The carriage passed along a narrow road.
Whenever the lush blades of grass by the roadside brushed against the carriage, they made a soft rustling sound.
Taesu glanced at Geom Mugeuk, who was driving the carriage beside him.
‘What is he going to do if this ends in a dead end?’
They wouldn’t be able to turn the carriage around, would they?
What if, at the very least, they ran into another carriage? Ah, on second thought, that probably wouldn’t happen. No one would drive a carriage into such a narrow forest path.
But Geom Mugeuk drove the carriage with confidence, as if he knew the road.
Inside the carriage, the Blood Heaven Saber Demon was watching the grass brush past the window.
‘Is he taking a shortcut?’
Otherwise, there was no reason he would have chosen such a narrow path.
‘He said we’d take it slow, so what’s the rush?’
The Blood Heaven Saber Demon’s gaze turned toward the Ilhwa Sword Venerable. She had her eyes closed, circulating her qi. She had always looked young to begin with, but after taking the Seondoyeonggwa and Jongyuseontae, it seemed as if her skin was glowing.
Just then, the Ilhwa Sword Venerable opened her eyes and said,
“I hear water.”
Sure enough, from far outside the carriage came the sound of water. Was he planning to cross a river with the carriage?
And just as the sound of water seemed to grow louder and louder—
The moment the carriage left the forest trail, a magnificent sight unfolded before them.
Kwaaaaaa!
The powerful roar of water echoed through the valley.
Stopping the carriage, Geom Mugeuk called out loudly,
“Please get down for a moment, both of you.”
The Blood Heaven Saber Demon and the Ilhwa Sword Venerable stepped out of the carriage.
Before their eyes spread a grand waterfall that drew admiration the instant they saw it.
White torrents of water poured down from a sheer cliff, crashing against the rocks and spraying upward. The mist met the sunlight, forming a rainbow that made them feel as if they had stepped into an immortal paradise.
The four of them silently gazed at the waterfall.
There was a tranquility born from its grandeur. Standing here, one felt as though they could remain for an entire day.
“How did you know of a place like this?”
At the Blood Heaven Saber Demon’s admiration, Geom Mugeuk seized the chance to boast as if he had been waiting for it.
“I studied up in advance so I could show it to you, Elder.”
As if that could be true. Until yesterday, he hadn’t even expected they would be heading toward Zhejiang.
Moreover, this waterfall was in an extremely secluded place. In other words, the fact that Geom Mugeuk had driven the carriage all the way into this corner meant he had already been here before.
“If we head back out that way later, there’s a restaurant by the road that makes incredible beef noodles. Let’s eat there before we go.”
Then he looked at the Blood Heaven Saber Demon and added,
“You like beef noodles, don’t you?”
The Ilhwa Sword Venerable slipped into the conversation about his tastes.
“You still have the same palate.”
“Did he like beef noodles even when he was young?”
“Oh, he liked them so much. He ate them every day.”
The Blood Heaven Saber Demon lightly waved his hand.
“You remember the strangest things. And it wasn’t to that extent.”
Even so, the fact that the Ilhwa Sword Venerable remembered those days put him in a subtly good mood.
“Shall we get going?”
The Blood Heaven Saber Demon was grateful to Geom Mugeuk. As if this waterfall was somewhere he had come because he himself wanted to see it. He had driven down that narrow path to show it to him and the Ilhwa Sword Venerable.
“My eyes have truly feasted.”
That was how the Blood Heaven Saber Demon conveyed his thanks.
The carriage set off again.
Geom Mugeuk did not turn the carriage back the way they had come, but found another path out. After running along the narrow road for quite some time, they emerged onto a main road.
“How do you know the roads so well?”
“I know because I’ve traveled a lot.”
Considering Geom Mugeuk’s young age, Taesu could not understand it.
‘Could his family perhaps run an escort agency? Is that why he’s been all over the Central Plains since he was young?’
He thought that might be the case. Just as Taesu was making a wild guess while recalling the escort agencies he knew—
Geom Mugeuk suddenly grabbed Taesu and pulled him to the side.
Shiiiiik.
Thud!
A dagger flew in and embedded itself in the spot where Taesu’s face had just been.
At the sudden ambush, Taesu’s eyes widened in shock.
“Take the reins!”
The moment Geom Mugeuk handed the reins to Taesu—
Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish!
Hidden weapons flew in from every direction. Since they were aimed at the horses, Geom Mugeuk launched himself forward.
Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!
Taesu was astonished once again by Geom Mugeuk’s lightning-fast movements. Having knocked away the hidden weapons flying in from the left, Geom Mugeuk was already deflecting those from the right.
The deflected hidden weapons flew back precisely toward those who had thrown them, and screams rang out from the forests on both sides.
His movements were so fast that, in Taesu’s eyes, it looked as if twins were knocking away hidden weapons from both sides at the same time.
No, triplets. Before he knew it, Geom Mugeuk was sitting beside him again, taking the reins back.
“Hold on tight!”
When Geom Mugeuk pulled the reins to the side, the carriage changed direction.
Pak, pak, pak, pak, pak!
The hidden weapons that would have struck the carriage missed and buried themselves in the ground. When the next attack came flying in, he avoided it by slowing their speed.
To think he could drive a carriage this well!
Taesu was certain.
‘He’s definitely from an escort agency!’
He had probably followed along since childhood and learned how to handle a carriage.
Just then, something entered Taesu’s sight.
“There! Look over there!”
Up ahead, a tree had fallen across the middle of the road. It had been felled to stop the carriage. And it was no mere log. A massive tree had been brought down, so there was no way to simply pass over it.
“Hold on tight!”
It was obviously a situation where they should stop the carriage, but Geom Mugeuk increased their speed even more.
He was going to run? Surely he didn’t mean to jump over that?
“Stop! No! This is a carriage, not a horse!”
Despite Taesu’s shout, Geom Mugeuk charged forward even faster like a madman.
“Here we go!”
“Uaaaaaaah!”
At the very moment Taesu screamed—
The horses collided with the tree. No, he thought they had collided.
In that instant, the horses leaped over the tree and soared into the air.
‘We’re getting over this? This isn’t just a horse, it’s a carriage!’
As if it were happening in a dream, everything seemed to move slowly for a moment.
Rattle.
The carriage that had leaped over the fallen tree began racing swiftly forward again.
When Taesu looked back, masked men emerged from the forests on both sides far behind them. They too were staring this way with startled expressions.
“How did the carriage jump over that?”
How else? Geom Mugeuk had used Object Seizing Through Empty Space to lift the horses and carriage into the air and send them over in one piece.
“This carriage has wings riding in it!”
Earlier, Taesu had asked Geom Mugeuk who the two experts riding in the carriage were. At that time, Geom Mugeuk had called the two of them his wings.
Then had they done it? Was such a thing possible, even for experts?
When the carriage had just flown into the air, the left wing inside the carriage had looked out the window and said,
“We really are flying.”
At that, the right wing smiled and said,
“Who else but the Young Cult Leader would even think of something like this?”
Lifting a moving carriage with Object Seizing Through Empty Space to avoid an obstacle? It was something they could not do.
Even if they had the ability to pull it off, they would not have thought to jump over it.
They would have stopped the carriage and killed all the pursuers instead.
“Thanks to him, I even get to ride a carriage through the sky.”
Seeing the Ilhwa Sword Venerable looking excited, the Blood Heaven Saber Demon smiled as well. Truly, there was not a single dull moment on this journey.
Unlike the two at peace inside, Taesu was racing through an adventure in which his life hung by a thread.
Looking back, Taesu shouted,
“There! They’re chasing us!”
Behind them, about twenty masked men were pursuing the carriage with lightness skill.
“Now, take the reins again.”
Geom Mugeuk rose from the driver’s seat, opened the door of the moving carriage, and went inside.
He smiled at the two Demon Venerables and said,
“Once you come out into the Central Plains, carriage chases are the sort of thing that happen all the time, aren’t they?”
Geom Mugeuk opened his leather pouch and began searching for something. Looking inside the pouch, the Blood Heaven Saber Demon frowned.
“Why do you have so much junk packed in there to clutter the mind?”
“It may look that way, but when you don’t have these things, it’s terribly inconvenient. Ah, here it is.”
What Geom Mugeuk found was a leather belt with about twenty daggers stuck into it.
“I said I wouldn’t draw my sword either, so I’ll make do with this.”
“It’s all the same.”
As the Blood Heaven Saber Demon said, how could daggers thrown by Geom Mugeuk be ordinary daggers?
Geom Mugeuk strapped the leather belt to himself and climbed onto the carriage roof.
In the meantime, the masked men had nearly caught up to the carriage.
Geom Mugeuk drew a dagger and threw it at the masked man charging closest to them.
Shik!
The dagger cut through the air, and the masked man flipped over and collapsed.
When the dagger had first flown toward him, he had thought he could avoid something of that level easily enough, but he had failed to dodge it.
One man fell, but the enemies continued to pursue them.
Shik! Shik!
This time, two daggers flew.
It was not an attack as fast as light like before. They flew at a speed that made one think they could avoid them, but this time too, they could not.
Because the daggers, which had flown in normally, changed speed and direction at the very last moment. Because of that, the one who tried to knock one away with his sword could not block it, and the one who twisted his body to evade met the same fate.
Even after two more fell, they still kept running.
As if to show them clearly, Geom Mugeuk took out three daggers this time. He deliberately held them out in front for them to see. This time, three!
Then one of the masked men at the rear raised his hand and stopped the others. The pursuers all halted at once.
Geom Mugeuk could tell that he was their leader.
Not only had the man realized that three of his subordinates would surely die again this time as well, but from Geom Mugeuk’s dagger-throwing skill alone, he had instinctively understood that they could not handle him.
Geom Mugeuk’s gaze met the man’s.
The eyes above the mask were calm. The other party was someone who knew how to give up decisively when it was time to give up.
Watching him turn away with the masked men, Geom Mugeuk returned to the driver’s seat.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes. Thank you for saving my life.”
Taesu bowed his head and expressed his gratitude. If Geom Mugeuk had not pulled him aside when the first dagger flew in, he would have died.
“Where are we going now?”
Since they had pursuers, Taesu thought they would surely come up with some sort of countermeasure. Wouldn’t they have to abandon the carriage and move with lightness skill?
But the one holding the reins was none other than Geom Mugeuk.
“To eat beef noodles.”
* * *
Half a double-hour later, the four of them really were eating beef noodles.
“It tastes good.”
The Blood Heaven Saber Demon was satisfied with the flavor. It truly was worth going out of one’s way to eat. The dumplings they had ordered alongside it were also incredible.
Even the Ilhwa Sword Venerable, who did not usually enjoy beef noodles, finished a bowl cleanly.
“That was delicious.”
“I’m glad it suited your palate. Please look forward to the next one.”
It meant that the next famous restaurant would be one the Ilhwa Sword Venerable liked.
“Do you know what foods I like?”
“I know that when you come out to the Central Plains, you enjoy five-spice sauced pork. I know a place that makes it exceptionally well.”
Her gaze toward Geom Mugeuk was gentle. He had generously shared such precious spirit medicines, and now he was even trying to treat her to the food she liked.
“Thanks to you bringing me out, both my eyes and mouth are enjoying a feast.”
He bestowed things ordinary people could never even imitate, yet he was the one saying thank you.
Truly, Geom Mugeuk was a person who engraved what he received in stone and what he gave in water.
How could one not become wings for such a person?
‘I will gladly become your wings.’
Just then, the Blood Heaven Saber Demon cut in and said,
“Why does this person get five-spice sauced pork while I get beef noodles? I like plenty of expensive dishes too.”
At those words, Geom Mugeuk and the Ilhwa Sword Venerable laughed together.
Since Taesu did not know the relationship between them, he laughed awkwardly along with them.
Inwardly, he was anxious. He knew very well that these people were experts, but—
‘Is it really all right to be this relaxed?’
What would they do if those masked men brought other experts with them?
Fortunately, Geom Mugeuk mentioned the earlier attack.
“Judging from the movements of those who ambushed us earlier, they were well-trained.”
They were not hired warriors or wandering swordsmen, but people belonging to a single organization.
At that, the Blood Heaven Saber Demon suspected the Flying Dragon Gang.
“Did the Flying Dragon Gang leak our information? Or were they the ones behind it?”
It was a suspicion worth having. After all, they were the last people they had met, and despite Jongbaek’s attempts to dissuade him, the leader of the Flying Dragon Gang might have grown greedy.
Geom Mugeuk thought of Jongbaek. Considering the way he had acted when they left—
“It probably wasn’t the Flying Dragon Gang.”
He felt that Jongbaek would have kept his promise no matter what.
“If we assume it wasn’t Biryongbang, then there are two possibilities. Either they were after us.”
Geom Mugeuk’s gaze turned to Taesu.
“Or they were after Taesu.”
Naturally, there was a high chance they had been after Taesu, who had possessed the treasure map. If they had known who they were, they would not have launched an attack like the one earlier.
As the three of them focused their gazes on him, Taesu grew visibly tense.
“Is there anyone besides us who knows you had the treasure map?”
“No, there isn’t.”
Taesu shook his head firmly.
“Then it might not be because of the treasure map, but because of some other grudge that they’re trying to kill you.”
“As you know, my father and I have only ever stolen from villains. So only our names are known; very few people know our faces.”
That was why he had been so shocked when Geom Mugeuk had held out a paper with a likeness of him drawn on it.
“Not us, and not you?”
In truth, this was precisely what was bothering Geom Mugeuk right now.
How did they find us?
Though he had not shown it outwardly, Geom Mugeuk had paid close attention to any pursuit.
He had alternated between main roads and side roads, and from time to time had even used the Divine Eye Art to check whether anyone was following. Moreover, this time they had turned off onto a side path to see the waterfall. Even when he had checked then, there had definitely been no one tailing them.
As he quietly looked at Taesu, a hint of “could it be?” crossed Geom Mugeuk’s face.
“If it wasn’t us, and it wasn’t you, then there’s only one thing left.”
Geom Mugeuk immediately rummaged through his leather pouch and took out a small vial.
“Taesu, come here.”
Taesu came over with a tense expression.
“Hold out your hand!”
“What is this?”
“A medicine that tells us the answer.”
“Is it some kind of confession drug? It’s not like my hand has a mouth.”
Drip, drip.
Geom Mugeuk poured the liquid from the vial onto his palm.
Then his hand turned blue.
“Your hand is answering, isn’t it?”
“What is this?”
“Your hand has Soul-Chasing Incense on it.”
Taesu shook his head in confusion.
“I’ve never been hit with Soul-Chasing Incense.”
Geom Mugeuk had not checked because he thought Taesu himself had been marked in the first place. If it was neither them nor him.
“It must have been applied to the treasure map.”
Someone had put it there in preparation for the possibility that the treasure map might be lost.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon and the Ilhwa Sword Venerable exchanged astonished looks. No matter how experienced they were as Demon Venerables, they had not thought to check for that in this moment.
“Can’t you remove the Soul-Chasing Incense?”
“I can.”
“Please remove it!”
When Geom Mugeuk drew his sword, Taesu yelped in alarm and pulled his hand behind his back. It meant there was no way unless they cut off his hand.
“This is Soul-Chasing Incense, far more effective than Tracking Incense. Until a certain amount of time passes and the scent disappears on its own, you can never shake it off. It’s so expensive that not just anyone can use it.”
On top of that, the ones pursuing them had not been ordinary martial artists either. If martial artists like that were chasing them while even using Soul-Chasing Incense, then—
“You. Who did you steal the treasure map from?”