invention.'
"This is a fuse device," Jeong Su Sa Tae explained.
"The fuses are set to burn for two shi."
Seo Baek listened attentively, though he didn't really need to. It matched exactly what he'd surmised, including the usage.
"We estimate it'll take up to one shi to move through the secret passage, leave the wagons outside, and return. That leaves another full shi before detonation—more than enough, wouldn't you say?"
Jeong Su Sa Tae turned to Mu Heo Ja after finishing her explanation.
"I see……."
Mu Heo Ja averted his gaze and conceded. Her logic was airtight; there was no room for argument.
Seo Baek smiled faintly as he watched Mu Heo Ja back down.
'The talk of risking our lives was bait.'
Jeong Su Sa Tae had deliberately mentioned the time limit to draw out Mu Heo Ja's objection, then shut him down with flawless reasoning.
Finally, the hour of zi arrived.
Jeong Su Sa Tae and the martial artists exited the tent.
"Begin."
At her command, the Ami faction disciples bowed and headed to the walls with the soldiers.
Along the battlements stood massive cauldrons already prepared by the soldiers. At the disciples' signal, the soldiers tilted them toward the outside.
Whoosh.
In the darkness, a dark red liquid poured beyond Shu Dao Pass.
The martial artists gulped and stared in shock.
"……!"
The dark red liquid was human blood.
Collecting human blood to lure revenants?
If not for the revenant outbreak, this would be denounced as a grave sin against humanity, worthy of total annihilation!
"It's the blood of Ami faction disciples and soldiers lost to revenants so far."
"You collected it without recovering the bodies?"
"Yes."
Jeong Su Sa Tae answered Mu Heo Ja's question matter-of-factly.
Mu Heo Ja turned away, smirking.
"Buddhist disciples gathering blood from corpses? Buddha himself would be shocked."
He muttered under his breath, but Jeong Su Sa Tae—with her profound inner energy—couldn't have missed it.
"In this time of revenant outbreak, Buddha's will prioritizes saving lives over strict precepts."
"……."
Mu Heo Ja had no retort to her icy reply and looked away.
Wang Yi Sam, watching the exchange, remarked,
"What a remarkable woman. Hard to believe a heroine like her holds Shu Dao Pass against the revenant hordes."
Seo Baek glanced somewhere and thought,
'There's one more woman over there.'
His gaze fell on the martial artists who had arrived at Shu Dao Pass ahead of his group.
The six from the Sichuan Tang Clan who had departed first.
Two wore pitch-black attire, faces obscured by veiled bamboo hats, impossible to identify.
To Seo Baek, one of the black-clad figures was clearly a woman.
'A bit shorter, softer curves.'
The decisive clue was her gait.
'Different from a man's.'
Men walk with legs slightly splayed due to anatomy. But she strode straight-legged.
Seo Baek kept it to himself.
Wang Yi Sam would just laugh it off as nonsense.
Then, an incident snapped him from his reverie.
A revenant below the walls let out a guttural screech.
Kieeeek!
It had caught the scent of blood!
One revenant reacting triggered a chain response.
Like thirst-maddened camels spotting water in the desert, the revenants turned toward the walls en masse.
They surged toward Shu Dao Pass in a dense wave.
Jeong Su Sa Tae's ruthless preparation—defying human norms—had succeeded for now.
"I'll guide you through the secret passage."
She led the martial artists underground beneath the fortress.
They descended a spiraling slope barely wide enough for one wagon.
Finally, they reached the underground floor.
The wagons were ready.
Ami faction disciples lit the fuses on the crates, secured them to the wagons.
Jeong Su Sa Tae divided the martial artists into three groups.
Seo Baek's group and the six Tang Clan martial artists would each handle two wagons to the cliffs flanking Shu Dao Pass. The Cheongsong faction would take three to the center.
With preparations complete, Jeong Su Sa Tae went to a corner of the chamber.
Torchlight revealed one stone wall was a sliding door.
An Ami disciple unlocked the padlock with a key.
Stepping aside, Jeong Su Sa Tae placed both palms against the stone.
"Hah!"
With her shout, the massive stone trembled.
The martial artists gaped as if seeing an illusion—a faint golden glow around her crown.
"That's the Guanyin Golden Summit Divine Art!"
Mu Heo Ja groaned.
"The Ami faction leader has transcended another realm……."
The Ami faction's secret inner art.
Jeong Su Sa Tae hadn't risen to leadership in her mid-forties by luck.
Slowly, the stone slid aside—space for one wagon.
Rumble.
Jeong Su Sa Tae halted her technique.
The martial artists took the reins of wagons and donkeys from the disciples.
As Seo Baek's group prepared to depart first, Jeong approached and handed him something.
"The key to release the ship's anchor. Show it, and the ferryman will obey."
The large key bore the Ami faction's cloud-dragon emblem on its ring.
She also gave him a map.
"Once done, return to Shu Dao Pass or proceed straight to the docks."
"Thank you."
"When you reach Shaolin Temple, convey my regards to the Abbot."
"I will."
"Remember: ignore side paths, go straight. You'll emerge at the field shrine."
"Understood."
With that, Seo Baek offered a fist salute and turned.
Seo Baek, Wang Yi Sam, and Yu So Un entered the pitch-black tunnel with their donkey-pulled wagons.
* * *
Screech. Rattle, rattle, rattle.
In the darkness, only the wheels' grinding echoed.
The tunnel was so pitch-black that even adapted eyes struggled to see ahead. Deep under Shu Dao Pass, it was expected.
Seo Baek circulated the Shika Heart Method, sharpening his gaze. He led the way.
Occasional side paths branched off.
He ignored them, pressing straight as instructed.
Whoosh. Drip, drip.
A strange sound made Wang Yi Sam ask,
"Hey, you hear that?"
"I did."
"What the hell's making noise down here? Revenants?"
"Wind and dripping water."
Seo Baek thought as he replied,
'We're nearing the surface.'
Wind meant a connection to the outside air. Dripping meant moisture-laden earth nearby.
'It's time.'
"The secret passage ends soon."
Seo Baek drew a dagger from his satchel.
"Senior Brother, do you have one?"
"Nah, I'm a dao man."
He handed Wang Yi Sam another.
"Use this."
"I got my broad dao—why?"
"No revenants yet, but from here on, expect them. The exit's an old shrine—might be infested."
Yu So Un chimed in,
"Your greatsword and broad dao are unwieldy in tight spaces, so daggers make sense."
"Exactly. Better safe than sorry."
Wang Yi Sam nodded, accepting the dagger.
Seo Baek had three; Yu So Un waved his off.
"I'm good."
He slung his quiver and bow over his shoulder.
"Shooting arrows in this dark?"
Wang Yi Sam asked. Yu So Un shrugged.
"Better safe than sorry."
"You two sync up perfectly."
Faint light soon filtered into the tunnel.
They climbed a slant ramp to the surface. The exit hid behind an altar enshrining the warrior god Guan Yu's plaque.
Cleverly concealed unless the altar was smashed. No Zhongyuan folk would desecrate Guan Yu's shrine, so absent the outbreak, it would have stayed secret forever.
"I'll scout."
Seo Baek took a deep breath, channeling the Shika Heart Method.
Whoosh.
The gloom sharpened into clarity.
He moved silently, exiting the shrine to survey.
No revenants.
But turning back, one lunged from beside him.
Eye to eye, inches away.
Kieeeek!
Seo Baek held his breath, face impassive, slowly raising the dagger to eye level.
Sloooowly.
…It passed without noticing.
No others around. He signaled the group: clear.
They armed up before exiting: Seo Baek his greatsword, Wang Yi Sam his broad dao, Yu So Un nocked an arrow.
Exchanging glances, they pulled the wagons out of the shrine.