The Legend of Red Cloud - Chapter 9

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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 9. It Begins
“What do you mean?”
“He is someone you must stake your life to protect.”
At his father’s words, Peng Jing’s brow furrowed.
“Are you telling me now to serve as a mere bodyguard for someone?”
“He seems unremarkable now, but he may be the very person to give wings to our Peng Clan. Such words as ‘mere’ do not suit him.”
Peng Jing’s expression shifted.
He was startled.
His father, known for his harsh judgment of people, had never before spoken so highly of anyone’s worth.
So he had to ask for clarity.
“How far must I go in this, Father?”
“If he dies, I will prepare your memorial tablet.”
“You truly mean for me to stake my neck on this.”
“Perhaps… this may be your last chance.”
A chance.
The position of Clan Heir of the Peng Clan had not yet been formally decided.
‘Officially,’ that is.
But the elders and most of the martial artists of the clan had already accepted his half-brother, the legitimate heir, as the de facto Clan Heir.
Yet his father was speaking of a chance to overturn that.
Peng Jing, who had regarded his father in silence for a long moment, wordlessly took up the Yong Mo Pa Ki and left the patriarch’s study.
To seize his last chance.
***
That last chance was now some distance away, chewing dry rations alongside Guo Jiliang.
His expression was as thoroughly furrowed as Peng Jing’s own that day—it appeared he was tasting dry rations for the first time.
A martial artist of Guo Jiliang’s caliber serving as an escort, yet his identity so remarkable that it might be Peng Jing’s final chance—Peng Jing found himself unable to divine who this man truly was.
And so that frustrating night deepened.
***
The new recruits, awakened by the commotion the existing Red Sparrow Squad members stirred up before dawn, forced their stiffened bodies upright despite the morning frost.
Unlike Yun and Guo Jiliang, who had been able to set up tents thanks to bringing their supplies, three others including Hwangbo Jangseong had to sleep huddled together without even kindling a fire.
They were not granted even a moment to work out the muscles that had grown rigid from sleeping rough, using Internal Energy Circulation.
Movement began the instant the tents were struck.
To Cheol Jaryong, who voiced his complaints about this, Jwa Ryang shot back sharply.
“You want to practice Internal Energy Circulation in a place where enemies could emerge at any moment? That’s suicide. Or are you asking us to stake our lives guarding you while you do that?”
At Jwa Ryang’s rebuke, Cheol Jaryong had to keep his mouth shut.
The Red Sparrow Squad, their three new members’ discontent tamped down, continued onward.
The veteran members moved, drawing out dry rations in unison to chew as they walked—a habit so practiced it seemed a standard procedure that followed any operation.
Guo Jiliang and Yun followed the senior squad members’ lead, chewing the dry rations they carried.
But the three new recruits, Hwangbo Jangseong among them, were forced to go hungry once again.
Thus the search within Saja Peak Range resumed.
Time in the mountains flows more swiftly than time below them.
Or rather, to speak plainly: the hours available for activity are shorter. The sun rises late and sets early.
So if tasks planned according to the time below were to be finished within the mountain’s time, hours were always scarce.
This was what gave the impression that time in the mountains moved faster than it did.
The Red Sparrow Squad within Saja Peak Range was no exception.
They had crossed only a few peaks when the sun was already caught on the mountain ridge, casting red light across the darkening sky.
Among the squad members establishing camp in a small clearing in the mountains as they had the night before, the expressions of Peng Jing and the other two were quite grim.
Having eaten nothing for two days and having moved with unloosened muscles, their fatigue was far greater than even Internal Power could remedy.
And so that grueling night in the mountain’s depths passed faster than expected.
When dawn broke again, the Red Sparrow Squad, having placed the three exhausted-looking recruits at the very rear, began climbing the mountain paths of Saja Peak Range once more.
Four days had passed since departing the Maeng Ui Corps Garrison; the actual search had been underway for three days.
Today too, Dong Pil, shouldering six people’s worth of packs alone while walking ahead and muttering complaints without pause, suddenly came to a halt.
And then, as his fist rose toward the sky, the entire Red Sparrow Squad following behind stopped in their tracks.
Slowly lowering their bodies as Dong Pil lowered his, everyone crouched down.
“What is it?”
At Yi Song’s silent signal, Dong Pil pointed with his finger ahead of him.
There was something there.
Even the new recruits unfamiliar with hand signals quickly grasped the meaning.
For that reason, without anyone ordering them, the new recruits’ Sense Detection spread in all directions.
Soon the gazes of Peng Jing and Cheol Jaryong collided.
“…….”
As Cheol Jaryong shook his head without a word, Peng Jing’s gaze shifted to Hwangbo Jangseong.
Since he possessed greater skill than they did, his internal power was correspondingly deeper. It followed that his Sense Detection range would be wider as well.
The range of Sense Detection was influenced by understanding, but it scaled proportionally with the absolute amount of internal power.
Yet contrary to the expectations of both Peng Jing and Cheol Jaryong, even Hwangbo Jangseong shook his head from side to side.
It meant nothing registered within the reach of his Sense Detection.
Startled, Peng Jing glanced at Guo Jiliang, hoping for a different answer—but he too was shaking his head.
Peng Jing’s Sense Detection extended roughly fifty paces. Cheol Jaryong, whose skill and realm were comparable, likely reached about the same distance.
Hwangbo Jangseong, standing one level above them in cultivation, would have a Sense Detection range perhaps a hundred paces farther still.
That a man who appeared scatterbrained, walking point at the very front of the column, had noticed something that even Hwangbo Jangseong could not detect—Peng Jing could scarcely believe it.
Just as Peng Jing was about to send a telepathic message saying “Is there actually anything out there?”, Dong Pil, leading the way at the head of the line, began quietly setting down the bags he’d been carrying one by one.
After a moment, having lowered all the bags and freed himself of weight, Dong Pil dropped into a crouch and began moving forward with a stalking gait, like a cat poised to pounce.
His pace was slow and his manner almost comical, yet Peng Jing could not bring himself to laugh.
Even as he watched Dong Pil move directly before his eyes, his own Sense Detection picked up nothing of those movements.
After Dong Pil vanished into the forest ahead, displaying such a remarkable ability, he returned roughly half a watch later.
Emerging slowly from the forest where he’d disappeared, Dong Pil raised both hands and spread three fingers.
One on his left hand, two on his right.
Three in total.
Despite being able to show the number on a single hand, Peng Jing nearly laughed at the inefficiency of his display method—and in that moment he caught sight of Jwa Ryang moving forward.
Dong Pil guided him, and the two disappeared once more into the forest.
Again, Peng Jing and the other newcomers could not sense Dong Pil’s presence as he vanished before their eyes.
The only small comfort came from faintly sensing Jwa Ryang’s presence as he entered the forest in Dong Pil’s wake.
And then another half watch passed.
At the sudden call of a bird from somewhere unseen, the members of the Red Sparrow Squad stirred into motion.
Following them, the newcomers traversed the forest and came upon five corpses sprawled in bloodstains.
As Peng Jing watched Jwa Ryang collecting the Bi Dao from the bodies, he heard Dong Pil’s voice explaining something to Yi Song.
“Two escaped us. For nameless men to evade Jwa Ryang’s Bi Dao even in a perfect ambush speaks to their skill.”
Yi Song nodded at this and, having examined the corpse lying before him, released a voice tinged with concern.
“Blood Ghosts.”
The Blood Ghosts were to the Blood Ghost Regiment what the Extinction Corps was to their larger force—a reconnaissance and infiltration unit tasked with probing enemy positions.
Upon Yi Song’s confirmation, Hui Jun, who had gathered all the bags Dong Pil had set down, voiced his worry.
“Blood Ghosts don’t move in small numbers, do they?”
At that, Yi Song’s gaze turned toward Jwa Ryang.
“Which direction did the fugitives head?”
“One went west, the other north.”
Given the location of Saja Peak Range, both directions led toward avenues of escape back to the Blood Ghost Regiment’s garrison.
The Blood Ghost Regiment was stationed to the northwest of Saja Plain.
This did not necessarily mean they had fled back to the main force’s position.
They were no cowards who would abandon their fallen comrades and save only their own skins.
In other words, more of them were already inside Saja Peak Range, moving in coordination with the pair who had escaped.
“A choice must be made—whether to stand and fight, or withdraw.”
At Yi Song’s words, Jang Minsu offered his opinion.
“Since our task is reconnaissance, wouldn’t it be better to avoid combat where possible?”
Both Jang Minsu, who had just spoken, and Yi Song, who had spoken before him, turned to look behind them.
Following their gaze, Peng Jing turned his head and saw, beside Hui Jun, who was setting down the bags they’d brought, a figure standing with an indifferent expression.
But before that person could even open his mouth to speak, Dong Pil’s voice cut through.
“Too late. They’re closing in. At least twenty of them!”
The moment those words left his mouth, Dong Pil took the front position, with Yi Song and Jwa Ryang spreading out to either side of him.
Through that line, Hui Jun quickly gathered the remaining bags and stood ready, with the impassive figure beside him, hands clasped behind his back.
Beside him, Guo Jiliang quietly positioned Yun, while Peng Jing, Cheol Jaryong, and Hwangbo Jangseong fell back with Jang Minsu to cover the rear.
The moment the formation solidified, the attack began as though they had been waiting for nothing else.
Most Blood Ghosts were first-rate in skill. Some few were at the Peak Realm, though their numbers were not great.
Yet the Blood Ghosts who had descended upon the Red Sparrow Squad within Saja Peak Range appeared to have far more at the Peak Realm.
Indeed, save for a handful, they all seemed to be masters of the Peak Realm.
Though Peng Jing’s name was known, and Cheol Jaryong’s as well, and even Hwangbo Jangseong, who was rated a step above them, had not transcended the Peak Realm.
This was why cultivators of sufficient standing were all lumped together under that single designation.
Even so, within the Peak Realm itself, the disparity in skill could be as vast as heaven and earth.
Yet any warrior who had entered the Peak Realm could never be dismissed lightly.
The Sword Aura and Blade Aura unleashed by Peak Realm masters possessed destructive power enough to obliterate skill differences in a single stroke.
Some twenty of these auras came surging down toward the Red Sparrow Squad.
Against nearly a dozen enemies, Yi Song and Jwa Ryang, with Dong Pil at the center, maintained their formation with remarkable ease.
The way they moved together like gears turning smoothly seemed well-suited to passing the coordinated drills in a situation like this.
But unfortunately, the rear guard was not faring so well.
They had never practiced coordinated maneuvers before, and with so many enemies pressing in, they were hindering each other more than helping.
What’s more, the three recruits—Hwangbo Jangseong among them—moved with an odd sluggishness, uncharacteristic of their usual selves.
Unable to bear the sight, Guo Jiliang gave Yun a firm reminder not to stray from the center, then moved to reinforce the rear.
With one more ally in their ranks, each defender had fewer enemies to face, which eased their burden somewhat—but their movements still lacked synchronization.
As time wore on, the three recruits grew slower and slower, until their Internal Energy began to flag and their attacks stuttered between gaps.
That the rear line held at all was due to Jang Minsu darting about to plug every breach, and to Guo Jiliang’s fierce presence after joining the fray.
From the center, standing with hands clasped behind his back, Ryu watched their struggle unfold with narrowed eyes.
His head tilted slightly to one side.
In the Blood Ghosts’ assault on his comrades, he sensed none of their usual desperate fervor.
How to put it?
It felt less like they meant to kill and more like they simply meant to capture.
The moment the thought struck him, his brow darkened.

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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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