Death Is Fair to All (9)
Huang Seok-tae turned his head. ‘Yeon Hojeong?’ A faint wave of energy was spreading from far in the distance.
It was Yeon Hojeong and Pae Yul. Having just come from a fierce battle, their auras were far more intense and violent than usual. ‘They made it back alive.’
Huang Seok-tae gave a small inner nod, but then a flicker of doubt crossed his mind. ‘Who did they bring with them?’
A lingering, unpleasant fire qi could be felt. Within that heat, a precarious flicker of life force lay dormant.
It belonged to a master who had cultivated the Yang Fire Arts. He could tell just from the aura alone.
A short while later.
“Everyone resting comfortably?”
Even at Yeon Hojeong’s greeting, Huang Seok-tae couldn’t open his mouth.
It wasn’t just him. Every single member of the Iron Cavalry Unit stood with their jaws hanging open, staring at Yeon Hojeong.
Pae Yul clicked his tongue.
“You planning to rest here?”
“Not sure yet.”
“Then I’ll go rest first.”
“Go ahead.”
Pae Yul trudged off, leaned against a large tree, and closed his eyes. It seemed he had a lot on his mind.
Yeon Hojeong gave a small inner nod. ‘He must have discovered quite a few weaknesses in the Sun-Piercing Art.’
Pae Yul’s Sun-Piercing Art had already reached a level where it could be proudly presented as the Jeomchang Sect’s signature technique.
However, even well-crafted martial arts carried various practical issues in real combat. Pae Yul had realized this, and now he would need to refine it further to achieve true completion.
At that moment, Huang Seok-tae spoke.
“A hostage?”
“Hm?”
“That person… the one wrapped up like a mummy in chains or whatever.”
“Ah, this guy?”
Yeon Hojeong lifted the Flood Dragon Chain.
Beon Jak’s body, tightly bound by the chain, rose into the air. His head hung limply—he had lost consciousness.
Huang Seok-tae frowned.
“A Westerner?”
“He’s one of the Shinhwa Sect’s martial generals.”
“Martial general…?”
“One of the Eighteen Martial Generals. They’re the vanguard of the Shinhwa Sect. This bastard is their leader. He was the one mobilizing troops to hunt down the Hundred Weapons Divine Lord.”
“……!”
Only then did Huang Seok-tae realize that this Westerner was the enemy commander who had driven Mak Won, the Hundred Weapons Divine Lord, to the brink. ‘Incredible.’
Huang Seok-tae looked Yeon Hojeong up and down.
His appearance was somewhat rough, but he didn’t seem seriously injured. On the contrary, his face was filled with refreshed satisfaction, as if he had just enjoyed a satisfying bout. It was quite different from the face of a warrior who had just fought a life-or-death battle. ‘He must have been an incredibly powerful opponent.’
Even without speculation, the residual aura emanating from the unconscious man was formidable. ‘To reduce a supreme peak expert on the verge of the Limitless Realm to this state…’
Of course, it was impossible that Yeon Hojeong hadn’t sustained any injuries while pursuing Mak Won.
The difference between masters was often decided by a single hair’s breadth. In that sense, it meant Yeon Hojeong had held the advantage from the very start of the duel.
But those who preached that “a hair’s breadth is the truth” rarely considered the variables of actual combat.
There were countless cases of a blood-soaked general tearing through an entire unit and escaping. High-level fights might be decided by a sliver of difference, but such refined duels only existed in sparring matches.
Regardless, the fact that Yeon Hojeong had defeated this man remained unchanged. And the fact that the Mukryong-bu’s special duty adjutant was an absolute monster also remained unchanged. ‘Just what kind of monster is this guy?’
Huang Seok-tae had hoped the man would return alive, but he never imagined he would come back in such pristine condition. He clicked his tongue inwardly.
“But why bring him? Is he a hostage?”
The question was closer to asking why he hadn’t simply killed the man. It was a remark befitting the commander of the Iron Cavalry Unit, a force specialized in annihilation.
Yeon Hojeong shook his head.
“We made a deal.”
Huang Seok-tae’s eyes narrowed into slits.
“A deal?”
Dealing with the enemy? It didn’t sound good at all.
Yet Yeon Hojeong paid no mind to Huang Seok-tae’s sharp reaction.
“To obtain information on the other members of the Holy Thirteen Seats.”
“The other Holy Thirteen Seats?”
“You’d understand if you thought about it for a moment. Did you really think these bastards went through all this trouble just to take down one Hundred Weapons Divine Lord?”
“……”
“War never breaks out easily. Only after both sides have ground down each other’s forces as much as possible, when there’s nothing left to destroy, does all-out war erupt. That’s the basics.”
Huang Seok-tae’s eyes flashed.
“In other words, you’re saying the Three Sects will start the war only after eliminating all the Holy Thirteen Seats?”
“That would be their ideal plan. Each of the Holy Thirteen Seats possesses transcendent power equivalent to an entire army. Their utility far surpasses that of regular troops. They’re few in number, have massive logistical advantages, and possess unmatched mobility. They can appear anywhere at any time—like living bombs.”
“Bombs…”
“At least, that’s how the enemy sees them. And the same applies to us. We must also attrit their Holy-rank forces as much as possible. If we engage without such preliminary strikes, we’ll suffer a devastating blow right from the start.”
“So when you say you’re getting information on the Holy Thirteen Seats from this man…?”
“Whether they killed them, recruited them, or whatever else—they’ve already done this before the Hundred Weapons Divine Lord. It’s certain.”
Huang Seok-tae’s eyes trembled.
“Among the current Holy-rank masters, there are four who belong to neither the righteous nor the dark factions—they’re neutral. Add in the Demon Sovereign and the Blood Jade Demon Lord who claim the demonic path, and that makes six.”
“Hmm.”
“If even half of them fall into the enemy’s hands, the situation will spiral out of control.”
Yeon Hojeong let out a sigh.
“We must locate the Holy-rank masters—especially those caught between the righteous and demonic paths—as quickly as possible and persuade them.”
It was somewhat sudden, but Huang Seok-tae finally understood. He now saw why the Vice-Leader had granted Yeon Hojeong the title of special duty adjutant, a position carrying both freedom and immense authority.
The mission Yeon Hojeong had been given could not succeed without such autonomy. And because it was a dangerous task that might require exercising powerful authority in emergencies, that title had been bestowed.
‘That man…’ Huang Seok-tae thought of Baek Seo.
Baek Seo had said that they couldn’t just assign a valuable person dispatched from the Martial Alliance to any random unit, and had even gone so far as to coax him in a way that was unlike his usual self.
But knowing the true intention behind it, everything was different.
Only the strongest unit in the Mukryong-bu—the Dragon Fang Iron Cavalry—could protect Yeon Hojeong in a crisis.
That was also why he had been given authority over the unit’s training. In truth, while Yeon Hojeong was an outstanding leader well-versed in strategy and tactics, the real goal had been to utilize the Iron Cavalry Unit to ensure the success of this mission.
Was this reading too much into it? Not at all.
The fact that the Vice-Leader had personally ordered the deployment of the Iron Cavalry Unit—led by its own commander—was proof enough.
It would have been safer to send several more battalions instead of the commander himself. The reason he had specifically singled out the commander was to make him realize just how difficult and grave this mission truly was.
‘In the end…’ Huang Seok-tae stared at Yeon Hojeong. ‘This guy really has been entrusted with a mission that could decide the outcome of this war.’
Yeon Hojeong tilted his head.
“Is there something on my face?”
“No.”
“……”
“But… can we trust the information from this Westerner?”
His tone had subtly changed.
Only then did Yeon Hojeong realize that Huang Seok-tae had finally accepted his position in earnest.
Of course, he didn’t show it. Huang Seok-tae was a man with immense pride.
“I told him to bring physical evidence. We just need to wait a little longer.”
“You said you made a deal with him. A deal goes both ways. What did you promise him in return?”
“One day of life.”
“……?”
It was a statement that made no sense.
Yeon Hojeong waved his hand.
“I’ll explain the details to the intelligence unit separately. It’s going to take quite some time anyway.”
“……”
“Understood.”
Normally, Huang Seok-tae would have pressed the issue to the end. But the current Huang Seok-tae did not.
He would respect the line. He had acknowledged that Yeon Hojeong had his own duties, and he had his.
Of course, this was entirely due to his trust in Yang Cheon. Had he not trusted Yang Cheon, he and Yeon Hojeong would have remained in an uncomfortable relationship until the end.
“For now, get some rest. Where is the Hundred Weapons Divine Lord?”
“He wanted a quiet place, so he went into the forest over there. The men are standing guard for him.”
“Understood. You should rest too. Looks like we’ll have to wait another three or four days here.”
Three days passed just like that.
Beon Jak, who had regained consciousness two days earlier, refused to consume anything except water.
He was gradually wasting away. Although he had used the strange arts of the Gold Emperor Pure Art to prevent his wounds from rotting and somehow sealed them, his condition remained critically serious.
Beon Jak, who had remained silent the entire time, finally spoke at noon on the third day.
“They’re here.”
The moment his words ended, Yeon Hojeong rose from his seat.
“I heard movement from the southeast. That’s the direction, right?”
“Correct.”
A short while later, a masked figure knelt before Beon Jak.
Beon Jak spoke in a sunken voice.
“Hand it over.”
The masked man passed the bundle he was carrying to Yeon Hojeong.
At the same time—
The Iron Cavalry warriors spread out in all directions, leveling their spears.
Beon Jak’s eyes grew cold.
“How should I interpret this action?”
Yeon Hojeong spoke as he untied the bundle.
“It’s to prevent any rash movements. If the information proves accurate, I will honor our agreement, so don’t worry.”
Inside the bundle were dozens of documents.
Yeon Hojeong read through each one with careful attention.
Beon Jak spoke mockingly.
“Those are documents that would confuse even professional intelligence handlers. Are you sure you can verify them yourself?”
“We’ll see.”
Yeon Hojeong continued flipping through the documents one by one.
A moment later.
“Where’s the rest?”
Beon Jak’s eyes flashed.
Yeon Hojeong slowly turned his neck from side to side. A gruesome cracking sound echoed from his spine.
“Flying Enemy Point, and Heaven’s Song Master. The internal slang used by your intelligence division for the Flying King and the Sound Emperor. You’ve decided to target these two next… that much I understand. But there’s no mention of the others.”
Beon Jak felt a chill run down his spine.
He had known it might be discovered. If one was skilled in intelligence work, the interpretation wasn’t particularly difficult.
But the problem was that Yeon Hojeong knew. Moreover, it hadn’t even taken him a full minute to read through all those documents. It meant he had interpreted everything the moment he saw them. ‘This bastard…’
He was truly a terrifying man.
Martial arts, strategy, negotiation, even codes—if it was a field, he excelled in it.
He was a true genius for whom the word omnipotent felt insufficient.
Beon Jak shook his head.
“Insurance. If you break the promise, I’d be a fool who leaked information for nothing.”
“So even in this situation, you still tried to be clever, huh?”
“This isn’t a deal that only puts my life on the line.”
“Hmm.”
Yeon Hojeong gave a strange smile.
Beon Jak felt a surge of displeasure at that smile.
Yeon Hojeong nodded readily.
“Fine.”
He looked at Huang Seok-tae.
Huang Seok-tae raised his hand.
“Stand down.”
Swish, swish, swish!
The Iron Cavalry warriors who had surrounded them scattered like ghosts.
The Flood Dragon Chain retracted, freeing Beon Jak.
“Cough!”
Though his body was free, he had been bound for two full days. Beon Jak struggled to even stand properly or move his arms.
At that moment, Yeon Hojeong placed his hand on Beon Jak’s vital point.
Beon Jak flinched in shock.
“What are you doing?!”
“Stay still. I’m keeping my promise.”
The Vermilion Bird flame qi flowed naturally from Yeon Hojeong’s hand into Beon Jak’s body.
Thump!
The Vermilion Bird qi governed the heart. The intense flame qi acted as a powerful stimulant while rapidly purging the turbid energy lurking in his acupoints.
Whoosh.
The Vermilion Bird flame qi that had circulated once through Beon Jak’s body gathered back into his heart.
Yeon Hojeong withdrew his hand.
“That fulfills our agreement. When will you give me the remaining information?”
The corners of Beon Jak’s mouth curled upward.
“I’ll give it to you thirty li from here. Follow me that far.”
“……”
“What? Don’t want it?”
Yeon Hojeong let out a short laugh.
“Fine. Let’s go.”