A Twisted Fate and a Fiery Chase
Feeling the cold touch of the stone floor against his cheek, Ilyang opened his eyes and smacked his lips.
Come to think of it, it was just like this the first time.
He recalled when he had first opened his eyes in this world. The very first thing he had experienced was being thrown onto the floor, his limbs bound tight. Coincidentally, his current situation was no different.
Is it even the exact same place?
Peering through the gloom, he recognized the large, square room. A dry, hollow chuckle escaped his lips.
To lure the kidnappers, Ilyang had swapped clothes with the jeomsoi Po-il and loitered around the well. Sure enough, just as darkness fell completely, the kidnappers crawled out of the well. They immediately struck his acupoints to paralyze him and carried him off.
No one knew there was an underground waterway.
The kidnappers had used the subterranean channels connected to the well to transport the children quite a distance. But of all places...
To think it would be here.
The secret base of the Mansi Sect.
At this point, it felt like some twisted trick of fate. Moreover, listening to the kidnappers' chatter, they indeed seemed to be from the Mansi Sect.
I had a bad feeling about this.
How far could bronze-plate vagabonds go against the Mansi Sect? No, would they even come to rescue him?
They said they could follow the Thousand-Mile Tracking Scent or whatever, but...
Once they realized their opponent was the Mansi Sect, they would likely be too busy running away.
Which means I'll have to handle this on my own.
Having met this crisis in such an absurd manner, Ilyang first calmed his breathing and expanded his senses.
Thump, thump.
His expanded senses picked up the vibrations of the floor and the tremors in the air, painting a picture in his mind of how many people were nearby and how strong they were. This was the kind of thing that happened when survival was threatened—the nerve cells of the entire body instinctively activated, awakening primal senses. A trace of primal savagery, unbefitting a mage.
It was a pure talent Ilyang had possessed even before he became an archmage.
And...
They're letting their guard down.
Ilyang bared his fangs slightly in a grin.
There were few guards nearby. Their martial arts levels weren't very high either. They probably grew careless because their captives were mere children.
However...
There was a problem. The number of kidnapped children here was excessively high.
It seems they didn't just kidnap children from Giyang County.
They must have swept through every single surrounding village.
Just then:
"Do you know who I am? Huh? Can you really handle the consequences of this?!"
A chubby—no, a remarkably stout child dressed in silk robes was sprawled on the floor, screaming at the top of his lungs toward the door.
"Hey! You're out there, aren't you? I know you are! Come and untie me this instant! If you let me go now, I'll pretend this never happened, so untie this rope right now! Hurry!"
Unlike the other children who were sniffling and crying, this boy's spirit was still very much alive.
And... that face was one Ilyang recognized.
Oh? It's the son of the Giyang County Magistrate.
What luck. To think he'd find him so easily.
The boy looked exactly like the portrait Hak In-bo had shown him. Those greedy eyes, the sagging cheeks like a poisonous toad, and the narrow eyes buried in fat. Anyone could tell this was indeed the kidnapped son of the Giyang County Magistrate.
I've somehow found the target of the request, but...
He couldn't quite figure out how to get the brat out of here.
Doing it alone is probably out of the question for now.
While Ilyang lay there, wiggling his bound wrists and lost in thought, our dear magistrate's son grew even more boisterous, shouting at the unresponsive door.
"You scoundrels! When is dinner coming?! Mealtime has already passed!"
His tone had grown a bit more mature. Come to think of it, this kid had been kidnapped two days ago. Had he really been acting like this the entire time?
"Sigh, that brat is at it again. Brother, should we really just leave him be?"
"Leave him. He'll stop when he gets tired. Geez, he's got a loud voice, probably from eating so well all his life."
"Even if the higher-ups ordered it, leaving that kid like that is a bit much, isn't it?"
"What power do I have? I just do as I'm told. Didn't you see the Family Head and the Elders all get turned into jiangshis recently?"
"I was away on business and out of the manor for a few days. But is that really true?"
"Is what true?"
"If the Family Head and the Elders all became jiangshis, does that mean the Pyeong Clan is completely ruined? Isn't this something we should report to Cheonjung Holy City, Brother?"
"Sigh, Gwan-myeong. I'm telling you this out of genuine concern, so don't go running your mouth off somewhere."
"I wouldn't..."
"Just shut up and do whatever the Mansi Sect tells you to do without a word. That's how small-fry like us survive in this business. Having too many thoughts never does any good."
"...Well, I know that, of course."
"The higher-ups left us alone because they know things get annoying without workers like us. So just work quietly. Then nothing bad will happen."
"Yes, Brother."
The low murmuring from the hallway gradually faded away.
Ilyang closed his eyes, focusing all his attention on his hearing, then slowly opened them and smiled.
Things are getting interesting.
Did they order them not to touch the sacrifices? Or was that fat boy a special target? He couldn't know for sure yet.
Still...
Perhaps he could create a useful variable.
"Did you say the Thousand-Mile Tracking Scent leads all the way over there?"
"Yes, Big Brother Hak."
"Hmm..."
"What should we do?"
Between the cliffs, a thick stone gate cleverly hidden by bushes was visible. And in front of it stood a monster.
"That's not a human, is it?"
Hiding behind a distant rock, the vagabonds' expressions were grim as they peered down.
"Yes, Big Brother. No matter how you look at it, its movements are characteristic of a jiangshi."
"A jiangshi emitting such a powerful aura... Could it be a Blood Jiangshi?"
"That seems highly likely."
"To think the Mansi Sect has made a move... This is not something we can handle."
Hak In-bo's judgment was swift. He accurately assessed what they could and couldn't do.
If there was one problem...
"What about Ilyang? What about that arrogant brat?"
"...We can only hope he stays alive until we return."
"Ugh, this is going to give me nightmares."
"Even if we join the fray, it won't make a difference. It's better to return to Giyang County quickly and get the Magistrate to mobilize his forces."
"No, no! That would be troublesome!"
Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice echoed from above their heads. The vagabonds turned their heads in shock.
There, on a single pine tree growing at the edge of the cliff, hanging upside down from a supple, bending branch, was a pale, expressionless boy who looked like a corpse.
The blue Taoist robe the boy wore was embroidered with a unique symbol of a human palm. The moment they saw it, the vagabonds shrieked.
"The Mansi Sect!"
"Mmh, correct! But if I let you go, Si-woo will get scolded terribly by Big Sister. So, be good and stay still, okay?"
Hak In-bo stared at the child's casual tone and slightly unfocused eyes, then whispered to his companions.
"That thing is a monster. Don't be fooled by its appearance. Everyone, run for your lives!"
"Scatter!"
The vagabonds threw hidden weapons from their sleeves and scattered in all directions like grasshoppers.
Thus, though Ilyang was unaware, a fierce chase had begun outside as well.
"Big Brother! Let's head over there first!"
"Where?"
"Do you see that rock shaped like a horse's head?"
The moment he felt the pursuer closing in, Hak In-bo prepared himself for death. Gyeong Hap-gi and Go An-jeok, who had fled in the opposite direction, might survive if they were lucky, but...
"Hmm, I'd prefer it if my legs stayed intact, though."
A chill ran down his spine. No matter how fast he ran, the youthful voice clinging to them never fell behind.
"Will going there change anything?"
"It'll be better than here, at least!"
"Understood."
Yu Jeong-ui was a vagabond who had once been a highly renowned geomancer—an official who read feng shui to determine the layouts, structures, and orientations of government offices and major city buildings. Since there was always a reason behind his suggestions, Hak In-bo followed without question.
"Now!"
Yu Jeong-ui gasped, leaping straight off the horse-head rock. Hak In-bo followed him without hesitation.
From Hak In-bo's perspective, the rock they jumped from was quite high, making it the perfect spot to set a trap. As he fell, Hak In-bo pulled a very thin needle from his robes and quickly drove it into the middle of the rock face.
Thwip!
Pulling the thread connected to the needle taut as he plummeted, just before hitting the ground, he quickly drove another needle into the lower part of the rock, setting the thread diagonally. This was the Flood Dragon Thread, a treasure he had cherished and maintained. It was a special thread treated with chemicals to cut through even steel.
If someone fell from above without knowing it was there, they would be sliced clean in half.
But that's too optimistic.
He didn't know the exact extent of the enemy's strength. Thus, having set this simple yet lethal trap, Hak In-bo ran toward Yu Jeong-ui without looking back.
"Big Brother, this way! Hurry!"
As Hak In-bo quickly followed Yu Jeong-ui into a crevice between the rocks, Yu Jeong-ui pulled several dark lodestones, each about two joints of a finger long, from his sleeves. He drove them into the ground in specific directions. Then, he planted a small flag in the center, pricked his finger, and splattered blood onto the ground.
"This will hold them back for at least fifteen minutes. It's the Dream Illusion Array."
"Excellent."
Leaving behind the smoke that suddenly billowed from the crevice, the two quickly escaped through a narrow cave on the opposite side.
From then on, Yu Jeong-ui took the lead. Even though he had never been here before, he navigated the animal paths and shortcuts like a ghost who had lived here for years. Having survived in this business for so long, he had his own hidden tricks.
As they fled without even a moment to catch their breath, just as they thought they had almost descended the valley, a chilling voice echoed from behind.
"Si-woo's arm was cut off. So it hurts so much. It hurts."
"...!"
Hak In-bo barely swallowed the shriek that threatened to burst from his throat. That monster had actually chased them all the way here.
As Hak In-bo, his face pale, darted his single eye around to find an escape route, Yu Jeong-ui suddenly stumbled and threw himself flat onto the ground. Hak In-bo also curled his body to the ground as if on cue.
And then...
Thwip! Thwip!
With sharp, whistling sounds, Go An-jeok and Gyeong Hap-gi, who had fled in the opposite direction earlier, sprang like shadows from behind a thick tree ahead and fired their crossbows.
"Big Brother!"
"Hurry!"
The moment Yu Jeong-ui and Hak In-bo felt the bolts graze past their heads, and the moment they heard their companions' sharp warnings, they realized the pursuing monster was completely unharmed. They immediately scrambled to their feet and resumed running. Gyeong Hap-gi and Go An-jeok also retrieved their crossbows and ran as fast as their legs could carry them.
"Over there!"
As a small side path appeared, Yu Jeong-ui guided the group toward it, tearing open a leather pouch he carried and tossing it onto the ground. Smelling the oil spreading across the path, Hak In-bo leaped over it, immediately pulled a fire starter from his sleeve, and threw it onto the oil.
"Just die already!"
Whoosh!
A scorching heat flared up behind them. Of the four fleeing companions, Hak In-bo, who was at the very rear, instinctively turned his single eye backward.
And...
"Ah..."
He shouldn't have looked.
The monster chasing them was holding its severed arm tightly in one hand like a toy, charging through the flames as a blazing fireball. Its legs were pressed tight together as it bounded forward like a deer.
"Ah, ah... it hurts. It... hurts so much. Big Sister, Si-woo hurts so much!"
"That... that monstrous bastard."
Hak In-bo felt goosebumps break out all over his body as he looked at the jiangshi in the form of a young child. However, he was a seasoned expert who had survived all kinds of hardships in the harsh Jianghu. Steeling his resolve, he ran like a madman and finally managed to shake off the pursuer.
They ran all the way to the official road where Giyang County came into view. Fortunately, once they reached that point, the pursuer stopped following.
Feeling the unpleasant smell of burning flesh still lingering deep in his nostrils, Hak In-bo spoke to his sworn brothers.
"We must report this to the Magistrate immediately."
"Understood, Big Brother."
Thus, this request began to spiral in an uncontrollable direction.