Maternal Home (3)
Jeongmyeong the monk said,
"If it weren't for the young master's keen insight, we would have failed to grasp Master Hyeolgonseung's intentions and nearly met with disaster."
They must have entered the mechanism-laden area alongside the Murim Alliance, and being at the forefront, they likely wouldn't have avoided total annihilation.
So it was right for them to express gratitude to me... but.
Even so, having them kneel like this made me feel burdened.
"Please rise. I'm not worthy of such thanks."
"No, you are."
He shook his head.
"A great hero like you deserves this treatment."
Before I knew it, the other disciples had knelt as well.
Ah... at this rate, I'll get indigestion from that meal earlier.
I barely calmed them down and discussed our next steps.
.
.
.
Daybreak came soon enough, and they decided not to head to Gansu Province but to return to Shaolin instead.
They judged it best to report what I'd told them about the matter first.
That was what I wanted too.
No matter how well I explained or warned them, once they reached the sword assembly, they could get swept up in the atmosphere.
Or they might even be persuaded by the Murim Alliance.
So reporting to their superiors and taking time to decide wasn't a bad idea.
Besides, that place was gathering not just the righteous sects but also the unorthodox paths, the evil factions, and even Heavenly Demon Divine Cult members.
They'd inevitably get entangled in cycles of grudges whether they wanted to or not.
After seeing off Jeongmyeong and his group, we set off again for Gansu Province.
From here, we could take a boat, but we had our River Striders.
"Still, we'll need a boat to cross the river, right?"
At my words, the River Strider I held the reins of reacted as if I'd said something ridiculous.
"Hiiing? Pruruung!"
Geumryeong poked its head out from my sleeve and translated for me.
"Kkwi! Kkwi!"
"Huh?"
"Kkwiing!"
"You can gallop across a river like this?"
Come to think of it, the name River Strider literally meant a horse that could cross rivers by running.
I'd thought it just meant it was incredibly fast, but it could actually run across rivers? Was that why they were called River Striders?
"This isn't that deep, but it's wide and the current's strong."
"Pruruung!"
"Kkwi!"
"You see yourself as what? Believe me and try it?"
There was nowhere it couldn't run?
Fine. Let's trust you, then.
If worst comes to worst, I can use a water walking technique.
With that, we headed to the riverbank.
It was a bit away from the ferry landing—I didn't want to show others a horse crossing the river.
"Hiiing!"
The River Strider's short whinny.
I could guess what it meant even without Geumryeong's translation.
Grip tight. If you fall in, it's not my fault.
I gripped the reins hard and warned the others.
"Hold the reins tight! We're crossing the river on horseback now."
"R-right now?"
"Yes!"
No sooner had I finished than the River Striders bolted forward.
Faster than they'd ever run before, it seemed.
Was this their true power?
The scenery before us vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving only the whistling wind in my ears.
A speed that would make an ordinary person drop the reins in dizziness.
Soon, the muddy Yellow River loomed ahead.
Uh...
For a moment, I was speechless.
We were really crossing the river.
Is this real? It has to be real, right? I'm not hallucinating? Holy crap!
The name wasn't an empty boast.
Looking at the River Strider's hooves, I saw faint qi coating them.
Aha!
I think I got why River Striders could cross rivers. It worked on the same principle as the Lightfoot Technique.
The qi wasn't strong, but combined with their speed, it let them gallop across.
Once we crossed, the River Striders gradually slowed.
They came to a stop, heads held high proudly.
As if to say, I told you to trust me.
I patted the River Strider's neck.
"You're amazing."
Palgap and my guards all wore expressions of disbelief.
"My god..."
"Did we just... cross the river?"
"How...?"
Understandable.
Honestly, even I couldn't believe it.
I realized anew what incredible luck it was that these River Striders had come into my possession—and ours.
"With this speed, you could cross the Yangtze too, right?"
The River Strider answered my question.
"Pruruung!"
Of course.
Hoo, nice.
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.
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Three days after crossing the river, we arrived in Lanzhou.
Lanzhou.
Once called the Golden Province for its gold mines.
It was a trade hub on the route from Qinghai to Xinjiang and the Western Frontier, so commerce thrived.
My maternal clan, the Yeongseon Min Clan, was located in southern Lanzhou.
A mid-sized martial family, but one with deep roots in the area.
When we reached the Yeongseon Min Clan gates, a gatekeeper approached.
"What brings you here?"
I recognized his face.
He'd been guarding the main gate even when I visited as a little kid.
He'd aged since then, of course.
"It's been a while."
"Pardon? Who might you be?"
"I'm Eun Seo-ho of the Eunhae Merchant Group."
"Pardon?"
Even after I gave my name, the gatekeeper uncle tilted his head.
Gatekeepers had to be good at recognizing and remembering faces.
So why didn't he recognize me?
Then Palgap nodded and said,
"Of course he doesn't recognize you. You've become extremely handsome over the past few years."
Ah...
Come to think of it, it had been nearly ten years since I last visited.
Self-reflection time. You rascal.
"I guess it's been too long since I last came."
I took out my identity token from my bosom and handed it over.
Still, the gatekeeper uncle looked suspicious.
"Please wait a moment."
Following the gatekeeper uncle inside came a man.
Seeing him, I quickly cupped my fists.
"Your nephew Eun Seo-ho pays respects to Uncle."
"Huh? Seo-ho?"
"Yes."
His name was Min Jeong.
My mother's brother and my uncle.
He scrutinized my face from every angle for a while before letting out an exclamation.
"Ah! Yes! Now I see it! You look just like Seon did as a child!"
Min Seon.
My mother's name.
"There was no beauty in Lanzhou to match your mother. Come, come—you must be tired from the journey. Come inside."
"Yes, Uncle."
The maternal home hadn't changed much from my memories.
Always peaceful.
Gansu Province was water-scarce, but being near a river meant they lacked for nothing.
The estate wasn't huge, but it was comfortably well-off.
"Haat! Haat!"
"Yaaat!"
Battle cries drew my gaze to the training grounds, where a group was practicing sword forms.
"Those are our clan's disciples."
"They have great spirit."
"Their skills are impressive too."
Pride shone on Uncle's face.
I followed him to the inner quarters and met my maternal grandparents.
"Aigoo! Who is this? Seo-ho?"
"Why did it take you so long?"
Just as I remembered, my grandparents.
They recognized me at a glance.
Still hale and hearty. Thank goodness.
"Grandpa! Grandma!"
For some reason, I felt like acting spoiled around them.
"I've missed you both so much."
"We've missed you too, dear. We got your messenger bird saying you were coming, but you arrived awfully fast?"
Ah, that might explain why the gatekeeper was puzzled.
From Beijing or Hubei Province, it should've taken over half a month.
We hadn't given prior notice because we arrived too quickly.
"Ah, the horses we rode are really fast. So we got here sooner than planned."
"I see."
They didn't seem entirely convinced.
"You'll understand when you see our horses later. We were lucky to get them."
"Alright, you must be tired from the long trip. Come, let's have some hwadoo."
"That's exactly what I rushed here for."
Hwadoo was a sweet porridge made by boiling beans, jujubes, and sugar—delicious and soothing.
One of Lanzhou's signature foods; it settled the stomach nicely.
As we sat in the rear garden pavilion chatting about recent events, a maid brought the hwadoo.
I invited my guards to sit and eat, but they all declined.
At least they all liked hwadoo.
"Eat plenty."
"Yes, Grandma."
Eating hwadoo like this always made me sentimental for some reason.
My grandparents had passed away a few years before my death.
As martial artists, they'd lived long lives, but it still saddened and regreted me.
I should've visited more often.
Seeing how much they enjoyed it now made me feel even guiltier.
"So, what brings you here so suddenly?"
At Grandma's question, I grinned broadly.
"I missed you both."
"Smooth talker, but we like it."
"No, really."
I continued,
"I've wanted to visit but was too busy. Now that I had some free time, I came by."
"Is that so?"
I nodded.
"Yes. And Father and Mother send their regards."
Father had also told me to stop by the Eunhae Merchant Group's Gansu branch on the way.
They were delighted at my words.
"How long will you stay?"
"About two days."
"Make yourself at home."
"Looking at you now, you really do look just like our Seon!"
"She's my mother—of course. Haha."
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After chatting with my grandparents, I was shown to my quarters.
"Phew."
I tried to flop onto the bed,
But!
Palgap stopped me.
"Young master, wash up first. You're not planning to dirty the bedding your grandparents prepared, are you?"
"......"
He'd hit right at my conscience.
In the end, I had to go wash up.
"By the way, you seemed different today, young master."
"Huh? How so?"
"You finally looked your age. Until now, you were like an old soul. I thought you were some thirty- or forty-something who'd seen it all."
Ugh... this guy.
Sharp as ever.
I laughed it off quickly.
"Here, I can act spoiled and they'll indulge me. But elsewhere? The world's full of people ready to devour me. I can't let my guard down or I'll get eaten."
"Mm, fair point."
"Enough chit-chat. Go fetch some tea."
"Tea before bed might keep you awake..."
"Exactly! After riding so hard and working nonstop before that, one cup of tea won't ruin my sleep."
I was exhausted right now.
But I needed tea to organize my thoughts before sleeping.
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The next morning.
I finished training in my quarters and stepped outside.
Late July.
The temperature here was pleasant for activity.
Wandering the grounds, I soon reached the inner quarters and the disciples' training grounds.
"One!"
"Haat!"
"Two!"
"Haap!"
Dozens moved in perfect unison to their instructor's commands.
The Yeongseon Min Clan specialized in chain swords.
Chain swords were notoriously tricky weapons—harder than whips, in my view.
Their razor edges could injure even on a graze.
But their unpredictable trajectories made them highly effective.
Mastering chain swords had allowed the clan to endure for so long.
I watched with a pleased smile.
Ah, time for breakfast soon.
I sat at the table with my maternal family.
Today's breakfast was noodles.
Gansu folk were serious about noodles, with endless varieties.
Rice yields were low due to the climate, so they grew wheat, beans, and corn mainly.
As I slurped warm beef broth over pulled noodles, Uncle spoke.
"Father, a letter just arrived."
"A letter? This early?"
"Yes. From the Murim Alliance."
Murim Alliance?
My ears perked up involuntarily.
"They say they'll visit our clan this afternoon."
What? Today?
As I was surprised, Uncle continued.
"It seems related to that sword assembly at Yeonji Mountain."
Could it be...
Not for the reason I'm thinking, right?
That afternoon.
The Murim Alliance arrived as scheduled.
I stayed back, watching discreetly, but Uncle's expression wasn't great.
"Tsk tsk."
Then someone behind me clicked their tongue.
"Why did they have to send that guy from the Murim Alliance..."
Had something happened between Uncle and that warrior?
The speaker was Uncle's attendant.
So he knew something.
I approached him quietly.
"What do you mean by that?"