The Peach Blossom Spring, Part Five

Old Ma suddenly turned around and pulled Kim Ji-won back a bit.

Below was a bottomless abyss, with a turquoise river flowing silently at the bottom of the canyon, like a giant's emerald belt spreading out within it. On the opposite steep mountain wall, lush and verdant plants of unknown species grew, mostly deep green, with clusters of red and yellow interspersed among them.

Old Ma tugged at the rope tied to Kim Ji-won's arm and led her forward.

Kim Ji-won shook the juice off her sword and sheathed it. The two of them, one on horseback and one on foot, walked intently along the edge of the canyon.

On the distant mountainside, several conspicuous waterfalls cascade silently amidst the lush vegetation, resembling white ribbons draped over the precipitous cliffs.

After walking along the edge of the cliff for a while, Lao Ma led Kim Ji-won back into the woods.

This section of the path was much easier to walk than the one we came in from, and Kim Ji-won could clearly feel that she was going downhill.

As they walked through the dense forest for a long time, Kim Ji-won slowly lost her sense of time. The faint sound of flowing water came from the other side of the trees, and Old Ma's breathing became increasingly rapid.

Kim Ji-won slowed down her pace, but Old Ma pulled her forward.

After walking for a while longer, Kim Ji-won heard the clear sound of flowing water this time. The rumbling sound grew closer and closer, and she saw the end of the woods once again.

Stepping out of the woods, icy water droplets splashed against my face. The white ribbon seemed to have been draped down from the sky, its tail slapping against the water's surface with a thunderous roar that seemed to shatter clouds and split rocks.

Kim Ji-won felt like she had wandered into the eye of a thunderstorm, unable to discern directions or hear anything. She could only instinctively follow Old Ma.

After passing several magnificent waterfalls, Kim Ji-won emerged from the roar of the water in the evening. Her clothes were completely soaked, and Old Ma was also soaked to the bone long before.

Kim Ji-won stroked the old horse's wet mane and said, "Let's rest here today."

Old Ma wanted to move forward, but Kim Ji-won had already made her decision and forcefully held him back.

“My husband’s got a fire, I’ll wipe it off for you in a bit,” Kim Ji-won patted the horse’s rump and said, “I promised to take good care of you.”

Old Ma seemed to understand Kim Ji-won's meaning, closed his eyes, climbed down, and stopped struggling. His breathing gradually calmed down.

After lighting a fire, Kim Ji-won noticed that many longswords had fallen around her. Some stood upright, with most of them embedded in the ground. Although they had all been thrown from the cliff, the depths they were embedded in varied. Others were broken in the middle, with only one half lying on the ground, the other half missing.

Using discarded swords and branches, she built a frame and hung her clothes on it after changing them. She then went to the river to fetch water, but the stones along the riverbank were covered in moss, and she almost slipped.

After filling a container with cool water and placing it on the fire, Kim Ji-won took out some military biscuits and linen and set them aside. She then took out several large white steamed buns from her personal bag.

Kim Ji-won looked up at the sky, and visually she could no longer distinguish where the cliff was and where the sky was.

This section of the river was much calmer, allowing one to deeply feel the tranquility of the night. By the steady firelight, along with the bubbling of boiling water and the babbling of flowing water, Kim Ji-won began to wipe the old horse clean.

After drying Old Ma, the water had cooled down. Kim Ji-won broke the horse biscuits into a paste in the water and brought it to Old Ma. She then sat by the fire and ate a steamed bun.

~

The scorching breath hit Kim Ji-won's cheek, accompanied by a loud, thunderous sound.

As soon as Kim Ji-won opened her eyes, a dazzling Milky Way came into view. The Milky Way stretched along the only sky at the bottom of the valley, and at this moment, the cliffs and the sky were clearly distinct.

Kim Ji-won gazed at the starry sky, while Old Ma stood beside her, watching her. She felt that both she and the horse were reflections of the stars.

In a daze, Kim Ji-won seemed to see a tear fall from Old Ma's eye. She reached out her hand, but couldn't feel it.

It was still far from dawn when the old horse nudged Kim Ji-won with its head, urging her to keep going. Kim Ji-won couldn't resist its urge, so she got up and continued on her journey by starlight.

As dawn approached, Kim Ji-won arrived at a peach grove. Some blossoms on the branches were still buds, while others were already in full bloom. Bees were flitting among the blossoms.

A gentle stream flowed through the peach blossom grove, and Old Ma led Kim Ji-won along the riverbank, their pace gradually slowing.

Kim Ji-won had a premonition that the Peach Blossom Spring was just around the corner.

Old Ma stopped and drank a mouthful of clear river water. He turned around, as if glancing at Kim Ji-won, then continued on his way.

After walking a short distance along the riverbank, the old horse led the way into the depths of the peach grove. Seemingly due to exhaustion, it stopped more and more frequently, and Kim Ji-won didn't urge it, but patiently followed.

Old Ma led Kim Ji-won to the edge of the rock face, and this time they slowly climbed down.

"Are you tired?" Kim Ji-won took out a military horse biscuit from her bag, broke off a piece, and fed it to the horse's mouth.

Old Ma closed his eyes and rubbed his face against Kim Ji-won's hand, but didn't open his mouth.

Kim Ji-won looked in the direction from which the sound of running water came and said, "How about I get you some water?"

Kim Ji-won untied the rope that had been tied to her wrist and hadn't walked far towards the sound of water when she suddenly realized something and jogged back to Old Ma's side.

Old Ma has passed away.

~

Not far in the direction Old Ma had left, there was a crack in the rock face that stretched straight to the sky. The entrance to the crack was about two people wide. Standing in the peach grove, you couldn't see the end of the crack. The further away you went, the closer the mountains on both sides of the crack seemed to be, but they never met.

Regardless, Kim Ji-won decided to go in and take a look.

After unloading her extra luggage and saying goodbye to Lao Ma, Kim Ji-won continued on her way.

The width of the passage kept changing, initially wide enough for two people, then narrowing to just one. In the narrowest part, Kim Ji-won had to squeeze through sideways.

All sounds seemed to vanish, and Kim Ji-won could gradually only hear the sound of her own feet. The sound of flowing water had long since faded away and was no longer audible. The old horse's snorting and panting were also gone. The azure sky above remained unchanged, and sometimes the silence made her feel as if she had forgotten to breathe; it was as if she were walking in a completely still time.

Kim Ji-won looked back at the road she had come from, and it was exactly the same as the road ahead, as if the road behind her was the one she was on. She turned around in a panic, worried that she had lost her way. She kicked away a small pebble, watching it bounce and jump on the ground, making a crisp sound as it hit the stone wall, then bounced a few more times before finally stopping.

Taking a deep breath, Kim Ji-won decided never to look back and strode forward with all her might.

Kim Ji-won never looked back, nor did she ever look up at the sky above. In her eyes were only those two stone walls that would forever seem to be about to intersect.

When they were hungry, they would take out steamed buns from their bundles; when they were sleepy, they would lie down on their side in the passageway. After finishing their rations, they could finally see the end of the two endless stone walls.

Kim Ji-won jumped out through the gap as if fleeing.

Her ears were the first to receive the new world, and the joyful chirping of birds swirled into her eardrums. It wasn't a solo song; if you listened carefully, you'd realize it was a chorus of cheerful songs. The joyful sounds wove together and gently reached Kim Ji-won's heart.

My eyes gradually adjusted to the bright light, my field of vision was no longer narrow, and the colors were no longer monotonous. The rolling mountains came into view, and the vegetation grew happily, red, green, and yellow, in clumps arranged in a pleasing and orderly fashion.

At the end of the mountains rises a copper-green cliff as high as the sky.

The cliffs are much higher than the highest peaks, completely enclosing the mountains and forming a secluded world. Numerous waterfalls cascade down from the top of the cliffs, appearing as if they were falling from the sky.

The thunderous roar of the waterfall echoed through the valley, the magnificent curtain of water churning the air. A refreshing storm of air filled Kim Ji-won's nostrils and rushed into her lungs, squeezing out all the stale air.

The cool, clear water that accumulates at the foot of the cliff flows in all directions, forming rivers in the valley.

Looking at the vast and magnificent world before her, Kim Ji-won mustered all her strength, her face contorted as she cursed, "You son of a bitch!"

The long, drawn-out sound, accompanied by the sound of water and chirping, echoed continuously in the valley.

~

The capital city, the Prime Minister's residence.

It was late at night, but the light in Zhao Zheng's study was still on.

Kim Yoo-jung, holding the letter, gracefully crossed the empty courtyard in front of the study. She knocked twice, and before Zhao Zheng could answer, she pushed the door open and entered the house.

“Brother Jung,” Kim Yoo-jung said playfully, “I think we should hire some guards for you, two rows of them outside the gate. Whether it’s good or bad, at least your courtyard won’t be so deserted.”

Zhao Zheng looked up from the pile of documents and gazed at the mischievous girl in front of him. His tightly furrowed brows immediately relaxed. He asked with concern, "Why are you still awake so late tonight?"

Kim Yoo-jung stepped forward, cupped Jo Jung's face, and rubbed his forehead with her two thumbs, saying, "What's bothering you so much? Don't always frown like that, it'll make you age faster."

Kim Yoo-jung, having smoothed out Zhao Zheng's forehead, jumped back a step and looked around, saying with satisfaction, "That's good. I don't want to be facing an old man with Ji-won unnie every day."

Zhao Zheng smiled helplessly, looked at the letter in Kim Yoo-jung's hand, and asked, "What is this?"

"It's a letter from Sister Ji-won, delivered by express courier." Kim Yoo-jung handed over the letter, walked behind Jo Jung, and said, "I haven't had a chance to read it yet."

Zhao Zheng unfolded the letter. Although Jin Yuzhen was standing behind him, she didn't read the contents of the letter at all, but urged, "Take a look and see what it says."

"Ji-won went to the Burial Sword Gorge." Zhao Zheng read the letter quickly. He knew that Kim Yoo-jung was too lazy to read it, so he read it while talking to her.

"What are you going there for? Is Ji-won unnie going to quit?" Kim Yoo-jung said in surprise, quickly punching Jo Jung's shoulder a few times and scolding him, "I told you to be nicer to Ji-won unnie, don't always make her run around alone."

"How have I treated her badly?" Zhao Zheng said, both amused and annoyed.

“She doesn’t even look down on the men under my command. I might as well give her my own men.” Kim Yoo-jung complained, “Why don’t you talk to the Emperor and ask him to find her a few handsome male guards? They could keep her company and help her pass the time.”

“What nonsense,” Zhao Zheng turned his head and glared at Jin Yuzhen. “She went to find those old men in Peach Blossom Spring.”

"They went to fight?" Kim Yoo-jung pretended to walk out, saying, "No, I have to go help her."

Zhao Zheng grabbed her wrist, pulling her back with a wry smile, and said, "If you know where it is, then go."

“Besides,” Zhao Zheng continued, “she went to find Peach Blossom Spring to cooperate with, not to fight.”

Kim Yoo-jung breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Where is Peach Blossom Spring?"

"She said it was right behind the Burial Sword Gorge."

As he continued reading, Zhao Zheng frowned again.

Kim Yoo-jung asked anxiously, "What's wrong?"

“Xuanyuan’s sword heart has been taken away,” Zhao Zheng replied. “The Beggars’ Sect keeps its information tightly under wraps, and no one knows what happened that day.”

"The group we sent to Wuling hasn't reported back for some time." Kim Yoo-jung's expression also began to turn serious.

"All of my secret outposts in the city have been taken over by the Beggars' Sect," Zhao Zheng continued reading the letter. "There may have been some internal turmoil within the Beggars' Sect."

"The Beggars' Sect has always had a struggle between old and new factions. I speculate that four forces gathered at Ping An Courtyard that night: us, the Beggars' Sect, the person who took Jian Xin, and those who had grudges against us. The old faction of the Beggars' Sect, together with the other two factions, set up a scheme to purge the new faction within the sect, while also killing our people."

Zhao Zheng and Kim Yoo-jung exchanged a glance, then continued reading:

"Here's my guess: the Blood Palace took away Jianxin, and the Misty Rain Pavilion is our sworn enemy. If these three parties unite, the situation will be very unfavorable for us."

"No, I have to go to Burial Sword Gorge to help Ji-won," Kim Yoo-jung said anxiously. "It's too dangerous for her there."

Kim Yoo-jung clenched her hands and walked out hastily.

"Yu-jung," Zhao Zheng called out from behind her, "If things don't look good, take Ji-won and retreat immediately. Don't linger in the fight."

Kim Yoo-jung turned to look at him, but did not answer immediately.

"His Majesty is seriously ill, and I cannot leave the capital now." Zhao Zheng looked earnestly into her eyes and said, "No matter what, come back safely."

"Okay." Kim Yoo-jung nodded and left the room.