Return of the Sword Emperor - Chapter 62

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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 22: Shaking the Board (3)

At the foot of Mugong Mountain stood Hyeolbuchae, a Sanchae that took its symbol from a blood-red axe.
Despite its fearsome name, Hyeolbuchae was so small in scale that it barely registered as a presence at all—little more than a subsidiary of larger strongholds, scraping by on whatever scraps fell their way.
Yet today, while everyone else savored the afterglow of the Pimoo tournament, Noh Deok-myeong, the master of Hyeolbuchae, returned from a full day of grueling labor with his men, and his face was flushed with an almost uncontainable joy.

“Hehehehe! This is it, isn’t it? This is the very thing.”

The blade cradled in Noh Deok-myeong’s hands, his eyes half-wild with excitement, was none other than the Yao Sword Saryeong.

“Ah!”

Noh Deok-myeong ran his fingers over the exquisite weapon in a daze, caressing it endlessly.

“If this blade truly is the legendary Divine Sword…”

His body trembled at the thought of the rose-tinted future that awaited him with the Divine Sword in hand.
Rapture bloomed across his face as he indulged in nothing but imagination.
He was dreaming grand dreams—visions of rising beyond mere subsidiary status, ascending to become one of the Nok Rim Eighteen Strongholds themselves.
It was then that a commotion from outside shattered his reverie.

“Master! Master of the Sanchae!”

In a flash, Noh Deok-myeong sheathed the Yao Sword and snapped with irritation.

“Who dares? I told everyone not to approach without my explicit command.”

His voice was laced with killing intent, as though he might twist someone’s neck on a whim.

“It’s not that… Ugh!”

A pleading voice became a scream, and the locked door shattered to splinters in an instant.

“Who goes there?”

Noh Deok-myeong barked the words like thunder, snatching up an axe from beneath the table.
The men who strode through the ruined doorway fixed their eyes not on Noh Deok-myeong himself, but on the Yao Sword cradled at his side.
When they caught sight of its blood-red hilt, a strange gleam flashed across their gaze.

“This is it. The intelligence was correct.”
“Even sheathed, the aura radiating from it is unmistakable. This is truly the Divine Sword.”

As the intruders’ attention fixed wholly upon the Yao Sword, Noh Deok-myeong drew it behind him, malice plain in his posture.

“Get out. The Divine Sword is mine.”

At his cry, the intruders exchanged glances and began to speak.

“A mere bandit is unfit to possess such a treasure.”
“We will pay you fairly—why not hand it over to us?”
“If you surrender the Divine Sword, we will spare your life.”

Noh Deok-myeong watched the intruders weave their transparently false threats and broke into a hollow laugh.

“I wonder who the real thieves are. In any case—try if you dare.”
“So you refuse to hand it over willingly?”
“Humph! You’ll never touch this sword so long as I draw breath.”

One of the intruders, meeting Noh Deok-myeong’s blazing gaze, quietly issued a command.

“Kill them. And eliminate every last person in that stronghold. Not a single one is to be let go.”

Silencing the Witnesses—it was the beginning of a bloodstorm.

* * *

“Huff! Huff!”

Ragged breath came from the lips of Deung Gyo, the young escort agent leading the way up the mountain.
When he glanced back, he saw dozens of men following him up the slope.
An escort procession of the Taecheon Escort Agency entering the Naso Mountain Range.
Since the Taecheon Escort Agency was hailed as the finest in the realm, every procession it undertook commanded considerable scale, but this one was particularly large.
The number of sedan chair carriers transporting the goods was no different from usual, but the count of escort agents protecting them had nearly tripled, and there were seven table masters in total—including Head Table Master Mae Gunsan.
When Deung Gyo at the front came to a halt, Mae Gunsan, who had been following close behind, approached swiftly.

“We’ve arrived at Noro Plain, Head Table Master.”

Mae Gunsan turned his gaze toward the vast expanse of reeds and nodded slowly.
Though it had been some time since he’d seen this landscape, it never failed to stir his admiration.
Mae Gunsan turned his head and called out.

“We rest here.”

At the word “rest,” cheers and groans erupted from all quarters—they had been pushing hard on a grueling schedule.
As the procession halted, the table masters naturally gathered around Mae Gunsan.

“Quieter than expected, Head Table Master. By now we’d normally spot spies about.”

At the words of table master Maeng Hu, Mae Gunsan’s gaze turned toward the winding path that cut through the reed fields and stretched westward.

“Where there are big fish, small fry don’t show themselves. The real threat will begin once we enter that gorge ahead.”

As Mae Gunsan pointed to the massive chasm between Mugong Mountain and Jeonggang Mountain that lay before them, heavy swallows echoed from the table masters’ throats.

“Hah! We should have postponed this procession.”

At the sigh of table master Mae Cheong, Mae Gunsan’s brow furrowed.

“What’s this again? The decision’s already been made.”
“Don’t you know from past experience what happens when the Nok Rim succession war begins? Those fools become wildly daring, throwing themselves about foolishly just to flaunt their numbers.”
“That was the past. There’s no reason it has to be the same now. And regardless—an escort agency must sometimes undertake processions despite the danger. If we cherry-picked our commissions to suit our taste, the Taecheon Escort Agency would not be what it is today. When a client requests our service, we fulfill it. That is the spirit of the Taecheon Escort Agency.”

As Mae Gunsan spoke of the principle the Taecheon Escort Agency had upheld all this time, Mae Cheong reluctantly fell silent.

“Then how much should we give ground? Up to the threefold amount you mentioned before?”

At table master O Jin-ryeong’s question, Mae Gunsan shook his head.

“In the worst case, we’re prepared to concede up to five times the toll. That’s the amount approved from above.”

At the mention of tolerating toll demands five times over, all fell silent. At that rate, the Taecheon Escort Agency would see no profit whatsoever from the procession.

“But if—if they become greedy and demand more than that, what should we do?”

O Jin-ryeong asked again, his expression somewhat tense. The faces of the other table masters were equally grave.

“We’re not about to hand over everything without a fight. As you all know, we’ve mobilized this many men precisely so those fools won’t dare overstep the line recklessly. We’re sending them a warning to be content within reasonable bounds. But if they still harbor greed?”

A chill radiated from Mae Gunsan’s eyes.

“We’ll have to fight prepared for mutual destruction.”

The Table Masters who heard Mae Gunsan’s resolve steeled themselves, looking at their colleagues and the junior Escort Agents stationed throughout to guard the procession.
Sensing the atmosphere had grown too heavy, Mae Gunsan smiled and spoke.

“But don’t worry too much. It was the custom in the old days. Even if that tradition continues now, would anyone truly foolish enough to seek the succession actually be willing to accept mutual destruction? They’ll reach a compromise at some reasonable point.”
“Of course. Anyone stupid enough to charge in after witnessing this level of force wouldn’t have managed to enter the succession war in the first place.”

Everyone burst into laughter at O Jin-ryeong’s quip.
It was then.
A commotion erupted at the rear of the procession.
Strangers were approaching from the path they had traveled.
Three in number—a small group, but because they could potentially be scouts for bandits targeting the escort procession, the scattered Escort Agents rushed together in unison.

“Don’t act rashly.”

Maeng Hu, the Table Master who came rushing at Mae Gunsan’s command, calmed the Escort Agents.
The newcomers, who had arrived under the watchful gaze of the wary Escort Agents, were none other than Yu Seollan, Dokgo Jin, and Namgung Ho.

“From where do you come, honored guests?”

Yu Seollan stepped forward at Maeng Hu’s question.

“I am Yu Seollan of the Jeongmumeng Secret Inspector Unit. These are my teammates.”
“Dokgo Jin.”
“Namgung Ho.”

Dokgo Jin and Namgung Ho offered respectful greetings.

“Ah! I am Maeng Hu, Table Master of the Taecheon Escort Agency. But why would warriors of the Jeongmu Maeng be here…?”

Even as Maeng Hu observed the courtesies, suspicion remained in his gaze.

“We would like to speak with the head of this escort procession.”
“Stand aside.”

At Mae Gunsan’s words, who had come up behind, Maeng Hu quickly stepped out of the way.

“I am Table Master Mae Gunsan. Though unworthy, I lead this escort procession.”
“Ah! So you are the Iron-Hearted Escort Agent, senior. This junior bows to you.”

As Yu Seollan offered her respects, Mae Gunsan asked with a look of surprise.

“You know of me?”
“How could I not know the most renowned Escort Agent under Heaven?”
“Ha! You flatter me.”

Even as he waved a hand dismissively, a smile lingered at the corners of Mae Gunsan’s mouth, pleased by Yu Seollan’s praise.

“So the three of you are from the Jeongmu Maeng?”
“We are.”

Mae Gunsan found himself nodding at Yu Seollan’s composed response.

‘Remarkable.’

Mae Gunsan could not confirm whether they truly belonged to the Secret Inspector Unit, but neither did he believe they were bandits come to scout them out.
The three people’s bearing—neither deliberately revealed nor concealed, yet unmistakably evident—was incomparably different from that of common bandits.

“If I may be so bold, might I ask what brings you to this place?”

Yu Seollan glanced cautiously around before speaking.

“Could you ask your men to step back?”

Mae Gunsan showed no particular reaction to her words, but the expressions of the Table Masters around him darkened noticeably.
After a moment of thought, Mae Gunsan nodded readily enough.

“Very well—it’s no great trouble. Though wouldn’t it be better if we simply moved apart ourselves rather than clearing everyone out?”
“Anywhere we can speak without interruption will do.”
“Then this way.”

Mae Gunsan led Yu Seollan and her companions toward the reed beds of Noro Plain.

“This should allow us to talk without interference. If you wish, I’ll have them withdraw as well.”

Mae Gunsan gestured toward the Table Masters who had followed at a distance, prepared for any contingency.

“No, that’s quite all right.”
“Then speak. What brings you here?”
“I heard that an Escort Procession from the Taecheon Escort Agency was passing through.”

In that instant, Mae Gunsan’s brow furrowed slightly, and simultaneously the atmosphere among the Table Masters turned sharp and wary.

“You’ve been following us?”
“Not following—waiting would be more precise.”
“So you mean to target us—”

Mae Gunsan raised his hand, cutting off Mae Cheong before his hot-headed words could flow, and fixed his gaze on Yu Seollan and the other two. Not a shred of hostility colored her face; more than that, despite the atmosphere growing treacherous around them, she maintained an unflinching composure. Cold threads of unease began to weave through his chest.

‘Especially that one…’

Unlike Yu Seollan and Namgung Ho, who showed at least some signs of tension, Dokgo Jin was surveying the surrounding landscape with serene indifference. The ease in him sent every hair on Mae Gunsan’s body standing on end. It was an instinct honed by years of experience—from the moment he’d become an Escort Agent at seventeen until now—and the warrior’s intuition within him moved of its own accord.

“Why… would you wait for us?”

At Mae Gunsan’s cautious question, Yu Seollan answered with a bright smile.

“We’ve come to help the Taecheon Escort Agency.”

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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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