Chapter 90 :

Chapter 90. Time to Hunt (4)

The next day, Yang Gunbaek came to the Changgung Merchant Guild.

“This is truly a relief. I can finally put my mind somewhat at ease.”

Yang Gunbaek seemed quite pleased that we would be traveling together with the Namgung Family and the Iron Sword Sect.

“First, I swept through every branch shop in the nearby provinces and gathered whatever I could.”

The bundle Yang Gunbaek opened was packed with various items.

“Fortunately, I managed to obtain three Purple Elixir Pills.”

Martial arts had originally developed as a means of utilizing true energy, born from the process of accumulating it within the body, pursuing the Way, and advancing toward enlightenment.

Likewise, one of the paths toward enlightenment was alchemy.

Rather than directly cultivating true energy, it was the medicinal discipline of consuming crystallized pure energy, accumulating true energy within the body, and advancing toward enlightenment.

The sect that had studied nothing but this form of alchemy for countless years and established itself as a leading authority in medicine was the Taohyang Sect.

The Purple Elixir Pill ranked among the highest-quality pills produced by the Taohyang Sect.

“Of course, their value does not match that of the inner cores you gave me, Lord Sowoon……”

“That is fine. I am simply grateful that you managed to obtain items of this quality despite the urgency.”

“More importantly, what about the items I requested?”

“Ah, they are here.”

From among the bundles, Yang Gunbaek removed four small oval objects resembling trays.

“This type of protective equipment is rarely used, so I had to have them made specially. Their durability may not be particularly high.”

“That is fine. They are only temporary measures.”

Once the chaotic melee ended, there would be little reason to use them again.

I first attached one of the trays to my left forearm.

It was something I had used during my time in the Small Elite Unit.

Wearing it this way left my left hand free while allowing the object to serve as a small shield.

Its only drawback was that other martial artists tended to look at it unfavorably.

Aware of this, Yang Gunbaek looked at me with mixed emotions before speaking.

“……I brought this just in case.”

“Please forgive me if you find it unpleasant……”

The bundle he hesitantly held out contained golden armor shaped like an undergarment.

“It is one of the items sold at the branch shops.”

“It was made to protect high-ranking officials from assassination. Each piece of copper was shaped extremely thin and woven together like clothing.”

“It is Golden Scale Armor.”

“You know of it?”

“I know it very well.”

I had used it countless times during my days in the Small Elite Unit in my previous life.

Yang Gunbaek continued moving his lips uneasily.

“Are you…… truly comfortable wearing it?”

“This is excellent. How many did you obtain?”

“There were only three available……”

“That is exactly enough.”

“Are you truly certain?”

“Is it not better to suffer a little embarrassment than to lose one’s life?”

“Thank you for being so considerate.”

“Ah, and this is a personal gift from me.”

“A gift?”

“Did I not once pay you a friendship fee before?”

Yang Gunbaek was referring to what had happened at Maling Plateau.

He held a small wooden case in his hand.

When he opened it, a stale, heavy odor spread through the air.

The object inside looked familiar.

“It is an inner core from the One-Horned Blue Toad.”

“Someone else needed the inner core, so I could not bring the entire thing intact.”

“I hope you will forgive me for that.”

“You brought this for me?”

“If it is you, Lord Sowoon…… you should be able to digest it without difficulty, correct?”

I could not stop smiling at Yang Gunbaek’s thoughtfulness.

“At this price, we cannot be merely ordinary friends.”

“We should at least consider each other close friends.”

Yang Gunbaek smiled brightly, apparently satisfied by my answer.

Geumpyo’s and Eunho’s faces twisted.

Dongryong, by contrast, fastened the tray-shaped shield to his forearm and waved his hand around.

He then quietly practiced sword forms in the air by himself.

He was instinctively testing how to use the shield in a way that would enhance his swordsmanship.

The instincts of the Heavenly Slaughter Star unconsciously sought the optimal method for making him stronger.

The problem caused by his advancement in sword forms breaking the sword formation had already been resolved.

Simply by joining the sword formation myself and showing him how to harmonize with the others, Dongryong had improved himself by another level in that short period.

It had happened far faster than I expected.

At this rate, no one of Dongryong’s age would be capable of facing him.

The problem was the other two.

“Do we really have to wear these?”

“We still have our dignity as martial artists.”

Geumpyo and Eunho grumbled.

Now that their teamwork had begun improving slightly, these brats were already concerning themselves with appearances.

At times like this, showing them once was more effective than explaining it a hundred times.

I drew the Blue Dragon Sword and swung it twice in a single motion.

Swish.

Click.

At the same moment, the fronts of Geumpyo’s and Eunho’s clothes split wide open.

“You have each already died once.”

“Oh, how tragic. If only you had been wearing this armor, you might have survived.”

“What should I tell Geumpyo’s and Eunho’s parents?”

Dongryong put on a tearful expression and joined in.

“Sniff. My brothers……”

“How truly lamentable.”

“They died because they refused to wear armor merely to preserve their appearance.”

“I wonder what their parents would say.”

“This is a difficult matter indeed.”

“My stupid, idiotic brothers!”

“……We’ll wear it.”

“It won’t even be visible if we wear it underneath our clothes.”

“……The gold color makes it look rather expensive too.”

I held out the shields.

“Ah, those are honestly a little……”

“……This is going too far, Eldest Senior Brother.”

“Oh dear. Imagine how their parents would react upon hearing that they lost an arm because they refused to carry a shield……”

“We’ll wear them.”

“We said we’ll wear them.”

“How reassuring!”

Once they equipped the armor and shields, the boys no longer raised their heads.

Among the warriors of the Namgung Family and Iron Sword Sect, they kept their heads lowered as though branded as criminals.

They seemed particularly determined to avoid catching the attention of Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran.

By the time we left Suzhou, they had completely hidden themselves among the Namgung Family and Iron Sword Sect warriors so no one else could see them.

Seong Moran looked behind us and spoke.

“They are irritating.”

“……You simply do not understand how useful these shields are.”

“A martial artist’s pride is less important than—”

“What? No, not those.”

Seong Moran pointed behind us.

“They neither approach nor fall far behind.”

“Do they not look like a pack of jackals?”

“……”

She was referring to Song Baek’s group, which had been following us ever since we left through the north gate.

“Should we simply deal with them before continuing?”

“They will probably retreat again if we approach them.”

Had the Taeul Sect disciples been alone, it would have become a one-sided hunt.

However, we were now accompanied by elite warriors from the Namgung Family and Iron Sword Sect.

Even among peak experts, there were differences in the quality of their martial arts and the depth of their understanding.

If a battle broke out now, Song Baek’s group would undoubtedly suffer enormous losses.

“They know that, which is why they are waiting.”

“Then how long do they intend to wait?”

“Until they attack first……”

I pointed toward the forest to the east.

Warriors dressed in similar uniforms repeatedly appeared and disappeared among the trees.

They were another group targeting us, separate from Song Baek’s party.

“Or until the Diancang Sect’s martial artists arrive.”

“Will those people simply continue watching?”

Seong Moran looked toward the people hiding in the forest.

I shook my head.

“They will begin before that.”

From their perspective, their opponents were currently only the Namgung Family and Iron Sword Sect.

If they delayed, they would eventually have to face Wudang, Mount Hua, and Diancang as well.

My prediction proved perfectly correct.

“This is one prediction I would have preferred to get wrong.”

As we continued north toward Henan Province,

we stopped on the first day to prepare camp, set up pots, and cook rice.

That was when the first ambush began.

“Ambush!”

Clang, clang, clang, clang!

Attackers charged from every direction.

The warriors standing guard noticed them quickly.

The moment they received the signal, the elites of the Namgung Family and Iron Sword Sect calmly engaged the enemy.

“This is……”

Because of the difference in skill, none of our allies suffered injuries.

However, since we had been attacked while preparing camp, most of the food had either been overturned or contaminated with dirt and could no longer be eaten.

“Let us prepare it again.”

The warriors nodded, accepting that there was no choice, and began cooking again.

Just as steam started rising from the pots, the guards shouted.

“Enemies!”

“Damn it!”

“Hell!”

The warriors sprang from the ground once more.

This time, they did their utmost to keep the battle away from the food.

Yet when the chaotic fight ended, the food had once again been overturned.

“Whew…… They deliberately waited before attacking, did they not?”

Namgung Seonhwa released a small sigh.

I nodded.

“They know they cannot win in a frontal confrontation.”

Although the attacks came from different groups, they all followed the same strategy.

They intended to exhaust us until we could no longer think clearly, then achieve their objective when we were at our weakest.

They were executing the fundamentals of a rotating battle strategy that they had not even formally learned yet.

“We should stop at as many branches as possible while heading toward the third checkpoint.”

“That would be more convenient.”

“Tell everyone to stop cooking.”

“For now, they should fill their stomachs with dried meat and field rations.”

“Yes, Young Lady.”

I sat beside Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran and began tearing into some dried meat.

Slurp.

Gulp.

From one side came the sound of someone swallowing something resembling porridge.

“……?”

The warriors eating dried meat all turned toward the sound.

The Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers had prepared porridge only for themselves and were enjoying a hearty meal after soaking dried meat in it.

When their eyes met those of the other warriors, the brothers offered them some porridge.

Still awkward around one another, the warriors held up their dried meat and deliberately pretended not to notice.

“……”

Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran looked at me with complicated expressions.

Having nothing else to say, I scratched my cheek.

“The boys are rather obsessed with food.”

The higher an examinee’s score in the Martial Academy’s official examination, the more difficult the examination became.

Although it was called an examination, it was closer to a trial.

In the end, one’s score was determined by how many checkpoint plaques one possessed.

Regardless, possessing many plaques proved that the examinee was highly capable.

It also made them more likely to be restrained and targeted by other examinees.

The Martial Academy evaluated only the checkpoint plaques held by each examinee.

It did not matter whether they had earned those plaques by passing the checkpoints or by stealing them from others.

That rule made the examination even more brutal.

For that reason, even disciples of the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families cooperated with one another during the examination.

Without cooperation, the examination could not be completed in the first place.

From that perspective, the cruelest situation occurred when an examinee possessed exceptional personal ability but nothing else.

Even if they earned many checkpoint plaques through outstanding performance, they would merely become targets for countless other examinees if they lacked sufficient power to protect them.

“Looking at it that way, we are no different from jumping into a furnace while carrying a Thunderclap Bomb.”

Seong Moran had been surprised when she heard that Wudang, Mount Hua, and Diancang were targeting the Taeul Sect disciples.

But when she learned that Jin Sowoon possessed more than ten checkpoint plaques, she nearly fainted.

‘What was the highest record in the history of the official examination?’

In the previous class, Yong Soa, the swordsman said to appear only once every thousand years, had entered the Martial Academy with the highest score.

At the time, he had possessed five first-checkpoint plaques and two second-checkpoint plaques.

Since one could possess only a single third-checkpoint plaque, his total score had been eight plaques.

Even that record had been achieved alongside the elite warriors of the Wudang Sect.

Yet Jin Sowoon currently possessed seventeen checkpoint plaques in total.

Even after excluding the six plaques intended for the Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers, he could still secure eleven for himself.

It was impossible not to be astonished.

It also explained why every examinee in the murim world was targeting Jin Sowoon.

Even so, Seong Moran had never considered abandoning him.

He had already saved her life once at Maling Plateau.

That alone was sufficient reason.

However, there was also something that could not be explained by gratitude alone.

For some reason, she simply wished to continue staying with him……

Because she did not understand her own feelings, she could only feel apologetic toward Namgung Seonhwa.

“……Ah, ahaha. I-It is fine, Sister.”

“We would have faced this eventually after passing the third checkpoint anyway, would we not?”

When Seong Moran honestly revealed her thoughts, Namgung Seonhwa answered awkwardly, stumbling over her words while her face reddened for some reason.

Seong Moran could only feel grateful.

One week had passed since they left Suzhou.

Even Namgung Seonhwa’s pale and beautiful face was gradually showing signs of exhaustion.

And Namgung Seonhwa was still in relatively good condition.

The warriors of the Iron Sword Sect and Namgung Family were faring far worse.

The attacks came at all hours.

Because the enemy attacked particularly often during meals, it had been far too long since they had eaten proper food.

The greatest suffering of all was the constant fear that they might be attacked anytime and anywhere.

Because of that, the warriors could not sleep even when it was not their turn to stand guard.

Even when it was time to eat, the smell of blood filling the surroundings and the severed body parts of their enemies made it difficult to swallow their food properly.

“But I truly am curious.”

“About what?”

“Why do the Taeul Sect disciples appear completely fine?”

They were not receiving special treatment.

If anything, their smaller numbers forced them to work even harder.

They took the same guard shifts and fought in the same battles.

“I asked Eunho, and he said that having more people around actually made things easier.”

Having become fairly close to the Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers, Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran now spoke casually with them.

“Easier?”

“Yes. He said that when it was only the four of them, it felt as though dying would have been preferable.”

Thinking about it, the Taeul Sect disciples were indeed somewhat unusual.

Whenever they were attacked while cooking, the Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers protected the food above all else.

Sometimes, they even maintained their sword formation while taking turns eating.

When Seong Moran first saw that bizarre spectacle, she stared blankly and failed to notice an enemy’s sword approaching her heart.

Whenever a battle continued past mealtime, the brothers always pulled dried meat from their pouches and shoved it into their mouths even while running.

They paid no attention to the blood flowing everywhere or the severed fingers rolling across the ground.

Watching the Taeul Sect disciples’ obsession with meals had become a daily source of disbelief for the Namgung Family and Iron Sword Sect warriors.

What about sleep?

Even when the enemies did not attack, they released killing intent to maintain tension or made loud noises in the middle of the night to prevent everyone from sleeping deeply.

However, whenever the Taeul Sect’s three brothers were not standing guard, they pressed one another’s sleep acupoints and fell asleep simultaneously.

“……Is that not extremely dangerous?”

Jin Sowoon looked up from the dried meat he had been eating at Seong Moran’s question.

“What is?”

“Pressing their sleep acupoints.”

“Would they not wake up if there were a loud noise?”

“That is exactly the problem.”

“It means they will sleep through quiet noises……”

“They trust one another.”

“What?”

“This battle will continue.”

“If they remain unable to sleep, one day they will be struck by an enemy’s sword.”

“So they trust the surrounding warriors and sleep.”

“At least that way, they will not be struck merely because exhaustion deprived them of sleep.”

Only then did Seong Moran realize where the three brothers’ strange behavior originated.

‘I knew this man was never ordinary, but……’

Unaware of the expression with which Seong Moran was watching him, Jin Sowoon spoke calmly.

“Young Lady Seong, would you press my sleep acupoint?”

The strange behavior of the Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers was probably heavily influenced by Jin Sowoon.

According to them, Jin Sowoon was practically worshiped like a god by his fellow disciples within the sect.

“……Very well.”

When Seong Moran pressed Jin Sowoon’s sleep acupoint, his head dropped as though he had died.

After watching him quietly for a while, Seong Moran looked toward Namgung Seonhwa.

“Seonhwa, could you press my sleep acupoint too?”

“……Yes, Sister.”

For the first time in nearly a week, Seong Moran fell into a deep sleep.

“Diancang is blocking Zhenjiang.”

We stopped marching after passing Danyang, with Zhenjiang only half a day away.

An urgent message delivered by Haomun’s messenger hawk stated that every available route had been blocked.

Together with Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran, I attended an emergency meeting with representatives of the Namgung Family and Iron Sword Sect warriors.

“I thought we might finally rest once we reached Zhenjiang.”

Our original plan had been to board a ship at Zhenjiang, cross Hongze Lake, and reach Sahong in a single journey.

The Changgung Merchant Guild had already prepared a ship for us in Zhenjiang.

At the very least, we had expected to rest comfortably while aboard it.

“If we board the ship, there will certainly be people who see us and follow.”

“Even so, we would at least be able to eat in peace.”

Seong Moran shook her head, looking utterly sick of the situation.

The damned attackers sometimes appeared only to kick over the rice pot before fleeing.

After suffering that for three consecutive days, no one even felt motivated to cook anymore.

“For now, Diancang waiting at Zhenjiang is our greatest problem.”

Song Baek’s group had already begun gradually closing the distance.

They were now only thirty jang away.

If enemies surrounded us from both front and rear, the outcome would be disastrous.

“At least it is fortunate that Mount Hua and Wudang are not with them.”

According to Haomun, Diancang and Mount Hua were located close to one another, so they had naturally expected the two to move together.

Unexpectedly, Mount Hua and Wudang had joined forces, while Diancang separated from them and headed toward us alone.

That had disrupted every part of the strategy.

Mount Hua was reportedly moving from Anhui Province toward Henan Province.

Their strategy was to capture us along the route leading to the third checkpoint.

Under the original plan, we would not have encountered serious trouble until at least entering Henan.

“In any case, there is no route back through either Anhui or Henan.”

If we turned toward Anhui now, we would encounter Mount Hua and Wudang.

If we headed for Henan, we would have to break through Diancang.

Considering the continuing attacks and pursuits from the other groups, using Zhenjiang remained the easiest and most convenient path.

“The battle at Zhenjiang will be the most important.”

Namgung Seonhwa lowered her voice.

She expected the fighting at Zhenjiang to be fiercer than anything they had experienced so far.

Just as Seong Moran had already suffered, Namgung Seonhwa might also lose her warriors.

In the worst case, even Namgung Seonhwa’s and Seong Moran’s lives might be endangered.

“It will be fine! Do not worry!”

“We will win anyway!”

“The Namgung Family and Iron Sword Sect are together. What is there to fear?”

Seong Moran’s vigorous voice made her appear even more frightened.

Namgung Seonhwa also forced a smile and nodded.

“There is another method.”

The speaker was Gang Seopyo, the representative of the Namgung Family’s warriors.

He had entered Maling Plateau alongside Namgung Seonhwa.

“You can leave the warriors behind.”

Namgung Seonhwa’s face hardened.

To use the ship at Zhenjiang, they could travel upstream and secretly board it from the water.

However, the people waiting at Zhenjiang would certainly anticipate that possibility.

Someone would have to remain behind as bait to hold them back.

Gang Seopyo was indirectly suggesting that they use themselves as bait.

“Our opponents are from Diancang.”

“If everyone tries to leave together, none of us may succeed.”

“No. I refuse.”

Namgung Seonhwa shook her head.

When all the pursuers behind them were combined with the unknown number of enemies waiting at Zhenjiang, those left at the port might not survive.

“Young Lady, you know better than anyone how much suffering weakness brings in this murim world.”

“For now, you must think only about entering the Martial Academy.”

Until recently, she had been taking the official examination without proper support because of the conflict with her branch family.

Before Namgung Seonhwa could reply, Gang Seopyo looked at me.

“Young Master, forgive me for asking this, but may we entrust the Young Lady to you again?”

“……”

“We will break through Zhenjiang somehow.”

As though they had already discussed it, Cho Mubin, the representative of the Iron Sword Sect warriors, continued.

“Moreover, we will also be needed to prevent the other ships from departing.”

“Captain Cho!”

“Young Lady, you must enter the academy for the sake of the sect leader.”

If they intended to prevent the other ships from leaving as well, every warrior of the Namgung Family and Iron Sword Sect would truly have to risk their life.

I shook my head.

“No.”

Gang Seopyo and Cho Mubin looked at me.

Unlike Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran, they appeared to have expected me to accept the strategy without hesitation.

“But our immediate situation……”

“That may solve the immediate problem, but is the situation after the third checkpoint not the greater concern?”

“If all of you disappear now, the two young ladies may truly be placed in danger.”

They looked as though they could not believe what I was saying and desperately wished to silence me.

I did not have time to carefully consider each of their feelings, so I continued.

“How much are the horses we are riding worth?”

“……Pardon?”

“……Huh?”

Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran tilted their heads like twins once again.

Unable to proceed in either direction, I looked toward Namgung Seonhwa.

“Young Lady Seonhwa.”

“Yes?”

“I apologize for asking something like this so suddenly in such a situation……”

“Yes? R-Right now……?”

“W-What is it?”

Excited confusion appeared on Namgung Seonhwa’s face.

At the same time, she looked strangely expectant.

Seong Moran’s expression was even more unusual.