The Red Dragon Martial Emperor - Chapter 91

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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 Warrior Emperor Chapter 91

Chapter 91 — The Disturbance of the Night Has Passed

Papa made no effort to conceal her astonishment as she received Baek Po-in’s report.
“So a man more worthless than a Scarecrow General has been leading the Southern Army.”
“The Vanguard’s defeat came about through that man’s stratagems, or so I was told.”
Fury kindled in Papa’s eyes.
“And those fools stationed at the front lines call themselves intelligence officers. Had they provided reliable information from the start, we would have altered our approach entirely.”
The Crown Prince Jo Gwang and Papa dealt only with intelligence already in their possession. For that reason, Yi Hwan—known as the Scarecrow General—had warranted no attention whatsoever.
‘Hmm?’
Papa’s eyes suddenly narrowed with interest.
She had only now noticed that Baek Po-in’s wrist was broken.
“What happened?”
“Someone pursued my subordinate. I was wounded in the clash with him.”
“You’re telling me one man pursued you and broke your wrist?”
“……There was only one of them.”
“What?”
“An exceptional master. But had there been room to deploy the Water Assassination Technique, the outcome would have been different.”
Baek Po-in desperately wanted to salvage his wounded pride with such excuses. Even as he reported to Papa, his mind kept returning to the parting words Ju Tae had left behind.

Fine show you gave. That master who’s reached the highest pinnacle—truly magnificent to behold. Hehehehe.

It was a humiliation and contempt that no warrior could easily endure.
“And the man—what became of him?”
“He escaped.”
“What?”
Blood-light flared in Papa’s eyes.
In that instant, Baek Po-in sensed something had gone terribly wrong. Papa’s voice came cold with rage.
“Had you thought of your comrades left in enemy territory, you would have chosen mutual destruction rather than flight.”
“I judged it more important to convey the truth of the general’s identity.”
“Be silent!”
“Papa!”
Crash!
Papa’s right arm seized Baek Po-in by the throat. Remarkably, her arm was both longer and thicker than that of most men.
“Useless creature.”
Crunch!
“Stop, Papa.”
At the voice that carried from behind, Papa’s hand stilled. Jo Gwang stepped into view.
“Release him.”
“He has endangered our comrades, Your Highness.”
“Yet you heard yourself that he sought to convey something of greater importance. Now let him go.”
Papa had no choice but to release her grip.
Baek Po-in, having narrowly escaped death, collapsed flat against the ground.
Jo Gwang spoke to him.
“Your life is forfeit as of now. When you face battle, you must not fear death—you must meet the enemy without hesitation. Do you understand?”
“I shall gladly give my life in service to Your Highness!”
Thump-thump!
Jo Gwang turned away.
“Papa, come with me.”

* * *

Jo Gwang already knew that Papa had undertaken assassination without his permission. In truth, even in his dispute with Seonam King, he had never sanctioned such methods.
Papa could not have been ignorant of this.
Yet Jo Gwang did not rage.
“When men are already in short supply, how could you kill one of my capable subordinates? Have you forgotten that even within this encampment, there are many Martial Artists who do not follow me with true conviction?”
“Forgive me, Your Highness.”
Thump!
Papa collapsed to the ground.
Jo Gwang watched her with a sorrowful gaze, then turned his eyes toward the northeast.
“The Crown Prince of Yen finds himself in much the same circumstances as I do, does he not?”
“Your Highness, how could you compare yourself to such a man? The Crown Prince of Yen is not worthy to stand at your feet.”
“I fell to the Seonam King. Yet he endures well enough against the Empress and his half-brother. The mere fact that he endures makes him superior to me.”
……
Perhaps it was the regret and sorrow in Jo Gwang’s voice—Papa’s eyes grew red and swollen.
“His younger brother leads the Southern Army?”
“Yes. Remarkably, it is so.”
“How I envy him.”
……Your Highness.
Regret settled deeply across Jo Gwang’s eyes and face.
“If only I had even one blood relative to aid me. Then I would not feel this profound loneliness.”
Your Highness.
Drip.
At last, tears spilled down Papa’s cheeks.
Jo Gwang was someone she had practically raised. Though their stations differed, he had called her Master since childhood and followed her with the devotion of blood kin.
Through that bond, Papa stood ready at any moment to lay down her life for him.
‘I should have killed that villain then…….’
In truth, after losing to the Seonam King, Papa had harbored plans to assassinate him. But Jo Gwang had forbidden it, and so they had come to this place together instead.
“Rise.”
Papa wiped her tears and stood.
Jo Gwang placed a hand upon her shoulder and continued.
“My petty pride has cost me dearly. But from this moment forward, such pride shall not govern me. So aid me, I entreat you, with whatever stratagem you deem fit. Only—you must seek my leave before executing any plan. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Papa’s voice broke as she barely managed the words.
“We have a great battle to fight tomorrow. Let us rest now.”
“Yes. I shall see you to your quarters.”

* * *

Eyes watched Jo Gwang and Papa from the darkness.
Astonishingly, they belonged to Namgung Jang-cheon.
After the Zhao vanguard was annihilated, he had lingered here awaiting the Zhao forces and had been observing them ever since. Martial artists of Zhao were positioned throughout, but he was confident in his ability to remain hidden if he took care to do so.
‘Both Zhao and Yen are experiencing trials for their Crown Princes. By comparison, our Jin’s Crown Prince walks an unobstructed path, would you say?’
A faint smile played at the corners of Namgung Jang-cheon’s mouth as a certain subtle superiority kindled within him.
Jin’s Crown Prince was swiftly consolidating the succession rights under the full support of the Emperor and the Imperial Family. There were a few uncles and cousins, yet none harbored ambitions for the throne as these two kingdoms did.
Because of this, Jin enjoyed unprecedented political stability and could boast an era of great peace unmatched in history.
Soon after Jo Gwang and Papa entered the barracks, Namgung Jang-cheon climbed higher into the forest.
“Shall I have another look at the Yen encampment?”
He was thoroughly savoring this war.
His thirst for revenge against the Ghost Valley Master had consequently grown considerably lighter. For now, which side would prevail was the matter that consumed his deepest interest.

* * *

Ju Tae reported directly to Yi Hwan.
“I pursued one of them, but could not kill him.”
“There was another?”
“Yes. I had gone to the latrine and was coming out when I spotted someone slipping away from the encampment. I gave chase, but failed to finish him. I apologize. Had I paid closer attention, I could have—”
“Never mind.”
Yi Hwan’s brow furrowed.
“But it’s strange. He came all this way, then simply departed? And he left the others alone, no less.”
“Perhaps he discovered something of importance and departed first to report it?”
At Cheol Mu-ok’s words, Yi Hwan nodded silently. There was no other way to explain it. But if that were so, what could be important enough to abandon his comrades for?
The one they had captured and killed had not spoken of it—or rather, had not known another was there, so Yi Hwan had never thought to ask.
He had only gathered information about the enemy’s martial artists.
“Did you see other martial artists?”
“Yes. Others arrived sooner than expected, which is why I could not kill him. Several of them possessed a level of Lightness Technique that was quite remarkable.”
“How do they compare with you?”
“In terms of pure Lightness Technique, their skill was nearly on par with mine.”
That meant they were a considerable master. Yi Hwan sank deeper into his chair and spoke as if muttering to himself.
“Once the real fighting begins, I’ll need to strengthen the escorts for the commanding officers.”
“At present, deploying the Peng Clan’s warriors to guard duty seems our only option. The problem is that if we commit them to protection, we won’t have enough people to counter the enemy’s martial artists.”
“Assign at least a minimum contingent to each commander, and the rest of us will have to rely on ourselves. Now go rest.”
“Yes, sir.”
The assembly dispersed, everyone returning to their own quarters. Yi Hwan remained alone in his chambers, lost in thought.
‘We crushed the Vanguard and morale has risen, yet the enemy still maintains superior numbers.’
He still had confidence, though.
But he had to find ways to minimize casualties. He’d already considered several tactics, but if a better approach existed, he needed to discover it before dawn and brief the officers so they could prepare in advance.
How much time had passed like this?
Yi Hwan threw his outer robe over his shoulders and stepped outside.
“Where are you going, sir?”
“Just need some air. Don’t follow me.”
……

* * *

Yi Hwan left his quarters and made directly for the Watchtower.
Though the hour was late, he could feel the taut tension coursing through the entire encampment in every fiber of his being.
As Yi Hwan climbed the Watchtower, the sentries on duty bowed their heads.
“Sir!”
Yi Hwan patted the shoulders of the warriors reassuringly, then gazed toward the northwest. As he stood staring in that direction for quite some time, the sentries exchanged glances, their faces puzzled.
Yi Hwan observed the northwestern sector for a long while, then turned to leave.
“Well done.”
“Yes, sir!”
Had he found the best course of action?
His expression was somewhat different from what it had been a moment earlier.
Someone was watching Yi Hwan. It was Namgung Jang-cheon, who had briefly stayed at the Zhao Military Encampment before returning.
The light in Namgung Jang-cheon’s eyes had shifted markedly from what it had been before.
He was the one who had grasped Yi Hwan’s true nature before even the Zhao command did.
‘If I attempted the Water Assassination Technique, could I succeed?’
Namgung Jang-cheon visualized himself attacking Yi Hwan in his mind. Then he furrowed his brow, his eyes growing darker.
‘I can’t find an opening.’
Yi Hwan was walking normally, simply going about his business. Yet when Namgung Jang-cheon tried to imagine launching an attack, he found himself utterly unable to locate a single gap in his guard.
This feeling was the second time he’d experienced it.
The first had been when he first laid eyes on the Ghost Valley Master. What troubled him more was that when he’d first seen Yi Hwan, he’d felt none of this at all.
‘Have I unconsciously come to regard this man as an expert on the same level as the Ghost Valley Master?’
A twitch.
His eyebrows bent sharply.
Pride stirred within him without his knowing it.
That’s when it happened.
‘……What’s that?’
Namgung Jang-cheon spotted five points of light streaking toward him and his eyes widened slightly.
At first, he thought they might be Firefly Projectiles.
But they weren’t.
……!
Crack!
Namgung Jang-cheon kicked off the dead branch beneath his feet and launched himself into the air. At the same moment, a dull thud rang out from the tree where he’d been standing.
Pop-pop-pop-pop-pop!
White smoke billowed from the darkness.
Namgung Jang-cheon was about to counterattack at Yi Hwan rising through the smoke when he changed his mind and hurled himself into the darkness instead.
Pop-pop-pop!
Smoke erupted from a tree to his right.
Namgung Jang-cheon unfolded his Lightness Technique and fled without looking back. Only after running a considerable distance did he finally glance behind him, but Yi Hwan was nowhere to be seen.
Thump-thump-thump!
His heart thundered violently. His eyes trembled with shock.
‘There’s a martial art like that in this world……’
Whoosh!
Namgung Jang-cheon pressed his palm against his racing chest and scaled the nearest towering ancient tree, reaching its very crown.
Looking down from where he stood, Namgung Jang-cheon watched Yi Hwan making his way back to his quarters. As if nothing had happened at all.
Namgung Jang-cheon recalled that luminous glow reminiscent of firefly projectiles and exhaled softly through his nose.
‘Yen will inevitably be an enemy we must face someday. But having uncovered the true nature of that Scarecrow General—that is tremendous intelligence for both me and Jin Kingdom.’
Jin Kingdom had been pouring enormous effort into gathering intelligence not only on Zhao’s experts, but on Yen’s masters as well. Yet for all their collection efforts, Yi Hwan had never appeared in their files. More than that—he couldn’t have appeared.
In Jin, Yi Hwan was known as a worthless heir cast out by the Imperial Family.
Namgung Jang-cheon turned his gaze westward, toward where the Zhao forces were positioned.
‘A confrontation between a disgraced illegitimate child and the Crown Prince, then….’

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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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