The Red Dragon Martial Emperor - Chapter 188

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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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The Red Dragon Undefeated — Episode 188

Chapter 188 — Yang Chan’s Crisis

Affliction dulls the senses.
Taken to excess, it could lead one into the grip of a heart demon, and beyond that threshold lay rampage itself.
Yang Chan knew this better than anyone. So he set aside everything for a time, and simply sat.
Roooaarrr!
North of the Imperial Capital, in the mountain terrain, there stood a mighty waterfall. Yang Chan sat cross-legged beneath it, unmoving for a full hour.
The waterfall’s tremendous pressure and the bone-deep cold it bore gradually cleared his troubled mind.
But more than any external condition, what mattered was his own will.
Roooaarrr!
After much time had passed, Yang Chan emerged from beneath the waterfall. His eyes had reclaimed their former clarity.
Whoosh!
Using his inner energy to dispel the moisture, white vapor rose in a cloud. His hair, which had clung to him like seaweed, now caught the wind and fluttered freely, gleaming.
Yang Chan donned his robes and stepped to the cliff’s edge.
The city sprawled below like a single enormous blossom, glowing in the night.
‘I cannot hover at the edges any longer, merely watching for chances. I will go find him, confirm everything with my own eyes, and reach my conclusion.’
Once he descended this mountain, he would seek out Yi Hwan directly. He would verify whether Yi Hwan truly was the heir of Dae-ya Fortress, and based on that answer, he would determine the course of his remaining life.
Growwwl.
With affliction shed, hunger rushed in. Such was human nature.
Yang Chan descended the mountain. After considerable time, he reached the outskirts of the city.
Looking to his left, he saw families of the dead from the stable living not far distant. When Yang Chan’s eyes fell upon that place, the shadow that had haunted them was gone.
Yang Chan resumed walking. And when he reached the northern edge where the marketplace district began:
Shwip!
Figures descended before him. Yang Chan stopped and fixed his gaze upon them.
Five men in black robes. One of them held a wanted poster, his eyes flicking between it and Yang Chan.
“That’s him.”
Shring-shring-shring-shring!
The black-robed men drew their swords in unison.
Yang Chan regarded them calmly, gathering inner energy into both hands, and asked without inflection:
“What is this about?”
“You know better than anyone why, don’t you?”
“I don’t — that’s why I’m asking.”
“Do you know who it was you poisoned to death on the Official Road days ago?”
In truth, Yang Chan had suspected from the start that they had come to capture him for that very deed. He had considered simply denying it, but chose otherwise.
“They were men who deserved to die.”
“A thief lecturing us on what’s deserved? How rich.”
“I sought forgiveness from him already.”
“What?”
The black-robed man’s face twisted in disbelief.
“You’re saying you sought forgiveness, then killed him? Is that it?”
“Seeking forgiveness and punishing wickedness are not separate matters. He committed grave wrongs and deserved to die for them. I merely delivered the justice his crimes warranted.”
It was then.
Yang Chan’s eyes caught shadows rushing down from the city.
‘They feared my poison and were stalling for time until reinforcements arrived.’
Whoosh!
Yang Chan’s hands swept lightly through the air. Green Poison Smoke rose in answer, engulfing the black-robed men.
Boom!
“Poison! Stop breathing!”
“Be careful!”
The black-robed men retreated swiftly. The Green Poison Smoke, as though alive, twisted its direction and pursued them.
Whoooosh!
The black-robed men unleashed their combined power, and it drove the poison back.
It was then.
“……He’s vanished, sir!”

* * *

Go-mi found Yi Hwan in his study. She withdrew a scroll from her sleeve and unrolled it across the desk.
“This is a portrait sketch of the man behind the poison assassination. The Second Prince’s faction had witnesses draw it.”
Yi Hwan’s eyes flickered as he studied the sketch.
‘That face…….’
It was Yang Chan—the man he’d seen twice in Zhao Kingdom. He examined it again to be certain, and there was no doubt. Yang Chan.
“So it was him after all.”
“You know him?”
“I saw his face in Zhao Kingdom. I suspected him of being the mastermind behind a poison assassination back then, and it seems I was right.”
“Ah!”
Go-mi let out a small gasp.
“Did you see him too?”
“Yes. When you went to the Imperial Palace in Zhao Kingdom, I saw him at an inn with Lady Hwa Ryeong. At the time I thought he was just an ordinary guest and paid him no mind…….”
Yi Hwan leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms.
“What brought him here from Zhao Kingdom?”
……
“He killed an associate of Seo Nam Wang in Zhao Kingdom, and here he’s killed an associate of the Second Prince. That’s certainly suspicious, isn’t it?”
“I’m not sure why he killed Seo Nam Wang’s man, but the assassination of the Second Prince’s associate seems to have been accidental.”
“What makes you think that?”
“During our investigation, I found evidence that someone had been secretly distributing rice and silver to the families of those killed by the Second Prince’s associate. It seems that person was him.”
“He felt guilty because innocent people died because of him, so he helped support their families—is that it?”
“Yes.”
Yi Hwan nodded quietly.
“If that’s the case, he’s at least not a villain through and through.”
“That’s my assessment as well.”
Yi Hwan took a sip of tea.
Clink.
“If they’ve gone so far as to make a portrait sketch, by now they’ll be actively hunting for him.”
“Yes. Multiple martial artists and Gold Robed Guard operatives have been deployed across the entire city.”
“There’s going to be bloodshed. Anyone who can wield poison at that level will leave the Gold Robed Guard operatives as corpses the moment they meet.”
“If the person has no qualms about killing, that could very well happen.”
Soft laugh.
“Should I be rooting for him then? Hoping he kills as many as possible?”
……
“Have our people make more portrait sketches. We don’t need to actively hunt him down, but we can’t simply stand aside either.”
“Understood.”
“Anything else?”
“The Empress has been unusually quiet. For over ten days now she hasn’t set foot outside Manhwa Palace. And I’ve lost contact with Lady Hwa Ryeong.”
At those words, Yi Hwan’s eyes shifted slightly.
“Lost contact?”
“Yes. I’ve tried several times, but cannot reach her. I’m worried something may have happened.”
Go-mi’s anxiety was plain to see.
It was a different demeanor from before.
“We can’t get into Manhwa Palace, so for now we can only wait.”
Though he spoke calmly, Yi Hwan was concerned about Hwa Ryeong too. He brought the cold teacup to his lips.
Then it happened.
Thunk!
A dull sound echoed from outside the window.
Go-mi quickly opened the window and looked out. She then pulled something from the windowsill and handed it to Yi Hwan. A piece of paper was tied to a thin wire.
“It was lodged there.”
Yi Hwan carefully unfolded the paper.

If you are a descendant of Dae-ya Fortress…… The rest omitted.

Seeing Yi Hwan’s eyes change, Go-mi asked.
“What does it say?”
Instead of answering, Yi Hwan handed her the paper. Her eyes widened as she read it.
“Who could it be? How does anyone know your true identity?”
“I’ll find out when I meet them.”
Yi Hwan stood abruptly and took the long robe hanging on the wall, draping it over his shoulders.
“It could be dangerous.”
“If you know who I am, then danger is something I accept.”
The moment Yi Hwan stepped outside, Cheol Mu-ok and Ju-tae approached him.
“Where are you going at this hour, sir?”
“There’s a place I need to visit alone. Don’t follow me.”
“Yes?”
Yi Hwan threw himself into the darkness without another word.
Go-mi handed a note to the two bewildered men. Both reacted with as much surprise as she had.
“What? What is this!”
“Going out alone without even knowing who sent this…….”
“What if it’s someone sent by Seo Nam Wang?”
Cheol Mu-ok gazed wordlessly after Yi Hwan’s retreating form, his eyes clouded with worry. It was possible, as Ju-tae said, that those men had come from Seo Nam Wang.
Ju-tae spoke up.
“Shouldn’t we follow him now?”
“Did you see how fast our lord was moving just now? Even if we went after him, how would we ever catch up?”
“But shouldn’t we at least try?”
Cheol Mu-ok shook his head at Go-mi’s question.
“Let us trust our lord and wait.”

* * *

Having shaken off his pursuers, Yang Chan made his way to the river flowing west through the city.
When he reached the point where the tributary ended, a small pavilion came into view, and Yang Chan climbed directly toward it.
He gazed out at the location of the Gold Guard Command Center.
‘Will he come?’
After evading the gold-robed guards, he had gone straight to the Gold Guard Command Center and left a note at Yi Hwan’s office. This pavilion was their agreed meeting place.
Wheeeee!
The wind was fierce. The forest across the river, unable to resist it, swayed this way and that.
Hisssss…….
Yang Chan waited quietly for Yi Hwan.
How long had he been waiting?
A shadow appeared on the path leading to the pavilion. Yang Chan raised his eye-sight to its maximum.
Then his brow furrowed as he saw more shadows emerging behind the first one.
‘I thought I’d completely shaken them off…….’
It wasn’t Yi Hwan. Then it must be his pursuers.
Yang Chan exhaled softly.
This meant he couldn’t wait for Yi Hwan to arrive. Of course, there was a way—using Poison Mastery to kill them all.
Thump.
A flash of green light blazed and vanished from Yang Chan’s eyes. In that moment, the shadows began to surround the pavilion.
Yang Chan fixed his gaze on one of the figures.
It was clear at a glance that this man was leading the group. The figure spoke toward Yang Chan.
“You seem quite willing to fight, staying still like that. Is that so?”
“I have business to attend to.”
“You place too much faith in poison.”
The figure was Mun I-jong.
And surrounding the pavilion were Hongwol’s strongest assassins and those called the Empress’s Shadows. The fact that they had been deployed meant that Yi Tae-ji truly felt threatened enough to send them.
Mun I-jong slowly drew his blade.
Shhhhink.
“Even if you command the Ten Thousand Poisons, you absolutely cannot escape this place.”
Yang Chan merely watched in silence.
Then Mun I-jong said something unexpected.
“If you come with us, we can overlook what happened before, friend.”
“Are you trying to persuade me now?”
“Call it a sincere invitation. There’s someone who’s curious about you, you see.”
“Could that be Yi Hwang-ja?”
“No, someone far greater and more noble than him.”
He meant the Empress. In fact, when the initial report had reached her, the Empress had shown exceptional interest at the mention of a master of Poison Mastery.
And the order she had given was simple: bring Yang Chan in safely by any means necessary.
Wheeeee!
As a gust of wind raked across Yang Chan’s entire body, his answer slipped from his lips.
“I have no interest.”
“This opportunity won’t come twice. Surely you should reconsider?”
“I’ve never cared much for men who covet what they shouldn’t. A throne among them.”
“What do you mean?”
“Men who dream of treason—or, to be precise, rebellion.”
A subtle twitch.
Mun I-jong’s brow furrowed like the edge of a blade.
He saw it in Yang Chan’s eyes then—the certainty that no appeal would sway him.
Steel whispered.
His sword left its scabbard.
“If you refuse the cup of honor and insist on drinking from the cup of punishment, so be it.”

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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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