Chapter 39
Chapter 39
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: The Phantom Oasis
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Two more days passed since they had begun their stay in Sangnak.
In that time, the Waning Moon Squad, disguised as bandits and assassins, had secretly joined them. If they had tried to pass the official checkpoint dressed in animal furs, they would have been dragged straight to a prison cell.
In any case, they were through the pass, so they would have no more dealings with the authorities.
Of course, their dealings with the Central Plains remained. As did the matter of evading the assassins sent by the Demonic Cult.
Thus, they had to depart swiftly.
It was unfortunate for those who had just arrived and hadn't had a proper rest, but it couldn't be helped. There was no telling what kind of enemy would come looking for them next.
Hadn't he already confirmed it?
Putting aside the ones who had launched the surprise attack, there was the existence of that damned bastard who had escaped his senses and fled.
He wasn't even sure if the man had fled in the first place.
The thought that he might be watching from somewhere had made Neung Un-bi so anxious that he couldn't even use the outhouse properly during their entire stay in Sangnak. At this rate, he was going to get constipated.
That unlucky bastard, making him unable to let his guard down.
When he considered that the men he had been chasing might have felt something similar, he almost felt sorry for causing such massive disruption to their bowel movements.
But the man hadn't appeared since that night.
It wasn't as if he was trying to dry him out to death by making him even more nervous…
And so, he had to go. To a place where, no matter who it was, they could never follow.
“My lord, the horses are ready.”
“Good.”
At Wang Cheon's words, Neung Un-bi folded the topographical map of Gansu he had been examining, tucked it into his robes, and rose with a nod.
They couldn't travel with the Waning Moon Squad just yet.
Inside an inn, it was common for strangers to become sworn brothers over drinks, so it wasn't a problem, but it would be troublesome outside.
A young master from a rural family parading around with thirty men in broad daylight would inevitably draw attention.
Therefore, they would officially join forces with the Waning Moon Squad only after leaving Sangnak. Somewhere out of sight.
Furthermore, he had already laid out all their future plans while they rested.
“Which direction should I tell the Waning Moon Squad to follow?”
“Akwaji.”
“……”
At Neung Un-bi’s answer, Wang Cheon stared intently at his lord.
“What?”
“Where is that?”
“Hm? You don’t know?”
“Of course I don’t. How would I know the place names of the Central Plains? You’re here for the first time too, so why do you act like you know it so well?”
“I do know it well.”
“Pardon?”
How could he not know?
This was the Central Plains. Thirty years had passed since his death, but that was too short a time for place names to change.
Besides, he had originally lived in the Central Plains.
In other words, this was his territory.
He had a particularly deep connection with Dunhuang, where Akwaji was located. He had once scoured the place like a man possessed, hunting for the head of a certain someone hiding there.
He had gone through hell back then.
*Just you wait, you damned lurker who might be watching from somewhere.*
*I’ll make you suffer just as I did in the past.*
Neung Un-bi made a firm resolve in his heart, but Wang Cheon, who knew nothing of the circumstances, could only let out a snort.
“Pfft! I have to hand it to you, your bluffing is top-notch. Why are you making such a serious face? You probably read about it in a book and are acting like you’ve been there yourself.”
Well, it was unlikely he would believe him.
*What do you know about me?*
*You, whose head is filled with thoughts of Aeyang.*
“Wang Cheon.”
“Yes.”
“If you go about three hundred li east from here, there’s a place called Dunhuang.”
“Come on, even I know that. I may have been born and raised in the Demonic Cult, but you think I wouldn’t know of Dunhuang?”
“Then what’s below it?”
“The desert… sir?”
“You know your stuff. Akwaji is a lake right around the center of it.”
“In the middle… of the desert? A lake?”
“Yeah. A lake shaped like a crescent moon. It’s bigger than you’d think.”
He stared at him again. Then, he burst out laughing with a smirk.
“My word… I wonder what you’ve been reading.”
“I’m telling you, it’s really there.”
“Yes, yes. Let’s just say it is.”
“……”
Wang Cheon waved his hands dismissively, even shaking his head.
“It’s there, I tell you.”
“I said I get it, didn't I?”
“...I ought to just!”
“Ah, I believe you. I said I believe you, okay?”
Though he said he believed him, the smirk on his lips… it was clear he didn't believe a word.
*Sigh, what am I going to do with this guy?*
*You really treat your lord like dirt, don't you?*
*I sincerely apologize to the part of me that once felt sorry for using you for my own goals.*
“Anyway, assuming it exists, you want to cross that desert now?”
“Yes! Why!?”
“Is that even possible?”
“……”
“Hah, how can you be so thoughtless? Do you even know what kind of place a desert is?”
*I know it well. Far better than you.*
“It’s hotter than the inferno of scorching heat during the day, and colder than the Heavenly Mountains at night. You can’t find water even if you rub your eyes raw. There are no roads, either. The terrain changes every time the wind blows, so it’s easy to get lost and wander aimlessly. As your Guard Captain, I absolutely cannot permit this. The Commander of the Waning Moon Squad will say the exact same thing.”
He was acting like he knew it all, lecturing someone who had actually been there.
Wang Cheon's words were half right and half wrong.
The landscape changed every hour, but there was definitely a path. Water could always be found, and if his own thoughts were correct…
“And you want to go there?”
“Yes. Unconditionally.”
“Are you going to pull the ‘that’s an order’ card again?”
“You know me well.”
“……”
For the third time now, Wang Cheon was practically glaring at him.
Glare all he wanted, what could he do when it was an order?
Neung Un-bi knew very well that a lord's command was practically an invincible secret art within the Demonic Cult.
“Dammit, why are you being like this?”
“Because our tracks will be erased.”
“Pardon?”
“Just as you said, the desert is that kind of place. Hot during the day, cold at night. And the sandstorms blow so frequently. That’s why almost no one lives there.”
“……”
“They might know we’re heading there, but no one will know how we’re moving. That’s what I mean.”
“W-Well, that’s true, but.”
“The pursuers from the Demonic Cult? How will they follow us when the wind erases our tracks right after we pass?”
“……”
“So we have to go. Whoever is chasing us will probably suffer like hell.”
He was right. In a way, it might be the most appropriate choice for those being pursued.
*But what about us?*
*Will it only be hard for the chasers, and not for us who are being chased?*
He had to say something that made sense.
“Hah, you’re going to be stubborn again, aren’t you?”
“That’s right.”
“No matter what I say, you’re absolutely! Positively! Going to go, aren’t you?”
“Yep.”
“……”
Seeing Neung Un-bi’s resolute expression, Wang Cheon pondered deeply before finally speaking after a long moment.
“Hah, if it weren't for my ambition, I would have turned back right now… How did I end up with such a childish lord?”
“……”
*Lies. You bet your entire fortune on me, a hand that had a probability of success next to nothing…*
But now that he had brought up his ambition, it was as good as Wang Cheon being persuaded.
Just like always.
“Fine. Let’s go! But first… let’s find a guide.”
“No guides.”
“Ah, why not now?”
“Because they could become a witness.”
“What does it matter? We can just kill them after they've guided us.”
“……”
*What a cruel Demonic Cult bastard. Thinking of killing someone who helped you?*
He really had to acknowledge the Demonic Cult's disregard for life. If he had truly intended to become the Cult Leader, he would have changed that god-awful mentality first.
How could he speak of killing so carelessly?
“I will be the guide.”
“...You, my lord?”
“Yes.”
At Neung Un-bi’s confident reply, Wang Cheon felt an anxiety so strong it felt like it would pierce through his skull.
“Trust me. That’s all you need to do.”
“...Like that’s going to happen.”
“It’s an or—”
“Son of a bitch!”
“……”
Wang Cheon’s cursing was getting more and more frequent.
But everything went according to Neung Un-bi’s will. Though not without some argument.
The whip was cracked fiercely, and the horse galloped ahead.
Of course, the Waning Moon Squad, ever loyal unlike Wang Cheon, followed without a single complaint.
Towards the desert where no tracks would remain.
* * *
*Thud, thud, thud, thud.*
A thick cloud of dust cut across the desert, now cloaked in darkness.
Within the dust cloud, figures yellowed as if covered in ocher soil ran ceaselessly through the endless desert.
Their mouths, full of sand, felt gritty, and the scorching sun they had endured during the day left them with a burning thirst that would not subside.
Hadn't it been only a day, yet their lips were cracked and their skin already looked parched?
The deeper they went into the desert, the more it felt like being sucked into a swamp. No matter how far they went, there were only endless yellow sand dunes and weathered rocks, not even a single blade of grass, let alone a tree.
“Heok, heok…”
Never mind Neung Un-bi and Wang Cheon, who were riding horses; the warriors of the Waning Moon Squad following on foot were having a truly hellish time.
“Endure it a little longer. The lord said a spring shaped like a crescent moon will appear soon.”
“……”
At Juseung’s words, the warriors of the Waning Moon Squad couldn't bring themselves to reply, merely pouting with their lips pushed out.
*Crescent moon, my ass. And what’s this about a spring?*
They had set out in the morning, and now the night was deep.
For them, who had all lived in the Demonic Cult where even the snow-capped mountains had varied elevations, today was the first time they had ever seen a horizon. They hadn't realized it during the day, but at night, the earth and sky seemed to merge, making it feel even more vast and distant.
Thankfully, the sky was full of stars and the moonlight was bright, so they could at least make out the boundary.
And what was with this weather?
It would have been better if it was just cold. During the day, they felt like they would burn to death under the scorching sun, but as night fell, a cold so sharp it made their skin ache set in.
At this point, the warriors of the Waning Moon Squad were bound to tire out more quickly, and due to their depleted stamina, their pace naturally slowed. Their internal energy wasn't infinite, and they hadn't reached a sublime state like being impervious to heat and cold, had they?
“Hah, hah…? Commander.”
“…?”
“We’re out of water.”
First Squad Leader Pyeongsu said, turning an empty leather pouch upside down to show him.
“The cold is also a problem, but the members’ stamina is too depleted. If we are attacked like this and the lord is put in danger…”
“Hmm.”
At Pyeongsu's words, Juseung glanced at Neung Un-bi riding ahead.
He was right. If the guards exhausted their stamina, they couldn't perform their duties.
Furthermore, from Juseung’s perspective, he was grateful for the sentiment of worrying about the lord's safety first, even when he himself must be struggling.
“I understand. I will convey your thoughts to the lord.”
“Yes.”
Juseung patted Pyeongsu’s shoulder in encouragement and then sped up to catch Neung Un-bi.
“My lord.”
“Hm?”
“How about we rest here for a moment? The members are very tired.”
“……”
At Juseung’s words, Neung Un-bi pulled the reins to stop his horse and looked back at the Waning Moon Squad members.
Though they stopped and immediately spread out to guard the surroundings, they couldn't hide their panting.
“No.”
“…Pardon?”
“They’ve sweated too much. They’re fine for now because their bodies are warm, but the moment we rest, their bodies will cool down rapidly. It could be more dangerous. In this cold, we have to keep running to warm our bodies.”
“Hmm, then perhaps we could light a fire.”
“Nonsense! You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“…?”
“First, it’s difficult to find wood to burn, and even if we do, we must not light a fire. This is a vast place with nowhere to hide. If there are pursuers, they will spot the light from far away.”
“Hmm…”
He had no choice but to agree.
They were currently being pursued. The whole reason for choosing the desert route was to erase their tracks.
“Commander of the Waning Moon Squad.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Endure it just a little longer.”
“…?”
“We’re almost there. As I recall, we just have to get over there.”
Neung Un-bi, who had taken out a map from his robes to examine it, pointed his finger at a towering sand dune that looked like a mountain in front of them. The exact distance was hard to gauge, but it didn't seem like it would take very long.
“Beyond that is Akwaji. There are people living by the spring there.”
“Ah! Then?”
“Yes, it means we can rest soon.”
“…!”
At the confident answer delivered with a faint smile, not only Juseung’s face but also Wang Cheon’s, who was beside him, lit up brightly.
*We can rest.*
Ah, he never knew those words could sound so sweet.
Even during the grueling training in the Demonic Cult, it wasn't this bad. To think just one day of hardship could do this.
When Juseung looked back and nodded, the faces of the Waning Moon Squad members broke into wide smiles. It seemed they had built such a bond that they could understand each other without words.
“Alright! Let’s hurry! We can rest soon!”
“Yes! My lord!”
Everyone found a new surge of strength.
Two horses galloped, and thirty warriors followed behind them. Perhaps because they were using their last reserves of energy, their speed was even faster than before.
And finally, they crossed the sand mountain.
A vast sandy desert stretched out in the darkness.
But nowhere was there a spring shaped like a crescent moon. Naturally, there was no village either. All they could see was sand.
The men, who had been filled with anticipation, blinked their eyes and then turned their heads in unison to look at Neung Un-bi.
“Huh? Is it that dune over there?”
“……”
Neung Un-bi, who had unfolded his map, tilted his head as he looked back and forth between the constellations in the sky and the desert.
And then, from a distance, someone who had been watching them stop and then, after a long pause, start running again, let out a curse that remained unfinished.
“Son of a…”
It was Hyang-i, who had been secretly following them for Neung Un-bi’s safety and had become covered in sand.