That's Why It's a Problem - 1
My footsteps from Nanjou to Qongqushan were slower than usual. It wasn't because the path to Qongqushan was treacherous or because I was dawdling to kill time.
Buooong! Buo!
"Don't go too far."
Buoooo~
The baby mak that had somehow ended up traveling with me. Having left its family's embrace for the first time and stepped out of the abandoned mine, the little one peered around with a face full of curiosity. Honestly, it was adorable. The tiny creature, small enough to fit snugly in my arms, had insisted on walking on its own, paddling its stubby four legs energetically as it busily sniffed every nook and cranny.
'Everything must seem so new to it.'
I couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of the baby mak. Thanks to its parents' devoted care, it had never ventured beyond the abandoned mine. No wonder everything was fresh and wondrous to it. It was astonishing that they'd raised such a child with such devotion only to let it go independent now.
'Independence, huh...'
Seeing the mak keep a proper distance from me, as if understanding my warning not to stray too far, brought back memories of events at the mine. Baek-su-mun had fully won over the mak family and departed for Yunnam with them. The mother mak, who had injured her leg, had fully recovered and could move right away.
But in the process, one particularly clingy baby mak had stuck to me. As if declaring it wanted to stay with me.
"We can't take that one with us. When a spirit beast chooses its own master or home of its own will, we can't force it otherwise."
Ji Wi-pyeong had shaken his head helplessly at the baby mak wrapping its trunk around my leg in defiance. As he said, if a spirit beast chooses its master or territory itself, no human can override that will. That's why Baek-su-mun had poured so much effort into winning the family's favor. Forcing them to relocate to Yunnam might drive the spirit beast mak berserk.
So Baek-su-mun hadn't put the baby mak that chose me onto their cart.
Buoooo.
Buo! Buo!
Buooo...
Even among spirit beasts, there seemed to be a culture of respecting each other's wishes—the parents, who had been carrying and nursing their young, bid farewell to the departing baby. The father mak stroked its head with his trunk, and the mother wrapped around its body before pressing their faces together. The two remaining babies sniffed their departing sibling's body intently, committing the scent to memory.
The sudden farewell had left me uneasy. It felt like I'd torn an innocent family apart.
"Beasts too must leave their parents' care and become independent in time. It just happened to coincide with meeting the Left Vice Inspector General. Even without you, it would have happened eventually."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. The parents probably hoped that if it was time for independence anyway, it would be with a trustworthy human."
Without Ji Wi-pyeong's explanation, I'd probably still feel guilty.
Buo! Buoooo!
Thanks to him, I could watch the frolicking baby mak with a peaceful heart. Nanjou to Qongqushan wasn't far, so even matching the baby mak's pace, we arrived sooner than expected.
"Welcome, my lord. Gongdong-pa welcomes your visit."
At the entrance to Qongqushan, Baek Joo-il greeted us, exuding the same dignified presence as the Nanjou branch leader. As expected of a sect's top disciple—polished and impeccable. It was all the more astonishing that even such a martial artist had been reduced to a beggar by the mak.
"My thanks for the warm welcome. It's good to see you again after so long."
"The honor is mine to see you once more, my lord."
Baek Joo-il bowed even deeper at my greeting, and that's when our eyes met the baby mak, who had been staring at him intently.
"Haha. So this little one ended up with you after all."
Spotting the baby mak, Baek Joo-il laughed and patted it. Gongdong-pa martial artists had withdrawn before Baek-su-mun, but they'd reported the baby mak's interest in me before leaving. We'd even joked about preparing food for it, but I hadn't expected it to actually happen. Words really do have power. I'd better watch my jokes from now on.
"The sect leader also wished to see the mak himself. He regrets the disturbance it caused, but said it's an attitude we humans should emulate if it's for feeding the family."
"Well said. Even if the mak can't speak, its character is no different from a human's. Protecting its family amid drought was truly admirable."
As I spoke, I scooped up the baby mak, and it swung its trunk gently side to side, letting out a soft, warm cry—as if sensing praise for its father.
"Ah, please come up first. The sect leader awaits."
"Right. Lead on."
With that, we began ascending Qongqushan under Baek Joo-il's guidance. Knowing already that Gongdong-pa had no issues, my steps felt especially light.
While sipping tea with the elders, I sensed a powerful aura approaching from afar. Roughly at the early super peak stage. Likely the Inspector Escort who travels with the Left Vice Inspector General.
"A noble guest approaches. They should arrive soon."
The elders rose one by one to prepare to greet the Left Vice Inspector General. As Gongdong-pa's sect leader, it was only proper to welcome this official from the capital, grandson of Prince Giwang.
'We'd have been in real trouble without the Left Vice Inspector General.'
Moreover, without him, we might not have found the mak's habitat and still be suffering their raids, or we'd have captured only the father foraging for food. The former would have left Nanjou in agony to this day; the latter, the mak family starving. Neither was desirable.
'A gift from heaven.'
It was a perfectly timed visit. Just as the spirit beast caused trouble, the Left Vice Inspector General arrived in Nanjou, and he happened to have a spirit beast that could track the mak. If not heaven's will, what was it? Thus, we welcomed one who moved by heaven's will. Considering he served the Emperor's commands, calling it heaven's will wasn't exaggeration.
"Who knows how long it's been since a capital official came to our Qongqushan."
"Indeed. In these peaceful times—not chaotic ones—few venture to Gansu."
"Isn't it a blessing? Gansu's quietude proves the realm's peace."
As they spoke, the elders expressed mild curiosity, joy, and wonder at the visit. Fair points. Gansu was the realm's frontier, dotted with deserts. Without major campaigns, crowds didn't gather, and without urgent crises, capital officials didn't appear. Thus, its peace evidenced good governance.
'It means something ominous is brewing soon.'
The Left Vice Inspector General's visit was akin to a harbinger of war. If the capital sent someone, there was reason—be it internal subversives or external threats.
'Mongols.'
The most likely culprit came to mind, and I quietly closed my eyes. I hoped not, but anything warranting central action pointed to the Mongols. Eastern Goryeo was busy defending its borders; southern Wolnam submitted to Daesong's realm; western Xizang fought among themselves. Only the Mongols remained—Daesong's reverse scale, the realm's nightmare. Though fled beyond the Great Wall, their forces couldn't be ignored.
'Jiayu Commandant said the north feels off lately.'
Jiayu Pass, Gansu's northwestern gateway and key to the anti-Mongol front. Its commandant had shared northern stirrings with us murim forces—a tale known only to me and a few elders in Gongdong-pa to avoid panic. If an official shared intel with murim, we must brace for the worst.
'War.'
It was heartbreaking. For the peaceful realm, for the people's smiles, we'd risen fiercely against the northern barbarians. Under wise, compassionate, mighty, steadfast Ancestor Emperor Taizu, we'd triumphed. Yet the hard-won peace now teetered.
I'd hoped our children and grandchildren would never face the war that crept upon us.
'Please, no repeat of past horrors.'
If the crisis ended as mere crisis, it'd be joyous. If the capital's preparations deterred Mongol southward ambitions, leaving them as preparations alone, nothing better. But if—if war truly erupted—may it not match past scales. Unlike before, when the Central Plains were the battlefield, let it be north of the Great Wall. And if war came, may Daesong claim overwhelming victory, ensuring Mongols never rise again.
'...I'm still far from true enlightenment.'
Bitter. As a Dao-pursuing recluse, harboring thoughts like 'If war breaks out anyway, better the barbarians perish than us.' Of course, barbarians falling over Daesong was preferable, but a true Daoist shouldn't choose between them—should seek to avert war altogether. No evading with 'if anyway.'
"Sect Leader. The Left Vice Inspector General has arrived."
As guilt and self-loathing silenced me, Baek Joo-il's voice came from outside.
"Let them enter."
"Yes, Sect Leader."
The door opened, and two men entered.
"Welcome, Left Vice Inspector General."
Seeing them, I suppressed my turmoil and smiled. Regret borne alone changes no realm. True change comes from the bureaucracy.