Longevity - Chapter 36

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 36: A Stand for Life
“Stone Bridge?”

Jin Ipchoo turned to look at Baturul. Yi Jungyong also stared at him for a moment, momentarily at a loss for words.
Baturul raised his voice in protest.

“Why are you looking at me like that? You never asked me if it was a wooden bridge or a stone bridge.”
“Was that something you needed to ask separately? Most bridges in the world today are wooden ones.”
“That’s enough.”

Yi Jungyong turned back and cut short the two of them. The figures of their three pursuers appeared again below the mountain path.

“If we can’t take them with us, we’ll hold them at the north end of the bridge. We need to position ourselves before they reach it.”
“Understood. I and Jin will stay.”

Jin Ipchoo answered at once. Jeon Jingung also spoke from the right side of the carriage.

“I’ll stay as well.”
“You cannot.”

Jin Ipchoo shook his head.

“We haven’t even covered a thousand miles yet. More than three thousand miles remain to Ganzhou,

so you and Baturul must protect Jang Saeng.”
“There are three of them, and they’re stronger than us.”

Jeon Jingung kept her eyes on the three mounted figures behind them.

“Even if I stay as well, we might hold them. With only the two of you remaining, it will be difficult to buy time.”

Jin Ipchoo opened his mouth, then closed it. Yi Jungyong too could not immediately object.
Baturul lifted the Iron Rod and settled it across his shoulders.

“I’m the strongest, so I’ll stay with Jin and Yi. You take Jang Saeng and go.”
“That won’t do. I don’t know the way.”

Jeon Jingung’s reply was brief but resolute.
Jang Saeng gripped the carriage rail and leaned out.

“I’m not going either. We can all fight together.”

Yi Jungyong turned his horse toward the carriage.

“Have you forgotten your master’s request?”
“I haven’t forgotten. But how can I leave the three of you behind?”
“You cannot practice Martial Arts. If you stay, we’ll have to protect you as well.”

As Jang Saeng bit his lip, Jin Ipchoo continued.

“Jang Saeng, I won’t deceive you with pretty words. Whoever stays will find it difficult to survive. But you’re not safe even if you go first. Without us, you’ll have to travel alone, which could be even more dangerous.”
“Then we should fight together all the more.”
“No.”

Yi Jungyong’s voice grew quiet.

“We need to buy time here so that you can carry out your master’s final wish. If we all stay and die together, nothing will remain.”

Jang Saeng looked down at the Crossbow resting on his knees. At the Crossroads he had at least held the reins, but now the enemies blocking the way ahead were not people who would scatter when struck by horses.
After firing a single bolt, he had neither the strength to draw the string again nor the skill to stand before swordmasters. To insist on staying would only bind the hands of the three of them, one by one.
Even knowing this, Jin Ipchoo’s grip would not relent. By the time Jang Saeng lifted his head, Yi Jungyong was already gauging the distance behind them.
As they crested the ridge, the Stone Bridge revealed itself. The span connecting the two mountainsides stretched nearly a li in length, its width barely two paces across.
A dozen paces below the bridge, a great river hammered against the rocks, flowing eastward. Beyond the low stone railing, white foam flickered in the light.
The northern end of the bridge opened directly onto a narrow path along the mountainside. Three riders abreast could hold the crossing, but retreat meant nothing but the long, narrow span behind them.
Past the southern end, the path curved into forest. Jang Saeng realized that once they turned that corner, he would never see those three riders again.
Yi Jungyong shouted toward Jeon Jingung.

“Target the horses first when the fight begins, not the riders. Eliminate those mounts and it’ll be near impossible for them to catch up with me and Baturul.”
“Understood.”
“We’ll abandon our own horses too. Loosen the reins and let them follow the carriage.”

Jeon Jingung and Jin Ipchoo nodded in unison.
Baturul’s face darkened.

“You keep the horses. If we actually win, we’ll need to ride after them anyway.”

Jin Ipchoo let out a hollow laugh.

“Do you really think there’s a chance of that, sir?”

Baturul couldn’t answer. His grip on the whip only tightened.
Jin Ipchoo’s amusement faded quickly. He glanced back, then pressed once on the hilt of the Linked Sword.

“I’ll stay behind. Send Jang Saeng alone.”
“That won’t work.”

Jin Ipchoo cut in immediately.

“If we run into more pursuers on the road, how will the boy manage? Baturul has to go as far as possible with him.”

Baturul looked between Jin Ipchoo and Jang Saeng, then spat a harsh curse. Though he ground his teeth as if he could abandon neither one, he never slowed the carriage’s pace.
The Stone Bridge drew closer, and the three pursuers closed the gap rapidly. Jang Saeng understood that the time to leave was running out.
Yi Jungyong untied a Money Pouch from his belt and threw it over.

“Catch it, boy.”

Jang Saeng caught it in both hands, and the heavy clink of coins rang out.

“I’d meant to take you all the way into Ganzhou, but we won’t make it even a thousand li. When the pursuers catch up again, Baturul will draw them south with the carriage. That’s when you get down and head west.”

Baturul asked, still gripping the reins.

“West? That’s the wrong direction. Why send him that way?”
“If we keep going south by land, we can’t escape pursuit. You have to reach Youzhou and take a boat.”

“Youzhou is a thousand li away. Even making a detour, it’ll take more than two weeks.”
“We’re in the dry season now. There are boats running downriver along the current.”

Yi Jungyong spoke to Jang Saeng in careful, measured tones.

“From Youzhou, hire a boat and go downriver past Ezhou, Shangzhou, Poyang, and the Ganjiang River to reach Ganzhou. Following the water, you can make it in less than two weeks.”

Jang Saeng tried to hold the unfamiliar place names in his mind. Between the sound of hoofbeats and wheel-rattle, one missed word meant he might never recover it.

“Brother, please say it just once more.”

Yi Jungyong asked him to repeat it in the same order.

“Board a boat in western Youzhou, then pass through Ezhou, Shangzhou, Poyang, down the Ganjiang River to Ganzhou. Go through it again.”
“I board a boat in Youzhou and pass through Ezhou and Shangzhou. I go through Poyang, enter the Ganjiang River, and arrive at Ganzhou.”
“Good. Spend money only on boat fares and food. Don’t tell strangers where you’re headed.”

Yi Jungyong’s eyes fell to Jang Saeng’s chest. The Black Wooden Box was bound tightly beneath his robe.

“You can lose everything else. But you must never lose the Huitian Golden Pill.

Master is gone now, but his final request remains.”

Jang Saeng tucked the Money Pouch into his breast and pressed down over the wooden box.

“I won’t let anyone take it from me before I die. I will deliver it without fail.”

Just as the carriage was about to reach the north end of the bridge, Jeon Jingung drew a small Cloth Pouch from her sleeve.

“Youngest disciple.”

Jang Saeng caught the pouch she threw. Small, hard objects clinked inside, but he couldn’t tell what they were.

“Elder Sister, what is this?”
“Look at it later.”

Jeon Jingung drew her sword and turned her gaze away.

“Make it to Ganzhou alive.”
“Elder Sister……”

Instead of answering, Jeon Jingung checked once more to ensure Jang Saeng’s hand hadn’t loosened its grip on the pouch. Then she released the reins and tapped the horse’s neck lightly.
There was no time for more words. As the carriage climbed onto the Stone Bridge, Yi Jungyong, Jin Ipchoo, and Jeon Jingung leaped from their horses simultaneously.
Three sets of reins were released. The horses, part of the same group, made no attempt to slow their pace but galloped after the carriage across the bridge.
Baturul never once looked back. Even as curses continued to spill from his mouth, he swung his whip hard.

“Go!”

Jang Saeng twisted around on the swaying carriage. The three people left at the north end of the bridge had already drawn their weapons.
Three pursuers closed to within fifty paces. In the sunlight, he could even see the black manes of their horses and the white steam from their nostrils.
Jin Ipchoo’s voice rang out across the bridge.

“Whatever was obtained from the Tomb of Medicine King—deliver it directly to the Divine Physician!”

Jang Saeng didn’t understand his words at first. Then he realized Jin Ipchoo was deliberately speaking loud enough for the pursuers to hear.
If the object came from the Medicine King’s tomb, it would appear to be a medical text. Hearing that it was to be delivered to the Divine Physician, the pursuers could believe their destination lay where the Divine Physician dwelled.

“Look ahead, youngest!”

Baturul’s shout made Jang Saeng grip the carriage railing. Yet his gaze could not leave the north end of the bridge.
Before the three pursuers could pull their reins, Yi Jungyong, Jin Ipchoo, and Jeon Jingung charged forward first. Their blades and throwing knives aimed not at the riders, but at the horses’ chests and front legs.
Jang Saeng grasped the meaning of that choice. If there had been any chance of cutting down the riders, the three would never have gone for the horses first. The purpose of this fight was not victory, but delay.
The pursuers’ horses reared up simultaneously, front hooves rising. The first assault cut through empty air, but the three didn’t stop—they drove sideways past the horses.
Jeon Jingung’s Cross-shaped Throwing Knife grazed one horse’s shoulder. Yi Jungyong’s blade opened a wound on another horse’s front leg, and Jin Ipchoo’s Linked Sword slashed the third horse’s flank.
The horses shrieked and scattered. Two men and a woman astride them launched themselves from their saddles simultaneously.
The two men drew their swords and blocked the path of Yi Jungyong and Jin Ipchoo. The middle-aged woman flipped through the air and landed on the bridge, then broke into a run straight toward the carriage.

Yi Jungyong struck up the sword of the man blocking the center path twice in succession. Jin Ipchoo also lowered his body to aim at another man’s ribs, but both men retreated half a step sideways without counterattacking, letting their blades slide past.
As the woman slipped through the gap, Jeon Jingung immediately pivoted. She positioned herself between the carriage and the woman, hurling three Cross-shaped Throwing Knives.
Whish!
The woman bent at the waist to evade the first blade, twisted her feet to slip past the second. As the third grazed her sleeve, Jeon Jingung had already closed the distance.
Yi Jungyong and Jin Ipchoo, knowing they were outmatched, pressed their attacks relentlessly. The two men parried not with their blades but by retreating half a step at a time, letting the strikes flow past them. Their expressions betrayed no urgency.

“Don’t kill them.”

One of the men called to his companion.

“The Taepyeong Inn’s orders are to capture alive.”

Even after hearing this, Yi Jungyong and Jin Ipchoo did not lower their blades. They drove short, continuous attacks forward, leaving their opponents no opening to counterattack.
The weight pressing on Jang Saeng’s chest eased slightly. The promise not to kill was no guarantee, but at least they weren’t about to cut down all three of them outright.
The carriage drew near the southern end of the Stone Bridge. A few more bends ahead, and the northern bridge entrance would vanish behind the forest.
Jeon Jingung hurled a third Throwing Knife. In the moment the middle-aged woman twisted her body to dodge, Jeon Jingung leaped into the opening and wrapped both arms around her waist.

“Sister!”

Jang Saeng’s cry rang out as both women were driven toward the stone railing. The woman tried to plant her feet, but Jeon Jingung lowered her shoulder and drove forward with her full weight.
The low railing—barely waist-high—caught both women at the thighs. In the next instant, both bodies toppled over the bridge and into the river.
Jang Saeng’s heart seemed to stop.
The moment the middle-aged woman fell, her left hand seized the sharp edge of a blue stone below the railing. With Jeon Jingung hanging from one arm, both bodies swung wildly above the river.
One of the men fighting to the north cried out in alarm.

“Yi Chung!

Save Jin Guanyoung

!”

Jin Guanyoung tightened her grip, trying to haul herself upward. Jeon Jingung seized her collar with both hands and pulled downward with all her strength.
The fabric stretched taut, and Jin Guanyoung’s fingers slid free from the stone. As the woman’s body fell, the recoil flung Jeon Jingung upward.

“Done!”

Jang Saeng cried out.
Jeon Jingung’s hands pressed against the stone railing. Just as her upper body rose above the bridge, Yi Chung slipped aside from Jin Ipchoo’s Linked Sword and rushed toward the railing.
He planted one hand on the railing and vaulted upward. His extended foot struck Jeon Jingung’s chest directly.
Thud!
Jeon Jingung’s body arched backward. Blood burst from her mouth, and her fingers lost their grip on the stone.

“Sister!”

Jang Saeng lunged forward from behind the carriage, his body stretched to its limit. But the Stone Bridge was already receding.
Jeon Jingung’s black robes vanished beneath the railing.
In Jang Saeng’s hand remained only the small cloth pouch she had pressed into it.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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