Chapter 282
Chapter 282
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 282
Chapter Title: Kunlun Mountains (4)
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Shwaaaa.
Shyaaaa.
I focused harder than ever before, unfurling my Seventh Sense Diagram.
Information and the surrounding terrain flooded my mind relentlessly.
‘Please, let me find something.’
It had only been half an hour since we were separated.
Jeok Hwa-ran would have resisted, so they couldn't have gone far.
Besides, they were fleeing while carrying a person, so their speed would be slow.
As I clung to that hope, continuously expanding my senses, something finally registered.
‘Found them!’
Something caught the very edge of my perception.
“Black Dragon Corps Leader!”
At my urgent shout, Bukgung Baek flew to my side in an instant.
“Go down the lower path and see if the others are coming. I'll go find Hwa-ran.”
Leaving him to stare in shock at the news of Jeok Hwa-ran’s disappearance, I stomped my foot into the ground.
BOOM!
A step that combined the lightness of the Flying Heavenly Wind with the weight of the War King Step.
CRASH!
The world around me blurred at a terrifying speed.
It didn't matter what stood in my way.
Crack. Snap. Crunch.
If a tree was in my way, I smashed it with my fist. If a rock blocked my path, I shattered it with a kick and moved on.
After about fifteen minutes…
My hands and feet had been moving nonstop, and I was starting to feel out of breath. Just then, I saw him.
A man in black with Jeok Hwa-ran slung over his shoulder.
There was no time to think.
I had to rescue Jeok Hwa-ran before he even realized I was there.
Swoosh!
The Battle Lord Arrow, connected to my little finger, shot out like a bolt of lightning.
Thump.
Sensing something flying at him from behind, the man leaped away without even looking back.
Thud.
His balance was thrown off, and Jeok Hwa-ran fell from his shoulder.
In truth, I had expected him to dodge.
His defensive senses were extraordinary, and I had adjusted the speed of my Battle Lord Arrow accordingly.
BOOM!
The arrow flew past where the man had been, rotated, and blew apart a tree in front of him.
And then…
Snap.
The Battle Lord Arrow wrapped around Jeok Hwa-ran's wrist and flew back toward me.
Thud.
The man’s eyes widened as he saw Jeok Hwa-ran land at my feet.
He seemed surprised by the capabilities of the legendary artifact, the Battle Lord Arrow.
“Are you ready to die?”
Though it didn’t matter, he was going to die in a moment anyway.
“Hmph. No matter what kind of artifact you possess, this won't be easy for you.”
“Do you even know who I am?”
“Aren't you just some lackey from the Righteous Path?”
From that brief exchange, I gathered two pieces of information.
First, the man didn’t know who I was. Second, he wasn’t a martial artist from the Righteous Path.
That left only one answer.
“You bastard. You're the ones who were chasing the Red Dragon Hall.”
“...You’re a sharp one.”
“Perfect timing. I happen to have a lot of questions for you.”
Thump.
I shifted my form and reappeared behind him.
I had intended to strike his neck and subdue him in one move.
Thud.
But the man's body collapsed instantly.
When I checked his condition, a curse escaped my lips.
“...You crazy son of a bitch.”
To choose suicide without even trying to fight, no matter how slim the chances.
I had a strong feeling this journey was not going to be easy.
A short while later, after resolving the minor incident of Jeok Hwa-ran's kidnapping…
We waited outside the village for the Black Dragon Corps and the Prajna Hall warriors.
No matter how strong our stomachs were, spending time near a hundred corpses was deeply unsettling.
This might be our last chance to rest, so we needed to be as comfortable as possible.
The problem was…
“Waaah! It was so scary!”
Jeok Hwa-ran had forgotten all sense of decorum and was regressing to a childlike state.
Sniffle, sniffle.
‘Ah, I didn't bring a change of clothes...’
Seeing her clinging to me, smearing tears and snot all over my robes, I felt an urge to kick her and yell that classic motherly line, ‘Be quiet! What have you got to cry about?!’
But since this incident was, in a way, my fault, I channeled the patience of a Bodhisattva and barely managed to restrain myself.
As I patted Jeok Hwa-ran’s back, I recalled the strange feeling I’d had a little while ago.
‘By the way, was she always this... voluminous?’
It was a fact I’d discovered against my will while carrying her.
Well, it was just the difference between an A-minus and an A-cup, but still.
‘She must have gained weight from slacking off on her training.’
It looked like I'd have to show her the horrors of physical training soon.
“Everyone has arrived.”
Just as I was nodding to myself at that conclusion, the warriors of the Black Dragon Corps and Prajna Hall arrived.
I set down Jeok Hwa-ran, who had cried herself to sleep, and explained the situation to them.
“The Red Dragon Hall is in danger.”
Bewilderment filled everyone’s eyes, but time was short, so I issued my orders immediately.
“The Black Dragon Corps will follow me into the Kunlun Mountains to find the Red Dragon Hall.”
“War Dragon!”
“The Prajna Hall will head to Hanzhong. Fortress Lord Bukgung will be waiting for you there.”
“Understood.”
“Ah, since you’re going anyway, could you take some baggage for me?”
The man who appeared to be Bukgung Li's head guard stepped forward.
“Please, give us your command.”
Just as I pointed my finger toward Jeok Hwa-ran…
“That girl over there... Huh? When did you wake up?”
“I’m not going.”
She had woken up at some point and was now staring at me with a determined look.
“No. It’s too dangerous. Go back.”
“I'm a martial artist too. Haven't you seen my skills?”
“Then why did you get captured earlier?”
“Th-that's... I let my guard down. And if something like that happens again, you can just save me, Master.”
“I was lucky that time. If that man hadn't been trying to figure out who we were, he would have taken your life first.”
“Then that can’t be helped. If I lack the strength, I suppose I’ll just have to die.”
“Hwa-ran!”
“You said my brother and the others are in danger! How can I pretend I don’t know? How could I face them later?”
“...They would all understand.”
“I wouldn’t be able to understand, so no.”
I was contemplating whether to send her by force when Jeok Hwa-ran glared at me and said.
“Don’t even think about sending me away against my will. I’ll just escape and run right back here.”
Seeing her firm resolve to come, even if it meant coming alone, a single phrase burst from deep within me.
“Damn it, you crazy girl.”
* * *
The Kunlun Mountains.
Stretching from Qinghai Province in the east to India in the west, it is the largest mountain range in Asia, spanning seven thousand li.
It boasts a harsh, frigid environment, so high in altitude that it is difficult to find even a single blade of grass, let alone a tree.
Why the sudden encyclopedia entry, you ask?
“Ugh... it’s cold.”
“M-me too.”
Because for Jeok Hwa-ran and me, who had spent most of our lives in warm climates, this was an incredibly difficult environment.
I, having reached a state of being impervious to heat and cold, could manage. But Jeok Hwa-ran looked like she was on the verge of death.
Furthermore, we had been marching relentlessly without rest, so it was no surprise her face had turned blue.
“Is it tough?”
“...A little?”
“Want me to dig you a hole? You can hide here. I think we can wrap this up in about ten days...”
“Not a chance.”
I tried to test her, but she wouldn’t budge.
“Tsk.”
I started to take off my outer robe to give her my Dragon Scale Armor, and she asked in surprise.
“I-in front of all these people, wh-what are you doing! Sh-shouldn't we at least go to a more secluded spot...”
“What are you talking about? You looked cold, so I was going to give you my clothes.”
“...”
I took off the Dragon Scale Armor and handed it to her. She blushed.
“S-so this is the legendary Dragon Scale Armor that has saved your life so many times, Master.”
“Yeah, it’s expensive, so take care of it.”
Aside from when I bathed, this was the first time I had ever taken it off.
In the world of martial arts, you never knew what might happen, or where.
Of course, there was a real reason I could wear it all the time.
It was so light you could barely tell if you were wearing it, and it even had a slight body temperature regulation function, so there was never a reason to take it off.
On top of that, it was unbelievably durable. Sometimes, I couldn't help but wonder, ‘Is this really a treasure made from a dragon’s scales?’
‘A person really should help others.’
If I hadn't risked my life when Lee Jeok-ha was kidnapped, I never would have obtained such a treasure.
And if that were the case, I wouldn't have survived the bloody battles I’d fought so far.
I’d like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the great young lord of the Martial Emperor Fortress, Lee Jeok-sang, for bestowing this Dragon Scale Armor upon me.
As I was lost in thought, Jeok Hwa-ran, now wearing the armor, turned around.
“How do I look? Does it suit me?”
“...Well, you look decent enough.”
In truth, it didn't suit her at all.
Putting a boxy piece of armor on her slender frame made her look like one of the Teletubbies.
Still, since I was lending it to her, I decided to be nice and offer a compliment I didn't mean. Just then, Jeok Hwa-ran’s disgruntled voice reached me.
“...Master, this seems to smell a bit. When was the last time you washed it?”
“Shut up.”
When will this girl ever grow up?
A short while later.
Night fell, and judging that we could go no further, we stopped our march.
The thirty members of the Black Dragon Corps began to set up camp with practiced efficiency, lighting fires and taking out provisions.
Bukgung Baek, having finished organizing the men, approached me.
“How much farther do we have to go?”
“Hmm... I think about two more days, but the map is such a mess, I can’t be sure.”
“May I take a look, perhaps?”
“You know how to read maps?”
“Believe it or not, I traveled the world in my youth. I had to navigate using maps back then, so my map-reading skills are on par with most guides.”
“Oh? I never knew the Black Dragon Corps Leader’s hobby was wandering.”
“It wasn't a hobby... Back when I was the young lord of my family, I was ordered by my father to track down those who had fled after borrowing money. You could say it was my profession.”
“...Well, financial transactions must be handled with certainty.”
Nodding, I handed him the crude map. He moved closer to the campfire to examine it.
“Hmm... It certainly is crude.”
“Right?”
How was anyone supposed to find their way with this thing? If the ancestor Flying Heavenly Fox were in front of me, I’d want to teach him how to draw a proper map.
“The direction seems to be more or less correct.”
“That’s a relief.”
Crackle. Pop.
He glanced around before cautiously approaching me.
“However, there is one strange thing.”
“What is it?”
His expression was so serious that I lowered my voice as I asked.
“Since we’re heading in the same direction, we should have found something by now, but there are no traces at all.”
“Ah... is that all? They obviously would have erased them.”
“Do you know what people who run away with borrowed money have in common?”
His sudden question made me tilt my head.
“They desperately try to erase their tracks because they think they’ll be killed if they’re caught. However, even they eventually leave traces. As long as they are human, they have to eat and they have to relieve themselves.”
“Come on, you can’t compare those swindlers to the renowned Red Dragon Hall.”
“Of course, they aren't the same. They are the best experts in the martial world. However, the Red Dragon Hall members out here now don't know they're being followed. They naturally wouldn't have spent much time erasing their tracks.”
“...”
“We won't know for sure until we reach the point indicated on the map, but it would be best to keep this in mind.”
Hearing him out, it made sense.
Since they didn't even know they were being pursued, they would have been focused on their objective and wouldn't have spent much time covering their tracks.
Bukgung Baek’s words planted a seed of doubt in my mind, and I took out the letter I had recently received from the Red Dragon Hall.
[Traces found. Estimated arrival in ten days.]
It was definitely a letter sent by Jeok Yi.
But the more I looked at it, the more I noticed something strange.
‘Ten days?’
If they found traces, it meant they had at least reached the location on the survey map and begun their search. So why would they need to travel for another ten days?
Suddenly, I recalled the words of the bandit I had interrogated earlier.
‘The order was to track the Red Dragon Hall, as they were searching for a treasure buried somewhere in the Kunlun Mountains.’
It was certain that information had been leaked from within.
If Jeok Yi knew that, he wouldn't have written the situation as it was in the letter.
The letter, sent by carrier pigeon, was written on thin paper that was practically transparent.
Then what was the reason for sending the letter at all?
Shifting my perspective, I looked at the letter again. The keywords ‘traces’ and ‘ten days’ stood out.
‘It wasn't that they found a trace; it was that their trace was found. It means the distance between them and their enemies is ten days.’
In other words, it was a request for help.
As soon as I reached this conclusion, I shot to my feet.
“Everyone, light your torches. We leave immediately!”
And my suspicion turned out to be anything but a groundless fear.
“There’s nothing here!”
“Same over here!”
“The north is clear...”
“The south, too...”
We had covered a two-day journey in one, but upon arriving at our destination, we found no traces whatsoever.
“Damn it.”
Whoooosh.
The wind blowing from the desolate, rocky mountain cooled my head.