Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

-Tak, tak, tak, tak.

As dawn’s first light crept over the mountain ridge, we finally reached the foothills. Just a step behind Paeng Gyu-seong, Yang Seong-hu (Azure Dragon) pointed toward the distant river and gasped out,

“Huff, huff… That’s it, the Lan Cang River. Once we cross it, we’ll finally be in Zhongyuan.”

“At last!”

“We’re almost there… Hoo…”

The realization that our destination, Zhongyuan, was just beyond that river lit up the eyes of everyone in the group. Paeng Gyu-seong turned to look at me and asked,

“Huff… Huff… So-ryong, are you holding up?”

We had been running for two days straight.

He must have thought I was the weakest in martial arts among our group and assumed my internal energy was running low. But thanks to the royal jelly from the Golden Wasp Kings and whatever boost I had gained from Cho’s evolution, I was still holding on.

‘Besides, if I don’t endure, I’ll die. So I have no choice but to keep going.’

“Yes, brother. Huff, huff…”

I wiped the sweat trickling into my eyes and forced a determined look onto my face. However, Paeng Gyu-seong came to a stop and said,

“The land ahead is flat, so we’ll have to break through in one go. And we’ll have to cross the river as well. Let’s rest for a moment and recover our energy. Hoo… If we run into enemies on open ground, we’ll have no choice but to fight.”

“Understood, brother.”

“Got it, So-ryong.”

I turned my gaze back toward the river. The mountains ended just ahead, and beyond them, a wide-open plain stretched all the way to the water.

In terrain like this, Paeng Gyu-seong’s warning was spot on. Our tracks would be completely exposed, and we’d be at our most vulnerable while crossing the river. We had to push through at full speed.

That meant we needed ample internal energy. Running at full speed using light-footed movement techniques had already drained us, and attempting to cross a plain in that state was a dangerous gamble.

If we encountered enemies, there was a chance we wouldn’t have the energy left to fight.

I glanced behind us. The torches of our pursuers were no longer visible.

For the past two days, the Blood Cult had been relentlessly chasing us, keeping a distance of two to three kilometers as if trying to wear us down.

But for the last two hours, there had been no sign of them.

Since our pursuers seemed to have vanished for now, we agreed to rest and recover our internal energy, following Paeng Gyu-seong’s advice.

“Haa… This is exhausting.”

“Huff, huff… Is everyone alright?”

As soon as Paeng Gyu-seong gave the signal, Yang Seong-hu (Azure Dragon) and Sword Master Seon-hwa collapsed onto the ground.@@novelbin@@

I checked on Seol and Tang Hwa-eun, who were sitting side by side on a nearby rock, wiping the sweat from their brows.

“Hwa-eun, are you alright?”