The revenants in the forest let out their shrieks.
Kieeeek. Guweeek.
It was a grotesque wail, neither human voice nor beastly howl.
The forest, so silent you could hear a pin drop, transformed into a hellscape in an instant.
Dozens of revenants were visible right before their eyes. That meant even more lurked beyond in the shadows of the woods.
As proof, the pitch-black darkness writhed like a living thing, slithering toward the carriage.
Wang Yi Sam swallowed hard, peering into the gloom.
His ominous premonition had come true.
Even at a rough glance, there were hundreds of them!
Wang Yi Sam had survived several crises in the Blade Forest melee, where lives hung by a thread.
In close-quarters combat where friend and foe blurred together, day and night battles inevitably saw one side's numbers crumble at some point.
Once the balance tipped even slightly, the scales swung wildly. Holding out until then meant survival.
But this was different.
What approached from the darkness weren't living men, but revenants.
Revenants didn't die easily even if you severed their heads or limbs—they just kept coming. To fully put one down, three men had to swarm it and hack it to pieces.
And now, hundreds were charging right at them...
'This is where I die.'
Wang Yi Sam gripped his broad dao tightly, steeling himself.
That was when Seo Baek thrust out three fingers wide toward him.
Wang Yi Sam's mind snapped alert in an instant.
'...!'
Three ways to evade revenants.
Breath, blood, expression.
Looking at Seo Baek, he realized his mouth was already clamped shut. He'd already stopped breathing.
'Not the time for this.'
Huuup! Wang Yi Sam drew in a deep breath and held it.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Hundreds of revenants surged toward Seo Baek and Wang Yi Sam.
Wang Yi Sam tried to stay calm, but he couldn't stop his hands and feet from trembling.
Soon, the revenants began stumbling out of the forest one by one. The narrow path filled with them in moments.
As a martial artist, holding his breath was no great feat for Wang Yi Sam. But keeping a neutral expression? That was far trickier than it sounded.
The revenants shuffling along with heads and arms drooping slowly lifted their faces. The decayed, rotting corpses revealed their horrors up close.
Faces bloated purple-green.
Eye sockets hollowed out entirely.
From those voids and gaping maws, blood thread worms writhed like tentacles.
Quaaaeek.
One revenant sniffed right in front of Wang Yi Sam's nose.
Sniff sniff sniff.
Its jaw unhinged wide, drool spilling as it slavered.
Like a wild dog parched from drought, gaping and dripping saliva. It thirsted.
The only difference was that the dog craved water, while the revenant hungered for living blood!
As the unrecognizably putrid revenant shoved its face close, Wang Yi Sam nearly retched. He clamped his mouth shut and forced it down.
Thankfully, as Wang Yi Sam held his blank expression to the end, the revenants turned their heads away.
Kieeeek.
Ignoring Seo Baek and Wang Yi Sam, the revenants shambled toward the back of the carriage—where Jang Wu Myeong lay, already bitten and bleeding.
They'd caught the scent of blood.
Wang Yi Sam marveled inwardly.
'Seo Baek was right!'
Three ways to evade revenants.
Seo Baek's advice had been spot on. The revenants hadn't noticed them even with their noses inches away.
By cruel coincidence, Jang Wu Myeong—torn into and bleeding—served as bait, drawing the horde's attention.
As the revenants shifted toward Jang Wu Myeong, Seo Baek and Wang Yi Sam slipped free of the encirclement.
Wang Yi Sam sighed inwardly in relief.
'We're alive.'
Then their eyes met.
Seo Baek's icy gaze conveyed a single word.
'Expression.'
'...!'
Wang Yi Sam flinched, immediately hardening his face. In his relief at surviving, he'd nearly let a relaxed look slip.
Fortunately, no revenant noticed the change.
The horde pounced on Jang Wu Myeong, who still clung to life, and began devouring him.
Guweeek. Splurch splurch splurch.
"Aaaah... Uwaaak..."
Watching Jang Wu Myeong eaten alive sent chills down Wang Yi Sam's spine.
If Seo Baek hadn't stopped him when he'd tried to ease the man's suffering moments ago, he'd be revenant chow too.
Seo Baek watched Jang Wu Myeong's end with cold indifference.
'At least you're useful as bait in death.'
No prayers for the foolhardy vagrant.
'Your arrogance killed you.'
Seo Baek turned sharply and pointed ahead with a flat palm toward Wang Yi Sam. Their eyes communicated.
'Shall we go?'
'You sure?'
Seo Baek nodded, and Wang Yi Sam swallowed hard before nodding back.
Each grabbed a donkey's reins and started walking.
So many revenants had poured from the woods that they still clogged the path, thudding along.
Yet the horde failed to detect Seo Baek and Wang Yi Sam, who held their breath and blank faces.
The revenants passed the carriage, swarming toward Jang Wu Myeong.
Soon, Seo Baek and Wang Yi Sam broke free of the revenant throng.
Step by step, they escaped the nightmare.
Moments later, as the revenants vanished completely into the darkness, Seo Baek nodded.
"We're safe now."
"Phaa! Haa haa haa..."
Wang Yi Sam exhaled explosively, gasping for air.
But Seo Baek? He breathed quietly, unmoving as a doll.
Even Wang Yi Sam, now quite close to Seo Baek, felt a chill.
'What a guy.'
The Central Plains martial world teemed with hidden masters. New prodigies could emerge from any prestigious sect at any time.
Even so, Seo Baek's skill level and cool judgment were astonishing.
'If not for the revenant outbreak, the martial world would've erupted over his debut.'
Wang Yi Sam felt a pang of regret.
But then again, heroes arose in chaotic times.
"Thanks. You saved my life."
Wang Yi Sam bowed his head deeply.
"I won't forget this debt."
"Why act so unlike yourself, senior?"
The icy demeanor cracked; Seo Baek was back to his usual self, tossing in light jabs.
"I've incurred a debt too, so don't worry about it."
"What? What debt?"
Wang Yi Sam wondered what nonsense Seo Baek was spouting.
"Your plan was to deliver Jang Wu Myeong safe to Shu Dao Pass and claim two silver ingots, right? But I fed him to the revenants, so now I owe you two."
Wang Yi Sam's tension shattered at the words; he burst out laughing.
"...Wahaha! Never thought of it that way."
"But we each got a Sichuan Tang Clan carriage instead, so we can still grab two ingots apiece. Call it even?"
"Deal! Leading a donkey beats dragging that vagrant any day."
Seo Baek and Wang Yi Sam grinned at each other.
Each drove their carriage onward into the dark forest path.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
How long had they trudged through the pitch-black darkness?
The murky sky began to lighten faintly. Night yielded to dawn.
Wang Yi Sam sighed.
"Whew. Dawn makes it bearable."
"Two more nights to go."
"Yeah. Bright path ahead, literally."
Seo Baek pulled a waterskin from his leather satchel. Made from a deer's stomach sewn with hide, it kept water cool in summer and warm in winter.
He tilted it for a sip. The fresh, cool water soothed him instantly.
"Water?"
"Sure."
Wang Yi Sam gulped it down heartily.
"Refreshing! Feels like living again."
Seo Baek drew two hefty strips of jerky from his satchel and handed one over.
"What's this?"
"Smoked and dried venison. Dig in."
"Well-prepared, aren't you?"
"Central Plains are vast."
They chewed the venison as they walked.
Tough and fibrous at first, it softened with chewing, releasing rich meaty flavor. Coarse salt, sprinkled to preserve it, added a salty tang.
They munched steadily along the path.
Then Wang Yi Sam pulled a small flask from his own satchel.
"Was saving this, but oh well."
He took a swig.
"Kuh, that's the stuff!"
"Don't tell me that's booze in your waterskin?"
"Why not?"
"Unbelievable. Carrying liquor instead of water—you should call it a booze-skin."
Seo Baek clicked his tongue; Wang Yi Sam shot back.
"Hey, liquor is water. Quenches thirst like nothing else."
"Never heard that one."
"And that's not all. Splash it on wounds for disinfection—handy medicine."
"You disinfect your gut plenty. I'll pass; got proper salves."
"That's your problem. Gotta live long to appreciate fine liquor."
"Must be strong stuff. One sip and you're chatty."
"The stronger, the better. Li Bai recited poetry nonstop on the hard stuff, right?"
Wang Yi Sam invoked Li Bai, then, buzzed, began reciting.
"Among the flowers, a jug of wine. I pour alone—no friend to share."
To his surprise, Seo Baek picked up seamlessly.
"I invite the bright moon to my cup; my shadow and I make three."
Wang Yi Sam gaped.
"You know Li Bai's Drinking Alone by Moonlight?"
"Yes. On bright moonlit nights, my master recited it to his wife. She loved Li Bai's poems."
"Reciting that under the moon? Fine master and lady! Wait—your name..."
"Yes, the same. Li Baek and Seo Baek."
"Sharing a name with the great poet? You'll carve your mark on the martial world! Great name!"
"Actually, my lady named me Seo Baek."
A rare shadow of sorrow tinged Seo Baek's voice. But buzzed Wang Yi Sam missed it, belting more verse noisily.
Seo Baek recalled his first days at Shika Manor. When his lady named him.
—You came from the west, so surname Seo (West).
—No parents known, so Baek (White) for name.
—Seo Baek (Western White). Like it?
Why hadn't he realized until now? That his lady's gift matched the poet Li Bai.
Perhaps she'd named him thinking of Li Bai?
Seo Baek wondered. But the lady who could answer was gone.
"Remember this! Just as liquor forged the greatest poet, know its taste to become the greatest warrior!"
"Noted."
"Liquor is, by nature..."
That was when it hit.
BOOOOM!
A massive roar shook the earth.
The carriage jolted violently. The blast was so thunderous, ears rang and heads spun.
"What the hell?"
"An explosion."
"Explosion?"
As dazed Wang Yi Sam muttered, Seo Baek glanced back at the carriage.
'Sichuan Tang Clan... so that's it!'
Seo Baek realized what the cargo was.