I thought back to my previous life.
There had been a strange phenomenon in the forests of Yunnan at the time. It was called the Fogbound Mountain (無出霧山).
It meant a mountain covered in fog with no exit.
Once you entered, you couldn’t come back out. You simply vanished.
I’d considered several possibilities for why Jin-ho went missing, and the Fogbound Mountain was one of them.
But I’d intentionally dismissed it.
Because the Fogbound Mountain wouldn’t become widely known for another three years.
But I was wrong.
It had existed even now.
Because of the Fogbound Mountain, a strict taboo had formed in Yunnan.
Never walk into the fog, and if the fog appears, don’t move.
Because it might not be ordinary fog. It might be the Fogbound Mountain. It was safer to stay still and wait for it to clear than to wander around aimlessly trying to escape.
When the number of missing people exceeded a thousand, even the Imperial Court intervened.
They organized a large investigation team and sent it to Yunnan. While the investigation was underway, the Fogbound Mountain disappeared.
I was twenty-five years old at the time.
The Imperial Court and the leader of the investigation were widely praised for that.
After the Fogbound Mountain vanished, they found countless corpses—people who had likely wandered in the fog until they died.
Among them were corpses that appeared to have died fighting each other with weapons.
This meant there wasn’t some monster or beast threatening Jin-ho and the others in there.
You only had to be wary of people.
If Jin-ho really went missing inside the Fogbound Mountain, then honestly, it was a relief.
Because I knew how to get out.
There was only one person who had ever escaped from the Fogbound Mountain alive.
When asked how he escaped, he replied,
“The thread of the pouch I was carrying got snagged on a tree branch and unraveled. So I just followed the thread out.”
For him, the pouch’s thread getting caught was nothing short of a miracle.
Anyway, it was already late. We decided to begin the search early the next morning.
.
.
.
A thick fog where you couldn’t even see an inch ahead.
No sounds of wild animals or birds, which would normally fill a forest, made the atmosphere feel even eerier.
Step. Step.
The only sound was the footsteps of the party.
How long had they been walking like that?
Eun Jin-ho looked ahead and sighed.
“Ah…”
There was a wagon in front of them.
It was the wagon their group had abandoned.
A month ago.
When Eun Jin-ho and his party were traveling through this mountain path, a dense fog had suddenly rolled in.
Fog was common in this area, so they hadn’t thought much of it and kept moving.
By the time they noticed something was wrong, it was already too late.
They should’ve only had three more days of walking to reach their destination, the tea plantation, but all they kept seeing was an endless forest path.
“Young master…”
A Clerk spoke.
“We’ve only got about ten days of food left.”
When traveling, you never knew what might happen, so they always packed plenty of food.
Plus, everyone carried dried meat or preserved food on them.
Even excluding personal rations, having only ten days of food left wasn’t a good sign.
Eun Jin-ho discussed it with the Escort Chief and the Clerks and made a decision.
They abandoned the wagon.
Getting out of the forest quickly was the priority.
But even after wandering the forest for nearly a month, they still couldn’t escape.
When they came across the wagon for the eighth time, Eun Jin-ho shut his eyes tightly.
He heard murmuring from the group behind him.
“Are we… gonna die here like this? I don’t want that. I really don’t!”
“Here he goes again…”
“We’ll end up dried out and shriveled… just like those others we saw.”
“Shut it! Why are you saying stuff like that?”
“I’m sure the escort bureau and the merchant group sent a search party by now.”
“Yeah. Keep some hope.”
“But…”
That’s when someone said,
“I kind of hope they don’t come.”
“What are you talking about?”
“If they come into this forest and end up like us… I’d die of guilt even after I’m dead.”
“…”
Eun Jin-ho chuckled bitterly.
Honestly, he felt the same.
Dying of starvation in a place like this… it was fine if it was just him.
But if the people coming to rescue them ended up wandering like this too…
Especially if his family was part of the search party…
“What should we do?”
A Clerk asked the Escort Chief. The Escort Chief let out a hollow laugh.
“To be honest… I’ve got no idea.”
He sat down on the spot.
The horses they brought had already been slaughtered for food and were gone.
Everyone was eating only one meal a day to conserve what was left, so there was no strength left in their bodies.
Seeing the Escort Chief slump down as if he’d given up, the others also sat down in despair.
Honestly, the fact that they had made it this far was a miracle in itself. It spoke to the strong unity of the Eunhae Merchant Group.
But they were still human. And everyone had their limits.
Eun Jin-ho looked around at his party.
Worn out from walking while starving. Seeing them like that pained him.
Grrrrrrr.
His own stomach growled. He couldn’t help but laugh at the sound.
“Hahahahaha.”
Everyone turned to look at him.
Under their gaze, Eun Jin-ho spoke.
“In times like this… all the sword training I worked so hard on is useless. Food really is the best.”
Everyone nodded.
At least the attention shifted to him for a moment.
“I’ve made up my mind. When I get out of here… I’m never leaving food behind again.”
That made the others burst into laughter too.
Eun Jin-ho turned to the Clerk.
“We should rest here for today. Let’s make a fire so our body temperatures don’t drop.”
“Understood.”
They immediately got to work.
With trees everywhere, there was no shortage of firewood.
Even though the fog left the wood damp, experienced escort guards and laborers could easily light a fire with wet wood.
As they sat staring at the fire, the sound of someone sobbing drifted over.
They were probably lamenting their miserable situation.
Not that Eun Jin-ho felt any different.
Maybe it was the fog, but it reminded him of a winter night.
And maybe that’s why…
He started speaking without realizing it.
“There’s a story my grandfather once told me. One day, a warrior set out on a journey. That warrior…”
The people around listened intently to Eun Jin-ho’s story.
And they realized something.
While listening to a story, they didn’t feel hungry.
When Eun Jin-ho’s tale ended, someone else spoke up.
“Then let me tell you a story I know.”
Story after story followed.
And just like that, they endured another day.
.
.
.
After a night at Eullim Inn, I came down to the first floor.
Truthfully, I barely slept from worrying about Jin-ho. But I forced myself to rest.
I had to be in the right condition so I wouldn’t be a burden when searching for him.
I had dumplings and duck soup for breakfast.
Honestly, it was a bit heavy for the morning, but I needed the energy.
Yunnan wasn’t the kind of place you could handle on just a bowl of porridge.
After finishing the meal, Escort Chief Mak Chung unrolled a map in the middle of the dining hall.
It was the kind of map escort bureaus used.
“Since no wagons have been found nearby, that means they dragged the wagons deeper inside. So we’ll focus the search along paths where wagons could pass.”
Mak Chung continued explaining.
“It’s about three more days from here to the tea plantation. And there are no inns along the way. Just places where you can set up camp. But there are no signs anyone camped there. Which means our search area is between here… and here.”
I nodded as I listened.
There was a reason the Lord of the Changin Escort Bureau sent Mak Chung for this.
He quickly grasped the key points and gave precise instructions.
“We’ll divide into three groups.”
One group led by Mak Chung.
Another by Squad Leader Jeong Chung.
And the last by me.
My group consisted of Palgap, two Escort Guards, Seo Wu, and two Escort Guards from Jeong Chung’s squad, making seven in total.
“As I said yesterday, there’s a chance people went missing in the fog. And if they’re starving, they’ll be weak. So bring plenty of food. And if you end up in the fog, tie the twine we gave you to the nearest tree.”
Safety measures were thoroughly confirmed.
“Then let’s begin the search. I’ll say this again. We came here to rescue others. Make sure we don’t end up needing rescue ourselves.”
“Yes!”
The search began.
I didn’t tell anyone about the bracelet, the Blood Resonance Ring.
Temptation arises when people see things.
Especially rare artifacts, which carry enormous value. Better to avoid unnecessary problems.
Even Palgap didn’t know this was an artifact. He just thought it was a cheap bracelet I bought in the marketplace.
I lifted my sleeve and glanced at it.
Back at the home, it had glowed red.
Now it was a clear silver.
The other two groups departed first, and we followed behind.
“Let’s move.”
“Yes.”
And so, the real search for Jin-ho and the others began.
“Eunhae Merchant Group!”
“…”
“Changin Escort Bureau!”
“…”
We shouted loudly as we crossed ridges and valleys, scouring the forest.
But the only response was our own echoes.
Piiik! Piiik!
The whistle signaled a break.
I sat on a rock and drank from my water flask.
Ah… now I could breathe.
That’s when Seo Wu tilted his head.
“Something feels strange.”
“What do you mean?”
“Normally, this place is swarming with bugs. But… there’s not a single one.”
“…Is that so?”
“It’s definitely strange.”
Hearing that, my heart skipped.
It was the same as when I went to Sichuan.
It had to be because of me.
That was when Escort Guard Lee Pil spoke.
“It’s probably because I’ve been circulating my internal Qi while walking.”
“Well… that makes sense.”
Bugs are sensitive to Qi. If you circulate it, they won’t come near.
“But you’ll get tired faster that way.”
“Can’t let our young lord get eaten by bugs, can we?”
Lee Pil glanced at me and smiled meaningfully.
It was obvious.
Since he’d traveled with me to Sichuan before, he knew this was because of me.
And he noticed I was struggling to explain it, so he stepped in for me.
I appreciated it.
Truly.
Piiiiiik!
After about fifteen minutes of rest, the whistle sounded again.
The search resumed.
It was after half a day of wandering the mountains.
I glanced at my wrist.
“…!”
The bracelet had turned red.
Which meant…
Jin-ho was within ten jang.
Hope flared inside me.
I subtly used the bracelet to guide our direction.
And finally, we found a patch of dense fog.
The entrance to the Fogbound Mountain.
“This must be it. Send the signal.”
“Yes.”
At my order, one of the Eunpoong Division’s Escort Guards fired a flare into the sky.
Jin-ho’s in there.
The bracelet doesn’t react to the dead.
That means… he’s still alive.
I told Palgap to tie the twine we were given to a nearby tree.
As Palgap tied it and unwound the spool, he asked,
“So… are we going in like this?”
“I think… it’d be better if I went alone.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
Of course, they all jumped in protest.
No amount of persuasion worked.
So we decided that Escort Guard Yeo Eung-am and one of the Eunpoong Division’s men would stay behind to wait for anyone else arriving.
The rest of us would enter the fog together.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
We stepped into the Fogbound Mountain.
Brother… just hold on a little longer.
I’m coming.
.
.
.
The fog was exactly as described—so thick you couldn’t even see an inch ahead.
Had we walked for about one shikgyeong? (TL Note: Around 15 minutes)
We spotted a group of people.
It was Jin-ho and his party.
Surprisingly, finding them inside the fog was easier than expected.
“Brother! Jin-ho!”
Sitting blankly in front of a campfire, Jin-ho looked up and chuckled.
“Great… now I’m seeing hallucinations.”
He stood up and stumbled toward me.
“Well… at least I get to see you before I die.”
Hearing that broke something inside me.
I almost burst into tears.
Which made me shout even harsher.
“Ah! Come on! What nonsense are you saying? Are you an idiot? Can’t even tell reality from a hallucination?”
Then I kicked him hard in the shin.
–TL Notes–
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