Return of the Sword Emperor - Chapter 53

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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 19: Ho Gul (2)

“No time to waste. We strike now. Yu Geomha, Namgung Ho, and I will take the Sentry Post in front of Ho Gul.”
“Yes.”

Yu Geomha and Namgung Ho answered in unison.

“The other two will enter the cave itself.”
“Understood.”
“Yes.”

Yu Seollan and Dokgo Jin answered quietly.

“We have no way of knowing where the Madoryeon thugs are hiding. There’s no time for prolonged engagement, so show no mercy. Especially you two.”

Jong Gak continued, his gaze fixed on Yu Seollan and Dokgo Jin.

“The Madoryeon dogs are far more likely to be inside the cave than at the outer post. We can’t know how many of the four are actually Madoryeon operatives, so we cannot afford to lower our guard for a moment.”
“Don’t worry. We’re not that foolish. Besides, do you really think any Madoryeon thugs dispatched here would have the skill to match him?”

Jong Gak let out a short laugh at Yu Seollan’s question.

“No, there wouldn’t be. I trust you both, then.”

With absolute confidence placed in Dokgo Jin, Jong Gak turned his head toward Ju Gangwoo.

“You stay hidden here and watch the situation. Move only when the moment calls for it.”
“Understood.”

As Ju Gangwoo concealed himself deeper among the bushes, Milkgeom Dan was already moving, spreading left and right.
Jong Gak and Yu Seollan, having successfully approached the Sentry Post and Ho Gul with utmost discretion, exchanged a glance before launching their ambush.
As Yu Geomha subdued the Sanjuk standing guard, Jong Gak and Namgung Ho burst into the Sentry Post.
The moment Jong Gak kicked open the door, the Sanjuk lying on the cots sprang to their feet.
They reached for weapons by instinct.
But before they could respond, Jong Gak and Namgung Ho’s attacks rained down upon them.
A chilling pa-gong-seong cut through the empty air.
No second chance was needed.
The Sanjuk fell before they could even properly swing their weapons, their breath cut short by the ferocious assault of Jong Gak and Namgung Ho.
While Jong Gak’s group secured the Sentry Post in the blink of an eye, Dokgo Jin and Yu Seollan were already attacking those sleeping within Ho Gul.
But unlike the Sanjuk at the post, who had been caught without warning and couldn’t even cry out, those sleeping inside the cave reacted differently.
Yet the outcome did not change. The difference was only that, unlike those at the post who fell without any resistance whatsoever, those inside Ho Gul managed at least minimal resistance before they collapsed.

“They’re too weak. Are these really Madoryeon thugs?”

Yu Seollan wiped her blood-stained blade on the corpse at her feet, her doubt clear.

“Hard to say. Their movements are different from ordinary Sanjuk, but compared to what we’ve faced before…”

Dokgo Jin also hesitated to make a firm judgment. The enemies’ skill level was unexpected.

“Maybe we’re just too strong.”

Yu Seollan shrugged lightly and moved deeper into the cave.

“It’s too dark in here. Ugh!”

As Yu Seollan pulled a Torch from the wall, she suddenly covered her mouth and nose in alarm, overwhelmed by a nauseating stench.
Dokgo Jin, taking the Torch she had removed, stepped forward; his face grew rigid in an instant.
Excrement, the putrid reek of burst pustules, the stench of rotting flesh—and beneath it all, the heavy scent of blood that set his pace quickening of its own accord.
They had walked only a short distance before the narrow passage suddenly opened wide, revealing a prison constructed of thick iron bars.
As Dokgo Jin raised the torch, four men came into view.
Dokgo Jin was certain that these men, trapped in the prison and groaning in pitiful condition, were the missing members of Amhyang Dae.

“Are you from Amhyang Dae?”

At Dokgo Jin’s cry, the men who had been lying as if dead slowly lifted their heads with effort.
Yu Seollan asked again, noticing how the men squinted against the torchlight, unable to open their eyes properly.

“We’ve come to rescue you. Are you Amhyang Dae?”

Even before her words finished, the sluggish movements of the men transformed in an instant.

“Y-yes, that’s right.”
“We are Amhyang Dae.”

The men crawled forward like lightning, grasping the bars and crying out.

“Step back.”

Dokgo Jin, having motioned the Amhyang Dae members back, swung his blade and easily shattered the lock.

“Come out quickly.”

Yu Seollan pulled open the iron door and gestured for them to hurry.

“Ah!”
“W-we’re alive.”

Having discovered a sliver of light in despair darker than pitch, these men wept with emotion and stumbled free from the prison.
Yet the Amhyang Dae members, confined for so long and subjected to every manner of torture, had no strength left to walk properly.
Dokgo Jin and Yu Seollan quickly supported their faltering forms and called out.

“This way. Hurry.”

Yu Seollan, already sensing that Yu Geomha and Namgung Ho, sent by Jong Gak, had entered Ho Gul, called to them.
Yu Geomha and Namgung Ho, each carrying a torch as they rushed forward, gasped in horror at the sight of the Amhyang Dae members barely clinging to life.

“I think it would be better to carry them. They seem to have difficulty walking, having endured such severe hardship.”

Yu Seollan agreed with Dokgo Jin’s assessment.

“Right. Either way, if we’re to escape this place, carrying them is the only option.”

As she hoisted the man she had been supporting onto her back, the others followed suit, carrying the remaining Amhyang Dae members.
As they emerged from Ho Gul, Ju Gangwoo and Jong Gak, who had been anxiously awaiting them, welcomed the group.

“Is everyone safe?”

Jong Gak’s gaze fixed on the Amhyang Dae members being carried on his subordinates’ backs.

“Yes. We eliminated all enemies at Ho Gul and successfully rescued the four missing persons.”
“Good. What a relief!”

At Yu Seollan’s report, Jong Gak exhaled deeply in relief and approached a Sanjuk sprawled on the ground with pressure points sealed—the sole survivor from the Sentry Post, left alive in case information became necessary—and acted without hesitation.
The Sanjuk had been kept alive in case the operation encountered complications and intelligence was needed, but now that the prisoners had been rescued safely, there was no reason to spare his life.

“The danger is far from over. If the enemy aren’t fools, they’ll learn of this situation soon. We escape as quickly as possible.”

Before Jong Gak finished speaking, Ju Gangwoo stepped to the front of the group.
His expression had grown resolute, steely.

“No detours. We go straight through.”
“Sir?”

Ju Gangwoo stared at him in surprise, but Jong Gak spoke with grim certainty.

“Don’t be alarmed. We took the long way to reach here and rescue them, but things have changed now. We need to put as much distance between us and their territory as possible.”
“But the Sentry Post——”
“Don’t worry about it. Just run. A Sentry Post won’t be much of an obstacle.”
“Yes, understood.”

Ju Gangwoo swallowed hard at Jong Gak’s cold laugh, his head nodding before he even knew what he was doing. Then he clenched his fists and broke into a run.

* * *

“The moonlight is particularly bright tonight.”

The clouds had scattered entirely, and beneath the luminous glow, Ho San-dong, Lord of the Heukgol Chae’s outer branch, turned his head with a slightly weary expression.

“This is the last one.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Who’s guarding this Sentry Post?”
“Gong Jung and Gong Jin—the brothers—along with Bong Il. They’re on rotation.”

Mok San-heum, who accompanied Ho San-dong, answered quickly.

“Ah, those fools.”

Ho San-dong’s brow furrowed as he recalled the faces of his subordinates, the kind who ate like locusts and contributed nothing.

“Are those idiots actually sleeping on the job instead of properly keeping watch?”
“Even simple-minded men like them know the stakes these days. Don’t worry yourself, sir.”

Byeong Cheom, who had his hand draped across Mok San-heum’s shoulder, spoke, and Ho San-dong’s expression darkened.

“‘Sir’ nothing—I’m the Chief!”
“Yes, yes, Chief.”

Even as Ho San-dong glared, Byeong Cheom answered offhandedly and laughed.

“Forget it. What’s the point with you——”

Ho San-dong exhaled sharply and spun around, quickening his pace toward the final Sentry Post.
He moved swiftly down the narrow path and reached the post, his lips twisting into a sneer.

“Just as I thought. What? Knowing the stakes?”

Ho San-dong’s mockery flushed Byeong Cheom’s face red—the same man who’d just defended the sentries moments before.

“These useless bastards!”

Byeong Cheom spewed a curse and bolted toward the post before Mok San-heum could stop him.
Bang!
He kicked open the wooden door and bellowed into the Sentry Post.

“You rotten dogs! If you’re at a post, you keep watch—not all lie here sleeping like——”

Byeong Cheom’s furious voice cut short.
He had burst through the door of the Sentry Post, but what lay inside was nothing like what he had expected.
The subordinates were not lying on proper cots but sprawled across the floor, yet at a glance it was clear they were not sleeping.

“Damn it!”

The moment Byeong Cheom spotted the dark crimson liquid pooling around the bodies of the fallen men, he bolted from the room.

“Sir!”

Ho San-dong, who had been walking forward with the resolve to punish those subordinates who had failed their watch as an example to others, stopped dead in his tracks.
From Byeong Cheom’s urgent voice, his frantic gestures, and his jaw clamped tight, Ho San-dong intuited at once that something grave had occurred.

“What is it…….”
“We’ve been hit. All three of them.”
“Move.”

Pushing past Byeong Cheom, Ho San-dong entered the Sentry Post and was momentarily startled by the sight of the lifeless subordinates, but he quickly began searching for signs.
The moment he turned one of the prone bodies onto its back, the cause became apparent.

‘Sword work.’

All three bore thin, precise blade wounds across their throats.
As Ho San-dong examined the cuts on the men’s necks, his skin prickled.

‘The wounds are identical across all three. Not one is shallower or deeper than the others.’

It was the mark of a master who could wield a blade with absolute control.

“Who could it be? What dogs would dare lay hands on our Heukgol Chae…….”

Byeong Cheom, looking at the bodies over Ho San-dong’s shoulder, ground his teeth together.

“It wouldn’t be the Nok Rim men.”

Mok San-heum’s words made Byeong Cheom shake his head.

“We can’t say that for certain. The faction watching our Second Master, the First Master’s side, or those backing other candidates…….”
“No, San-heum is right.”

After studying the wounds for a long while, Ho San-dong slowly rose to his feet.

“To do something like this in such a delicate situation? Madness. Unless one had made peace with incurring the Chongchaejoo’s wrath, it would be impossible.”
“Then who could they be?”

Byeong Cheom asked, his voice slightly subdued at the mention of the Chongchaejoo’s name.

“I don’t know. But I have my suspicions.”

Ho San-dong’s gaze had already turned toward the northwestern ridge.

“You chose the wrong opponent. Did you think you could lay hands on Heukgol Chae and walk away unscathed?”

Ho San-dong drew a Signal Flare from his robe and fired it skyward.
The flare streaked into the darkness with a sharp whistle, then burst in brilliant colors, rousing Heukgol Chae from its deep slumber.

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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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