Monk Jeong Myeong said.
“If it hadn’t been for your keen eye, Benefactor, we would’ve failed to understand Master Blood Staff Star Monk’s intentions and walked straight into disaster.”
They’d likely gone into the Trap Formation with the Murim Alliance, and since they’d been at the front, they probably wouldn’t have escaped total annihilation.
So yes, it made sense for them to thank me, but…
Still, having them go so far as to kneel like this was making me seriously uncomfortable.
“Please, get up. I’m not someone worthy of that kind of gratitude.”
“No.”
He shook his head.
“A Great Hero deserves to be treated this way.”
Before I knew it, the other disciples were kneeling too.
Ah… at this rate, I was going to get indigestion from everything I’d just eaten.
After barely managing to calm them down, I discussed what we should do next.
.
.
.
By the time morning came, they had decided to return to Shaolin instead of going on to Gansu Province.
They’d decided that reporting what I had told them took priority.
That was what I wanted too.
No matter how thoroughly I explained things or warned them, once they reached the Sword Tomb, they could still get swept up in the atmosphere.
The Murim Alliance might even persuade them.
So reporting to their superiors first and taking time to decide wasn’t a bad idea.
That place was also gathering the Unorthodox Sects and even the Demonic Cult.
Whether they wanted to or not, they’d end up caught in a web of grudges and obligations.
After seeing Monk Jeong Myeong’s group off, we once again headed for Gansu Province.
From here, traveling by boat was possible, but we had River–Crossing Horses.
“Even so, we’ll have to take a boat to cross the river, right?”
At my words, the River–Crossing Horse whose reins I was holding reacted like I’d said something absurd.
— Neigh? Prrr!
Geumryeong popped its head out of my sleeve and spoke to me.
“Kui! Kui!”
“Hm?”
“Kuiii!”
“You’re saying a river this size can be crossed just by running?”
Come to think of it, the name River–Crossing Horse really did mean crossing a river by running.
I’d assumed it just meant they were that fast, but were they actually called River–Crossing Horses because they could literally cross rivers?
“This river isn’t all that deep, but it’s wide, and the current is strong.”
— Prrr!
“Kui!”
“What, you’re asking what I take you for? You want me to trust you?”
There was nowhere they couldn’t run?
All right. I’d trust them.
If it didn’t work out, I could always swim.
With that, we headed for the riverbank.
It was a bit away from the ferry, but I didn’t want anyone else seeing us cross a river on horseback.
— Neigh!
The River–Crossing Horse let out a short cry.
Even without Geumryeong translating, I felt like I knew exactly what it was saying.
Hold on tight. If you fall into the river, that’s not my responsibility.
I gripped the reins tightly and warned the others too.
“Hold your reins tight! We’re crossing the river on horseback from here!”
“R–right now?”
“Yes!”
The moment I finished speaking, the River–Crossing Horses took off.
They felt even faster than before.
So this was the true power of a River–Crossing Horse?
The scenery before my eyes vanished behind me in an instant, and all I could hear was the shrill roar of the wind.
It was such a dizzying speed that an ordinary person would’ve lost their grip on the reins.
Soon, the Yellow River’s muddy waters came into view before us.
Uh…
For a moment, I couldn’t say a word.
We were really crossing the river.
Was this real? It was real, right? I wasn’t seeing things, was I? Good lord!
The name River–Crossing Horse was no empty title.
When I looked at their hooves, I saw a faint layer of Qi gathered around them.
Ah!
I thought I understood why River–Crossing Horses could cross rivers. It worked on the same principle as the Water–Walking Technique.
The Qi wasn’t especially strong, but combined with their speed, it was enough to let them run across the river.
After we crossed, the River–Crossing Horses gradually slowed down.
Soon, they came to a stop and proudly raised their heads.
As if they were saying, I told you to trust me.
I patted the River–Crossing Horse’s neck and said,
“You really are incredible.”
Not just Palgap, but all my Escort Guards looked like they couldn’t believe what had just happened.
“Good heavens…”
“Did we just… cross a river?”
“How…”
Well, that reaction was only natural.
Honestly, I still couldn’t believe it myself.
Once again, I realized just how lucky it was that these River–Crossing Horses had ended up with me and my group.
“But if they can do this much, they could cross the Yangtze too, couldn’t they?”
At my question, the River–Crossing Horse answered.
— Prrr!
That sounded like an obvious yes.
Oh, this was good.
.
.
.
Three days after crossing the river, we arrived in Lanzhou.
Lanzhou.
Long ago, it was apparently called the Golden City because gold was found there.
It was also a place where commerce had flourished greatly, since it stood on the route through Qinghai toward Xinjiang and Tibet.
My mother’s family, the Yeongseon Min Family, was located in the southern part of Lanzhou.
It wasn’t a major martial family, but it was still one with quite a long history in Lanzhou.
When we arrived in front of the Yeongseon Min Family estate, the gatekeeper came over and asked,
“What brings you here?”
It was a face I recognized.
He was the same man who had guarded the front gate when I visited my mother’s family as a very young child.
He was older now than he had been back then, of course.
“It’s been a long time.”
“Hm? And who might you be?”
“It’s me, Eun Seo-ho of the Eunhae Merchant Group.”
“Hm?”
Even after I gave my name, the gatekeeper only tilted his head in confusion.
Anyone entrusted with gate duty was usually good at remembering faces and telling people apart.
Then why didn’t he recognize me?
That was when Palgap nodded and said,
“Well, of course he wouldn’t recognize you. You’ve gotten unbelievably handsome over the last few years, Young Master.”
Ah…
Come to think of it, it had been nearly ten years since I’d come to my mother’s family home.
I should be ashamed of myself.
“I must’ve come back after far too long.”
Then I pulled out my identity plaque from my robes and handed it over.
Even then, the gatekeeper still didn’t lose that suspicious look.
“Please wait a moment.”
Then, following the gatekeeper who had gone inside, a man came out.
The moment I saw him, I quickly offered a cupped–fist salute.
“Your nephew Eun Seo-ho greets you, Uncle.”
“Hm? Seo-ho?”
“Yes.”
His name was Min Jeong.
He was my mother’s older brother, my uncle.
He studied my face from every angle for a long while, then suddenly let out an exclamation.
“Ah! Right! Now that I look at you like this, I can tell! You look exactly like Seon did when she was little!”
Min Seon.
That was my mother’s name.
“There wasn’t anyone in all of Lanzhou who could compare to your mother’s beauty. Come, come. You must be tired from the trip. Get inside.”
“Yes, Uncle.”
My mother’s family home hadn’t changed much from what I remembered.
It had always been a peaceful place.
Water was scarce in Gansu Province, but since the estate was near a river, it never truly lacked water.
Thanks to that, even though it wasn’t all that large, it was still fairly comfortable.
“Hah! Hah!”
“Hyaah!”
At the sound of shouted exertion, I turned my head and saw a group in the training yard swinging flexible swords.
“They’re the disciples of our family.”
“They have an impressive presence.”
“They’re impressive in skill too.”
There was a clear note of pride on my uncle’s face.
I followed him into the inner residence, and there I was able to meet my grandparents.
“Oh my! Who is this? Isn’t that Seo-ho?”
“What took you so long to come?”
As expected of my grandparents.
They recognized me at a glance the moment they saw me.
They still looked healthy and strong. That was a relief.
“Grandfather! Grandmother!”
For some reason, I always felt like acting spoiled around my grandparents.
“I missed you both so much.”
“Yes, and we missed you very much too. We received the carrier pigeon saying you were coming, but you arrived quite quickly.”
Ah, so that might’ve been another reason the gatekeeper had looked puzzled.
Whether I’d left from Beijing or Hubei Province, it should’ve taken more than half a month.
But I’d arrived so quickly that they probably hadn’t really had time to prepare, even with prior notice.
“Ah, the horses we rode here are extremely fast. That’s why we arrived sooner than expected.”
“I see.”
They didn’t sound especially convinced.
“You’ll understand once you see our horses later. We were lucky enough to get our hands on them.”
“I see. You had a long journey, so come inside and have some huidouzi.”
“That’s actually why I hurried here even more. I really wanted some.”
Huidouzi was made by simmering beans, jujubes, and sugar down into a porridge, and it was wonderfully sweet and delicious.
It was one of Lanzhou’s signature foods, and after eating it, your stomach felt at ease.
As we sat together in the pavilion in the rear garden talking about everything that had happened, a maid brought over the huidouzi.
I urged my Escort Guards to sit and eat as well, but they all declined.
Still, I was glad everyone liked the huidouzi.
“Eat plenty.”
“Yes, Grandmother.”
Whenever I ate huidouzi like this, I always ended up growing sentimental without realizing it.
In my last life, my grandparents passed away a few years before I did.
Both of them had lived long lives, especially as martial artists, but it had still made me sad, and I regretted it.
I kept thinking I should’ve come to see them at least one more time.
Seeing how happy they were now only made me feel even more sorry.
“But what brings you here so suddenly?”
At my grandmother’s question, I smiled softly and answered.
“Because I missed you both.”
“That may be sweet talk, but it still makes me happy.”
“No, I really mean it.”
I continued.
“I’d wanted to come visit for a long time, but I was too busy to make it here. Then I finally had a little time, so I stopped by like this.”
“Is that so?”
I nodded.
“Yes. And Father and Mother also told me to pass along their regards.”
And Father had also told me to stop by the Eunhae Merchant Group’s Gansu branch while I was at it.
At my words, both of them were overjoyed.
“Then how long are you planning to stay before you leave?”
“About two days.”
“Good. Then make yourself comfortable while you’re here.”
“Now that I’m really looking at you, you truly do look just like our Seon!”
“Well, I am Mother’s son. Of course I do. Hahaha.”
.
.
.
After finishing that conversation between grandparents and grandson, I was shown to my quarters.
“Whew.”
I was about to throw myself onto the bed, but
Tap!
Palgap stopped me and said,
“Young Master, go wash up first. You’re not planning to throw yourself onto the bed like this and dirty the bedding your grandparents prepared for you, are you?”
“…”
What Palgap had pointed out was my conscience.
In the end, I had no choice but to go wash up first.
“Still, Young Master, you seemed a little different today.”
“Hm? Different how?”
“You finally looked your age. Until now, you’ve been nothing but a little old man. I felt like I was looking at someone in his thirties or forties who’d already been through everything life could throw at him.”
Ugh… this brat.
Way too sharp.
I immediately smiled and shot back,
“Well, here I can act spoiled and people will indulge me. But it’s not like that anywhere else. When I’m surrounded on all sides by people trying to swallow me whole, I can’t exactly let my guard down and get devoured.”
“Mm, that’s true.”
“So that’s enough nonsense. Go bring me a cup of tea.”
“If you drink tea before bed, you won’t be able to sleep… then again, I suppose that won’t be a problem for you.”
“Exactly! Do you know how hard I rode today? And how hard I worked before coming here? You think one cup of tea is going to scare off my sleep?”
Right now, I was exhausted.
Even so, the reason I wanted tea before going straight to sleep was that I needed time to organize my thoughts.
.
.
.
The next morning.
I finished my training in my quarters and stepped outside.
The end of the Seventh Month.
The temperature here wasn’t bad for being active.
As I wandered around here and there, I eventually made my way to the outer grounds and ended up at the training yard where the disciples were practicing.
“One!”
“Haah!”
“Two!”
“Hup!”
To the commands of someone who looked like the instructor, dozens of people moved in perfect unison.
The Yeongseon Min Family was a martial family that primarily used flexible swords.
Flexible swords were considered extremely difficult weapons to handle, and from what I could see, they were even harder to use than whips.
A flexible sword had a razor edge, so even a slight graze could leave you injured.
But because its path was so hard to predict, that alone made it a weapon with a tremendous advantage.
It was thanks to their skill with the flexible sword that the family had been able to endure for so long.
Watching them, I smiled in satisfaction.
Ah, it was about time for breakfast.
I sat down at the table with my mother’s family.
This morning’s meal was noodles.
People in Gansu Province were serious about noodles, and there were all kinds of them.
That was because rice production here was very low.
Because of the climate, they mostly grew wheat, beans, and corn.
As we were eating noodles in hot beef broth, my uncle spoke.
“Father, a letter arrived a little while ago.”
“A letter? At this early hour?”
“Yes. It’s a letter from the Murim Alliance.”
The Murim Alliance?
At those words, my ears perked up on their own.
“They say they’ll be visiting our family sometime this afternoon.”
What? Today?
Before I could fully react, my uncle continued.
“It seems to be because of that Sword Tomb on Yanzhi Mountain.”
Could it be…
It couldn’t be for the reason I’m thinking of, could it?
That afternoon.
As scheduled, the Murim Alliance came to visit.
I didn’t step forward and instead watched the situation from the back, but for some reason, my uncle didn’t look very pleased.
“Tsk, tsk.”
Just then, someone behind me clicked his tongue.
“Why did it have to be that man from the Murim Alliance…”
Had something happened between my uncle and that martial artist?
The one who had said that was my uncle’s Attendant.
In that case, he must know something.
I approached him and quietly asked,
“What do you mean by that?”
–TL Notes–
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