The Qi Arts Master Chapter 26: 'Did He Have the Leisure to Watch While Dealing with Them?'
Tian Ailang surmised that the man's cultivation realm was higher than he'd anticipated.
Gazing at the man, Tian Ailang voiced his honest impression. "That was beautiful swordsmanship."
"Haha! Just a little trick of mine. Your praise makes me feel good, though."
The man smiled at Tian Ailang.
Tian Ailang regarded the fellow before him with keen interest. The man possessed a peculiar charm. When cutting down enemies, he showed no mercy, but this is how he is in everyday life? He seemed affable enough, yet not frivolous.
Just then, the Escort Captain approached cautiously. "I'm Escort Captain Chu Sang-un. Thanks to you all, we've all been saved. On behalf of the escort agency, I offer my deepest gratitude. I'm sure the caravan master feels the same."
Following the Escort Captain's gaze, Tian Ailang saw the caravan master slumped pale-faced, looking utterly dazed. He'd bellowed boldly before the bandit leader, but apparently the tension had gotten to him.
"My narrow experience kept me from recognizing masters like you sooner—quite embarrassing. I don't know the full story, but that eye-opening swordplay and peerless bare-handed combat... As a martial artist, I'd love to chat more, but as you see, I must handle the aftermath for now."
The Escort Captain gave a respectful clasped-hands salute and departed. He then directed the remaining escorts and porters to gather the dead comrades' bodies and scattered horses.
Tian Ailang thought the Escort Captain a cool-headed and courageous sort.
The black-sword man seemed to share the sentiment, turning to Tian Ailang. "That Escort Captain's a solid fellow. Anyway, let's introduce ourselves properly. Name's Chanho. And you?"
"Tian Ailang."
"Pleased to meet you. Never in my life have I seen footwork so masterfully executed—impressive. But it seemed like you were doing it without any internal energy?"
"It's a complicated matter."
Chanho nodded at Tian Ailang's reply. "Everyone's got their complications. Sorry for prying. Say, how old are you?"
"Just past twenty."
Chanho clapped delightedly at the answer. "Oh! Same age as me! Haha! What a coincidence. They say even brushing sleeves makes a connection, but matching ages too? Can't get friendlier than this! Let's drop the formalities and talk like buddies."
Tian Ailang stared blankly at his bold words, then nodded stiffly under the man's urging gaze. "Uh, sure."
"Hahaha! Exactly—overthinking life's too tiring. I'm more used to casual talk than polite speech anyway. Haha!"
"Uh, yeah... Sure."
"Whew. I joined this caravan just to earn some travel money, and look what happens. So, with skills like yours, why were you hauling cargo?"
"I needed travel money too, and the porter spot was open, so..."
Chanho burst into loud laughter at Tian Ailang's words, looking utterly baffled. "Uhahaha! What a fun guy. Thinking like that with your level of skill... Nothing like the ego-driven types I know. Ha!"
It was hard to believe this bright, cheerful man was the same one who'd wielded his sword so ferociously moments ago.
Come to think of it, 'friend' is a word I've never heard before. Short as it was, it had the power to draw people close in an instant. Tian Ailang suddenly recalled Ma Chung, his grandfather's old comrade. Did they become friends like this?
* * *
Under the Escort Captain's swift leadership, the caravan quickly tidied up and resumed its journey. As they passed the narrow mountain path into open plains, everyone breathed easier. Wide fields made bandit ambushes less likely, after all.
With some mental leeway, the recovered caravan master and escorts expressed their thanks to Tian Ailang and Chanho. Heeding the Escort Captain's advice, the master decided to share a portion of the bonus originally meant for the Hundred Great Masters of the World.
It was payment for saving their lives and a contract to see the rest of the journey through. If Chanho and Tian Ailang left now, there'd be no stopping them, and the caravan's peril was obvious.
Needing the money, neither Tian Ailang nor Chanho refused the offer.
The caravan scouted a spot with water and grass, setting up camp. Though it was still bright midday, the weary group opted for an early rest. Proper recovery was essential for the road ahead.
They longed to return to a city for full recuperation, but that would miss the deadline. After much deliberation, the master and Escort Captain stuck to the original plan: cross the mountains and head straight down. The cargo horses made foraging hay easier in hills and meadows than villages. Shijiazhuang Station was a fast five days away—endure a bit longer, and they'd link up with the standby escorts there for a safer finish.
While the others prepared camp, Tian Ailang, Chanho, and Escort Captain Chu Sang-un shared a brief chat. Seizing the chance, Tian Ailang asked what had been bothering him. "By the way, you're from the Jegal Clan, right? Working for them, why not learn their martial arts?"
The Escort Captain gave a wry smile. "Prestigious martial families like the Jegal don't leak their arts lightly. And in a way, I'm like a mercenary... Disposable pawns, you see."
"Even though you're their people in a sense?"
Touching as Tian Ailang's unease was, Chu Sang-un wore a resigned expression. "That's how this world works. Sure, Jegal warriors sometimes man the main branch as escorts, but they don't pass on their arts. We're just handling their external affairs—ultimately, not their people."
"Haa..."
The world felt more selfish and tangled than Tian Ailang had imagined. The escorts seemed too weak for a Jegal-backed caravan, but now the reason was clear. He didn't know if such attacks were common, but if so, their current skills meant gambling with death. If the Jegal invested more, survival rates would soar—he felt a pang of regret.
"Ailang, individuals can be kind. Groups? Not so much. That's the truth of the world. Don't see it as all darkness."
Chu Sang-un nodded in agreement, and Tian Ailang gave Chanho a bitter smile. "Thanks. The world sure is tricky."
"It is. It's a mashup of countless lives. Can't even grasp my own, let alone everyone's. Just do your best moment to moment. And live happily with loved ones—that's the peak."
Chanho's eyes brimmed with melancholy as he spoke. Tian Ailang pitied him, knowing he was thinking of his late lover—a fact gleaned from their short talks en route. Chanho had wandered over a year since her death. Recalling his grandfather's passing, Tian Ailang empathized deeply, and they'd bonded quickly.
"Your insight's astounding. I'd love to keep this chat going, but duty calls. As discussed, will you two stand watch? I'd offer better treatment, but we're short-handed."
The Escort Captain requested guard duty from Chanho and Tian Ailang.
"Of course."
"Got it."
They nodded. But their watch began with an unexpected twist.
A man came dashing toward Tian Ailang, Chanho, and the Escort Captain, shouting desperately. Covered head to toe in wounds and blood, he looked frantic with urgency.
"What happened?"
Chu Sang-un stepped forward as the group's representative, and the man rushed up, seeing him as the leader. "Strange bastards have invaded our village, killing folks! Warriors, please help!"
The Escort Captain pondered gravely at the man's desperate plea. Their own crisis was fresh.
The caravan master approached. "Where's the village?"
Hope reignited, the man gasped as if coughing blood. "Just one meal's time from here!"
The master shook his head, eyeing the Escort Captain. "No can do. We need to relocate. Danger that close means we skirt farther away."
Noting the souring mood, he scowled and pressed on. "As you all know, most here are unarmed laborers. My heart aches too, but if the escorts go save that village, what happens to us? Our safety? And how many enemies are there? These workers have families waiting. We must finish safely and return to them."
"Khmm..."
The Escort Captain couldn't refute, his face etched with torment. No flaws in the logic. Everyone, himself included, was exhausted—escorts especially, all bearing wounds. No spare strength or ability now.
He spoke heavily. "Sorry, friend. We can't help..."
"Warriors! My village is dying! My family, my neighbors! Please, please help!"
The man's wail echoed. Heavy silence blanketed the camp.
Then Tian Ailang and Chanho stepped forward in unison.
"Then I'll go alone..."
"I'll check it out."
Locking eyes, they shared faint smiles, minds aligned. As gazes converged, Chanho spoke. "If that villager's danger is nearby, nipping it early benefits the caravan. Better to fight far from you all than close. If they're high-level slaughtering villagers, one meal's time is practically next door. This plain's easy to guard against ambushes, but that means no cover against open assaults."
The master and Escort Captain listened intently, faces grave. Chanho's points rang true.
He asked the pleading villager, "How many enemies?"
"Not sure... But one man in the village is fighting them off, protecting folks. He called them the Yunnan Ten Ghosts."
"Yunnan Ten Ghosts!"
Escort Captain Chu Sang-un cried out in shock.