Chapter 90: Winter Distress (4)
Chapter 90: Winter Distress (4)
A master of the Peak Realm can never truly hide their stage. Unless they have mastered a very specific type of stealth technique, this remains an immutable truth.
Unlike the Lower Dantian, which develops naturally within the body, the Middle Dantian must be formed artificially. One could say this is due to the unique nature of the Middle Dantian’s functions.
Fwoosh!
Thus, Murong Cheong did not misunderstand Peng Hyeon-hwi’s level. He was First-Rate. He was an exceptionally mature First-Rate warrior, and considering he was a direct descendant of the Hebei Peng Family, he was a brilliant martial artist capable of exchanging blows with a Peak Realm master for a brief moment.
But at this very instant.
To be precise, from the moment Peng Hyeon-hwi’s left hand tapped the acupoints on his own chest.
In Murong Cheong’s eyes, characteristics that should only be seen in a Peak Realm master began to manifest vividly.
Thump, thump, thump!
The Middle Dantian circulates internal energy based on the heart. Unlike the acupoints that extend from the Lower Dantian to the rest of the body, the energy of the Middle Dantian flows through the blood vessels.
The powerful blood flow surging through his entire body and the internal energy moving in sync with his wild heartbeat erupted into a wave of energy outside his body. It was a resonance that resembled a heartbeat, sounding like the beating of a drum.
Boom, boom, boom. The sound that flows when a Peak Realm master circulates their energy began to emanate from Peng Hyeon-hwi. The internal energy, scattered like fragments along the fine vessels of his skin, made his clothes and hair flutter.
In this moment, Peng Hyeon-hwi appeared to be burning white-hot, accompanied by the sound of a beating heart. It was the very definition of a warrior who had reached the Peak Realm.
“How on earth is someone from the Hebei Peng Family in this place?!”
The sorcerer tried to retreat in horror. However, his death rattle didn't last long. With a sound like a crack of thunder, a bolt of lightning erupted.
With a speed that Murong Cheong’s ocular techniques could barely follow, the blade moved as if slicing through the air in a circle. Carrying the power of a thunderbolt, it scorched the sorcerer’s neck as it passed.
“Whew—.”
Crackle, crackle. Before the lingering echoes of the thunderbolt could even dissipate, the drum-like sound emanating from Peng Hyeon-hwi’s body began to fade. At the same time, his figure staggered and tilted.
“Wait, wait! Are you alright?!”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Fine, my foot! Your body is burning up!”
“Xianxia and high-fantasy wuxia are Unorthodox.”
“What? What are you talking about? What does that even mean?”
“It means you should kill Taoists and sorcerers on sight.”
Peng Hyeon-hwi chuckled with bloodshot eyes, muttered for a moment in Murong Cheong’s arms, and then shook his head.
“Hey, I’m sorry.”
“What are you sorry for now?”
“I wanted to get you something to eat, but I don’t think I can manage it now. I didn't realize I’d be starving for this long.”
“……How is that your fault?”
A warrior’s stamina is not infinite. Internal energy is not some mysterious, all-purpose resource that allows the body to move without limits. While the immortals of legend might survive on nothing but morning dew, the warriors of the secular world cannot.
On the contrary, warriors must consume significantly more food than commoners. Unless they have mastered the Turtle Breathing Art to survive on water alone—no, even if they had, it would be the same.
While one might be able to endure by sitting still as if dead, food is absolutely necessary to maintain body temperature and continue fighting in such extreme cold.
Even a common, cheap Grain-Avoiding Pill was a luxury now. Even a single sack of beans stored by a farmhouse for the winter was desperately needed. Murong Cheong bit her lip hard as she looked down at Peng Hyeon-hwi, who was slowly closing his eyes.
“It’s my fault.”
She whispered to the already unconscious Peng Hyeon-hwi.
It was her fault.
She was the one who suggested participating in the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, she was the one who crossed the Eon Family of Jinju, she was the one who guaranteed their safety, and she was the one the Heavenly Roar Fist had been targeting.
She was the one who fainted immediately after falling into the lake, and it was her fault that Peng Hyeon-hwi had been unable to move for two days, staying by her side while she was unconscious.
Yes, everything was her fault.
Shring—.
She had already owed this man her life three times.
She had promised to give herself to him in return.
And even though she had been rejected, was she not still clinging to hope and staying by his side?
If so. If that was the case—
“I told you I wouldn't let you die alone. Did you think those were empty words?”
She tightened her clothes, wrapping her left arm securely. She tied it tight enough to cut off circulation and bit down on a piece of her remaining collar. She slowly placed the sword in her right hand over her left forearm.
The swordsmanship of the Murong Family utilized twin blades, and their other martial arts were horsemanship and archery. The Murong Family mastered these three arts so deeply they were called the Three Perfections, and all three required both arms.
Thus, she held her sword, prepared to willingly give up all the martial arts she possessed.
“Haa, haa—.”
Though she gasped for breath, paralyzed by fear, she finished her resolve with her pale blue eyes and channeled internal energy into her sword.
Forcing her trembling hands to grip tight, she aimed the rattling blade as calmly as possible—
Whish—.
As soon as she felt something flying toward her, she reflexively swung her sword to deflect it and turned her head in that direction.
Flutter!
Beyond the end of the forest path, at the edge of the road where the white snowfield stretched out.
A faintly shimmering flag caught her eye.
The Jiangnan Heavenly Merchant Guild. It was the merchant flag of one of the largest guilds in Jiangnan. Since it was a guild that had ties with the Murong Family, the flag was quite familiar to Murong Cheong.
The object that had been thrown was an iron gate token, which could also be used as a hidden weapon. It was a coin with sharpened edges. She saw the pieces of the token, which had been perfectly sliced in half by her blade, embedded in the ground.
Since it hadn't been fired with internal energy, even the exhausted Murong Cheong had been able to deflect it. It seemed it was merely intended to stop her current course of action.
And in the distance, she saw someone running toward them in a hurry.
“Is that Young Master Peng Hyeon-hwi?”
Murong Cheong frowned at those words and slowly raised her blade. She couldn't understand why a Jiangnan merchant guild would approach Peng Hyeon-hwi, a member of the Black Path. Jiangnan had traditionally been the territory of the Orthodox Faction, and the Cheon family’s guild was a merchant group with deep ties to the Namgung Family.
In this situation, opposing them was equivalent to choosing death. They would die if the merchants left, and protecting a direct descendant of a Black Path family was essentially the same thing.
But what did it matter? She had already made up her mind. Had she not been prepared to give up an arm just to feed him? Even if she had stopped the bleeding, she likely would have died from the shock.
“For what reason are you looking for Young Master Peng?”
“News that Young Master Peng was attacked by the Fist King in this vicinity has spread far and wide. Our guild also trades with Beijing, and if the Peng Family’s prestige is damaged and a great war breaks out, it would be most unfortunate. By any chance, is the young lady the Pure and Clear Maiden Murong?”
“That is a title I do not deserve.”
“What a relief! The Great Hero Murong Jeon, one of the Twin Arts of Laughter and Cunning, took refuge with our guild just a short while ago! The Great Hero Murong will be overjoyed.”
“Is my uncle… is my uncle safe?”
“Yes, his energy was greatly depleted from surviving in the canal for several days in this cold, but other than that, he is safe and sound. The weather is harsh. Please, come with us quickly.”
At the polite attitude of the approaching warrior, Murong Cheong finally lowered her sword and let out a deep breath. The scale of the merchant group approaching seemed quite large. Even though it was unlikely for a regular merchant caravan to travel by land in this weather, they seemed to have organized a long escort.
Clutching Peng Hyeon-hwi tightly, Murong Cheong finally felt the tension leave her body and collapsed.
The warriors who had approached hurriedly and carefully gathered Murong Cheong and Peng Hyeon-hwi, heading toward the merchant caravan’s carriage.
*
Alright, I survived.
Before even opening my eyes, I decided to feel relieved first. Feeling the crackling sound of a campfire and the heat of a brazier, it seemed I was fortunately indoors somewhere.
My condition wasn't even that bad. Did Murong Cheong find something to feed me while I was out? Honestly, I felt much better now than before I collapsed.
“Cheong-ah, are you okay?”
If I’m alive, it must mean Murong Cheong is alive too. My hope was that both of us were alive with all our limbs intact. I just hoped there weren't any shocking results like having toes amputated due to frostbite.
Fortunately, after a brief movement, it seemed my acupoints, veins, and limbs were all fine.
“Hmm.”
Then, a humming sound came from a corner in the distance. I saw the back of a woman sitting with her back to the campfire. My vision slowly cleared, and only then could I see the place where I was lying.
Hmm. A ceiling I don't recognize.
It felt like a temporary camping tent. Camping tents of this era still carried some influence from the Yuan Dynasty’s rule, so it wasn't uncommon to see temporary campsites similar to gers.
This place had that feel. It was a large camping tent called a jangbong, made by driving wooden pillars into the ground and covering them with oilcloth and felt.
The woman poking at the campfire in the middle was, how should I put it?
Her presence felt so familiar that I reflexively thought it was Murong Cheong, but upon closer inspection, it wasn't. She was Han Chinese with jet-black hair.
‘Alone in the same tent with a woman…?’
Murong Cheong just let this happen? Is she badly hurt right now?
I glanced to the side. My martial robes were neatly folded, and my blade and gauntlets were placed nearby. As I slowly reached out and began to crawl toward my blade, I heard the woman’s voice.
“You seem to have a deep friendship with Lady Murong.”
“Ah, yes.”
It was a voice I’d never heard before. Thinking that, I realized my sense of familiarity must have been an illusion; her build was definitely different. The woman slowly turned around.
She was a woman with jet-black hair and an elegant appearance. Was she about the same age as me?
“It is an honor to meet you, Young Master Peng. I am Cheon Ryeong-hwa. I am in charge of this small merchant group.”
“If you are the Cheon family merchant group, are you part of the Jiangnan Heavenly Merchant Guild?”
“Yes, my family runs a modest merchant house.”
“I owe a debt of life to a great merchant of Jiangnan. I will surely repay this kindness.”
“Please, do not trouble yourself. Welcoming a guest on such a harsh day is merely following the fine traditions of old; how could this be considered a great favor?”
“Oh.”
By the standards of this era, the easiest way to identify someone’s status was through their speech, appearance, demeanor, and clothing. From those criteria, there was no doubt about this young lady’s status.
The Jiangnan Heavenly Merchant Guild.
Jiangnan was a place where many merchant groups classified as "great merchants" gathered. Centered around Nanjing, it was a region where traditional Han Chinese merchants had been active for a long time. Unlike the newly rising hotspot of Hebei, the history of those folks was said to go back as far as a thousand years.
Among the sects with such long histories was the Namgung Family. The martial arts friends of that region, collectively known as the Jiangnan White Forest Association, all belonged to the Orthodox Faction, and the great merchants of Jiangnan maintained their prosperity by sponsoring or trading with those Orthodox sects.
In other words, there was no reason for the Jiangnan Heavenly Merchant Guild to save me. There was no reason to go out of their way to save a direct descendant of the Hebei Peng Family and personally attend to him.
From this perspective, this was…
“If there is something you desire from me, please speak freely. My family does not know how to mince words.”
“I, too, find that more comfortable. But well… if it’s something I desire….”
Cheon Ryeong-hwa smiled as she looked at me quietly.
“I would like to know about your relationship with Lady Murong.”
“Pardon?”
“Other than that, I have no reason or intention to demand anything from you, Young Master Peng. I merely took in a guest on my way, though there was a calculation that the journey would be peaceful if high-level warriors like Lady Murong and yourself accompanied us.”
Curiosity?
Well, I didn't think that was all.
Maybe half of it was simple curiosity. There might be some interest in seeing a direct descendant of the number one Black Path sect and a direct descendant of one of the Five Great Orthodox Clans appearing close, but that wasn't everything.
To a great merchant of Jiangnan, an alliance between the Hebei Dragon Slaying Alliance and the Murong Family could be seen as a major event akin to a tectonic shift in the future. Yes, that would be it.
The Murong Family was a massive power, even operating a fleet that defied the maritime ban, and they played the role of a middle gateway connecting all trade routes flowing in from the outer regions of the northeast to the Shanhai Pass.
Even if it couldn't compare to the Silk Road of the Tianshan Mountains, it was still a massive vested interest. If such people could connect with the vast logistics network of Hebei, it would undoubtedly be considered a tectonic shift in the merchant world.
She might be seeking information as a merchant.
‘It’s a bit unsettling, though.’
For that to be the case, her gaze was a bit too provocative.