To Hell With It
"What are you standing there gawking for? Get over here and have a drink!"
Maeng Chang-haeng waved Yeop Pung over.
"Damn it, flying from here to Dragon Tomb where the hunt's being held is going to take more than half a day. Luckily, this old man came prepared."
He flicked his wrist, and a bottle of the spiritual liquor Yeop Pung loved to drink popped out of a pitch-black ring.
Yeop Pung had witnessed this mysterious spatial storage more than once — the Qiankun Ring. He couldn't help envying the simple fact that you could carry anything, anywhere, at any time.
That's right. If I had a Qiankun Ring of my own, couldn't I take things back to the past?
The thought crossed his mind as he approached the table. There was no need to stand on ceremony with Maeng Chang-haeng. If the old man himself couldn't care less about the elders left standing out in the wind, why should Yeop Pung feel sorry for them?
"Come on. Let's have a drink."
Clink.
Three cups met.
Yeop Pung downed his in one go, a coolness spreading through his entire body. Beside him, Maeng Chang-haeng blew on a scalding chunk of lamb.
"Yeop Pung. There are two things I need to tell you."
Of course there were.
Yeop Pung had known from the start that the old man hadn't summoned him for a meal without a reason. He nodded at once.
"Go ahead. Bone, pass the garlic sauce, would you..."
"First — focus on racking up real combat experience in this hunt. Go in there, beat down some beasts, thrash some people. Win if you can. If you really can't, Bone'll have your back..."
"I know."
On this point, Yeop Pung was genuinely grateful to the old man.
"Second — while you're at it, look after our Cheonun Sect disciples as best you can... Aigoo, speaking of which, just look at those kids out there. A bunch of weaklings, the lot of them. Whining and whimpering like a pack of puppies."
"Ah, Bone, let go. Not you — I wasn't talking about you. That's a good boy. Now let go... Where was I. Right. Bone's going with you this time, and you can hold your own well enough, so don't let our kids get pushed around too badly. Rankings are secondary. What matters is that everyone comes back in one piece... Hm? What's with you? Why are you zoning out?"
"Ah... it's nothing. Wow, this meat is really good!"
"Yeop Pung!"
The old man had weathered more storms than most. One look at Yeop Pung's face and he knew something was up.
"That little seating arrangement of yours in the plaza earlier was a real work of art. Don't tell me you went and caused trouble?"
"Uh... it's nothing major... I just had a bit of friction with a few people."
"That bastard Beom Undae, is it?"
"It's not just Beom Undae."
"Who else?"
"Who else... everyone except me, actually..."
Thud.
The chopsticks in the old man's hand clattered onto the table.
"You little—!"
The entire airship shuddered.
"I told you not to cause trouble — to act for the greater good! Do you even listen to a word people say? Bone's a better listener than you are!"
Boom!
A massive fist came flying at Yeop Pung's face.
Outside, everyone strained to hear the tremendous noise coming from within the airship. Maeng Chang-haeng had raised a Profound Qi formation to block the sound. But he had put so much force into the blow that a thunderous crash shook the entire vessel.
A short while later, Yeop Pung emerged from the cabin with a bloody nose and a ring of purple bruises around his eyes.
What happened?
The crowd was baffled at first — then they burst out laughing.
"Hahaha, that's Yeop Pung for you — got his ass kicked!"
"Serves him right, strutting around like that. Gotta say, though — the old man's fair. Put that arrogant bastard in his place right away!"
Beom Undae and Mo Soo-mi, in particular, were beside themselves with glee at the sight of Yeop Pung's wretched face. Even their nerves about the hunt seemed to ease.
Yeop Pung stared at the childish brats in front of him, incredulous.
I'm supposed to look after these little shits? To hell with it...
"That's a vicious punch you've got, old man Maeng..."
Inside the cabin, Maeng Chang-haeng looked at the hand smeared with Yeop Pung's nosebleed and grinned at the memory of the boy's sorry state.
"That brat, standing against everyone all by himself. Heh. That temper of his, pulling stunts like that — he's the spitting image of me... All right, Bone. I'll leave the rest to you."
He held out the bloodied hand to Bone.
Bone had still been wrestling with a meatball in his bowl. At Maeng Chang-haeng's call he sauntered over, unimpressed, and sniffed Yeop Pung's blood.
Woof?
Bone's ears pricked up.
"What's the matter?"
It was the first time Bone had ever looked this startled in front of Maeng Chang-haeng. As if something grave had happened, he cautiously approached the hand again and sniffed Yeop Pung's blood once more. The dog cocked his head, baffled. Then he flicked out his tongue, tasted the blood — and shook his head hard before turning away.
"What on earth is that about?"
Maeng Chang-haeng was thoroughly puzzled himself.
Bone shot him a sidelong glare.
"Don't ask. How am I supposed to explain something this complicated?"
"Uh... all right."
Maeng Chang-haeng scratched his head. Watching Bone go back to his meat, he wondered.
Don't tell me... is there something wrong with that brat's blood?
After Yeop Pung left, nothing much happened aboard the airship.
Maeng Chang-haeng, commander of this expedition, gave his famously willful nature free rein. From the moment he boarded, he never once showed his face. He seemed genuinely intent on eating and sleeping the entire way to the hunting grounds.
He even dumped the explanation of the hunt's rules on Han Un. Han Un knew Maeng Chang-haeng's temperament well enough that he didn't complain — he didn't dare.
Han Un stood on the upper deck and briefed everyone on the hunt's precautions.
Simply put, the Autumn Hunt was divided into two major parts.
The first was, as the name suggested, the hunt itself. The venue was Dragon Tomb, the largest mountain range in the Great Jin Empire — a vast, endless chain of peaks stretching ten thousand li. The hunt would take place only in a portion of its outermost reaches.
Once the competition began, everyone would enter the mountains to hunt wild beasts, with a special method for tallying each participant's score. But hunting alone wouldn't be enough to place well. That was where the second part came in.
At the innermost point of the hunting grounds rose a peak called Taibai Peak. The terrain was treacherous, and only a single path led toward the heavens.
Every participant had to meet the hunting quota as quickly as possible and reach the foot of Taibai Peak. Only the first one hundred to arrive would qualify for the final Ascent Battle. The first to reach the summit of Taibai Peak would be crowned champion of the hunt — and with that title came boundless glory and a special reward prepared by the Military Supply Bureau.
In this way, the hunt was the most important proving ground for measuring a martial artist's strength — and, by extension, the power of the faction behind them. Both the hunting stage and the Ascent Battle that followed demanded cooperation and sacrifice from every member. In the end, they had to put their most promising candidate on the summit of Taibai Peak, to become the pride of all Fengsang Commandery.
But after finishing the rules, Han Un and the other five elders offered, disappointingly, neither a stirring oath nor a word of encouragement. Instead, they earnestly cautioned each and every disciple.
"Safety first. Safety above all else!"
"Wang Maeng, you're one of the strongest in this group, so you must not overreach. I'd be glad if you made it to Taibai Peak, but looking after your fellow disciples comes first!"
"Listen well, all of you. Do not, under any circumstances, pick a fight with the Military Supply Bureau's participants... Avoid them if you can. If you can't, it's fine to lose. The hunt's rules forbid harming another person. Every one of you must come back safely!"
Everyone's spirits sank. It was thoroughly deflating.
Yeop Pung shook his head beside them. A hundred years — that was all it had taken to crush a sect's fighting spirit this thoroughly. If Yeo Sogong and that pigheaded Yeok Chang-hae from a century ago could see Cheonun Sect now, they'd probably smash their way out of their coffins in a rage.
And what about me? Am I really just supposed to go in, beat up some beasts, train my martial arts, and come back?
Do I truly have no attachment to that rumored champions' list, or to the Military Supply Bureau's generous rewards?
Of course not!
But Yeop Pung knew perfectly well that he was still far from ready. Even if he broke through to the 3rd Meridian Mysterious Realm through his time travel, he'd only match Wang Maeng's fighting strength at best. He stood little chance against the six-meridian experts aiming for the summit of Taibai Peak.
For now, he couldn't afford to get ahead of himself. Preparing well and completing his next journey through time in one piece came first.
The airship glided quietly onward.
At dusk, it arrived before a magnificent, boundless mountain range. The peaks stretched into the distance like a colossal dragon coiled upon the earth, radiating an awe-inspiring presence. This was none other than Dragon Tomb — the most famous source of the dragon vein in the Great Jin Empire, and the chief of ten thousand mountains.
Legend held that Dragon Tomb had been formed from the remains of a true dragon, and that countless secrets lay hidden within. In ages past, the founding emperor of Great Jin had discovered a heavenly opportunity here and built the empire's great foundation.
His grandson, Emperor Shinmu, was said to have cultivated here for decades until he rode a dragon across the Nine Heavens. He was revered as the great emperor who had raised Great Jin from a small nation to the strongest power on the continent. There was not a soul who did not marvel at his achievements.
The Cheonun Sect participants gazed down at the rugged terrain of Dragon Tomb unfolding beneath the airship. The vessel gradually slowed and landed on a mountainside at the outer edge of the range.
This place, the starting point of the Autumn Hunt every year, had already been thoroughly prepared by human hands. Thousands of participants, gathered from every corner of Fengsang Commandery, were already assembled.
Great Jin, where the martial path flourished, placed no restrictions on civilian martial artists entering the hunt — aside from Cheonun Sect and a handful of major factions. For young warriors who dreamed of the martial way, the Autumn Hunt was a chance to prove themselves. And so, every year around this time, this mountainside became the most vibrant place in all of Fengsang Commandery.
"Look over there! That's the Cheonun Sect!"
As the airship slowly descended, the crowd below lifted their heads as one, gazes filled with awe.
Even if Cheonun Sect was no longer what it once had been, to these martial artists it remained a storied orthodox sect of deep history. Watching the Cheonun disciples disembark with proud bearing, the crowd murmured and whispered among themselves.
Some offered praise, others mockery — but simply being the focus of so many eyes was, in itself, a point of pride for the Cheonun Sect disciples.
The Cheonun disciples descended from the airship and assembled on the ground, forming ranks. Around then, a commotion rose in the distance, followed by someone shouting at the top of their lungs.
In an instant, every gaze locked onto the one person standing at the back of the formation.