Chapter 34: When Alive, Even a Thorny Path Is Walked (3)

Hami was a city that served as the final gateway from the Western Regions into the Central Plains. Three more days' travel beyond Hami would bring one to the Jiayu Pass, the entrance to the Central Plains.

Hami was one of the largest cities in the borderlands. It had once flourished to such an extent that a dynasty of foreign tribes had been established there.

Upon entering Hami, the very air seemed to change. Where before it had felt thick and oppressive, the air here felt lighter and more refreshing. The Central Plains must be drawing near.

Dam Ho and Bang Jin-bo entered Hami, feeling this change in the air upon their bodies. Dust lay thick upon their heads and shoulders.

A journey that should have taken five days had taken a full ten. But the time spent had improved Bang Jin-bo's complexion considerably, and he had regained much of his former cheer.

Though he occasionally fell into gloom, that was a matter time would resolve. Dam Ho thought this much was sufficient.

Bang Jin-bo was obsessed with cooking. Whenever he spotted wild herbs or fruits that might serve as ingredients, he insisted on tasting them, and he insisted on cooking every meal himself. As a result, the ingredients purchased from the nameless villages had long since been depleted.

Dam Ho did not scold him. He knew this was Bang Jin-bo's way of healing his wounds.

"Wow! Brother, look at that!"

Bang Jin-bo cried out in delight at the ingredients spread across the market stalls. As a city where many people converged, Hami's streets overflowed with every imaginable ingredient.

Bang Jin-bo gazed at the ingredients laid out like a fish that had found water, unable to tear his eyes away.

"That's bamboo shoot, and this is pine pollen. Wow!"

As the son of a skilled cook, Bang Jin-bo was knowledgeable about a wide variety of ingredients.

He purchased whatever caught his eye without hesitation. With ample funds from Dam Ho, there was nothing to restrain him.

Only after Bang Jin-bo had finished buying ingredients did they head to an inn.

It was called the Qingjiang Inn. Among the establishments in Hami, the Qingjiang Inn was quite large, and it was always bustling with people.

An inn was not merely a place to eat and sleep. With so many people gathering, a great deal of information exchanged hands. The longer the journey, the more merchants preferred larger inns.

Dam Ho did not know this, but he was aware that larger inns tended to have better facilities. That was why he had chosen the Qingjiang Inn.

"Welcome!"

A waiter rushed over briskly.

Bang Jin-bo asked on Dam Ho's behalf.

"Do you have a room, brother?"

"We do. How many guests?"

When Bang Jin-bo showed his affable nature, a smile naturally appeared on the waiter's face. Being addressed as "brother" was reason enough for good cheer.

"A two-person room, if you have one."

"As it happens, we have one left. How fortunate. Go up to the second floor, follow the corridor to the left, and you'll find the room at the end. That's yours."

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it!"

The waiter scratched his head.

Dam Ho nodded, observing Bang Jin-bo's friendly manner.

Bang Jin-bo had not always been this way. Traveling with the taciturn Dam Ho, he had developed a sense of duty to make up for it.

"Brother, shall we eat?"

"If you're hungry, sit anywhere you like. I'll have the food brought out quickly."

Bang Jin-bo looked at Dam Ho. It was a clear signal of hunger.

"Let's sit over there."

"Yes!"

The two walked toward an empty table.

It was tucked away in a corner, inconspicuous to most. Dam Ho sat with his back to the wall and spoke.

"Order whatever you like."

"Yes!"

A smile bloomed on Bang Jin-bo's face.

This was the moment he had most anticipated. He called the waiter over again.

"Brother, what dish does this inn do best?"

"Let me think. We're proud of everything, but if I had to recommend one, I'd say the Steamed Lamb. It's lamb cooked in our inn's secret recipe, and the taste is extraordinary. A plate of Steamed Lamb and a cup of wine will melt all your fatigue away."

"That sounds wonderful. I'll have that."

"An excellent choice. Just wait a moment. I'll bring it out right away."

"Yes!"

The waiter hurried to the kitchen.

Bang Jin-bo gazed around the interior of the inn with keen curiosity.

The inn was remarkably spacious. There were over twenty tables, and most seats were occupied.

Some appeared to be merchants, while others carried weapons and were clearly martial artists. Their expressions did not look particularly cheerful.

"I hear the bandits have been especially rampant lately?"

"Don't mention it. One wrong move and you lose not just your goods, but your life as well."

"Heavens! What curse has befallen us?"

The merchants' whispered conversations drifted through the inn.

Bang Jin-bo's expression darkened momentarily. The mention of bandits reminded him of his father. But this lasted only a moment before he forced a smile.

"They still don't know, do they? That the bandits were wiped out by you, brother."

Dam Ho nodded silently.

"Why have the bandits become so bold…"

"If they had simply taken the goods, that would have been one thing, but why did they have to take people prisoner?"

"Indeed. Sigh! Well, let's just pray for a safe journey tomorrow."

"Have a drink."

The merchants' sighing voices echoed through the inn, lending a heavier atmosphere to the room.

At that moment, the waiter arrived carrying a tray.

"Hehe! While you wait for the Steamed Lamb, I've brought some stir-fried tofu and wine to tide you over."

"Thank you, brother. Hehe!"

"Don't mention it! Well then…"

The waiter bowed his head toward Dam Ho and hurried back to the kitchen.

"Brother, let me pour for you."

Bang Jin-bo filled Dam Ho's cup to the brim with wine. Dam Ho accepted it without a word.

He had watched his Master drink many times, but Dam Ho himself had never once tasted wine.

Whenever he asked what it tasted like, his Master would say that all the emotions in the world were contained within.

Dam Ho brought the cup to his lips.

The first taste was exceedingly bitter. He did not understand what his Master found so appealing about this.

But the second sip was rather pleasant.

By the third cup, it had improved further. Yet he still could not understand why his Master had been so fond of wine.

Dam Ho set down the cup. He decided it was not for him.

At that moment, someone pushed open the inn door and stepped inside. Naturally, all eyes turned toward the entrance.

"Oh!"

"Ahh!"

Exclamations erupted from various quarters. The person who had entered was striking enough to command the attention of everyone present.

The newcomers were one man and one woman.

To be precise, an elderly man and a young woman. All eyes were fixed upon the woman.

She was in her early twenties, brimming with a fresh vitality, as though she were a wild horse galloping freely across the grasslands. Her skin was tawny, and her eyes were unusually large. Most peculiarly, a faint blue light shimmered within them.

Her exotic beauty made it difficult for onlookers to look away. She was both unique and refreshingly beautiful.

When the young woman surveyed the inn, the waiter hurried over.

"Welcome, honored guests."

"Do you have a room?"

The one who asked was the old man at the woman's side. His face was so deeply wrinkled that his age was impossible to guess, and his back was severely hunched. Yet the sharp glint in his eyes, visible between the creases, was far too fierce for an old man.

The waiter's posture became even more deferential.

"We have only a single room and a special suite available."

"We'll take the special suite."

"For how long?"

"We'll decide as we stay."

"Very well. I'll prepare the special suite at once."

"We've traveled a long way and are quite famished. Bring us several of your finest dishes. Money is no object."

The old man produced a small silver ingot from his robes. The waiter, sensing a windfall, bowed so deeply his waist threatened to break.

"Please, take a seat and wait just a moment."

The waiter dashed to the kitchen.

The old man surveyed the inn with a piercing gaze. The merchants who met his eyes bowed their heads instinctively.

His gaze carried a wildness that was impossible to attribute to an ordinary old man. The merchants instinctively recognized that he was a martial artist.

These were merchants who had weathered every storm. A woman accompanied by such an old man could not be of ordinary station. There was nothing to be gained from entangling oneself with such a person.

"My lady, please sit here."

The old man led the young woman to an empty table. Coincidentally, it was the table directly beside Dam Ho and Bang Jin-bo.

"This place is quite bustling, Heuk-no."

"Hami has always been a gathering place. No matter where you go, it will be at least this busy."

"Is that so?"

"Among the options in Hami, this is the most comfortable place to stay."

"Very well. If you say so, Heuk-no."

The young woman smiled brightly and sat down. The old man called Heuk-no sat only after she had taken her seat.

This clearly indicated that the woman's status was far higher than the old man's.

The young woman looked around the inn with an expression of interest. Even this casual mannerism was captivating, exuding an aura of fresh vitality.

As she surveyed the inn, her gaze suddenly came to rest upon a table in the corner. It was precisely where Dam Ho and Bang Jin-bo sat.

Unlike Dam Ho, whose expression was as immobile as a statue, Bang Jin-bo stared at the young woman as though his soul had been captured.

The young woman smiled at Bang Jin-bo.

"Is there something on my face?"

"You're… you're too beautiful…"

Bang Jin-bo dropped his head, his face and neck flushed crimson from ears to neck. Seeing his innocent demeanor, the young woman burst out laughing.

"Thank you! What is your name?"

"Bang Jin-bo."

"Jin-bo? That's a fine name. My name is Sim Ok."

"Sim Ok!"

"Yes! It's pretty, isn't it?"

The woman who had introduced herself as Sim Ok tossed her head proudly. Yet the gesture did not appear haughty or awkward—it suited her remarkably well.

Bang Jin-bo answered with pure innocence.

"Yes! It is pretty."

"Ha ha! You're a funny one."

Sim Ok burst into laughter. Heuk-no furrowed his brow slightly.

"My lady, please maintain your dignity."

"I know, I know. But he's just so adorable."

Sim Ok shot Heuk-no a displeased glance. For an ordinary man, such a look would have sent his heart plummeting, but Heuk-no's expression did not change in the slightest.

Sim Ok's gaze turned to Dam Ho, who sat beside Bang Jin-bo. Unlike the innocent Bang Jin-bo who stared at her with wide eyes, Dam Ho moved his chopsticks without any expression at all.

Interest flickered across Sim Ok's face.

No matter how one looked at it, Dam Ho appeared to be a man without emotion. Her bodyguard Heuk-no was also cold of expression, but he did not appear as perfectly devoid of feeling as Dam Ho.

The pairing of Dam Ho and Bang Jin-bo seemed utterly incongruous. Yet seeing them together, there was also something strangely fitting about them.

This incongruity piqued her interest.

Sim Ok made to rise from her seat. Heuk-no spoke.

"Please remain seated, my lady."

"Why? What do you think I'm going to do?"

"It would be rude to disturb people who are eating."

"Tch!"

In the end, Sim Ok could not have her way and sat back down. She glared at Heuk-no once more.

"If the Lord sees that expression, he will not be pleased."

"It's fine! Father isn't here."

"My lady!"

"I know, I know."

Weary of Heuk-no's nagging, Sim Ok raised both hands in surrender.

Heuk-no was her bane. Perhaps that was why her father had assigned him as her bodyguard.

The playfulness drained from Sim Ok's face.

Her voice dropped lower.

"Is that place correct?"

"I am certain."

"Is that so?"

Sim Ok's eyes glinted coldly. The mischievous, childish demeanor of moments ago had vanished without a trace.

Relentless Dagger had already been using his internal energy to push out the poison in his body, but with the addition of the powerful sulfurous toxin, he couldn’t withstand it anymore.

The massive poisonous energy broke through the barrier of his internal energy and spread throughout his entire body, along with all the other poisons he had been holding back.

The hand gripping Jin Ja-gang’s head lost its strength. Relentless Dagger released Jin Ja-gang.

“Kuk, keuuk.”

The membranes in his nose and throat swelled up instantly. Relentless Dagger’s breath was completely cut off.

Desperate for air, he clutched his throat. His eyes became bloodshot, turning bright red.

Unable to breathe, his face continued to darken as he died. Blisters formed one by one on his face where the poisonous smoke had touched his skin, making him look grotesque.

Relentless Dagger tried to summon his remaining internal energy to press the blood meridians in his throat. But Jin Ja-gang wasn’t going to just stand by and watch.

Although Jin Ja-gang was also struggling to breathe because of the poisonous smoke, it wasn’t as severe as Relentless Dagger. And since he knew what to do in this situation, he was actually calmer than Relentless Dagger.

Jin Ja-gang picked up a sharp stone from the ground, coated it with poison, and stabbed Relentless Dagger’s arm. Relentless Dagger couldn’t even dodge and was stabbed by the stone. It was just a small wound, but what happens when Jin Ja-gang inflicts a wound is very clear.

Relentless Dagger glared at Jin Ja-gang and tried to curse through his constricted throat, but no words came out.

“…”

Jin Ja-gang stared back at Relentless Dagger. Relentless Dagger’s pupils gradually dilated as his body collapsed.

Thud!

Jin Ja-gang wiped the stone he had used to stab Relentless Dagger and then placed it against his own throat.

Jin Ja-gang’s throat was also swelling, making it difficult to breathe, and he was on the verge of losing consciousness. Without hesitation, Jin Ja-gang cut his throat. It was exactly the same spot where Mang-ryo had cut it before.

Blood burst forth, and his airway opened up.

“Huk huk.”

Jin Ja-gang put his hands on the ground and gasped for breath.

Meanwhile, the fire had grown fiercer, turning into a forest fire. The thick black smoke made it hard to see. Almost no screams or groans could be heard anymore.

‘Are they all dead?’

It was getting too hot for even Jin Ja-gang to endure. Jin Ja-gang held his bleeding throat and barely managed to stand up, backing away.

The massive forest fire was spreading rapidly across the mountain with the wind.

But suddenly, a strange feeling came over him. A piercing killing intent was striking his entire body.

Jin Ja-gang looked up.

Through the flickering flames and billowing black smoke, he could see a tall tree jutting upward.

He could see someone standing on that tree, which was over ten zhang high.

It was Sa Heung-sam. Sa Heung-sam had climbed to the top of the tree!

Like Relentless Dagger, his appearance was a mess. He was burned and blistered from the fire.

However, Sa Heung-sam remained unfazed and looked down at Jin Ja-gang with sharp eyes.

Jin Ja-gang felt chills run down his spine.

A true martial arts master was capable of responding in unimaginable ways at any moment.

A cold blue light flowed from the sword in Sa Heung-sam’s hand. It was similar to what he had seen from Great Desert Saber’s sword earlier. A sharp blade that could sever a person’s neck in one stroke.

“It seems better not to let you live after all.”

Sa Heung-sam muttered as if talking to himself, but strangely, his words reached Jin Ja-gang’s ears clearly.

Then Jin Ja-gang’s body froze.

‘I-I can’t move?’

The sticky killing intent emanating from Sa Heung-sam was binding Jin Ja-gang’s body. It felt like being trapped in a viscous mass.

Mentally, he knew he needed to move, but his body was trapped in the mass and wouldn’t budge.

Sa Heung-sam took a stance to jump down from the top of the tall tree. He raised his sword. It seemed he intended to jump down and vertically slice Jin Ja-gang in half.

‘I’ll die like this!’

His entire body felt prickly.

Suddenly, his nose started bleeding, with blood flowing continuously.

Sa Heung-sam’s killing intent was corroding Jin Ja-gang’s body.

Jin Ja-gang finally realized how dangerous it was to expose himself in front of a martial arts master. He wanted to move his body, but it wouldn’t move. His skin felt like it was being torn apart.

Fortunately, the flames were approaching Jin Ja-gang, about to burn him.

The only thing Jin Ja-gang could do now was what he had just done before.

“Die.”

After hearing the emotionless tone, Sa Heung-sam jumped down from the tree.

Jin Ja-gang forcibly mustered his strength and squeezed out poisonous energy.

‘Uaaaah!’

Drip, drip, drip, drip!

The poisonous fluid that he usually extracted one or two drops at a time now poured out in a stream from the tip of his little finger. Drawing so much poisonous energy at once made it feel like his internal organs were being sucked out. But he couldn’t stop.

The fallen poison drops touched the fire and instantly vaporized, rising up. Dense poisonous smoke immediately filled the area around Jin Ja-gang.

The poisonous smoke, carried by the flames and rising upward, enveloped Sa Heung-sam. Sa Heung-sam’s face contorted as he inhaled the poisonous smoke.

But he didn’t dodge.

If he continued down like this, he could kill Jin Ja-gang!

Sa Heung-sam held his breath.

However, while he could control his breathing, Sa Heung-sam could do nothing about the poisonous smoke touching his skin.

Due to the incredibly toxic sulfurous smoke, blisters formed on Sa Heung-sam’s skin and eyes in that brief moment.

With his corneas damaged, Jin Ja-gang’s image appeared distorted and wavering, like there were two or three of him.

‘Oh no!’

At that moment, the killing intent directed at Jin Ja-gang lost its target and scattered.

Jin Ja-gang realized that the mass enveloping him had weakened. Though it wasn’t something he had learned anywhere, Jin Ja-gang swallowed hard.

Gulp.

As his saliva went down, blood welled up from his punctured throat. As if by magic, his stiffened body loosened.

Thanks to the experiences of countless brushes with death, Jin Ja-gang maintained his concentration until the very last moment.

If he had simply remained dazed, Jin Ja-gang wouldn’t have been able to move until his body was split in half.

‘I will survive!’

Jin Ja-gang used all his strength to roll to the side.

Sa Heung-sam swung his sword as he fell.

Boom!

Soil, fire, and ash scattered in all directions.

A broken sword was embedded at Jin Ja-gang’s feet, and Sa Heung-sam was sprawled on the ground with his limbs twisted in strange directions. Broken leg bones had pierced through the flesh and were protruding.

His body had stiffened from the poison while jumping down, preventing him from landing properly.

“Huk huk, huk!”… Jin Ja-gang felt a chill down his spine seeing the fierce sword embedded at his feet. Though he hadn’t touched the blade, the sword energy emanating from it had cut his sole. Blood seeped from his sharply cut foot.

“Ugh.”

Jin Ja-gang shuddered as he got up.

Twitch, twitch.

Sa Heung-sam’s body convulsed. Jin Ja-gang was startled, thinking Sa Heung-sam was moving.

Sa Heung-sam’s face, which had been buried in the ground, struggled and finally turned toward Jin Ja-gang.

His face was a mess, with pus flowing from it, and his tongue was so swollen that it protruded outward.

It was a horrific sight.

Even the corneas of his eyes were covered with blisters. The grotesque eyeballs covered in blisters moved left and right as if searching for Jin Ja-gang.

Hiss, hiss.

His breathing came out rough.

Jin Ja-gang tensed and backed away.

Though Sa Heung-sam could barely see, his eyeballs stared directly at Jin Ja-gang.

Whoosh.

Soon, Sa Heung-sam’s body caught fire. Unable to speak, he tried to writhe his entire body, but there was no way to escape the flames.

Flailing in agony, Sa Heung-sam was engulfed by the flames.

As the fire blazed, Sa Heung-sam’s movements became more intense before gradually subsiding.

The smell of burning flesh stung the nose terribly.

It was a cruel sight, but Jin Ja-gang didn’t turn away.

He took a deep breath and collected himself. The gaping wound on his sole, spurting blood, reminded Jin Ja-gang to remain vigilant.

Had he not done this, it would have been Jin Ja-gang, not Sa Heung-sam, who died. Not just his foot, but his entire body would have been split.

Crackle, crackle.

Jin Ja-gang watched the burning forest for a long time.

He wanted to confirm if anyone had survived.

Though he couldn’t get close or see clearly due to the flames, after seeing two masters die like this, it seemed unlikely that the others had survived.

Jin Ja-gang watched the flames a while longer, and after confirming there were no survivors, he left the area.

* * *

He couldn’t keep walking while continuously bleeding from his foot.

Jin Ja-gang first looked for usable medicinal herbs nearby. He spotted some Chinese senecio (Senecio palmatus) with round leaves.

Chinese senecio is a plant good for stopping bleeding.

“That’s fortunate…”

Jin Ja-gang put the Chinese senecio in his mouth, chewed it, and applied the mashed leaves to his sole.

After tearing his clothes to tightly bind the wound, Jin Ja-gang could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

“Phew.”

With this, he had overcome yet another crisis.

Many people had died, and Yong-myeong, who had taken care of Jin Ja-gang, had died prematurely, but Jin Ja-gang had survived once again.

Jin Ja-gang felt strange.

However, regardless of what that feeling was, he couldn’t afford to dwell on his thoughts.

First, he checked his physical condition. Apart from his nose being slightly crushed when Relentless Dagger grabbed his face, the hole he had made in his own throat, the blisters and scorches from the fire, and his cut foot, he didn’t have any major injuries.

His throat, which had swollen from poisoning, and his damaged skin had already subsided. He found it amazing how his body worked.

After roughly tending to his body, Jin Ja-gang began to consider what to do next.

‘Should I run away like this?’

Though he had eliminated the pursuit team, he didn’t know if this was the end.

If they discovered that the pursuit team had been annihilated, a second or third pursuit team might come after Jin Ja-gang. With his cut foot, he wouldn’t be able to go very far even if he did run away.

‘But if I don’t run…’

If not running away, what else could he do?

Eliminate the Extreme Poison Sect?

‘Pfft.’

Jin Ja-gang pouted, finding himself pathetic for having such thoughts.

It was absurd. How could he possibly eliminate the Extreme Poison Sect, a martial arts sect?

It would be a fight incomparable to his battle with the pursuit team just now. The Extreme Poison Sect was filled with many more warriors and masters than those he had encountered.

However… even while Jin Ja-gang himself considered it nonsensical, he couldn’t help thinking that the approach wasn’t entirely bad.

When hiding under Son Wi-hak’s rotting corpse in the cave of Hundred Flower Valley for a month, Jin Ja-gang had been terribly afraid.

He had been too anxious to sleep, fearing when the Extreme Poison Sect warriors would come and find him.

Now it was the same. He couldn’t live his life constantly worrying and feeling anxious about when the Extreme Poison Sect’s pursuit team would chase after him or when he would be discovered.

Moreover, he had just killed many warriors. The number of Extreme Poison Sect warriors would have been reduced accordingly.

Even more, the Extreme Poison Sect currently had no idea whether Jin Ja-gang was alive or dead, or what had happened to the pursuit team.

It might be difficult to find a better opportunity than now in the future.

If he were to directly strike at the Extreme Poison Sect, now would be the optimal time, when they had suffered significant personnel losses.

‘I just survived by setting traps and making the first move. If I had just kept running away, I would have been dead already.’

Jin Ja-gang clenched his fists.

Blood and poisonous fluid flowed from the torn Xiaochi acupoint on his little finger, pooling in his palm.

‘I have this poison. This poison that can kill any master.’

Jin Ja-gang suddenly looked at the forest fire that was still blazing.

Looking at the flames burning fiercely, he felt that he could do it.

‘Revenge… Revenge!’

Jin Ja-gang gritted his teeth.

In the end, he made an absurd decision.

To return to the Extreme Poison Sect!