Chapter 72
Chapter 72
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: Arrival at the Gansu Demonic Beast Camp
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They stopped by several horse relays to swap out their horses, alternating between stays at the stations and nights spent camping outdoors. Before they knew it, they had entered Gansu.
For ten straight days, Wi Sungcheon sat across from Seo Il practicing the Golden Claw Technique or reviewed demonic beast lore in Gansu with Paeng Yeonhwa. He also picked Dang Seona's brain on demonic beast poisons and their antidotes.
"We should be arriving soon."
At some point, even villages had vanished from sight. They were drawing near demonic beast territory. Wi Sungcheon stuck his head out the carriage window.
Beyond the line of carriages snaking along like a tail, a massive mountain range loomed. The Qilian Mountains. Those peaks that spanned the border between Qinghai and Gansu marked the front lines where demonic beasts overran everything.
The Gansu Demonic Beast Camp lay right up against that front.
"General Chung Yeon commands the Gansu Demonic Beast Camp."
"Stubborn old coot."
Dang Seona, who had experience there, chimed in on Seo Il's remark. She peered out the window just like Wi Sungcheon and muttered under her breath.
"No telling how many days we'll spend at the camp, but you'd best steel yourselves now."
"That bad?"
Seo Il tilted his head curiously, and Dang Seona smirked with a nod.
"He wasn't the type to let self-volunteered martial artists kick back and relax."
The demonic beast camps scattered across the land fell under the command of imperial army generals. A general couldn't exactly bark orders at non-military folk from the jianghu, but General Chung Yeon—who oversaw the Gansu camp—was the stubborn veteran who did just that.
How could any upright martial artist who called themselves a xia refuse such commands outright when they were issued in the name of the greater good?
"Besides, General Chung Yeon doesn't much care for our kind from the jianghu."
"Most army generals are the same."
Seo Il gave a wry smile. Nothing unusual about it. Army generals despised jianghu folk.
They had power yet refused to pledge loyalty to the empire, chasing instead the glory of their sects, clans, or personal egos. That was worthy of contempt.
Sure, most imperial soldiers trained in martial arts, but that didn't make them jianghu wanderers. Their allegiance lay with the imperial army, not the jianghu.
"And yet those same generals are always eager to recruit top jianghu talent."
"The army's perpetually short on talent, after all."
It was unavoidable. When the enemy was 'human,' you couldn't just brute-force your way through with martial might alone.
War was politics, after all. But in this era, the empire's foes weren't the kind of humans you could negotiate with, even if they looked the part.
How could you call fanatics who summoned the Demon King to wipe the world clean actual humans?
So the army was always starved for talent. The imperial forces were vast and cohesive, but that didn't make them unconditionally stronger than jianghu martial artists.
If the army excelled in group tactics, jianghu fighters shone as individuals. Army generals had always grumbled about that fact while coveting jianghu strength.
Yet even a thousand years after the Great War of Gods and Demons, the jianghu and the imperial army remained worlds apart. Sects and clans were golden geese.
Pity those geese were so willful—they wouldn't lay eggs without the nest called the "jianghu."
Over long years of trying to recruit from sects, clans, and standout martial artists, the imperial army had learned that lesson well.
That's why the imperial palace generally steered clear of jianghu affairs. Killing was a grave sin among men, but not so in the jianghu.
They understood that sects, clans, ronin, and all the rest formed the nest from which those golden eggs hatched.
So the palace left the jianghu alone and focused on recruiting the exceptional talents it produced.
That's why demonic beast camps under general command doubled as training grounds for Yicheon Academy students' subjugation "practice." The academy was, after all, a cradle of fresh golden eggs.
"The army's terms are tempting."
Dang Seona propped her chin as she spoke. The carriage had been jolting harshly since yesterday. Demonic beast territory was always like this. No matter how much you paved the roads, they roughened up in no time.
A dead man, scrubbed clean, still rots and stinks in the end. The land was no different. This land had "died" upon becoming demonic beast territory.
"They must've made you an offer too, Senior."
"Every single first-year subjugation exercise. They lose nothing by just proposing. Not just the Dragon-Phoenixes—even academy standouts always get imperial enlistment offers."
The conditions were dazzlingly generous. The army didn't just offer commissions; they guaranteed wealth, honor, anything you could want.
Of course, it wasn't a free ride. In exchange for that glory, the palace claimed your martial prowess and your life.
"General Chung Yeon will definitely extend the same to you two."
Dang Seona smiled slyly at Wi Sungcheon and Paeng Yeonhwa. Naturally, Wi Sungcheon had no intention of enlisting.
Even with a guaranteed path to military nobility, he had Cheonhwa Sect to return to.
"No harm in turning it down flat, right?"
"Better than playing coy. If you're not interested, reject it outright."
Dang Seona shifted her gaze to Paeng Yeonhwa as she spoke. Her eyes trembled faintly with unease.
During last summer's first-year subjugation, she hadn't received any army offers.
"Zhongqing has no demonic beast camps."
That was the reason. The wild mountains near Zhongqing where the first-years, including Paeng Yeonhwa, had gone for practice weren't plagued by frequent beast outbreaks yet, so no general-led camp had been established.
"It's not just that."
Paeng Yeonhwa's lips curved into a sharp smile, honed like a blade's edge. No need to spell it out—everyone guessed the "other reason" lurking beneath her words.
The army ran on strict hierarchy. Even specially commissioned jianghu recruits had to obey superiors without question.
And that was just the start. Becoming an officer meant leading soldiers—your life and theirs.
Paeng Yeonhwa's veins coursed with the blood of that monstrous Hwan clan. No way the rigidly disciplined imperial army wanted someone who might turn beast at any moment.
"No."
Dang Seona chuckled softly.
"The army's greedier than you think."
"...Pardon?"
"Even if they see you as a risk, if they judge your value outweighs it, they'll offer you the same deal. That's General Chung Yeon. Hates jianghu folk but craves them greedily. If he offers you a spot in the army, what would you do?"
"...Pardon?"
"The army will grant anything you desire. Want to rebuild your clan? They'll make it happen. Even alone, with imperial backing, House Paeng could rise again."
Paeng Yeonhwa stared at Dang Seona with a rigid face. That gaze sent a shiver of dark delight through Dang Seona's chest.
"Or do you crave revenge first? Then you'd need the army's power even more. Naturally, jianghu enlistees get sent to the front lines. Depending on your hopes, straight to the Demon Realm."
"Three years."
Not Paeng Yeonhwa, but Wi Sungcheon answered. Dang Seona turned to him. The carriage rattled on.
Wi Sungcheon's body swayed in sync, as one with the jolts.
"We've got three whole years till graduation. Even if an offer comes, we can think about it then. What's the rush?"
"You don't have to wait till after graduation to enlist. If there's nothing left to learn at the academy, dropping out's your call."
"Yeonhwa will enlist after graduation, if at all."
Wi Sungcheon flashed Paeng Yeonhwa a cheeky grin.
"Not done learning yet."
Her stiff expression softened a touch at his playful jab.
"...Yeah. Not done learning yet."
Immovable Heart Resolve.
Not an inner art or martial technique—just the Sword Sage of Tai Chi's insight. Reciting it steadied Paeng Yeonhwa's mind.
Even seeing those hated Hwan fangs no longer set her blood ablaze like before.
Right. Three years left.
Until facing that loathed enemy. Three years. She could stay at Yicheon Academy until then. Become someone pitied or shunned no longer...
* * *
The carriage jolts ceased. Wi Sungcheon poked his head out and looked up. Towering walls and armed soldiers gazing down met his eyes.
They had arrived at the Gansu Demonic Beast Camp.
Ku-gu-gu-gung!
The firmly shut gates creaked open, and the lead carriages began filing in. The pace was yawn-inducingly slow, accompanied by excessively thorough identity checks. All to guard against possible Demonic Cult infiltrators.
"I'm Seo Il, professor of Golden Capture Whip Flash, here to guide."
Seo Il presented his professor's badge. Meanwhile, Wi Sungcheon fished his student badge from his bundle.
"Wi Sungcheon, first-year lower class, Yicheon Academy."
"...Paeng Yeonhwa, first-year lower class, Yicheon Academy."
The gate guard's brow twitched at Wi Sungcheon's name, then he openly stared at Paeng Yeonhwa's face upon hearing hers.
"Dang Seona, second-year upper class."
At Dang Seona's name, the guard's eyes narrowed. He scanned everyone in the carriage, then nodded.
"Clear."
The carriage door shut. They rolled forward. Full entry into the camp began.
"See? They're interested."
Dang Seona giggled.
"Word must've spread by now?"
"The Cheonhwa Sect rumormonger beat that Shaolin monk Jinbae. It's been a while, so yeah, the whole jianghu's buzzing. They're probably surprised by this combo: Paeng clan's tiger fang, Cheonhwa Sect's hidden dragon, and Tang clan's serpent beauty, all teamed up."
"Gonna be a hassle?"
"They're sizing us up."
Dang Seona straightened her attire.
"General Chung Yeon won't give you time to rest. That's the old man for you."
"Good. Sitting cooped up was making my legs itch to death."
Just as Dang Seona said.
Once the carriages halted, the students gathered in the training yard under soldier escort. Wi Sungcheon scanned the camp en route.
Surrounded by high walls, it resembled any village at first glance—but nearly everyone carried weapons.
Distinguishing soldiers from jianghu folk was easy. Their gear differed wildly.
"Jianghu types here for money and fame."
Hunt demonic beasts, get paid by quality and quantity. This was where those hunters congregated.
Some dreamed of catching the general's eye for enlistment; others just chased coin. Either way, not your typical jianghu wanderers.
"Of course, some come purely out of righteousness to aid the world."
Everyone had their reasons. Once at the yard, they split into teams. Wi Sungcheon glanced at Bang Jun and Dang Heeran's group.
Bang Jun looked half-dead. He was lumped in with ten students under a Chung Gi-bang professor, sporting the most unmotivated face—not just among them, but all the students.
Dang Heeran was with Professor Hwa In-ah. Her team was small: just her, Hwa In-ah, and a second-year upperclass volunteer, totaling six.
A few other teams caught his eye.
Moo Yeon-jun was with his assigned professor, Baek Gi-ryeong, and their group included Baek Ran Cheong Wu-bin from second-year upper class.
Wi Sungcheon stared at Cheong Wu-bin for a moment. He'd glimpsed her from afar at the academy, but never this close.
Cheong Wu-bin was Jang'i clan, with ears stretching long beside her face—yet it looked anything but strange. She was fairy-like in her beauty.
Wi Sungcheon searched for Tae Hui-myung. He was in Professor Nan Pa-geom's group, which also had first-year Ha Ji-tae.
Ha Ji-tae met Wi Sungcheon's eyes and bluntly raised a hand in greeting. Wi Sungcheon smiled and waved back.
"I'm Do Jun, your escort."
A bearded man approached and introduced himself after a short wait. Leather armor for mobility, helmet atop his head. His aura screamed jianghu, but he looked every inch an army soldier.
"General Chung Yeon not gracing us?"
Wi Sungcheon grinned boldly at Do Jun. The man glanced at his face and replied.
"The general's too busy to personally greet every practice group."
"Ah, got it. Was hoping to meet him."
"...You're that Wi Sungcheon, hidden dragon of Cheonhwa Sect?"
"Yes."
Wi Sungcheon nodded without hesitation. Do Jun eyed his face a beat, then turned.
"Heard a hidden dragon hatched from some Cheonhwa Sect—thought it was bullshit at first. Guess not."
Didn't sound like mockery.
"Sorry, but no rest for road weariness here. Place is always shorthanded and hectic. Prep's done—let's move."
"Where to?"
"Hidden dragon asks the obvious. This is a demonic beast camp. You're here for subjugation practice, right? So what do you think we're doing?"
"Hunting beasts, obviously."
"You get it. We're heading out the north gate toward the mountains. Beast activity's spiked there lately."
Do Jun barked it out and strode off without waiting for a reply. As Wi Sungcheon blankly watched his back, Dang Seona snickered.
"Told you? They're sizing us up."
"Yeah."
"The escorts just guide—no fighting beasts themselves. They watch how you students handle them, then report to General Chung Yeon."
The evaluation had already begun.
"You might meet the general tonight if he's interested in you."
Dang Seona glanced at Do Jun's receding figure.
"We might not make it back by tonight, either."