Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 23: Escape (2)

Everyone was stunned by the word "spy."

It was only natural, considering the person being accused was the second disciple of the Raging Demon Lord Seo Gal-ma, one of the Four Venerables.

Seo Gal-ma glared at me, his eyes burning with fury.

"Do you have any idea what you are saying right now? Who did you call a spy?"

The sheer weight of his gaze alone exerted an immense pressure.

My heart began to race, but I maintained my composure and spoke.

"Why is the Gyeongjong ringing right now?"

It was Baek Ryeonha who answered.

"A group of hundreds of armed men has appeared near the mountain range. Furthermore, individuals who appear to be scouts have entered various parts of the mountains. They are not members of our Cult."

It was exactly as I had anticipated.

The role of a scout was to reconnoiter the path ahead. Since the spy, Go Eun-jae, had scattered the Thousand Li Autumn Scent nearby, it wouldn't be long before the scouts pinpointed the location of the Six Blood Valley.

Factoring in the time it would take for the perimeter guards to spot the scouts and report back, the armed forces would likely storm this place in less than two hours.

"There is no time. I will explain why this man is a spy..."

Clang! Clang!

Step, step, step!

At that moment, five people surrounded me. They were the five Great Leaders under Gu Sang-ung, the Unit Leader of the Raging Blood Unit and head of the Six Blood Valley.

They had already drawn their weapons and taken their Qi Control Stances. They were suspicious of me as well.

Great Leader Hae Ok-seon spoke, looking ready to swing her sword at any second.

"Do not move from that spot and explain yourself, Young Master. Where exactly have you been, after even evading the sentries?"

Boom!

Haeakcheon stomped his foot onto the stone floor and roared.

"Are you daring to doubt my disciple right now?!"

Startled by his ferocious aura, the five Great Leaders flinched, unsure of what to do. Seeing him protect me like this, it seemed he truly trusted me as his disciple.

'Tell me about it.'

However, there was someone present who could ignore Haeakcheon’s protection.

"Brother Hae. Your disciple also disappeared right when the Gyeongjong rang. Not only that, he has turned my disciple into this state. This is not a situation where only my disciple should be under suspicion."

"What?!"

"How do I know your disciple didn't frame mine after beating him into this condition?"

Seo Gal-ma trusted his own disciple just as much as Haeakcheon trusted me.

"Framed him? Ha! I knew talking to you was a waste of..."

Just then, the Blood Hand Witch Han Baek-ha stepped in to intervene.

"Both of you, stop. We don't have time for this. We must resolve this issue immediately. Young Master So, if you wish to avoid suspicion, you must provide a proper explanation. Otherwise, we will have no ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠choice but to detain you as well."

At her words, I gestured toward Go Eun-jae with my eyes.

"Tear open the sole ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of the Second Venerable’s disciple's left leather boot."

"The sole?"

Raging Blood Unit Leader Gu Sang-ung looked cautiously at Seo Gal-ma, seeking permission.

Seo Gal-ma nodded with a displeased expression.

Gu Sang-ung stepped forward himself and pulled off Go Eun-jae’s leather boot. As he ripped the sole apart, a gap in the leather was revealed, and white powder spilled out.

"!!!"

Seo Gal-ma’s eyes, watching from right in front, trembled.

Gu Sang-ung brought the powder to his nose and sniffed. Then, with a grim face, he looked toward Baek Ryeonha and Han Baek-ha.

"......It is the Thousand Li Autumn Scent."

"The Thousand Li Autumn Scent!"

There was no one among them who didn't know what that was.

Just as the Lesser Conversation Sword said, the brothers Song Jwa-baek and Song Woo-hyeon looked bewildered, clearly ignorant of what the scent was. There was no need to explain it to them right now.

"Heh-heh, did I not tell you?"

With the evidence revealed, Haeakcheon’s spirits lifted.

I didn't stop there; ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I reached into my robe and pulled out a poison pill tied to a thin thread.

"What is that?" Han Baek-ha asked.

"It appears to be a poison pill. It was tied to his lower left molar. Since it was tied there for a long time, there should be a mark left behind."

At those words, Gu Sang-ung personally pried the man's mouth open to check. After sticking his finger in and feeling the molar, he nodded with a look of regret.

Seo Gal-ma shouted in bewilderment.

"That cannot be. Why would my disciple..."

"Elder... I am sorry to say, but it seems Young Master So is correct. If a poison pill is tied there for a long time, the gum beneath the molar becomes indented in that shape."

"How would you know such a thing?"

"I once spent six months infiltrating the Martial Alliance as a spy."

I hadn't known Gu Sang-ung had experience as a spy. Regardless, it added significant credibility to my claim.

"How could this be..."

Seo Gal-ma looked down at Go Eun-jae with complicated eyes—a mixture of rage, disappointment, and emptiness. To find out that his own disciple, of all people, was a spy must have been a massive shock.

"Is further explanation required?"

"......Great Leaders, sheath your weapons."

At Han Baek-ha’s command, the Great Leaders who had surrounded me withdrew their arms. They then bowed their heads toward me as if in apology.

Then, Gu Sang-ung asked me, "But... how did you know about this?"

At his question, the others also looked at me with curious eyes. It was a sharp point to raise. However, I had already prepared an answer.

"I woke up late in the night and was heading back to the guest house. That was when I saw Go Eun-jae leaving the guest house and going somewhere. It seemed suspicious that he was moving while evading the sentries, so I followed him. I saw him scattering that Thousand Li Autumn Scent about half a mile away."

"Why didn't you shout for help using your internal energy?"

"If I had, he would have either fled or killed me."

"Ah..."

Gu Sang-ung realized his question was short-sighted and fell silent.

"I was in a state of panic and couldn't think of any other way. If I hadn't ambushed him by throwing a dagger while he was putting his boots back on, I would have been the one killed."

Go Eun-jae had surpassed the wall of a First-Rate Master. Since it would make no sense for me to have suppressed a master of a higher level in a fair fight, I explained it this way.

I pointed toward the man's right arm. Before coming here, I had intentionally stabbed him with a dagger to create a wound as evidence of the "ambush." It was all to avoid suspicion.

The Lesser Conversation Sword clicked its tongue.

With my years of experience as a spy, how could I make a mistake that would invite suspicion? As long as nothing completely unexpected happened, preparing this much was child's play.

"You could have lost your life."

"......At the time, my only thought was that I had to catch the spy."

"You did something dangerous out of a sense of duty."

Despite his words, Gu Sang-ung’s expression softened. If there had been a shred of doubt left before, he now looked at me with approval.

"Heh-heh, I have to admire that brat's guts."

Haeakcheon praised me openly. He was boasting about his disciple catching a spy single-handedly. Thanks to that, the way the Great Leaders looked at me changed.

Then, Baek Ryeonha approached and spoke.

"If it weren't for the Young Master, we wouldn't have known who the spy was and our escape route would have been exposed. I truly thank you."

Snap!

As she gave a fist-and-palm salute, everyone around followed suit, expressing their gratitude. Though it wasn't my primary intention, it had become a great achievement.

One could say I was lucky. If I hadn't happened to discover Go Eun-jae, he could have sabotaged us during the escape, allowing the enemy to track our location. I had indeed performed a significant service.

Thud!

Suddenly, Seo Gal-ma knelt before Baek Ryeonha and begged for forgiveness.

"It is because I lacked the eye for people that this disaster has occurred. This sin..."

"No. Now is not the time to question your guilt, Uncle Seo. We must hurry to secure an escape route. We can discuss this later."

At her firm words, Seo Gal-ma replied bitterly, "I understand."

Seo Gal-ma was a Venerable; his influence was too great to cast him aside over a disciple's betrayal. They likely wouldn't punish him severely later, either.

However, it seemed Seo Gal-ma couldn't let this pass. He approached the unconscious Go Eun-jae and struck his palm against the man's Dantian.

Crack!

The man's body jolted violently and began to convulse.

'...He destroyed his Dantian.'

Even I hadn't expected him to destroy the Dantian right then and there. This action was likely intended to show everyone that he was officially expelling the disciple.

But Go Eun-jae’s misfortune didn't end there.

"Sever the muscle meridians in his arms and legs as well."

Baek Ryeonha issued a cold command. She truly did carry the blood of the Blood Demon. Last time, she had made her own right hand, the Blood Hand Witch Han Baek-ha, cut off her own fingers; she was even more merciless toward a spy.

It was quite a coincidence. I had started the job, and she had finished it. In any case, Go Eun-jae ended up with not only a destroyed Dantian but also severed meridians in all four limbs. He was now in a state where he couldn't even walk on his own.

Since they needed to find out who was behind him later, one of the Great Leaders brought by Han Baek-ha was tasked with taking custody of him. Feeling humiliated that a spy had come from his own lineage, Seo Gal-ma complied without objection.

With the spy matter quickly settled, Baek Ryeonha changed the subject.

"Now, let us finalize the discussion regarding the escape route."

It seemed they had been discussing the escape route before I arrived. From what they were saying, they weren't planning to flee to a single location, but rather split into three separate routes.

The reason was Baek Ryeonha’s safety. Although they didn't know the enemy's identity yet, they might be targeting her as the potential successor to the Blood Cult Leader, so they intended to divert their attention.

"As you commanded earlier, I shall escort the Divine Healer of Ten Thousand Ailments."

"I'm counting on you, Uncle Seo."

"Leave it to me."

The Second Venerable Seo Gal-ma, who had brought five Great Leaders with him, would take charge of the Divine Healer. Although the Divine Healer was not part of the conflict between the Orthodox and Demonic factions, he could be in danger if a chaotic battle broke out, so a small, elite group would protect him.

The issue was Baek Ryeonha herself.

"Venerable One, please take charge of the Young Lady's escort."

"Me?"

Han Baek-ha requested that Haeakcheon protect her.

"The enemy may be after the Young Lady. It might actually be more dangerous if we are the ones escorting her."

"Hmm...... I see."

Thinking her words made sense, Haeakcheon accepted. This was the best choice. If Han Baek-ha pretended to escort a fake Baek Ryeonha, it would create confusion for the enemy.

"It is decided then. Unit Leader Gu, you must divide the personnel of the Six Blood Valley."

"I shall ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠follow your command."

The forces of the Six Blood Valley were to be split in half. Half would escort the fake Baek Ryeonha, and the other half would escort the real one. Even though one was a decoy, that group was still a force they couldn't afford to lose.

"Too much dead weight. Tsk, tsk."

Haeakcheon clicked his tongue. He said this because our group included Low-Rank Warriors and Advanced Warrior Candidates who were not yet fully trained. They were barely at a level that could be considered combat-ready.

"You will have the hardest task, Venerable One. Now, light the fires."

She gave the order.

At a signal from one of the Great Leaders, the warriors of the Six Blood Valley, who had been waiting with torches, set fire to straw bundles soaked in oil and the buildings.

Whoosh!

The flames roared to life and spread throughout the buildings. At this rate, everything would be reduced to black ash in less than an hour.

Just then, Great Leader Hae Ok-seon moved to throw something into the rising flames. It was Go Eun-jae’s leather boot, which contained the Thousand Li Autumn Scent.

"Wait!"

Seeing this, Raging Blood Unit Leader Gu Sang-ung stopped her. As Hae Ok-seon paused, Gu Sang-ung spoke to Baek Ryeonha, saying a good idea had occurred to him.

"Young Lady. What if we do it this way?"

"......?"