Return of the Sword Emperor - Chapter 54

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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: Tiger’s Den (3)

“Tsk, tsk. Well played indeed.”

Dam Hon, Deputy Leader of the Heukwoldan, clicked his tongue as he glanced at the pitiful corpses of Yahondan members strewn about.

“There’s barely a trace of resistance. The Yahondan fighters are competent enough, but not so much that they’d fall defenseless like this.”

Chuk Yung, examining the wounds on the Yahondan bodies, continued in a tone that had grown somewhat grave.

“Whoever did this appears to be quite skilled, Deputy Leader.”
“No question about it. Especially whoever brought down that group over there—he’s no ordinary fighter.”

The corpses Dam Hon indicated were those felled by Dokgo Jin.
The bodies of those killed by Yu Seollan bore faint traces of brutality, but those who had fallen to Dokgo Jin’s blade showed no other wounds—only their carotid arteries cleanly severed.

‘Certainly no inferior swordsman.’

Though pride kept him from voicing it, Dam Hon’s instincts recognized from the sword marks Dokgo Jin had left that the man was no lesser skill than himself.

“Deputy Leader.”

Ma Uk approached, having completed his assessment of the situation with his subordinates.

“Did you identify who they are?”

Ma Uk shook his head at Dam Hon’s question.

“No need for confirmation—the Jeongmu Maeng made this move. The fact that they freed the Amhyangdae held captive here is all the evidence we need.”

Killing intent naturally seeped into Ma Uk’s voice, whether because his men stationed here to gather intelligence had been slaughtered.

“How many of them came?”
“Six.”
“S-six?”

A faint smirk played across Dam Hon’s lips at the unexpectedly small number. A promising hunt had appeared to break his tedious routine—six men helping a band of Sanjuk.

“Did you track which way they went?”
“Yes, they’ve already begun heading south along the main trail. From the state of the blood, they left less than an hour ago.”
“South along the main trail means they’re not afraid of confrontation.”

Dam Hon nodded at Chuk Yung’s words.

“If these are definitely Jeongmu Maeng men, they already know we exist to some degree. They’ve calculated that a direct breakthrough south is their fastest escape route. During a retreat, they won’t encounter many Sanjuk stragglers—they can cut through. Listen, Ma.”
“Yes, Deputy Leader.”
“Assign just one guide who knows the terrain.”
“Understood. The Heukgol Chae will also move.”
“They’ve been informed?”

Dam Hon’s displeasure became quite apparent.

“Heukgol Chae found their trail first. Thanks to that, we were able to assess the situation here without delay. Since there are many of them, they can build an encirclement and pressure the targets. Their leadership has considerable skill as well.”
“Whatever their skill, they’re fit enough to serve as beaters in a hunt.”

A quiet laugh escaped Dam Hon as he dismissed Heukgol Chae’s strength, turning to leave Tiger’s Den and calling out.

“Pursue at once.”

* * *

Bang!
The door burst open, and Jo Yang, master of Heukgol Chae, appeared with a thoroughly irritated expression.

“What is this? What’s all the commotion about?”

Jo Geuk, the Deputy Leader who was already armed, answered while slinging an Iron Mace across his shoulder.

“A Signal Flare went up signaling enemy infiltration. Ho San Dong must have spotted it on patrol, and it doesn’t look good.”
“Enemy?”

At the word “enemy,” Jo Yang’s irritation vanished, replaced by sharp focus.

“Where did the trouble start?”
“The signal came from the southwest for now, but pinpointing exactly what’s happening will take some time.”
“So you don’t know who they are or how many.”

Jo Geuk shook his head, and Jo Yang drew a sharp breath, his eyes glinting with calculation.

“Tracking down the enemy’s movements is the priority. We need to find out where they’re headed, what their purpose is in attacking. You’ll lead a force and—”

Before Jo Yang could finish, Jo Sa-eung entered with a grave expression.

“Father, Uncle.”
“You’ve heard the news too, I see.”

Jo Geuk greeted his nephew warmly, for he knew better than anyone how sharp and capable Jo Sa-eung was—a third son who had claimed the heir’s seat at Heukgol Chae and now stood as a contender for the position of successor to Nok Rim Tu Wang.

“We must deploy the Heavenly Net Formation immediately and assemble a pursuit team.”
“A pursuit team? We don’t even know their objective yet.”

Jo Sa-eung shook his head at his uncle’s words.

“They’ve already accomplished their goal and fled.”
“What do you mean?”

Jo Yang’s eyes widened as he pressed for details.

“The Amhyangdae members who were at Tiger’s Den have escaped. Everyone guarding that location is dead, as are all the Yahondan operatives who were there gathering intelligence.”
“If they targeted Tiger’s Den… you’re saying Jeongmu Maeng made a move?”
“Likely so.”
“Jeongmu Maeng—these dogs dare to act within my territory?”

Jo Yang’s face twisted with fury.

“But how did you learn of this? The Signal Flare only went up moments ago.”
“Yahondan informed us. Once they saw the flare, they realized something had happened at Tiger’s Den and began pursuit immediately. We must move at once as well.”
“Of course. An incident has erupted in Heukgol Chae’s territory—we cannot leave this to them alone. Brother, we must mobilize every available hand and cut off every route they can use to escape.”
“See it done.”

With Jo Yang’s approval, Jo Geuk rushed outside, and immediately the sound of a bell rang out, shaking earth and sky. At the same time, signal flares of every description began to paint the dark night.

* * *

Ju Gangwoo’s desperate flight faltered as signal flares erupted from every direction.

“What… what should we do?”

At Ju Gangwoo’s question, Jong Gak furrowed his brow. While he gathered his thoughts, Yu Seollan spoke up.

“Since the first signal flare rose from the south, they’re likely already lying in wait. Our retreat could be cut off.”
“And so?”
“What if we take a detour?”

Jong Gak hesitated at Yu Seollan’s suggestion, then shook his head.

“That’s one option, certainly, but I think it’s better to break through first and assess the situation as we go.”
“Understood.”

Since Yu Seollan wasn’t certain whether a detour was the wiser choice, she offered no objection and withdrew.

“Deputy Leader.”

Ju Gangwoo pointed downslope, calling to Jong Gak.
Through the undergrowth came a band of figures, torches held aloft.

“Not many of them.”

Ju Gangwoo, having moved forward to scout the enemy, turned back and spoke.

“Right. Likely Sanjuk from the outposts we passed earlier. We charge through at once.”

With his order given, Jong Gak swept past Ju Gangwoo and hurled himself at the enemy.

“Enemies!”

A cry went up, and a signal flare streaked skyward.
The Sanjuk, apparently expecting reward enough for merely spotting intruders and launching the signal, turned to flee without thought of resistance.
But then, the signal flare that had been whistling upward in a bright arc suddenly lost momentum and tumbled down.
While the others stood bewildered, the blade that had cleaved the flare in two returned to settle in Dokgo Jin’s hand.

“You……”

Yu Seollan, evidently too weary even to marvel, shook her head and tracked Jong Gak as he charged at the brigands.
The Sanjuk, convinced their task was done once the signal had risen and now fleeing, barely managed a few strides before Jong Gak’s blade swept them all down.
Having dispatched the brigands in an eyeblink, Jong Gak stood motionless, gazing up at the sky.

‘If Dokgo Jin had reacted even a moment later, our position would have been completely exposed to them. At this rate……’

In Jong Gak’s eyes, as he considered the detour, conflicted emotions flickered.

* * *

While chaos erupted around Heukgol Chae because of Milkgeom Dan, a group moved along the ridge.
Exactly five of them.
An old man, two middle-aged men, and two others who appeared to be their escorts.
Few in number, yet their presence carried an unmistakable weight.

“Tsk, such nonsense they’re about. Are we there yet?”

An elderly man, his eyes sharp and piercing, barked at the guide.

“I—I beg your pardon, sir. Not much further.”

Bang Gan, who served under Ma Uk and had apparently suffered for it, bowed low in confusion.

“You said the same thing an hour ago. Tsk. What manner of subordinate management does this Ma Uk exercise?”

The old man, Sa Cheon Gwang, the elder of Madoryeon also known as the White-Eyed Ghost, grumbled toward Bang Gan.

“Sir, there’s really not much time left.”

The moment his superior’s name was mentioned, Bang Gan’s face drained of color.
Just then, a middle-aged man who had been gazing absently at the signal flare rising into the sky turned to Bang Gan with a question.

“Seeing that signal flare go up over there, it looks like something’s gone wrong at Heukgol Chae. Do you happen to know what’s happened?”
“That is….”

Bang Gan, who had been waiting at the foot of the mountain and had never imagined himself guiding people like these, had no grasp of the current situation either.

“You there, Yu Baek.”

The middle-aged man who had been following behind called to Yu Baek, who was conversing with Bang Gan.

“What is it?”
“I have a bad feeling about this. Could the struggle for possession have already begun?”
“Surely not. It’s been barely four days since we received our orders and set out for this place.”

At Yu Baek’s response, Jin Ga Gyeol shook his head.

“The rumors about the Divine Sword are spreading at a terrifying pace. We cannot be certain that no one is moving faster than we are. Moreover, strictly speaking, this is Nok Rim’s territory. What else could such a commotion in the dead of night possibly be?”

As Jin Ga Gyeol pointed to the sky, Sa Cheon Gwang nodded in agreement.

“There’s merit to what the Dharma Protector says. It’s only natural that flies swarm to a treasure sent down by heaven.”

Unlike Yu Baek and Jin Ga Gyeol, who displayed grave concern, Sa Cheon Gwang did not take it seriously. He was that confident in his ability to seize the Divine Sword.

“By the way, when will those fellows arrive?”

Sa Cheon Gwang turned his head sharply and asked Cho Gun, who had been attending him since relaying Ryeon Ju’s orders.

“I cannot say for certain, but at minimum it will take five days.”
“Five days? They move like snails.”

As Sa Cheon Gwang clicked his tongue, Cho Gun struggled to suppress a bitter smile.

‘The Master crossed that vast distance in four days after receiving orders. And traveling at night, no less!’

Yu Baek and Jin Ga Gyeol, who had joined them a day earlier, had been relatively close by, but Sa Cheon Gwang had come running from a place far beyond their position.
Those four days of pushing himself to match Sa Cheon Gwang’s pace were perhaps the most agonizing of his entire life.
Moreover, as if to mock his expectation of taking rest once they reached Jeonggang Mountain, the Master had the audacity to travel even in the dead of night—a eccentricity that had worn away his patience entirely.

“We must also be mindful of the attention of Jeongmu Maeng, likely for that reason.”

At Jin Ga Gyeol’s words, Sa Cheon Gwang let out a snort.

“Bah! It’s obvious that the Jeongmu Maeng dogs will come running with eyes ablaze—why be so cautious about it?”
“Jeongmu Maeng is likely to remain inactive. In the previous matter, they took no part and merely watched from the sidelines.”
“Then there’s even less reason to be concerned.”
“Still, it is better to be careful. We might inadvertently give them cause to intervene, might we not?”
“Bah! Whether Jeongmu Maeng intervenes or not matters little. The Divine Sword will be ours in any case.”
“Of course it will.”

Jin Ga Gyeol nodded as though it were obvious.
Though Sa Cheon Gwang’s excessive confidence gave him some cause for concern, as he thought of the elite forces of Madoryeon who would arrive soon, he could not help but acknowledge it.

“In any case, it would be good to press forward a little faster. We must determine what that commotion is about, and if something happens to Heukgol Chae, who are to assist us, it would become rather troublesome.”

His words were directed at Sa Cheon Gwang, yet Bang Gan noticed Jin Ga Gyeol’s gaze settling on him, and he released a quiet sigh.
They were already fighting with everything they had — to hear such words was no different from being told to die.

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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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