At Seo Baek's words, the Yi Hyeol Bang swordsmen gulped nervously.
"We'll root out any revenants and sever their heads the moment they're found."
No one could argue with that.
What if someone infected with the revenant curse was hiding among them? That would spell disaster.
But Seo Baek's announcement didn't end there.
"Until the check is complete, no one leaves the government office. Anyone who tries will be deemed a revenant and executed without warning."
"...!"
The swordsmen's bodies trembled at his ruthless declaration.
A boy who didn't even look twenty.
Yet not a single Yi Hyeol Bang swordsman dared step forward to challenge him. They'd all witnessed his swordsmanship firsthand.
In the end, the swordsmen shuffled into a long line, heads bowed.
The villagers followed suit, queuing up for inspection.
Having endured Jin Seok Pyeong's torment, the villagers felt weary at the prospect of another check. Yet despite their fatigue, their hearts felt strangely light.
The Yi Hyeol Bang had seized control in the absence of officials and soldiers, brazenly plundering the village.
Seeing those thugs frozen in fear before a sudden boyish arrival was a chest-bursting thrill.
The revenant check wrapped up quicker than expected.
Unlike Jin Seok Pyeong, who had bullied the people while collecting "tolls," there was no harassment.
Fortunately, no more revenants turned up.
Once the inspection ended, Seo Baek spoke.
"Jin Seok Pyeong was heading to Hanzhong, so we'll go toward Yunnan."
The villagers nodded in agreement.
Hanzhong lay north of the village, Yunnan to the south. With revenants rampant in the north, the opposite direction seemed safest.
"Let's depart before nightfall."
Now, everyone—from villagers to Yi Hyeol Bang swordsmen—followed his lead without question.
The swordsmen figured they'd prioritize survival by fleeing the revenant horde now that their gang leader was dead.
Jin Seok Pyeong had been their peak expert, yet Seo Baek had beheaded him with a single stroke. They exchanged uneasy glances but dared not rebel.
A teenage boy leading a refugee column of over two hundred.
Anyone hearing the tale without context would laugh it off as nonsense.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Three days after leaving the village.
The refugees reached a place called Gangju.
Gangju stood abandoned; its people had already fled. Word of the revenant horde descending from the north must have spread early.
During the brief rest, Seo Baek pondered.
'Traveling with the refugees ends here.'
To reach the Central Plains, he needed to head east from this point.
Gathering everyone, he returned the loot seized by the Yi Hyeol Bang and said,
"The revenant outbreak began in the capital. The farther you get from the Central Plains, the safer you'll be. Rest here tonight and leave tomorrow."
The villagers sighed in relief.
The Yi Hyeol Bang swordsmen were the issue.
With their leader gone, they lacked unity and might bare their fangs again at any moment.
To keep them in line, Seo Baek laid down the law.
"Anyone plundering during the exodus will face Shika Manor's justice later."
The swordsmen averted their eyes, heads bowed.
In truth, it was a bluff. Shika Manor had vanished amid the revenant swarm.
But that was the point.
The dread of an enigmatic force's retribution—the uncertainty of when or how it might strike—would deter them from further predation.
An elderly villager with a flowing white beard approached Seo Baek.
"I have kin in Yunnan. Won't you join us?"
"I have my own path."
Seo Baek shook his head calmly.
"A pity. Where are you headed?"
"Shaolin Temple."
The crowd gasped in shock.
Shaolin lay in Henan, smack in the Central Plains' heart.
Right next door to the capital overrun by revenants.
Heading there was like walking into a grave.
"May heaven guide you...."
Overawed, the elder pressed no further.
The next day, the villagers bowed in gratitude before departing. The demoralized Yi Hyeol Bang swordsmen scattered in small packs.
As Seo Baek prepared to leave, someone called out.
"Heading to the Central Plains?"
Turning, he saw a bushy-bearded middle-aged man.
"Name's Wang Yi Sam. Just a wanderer, going where my feet take me."
"Seo Baek."
They exchanged names.
Truth be told, they'd barely spoken during the journey, but Seo Baek had noted Wang Yi Sam from their occasional glances.
"Got a proposal for you."
"What is it?"
"To reach the Central Plains, you'll cross layered mountains. Alone?"
"Companions would be ideal, but none available."
"How about traveling with me?"
"Sure."
Wang Yi Sam's jaw dropped at the instant agreement; he chuckled awkwardly.
"Deciding without hearing details? You know who I am?"
"You've been a sword-for-hire long enough to know the martial world inside out, so I figured you'd be reliable."
Wang Yi Sam furrowed his brow.
"How'd you know I'm a sword-for-hire?"
"Saw the broad dao on your back. The hilt's worn, stained with years of use."
"What does a worn dao have to do with it?"
"A few days back, I caught you oiling the blade on a cloth to prevent rust. Sharp as ever, but the hilt's battered? Means a well-used weapon."
"Ho, and?"
"Skilled, but no sect affiliation, wandering? Sword-for-hire fits."
"…Hahaha! Spot on!"
Stunned by the keen insight, Wang Yi Sam burst into laughter.
Once he calmed, he continued.
"Young, but your revenant knowledge and sharp eyes are impressive."
He winced inwardly, regretting the age remark.
Seo Baek's swordplay that felled Jin Seok Pyeong, his revenant expertise—nothing fell short of his own.
Prestigious sects obsessed over hierarchy, but at the martial world's fringes, seniority came from one thing only.
Superior skill!
Mentioning age might offend. But Seo Baek replied evenly.
"Not even twenty yet, so it's natural you'd think that, Senior Wang Yi Sam."
"...."
Embarrassed, Wang Yi Sam scratched his head.
"Thanks for saying so. But I'm not just aiming for the Central Plains."
"What do you mean?"
"The real proposal is this."
His eyes gleamed.
"The Sichuan Tang Clan needs escorts. I'm taking the job for a payout. Join me?"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Seo Baek listened to Wang Yi Sam's explanation.
The revenant outbreak had slashed the number of escort agencies shuttling between the Central Plains and Sichuan.
Yet the Sichuan Tang Clan urgently needed goods moved.
They'd posted notices recruiting martial artists.
In normal times, applicants would flock, but with refugees everywhere, word spread slowly.
It had reached Wang Yi Sam, the wandering sword-for-hire.
Seo Baek mulled it over.
'What do I gain from a Sichuan Tang Clan job?'
Money? Useless now. The Central Plains offered nothing silver could buy. Currency had plummeted.
Food? Plenty. He'd smoked venison from winter hunts into jerky.
A horse? Ideal.
One mount wouldn't suffice for Henan, but walking normally and riding only through infested zones would work.
The client was the issue: Sichuan Tang Clan.
His master's warning echoed.
"The Sichuan Tang Clan are venomous snakes. Keep your distance."
Followed by,
"Unless you can tame the snake."
It wouldn't waste time. En route to the Central Plains anyway, through Tang territory.
At minimum: a horse, maps, intel.
Decision made.
"Agreed. I'll join you for the Sichuan Tang Clan job, Senior."
"Smart choice."
Seo Baek set off with Wang Yi Sam toward the Tang Clan.
En route, Wang Yi Sam asked,
"What if I were a bandit like Yi Hyeol Bang? You'd still travel with me?"
Seo Baek's reply was perfect.
"As long as you're not a revenant."
"…Hahaha! Question answered!"
Wang Yi Sam roared with laughter, craning his neck.
"See? No sword scars. Don't chop my head off."
"No scars, but grimy. Wash your neck."
"Hah! Never at a loss for words."
The pair, thirty years apart, bantered like rivals as they traveled.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
They encountered no hordes en route.
Stray revenants wandered roadsides now and then.
Each time, Seo Baek and Wang Yi Sam decapitated them, incinerated the bodies, and moved on.
Days later, they arrived at the Sichuan Tang Clan.
Even Seo Baek, stoic through beheadings, widened his eyes at the vast estate.
"Impressive."
"One of the Five Great Clans for a reason."
If this was a house, Shika Manor was a dingy shack.
A frog in a well sees only a circular sky. Seo Baek felt like that frog. The world beyond was vast, immense.
The estate was a perfect square, sides equal.
The walls stretched endlessly.
Reaching the main gate would take time.
Especially their height.
Seo Baek eyed them.
'About three zhang.'*
Three zhang—tall, yet surmountable for a first-rate lightweight skill user.
The problem: what lay beyond.
The Tang Clan, infamous for hidden weapons and poisons.
No one would dare scale those walls amid unknown traps and formations.
They soon reached the gate, thronged with martial artists.
Wang Yi Sam noted,
"Tang Clan reached. No revenant worries here."
Seo Baek shook his head.
"Don't assume safety."
"Jin Seok Pyeong turned revenant without a bite. Means someone—or something—infected him with a blood thread worm. Beheaded him, but that revenant lives."
"...!"
"It could be hiding among those martial artists, biding its time. As long as it's out there, nowhere in Sichuan is safe."
"Right."
Wang Yi Sam shivered, eyeing the crowd anew.
A Tang Clan steward announced,
"All here for work, undergo the qualification test!"
The clan vetted applicants rigorously.
Seo Baek and Wang Yi Sam entered to register.