Wang Family Fortress (1)
Wang Yi Sam whispered to Seo Baek so he wouldn't overhear.
"What's gotten into that Seo Baek kid?"
"Who knows. Maybe it's the Analects?"
"Analects? What kinda nonsense are you spouting now!"
Even Yu So Un's cryptic remark drew a pout and grumble from Wang Yi Sam.
Yu So Un ignored him and smiled faintly at Seo Baek.
He's a good comrade.
He'd left his beloved hometown to take the military exam, only to fail and wander the martial world for over a decade.
Those who had passed would sometimes console Yu So Un with words like these:
You've got the skills, just bad luck.
Don't rely on skill alone—build connections first.
Connections? Bribe 'em! You think sweet talk works?
But for Yu So Un, rootless and kinless in the Central Plains, forging those ties was impossible.
Still, he harbored no regrets about the past.
From Black Wolf Castle to now, he'd always found solid comrades.
Having met true friends in the jianghu worth risking his life for—that was enough, wasn't it?
"How could one not rejoice when a friend arrives from afar?"
Yu So Un murmured a line from the Analects as he gazed at Seo Baek.
Seo Baek was handing back the Iron Palm Gang's sacred relic and manual, retrieved from Cheon Ri Hyeong, to Son Il Seo.
Though shorter than him, Seo Baek's back looked broader and sturdier than any man's.
With that back ahead of him, even a battlefield fraught with death wouldn't scare him.
Son Il Seo's group offered clasped-fist salutes of gratitude to Seo Baek.
"Thank you! Not only did you eliminate Cheon Ri Hyeong's gang, but you returned our relic and manual too. The Iron Palm Gang will never forget this grace!"
"Just returning them to their rightful owner."
"Watch us. With your help reaching my mother's Son family estate, we'll reclaim the Iron Palm Gang's glory!"
True to his spirited nature, the boy thumped his chest boldly.
Soon after, Seo Baek's group bid them farewell.
They saw Son Il Seo's party off toward Iron Palm Mountain. The sole woman, Chuk Yeong, kept waving until they vanished from sight.
Moments later, as they disappeared, Wang Yi Sam spoke up.
"Think that little squirt'll really lead the Iron Palm Gang someday?"
"Who knows. In the martial world, absolutes don't exist."
Seo Baek's earlier chill had evaporated, his demeanor back to normal.
"Young as he is, he seems trusted by his gangmates. He'll manage."
Yu So Un added the words in uncharacteristically earnest tones.
"But it won't be easy."
Seo Baek and Wang Yi Sam nodded in agreement.
In a martial world upended by the revenant plague, old orders had crumbled.
The Long River Three Gorges Waterway Gang and Iron Palm Gang were no exceptions.
Strength ruled over righteousness now, betrayal rampant.
Wang Yi Sam sighed and muttered.
"Whew, if even a name-brand gang like Iron Palm's fallen that low, the small fries must be screwed."
"No need for hysterics. The martial world's always been that way."
Yu So Un spoke the truth.
"We should hurry to Shaolin Temple."
"Who's the one who slowed us down to help with martial world business? C'mon, let's move!"
Wang Yi Sam took the lead, and Seo Baek and Yu So Un exchanged grins before following.
Days had passed since the Iron Palm Gang incident.
Seo Baek's group consulted their map and navigated a treacherous gorge. Just when it seemed they'd pass safely, crisis struck again.
In a forest so silent a pin drop echoed.
Seo Baek, Yu So Un, and Wang Yi Sam advanced wordlessly, covering the three directions, weapons gripped tight.
Greatsword, broad dao, bow.
Poised to slaughter whatever emerged.
Soon, Seo Baek whispered throatily.
"It's coming."
"How far?"
"About ten zhang. Getting closer. Nine, eight, seven..."
The target approached them steadily.
"If the attack fails, we're dead."
"Obviously. We must take it down."
Wang Yi Sam and Seo Baek's voices were gravely serious, unlike their usual banter.
"Begin."
Yu So Un nocked an arrow, drawing the string to his ear. Kki-gee-geek. The beast-horn bow groaned at its limit.
Then Seo Baek clenched his fist, signaling.
"Now."
Pee-eeeng. Yu So Un released, the arrow whistling faster than wind toward the target. He followed with three rapid shots.
Simultaneously, Wang Yi Sam roared and charged.
"Raaagh!"
Peak focus. Seamless coordination.
Their resolve burned fiercer than ever.
All three arrows struck true, drawing a hideous screech from the target.
Kwaa-ae-ae-aek!
It whipped its head side to side, seeking enemies, then spotted Wang Yi Sam and rolled forward in a charge.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Barreling at them with terrifying speed—not a revenant, but a wild boar.
Wang Yi Sam slammed his broad dao into its shoulder. Kwak-jik. He flipped away, tumbling to dodge the rush.
The boar didn't slow, crashing into a tree. Ku-woong.
Undeterred, it wheeled for another go. A true king of the mountains!
Purrr-ruk. Enraged, it shook and charged Wang Yi Sam again.
Seo Baek dropped from a tree branch, cleaving its neck in one stroke.
Clang. Thud.
The boar collapsed like a felled log, head severed clean.
"Got it!"
Wang Yi Sam whooped triumphantly. Even revenant hordes hadn't thrilled him this much.
The three gathered before the fallen beast, sighing in relief.
"Phew, dodged a starvation bullet."
Indeed. After the gorge, they'd survived days on water alone, teetering on collapse.
The Iron Palm Gang's rations had long run dry.
Villages they passed were deserted, folk fled from revenants. Not a grain to be found.
Revenant hordes roamed the fields everywhere.
One slip, and encirclement meant death.
They detoured wide around every sighting, their path to the Jegal Clan dragging.
Spotting this boar felt like unearthing the world's greatest martial manual from a cave!
"Boil it? Roast? Raw?"
"Pork needs cooking."
"No water nearby—roast it is."
"Perfect! Tonight's whole roasted boar!"
They prepared with military precision.
Seo Baek sparked a fire with flint, Wang Yi Sam gathered wood, Yu So Un gutted it with a dagger.
Soon, the forest lord sizzled over flames, fat dripping.
"Dig in!"
Tough and rank, but hunger was the best sauce. They tore into it ravenously, filling empty bellies.
Once sated, energy returned—and pickiness set in. Even starved, wild boar didn't taste great.
"Shoulda roasted hotter. Jaw's killing me from the chew."
"With booze, we'd stew it tender, kill the gamey stink."
"Lady Wang would've spiced it Sichuan-style, brought out the umami."
Dialogue to make a dead boar fume.
But suddenly, Seo Baek and Yu So Un went stone-faced, silent.
Wang Yi Sam, picking his teeth with a twig, blinked in confusion.
"Bellies full—why the long faces?"
Then six sword-wielding shadows burst from the trees.
Seo Baek and Yu So Un back-to-back, sword and bow aimed at the intruders.
"Wh-what?!"
Wang Yi Sam spat his toothpick, finally startled.
Seo Baek scanned them sharply.
Yellow robes, blue, black—mixed attire. Some hooded, others topknotted. No uniform sect garb.
Unlikely same faction.
Six unaffiliated martial artists coordinating an ambush? Rare in the jianghu.
Bandits?
Plausible.
Rootless third-rate warriors banding post-revenant plague for murder and loot—textbook bandits.
But they weren't.
The six exchanged glances and sheathed swords.
The apparent leader eyed Seo Baek's group.
"You don't look like revenants."
No attack intent, no need to fight. Seo Baek lowered his blade, clasped fists.
"We're travelers from Sichuan, heading to the Jegal Clan. What's the matter?"
Mention of Jegal Clan shifted their gazes.
"We're scouts from the fortress, reconning revenant horde movements."
Wang Yi Sam grinned and stepped forward.
"No revenants here—we're allies! Haven't seen any nearby. Grab some boar?"
"...We can?"
"Sure. We're stuffed."
Wang Yi Sam's cheeky offer earned nods; they gathered round the fire.
The trio had eaten their fill, but the massive boar was barely touched.
Wang Yi Sam rotated the spit-roast, then hacked off chunks with his dao for the scouts.
They devoured it greedily.
"Tough as leather, reeks too."
"Quit whining and eat. When'd you last taste meat?"
"True enough."
Seo Baek gleaned two things from their talk.
Their fortress isn't starving.
Unseasoned boar drew complaints, yet they ate heartily. Meat-scarce, but not famished.
And more crucially:
They don't know revenants well.
They'd surrounded the group but stood down upon seeing no revenants.
Clearly, only familiar with blood ghosts lunging at the living.
The real threats lurked among humans—like Jin Seok Pyeong or Cheon Ri Hyeong.
Unable to distinguish high revenants from blood ghosts meant the fortress lacked real intel.
If one infiltrated?
Too late to fix by realization.
The scouts grumbled but stuffed themselves.
"Thanks for the meal."
"Plenty left—gotta share, right? Haha!"
"You said Jegal Clan?"
"Yeah?"
"Pass through our fortress on the way."
Yu So Un and Wang Yi Sam glanced at Seo Baek.
The group's leader was Seo Baek; his call.
"Can we rest there a day?"
"Sure. Long as you're not revenants."
"Then we'll impose for the night."
Decision made, Wang Yi Sam beamed.
"No more dew-soaked nights! Thanks!"
"Wang Family Fortress welcomes all martial artists uniting against revenant hordes."
But at "Wang Family Fortress," Yu So Un frowned.
"Wang Family Fortress? You mean the Wang family estate in Wang Family Ridge?"
One scout nodded.
"Right. I was a Wang family warrior."
"How far from here?"
"Not close—south a week's walk. Longer dodging hordes."
"......"
Yu So Un fell silent. Curious, Wang Yi Sam prodded.
"What's up? Got ties to the Wangs?"
"No ties, but business there."
Another cryptic line, then quiet.
Seo Baek knew Yu So Un's calm facade hid depths deeper than most; he waited patiently.
Finally, Yu So Un broke the silence with the unexpected.
"Seo Baek, looks like I can't go to Shaolin with you."