Chapter 575: Naadam (8)
The limping figure beyond the gate.
Spoken aloud, the phrase produced an awkward echo. It simply didn’t fit.
Ssssshhhhh—
A faint dark-blue breeze drifted through the air. A wind tinted with color. The land was heavy with dampness and shadow—undoubtedly unfit for human life.
The ring of stone mountains that surrounded the wasteland made that clear.
Each peak jutted upward like a jagged spear from a battle drama. If one listened closely, one could hear the ghostly wails emanating from the smooth cliff faces. Like the cries of actual ghosts.
A hellscape not unlike the northern reaches.
Not a place for a limping man to survive.
And yet—words carried different weight depending on who spoke them.
When spoken by Ma Yeon-jeok and Yong Hui-myeong, those words felt as heavy as the world itself. And entirely natural.
“He’s far off. Even if Yeon-shin were to sprint at full speed using Ten Ri Light Step, it would take him a full shikgyeong. But that limping one—whether he's human or some spectral beast—is hard to gauge.”
“A shikgyeong... yes, that sounds about right. Might be even shorter. And what if it were the Drunken Beggar King? The so-called Fastest Man Under Heaven?”