The Red Dragon Martial Emperor - Chapter 147

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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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Red Dragon Undefeated – Episode 147

Chapter 147 – Traces of the Blood Demon

Tonight, the moonlight was particularly lovely.
So bright, in fact, that all the stars around it paled into shadow.
Yi Hwan gazed at the city lights through his window, turning over his next moves in his mind.
‘The Empress’s scheme collapsed utterly. If anything, she’s given the Crown Prince a powerful new wing in the Western Military Unit, and I’ve gained the trust of the Northern Military Unit’s command. In the end, she’s delivered us a gift.’
Looking back, it had been a moment of absolute peril.
If Jin hadn’t intervened, if the clock had ticked forward just a few days more, the Northern Military Unit would have been finished—there was no knowing how completely.
‘Confirming the Crown Prince’s abilities—that alone was a substantial gain.’
It was Yi So’s gambit that had drawn Jin into the war; that had been the true turning point of the entire campaign.
When he thought about it, Yi So deserved the greatest credit for this victory. Though the world could never learn of it.
Whiiiing!
The moon and stars vanished, and snow began to fall.
‘You too deserve my thanks.’
Perhaps the snow had played its own crucial role in the war. Without that heavy downpour, the Zhao forces would have launched an offensive from the start, and the Northern Military Unit, already outnumbered, could have been in grave danger.
‘So this is what they call Crisis Becoming Opportunity?’
That was when it happened.
Click!
The window of the adjacent room swung open and Go-mi’s head poked through. Upon spotting Yi Hwan, her eyes widened.
“…You’re not asleep?”
“Sleep won’t come.”
“Still, you have a long journey ahead. You should rest soon. Good night.”
Snap!
She closed the window with barely a word. A wry smile crossed Yi Hwan’s lips.
‘Am I still so difficult for her? Or is there something else on her mind?’
Yi Hwan turned his gaze back to the city lights. Watching the snow fall over the sleeping town, a strange calm settled over him.
After about an hour had passed, he noticed something.
His eyes drifted slowly toward the inn across the way—specifically, to the topmost floor, the corner window.
A length of cloth protruding from the half-open window fluttered in the wind.
Yi Hwan stared at it for a long moment, then closed his own window.
Click.

* * *

An utterly ordinary-looking man stood at the window.
His eyes, devoid of all emotion, fixed on Yi Hwan’s tightly closed window across the way.
But he was not alone.
In the adjacent room, another man watched through his window, observing the same target. He turned to his companion and spoke in an emotionless voice.
“We should have been more cautious.”
“Do you think he noticed?”
“Based on his reaction, the probability is quite high that he saw you.”
“Even if he saw me, he’ll suspect I’m nothing more than an assassin sent by Yi Hwang-ja.”
“Let’s hope for that. The problem is the others traveling with him—opportunities are few and far between. At this rate, we’ll end up chasing him all the way to the Imperial Capital.”
“Even if it comes to that, we can’t act rashly. We received the order from His Highness, and having received it, we must execute it without fail. If we don’t…”
“Don’t say any more.”
Snap!
As his companion closed the window and withdrew, a faint smile played at the first man’s lips.
‘There he goes again, fussing like a mother-in-law wherever we are.’
He turned his attention back to Yi Hwan’s room.
The light was already out, and the window sealed tight.
A glimmer of strange light flickered in the man’s eyes.
‘The heir of Dae-ya Fortress, appearing after two hundred years…’

* * *

The next morning arrived.
Yi Hwan and his party set out early. Dan Ri-mok, who had to stir himself from the predawn darkness along with them, grumbled about it.
“Why don’t we get some proper sleep first, then move? What’s the rush, dragging us out at cock’s crow like this?”
“Sleep on the road. Any warrior worth his salt should think nothing of sleeping in the saddle.”
“Is that even sleeping?”
Dan Ri-mok, still muttering, fell silent as the dawn light began to creep across the world, and he breathed out in wonder.
“Dawn never fails to amaze me. Still, the dawn in Yen Kingdom seems unusually red, doesn’t it?”
Namgung Jang-cheon kept his eyes fixed on Yi Hwan’s back.
‘Has he advanced further? The very aura about him seems completely different from before.’
The Yi Hwan he saw from a distance and the one before his eyes now were entirely different people.
Even the emissary who had not flickered an eyelid before the Southwest King showed signs of nervousness in Yi Hwan’s presence.
‘Certainly an intriguing person.’
Namgung Jang-cheon’s gaze shifted to the backs of Cheol Mu-ok and Ju-tae.
‘If those two are guarding the Crown Prince’s side, approach itself becomes impossible. And all these young warriors are equally formidable.’
Namgung Jang-cheon imagined himself as an assassin and pictured attacking Yi Hwan.
The conclusion was impossible.
Just then, Cheol Mu-ok’s voice cut through the air.
“From here on, we’ll increase our pace—stay close and keep up!”
Thump-thump-thump!
They began to gallop.
Namgung Jang-cheon and Dan Ri-mok rode at the rear, but as the distance between them widened steadily, they could not hide their consternation.
“Are our Jin horses no good?”
“These are Zhao horses.”
“Ah!”
They were now riding mounts they had exchanged in a city of Zhao Kingdom on their way back from meeting Zhao Yun.
“The way this beast runs, it looks like we got swindled by some Zhao merchant.”
“Possibly.”
“Damn those bastards!”
The emissary was falling behind as well.
The distance between them and Yi Hwan’s party had already stretched to nearly fifty paces.
Namgung Jang-cheon called out.
“Please slow your pace a moment!”
Yi Hwan’s party reduced their speed, and the gap began to close.
Namgung Jang-cheon spoke up.
“Our horses are not in good condition and we cannot keep pace. I would be grateful if you would take this into account.”
Yi Hwan glanced at the warriors under his command.
“Change horses with them.”
“Yes!”
Moments later, they set off again at rapid speed.
Namgung Jang-cheon and Dan Ri-mok exchanged wide-eyed glances, their faces bewildered.
“What kind of absurd sight is this?”
…….
The warriors riding their exchanged horses were keeping up without any difficulty.
The emissary’s murmur cut through both their chests.
“When we return, I’ll need to relearn horsemanship from the beginning.”
…….

* * *

Yi Hwan rode without rest at the head of the column.
All the others followed behind him, wondering why he was pressing so hard.
After riding for some time, what did they see?
Yi Hwan turned off the Official Road onto a side path.
Cheol Mu-ok cried out in alarm.
“If we go that way, it will take at least two more days to reach the Imperial Capital!”
“I know.”
But Yi Hwan did not slow.
After riding further, the dense forest gave way to a narrow, deep canyon.
Yi Hwan pulled back on his horse’s reins at the canyon’s entrance.
Neigh!
With the Jin Kingdom’s emissary and Namgung Jang-cheon bringing up the rear, everyone had now gathered at the mouth of the canyon.
Yi Hwan spoke.
“There are people following us. We’ll trap them here.”
“How many of them?”
“At least two.”
“Two? But then why do we have to run?”
“We’re not running—we’re setting an ambush. Stop asking questions and hide the horses first.”
“……Yes.”
Everyone led their mounts into the canyon. Yi Hwan handed his reins to a warrior and began surveying the terrain around the canyon’s entrance.
Go-mi, who had hidden her horse first, approached him.
“Where have they been following us from?”
“The Northern Military Unit.”
“……But why didn’t you tell us until now?”
“They weren’t ordinary men. If we knew and moved accordingly, they’d inevitably notice our awareness. That’s why I couldn’t tell you beforehand.”
“If they’re from the Northern Military Unit, it’s more likely they were sent by the Southwest King rather than Yi Hwang-ja.”
“That would be my assessment as well.”
A moment later, everyone regrouped.
Yi Hwan assigned positions for everyone to hide and spoke to the Jin Kingdom’s envoy.
“Wait here in the canyon.”
“Understood, General.”

* * *

Namgung Jang-cheon and Dan Ri-mok watched Yi Hwan as they entered the canyon.
“Shouldn’t we help as well?”
“Unnecessary interference isn’t wise. Besides, the general doesn’t seem to need our help anyway, so it’s just as well.”
“But……”
“Just follow me.”
“……”
Dan Ri-mok shrugged and followed the envoy. Namgung Jang-cheon watched Yi Hwan climb toward the left side of the entrance, his brow furrowing slightly.
‘I thought he was merely a ruthless, tyrannical man, yet he possesses such tactical precision. But who could be pursuing us, and to what end?’
“Why aren’t you coming faster!”
“Yes, right away.”
At the envoy’s urging, Namgung Jang-cheon withdrew his gaze and turned away.

* * *

They wore yellow and blue robes.
The two who had watched Yi Hwan at the inn the previous night had kept their distance while pursuing, but when Yi Hwan’s party suddenly surged ahead at speed, they fell into brief confusion.
The distance widened in an instant, and Yi Hwan’s group slipped from their sight.
But by following the horse tracks to their end, the two pursuers reached the canyon’s entrance where Yi Hwan’s party had disappeared.
“It looks like they went into the canyon?”
“Why would they abandon the official road for a shortcut? Did they possibly notice we were following?”
“You’re not trying to blame me again for last night’s mistake, are you?”
“If they changed direction intentionally because they noticed we were pursuing them, I can’t overlook your responsibility.”
A soft laugh.
“That’s always your problem. You overthink everything. They didn’t change direction because they noticed us—this is simply a shortcut. You should have known that going up through here leads to the northeastern road toward Yen’s Imperial Capital.”
“……”
Unfortunately, Cheong Po-in was unfamiliar with Yen’s geography. Hwang Po-in, by contrast, had passed through once or twice and knew the route to some extent.
He already knew that traveling through here would take an extra day or two.
‘If something goes wrong, I might be the one blamed. If this fool reports me.’
“That could be it.”
When Cheong Po-in agreed, Hwang Po-in felt secretly relieved. He spoke with practiced calm.
“If your doubts are settled, let’s move. If we lose them again, I’ll be hunting by following hoofprints in the dirt like a hound.”
In the end, Cheong Po-in set aside his suspicions and entered the canyon.

* * *

Yi Hwan watched the two men enter the canyon, his brow narrowing slightly.
‘Were those really the only two?’
He had seen them both at the inn last night.
He had closed the window but watched through a gap for quite some time, clear enough to fix their faces in memory.
‘If killing me is the goal, sending only two means they must be considerable masters. So why would they make such a blunder last night? Or is there another purpose at work?’
Last night, Hwang Po-in had committed an absurd mistake—one an assassin should never make.
‘If I take them alive, something will come out of it.’
Yi Hwan drew his sword soundlessly, then waited for Hwang Po-in and Cheong Po-in to come closer.
Whiiiing!
Wind swept in from behind the canyon, rustling through the forest. For Yi Hwan, it was the perfect condition.
That was when it happened.
Crack!
The left forest shook, and a massive wild boar burst forth. By cruel coincidence, the beast charged directly toward Hwang Po-in and Cheong Po-in.
Ring!
Hwang Po-in drew his blade and swung it at the charging boar.
Flash!
A ribbon of crimson light erupted, splitting the beast in two, then vanished. The boar died without even a cry, meeting a gruesome end.
Hwang Po-in feigned shock, then trampled the boar’s head viciously beneath his heel.
“Damn thing gave me a start. Scared me half to death, you pig.”
Thump!
Hwang Po-in wiped the blood from his blade on the brush and sheathed it.
Click!
Quiver…
Yi Hwan’s gaze wavered as he watched from hiding.
That crimson light when the boar split in two—it was not a mere trace of demonic power.
‘Blood Demon Technique…’
The Blood Demon, Yi Hwan’s most formidable enemy from his own era.
It was his mark.

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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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