Recruiting Warriors to Join the Journey to the Invincible Fist King Earth (2)
“Stop, you crazy bastard!”
But Jin Yigang didn't stop. He whipped the reins even harder.
Crash!
The rear of the ceiling shattered, but the wagon burst through safely.
“Hyah! Giddy up! Move!”
Jin Yigang kept lashing the reins without pause.
As if trusting the falling tree, no enemies blocked the way ahead. The wagon tore through the darkness at a mad gallop and burst out onto open ground.
“Don't chase them!”
The enemy leader's shout rang out behind them.
Presumably, he feared their identities would be exposed if they pursued onto the open plain, so they held back. Only when the pursuit ceased did the group finally breathe a sigh of relief. The wagon sped on through the darkness and the driving rain.
“Heh.”
One masked man watched the receding wagon and smirked. He'd never imagined they would drive the wagon straight toward a falling tree.
“Do you know who the driver is?”
He asked the man behind him.
“Officially, he is Je Suryong, the adopted son of the Patriarch of the Jecheon Medical Manor.”
The man replied.
“What do you mean, 'officially'?”
“He was originally a Geomseonin, but he's on his way to Cheondo to join the punitive expedition in place of Je Cheonryong.”
Astonishingly, the man knew the details of the deal between Jin Yigang and Je Unseong.
“Isn't that illegal?”
the leader asked.
“He became Je Unseong's adopted son, so strictly speaking, it isn't illegal. And he's no one special. The person we should be watching is the one escorting Je Unseong's adopted son.”
“Escorting?”
“The Tyrant Kun Fiend, Mu Daebo, is escorting him.”
“Mu Daebo is escorting a Geomseonin?”
“Yes.”
“Adopted son of Je Unseong or not, it's strange that a martial artist of Mu Daebo's caliber would escort him. Could that Geomseonin be the carrier transporting the treasure map?”
“It's not impossible.”
“Look into it.”
“Yes.”
“Where else could they be attacked?”
“Only the Funiu Mountains.”
“Other factions will have shown up too, I take it?”
“The Demon Jade Bureau and the Srim Bureau have dispatched personnel, and each of the Kings is expected to come in person.”
“What scale are we talking about?”
“The Invincible Fist King Earth is a legendary place, but I doubt it will affect the Empire itself. Of course, it could grant an enormous fortune to small factions or individuals—but the martial world is the Empire now.”
“So you're saying it will end as nothing more than a private squabble.”
“As far as I know, even His Majesty has shown little interest. However…”
“However?”
“He has issued a decree that no one from the Sichuan Demon Sect or the Changing Emperor's martial world is to enter.”
“So they can fight over it all they like, just don't hand it to outsiders?”
“From His Majesty's perspective, everyone is his subject. Wouldn't it matter little to him who becomes master of the Invincible Fist King Earth?”
“I suppose so.”
The masked man nodded and removed his mask, revealing a square-jawed face crowned with a magnificent set of whiskers. This was Sam Gwang-ho, the Giant Spirit God, the Eighth of Emperor Hwonwon Chiguk's nine disciples, ruler of the Southern Union. The Southern Union was the collective name for Guangdong, Guizhou, and Yunnan.
“When was it, again, that the Jecheon Medical Manor obtained the treasure map of the Invincible Fist King Earth?”
“The exact date is unknown, but judging by the circumstances, it appears to be around ten years ago.”
“If they're only now moving it to the Imperial Court, does that mean they spent ten years studying it and still couldn't decipher it?”
“They couldn't interpret it, but it seems they've located its approximate position.”
“And that approximate position is the Funiu Mountains?”
“Highly likely.”
“Then their destination is the Funiu Mountains… which means someone will be coming from the Imperial Court as well.”
“It appears the Golden Guard Great Heavenly Nation has taken charge of this matter.”
The Golden Guard Great Heavenly Nation was the current name for what was once the Golden Guard.
“What do you mean, 'taken charge'?”
“I imagine they intend to serve as the adjudicators.”
“So whoever brings the treasure map to the Funiu Mountains will be acknowledged as its master?”
“Yes.”
“Will the martial artists actually accept that?”
“Perhaps this incident will become a stage on which Your Majesty's authority to rule is tested.”
“I suppose so. Let's be off.”
Sam Gwang-ho said with a nod.
“Shall we head straight for the Funiu Mountains?”
“Of course.”
“Understood.”
Shortly after they departed, a dark figure dropped from the branches above. A man in a tall hat with a thin mustache, giving off a sly, crafty impression.
This man, who looked to be in his late fifties, was Jang Cheon-ik, the Four-Way Eight-Pass Guest, Sect Leader of the Hao Secret Sect, who lived by buying and selling information. Jang Cheon-ik was regarded as the greatest leader in the history of the Hao Secret Sect.
“First the Wild King, and now the Power King—the big names are starting to appear one after another.”
He muttered, stroking the brush-shaped mustache flaring out on either side of his nose.
“The busier things get, the better for me. If I follow the Heavenly Physician Wagons, interesting things are bound to happen.”
Whoosh!
Jang Cheon-ik's silhouette vanished into the darkness.
What Je Hayeong's group needed most right now was information. Only by knowing which factions had come out and in what strength could they prepare a response.
Je Hayeong had the vanguard tend to the wagons, and entered an inn to gather intelligence as well. She judged that an inn would be safer than traveling along remote back roads.
The moment they entered the inn, everyone washed up.
First the sisters Je Hayeong and Je Chuyeong bathed, then the rest followed. Afterward, they took a head count.
The survivors numbered thirty in all.
Another forty had been killed on the way here.
Once they were washed up, Vice Chief Na Seok-jin and a few others went straight out to gather information, while Jin Yigang, Mu Daebo, Bukgung Hansang, and Gung Yo headed to the dining hall to order food. Truthfully, the four of them had only ended up together by chance and had nothing to do with the Heavenly Physician Wagons.
So they felt less burdened than the others.
They had ordered a lavish spread and were waiting when Je Hayeong and Je Chuyeong came in. Apparently, they were taking turns eating.
“Over here.”
Jin Yigang raised a hand, and they came over and sat down. Before long, the food arrived.
The group immediately began their meal.
The fastest chopsticks at the table belonged to Jin Yigang.
“You got a beggar living in your stomach or what?”
Mu Daebo asked, watching Jin Yigang devour everything in sight.
“They say people get gluttonous when death draws near. I guess that's me.”
Even as he spoke, Jin Yigang kept his chopsticks moving.
“You think we're going to die?”
Mu Daebo asked.
“We've only covered a third of the way and seventy men are already dead.”
“I'll take responsibility for your life, so just trust me.”
“Jin Yigang, you don't really have a reason to follow us, do you?”
Gung Yo said, looking at him.
“I told you, I changed my name.”
“Je Suryong, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Then what happens with the Pavilion Master?”
“She's my aunt.”
“That's…”
“Don't ask, don't dig, just trust me.”
“See, you bastard, you're just like a snake-oil peddler.”
“Digging for more will only get you hurt, so leave it at that. Anyway…”
Jin Yigang looked at Je Hayeong.
“Speak.”
Je Hayeong said.
“If the Heavenly Physician Wagons don't reach Cheondo, will the Jecheon Medical Manor fall?”
“If it wouldn't fall, why not part ways here?”
Je Hayeong shot back.
“I'm a complete nobody—a white-faced scholar. Following you would just make me dead weight.”
“But if you leave, the Tyrant Kun Fiend Mu Daebo will leave as well, won't he?”
“I'm leaving too.”
“Me too.”
Gung Yo and Bukgung Hansang said.
“Huh?”
Jin Yigang looked at Gung Yo, then asked.
“Do you, by any chance, like me?”
“…You really have reached the moment of your death, haven't you.”
Gung Yo's temper flared.
“Then why are you trying to bundle up with me?”
“Because you're suspicious.”
“Suspicious how?”
“In my opinion, the person most likely to be carrying the treasure map into the Invincible Fist King Earth is you.”
“Gah!”
Jin Yigang's eyes went wide.
“Struck a nerve, didn't I?”
“D-do you even have evidence?”
He was so startled that he even stammered.
He'd never imagined Gung Yo was thinking that way. And if Gung Yo thought so, Bukgung Hansang surely did too.
He himself had never once thought such a thing. No—he hadn't even known what the Invincible Fist King Earth was until he met them. And now they were calling him the carrier of the treasure map.
Damn it! Am I about to become the target here?
“Of course I do.”
Gung Yo replied.
“Like what?”
“Rumors about the treasure map of the Invincible Fist King Earth have been circulating in secret for years. I entered the Jecheon Medical Manor to confirm them. And while investigating, I recently obtained information that the map was being transported. With countless martial artists gunning for the Heavenly Physician Wagons, that information is clearly solid. And yet nothing about the Jecheon Medical Manor has changed. The wagons departed on the original schedule, and while the escort has grown a bit larger, you couldn't call it extraordinary. Except for one single thing.”
“Which is?”
“You.”
“Me?”
Jin Yigang pointed at himself.
“The fact that you, a Geomseonin of five years, suddenly left the Jecheon Medical Manor is suspicious in itself. No—a Geomseonin has no reason to leave at all. And you didn't leave alone, either; Mu Daebo, known to be among the Hundred Greatest Masters of the martial world, is escorting you. Anyone would be forced to suspect you.”
“Whew! Hearing it laid out like that, I'm in checkmate. Daebo, did you know too?”
“I only came out because I was told to bring the Jecheon Medical Manor's son along.”
“Unbelievable.”
Jin Yigang looked at Je Hayeong.
“It wasn't intentional. It just happened that way.”
“You truly suspect me?”
“I never thought of it that way myself, but hearing Miss Gung Yo, I suppose it's possible.”
“So the Pavilion Master is saying we're better off traveling together, then?”
“Usually, a group splits in two to scatter their enemies, but splitting up won't reduce the enemy's strength in our case. Given that, isn't staying together the better option?”
“But even if Daebo's needed, I'm not.”
“It's not quite that simple. If you hadn't driven that wagon straight at the falling tree back then, we might all have been finished. The fact that we made it this far is entirely thanks to your cool-headed judgment.”
“So you're saying I have to come along?”
“Yes.”
“Then shouldn't you put a little more information on the table?”
“There truly is nothing in the box.”
“Not a single one of us believes that. And if the Pavilion Master won't tell the truth, the ronin may all leave as well.”
Jin Yigang said seriously.
“…”
“Tell them.”
Je Chuyeong said.
“We have it.”
Je Hayeong nodded.
“So the two of you hold the treasure map leading into the Invincible Fist King Earth?”
“That's right.”
“And since you're taking it to Cheondo, you couldn't decipher it?”
“What our clan deciphered is that the Invincible Fist King Earth lies in the Funiu Mountains.”
“Then the wagons' destination is the Funiu Mountains too.”
“That's right.”
Je Hayeong nodded.
“The ones targeting the wagons will know that as well, won't they?”
Jin Yigang asked.
“Judging by the situation, it seems so.”
“The Jecheon Medical Manor wouldn't have let it slip, so the Imperial Court is the likely source.”
Jin Yigang looked at Mu Daebo.
“The Imperial Court has far too many rats by night and birds by day.”
Just then, the ronin captain Mak Hong entered.
“Captain Mak, please join us as well.”
Je Hayeong called Mak Hong over. He came and sat down beside the group.
“What do we do now?”
Jin Yigang asked.
“The Imperial Court has said that if we make it as far as Mount Laojun, they will acknowledge our ownership.”
“It won't be just the two of you going, will it?”
“Father is heading for the Funiu Mountains by another route.”
“So to have your ownership recognized, you have to reach Mount Laojun alive.”
“That's right.”
“But if we go like this, everyone dies.”
“Is there no way?”
Je Hayeong asked, her face hard.
She felt it too. The enemies were too many, and too strong to handle.
“There's no choice but to expand our numbers.”
Mak Hong said.
“That's impossible.”
Na Seok-jin said, coming back inside.
“Why?”
Jin Yigang asked.
“Word has spread far and wide that everyone escorting the Heavenly Physician Wagons will be killed. Even if we post recruitment notices, no one will come.”
“We've only been at this inn for a single hour, and that rumor has already spread? That means someone is traveling ahead of us.”
“It would seem so.”
“You have no idea who it might be, I take it?”
Jin Yigang asked, looking at Je Hayeong.
“No.”
“Then only one option remains to us.”
“Which is?”
“Posting a notice that reads: 'Recruiting warriors to join the journey to the Invincible Fist King Earth.'”