Return of the Sword Emperor - Chapter 12

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 5: Sarim (2)

“Damn it all!”

Chu Yong, hiding beneath a vine-wrapped tree, swatted down a viper crawling along the vines and flinched in alarm.

“Stay quiet.”

En Gung, crouched beside him, clamped a hand over his own mouth to stifle his reaction.

“Blast it all! That’s the third one. I’m going to lose my mind, I swear.”

Chu Yong steadied his racing heart and controlled his breathing.

“Tell me about it. They call it Sarim, and snakes are everywhere you look. Again?”

En Gung stomped on the head of a snake that had tried to bite his leg, crushing it, and let out a hollow laugh.

“Curse them all! Whether it’s Jung-mu-maeng or anyone else, I just want them to hurry. I’m going to die before anything else happens—just from these damned snakes. You think it’s like this everywhere around here?”
“Probably. The name itself is Sarim….”

En Gung, who had been nodding at Chu Yong’s words, suddenly clamped his mouth shut and lowered his body.
Chu Yong instinctively held his breath, his eyes asking the question.
En Gung gestured with his chin downward.
Moments later, brush and branches parted as the Bokma-dan came into view.
Seven men moved as one, but their manner was scattered and casual—nowhere near the focused vigilance of a reconnaissance mission.
In truth, they had not always moved so carelessly.
Even after their clash with the Milgum-dan and the hasty retreat that followed, the Bokma-dan had initially crept forward with caution, alert for any danger that might lurk ahead.
But their efforts proved futile against the snakes pouring in from all directions.
There were far too many.
The moment they stepped away from the main path cutting through Sarim and ventured into the undergrowth, hell itself seemed to unfold.
With every step, snakes covered everything—the brush, the trees, every conceivable space.
In the end, they concluded that setting an ambush in Sarim was nearly impossible.
Yet they couldn’t simply turn back. So they pressed on, scouting the area a little longer, but the careful vigilance they’d maintained at first had long since evaporated.
En Gung and Chu Yong, completely concealed within the undergrowth, locked eyes.

“They’re from Jung-mu-maeng, aren’t they?”
“Who else? What kind of madman leaves a perfectly good road to deliberately tear through the brush? They’re probably searching to see if there’s an ambush waiting.”
“But their movements are far too leisurely for that.”

Disappointment suffused Chu Yong’s voice.
For men like them, Jung-mu-maeng was both an object of fear and aspiration. Yet the conduct of its reputed warriors was utterly contemptible.

“It’s true—even under a great commander, there are sometimes soldiers of mediocre skill among the strong. For us, this is actually a stroke of fortune.”

En Gung’s eyes gleamed as he drew out a small flute.
The moment he began to play, the clear, trilling call of a bird began to drift slowly through the air.

* * *

“The target appears to have arrived, Father.”

Im Je, who had been receiving instruction as heir since he was fifteen, rushed forward with the report.

“Already?”

Im Sang, resting in a crevice between rocks, looked up in surprise.

“Yes. Seven men in total, it appears.”
“Seven men? The count doesn’t match. Are you certain of the target?”

Im Sang frowned, the report conflicting with what he already knew.

“According to the Vice-Leader’s message, it’s confirmed. They appear to be a reconnaissance unit.”
“Well, those bastards know this place is dangerous too. They’re likely scouting before the main force moves in.”
“What do you wish to do?”
“What do you mean?”
“Should we wait for the main force, or…”
“Have you lost your mind?”
“Sir?”

Im Je’s eyes widened at the unexpected reply.

“Our contract makes no distinction between the main force and a reconnaissance party. Only one condition: ten coins per head.”
“Then…”
“Of course we attack. With their numbers so few and their formation so sloppy, the contract should be easier than expected. Where did they say these men were positioned?”
“They’re moving roughly four hundred paces southwest of here.”
“Tell the Vice-Leader not to rush the attack—draw them as far inward as possible, set up an encirclement and annihilation, no wait. They might catch on and flee. Tell him to strike at the first opportunity.”

Im Je cocked his head at Im Sang’s order.

“Wouldn’t that make escape easier for them?”
“We cut off the retreat route and wait. Men fleeing in panic won’t expect us to be lying in their path.”

The prospect alone made Im Sang’s face flush with anticipation.

“Come, let’s move!”

Im Sang gestured and charged forward, Im Je and two assassins following in his wake.

* * *

“For a place called Sarim, there certainly are plenty of snakes.”

Yu Geom-ha, who had been conducting reconnaissance alongside Dog-go Jin, swept aside a snake blocking their path with a stick and grimaced.

“Indeed, quite a lot.”

Dog-go Jin surveyed the surroundings, his mind drifting to memories of when he led the Milgum-dan—how he’d lured the elite of the Mado-ryeon into this very forest and slaughtered them.

“I’ve come through here a couple of times before, but I still can’t get used to it. Damn it, there’s a perfectly good road, yet we have to pass through this cursed place.”
“Detours would add three or four days to the journey, or so I’ve heard.”
“Right. That’s why merchant caravans and trading houses—anyone who has to account for every moment—have no choice but to cross Sarim. Same as us.”

Yu Geom-ha parted the undergrowth carefully as he continued.

“Still, even the most vicious men would struggle to set an ambush in a place like this.”
“If they can avoid the snakes and manage an ambush, it would be extraordinarily dangerous.”
“That’s precisely why we’re out here scouting.”

As they talked, both men’s eyes never met, scanning methodically in all directions.
Then it happened.

“Wait.”

Dog-go Jin suddenly stopped Yu Geom-ha in his tracks.

“What?”
“Do you hear that sound?”
“A sound?”

When Yu Geom-ha tilted his head and strained to listen, a bird’s cry rang out—distinctly different from the damp, slithering sounds the snakes produced.

“You mean birdsong?”
“Yes.”
“Why birdsong?”

Yu Geom-ha failed to grasp what Dog-go Jin was driving at.

“Isn’t that strange? We haven’t heard any birdsong until now, and yet suddenly it appears. More than that—can birds even live in a place like this?”
“It’s a forest, so naturally they—”

Yu Geom-ha’s pupils dilated sharply mid-reply.

“Nothing natural about it.”
“Correct. In Sarim, crawling with every manner of serpent, birds cannot exist. And that birdsong—there’s something artificial about it.”

Yu Geom-ha listened again, his expression hardening.

“Now that you mention it, you’re right. But where is it coming from?”
“It’s hard to pinpoint, but not from our direction. It seems to be coming from across the way.”

Dog-go Jin’s gaze was already fixed on the direction the Bokma-dan had taken.

“Has the Bokma-dan noticed?”
“I wish they had, but—”

As Dog-go Jin trailed off, Yu Geom-ha exhaled heavily.

“They never had the sense to scout properly in the first place.”
“We must warn them.”
“We need to alert our group first.”
“We must tell them at once. Any delay, and the Bokma-dan could face grave danger.”
“But still—”

As Yu Geom-ha hesitated, Dog-go Jin spoke with renewed urgency.

“You inform the leader and the rest of the group. I’ll go to the Bokma-dan myself.”

Yu Geom-ha’s eyes wavered as he looked at Dog-go Jin, and he clamped his teeth together.

“Damn it. All right. Let’s do that.”

As Dog-go Jin turned to leave, Yu Geom-ha seized his arm.

“Still—be careful. Your safety comes before the Bokma-dan.”
“I will.”

* * *

“You’re… certain of this?”

Yu Seol-ran asked, his expression rigid.

“Without doubt.”
“I don’t hear it now.”

Yu Seol-ran listened intently, but the birdsong had already vanished.

“It’s stopped now, but we could hear it right up until a moment ago. It was so subtle that you’d miss it entirely if you weren’t listening carefully.”
“Squad leader, we need to move fast. If the signal’s gone silent, it means they’ve finished their attack preparations.”

Woo Gon spoke, rubbing at his eye patch.
Ever since losing one eye, he’d developed the habit of instinctively pressing at it whenever he sensed discomfort or danger—and this time was no exception.

“We do. Even if it’s because of some reckless pup who doesn’t know the value of his own life.”

Yu Seol-ran clenched his lips tightly; he seemed angry at Dog-go Jin for moving alone, but the anxiety flickering in his eyes betrayed his true concern.

* * *

Oblivious to the Gwisalgak’s ambush, the Bokma-dan members descended carelessly into the trap that had been dug for them.
Some time passed before Man Gyun, who had been walking, suddenly stopped in his tracks and swept his gaze across their surroundings.
A nameless chill seized him, and gooseflesh rippled across his entire body.

“What is it, squad leader?”

Hong Yu-gwan, the most senior among the unit, flicked a snake away from beneath his feet as he asked.
Man Gyun shook his head and cast a silencing look.
When Hong Yu-gwan saw the severity in Man Gyun’s expression, he quickly signaled the others, and the disorderly atmosphere fell sharply into silence.

‘Damn it. We’re surrounded.’

Though Man Gyun had been humiliated by Yu Seol-ran and had failed to complete his reconnaissance mission properly, only to fall into Gwisalgak’s encirclement, he remained the squad leader of the Bokma-dan, among the Jung-mu-maeng’s finest units.
As he calmly surveyed their surroundings, he finally detected the faint killing intent radiating from the assassins and realized the ambush.

[Listen carefully.]

All of them started at the sudden transmission, but fortunately, no one’s reaction showed outwardly.

[Ambush. We’ve fallen into a trap.]
[There appear to be enemies in the trees to the northwest, squad leader.]

The moment Man Gyun moved, Yi Cheon-hu, who had pushed his senses to their maximum, responded at once.
Though he had been utterly disgraced by Dog-go Jin and had brought shame upon the Bokma-dan’s honor, Yi Cheon-hu’s skill was far from negligible.

[The brush to the northeast also looks suspicious.]

Hong Yu-gwan too had sensed the assassins’ presence.

[There are more behind us, in the direction we came. I was careless.]

At Man Gyun’s self-recrimination, his companions’ faces darkened.
They had assumed there would be no ambush because of all the snakes darting about everywhere. That very carelessness had prevented them from conducting proper reconnaissance, leading to disaster.

[What do we do, squad leader?]

Yi Cheon-hu asked. Man Gyun paused briefly before transmitting to everyone.

[Strike before they strike. As soon as I move, break through to the south—]

The transmission cut off abruptly, accompanied by a sharp, piercing sound.

“Ambush!”

With a terse warning, Man Gyun drew his blade and swung down hard at the object hurtling toward them.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Sharp metallic reports rang out, mixed with the sound of bursting leather.
Unlike Man Gyun, who had deflected the projectiles, Hong Yu-gwan had failed to identify what was coming and had burst open his poison pouch instead.

“Poison!”

The moment Man Gyun spotted the powder scattering through the air, he cried out in urgent warning and threw himself clear.
Two members who’d reacted too slowly inhaled the toxin full in their faces.
The poison’s potency was formidable.
Despite only a breath or two drawn in, their bodies were already swaying and convulsing.

“Get them out! Save Yi Cheon-hu and Baek Tak!”

At Man Gyun’s shout, the two scrambled to support their stricken comrades and drag them back from the fight.

“Stay sharp. They’re coming!”

Feeling the killing intent closing in from all sides, Man Gyun gripped his blade with white-knuckled force.

‘One, two, three…….’

Counting enemies in a blur of motion, he could make out well over twenty shadows converging on them.
Against that, Bokma-dan had seven—and two of those were already poisoned and useless.

‘Please.’

As he met an assassin erupting from the left forest with a downward slash, Man Gyun found himself desperately wishing for Milgum-dan’s aid.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————