The Red Dragon Martial Emperor - Chapter 95

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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 — Episode 95

Chapter 95 — The Road to the Imperial Capital (2)

Two corpses lay sprawled before them.
One draped in Black Robes, the other in Yellow Robes. Ju Tae examined the bodies and spoke. “Both were struck by Palm technique. And neither carried anything to identify their rank or affiliation.”
“Both fell to palm strikes,” Ju Tae reported. “And there’s nothing on either body—no insignia, no marks that would give away their identity.”
Yi Hwan knelt to inspect the corpse struck by palm technique.
When he unfastened the robe across the chest, a palm print gleamed in sharp relief. The shape was extraordinarily distinctive.
“This one was hit by Emei Twelve Palms. Which means it’s almost certain that old woman is Mu Jeong Geomni.”
Emei Twelve Palms was the exclusive technique of the Emei School, and once one transcended a certain threshold, it was said to rival the power of the Bare Hand Demon Technique.
[How does he know all this?]
[Right? How?]
Ju Tae and Cheol Mu-ok exchanged glances, eyes wide. The sudden appearance of such a formidable Master was startling enough, but what amazed them more was that Yi Hwan had discerned his opponent’s martial art from wounds alone.
“Could these be men Yi Hwang-ja sent after you?”
“Perhaps.”
Yi Hwan walked to the edge of the roof and surveyed the inn across the way.
One of the guest rooms on the same floor where he had stayed. Its window was shattered, the interior empty.
Cheol Mu-ok, Ju Tae, and Gomi approached and stood beside him. All three gauged the distance between the opposite inn and this rooftop, and their faces went grave.
To vault across and land on the roof in a single leap was nearly impossible at such a span. Yet Yi Hwan insisted the old woman he suspected was Mu Jeong Geomni had crossed it in one bound.
“The path to the Imperial Palace looks to be a troublesome one.”
“That’s not all.”
“Sir?”
“An Elite-level Assassin can be far more fearsome than a Heavenly Master. Mu Jeong Geomni would never master Assassination Technique on top of Inner Strength Cultivation. Stay sharp and keep your wits about you on the road ahead.”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
Even here, Yi Hwan showed no trace of unease. Watching him, Gomi found herself thinking something altogether strange.
‘I wish the world would fall apart just once. To see if he’d remain this calm then too.’

* * *

‘This is… troublesome.’
In the darkness, Mun Chi-yong could not hide his bewilderment.
He had sent an assassin the moment Yi Hwan separated from his companions and stepped alone into his room.
At that instant, Mun Chi-yong had been certain Yi Hwan’s life was forfeit. Then, unexpectedly, strangers had appeared on the scene, and moments later, an old woman emerged from the inn across the way and killed two of his assassins.
If the old woman and the others had not withdrawn first, all his remaining subordinates would surely have perished. Her martial prowess was that formidable.
‘Are they secret guards protecting the Crown Prince? Or are they after him like we are?’
Mun Chi-yong prayed it was the latter.
If the old woman was guarding Yi Hwan in the shadows, assassination had become as impossible as crossing water on dry land.
Whoosh!
Wind clawed across Mun Chi-yong’s face. After a soft sigh, he fixed his gaze and turned to warn his men. “Check once more for anything that might reveal our identities.”
“We’ve disposed of everything as ordered, sir. Same with the dead—there’s nothing that would expose us. But who was that old woman just now?”
“How would I know? I only hope she’s not an old woman secretly guarding the Crown Prince.”
“But even if she’s after the Crown Prince like we are, wouldn’t she still be a problem? We might clash again in a critical moment like this.”
“There’s no need to worry about that. As long as we can kill the Crown Prince, nothing else matters. Let’s go.”
“Yes, sir.”
As Mun Chi-yong turned, he fixed his gaze on the inn where Yi Hwan was lodged. The distance was too great to see clearly, but by now, surely the commotion on the rooftop would have put them on high alert.
‘This failure has done nothing but sharpen his caution.’
A flash of irritation settled in Mun Chi-yong’s eyes.

A strangled moan, followed by clotted black blood spilling from the subordinate’s lips. Mu Jeong Geomni—Papa—looked down at him, her eyes growing heavy and dark.
The subordinate had suffered a wound so catastrophic that not even a Celestial Immortal could save him. Nerves had been severed as well; he was writhing in unbearable agony.
“I… I’m sorry. I failed you, Papa. I wasn’t… of any help.”
Mu Jeong Geomni placed a hand on the subordinate’s head.

Her eyes, which had been holding a resolute gleam, darkened with sudden, piercing pain.
It was time to let her go.
For someone who cherished her subordinates as deeply as she did, it was a cruel and sorrowful decision.
“Your Highness need not worry. And do not concern yourselves with your families either. You have suffered greatly, following after one as incompetent as I, and for that I am grateful. Now go, and find your peace.”
“I… I am grateful……”
Thud.
As the subordinate’s head fell to the side, Mu Jeong Geomni closed her eyes firmly and remained utterly still for a long moment.
The two remaining figures watched her in silence.
After a time, Mu Jeong Geomni rose to her feet.
“When this is done, I will join you. Bury her where she will be easy to find.”
“Yes, Master.”
Mu Jeong Geomni gazed at the receding silhouettes of her subordinates disappearing into the darkness, then bit her lip once more.
Her eyes were clouded with confusion and rage.
‘To lose a subordinate to those wretches, when I could not even draw near to him.’
Had this happened while trying to kill Yi Hwan, her fury would have burned less hot. But there was little else that ignited her anger as fiercely as this.
‘I was forced to use the Emei Twelve Palms to save those men. If anyone recognizes the traces left on the corpses, my identity will be exposed.’
Leaving traces.
It was a grave mistake that should never have been made. If Yi Hwan and his party saw through her identity, the consequences could become far more severe.
Assassinating imperial royalty of any kingdom was strictly forbidden by all three realms. Though no formal law codified it, it was an unspoken commandment passed down for two centuries—a matter entirely different from dying on the battlefield.
‘Yet I will still kill him.’
She exhaled long and slow.
Mu Jeong Geomni gazed at the rooftop of the inn where Yi Hwan was staying.
From this distance, she could not make out details, but people were indeed on the roof. They were undoubtedly Yi Hwan’s party.
‘All of those with him are young. That makes it far more likely they will not recognize the distinctive techniques of my school. As for the Crown Prince—he would have no way of knowing.’
With her mind settled on this thought, Mu Jeong Geomni felt somewhat reassured. She settled down to wait for her subordinates to return.
Whissssh.
Thus the chaos of the night came to an end.
But this ending was merely the beginning of a merciless pursuit.

* * *

The next morning, the journey resumed.
Gomi, traveling behind Yi Hwan, tilted her head in puzzlement as she recalled the previous night’s events.
‘How did he recognize the Emei School’s techniques at a glance? Emei doesn’t even belong to our Yen Kingdom.’
It was both astounding and strange. It would have been impossible without deep mastery of the Martial World’s arts.
Whiiiiing!
The wind today was quite strong.
The overcast sky looked as though it might burst into rain at any moment, and the Official Road was nearly empty because of it.
‘This feeling is not good.’
Gomi scanned the surroundings and the path ahead and behind with sharp vigilance. There were five people in front, roughly ten behind. But without revealing their true nature, there was simply no way to know who among them were assassins.
‘At least the old woman is not here.’
There were several women in the group, but all of them were young.
Of course, there was no guarantee these women were not assassins. If those the old woman had killed were assassins sent by Yi Hwang-ja, then everyone in sight had to be considered a potential enemy.
Gomi’s gaze fixed on Yi Hwan.
She could only see his back, but he maintained a serene demeanor. Cheol Mu-ok and Ju Tae, positioned on either side of him, were the same.
Gomi observed the soldiers moving behind them as well, confirming their expressions were equally indifferent. A bitter smile crossed her face.
‘Are we the only ones on edge?’
Only she, Yeo Mu-sa, and Song Cheon-mu seemed tense.
Gomi turned to look back at Yeo Mu-sa.
“You have something to chew on?”
“Here.”
Yeo Mu-sa handed over some jerky.
Gomi chewed the jerky. When tension ran high, chewing something helped ease it somewhat.
Rummmble!
Thunder rolled across the sky.
Soon after, the wind carried a new humidity. Gomi furrowed her brow.
‘If rain comes, it will be catastrophic.’
The environment most favored by assassins throughout the world was a blizzard or a downpour. It made covert approach far easier and drastically reduced the chance of the opponent detecting their presence.
Lower chance of detection meant higher chance of success—an obvious truth. And with a master of Mu Jeong Geomni’s caliber, it was even more so.
Pitter-patter!
Finally, the rain began to fall.
Yi Hwan’s voice rang out.
“Shall we make a run for it?”
Gomi fixed her gaze ahead.
The travelers who had been walking in front conveniently ducked into a Shrine beside the Official Road to escape the downpour, clearing the way of obstacles.
Clop-clop-clop!
They all began racing at full speed.
As Gomi ran, she glanced back over her shoulder. Behind them, four riders moved along the road.
But they did not increase their pace, and the distance between them widened in an instant.
‘At least not here.’
Gomi quickly turned her attention forward again.
Then a bird suddenly rose into the air from behind—released by someone among the riders to their rear.
Clop-clop-clop!

* * *

Clop-clop-clop!
The horse carrying Yi Hwan’s party galloped at considerable speed.
Since they had barely ridden properly during the journey from the Southern Military Unit to this place, the horse had energy to spare. Moreover, having been raised in mountainous terrain, its baseline stamina far surpassed that of ordinary horses.
Clop-clop-clop!
Yi Hwan rode at the front.
His war-horse was a fine steed, with exceptional speed and endurance. Cheol Mu-ok cried out in alarm.
“Maintain the distance, sir! The gap is widening too much!”
Yi Hwan glanced back.
The distance was indeed opening rapidly. He eased the pace and gave orders to the others.
“Don’t slow down until the horses tire.”
“Yes!”
Yi Hwan scanned what lay behind them.
Fortunately, no one was pursuing.
‘The horses we ride are all elite war-horses seasoned on the battlefield. Once the gap opens, catching up is nearly impossible.’
The corners of Yi Hwan’s mouth lifted slightly.
‘They must be quite flustered by now. Heh heh heh.’

* * *

‘Blast…….’
Mu Jeong Geomni’s face twisted with dismay.
The distance had opened in an instant as Yi Hwan suddenly surged ahead. At present, she wore the appearance of a young woman.
The reason she could maintain her disguise without using a Human Skin Mask was thanks to her masterful Disguise Technique combined with the Bone Shrinking Technique.
Clop-clop-clop!
Mu Jeong Geomni and the two Black Robes galloped at full speed to close the widening gap, but Yi Hwan and his companions had already vanished from sight.
Twitch…….
A fine tremor rippled across Mu Jeong Geomni’s eyes.
‘Suddenly sprinting off at a moment I didn’t anticipate. Could he possibly have known of our presence all along?’

* * *

‘So those are the ones.’
Mun Chi-yong watched Mu Jeong Geomni’s party rushing after Yi Hwan’s group with keen interest blazing in his eyes.
‘Just who are they, and where have they come from?’
It seemed clear they were targeting Yi Hwan, but their identities and origins remained a complete mystery.
One of the Yellow Robes spoke quietly.
“One of them is gone.”
“The one who took a blade at the Inn must be dead. Never mind those lot—we follow the Crown Prince alone. Move to the next location at once!”
“Yes!”

* * *

As the horse began to tire.
The outskirts of a city appeared ahead, and dusk was settling over the land.
Cheol Mu-ok spoke.
“When we started running, I saw a bird take flight. If that’s a carrier pigeon from Yi Hwang-ja’s side, there’s a very high chance his people are waiting for us in that city.”
“You saw that? Well done.”
“I was paying close attention.”
Yi Hwan had seen the bird take flight as well.
Which was why he’d never intended to enter the city in the first place. Gomi, who had been moving a short distance behind, caught up to them.
“There’s no one pursuing us from behind. We’ve definitely shaken them off.”
“We’ve shaken off the Zhao Kingdom forces, but as Mu-ok says, we should assume Yi Hwang-ja’s people are very likely waiting for us in that city.”
Yi Hwan glanced back at Yeo Mu-sa, a faint smile crossing his face.
“Have you camped rough before?”
“Don’t worry, sir! I did it all the time during training, so I’m fine with it!”
Yeo Mu-sa’s spirit was bright and unshaken.
“Then we’ll spend the night in the mountains.”
“Understood.”
They all turned their horses toward the mountains.
Gomi, glancing around, caught sight of Yeo Mu-sa and raised her eyebrows slightly. The expression on Yeo Mu-sa’s face as she looked at Yi Hwan was decidedly odd.
[Why does her expression look like that?]
[He smiled at me.]
……
Gomi’s face took on a bewildered look.
[So your heart’s racing and you’re about to lose your mind?]
[Yes.]
Pinch!
[Get a grip on yourself.]

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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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