Chapter 140: Cleanup-1
Chapter 140: Cleanup-1
It was still a dark dawn before daybreak.
The Baekho First Squad and Second Squad of the Ha Clan arrived at a forest called Black Bear Forest, situated on the route from the Seonwoo Clan to the Dan Clan estate.
"According to the intelligence, Seonwoo Jung and Seonwoo Seong will pass through here in about an hour. Second Squad Leader, you take the left side of the forest and lie in ambush. I will take the right."
"Understood, First Squad Leader."
Their plan was to lie in ambush within the forest, then strike from all sides when Seonwoo Jung and his eldest son Seonwoo Seong passed through.
This Black Bear Forest had sparse human presence in the vicinity and only one road, making it an optimal location for an ambush if there ever was one.
According to intelligence, Seonwoo Jung, the head of the Seonwoo Clan, was to set out in the early dawn before the sun rose, in order to prevent any unforeseen incidents.
But he could probably never imagine that this decision would instead lead to their own deaths without a trace.
Gan Jong-chi, the leader of the Baekho First Squad who went to the right side of the forest, spoke quietly to his subordinates.
Then his voice, laden with powerful internal energy, spread clearly into the ears of his men.
"As you all well know, the lifeblood of an ambush is concealing your presence! I trust you will not make such novice mistakes as making noise and ruining the operation!"
"Yes! Squad Leader!"
Gan Jong-chi, the Baekho First Squad Leader, smiled with satisfaction at the disciplined and stalwart responses of his men, though his smile was restrained.
They were indeed the reliable finest elites of the Ha Clan, whom he had personally raised.
Gan Jong-chi now gave a short command.
"Everyone, to your positions!"
At those words, the members of the Baekho First Squad moved swiftly and dispersed into the undergrowth beside the road.
Their movements were quiet yet swift.
But they had no way of knowing.
The fact that those far more stealthy and dangerous than them had already arrived in this forest beforehand...
***
Jang Yi, the newest and youngest member of the Baekho First Squad, suddenly felt a twinge of envy as he watched his seniors skillfully take up ambush positions.
Since every mission was his first, he naturally had never experienced an ambush like this before.
Fearing he might catch the squad leader's eye, he went to the farthest spot and copied the senior lying in ambush next to him by watching him out of the corner of his eye.
Rustle!
In that instant, his heart sank at the sound of undergrowth brushing against his collar.
Even though he had moved as carefully as possible, it felt like he alone was making a commotion.
He cautiously observed the seniors around him.
But fortunately, no one seemed to pay him any mind.
Suddenly a sigh of relief leaked out.
Worried he might earn his seniors' disapproving glares, he carefully crept into the undergrowth and crouched down.
It seemed he had now completed the ambush.
With a measure of composure regained, Jang Yi suddenly turned his eyes to survey his surroundings.
The outside of the forest was now gradually brightening with the dawn.
But inside the dark forest where they lay in ambush, it was still pitch-black.
The dense undergrowth blocked the light so that he could only make out the outlines nearby, and even a slight distance away, only pitch-black darkness met his eyes.
'I have to endure still for an hour in a place like this?'
Jang Yi felt his chest tightening already.
Having feared ghosts since childhood, being in such darkness was deeply uncomfortable for him.
He hated both the pitch-black darkness where something seemed to be lurking and the sound of mosquitoes already buzzing around him.
'Still, mosquitoes are better. I just hope things like snakes never come.'
Suddenly he recalled a senior who had boasted about how during the last ambush, a snake had come and bitten his foot yet he hadn't broken the ambush.
He didn't think he could ever do that, and he suddenly grew worried that such a thing might happen.
And as those thoughts popped into his head in a jumble, his whole body already began to feel itchy.
It was a vexing situation.
So he looked toward the senior who was lying in ambush a short distance away from him.
Then, unlike himself, the outline of his senior, who was perfectly still as if he had become a rock, entered his eyes.
As he thought, it seemed only he, the clumsy one, was like this.
Jang Yi resolved to collect his mind and draw his focus back up again.
That was when it happened.
'Huh?'
Jang Yi, who had been about to turn his gaze forward, suddenly turned his eyes back toward his senior.
Because he thought he had seen something strange.
Then something entered Jang Yi's vision.
A shadow—a shadow was slowly moving as if it were alive.
The blackest shadow in the already dark vicinity of his senior seemed to be slithering over to his senior's back.
At first, he thought he might be seeing things and opened his eyes wide, but it seemed that what he saw was indeed real.
His heart began to pound.
'A g-ghost?'
It had to be a ghost.
And not just any ghost, but an evil spirit of the kind he had only heard stories about.
At this rate, that evil spirit seemed about to completely engulf his senior.
He had to alert his senior to that fact.
'But making noise isn't allowed?'
A fierce internal conflict began to clash within his heart.
But Jang Yi, who hesitated for a moment, ultimately mustered his courage and decided to approach his senior.
So it was when he slightly moved his body.
Suddenly, Jang Yi, who had been looking down at his feet, could not help but open his eyes wide in shock.
All of a sudden, the shadow beneath his feet had stretched out its hand and was engulfing him.
It was an utterly surreal sight that he just could not accept, a sight like an evil spirit he had only imagined as a child lunging at him.
Jang Yi forgot the rule about not making noise and tried to scream.
"!"
But his voice did not escape.
It seemed to be because the evil spirit's arm had wrapped around his throat before he knew it.
And in the next moment, a stinging pain was felt at the back of his head.
It was the last sensation Jang Yi could feel while alive.
***
Having simply disposed of the ambusher whose attention had been scattered unlike the others, Seonwoo Jin sent another telepathic transmission to Jeok Ma-hyeok and Gyeon-jung.
- Continue.
At that, the two shadows that had paused for a moment began to move again.
And to Seonwoo Jin's senses, the presences of the ambushers gradually began to disappear.
Just like ink slowly seeping into paper, the lives of the White Tiger Squad members were being extinguished.
The ambushing White Tiger Squad members did not realize it at all, but from the moment they entered this forest, they had already planted one foot halfway into the underworld.
Because the three who had mastered the Heavenly Killing Secret Technique of Muyeongsal, known as the supreme assassin a hundred years ago, were beings akin to gods of death to them in an environment like this.
***
An hour later, Guk Sa-hang, the leader of the Baekho Second Squad, was able to confirm two men on horseback coming down the forest path that was slowly brightening.
Seonwoo Jung and Seonwoo Seong—the targets of the day, without a doubt.
Clop, clop!
They were rapidly approaching before them.
And they were just about to pass in front of where Guk Sa-hang lay in ambush.
'Right, now!'
But no matter how long he waited, the signal from First Squad Leader Gan Jong-chi did not come.
'What? Why isn't he giving the attack order?'
Guk Sa-hang, who had continued to prepare himself to charge out, began to grow irritated.
To think that the man always acted so high and mighty as First Squad Leader, yet couldn't even time such a critical moment.
So Guk Sa-hang, unable to endure it any longer, shouted first himself.
"Attack!"
And he charged out from the very front and bellowed.
"Seonwoo Jung! We shall avenge the grudge of our Dan Clan!"
Then, into Guk Sa-hang's eyes came the flustered face of Seonwoo Seong and the sight of Seonwoo Jung, who indeed was a peak-level master, immediately drawing his sword and leaping from his horse.
"Hyaaap!"
Kwa-kwa-kwang!
Seonwoo Jung's violet energetic force and Guk Sa-hang's white energetic force clashed in midair.
They were evenly matched.
Since both were martial artists at the initial stage of peak-level, superiority could not be decided with just one collision.
In the end, the two men could only exchange one move in the air before retreating backward from each other.
But Guk Sa-hang, who had withdrawn on equal footing, was instead startled afterward.
Because Gan Jong-chi, the leader of the Baekho First Squad who naturally should have appeared and launched a combined attack when he attacked, did not appear.
No, it was not just Gan Jong-chi—the entire Baekho First Squad was eerily silent, as if they had vanished somewhere.
That was not all.
The members of the Baekho Second Squad who had followed behind him were in a strange state as well.
"W-what in the world...?!"
The number of the Baekho Second Squad, which should have been fifty men, was not even thirty.
The subordinates, who looked like barely a handful, stood encircling the two men, staring at each other with bewildered expressions.
Something had definitely gone wrong.
It was then.
Seonwoo Seong, the eldest son of the Seonwoo Clan, shouted at Seonwoo Jung with a flustered expression.
"F-Father! It seems the Dan Clan has ambushed us!"
At that, Seonwoo Jung scoffed, then pointed far off with his finger and said,
"Nonsense! If these are the Dan Clan, then who are those?!"
"What?"
Seonwoo Seong looked toward where Seonwoo Jung pointed with a puzzled gaze.
Then, from the direction of the Dan Clan estate, over a hundred warriors could be seen charging fiercely toward them.
The martial artist at the head of the group shouted.
"Seonwoo Gaju-nim! We will assist you!"
Ocher martial uniforms and gray heroic headbands.
They were unmistakably the attire of the Dan Clan.
At this, Baekho Second Squad Leader Guk Sa-hang, who was already flustered, now fell into complete confusion.
How did they know to come here as well?
Everything was a complete mess.
The Baekho First Squad had vanished, his own subordinates had been cut down by half, and now even the Dan Clan's warriors were attacking.
That was when it happened.
Something suddenly flashed through Guk Sa-hang's mind.
'No way, a trap?'
It seemed beyond doubt.
Because otherwise, this was a situation that simply could not be explained.
'But who, and how?'
Though he was approaching the truth, Guk Sa-hang could no longer continue his reasoning.
Because Seonwoo Jung descended upon him.
"You bastard! Reveal your identity!"
Shu-haak!
"Ugh!"
The startled Guk Sa-hang hurriedly raised his sword as well.
It seemed that escaping this situation was the most urgent priority.
And he thought it would be possible, to some degree.
The Dan Clan's warriors were still some distance away, and he still had close to thirty of his own subordinates remaining.
But that was the very moment he thought so.
Three black-clad masked figures of unknown identity suddenly burst out from the forest.
Pshushushushuk! Hwiririririk!
"Kuaaaaak!"
"Uwaaaaak!"
Guk Sa-hang was thrown into panic once again.
The hidden weapons scattered by the three black-clad figures flew in like beams of light and began slaughtering his subordinates.
Even though they seemed to be thrown carelessly, their speed and accuracy were terrifying.
'Where did such masters of hidden weapons come from?!'
Judging by the flustered expression on the eldest son Seonwoo Seong's face, they appeared to be people he did not know either.
And that was the moment.
"Haap!"
Puhwaak!
"Kreuuk!"
Guk Sa-hang's right arm, holding his sword, went flying.
It was because of Seonwoo Jung's strike, which did not miss the opening created by Guk Sa-hang's mind falling into chaos from the continuous bewildering events.
Though both were at the initial stage of peak-level, Seonwoo Jung's skill was slightly superior, and since he did not miss his opponent's opening, the fight was concluded easily.
Afterwards, Seonwoo Jung immediately sealed Guk Sa-hang's acupoints, secured his body, and exchanged glances with one of the black-clad masked figures, Seonwoo Jin, nodding his head.
At this, Seonwoo Jin sent a telepathic transmission to Jeok Ma-hyeok and Gyeon-jung, and they all withdrew from the battlefield at once, seeping back into the forest.
And the very next moment, the Dan Clan's warriors charged in.
"You bastards!"
"How dare you impersonate our Dan Clan!"
"We will not forgive you!"
Individually, the skills of the Ha Clan's Baekho Corps warriors were likely superior to the Dan Clan's warriors, but the Baekho Corps warriors, who had lost their focal point and had only a dozen or so remaining, could not possibly withstand over a hundred Dan Clan warriors.
They were massacred in an instant.
"Kuaaaaak!"
"Aaaaak!"
"S-save me!"
After confirming this sight, Seonwoo Jung immediately approached the masked man he had captured and unmasked him.
And then, as if he had expected it, he shouted loudly.
"Baekho Second Squad Leader Guk Sa-hang! As I thought, you bastards were the Ha Clan's men!"
***
"Baekho Second Squad Leader Guk Sa-hang! As I thought, you bastards were the Ha Clan's men!"
Hearing my father's shout, I let out a chuckle.
Everything was proceeding exactly according to plan.
When I spoke with my father not long ago, he had asked me this.
'If we stir up the atmosphere as if we will submit to the Jegal Clan, and then declare that we will determine the successor fairly based solely on martial arts skill, the other wives will not be able to dare raise objections. I understood up to that point, but I do not quite understand how that becomes a method of rooting out the other factions.'
I grinned and posed a question to my father.
'What they all want in common is to seize the Seonwoo Clan. Then, who do you think believes they are the most advantageous among them?'
'Hmm, I suppose it would be the Ha Clan. They are located in the same Guiyang, and in reality, they wield the greatest influence within our clan as well.'
'That is correct. Then, if it seems the successor position will unexpectedly fall to our eldest brother, and on top of that, even the Seonwoo Clan, which they thought they had nearly secured, is about to be handed over to the Jegal Clan, what do you think they will do?'
My father could not easily answer my question.
But his expression showed he knew the answer all too clearly.
I opened my mouth again.
'They will likely want to overturn the board. Even if it means killing you and our eldest brother.'
At that, my father let out a deep sigh and nodded.
'Yes, if it is the Ha Gu-yang I know, he is certainly the kind of man who would do that. But Jin. No matter how strong the Ha Clan's forces are, it would be burdensome for them to directly assault our Seonwoo Clan. So it will not go as he wishes...'
That was when I asked with a mischievous grin.
'Of course a direct assault would be burdensome. So how about you and our eldest brother go out on an excursion, just the two of you? So that they won't find it burdensome.'
Startled by my words, my father asked with a bewildered expression.
'...You mean for just the two of us to go outside, knowing they are targeting us?'
'Yes, and if we even let them know our destination, wouldn't they gleefully set up an ambush in advance?'
'...Won't it be too dangerous?'
To my father, who asked again with a worried expression, I said this.
'Because an ambush you already know about is no longer an ambush.'
And the full story of this present situation was that we had then departed quickly to prevent other factions besides the Ha Clan from interfering.
In the end, they probably thought it was a covert attack unknown to anyone, but the truth was that it had all been playing out in the palm of my hand, as I had been receiving real-time intelligence from the Hao Gate the entire time.
"Seonwoo Gaju-nim, are you unharmed?!"
"Thanks to you all arriving in time, nothing happened. Truly, thank you."
The Dan Clan warrior exchanging greetings with my father was Dan Ha-seon, the older brother of my deceased friend Dan Ha-sang.
When my friend Dan Ha-sang was alive, he used to boast to me that his older brother was a supreme talent lacking in nothing—character, strategy, talent, martial arts, everything.
At that time, I had been very envious of him, unlike myself, for getting along so well with his brother.
When I first came to Guiyang City, after taking control of the Hao Gate's Guiyang Branch, I had immediately sought out the Dan Clan first.
And to Dan Ha-seon, who drew his sword with eyes full of resentment saying he would kill me, I had asked this.
'Ha-sang always used to boast about you, his older brother. He said you were an exceedingly wise person. I believed that as his older brother, you would naturally know, but it seems Ha-sang's praise was exaggerated. Do you truly believe that I killed Ha-sang back then? No, do you believe I could even have killed him?'
At that, he froze on the spot.
In truth, he must have had his suspicions as well.
Both the claim that I, who was Ha-sang's one and only friend and had even arranged his marriage to my younger sister, suddenly got drunk one day and killed him, and the claim that I, who was nothing like a martial artist at the time, could have killed him at all.
Anyone with common sense could not help but have doubts.
He asked me, his expression still tinged with killing intent.
'Are you trying to say... that you did not kill Ha-sang?'
'You're saying that I, who was an outcast even within the clan at that time, killed Ha-sang, my only friend? Why on earth would I? Was the Ha-sang you knew such a frail friend that he could die at the hands of someone who was nothing more than a pig back then?'
He did not answer.
No, he could not answer.
But from the fact that his killing intent vanished, I could confirm that he had accepted my words.
To him, I made this promise.
'Help me. I will find the true culprit who killed Ha-sang. And I will hand him over to you, hyung-nim. Furthermore... I will make the Dan Clan soar.'
Though it required some time, he ultimately decided to join my plan.
In other words, the Dan Clan had already been participating in my plan from the very beginning.
And now, they had to carry out an even more important role.
My father asked Dan Ha-seon in a booming voice loud enough for all to hear.
"From now on, I intend to punish the traitors within the Seonwoo Clan and chastise the Ha Clan, which tried to kill me. Would the Dan Clan be willing to lend us its strength?"
At this, Dan Ha-seon answered without a moment's hesitation.
"Of course! We, too, can never forgive those who dared to impersonate our Dan Clan and attempt to frame us! We will be your strength, Gaju-nim!"
"Thank you!"
Having said that, the two men firmly clasped hands.
It was an incredibly heartwarming sight.
...Of course, that would be true if one did not know it was a pre-planned action.
Having seen that far, I sent a telepathic transmission to Jeok Ma-hyeok and Gyeon-jung.
- Let's go. From now on, it's a race against time.
- Yes, Gongja!
- Understood.
We began running toward the Seonwoo Clan ahead of them.