Chapter 88: Winter Distress (2)
Chapter 88: Winter Distress (2)
"The night watch that never ends..." I had spent at least two days in that living hell. It felt even longer because I had to stay huddled up with a patient to keep her from dying of hypothermia.
Given the hygiene standards of medieval China, things shouldn't have smelled good, but for some reason, she had this refreshing scent. Uh, how should I put it?
Internal energy really is a cheat code. How can someone’s body smell like this after being soaked in water and then air-dried—
‘He who forgets etiquette and propriety is no human at all...!!’
I could practically hear the Confucius living inside my head shouting, "Silence!"
"I'm hungry..."
I stared at my soaked travel bag and thought for a moment, but there was no answer. Even the fact that I’d managed to grab it in that emergency was nothing short of a miracle, but there was nothing inside except for Eon Hyeong-shin’s head (now essentially salted meat).
It’s not like I could snack on Hyeong-shin’s head.
I hadn't even packed any dried rations. It was supposed to be a luxury cruise touring cities by boat; why would I pack a lunch? I hadn't even brought any cash. I had no intention of stopping in a city without a Hao Clan branch, mostly because I knew the password to their accounts.
In short, in this survival situation, I was flat broke. Murong Cheong was even worse off since she hadn't even saved a bag, meaning she didn't even have a change of clothes.
Am I going to end up becoming a member of the Beggars' Sect at this rate?
"Mmm... ugh."
Just then, Murong Cheong squirmed and patted my chest.
She wore an expression that asked, 'What is this?' as she kept kneading and poking at me.
Then, I saw her shudder, gasp, and freeze up. Now was the time.
"Not hungry?"
"I... I have no appetite. I'm fine."
"That’s a relief. Because there’s nothing to eat but snow."
At least we wouldn't die of dehydration. It was snowing like crazy, after all.
I was a bit worried about parasites if we drank the nearby lake water directly.
"There are no houses nearby, and hunting is out of the question in this winter. We don't have fishing gear, and diving into the water is too dangerous... We’re in a situation where we just have to endure through sheer mental strength."
"That is fine. I have been on winter pheasant hunts in Liaoning several times. I am used to going without food for a few days."
"I've never starved before, so I wonder if I'll be okay."
"The training of the Peng Family seems more fragile than I thought."
"Hey, I have to eat a lot to maintain this physique."
Martial artists generally eat a lot. They perform tasks that consume a massive amount of calories. You can think of them as elite athletes who don't need to watch their diet.
Among them, the Hebei Peng Family is known for having particularly large appetites. Consuming calories is essential to maintain a frame this size. Internal energy is by no means an all-purpose resource. Unless you can synthesize protein with internal energy, you have to eat meat regardless.
In other words, the amount of time Murong Cheong and I could remain active while maintaining our condition was limited. Especially since winter activities consume significantly more calories.
Whether Murong Cheong knew what I was thinking or not, she just turned her head away primly and poked at the campfire. Her face was flushed red, reflecting the flickering flames.
"We're currently near Meishu County. I'm not sure exactly where, but it means we're somewhere between Shandong Province and Northern Zhili."
"Then can we not just follow the Grand Canal? If we just head south, we will hit Jinan or Nanjing. I know that much geography."
"You think we're the only ones who know that?"
Let’s assume that crazy old man, the Heavenly Roar Fist, failed to find Brother Murong Jeon in the end. What would his next move be?
It’s a no-brainer. Unless Murong Jeon intended to head back north toward Tianjin alone, he would have to go down to Jiangnan. To the north, he’d have to pass through the territory of the Hebei Dragon Slaying Alliance.
On the other hand, if he headed toward Jiangnan, the Namgung Family was there. It was also the territory of the Jiangnan White Forest Association, which their friends had a firm grip on, and the Murong Family’s Maritime Fleet was currently heading south as well.
There was no choice for Murong Jeon other than heading toward Jiangnan along the Grand Canal.
And the Heavenly Roar Fist would know that too.
The Grand Canal's route was likely where the Heavenly Roar Fist’s gaze was most focused right now. If we went that way, we’d surely be caught and killed.
"Then... if we have to move on foot, is there no other choice but to go from Henan to Huguang?"
"Let's first look for a Hao Clan branch in Henan. It's better to move after asking for help there. The original deception plan your family came up with hasn't completely failed yet."
The Murong Family had used the Maritime Fleet as a decoy while secretly dispatching Murong Cheong and Murong Jeon.
Even though they’d been found out, the plan wasn't a total disaster. From the moment Murong Jeon acted as a decoy himself, the deception was still technically in play.
Regardless, it was a game that would end as soon as Murong Cheong and I reached Wuchang.
Hearing my words, Murong Cheong stared at the campfire with complicated eyes.
"My uncle..."
"He'll be fine."
When I nodded with conviction, Murong Cheong turned her head toward me.
"How can you be so certain?"
"If Brother Murong Jeon had been captured or killed, there’s no way we’d be this safe right now."
From the Jinzhou Eon Family's perspective, they had to capture and kill everyone who escaped that ship to ensure no witnesses remained.
Yet, despite the fact that we couldn't even hide our tracks because we were escaping through the snow, no pursuers had come after us.
It wasn't like I had mastered some transcendent lightness art like 'Treading Snow Without a Trace' and flown away. This meant their entire focus was concentrated on searching for Murong Jeon.
In other words, our deadline was to escape to a safe area before Murong Jeon was caught. We were playing a time-limited escape game.
"I think we've got the gist of it. Let's get up. Give me my clothes."
"Mmm. Uh-huh..."
Murong Cheong muttered something while still wrapped in my cloak for a long time before finally nodding.
"I will buy you a new one later."
"What?"
"Your cloak. I will buy you a new one, so just... just put it on and don't s-smell it."
Well, I had been alternating drying our clothes over the last two days and keeping her covered with them. Her scent was bound to be on it.
She worries about the strangest things. This is the same girl who once hid in a coffin full of corpses with me.
When I let out a smirk, Murong Cheong smacked my chest with the hand she was using to hand over the clothes and turned her back.
It actually hurt quite a bit.
Stepping out of the hut, a snowy landscape unfolded before us. Southern Shandong consisted of gentle plains and wetlands without any large mountains, and because of the thick blanket of snow, the world seemed to glow white.
Perhaps because we came out during a brief lull in the storm, the sight of the snowfields sparkling under the cloudy night sky was quite magnificent.
"Wow..."
Murong Cheong stood beside me, blowing on her hands as she looked around. She showed a reaction that the people of my family—whose sensibilities had long since withered and died—would never show.
"The Central Plains at this time of year is not bad. Yes, it is wonderful."
"I prefer summer over winter, though."
"Summer in the Central Plains is too sweltering. Honestly, it is not a place for humans to live."
Liaoning is certainly a cold land. By the standards of the Central Plains' martial world, it’s almost at the northernmost tip.
This half-Slavic lady, born and raised in that land, walked with light steps, seemingly forgetting that she had been unconscious and starving for two days.
"By the way, how did you find that place? It could not have been easy."
"That? It was a Guandi Temple (a shrine to Guan Yu)."
"A Guandi Temple? But I did not see any wooden statues..."
"Then what do you think I used for firewood?"
"...Are you saying you used the wooden statue of the Guandi Temple as fuel?"
"Aren't a living Peng Hyeon-hwi and Murong Cheong more valuable than a dead Guan Yu?"
"Uh... well! Mmm! I suppose so."
Why do Chinese people like Guan Yu so much anyway? Honestly, I think Zhang Fei is a bit better.
Regardless, if it weren't for that temple, Murong Cheong would have definitely died even if I hadn't, so it’s fair to say I owe Guan Yu a little. He even generously gave up his own statue to serve as two days' worth of firewood.
"And honestly, it’s not even a Confucian temple. I don't really get why people treat the shrine of a warrior holding a blade with such reverence."
"Sometimes I truly do not know why you are a martial artist."
"Don't tell my scholar friends that."
"Pardon? What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
"They'll all start pestering me to become a scholar."
Ah, I didn't want to show off my scholarly vibes in a place like this.
At my words, Murong Cheong looked like she had briefly lost her speech.
"Anyway, it’s a relief. The fact that there’s a Guandi Temple means there’s at least a village nearby. Let's go beg for some food."
"Beg? Can we not just go and give them some money?"
"Do you have money? I don't."
"Ah."
Only then did Murong Cheong realize she had lost her travel bag, and her face turned pale.
"No! I really brought a lot! My money!!"
"That’s why they say you should travel with a light purse and heavy legs."
"Jinzhou Eon Family!! I will never forgive those villains!!"
Murong Cheong vented her righteous indignation for a long time after that, huffing and puffing.
Because we had to walk carefully through the snow-covered wetlands, our pace wasn't very fast.
This area was where tributaries of the Yellow River flowed into the Yellow Sea, and there were many lakes clustered nearby. The Yellow River is a waterway that changes its path so frequently that the sediment layers are thick and the ground is weak, making wetlands common.
With the snow covering everything, a single misstep could lead to sinking deep into a swamp. I figured I’d have to dry our shoes and feet thoroughly at the next camp, or we’d be in trouble later.
With those thoughts, I checked the moon's position to set our direction. If we kept heading southwest, we’d reach Huguang, where Wuchang is located. It was a journey where we just had to keep the general direction and find a city.
That was when Murong Cheong spoke up.
"Does this not seem a bit strange?"
"Huh? What does?"
"The Heavenly Roar Fist anticipated the movement of my uncle and me and lay in ambush. And he attacked at the exact right time."
"And?"
"I can understand that my uncle disappeared in the chaos, and they neglected us to search for him. But even so, is this not too sloppy?"
I chewed on her words for a moment.
The Heavenly Roar Fist must have sensed the presence of several martial artists escaping as the ship was being destroyed. Even though they scattered in all directions, they shouldn't have been able to escape the sensory range of a Harmony Realm master.
The main reason he hadn't hunted us down one by one was Murong Jeon. As long as he survived and hid, the Heavenly Roar Fist had to find and kill him first.
Thinking that far, it was easy to accept. Murong Jeon had staked his life on a deception, and it had worked perfectly.
Perhaps because my thoughts were already headed that way, it took me a moment to fully grasp what Murong Cheong was saying.
Then, I realized. She was right. It was strange. The plan was too sloppy.
From the moment he set the ambush, there was no reason for the Heavenly Roar Fist to show up alone. Even if he had to be the one to personally erase the ship, there was no reason not to use subordinates to catch anyone who might escape.
If he had stationed just a dozen or so men nearby, he could have created a perfect perimeter. How far could people get after being caught in the strike of a Harmony Realm master and then plunging into a freezing canal in winter?
Therefore, the fact that the Heavenly Roar Fist had lost us was actually a very strange occurrence.
"Tsk."
It was because it had snowed too much, and my condition had hit rock bottom immediately after the ambush. To think I’d make such a blunder. I should have known that nowhere is safe once you leave home.
"Why haven't they pursued us for two days?"
"Exactly. If they lose us like this, they will not be able to completely hide the fact that this attack was the work of the Jinzhou Eon Family."
"Hmm."
Was the Jinzhou Eon Family even weaker than I expected, to the point where they couldn't even bring out their retainers?
Well, no matter how much a family is declining, it shouldn't be that bad. The Jinzhou Eon Family is one of the Five Great Clans. Even if they are on the lower end of that list, they are still regional powerhouses who walk with their heads held high.
As I was walking with those thoughts, Murong Cheong pointed her finger toward a spot just in front of a cypress forest below a distant hill.
"Ah, there! Do you see that?"
"Huh? The tree?"
"It is a Tangshan Tree! That means there is a village nearby! Phew, we might be able to get something to eat."
Sure enough, a remarkably large tree stood right at the entrance to the path leading into the forest. I hadn't noticed it until I looked closely in the dark, but seeing the red cloth draped over it, it looked like a Tangshan Tree.
It’s a type of sacred tree placed at the entrance of a village. It’s a tradition in Northeast Asia, used with the exact same meaning as the guardian trees in Korea.
Right, whatever the case, we needed to get food before moving on. It was winter, so there might not be much the villagers could offer, but we couldn't exactly do a winter trek on an empty stomach.
With lighter steps, we entered the forest path.
—Kee-hee-hee...
—Hee-hee-hee-hee...
—Kyahu-hu-hu...
"Oh, for f—"
About half an hour into the forest path, I thought the trees were making strange noises as they hit the winter wind.
But now, it had reached the point where laughter was faintly echoing from all directions.
"The unexcelled, profound, and exquisite Dharma is difficult to encounter in hundreds of millions of eons... H-heeek—! Gasp—!!"
Murong Cheong was clinging to my back, half-broken, muttering Buddhist sutras.
"O-om ara-nam, h-heek—!!"
"They're not going to go away just because you do that."
Murong Cheong trembled violently, her eyes darting around. Suddenly, she jumped and pointed to a dark corner of the forest.
"That hand! That hand!!"
"That’s a branch."
"A-a white hand appeared and then vanished! It was n-not a branch!"
"Sure, sure. Just don't look anywhere else and stay glued to my back."
"Hee-gik, hic!"
Murong Cheong nodded silently and pressed herself against my back again. Fortunately, it seemed her field of vision had narrowed due to fear, so she hadn't seen anything else.
I let out a deep sigh and walked down the forest path.
‘Why does the genre keep changing?’
Why did it suddenly turn into a ghost story?
This is driving me crazy.
"T-the Guandi Temple... We should not have burned the Guandi Temple...!"
"No."
Just stay quiet for a second.
Because right now...
—Kee-hee-hee-hee...
Smiling faces kept popping out from the nearby cypress trees and then vanishing.
What is this, Whac-A-Mole?
"It looks like this is the Jinzhou Eon Family's style of a 'Heavenly Net.'"
"W-what... hic! What, what, what do you mean by that?"
"They probably set up a few places like this in the area and just left them."
Once they dealt with a master like Murong Jeon, the survivors would just be low-level martial artists.
With the mindset that as long as they strictly monitored the main roads and the Grand Canal, they could just deal with the scattered stragglers like this.
"H-how can you be so s-sure? It... it could just be d-divine punishment! Because we burned the Guandi Temple..."
"No, uh. Never mind. Sure."
There was no need to scare her more by telling her.
How was I so sure?
Well, because right over there...
—Creeeeak... creak...
A corpse was swaying, hanging from a tree.
That guy... he was the waiter who used to serve drinks on our Dragon Slaying Alliance cruise.
Wow, I guess he managed to run pretty far to get all the way here.
I quickly moved past, making sure Murong Cheong didn't notice that medieval Chinese Halloween-style prop.
Creak, creak. The waiter friend’s frozen, wide-open eyes rolled toward me as we passed.