The Loyal Steed of Wu An Lord
I am my master's close companion, the comrade who roamed the continent at his side and shook the world in battle. I am the devoted retainer who followed my master more faithfully than anyone else in this world and protected him. That was the pride I lived by. That was the conviction that drove me forward.
If the world opposed my master, I would shatter the world. If fate bound him, I would defy fate.
"If there is any blessing in my life, it is being born a warrior of Qin and meeting you—that ranks first and second."
Hihihihiiing!
"Haha, you rascal. Are you offended that I ranked you second?"
My master. My close friend. My comrade-in-arms. The great general whom all men admired and revered, yet all men feared and hated.
A brilliant commander who never lost a battle, who trained mighty soldiers and brought peace to the realm.
Baek Qi. My one-and-only master in this world.
"What sin have I committed against heaven to end up like this?"
Yet my proud master met a wretched end.
Because of petty villains who envied his achievements and valor, he met a horrific fate unworthy of a warrior.
Suicide? How could my master meet such an end?
He who fought the world for Qin and subdued the six states—why?
"I deserve death. In the Battle of Changping, I deceived and buried alive hundreds of thousands of surrendered Zhao soldiers. For that alone, I must die."
In that unjust final moment, my master nodded calmly.
No. This cannot be. It cannot end like this.
This moment is merely another trial hindering my master. He will overcome even this hardship and rise once more as the general who commands the world.
He will escape this place of exile and march toward the world anew.
Surely. It must be so.
"Forgive me. We should have died together on the battlefield, but this foolish master goes first."
Hihihihiiing...!
But my master departed.
The human master left before his beastly servant.
From that day, my world stopped.
I felt no will or reason to live on.
I was no devoted retainer serving my master, no lifelong companion, no comrade roaming the battlefields.
I was merely a beast who failed to protect him.
So I ate nothing. Slept not at all.
I merely wandered the place where my master drew his last breath, day after day.
Then, at some point, my eyes closed. When I opened them again, I found myself sprawled in an unfamiliar space.
It was bewildering. Why am I here? Trapped in a room walled by stone on all sides—why am I alone?
I must guard the place where my master last breathed!
Hiiing...?
After scanning my surroundings for a long while, something caught my eye.
A massive stele reaching to the ceiling. Weathered by the flow of time, it bore a faintly worn appearance.
Tomb of Wu An Lord Baek Qi of Great Qin
The name of my master inscribed—my master's tombstone.
Ah, so this is my master's grave.
Built while I slumbered briefly, the place I must guard for eternity.
Then I shall do so.
Even an incompetent beast who failed to protect his life will guard his master's rest and tomb.
Until my flesh rots and my spirit fades.
Thus, even now, I fight gladly.
Against the wicked intruders who dare set foot in my master's tomb.
Kkiiiiiing!
Kkiooooong!
To deal with that beast emanating an unsettling aura in my master's tomb.
At the end of the passage lay a vast chamber.
In the center stood a stele inscribed "Tomb of Wu An Lord Baek Qi of Qin", surrounded by countless scattered burial goods.
Yes, this is it. The heart of the tomb we've sought—the chamber piled with grave goods.
But I hadn't expected anything beyond the goods to greet us.
Hihihihihiiing!
A horse glowing with an eerie blue light. From afar, it seemed a statue, but as we entered the chamber, it snapped open its eyes and let out a piercing cry.
And at the sight of it, Kki-ing-i and Kki-ong-i went berserk and charged.
What the hell.
The situation was so incomprehensible that I just stared blankly at the three beasts clashing.
A horse in an underground tomb? And why had Kki-ing-i and Kki-ong-i suddenly lost their minds?
What in the world? Did a wild horse wander in just before we entered? No, the walls and traps blocking the path were intact.
Blue horses don't even exist.
I'd heard of red-maned stallions, but never a blue one.
"It's a heaven-defying sorcery."
"Pardon?"
"Indeed. Nothing else explains it."
At Gu Yeong's terse words, laced with tension, Dang Ji-gyeong sighed and continued.
"A body glowing blue, eyes stained red, black veins covering it entirely. No doubt about it—heaven-defying sorcery. A horrific art that forces the dead to move."
In simple terms, that horse wasn't a living creature. It was a jiangshi—or zombie, basically.
After our Indiana Jones adventure to reach the goods, we get a zombie apocalypse? Talk about genre drift.
"A horse guarding Baek Qi's tomb... must be the one he rode in life."
"Yes. And one with exceptional loyalty, it seems."
As the two elders exchanged words only they understood, they caught themselves and explained further.
"This sorcery isn't very effective. It merely forces movement, so the revived lack will or intelligence. They follow only simple commands from the caster."
"No will or intelligence?"
I glanced at the horse.
Phuhihiiing!
The blue horse effortlessly dodged Kki-ing-i's horn, then body-slammed the relatively weaker Kki-ong-i.
It's fighting well...?
That's supposed to be mindless?
"This one's an exception. If the revived retains its pre-death will, and the site aligns with that will, the sorcery's power surges dramatically."
"This horse was likely Baek Qi's mount in life. Its loyalty to him was immense, turning it into a guardian spirit of the tomb upon death."
Not quite a spirit since its body still moves, Dang Ji-gyeong added wryly, sending a chill down my spine.
In other words, a loyal steed that served Baek Qi in life and guards his tomb in death.
And we're fighting that loyal steed.
Is this right...?
Listening to the elders, guilt crept in.
A horse refusing rest, buried in the tomb for endless ages to protect its master. Silently enduring darkness, cold, and silence to safeguard his peace.
And we have to beat it down for its burial goods? Is this truly just?
"A pitiable fate. Enduring over a millennium for a master long dead in ancient times. No sorcery, however potent, could sustain that long."
Now that he mentioned it, something was off. Baek Qi died about 1,600 years ago. Unless the horse lived turtle-like ages, it died around then too.
Yet it's still moving? The tomb was built well after his death, but even conservatively, centuries ago. Can mere sorcery last that long?
"It's burning its own spirit to endure. Accepting eternal nothingness, forsaking even rest."
At Gu Yeong's bitter explanation, I looked at the horse again.
"...We must end it swiftly and pray for its peace. That's the merciful path for the poor creature."
Its left eye pierced by Kki-ing-i's attack, leg buckling under Kki-ong-i's assault—the blue horse.
As Gu Yeong said, sending it to its master's side seemed kindness.
Fighting with crumbling flesh and blazing spirit to guard the tomb.
Though artificially revived, a spirit beast nonetheless, Kki-ing-i and Kki-ong-i instinctively opposed this heaven-defying abomination.
It's over.
Soon, its four legs buckled, and it collapsed. I gave a wry smile.
Pitiable for one so devoted even in death, but this fight was lost from the start—outnumbered and outmatched.
Even at peak condition, facing spirit beasts would be tough; how could it win while tottering?
Miraculous it held out so long against two.
Phuruung... Phuruung...
The veins faded, its red glare turning pure white.
Yet it thrashed to rise, lifting its head toward Baek Qi's stele.
"Prepare the funerary rites."
At that sight, Gu Yeong ordered the Zhongnan Taoists to prepare rites for the horse.
"Wait a moment."
"My lord?"
I stopped Gu Yeong first and approached the stele.
I knew the rites were mercy for the wretched beast. But performing them without convincing this loyal servant felt like forcible banishment.
Thus, I headed to the stele, keeping a safe distance to avoid provoking the horse, and bowed.
"Han Un, Deputy Censor-in-Chief and Left Vice Inspector of Great Song, pays respects to Lord Wu An of Qin."
"Jo Wi-cheo, Inspector Escort and Scholar of the Hall of Literature of Great Song, pays respects to Lord Wu An of Qin."
Jo Wi-cheo astutely joined my bow toward the stele.
Junior officials of a distant era prostrating before the famed general of the first unified dynasty of the Central Plains.
Seeing us not as tomb robbers but officials, the labored-breathing horse quietly regarded us.
"To behold the great warrior who commanded the world and struck terror into the six states—what greater honor than to prostrate myself?"
At my cry, the bureau's warriors, mechanism experts, and sect Taoists all bowed.
"That Lord Wu An's fame was confined underground fills this junior with sorrow. Thus, grant this junior permission to let your great renown shine once more upon the world."
Phuhiiing...
As if understanding my plea, the horse let out a dying whinny.
"The world has not forgotten your master's feats. Though stained by karma, it does not ignore your merits."
I approached cautiously and whispered to it.
Your master, whom you guarded, is still remembered after 1,600 years. Branded a butcher, yet hailed as the era's preeminent general.
"You've toiled guarding his tomb all this time. Lord Wu An's stele shall move not to this dark, damp place, but to one bright and warm."
Hiihing...
The horse, staring piercingly into my eyes, pitifully moved its broken leg.
I know. Though I don't speak your tongue, I understand a loyal servant's heart like yours.
"Of course, you'll be buried beside him, with a statue atop. You can be with your master forever."
As I stroked its head, its breathing slowed.
When its blue glow faded to ordinary brown, it closed its eyes.
Damn it.
Bitter. No more tomb raiding for me.
"Begin transport. We must build a new tomb for Lord Wu An under heaven."
"Yes, my lord."
Of course, that means from now on—not today. Might as well tidy Baek Qi's tomb properly.
It's a promise to that horse, after all.