Even the Borderlands Have People - 7
Baek Su Mun had won over the maeks' hearts in a mere week.
"Kids! We're here!"
- Buooo!
- Buo! Buo!
From the moment they heard the footsteps of the Baek Su Mun disciples, the maeks perked up their ears. When that booming voice rang out, they came scampering over. Not just the curious, gluttonous young ones, but even the adults quietly guarding their young welcomed the disciples. It was quite the sight—beasts the size of cows charging like country puppies.
'It actually worked.'
It was a wondrous spectacle too. I'd half-expected Baek Su Mun, experts at taming all manner of beasts from Yunnan, to suss out the maeks' lair and capture them. That's why I'd summoned them, figuring they'd persuade the maeks and take them back to Yunnan. But to think they'd charm the whole family in just a week. It took longer than that to befriend a stray village mutt.
"It actually worked."
I turned at the dazed voice beside me to see Pojeongsa wearing a complicated expression. His feelings were probably more tangled than mine. I'd dealt with Baek Su Mun before, but this was his first time. He must be feeling the exact awe I'd experienced in Yunnan.
"They're the foremost beast tamers in the Central Plains. Before the Emperor's great undertaking, they traveled with all sorts of spirit beasts."
"Can't deny it. I've only seen them for seven days, but their skill and passion are undeniable."
Pojeongsa let out a wry chuckle and stroked the panda beside him.
'The panda...'
This time, I was the one eyeing Pojeongsa and the panda with a complicated gaze. A few days after Ji Wi Pyeong's vanguard arrived in Nanjou, the rear guard pulled in with carts and carriages. And for some reason, one cart held a panda passenger.
They claimed it had wandered over, lured by the scent of premium bamboo they'd gathered, and hopped aboard uninvited. But why they hadn't shooed it off and just brought it along remained a mystery. And gifting it to Pojeongsa? Even more baffling.
'At least the parties involved seem thrilled.'
The panda plopped on the ground, munching bamboo. Pojeongsa petted it fondly. They'd formed a fine master-pet bond. The meeting was odd, but a good relationship was what mattered.
You could even call it fate.
- Buoooo.
"Why do you keep coming to me?"
Though that fate seemed to extend to me, which was a bit awkward. While its parents and siblings frolicked with Baek Su Mun, this one stuck to me. It'd snatch bamboo from their hands with its trunk, devour it, then trot back without a second thought. Odd indeed. With the Central Plains' top beast experts right there, why me?
'Because of Samshik?'
I even wondered if it was picking up Samshik's scent on me. But it didn't sniff around anymore like before. It ignored my sleeve—Samshik's haunt—and just rubbed its face on my leg.
"Haha, looks like that one's taken a shine to the Left Vice Inspector. Spirit beasts' favorites really are something else."
Pojeongsa burst out laughing at the sight. Favorite of spirit beasts? An overly grand, mysterious title, but I couldn't deny it.
'Four of them now...'
Kki-ing-i, Kki-ong-i, Samshik-i, and now this baby maek. Four spirit beasts rare for most folks to glimpse in a lifetime, all taking to me.
- Buoo?
"...Want more?"
- Buooo~
The baby maek tilted its head at my gaze, then let out a pleased trumpet when I offered bamboo. At this point, three or four hardly mattered. Let comers come, let goers go.
- Shiiik...
- Sieeek...
- Shiuuuk...
As I pondered that, Samshik, who'd slithered up to my chest, let out a low hiss. The predator maek nearby must have instinctively terrified it.
'It doesn't seem interested in you.'
The maek paid Samshik no mind regardless. With folks feeding it endlessly, why bother with a finger-sized snake? Or maybe it knew Samshik was my pet and held back. If so, they were smart as spirit beasts ought to be.
With the maeks calmed, Nanjou's gloomy pallor revived. The drought damage lingered, but as a hub by the Yellow River, it regained its modest bustle and vibrancy once the crisis passed.
'Not bad.'
Folks boating on the Yellow River, merchants hawking food and drink nearby, fireworks Pojeongsa lit to celebrate. I couldn't have imagined this upon arriving. I smirked faintly. My Yellow River-view inn finally shone.
"Once the maeks head to Yunnan, we go to Qongqushan."
"Yes, my lord. I'll prepare in advance."
Of course, I wasn't lingering to savor it. Gansu had more to inspect, then Qinghai next.
'Qongqushan.'
I sipped my drink, organizing thoughts. Qongqushan was home to Gongdong-pa, Gansu's murim overlord—practically everything here. Befriend them, and no need for other sects. The gap between first-place Gongdong-pa and everyone else was overwhelming.
Plus, chatting with Baek Joo-il and the Gongdong-pa disciples before they left, aside from the maeks, nothing unusual brewed in Gansu.
'Straight shot to Jiayu Pass then.'
Gansu stretched long and narrow, not round. Hit Jiayu Pass from Qongqushan, and you'd cover most of it. Greet the Jiayu commandant, head south to Qinghai. Simple, efficient itinerary.
'Smoother than expected.'
I drained my cup and sighed softly. Nanjou folk, freshly fleeced by maeks, might gasp, but from my view, it'd wrapped neatly. Spotting the family early, linking with beast experts Baek Su Mun—swift resolution. Gansu's main quest, the maek crisis, ended ahead of schedule. Hopefully Qinghai would be a freebie too.
'Please.'
The wine tasted oddly sweet and bitter tonight.
Mmm.
Mmmph...
Mmmmmm...!
'Tough.'
I sighed softly over the classics. Nothing in the world was easy, but civil exam prep felt especially grueling. Maybe even more than learning martial arts.
'How did Gaga overcome this?'
Studying deepened my awe for Gaga. He'd entered officialdom years ago, younger than me now, passing the exams and rising proudly. I'd vaguely admired it before, knowing only that the exams were brutal. Now, grasping their ferocity, it was monumental.
'Amazing.'
So even sighing over texts, my lips curved up. Conquering those hellish exams while pursuing scholarship—and reaching first-rate? How cool, how incredible. How much unseen effort had Gaga poured in?
Thus, I pressed on. Exams daunted me, texts wearied me, but I wouldn't quit. Not to shame myself before Gaga. For Grandfather, Father, family cheering my choice.
'Still, making progress.'
Texts read dozens, hundreds of times. Post-qi deviation book binge helped; tough, but doable. Odd irony—qi deviation, death for warriors, aided me. And it bonded me closer to Gaga. More blessing than curse.
This qi deviation? I could handle another...
- Gugu guk!
"Kyaaak!"
A messenger pigeon's cry from the window startled me as the foolish thought flitted by—like heaven scolding me directly.
'...Snap out of it.'
Since heaven had cause, I lightly slapped my cheeks in reprimand. I'd worried family and retainers sick, wasted Gaga's precious Public Appraisal Oil on that qi deviation. Wishing for another? Childish folly. Reflect.
Even private thoughts had bounds.
"You're here?"
- Guk!
Suppressing embarrassment, I cautiously opened the window. Sudden, but welcome. It halted my ugly musing; only one pigeon came to me.
"Good work today."
Gaga's letter, as always. Nothing else brought pigeons my way.
'What's it say this time?'
Heart pounding, I unrolled it. Last one said he was heading to Gansu; he must've arrived by now?
To my beloved fiancée Ak I-yeon, from Han Un of Giwangga.
Somehow ended up traveling with a baby maek. Explaining this one would take a while...
I smiled softly at the warm opening. Then...
'...Huh?'
A strange line caught my eye amid the cozy read.
Gaga traveling with a maek?
"A maek?"
I gaped blankly. That maek? The spirit beast that ate iron, copper, even human nightmares?
'Heavens.'
Didn't Gaga already have three spirit beasts...?