The Fugitive (4)
We set off from Kaifeng once more, heading toward the Jegal Clan.
The contest between me and the Fugitive was heavily tilted in my favor.
While I'd saved a child from the Se-eul Clan carriage accident last time, the Fugitive hadn't performed any notable acts of chivalry.
In truth, opportunities for such heroic deeds didn't come around all that often.
You could seek them out aggressively if you tried, but with our journey so rushed, there simply wasn't time.
We'd set the deadline for our rivalry at our arrival in the Jegal Clan—and we weren't far off now.
Kaifeng lay in the north of Henan Province, while the Jegal Clan sat on the border between Henan and Hubei Province.
Perhaps because of that, the Fugitive looked increasingly anxious.
Whether it was his obsession with winning our bet or with collecting famous titles, I couldn't say...
I had no idea how the Fugitive had become so fixated on amassing renowned nicknames in the first place.
From what I'd heard before, it seemed his journey had started out with some sense of justice.
"Fugitive, little brother."
"Did you call me, big brother?"
Being called 'big brother' feels pretty good.
"You said you're currently searching for your missing master, right?"
"Ah, yes. That's correct, big brother."
"Is your purpose in wandering the empire to find your master? Or to collect famous titles?"
"O-Of course... it's to find my master."
"Then why does it seem like you're more obsessed with gathering those titles?"
He scratched his cheek at my words.
"Hmm... How should I put it? Finding my master is my main duty, while collecting titles is more of a hobby."
"I see."
I turned the question back on him.
"What do you think would happen if that hobby started interfering with your main duty, yet you kept at it anyway?"
"......"
The Fugitive couldn't respond.
He had enough sense to mull it over without answering right away.
"In that case, there are two solutions."
"What are they?"
"Quit the hobby. Or turn that hobby into your main pursuit."
"Are you saying I, the Fugitive, should give up collecting titles? Or push finding my master to the back burner and make my Fugitive activities my primary focus?"
"You got it exactly right. And we haven't reached the Jegal Clan yet, but your speech is getting awfully curt."
"......Ahem. My apologies."
I narrowed my eyes at him and spoke.
"If you can't give up your Fugitive activities, it must mean you're not that desperate to find your master. And even though he guided you to your current level of skill, it also means your feelings for him only run that deep."
"......!"
The Fugitive's eyes wavered.
I stopped there, saying no more.
He needed time to reflect on his own.
Pushing too hard without giving him space for introspection could backfire.
As we traveled on, the Seo-u Warrior spoke up.
"It looks like we'll have to camp out tonight."
"Agreed."
There were no suitable inns along today's route.
Far better to find a proper spot and camp than bed down in some sketchy place.
We found a suitable area, set up camp, and Palgap built a fire to start roasting jerky.
The jerky from Kaifeng was a real delicacy when lightly grilled like this.
I glanced up at the Fugitive.
Ever since I'd posed that dilemma earlier, he'd worn a pensive expression.
"Fugitive, little brother."
"Yes, big brother."
I handed him a skewer with roasted jerky on it.
"Pondering is fine, but eating matters too. An empty stomach dulls the mind."
"Thank you."
He took the skewer from me.
I grabbed one for myself and started eating as well.
Palgap had skewered mushrooms he'd foraged between the jerky strips, doubling the flavor.
"Delicious!"
"Seeing you enjoy it makes foraging those mushrooms worthwhile, young master."
The mushrooms Palgap gathered had a texture like meat and enhanced the dish's savoriness.
They were said to reduce fevers too, and grew exclusively on old willow trees—rare ones at that.
It was intriguing.
"These mushrooms only grow on willows, right? Was there a willow grove in these mountains?"
To harvest this many, you'd need at least five or six old willow trees.
Willows typically grew in wetlands or valleys—places rich with water.
But the path we'd taken wasn't particularly watery enough for a grove.
"Now that you mention it, it's odd. The willows weren't near a valley or stream—just on a regular hillside."
"Really?"
Curiosity piqued me.
"Shall we go check it out?"
With that, I took Palgap and the Seo-u Warrior to the spot where he'd found the mushrooms.
The Fugitive followed along.
"Fugitive, little brother, just rest. Why are you coming?"
"I've grown curious too."
"Looks like you've sorted out your thoughts."
"Well... yeah."
He scratched the back of his neck.
"It suddenly hit me—what if my master saw me like this? He'd probably sigh at my immaturity."
He let out a heavy sigh before continuing.
"I claimed my wandering the empire was to find him, but in reality, I'd forgotten that. Maybe I was tired of the search and subconsciously avoiding it."
His voice carried a note of pathos.
His Fugitive escapades might stem from wanting to escape the pressure and duty of finding his master.
Tough situation.
Seeing him reminded me of Peng Gang-un, the young heir of the Hubei Peng Clan.
He too had roamed the empire searching for his grandfather, facing mortal dangers countless times.
Now he was a promising young lord in his clan, from what I'd heard.
Here's hoping he grows further and succeeds his father safely.
He was a reliable contract partner and ally, after all.
"So I..."
Just then, Palgap pointed to a spot.
"That's where I picked the mushrooms."
It was an ordinary hillside.
No pools of water, no valley—nothing to support a willow grove.
And yet, there it was.
Willows of a water-loving variety, no less.
I approached the trees and touched the bark.
Moist.
Meaning there was ample water here.
But where from?
A sudden thought struck me, and I focused my inner energy on my ears.
Natural sounds flooded in.
Birds chirping.
Wind rustling leaves.
And water flowing.
Water!
There was definitely a sound of running water.
Which meant it flowed underground.
Underground streams weren't unusual, but amid the rush, I heard something that shouldn't be there.
"Ugh... ugh..."
A human groan?
"We've got a problem."
The Seo-u Warrior asked at my words.
"What is it?"
"Water's flowing below us. But mixed in are groans from someone."
"Pardon?"
"Are you sure you didn't mishear, young master?"
I shook my head at Palgap.
"No, it was too vivid to be a mistake. Sounded like pleas for help to the heavens."
We couldn't just ignore that.
It might delay our journey a bit, but my gut feeling was bad.
Something told me we had to save this person.
"What will you do?"
The Fugitive answered my question.
"Didn't you say it yourself, big brother? Don't mix up priorities."
"You remembered."
Yes—that was the most important reason.
And since we had the ability to help, there was no reason to hesitate.
I hurried back to camp and explained the situation to the group.
"Sorry to ask this of you all."
"No need to apologize."
"We follow our lord's command."
Palgap and the Chang-un Warriors would stay to guard the horses and luggage, while the rest scoured the area near where I'd heard the sounds.
As I'd suspected, there had to be a cave entrance nearby.
"Kkwi?"
Just then, Gold Spirit perked up its ears and poked its head from my sleeve.
"What? Something wrong?"
"Kkwi! Kkwi!"
Hm? Money energy from down there since earlier?
"Kkwi!"
Not expensive goods, but actual money aura...
And with Gold Spirit this eager, maybe it knew the path too?
"Gold Spirit, can you find a way down there?"
"Kkwi? Kkwi."
"You know the location but not the path?"
As disappointment set in, Gold Spirit spoke again.
"Kkwi! Kkwi!"
Huh? What about the Safe Path Map?
Safe Path Map?
At Gold Spirit's words, I unrolled the Safe Path Map.
"But the Safe Path Map only shows safe routes to destinations."
Crumple.
One corner of the map crumpled, as if displeased with my words.
Hm?
Wait... safe route to a destination?
Destination.
Ah, right!
Going to the Jegal Clan wasn't the only goal—rescuing the person crying for help below was a destination too.
I quickly apologized to the Safe Path Map.
"Sorry, I didn't fully grasp your abilities. I'm trying to rescue someone trapped in this cave. Which way should I go?"
In an instant, the map's image vanished, replaced by a new one.
The terrain around our hillside.
Soon, a red line marked the path forward.
"Wow, Safe Path Map! You're amazing."
Without a breeze, one corner fluttered.
Blushing from the praise, huh?
I memorized the route, then gathered the others.
"I've found the way. Follow me."
I took the lead, heading to the entrance the map indicated.
"Is this really it?"
The Fugitive had reason to ask.
A massive boulder blocked the front.
"Yes."
I nodded confidently.
If the Safe Path Map showed it, this was the safest route.
The Seo-u Warrior stepped forward.
"I'll clear the path."
"Be as quiet as possible, just in case."
"Understood."
The Seo-u Warrior formed sword energy and carefully sliced into the boulder.
Splitting it at once might cause too much noise or trigger a landslide.
The Seo-u Warrior broke it into pieces, which the Yi-pil and Myeong-jong Warriors caught by hand and set aside gently.
Once the hole was big enough for a person, we peered inside.
A fairly spacious cave.
"It's awfully dark."
No light penetrated within.
And with dusk falling, it would be pitch black inside—zero visibility.
Of course, darkness didn't stop us entirely.
But it consumed a lot of inner energy, and things weren't as clear as in light.
Rushing into the dark unprepared wasn't wise; we needed illumination.
I rummaged in my pouch and pulled out a night pearl.
The Fugitive gasped at the sight.
"Gasp! Isn't that a night pearl?"
"Correct."
I took out a few more, and he freaked out.
"Gasp!"
"First time seeing one?"
"N-No, but owning seven is shocking enough!"
"Fair point."
"And that pouch storing them is intriguing too."
I chuckled.
"This is a token of appreciation from someone up high."
The pouch was an imperial gift from the Emperor, proving quite useful.
I also pulled out pre-made pouches.
Loosely woven cloth with long straps.
"Put the night pearl in the cloth and hang the strap around your neck—frees up your hands."
"Not bad."
Thus prepared, we entered the space behind the boulder.
Splash, splash.
Puddles everywhere—this had to be the source nourishing the willows above.
A small stream flowed alongside.
We followed its direction.
Didn't seem sloped to the eye, but the water proved otherwise.
We proceeded cautiously into the cave.
This rocky mountain region naturally formed such caverns.
How long had we walked?
"......!"
I raised a hand, halting the group.
From a distance, I sensed black道 energy.
Couldn't feel it from above, but deeper in, it registered.
Black道 aura in a hidden cave like this?
What the hell was going on here?
I suddenly understood why the Safe Path Map led this way.
Other routes were likely guarded tightly.
Approaching those might prevent us from aiding the groaner.
I issued calm instructions.
"Dangerous foes ahead. No night pearls for now."
The Fugitive started unstrapping his to return it.
But I shook my head and handed him another pouch.
"Might need it later—return it when safe. This blocks light. Wrap the pearl and tuck it in your clothes."
"Got it."
We concealed the glow and advanced stealthily.
Deeper in, small tunnels branched off, each barred with iron grates.
A prison.
We'd neutralize the guards first.
No way these black道 thugs with such foul auras were guarding it for benevolent reasons.
One even reeked of blood-mingled darkness.
I transmitted orders via sound transmission.
Then unleashed energy to snuff out the cave's illuminating torches in one go.
Whoosh!
Fwoosh!
The instant the flames died, we surged toward the prison guards.