#103. Hellish Wail: The Great Journey (2)
When Small Justice Squad's Jwa Daegi was in Beijing. In other words, when he had followed his young master north to Beijing as a slave of the Nanjing Six Households, he had once witnessed high-ranking officials and nobles out hunting.
The hunters would first capture wild deer. Farm-raised deer were too familiar with humans, standing still in place, which made for a boring hunt. So they starved the captured deer right up until the hunting competition began. If they were too energetic, they'd be hard to catch again. He had thought it was all such bullshit.
The deer, drained of energy and losing their minds over a handful of grains, were then released for the start of the hunt. Apparently, the large stags or lead bucks were caught first—not because they were leaders standing at the front, but because their flashy antlers made them easy to spot, and their extra weight slowed them down.
Those were the words he had mocked the Murim Alliance's elite warriors with, all decked out in their shiny gear as they headed into the Upright-Righteous Great War. But they offered little comfort to the Small Justice Squad, who were clad in ragged sacks.
The reason that memory suddenly resurfaced now was because in this deer hunt, the stag was none other than them.
Typically, those who passed the Three Passes Gate gathered in groups of three, five, or more, forming massive throngs before embarking on the Great Journey. From the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families to even the examinees from the 108 Peaks, everyone who had fought fiercely through the previous gate now cooperated on the Great Journey—where reaching the Murim Academy was all that mattered—rather than fighting each other. There was no reason not to team up with those whose passage was already guaranteed.
Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran had approached a few who passed the Three Passes Gate to negotiate alliances, but:
"Huh? Do what now?"
"A joint force?"
"Pfft haha, Lady Namgung. I never imagined you'd turn into such a fun person while we were apart."
"I'm not joking..."
"Hahaha! After the exam's over, I'll treat you myself. Hahahaha!"
No one agreed. People who would normally pull out all the stops just to exchange a word now scattered like they were fleeing the plague. Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran were at a loss.
Their initial group of warriors had shrunk to just 20 percent. No one wanted to shoulder extra baggage during such a crucial exam, regardless of sect ties. The only silver lining was the Moyong family's joining them.
"And yet here we are, the ones preparing an ambush?"
"The most unpredictable timing yields the highest success rate."
Namgung Seonhwa let out a small sigh.
We had left South Mok at full speed, passing Bokyang in just three days. At first, others were startled by our pace and chased frantically, but they couldn't keep up with our nonstop night running. By the end of the first day, we had shaken off all pursuers from South Mok.
Later, there were occasional ambushers lying in wait after hearing news, but with the Moyong family warriors bolstering our already formidable attack force, our march was unstoppable.
The Moyong warriors, unaccustomed to all-nighters, collapsed one by one, forcing them to be the first to ride the iron carriages.
"Is this the spot?"
"Yes."
"...Young Master Jin was right. Perfect for an ambush."
Between Hwalhyeon and Bongguhyeon lay Geumdan Mountain, flanked by a river. The terrain wasn't steep, and ancient reservoirs dotted the area for farming, so official roads connected through it. It was the fastest route from Jeongju to Hubei Province—not just for us, but for all other examinees.
"But the slopes are too gentle. Anyone with decent lightness skill could scale the walls easily."
That was precisely why no bandit stronghold had taken root here, despite its ambush potential.
"Don't worry about that. The Wudang Sect once caught far scarier bastards here than anything they could throw at us."
No matter how genius Wudang's prodigies were, they couldn't compare to the Blood Ghost Sword Squad.
#
—Your misguided judgment has affected even your juniors' exams. You must resolve this yourself.
...If you fail, you'll spend the rest of your life cleaning the library pavilion.
The message relayed from Wudang's Jeongju branch head was utterly stern.
'Damn it...'
Hyeonsu ground his teeth. Fine, his and Hyunjin's defeats were one thing, but he'd been so rattled after losing to Jin Sowoon that he'd forced bad advice on Hyunjin—it was true. But Hyunhyang's loss to Eunho and Hyeonmyeong's to Geum Pyo weren't his fault, right?
Yet his damn junior brothers pinned this mess on him, and one misstep could trap him in the library for life.
"We'll reclaim the entry pass stolen by Tae-eul Gate from Tae-eul Gate itself."
Taegun, guaranteed passage with the Three Passes Gate badge, had departed for Hubei with the other Wudang disciples. Hyeonsu and his juniors waited for the moment Tae-eul Gate left South Mok.
"We'll finish this before Cheongpung County and join the Hubei procession."
"...Yes."
"...Understood."
The responses lacked enthusiasm. They still eyed him with suspicion at every word.
"If you're so dissatisfied, come up with a plan yourselves!"
"...I didn't say anything."
Even reclaiming the pass from Tae-eul Gate, doing the Great Journey with just four meant they might not reach the academy. They had to catch them before Cheongpung County, no exceptions.
"...Senior Brother, their speed is insane."
But Tae-eul Gate had bolted at full throttle right out of South Mok.
"Provoke a fight! They'll have to stop eventually."
He sent fast warriors to trigger combat, but they ignored it and kept pushing stupidly fast. And Hyeonsu had overlooked one thing: they numbered just over a hundred, while his group had four hundred. Their line stretched long, risking ambushes before they could catch Tae-eul Gate.
"Damn it, tighten the procession. Send scouts ahead so we don't lose them."
They were human too. Even at full speed, they'd stop eventually. As long as the scouts stalled them, they could hunt at leisure.
"Senior Brother, they aren't stopping."
"It's almost the hour of the rooster already."
"What the hell are they thinking?"
The march that started at dawn continued past sunset and moonrise without pause. Not just them—Wudang's group hadn't eaten properly either and was wearing down.
"Halt briefly and regroup. They're human; they'll sleep. Send extra scouts and don't miss it."
But Hyeonsu's prediction missed again. They kept moving without sleep.
"These crazy bastards... Fine, let's see who outlasts who."
Furious at this point, Hyeonsu allotted time for an hour of energy circulation instead of sleep and pressed the chase.
In terms of internal energy, Wudang far outclassed Tae-eul Gate. With rotations, victory was certain. Sure enough, word came that they had finally stopped.
"Some entered the valley at Geumdan Mountain."
"Good."
Split the group in half: one half feigns continued march, the other ambushes to slow pursuit. Basic tactics, perfect for few against many—but wrong opponent.
"They think Wudang's a pushover."
Scouts reported the valley's central path favored ambushes, but not enough to trouble true martial artists.
"How far ahead are the scouts?"
"Half a day's distance."
Already that far? Hard to believe after just three days of running together.
"Senior Brother Hyeonsu, we need time to recover fatigue before fighting."
"What?"
Turning to Taemyong, his face was ghastly.
"We haven't slept a wink in three days. And barely eaten."
Only then did Hyeonsu realize the internal energy gap between him and his juniors.
"One hour personal rest, then we move."
"Whew... Got it."
That dissatisfied glare was unimaginable in the past. But today it ends. Reclaim the pass, show what happens to those who humiliate Wudang, and neither juniors nor the sect will make a fuss.
After all, he had passed Wudang's internal evaluation, tougher than the academy exam.
Departure time came, but their faces still screamed exhaustion. Short naps and rations couldn't fully restore them.
"Hang in there a bit longer. They're exhausted too."
As the setting sun dipped and moon rose, Wudang reached Geumdan Mountain.
"Thirty on each valley side."
"Paths up from above?"
"None from this direction."
"They chose it because it's blocked?"
"Seems so."
"Valley height?"
"High parts five zhang, low three zhang."
This was it—the difference between great sects and small ones. A mindset gap. They thought five zhang unbeatable because they couldn't climb it. To Wudang disciples, it was a breeze.
"Jin Sowoon... Where's that bastard? Did he go ahead?"
"No. He's in the valley with his juniors."
Hyeonsu nodded and faced his juniors.
"Schedule's off, but we stick to plan. Move."
Terrain would cause some losses, but ten-to-one numbers and skill gap made up for it.
From the valley entrance, they deployed the ghostly stealth formation. Four hundred moved with only falling leaves for sound.
Deep in, thud.
The ground shook as a man-sized boulder crashed in the center.
"It's them!"
With Hyeonsu's shout, dozens of head-sized rocks rained from both sides. Some were knocked out by the barrage, but per orders, they kicked off and leaped up the walls.
"Jin Sowoon! Where are you?!"
Kicking a massive boulder, Hyeonsu burst his energy skyward. A quick step on a protruding ledge, and he crested the valley.
But no Jin Sowoon. Instead, a weird sound.
Whoosh.
'Water?'
Seeing Tae-eul Gate drop rocks was expected, but the water sound in his ears was not. Water belonged to rivers and streams—why in this dry valley? Impossible. Shaking it off, he swung his sword—
Then Hyeonsu saw it.
Tae-eul Gate abandoning rocks to hug massive logs.
Splash.
And a massive wave surging toward him from above.
"What the—!!"