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The Yangtze is vast.
The place where we joined the Yangtze from its tributary, the Han River, is Wuhan, the heart of Hubei Province.
Our route simply circled around Wuhan and followed the Yangtze straight east to its end.
It was like traversing half the Central Plains by boat, riding the river's current.
But it wasn't a leisurely journey spent peacefully gazing at moonlit waters.
"Are your legs alright?"
"Yes. I can't just lie still in a skiff for days on end, not knowing when we'll arrive."
To stop Hwangbo Hye-ji's marriage, we raced at full speed deep into the night, when people were asleep.
What did we do about the boats?
We didn't buy or rent them with money. If we left them somewhere, the owners would find them on their own.
The skiff we took down the Hwasu to enjoy the scenery for a night was returned at the next port. After that, we had people who gifted us boats along the way.
In the pre-dawn hours just before morning, if we loitered near a port, thugs carrying curved blades would inevitably find us and surround us.
- Ha ha! Know that I am Ju Ji-ryong, the Water King of Bak Hwa Stockade!
- You came to give us a boat? Thanks.
Splash, splash.
The water knew the answer. Since they were water bandits who knew how to swim, even when we tossed them splashing into the river, no one died and they all came back out just fine.
- We'll be taking the boat.
- You, you bas—!!
After pressing their acupoints, we left them on land and sailed off. Any water bandits we ran into after that saw the Bak Hwa Stockade flag we'd hung and steered clear on their own.
- Uahaha! You Bak Hwa Stockade bastards, you dare covet our territory!
- Yeon-a, let's transfer.
Splash, splash.
We steadily upgraded our boats. The voyage that began with a skiff soon became a large boat, and I put the captured water bandits to work.
- Far too slow. If you're slower than mountain bandits scaling peaks, how can you call yourselves water bandits?
- What? You don't want to? You haven't been hit enough.
- From now on, you will find joy in rowing. From now on, you will find joy in rowing. From now on....
At times we threatened with words, at times we ruled with fists, and at times we controlled them with the Soul-Hooking Technique, speeding down the river. Even at speed, the authorities didn't easily interfere with bandit boats, and around evening, when their stamina ran out and they collapsed, we abandoned the boat and ran again.
So the last few days became a cycle of moving differently by day and night.
We ran at night and slept on the boat during the day. Three conditions forced this uncomfortable mode of travel.
We could not pass through Henan, where the Murim Alliance is located.
I wanted to show Dokgo Yeon the sea.
And we had to arrive in Jinan within a fairly short time.
To satisfy these conditions, we moved east along the Yangtze, then went north up the coastline to Jinan, where the Hwangbo Clan resides.
Since we had to go the long way around anyway, it wouldn't hurt to dip our toes in the seawater and pass by, right?
In other words, go straight east, then straight north.
Deliberately making a detour when a diagonal route would've been far shorter was bound to be a hardship, but I replenished my inner energy by partaking of spirit medicine here and there when I carried Dokgo Yeon and traveled at night.
Fewer eyes watched the night, so I held Dokgo Yeon and ran east, using Grass-top Flying, Void Step, and committing all manner of athletic feats.
The most inconvenient thing about our altered body clocks—besides eating—was sleep.
I could get by without sleep, but a beauty needed a good night's rest.
When daylight came and we rode the water bandits' boats, Dokgo Yeon would fall into a deep sleep in my arms.
- It's taboo to bring a woman on a boat....
- She's a Celestial Maiden, so it's fine. Got a problem?
- No problem at all, Lust Demon!
When Dokgo Yeon awoke from her slumber, I would nap in her arms. I needed some rest too, if only briefly.
But because of this, a vicious cycle of neither of us getting proper sleep repeated itself.
By the end of three exhausting days and nights of running, we reached our first destination.
"This place is...?"
"Hefei."
Why hide it? If the Cheon Family Estate can be called my home, then this place is what you could call my second hometown in this life.
"I spent several years here."
"...Ah, now that you mention it, I've heard of it. That a person said to be the Divine Doctor's disciple was here during the Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill uproar. That... was it the Chuso Escort Agency incident? Did you handle that?"
"That's right. But how do you know such things?"
"Being at the center of the Murim Alliance, you come to know many things. My father would also tell me news from the outside world and have me study it...."
I'd thought Dokgo Yeon simply stayed quietly at home, but she had received early Alliance Leader training from a young age. It made sense now why she could discuss the continent's political landscape with Lee Si-a.
"Yes. I was here during the Chuso Escort Agency incident."
I used as few words as possible to distill the explanation. Cold sweat ran down my back, but I stuck solely to the truth to avoid being caught in a lie.
"I was going to split a Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill and sell it to a medicine dealer I knew, then take a good cut and leave, but somehow I ended up verifying the pill. I realized my mistake and fled after being beaten up as a fraud."
"It wasn't a scam?"
"It wasn't a scam, but I became a fraud to make things easy for myself."
Dokgo Yeon and I found a dog-hole in the wall of Hefei Fortress and crawled inside. The dog-hole I'd used hundreds of times remained unrepaired.
"I tried to split up the Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill I had into one-tenth portions of the Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill to sell, but I failed."
"Hmm, so originally there were two Heavenly Rejuvenation Pills here? The one you had, and the one from the Chuso Escort Agency that ended up with the Paeng Clan."
"Th-that's right?"
Actually, there was only one. I had just stolen the one Chu So-gwang had and split it.
"......."
Dokgo Yeon's eyes sharpened like a blade. Feeling as though I were under interrogation, it became hard to tell any more lies.
'Sagong Hee is definitely easier.'
Sagong Hee would respond to my words with things like 'Really?' or 'I had no idea.' Even when I told a convenient lie, she'd just nod and say, 'I see.'
"......Couldn't it be Sagong Hee?"
"Why are you suddenly bringing up unnie Hee?"
"Ah, it's nothing."
Could Sagong Hee be the truly frightening one? A sudden fear of Sagong Hee crept over me.
What if Sagong Hee knew everything but pretended she didn't? What if I thought I was dominating her, but in fact, she was subtly guiding me with gentle words?
Among the three, Sagong Hee knows the most about me. Could I be the one being deceived by Sagong Hee?
"......No, that can't be. Yeon-a, I'm sorry. A stray thought crossed my mind for a moment."
"It's fine. So please tell me why you brought up the Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill."
"Ahem, right. It's because what we're here to get is a Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill."
"What?"
I took Dokgo Yeon's hand and quickly darted through the alleyways. Evading the surveillance network of the Beggar Sect and Hao Sect, which remained unchanged even years after I'd left, we soon arrived at my destination.
An herbal medicine shop without a signboard.
This was the place I'd often sold medicinal herbs, and as a regular customer, I'd formed a close financial relationship with the owner and left a Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill here.
"The door is closed?"
"It's fine. I can feel someone's presence inside."
I walked up confidently and knocked on the door.
"Are you in?"
"...This is the first time I've seen you be so polite to someone."
"Yeon-a. When introducing my lover to an old friend, I should be courteous."
"What 'friend' nonsense...."
The moment the door opened, the old man who appeared froze.
"Who is it?"
"I've come to check if you're keeping your end of the bargain."
"......."
The old man looked me over slowly from head to toe. He stared intently, then glanced at Dokgo Yeon, who was holding my hand beside me, and tilted his head.
"You don't seem like customers here to buy medicine. Do I know you?"
"I may be hard to recognize, and being polite probably makes it harder. Do you remember? When we last met, I was about this tall."
I stroked the top of Dokgo Yeon's head to show my old height. The old man's harsh face crumpled, and as he looked up at me, his jaw dropped open.
"The cheeky little brat?"
"Heh heh, it's been a while. Have you been well? This is my wife, Yeoni."
"Nice to meet you. I hear you're an old acquaintance of Gaga's. I'm called Yeoni."
"......."
The old man silently looked back and forth between the two of us for a long moment.
"You used to sing songs about a pretty woman, and it seems you've finally succeeded."
"Isn't it only natural that the greatest wife under heaven should be the greatest beauty under heaven?"
"You got even more shameless while you were gone. Tch. So, you little bastard, you certainly didn't come just to introduce me to your woman. Did you come because you need that, or did you come to sell the herbs you've got stashed away back there?"
What a ghost-like old man. I handed him all the various spirit medicines I'd found while traveling down the Yangtze as a gift.
"...You want me to buy all this? No. I've got no money. After you left, all the herb gatherers I dealt with were lousy, and my reputation as a medicine merchant went straight to hell, you bastard."
"I'm sorry about that. Restore your reputation with these. I've come to purchase that item with them."
"You're not here to take it as its owner?"
"You wouldn't take it if I just asked for it, would you? If you're really uncomfortable, consider it payment for all the years you've kept it safe."
After pushing the medicinal herbs toward the old man, I led Dokgo Yeon inside to the back, where the medicine was prepared.
The room filled with the scent of herbs was exactly the same as before I'd left. I disarmed the hidden mechanism inside to retrieve a wooden box.
"It's just as it was back then. You could've snuck one or two out and sold them."
"Selling something like that only brings trouble. Oh ho, this is quite a rare item."
"...Gaga, I can't quite follow what's going on."
Dokgo Yeon grabbed my hand as I was about to open the box.
"Will you please explain?"
"That brat left a Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill with me, and I've kept it safe until now. He's just come to collect it."
"Thanks for the short, concise explanation."
I flipped the box open. Inside, round medicinal pills the size of children's candies were lined up neatly.
A full five in one box.
"...Are these all Heavenly Rejuvenation Pills?"
"That's right. They don't have the immediate effect of a pure Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill, but aside from the activation time, the effect itself is identical."
And there were so many boxes that counting them was a hassle.
"If these got loose in the Murim, it would cause an uproar, wouldn't it?"
"It's precisely to prevent such a dreadful thing that I haven't touched them until now."
"The time has come when they're needed, old man."
At my words, the old man flinched in surprise and shut his eyes tightly.
"Just what in the world is about to happen in the Martial World?"
"Not just the Martial World, but the Central Plains—no, this entire land. A great Blood Calamity may erupt, so if you're still alive when it does, be sure not to leave this Anhui region."
"Is this bastard cursing me or giving me well-wishes? How is it you haven't changed one bit even after becoming a man married and all."
"I think I've changed quite a lot compared to back then."
I personally thought I had matured a little as a martial artist, as a human being, and as a man, but in the old man's eyes, I apparently still fell far short.
"If you've got what you came for, then get going. Treat your wife well."
"Thank you."
I took two boxes containing Heavenly Rejuvenation Pills and re-engaged the mechanism to lock it. Dokgo Yeon followed as I pulled her by the hand, but she had a look that wondered why I hadn't taken all the Heavenly Rejuvenation Pills.
"Uh... thank you, elder. May I ask your name?"
"I never even told that brat what it is, and I discarded my name long ago.... But if a pretty young lady such as yourself asks, it's only human nature to answer."
Moreover, she had a strong look of wanting to know the old man's true identity.
"I am Mumyeong."
"...Pardon?"
"Mumyeong. I erased my real name a very long time ago."
Mumyeong. I had taken a name from him and impersonated a physician called Mubung.
"Was the name you had in your youth so embarrassing?"
"Quiet, you brat. And what about you? Are you not ashamed of the things you did here?"
"Ergh. Fine. I'll shut my mouth."
The old man was the only person who knew my past. I obediently raised both hands in surrender.
"Take care. It was good to see you."
"Yeah. Ah, right. Now that you mention it, that child stopped by not long ago."
"...That child?"
I had no choice but to turn my steps back just as I was about to leave. There was only one person the old man and I both knew as 'that child'.
"Yes. They were traveling with three strange men and one woman, all calling each other by demonic names."
"...A woman?"
"Yes. A great beauty."
The old man stuffed herbs into his long pipe and lit it.
"What was it. Her name... right. Lee Chil-rin."
"Lee Chil-rin (二七麟)?"
Rin (麟).
"Yes. Like the other three, that woman's name was also an alias. Where in the world would you find a woman with a real name like Lee Chil-rin? Heh heh heh."
"......."
Two-seven.
Twenty-seven.
Three times nine.
"...Nah, no way. It can't be."
Sam-gu had gone looking for the Heavenly Horse's Tear alongside the Flying Heaven Three Demons?
I'd sooner believe Hwangbo Hye-ji wasn't a virgin. A strange chill ran through me at this sudden story.
"Gaga, who is this 'child' you're talking about?"
"......."
A sense of déjà vu left my hands and feet frozen cold.