Chapter 6

"…Hey? Can you hear me…?"

Janggeon, who was about to mount Zaozao’s saddle, stopped and walked in the direction of the voice. Zaozao snorted and slowly followed behind.

Avoiding the bodies scattered around, Janggeon soon discovered a man lying on his back, looking up at the sky. The man was pale from losing a lot of blood.

He was trembling, looking up at Janggeon’s face, which was hidden in the straw hat, standing with his back to the sun.

"…Hello?"

Janggeon only nodded silently. However, the man smiled slightly as if that nod was enough of an answer.

"…I’m sorry to ask this of you, but I have one favor to ask. My son is hiding inside that carriage. I made a small space under the carriage."

At his words, Janggeon’s gaze turned to the carriage. The thickness of the carriage walls seemed considerable, and no sound could be heard from here.

"…I’m really sorry, but I’m asking this of the person who already saved us from the bandits. Could you please save my son, my little boy? He’s ten years old now… He’ll starve to death here on his own. He’s smart, but he’s very scared."

"Where’s the boy’s mother?"

Janggeon, who was looking at the carriage, asked. The dying man smiled bitterly.

"The boy’s mother passed away a long time ago… Not long after giving birth. My in-laws blamed it on the child… That’s why we left everything behind and came to this new continent… I wanted to live a new life with the child…"

The man’s consciousness seemed to be fading as he rambled on. Janggeon turned his gaze back to the man.

"I’m not good with kids. I like them, but they don’t interest me."

"…Still, please. There’s a village four days to the east. It’s called Cheongsangok. His aunt lives there. Unlike the rest of the in-laws, she liked our child. She’s skilled and resourceful, so she’ll reward you well for bringing the child there. So…"

"Are you not going with us?"

The man looked at Janggeon with a puzzled expression.

"…Well… I’ve lost a lot of blood… and there’s a hole in my stomach… Of course, if I could go with you, I would…"

Janggeon nodded and knelt beside the man. Ignoring the man’s puzzled look, he examined the wound. Despite the hole in his stomach, the man was talking well, which suggested that his vital organs were not damaged. Of course, he had lost a lot of blood, and it was still flowing.

"…Are you a doctor?"

"No."

The man’s face contorted strangely. He seemed unable to understand Janggeon’s actions. Was Janggeon too bothered by the request to take the child? The man felt a sense of despair rising in his chest.

Seeing his expression, Janggeon guessed what he was thinking. He chuckled and quickly pressed a point on the wound. While the blood already spilled couldn’t be helped, this would stop the bleeding, and that would be enough.

"Do you have any medicine and bandages?"

The man, who had been staring blankly at Janggeon tapping his stomach and the blood stopping, was startled and replied.

"Ah, yes. They should be in the carriage… But what are you doing? Did you just press a point? With your bare hands?"

Janggeon smiled and stood up. As he walked towards the carriage, he thought to himself. In this land, pressing points was a skill performed by skilled doctors, who would slowly find the points and insert thick needles. It took a long time to learn and master, so only experienced doctors could do it. Martial artists, who cultivated inner energy, knew their meridians well, but pressing points was considered a doctor’s job.

The idea of using one’s inner energy to block or affect someone’s meridians with bare fingers was unheard of. Of course, this was partly because martial artists thought only of using their inner energy to tear and destroy their opponents. Janggeon couldn’t forget the puzzled look his doctor teacher gave him when he first learned to press points.

As he approached the carriage, Janggeon saw the open door and the body lying inside. He pulled the body out and laid it outside the carriage, then looked around the disordered interior, taking out bandages, powdered medicine, and a clean shirt. He returned to the man.

The man, looking at Janggeon, said, "…I haven’t even heard your name. I’m Yoon."

"Janggeon."

Janggeon removed Yoon’s torn shirt, sprinkled the powdered medicine, and wrapped the bandages. Yoon, wearing the shirt Janggeon brought, tried to stand up, swaying.

"I need to go see my son, Hwan."

Seeing him about to fall, Janggeon sighed and helped him up. Yoon, swaying, approached the carriage and tapped a corner of the floor with his fist.

"Hwan, are you okay? Hwan?"

After a moment, something creaked, and a part of the floor slid open. A boy with teary eyes confirmed Yoon’s appearance and rushed to hug him.

"Oh, Hwan! Dad’s dying! It hurts!"

Startled by Yoon’s groans, the boy stepped back. Only then did he notice the bandages on his father and asked in a frightened tone.

"Dad, what’s wrong? Why are you like this?"

"Ah, I got stabbed."

"What? Stabbed? Is Dad okay?"

Only then did Yoon realize he was alive and that he had seen his son’s face again. He started to laugh and then collapsed.

"Dad!"

The shocked boy quickly helped his father up. Seeing his closed eyes, the boy was about to burst into tears. Janggeon, who didn’t want the boy to cry, quickly grabbed his shoulder.

"He just fainted. He’s just relaxed now."

"R, really? He’s not dead?"

"He’s not dead."

"…Who are you, sir?"

"Janggeon."

The boy looked back and forth between his unconscious father and Janggeon, his face showing confusion. He said, "How do I know that?"

Janggeon, momentarily stunned by the boy’s boldness, chuckled. Was this what it meant to be smart?

"Is there anything you need to take?"

"…Take?"

"We can’t pull the carriage. The wheel seems to be broken. I’ll bring a horse for you and your father, so pack your things."

Before the boy could reply, Janggeon turned around. Most of the bandits’ horses had fled far away after their owners died, but one black horse remained. It seemed to be the leader’s horse, as it was circling the dead leader.

Janggeon, leading the horse by the reins, suddenly had a thought and approached the dead leader. He picked up a large sword from the ground and tried to behead the leader for the bounty.

But he hesitated for a moment, remembering the man’s words.

"…Three days. It’ll rot."

Was there a town in between? It would be awkward to carry a severed head with a child.

But he was also in need of money. Janggeon, nodding slightly, cut off the head. He wrapped it in the leader’s clothes and the clothes of the surrounding bandits, doubling its size.

Searching the leader’s body, Janggeon found a rectangular metal plate. It read "Samho Daejang" on one side and "Gamsundeok" on the other.

"So, Mr. Gamsundeok."

Samho Daejang. Perhaps there were also Ilho and Ihwa. They might come seeking revenge for their comrade. Janggeon didn’t care much. In fact, he welcomed it. If they were the leader’s comrades, they would also be wanted criminals.

Putting the metal plate and the head on Zaozao’s saddle, Janggeon led the horse to the carriage. He saw the boy, Hwan, standing stiffly with a small bundle. He must have seen the bodies around. Yoon, who had regained his senses, was standing beside the boy, patting his head.

Janggeon handed him the reins and said, "Let’s go."

"…Go? Are you taking us?"

"Didn’t you say you’d pay? The resourceful aunt in Cheongsangok was a lie, wasn’t it?"

Yoon looked at Janggeon with a dazed expression. He didn’t know what to make of this indifferent but skilled swordsman. Janggeon had already saved them from the bandits and treated the wound, and he didn’t immediately demand payment.

"…No. Hwan’s aunt is capable and has accumulated a lot of wealth. There’s also the money I invested there."

"Then let’s go. I don’t want to stay in this field of corpses."

Seeing Janggeon mount the horse, Yoon hesitated. He wanted to bury these people, even if they were just fellow travelers for a short time. They were good people. But he was injured, and Hwan was still a child, so Janggeon would be the only one to do it.

"Dad."

At that moment, Hwan tugged at his father’s collar. Yoon, startled, looked down at his son’s face and, after a moment, nodded. He helped Hwan onto the horse first and then climbed on behind him, holding him. His hand, holding the reins, trembled.

"Yes, let’s go. Let’s hurry."

They set off, with Janggeon leading the way. The boy kept looking back, but Yoon stopped him.

Now the wind and rain, and the beasts of the plains, would erase them. Janggeon didn’t know if they would become vengeful spirits wandering the netherworld, or if they would find peace in the heavens, or if they would be reborn. But he hoped they would find a place to forget the pain and hardships of life. This brief thought was all the respect he could offer in this wilderness.

Janggeon, Yoon, and Hwan didn’t ride for long. Yoon was struggling. It was a remarkable feat for a civilian with a hole in his stomach to even be on a horse.

They had to stop and set up a small camp before the sun set. After a simple dinner of dried rations, they spread out their blankets and lay down. Janggeon wanted to play a light game with Hwan but stopped when he saw the boy’s sad face.

Instead, he asked Yoon, who looked uncomfortable with his stomach wound, "Is there a town before we reach Cheongsangok?"

"Yes. There’s a small village called Namjakhoe by a lake. It’s a small place, and they say there’s no inn. It was where our group planned to stop."

"When will we arrive there?"

Yoon sighed.

"Well, if we were just riding, we should have arrived by noon tomorrow…"

Janggeon nodded. Even if they were delayed due to Yoon’s condition, they should arrive by evening. Even without an inn, they could get some emergency medicine there. Janggeon, who had only learned to press points, wasn’t a skilled doctor. He couldn’t diagnose everything just by looking at the flow of energy.

If Yoon suddenly collapsed and died a few days later, Janggeon wouldn’t have an answer for the boy. So he decided to take this route. Yoon and Hwan had no reason to object.

* * *

Under the scorching sun, the fallen bodies were quickly decomposing. Some birds had already flown down and pecked out the eyes of the corpses.

Two people arrived on horseback. Both wore wide straw hats and gray windproof clothing. They slowly circled the area and then dismounted to examine the bodies.

One person squatted and examined a body. A sword, not long but with a wide blade, was strapped to his back.

"The time of death is around noon yesterday. They all died around the same time."

It was a slightly low female voice. Even in her brief words, her calmness and strictness were evident.

"These bodies, are they the ones? The Red Silk Gang. It seems they were looting a carriage and got into a fight."

The person holding the horse’s reins behind her seemed to be a man. He lifted his straw hat slightly to look around and said,

"Judging by the numbers, they’re all dead."

"Not all. They usually split into three groups when looting and meet later to divide the loot. These are one of the groups."

"Well, it’s good that their numbers have decreased. I thought it was impossible for us two to take them all this time."

The woman, with her hands crossed, looked around and scolded the man.

"We have to do what we’re paid for by the alliance. Can you return all the money you’ve received?"

"…No, I can’t."

The man’s defeated answer made the woman smile slightly, but she quickly turned serious and stood up.

"This is interesting."

"Why?"

"It seems the people in the carriage didn’t put up much of a fight."

"Huh? Then what happened?"

"Someone else intervened. Someone different from the people in the carriage."

"Someone else?"

"One person."

The woman slowly walked around, examining each of the dead Red Silk Gang members. Her gaze stopped on the headless body lying face down.

"This one is quite skilled. He might be one of the Red Silk Gang’s three leaders."

"…How can you tell just by looking at the bodies? I can’t figure it out."

"Study more. Don’t just go to taverns all the time."

The man’s face showed annoyance at the continuous scolding. But the woman seemed to have no time for his expression. She quickly moved around the scene, muttering to herself.

"…They fought one-on-one. The opponent was also skilled. The other bandits didn’t even put up a fight against this skilled person… The people in the carriage were mostly civilians… But one survived. No, two. One is a child. The other… is the father? They left on horseback with the skilled person. But the father seems injured."

The man whistled.

"Senior, you’re better at investigating crime scenes than the chief. Why don’t you just be the patrol leader? What else is he good at besides flattering his superiors?"

At that moment, the woman suddenly squatted again and examined the ground. The man quickly approached and asked,

"Why? Is there something else?"

After a moment, the woman, removing her straw hat, looked east.

"…A guest passed through this scene. A few people came in and examined the situation. They were probably the other two leaders of the Red Silk Gang. The time… is this morning."

The woman’s face, revealed when she removed her straw hat, was quite beautiful. Her strong features, with thick eyebrows and distinct facial features, added to her charm.

But her face was covered in scars. A large scar ran diagonally from her left forehead to her right cheek, and there were smaller scars on her lower lip and left cheek. It was a face that was hard to look away from.

"Morning? It hasn’t been long?"

"Yes. So we need to catch up quickly."

The woman, putting her straw hat back on as she stood up, took the reins from the man and mounted the horse, immediately setting off. Both of them quickly disappeared to the east. The wind blew, revealing the characters “Wulin” (武林) on their left shoulder and chest.

A short while later, the ravens and birds returned to the scene, resuming their interrupted feast.