Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Chapter 10: Curing Poison (2)
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He's alive!
He entered the main compound!
The assassin possessed incredibly resilient vitality. Among the poison freaks who didn't collapse from the toxins Tang Zhong had scattered, this one was the freakiest.
Zhuge Soso wanted to capture the assassin.
The man who had slapped her cheek, the one who slipped away right before her eyes, the one who escaped the merchant envoy and made even Tang Zhong look foolish... The assassin had become a towering figure in her mind.
But to catch him, like it or not, she had to wait seven days and nights.
No one, not even Tang Zhong, could enter the estate during that time. All they could do was wait for the poison to wear off.
Could the assassin hold out for a full seven days?
He had wriggled through a heap of toxins that would have killed him ten times over. She couldn't shake the foreboding feeling that even after seven days, he'd still be alive.
She wanted to wait those seven days and confront him. Unfortunately, she couldn't stay at the estate.
"Please catch him for sure."
"Don't worry."
"I'm begging you."
She had so much she wanted to say, but not a single word escaped her lips.
Tang Zhong could offer her advice, but the reverse was impossible. For her to advise him would be to disregard his years of experience and status as a veteran of the martial world.
'Forget about capturing him alive. A monster like that won't stop until he's dead. Go in with the intent to kill him for sure...'
She said it only in her heart.
As if sensing her inner thoughts, Tang Zhong chuckled and patted her shoulder.
"Haha! I said don't worry."
"Ah! I'm sorry. I guess I'm just too on edge because of that killer."
"It's understandable. He's no ordinary foe, after all. If it weren't for matters back home, I'd want to stick around here myself. Don't worry—I'll make sure to finish him off."
Zhuge Soso clasped her fists in a formal salute.
The Heavenly Annihilation Division was famous for leaving no traces of their comings and goings.
They either had exceptional talent for mobility or took extreme care to avoid leaving tracks.
But how could a person move without leaving any trace?
She had already figured out exactly how the Heavenly Annihilation Division operated.
"How is it?"
"He's already on the move."
"Just as expected?"
"Heh heh heh!"
Zhuge Myeong laughed.
It was the bright, triumphant laugh he made when things were going perfectly.
Just hearing Zhuge Myeong's laugh let Zhuge Soso gauge how far the operation had progressed.
"Don't catch him. Absolutely do not. And don't let him sense that we're tailing him."
"Don't worry. You think this is my first or second time doing this?"
"And! And!"
"Got it. Got it. Cautious. Cautious. Happy now?"
Zhuge Myeong was a cautious man. He might smile slyly and talk a lot like someone full of openings, but for every word he spoke aloud, he thought twice in his head.
Zhuge Soso was the brain, Zhuge Myeong the body.
When she devised the plan, he executed it faithfully—without deviating a single inch, perfectly.
"Any word from headquarters?"
"Heh heh! Yes. Here it is."
Zhuge Myeong handed her a scroll.
Zhuge Soso unrolled it immediately and began scanning from the top.
"Vanguard. Top-grade of the Renyin year. Inheritor of the Mara Heaven-Transforming Sword. Mara Heaven-Transforming Sword? Isn't that an Indian martial art?"
"Right. It's from India. Headquarters is looking into the Mara Heaven-Transforming Sword right now."
"Hm! Interesting fellow."
Zhuge Soso smiled.
If Vanguard had obtained the Mara Heaven-Transforming Sword from the Heavenly Annihilation Division, it meant their reach extended to India. If he'd known it before joining, it showed their talent scouting paths were incredibly diverse.
Either way, it added another piece of intel on the Heavenly Annihilation Division.
"Hanbi. Top-grade of the Renyin year? Two top-grades?"
"Heh heh! Not just two. Keep reading—it's even more fun."
Zhuge Soso read on quickly.
"Jaja. Top-grade of the Gengzi year. Gengzi...?"
"That's right. The year known as the 'Armed with Death.' We can't compare top-grades directly, but only eleven were named top-grade that Gengzi year, so his skills are probably the strongest among them."
"Three top-grades, huh. No wonder Vanguard is so elusive."
"Read more."
"Changbok. Newly deployed this time..."
The contents were astonishing. He had trained in the Renyin martial camp, then executed seven comrades before being demoted to prison warden... An unusual incident for the Heavenly Annihilation Division.
The Heavenly Annihilation Division was like a porcupine.
They never forgave those who touched them.
Changbok had crossed them. Defying regulations and executing comrades warranted execution.
Yet they demoted him to warden instead of killing him.
It meant he was too valuable to kill. Perhaps the camp instructors had pleaded for his life.
He was another top-grade from the Renyin year, alongside Hanbi.
Four top-grades. When many squads had none, this one had four.
Was this some kind of elite strike team specially selected?
There was also info on the Fox of Bireung Mountain.
He was newly deployed alongside Changbok.
'Fox of Bireung Mountain.'
Zhuge Soso murmured inwardly.
'Fox of Bireung Mountain'... She knew the name well.
He was said to appear and vanish like a ghost on Bireung Mountain. Countless martial artists had tried to catch him, only to be repeatedly humiliated. Like a nine-tailed fox, he'd slip away slyly every time.
She had researched him after hearing the rumors.
How the martial artists laid their capture operations, and how the Fox of Bireung Mountain escaped.
The more she learned, the more amazed she became.
The Fox of Bireung Mountain excelled at improvisation. His senses for detecting danger were extraordinarily sharp, so he fled before threats closed in. He'd escaped that way seven out of ten times.
He made masterful use of terrain.
When danger struck, he'd bolt into treacherous ground no martial artist could follow—scaling cliffs, leaping into gorges, diving into water... Two out of ten escapes were like that.
The final one out of ten? Even she couldn't figure it out.
He was clearly surrounded, yet he vanished.
That one case still haunted her. How did he do it?
And now, that Fox of Bireung Mountain was Vanguard's scout.
'This won't be easy!'
Zhuge Soso furrowed her brow deeply.
According to headquarters' intel, the ones they were pursuing were four top-grade martial artists led by the Fox of Bireung Mountain.
"Why isn't the fifth one listed?"
Zhuge Soso was curious about the assassin who killed the merchant envoy—his identity. But the response was utterly unexpected.
"They haven't identified him yet."
"What?"
She asked again in disbelief.
"That's all the report we got this time. The killer who took out the merchant envoy is the one handling the Four Kills... We know Vanguard picked him up this time. Pulled him straight from the Nineteen Hells. But for some reason, there's zero record on him."
'This really won't be easy.'
An ominous premonition gripped her.
When the merchant envoy first requested help, she'd thought it was nothing serious.
No one in the Zhuge family had taken the matter gravely.
Even so, the Zhuges deployed Zhuge Soso, dubbed North Bright South Sly, and Zhuge Myeong, the ghost-hunting pursuit master. They saw it as a prime chance to tail the Heavenly Annihilation Division.
The merchant envoy assassinated? Unthinkable.
But it happened. He died. Right under Zhuge Soso's nose.
Now all that remained was the pursuit—and even that filled her with dread.
"The Fox of Bireung Mountain is no pushover. Brother, please handle the chase yourself."
"Heh heh heh! I've heard the rumors about him too. I was planning to anyway. What about that one?"
Zhuge Myeong nodded toward Changbok, who had appeared alone.
A burly man built like a wild boar, handling Six Directions duties as a decoy.
Tangling with him would delay the pursuit.
Of course, they had no intention of getting entangled. Knowing full well how the Heavenly Annihilation Division moved, they wouldn't be foolish enough to let some Six Directions pawn block their path.
Zhuge Soso spoke up.
"I'll handle it."
When someone by your side suddenly vanishes, the emptiness hits especially hard.
The spots they leave behind feel even more desolate. The empty air turns brutally cold.
No shoulder to lean on, forced to survive on your own strength alone.
Survive? Fat chance...
Back in prison, he'd heard there was a squad leader in One-Four-Six who always killed them off. Three-Five might survive, but One-Four-Six always died. Other squads weren't like that.
He'd gotten worked up thinking, What kind of bastard does that?
He never imagined it'd happen to him on the front lines.
For now, Four Thousand Four was missing. Him assassinate the merchant envoy? Ha! Laughable. How could he? Anyway, the mission was complete, and Four Kills was MIA.
Then Six Directions dies.
Not dead yet, but it's certain.
He wasn't enough to hold them off. Half a shichen at best? No, honestly, even one tea's time—or one instant—would be a miracle.
Four Kills missing, Six Directions dead.
One Scout will die too. Considering who's chasing them, handing over one scout might not even end it.
Either way, One-Four-Six dies again.
Back in prison, he couldn't have dreamed this would go down on the front lines.
Now that he'd clashed with them firsthand, he got why Vanguard did what he did.
Vanguard was giving his all. Who'd have thought they'd dive straight in to take out the merchant envoy?
'Those bastards will say One-Four-Six died again.'
Wild Boar thought of the prison wardens back in the Nineteen Hells.
They were probably sprawled out sleeping soundly right now. All guys together, no need for propriety... Tossing off their trousers and rolling around naked.
Those were the days.
'Still, gotta keep some face. Can't just get tossed aside the moment we hit the martial world.'
Wild Boar gripped his iron club tightly.
Half a shichen passed.
These were foes he'd be lucky to charge at right away, yet... still no sign of them.
Had they given up the chase? No, not their style. Wrong direction? Unlikely. They had five hundred men. Guessing wrong on escape routes would make them the world's biggest fools.
Vanguard, Hanbi, Jaja... Strangers to him.
Strangers had appeared and vanished.
Many people saw the three of them. Saw them move. Saw where they headed.
Their path from the estate into the mountains was exposed.
They were definitely coming this way.
"Damn it! If you're coming, hurry up already. What's with the dawdling?!"
Wild Boar grumbled.
A full shichen flew by.
Wild Boar sat in the tree shade, face twisted in a scowl.
Something was wrong. This couldn't be. The enemy should have shown up, but no presence at all.
He looked down at the capital.
With the merchant envoy dead, the whole city should be in uproar, but it was eerily peaceful.
He even wondered why Vanguard had fled in such haste.
'What went wrong?'
No matter how he racked his brain, it made no sense. He couldn't exactly go down to the capital and scout why the Euldowon or New Moon Sword Sect weren't pursuing.
He waited.
Another shichen passed.
Half a day since Vanguard left, and still no sign of pursuers.
No one was coming.
Vanguard had asked him to hold for just one shichen. He'd held more than twice that.
'Can I... leave now?'
Vanguard said to head to Luoyang.
He was itching to go, his butt practically bouncing.
Who'd want to sit here waiting to die? Who'd want to clash with pursuers? Two shichen with no sign—hadn't he held long enough?
'Just a bit longer. A little more.'
Wild Boar swallowed dryly.
If he played it right, he might survive.