The Legend of Red Cloud - Chapter 67

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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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Episode 67. A Move by Ja Jeon Geom Wang
With Dae Sal falling, his neck severed, Jeok Sa concluded his final display of might, and members of the Jeok Sa Jo converged around him.
Jeok Sa led the vanguard while Jwa Ryang and Dong Pil held the left and right flanks, with Hwangbo Jang Seong commanding the rear—their diamond-shaped formation tore into the rear encampment of the Hyeol Gwi Dae’s advance guard, and it became nothing short of a river of blood and corpses.
As they shook the rear encampment of the Hyeol Gwi Dae, the additional assault by the remaining Jeok Sa Jo members resulted in countless Hyeol Gwi Dae warriors falling by their hands.
While the Jeok Sa Jo struck from behind with such overwhelming force, the Black Night Brigade and White Righteous Brigade warriors who had arrived transformed the chaos-stricken Hyeol Gwi Dae encampment into a wasteland.
Half?
The casualties suffered during the fighting amounted to only a quarter of their strength.
They had inflicted such damage only in achieving the complete annihilation of the Hyeol Gwi Dae’s advance guard, who matched their skill yet outnumbered them.
Even that toll was the result of pushing themselves hard to dispatch the密鬼 who came in a frontal assault in mere moments.
All of it had been for the sake of timing.
And so, none among them lamented it.
Rather, many were intoxicated by victory.
Roooaaarrr!
Their cries of triumph echoed across the Saja Plain’s night.
***
Upon learning of the defeat, the Hyeol Gwi Dae seethd with fury.
The prevailing sentiment called for immediately dispatching a massive force of warriors to exact revenge.
Yet the newly appointed leader of the Hyeol Gwi Dae, Ja Jeon Geom Wang, remained silent.
Had Dae Sal, who had created this disaster, been standing before him, Ja Jeon Geom Wang might well have twisted his neck with his own hands.
What Ja Jeon Geom Wang had demanded of Dae Sal was neither a swift victory nor conspicuous military achievements.
He had merely instructed him to respond appropriately should they engage with forces they could match.
For he had foreseen the moves the Cheol Hyeol Maeng would take in order to draw the Baek Ui Ryeon deeper.
Thus he had anticipated that Dae Sal would stop at shedding a measured amount of blood.
In response, before the Baek Ui Ryeon could make proper advances, he had planned to resolve the situation with Shal-rang somehow.
But Dae Sal had bungled Ja Jeon Geom Wang’s entire strategy from the start.
He thrust the silver-ranked operatives into the Hwan Do, crushing the Maeng Ui Dan reconnaissance force and summoning the Jeok Sa Jo—and as if that weren’t enough, he committed the密鬼 to a frontal assault.
It was a complete violation of his explicit orders: never to launch an attack or ambush under any circumstances.
“The cursed fool!”
He hurled the curse, yet could not kill a man already dead.
As Ja Jeon Geom Wang pondered the matter at length, a Messenger Letter arrived.
It was a reply to the letter he had sent after discovering that Rim Ju had made a visit.
Having read through it, Ja Jeon Geom Wang summoned his subordinate.
“Send a Messenger Letter at once to the Ma Ryeong Jeon. Tell them to deliver Mo Yong Ji Eun, who is currently imprisoned in Chambek Gak.”
If it were merely the demand of the Hyeol Gwi Dae’s leader, the Ma Ryeong Jeon would have no reason to comply.
They would be fortunate not to receive a volley of curses in response.
But Ja Jeon Geom Wang was a Sub-Master before he was a leader of the Hyeol Gwi Dae.
No matter how Ma Ryeong Jeon might pride themselves on their position of One Below, Ten Thousand Above, they could not ignore him.
Knowing this, the Hyeol Gwi Dae warrior who received the order complied without hesitation.
Shortly after, a messenger bird took flight from the Hyeol Gwi Dae’s garrison, flying westward.
Having received the Messenger Letter from the Hyeol Gwi Dae, Ma Ryeong made his way to the Hyeol Ma Gung, where Rim Ju resided, huffing indignantly.
“Why the heavy sighs since morning?”
At Rim Ju’s question, Ma Ryeong carefully presented the Messenger Letter.
“It seems Ja Jeon Geom Wang now intends to play master.”
“What matter is this? Ah! Mo Yong Ji Eun.”
“You know of her?”
“Is she not the prized jewel of the Mo Yong Family’s household? I recall you apprehended her for the grave crime of attempted false surrender to rescue her brother.”
“Precisely. For him to demand the release of such a serious offender without explanation or justification—this is intolerable!”
“Then go and tell him exactly that. Why come to me?”
Ma Ryeong looked up at Rim Ju, who spoke as if discussing someone else’s affair.
“Master Rim Ju!”
“What?”
“I speak of the discipline of the Rim.”
“Discipline? If that’s the issue, then aren’t you the one at fault here? That bastard may be called a Sub-Master by title, but you’re Ma Ryeong—and by rank, Ja Jeon Geom Wang stands above you both.”
“That is… true, but…”
“If you have reasons you cannot comply, rather than coming to me with this complaint, you should first explain those reasons in detail to Ja Jeon Geom Wang himself and seek his reconsideration.”
Ma Ryeong gazed at Rim Ju steadily at his words.
The cold, unflinching gaze Rim Ju returned—a look that said “why are you surprised?”—was utterly calm and composed.
It betrayed no shock, no confusion, no discomfort whatsoever.
This was completely unlike Rim Ju’s usual demeanor—the way he would have bristled first before complying with orders from Ma Ryeong Jeon or Hyeol Ma Gung, despite belonging to a Mupa outside of the demonic sect.
This was…
‘He knew!’
Of course he knew—before Jeok Sa even reported it, both Rim Ju and the Master had already grasped that this matter concerned Mo Yong Ji Eun.
That meant there had been some prior understanding between Rim Ju and Ja Jeon Geom Wang, excluding Ma Ryeong himself.
Feeling the chill creep up the back of his neck at that realization, Ma Ryeong withdrew without a word.
As he stepped out of Hyeol Ma Gung, Rim Ju’s lips moved in a murmur.
“You should never have been greedy. It’s not too late yet. Don’t miss this moment while I wait and endure.”
Rim Ju’s cryptic voice settled heavy over Hyeol Ma Gung.
Rather than explain in detail why it couldn’t be done, Ma Ryeong chose to return Mo Yong Ji Eun to the Hyeol Gwi Dae.
If Rim Ju and the Sub-Master had such a prior understanding, nothing he said would matter anyway.
In truth, Ma Ryeong had only detained Mo Yong Ji Eun to try pulling the Mo Yong Family toward his side through her—not to truly punish her.
Which is why, despite calling her a grave traitor who’d conspired with the enemy, he never laid a finger on her.
He hadn’t even interrogated her, let alone tortured her.
Because of that, when Mo Yong Ji Eun returned to the Hyeol Gwi Dae, her body bore not a single mark.
Standing before Ja Jeon Geom Wang to report her return, Mo Yong Ji Eun was quite flustered.
It was because of what Ja Jeon Geom Wang, as Master of the Hyeol Gwi Dae, had demanded of her.
“What… what do you want me to do?”
“The Beauty Scheme. Seduce one of their people.”
“M-Master!”
“You needn’t cry out like that. The whole world already knows I’m your Master.”
“That is… well…”
To Mo Yong Ji Eun, who stammered in confusion, Ja Jeon Geom Wang spoke plainly.
“Even if you’ve returned, it’s impossible for you to return as Military Commander. You know that. The young man Gwan Hong who took the Military Commander’s position won’t let you return.”
She knew that Mo Yong Sang, who had been Military Commander of the Hyeol Gwi Dae, had stepped down, and that Gwan Hong, who had served alongside Mo Yong Ji Eun as an Elite Unit member, had inherited that position.
Knowing Gwan Hong’s ambition and competitive nature better than anyone, Mo Yong Ji Eun could guess he wouldn’t welcome her return.
Moreover, he was the type to stop at nothing to achieve what he wanted.
There was no reason to compete with such a man in her current situation.
It was for that reason she nodded obediently, and Ja Jeon Geom Wang continued.
“So you have nowhere to go. Or should I put you in the Hyeol Hyeol Gwi instead? Your head would fly off before even a few hours passed. If that’s what you want, I’ll arrange it.”
At Ja Jeon Geom Wang’s words—barely short of a threat—Mo Yong Ji Eun asked.
“Who exactly do you want, that you would give me such an absurd order?”
“You know already. Dae Sal.”
In that instant, Mo Yong Ji Eun’s expression went rigid.
Yet from that stiffened expression, Ja Jeon Geom Wang could easily detect the faint joy flowing beneath.
And he remembered too—when he’d first mentioned a woman to Jeok Sa, there had been a moment when Jeok Sa’s expression seemed to recall someone.
Weaving together these two observations, Ja Jeon Geom Wang knew his judgment had been correct.
“Bring him back. Seduce him completely so he never returns.”
Mo Yong Ji Eun said nothing to that command from Ja Jeon Geom Wang.
Instead, her lips pressed shut and her fists clenched tight—as if lost in thought.
It was a complete reversal from her panicked reaction moments before, calling the order absurd.
At the sight of her, a faint smile played at the corners of Ja Jeon Geom Wang’s mouth.
***
While the Hyeol Gwi Dae was consumed with managing the aftermath of defeat, the Maeng Ui Dan found itself bewildered by an unexpected victory.
And it was a confusion they couldn’t reveal—only stew over in silence.
The White Righteous Brigade, unaware of this, was exultant.
They had lost thirty in the Hwan Do Great Battle and some fifty more in this latest fight, yet they had claimed victory in both engagements.
Because of that, Yong Hyeon could confidently send a Messenger Letter to the Baek Ui Ryeon, requesting reinforcements for their victory.
So Yeo Woon had returned safely.
Though she had stood in the midst of brutal fighting, she had suffered no serious wounds.
She bore minor injuries, yet despite fighting at the forefront of all, the fact that her wounds went no further was providence itself.
Jwa Ryang was relieved—that even without his protection at her side, she had returned unharmed.
As they returned to the garrison, the Jeok Sa Jo members smiled broadly, watching Jwa Ryang and So Yeo Woon move about together again as before.
Perhaps it was the sense of worth from having taken part in the last fight.
While they were smiling thus, a warrior from Chamryeongak left behind a Summon Notice.
<The Commander of Jeok Sa Jo must report to Chamryeongak immediately upon receipt of this notice, without exception.>
The tone of the message composing the notice was full of the threat that it would not let this pass lightly.
Because of that, Yi Song grabbed Jang Min Soo, who was rising with a bitter laugh.
“I’ll go in your place.”
“But…”
“I don’t know about the Chamryeongak’s main authority, but I have no small debt to that place either, so I’d be better suited.”
“The Summon Notice names the Commander.”
“If you assume the identity of deputy commander standing in for a unit commander wounded in this operation, wouldn’t that suffice?”
Jang Min Soo nodded with a smile, understanding Yi Song’s intention in speaking of wounds when he himself was unharmed.
“Then I’ll remain hidden behind you, sir.”
“Very well. When they call from the headquarters, you go and hear what they have to say.”
“Understood.”
Yi Song, who had patted Jang Min Soo’s shoulder as the latter nodded with a smile, turned toward Chamryeongak.
The members of the Jeok Sa Jo, including Jeok Sa, watched his retreating figure in silence.
Gong Chan saw through the true intent the moment he realized it was Yi Song, not Jang Min Soo, who had brought the Summon Notice.
“We clearly summoned the unit commander.”
At Gong Chan’s words, brimming with disapproval, Yi Song wore a smile.
“Commander Jang is wounded, you see. I’ve come in his stead as deputy commander.”
Jang Min Soo possessed an unexpectedly straightforward side; if you pressed him verbally from one angle and then another, he would eventually spill considerable information.
That was why Yi Song had been summoned—hoping to extract such details.
But now that the cunning Yi Song had arrived instead, Gong Chan felt a slight hiss of frustration escape his lips, sensing he would glean nothing through verbal sparring.
“Hmm…….”
Yi Song smiled and spoke to the brooding Gong Chan.
“You must be curious why I didn’t return immediately, but truthfully, there’s little I have to report. I was delayed, a fight broke out, and I simply couldn’t leave it be.”
“So you’re saying that since you were going to fight anyway, you launched a proper assault on the rear of the Hyeol Gwi Dae’s vanguard through an independent operation—is that it?”
“Since we were going to do it, we did it right. Surely you’re not displeased that the Jeok Sa Jo achieved a great victory against the Hyeol Gwi Dae, are you?”
At Yi Song’s counter-question, Gong Chan’s eyes narrowed.
Yi Song was asking whether the reason Gong Chan summoned the Jeok Sa Jo, who had earned the greatest credit in this victory, was because they had won.
It was dangerous.
One misspoken word here, and even Gong Chan himself might not escape unscathed.
It was hardly clear who was interrogating whom.
“Tell me—are you aware that the scholar’s tongue grows sharper with each passing day?”
“One must survive. From crawling about the battlefield to live, it seems I’ve become this way. I hope the Military Commander will understand.”
It was a kind of reproach—detaining someone who had barely escaped the carnage of war.
In the end, Gong Chan had no choice but to concede.
“You may go.”
At Gong Chan’s dismissal, Yi Song bowed and turned to leave Chamryeongak.
There was someone waiting for him outside the gate.

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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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