“I’m not entirely sure what’s happening, but it seems someone has died upstream of the waterfall.”
“What should we do?”
“Go find the Elder first. I… will go check the situation out myself.”
“You mustn’t get hurt! I’ll be back quickly!”
I watched for a moment as Hye-ryeong disappeared using her light stepping technique, then looked up at the waterfall.
I said I would, but how exactly do you climb a waterfall?
I’d likely plummet to my death before getting very far if I were to try. The guy who attempted climbing the cliff face probably wishes he hadn’t now.
The waterfall stands about thirty feet tall—far too tall to climb without proper tools. Waiting here for the body to wash ashore seems the wiser decision. Without anyone around to protect me, it’d be foolish to put myself in danger.
Attempting to climb recklessly could only complicate things.
“Perhaps I should search underwater for further clues…”
…That won’t be necessary.
I saw a man falling from above the waterfall and immediately jumped into action. Just before he hit the cascading water, I caught him mid-fall and carefully laid him down by the riverbank.
Judging by his well-developed muscles, he must be a martial artist.
I laid him down in a proper position and checked his pulse.
…It’s faint, but he’s still alive.
I then proceeded to remove his clothes. Well, “removed” might be misleading; I practically shredded his shirt. I didn’t have time to undress him carefully, and doing so could have further aggravated any injuries caused by his clothes sticking to his wounds.
The man’s chest bore a long diagonal gash so deep that his internal organs were visible. If untreated, he’ll surely bleed out. Without hesitation, I pulled out bandages from my kit.
I can’t say how much time a simple bandage will buy us, but it’s certainly better than doing nothing.
…If I could spare him at least ten more minutes, that’d be a relief.
“I can only hope there’s a good doctor at Tongcheon.”
Otherwise, this man stands a slim chance of survival.
He’s already on the brink of death.
I moved him closer to the fire and waited for the others to return. Fortunately, just then, Elder Baek appeared silently beside the patient, causing leaves to rustle in his wake.
“Hmm, this is serious. I’m not certain we’ll make it in time.”
Elder Baek sat down beside the patient and began rapidly pressing various points on his body, leaving faint afterimages with his speed. His movements were so quick it almost seemed he was pushing the patient closer to death rather than aiding him.
I finally realized that he was employing ‘Dim Mak,’ a famous point-striking technique in the Martial Realm.
Dim Mak.
One of the hallmarks of martial arts, never absent from wuxia literature or tales.
Pressing over a hundred pressure points across the body, it serves multiple purposes, from subduing opponents to slowing the deterioration of wounds.
I could only marvel as I witnessed it in action—how the technique could staunch blood flow was astonishing. I wondered how anyone discovered and developed such an art.
Maybe I should try learning it sometime.
Most martial artists consider Dim Mak common knowledge, so chances are I could learn it too, given the opportunity.
Of course, memorizing all the pressure points would likely give me a headache, but wasn’t Dim Mak originally portrayed as somewhat versatile?
It can serve as an offensive technique, a healing method, or even for torture or inducing excitement.
Combined with certain stances, it may even impose a ‘seal’ like in some tales.
It’s a highly versatile skill.
“At least the bleeding has stopped, but we must send him to a physician immediately. Ha-jin, you’re the fastest among us—take him straight to the doctor in Tongcheon!”
“Yes, sir!”
Though rarely serious, Ha-jin nodded solemnly and lifted the patient onto his back, leaping into action. His figure quickly receded into the horizon. Elder Baek and I glanced at each other after watching them leave.
“Could you tell me what exactly happened?”
“I saw someone fall from the waterfall. There must have been a fight upstream.”
“Hmm…I guess we should investigate.”
I thought we could finally take a rest after walking all day, but events like these always seem to find us. With no avoiding it, we moved to the waterfall.
“…It looks like there were more casualties.”
“Master Elder! Isn’t this clothing the uniform of the Martial Alliance patrol force?”
Martial Alliance patrol force?
Weren’t they the ones always getting cut down in the original story?
Back when they were mere characters in a story, I only knew them through text. Only after hearing Ha-jin mention it did I realize they were indeed Martial Alliance warriors.
“Hm…indeed. However, why would Martial Alliance patrol members be here… Could they have been defeated while tracking a fiend? We should investigate upstream.”
“I’ll stay and guard this area.”
“And me as well.”
…So, am I to wait?
I watched as Master Elder and his disciples nimbly ascended the cliffside beside the waterfall using their light stepping techniques. Turning my gaze, I looked at Hye-ryeong standing idly next to me.
“Why aren’t you going?”
“And what about you?”
“…I can’t use light stepping.”
“I twisted my ankle on the way here…”
But you were running perfectly fine earlier.
I stared at her with suspicion, and Hye-ryeong responded by sheepishly smiling and averting her eyes.
“You should go without faking illness.”
“I’d rather stay here with you. It’s scary. Besides, if a fiend appears, we’ll need someone around here to inform Elder Baek.”
How could the same person who laughed while slashing heads moments ago say something so meek?
Still, she grabbed my hand with a rather inconspicuous gesture.
Her small but slightly rough palm tickled against my calloused one.
Is this girl, who surprisingly doesn’t look it, a true swordswoman?
Leaving her hand holding mine alone, I looked back towards the waterfall.
I hope nothing else happens.
Experience tells me that whenever I wish for peace, something inevitably occurs.
Why must I, not even a protagonist, get dragged into such situations?
“Aren’t you worried…?”
“I have no idea. Anyway, this fiend…”
“It seems the patrol group discovered the fiend by chance and tried to capture him alone, resulting in their ambush.”
“Fortunately, we found them first. I don’t know how strong the fiend is, but if he attacks, it’ll surely cause trouble.”
Isn’t it the nature of criminals to prefer ambushing?
I cautiously placed my hand on my sword’s hilt and closed my eyes.
I could only hear the steady flow of water eroding the rocks, the wind gently swaying the bushes, and birds chirping.
If anything disrupts this harmony…
“No sign yet.”
“What?”
“It’s nothing. Also, you should start guarding the surroundings. Until we know where the fiend is, we must assume he could attack at any moment.”
“Understood.”
Only then did Hye-ryeong let go of my hand and start scanning her surroundings.
But the valley remained silent.
It seemed as if the flowing water whispered that nothing would happen.
Still, complacency is dangerous.
After all, nothing undermines life faster than a moment of carelessness.
Even if it’s quiet now, incidents tend to arise unexpectedly.
It’d be sensible to assume that if trouble struck nearby, it could also come to us.
Tiring though it may be, maintaining vigilance is more prudent than dying carelessly.
“Will everyone be alright?”
“They should be. Even a fiend would have difficulty facing two peak experts at once. The one who committed these murders has no reason to linger.”
“Blood leaves the strongest traces, and now that they’ve antagonized the Martial Alliance, a pursuit team will surely come.”
The extent of the fiend’s abilities is unclear, but once the Martial Alliance sets its sights on someone, there’s rarely any escape.
Even someone with their fair share of foolishness can be sincerely committed to capturing fiends.
After an uncertain amount of time passed, as the sunset faded and the moon shone bright, a faint, familiar scent reached my nose.
“…Hye-ryeong.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Draw your sword.”
Hostility, or rather malice, radiates strongly from somewhere.
Whoever this person is, they certainly bear no good intentions towards us.
In lieu of the cliché call to show themselves, I unsheathed my longsword, having not used it for some time.
“Hye-ryong.”
“Yes, sir?”
“Once I begin my battle with the entity exuding this overwhelming malice, go find Elder Baek and bring him here.”
We don’t know how strong the enemy is.
They might be second-rate, first-rate, or even peak experts or beyond.
But does it really matter?
When faced with a foe, retreating would be dishonorable.
I slowly took the Ox Guard stance and turned towards the source of the malice.
Our eyes met.
In that instant, a crimson blade of ki, or perhaps dao, rushed toward me.
