Along the River, Along the Wind - 5: A Warrior Must Always Be Cautious
A martial artist must always be prudent. A moment's carelessness can deliver a fatal blow, and getting struck by an unexpected attack from someone dismissed as a third-rater is hardly uncommon for warriors. Even a glance at the Daesong founding wars reveals plenty of cases where the weak devoured the strong.
"Flour, my lord."
That's why a martial artist should focus less on the battle at hand and more on the war to come. A soldier who fights bravely and dies leaves behind honor in death, but a commander who survives to claim victory is remembered forever.
"Flour, my lord."
I, too, prioritized that judgment and abandoned the chase. Losing a Super Peak expert like Jo Wi-cheo in some backwater corner of Sichuan would be an utter waste. As the eldest grandson of Giwangga and an official of Daesong, I couldn't stomach it.
That thug was going to fall into our hands eventually anyway. Risking poison just to catch him a bit sooner would be shortsighted—
"Flour, my lord."
"Got it. Sorry."
I finally apologized to Jo Wi-cheo, who'd said it three times already. No, come on—who could've guessed a poison-obsessed freak farming toxins would toss flour? I naturally assumed it was some deadly venom or equivalent.
Damn it.
I gave a wry smile at the flour scattered on the ground. Thinking back, that guy—whether Munwon or Mungyeong, I couldn't tell—had only spoken to me. I'd labeled him a thug and ordered his capture. He hadn't thrown the first punch or harmed anyone. The only damage was offending Kki-ing-i by mistaking her for a venomous deer. And everyone in Sichuan knew the Left Vice Inspector General, crown prince of Giwangga, rode spirit deer mounts.
Who in their right mind would spray deadly poison at a guy like that? He'd just dusted us with flour to make his escape.
Smart bastard.
I pinched some flour from the dirt and sighed. The guy who just bolted clearly understood how others saw him: the villainous big poison man. He knew we'd treat flour as poison dust and water as venom. And we fell for it. Overreacted to anything from his hands.
"Never thought we'd get done in by flour."
As I bitterly reflected on my misjudgment, Jo Wi-cheo muttered glumly. He'd personally dodged it, after all. This was his first clash since reaching Super Peak. Clash might be generous since the guy just ran, but it counted. And we'd botched that historic debut thanks to flour. If Jo Wi-cheo ever boasted of his exploits, it'd be: "My first battle after Super Peak: chase failed due to flour." Even the unflappable Jo Wi-cheo had to be burning inside.
"Wi-cheo."
"Yes, my lord."
"When we catch him, beat him with your scabbard a few times."
Nothing broken or severed, but enough to sideline him awhile. Jo Wi-cheo nodded eagerly at my vow.
- Kki-ing!
- Kki-iiing!
- Kki-ooong!
Kki-ing-i and Kki-ong-i pawed the ground beside us, steeling their resolve. Mistaken for venomous deer, the two spirit beasts now harbored real venom in their hearts.
We put the flour fiasco behind us and arrived at Ami-pa.
"If he had a pouch at his waist, that's Munwon. The one who ransacked Cheongseong Mountain—Mungyeong—carried a massive pack on his back."
I explained our encounter on the way, and Ami-pa's leader, Bokho Geom-ni, revealed the thug's identity with a faint smile. Got it. So that was Munwon.
The madman who robbed Ami-pa.
I swallowed involuntarily, eyeing Bokho Geom-ni. She wore a smile, treating her guest kindly... but a faint chill prickled my skin. No, it wasn't strange. That smile was a tiger's final shred of reason before detonation. Terrifying to any frail civilian.
"You've had your troubles too, Left Vice Inspector. Who approaches a deer thinking it might be venomous?"
Of course, her fury was aimed squarely at Munwon. To me, the fellow victim and guest, she offered only smiles.
"I'm glad, actually. Assuming a deer might carry poison shows deep obsession. Once word spreads that the Prefect has a three-headed snake, he'll come running."
"Well said. He'd notice even an ordinary venomous snake—there's no way he'll pass up a three-headed one."
I quietly sipped my tea as Bokho Geom-ni's eyes gleamed. She'd battled Tibetan high monks fiercely during the founding wars, alongside Cheongseong-pa's leader. Purely by force or merit, Cheongseong-pa's Pageom Jin-in held the edge, but Bokho Geom-ni had greater renown. Simple reason: eyes that blazed murderously at foes, and ruthless hands. Pageom Jin-in steadily pummeled enemies, but Bokho Geom-ni's fights packed more impact.
Wonder if a body will be left to beat.
Seeing her, I worried. I'd promised a scabbard thrashing, but if she caught him first, there might not even be a corpse. If you're nabbed chasing the three-headed snake, get caught by officials or Cheongseong-pa—not Ami-pa. Better for your health.
Sichuan was an ideal breeding ground for venomous creatures. Ringed by rugged mountains, cut off from the outside. East lay the mighty Yangtze, south the Yunnam jungles, west the towering Xijiang peaks. Every terrain hosted every poison.
Collecting and studying them was our joy—but
"Munwon."
"Yes, brother."
"No prejudice as a poison researcher is good, but searching a deer for venom? That's too much."
"Sorry..."
My head throbbed from my brother's bizarre blunder. I'd rushed over thinking he'd found a massive viper or centipede. Even ordinary ones pack potent venom; spirit beasts of that scale? Unimaginable. Sure, poaching spirit beasts was banned by high officials, but trespassing on private land? Legal enough. No crime if you don't get caught.
So I'd waited leisurely for his prize—until hearing it was a deer.
A deer...
Head throbbing. Sichuan's only deer spirit beast was that one.
Left Vice Inspector.
Giwangga's heir, Dochalwon official. The eccentric riding spirit deer. Had to be him. Munwon approached that man.
"You idiot!"
"Ow!"
Fury surged; I smacked Munwon's head. This fool shoves his head in a tiger's maw because he's fast. A tiger snaps quick—that fragile head's gone.
"Show some restraint! I know your lightness skill defies realms, but if the government gets serious, you're done!"
His lightness skill was miraculous. Peak realm, yet outpacing my Super Peak. But that's for wilds or one region. If officials mobilized fully over his antics, even a lightness master falls. Sichuan had Nang-jung Wang, a Hwagyeong master, legions of Super Peaks and Peaks below, warriors, soldiers—and cannons.
Bad luck, you burn alive.
Once, a Central Plains thief targeted officials' homes. Faster than Munwon, evading capture, enraging them. They cordoned suspected areas with thousands, evacuated civilians, then unleashed dozens of cannons. Can't catch with lightness? Vaporize his town.
Munwon could face that.
"B-but brother...!"
"Think twice before speaking. You're researching wasp venom lately."
He clamped shut. It once halted a Cheongseong elder briefly; improved now, it'd knock him out for hours.
"...Brother."
"Speak."
I valued his courage to persist.
"He has a three-headed snake."
"What?"
Three-headed? Not single- or two-headed?
"Overheard on the way! Three-headed snake—with the Prefect!"
...
"Munwon."
"Yes, brother!"
"Pack up."
Three-headed snake shattered reason and schedule. Worth risking life for a poison path walker. We drift like river, roam like wind. If it ends at a three-headed snake? Fine life. One step closer to ultimate venom, at least.