Return of the Sword Emperor - Chapter 35

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 13: The Crisis of Tangga (1)

The day of the Escort Convoy’s return dawned bright.
The rain that had fallen through the night—heavy enough to collapse part of the mine and halt all operations—stopped as if it had never been, and by morning the sky was gloriously clear, as though in celebration.
The Guard Corps, Milgeomdan, and Bokumadan, gathered together for the first time in ages, exchanged pleasantries and inquired after one another’s well-being.
Though their numbers had dwindled considerably since their initial departure and some still bore the lingering effects of their wounds, they appeared to have recovered fully in outward appearance, thanks to the thoughtful care of the Master of Chamhoeyok and the rest they had been afforded.

“Ah, how true—’a moment apart feels like three long autumns.’ Time flies indeed. Here we are at the day of departure already.”

Sun Jak, the Master of Chamhoeyok, smiled broadly as he looked each member of the Escort Convoy in the eye in turn, offering his encouragement.

“It was only possible because of your consideration, sir. On behalf of the Escort Convoy, I offer our gratitude.”

Jwa Jong Je bowed respectfully, and Sun Jak broke into an open laugh, waving his hand in demurral.

“The incident occurred while transporting prisoners to this place—surely we bear the responsibility. My only concern is whether you found your stay here at all uncomfortable.”
“Uncomfortable? Not at all. Everyone treated us with such kindness that we felt perfectly at home. Isn’t the fact that all our wounded have recovered without complication proof enough of that?”
“Indeed. Thanks to your consideration and that of everyone here, we can return safely. We shall not forget such kindness.”

Jong Gak offered his thanks on behalf of both Milgeomdan and the Bokumadan, whose leadership had effectively vanished.

“Hah, hah, hah! Kindness, you say…”

Sun Jak smiled with a touch of self-consciousness, gently stroking the white beard that hung to his chest. He appeared to be in excellent spirits, satisfied that he had maintained proper dignity in the face of Jwa Jong Je and Jong Gak’s repeated praise and expressions of gratitude.
All were filled with admiration at the benevolent and affectionate bearing Sun Jak displayed—all save Dok Go Jin, who regarded him with cold, impassive eyes.

‘Revolting old man.’

Having stolen the Ten-Thousand Year Stone Fungus Pills from the prisoners at Geumji, who had been quietly recovering their martial arts in secret, the collapse of Chamhoeyok, the escape of prisoners, and the deaths of countless others would not come to pass.

‘Nor will the cowardly, filthy conduct that old man revealed at the time be exposed to the world.’

Dok Go Jin found it deeply distasteful that Sun Jak would continue wearing the mask of hypocrisy and maintain his position, yet he saw no way to act upon it now, so he simply turned his head and looked away.
In the meantime, the Escort Convoy had finished its farewells with the wardens and guards of Chamhoeyok and made final preparations.
Jwa Jong Je, having taken a moment to catch his breath, called out clearly.

“Departure!”

At Jwa Jong Je’s cry, Dok Go Jin involuntarily turned his head to gaze back at Chamhoeyok.
Sunlight, unusually brilliant, was shining down upon it.

‘Fare well, all of you.’

He turned away, silently hoping that the sunlight reaching Geumji, that light penetrating to the very depths below, would bring not hope but despair to the prisoners confined there.

* * *

“Are you certain it is wise to let them go thus?”

Heuk Do Byeong, the Deputy Warden, asked with a slightly stiffened expression.
Sun Jak, who had been waving toward the Escort Convoy as it grew steadily more distant, slowly turned his head.
The smile that had been so bright was now set rigid upon his face.

“Do you still believe my decision was in error?”
“I cannot say.”
“I know as well. We need their strength to weather this crisis. But they are people who have already suffered tremendous losses. To ask them to stake their lives once more would be shameful indeed.”
“That is true, but… *sigh*. No, it is nothing.”

At Sun Jak’s sigh, Heuk Do Byeong, who had been about to voice an objection, finally let out a long breath and withdrew.
But he failed to perceive it.
Even as Sun Jak knew that Madoryeon’s attack was imminent, the reason he had sent the Escort Convoy on as planned was not out of sympathy or concern for their suffering—it was purely so that he alone could claim all the credit.

‘A perfect opportunity.’

Sun Jak’s lips curved with inner amusement.
With reinforcements from Tangga and Mudangpa forthcoming, success in repelling the enemy at Chamhoeyok would elevate his reputation immeasurably.

“Don’t worry too much. It’s true that the Madoryeon dogs are strong, but Tangga and Mudangpa are sending reinforcements. Besides, you’re here, aren’t you? I trust you and the guards under your command more than anyone.”

As Sun Jak clapped his shoulder with absolute confidence, Heuk Do Byeong found he could no longer voice his misgivings.

“Of course, sir. No enemy will breach the walls of Chamhoeyok.”
“I believe it. I believe it entirely.”

Sun Jak burst into hearty laughter and turned, shouting over his shoulder.

“Now then, let us prepare to meet our enemies.”

* * *

The wind stirred.
As the thickets, worn down by the relentless heat, danced in welcome, a party of warriors cut through the forest.
They were martial artists from Tangga, who had come to Bong Su Hyeon to celebrate a friend’s milestone birthday before being summoned by Jeong Mu Maeng to Chamhoeyok.
Having pressed hard for a considerable distance, they were coated from head to foot in pale dust, and the weariness showed plainly on every face.
Just before leaving the forest, Dang Cheol, who led the party from the front, glanced back and spoke.

“Everyone is exhausted. I think it would be wise to rest here for a moment, Uncle.”

Dang Yu Cheon, the former patriarch of Tangga, gazed at the sun slowly tilting toward the west.

“The bridge collapse delayed us considerably. Will we still make good time?”
“We still have a margin.”
“Is that so? Then let us do that.”

Once Dang Yu Cheon had given his approval, Dang Cheol called out to everyone.

“We rest here and then move on. Don’t linger—we won’t be stopping long.”

All responded with cheers at this respite like rain in drought, seeking shade wherever they could find it.

“Great-grandfather.”
Dang Wi Ryong came running up, carrying a waterskin.

“Ah.”

Dang Yu Cheon accepted the waterskin from his grand-nephew and turned his head.
Dang Cheol and a man dispatched from Amhyangdae were deep in conversation.

‘What was that man’s name again?’

As he struggled to recall the name of the Amhyangdae member who had greeted him several days before, Dang Wi Ryong spoke in a voice tinged with excitement.

“I hear that Madoryeon’s spies are scattered all through the nearby regions. From what I gathered, they’re locked in fierce fighting with Amhyangdae.”
“That makes sense. By now, those Madoryeon dogs must have noticed our approach.”
“Still, we are faster than they are, from what I understand.”

At Dang Wi Ryong’s words, Dang Yu Cheon slowly shook his head.

“That you cannot know. It is possible those dogs have already overtaken us. Or perhaps they have already laid an ambush and are waiting.”
“I beg your pardon?”

At Dang Wi Ryong’s startled expression, Dang Yu Cheon burst into laughter.

“I’m not saying that’s what’s happening—only that we can’t rule out the possibility. As you said, the Amhyangdae and Madoryeon, probably the Yahondan on their side. They’re locked in fierce Information Warfare, aren’t they? Concealing truth, spreading false information, deceiving one another—they’re pouring their full strength into it.”
“I see.”

As Dang Wi Ryong nodded, Dang Cheol approached, having finished his conversation.

“What did they say?”
“Much the same as before. The Mudangpa and Daeho Gate should arrive at Chamhoeyok soon. And there was a warning—our movements may well be exposed, so we need to be careful.”
“So we could be ambushed before we reach Chamhoeyok.”
“That seems to be the implication.”

Dang Yu Cheon waved away Dang Wi Ryong’s alarmed stare with a light smile, then turned his gaze to the warriors of the three houses resting nearby and to some of the local powers who had joined the gathering at Jeong Mu Maeng’s request.
A quiet sigh escaped Dang Yu Cheon’s lips.

‘Most of these men have never seen real combat.’

While he’d wanted to fulfill his duty as a member of Jeong Mu Maeng, he couldn’t shake a creeping regret at how lightly he’d taken this venture. Sacheon saw more conflict than most regions, so these men weren’t entirely without experience, but fighting Madoryeon was a different weight altogether.
Dang Yu Cheon’s eyes drifted to Dang In Sung, sitting alone.
His grandson, who had returned last year after nine years of service with the Uicheondan, carried himself with a gravitas that set him apart from the others’ restless anticipation.

‘Perhaps he already senses the blood that awaits us.’

He felt the weight of guilt for dragging his grandson back to the battlefield after such a peaceful stretch at home.
Dang Cheol, catching those muttered words, glanced at Dang In Sung and spoke.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. He came of his own will.”
“What do you mean?”
“Hasn’t he suffered enough all this time? I told him simply to return home, but he insisted on coming with you.”
“Hah! You’re going to make this old fool feel worse…”

That was when it happened.
Whish!
A sharp whistle cut the air—the sound of something moving at killing speed!
Dang Yu Cheon’s head snapped around, his broad laugh dying mid-breath.
His hand moved like lightning, snatching at empty space.
A Flying Dagger, sharp and true, quivered between his fingers.

“Enemy! Form ranks!”

Before his cry had even faded, the brush on all sides split open, and attackers in black martial robes—their robes emblazoned with the image of a snarling wolf—poured out like a dark tide.

“They’re here! Enemy!”
“Enemies to the left!”
“They’re coming from the right too!”

The relatively inexperienced warriors of Tangga stumbled in confusion at the sudden onslaught, until a shout cut through the chaos and steadied them.

“Get your wits about you! Form up at the center!”

Dang In Sung swept his blade across an attacker’s thigh, drove his shoulder into the man’s chest, and bellowed his command.
The effect was immediate—the initial panic subsided rapidly, and the men began drawing together around Dang In Sung. Even the bewildered local powers rallied quickly to his position.
But their enemies were the Cheonrangdan, hardened by countless battlefields. And the number surrounding Tangga’s people far exceeded their own strength.

“Who are you bastards?”

Dang Cheol, now standing at Dang In Sung’s side, shouted at the enemies tightening their encirclement.
His face flushed slightly with embarrassment at responding more slowly than his younger kinsman, and his voice rang louder than usual in the urgent chaos.
But there was no need to wait for an answer.
Dang In Sung, who had fought countless engagements against the Cheonrangdan, had already recognized who they were.

“Well, well. Who do we have here?”

Ye Do Hwang pushed through his subordinates and stepped forward.

“I never expected to see the vice-leader of the Uicheondan in a place like this. I heard you’d retired.”
“Wasn’t it you who retired first? So why have you crawled back out?”

Before Ye Do Hwang could answer, Dang In Sung continued.

“Ah, I nearly forgot—you spineless wretches who got your skulls caved in attacking an Escort Convoy are actually the Cheonrangdan. Word is even your leader and vice-leader are dead now. Though I always figured that fool Nak Wol would end up that way. He was always putting on airs, prancing around like some peacock.”
“You—!”

Ye Do Hwang’s eyes turned murderous.
Dang In Sung smirked and cast his gaze across the Cheonrangdan.

“By the look of you lot, you haven’t even managed a proper meal. Then again, after a humiliation like that, it’d be strange if you could keep anything down. Pathetic bunch.”

Dang In Sung clicked his tongue and flicked a coin carelessly toward them.

“A little travel money for the road to the underworld.”

While the Cheonrangdan swallowed their rage in bitter silence at Dang In Sung’s mockery, the Tangga’s own men exchanged looks of bewilderment.
Dang In Sung was ordinarily a man of measured gravity, rarely given to jesting. Yet the words now pouring from his mouth toward Ye Do Hwang sounded no different from the crude banter of street ruffians.
In truth, Dang In Sung felt no ease whatsoever.
He was simply grasping at anything to steady his own men, who were plainly rattled, and to kindle whatever spark of morale remained.
Meanwhile, Dang Yu Cheon, who had been about to act the moment these enemies appeared, found himself frozen by a cold voice that drifted from behind.

“It’s been a long time, Thousand-Handed Poison Sovereign.”
“Pae-cheon… spirit phantom? Jang… Jang Rui? You…?”

Dang Yu Cheon stared at Jang Rui with an expression of utter disbelief.

“A man poisoned by Tangga’s own vaunted toxins and stabbed through a vital point by a sword as thick as a forearm—how are you walking around in one piece?”

Jang Rui smiled at Dang Yu Cheon’s reaction with evident pleasure, then peeled back his robe. Ghastly scars covered his body, but the most alarming by far was the massive scar that dominated his chest.
Jang Rui tapped the star-shaped scar with his finger and let out a laugh.

“It was touch and go. I lost consciousness for a spell. But I’m not the sort to be finished off by garbage poison and a wound like that.”

While Dang Yu Cheon’s face hardened at Jang Rui’s contemptuous smile, the elders standing a pace away—Blood Sea Demon Shadow Dan Do Je and Ascending Heaven Demon Foot Bang Yo—exchanged glances of utter bewilderment.
Blood Sea Demon Shadow knew full well how many had fought desperately to save Jang Rui when he teetered on death’s edge, including Soul-Severing Demon Physician Hwa Sik. Moreover, it was Ascending Heaven Demon Foot Bang Yo himself who had carried the dying Jang Rui and raced three hundred miles in one breath to lay him at Soul-Severing Demon Physician’s feet.
Aware of their twisted expressions, Jang Rui let out a soft cough and fixed Dang Yu Cheon with a cold gaze.

“Still, a debt is a debt. I’ve long wanted to repay it, and it seems today is the day.”

Jang Rui cast a brief glance around and continued.

“Consider them interest. Kekeke!”

Dang Yu Cheon made no great show of reaction to Jang Rui’s mocking laughter. Instead, his mind raced furiously, calculating any possible way to escape and overcome the present crisis.
The situation had become dire.

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