Fine Wine and a Merry Song
Beneath the dawn, Yeop Pung rested his chin in his palm and gazed at the sheer cliff rising before him, lost in thought.
Taibai Peak thrust up from the mountainside of Yongling, walled by cliffs on three sides, with only a single path to the summit opening directly in front of the campsite. At Yeop Pung's current speed, a full sprint from the mountain's foot to its crown would take three shichen at most.
Once the Ascent Battle began, that path would be the final dash. A hundred contestants would clash in a contest of speed and martial force along that lone road.
Yeop Pung could roughly picture what the ascent would look like. Each faction would cluster together, escorting their strongest contestant toward the summit. Along the way, clashes between camps would be inevitable. There might even be casualties.
The Cheonun Sect stood to gain nothing in such a situation. Even if Wang Maeng and the others joined and they held a numerical advantage, it wouldn't amount to much. Yeop Pung had witnessed the Military Supply Bureau's monstrous cohort firsthand; he knew that numbers alone were useless. To win the Ascent Battle, he would need a stroke of ingenuity.
And that stroke of ingenuity was none other than Yeop Pung's time-travel ability. He had run the numbers: five days from now, he would make his next journey through time.
But how was he supposed to use a seven-day jump here on Taibai Peak to seize victory?
Yeop Pung frowned as he walked, then stopped. His hem seemed to have caught on something. He looked down.
"Hm? Who would've thought Blood Palm Fruit would be growing in a place like this?"
He was no stranger to this prickly, juicy berry. A few Blood Palm Fruit trees were planted in the Cheonun Sect's Herb Garden as well. Among the common folk, people not only picked and ate the fruit but also used its juice to make a beautiful sunset-colored dye.
He lifted his head and saw a larger wild berry patch not far off. Deep in the rarely traveled reaches of Yongling, the landscape unfolded with an unexpected charm.
Yeop Pung crouched down, meaning to pick a cluster of Blood Palm Fruit and crunch right into it. The instant he reached out, a rush of wind sounded above his head, and something came flying at him.
A hidden weapon!
He twisted aside in a flash, cursing inwardly. Don't tell me it's those damn rabbits again!
Thud!
Having luckily evaded, he found not a gash from a wind blade on the ground behind him, but a fist-sized stone.
Huh?
Before he could collect himself, the whistling came twice more.
Look out!
Yeop Pung flung himself aside again and dodged the two incoming rocks. He looked up. Far away on the cliff sat two large monkeys. They squatted there, clutching stones they had pried from the cliff face, baring their teeth as they glared at him.
Having spent so long with Bone, Yeop Pung had naturally learned to read an animal's eyes. And these two monkeys' intent was all too clear.
"Human, get your hands off our fruit!"
Monkeys guarding fruit?
Yeop Pung's eyes lit up as a promising idea struck him. He might just have found a way to seize the high ground for himself. A rough plan took shape in his mind. He was only missing one decisive condition. If he could find that, he might actually be able to contend with those Military Supply Bureau monsters for first place in the Autumn Hunt.
As the thoughts tumbled through him, Yeop Pung this time made no move to provoke the monkeys on the mountain. He vanished quickly into the forest and began searching for something else.
On the cliff, the two large monkeys—each more than half a chi in length—watched Yeop Pung flee and smugly lifted their chins. Clearly, this was a foul-tempered troop.
Before they knew it, the fourth morning of the Autumn Hunt had dawned.
By this point, however, the rate at which contestants arrived had actually slowed. After the Cheonun Sect had claimed fifty-five spots in a single sweep, only five more people had reached the campsite, filling the ranks through eighty-fifth place.
It was easy enough to understand. In any given hunt, that was about how many contestants truly had the skill. Once they had passed through, those remaining either faced some obstacle or simply lacked the ability to complete the task at once, and so they had to pick their way slowly through the outer forests.
By custom, it usually took about five days for all one hundred spots to fill. Even with an exception like this time, the final results weren't expected until tonight.
At noon on the fourth day, the Gi clan party finally returned. Patriarch Gi Yeo-hae, his eyes bloodshot, rushed out to greet his beloved son. Then, so as not to become a laughingstock, he took Qi Gongtian straight back to their own tent to talk.
But people saw the sorry state of the Gi clan party. Though a crowd of several dozen had come back, only five had actually completed the task. They filled the list through ninetieth place.
When others approached with curious questions, all they received in return were the Gi clan warriors' murderous glares and barked rebukes.
"Get lost! We're in a foul mood, so don't talk to us!"
Yeop Pung arrived at the campsite as the ninety-second. His appearance was quiet and drew little notice.
The Cheonun Sect disciples resting nearby started to acknowledge him, then remembered how he'd swaggered after saving them, and sat back down. Wang Maeng and the others didn't rise either. An awkward current still ran between the Cheonun Sect disciples and Yeop Pung; the conflict hadn't fully resolved.
But Maeng Chang-haeng was different. The moment he heard Yeop Pung had returned, he prepared a meat stew and minced garlic in his tent and instructed Han Un to fetch him. He raised a soundproof barrier and got down to the serious business of preparing a meal.
Yeop Pung stepped into the tent and smiled at the familiar scene. Then he turned his head, spotted a golden shadow, and started.
"Bone? What are you doing here?"
He collected himself and looked at Maeng Chang-haeng with a look of pointed scorn.
"Grand-Uncle, so you really didn't put Bone to work after all. This guy said he'd watch over me, and I didn't see so much as a single hair of him!"
Maeng Chang-haeng and Bone, at that moment, shot Yeop Pung identically disdainful looks with startling synchronicity.
"Naive brat. Quit the nonsense and get over here. We need to talk about what comes next!"
Maeng Chang-haeng waved Yeop Pung into a seat and first knocked back a bowl of spirit wine. Then he spoke.
"What?"
Hearing Maeng Chang-haeng's words, Yeop Pung's eyes went round.
"You want me to give up on the Ascent Battle?"
"That's right!"
Maeng Chang-haeng gulped his wine.
"You did well this time. Our Cheonun Sect has already saved face, so there's no need to fight over first place in this hunt. And honestly..."
"We couldn't win even if we fought, right?"
Yeop Pung picked up the thread naturally, popping a piece of well-cooked lamb into his mouth.
"That's because you lot are useless!"
Maeng Chang-haeng's eyes bulged.
"Which of you could last even three exchanges against that monster Sa Cheonseong?"
Since arriving at the campsite, Yeop Pung had heard that name countless times.
Sa Cheonseong—the genius who had completed the task in two days and, with overwhelming skill, had dominated the hunting phase of the tournament. Sixth place last year, and this year the undisputed favorite for the championship.
He was certainly an opponent the current Yeop Pung couldn't face head-on. But if not from the front, then from the side, from behind—maybe even from below, there might be an opening.
Yeop Pung said nothing, but the plan in his mind was already nearly complete. He nodded.
"That's true enough. The Ascent Battle is bound to be ferocious. I'll tell Wang Maeng and the others to follow slowly from the rear. No need for them to get mixed up in it."
"Oho, so that means you haven't given up yet? I'll say this now: Bone can't help you this time. There's only one path, so there's no way to make a move."
"You talk as if you've actually helped me before."
Maeng Chang-haeng and Bone sent Yeop Pung meaningful looks once more.
Greenhorn. You still don't know a damn thing about how the world works.
Yeop Pung didn't explain his thoughts to Maeng Chang-haeng in detail. It was still only at the trial stage, and he wasn't even sure it would succeed. Of course, the plan didn't carry much risk, either.
"And one more thing to watch out for..."
"Yes. I'm listening."
"Starting tomorrow evening, the Profound Qi Tide will begin on Taibai Peak. It'll last about four days. It's a good opportunity for you, but you must not circulate your energy. This matter absolutely cannot fail!"
"Understood!"
Yeop Pung nodded. It couldn't be helped. This was the sole flaw in his current cultivation. But there was no need to feel too sorry over a single Profound Qi Tide. The speed at which Yeop Pung currently drew in Profound Qi couldn't be compared to any tide phenomenon. It was a Profound Qi tsunami—no, a colossal tidal wave.
And so an old man, a boy, and a dog ate and drank and talked.
Yeop Pung was a little tired. Since the Autumn Hunt had begun, he had gone several nights without sleep. However overflowing his vitality, he was by no means a body of iron.
With wine-hazed eyes he looked at Maeng Chang-haeng and Bone. Maeng Chang-haeng was laughing heartily, yellowed teeth on display. As Bone shoved Maeng Chang-haeng's face away with a front paw in evident displeasure, Maeng Chang-haeng snatched a fish cake with his mouth.
Later, Yeop Pung threw his arms around Old Man Maeng and Bone and sang, just as they had on Nagun Peak. To Yeop Pung, the feeling was warm, something he could grow addicted to.
He thought he really must be drunk. He even found that the bizarre song Old Man Maeng usually belted in his booming voice sounded strangely exhilarating now.
"A man ought to be loved, not looked down on—heaven doesn't give a damn!
A fool who stays sober his whole life—who among us really knows how to live?
In the end we all lie down, ah, the emptiness of this life...
Success or whatever, failure or whatever—none of it beats a cup of wine!
Hahaha! None of it beats a cup of wine!"
Yeop Pung sang along and laughed, and before he knew it he had fallen asleep.
He couldn't tell how much time had passed. In a haze, Yeop Pung thought he heard someone quarreling outside.
When he opened his eyes, his whole body felt indescribably refreshed. Old Man Maeng's spirit wine had driven out all his fatigue and left him feeling clear.
But the sounds coming from outside now made Yeop Pung's face go rigid. Someone was shouting in a sharp voice.