“Whew!” Yoo Jang-Hwan lifted his head and exhaled deeply.
Everyone from the Silver Horse rchant Association joined him, releasing a collective sigh of relief.
“What kind of wind…” Head Escort Lee Deung-Myung muttered, shaking his head, his expression one of utter bewildernt.
About an hour earlier, the weather had taken a sudden, violent turn, unleashing a snowstorm that battered them out of nowhere. It was so fierce they could scarcely catch their breath, yet as abruptly as it had appeared, it disappeared, lting away under the warm sun as though it had been a re illusion. The snow that had blanketed the ground dissolved without a trace. No one would believe a storm had swept through had they not witnessed it.
“Phew! I really can’t get used to this crazy weather,” Yoo Jang-Hwan groaned under his breath.
“You’re telling ,” Lee Deung-Myung concurred.
Currently, they were at the border between Xinjiang and Qinghai Province, notorious for its unpredictable weather due to its mountains and lakes. Snowstorms could appear while the sun still shone, only to vanish as if they were never there.
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For those unfamiliar with the terrain and climate, navigating this area was an impossible challenge. Thankfully, the Silver Horse rchant Association’s motto to always be prepared for all situations saved them from serious trouble on nurous occasions.
Yoo Jang-Hwan’s eyes wandered to the carriage at the end of their convoy, resting on a girl who looked no older than sixteen. Despite the terrifying snowstorm, Eun Han-Seol seed unfazed, not a single hair out of place, her shoulders and head free of snow, as if the storm had consciously avoided her.
Seeing her gazing blankly into the distance, Yoo Jang-Hwan soon found himself doing the sa. On the horizon, the massive Kunlun Mountains stretched skyward.
“The Kunlun Mountains,” he murmured.
The sacred mountain range in the southwest of Qinghai Province was awe-inspiring. Even in the height of sumr, its peaks were crowned with eternal snow, commanding reverence and towering majestically over all.
However, the Kunlun Mountains were not only famous for their majesty, but also for the Kunlun Sect that called them ho. As one of the legendary Nine Great Sects, the Kunlun Sect was instruntal in the founding of Heaven’s Summit, yet unlike other sects in the Central Plains, they seed detached from its goals and indifferent to its ambitions, rarely sending out disciples and showing little interest in worldly affairs.
Nevertheless, they were always the first to respond to demonic uprisings or martial conflicts in their territory. As a result, the people of Qinghai held the Kunlun Sect in unparalleled esteem, even more so than the other Nine Great Sects. Even though the sect had not produced a mber of Heaven’s Summit’s Nine Skies, most believed that they could have easily claid a spot if they had wanted to.
To Yoo Jang-Hwan, Eun Han-Seol was as enigmatic as the Kunlun Sect itself. Throughout their journey, she had barely spoken, keeping her distance, living as if in her own world.
What on earth is that girl’s hiding?
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He had many questions, but her silence offered no answers.
Just then, Lee Deung-Myung addressed him, “Everyone’s exhausted from battling the snowstorm. We should rest early today.”
“Let’s do that,” Yoo Jang-Hwan nodded, feeling every bit as weary as his companions.
“There’s a good spot nearby for camping. It should be suitable for the night,” Lee Deung-Myung proposed, leading the way to a small basin encircled by large rocks near a naless lake—a perfect campsite.
Yoo Jang-Hwan was impressed. “When did you find a place like this?”
“Ha! I’ve spent my life on the road, so finding places like this is second nature,” Lee Deung-Myung chuckled.
“I’m still far from your level. I’ll have to work harder to keep up with you, Captain,” Yoo Jang-Hwan replied candidly.
Lee Deung-Myung broke into hearty laughter, “Haha! You’re always welco!”
As the seasoned martial artists set up camp with practiced ease, Eun Han-Seol watched silently from the carriage roof.
Drawing water, lighting a fire, cooking food—these routines made Eun Han-Seol feel a strange pang in her heart. Despite the hardships of the journey, their jokes and laughter over simple things sparked a sense of alienation within her.
Eun Han-Seol buried her head between her knees. Mu-Won. Oddly, she could no longer rember his face. Though she longed for him, his image was fading from her mory, leaving her disoriented.
Just then, soone approached her. “Miss, the food is ready. Everyone’s waiting for you.”
She looked up to see Yoo Jang-Hwan. He gave her a shy smile as she stared at him. Eun Han-Seol dusted off her clothes and jumped down from the carriage, landing silently like a cat, and followed him.
“Haha! Co on, Miss,” he said. “Here is your seat.”
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The escorts, who had initially been awkward around her, now treated her casually, having gotten used to her presence. Eun Han-Seol sat down naturally, and an escort handed her a bowl of mysterious porridge.
Without hesitation, she began to eat, and her actions drew smiles from those around her. To them, she was just a fifteen-year-old girl, which perhaps made it easier to interact with her.
Dinner ended quickly. The escorts tidied up the area efficiently, set up sleeping arrangents around the campfire, and except for a few on guard duty, everyone settled down to sleep.
Eun Han-Seol was given the best spot, but she didn’t lie down. She couldn’t rember when exactly, but over ti, she had co to need very little sleep and no longer felt tired without it.
Her eyes reflecting the endless sea of stars, she sat up and gazed at the sky.
Ti passed as she enjoyed the silence. With everyone, including the guards, falling into a deep slumber, the camp was enveloped in a profound stillness.
Suddenly, Eun Han-Seol frowned, sensing sothing off. Killing intent. Over a hundred yards away.
She rose and looked around. Having perfected the Heart of the Silver Soul, her senses were incredibly sharp, far beyond the ordinary. She easily noticed a group of martial artists approaching from over a hundred yards away, but it seed that no one in the Silver Horse rchant Association had any inkling of their presence yet.
An urge to maintain the tranquility of the quiet campsite , filled only with the sounds of gentle breathing, overca her.
Without a mont’s hesitation, Eun Han-Seol leapt out of the campsite.
The approaching group looked wretched. Their clothes, made of animal skins, were caked with yellow dust. Their unwashed, matted hair glead with grease. Dirt covered their faces, and their exposed teeth shone yellow in the darkness.
The Three Yellow-Robed Fiends. These criminals had recently made Qinghai Province their base of operations. Known for their ferocity and advanced martial arts, few in Qinghai Province could match them. They survived by raiding rchant caravans, leaving a trail of death and theft in their wake. Hundreds had perished at their hands, prompting several sects in Qinghai to attempt to subdue them. However, their elusive nature and the vastness of Qinghai had so far prevented their capture.
“Fufu! So, the Silver Horse rchant Association is just over that hill?”
“That’s right. They raked in a hefty profit in the Western Regions, so hitting them up should be worth our while.”
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“With that cash, we can live it up to our hearts’ content. Fufu!”
The Three Yellow-Robed Fiends laughed wickedly. They already saw the Silver Horse rchant Association’s riches as their own, certain their prey stood no chance against them.
“Huh?”
Out of nowhere, a small girl materialized before them like a ghost. The Three Yellow-Robed Fiends shot each other baffled looks, but their bewildernt quickly morphed into lecherous smirks.
“Fufu! What a treat!”
Bathed in the soft moonlight, Eun Han-Seol’s otherworldly beauty held them spellbound. The cause of her sudden ergence was irrelevant. To them, she was rely another prey for their depraved appetites.
“Girl, are you with the Silver Horse rchant Association? How thoughtful of them to send a girl our way. We’ll be sure to make their end quick as a thank you.”
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“Co here, girl. We might even spare your life.”
“She looks good enough to eat in one bite.”
Their eyes flashed with greed, causing Eun Han-Seol to frown subtly, but that only heightened her allure in their eyes.
“Leap into our arms, girl. We’ll take good care of you.”
Eun Han-Seol’s blood red lips parted. “That does it. Your fate is sealed,” she declared icily.
“What did you say?”
“I’m talking about your death.”
“Haha! This girl talks so cute!”
The Three Yellow-Robed Fiends burst into laughter. The eldest, still laughing, turned a nacing gaze toward Eun Han-Seol.
“Little girl, if you don’t want to see us angry, strip and co over here.”
“I’ll start with that filthy mouth of yours.”
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“What?”
In the middle of his lewd speech, the eldest felt a sudden chill near his mouth and wiped it with the back of his hand. His two companions, however, gasped in horror.
“Hyung’s tongue!”
“Hyung’s tongue is…”
Blood spurted like a fountain from the eldest Fiend’s severed tongue. For a mont, he stared blankly at his brothers, feeling no pain, when the agony hit him.
“AHHHH!”
With his tongue gone, his scream was incoherent. The second and third Fiends glared at Eun Han-Seol, drawing their weapons.
“You dared to attack us!”
“You set a trap, didn’t you? Are you from the Kunlun Sect?”
Eun Han-Seol didn’t answer. Instead, she gathered her inner qi, stirring up a storm of silver energy around her.
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“What the…” The Three Yellow-Robed Fiends grimaced in confusion as the silver storm engulfed them.
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