Chapter 14

Chapter 14 — The Identity of the Cargo

Jaha saw lightning crash down and the Water Thunder Formation blaze like a giant lamp.

He immediately put more strength into the reins and whipped the horses faster.

Wang Gyeong had suffered a serious wound to his side, so he was in no condition to drive the carriage.

Jaha, whose shoulder was injured instead, actually found it easier to handle the reins, so he took the driver's seat.

Fortunately, the sword had pierced cleanly through his shoulder. Neither his nerves nor his bones had been damaged.

Wang Gyeong, who was lying inside the carriage, trembled when he saw the enormous flash coming from the Water Thunder Formation.

The sight of lightning striking directly into the formation and illuminating the entire area was terrifying enough to send chills down his spine.

Hanseol and Jo Unryong were also staring at it with their mouths open.

Wang Gyeong unconsciously muttered,

"Your senior brother truly is an extraordinary man."

His voice was filled with awe.

Still half-dazed, Hanseol answered,

"We only found out today that our senior brother was this extraordinary too."

Perhaps it was true that you could never truly know someone until you went through danger with them.

Jaha, who had always seemed like nothing more than a country bumpkin, had displayed abilities worthy of a grandmaster.

It was nothing short of shocking.

Wang Gyeong had wandered the martial world for several decades, yet he had never seen or even heard of someone like this.

If only his martial arts were stronger, he could shake the entire martial world.

Then another thought suddenly occurred to him.

Is his martial arts really weak?

From the outside, Jaha's level seemed similar to Wang Gyeong's.

But whenever Jaha faced an enemy, he displayed a presence similar to that of an absolute master.

That kind of overwhelming spirit could never come from someone without true ability.

He had annihilated his enemies with a formation Wang Gyeong had never even heard of, then used strange strategies to repeatedly shake off their pursuers.

Could a man capable of all that really be weak in martial arts?

Is he hiding his true strength? Even his junior brother and sister don't seem to know much about him.

He had apparently worked as an escort guard in Taiyuan for three years.

Did he encounter some miraculous opportunity during that time?

One thought after another filled Wang Gyeong's mind, all of them revolving around Jaha.

The Water Thunder Formation was completely destroyed once the flashes of light disappeared.

That was only natural after being struck directly by lightning.

Psssssssh!

With a sound like air escaping from a leather bag, waves of scorching heat rose into the sky.

The rain evaporated into steam the instant it touched the ground.

Thick clouds of vapor covered the Water Thunder Formation, much like the steam that rose when the lid of a fully cooked pot of rice was opened.

After about fifteen minutes, the mist gradually dispersed.

The scene inside the formation was finally revealed.

It was horrifying.

More than ten guards had already been burned completely black, their bodies crumbling into ash.

The middle-aged man in black looked down at his charred left arm.

He stared at it silently for a moment.

Then, without the slightest hesitation, he cut off his own arm with his sword.

Slash!

The nerves had already been completely burned away, so he felt no pain.

"...Brother."

The middle-aged man in black looked toward the middle-aged man in gray, whose body had turned as black as his severed arm.

Had he not protected himself with protective qi, he probably would have ended up exactly the same way.

"You foolish bastard."

For decades, they had shared life-and-death struggles together.

Their bond had long since become no different from that of true brothers.

Overcome by emotion, the middle-aged man in black let out a long, heavy sigh.

"Cough! Get me out of here..."

At that moment, Shin-bi's voice came from beneath the pile of blackened corpses.

The middle-aged man in black moved the bodies aside and pulled Shin-bi to his feet.

Shin-bi looked around at the horrific scene and muttered,

"Are the two of us the only survivors?"

"Yes."

"The Water Thunder Formation truly is terrifying."

Long ago, when Shin-bi had studied the Water Thunder Formation, its structure had been so complicated that he couldn't even calculate its countless changes with his own mind.

In the end, he had simply given up on learning it.

Yet some country bumpkin had set it up as though it were nothing.

Just remembering that made him speechless.

Perhaps that was why his anger burned even hotter.

"We're going after them. Call back everyone who went after the other carriages!"

Shin-bi kicked the bodies blocking his path aside and forced open a way forward.

"Young Master!"

The middle-aged man in black called him in a stern voice.

Shin-bi raised his head, about to snap at him and demand that he call him Young Heavenly Demon rather than Young Master.

However, the moment he saw the man's grim expression, he instinctively shut his mouth.

For an instant, he had the feeling that if he said the wrong thing, the man might actually kill him.

"These men gave their lives for you, Young Master. Even if you cannot erect tombstones for them, you should not disgrace their bodies by kicking them aside."

"W-Well... yes."

Overwhelmed by the middle-aged man's forceful presence, Shin-bi quickly agreed.

The man turned toward the bodies.

"I'm sorry that I have to leave you here like this."

He searched the clothes of Shadow Pursuer, whose head had been cut off by Jaha, and pulled out a signal firework.

He launched it into the sky.

The explosion was not very large because of the light rain that was still falling.

Even so, it should be enough for their men to notice and come looking for them.

The middle-aged man in black stared emptily at his dead subordinates.

White smoke continuously rose from the dozens of corpses, like wet charcoal after water had been poured over it.

Jaha drove the carriage for another hour, putting as much distance as possible between them and Shin-bi.

If Shin-bi survived and chased after them, even a little extra distance might increase their chances of survival.

Then Wang Gyeong shouted from inside the carriage.

"Young Hero Byeok, let's stop and rest for a while!"

He was worried about Jaha's injured shoulder.

But after looking around, Jaha replied,

"Not here. If we're going to rest, we need to go a little farther. There's a place I have in mind."

Jaha had studied the surrounding terrain on the map and remembered a particular location.

Only after reaching that place would they have any real chance of being safe.

They continued for roughly another hour before the carriage finally stopped.

Whoooooosh!

The rain-filled wind blowing through the forest cooled their overheated bodies.

Jaha released the reins and looked down at his shoulder.

It seemed the acupoint he had sealed earlier had opened during the journey, because blood was flowing again.

The blood had run down his side and pooled heavily across the driver's seat.

Jaha pressed his shoulder acupoints again to stop the bleeding, then tore a piece from his clothes and tightly wrapped the wound.

Afterward, he used the cloth Hanseol had tied for him earlier to wipe away the blood covering the driver's seat.

He had already removed the leather covering from the seat, leaving the white inner lining exposed.

It had been dyed red by his blood.

Thinking it would look terrible if left that way, Jaha tried to clean it.

He roughly wiped the blood away.

Then, while cleaning the seat, his hands suddenly stopped.

He had noticed something beneath the pale inner lining.

Perhaps because it was soaked with both blood and rain, the inside of the driver's seat had become faintly visible through the fabric.

It was the same principle as wetting white clothes and being able to vaguely see what was on the other side.

Riiiiip!

Jaha tore away the inner lining.

"What the hell is this?!"

His eyes widened when he saw what was hidden beneath the driver's seat.

At that moment, Wang Gyeong opened the carriage door and stepped outside.

After looking around, he said,

"This place is far too dangerous."

Wang Gyeong knew exactly where they were.

This forest lay along the route between Taiyuan and Yeongje County.

People might see it while passing by, but almost no one dared enter it.

The Poison Beast Forest.

That was what the people of Shanxi called it.

The area surrounding the forest was covered with swamps filled with poisonous insects, while wolves and fierce beasts roamed throughout the enormous woods.

That was how it had earned the name Poison Beast Forest.

No matter how desperate someone was, almost no traveler willingly chose a route through this place.

"Why did you bring us here? This place is dangerous. We need to leave immediately."

Wang Gyeong stopped speaking halfway through.

Jaha had been staring into the opened driver's seat.

Now, he slowly raised his gaze and looked directly at Wang Gyeong.

His voice was so cold and calm that it sent a stronger chill down Wang Gyeong's spine than the cold wind.

"Is this the cargo?"

Wang Gyeong couldn't answer.

For some reason, he suddenly looked like a criminal caught in the act.

But after thinking about it, he realized there was no reason for him to feel guilty.

"So you've finally discovered it."

"Did you really think you could hide it until the very end?"

Wang Gyeong thought about it and realized there was no reason for Jaha to interrogate him like this.

His expression hardened.

"Young Hero Byeok, do I really deserve such an overbearing tone from you over this matter? Whatever the cargo may be has nothing to do with you. Your responsibility is simply to transport it safely. Was that not our original agreement?"

After hearing that, Jaha realized Wang Gyeong was right.

There was technically no reason for him to become angry.

"You're right, Hero Wang. Whatever the cargo is normally wouldn't be my concern. But this is different, isn't it? If the cargo is alive, then surely the escort guard deserves to know that much."

Jaha's argument was somewhat forced.

But that was because the cargo had completely exceeded his expectations.

He had suspected that the real cargo was hidden somewhere inside the carriage.

He simply had never imagined it would be something alive.

Hearing the argument outside, Jo Unryong and Hanseol cautiously stepped out of the carriage.

Then Jo Unryong saw what was hidden beneath the driver's seat.

His eyes widened.

"What is this girl doing here? Has she been inside there this entire time? Wait... she isn't dead, is she?"

Otherwise, there was no way she could have remained motionless inside such a cramped space for several days without eating anything.

Hanseol also noticed the small girl lying beneath the driver's seat and covered her mouth in shock.

"My goodness... she's been in there all this time?"

Hanseol immediately checked the girl's pulse.

After caring for their sick Master for so long, she had practically become half a physician herself.

"Her pulse is weak, but it's there. She's alive."

A veil covered the girl's face, preventing them from seeing her properly.

Jo Unryong reached out to remove it.

Wang Gyeong immediately spoke.

"Do not take an interest in the girl. This is not a request. It is a warning."

Jo Unryong's hand froze.

Judging from the shape of her face beneath the veil, she seemed to be remarkably beautiful, and curiosity had made him want to see her.

More importantly, he had thought he had become fairly close to Wang Gyeong.

Hearing such a distant and unfamiliar tone from him suddenly created a wall between them.

Jaha spoke.

"Are you going to meet the Eccentric Physician in order to save this girl? If so, why is the Demonic Cult chasing her? Ah... and those Mount Hua Sect Taoists were searching the carriages and carts because they were looking for this girl, weren't they?"

Then Jaha casually added,

"Of course, I'm not expecting an answer. I'm merely talking to myself, so don't concern yourself with it."

With that, Jaha climbed down from the driver's seat.

Wang Gyeong spoke with a grave expression.

"This place is extremely dangerous. Even martial arts masters sometimes die here after accidentally being bitten by poisonous insects. We're leaving this forest. Everyone, get back inside the carriage."

Jaha shook his head.

"The horses aren't in good condition. We've pushed them too hard until now, and they're completely exhausted. They'll probably collapse if we force them to continue. If that happens, we'll be worse off than if we rested here."

He continued calmly,

"You should listen to me. I worked as an escort guard for three years, so I know horses fairly well."

Wang Gyeong inspected the horses after hearing that.

Jaha was right.

Both horses were so exhausted that their knees repeatedly threatened to buckle.

"We need to unharness them and let them rest."

Wang Gyeong looked at Jaha.

"Then do you have a plan? If those men didn't all die and someone survived, they'll come after us. How are we supposed to stop them?"

Even while asking the question, Wang Gyeong wasn't expecting too much.

What Jaha had already shown was enough to astonish him.

Wang Gyeong assumed that was probably the limit of Jaha's abilities.

But Jaha answered without hesitation.

"I do."

He continued,

"That's exactly why we need to stay here. If the attackers don't appear after we rest for one shichen, then we can assume they all died back there. It won't be too late to leave afterward."

Jaha's expression became serious.

"But if we leave now and run into them again while we're traveling, every one of us will die."

Wang Gyeong frowned.

"Are you saying staying here will somehow give us a solution? Can you at least tell me what that solution is?"

Jaha smiled.

For some reason, the smile looked almost sinister.

"You told us not to take an interest in that girl, Hero Wang."

His smile deepened slightly.

"So I'd like to tell you the same thing. Don't take an interest in my plan."

Wang Gyeong's face flushed bright red.

In the past, he would have shouted at Jaha and scolded him for his disrespectful attitude.

But Wang Gyeong was now somewhat afraid of Jaha.

His many years of experience in the martial world were warning him that provoking this man would bring nothing good.

Hanseol was completely occupied with checking their Master's condition.

Leaving him to her injured senior brother and their still-flustered youngest junior brother seemed far too dangerous.

Jaha deliberately raised his voice so Jo Unryong could hear him.

"Bringing Junior Sister with us really was the right decision. Otherwise, who would have taken care of Master?"

Jo Unryong immediately defended himself.

"There was no reason for me to cause even more trouble inside such a cramped carriage, so I left Master in Senior Sister's care."

There was a reason Jo Unryong remained glued to Jaha's side despite being teased like that.

He leaned closer.

"Senior Brother, what exactly is your plan? Just tell me. Only me."

Jo Unryong had personally watched his Second Senior Brother trap and kill enemies with that strange formation.

Now he desperately wanted to know what unbelievable scheme Jaha had prepared this time.

Jaha smiled at Jo Unryong's eyes, which were shining with curiosity.

If those bastards survived and come here, this place will become their grave.

They will never leave alive.

For their own sake, they'd be better off never coming.

There was a reason Jaha was so confident.

Among the many arts he had learned long ago in the Demonic Cult, there was one that was perfectly suited for a situation like this.

Strictly speaking, it could not even be called martial arts.

Yet its power was enough to deal with more than ten supreme masters.

Nearly one shichen passed.

Wang Gyeong finally stood up.

"Young Hero Byeok, the horses seem to have recovered some of their strength. Let's leave this place now. We don't know when the wolves will appear. Once the sun goes down, this entire forest becomes a wolf den."

He continued,

"And just as you said, since those men haven't appeared, it seems they were all wiped out."

Instead of answering him, Jaha suddenly said something completely unexpected.

"That bastard has quite a long life. To think he survived the Water Thunder Formation..."

Jaha was standing on top of the carriage, staring toward the outer edge of the forest.

Hearing those words, Wang Gyeong immediately used his lightness skill and leaped into a tree.

A moment later, he came back down.

His expression was dark.

He looked at Jaha.

"What do we do now?"

Once again, Wang Gyeong had no choice but to rely on Jaha.