Chapter 74 - A Man Who Knows When to Retreat
Wall Thunder Family elder An Gong frowned at the horrific scene unfolding before him. The White Ghosts who had come with him scoured the surroundings, but not a single survivor remained.
One of the White Ghosts approached and reported, “They were all wiped out.”
“Did you confirm the exact number of bodies?”
“Yes. We checked against the deployed forces.”
Thud! An Gong stomped the ground in frustration. The relentless rain had softened the earth, and his foot sank in up to the ankle.
“Idiots. Even if only for tracking afterward, they should have held back a minimal force to watch from afar...”
“It seems they did leave three men aside on the left flank for that purpose... but even they were taken out. Moreover, most appear to have been killed without putting up any proper resistance.”
Tremble... An Gong's facial muscles twitched faintly.
He had rushed here rejoicing at the report of Yeon-hoo's group being spotted, thinking he finally had them—only to find his subordinates' gruesome corpses waiting. Not even one survivor.
The real problem was that Yeon-hoo's trail had been perfectly severed. With no survivors and the pouring rain washing away every trace in the area, it was gone without a hint.
The Heavenly Net—said to be the world's most impregnable encirclement—had a glaring weakness: once a trail was lost, its power plummeted.
As he ground his teeth imagining Wi Yeon Gwang's fiery rage, someone shouted, “Elder, take a look at this.”
An Gong hurried over. There lay a corpse whose head had been obliterated beyond recognition.
One of the White Ghosts examined it and said, “This wasn't during combat. He was captured first, then killed.”
“Was this one the leader?”
“Yes.”
An Gong's face twisted in horror. If the leader had been captured and killed, that spelled big trouble.
“If he spilled any information, we'll have to reposition at least a third of the Heavenly Net forces in the worst case.”
An Gong's mind burned hot. If Yeon-hoo had obtained intel, it meant their entire plan had gone off the rails from the start. Tracking an enemy who knew their positions was impossible.
“How much time do we have left?”
“Three days at most.”
Three days until Yeon-hoo's group entered White Night Cartel territory.
“No time to redeploy. Communicate via express messengers and focus on major cities and passes leading to White Night Cartel!”
“Understood.”
Whoosh! An Gong and the White Ghosts vanished into the darkness.
A moment later, amid the dead, a figure rose like a ghost. It was a Ghost Family expert.
His completely lifeless eyes slowly regained vitality, and his pallid complexion returned to normal. A perfect display of the Ghost Revival Great Law.
“An Gong himself... I nearly had a disaster if I'd been even a bit slower.”
He was the one Han Song had ordered to stay behind and erase any traces. He'd sensed their approach while cleaning up and barely activated the technique in time—luckily undetected.
“The Heavenly Net, eh... I wonder if the North's lord can truly evade their pursuit.”
“That curious, are you?”
“...!”
The Ghost Family expert spun like lightning, hand flying to his sword. But he couldn't draw it, and his body froze solid.
A sharp prick at his throat. A blade had already touched his neck.
It was Cheol-u.
This can't be...
The expert was stunned. He hadn't sensed a thing even at such close range. And he hadn't been careless, which made the shock even greater.
Then, figures emerged through the rain: Yeon-hoo and his group.
Yeon-hoo approached, staring straight at the Ghost Family expert. “Who are you to wonder about my future?”
“...!”
Only then did the expert realize: the man before him was the North's lord.
“I am of the Ghost Family.”
This time, Yeon-hoo was surprised. A Ghost Family member here? In the midst of this carnage.
“Sheathe your sword, Cheol-u.”
Cheol-u withdrew and stepped back.
The expert finally caught his breath. But he couldn't move a finger. Not from acupoint strikes, but an overwhelming pressure that would tear him apart the instant he tried.
Yeon-hoo scanned the gruesome site once before asking, “Is this mess connected to you?”
“The Northwest fools mistook us for the North's lord and attacked.”
Yeon-hoo recalled what Cheol-u and the others had said. It didn't take long to connect that the carriage and horsemen the Northwest had chased from the checkpoint were Ghost Family.
“Is your lord safe?”
“Of course. Not someone the likes of the Northwest could touch. I only stayed to erase any traces.”
His eyes and tone brimmed with pride. Yeon-hoo liked it. It made him think he too must become a figure the North's people could take pride in.
“No injuries?”
“...None.”
“Tell your family head when you return: since they suffered needlessly because of me, I'll repay the debt with a drink someday.”
“Understood.”
“Go now.”
The expert glanced at Cheol-u, who had nicked his throat, then launched into the darkness.
Yeon-hoo watched the ghost-like figure vanish, a strange glint in his eyes.
Sama Song spoke. “He says no, but they took damage.”
Yeon-hoo had thought the same. He'd caught the faint flicker in the man's eyes when answering.
Sama Song continued, “It's good for us. Mistake or not, the Ghost Family won't let an attack slide. Their lord is known for repaying slights tenfold.”
As Sama Song said, this was a huge boon. The opposite for Northwest Murim.
The Ghost Family was the most feared in the world—shadowy, bizarre, wielding unorthodox arts close to sorcery.
Now they'd tangled with the Northwest.
In that case, I hope the Ghost Family's losses are heavy. Heh heh heh.
Yeon-hoo turned to the group. “I doubt we'll feel tired tonight, even without sleep.”
“Heh heh heh.”
“Haha ha!”
Yeon-hoo looked at Dongbang Ri. “You okay?”
“I'm fine.”
“Move out.”
* * *
In a deep, wide cave, Han Song and the Ghost Family experts rested, awaiting their comrade who had stayed to erase traces.
Han Yu-hwa's wounds were deeper than expected. Two fragments had embedded farther than thought, causing massive bleeding. Fortunately, Han Song's medical skill had prevented worse.
Han Yu-hwa slept deeply—Han Song had deliberately sealed her blood flow.
Gazing down at her, Han Song's eyes burned as fiercely as the flickering campfire in the wind. He was even considering returning to rally forces and strike the Northwest right then.
His rage was that intense.
Whoosh. Wind and rain battered in, shaking the flames, when a presence echoed from the entrance.
Han Song looked up at his subordinate. “All traces erased?”
“Yes.”
“Good work.”
“I encountered the North's lord there.”
“...!”
The expert recounted the checkpoint incident. As he finished, Han Song's eyes gleamed oddly.
A drink, he says?
A chuckle escaped. How many in the world would dare say that to him? And Yeon-hoo was barely past thirty, not even formally the North's lord yet.
“The Northwest seems to have deployed the Heavenly Net to catch the North's lord.”
Han Song's brows furrowed slightly. The expert added what he'd overheard.
“An Gong himself was there with subordinates, mentioning the Heavenly Net.”
“An Gong came?”
“Yes. Definitely him.”
Han Song's gaze darkened. He'd regretted killing the captured Northwest expert without extracting more info.
“I knew that kid had given Wi Yeon Gwang headaches before, but deploying the Heavenly Net to chase him...”
Unaware that Wall Thunder's elder council leader had been slain by Cheol-u, Han Song found it puzzling.
Jeong-ryong cautiously interjected, “If they've gone to the Heavenly Net, can the North's lord even reach White Night Cartel? An Gong alone is among the Northwest's top experts, beyond even Wall Thunder.”
“To surpass his father, he must overcome such trials. The weak can never lead a faction.”
“Well said, my lord.”
“We'll move at dawn. Rest in shifts.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Rumble! Crack! Thunder roared, but didn't reach deep inside.
Han Song draped his cloak over Han Yu-hwa and leaned against the cave wall. Yeon-hoo's face surfaced in his mind—the resolute youth from White Night Cartel, overlaid with the child from long ago in Iron Blood Family.
My daddy's the strongest in the world!
The boy who'd shouted that at him had been more mature than his peers.
Not bad. Grown enough to force Wi Yeon Gwang into the Heavenly Net...
* * *
The next morning, the rain miraculously stopped, and the sun rose. Thick fog blanketed the mountains, hindering visibility for those pushing through.
Swish. The forest ahead rustled as Baek-un emerged. He'd been scouting faithfully since they set out.
“The river's too wild from yesterday's rain—too dangerous for anything but large ships.”
“Find a big one.”
“...”
“A bit downstream there's a port where merchant ships dock. Check there.”
“Got it. Follow slowly.”
“Baek-un.”
“Yes?”
Whip. Clink. A heavy pouch landed in Baek-un's hand.
Baek-un scratched his head, about to charge off. Ak-so and Cheol-u's sharp glares tore into him.
“Pay whatever they ask, but the destination must be firm.”
“Understood.”
As Baek-un left, Cheol-u asked, “Planning to use the waterways from the start?”
“Why else bring all that gold?”
“It'll take longer—the river winds all the way to White Night Cartel. All right?”
“Better than fighting our way.”
Cheol-u and Ak-so's expressions turned peculiar.
“What's with those looks?”
“First time you're avoiding a fight.”
“Sometimes a man knows when to retreat.”
“...”