Canal Winds and Clouds (4)
“To turn a group into revenants, it's best to target two people. The lowly grunts no one pays attention to, or the boss who gives the orders. The former lets you work in secret, while the latter makes it easy to summon underlings one by one and convert them.”
It was sound logic.
Wang Yi Sam had no choice but to shut his mouth and listen intently.
“We'll split up, find the scholar each on our own, then regroup in this room. You take the latrine, Seo Baek the storeroom, and I'll handle the steersman's quarters.”
“Understood.”
“Got it……”
Wang Yi Sam nodded, but a complaint bubbled up when he realized he'd drawn the smelly latrine.
“Can't we switch spots? Why do I get the latrine?”
“The latrine's the least dangerous.”
“Why?”
“If the scholar's a revenant, he has no reason to go there. If you do run into someone, he's not a revenant—just pretend you're there to do your business, and it'll be fine.”
“Ah……”
Song Hyeon was right again.
“Same for the storeroom,” said Seo Baek.
“Exactly. Revenants drink the blood of the living. If the scholar's stealing food, that's proof he's not one.”
Hearing that, Wang Yi Sam thumped his chest, afraid Song Hyeon might offer to swap.
“Fine! The latrine's mine!”
“Then I'll head down first.”
“See you in the room.”
Seo Baek dropped through the hole in the floor, then pushed the cut floorboard back up from below.
Song Hyeon stabbed his sword into the board and wedged it into the gap. The square-cut piece stayed firmly in place.
“Won't they notice?”
“The moment the scholar returns and dawn breaks, yes.”
The hole was in the corner, so unless someone stepped right over it, it wouldn't be spotted. But come morning, that odd seam in the floorboards wouldn't escape notice.
Not unless the scholar was just an ordinary scribe.
“A thief breaking in through the floor? He'll be dumbfounded.”
“Tracking the scholar matters, but don't get caught by the crew either.”
“Got it.”
Song Hyeon and Wang Yi Sam cracked the door, scanned the empty hallway, then split off in opposite directions toward their targets.
Seo Baek descended into the storeroom and slotted the ceiling panel back into place before turning around.
The storeroom remained shrouded in darkness.
Was the scholar somewhere in that gloom, unable to resist his hunger and pilfering food?
A martial expert like him wouldn't stoop to such desperation. But the Central Plains were full of eccentrics.
Still, worth checking.
Finding the scholar would mean he wasn't a revenant.
One less suspect. No time wasted.
The problem was the room showed no signs of disturbance.
Revenants leave traces.
Seo Baek recalled his master's words.
Revenants must regularly suck the blood of the living. Not just drinking from the mouth—they tear open their own throats so the Blood Thread Worm can feed directly.
There are exceptions, of course. But remember: most revenants have that habit.
If his master was right, there should be traces—a bowl to catch blood, remnants of absorption.
Nothing.
Which meant the scholar wasn't a revenant.
But that didn't resolve the mystery.
A long-distance traveler's room lacked the essentials: luggage, weapons.
What did that mean?
The scholar was preparing to leave the barge.
The barge was still chugging up the canal. It would take twice as long to reach Luoyang as the journey so far.
Yet he was bailing already?
A thought flashed through Seo Baek's mind.
I heard we pass Suzhou today.
Suzhou lay east in Anhui Province—the stronghold of the Namgung Family.
If the scholar planned to disembark there…
He's tied to the Namgung Family.
One of the Five Great Families of the Central Plains, renowned alongside the Jegal Family for producing warriors skilled in both martial arts and strategy.
Strategy meant scheming.
Hadn't Jegal Hyeok, second son of the Jegal Family, tried to capture Seo Baek for Shaolin-bound intel?
Seo Baek felt the same chill as when he'd arrived at the Jegal estate.
The scholar might be after me.
He pieced it together. The Namgung Family wanted Shaolin travelers. The scholar was their agent, set to slip off at Suzhou.
With Seo Baek as hostage.
But he wasn't in his room?
Hiding somewhere, stalking and tailing him!
That's when it came—a rustle of footsteps in the storeroom.
Damn. Too late.
They'd sought the scholar, only to be ambushed instead. And in the worst way: scattered, alone.
My mistake.
But Seo Baek smirked instead.
His master's words on failed missions:
Unexpected errors always happen.
Don't panic and chase them—focus on not letting them snowball.
Recover from the blunder and press on.
A snuffed torch hung on the wall.
Seo Baek grabbed it, lit the tinder bundle.
Whoosh. Flame bloomed in the dark storeroom.
He turned toward the sound.
But no scholar appeared—three martial artists instead.
Seo Baek, usually impassive, furrowed his brow.
Another miscalculation.
The scholar wasn't the only one hunting Shaolin travelers.
These faces were familiar—passed on the barge several times.
So…
The Namgung Family posted a bounty?
More hunters meant more confirmation.
Another mistake.
Seo Baek's gaze turned icy.
One way to atone for repeated errors:
Mercilessly eliminate the obstacles!
These three were assassins who'd boarded after intel from Black Spot Inn, targeting Seo Baek.
They bared their killing intent openly.
“Kid, you're the one headed to Shaolin, right?”
That line confirmed Seo Baek's theory.
Someone in the Murim Alliance leaked Shaolin traveler info everywhere. These are black path assassins chasing the bounty.
“We're taking you off this barge. Come quietly, and we'll spare your life.”
Silent till now, Seo Baek spoke.
“Heading to the Namgung Family?”
“……”
The assassins faltered, exchanging glances.
“How'd you know?”
“I was just reflecting on how late I caught on.”
“Doesn't matter how. We need the cash.”
“Yeah, keep that pretty face intact and come nice, heh heh.”
They cackled, assuming victory.
“First, may I ask your esteemed names? Any nicknames? Perhaps the Three Yangtze Killers?”
“Three Yangtze Killers?”
“We're just partners in crime to snag you!”
“Three Yangtze Killers? First time hearing that ridiculous name, haha!”
“So you'll take me alive to drag me along—no beheading, then?”
“Dead, you'd be useless—obviously!”
They roared with laughter, mocking him.
Exactly as Seo Baek intended.
As expected.
Overconfident, they'd spilled what he wanted.
Partners thrown together to catch me. Not true allies from the start.
“But there's only one me. Who hands me to the Namgung Family?”
“……!”
“Not Three Yangtze Killers, so you three barely know each other. How will you split the Namgung bounty? It's a fortune—even equal shares would be plenty.”
“……”
Their laughter vanished.
As Seo Baek guessed, they'd met at Black Spot Inn—strangers before.
The Shaolin traveler bounty lured them into an instant pact, to outpace rivals.
The split? They'd postponed it, figuring they'd sort it post-capture.
Now, with him cornered, the issue surfaced.
The Namgung reward was lifetime wealth—even divided, ample.
But human greed?
Ordinary folk share a bean; black path scum steal half of yours!
Thieves and killers by trade—they hated sharing a copper.
Now they eyed each other, not Seo Baek.
Their thoughts aligned:
Why split? I've hogged it all before.
What if this guy stabs me in the back while I grab the kid?
No them, and the whole bounty's mine!
Seo Baek sneered coldly at their faces.
The scheme worked.
Sowing discord among them was simple.
They killed well enough, but brains? Lacking.
The black path opposed the orthodox sects.
Some schemed intricately, rivaling the righteous with underworld networks—like the Hao Clan.
Others chased petty gains, blind to the big picture—like beasts.
These assassins were the latter.
Seo Baek sneered inwardly but kept an innocent facade.
“With such tight bonds between you four, I'm relieved. Just split the bounty four ways evenly.”
“……”
Their eyes wavered visibly.
No loyalty among black path thugs from the start.
One tilted his head.
“Wait. Four?”
“Yes. Wrong?”
“We're three—what…”
“Oh? Aren't you four? Right here…”
Whoosh. Thwack.
Seo Baek spun, slashing empty air behind with his sword. The fourth assassin, hidden in shadows, screamed and crumpled.
“Aaaagh……”
Despite the massive greatsword, Seo Baek snapped back to face forward instantly.
“One more, right?”
“……!”
Indeed—four in total.
Three blocked the front to distract, one lurked for opportunities.
But Seo Baek had sensed it.
The assassins gaped, stunned.
How'd the kid spot it?
And that strength—wielding a greatsword like straw.
One stroke felled the fourth; even pro killers marveled.
The trio's eyes chilled.
Now they realized:
The Namgung bounty target. Carrying vital Shaolin intel.
No ordinary kid.