Chapter 118 - Hunting the Big Game (3)
Dududu!
Dust billowed thickly in the wake of the passing carriages. There were twelve in total. Each was pulled by a pair of horses, except for the one charging dead center—pulled by a full quartet. That four-horse carriage was grand and ornate enough for anyone to guess it carried the son of Wang-jeok. The heaviest escort of guards surrounding it only fueled that assumption.
Dududu!
The road wasn't wide, but the carriages raced at top speed. A slight tilt of the wheels could send them plunging off course into disaster, yet the drivers showed no hint of tension.
Two riders in blue robes led the vanguard, while men from the Golden Merchant Group who had come to meet them brought up the rear.
Moments later, a sharp bend loomed ahead.
"Slow down!"
At the booming command, the lead carriage eased off, and the rest followed suit. But one of the two vanguards in white robes didn't slacken—he rounded the curve first to scout for threats ahead. His sharp eyes scanned fiercely, finding nothing amiss. He turned back and whistled.
Wheek!
The signal given, the carriages accelerated again. After a few breaths, they were back to full gallop.
That was when it happened.
Rumble!
A roar echoed from the mountainside, trees and bushes shaking violently.
The white-robed rider's eyes widened. Massive boulders were tumbling down from beyond the foliage.
"Stop!"
His qi-infused shout pierced the din, reverberating. The lead driver yanked the reins in panic.
Neighhh!
But the trailing carriages reacted too slowly, crashing into each other.
Kwajik!
"Ugh!"
Neighhh!
The lead carriage bucked wildly from the impact. The spooked horses lost control, veering toward the roadside cliff.
"Hold it! It's going over!"
The escorts leaped toward the lead carriage in unison. With exceptional lightness skills, they managed to steady it from plummeting.
But the real chaos unfolded behind them.
Rumble!
Kwabang!
"Argh!"
Neighhh!
This time, it was a massive log, sharpened to a point at one end. It speared straight through a carriage, piercing the horse beside it too. The rider tumbled off the cliff below.
Rumble!
Kwakwakwang!
The third wave: more enormous boulders.
Kwakwakwang!
Kwajik!
"Damn it! Who the hell are these bastards?!"
The white-robed rider drew his sword and launched himself toward the source of the falling rocks and logs.
"There! Hit that spot—all of you!"
Papapap!
Some twenty escorts followed him up. They vanished into the forest in an instant, spotting shadowy figures fleeing upslope and giving furious chase.
The white-robed rider took point.
"You dare... do you even know who we are... you filthy dogs! I'll send you all to hell. Grr!"
He didn't realize it yet. Amid the uproar and choking dust, his comrades below hadn't seen them head up the mountain.
* * *
Kwakwakwang!
Rumble!
Yeon-hoo watched the Golden Merchant Group's experts darting about through the rising dust. Wrecked carriages mingled with logs and boulders, neatly splitting the procession in two.
Yuksoon approached.
"My lord, most of the forward escorts have gone up the mountain. By now, they've chased the bait pretty high."
"Begin."
"Yes."
Yuksoon stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled three times in succession.
Wheek! Wheek! Wheek!
Sreeek!
The hidden weapons assault from Hwasan Sect and Mudan Sect began. Screams of agony pierced the air with the whistle of projectiles, igniting full-scale battle.
"Argh!"
"Gah!"
"Ambush!"
"Form up!"
"I'll be going."
"Yuksoon."
"Yes."
"Remember the road we took into the city?"
"Yes, somewhat."
"About a thousand paces north of the city outskirts, there's a roadside shrine. Help them out until things wind down, then head there and wait for me."
"...Pardon? Aren't we moving together?"
"I'll go alone. You'll learn the details later—just go."
"..."
"Making me say it twice?"
"...Understood. See you at the shrine then."
Yuksoon vanished.
Yeon-hoo turned back to the battlefield, scrutinizing the Golden Merchant Group's movements intently.
How much time passed?
His eyes flashed with insight.
'There you are.'
* * *
Wang-ho was the world's most noble being. At least, that's what he and everyone in the Golden Merchant Group believed.
As the heir to the empire of gold, nothing in the world scared him. His wealth was beyond measure, and from childhood, he'd consumed countless elixirs and spirit pills. By his mid-twenties, his internal energy had reached over fifty years' worth, and his martial prowess had surpassed the peak realm years ago—thanks to masters of renown as his teachers.
His only lacking quality was real combat experience. To him, this bandit attack wasn't hardship; it was a prime chance to gain it.
"Bandits daring to target my escort procession."
Even amid the chaos outside, Wang-ho leisurely drained his teacup before grabbing his sword.
"Open the door."
"Young master, it's safer to wait inside."
The escort's protest only irked him.
"Open it."
"Young master! Per security protocol, in situations like—"
Shuk!
The escort froze mid-sentence, chin tilting up. Wang-ho had drawn his sword in a blink, pressing it to his throat. Blood trickled from the nick, running down the blade to Wang-ho's wrist.
"Defying orders?"
"...Understood."
Reluctantly, the escort cracked the door.
Or half-cracked it.
Kwak!
Something—or someone—smashed through, lunging inside. It happened too fast for the escort to react; he sprayed blood from his chest and toppled backward.
Wang-ho's eyes bulged in shock.
"Who the—"
An experienced fighter would have countered instantly with their drawn blade. But Wang-ho lacked the composure for that judgment. His fatal flaw—lack of real battle experience—laid bare.
"Is your father Wang-jeok?"
"...!"
"Looks like it."
Wang-ho saw the palm hurtling toward him. Then a crushing impact hurled him into darkness.
Thud!
* * *
Groooowl.
Shwaaa!
A sky devoid of clouds blackened with storm fronts in moments, unleashing fat raindrops. Lightning cracked.
Kagang!
Kwajik!
"Grah!"
"Argh!"
The rain-soaked melee hurtled toward its end less than a quarter-hour after starting. The Golden Merchant Group couldn't hold their numerical edge.
Some twenty escorts had fallen for Yeon-hoo's trap, chasing decoys upslope. The rear guards wasted time calming panicked horses and clearing the roadblocked boulders and logs.
They weren't weak by any means, but the combined assault from Hwasan and Mudan was overwhelming.
Yet Yuksoon dominated the flow. His Golden Diamond Claws were demonic hand techniques worthy of the name.
He targeted the strongest foes, already shredding three experts like paper in gruesome deaths.
That broke them. The elites' futile ends crushed morale; demoralized, the Golden Merchant warriors couldn't perform.
Bang!
Flesh-and-blood hands clashed with steel sword, exploding outward. The blade shattered; Yuksoon's claws pierced the foe's chest.
Thud!
"Guh!"
Another formidable opponent felled, Yuksoon caught his breath and surveyed the field. The sects were crushing them.
Then, the laggards abandoned their horses and charged in.
'This should suffice.'
Yuksoon called to Cheong-gong.
"Any more delay risks trouble—better pull back now!"
"Our benefactor's gone!"
"My lord already took Wang-jeok's son and left."
"...!"
"They're closing in—time to go. I'll head out first! Till next time."
Pat!
Kicking off, Yuksoon vanished from the fray. Cheong-gong couldn't hide his dismay.
He'd assumed they'd stick together till the op ended. But Yeon-hoo was gone, and even Yuksoon bailed with a vague farewell.
He felt used. Still, escape came first, as Yuksoon said.
He shouted to Jin-myeong.
"Alright! Fall back!"
"Retreating!"
"Pull out!"
The sect warriors bounded upslope. Before following, Cheong-gong had one last task.
He unleashed a chilling shout at a staggering, wounded foe.
"Tell your master: stop your vile human trafficking at once, or wage eternal war with us."
"Who the hell are you?! Reveal yourselves if you want a message delivered!"
"Those who punish evil."
"What?"
"That's all you need to know."
Pat!
Cheong-gong fled the field. No one pursued.
Whirlic!
Latecomers finally cleared obstacles and dropped into the carnage.
Someone wailed.
"Disaster! The young master's been kidnapped!"
"What?!"
The highest-ranking survivor rushed to Wang-ho's carriage. His eyes nearly popped at a bloodied cloth fragment pinned to the half-smashed door.
Your little master is with me.
I'll make contact soon, so don't kick up a fuss searching.
If you rummage the nearby city needlessly, you'll get this one's severed arm first.