Chapter 72: The Purpose of the Escort (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 72: The Purpose of the Escort (1)
Toward evening.
At the Quanzhen Sect headquarters in Ziyang, Sichuan Province.
A guest arrived at the Central Yang Hall, where the Sect Leader resided.
Taoist Master Manjong, the leader of the Quanzhen Sect, had been performing a rite for the disciples who fell in the Guizhou ambush. He paused the ceremony to receive the guest in his office.
The visitor was none other than the Second Strategist of the Martial Alliance, Sama Jung-hyeon.
As soon as he saw Taoist Master Manjong, Sama Jung-hyeon offered a fist-and-palm salute.
"Taoist Master."
Manjong welcomed him warmly.
"It has been a long time, Strategist. Did you not say you would return directly to the Martial Alliance headquarters after stopping by the Guizhou branch?"
Though they had parted ways at the Right Army Commander's Office, Manjong was well aware of Sama Jung-hyeon’s schedule. He was puzzled by this unannounced visit to the Quanzhen Sect.
"I did. However, it seems returning immediately will be difficult."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Are there no prying ears nearby?"
"Who would dare enter the Central Yang Hall without the Sect Leader's permission?"
"That is a relief."
Sama Jung-hyeon was acting far more cautious than usual. Noticing his heightened sensitivity, Manjong asked with concern.
"Has something happened?"
"First, give me your word."
"My word?"
"Only you, Taoist Master, must know of this matter."
"Hmph."
Seeing his extreme wariness, Manjong walked to the small altar in his office, lit a stick of incense with a candle, and bowed twice.
"I swear upon the memorial tablet of our founder, Taoist Master Wang Jungyang. I shall not breathe a word of this to anyone."
Taoist Wang Jungyang.
He was the founder of the Quanzhen Sect. Since the Sect Leader had sworn an oath on the founder's name, Second Strategist Sama Jung-hyeon let out a heavy sigh and spoke.
"It appears there is a spy within the Alliance."
"A spy? Spies have always been a common occurrence, have they not?"
"If it were merely that, I would not have troubled you with this."
Sama Jung-hyeon reached into his robes and pulled out a piece of paper folded to the size of a palm. If it were an official letter or a missive, it should have had a seal or some identifying mark, but it was completely blank on the outside.
"What is this?"
"A Secret Direct Letter."
"A Secret Direct Letter!"
Manjong had heard of them. They were the highly confidential direct communications shared only between the Alliance Leader and the Strategist’s Hall.
Taking the letter, Manjong read its contents.
It read:
[If what the Strategist says is true, this matter has become extremely dangerous for our Alliance. I shall investigate this secretly, so please return with haste.]
"Is this not a reply to your report from the Right Army Commander's Office?"
At Manjong’s question, Sama Jung-hyeon shook his head.
"It is not."
"Then what is it?"
"It contains content different from the official missives."
"And what might that be?"
"Do you remember Flash Thunder Sword Jagyun, the man who disguised himself as the Blood Demon to cause the bloodbath at the Right Army Commander's Office?"
"How could I forget?"
Because of that man, countless Taoists of the Quanzhen Sect had been sacrificed. Though Manjong was a man of cultivation, he could not forget that sorrow and rage.
"Flash Thunder Sword Jagyun knew the location of the ambush with suspicious precision. This incident was undoubtedly caused by a leak of information."
"…I suspected as much myself."
In truth, Manjong had also suspected an information leak from the start. However, at the time, the grief over the loss of so many disciples was so overwhelming that he hadn't been able to raise the issue.
"So, Strategist, do you believe there is a spy within the Alliance who caused this?"
"…There is. And in the very heart of the headquarters, no less."
"What do you mean?"
Manjong asked, startled. The "heart" implied someone at the leadership level. He now understood why Sama Jung-hyeon had insisted on secrecy.
Sama Jung-hyeon lowered his voice.
"The Secret Direct Letter you are looking at now… it is not from the Alliance Leader."
"!?"
Manjong’s expression stiffened. If the direct communication line used secretly by the Alliance Leader and the Strategist’s Hall was compromised, the situation was grave.
"Why do you say that? This handwriting, no matter how I look at it…"
"The Alliance Leader’s handwriting is everywhere; it can be forged easily enough. However, there is a problem with the content."
"What problem?"
There didn't seem to be anything particularly suspicious. Furthermore, the instruction to return quickly to resolve the case seemed perfectly natural.
"When the Alliance Leader writes a Secret Direct Letter himself, there is one specific habit he has."
"What is it?"
"He does not address me by my title of Strategist. He calls me by my courtesy name."
Sama Jung-hyeon’s courtesy name was Yong-hyeon. But that name was nowhere to be found in the letter.
"Is that enough to be certain?"
"So, I tested it."
"Tested it?"
"At the Guizhou branch, I had Jagyun’s body preserved. I then put a human skin mask on a man of similar build to myself and sent him toward the Martial Alliance first."
"Surely…"
"They all vanished. Every single one of them."
"!!!"
The procession returning to the Martial Alliance had disappeared. That meant they had been ambushed along the way.
"Who on earth would do such a thing…"
"I have one person in mind."
"One person? Who?"
"As you know, the Secret Direct Letter system was created by the late Chief Strategist Zhuge. Therefore…"
Suddenly, Taoist Master Manjong held out his palm, signaling for silence.
Manjong’s eyes trembled. Sensing something, Sama Jung-hyeon asked via Sound Transmission.
[What is wrong?]
[I can no longer sense any presence outside.]
[What?]
[The presence of the disciples who were inside the Central Yang Hall has suddenly vanished.]
Manjong rose quietly from his seat. He walked to the wall and pushed aside a bookshelf filled with volumes.
To Sama Jung-hyeon's surprise, a hidden passage was revealed behind the shelf.
[This is?]
[Hurry. Now!]
At Manjong’s urgent command, Sama Jung-hyeon scrambled into the hidden passage. Once he was inside, Manjong quickly pulled the bookshelf back to cover the entrance.
A moment later, the door to the office slowly opened.
At the sight of the figure appearing through the open door, Manjong muttered in a trembling voice.
"Those eyes… Gah!"
Before he could finish his sentence, something invisible and sharp pierced through Manjong’s abdomen.
Horror washed over Taoist Master Manjong’s face.
Around the hour of the Boar (9–11 PM), the ships loaded with large crates of cargo left the port.
It had been a long time since I’d traveled by water, not since I’d obtained the Blood Demon Sword.
The purpose of the escort mission requested by the Geumhwapyeong Merchant Group was to move all the assets of the retiring merchant leader, Ho Jin-woong, to his hometown of Jinan, Jiangxi Province.
The amount of wealth was said to be astronomical. Knowing that, the massive scale of the escort made sense.
A total of twelve escort agencies were participating in this journey. The ships were nearly as large as ocean-going galleons, and the agencies were distributed evenly, three to each of the four ships.
As Wolf King Hyeok Cheon-man had declared, we were on the first ship.
Coincidentally, the first ship also carried the Okyang Escort Agency, which included Hong Geol-gae, the Back Opening of the Beggar's Sect, as a guest escort.
"Something is strange."
In the cabin assigned to us as our quarters, we were talking.
"What's strange?" Sama Yeong asked, puzzled by Jo Seong-won’s remark.
"If there are four ships, the strength should be distributed somewhat evenly. But the combat power is heavily concentrated on this ship alone."
"Oh? You're right."
I shared Jo Seong-won’s thoughts. With the Wolf King on this ship, there was no need for me—who was being mentioned as one of the Eight Great Masters—to be on the same ship under the pretext of being the vanguard.
The combat power on this ship was enough to take on a major sect. If there were any river pirates scouting the port, they wouldn't even dream of touching this vessel.
"Now that you mention it, wasn't that also strange?"
"What was?"
"When we said we’d be dropping out of the land journey once the water route was finished, Lord of the Nation Jang of the Muryang Escort Agency, who’s in charge of the whole mission, just brushed it off and told us to go ahead."
Sama Yeong was right. Our true goal was to make contact with the Yangtze River Waterway Eighteen Strongholds. Therefore, we had no reason to see the escort through to the end.
Feeling a bit guilty, we had informed the Hwangyeong Escort Agency of this and told Lord Jang of the Muryang Escort Agency as well.
But he had accepted it far too readily. Looking back at his attitude, he’d answered as if it didn't matter at all.
It was strange. Even with a powerhouse like the Wolf King present, he had accepted it too easily. The people from the Hwangyeong Escort Agency had looked troubled and showed their disappointment. But he hadn't shown a hint of that.
It was as if the mission ended with the water route.
"…Woo-hyeon. By the way, where did your brother go?"
"I… I don't know."
Jwa-baek was nowhere to be seen. I’d told everyone to gather in the assigned cabin after the ship departed, so where did he go?
Jo Seong-won clicked his tongue.
"He's probably chasing after Young Lady Hwang’s coattails."
Good grief. Did he like her that much? He must have been so smitten that he didn't even notice how Hwang Hye-ju, the escort leader of the Hwangyeong Escort Agency, couldn't take her eyes off Sama Yeong.
True. If his gaze was fixed elsewhere instead of her face, there was no way he’d notice.
Jo Seong-won spoke with a hint of regret.
"It’ll be hard to do anything on this ship."
I knew why he was saying that. With the Wolf King on board, it was difficult to stir up any trouble. Even if I wanted to settle Jo Seong-won’s grudge against Hong Geol-gae of the Beggar's Sect, it was better to stay quiet.
Just then, the cabin door opened and someone walked in. It was Song Jwa-baek.
"Where have you been—"
I was about to scold him, but Song Jwa-baek spoke first, looking confused.
"They’ve restricted access to the cargo hold so no one can enter, but I don't know why those beggar bastards are coming and going like it's their own home."
"What?"
"I saw the beggars heading toward the hold carrying food."
As he said, it was incomprehensible. Even if they were beggars, they could eat in the cabins or the ship’s galley. Why were they taking food into the cargo hold?
Something was suspicious.
"Who’s guarding the entrance to the hold?"
"Escorts from the Muryang Escort Agency."
I was going to nag him for chasing after Leader Hwang, but he’d brought back some useful information. There was something being hidden on this escort mission. It wasn't just about moving a retiring merchant’s wealth.
Peeking my head slightly around the corner of the ship's bulkhead, I quickly scanned the area ahead like a scout.
The entrance to the cargo hold.
Four escorts from the Muryang Escort Agency were standing guard. All of them were first-rate masters. They were strong for mere cargo guards, but I could handle this.
'Phew.'
I’d practiced quite a bit, but I wasn't sure if it would work. Since I’d broken through the wall to the realm of superhumans and my Mental Focus had ascended, it might be possible.
I raised my hand and pressed my thumb and middle finger together.
Snap!
I flicked my fingers, infusing the sound with True Qi so they would hear it. The Muryang escorts, who had been chatting, suddenly fell silent as if their mouths had been sewn shut.
I used the Wind Shadow Step to move quickly to the hold entrance.
It was just as the Lesser Conversation Sword said. They were staring blankly ahead, seemingly fallen into a trance.
I’d tested how far I could apply the mental techniques of the Fragrant Flower Pleasure Palace to my Illusion Eye, and it was a success. I could daze people's minds with sound.
However, it didn't seem like it would last very long. The escorts were already starting to snap out of it.
But for me, this was more than enough time. I quickly used my body lightening method to slip past them and into the hold.
Perhaps because the ship was nearly the size of a galleon, the cargo hold was exceptionally large.
Sure enough, I saw about six beggars from the Beggar's Sect inside. They were standing in front of the large crates of cargo, holding food and drinks.
'What is this?'
It didn't look like they were planning to eat it themselves. I clung to the dark ceiling like a shadow, killing my presence. It reminded me of my days as a spy.
Then, I heard a voice.
"Release the Turtle Breathing Technique."
It was the voice of Hong Geol-gae, the Back Opening of the Beggar's Sect.
'Turtle Breathing Technique?'
The Turtle Breathing Technique is a method of stopping one's breath through energy circulation, even halting the heartbeat and lowering body temperature to completely erase one's presence. Back at Peerless Fortress, Baek Hye-hyang had once used it on me to hide me from Mu Ak.
But why was the Turtle Breathing Technique being mentioned here?
'!?'
Suddenly, signs of life began to emerge from within the cargo crates. One by one, presences were appearing.
'What is going on?'
The number of presences inside the crates was growing. There were already more than ten. And each one of them was a master at the Peak Realm at the very least.
Was this why I’d heard the voices of swords earlier? Why were these masters hiding inside those crates…
Rumble!
Suddenly, the ship shook violently. It wasn't like hitting a reef; it felt as if the ship had been moving steadily and then suddenly ground to a halt.
I had to go out. I dropped from the ceiling and, just as I had when I entered, flicked my fingers to daze the guards before slipping out.
"Furl the sails!"
As the sailors released the ropes, the sails on the masts were drawn up. Without sails to catch the wind, the ship could no longer move forward.
That wasn't all. Looking at the sides and rear of the deck, it seemed the sailors had thrown iron chains into the river. They had dropped anchor to stop in the middle of the route.
What were they doing? I couldn't understand why they were stopping the ship in the middle of the river.
Meanwhile, the other three ships that had been following us began to pass us one by one.
'Why?'
As I stood there puzzled, I heard a voice.
"Junior Brother, here you are."
It was Wolf King Hyeok Cheon-man.
"Senior Brother."
"I went to your cabin, and they said you’d gone out for some fresh air."
He’d been looking for me. If I’d come out any later, he might have caught me entering the cargo hold.
Just then, the shouts of the sailors on deck rang out.
"Raise the sails and anchors! We’re moving again!"
'Huh?'
It wasn't that there was a problem. As soon as the following ships had passed, they were raising the anchors again. Were they switching positions from the lead to the rear?
I couldn't just ignore it, so I finally asked Hyeok Cheon-man.
"Did we stop to move to the rear of the fleet?"
Hyeok Cheon-man scratched his head and looked at me.
"You're sharp as always. That's right."
"Why the sudden move from the front to the back? Is there a problem with the ship?"
"No."
"Then why?"
"Because if we don't switch now, they might notice."
"They?"
At my question, Hyeok Cheon-man gave a sly grin.
"I was going to tell you once the fellows in the hold were all awake, but this is good timing."
What? Hyeok Cheon-man knew about the masters hidden in the cargo crates. I feigned ignorance and asked.
"What do you mean by that?"
"A man of your skill should be starting to feel the presences increasing in the hold by now, shouldn't you?"
"…Is it not cargo?"
"Oh, it's cargo, alright. Cargo that must be delivered safely to the Waterway Stronghold's base."
"!!!"
Did he just say Waterway Stronghold?
"When you say Waterway Stronghold, do you mean the Yangtze River Waterway Eighteen Strongholds?"
"That's the one."
My suspicion was correct. This wasn't a simple escort mission. It had another purpose entirely.
"…This isn't the Geumhwapyeong Merchant Group's escort, is it?"
At my question, Hyeok Cheon-man spoke in a meaningful tone.
"That's just for show."