The Red Dragon Martial Emperor - Chapter 173

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

The Red Dragon Martial Emperor, Chapter 173

Chapter 173 — The Great Calamity

“Grand Prince!”
Go-mi jolted to her feet the moment she saw Yi Hwan enter the room—his complexion was as pale as wax. Papa and Hwa Ryeong exchanged alarmed glances and examined him from head to foot.
“It’s nothing to fret over.”
Yi Hwan settled onto the edge of the bed. Cheol Mu-ok brought cold water.
After draining the cup in one long pull, Yi Hwan leaned back against the wall and spoke.
“Security at the Tournament Venue will be even tighter tomorrow. So I want all of you to put such thoughts out of your minds entirely.”
“Tell us what’s happened,” Cheol Mu-ok said quietly.
At those words, Yi Hwan’s gaze shifted to Hwa Ryeong and Papa.
Papa spoke up.
“Is this something we shouldn’t hear?”
Instead of answering, Yi Hwan turned to Hwa Ryeong. Her expression darkened. “Are you saying you don’t trust me alone?”
When Yi Hwan said nothing, Hwa Ryeong shot him a wounded look and spun away sharply.
“Then I’ll excuse myself.”
“If you swear to keep the secret, I’ll tell you as well.”
At that, Hwa Ryeong turned back around.
“Should I pinky swear?”
A soft laugh escaped him.
“Do we have any liquor?”
“Alcohol will worsen your internal injuries.”
“It’s fine. Bring it.”
Go-mi retrieved a bottle from the corner of the room. Yi Hwan drained it in a single breath, then began to unveil a secret history spanning two centuries.
As the hidden account of the Martial World unfolded, the three women’s expressions gradually shifted to shock. Cheol Mu-ok and Ju-tae listened in silence, their ears intent.
Yi Hwan revealed much, but he held back one crucial fact—that he was the lord of Dae-ya Fortress. Who would believe in reincarnation, after all?
Cheol Mu-ok spoke, his voice heavy.
“If we accept that we’ve taken root in the Zhao Kingdom and that a Descendant of the Poison King exists among us, we may be able to exert some control over Zhao Yun’s movements.”
“But if that man proves to be far greater than I imagine, such knowledge could backfire. I can only hope it doesn’t, and watch how things unfold.”
Yi Hwan reached for the bowl of cold water—only to find it already drained clean.
Hwa Ryeong quickly brought the pitcher and poured. As Yi Hwan brought the cup to his lips, his fingertips trembled faintly.
It was the lingering aftermath of the internal injury.
Set.
Yi Hwan fixed his eyes on Hwa Ryeong and asked, “You can keep this secret, can’t you?”
“Of course.”
At that moment, Papa bowed her head.
“Thank you for trusting me, Grand Prince.”
“Thank you as well. Truly, from my heart.”
Both Papa and Hwa Ryeong were deeply moved. The fact that he had shared a secret history spanning two centuries of the Martial World meant Yi Hwan trusted them that deeply.
Moreover, both women had once been his enemies—so their emotion could only deepen.
Go-mi spoke with concern in her voice.
“Your internal injuries must be your priority. Delay treatment and complications may set in.”
“I need to perform Qi Circulation Meditation. Go now, all of you.”
“We will remain nearby.”
“No need.”
Everyone left the room.
Yet none of them returned to their own chambers—instead, they waited in the hallway for his meditation to end.
The Qi Circulation Meditation did not finish until dawn broke.

* * *

The next morning.

Since the tournament would be held that day, Zhao Yun had risen early and was occupied with preparations.
“I have something to report.”

“Is now the time to speak of this?”
“Yes.”
As Zhao Yun settled into the seat of honor, Woomun Sul began to recount what his subordinates had reported to him the previous night.
When he finished, Zhao Yun’s face had grown even more rigid than Woomun Sul’s had been the night before.
“So they’ve been watching us all this time…….”
“It may not be so, Your Majesty.”
“What?”
“We must not overlook the possibility that they deliberately let one man live and sent him back to confuse us. If it’s true that he inherited the position directly from the former lord of Dae-ya Fortress, he would certainly possess the cunning to orchestrate such a deception.”
“If we connect it to the poison assassination incident, isn’t the likelihood that it’s true even greater?”
“…….”
“Treat what that man said as fact. In times like these, it’s proper to assume the worst and prepare accordingly. Do you understand?”
Woomun Sul ventured another matter.
“Might I speak one word more, Your Majesty?”
“What is it?”
“Would it not be wise to cancel the tournament now? If what they’re after is to disrupt the Martial World Tournament, there could be an uncontrollable catastrophe.”
“That cannot be.”
Zhao Yun declared it firmly.
“If we cancel the tournament now, the people will turn their backs on us once more. And the realm knows nothing of Dae-ya Fortress or our secret history. If we do this, they will surely believe that I, the ruler, canceled the tournament out of fear of rebel conspirators running rampant, and they will mock me!”
“You must also consider the fallout that will follow failure. Should even one person from Jin and Yen be harmed, it would bring far worse than the people’s departure—it would be catastrophe.”
“Worrying about things that haven’t happened yet? That’s unlike you, Woomun Sul.”
“Please consider it my loyal counsel, offered only for Your Majesty’s sake.”
“I will hear it not. Say no more of it henceforth.”
Despite Woomun Sul’s direct remonstrance, Zhao Yun would not budge.
He asked in a grave tone.
“Have all our people been summoned?”
“Yes. They are all assembled at Hoe-jeong Palace.”
“Deploy them all to the tournament venue’s security. I say this once more—speak of it no further after this.”
“…….”
“Go. Move, Woomun Sul.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
In the end, Woomun Sul left the palace hall without persuading Zhao Yun. As Woomun Sul’s figure departed, Zhao Yun watched his retreating back and let his gaze grow cold.
‘Two centuries of old fate cannot stop me. A descendant of the lord of Dae-ya Fortress? Let them show themselves before me once more if they dare.’

* * *

Everyone waited in the inn’s first-floor dining hall, preparing a meal and watching for Yi Hwan to come down.
Hwa Ryeong had been humming since morning.
Though she was usually bright and unguarded, today she seemed in particularly high spirits.
Papa smiled and asked.
“Did the Grand Prince’s trust please you so much last night?”
“Grandmother was pleased too, wasn’t she?”
Poke!
Go-mi jabbed Hwa Ryeong in the ribs.
“That face isn’t an old woman’s. Stay focused.”
“Ah! Sorry. I forgot I was in disguise.”
Just then Yi Hwan descended the stairs, and everyone rose from their seats to greet him.
Go-mi studied his complexion first.
Though he looked much better than the previous night, it was clear he was still far from recovered.
Yi Hwan frowned as he looked down at the bowl placed before him.
“Is this for me?”
“Just in case, we prepared rice porridge separately. I think it would be good to take it easy today and be gentle with your stomach.”
At Go-mi’s words, Yi Hwan picked up the spoon. As he lifted the first spoonful of porridge, the meal began.
Ju-tae asked.
“Do we just watch today?”
“We’re going somewhere else.”
“……Pardon?”
“Where?”
Everyone’s eyes widened as they turned to Yi Hwan. He spoke calmly.
“Once the Martial World Tournament ends, there’s a high likelihood of a sweeping search. So if we want them to be certain we stayed in this area, we’ll need to leave some false traces behind.”
“…….”
“I’ve given it some thought—just eat.”
Yi Hwan set down his spoon and picked up his chopsticks. Then he reached for the meat Ju-tae was eating and spoke to the Female Warrior.
“Go to the kitchen and have them prepare the same thing. Bring a bottle of liquor too.”
“Yes.”
“Your Highness!”
“It’s fine, I said.”
“You mustn’t, not at all. You must abstain completely until you’re fully healed.”
Faced with Go-mi’s stubborn insistence, Yi Hwan reluctantly abandoned the idea of liquor.
“…Very well.”
Go-mi turned to the Female Warrior and continued.
“Please ask them to cook the meat until it’s very tender.”
“Yes.”
Just as the Female Warrior was about to rise—
Thump-thump-thump….
The entire inn suddenly began to shake, and dust came raining down from the ceiling.
“An e-earthquake!”
“Outside, quickly!”
“Ahhh!”
The other diners bolted from their tables in panic and rushed outside.
Thump-thump-thump!
Hwa Ryeong sprang to her feet.
“We have to go now!”
They all hurried into the street district.
That was when—
Rumble!
Crack!
“Ahhh!”
“Kyaaah!”
Buildings collapsed across the marketplace. The inn directly opposite came down with a thunderous roar.
It was the inn where Yang Chan had been staying.
Crash!
Crunch!
“This way!”
Yi Hwan and his companions hurled themselves toward the open ground beyond the street district. The moment they did, the inn they had just left collapsed behind them in a billow of dust.
Crash!
‘An earthquake of this magnitude….’
Even Yi Hwan, master of all he surveyed, felt his spine turn to ice at the raw power of nature.
“Look there!”
Ju-tae cried out, pointing eastward. All eyes turned in that direction.
Crack!
Rumble!
With a sound like the world splitting in two, an entire mountainside began to collapse, swallowing the village below in an avalanche of earth and stone. Everyone went pale.
Crack!
“The earth is splitting!”
“North! I’ve seen a dense bamboo forest to the north!”
At those words, they all bolted toward the northern edge of the city.
As they burst free of the marketplace, the bamboo forest came into view. Many others were already fleeing toward it.
Rumble!
Thump-thump-thump…!
The earth shuddered. Towering clouds of dust rose as the city crumbled, blanketing the sky.
After a moment, the trembling finally ceased. The survivors stood amid the devastated ruins, their feet shifting restlessly.
Hwa Ryeong sank to the ground.
A wave of dizziness had overtaken her. Go-mi’s expression hardened as she spoke.
“Earthquakes occur frequently in Zhao Kingdom. But I have never even heard of one this powerful.”
Yi Hwan gazed heavily toward the Imperial Palace of Zhao Kingdom.
Dust still rose from that direction, though the distance was too great to determine whether the palace itself had collapsed.
‘This means the martial tournament will definitely be cancelled….’
To hold it amid such devastation would surely backfire. Zhao Yun, aware of this, would not dream of proceeding.
At this point, Yi Hwan’s thoughts turned cold and calculating.
‘The other cities near the Imperial Capital were built far more shoddily. The damage there will be catastrophic. There’s no need to plant false evidence after all.’
An unforeseen natural disaster had become his unlikely salvation. Yet standing before that ghastly scene, Yi Hwan could find no joy in it whatsoever.
“Everyone is to assist with rescue efforts.”
“Sir?”
“We save the innocent people first.”
Go-mi stepped forward then.
“In cases like this, there is a very high likelihood of successive earthquakes. It would be wise to wait and observe a little longer before commencing rescue operations.”
Yi Hwan, who knew almost nothing about earthquakes, decided to follow Go-mi’s counsel.

* * *

Rumble……
Zhao Yun found himself speechless at the devastation unfolding before his eyes. He had finished his morning meal and immediately gone to find the Tournament Venue where the Martial World competition was to be held, when the earthquake struck.
He could only watch helplessly as the Tournament Venue he had built at enormous cost crumbled to dust. The only consolation was that the palace structures had all remained unscathed.
But the collapse was not limited to the Tournament Venue alone.
‘Why must this happen……’
Crack.
His teeth had bitten through his lip until it turned deathly pale.
He had no choice but to abandon the Martial World tournament for which he had prepared so eagerly.
His plan to use this tournament as a turning point to recover the people’s trust and conclude his grand design now stood on the brink of being torn to shreds.
“Your Majesty!”
Woomun Sul dropped to Zhao Yun’s side. He was relieved to find him unharmed.
“First, see to the Empress of Yen and the Grand Prince of Jin.”
“Both are safe, Your Majesty. I confirmed it as I came.”
Zhao Yun shut his eyes tight.
Woomun Sul, watching him, felt his own despair run equally deep. Though he had mentioned cancellation the previous night, he too had harbored great hopes for this tournament—hopes nearly as vast as Zhao Yun’s own.
‘Heaven shows no mercy.’
Woomun Sul fought back the sigh threatening to escape him.
Shudder……
Zhao Yun’s gaze would not stop trembling.
Woomun Sul watched him in silent desolation. Moments later, a command born of bitter anguish flowed from Zhao Yun’s lips.
“Cancel the Martial World tournament. Mobilize all military forces in the vicinity of the Imperial Capital immediately and conduct rescue operations!”

* * *

In the vicinity of the Zhao Kingdom’s Imperial Capital, tens of thousands of buildings collapsed and tens of thousands of people perished in the Great Calamity.
People whispered among themselves.
That Heaven had grown wrathful at Seo Nam Wang’s rebellion and sent down this punishment.

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