The Red Dragon Martial Emperor - Chapter 78

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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, Chapter 78

Chapter 78 — Peng Wu-wei’s Tears

Imperial Guard Barracks.
Mun Chi-yong’s direct subordinates remained there still. The guards treated them with utmost courtesy.
Baek Po-in, whose sharp features were particularly striking, turned to his men with a question.
“You’ve positioned the boys properly, haven’t you?”
“Yes. I confirmed there’s only one path leading into the camp. We’ve sent plenty of capable men to that choke point, so they’ll bring back the General-in-Chief’s head soon enough.”
Baek Po-in rose from his seat and opened the window. A stream ran between them, and directly across lay Yi Hwan’s Quarters.
“When the sun sets, we’ll deal with everyone in that place too.”
“Even the Crown Prince’s messenger?”
“Of course. If he escapes alive, it could become a problem later. He must be killed without fail.”
“Understood.”
Then it happened.
Cheong Po-in entered through the door.
He was the one who had been pressuring Peng Wu-wei.
“The Left General still refuses to open his door.”
“Hmph! He wants no part in this, it seems. Can a mere martial artist born of a military clan really find the nerve to kill the General-in-Chief? Leave him be.”
“But if he decides to help the General-in-Chief instead, won’t that complicate things?”
“He can’t possibly be ignorant that his entire clan would be destroyed if he did. He simply lacks the courage to act because this enterprise terrifies him. Just watch and do nothing.”
“Understood.”
Cheong Po-in departed.
Baek Po-in gazed sharply through the window at the area surrounding Yi Hwan’s dwelling, a sneer playing at his lips.
“A handful of men sent there will settle it nicely.”
There were no sentries posted around the quarters. The only figures who occasionally appeared were servants clearing food scraps and auxiliary soldiers.
A cold smile spread across Baek Po-in’s face.
“To set up a useless Fourth Prince as a puppet and seize control of the Imperial Guard? Laughable. Poor Fourth Prince dies because of you, Crown Prince.”
The sunset deepened gradually. Today, the glow burned unusually crimson.
‘A sky made for spilling blood. Hehehehe.’

* * *

Jeong Cheon sought out Peng Wu-wei’s quarters.
Yet men sent by Yi Tae-ji—Baek Po-in and Cheong Po-in’s subordinates—blocked his path.
“No one is to enter. Those are the Crown Prince’s orders.”
Jeong Cheon regarded them with his characteristic fierce gaze.
“I don’t recognize you. Where are you from?”
“We come from the Imperial Palace.”
“Then why are you two guarding the Crown Prince’s quarters? Where are the Peng Clan’s warriors?”
“By the Crown Prince’s command.”
“Is that so? I’ll verify it myself.”
Jeong Cheon stepped toward the door.
But Baek Po-in’s and Cheong Po-in’s men blocked his way again, refusing to yield.
“Please turn back, sir.”
“Step aside.”
“We cannot.”
“I said step aside.”
“Still, we cannot.”
Then Cheong Po-in, who had gone to the Imperial Guard Barracks earlier, returned. He addressed Jeong Cheon in an arrogant tone.
“The Crown Prince cannot be seen at present. Why not return now, General?”
“Are you the leader here?”
“You overstep, sir. Leader? Even a general must choose his words with care.”
A twitch.
Jeong Cheon’s eyebrows bent sharply.
Then it came.
“What!”
An exclamation of shock burst from someone’s lips.
That was when Jeong Cheon bowed his head.
“I greet the Second Prince.”

* * *

Yi Hwan swept his gaze slowly across those who stared at him in shock.
Cheong Po-in, who had been blocking Jeong Cheon’s path, maintained his expression while struggling to conceal his alarm. Yet inwardly, he reeled.
‘How did he reach this point? Did the ambush fail? No. That’s impossible. The men I stationed there are all experts. There’s no way he could have escaped.’
He had faith in the skill of his subordinates.
For that reason, he had assumed Yi Hwan had taken a different route. But even that did not resolve his doubts.
‘There’s only one path that leads to the military camp…….’
It was then that Yi Hwan spoke.
“Tell the Crown Prince that I have arrived.”
“It is the Crown Prince’s order that no one be admitted.”
“Does the Crown Prince’s order not apply to me as well?”
“……!”
Yi Hwan shoved past those blocking his way and stepped forward. But Cheong Po-in did not yield.
“Please return, Second Prince.”
“Move aside.”
“I regret to say I cannot……Ugh!”
Crunch!
Yi Hwan’s hand lashed out, seizing Cheong Po-in by the throat. At the sudden movement, the surrounding soldiers and guards reflexively grasped their sword hilts.
Then Jeong Cheon’s eyes blazed with fury.
“Release him at once!”
“……!”
But it was too late.
“How dare a mere guard presume to defy the Second Prince.”
Yi Hwan’s voice came cold and merciless, followed by the sickening crack of shattering bone.
Crrrunch!
Cheong Po-in’s head snapped sideways. He collapsed, his neck broken, dead before he hit the ground.
Thud!
“……!”
It was Jeong Cheon who gasped in shock.
Knowing nothing of what had transpired, his reaction was understandable.
Yi Hwan turned toward another guard.
“Open it.”
“……!”
Yi Hwan’s hand carved through the empty air. The guard’s head exploded like a melon.
Splatter!
“Argh!”
Yi Hwan’s gaze shifted to the soldier beside him.
“Open it.”
At that moment.
Bang!
The barracks door burst violently open, and Peng Wu-wei stepped out. Behind him, a flood of heavily armored soldiers from the Peng Clan surged forth.
Jeong Cheon drew his sword in alarm.
Ring!
“What is the meaning of this, Crown Prince?!”
Clang-clang-clang-ring!
The guards and soldiers drew their blades in unison. They swiftly encircled Yi Hwan and Jeong Cheon.
[Second Prince! I shall hold them off—please withdraw at once!]
Yi Hwan smiled.
Peng Wu-wei’s true heart had been revealed. In truth, had Peng Wu-wei been complicit in an attempt on Yi Hwan’s life, Yi Hwan would have already resolved to kill him.
“It’s fine.”
Yi Hwan’s gaze met Peng Wu-wei’s directly.
Their eyes locked in a silent exchange. Then, a command slipped past Peng Wu-wei’s lips.
“Attack!”

* * *

Yi Hwan and Peng Wu-wei sat across from each other.
Jeong Cheon placed a chair by the entrance and remained seated there, sword in hand.
Yi Hwan and Peng Wu-wei spoke at length, and though Peng Wu-wei let traces of anxiety slip through now and then, his bearing remained resolute.
At one point, Yi Hwan asked him a question.
“Do you have any regrets?”
“I am afraid, yes, but I do not regret this. Though I was blinded by ambition and took service under the Second Prince, I have not fallen so far as to be complicit in this.”
“The Second Prince will not let this pass quietly.”
“I am prepared. I have already sent word to the Peng Clan by messenger, explaining everything from beginning to end.”
“Do you think the clan will follow the Crown Prince’s wishes?”
Peng Wu-wei did not answer at first. But soon his teeth showed in a grim smile.
A thin, raspy sound.
“What more could there be but expulsion from the clan if things go wrong? In return, I ask only that Your Highness take responsibility for me. My mind may be dull, but I have strength enough, and I am confident I can earn my keep.”
Yi Hwan, moved by his sturdy yet unpolished sincerity, let a faint smile play across his lips.
Just then, the Deputy Commander entered through the door, carrying tea.
Beyond the open threshold, kneeling in the courtyard, Yi Hwan could glimpse the figures of Cheong Po-in and Baek Po-in with their followers, surrounded by Peng Clan warriors who held the perimeter like an iron wall.
Yi Hwan turned to him with a question.
“Those men outside could face expulsion as well. Are you certain about this?”
The Deputy Commander answered in Peng Wu-wei’s stead.
“We have sworn an oath to share the Crown Prince’s fate, Your Highness. Please have no concern!”
Peng Wu-wei let out a hollow laugh.
“These are the sort of men they are. Heh, heh.”
He was laughing, but his eyes had turned red.
Yi Hwan grasped the weight of what that meant.
‘It must have been an agonizing decision. For a warrior of the Peng Clan to abandon his clan is no different from abandoning his own life.’
A strange emotion stirred deep within his chest.
At first, Peng Wu-wei had been little more than an enemy. Peng Wu-wei had surely seen him the same way.
Yet that man had chosen him.
This choice might even endanger the Peng household and all its dependents. What profound anguish must he have wrestled with to choose him, bearing all of that risk?
“General-in-Chief.”
“Yes?”
“Thank you.”
…….
Tears streamed down.
Thick tears rolled down Peng Wu-wei’s cheeks, and the emotion he had struggled to contain came pouring out.
“I have a daughter in the Peng Clan. She lost her mother when she was young, and all this time she has known only me. I fear I must bring her here before things go wrong.”
“The road is too long for you to travel yourself. Leave it to me. I will see to it that the child is kept safe.”
“Your Highness, how could you possibly—”
Instead of answering, Yi Hwan turned to Peng Wu-wei’s Deputy Commander.
“Prepare brush, paper, and ink.”
“At once!”
The Deputy Commander, wiping away tears as he rose, hurried to grind the ink.
Shortly after, Yi Hwan composed a letter and handed it to Jeong Cheon.
“Send it to the Crown Prince’s Palace.”
“Understood.”
Yi Hwan turned his gaze back to Peng Wu-wei.
As his emotions subsided, Peng Wu-wei’s breathing had become noticeably calmer.
“From the Imperial Palace, the North River is not far—they will move quickly. Trust the Crown Prince’s Palace rather than me.”
“The Crown Prince’s Palace will rescue my daughter?”
“They will.”
Peng Wu-wei’s face brightened a little.
“The General-in-Chief has not merely taken my hand, but the Crown Prince’s hand as well. Once the Peng Clan learns of this, they may follow your choice. Let us wait and see.”
A grinding sound.
Peng Wu-wei clenched his teeth hard. Then fire blazed in his eyes.
“Those bastards deserve to be beaten to pulp, don’t they?”

* * *

Imperial Guard Barracks.
Darkness was beginning to fall.
Baek Po-in and his companions, unaware of what had transpired in Peng Wu-wei’s quarters, took their evening meal at leisure.
The Acting Vice-Commander, who had assumed the position in place of the Deputy Commander who had died before, filled an empty cup with wine and asked casually.
Glug.
“Do you think the Second Prince will be able to ascend to the throne?”
“This doesn’t seem like the place for such talk.”
“But we’re on the same side, aren’t we?”
“There are some things that cannot be discussed, regardless.”
This time it was Baek Po-in who asked.
“I hear that the Fourth Prince has become a completely different person since he recovered from the brink of death. What exactly has changed about him?”
“Rather than saying he changed, it seems more accurate to say he was hiding his strength all this time. His temperament might shift, but martial skill doesn’t become powerful overnight, does it?”
“His martial skill improved too?”
“It’s not just improvement—it’s far beyond that.”
Baek Po-in’s brow furrowed.
“He concealed his abilities while tolerating the insult of being a puppet prince? This seems rather suspicious, doesn’t it?”
“Perhaps the Crown Prince’s Palace knew of the Fourth Prince’s such capabilities from the start. Otherwise, they would never have given him command of the Imperial Guard.”
“That will absolutely never happen.”
Baek Po-in, dismissing the Acting Vice-Commander’s words, emptied his cup and tossed a piece of meat into his mouth.
That was when it happened.
A thick voice drifted in from outside.
“The General-in-Chief has arrived.”
“The fool has finally come to his senses. Bring him in.”
A moment later the door opened and Peng Wu-wei entered. He came in wearing armor with a broadsword in hand, and immediately seated himself across from Baek Po-in before guzzling wine straight from the bottle.
Gulp-gulp!
Baek Po-in’s eyebrow twitched slightly.
No matter if he was the General-in-Chief, drinking the wine someone else had been drinking without asking permission was a grave discourtesy.
Thud!
Peng Wu-wei set the bottle down and fixed his gaze on Baek Po-in, asking sharply.
“What should I do?”
“The General-in-Chief need only remain still. We will handle the rest.”
Peng Wu-wei caught the faint sneer playing at the corner of Baek Po-in’s mouth.
Smirk.
“Are you confident?”
“Of course.”
Peng Wu-wei turned to the Acting Vice-Commander of the Imperial Guard and asked.
“What are your thoughts?”
“It is the Second Prince’s command, so naturally we must obey, should we not?”
“I did not ask because of the Second Prince’s command. I asked for your own heart. Do you truly intend to join in this?”
“Of course. Haven’t you also made up your mind to do this, General-in-Chief?”
“No.”
“Pardon?”
Smirk.
Peng Wu-wei bared his teeth in his characteristic crude grin.
“I’ve decided to take your heads instead.”
“…!”
“What are you—!”
Baek Po-in lurched backward mid-sentence as Peng Wu-wei’s massive hand—broad as a pot lid—shot toward his throat. Though his reaction was swift, Peng Wu-wei’s hand was faster.
Crack!
“Ugh!”
“You traitors dare mock me, Peng Wu-wei?”
Crunch!
“Gahhh…”
Peng Wu-wei deliberately crushed the man’s neck slowly. Baek Po-in died bit by bit in his iron grip.
He was no weak warrior to fall so easily, but caught off guard by someone he had believed was an ally, he was helpless against the sudden strike.
“…!”
The startled Acting Vice-Commander tried to bolt for the door but froze in place—the warriors of the Peng Clan stood outside with broadswords drawn, their edges glinting coldly, watching him with deadly intent.
The Acting Vice-Commander collapsed to the ground where he stood.
Pop!
Peng Wu-wei tore Baek Po-in’s head clean from his shoulders.
A geyser of blood sprayed down upon the Deputy Commander.
“You bastard! So much as take another step and you’ll end up like this!”
“…!”

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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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