Return of the Sword Emperor - Chapter 50

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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 18: The Successors (2)

“Huarong… the magistrate’s estate? Surely you don’t mean to attack the government office?”

Woomun Jik asked, his voice trembling with alarm.

“Why are you so startled? They’re going after the Tae Cheong Pyo Guk, aren’t they? To surpass that, we’d need to strike at the magistrate’s office itself.”

Woomun Jik found himself momentarily speechless as he watched Jeon Ung dismiss the matter so casually.
Though the Jeongmu Maeng was said to be the supreme power in the martial realm, attacking a government office was an entirely different matter.

‘Madness! They’re asking us to violate the fundamental principle that officials and martial artists do not encroach upon one another.’

Woomun Jik’s lips trembled with indignation.
Bandits like those in the Nok-rim might not care for such principles, but the Jeongmu Maeng was different. Moreover, if word spread that the Jeongmu Maeng had involvement in breaching the government office, it wouldn’t just damage relations with the authorities—the Jeongmu Maeng’s reputation would be shattered beyond repair.

“I cannot. I cannot assist in an attack on the government office.”

Woomun Jik refused flatly, and Jeon Ung’s expression shifted in an instant.

“Hmph! So the Jeongmu Maeng has no objection if the Nok-rim becomes entangled with the Mado Alliance?”
“What?”

Woomun Jik stiffened, and Jeon Ung’s eyes narrowed.

“It was you who approached me first, offering help. Since we’ve started, we ought to see it through to the end.”
“I believe we’ve already provided considerable assistance. Have you forgotten how you obtained the overwhelming support of the mountain fortresses—far more than your competitors?”
“Of course I haven’t forgotten. I remember exactly how useful the gold you provided has been. But that was before the Mado Alliance became involved. Now that they’re in the game, some fortresses are switching their allegiance and the margin’s shrinking fast. More importantly, now that those bastards have decided to strike at the Tae Cheong Pyo Guk, if I don’t demonstrate something equal to that, my defeat is already written. Have you forgotten what that means?”
“…”

A heavy groan escaped Woomun Jik’s lips.
If Cho Sa Eung, backed by the Mado Alliance, became the leader of the Nok-rim and turned into their enemy, it would be catastrophic for the Jeongmu Maeng.

“And I’ll need more funds.”
“Haven’t you already received sufficient support?”
“Tsk, didn’t I just say the gap is closing? To keep the wavering fortresses in line, I need to keep applying pressure—not large sums like before, but steady increments.”
“……”

When Woomun Jik did not answer, Jeon Ung smiled coldly.

‘It’s pointless to scheme. You have no choice but to do as I wish.’

Jeon Ung understood all too well the value the Nok-rim held in the struggle between the Jeongmu Maeng and the Mado Alliance, and he was certain that Woomun Jik—indeed, the entire Jeongmu Maeng—would do whatever it took for him.

“There’s still time, so think it over. But please arrange the funds as soon as possible. Unless you mean to hand the Nok-rim over to those Mado Alliance bastards.”
“……”

Woomun Jik had to fight desperately to suppress the urge to strike that smug face.

* * *

The atmosphere among the party descending the mountain was heavy.
Woomun Jik, unable to flatly refuse Jeon Ung’s unreasonable demands, made no effort to hide his frustration, sighing heavily several times over.
Noticing his distress, Jong Gak called him to a halt.

“Let’s rest for a moment.”

Woomun Jik glanced at Jong Gak and nodded gravely.

“That’s right.”

Woomun Jik, perched carelessly on a small boulder, pulled out the water pouch hanging at his side and drank deeply, gulping it down.

“What’s troubling you so?”
“I heard them say they’d raid the headquarters. Madmen! Even if they’ve lost their minds over the successor position, to think of raiding the headquarters—the real problem is!”

Woomun Jik rolled irritably against the ground.

“It’s not easy to refuse that cursed request.”
“Because of the Mado Alliance?”
“Exactly. If Cho Sa Eung—the one the Mado Alliance is backing, as Jeon Ung said—manages to raid Tae Cheong Pyo Guk, there’s a good chance the successor position falls to him. He’s favored to win the martial tournament too.”

Jong Gak watched Woomun Jik exhale roughly, unable to contain his frustration, and clicked his tongue.

“Tsk, tsk. I can’t fathom why someone as sharp as you is agonizing over something so simple.”
“What?”
“Seems you’ve accumulated quite a few overlapping troubles.”
“What do you mean?”

Woomun Jik asked, his expression somewhat displeased.

“It means there’s no need to agonize over it.”
“So you’re saying we should attack the headquarters? It’s not that simple. No matter how carefully we keep it secret, how can we trust the mouths of those bandits?”
“Who said anything about attacking the headquarters? That would be madness, just as you said.”
“Then… is there another way?”

Hope kindled in Woomun Jik’s face as he pressed for an answer.

“There is. A solution so simple it’s almost elegant.”
“What… what is it?”

Woomun Jik’s voice rose involuntarily.

“Prevent the Mado Alliance from raiding Tae Cheong Pyo Guk.”
……

For a moment Woomun Jik didn’t understand, his eyes merely blinking.

“If they can’t raid Tae Cheong Pyo Guk, there’s no reason for us to attack the headquarters, is there? We simply find an appropriate target and show results.”
“That’s true, but……”
“Is there perhaps some rule forbidding us to interfere with a rival’s plans?”
“There wouldn’t be… would there?”

Woomun Jik, who had started to counter, realized his own foolishness and shook his head firmly.

“No. The succession itself is a matter of stepping over one another to climb higher—there couldn’t be such restrictions.”
“Then it’s settled? Go back to Jeon Ung and make the proposal. Cho Sa Eung won’t get to raid Tae Cheong Pyo Guk, so tell him to find another suitable target and achieve results there.”
……

Woomun Jik stared at Jong Gak with a dazed expression, then laughed weakly.

“You’re right—I’m not in my right mind. I couldn’t see something so simple.”
“It’s the Mado Alliance’s doing. With your subordinates killed by them and those sent to reinforce you disappearing one after another, their very existence must have weighed heavily on your heart. There would have been no way for An-hyang-dae alone to stand against them.”

Jong Gak offered consolation, but Woomun Jik shook his head with a bitter expression.

“That’s just an excuse. It’s just……”

Woomun Jik trailed off, his shoulders sagging, and Jong Gak placed a quiet hand upon them.

“No, I’m telling you, I’m right. Besides, those of us who’ve come to support you aren’t exactly the most trustworthy lot either, are we?”
“Ah, no, how could I…”
“Still, take my word for it. Not to boast, but we’ll likely be far more useful than you imagine. And beyond that, we have something among us that even you — much less the Mado Alliance — could never dream of possessing.”

In that instant, every eye in the room turned toward Dok Go Jin, but Woomun Jik failed to notice.

“What do you mean by that?”
“You’ll see soon enough.”

Jong Gak, comforting the bewildered Woomun Jik, wore an expression of boundless ease.

* * *

Shang Ma Seok, one of the Five Great Gates of Jeonggang Mountain.
Two enormous boulders shaped like horses blocked the passage, and the mountain fortress positioned there—known as the gateway commander of Nok-rim—was Heukgol Fortress.
A watchtower situated in the northernmost, most remote corner of Heukgol Fortress itself.
The area surrounding the watchtower, normally cramped enough to feel insufficient even for five or six people, now swarmed with bodies.
They were scattered among hastily constructed lean-tos around the original watchtower, their bearing and demeanor distinctly different from common bandits.
They were the martial masters of the Mado Alliance who had come in secret to support Cho Sa Eung of Heukgol Fortress as the successor to Nok-rim.

“Word came from Ho Gul, did it? How are things with those An-hyang-dae bastards? Any decent intelligence?”

Dam Hon, vice-leader of Heukwol Dan, asked with a face that seemed somehow irritable.
Unlike his many allies who were willing to clash with the Jeongmu Maeng to support those sent to the martial tournament, the prospect of being stuck deep in the mountains merely to assist a bandit upstart clearly rubbed him the wrong way.

“Nothing particularly developed. Just confirmation that they’ve been moving to make Jeon Ung of Baekho Fortress their successor, same as we have.”

At Ma Uk’s response, Dam Hon’s eyes narrowed.

“Is that all? Nothing else?”
“My apologies. No matter how hard we pressed, they wouldn’t speak.”

Ma Uk deliberately omitted the fact that six An-hyang-dae members captured during the interrogation had died.

“Hmph! Impressive. So they really are proper intelligence operatives. In that case, why keep them around? Just dispose of them, wouldn’t you?”
“With your pardon, might you spare them a little longer?”
“Why? Do you have another use for them?”
“Yes.”

At Ma Uk’s terse reply, Dam Hon knitted his brow slightly before nodding, as though grasping the underlying intent.

“Do as you see fit. You have plenty of grievances against those An-hyang-dae dogs.”
“Thank you.”

As Ma Uk bowed in gratitude, his mind was already spinning through the possibilities—how he might use the surviving captives to strike at the An-hyang-dae in the surrounding regions. But since that was not an immediate concern, he deliberately set the thoughts aside and opened his mouth once more.

“Jeon Ung has made contact with Woomun Jik.”
“Woomun Jik? From An-hyang-dae?”
“Yes. But he was with people we haven’t seen before.”

At the mention of unfamiliar faces, Dam Hon’s drowsy eyes lit up.

“Reinforcements have arrived?”
“The overall atmosphere seemed different from the An-hyang-dae members we’ve been in contact with before, so it appears that may be the case.”
“How many did they bring?”

As Dam Hon posed the question, his expression betrayed not tension at the emergence of new rivals, but rather something akin to excitement.

“Five, reportedly.”
“F-five?”

His pulse stuttered. The anticipation that had flared bright collapsed in an instant.

“Those Jeongmu Maeng fools still haven’t gotten their wits about them. No need to worry. If it comes to it, we simply remove them.”

Ma Uk was just holding back words about how the smaller the number, the more likely they possessed exceptional skill when the watch post door swung open.
A man with a slender frame and delicate features stepped inside with perfect composure.
Dam Hon’s expression turned openly sour at the uninvited intrusion, but Cho Sa Eung—successor to Heukgol Fortress and second disciple of the Nok-rim overlord—paid it no mind.

“Without word of coming—what brings you?”

In response to Dam Hon’s question, Cho Sa Eung glanced sideways at Ma Uk before speaking.

“I heard my elder had met with those Jeongmu Maeng men, so I came.”
“Your intelligence network isn’t entirely useless, then.”
“It’s happening in my own backyard—shouldn’t I know at least that much?”

Dam Hon let out a soft laugh at Cho Sa Eung’s attitude, as if Nok-rim already belonged to him, and gestured to a seat.

“Sit. We were just discussing that very matter.”
“I hear their numbers aren’t large, but their skill appears quite formidable.”
“Skill. That depends on the eye of the beholder, doesn’t it?”

The blunt dismissal of bandits’ judgment flickered across Cho Sa Eung’s eyes like a chill, then vanished.

“Well, if you’re so confident, I trust you’ll handle this one as well.”
“I will.”

Dam Hon, answering curtly, turned to Cho Sa Eung with a question.

“How are preparations for the tournament progressing? There doesn’t seem to be much time left.”
“Nothing particular to prepare for.”
“You’re not falling behind, are you?”

Cho Sa Eung’s expression hardened for the first time.

“That won’t happen. My elder was never my match to begin with.”

Dam Hon smiled with satisfaction at Cho Sa Eung’s displeasure showing plainly.

“Good. Then we can move to the next matter.”

Ma Uk, receiving Dam Hon’s gaze, spoke at once.

“According to our confirmation of Tae Cheong Pyo Guk’s schedule, they’ll be passing through Bi Bong Ryeong two days after the tournament ends.”
“Two days—that’s tighter than expected.”
“It is.”

Ma Uk, who had nodded at Cho Sa Eung’s answer, continued.

“They seem aware of what’s happening within Nok-rim. Not only the cargo, but the scale of the escort route itself is substantially larger than usual.”
“Ha! To be honest, I was worried they might abandon the route entirely, but this is fortunate news indeed.”

Cho Sa Eung burst into clear laughter.
Everyone who mattered knew how Nok-rim selected its successor, and he had feared that, at worst, Tae Cheong Pyo Guk might defer or completely reroute the escort out of concern that they themselves could become a target.

“Pride, I’d say. The greatest escort service in the Central Plains.”

Dam Hon smiled, bitter and sharp.
It was a promise that he would soon show just how meaningless and hollow that pride of being the greatest truly was.

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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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