The Red Dragon Martial Emperor - Chapter 94

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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 Emperor Episode 94

Chapter 94 — The Road to the Imperial Capital (1)

Go Mi found the journey to the Imperial Capital simply delightful.
Though she had hidden it well, life in the Southern Military Corps had been an endless succession of hardship.
Most of all, the inability to bathe properly had worn on her. Had she not felt such fulfillment watching Yi Hwan’s satisfaction with her intelligence, she could never have endured it.
“Your face has grown brighter, Go Mi.”
“Does it show that much?”
“Quite plainly. The Commander might become dissatisfied if you’re not careful with your expression.”
Go Mi glanced sideways at Yi Hwan’s retreating back ahead of them. Surrendering his body to the horse’s gait while admiring the passing landscape, he seemed infinitely at peace.
The brightness that had lit Go Mi’s face flickered away.
‘I’m worried. The Imperial Palace is a far more terrifying place than the Southern Military Corps could ever be. Can the Commander truly survive it?’
Go Mi had let herself forget.
The terror of the Imperial Palace.
It was a place where one misspoken word routinely led to the extermination of entire families — a commonplace horror.
Though Yi Hwan had demonstrated remarkable cunning and martial power in the Southern Military Corps, that alone could not guarantee he could weather what awaited.
“Go Mi, what’s wrong all of a sudden?”
“Hmm? Oh, it’s nothing.”
It was then.
“Let’s rest here for a while.”

* * *

In fair weather, spreading blankets on grassy meadows to eat and drink, forgetting life’s burdens even briefly, had become a fashionable custom among many of the era — a new craze spreading like wildfire.
Ju Tae looked around, muttering to himself.
“Is this what’s trending lately? What brings so many people to such a remote place?”
Indeed, the area where Yi Hwan’s party had settled was crowded with people. They all lay on blankets in small groups, enjoying food and laughing merrily.
The Female Warrior spoke cautiously.
“Spending time outdoors like this has become all the rage these days. It’s not just this — young people have been spreading a craze of sleeping in carriages under the stars, and it’s created such a shortage of horses across the realm that merchants can barely find any.”
Ju Tae made a face of disbelief.
“How romantic. Meanwhile soldiers are dying on the battlefields. What nonsense is this?”
Cheol Mu-ok interjected.
“Warriors find fulfillment when the common people are happy and content.”
A quiet laugh escaped him.
“Anyone hearing that would think you’d spent your whole life on the front lines.”
“Short, but brilliant — that counts.”
“Fair enough.”
Ju Tae turned to Yi Hwan and asked.
“Will the Second Prince stay quiet about this?”
“He certainly won’t. It’s possible assassins he’s sent could be waiting among these very crowds.”
“The journey to the Imperial Palace won’t be dull, then.”
Hearing this exchange, Go Mi exhaled a silent sigh.
‘I’d forgotten about the Empress and the Second Prince. Once they learn the Commander is heading to the Palace, they’ll move however they can.’
She turned to the Female Warrior and gave her instructions.
“Don’t stray from their side for even a moment until we reach the Imperial Palace. Understood?”
“Yes, I will.”
After recalling the Empress and the Second Prince, Go Mi’s appetite vanished entirely. Instead her nerves sharpened to a keen edge, and she began watching the people settling near them with wary attention.
It was an occupational habit.

* * *

Thirty paces distant from Yi Hwan’s party.
Papa and her three subordinates, disguised as ordinary people enjoying leisure, ate and drank while casting glances toward Yi Hwan’s direction.
Without martial robes, dressed in plain clothes, Papa appeared as nothing more than an ordinary old woman.
Papa leaned against a tree at an angle, watching Yi Hwan’s party drink and rest.
‘Those two are blocking every approach perfectly. And that one they call the Commander — I can’t find a single opening. How is this even possible?’
Throughout the pursuit to this point, Papa had watched for a chance to strike. But opportunity never came.
It was because of Cheol Mu-ok and Ju Tae.
The men in white robes at the very rear annoyed her as well. Whenever they moved, they sealed off every direction perfectly. So Papa didn’t force the matter and simply followed them here, waiting for the perfect opening to present itself.
‘Sooner or later, they’ll slip up.’
Nearly everyone revealed gaps when they rested, so Papa had decided to finish things here. But Yi Hwan, who until now had shown no concern for martial vulnerabilities whatsoever, surprised her.
In that seemingly careless posture, she could find not a single opening.
‘It must be coincidence. A true master would never carry such a look in his eyes.’
Yi Hwan’s gaze was utterly ordinary.
A master who had reached a perfect state might possess such a gaze, but Papa didn’t believe for a moment that Yi Hwan had attained such a realm.
She was convinced he couldn’t have reached a height she herself had not scaled.
‘Still, to think the Empress of Yen and the Second Prince are targeting them.’
Through Yi Hwan and Ju Tae’s conversation, Papa realized that assassins might be sent from the Second Prince’s faction. She immediately warned her subordinates about this possibility.
[They’re moving again.]
Yi Hwan’s party finished their rest and resumed their journey. Papa maintained a reasonable distance to avoid suspicion as she followed behind.
As she pursued Yi Hwan’s group, she studied everyone walking in their direction with keen scrutiny. A slight furrow appeared between her brows.
‘This is becoming tiresome.’
Now she had to watch not only Yi Hwan’s party, but also guard against killers who might strike at any moment from anywhere.
She couldn’t let the assassins sent by the Empress and the Second Prince take Yi Hwan. Whatever happened, she had to sever his neck with her own hands.
That was when it happened.
[Papa, those men look suspicious.]
Papa fixed her gaze on the spot her subordinate indicated. Between Yi Hwan’s group and theirs walked three tall men. Judging by the weapons they carried, they were clearly Martial Artists. As Papa’s eyes swept over them, they flickered with blue light for a moment.
‘They’re targeting the women, not the Crown Prince.’
Papa turned to her subordinate and shook her head.
[They’re not worth our attention.]
[But they keep glancing over here.]
[They’re just men who like women, as you do. Pay them no mind.]
[…….]

* * *

As the sun began to set.
Yi Hwan’s party entered the Market Street of the city.
Being a small city, the Market Street was unremarkable, and there were only a few inns worth staying at.
Yi Hwan’s party secured rooms at what was the largest inn available and immediately had supper.
Even while eating, Cheol Mu-ok and Ju Tae remained vigilant of their surroundings. Go Mi and Song Cheon-mu did the same. The warriors of the Sword King Lineage seated nearby need not be mentioned.
Despite everyone being so tense, Yi Hwan remained as leisurely as ever, unaffected by the situation.
Go Mi had grown accustomed to such circumstances by now.
Yi Hwan’s endless composure, from some unknown source, had become something she took for granted.
‘After all, he didn’t even furrow his brow when we attacked Zhao Kingdom’s vanguard.’
“Go Mi.”
“Yes?”
“If I become the head of the Imperial Guard, I want to incorporate Bi Yue under my direct command. What do you think?”
“You mean to place it directly under the Crown Prince, my lord?”
“Yes.”
“Should the Crown Prince order it, I will comply. But I’m not certain the Second Prince’s faction will simply stand by.”
“I asked for your thoughts, not their opinion.”
“My thoughts remain unchanged.”
“Then that settles it.”
Go Mi’s first thought was whether such a thing was even possible.
‘It will be difficult. The Second Prince’s faction won’t simply allow it.’
After already ceding the Southern Military Corps and now the position of head of the Imperial Guard to the Second Prince’s faction, they would never permit Bi Yue to slip away as well.
‘How did things come to this?’
With each passing day, it became clearer. She stood at the very center of the fierce political struggle between the Crown Prince Palace and the Second Prince’s faction.
‘But if it’s for the Crown Prince…….’
Crack!
Without realizing it, Go Mi steeled her resolve and snapped her chopsticks. The Female Warrior quickly brought a fresh pair. At that moment, Yi Hwan rose from his seat.
“Eat slowly.”
“Are you retiring to your room, my lord?”
“Yes.”
Cheol Mu-ok and Ju Tae also stood.
“It’s fine. My room is directly above here anyway. Don’t worry and continue your meal.”
Yi Hwan climbed to the room he had secured in advance.
The chamber was the largest and most ornate the Inn had to offer.
Yi Hwan removed his outer robe and opened the window.
Creak!
Whiiissh!
A brisk wind swept gently across his face. Yi Hwan folded his arms and methodically surveyed the Market Street below.
There were quite a few people moving about.
‘Until I enter the Palace, I can trust no one?’
It was entirely possible that among those people below were assassins sent by the Empress or the Second Prince.
Whiiissh!
The wind brushed past Yi Hwan’s face again.
After about an hour had passed, he shut the window and lay down on the bed.
He sought sleep, but sleep would not come.
Yi Hwan opened his eyes and raised his hand. Five points of light rose gently into view.
‘Even with my Inner Strength recovered considerably, I cannot exceed five orbs. The power is satisfactory, but I’ll only feel secure once I reach seven….’
If he were asked to name the martial technique that had served him most powerfully thus far, it would unhesitatingly be this.
Whether facing the strong or the weak, he had resolved most opponents with it. It was his supreme method for subduing an enemy swiftly and cleanly, but above all, its greatest advantage was that it could be wielded in silence and secrecy.
Puff!
The light floating in the air vanished into a wisp of smoke. Yi Hwan closed his eyes again.
‘One old woman and three strong men….’
Before he had shut the window, he had seen them—an old woman and three sturdy men watching him.

* * *

Papa stared at Yi Hwan’s darkened room, her brow furrowing.
‘Knowing that the Empress and the Second Prince are after him, yet he takes a room alone? Has he that much confidence in himself?’
Papa glanced down to the lower floor.
Cheol Mu-ok and the others were still eating their evening meal.
‘Now is the moment!’
Papa lifted her gaze to the roof of the Inn where Yi Hwan lodged. Her three subordinates were stationed there in the darkness, awaiting her command.
The moment Yi Hwan had shut his window, they had moved to that position and stood ready for Papa’s order.
Papa signaled to them with a silent gesture, and they began to move.
But that was when it happened.
‘What—?’
Papa’s eyes widened slightly.
Behind her subordinates, figures emerged like phantoms. What astonished her more was that they had revealed themselves without her men noticing at all.
‘Guards protecting the Crown Prince in secret?’
The thought crystallized, and Papa whistled sharply.
Whee-eep!
At the sound of the whistle, her subordinates ceased moving and turned toward her. Then they spotted the figures behind them and drew their swords in unison.
Shink-shink-shink!
The other side drew their blades.
Shink-shink-shink!
Bang!
Crash-crash-crash!
It was precisely then that Papa burst through the window and hurled herself into the air.

* * *

Crash-crash-crash!
At the sound of something shattering, Yi Hwan’s eyes snapped open. Above the ceiling, metal rang out.
Clang-clang-clang!
Boom-boom-boom!
Dust fell from the ceiling.
‘They jumped from the opposite inn all the way to the roof in one leap?’
Yi Hwan’s gaze hardened.
The old woman and three strong men had certainly been in the opposite inn. If they were the ones causing this commotion, it meant they were at least of Supreme Master Tier.
“Aaahhh!”
A death cry pierced through the ceiling and fell into the room.
It was then that Cheol Mu-ok and Ju Tae threw open the door. They confirmed Yi Hwan was safe and released a breath of relief.
Go Mi and the warriors of the Sword King Lineage followed in Yi Hwan’s wake. The tension that had gripped Go Mi’s face eased the moment she confirmed Yi Hwan’s safety.
Yi Hwan remained lying on the bed as he spoke with quiet composure.
“Wait until the noise stops.”
“Shouldn’t we at least determine who they are?”
“There’s no need to wade into a street brawl. Those after me can tear each other apart for all I care.”
“If one faction was sent by the Second Prince, the other is likely from Zhao Kingdom.”
“Perhaps.”
Yi Hwan answered evenly, then suddenly propped himself up on his elbows and turned to Cheol Mu-ok and Ju Tae. “Who’s the most renowned elderly female master in the Martial World right now?”
“Why would you suddenly ask that…….”
Yi Hwan’s eyes narrowed.
“You still haven’t noticed. And here I thought you were supposed to be guarding me.”
“…….”
“One elderly woman and three strong men have been chasing us. They’re probably fighting furiously on the roof right now.”
Everyone’s eyes went wide.
None of them had known.
“Answer the question.”
Ju Tae spoke up.
“What level of skill are we talking about…….”
“If she can smash through a window and cover twenty paces in a single bound, she’d need to be at least at the Supreme Master Tier.”
“There is Wu Jing Jian Ni, who came from the Ami Sect. She is known to be the first woman of her kind to glimpse the Absolute Realm. There are a few others of comparable skill, but none could be called elderly.”
“If she’s from the Ami Sect, she’d be aligned with Zhao Kingdom.”
“That is correct.”
Yi Hwan fixed his gaze on Cheol Mu-ok. Cheol Mu-ok’s expression clouded with uncertainty.
“I cannot think of any other female master of that caliber.”
Yi Hwan’s attention shifted to Go Mi.
“Is there any such female master among the Second Prince’s faction?”
“We have no intelligence of one. I will learn more once we reach the Imperial Capital.”
Cheol Mu-ok stepped forward. “If Wu Jing Jian Ni is indeed pursuing us, we must remain vigilant. She is a master one cannot afford to underestimate.”
“So you’ve been slacking on guard duty this whole time?”
“…….”
“My apologies.”
Cheol Mu-ok and Ju Tae scratched the backs of their heads sheepishly.
Then, the commotion above the ceiling ceased. Only the sound of wind cutting through air echoed a few times before all other noise fell away.
Yi Hwan rose from the bed.
“Only you, Go Mi, and these two — come with me.”

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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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