At that sound, everyone tensed and reached for their swords, but I calmly sipped my tea.
Mm, this tea’s good.
There was something nice about drinking tea to the sound of rain.
“You hear that ritual bell, don’t you?”
“I do. And there’s no need to worry. A Daoist from the Maoshan Sect is guiding some unfortunate people who died away from home.”
There was another reason I was staying so calm.
I couldn’t sense any Unorthodox Sect presence.
Still, with the kinds of missions they handled, you’d think they’d have crossed paths with Maoshan Sect Daoists before.
But they were reacting like this was their first time.
Just in case, I asked,
“Have you never seen a Maoshan Sect Daoist guiding the dead before?”
Gwon Jik answered,
“No. We aren’t sent outside that often, and even when we are, we avoid people as much as possible.”
Ah, so that was it.
To be fair, running into a Maoshan Sect Daoist wasn’t exactly common.
So even if they’d heard about it, of course they’d tense up the moment it happened in front of them.
And if they were moving on top-secret missions, the odds of meeting one were even lower.
“I see.”
“You seem pretty used to it.”
“Yes. When you travel on escort jobs, you run into them once every few years.”
“I see.”
“And unlike you, we don’t have any reason to avoid people on purpose.”
But then something inconvenient happened.
The Maoshan Sect Daoist’s presence suddenly changed direction and started coming straight toward us.
Setting down my teacup, I asked their leave.
“Also, when you meet a Maoshan Sect Daoist escorting those who died away from home, it’s considered an unwritten rule to show hospitality. So would it be all right if we treated him for a bit?”
They all looked awkward at that.
“Hmm…”
“I know our situation too. But if we don’t tell them who we are, they won’t know either.”
I continued,
“And whenever you show kindness to a Maoshan Sect Daoist, heaven seems to reward you for it. Unexpected luck has a way of finding you.”
Convinced, Gwon Jik answered for the group.
“All right. Do it.”
Clink, clink.
The ritual bell rang loudly for a few moments, then suddenly stopped.
Then a bearded middle-aged man stepped into the cave where we were staying.
He was a Daoist from the Maoshan Sect.
“Forgive the intrusion. I am Hae Eul of the Maoshan Sect. May I shelter here from the rain for a while?”
“So you’re Daoist Hae Eul.”
I rose and greeted him properly.
“Please, have a seat. Have you eaten?”
“Circumstances didn’t allow it.”
At that, I looked at Palgap, and he quickly got to his feet.
“We haven’t had dinner yet either. Please join us.”
“Thank you.”
Before long, Palgap made a hot soup, and we all sat together and ate.
He even tossed in pieces of dried flatbread, which made it hearty and delicious.
Even the Embroidered Guard warriors were impressed by something made so quickly.
I couldn’t help squaring my shoulders a little.
Palgap really was that good.
Once we finished eating and started drinking tea, I asked Daoist Hae Eul,
“Where are you coming from, Daoist?”
“From farther down that way.”
“Then are you coming from Guizhou?”
“That’s right. More precisely, from the Yunnan side.”
Perfect.
The dye staining Daoist Hae Eul’s clothes came from a grass that only grew near Yunnan.
That was why I’d asked on the off chance, and sure enough, I was right.
“How are things over there right now?”
At my question, Daoist Hae Eul grimly shook his head.
“I can’t say they’re good. Other regions are fine, but over in Springview Fortress to the west, they’re strictly blocking outsiders from coming and going.”
“That’s strange. Yunnan may be remote, but it’s still imperial territory. Are they really blocking outsiders from entering?”
“I don’t know the full story either, but I hear Springview Fortress’s Fortress Lord hasn’t been seen for some time now.”
“What?”
“And apparently his son has started ruling the tribe in his place. If you ask me, this feels less like the Fortress Lord’s decision and more like the son’s.”
“That could be.”
And just like that, we got some information about Yunnan from Daoist Hae Eul.
We’d need to gather the finer details once we reached Yunnan, but anything we could learn in advance helped.
“However…”
He looked past me at the warriors of the Embroidered Guard and said,
“The dead I’m leading seem to carry a presence very similar to theirs.”
For a split second, the Embroidered Guard warriors looked at him like, What kind of nonsense is that?
They thought they’d hidden it well enough, but they weren’t fooling me.
But this wasn’t something to brush off.
The moment I heard that, I looked serious and asked back,
“You said their presence was similar?”
“That’s right.”
Daoist Hae Eul was probably around the Peak realm.
And maybe because the Maoshan Sect handled Walking Corpses, they were especially sharp when it came to sensing presences.
Which probably meant the dead carried the distinctive presence of martial arts from the imperial palace.
“A while back, I recovered bodies floating in the river. But whatever grudges and attachments they left behind are so strong that they still won’t tell me exactly where home is. They desperately wish to go to the imperial palace, so that’s where I’ve been taking them, but… I can’t help wondering if that’s really right.”
“The imperial palace?”
“That’s right. So if it isn’t too much to ask, I’d like you to see whether you recognize them.”
Ah…
Now I understood why the Daoist had changed course and come to our cave.
We had been his destination from the start.
And if he was saying that much, then we really did need to check.
I looked at Gwon Jik, and he gravely nodded.
“Of course.”
He clearly felt the same.
Shhhhhhh.
The rain was still pouring down.
Together with Gwon Jik and Han Seok, I followed Daoist Hae Eul out of the cave.
Beside the cave, under a slab of rock, two Walking Corpses stood waiting.
The stone above them kept the rain off.
Their pale faces were still damp from the rain.
If Palgap had seen this, he would’ve made the biggest scene of his life.
But the moment Gwon Jik saw the Walking Corpses, his face froze. Han Seok’s did too.
“H–how… how could…”
They couldn’t go on and simply collapsed where they stood.
“You know them?”
Gwon Jik answered with effort,
“They’re… my comrades.”
I knew it… those Walking Corpses had once been warriors of the Embroidered Guard.
Daoist Hae Eul’s instincts had been right on the mark.
Gwon Jik clenched his fist and asked Daoist Hae Eul,
“You said you found them in the river?”
“I did.”
“Tell me… tell me exactly what happened.”
“I found them dumped in the river with stab wounds.”
Stab wounds? But I couldn’t see anything that looked like one…
Maybe noticing my confusion, Daoist Hae Eul added,
“They were completely stripped when I found them, so I found clothes and dressed them. No matter who they are, even the dead wouldn’t want to return home naked.”
“Thank you. Truly.”
“Then would you tell me where I should guide these dead?”
At that, Gwon Jik hesitated.
In his heart, he probably wanted to say to take them straight to the imperial palace. But that was impossible.
Plenty of people would faint at the sight of corpses stomping down the road.
Then I had an idea.
“There’s a place in Hebei called the Sefeng Inn. If you explain the situation to the innkeeper there, he’ll take them in.”
At my words, Gwon Jik turned to me in surprise.
The look on his face plainly asked how I knew about that place.
“Ah, I heard about it from Warrior Jin Yeong.”
“I see.”
“Then were these two warriors on a mission when they died?”
“They were sent ahead to the place we’re going.”
“…”
I thought for a moment, then asked Gwon Jik,
“It may be disrespectful to the dead who gave their lives for the imperial family, but may I examine the bodies for a moment?”
“Is that really necessary?”
“I know you’re grieving the loss of two comrades. But right now, the best thing we can do is make sure we don’t lose more.”
“You’re cold.”
I gave a bitter smile at that.
“I’ve learned you have to stay cold if you want revenge.”
“Revenge… yes. You’re right.”
Gwon Jik nodded. Anger blazed in his eyes.
“You have my permission.”
“Thank you.”
As I reached for one of their collars, Han Seok spoke.
“I’ll… help.”
Gwon Jik nodded.
“I’ll go tell the others.”
“Understood.”
Gwon Jik went back to the cave, and Han Seok and I began examining the corpses.
They were standing upright as Walking Corpses, but I couldn’t exactly ask for the corpse-control technique to be undone.
The moment it was released, they’d collapse on the spot.
As I looked them over, I spotted something strange. These marks… someone had cut away pieces of skin.
Just to be sure, I checked the other body too.
It had the same kind of cut mark.
The locations were different, but the size was about the same.
Don’t tell me…
I asked Han Seok,
“Do you happen to have a tattoo on your body too?”
“A tattoo? What tattoo are you talking about?”
I shot Daoist Hae Eul a glance and sent a Voice Transmission.
– The kind that marks you as a member of the Embroidered Guard.
“…!”
His eyes widened.
That reaction alone told me everything I needed to know.
.
.
.
As if it had never poured at all, the rain stopped.
Stars glittered across the sky.
“The rain has stopped, so I’ll be on my way.”
Maoshan Sect Daoists usually traveled under cover of darkness, so since dawn still hadn’t broken, he was setting out now.
I pulled a pouch from inside my robe and held it out.
“It’s not much, but I hope it helps these dead return home.”
“Thank you.”
Gwon Jik handed him a money pouch as well.
The other Embroidered Guard warriors had each contributed a little.
“Please take good care of our comrades.”
“I will fulfill my duty.”
With that, Daoist Hae Eul began shaking the ritual bell.
Clink. Clink.
Murmuring what sounded almost like a lament, Daoist Hae Eul started walking, and the two Embroidered Guard Walking Corpses followed after him.
Maoshan Sect sorcery sent those Walking Corpses back to their families.
Honestly, I had no idea how it worked. If I did, I’d be a Maoshan Sect Daoist myself.
Those dead Embroidered Guard men surely had families too. That’s where they should have gone.
But he said they’d headed not for family, but for the imperial palace.
Which meant they had desperately wanted to go there.
I didn’t know whether that was out of loyalty to the emperor or because of the comrades they left behind in the Embroidered Guard.
But one thing was certain. They had taken their duty as Embroidered Guard men that seriously.
And when that brief, stormlike episode passed, the cave we stayed in was left full of grief and rage.
Sitting down in front of the fire, I said,
“I think there was a reason those two dead men wanted to go to the imperial palace. They may have been trying to warn their comrades to be on guard.”
“On guard? What do you mean by that?”
At Gwon Jik’s question, I went on,
“The skin where their tattoos had been was cut away.”
Han Seok picked up where I left off.
“Those tattoos mark us as members of the Embroidered Guard. Ordinary people wouldn’t know that.”
I nodded.
“And judging by the fatal wound, they were stabbed from the front. Embroidered Guard warriors died on the spot without even reacting. What do you think that means?”
“They trusted whoever did it. And that person deliberately erased the mark showing they belonged to the Embroidered Guard before dumping them in the river.”
“Then why remove the tattoos?”
“…That, I don’t know.”
Gwon Jik shook his head, but another warrior beside him spoke up.
He was one of the men I’d met for the first time this trip.
His name was Cheong Ak, if I remembered right.
“I think it’s because it would’ve caused problems if anyone found out those bodies belonged to the Embroidered Guard.”
Cheong Ak continued his reasoning.
“If you ask me, the killer did it to hide who they were. If no one knew the dead were Embroidered Guard men, then no one could trace what mission they’d been assigned to either.”
“That’s true.”
Gwon Jik slowly nodded.
“But one question still remains. If that was the reason, it would’ve been easier just to burn the bodies. So why remove the tattoos and throw them in the river?”
The one who answered that was Escort Guard Seo Wu.
“Probably because of the weather. That region is extremely humid this time of year, and it rains constantly. If you’re not used to the climate there, burning a body isn’t easy.”
“I see.”
Gwon Jik summed it up.
“So in other words, we need to be wary of our allies.”
At that, Han Seok bit his lip.
He was probably remembering what had happened before.
After all, he had nearly died because of that Eastern Depot man, Cheong-gwan, someone he’d believed was an ally.
I swallowed a bitter smile.
I’d suffered badly in my previous life because of someone I thought was on my side too.
Still, something about it kept bothering me.
It felt like those wounds where the tattoos had been cut away meant more than just that…
Then I felt something bulging against my sleeve.
Saying I needed to step away for a moment, I left the cave and took out Geumryeong.
A letter was tied to its tail.
It had brought me a reply from Lady Seohyang.
I unfolded the letter.
Huh?
–TL Notes–
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