Chapter 37: Upon Arriving at the Movable Mongolian Tent Called Paou
Upon arriving at the movable Mongolian tent called a paou, the Hundred Captain told Tian Ailang to wait a moment before ducking inside and bellowing.
In the meantime, Tian Ailang took in the exterior. It had a circular roof draped over the tent fabric, with no gaps for even a breath of wind except at the entrance. The structure looked perfect for withstanding sandstorms.
At the Hundred Captain's shout, the soldiers attending him inside came scrambling out in a panic. Spotting Tian Ailang waiting outside, they all gasped in unison.
"Gasp!"
"Urk!"
The Hundred Captain, following behind, roared at the rowdy soldiers. "You lot! Get back to work right now!"
Startled by his bellowing, the soldiers hastily pulled themselves together and scattered. Only then did the Hundred Captain seem satisfied, flashing his yellowed teeth in a broad grin as he held open the tent flap.
To enter, Tian Ailang would have to brush past him in the narrow opening.
"Come on in. As a Hundred Captain of the Great Yuan imperial court, I've been assigned this fine big tent. Kahaha!"
Hah... Someone, please do something about that breath of his. Stick him with that beggar Bang Deok—fart or whatever—and it'd be a dead heat.
Tian Ailang held his breath against the foul stench wafting from the man's hearty laugh and stepped inside. As Tian Ailang passed, the Hundred Captain sniffed greedily at his alluring fragrance.
Entertaining all sorts of fantasies, the Hundred Captain firmly closed the tent flap.
Tian Ailang surveyed the interior. Contrary to expectations of a hasty setup, it was surprisingly refined. A fire pit occupied the center, and at the far end sat what appeared to be the place of honor.
The Hundred Captain strode to the back, hefting two thick log stools sliced flat on one end. He seemed to be showing off his strength.
He placed one near himself and offered the other to Tian Ailang.
"Sit here. We're on the move, so no proper chairs, I'm afraid. Ah!"
As he started to sit, the Hundred Captain sprang up and fetched a white pelt from a corner.
"Kahaha! This is white fox fur, only found up north—extremely rare. Even other Thousand Captains covet it. I've brought it especially for you. Your bottom must be cold; lay it down for some warmth. Kahahaha!"
As he spoke, the Hundred Captain eyed Tian Ailang's rear.
This bastard!
Tian Ailang swallowed a rare surge of curses rising in his throat.
"Heehee, thank you."
The Hundred Captain shuddered in rapture at Tian Ailang's smile and voice. Composing himself, he flashed what he thought was a warm smile and asked, "So, you said you need help?"
His tone was unusually genteel.
Tian Ailang mustered his saddest expression. Time to regurgitate the fruits of his crash course in deception.
"Yes... I got word that my father in Beijing is gravely ill, so I'm rushing to his side."
The Hundred Captain's heart ached at Tian Ailang's sorrowful performance. Known for treating women like dirt and terrorizing his men as a cold-blooded brute, in this moment he seemed like the caring hero of a romance novel, suddenly attuned to a woman's feelings.
Tian Ailang's beauty had that kind of devastating impact.
"Kkh! Your father-in-law is gravely ill, you say?"
Was it Tian Ailang's imagination, or did the way he said "father-in-law" sound just like addressing a true father-in-law? Tian Ailang stared at him in bewilderment.
As the Hundred Captain awaited a reply, noticing the odd look, Tian Ailang quickly resumed his tragic mask.
"Sob... Yes. I was hurrying to Beijing when the carriage driver plunged off a cliff with the cart... I've been wandering lost ever since, and by sheer luck, I found this place and came begging for aid."
Tian Ailang dabbed at his eyes with his sleeve.
"Kheuh... I see. That must have left a deep scar on your heart. But worry no more—I'll take care of everything! Kahahaha!"
Tian Ailang stared at him in disbelief.
This clumsy setup is actually working...?
Feigning deep emotion, Tian Ailang leaned gently against the Hundred Captain's chest, bowing his head.
"Haa... Thank you. Truly, thank you."
Grinning ear to ear at the sight of that silken hair tilting toward his chest, the Hundred Captain spread his arms to make embracing easier. He thrilled at visions of the sweet future awaiting him for aiding this beauty before his eyes.
"Gack!"
But had his bright future arrived already? Stars exploded in his vision.
"Kh... urk."
The Hundred Captain wore an utterly baffled expression. The woman who had bowed her head had suddenly clamped his throat with crushing force.
His voice was gone, and any attempt to muster qi or move only tightened those fingers, leaving him paralyzed.
Tian Ailang's sorrowful gaze turned icy cold, piercing the man's eyes. The Hundred Captain reeled, dazed by the sudden transformation of the beauty before him.
Tian Ailang spoke softly. "You."
The Hundred Captain gaped blankly at the sudden masculine voice.
"Khurrk!!"
"Blink once for yes. Got it?"
As Tian Ailang's fingers tightened on his Adam's apple, the Hundred Captain frantically blinked.
"Good boy."
How does Chanho know all these tricks? Damn effective.
Recalling Chanho briefly, Tian Ailang asked quietly, "You've been to Lake Dongjeong, right?"
The Hundred Captain hesitated, and Tian Ailang squeezed harder. Amid the agony of his throat on the verge of shattering, he blinked rapidly.
"Respond immediately—no hesitation. Roll your eyes side to side for no."
Blink blink.
"Good. While at Lake Dongjeong, did you raid an escort agency? Something called Jeonghun Escort Agency?"
Blink.
"Did you kill the people there and abduct others?"
Doubt clouded the Hundred Captain's eyes. A bad feeling stirred. His pupils twitched sideways.
"Guk!"
Tian Ailang's rough grip forced him to blink instead.
"Lie and you die on the spot. Your eyes already gave it away. I know everything I'm asking."
Blink blink.
"Were there two brothers there who looked very much alike?"
Unsure of Tian Ailang's intent, the Hundred Captain desperately blinked yes.
"I see... So where are they now? And where are the other Hundred Captains and Thousand Captains?"
His eyes shook with unease. Tian Ailang struck a pressure point, then released his throat.
The Hundred Captain tried to move or shout, but the sealed points left him helpless and dazed.
Shing.
Tian Ailang drew the sword propped nearby and pressed it to his neck.
"I'll unseal your voice. Try anything funny, and you're dead."
Tian Ailang unsealed only his voice point.
"Tell me again. Locations of the Hundred Captains and Thousand Captains—in detail."
Terror in his eyes, the Hundred Captain blinked repeatedly.
"...Voice is free. Stop blinking and just answer."
Tian Ailang pulled a cloth from his bosom and unfolded it—a map of the camp drawn by Chanho's scouting and Song Sogeol's deductions.
"Mark the positions here."
The Hundred Captain's voice trembled. "Wh-why... milady? I was only trying to help you... Guk!"
Tian Ailang kicked his gut hard. Rigid as stone, the Hundred Captain toppled backward.
"Not a lady—I'm a man, you fuck! Should I just kill you?"
Fuming, Tian Ailang dragged him back.
"Following Song Sogeol's plan exactly, and all I get is grief. Tsk."
Tap. Tap.
Tian Ailang adjusted his points.
"Mmph?"
"Sealed your voice again. But you can move now—mark the map."
The Hundred Captain surged qi, snatched the sword, and writhed to escape.
Pfuk—
Tian Ailang stabbed his thigh with impassive eyes.
"Mmmph!!"
The Hundred Captain writhed in agony. Tian Ailang met his gaze calmly.
"Listen, I oddly have no qualms killing villains. Fool around, and the other leg gets it."
Tian Ailang felt like the villain himself but pushed it aside. The Hundred Captain nodded frantically.
Mute from the sealed point, he hurriedly marked ten spots on the cloth map with blood from his thigh, then looked up at Tian Ailang in fear.
Tian Ailang memorized the locations, then pocketed the map.
"Go on your way—and pray to the souls of the innocents you murdered without cause."
Tian Ailang pressed his palm to the man's chest and unleashed a blast of qi.
Buuk!
His heart burst with a muffled pop, and the Hundred Captain died silently on the spot.
Following Song Sogeol's advice, Tian Ailang dragged the body to the back of the tent and laid it out. He covered the blood on the floor with the white fox pelt and draped a ragged sack over the thigh wound like a blanket.
Confirming the Hundred Captain looked asleep, Tian Ailang slipped quietly out and moved on.
* * *
"Why's it taking so long?"
Song Sogeol peered anxiously at the camp where Tian Ailang had entered.
"Who knows."
Chanho gazed in the same direction, worry creasing his brow.
"What if something went wrong? There should be chaos by now."
"Maybe he's handling it quietly?"
"He didn't get caught, did he?"
Chanho's face grew grave at Song Sogeol's concern. He shook his head.
"He won't go down that easy."
Then—
Song Sogeol startled and grabbed Chanho. "Gasp! Brother!"
Chanho saw the same sight and mirrored his shock. People were flying through the air from the camp's center—not by choice, but hurled.
"Wh-what the hell?"
At Song Sogeol's cry, Chanho enhanced his vision with qi. In the camp's heart, Tian Ailang was surrounded by countless soldiers, facing off against someone who flung the troops at him. Tian Ailang deflected them with fluid Taiji motions, natural as if Jang Sam-bong of the Wudang Sect had reincarnated.
"Crazy!"
Chanho cried out and leaped into action. Song Sogeol followed in a fluster.
* * *
"Yo-ho-ho!"
"Cut that weird laugh!"
Tian Ailang glanced around as eunuchs charged him. The ground seemed carpeted in bodies—no room to step.
Regulating his breath, he pondered how things had escalated so quickly.
* * *
"Hmm, so she needed help and you brought her here?"
The Thousand Captain eyed Tian Ailang.
"Yes."
"Must be tough for a woman like you."
"Thank you for your concern."
Tian Ailang bashfully bowed his head. His acting had sharpened after killing those ten Hundred Captains, growing eerily natural. He felt his own identity slipping.
Pleased by the coquetry, the Thousand Captain nodded with a satisfied smile.
"Help... Of course. Perfect timing, actually."
As Tian Ailang puzzled over the smile, the tent flap opened, and a man entered—oddly attired and eerie. Wrinkled face, clean-shaven without a whisker, small eyes hard to read. A large "Yuan" character emblazoned on his chest. And his voice—scraping metal, gender ambiguous.
"Chae Thousand Captain, it's been a while."
The Thousand Captain rose, bowing deeply and respectfully.
"Elder, long time no see. I heard you were coming—meant to visit, but you honor me by coming first."
Satisfied, the man stroked an imaginary goatee.
"Still so polite, knowing your place. That's why I value you."
The Thousand Captain bowed lower. "The world's peace is all thanks to your merits, Elder. I owe my safety to you and am ever grateful."
"Yo-ho-ho-ho! Your silver tongue has reached new heights. But this one...?"
"Ah! A woman who came seeking our aid."
The man slowly scanned Tian Ailang. Silence fell in the spacious tent.
As the Thousand Captain noted the man's darkening expression, he ventured cautiously, "Elder... Is something wrong?"
"She's definitely a woman?"
"Pardon? What do you...?"
The Thousand Captain blinked in alarm. The man fixed him with a steady gaze.
"Listen, Chae Thousand Captain. Do you know who I am?"
Shrinking under the inscrutable elder's reaction—the one he'd carefully cultivated ties with—the Thousand Captain replied, "You're Peng Taegam, the eunuch who tirelessly guards the imperial house day and night."