An Unexpected Encounter
The carriage that had been shaking violently gradually slowed before finally jolting to a stop. It was a relief for me, whose stomach had been churning. Glancing around, I saw Cho Yak and Gyeon Yo steadying themselves against the walls. I rose after retrieving the sword I had leaned against one side, and Cho Yak quickly followed suit, snatching up her own blade.
On an unobstructed main road, there was only one reason a carriage would lurch like that. The heroes of the Green Forest had come to collect their toll. It was unexpected. Even at the foot of Kunlun Mountain, such figures appeared without fail, so why would they not stake a claim on this major road so close to Luoyang? Yet because it was such a wide thoroughfare, they would have to tread carefully. With Chengdu nearby, imperial soldiers passed frequently, and the open path along the Yellow River was hardly devoid of martial artists. Above all, Song Mountain, home to the Shaolin Temple, lay just below. Even without the Jipmudang banner Gyeon Yo had confidently displayed, ordinary bandits would not have targeted such a respectable carriage in a place like this. Either these were amateurs who did not even know how to rob properly, or they had come specifically for us from the start.
As I took a step toward Cho Yak to disembark, she blocked me with one arm.
"There's no need for you to step in, Sister."
"No, but..."
She looked gallant enough, and I had never doubted her skill to begin with. The thought of Cho Yak losing to some petty bandits was unimaginable. Still, I could easily picture her cutting down impoverished slash-and-burn farmers or the assassins the Ghost Immortal had sent with all their useful secrets in a single stroke, which was precisely why I had intended to intervene. I was about to explain when a voice rang out from beyond the wall.
"Hey! Stop making this difficult for everyone and come out already!"
Cho Yak immediately turned, flung open the door, and leaped down. I had no choice but to hurry after her.
"Master?"
That single word drove the nail home. It was possible Yu Baek's long-lost twin had joined the Green Forest and taken up banditry. Or perhaps the bandits had found Yu Baek after a carriage accident robbed him of his memory, and he had been wondering who he was. But if he recognized me, the story changed. There was only one thing it could mean.
The person standing before me was indeed Yu Baek, and his memories were intact. Yet he had donned that hideous tiger-striped vest and stopped our carriage to play at banditry. My head spun; I could not think what to say. Yu Baek seemed equally stunned, frozen in place before the mule, when another figure emerged from the opposite side of the carriage.
"Oh, look who it is! Master Yu and... Cho Yak!"
The voice was familiar. Turning, I saw Master Cheon. He too wore a filthy fur vest. I was beginning to suspect this was all a ridiculous dream I had while napping inside the carriage. Yet I had long since lost the ability to wake from dreams at will, and this particular dream showed no sign of ending.
"I wondered where you'd disappeared to after that. You were at Jipmudang?"
"Cheonma... sir?" Cho Yak murmured.
Somehow hearing that, Master Cheon approached her and casually slung an arm over her shoulder.
"That's right, our Cho Yak! How've you been? So you were with Master Yu! You vanished after leaving just one letter, you know. We were worried. What brings you to Luoyang?"
"Ah... well... that is..."
Cho Yak's gaze darted about before finally settling on me. Only then did I collect myself enough to clear my throat and step forward.
"It's good to see you, Master Cheon."
"Likewise, Master Yu!"
"So, what exactly is going on here?"
Still with one arm around Cho Yak's shoulders, Master Cheon made a thoughtful sound and stroked his chin.
"Well, it seems there's quite a bit we need to explain to each other..."
"Master Cheon, you were Cheonma?"
At the question, his eyes widened and his mouth parted slightly. After staring blankly for a moment, he tilted his head.
"...Did I not mention it?"
"At least, I have no memory of hearing it."
"Really? Hmm. That's right, I am Cheonma."
He had come from Cheonjin, so rather than Cheon Seonsaeng, it was Cheonma using the first character of his title. Looking back, it explained why Cho Yak, despite her low rank, had spoken so casually about killing or sparing, and many other things now made sense. Jegal Ji, who had heard the same words, had probably guessed as much. Since I knew nothing of the martial world, people could deceive me with the same terms no matter where I went. I sighed anew at my ignorance and looked again, my eyes landing on Cho Yak with Cheonma's arm draped over her. She looked so uncomfortable it was almost pitiable.
"I see. So that's how it was."
"It's not like I hid it because I had something to hide from you, Master Yu. It's just that going around calling myself Cheonma here would cause all sorts of trouble. You understand, right?"
"I suppose. More importantly, remove your arm. She's uncomfortable."
"What? Who is?"
Cheonma frowned in genuine confusion before glancing sideways at Cho Yak. Realization dawned, and he scowled.
"Wait a second. Cho Yak? What are you talking about! This is ridiculous. Master Yu, how long have you even known Cho Yak to start acting like her parent? I've raised her since she was in diapers, crying 'waa.' You know that?"
"I don't know when you started, but didn't you once threaten to kill her to hold her accountable?"
A brief silence fell. Cho Yak stared at Cheonma with wide eyes. He stammered a few times before shouting.
"Th-that... of course it was a joke! How could I kill Cho Yak! It was just a joke, and you're being petty about it... Cho Yak, you know that too, right?"
He turned to her, but the moment their eyes met, Cho Yak's gaze dropped to the ground, and it did not look like she was agreeing. Shocked, Cheonma released her and grabbed both her shoulders, pressing urgently.
"Really? You actually thought I'd kill you? Is that all the trust we have between us? Cho Yak!"
"...I thought it couldn't be true."
Her eyes were fixed on the distant ground, her voice barely audible. Hearing what was more than mere agreement, Cheonma stepped back and clutched the back of his neck.
"Aigoo, they say raising kids is all for nothing..."
"To be fair, have you actually changed her diapers? I can't picture you looking after a baby, Master Cheon."
"Diapers... I didn't change them myself, but I taught her martial arts instead! Doesn't that count as raising her? Hey? The sunlight bothered her, so I taught her the Profound Heaven Cold Qi Art, and when swords didn't suit her blade, I showed her sword techniques. If that's not raising her, what is? Right, Cho Yak?"
"She's frightened. Be quiet."
"It's fine. I'm all right..."
"I really don't get it! What did I do wrong?"
His tone was aggrieved, but given Cho Yak's tendency to keep her distance from people and Master Cheon's usual behavior, the picture was clear enough. Since I was something like a friend, it had only startled me before ending there, but if a superior barged into one's bedroom and casually stripped off their outer robe or talked about killing and sparing every single day, how could anyone feel at ease? Yet whether his shamelessness had reached its peak or he truly did not know his faults, Cheonma did not stop whining. Unable to listen any longer, I was about to speak when someone else acted first.
The towering Wudang disciple who had been standing silently behind Yu Baek spoke.
"Hmm, it's good to catch up after so long, but if we don't want to block the carriages coming behind us, we should probably move aside soon. Did you say Master Yu? I am..."
"Lord Jutong?"
Turning toward the voice, I saw Gyeon Yo, who had just alighted from the carriage and stood awkwardly. She must have grown curious after we had been outside for so long.
"Oh, it's Ji Gyun. How is the Head of Jipmudang?"
"Thanks to your concern, he is well."
Gyeon Yo bowed her head. Lord Jutong nodded and said,
"It's unusual for you to come out as an envoy. I thought you disliked going outside."
"...It's not that I dislike it. I simply don't go without reason. More importantly, why is Lord Jutong dressed as a bandit?"
"Ah, there was a situation, so we needed to borrow a Jipmudang carriage. So, could you lend us the carriage and your identities for a bit?"
"Well, I'd need to hear the details first, but this doesn't seem like something I can decide alone."
The Head of Jipmudang asked, puzzled,
"Why not? You're a Jeje, so you'd be in charge of this envoy, and these two... they're certainly no ordinary people, but aren't they just escorts or retainers?"
"These two are also Jeje."
The part about it being temporary went unsaid, but it was true. Gyeon Yo was the representative, yet Cho Yak and I held nearly the same authority as her. Cheonma frowned and asked,
"Cho Yak is a Jeje of Jipmudang? What kind of nonsense is this?"
Though he likely had not meant it that way, the words sounded as though he was belittling Cho Yak, and it bothered me. Unable to hold back, I added,
"Is it any stranger than you being Cheonma, Master Cheon?"
"Hey, I wasn't deliberately hiding it, all right?"
As Master Cheon and I began bickering again, the smaller of the two young ladies behind us shouted loudly.
"Imperial soldiers are coming from over there!"
"Why are you shouting? I'm not deaf."
"Because you weren't listening..."
Sure enough, in the direction she pointed, soldiers were galloping toward us with a single cavalryman at their head. They had probably been descending from the checkpoint and reported us after seeing us stopped. Lord Jutong pulled a telescope from his robe, scanned them once, then turned to us.
"No choice, then. We'll go around the mountain and enter Luoyang. Just tell them you encountered bandits but escaped. We'll meet again at the Hwaywol Pavilion in Luoyang."
Lord Jutong mounted the mule first, followed by Cheonma and the young ladies. Yu Baek, who had been staring at me in silence until now, was the last to mount. Our eyes met. His gaze and expression were still unreadable. Thinking back, it had not been long since Yu Baek had said he did not want to be with me. If he mounted now, he would likely take a detour and flee elsewhere. If that was his choice, I had to respect it. At the very least, it was not for me to arbitrarily detain or chase after him.
But what if he did not run?
If we sat down to talk, what would I even say? Yu Baek remained silent, simply staring at me. He had been doing so ever since our first meeting. We were in a hurry, yet we only gazed at each other. Lord Jutong urged us on.
"What's the matter? Do you have more to say?"
"...No. I'll wait."
The moment the words left my mouth, Lord Jutong spurred his mule forward, and Cheonma and the two young ladies followed. Yu Baek glanced back, met my eyes once more, and finally rode after them. The sound of hooves faded, then merged into one and grew loud again. Turning, I saw a single officer in proper uniform galloping toward us.