Chapter 54

Chapter 54: Entering the Central Plains, Yet Everything Feels Foreign (1)

Jiayuguan Pass was one of the few corridors connecting the outer territories to the Central Plains. If Shanhaiguan was the great eastern gateway of the Great Wall, then Jiayuguan was its western counterpart.

Those who traveled to the Western Regions or traded with the various tribes had no choice but to pass through here. Though the number of travelers was not large, those who came were steady and constant.

Being of great strategic and geographical importance, Jiayuguan was always guarded by over four hundred soldiers.

Today as well, more than twenty soldiers stood watch at the main gate. They rigorously inspected the identities of merchants seeking to pass through.

Those who wished to enter the Central Plains were required to disclose their identity and purpose. The same applied to those coming from the opposite direction.

Yoo Un-cheong was the officer commanding Jiayuguan. A martial artist from the Zhongnan Sect, he had entered the military with dreams of rising high and had advanced rapidly. But the previous year, he had been caught in a political struggle and was reassigned to this remote outpost.

Time passed slowly at Jiayuguan. The tribesmen along the border had lost their strength and no longer invaded, and the inspections were handled by soldiers, leaving him with almost nothing to do.

He practiced his martial arts out of boredom each day, but there was no enthusiasm behind it. The monotonous life exhausted him, and now he spent his days having lost most of his motivation.

Yoo Un-cheong stood before the city gate, gazing vacantly at the northern sky. Despite the mere difference of a single wall, the northern sky looked especially wild and untamed.

Yoo Un-cheong let out a sigh.

"If I had known it would come to this, I would have been better off cultivating my martial arts at the Zhongnan Sect."

He had once been a promising talent at the Zhongnan Sect as well. Had he possessed a bit more patience and continued honing his martial arts, he could surely have risen to a high position.

He knew that it was too late for regret and that he could not turn back the clock. But as he aged, his attachment to the past only dug its claws deeper.

"Should I throw myself into the Murim now?"

For days he had been tormented by this thought, unable to sleep. The deeper his boredom grew, the deeper the conflict in his heart became.

Suddenly, Yoo Un-cheong's eyes caught something of interest. In the distance beyond Jiayuguan, two riders on horseback were approaching.

'Merchants?'

Yoo Un-cheong immediately shook his head.

They were too few in number to be merchants, and more importantly, there was no sign of the goods one would expect merchants to carry.

'They crossed Xinjiang with just the two of them?'

Curiosity appeared on Yoo Un-cheong's face.

As they drew closer to Jiayuguan, their faces became clearly visible.

One was a young man in his late twenties, and the other was a boy in his early teens.

The young man had his face wrapped tightly in cloth to ward off the dust. His long black hair hung loose, and his black leather robes gave him a striking, intense impression.

Conversely, the chubby boy in his early teens wore a pleasant smile on his round face. Like a turtle, he carried a large bundle strapped to his back.

"Halt!"

The soldiers guarding Jiayuguan shouted loudly and leveled their weapons. The two riders stopped.

"Where do you come from and who are you? State your identities!"

The soldiers' voices were sharp. Yoo Un-cheong, who held the power of life and death over the Jiayuguan garrison, was standing right before them.

Negligence in duty would result in相应的 punishment. Unlike previous commanders who had passed through, Yoo Un-cheong did not tolerate any laxity among the soldiers.

Though the soldiers had leveled their weapons, there was no change in the expression of the young man clad entirely in black. Or rather, there was no way to read any change—for his face was entirely wrapped in cloth, leaving only his eyes exposed.

The answer came from the chubby boy at his side.

"Hello, soldiers. You must work hard. My name is Bang Jin-bo."

The chubby boy with the broad smile was indeed Bang Jin-bo. The man in black beside him was Dam Ho.

Dam Ho gazed silently at the towering walls of Jiayuguan.

This was a place he had passed through twelve years ago. But back then, there had been no such inspection process. It was likely due to the influence of the Wudang Sect or the Zhongnan Sect.

The high walls before him. Beyond these walls lay the Central Plains. One might expect excitement, but in Dam Ho's eyes, not a flicker of emotion stirred.

The soldiers asked again.

"State your names and purpose. Why do you wish to enter the Central Plains?"

"We were part of the Silver Lotus Trading Company that passed through here a year ago."

"Silver Lotus Trading Company?"

The soldiers whispered among themselves. One of them testified that the Silver Lotus Trading Company had indeed passed through here.

"Truly from the Silver Lotus Trading Company? We heard the company numbered nearly a hundred. How is it that only two of you remain?"

"We were attacked by a bandit raid…"

Bang Jin-bo informed them that the Silver Lotus Trading Company had been annihilated by the Blood Wolf Division's ambush. He produced a sealed letter bearing the seal of Sim Su-myeong, Master of the Blood Scale Stronghold, to show the skeptical soldiers.

"Sir!"

The soldier who received the letter hurried over to Yoo Un-cheong. He judged that this was not a matter he could decide on his own.

He presented the letter to Yoo Un-cheong.

Yoo Un-cheong gave a slight nod upon receiving it. The seal stamped upon it was unmistakably Sim Su-myeong's.

The name of Sim Su-myeong, Master of the Blood Scale Stronghold, was no trivial matter. At the very least, there was no one in these parts who did not know his name.

Any officer commanding this post would inevitably have some connection to Sim Su-myeong. Among those crossing Xinjiang, some sought protection, and the Blood Scale Stronghold had the means to provide it.

Jiayuguan was the nexus that mediated between them. Of course, this was strictly forbidden by law. Yet it was carried out in secret because everything was in short supply.

Weapons rusted, and food was always scarce. Thus, the officers of Jiayuguan mediated between the two parties in this manner and collected their commissions.

The letter stated that the Silver Lotus Trading Company had been annihilated by bandits, and that Sim Su-myeong, Master of the Blood Scale Stronghold, guaranteed the identities of these two individuals.

"The Master of the Blood Scale Stronghold guarantees them?"

If so, there was no reason to deny them passage. Sim Su-myeong was not a man who made idle claims.

But the final word caught his attention.

"Must?"

The final portion of the letter emphatically stressed the word "must" regarding their passage.

"Hmm!"

An intrigued look appeared on Yoo Un-cheong's face. In all his years of handling such transactions, this was a first.

"What shall we do?"

The soldier asked.

Yoo Un-cheong pushed himself off the wall he had been leaning against and walked toward Dam Ho and Bang Jin-bo.

The moment Yoo Un-cheong, who was clearly no ordinary man, approached, a look of tension appeared on Bang Jin-bo's face. Despite all he had experienced alongside Dam Ho, he was still merely a boy in his early teens.

As Yoo Un-cheong stood before them, Bang Jin-bo swallowed hard.

"The Silver Lotus Trading Company was annihilated by bandits? But how did you two survive?"

"Well…"

Bang Jin-bo stole a glance at Dam Ho. Yoo Un-cheong's gaze naturally followed to Dam Ho as well. But Dam Ho's eyes remained fixed on Jiayuguan's walls.

"Hey, you there."

Yoo Un-cheong called out to Dam Ho with bold confidence. But Dam Ho did not seem to hear him, continuing to stare at the walls.

"Hey, can you not hear me?"

Yoo Un-cheong seized Dam Ho's wrist. It was a masterful display of the Chin Na technique, seizing the wrist pulse in a single motion.

At this level, any martial artist would have reacted. But Dam Ho showed no response whatsoever.

Yoo Un-cheong's brow arched skyward. That Dam Ho would not even respond to his Chin Na technique struck him as outrageous. He channeled his internal energy into the fingers that held Dam Ho's wrist pulse.

Heaven and Earth Chin Na Hand.

One of the ultimate techniques of the Zhongnan Sect. Once caught in the Heaven and Earth Chin Na Hand, no matter what technique one employed, escape was impossible. That was Yoo Un-cheong's understanding. But his understanding was shattered the very next instant.

"Let go."

The moment he heard that low voice, every hair on Yoo Un-cheong's body stood on end. He did not know why, but his body had reacted of its own accord.

"This fellow…"

He was inwardly astonished. By normal means, escape from the Heaven and Earth Chin Na Hand was utterly impossible. Yet Dam Ho showed no effect whatsoever, even turning his head to look.

Yoo Un-cheong concentrated even more of his internal energy into the technique. With the wrist pulse seized, this degree of focused energy would force anyone to scream.

At that moment, Dam Ho turned his head and looked at Yoo Un-cheong.

His eyes, infinitely deep and sunken, revealed not a single trace of emotion. All that could be seen was a thick, impenetrable darkness.

Brrr!

A chill shot down his spine. And it did not stop there.

Crack!

The sound of bones colliding rang from Yoo Un-cheong's fingers gripping Dam Ho's wrist pulse. An invisible, tremendous force was pushing his fingers back.

Yoo Un-cheong's eyes flew wide. He channeled even more energy into his fingers and strained with all his might.

Thoom!

"Kuhuk!"

In that instant, the fingers gripping Dam Ho's wrist pulse were sent flying. The skin on the back of his hand had torn, drawing blood, and the thumb and index finger that had applied direct force were bent grotesquely out of shape.

At that moment, Dam Ho's voice rang out.

"If you touch my body without permission again, you will die."

"…"

It was the same voice as always. But the moment Yoo Un-cheong heard it, he found himself nodding frantically, as if driven mad. Otherwise, he truly felt he would die.

Yoo Un-cheong had lived a rough life in the military and prided himself on it. On top of that, he possessed powerful martial arts learned at the Zhongnan Sect.

His had been a life without fear. He had believed there was nothing in this world to be afraid of. But the instant he heard Dam Ho's voice and met his gaze, he realized just how much of a frog in a well he had been.

Dam Ho had done nothing, yet Yoo Un-cheong could not move. He had been crushed by sheer presence alone. In all his decades of military service, this was a first.

Dam Ho did not feel like a human being of the same kind.

Meanwhile, the soldiers watched Yoo Un-cheong's behavior with bewildered blinks. They could not comprehend why he was sweating profusely and nodding to himself.

This only heightened Yoo Un-cheong's alarm. He was the only one who had been directly affected by Dam Ho's aura.

'A master I cannot even begin to measure.'

Yoo Un-cheong regretted his childish actions.

If Dam Ho so desired, every soldier present here would be reduced to corpses strewn across the ground. For a master of his caliber, the number of ordinary soldiers made not the slightest difference.

At that moment, Dam Ho's voice came again.

"Is there a problem?"

"No. Please pass through."

Only after hearing Yoo Un-cheong's response did Dam Ho withdraw his gaze. Before Yoo Un-cheong could even sigh in relief, he hurried the soldiers along.

"Open the gate immediately."

"But…"

"I said let them through at once!"

"Y-yes, sir!"

The soldiers hastily threw open Jiayuguan's great gate.

Beyond the gaping maw of the towering gate, the sky and earth of the Central Plains were visible. It was the Central Plains he had not seen in twelve years.

Dam Ho led the Dark Stallion through the gateway. Bang Jin-bo hurriedly followed behind.

Fsshh!

The Dark Stallion snorted and tossed its head.

Though he had crossed a mere wall, the very air seemed to have changed. Suddenly, Dam Ho looked back.

Yoo Un-cheong stiffened, thinking Dam Ho was looking at him. But Dam Ho's gaze was not upon him.

A vast wilderness under a wild sky—this was where he had spent a considerable portion of his life. But there was no lingering attachment left there.

Dam Ho's gaze turned once more toward the Central Plains.

The clouds that had hung still in the blue sky suddenly began to move swiftly.

"Let us go!"

At Dam Ho's command, the Dark Stallion broke into a gallop.

"Let's go together, brother!"

Behind him, the white horse bearing Bang Jin-bo followed.

Two horses swiftly shrank to dots and vanished from sight.

The oldest-looking soldier among those present approached Yoo Un-cheong.

"Sir, was it all right to let them go?"

"What if I hadn't?"

"What?"

The soldier wore a puzzled expression.

Having grown accustomed to extracting generous "gratuity fees" from those who passed through, the soldier felt a keen sense of loss.

"Tch!"

Yoo Un-cheong regarded the soldier with a look of pity.

The soldier did not know that he had just stepped across the threshold of the underworld and back.

Yoo Un-cheong had been about to rebuke the soldier but thought better of it.

Come to think of it, he had been the same.

He had found life here so tedious that he had even entertained the thought of entering the Murim. But his encounter with Dam Ho had changed his mind.

"This place is where I belong."

He feared that if he ventured into the Murim, he might encounter Dam Ho again. The scent of blood that clung to the man made his skin crawl.

He felt he could guess how the others had survived the bandit attack without being told. A man like Dam Ho could never have left alive anyone who had provoked him.

"Come to think of it, I never even asked his name. Perhaps, because of him, the Murim will be thrown into turmoil."

In Yoo Un-cheong's eyes, the sky of the Central Plains seemed stained red with blood.