Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Shaanxi Province's Qinling Mountains (2)
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The Qinling Mountains lay to the south of Chang'an, infamous for their treacherous terrain.
With slopes so sheer, it was impossible to carve out ordinary paths.
So they had drilled holes into the cliffs along the relatively passable valleys, fitted brackets and wooden planks atop them, and created a plank road known as a zhandao.
A bridge that looked precarious just to look at. A path that sent dizziness racing through you.
In other words, crossing the Qinling Mountains meant passing through such plank roads.
Of course, Seolha, Yeonhwa, and I had no need for that.
Martial arts weren't just for strutting around. Or were they? Maybe that's when they're used the most?
Either way, with lightness skill, there was no need to cross the mountains via the plank roads.
Wherever my foot touched became the path itself.
Besides, if we took our time strolling along the plank road to admire the scenery, who knew how many days it would take to reach Sichuan.
I couldn't stand for that. If we could go fast, why dawdle?
So we ran.
We couldn't go all out. Seolha and Yeonhwa still couldn't match my speed yet.
We paced ourselves so they could keep up comfortably and crossed the Qinling Mountains.
Between the road from Chang'an to Sichuan lay a place called Hanzhong.
Hanzhong. A fairly famous spot.
A vast basin nestled amid the Qinling Mountains. A place that had always been a vital strategic hub throughout history.
It even played a major role in Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Liu Bei earned his title as King of Hanzhong by seizing it.
Anyway, today's destination was that Hanzhong.
It was a fair distance, but bringing Seolha and Yeonhwa along shouldn't be any trouble.
If even that proved too much, I'd have just wandered off on my own.
Fortunately, Seolha and Yeonhwa kept pace admirably.
Their movements were light, their internal energy flowing smoothly.
Ever since their dantians reformed and they could circulate energy again, the two women brimmed with even more vitality.
Well, internal energy was like that. In a way, it was the ultimate upgrade to blood circulation.
So their faces glowed radiantly. Every gesture overflowed with vibrancy.
Still, running with their face veils flipped up looked a tad uncomfortable.
No matter how much martial arts you knew, air resistance was unavoidable.
There wasn't much conversation. We just kept running.
Leaping off tree branches, soaring from cliff tops.
Seolha followed without a second thought. Yeonhwa flinched a little but jumped in the end.
Seolha's thinking was straightforward. 'If I can make it, the Great Hero must have too.' Utter conviction, not a shred of doubt.
Seeing that made Yeonhwa look almost normal by comparison.
Whenever possible, we kept our distance from the plank roads.
We wore black martial robes, but there was no upside to catching people's eyes.
Not that we strayed too far, either.
You couldn't navigate these mountain paths relying solely on the sun's position. So we had to shadow the plank roads to a degree.
That way, at least we wouldn't get lost.
Plus, the presence of a plank road meant it was the easiest spot nearby to carve a path.
Off-path areas often proved too tough for Seolha and Yeonhwa. Like right now.
"Hmm. You two can't make this."
A sudden chasm. A cliff dropping away like a blade's edge.
Staring at it, I finally got why wuxia tales always had pursuers abandon the chase after a cliff fall.
Anyone halfway decent would die plummeting down there.
If they were injured to boot, they were as good as dead before they even leaped.
"No helping it. Hold on to me."
"Yes, Great Hero."
"Pardon?"
As expected, Seolha approached right away, while Yeonhwa wore a stunned expression.
Though Yeonhwa seemed to be getting used to it bit by bit.
She voiced her doubt, but clung on just like Seolha anyway.
"No need to grip tight. I've got you."
With that, I wrapped both arms around the women's waists and plunged straight down the cliff.
Seolha serene, utterly unworried. Yeonhwa clutching my frame desperately, face ashen with vertigo.
Their demeanors stood in stark contrast. Almost like their personalities shining through.
I stepped on a jutting rock. Bounced off a stubbornly rooted tree branch.
Kicked the wall once to redirect, then touched down softly on solid ground.
A flawless landing, shock-free.
Even I had to admire the way it defied gravity and physics.
"Thank you, Great Hero."
"Hoo...."
As I unwrapped my arms from their waists, Seolha beamed prettily. Yeonhwa let out a sigh of relief.
"Fun, was it?"
"Someday, I can do this like you, right, Great Hero?"
"Eh, it's not that tough."
It'd be rough for them now, but far from impossible. With their talent, they could manage it easy.
Yeonhwa, still looking queasy, gazed up at the cliff we'd descended and couldn't hide her awe.
Yeah. Pretty damn impressive. Even to me.
"Man, the views are killer. Untouched by human hands, maybe?"
Beneath the cliff: rushing water, trees lining its banks, flowers of unknown name.
Something popped into mind gazing at a place like this.
"No cave punched into the cliff face around here?"
"Why a cave, Great Hero?"
"Prime spot for a fated encounter. Fleeing pursuit, later-generation hero hurls self off cliff. Body snags on branch, survives by sheer luck. Finds cave. Skeleton seated in lotus. Secret manual before it. Legendary famed sword. Elixir. Or it's a renowned recluse who turns out famous. Legacy passed. Master avenges disciple and self. That sort of thing?"
"Heh...."
At my rundown, Seolha and Yeonhwa just stared blankly at me.
"Ah, you don't know about this stuff?"
"Did something like that happen? First I've heard."
"Same here."
Tsk. Yeah, figured. Staring at the actual cliff, it seemed impossible for real.
Fall from there, fated encounter or bullshit, you'd just go splat.
Not the kind of thing luck alone could solve.
Plus, cliches like that were wuxia novel exclusives, apparently.
Their reactions screamed never heard of it in my life.
Hmm. Kinda makes me want to try it even more now?
Can't do it straight-up, though... Need some twists.
No random chase victim tumbling here on cue, nor encounter waiting below.
So scatter clues in spots, lure 'em to a cave?
Not bad. Hell, even that's a fated encounter.
"Ah, got lost in thought. Let's move. Gotta hustle."
"Yes, Great Hero."
"Yes, Great Hero."
And off we went again. All the while, I mulled over hidden fated encounters.
How to make 'em fun? Gripping?
Didn't want every tom, dick, and harry stumbling onto them.
That meant weaving personality checks into the clues.
Encounters gated behind good deeds? Hmm... How to rig the conditions?
Can't use people for it. Fun puzzle. Love having shit to ponder.
Running all the while.
Brain on encounters, eyes scanning terrain and the two trailing me, feet pounding ground.
A good stretch later, something snagged in my ears.
"Weapons clashing?"
I halted at once and muttered. Seolha and Yeonhwa stopped too, holding their breath.
And there it was again: metal striking metal.
"Let's check it out."
I launched forward. Audible meant close.
Soon reached the source: one man battling three bruisers.
"It's a guy."
Whoops. Sounded too disappointed?
But Seolha and Yeonhwa didn't seem to take it that way. Good.
The situation was plain as day to anyone.
Merchants trembling off to one side.
A bit removed: a man in martial robes wielding a sword, tangled with three in shabby garb clutching axes.
Their topknots and beast pelts screamed bandit to high heaven.
Foreheads practically stamped Mountain. Bandit. How so utterly generic?
"Shouldn't we help, Great Hero?"
Yeonhwa whispered. I watched the man and bandits a moment before answering.
"Eh. No need. Even if we leave him be, that guy's winning."
Yeonhwa nodded like it made sense.
And it did. One against three, but the edge was his.
Twenty exchanges, tops? One drops, the rest flee or fall.
So we watched. But things shifted quick.
Several presences from the nearby ridge.
Six of 'em. Nothing special skill-wise.
Bandits too. The three fighting knew it—they weren't pressing, just defending against the man's strikes.
"Guess we do need to pitch in now."
No clue who the man was, but I had zero interest in siding with bandits.
Whatever backstory or excuse, they were lawless thugs preying on travelers' backs.
No pity or mercy owed.
"Seolha. Yeonhwa. You ever taken a life?"
Their faces tightened a touch as they replied.
"Yes, Great Hero."
"When escaping the clan..."
Right. No qualms then. Just had to ease any guilt.
"Six bandits incoming that way. Go handle 'em. But don't let so much as a hem touch you. You get me?"
"Yes, Great Hero."
"Got it, Great Hero."
"Go."
At my word, the women shot forward like arrows.
Ink Sword Instant Step kicking in—they were already well ahead.
I watched leisurely as I headed toward the man.