The Red Dragon Martial Emperor - Chapter 22

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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 Martial Emperor, Episode 22

Chapter 22 — The Road to the Imperial Palace (Part 1)

Zhao Military Encampment.
The Blood Ghost Leader listened to his subordinate’s report in silence, nodding slowly.
The briefing went on for quite some time.
“Through various channels, we’ve confirmed that aside from the Habuk Peng Clan, there are no Martial World forces in the Yen military camp.”
“You’re certain of this?”
“Yes. Absolutely certain.”
A cold smile crossed the Leader’s lips.
“If the Habuk Peng Clan is the extent of their Martial World strength, this will be far easier than anticipated.”
“Yes. We should be able to overwhelm them in the initial assault without difficulty.”
The Blood Ghost Leader sank deeper into his chair, his eyes gleaming with intensity.
“Recapturing the fortress is only half the battle. Finding the Crown Prince’s secret funds hidden somewhere here—that’s what matters most. Only then can we depose the Crown Prince. Remember: this war is merely a distraction for the General-in-Chief. Its purpose is to scatter his attention.”
“We’re already making inquiries around the General-in-Chief. We should have answers soon. If circumstances become unfavorable, we could always try loosening his tongue directly.”
“That’s not a bad option either.”
The Leader smiled coldly and continued.
“For now, the General-in-Chief must remain ignorant of our true purpose. To ensure that, we need to cut off all communication between the Crown Prince and him completely.”
“Understood.”

* * *

From the fortress to the Zhao Military Encampment was roughly twenty leagues.
Yi Hwan and Cheol Mu-ok emerged from the dense mountain forest and entered flatter terrain, moving by Lightness Technique.
Cheol Mu-ok controlled his pace.
He was genuinely curious.
‘Is this his full speed?’
For someone still harboring doubts about Yi Hwan’s martial prowess, the question was natural enough.
How long had they been running?
Firelight appeared in the distance. It illuminated a vast expanse, and several tall watchtowers rose in scattered positions.
Yi Hwan and Cheol Mu-ok halted near the encampment.
“Shall we enter?”
“That’s not where we’re headed.”
“Sir?”
“Follow me, and you’ll see soon enough.”
Yi Hwan moved again. Cheol Mu-ok followed, his brow furrowing.
‘So this wasn’t a reconnaissance mission after all?’
Shortly after, Yi Hwan bounded into a forest stretching southwest from the Zhao Military Encampment.
After considerable distance, a rocky hill unusually dense with boulders came into view.
There, Yi Hwan withdrew something from his inner robe and unfolded it—the map Cha Jung-gyeong had stolen.
“What is that?”
“The Zhao General-in-Chief seems to have hidden something in this place. I need to find out what it is.”
“It doesn’t appear to be a military map. Could it be a treasure map?”
“We’ll know once we find it.”
In fact, a few days prior, Yi Hwan had given a false map to Peng Wu-wei. Since his purpose was to draw Cheol Mu-ok out, there was no need to actually go where the map pointed—and thus no risk of the deception being discovered.
“Can you read maps?”
“I learned it years ago.”
“Then find the location marked by this red dot as quickly as possible.”
“Understood.”
Both of them surveyed the surrounding area carefully.
But the terrain was so uniform that it was difficult to distinguish one section from another.
“If this truly is a treasure map, wouldn’t there be sentries posted?”
“Posting guards would draw unwanted attention from others. If that happened, there’d be no point in going to such lengths to hide something in such a remote place. Unless there were traps, the odds of guards being stationed here are slim.”
Cheol Mu-ok nodded at the logic of Yi Hwan’s reasoning.
“Keep moving.”
“Yes.”
The two began searching the area.
How much longer could he search?
Yi Hwan’s eyes gleamed with sudden recognition.
‘There it is!’
A formation of terrain matching the red mark indicated on the map had caught his eye.
“Follow me.”
Yi Hwan moved swiftly toward his objective.
A cliff face rose before them, its base wrapped in dense forest, and as they pressed inward, a cave entrance appeared—barely wide enough for one person to squeeze through.
“This appears to be the place. Though, as you mentioned, there could be traps set within, couldn’t there?”
“We’ll have to check.”
Yi Hwan turned his gaze to Cheol Mu-ok.
Cheol Mu-ok’s eyes widened in surprise as he pointed at himself with one finger.
“You mean… I go in alone?”
“You’re a master.”
……

* * *

Thwack! Crack!
Clash-bang!
Boom! Boom!
The cave reverberated with continuous noise. After some time, Cheol Mu-ok emerged, sweat beading on his brow.
“I’ve disarmed all the traps.”
“Well done.”
Yi Hwan stepped inside. Iron bars blocked the path leading deeper into the cave, and two massive locks, each as thick as a grown man’s forearm, hung from the gate.
“Destroy them.”
“Yes.”
Cheol Mu-ok drew his blade and channeled his inner strength into it.
In that moment, the blade transformed into blade form, and a pale blue radiance enveloped the weapon.
‘He’s truly inherited the Blade Master’s Secret Technique.’
Seeing the blue light, Cheol Mu-gwang—the Blade Master—surfaced unbidden in his mind.
Before meeting Yi Hwan, he had claimed invincibility; yet after those martial duels with the Sword King and the Poison King, unable to claim victory, the memory of his disheartened face came back with vivid clarity, as though it were yesterday.
“Please step back a little.”
As Yi Hwan retreated several paces, Cheol Mu-ok struck the locks squarely.
Crash! Crash!
Two blade strikes shattered both locks completely.
Yi Hwan strode deeper inside.
Yet to his surprise, within stood only a single small chest, sitting alone. He swept the surrounding area thoroughly, but found nothing else.
‘That’s all?’
A flicker of disappointment crossed Cheol Mu-ok’s face unbidden.
“We’ll take it with us.”
“Yes.”
Cheol Mu-ok hoisted the chest onto his shoulder.
“It’s heavier than it looks. Shall we open it here?”
“We’re in enemy territory. The sooner we leave, the better.”
Yi Hwan exited first.
Cheol Mu-ok followed, casting one more glance around the cave. Yet nowhere could he spot anything of monetary value beyond what they carried.

* * *

Back at the barracks, Yi Hwan ushered only Cheol Mu-ok into the room and opened the chest.
The interior blazed with sudden brilliance.
A sphere within the chest radiated such overwhelming luminescence that the chamber flooded with light.
Cheol Mu-ok gasped in wonder.
“I’ve never seen a Night-Luminous Pearl so large.”
Yi Hwan paid the Night-Luminous Pearl no mind and reached for something else.
Cheol Mu-ok’s eyes widened considerably.
“A Cat’s Eye Stone!”
Unmistakably a Cat’s Eye Stone. But that was not all—there were ethereal pearls whose nature he could not name, several nuggets of gold the size of a fist, and a fair number of diamonds no larger than a thumbnail.
‘This is extraordinary.’
When converted to silver currency, these treasures would amount to a truly staggering sum.
Thunk!
Yi Hwan set the coffer down.
Cheol Mu-ok asked carefully.
“When do we depart for the Imperial Palace, sir?”
“Tomorrow morning.”
“Will we be accompanying you?”
“Of course. Since things have come to this, it wouldn’t be amiss to go to the Imperial Capital and seek out a way to find the rogue martial artists.”
“Ah, that suits us well, sir.”
“Get some rest now.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll see you in the morning.”
A moment later, Yi Hwan lay down on the bed.
‘The Imperial Palace……’
Merely the thought of it set his head throbbing. In the memories of this body, that place was nothing less than hell. Scanning through them, he could count the happy moments on one hand.
Now the time had come to return there.
A hollow laugh escaped him.
“This life won’t be lived gracefully, it seems.”

* * *

The next morning, Yi Hwan boarded a carriage and departed from the military encampment.
Song Hoe and all the others traveled with him.
The generals saw him off, while Hwang Ho and Jeong Cheon remained at the encampment due to the unpredictable situation. They could not know when or how events might shift.
There was also a traveling companion—a messenger who had come from the Imperial Palace.
Hwang Ho spoke.
“The road to the Imperial Palace is long, sir. You should take more escort troops with you.”
“No need. We don’t know when Zhao Kingdom might attack, so add them to the defense here.”
“……Very well. Please take care on your journey, General-in-Chief.”
Yi Hwan set out, leaving the encampment behind.
Clip-clop, clip-clop.
Because the road leading to the city was exceedingly rough, the carriage could not maintain full speed.
Yi Hwan surrendered to the swaying within the carriage, his focus drawn deep into his inner cultivation. Song Cheon-mu and Cha Jung-gyeong traveled at the rear.
Song Cheon-mu thought of his family in the Imperial Capital and smiled thinly.
‘If we return this quickly, they’ll think I’ve been cast out.’
Still, it felt good. Yet he had to manage his expression carefully, constrained by the messenger’s grave demeanor.
He glanced at Yi Hwan with a puzzled tilt of his head.
‘The General-in-Chief endured all manner of contempt at the Imperial Palace, I’ve heard. And yet, even as the Crown Prince has fallen ill, his expression is remarkably composed. Perhaps too composed.’
Then Cha Jung-gyeong hummed a little tune.
The messenger’s sharp gaze fixed on him, and Cha Jung-gyeong promptly fell silent, his neck turning red.
Song Cheon-mu too hastened to shift his demeanor back to solemnity.
Clip-clop, clip-clop!
Shortly after, the Official Road finally came into view. Once upon it, the carriage gradually increased its pace and began to move more swiftly.
Thud-thud-thud!

* * *

The night market of the city.
Yi Hwan entered the largest and most ornate inn in that place, which blazed with light like some enormous flowering bloom.
The inn thronged with people.
When Yi Hwan and his party stepped inside, all wore plain clothes, and no one took particular notice of them.
Song Hoe requested rooms for those who preferred quiet.
“Give us three guest rooms and one quiet private chamber.”
“There are no vacant rooms at present.”
“Surely some guests will be leaving soon? This is a distinguished visitor—look about and manage it.”
“Most of the guests arrived only moments ago, so you may have to wait quite some time.”
Yi Hwan spoke.
“Just seat us anywhere.”
“There is an empty table on this floor. Please come this way.”
They climbed to that floor. Though it too was crowded with patrons, a single vacant table stood in a corner.
Song Hoe was troubled. No matter what, he could not have Yi Hwan dine in such a place.
“It’s fine. Let’s sit.”
“I apologize. I should have sent someone ahead to prepare a place for you…….”
“It’s fine.”
Yi Hwan took a seat and surveyed the upper floor of the inn slowly. Unlike the ground level, it was filled almost entirely with Martial Artists bearing weapons.

Wandering Rogue Martial Artists.

That was what people of the time called them. And they no longer feared them as they once had.
Since the Fall of Dae-ya Fortress, the Martial World had crumbled, and by this age they were utterly scorned.
Only the truly skilled Masters were exceptions.
Masters like Peng Wu-wei were appointed as Military Officials or became bodyguards to powerful figures, living lives of no small comfort. There were quite a few such men in both Zhao Kingdom and Jin Kingdom.
So the greatest victims of the Martial World’s collapse were the low-rank Martial Artists.
Yi Hwan shook off his musings and fixed his gaze upon the Imperial Palace Messenger.
The man, whose very eyes held an unusual glint, had sat down and now stood with arms crossed, eyes shut, not moving a muscle. For a General-in-Chief, it was an attitude of unparalleled arrogance.
‘A mere messenger, daring to disrespect a General-in-Chief…….’
As Yi Hwan recalled the wretched plight of that fellow, he asked the messenger in a casual tone.
“Have you seen me before?”
The messenger opened his eyes and looked at Yi Hwan.
“I saw you several times before you departed the Imperial Palace.”
“Were you like this then?”
“Pardon?”
“I’m asking if you were acting so arrogant back then as you are now.”
“……!”
Only then did the messenger uncross his arms. His eyes, fixed downward, were full of bewilderment.
“My apologies. I had much on my mind and did so without thinking.”
“Go downstairs and eat.”
“……Pardon?”
“Should I split your ears open instead?”
“No, no. I shall go down at once.”
The messenger bowed deeply and descended to the ground floor.
Yi Hwan turned his gaze to Song Hoe.
“The man sits there in utter disrespect, and you do nothing? Why?”
“The thing is, most Imperial Palace Messengers are people even General Hwang Ho cannot treat carelessly.”
“You mean they hold high rank?”
“Most of them do. That man himself holds a rank one grade higher than I do.”
Yi Hwan found it absurd.
Of course it was because of Song Hoe’s answer.
“So you were willing to let someone of higher rank than you act disrespectfully before your sovereign?”
“……!”
It was a remark laden with meaning.
Song Hoe’s eyes widened, and he quickly bowed his head.
“Forgive me. I lacked foresight. It will not happen again.”
Song Hoe felt flustered.
Yet at the same time, he felt a strange warmth. The old Yi Hwan would have resented the Imperial Palace Messenger even more than he did.
No—he could never have imagined him sending the man away like this before.
‘I too must change as the General-in-Chief has. I apologize.’

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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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