Chapter 30
After the escorts from Shikka Village joined in force—some twenty strong—their journey southward grew even smoother. Just as Song Sogeol had promised, there were no signs of Blood Cult pursuers on the remaining trek to Wuhuan. Once, at Daye Mountain in Henan, bandits had appeared shouting about being "green forest folk," much like before. But Chanho's swift sword felled their leader, and with so many escorts bearing down on them, the bandits scattered like leaves in a gale.
In this way, Tian Ailang and his sworn brothers safely completed the Hubei-Wuhuan escort route for the Shikka branch of Wuhuan Escort Agency, pocketing a handsome reward. And now, without pause, they pressed on toward Chibi in Hubei.
"Hey, you sure about that intel?"
Chanho's question drew a shrug from Song Sogeol. "Aw, come on, big bro—even if we lose, we break even, right? This is where Cao Cao, Sun Quan, and Liu Bei clashed! You heard the tavern talk about hidden secret caves too."
"Sogeol, hasn't everyone already picked those clean by now?" Tian Ailang eyed him skeptically.
"Aw, Ailang bro! Who am I?"
"Who? A bullshitter, that's who."
Chanho ribbed him, and Song Sogeol shot back, "Sheesh, Chanho bro. You still on about losing the whole money pouch fighting those Yunnan Ten Ghosts?"
"So what? That makes it okay?"
"No, no! But the chief gave us ten silver taels, and I split it fair with you and Ailang bro."
As Chanho geared up for more, Tian Ailang smiled and intervened. "Chanho, the kid can slip up sometimes. Cut him some slack."
Song Sogeol ducked slyly behind Tian Ailang's back, sticking his tongue out at Chanho. But Tian Ailang's follow-up made his shoulders slump. "Still, Sogeol—promises matter even among brothers. Pay it back from the next haul."
Chanho had no real intention of squeezing his sworn little brother dry; he just enjoyed the reactions. Tian Ailang felt the same. Thanks to their ever-chatty mood-setter Song Sogeol, the sworn brothers had grown remarkably close over the past month. Their constant bickering only deepened their bond, each sensing the other's understanding and care.
Song Sogeol hammed up his pitiful act, and Tian Ailang burst out laughing at the cuteness of it. "Puhahaha!"
Song Sogeol shrugged innocently, grinning ear to ear as if he'd never played the fool. "Tch!"
Even Chanho cracked a smirk at the shamelessness, and Song Sogeol beamed brighter, pressing on. "Anyway! I scoured the towns for premium intel, so let's score big here, bros! Nobody else knows this yet!"
"Fine, one shot."
Chanho crossed his arms. Tian Ailang just gazed fondly at the kid with his warm smile. He cherished their brotherhood deeply.
* * *
A pitch-black night. Smoky clouds veiled the moon, scattering faint light over the palace rooftops. There, a lone figure sat chugging straight from the bottle.
"Curtain Lord."
A man in black night robes appeared soundlessly before the drinker. Just then, the clouds parted, revealing her: hair bound tightly back, flawless skin unmarked by scars, lips of perfect crimson curve that could halt any gaze. Yet her eyes were ice-cold enough to still the boldest heart.
Curtain Lord of Salmak, heir to the old Heuksal. Yu Soso.
"……."
Her silence prompted her younger brother, Yu Soho, to lower his face veil. "Curtain Lord. No—sis."
Only then did she respond. "Speak."
"We need a plan, don't we?"
Yu Soso fixed him with her signature chill, emotionless stare. Frustrated by her lack of reply, Yu Soho's voice rose. "Sis, we have to take a clear stand—yes or no—or the ones who follow you will waver."
"And?"
Her fine lips parted. Her voice was plain, but it evoked visions of frost seizing the air's moisture.
"And what?!"
"So what would you have me do?"
She turned the question back, and Yu Soho's face hardened. "I'm against it. Absolutely."
Her expression unchanging, she asked, "Why?"
He met her gaze with grave intensity. "I don't even like what we're doing now. We're descendants of Shu's Liu Bei, yet we live by killing? Sure, it's the only trade we know!"
His voice grew fervent. "But that doesn't mean we bow to demons! We assassins have our pride."
"We're still just an assassin guild."
"No! We've never killed the good. We have our code, our standards—punishing the world's evils from the shadows."
"No one acknowledges it. And we have vengeance to claim."
Her final words clouded his face with anguish. "True... but this? No."
"……."
Yu Soso looked away and gulped her liquor. Thump!
Yu Soho snatched the bottle and downed it fiercely. Gulp, gulp. "Ugh... Sis, you handle this rotgut like water."
For the first time, a faint smile touched her lips as she watched him grimace. Yu Soho laughed heartily. "Haha, the world's most beautiful smile is yours, sis. Flash it more often."
Her face went blank again. He sighed at the swift change. "Sigh... Sis, your followers treasure you above life itself. Whatever you decide, they'll obey. Just choose wisely."
Swish.
His final words hung in the air; he'd vanished. Yu Soso gazed at the hazy moon. "Hoo..."
With a deep sigh, she descended the roof silently, slipping through a window like mist. In her top-floor chamber of the three-story hall, she dragged something from under the bed. Scraaape.
An old leather box emerged, its fine hide aged but luxurious. Click.
A complex lock no common smith could craft. Inside lay a pair of scabbards—but only one sword.
Shing.
The blade sang softly as she drew it: middling length, ideal for twin-sword arts. She tilted it in the moonlight, its clear steel shifting hues with the reflections—mysterious, mesmerizing.
Hummmm—
The sword hummed. "Kuhk!" Clang!
For some reason, she dropped it, clutching her trembling hand to her chest. "If only I could find the missing twin of this paired ancient sword..."
Her murmur faded into the quivering moonlight, hollow.
* * *
"Bros, over here!"
Song Sogeol ducked behind a massive boulder, beckoning Tian Ailang and Chanho quietly.
"Whoa... what's with all those people? Swarming the place."
"And they look like they're at each other's throats."
The sworn brothers crouched in a line behind the rock, peeking out. From their high hilltop vantage, they overlooked the scene undetected.
Below, in a basin-like depression amid the hills, folk in varied garb clustered. From afar, they seemed divided into factions, eyeing one another warily.
"Hongho Sword Sect, Tongshan Sect, Heungshan Spear House... even Wudang and Jegal Clan?"
Tian Ailang and Chanho gaped at Song Sogeol's insight; he winked smugly. "That's your little bro for ya. Builds your trust in my intel, huh?"
Tian Ailang chuckled. "Sure. But the secret cave you want isn't where they're gathered—it's elsewhere, right?"
"Yep. No need to draw their eyes; let's slip in quiet."
Song Sogeol led them, scanning terrain, streams, and odd trees. Then he halted, cocking his head as he scanned around. "Looks like a formation."
Chanho scowled. "Formation? Can't we just smash through?"
Song Sogeol stared at him incredulously. "Bro, you newbie or what? Don't say dumb shit like that."
"Wanna die?"
"Ehehe~! Getting hot-headed with the trash talk again. Just saying. And this one's drawing endless qi from the natural landscape—super tough. Smashing ritual stones or wood won't cut it."
"Tch. Could've handled slicing it."
Chanho patted his sword hilt wistfully. "Wish it were that easy. Nothing's ever simple. But hey, know the upside?"
Chanho narrowed his eyes, expecting nonsense. Song Sogeol giggled. "A high-grade formation like this means something's definitely inside!"
Chanho nodded, impressed. "Fair. But how? Can't even enter."
Song Sogeol pursed his lips. "Yeah. Illusion or maze types are fine, but if it's got Life and Death Gates, headache city."
"Ugh, formations ain't my thing. Can't you figure it out, Sogeol?"
He smirked, lip curling. "Chanho bro, you rag on me daily, but deep down you rely on me hard, huh?"
"Shut it."
"Hehe. Gotta go in to know for sure. But with this qi flow, it won't be a pushover." He eyed it intently. "Heard that other cave ties to the Battle of Red Cliff? This spot's close—probably connected too."
"So?"
"If true, the formation's endured ages. Could be ancient. Who sets something this beefy back then~?"
"Hmm..."
Chanho frowned, stumped. Song Sogeol nearly teased but caught his edgy vibe and cleared his throat. "Ahem. Bro, doesn't Zhuge Liang come to mind?"
"Zhuge Liang?! Sleeping Dragon, Zhuge Kongming?"
Chanho jolted. The Three Kingdoms legend was famed for formations. "Yeah. Just maybe—if it's his, cracking it could be nightmare fuel. Not just Life-Death Gates caution."
"Hmm..."
As Song Sogeol and Chanho puzzled, Tian Ailang—who'd watched quietly—spoke up softly. "Hey... kids. If I say I see the path through the formation, you believe me?"