Luolin Bandits, Thousand Swords, and Little Immortal (2)
“Ptooey.”
“Teacher, did you at least eat some hornwort or something…?”
“Kehum. It's not that bad. Feels like someone's badmouthing me somewhere.”
Baek Su-gyeong wiped his nose with the handkerchief Namgung Som-in had given him as he spoke.
“...The weather's getting chilly bit by bit. Summer felt like it dragged on forever, though.”
“It's October now.”
The ninth lunar month was the tenth solar month. It was about time for the mosquitoes to tuck tail after the limiting heat passed. With the air turning crisp and Baek Su-gyeong worn down from the long journey, catching a cold wasn't all that surprising. Still, he stubbornly insisted it wasn't a runny nose.
“Double Ninth Festival's in two days. Luoyang's gonna be even busier if we stop there, right?”
“You're right, miss. And since the Myeongwang Association is sending someone in person, we should prepare for the Moonlit Tower to be fully booked too.”
Baek Su-gyeong nodded at Namgung Som-in and Jin-myeong's words.
“Honestly, I didn't think the Myeongwang Association would swallow their pride and come out like this.”
“Yes. It's astonishing.”
Namgung Som-in had been floored when she'd gotten word from the Myeongwang Association on the way to Luoyang. Warriors swallowing their pride for Baek Su-gyeong? Their sheer will to meet him was the real shocker.
Namgung Som-in continued.
“But considering the impact you've had on the jianghu, Teacher... it seems like the right choice.”
“That's true, but...”
“The influence you've wielded in the jianghu is far from small. You've gotten people banging on Wudang's closed gates, prompted the Murim Alliance to hold a voluntary sparring tournament, even stirred the unorthodox sects to action. With elders of the Murim Alliance embarrassing themselves before you, this is just the natural outcome.”
“That's what's even more shocking. No matter how you slice it, for a group like the Myeongwang Association, couldn't they just ignore it if they wanted?”
Namgung Som-in shook her head in denial at Baek Su-gyeong's words. Jin-myeong's face showed agreement with her view.
“You're undervaluing yourself too much, Teacher.”
“Hmm...”
“A single piece from your pen can make or break a sect's prosperity. I heard before we left Luoyang that rumors of a Shaolin story had people lining up to become lay disciples there overnight...”
Baek Su-gyeong grimaced at Namgung Som-in's words. He could barely accept that Wudang Sword Hero had revived Wudang, but now rumors of a sequel about Shaolin were spawning wannabe lay disciples? A signing event could spark who-knows-what disaster.
“Let's hurry for now. Stop by Yongmun Escort Bureau to see the chief if he's there, meet the Myeongwang folks at the Moonlit Tower, then head back to Wuan.”
“Oh, right—I heard someone called Division Leader So is coming to Luoyang too...”
“Division Leader So?”
So Ssaang-a coming to Luoyang? Had something happened? Baek Su-gyeong tamped down a flicker of unease.
“A real gathering, huh... a real gathering...”
Baek Su-gyeong headed toward the carriage. His heavy sigh trailed behind like white smoke.
Sexiang County buzzed with Double Ninth Festival preparations.
As one of the major holidays celebrated across the Central Plains, the county was rushing to get ready. The magistrate oversaw the festivals personally, officials scurried about, and those staying at Bang Soran's manor house decorated and prepped for visitors from Sexiang.
Bang Soran threw herself into the work too. With most adults away helping down in the county, only kids and a few grown-ups guarded the manor.
“I wanna read the next volume...”
So Seon-ha flipped open the first volume of Little Immortal Hero Chronicles again, having reread it so much she knew it by heart. She longed for the sequel. The protagonist was too much like her: meeting Ban Yu-ran, slowly opening up, rising through martial arts training.
“Did Teacher tell Master about me?”
It was so spot-on, the thought crossed her mind. Lying on the bed, So Seon-ha held up Little Immortal Hero Chronicles, then hugged it close.
“The one and only book Su-gyeong Teacher wrote just for me...”
That Baek Su-gyeong had written it for her alone filled her with joy.
“Can I get strong like the girl in this book too?”
The heroine of Little Immortal Hero Chronicles, So Yu-hyeon, wasn't talentless—just misguided. Her meridians were innately reversed compared to normal warriors, a condition called Reverse Meridian Body. Standard methods wouldn't work for cultivating inner arts; her acupoints were flipped, making pressure points hard to hit and quick to release, but requiring unconventional training paths.
Hugging the book, So Seon-ha stared at the ceiling.
“Am I... Reverse Meridian Body too?”
Bang Soran hadn't explained her constitution. A master like her had to know, but So Seon-ha had never asked, so she'd stayed silent. She'd just said So Seon-ha was a bit slower than other kids. Probably because her master was too busy to tend to her properly, So Seon-ha figured.
“Hm...?”
Deep in thought with the book clutched tight, So Seon-ha sat up at the commotion outside.
Krunch!
The moment she rose from bed, a deafening crash splintered the door, and burly bandits burst in.
“Wh-who are you?!”
The hulking bandits surrounded her. They hadn't swung yet, but blood flecked their weapons. Through the shattered door, manor houses blazed.
“Found her, Boss!”
“You dimwit, it's Chief around here!”
“Gahk!”
One bandit tumbled from a kick by the man who appeared behind. Amid the chuckling thugs slapping Park Do's shoulders strode a scarred-forehead man. Jang Yu glared down at So Seon-ha with venomous eyes.
“This the bitch's disciple?”
“Wh-who are you?”
“Me?”
Jang Yu smiled kindly at her.
“Guess who I am. Get it right, and I'll tell you.”
“That's pointless!”
“You think this Q&A means anything? Tie her up!”
He'd never planned to give his name. Jang Yu patted Park Do's shoulder, eyeing So Seon-ha bound tight by his men. His poisonous gaze made her tremble.
“Bang Soran's disciple, huh? You'll be useful.”
A cold smile curled Jang Yu's lips.
“Take her to the stronghold. That bitch won't resist if it's her weak spot!”
“Yes, Boss!”
“It's Chief, you idiot!”
Kicking his dumb subordinate's rear, Jang Yu turned away. He and his bandits marched through roaring flames. This happened on Mt. Bokwoo, three days before Double Ninth.
“What?!”
“B-Bang Heroine!”
Bang Soran nearly collapsed, legs buckling, but caught herself. Dizziness hit. While she'd left Mt. Bokwoo briefly, Luolin bandits had raided, torched the manor, killed people. How could she not be shocked?
Her half-fallen thoughts flew to So Seon-ha.
“S-Seon-ha! What about Seon-ha and the kids?!”
“Th-that's...”
The messenger avoided her eyes. Bang Soran realized: something terrible had happened to the child.
“Tell me! What happened to Seon-ha and the kids?!”
“Seon-ha... vanished. Looks like the bandits took her.”
“...Ah.”
“Bang Heroine!”
Her forcibly upheld body crumbled like a toppled pagoda. Others caught her sway but couldn't stop the collapse. Too shocked, she clutched her head, shaking it as a chilling hiss escaped her lips.
“Who was it?”
“They left this book and a note at your house, Bang Heroine.”
The man from the manor handed over Little Immortal Hero Chronicles and a small note. Bang Soran's eyes sharpened. So Seon-ha never parted from the book. Leaving it meant she'd been taken for sure.
The man continued.
“By the time we got up, the village was all burned. We saw the spread nearby and rushed to put it out, but it was too late... couldn't save anyone.”
“Because I came down to Sexiang...”
Grind.
Bang Soran gnashed her teeth.
“The fire was everywhere, but it spared your house. The book got a bit singed from the heat, but it's in good shape. Leaving it seems like a taunt aimed at you.”
“Nine dragons...”
The note bore a nine-dragon emblem. Few sects used it—dragons risked imperial ire, an unspoken taboo. But Bang Soran knew this Gu Ryong Mun: the mark of Nine Dragon Stronghold, which she'd crushed three years ago.
She lifted her head, eyes gleaming coldly.
“Low Dragon of the Hills, Jang Yu...!”
Rebuilding his lair and gathering minions again? Crumpling the note like trash, Bang Soran rose. Her face twisted like she'd seen a demon, startling onlookers.
“Bang Heroine?!”
“Bang Heroine, where are you going?!”
“Bang Heroine!”
She paused at the calls.
“Nine Dragon Stronghold.”
Her curt reply burned with feral rage.
“I'll wipe out those bandit scum.”
Taat!
Launching with lightness skill, Bang Soran's form sliced through the night.