I recognized the handbell’s sound immediately and quietly reassured Palgap.
“Calm down. It’s not an enemy.”
“Pardon? Not an enemy?”
“No.”
I nodded firmly.
“That sound belongs to someone who does good deeds.”
We were traveling along a mountain path that connected the main roads—a route maintained by the government and relatively safe. More importantly, I sensed no killing intent or the evil Qi of the Unorthodox Sect. This wasn’t someone targeting us.
“Then what is it?”
I stood up and answered simply.
“A Jiangshi.”
“Pardon?”
Palgap’s shout echoed through the night air.
“A J-J-J-Jiangshi? You mean those… those…”
He swallowed hard before continuing.
“Aren’t those corpses?”
“Exactly. That sound comes from a Maoshan Sect Daoist leading Jiangshi.”
My calm tone seemed to puzzle him, but I had good reason for it. The Maoshan Sect Daoists performed a sacred duty—returning the bodies of those who died far from home back to their families and ancestral grounds.
Though they used sorcery to animate the corpses for transport, the sight of shuffling dead bodies naturally terrified most people. To avoid causing panic, the Daoists traveled remote mountain paths during the darkest hours of night.
I knew this from my extensive experience with trading expeditions. Sometimes an escort chief would approach with an apologetic expression and say, “I’m sorry, but we’ve received a request from a Maoshan Sect Daoist,” asking for our understanding.
When such requests came, refusing was unthinkable. The escort bureaus would prepare a cart, load the corpse, and assist in the transport.
Moving the dead was unsettling work, but no one refused because those in our line of work—merchants and guards alike—never knew when they might die far from home. Helping the Maoshan Sect was a way of accumulating merit, hoping that if misfortune struck, someone would return our own bodies to our families.
It was customary in merchant groups and escort bureaus to treat any Maoshan Sect Daoist with utmost respect.
“Is that really true?”
“Yes.”
Palgap tilted his head, studying me carefully.
“But as far as I know, you’ve never encountered a Maoshan Sect Daoist during your trade journeys or travels, Young Master. How do you know all this?”
‘Uh… he’s sharper than I thought.’
I scrambled for a reasonable explanation.
“I haven’t met one directly, but I’ve heard plenty from other Clerks and my brothers. They say that if you don’t treat a Maoshan Sect Daoist well when you meet one, your journey will be cursed.”
Escort Guard Seo Wu’s voice drifted from behind us.
“It is as my lord says.”
I turned to see him sitting up.
“Oh? You’re awake?”
“Yes, I couldn’t stay asleep after hearing that handbell.”
‘True, Escort Guard Seo Wu is a Peak martial artist.’
His senses were razor-sharp. No matter how deeply he slept, a sound like this would rouse him immediately.
“Judging by the handbell’s sound, they’re heading this way.”
At Seo Wu’s observation, I nodded.
“Let’s wake the others and prepare to greet them properly.”
A short while later, the rhythmic jingling grew louder.
Jingle.
Jingle.
“The souls of the departed in foreign lands shall step on their hometown soil. What could possibly stand in their way? Let’s go, let’s go.”
Jingle.
Jingle.
As expected, a Maoshan Sect Daoist approached, dressed in traditional yellow robes. He shook his handbell steadily while chanting incantations to soothe the souls of the departed.
Five Jiangshi followed in his wake.
Escort Guard Seo Wu glanced at me and whispered.
“This must be your first time seeing a Maoshan Sect Daoist and Jiangshi. Are you alright?”
“Ah, yes. I’m fine.”
I must have appeared too composed.
“As expected… I’ve always sensed it, but my lord is no ordinary person.”
“Hahaha. Is that so?”
I scratched my head sheepishly.
It was certainly a sight that would make most people faint from shock. I had been equally stunned when I first witnessed it in my previous life—just like Palgap, who was now pressed against my side, trembling violently.
‘That fellow, afraid of corpses when he was born with the talent of a King of Assassins!’
Bears were naturally brave creatures, yet here he was, shaking like a leaf.
The sight was initially terrifying, but after witnessing it several times, pity replaced fear. Come to think of it, a Maoshan Sect Daoist had visited our merchant group in my previous life to deliver the bodies of missing members. I had been so grateful then.
The handbell’s sound suddenly stopped. My party and I approached respectfully, cupping our fists in greeting.
“We greet the Daoist of the Maoshan Sect. I am from the Eunhae Merchant Group, and these are my escort guards and attendant.”
The Maoshan Sect Daoist returned our gesture with equal respect.
“Ah, you are from the Eunhae Merchant Group.”
I concealed my delight as I studied his face. It was familiar—this was the very Daoist who had brought the bodies of our missing merchant group members in my previous life. In this life, the missing person incident had been prevented thanks to my forewarning, but the gratitude from my past life remained undiluted.
“I am Cheong Su (淸水) of the Maoshan Sect.”
“You must be leading these pitiful souls to their hometowns.”
“That is correct. You seem to be resting here. I apologize for startling you.”
“Not at all. This is only natural. Please, have a cup of tea before you continue.”
Daoist Cheong Su shook his head gently.
“I am grateful for your offer, but as you know, I must move before daybreak.”
I nodded in understanding and held out a pouch I had prepared earlier.
“Of course. I fully understand your situation. This is a small token, but I hope it will help in appeasing the souls of the departed.”
The Daoist accepted the offering without hesitation, bowing respectfully.
“Thank you. I will pray for good fortune on your journey.”
After tucking the pouch into his robes, Daoist Cheong Su prepared to leave.
“Then we will be on our way.”
He resumed shaking the handbell, chanting his incantations as the Jiangshi fell into step behind him. They disappeared into the darkness as if a storm had passed.
“Geez!”
Only then did Palgap seem to relax. He collapsed onto the ground and wiped cold sweat from his brow.
“A-are they gone?”
“Yes.”
I nodded and asked with amusement.
“Were you really that scared?”
“Don’t even mention it! Of course I was scared—seeing moving corpses in the middle of the night!”
“I wasn’t scared.”
“That’s because, Young Master, you have the guts of… ahem, you’re not afraid of anything.”
‘Did he just stop himself from saying I have the guts of a bear?’
I chuckled and let it slide.
We settled back into our positions, with Palgap and me taking our places by the bonfire. The martial artists who had awakened returned to their rest.
Morning arrived with the sound of Escort Guard Seo Wu and Escort Guard Lee Pil returning from their final watch. They had caught a wild animal and prepared a hot soup with medicinal herbs.
Escort Guard Yeo Eung-am took a spoonful and sighed with satisfaction.
“I haven’t even had a drink, but I feel like I’m curing a hangover.”
“I know exactly what you mean.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
“Escort Guard Seo Wu is really talented at cooking.”
At my compliment, Seo Wu smiled bashfully.
“The manager at my previous workplace was incredibly skilled at cooking. I picked up a few things from him. You never know what might be useful in life.”
“Thanks to you, we’re enjoying such delicious food this morning. Thank you.”
We finished breakfast in high spirits and prepared to depart. Everyone moved with practiced efficiency, and soon we were mounted and heading toward our destination.
We had been traveling for about three or four shichen when I heard something unusual.
“What is it?”
At Escort Guard Seo Wu’s question, I pointed ahead.
“I think I heard someone groaning.”
Seo Wu and Escort Guard Jin Yu closed their eyes momentarily, focusing their senses before nodding.
“It is as my lord says.”
“It seems to be coming from over there. But… this aura feels familiar.”
“Yes.”
This was definitely the aura of Daoist Cheong Su, whom we had encountered the previous night.
We immediately rode toward the source of the aura and found a person lying face down on the ground.
The figure, covered in blood and groaning weakly, was indeed Daoist Cheong Su.
“Daoist, stay with us. Daoist.”
“Ugh…”
“Daoist.”
We carefully turned him over and discovered sword wounds scattered across his body.
“This is serious. We need to find a physician immediately.”
Although we had a set itinerary, how could we abandon a dying man? Besides, Daoist Cheong Su was the one who had returned the bodies of the missing Eunhae Merchant Group members.
Fortunately, there was a private residence along our route where we could seek medical help.
That afternoon, Daoist Cheong Su regained consciousness.
“Are you awake?”
“Ugh. You’re the young patron I met yesterday.”
“Yes. I was traveling when I found you collapsed and covered in blood, so I brought you to a physician.”
He tried to sit up at my words, but his injuries hadn’t fully healed, and he grimaced with pain.
“Just lie down and rest.”
But Daoist Cheong Su insisted on rising. He cupped his fist and bowed his head deeply.
“Thank you for saving my life.”
“I only did what anyone should do. I believe I found you, Daoist, thanks to the good karma you’ve accumulated over the years.”
Daoist Cheong Su looked at me and gave a faint smile.
That smile made me feel unexpectedly embarrassed.
“By the way, what on earth happened to you?”
Daoist Cheong Su let out a deep sigh before answering.
“The Jiangshi were stolen.”
“Pardon?”
He explained that after our meeting, he had diligently headed toward his destination, needing to reach a place where he could hide the bodies before daybreak. But just before arriving at that location, a group of people had suddenly attacked and stolen the Jiangshi.
After finishing his account, he bowed his head to me again.
“Patron, you said you were a merchant of the Eunhae Merchant Group, but I know that your skills and those of your escorts are far from ordinary.”
“Pardon?”
‘How did he figure that out?’
“You seem to be wondering how I knew.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“In this line of work, you naturally develop an eye for martial artists’ abilities. No matter how much someone tries to hide their skills, certain things reveal themselves without them knowing.”
“I see. As you say, our skills are not lacking.”
“So I would like to ask a favor. Please, help me retrieve the stolen Jiangshi so that I can return these pitiful souls to their hometowns.”
I told Daoist Cheong Su that I would consider his request and stepped outside.
Hearing that the Jiangshi had been stolen triggered a memory, and I grew serious. There was also the disgusting aura I had sensed at the place where Daoist Cheong Su had collapsed.
In my previous life, there had been a force that ran rampant in the Shandong and Hebei regions. They called themselves ‘Hwancheon Group (換天團)’—the Heaven-Changing Group.
They had attempted to invade Beijing with Jiangshi leading their assault. The Hebei Peng Clan, the Jinju Yan Clan, the Hwangbo Clan, and the Shandong Yue Clan had managed to stop them, but countless innocent people had suffered in the process.
That incident had occurred about ten years later in my previous life. Were they already gathering Jiangshi from this early stage?
It made sense, though. Jiangshi couldn’t be collected overnight.
In my memory, they had mobilized approximately fifty thousand Jiangshi. How had they gathered such a staggering number?
They had stolen them from Maoshan Sect Daoists who traveled throughout the Central Plains. The Daoists typically operated alone due to their reclusive nature, making them easy targets. The Hwancheon Group had also likely kidnapped farmers and refugees from areas where government or martial world influence was weak.
If they were starting their activities now, it would be best to nip this in the bud. A poisonous weed could be plucked with two fingers when it first sprouted, but once it had fully grown, you’d need to call in reinforcements.
However, this was a massive undertaking with enormous risks. I couldn’t make a hasty decision.
Just then, Escort Guard Jin Yu approached from behind.
“How is the Daoist?”
“He’ll recover if he takes care of himself.”
“Then why do you look so worried?”
I rubbed my brow and sighed.
“Haha, you caught me.”
“If you have any concerns, please feel free to speak at any time.”
“Well, it’s not that we…”
I started to speak cautiously but stopped mid-sentence.
‘No, we don’t necessarily have to deal with the Hwancheon Group by ourselves, do we?’
‘It’s best for the parties involved to resolve this kind of situation themselves.’
–TL Notes–
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