Chapter 214 - Hwangtae's Secret That Shocked Seorung
Cheokbyeok's northern mountainous region. Yeon-hoo, who had descended to a distance that would take only half a day to reach if they charged straight in, halted the Blood King Army's advance and set up camp. From this point on, the battle of information began.
Yeon-hoo pitched his tent at the highest point and stayed there with Sinhwi.
"By now, they must know about the Red Wolf Corps' march... I wonder if Yellow River Lily will pull some troops from Cheokbyeok back to their main base."
"We'd better hope they don't."
"Huh?"
Sinhwi narrowed his eyes, then flashed a peculiar smile. "Now I see—you've got some hidden card you haven't told me about. Is that it?"
Yeon-hoo smiled faintly and tilted his teacup.
Clink.
"I have no intention of getting deeply involved in this war. As I said, what I want is to drive out every last Yellow River Lily force lurking in Northwest Murim territory—without spilling a single drop of blood."
"Drive out Yellow River Lily without spilling a drop of blood... Just hearing it makes my chest swell. Heh heh heh."
"You think it's impossible."
"Honestly, yeah. No matter how powerful the Red Wolf Corps is, we'll have to accept some losses. Yellow River Lily may be a band of thieves, but they're still one of the White Night Eight Great Families, with the deep-rooted strength to hold their position for ages."
Yeon-hoo took another sip of tea.
Clink.
He wore a meaningful smile. "Want to bet on it?"
"Sure."
"What'll you stake?"
"The one who suggests the bet should say first."
Yeon-hoo chuckled. "How about I play matchmaker for you?"
"Pass. I have no interest in marriage. How about this instead?"
This time, Sinhwi wore a meaningful smile. Yeon-hoo wondered what he would say.
Sinhwi met Yeon-hoo's gaze directly. "On the day your dream comes true, how about you and I have one more contest to see who's superior?"
"Heh heh heh."
Caught off guard by the proposal, Yeon-hoo simply laughed. Neither acceptance nor refusal—his ambiguous reaction made Sinhwi narrow his eyes.
"What do you want from me?"
"The world still sees our relationship as an implicit alliance. So... make it known to all under heaven that you've officially joined the North. To do that, you'll need to take an official position."
"Tell me what it is, and I'll decide. Heh heh heh."
"Grand Marshal."
"Oh ho!"
"For the North's current scale, creating a Grand Marshal position might seem pretentious, but that day isn't far off."
"Of course it isn't."
"So you'll do it?"
"Well, it might be fun for a bloodthirsty swordsman like me to climb to such a fancy seat. Heh heh heh."
In the end, Sinhwi accepted the terms. He added one more thing.
"Even if I become Grand Marshal, don't treat me like some underling. If I see even a hint of that, I'll bolt that same day."
"Noted. Heh heh heh."
At that moment.
"It's me, my lord."
It was Seobaek's voice.
"Come in."
Seobaek entered the tent.
"As you predicted, Yellow River Lily isn't pulling back any troops. On the contrary, they've strengthened their defenses, and we've confirmed that the Ilji Army is moving north toward us."
"They think Cheokbyeok is our target. Moving north means they're planning to tie our feet with guerrilla tactics through ambushes, right?"
Yeon-hoo nodded silently in agreement with Sinhwi's words and emptied his teacup.
Sinhwi asked, "Since they didn't pull back as you hoped, all that's left is for the Red Wolf Corps to attack Yellow River Lily's main base..."
"The Red Wolf Corps attacking Yellow River Lily's main base was never part of the plan."
"What?"
"Pardon?"
Sinhwi and Seobaek's eyes widened.
Yeon-hoo continued with a calm smile. "I just sent them out for some fresh air. They seemed bored after the Northwest battles ended."
"What the hell does that even mean? Can't you explain in detail?"
"Yellow River Lily not pulling troops from Cheokbyeok means they're confident they can defend their main base even if they call in forces from other regions. So where would those forces come from? The closest place to Yellow River Lily's main base..."
Seobaek's eyes widened as he spoke. "Northwest Murim... Ah, the westernmost region in our North. It's also where Yellow River Lily has the most troops that we're driving out."
At that moment.
"Heh heh heh."
Sinhwi leaned back deeply in his chair, laughing as if he finally understood everything.
"So, when the Yellow River Lily forces stationed where we want to drive them out move to defend the main base, we'll seize that empty spot... That was your plan?"
"Without spilling a drop of blood."
"Hahaha!"
Sinhwi threw his head back and burst into laughter. Seobaek, finally grasping it all, wore a dazed expression.
"Then what about Cheokbyeok? Don't tell me the Blood King Army came here just for fresh air too?"
"Think of it as mobility training."
"..."
"The Blood King Army coming this far south is more than enough for our role as allies. With us right overhead, Yellow River Lily won't dare attack Geomga recklessly. We'll stay here for a while, watch how things unfold, and decide what to do next."
Sinhwi shot to his feet. "That doesn't mean we let the ones coming out for guerrilla warfare off the hook. I lost the bet, so I'll take out my frustration on them. See you later."
As Sinhwi left, Seobaek asked with wide eyes, "A bet? What..."
"It's nothing."
Yeon-hoo stepped out of the tent and headed to the cliff's edge, with Seobaek following.
The world was already dyed red as sunset began.
Yeon-hoo stared at the fading red sun, his gaze steadying. Seobaek asked cautiously, "Why not crush Yellow River Lily's spirit completely while we're at it?"
"Getting too deeply involved in the war would draw not just punishment but ill will from the other families. Still, we should take what we can."
"Just allying with Geomga has probably already put us in a bad light with the others... It might've been simpler to drive out Yellow River Lily without allying with them."
"You can't just look at the immediate situation—you have to see far into the future. Gaining a powerful ally like Geomga makes that a minor issue."
"...Understood."
Whoosh.
A sharp wind from the cliff below clawed at Yeon-hoo's body.
"You've done well. Go rest."
"I'm fine."
"It might get busy starting tomorrow, so do as I say."
"Yes. Rest well, then."
As Seobaek withdrew, Yeon-hoo advanced a bit further to the cliff's edge. From there, he overlooked the majestic world below the mountains.
The leisurely flowing river reflected the sunset, transforming into a massive blood dragon, and where multiple streams converged into a great lake, Yellow River Lily's warships bustled about.
Whoosh!
Another sharp wind surged up. Right then.
Yeon-hoo's eyes gleamed.
A figure appeared on the opposite cliff. Sword hugged to his chest, arms crossed, wearing a bamboo hat that hid his face.
Yeon-hoo sensed the man watching him and asked calmly, "Do you have business with me?"
"Why else would I chase you down?"
"Chasing me... to take my head?"
"Of course."
Snort.
"A man who chased me to kill, yet hides when he should—showing himself openly... That confident, are you?"
"Of course."
Though spoken softly, their voices pierced the howling wind, ringing crystal clear in each other's ears.
Hwangtae peered through the gap in his bamboo hat, staring straight at Yeon-hoo's face.
"I heard your sword broke. I'll spare your life until you prepare a proper one."
Snort.
"Now I see you're all flash and no substance. I don't know who you are, but I can handle you sword or no sword. Come anytime. I'll be waiting."
With that, Yeon-hoo vanished. Hwangtae's lips curled up.
'Who says that to whom.'
Hwangtae pulled a bottle from his bosom and wet his throat. Once he started, the liquor had become an essential elixir for him.
The Blood Family, where he'd spent his life. And Jeokhon, his lord. After severing ties with what had been everything to him, he couldn't endure sobriety.
'You should have begged me for help.'
Hatred and resentment toward Jeokhon, buried beneath the pain, tormented him further.
Gulp! Gulp!
Draining the rest, Hwangtae hurled the bottle off the cliff and turned toward the forest.
In that instant, his eyes flashed with coldness.
Shing!
He swung his sword toward the left forest.
Flash!
A blade of sword energy sliced through the underbrush.
Followed by a dull thud from beyond the trees.
Before the echo faded, Hwangtae dropped before the rock halved by his sword strike.
A terrifying speed that beggared belief.
'...Sohyang?'
The fragrance lingering in the air. A woman's trace.
Hwangtae heightened his senses to the max. But no human presence anywhere.
He shouted coldly into the void. "Are you the one chasing me?"
Whoosh.
Only the wind answered.
"I don't know who you are, but don't interfere. If I deem you a hindrance, man or woman, I'll tear you to shreds."
His voice carried on the wind, spreading through the forest.
Seorung couldn't tear her eyes from Hwangtae's back as he vanished somewhere, exuding a thick alcoholic scent.
Tremble...
Her quivering pupils brimmed with shock.
The hem of her side garment fluttered, long sliced.
The trace left by Hwangtae's sword energy moments ago.
A perilous moment that would have severed any ordinary expert's waist clean off.
But her shock stemmed from another reason.
'Why does that man possess Blood Demon True Qi, which only the Blood Family lord can cultivate?'
Blood Demon True Qi. An ancient power of the Blood Demon, not unfamiliar to Seorung. A secret of the Blood Family that only Jeokhon could master, and a remnant of what Blood Jade had unleashed upon the world.
Flutter!
A flock of birds burst from the forest Hwangtae entered.
Only then did Seorung steady her gaze and look down at her side.
'At this level, I can't match him. I hope that's not all he's got...'