Chapter 135: The Sound of Winter Fading (2)
Chapter 135: The Sound of Winter Fading (2)
"I-is this really okay? Are you s-sure?"
"Please. You are a member of the Peng family. Try to show a bit more dignity."
"W-we’ve only ever dealt with the living!"
Zhuge Yeong was beginning to regret bringing Peng Hyeon-cheon along. He found himself doubting whether they truly shared the same bloodline.
They were currently traversing a mountain path in Shaanxi, heading toward Gaixian. A dozen or so li to the south lay Mount Guisheng, a region notorious for being a land of strange and supernatural phenomena. Even in broad daylight, the sky remained hidden, and the wailing of ghosts seemed to drift on every breeze. It had always been an eerie place, but now, the atmosphere was far more oppressive.
"H-eek!"
With every turn of the head, monsters and spirits seemed to rear their heads. Phantoms grinned from behind trees, watching them, and several low-realm martial artists had already vanished, lured away by illusions. Had they been leading a large army, more than half would likely have disappeared before a single battle was even fought.
He’s mixed sorcery with formations. This isn't something that could be prepared in a day or two.
In truth, the formation had likely been laid long ago. To take the shortest land route from Hanzhong and Shu Han to Chongqing, one inevitably had to pass through this mountain path. This meant that if the Zhongnan and Mount Hua sects of Shaanxi ever intended to invade Chongqing, they would have to cross this very ground.
Whoosh!
Zhuge Yeong swung his folding fan, chanting a mantra as he incinerated a talisman stuck to a tree trunk. The phantoms lingering in the vicinity vanished instantly.
"Prepare yourselves."
"Yes, Young Master."
"Don't call me that."
The Peng family’s martial unit formed a defensive circle around him, keeping a sharp lookout. They needed to appear as a vanguard sent by the Dragon Slaying Alliance through Shaanxi. If they had sent the smaller sects belonging to the Alliance, the ruse wouldn't have worked. They had to let the Ten Thousand Ghosts Alliance know that the direct lineage of the Great Hebei Peng Family and its elite forces had personally taken the field.
And then, we have to make it back alive.
Zhuge Yeong gripped a talisman beneath his sleeve, his mind racing. He had to exhaust nearly every talisman he possessed just to secure a path of retreat—everything he had prepared from Jinju to Luoyang, and from Luoyang to Chongqing. It was a staggering loss, but a necessary one.
"They’re coming."
He felt the sensation of one of his placed talismans being destroyed. A repulsive presence flickered against his spiritual senses, sharp and stinging. Zhuge Yeong gripped his fan tight, glaring into the dark depths of the forest path.
Just as everyone drew their blades and took aim—
Snap.
Another talisman was destroyed in a completely different direction. The exact opposite side. Then another, as the warning charms he had placed in yet another sector burned away...
Snap, crackle, pop!
Every talisman he had meticulously buried to secure their life-gate and retreat was being neutralized. From all thirty-six directions and seventy-two paths, the formation system—ranging from the traditional Eight Trigrams to the Sixty-Four Hexagrams—was being completely overwhelmed.
Screeeeeeech!
"Gah...!"
"Ugh?!"
A sound like nails scraping against an iron plate echoed through the air. Their vision was dyed in darkness as shadows swallowed the daylight forest. Zhuge Yeong quickly flicked his hand, burning a talisman. A small light bloomed over his palm, barely enough to secure a sliver of visibility.
"This is..."
Before he could take even two breaths, the formation was shattered. It wasn't just broken; it was as if the entire forest was closing in to besiege them. A massive domain spanning twenty li in every direction was plunged into darkness.
No matter how vast the world or how many eccentric masters existed, there was only one sorcerer in Chongqing capable of such a feat.
"Heavenly Killer... Ghost Gate Meridian Lord! Have you been waiting for us from the start?"
He had expected the Ghost Gate to be guarding this route, but he hadn't imagined one of the Fifteen Lords would personally deign to handle such a tedious task. As Zhuge Yeong shouted, biting his lip, a shrill laugh drifted from somewhere deep within the darkness.
"The eldest son of the Zhuge family. What you carry in your robes is quite unpleasant. Is that the Sect Leader's Command Token of Yunhakja?"
Zhuge Yeong remained silent. Against a sorcerer of that caliber, and trapped within his domain, it was inevitable that his hidden cards would be exposed. When he had lost consciousness at the Wudang Sect, Yunhakja had handed him a divine artifact: the Bipolar Five Elements Plate. He had trusted it to be his ultimate life-saving measure even if the life-gate was closed, but he couldn't be certain of its efficacy before a sorcerer on the level of the Fifteen Lords.
I’m starting to feel sorry for that guy.
He had boasted so confidently and even dragged his pathetic older brother along; what a disgrace it would be if he couldn't even make it back alive.
"Little child. I wonder how that hypocrite of a father would react if I took your flesh and sent it to him."
"My father would simply laugh at my inadequacy and forget me."
"A Zhuge Family Head who laughs at his own kin? I’d love to see that for myself."
A slender figure stepped out from the shadows of the forest. A bizarre man, his face thick with white powder, laughed in a piercing voice.
"However, showing you mercy isn't difficult. If you tell me your numbers and your positions... then yes, I shall let one of you leave this place alive."
His gaze slowly swept over the members of the Peng martial unit and Zhuge Yeong. Zhuge Yeong stepped forward, pressing down on Peng Hyeon-cheon’s hand as it trembled while trying to raise his sword.
"I doubt you'll hear it while we're alive. Why don't you, the Ghost Gate Meridian Lord, simply take our souls and listen to them yourself?"
"Haha, that was the plan, of course. I simply wanted to see you all squirm and struggle to be the sole survivor..."
The offer to spare only one person was a classic ploy, but their bonds were too strong for them to turn their blades on one another. As expected of the Hebei Peng Family; among the various clans of the martial world, few were as united as they were.
The Ghost Gate Meridian Lord, Jin Hoe-seong—also known as One Soul, Ten Thousand Spirits—smacked his lips in disappointment. He had put no small amount of effort into turning this forest into a land of spirits, making it strong enough to hold off the entire vanguard of the Dragon Slaying Alliance. Setting up a formation of this scale required gold bars measured by the crate. If all he gained from it was a few vanguards, one Zhuge, and one direct descendant of the Peng family, the profit wouldn't match the investment.
"Have you abandoned the thought of living? Have you steeled your resolve? Even if the Bloodhound Asura himself appeared, he could not save you. No living being can set foot upon this land now."
As Jin Hoe-seong cackled and Zhuge Yeong’s face turned pale—
Clink.
The faint sound of a chain dragging echoed.
"...?"
The smile vanished from Jin Hoe-seong’s lips. He quickly scanned his surroundings, attempting to locate the source of the sound. Nothing registered within his senses or spiritual perception. There wasn't so much as a cricket alive in the vicinity, save for the fifty or so martial artists before him.
Which meant... the noise of 'something' unfolding beyond his domain had reached this very spot.
Clink, clatter...
The sound continued, impossible to dismiss as a mere hallucination. It grew closer, bit by bit, until it seemed to surround them from all sides. The sound of chains winding.
"Who... is this senior...?"
Jin Hoe-seong gritted his teeth and tried to step back. Or rather, he tried to. He barely managed to keep his balance as he looked down. In the pitch-black darkness where he couldn't see an inch ahead, he saw something wrapped around his ankles.
Chains...?
Jet-black chains were coiled around his legs. And then—
"Gah?!"
Chains erupted from the ground, binding his arms and legs as they surged upward.
[Quiet.]
A voice echoed from all directions. It was the Six Harmonies Resonance. A single chain lashed out and wrapped around Jin Hoe-seong’s mouth. Cold sweat poured from his forehead, streaking through his thick white powder.
[No living being can set foot here, you say?]
The darkness ignited. Chains wreathed in black flames scorched through the Ghost Gate Meridian Lord’s domain, tearing open the space itself. Through the rift, red banners fluttered.
Martial artists dressed in attire rarely seen in these lands marched in perfect unison. In their center stood an old man with his hands behind his back, his expression cold as he spoke.
[There is no place under this sky where my Cult cannot tread.]
"The Heavenly Demon—?!"
Jin Hoe-seong, having barely freed his mouth from the chains, shrieked. He stared with trembling eyes at the approaching old man.
"Why are you here, all the way from the Heavenly Mountains?! There is no grudge between your Cult and us!"
[Do I need to explain my reasons?]
"You will regret this! You will surely regret this!"
With that final cry, Jin Hoe-seong’s body crumbled into dust and scattered. Zhuge Yeong watched the remnants with awe.
The Taoist Nascent Soul. He knew it was theoretically possible once one reached the Harmony Realm, but he never thought he would see it with his own eyes. Who could have imagined a Harmony Realm master would use a life-saving technique that cost him his very cultivation level just to flee?
As the darkness of the forest receded, the old man who had performed this miracle walked forward slowly. Zhuge Yeong did his best to ignore Peng Hyeon-cheon, who had started hiccuping beside him, and spoke.
"I greet the Supreme Master of the Heavenly Mountains."
"Where is Peng Hyeon-hwi?"
"...Pardon?"
Zhuge Yeong’s mind went blank. Why was that name suddenly being mentioned here? He had never considered himself slow-witted, but currently, his understanding could not keep pace with reality.
"Has my friend... perhaps committed some discourtesy toward your Greatness...?"
"My daughter is traveling with that boy."
The Little Heavenly Demon.
Zhuge Yeong’s brilliant mind began to work at lightning speed. Im Hwa-yeong. He had confirmed her identity when they dealt with the Fist Lord Eon Se-jeong, and he knew she had headed toward Tianjin after they parted. He had seen her use the Heavenly Demon Divine Art with his own eyes...
Now it made sense. The Heavenly Demon of the Heavenly Mountains had personally come to search for the Little Heavenly Demon.
In that case, the old man before him was an ally!
The Little Heavenly Demon had been with the Demonic Cultists disguised as the Jiangnan Merchant Guild. There was no way the Heavenly Demon didn't know this. This meant the Little Heavenly Demon had also arrived in Chongqing.
So this is how things turn out...!!
If the Leader of the Demonic Cult had personally graced this land, then even if the Sword Demon of the Ten Thousand Swords Hall was one of the strongest among the Fifteen Lords, he would be no threat. The Heavenly Demon was one of the few among the Three Evils Beyond the Great Wall whose martial prowess was clearly established. In the outer martial world, his name carried as much weight as the Three Venerables of the World.
The Chongqing Ten Thousand Ghosts Alliance was finished. No matter what schemes his father had prepared, he couldn't have predicted this man. The whereabouts of the Little Heavenly Demon were an impossible variable to account for.
Suddenly, the face of his "dear friend" came to mind. From the destruction of the Jinju Eon family... no, even before that. Looking back, ever since the scheme Zhuge Un had personally orchestrated in Shanxi a year ago, that guy had been the single variable that twisted every plot the Chief Strategist of the Martial Alliance had devised.
"I shall lead the way."
"Do so."
Zhuge Yeong bowed his head in gratitude to his friend's father-in-law.
*
"Honestly, he’s making quite the scene. While some of us are stuck here, worrying ourselves sick."
"Who are you talking about, Scholar Cheon?"
"Just a friend."
The Hanlin Academy in Beijing was, as usual, plagued by overwork and late nights. In truth, the Hanlin Academy oversaw the general administration of the Six Ministries' cabinet and decided the policy direction of each department. One could say its scholars never saw the sun.
Scholars with bloodshot eyes were organizing letters, their hands stained black with ink. Amidst them, one scholar tossed a neatly folded note into the brazier.
— As per your command, we have blockaded Chongqing Prefecture and withdrawn the troops from the routes where the northern martial artists have mobilized.
— We captured several remnants of the White Lotus Cult and interrogated them severely, but they refused to speak even under torture, so they were executed.
— Jeong Yeong, Sichuan Provincial Military Command, Right Five Military Commissions.
"It is a bit of a shame, though."
The scholar smiled bitterly, rolling a piece of candy in her mouth. She lightly licked her fingertip, which was dusted with sweet sugar. If she had more authority, she could have simply crushed Chongqing Prefecture with the imperial army from the start.
Or rather, if she had reached the power she aimed for, she would have tied that man down so tightly he couldn't even leave Northern Zhili.
"Scholar Cheon. Do you have a moment?"
"Ah, Grand Eunuch. Yes."
The scholar quickly composed herself and followed the Grand Eunuch. After reaching the annex of the Hanlin Academy’s Grand Eunuch, the official bowed politely and whispered.
"You have taken a dangerous risk. Contacting the Ministry of War? If the Eastern Depot had noticed, it could have turned into a disaster."
"It wouldn't have escalated that far. The Grand General of the Right and the Sichuan Commander-in-Chief are my uncle’s close acquaintances, are they not?"
"Moving them at all is a grave matter. Should we not avoid anything that might bring trouble?"
"How can I stand by while a friend heads into such a dangerous place? If there is something I can do, I must do it."
Scholar Cheon. Or rather, Ju Woo-rin smiled faintly at the Grand Eunuch. Her gaze was no longer that of a mere scholar, but that of a sovereign looking at a subject.
"You must preserve yourself. Is the Great Task not almost within reach? You must not pour so much concern into a single martial artist of the Jianghu."
"He is not just any martial artist of the Jianghu, Grand Eunuch Jin."
The reason the Hanlin Academy scholars were so suffocatingly busy was that they oversaw all affairs belonging to the Six Ministries. And overseeing all affairs meant they were aware of everything discussed within the government. In such a position, one’s scope of information naturally widened. Moreover, if it concerned someone she was focused on, tracing their footsteps was not difficult.
"He is that martial artist of the Jianghu."
The Dragon-Phoenix Gathering in Wuchang. The chaos in Jinju that followed immediately after. Even the martial artists of the Dragon Slaying Alliance who began their march right after. If one only looked at the path Peng Hyeon-hwi took—and if one had been pouring immense attention into him all along—it was easy to deduce his thoughts, his goals, and where he was headed. Especially if one understood the psychological foundation of his actions with absolute clarity.
Knowing he had been setting the stage to strike the Chongqing Ten Thousand Ghosts Alliance, and hearing that the Dragon Slaying Alliance had arrived in Luoyang, the least she could do was...
"Minimizing his friction with the local authorities on the road to Chongqing is hardly a grand task. At this point, there isn't a single person in the government who hasn't accepted the Peng family's gold. The Eastern Depot won't find it strange if we grant him that much convenience."
She had sent an express messenger to the Sichuan Provincial Military Command, which oversaw Chongqing, to open the way. That was all. Beyond that, she had ordered the detention of any martial artist attempting to flee Chongqing. It was a consideration to ensure Peng Hyeon-hwi wouldn't have to worry about anyone escaping to become a future threat.
One who understands another's heart is called a Zhong Ziqi, a soulmate. Then what should one call someone who understands that heart and goes a step further to help reach the goal?
Ju Woo-rin rolled a sugar-coated pill between her fingers.
If half of one's life is the past, and the remaining half is the future...
To spend half (ban) of one's life (saeng) together (ryeo). That is why they are called a companion (banryeo).
Just as he had helped her, she could help him. In a way, they were walking together, even from afar.
That isn't so bad, she thought, before heading back to the Hanlin Academy.
"Though he seems to have completely forgotten his promise to write at least once a month."
With a small pout, she continued to roll the candy between her fingers.