The Hwangbo Clan’s Beloved Live-In Son-in-Law - Chapter 44

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 44

 

What remained were six archers continuously shooting arrows from atop the cliff.

 

Guards and Tougui climbing up the cliff. Soldiers bearing the Shihuo banner.

 

Beneath their feet was gunpowder.

 

Xie Baowei’s face hardened.

 

The amount of gunpowder couldn’t be that much.

 

Xie Baowei had been in Gunmun.

 

The fact that it had flowed into civilian hands showed the nation’s instability, but if the amount had been excessive, they would have been blown to pieces already.

 

Hadn’t he already seen the power of the fire bombs those bastards made?

 

The problem was.

 

“We must escape the flames.”

 

He pursed his lips as he looked at the oil-mixed wood smell he’d grown accustomed to and the obstacles piled like firewood here and there.

 

Wheeek!

 

A sharp sound came from his mouth, followed by clattering sounds as Chun-gil, who had been hiding somewhere, came running in.

 

Thud.

 

Swoosh!

 

Six arrows instantly flew toward Chun-gil.

 

Clang clang clang!

 

Namgung Bin and Namgung Seol instantly deflected two arrows each, and clever Chun-gil dodged one arrow by shaking his neck and avoided another by swinging his rump.

 

“…What the?”

 

Ignoring Namgung Seol’s gaping mouth, Xie Baowei urged Chun-gil forward.

 

Fire wouldn’t discriminate between people, and though it was called a cliff, it wasn’t that high.

 

Tougui and the guards had already disappeared from sight.

 

Only the soldiers with bows remained, continuously shooting arrows.

 

Soon, sparks flared up in their hands.

 

There was no time.

 

Xie Baowei pulled Yingying into his arms and barely managed to grab Chun-gil’s reins, mounting as if hanging on.

 

“Huashen! Wei Zibai!”

 

Only then did everyone reach the same thought, urgency rising like madness.

 

Wei Zibai threw Huashen with all his might, Xie Baowei caught him and barely pulled him up, and Namgung Seol practically dragged Wei Zibai as they leaped outside.

 

“Scatter! Regroup at the bandit’s lair in three days!”

 

Without even looking at the group bursting out, Namgung Bin leaped backward.

 

“Brother!”

 

Namgung Seol screamed and looked back, but he couldn’t bring himself to abandon Wei Zibai.

 

“Damn it!”

 

There was no turning Chun-gil around now.

 

Two of the six fire arrows flying from all directions were broken.

 

But even Nam Gilin couldn’t block the remaining four.

 

“Duck your heads.”

 

Hearing Yingying burrowing into his embrace and Huashen’s faint groans, Xie Baowei bent down as if embracing the horse’s head.

 

Chun-gil’s body swayed greatly.

 

Whoosh.

 

Hiss.

 

Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-clang!

 

Boom boom boom!

 

Bang!

 

His spine instantly grew hot.

 

Whether all the fuses had been connected, the mountain retreat was soon engulfed in flames.

 

Flames shot up along the outer edges of the mountain retreat.

 

The explosions and fires were particularly large around areas that could serve as escape routes.

 

“Damn it!”

 

At the distance where flames stretched out, Xie Baowei pulled the reins and turned.

 

Whinny!

 

Chun-gil’s body twisted violently as he turned. A few kicks gouged the ground.

 

Xie Baowei hurriedly turned his pack upside down.

 

“Brother!”

 

At the scream, he looked back to see Namgung Seol wailing toward the flames from a short distance away.

 

Wei Zibai was barely holding him by the waist, trying to stop him.

 

The condition of both men didn’t look very good either.

 

They too were soon obscured like shadows by the spreading flames.

 

“Damn it!”

 

The flames spread outward, but came inward even faster.

 

It was clear they intended to kill anyone within range.

 

Xie Baowei’s hands grew urgent.

 

Where is it!

 

The fire-resistant cloth that Jegal Seolhye had prepared should be around here somewhere!

 

Found it.

 

He dismounted from Chun-gil and stabbed his spear into the ground like discarding it.

 

With Huashen’s help, he wrapped his still-bleeding arm and threw the fire-resistant cloth over himself.

 

Huashen’s complexion wasn’t good, but he was well enough to hold Yingying.

 

“Go ahead.”

 

“Brother Xie.”

 

There was no time for arguments.

 

Yingying’s eyes followed him painfully.

 

As Xie Baowei offered a brief farewell, Huashen spoke to him again.

 

It was a voice near death.

 

“Brother Xie.”

 

Damn it.

 

Xie Baowei turned his head. Even without Huashen saying more, he could understand enough.

 

Fighting spirit that made his skin tingle.

 

No, killing intent.

 

“Did you come alone?”

 

“Mm. I am still single, after all.”

 

It was Tougui.

 

***

 

Curses came out naturally.

 

“I understand the reason. Such obsession is quite severe.”

 

“I’m a bit like that.”

 

He pulled out the spear he had stuck in the ground.

 

The spear, with its middle section cleanly cut away, was barely long enough to be called a short spear.

 

He wondered if the man was truly alone, but having false hopes would only lead to greater disappointment.

 

Surely the guards of Geomhoe or soldiers of Qitian were also searching for survivors.

 

“When I signal, run without looking back.”

 

He spoke to Huashen without turning his eyes away.

 

The answer was hard to hear over the sound of roaring flames.

 

He had suffered a great wound. He probably didn’t have the strength to speak.

 

That’s fine. With that strength, he just needs to hold Yingying and the reins well.

 

Tougui still appeared leisurely. But now he knew this was pretense.

 

The flames reflected in his glistening eyes weren’t just from the surrounding fire.

 

Grip.

 

Xie Baowei weakly clenched his injured left hand. The barely healed wound felt like it would tear open, so he released it again.

 

That battle demon had accurately sliced through his unarmored forearm even as his sword path twisted against the solid spear shaft.

 

Crackle crackle.

 

Whoosh.

 

The flames spread in an instant. His back felt scorching hot.

 

Even in this situation, should he resent Qitian for sending people to uproot them?

 

Or should he praise him?

 

He’s the type Socheon would like.

 

“Run!”

 

Using a falling tree branch as a signal, he struck Chun-gil’s rump with his spear shaft.

 

Neigh!

 

Chun-gil snorted and began galloping forward.

 

Tougui’s body, which had been swaying leisurely, stretched toward Chun-gil as if he had been waiting.

 

Whoosh!

 

“Where do you think you’re going!”

 

Xie Baowei also charged toward Tougui. Though Xie Baowei could run quite well even with his limping leg, lightness skills weren’t exactly his specialty.

 

Before Xie Baowei’s spear could reach him, Tougui swung his blade in a wide arc.

 

It was a sword strike aimed at Chun-gil, not Huashen.

 

Perfect.

 

“What?!”

 

Suddenly Chun-gil’s body swayed, then leaped sideways from his running direction.

 

Literally sideways. With a bound.

 

Tougui’s blade swept through empty air, Huashen gritted his teeth and held Yingying and the reins, and blood once again soaked his chest.

 

In that moment, Xie Baowei’s spear reached Tougui.

 

Clang!

 

“I’m counting on you!”

 

Chun-gil began galloping again through the densely packed trees, letting out a long breath.

 

The large horse’s shadow quickly disappeared into the forest darkness.

 

But he couldn’t easily feel at ease.

 

A horse carrying an injured person on treacherous mountain paths couldn’t be that fast, and the flames made it difficult to find the way.

 

He didn’t know when Yukgwi’s soldiers might come charging again.

 

But first, he needed to worry about himself.

 

Xie Baowei gritted his teeth and pursued the retreating Tougui.

 

It wasn’t that he had only defended because he didn’t know offense was advantageous.

 

Against that Tougui, it wasn’t easy to even seize the initiative.

 

“Ha!”

 

Tougui looked at Xie Baowei and sneered as if he found him pathetic.

 

Did he think he could manage just because he had seized the first move?

 

He bared his teeth and laughed.

 

Good thinking.

 

Except your opponent is me.

 

However.

 

Swoosh! Swish!

 

Ting!

 

“…Ugh!”

 

One step.

 

He couldn’t avoid all three strikes that poured out.

 

Two steps.

 

He barely deflected the consecutive thrusts and slashes, but took the swinging spear shaft on his shoulder.

 

Five steps.

 

Even after retreating three more steps in succession, he couldn’t shake off the clinging spear.

 

The sliding, scraping spear blade cut his shoulder.

 

Xie Baowei’s eyes as he pressed the attack were colder than ever before.

 

The resentment he had hidden all this time burst forth with emotion.

 

What was purely contained was clear and thick killing intent.

 

Its concentration was by no means lighter compared to Tougui’s own.

 

“Damn bastard!”

 

Clang!

 

He pushed his already cut shoulder forward to create an opening and hastily drew up his internal energy to strike the spear away forcefully.

 

Blood rose from his shaken internal organs with a lurch, but he endured it.

 

Xie Baowei’s spear shaft was knocked away with great force.

 

That momentary gap.

 

Using that thread-thin gap created by cutting off half of half of the breath he had already pushed to the limit, he thrust his blade forward.

 

Xie Baowei’s spear rode the rebound and spun around his body to stab toward Tougui’s leg.

 

It was a good move, but.

 

At this rate, Tougui’s blade would pierce Xie Baowei’s heart faster…

 

“You. You bastard!”

 

Xie Baowei threw his left arm forward without hesitation.

 

The eyes of the charging Xie Baowei gleamed.

 

Clang!

 

Tougui’s blade, which should have cut off the arm, wavered due to that brief hesitation.

 

Thanks to that, Tougui’s great sword bounced off that familiar bloody armor.

 

Tougui, clenching his teeth hard, threw his body.

 

The spear tip that barely grazed him lightly cut his thigh.

 

His entire body scraped against the rough ground of overgrown grass and protruding tree roots.

 

Before he could even feel that pain, facing the incoming spear attack, he wildly swung his blade like a storm – hardly worthy of being called martial arts – and only after retreating three or four steps like he was fleeing did a gap appear.

 

“Cough. Gasp.”

 

From Tougui’s mouth, along with rough breathing, the blood he had been suppressing burst forth.

 

However, Xie Baowei, who should have pressed the attack, was also barely calming his heaving chest and using his spear to steady his swaying body.

 

Even so, his eyes followed Tougui.

 

Regret, competitive spirit, joy, frustration.

 

Among all those emotions, shining once again

 

Killing intent.

 

“Huff. Huff.”

 

“You, you, damn…”

 

Looking at that demon-like face that had completely abandoned its previous smugness, Tougui trembled as he gripped his great sword.

 

Not only was he driven into a defensive position, but he had rolled on the ground like a donkey, flapped like a chicken, and cowered like a turtle.

 

A sense of defeat as if he had become the prey.

 

In his fierce life, this was the first time he had ever been so degraded.

 

He was always the one who created such degradation and cackled, never the one who suffered it.

 

His face contorted like a fierce demon.

 

“Huff. Huff. If. Huff, you were planning to run away like that, you shouldn’t have come in the first place.”

 

“You. You! Dog-like bastard!”

 

Xie Baowei, who had somehow resumed his previous feigned indifference, taunted him.

 

Aaaaah!

 

Unable to contain his anger at the deliberate provocation, Tougui threw a fit of rage.

 

Trees and grass flew as he wildly swung his blade.

 

This time it was genuine anger, not deception or trickery.

 

A man over ten years older still has good energy.

 

Xie Baowei watched for an opening while catching his breath that hadn’t fully returned.

 

What a pity.

 

I should have thrust my spear into that damned bastard’s neck.

 

How dare he harm an elder of the family, and wound Yulhui—it was my chance to devour the heart of that damned son of a bitch.

 

It’s already too late.

 

Well then, I have no choice but to regulate my breathing again.

 

Huff. Huff.

 

Xie Baowei’s body found stability.

 

Though it was barely enough to continue one more bout.

 

There won’t be a second time.

 

Next time, it’ll be the end.

 

Tougui, who had been raging for a while, caught his breath.

 

His eyes turned vicious.

 

“Damn bastard.”

 

I acknowledge it.

 

I have to acknowledge it.

 

I’ve lived on the blade’s edge for nearly twenty years, but this is the first opponent who’s annoyed me this much.

 

Living in the gap between life and death, I wanted to leave with a smile even before death.

 

For the first time, I struggled desperately.

 

The ugliness he had shown only fueled his rage further.

 

That’s why.

 

His dangling arm felt more bothersome than ever before.

 

“I’ll admit it. In this state, I can’t beat you.”

 

His dangling right arm was in terrible condition.

 

The place that had already been injured by that ridiculous bastard the day before was struck again by that damned Namgung Family member.

 

When his elbow area started throbbing, it became completely unusable.

 

Living by the sword, he had already imagined becoming disabled.

 

If I can’t fight anymore, I’ll die. He had made that decision before.

 

Today he decided.

 

Tougui gritted his teeth.

 

Before long, flames surrounded them.

 

There’s no point in dragging this out.

 

So then.

 

“Let’s do this one more time, bastard.”

 

Tougui cut off his own arm.

 

Gasp.

 

Xie Baowei’s eyes widened.

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