Chapter 179: A Deceptively Peaceful Return Through Chaos
The return path through the chaos had never been this easy. With the Blood Family's experts ahead and them chasing from behind, there was no need to bother hiding their tracks.
But Jo Yeong felt a pang of regret. When he was with Yeon-hoo, he'd wanted to show off the skills he'd honed all this time, yet the only interruptions were the occasional wild beasts that popped out.
'If it ends like this, it'll be too disappointing...' Jo Yeong licked his lips and pulled out his waterskin to wet his throat.
Seobaek placed a hand on Jo Yeong's shoulder and grinned. "Your face looks a bit off."
"What's wrong with my face?"
"You look like you're dying for a sword fight... "
"Hmph. You've mastered reading interest too?"
Jo Yeong didn't deny it. He glanced at Yeon-hoo's back as he walked ahead, then twitched his nose.
Even though Yeon-hoo and Cheol-u surely hadn't heard their conversation, the two said nothing.
How much farther did they go like that?
"Looks like a big fire's broken out." Dongbang Ri pointed at the sky ahead, narrowing her eyes slightly.
All eyes naturally turned upward. Sure enough, thick black smoke filled the sky.
"A major battle must be underway." At Yeon-hoo's casual mutter, everyone heightened their hearing to the maximum.
But no sounds reached their ears.
After advancing another fifty zhang, perhaps?
"Sounds like a fight's going on." Cheol-u had picked up the noises of combat.
Next came Seobaek, then Jo Yeong, then Dongbang Ri, in that order.
Seobaek and Jo Yeong had heard it almost simultaneously, meaning their internal energies were evenly matched.
Jo Yeong turned to Seobaek, eyes wide in surprise. 'What? That's all he's got? I figured even if his real combat ability was unknown, my internal energy was superior...'
Jo Yeong had never imagined his internal energy—built from countless elixirs and spirit pills since childhood—would be on par with Seobaek's.
"Are the Blood Family folks fighting someone?" At Dongbang Ri's question, Yeon-hoo shook his head.
"Judging by the smoke, it looks like a fight on a much larger scale."
Cheol-u spoke up. "There's a big river not far from here. It might be Geomga clashing with Hwangha Suryeon."
Yeon-hoo nodded silently. He had been thinking the same.
"No intervening without my order."
"Understood."
"Got it!"
After warning everyone, Yeon-hoo veered their path toward the forest on the left.
How much farther had they gone when a metallic clash and agonized death cries erupted from not far ahead?
Kakang!
"Argh!"
"Ugh!"
Yeon-hoo raised a hand, halting the group. Cheol-u stepped forward.
"I'll scout ahead."
Pat! Kicking off the ground, Cheol-u leaped into the upper branches without hiding himself and shot forward like an arrow.
'The smoke is quite a distance from here. So if the Blood Family pursuing us has clashed with someone...'
The screams had come from very close by. That meant the Blood Family experts moving ahead had undoubtedly run into someone.
Sorting his thoughts, Yeon-hoo turned to Dongbang Ri. 'As expected, a woman with a strong inner resolve.'
She showed no sign of tension. Of course, having managed her household alone and weathered countless crises, she wouldn't flinch in a situation like this.
Next, Yeon-hoo glanced at Jo Yeong—and chuckled softly.
Jo Yeong had been waiting for exactly this, sword half-drawn, staring piercingly ahead.
Whirlic! Cheol-u returned.
"Geomga has clashed with the Blood Family. But men suspected to be from Hwangha Suryeon were pursuing Geomga."
Now the picture was clear. Geomga's forces, retreating after clashing with Hwangha Suryeon, had run headlong into the Blood Family heading north in pursuit of them.
"Shouldn't we help Geomga?"
"Of course. Everyone, don your bamboo hats."
"Yes."
"Yep!"
Susuk! They all pulled on the bamboo hats they'd slung behind their heads.
Jo Yeong had bought them from a vendor the moment they left Baekya-beol.
Seobaek asked him, "Bought them preparing for a situation like this?"
"Naturally."
"For real?"
"...Truth is, I got them to block the sun. Bought extras since one wasn't enough for me alone. Who knew they'd come in handy like this. Heh heh."
Jo Yeong confessed with a grin, and Seobaek grinned back.
Yeon-hoo addressed the group. "We aid Geomga. But no one moves first until I signal."
"Yes."
"Got it!"
Yeon-hoo plunged into the forest first. Cheol-u vanished into the shadows as always, while Seobaek leaped into the upper branches for a wider view—to maximize his archery's power.
Dongbang Ri and Jo Yeong followed Yeon-hoo.
Geomga's white-robed warrior, Bukgung Pae, was flustered. They'd just escaped Hwangha Suryeon's pursuit when these blockers appeared out of nowhere, causing casualties.
Five dead in a short time. They'd killed more enemies, but as the pursued, Bukgung Pae couldn't help the ache in his chest.
Flash! A chilling sword aura sliced toward Bukgung Pae's waist alongside a streak of energy.
But before it could close in, a Geomga expert beheaded the attacker lunging at Bukgung Pae.
Thud!
"Argh!"
"Hwangha Suryeon is closing in! You must escape now!"
"We'll handle the rear! Get out of here, quick!"
Bukgung Pae couldn't flee alone. These were men who'd trusted and followed him for a decade.
"Follow me!"
Pat! As Bukgung Pae moved, afterimages trailed like a tail. The phantom shift—a technique exclusive to absolutes—unfolded, making the attackers recoil in horror.
But Bukgung Pae's sword was faster.
Pfbt!
"Argh!"
Geomga's experts unleashed another barrage.
Kakang! Kwajik!
"Argh!"
"Ugh!"
Blue-robed foes collapsing in sprays of blood. But two Geomga experts met gruesome ends, heads severed from bodies.
"They're using a peculiar assassination art! Everyone, pull away from the forest and move!"
With Bukgung Pae breaking through at the front, Geomga's experts swiftly evacuated the area.
Meanwhile, in the rustling woods, a blue-robed man's face twisted in dismay as he stared at Bukgung Pae. 'Bukgung Pae... Why is he here...?'
The blue-robed man was one of the Blood Family assassins pursuing Yeon-hoo northward. Leading in Hwangtae's stead before linking up, they'd suffered heavy losses—nearly ten men dead—from a sudden clash with these rushers.
At first, he'd assumed they were northern experts. Spotting Bukgung Pae, he realized it was an unintended collision, but by then it was too late.
"Argh!" Another subordinate was bisected by Bukgung Pae's sword.
Killing intent blazed in the blue-robed man's eyes. 'Bukgung Pae, you bastard...'
He moved to close in on Bukgung Pae. No matter how skilled, everyone had openings. He planned to exploit one and topple this big game.
Fortunately, Bukgung Pae wasn't even paying attention to his position. Just a few more zhang, and he'd have the perfect chance.
But then—
"...!"
A sudden chill from behind made the blue-robed man spin like a top, swinging his sword wildly.
Pfbt! A heavy impact traveled up his arm.
His face twisted upon seeing his blade lodged in a tree.
Sruk!
"...!"
A stinging sensation rose from his neck. He clutched it with his left hand. Power drained from his body, the world spun, and his vision went black.
Crack! A figure emerged, stepping on the severed head.
He was one of the black-robed assassins Ga Hoe had sent to capture Bukgung Pae. Gazing at the wretched corpse, his eyes gleamed.
"What the hell are these guys?"
Two Blood Family experts charged the black-robe. But more black-robes appeared, nullifying their assault, and the pair vanished into the woods.
"They're using a strange assassination art. But why are they clashing with Geomga?"
"No time to worry about that. We end Bukgung Pae before he reaches Baekya-beol territory. Move."
"Yes!"
Sasasak! The black-robes vanished like ghosts.
Hwangha Suryeon's experts pursued them, and the Blood Family experts tangled with Geomga melted into the forest, caught off-guard.
Whistle! Pfbt-pfbt! Incoming hidden weapons.
Bukgung Pae and Geomga's experts blocked them with body-protecting auras, sprinting south at top speed.
But the dense forest and rugged terrain prevented full velocity.
Bukgung Pae glanced back. Dozens of Hwangha Suryeon experts had closed to within twenty zhang.
'I underestimated them.' He berated his misjudgment.
Forgetting reinforcements might come, he'd pressed too deep out of overconfidence, landing in crisis.
"Ugh!" A scream from behind. A subordinate collapsed, spraying blood.
Bukgung Pae's eyes tracked a sinister gleam beyond the trees.
In an instant, he spotted a man in pitch-black robes with snake-like eyes. Three more like him.
One smirked coldly at him, and Bukgung Pae sensed this crisis wouldn't be easy to escape.
'Strange bastards on our tail!'
Then—
"Enemies ahead!"
"...!"
At the shout, Bukgung Pae's gaze snapped forward.
Figures burst through the trees—about thirty, all radiating vicious auras, heavily armed with diverse weapons: Hwangha Suryeon experts.
'Delay here, and we're trapped.'
Kwak! Grinding his teeth, Bukgung Pae poured internal energy into his sword-grip.
"Break through straight!"
"Yes!"
Bukgung Pae's sword blazed with azure light. Geomga's experts followed, charging the blocking Hwangha Suryeon foes.
Kwajik!
"Arrrgh!"
"Guh!"
Bukgung Pae was strong. His Geomga comrades were too. But the enemy was no pushover.
Five dead, but they lost two. Speed dropped, allowing the rear pursuers to catch up.
Flutter... Despair settled in Bukgung Pae's trembling eyes.
That was when an indifferent voice flowed into his ear.
Change direction to the right.