Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: Mutual Thoughts (3)
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Night had deepened.
Heavy clouds filled the sky as if ready to pour down rain, blotting out both moonlight and starlight.
The world was pitch black.
'If only the moon had come out... I could've said it was a moonlit night jog, but this...'
Shiiiing!
Hanbi sprinted at full speed through the pitch darkness.
The alleyways twisted and turned. Some were so narrow that barely one person could squeeze through.
Even in broad daylight, running these paths would be tough.
Yet he charged through them at full tilt, pushing himself until his breath caught in his throat.
Suddenly, he felt like he'd gone far enough. He slipped under the eaves of someone's house and peered up at the night sky.
'Ha! That damn thing!'
A single dot hovered unwaveringly in the sky.
The dot never let him out of its sight. No matter how he ran or where he went, it always followed.
This method, that method... he'd tried them all, time and again.
He'd dived into water, hidden in someone's outhouse for a full hour before emerging, changed clothes, even worn a wide-brimmed hat to cover his whole body.
The thing followed without fail.
Only one option remained: pure speed. He had to move faster than the gaze tracking him from above.
But shaking off something watching from the sky was no easy feat. No matter how fast he ran, from up there, he looked laughably slow.
What if he used speed and terrain?
There was terrain to exploit: the densely packed shacks. To save land, the alleys between them were barely wide enough for one person.
So he bolted through them at full speed.
If a good hiding spot appeared while running, he could duck in.
Once inside the slums, he'd find plenty of options. Surely it wouldn't follow him that far.
But it did. It never lost him. No matter how he dashed, it circled directly overhead.
It was the Golden-Eyed Black Eagle.
One of the Zhuge Clan's renowned Four Great Pursuit Techniques.
'Hmph! It's making me run all night.'
Hanbi let out a wry chuckle.
He'd heard rumors about the Zhuge Clan's Golden-Eyed Black Eagle, but experiencing it firsthand was far worse. It relied solely on sight, yet even covering his eyes didn't shake it.
The Golden-Eyed Black Eagle seemed to have eyes that pierced the world and a nose that sniffed out all scents. How else could it track him after an hour in an outhouse, even after he'd disguised himself and donned a wide hat?
All methods were useless.
Now, running was his only choice.
'Whew! Alright, then. Let's run. Tonight... let's really cut loose.'
Shiiiing!
Hanbi unleashed his movement technique.
He broke free from the slums' cramped walls into open fields and paddies.
The dot in the sky pursued him leisurely.
The Golden-Eyed Black Eagle's talons were sharper than any fine sword. Once, it had slashed a bull's head, leaving ten deep claw marks etched into the skull.
Its feathers were treasures of the world. They repelled hidden weapons and even strong arrows.
The Golden-Eyed Black Eagle wielded heavenly might.
There were tales of it snatching a bound prisoner with ropes and carrying them a hundred li away.
The Golden-Eyed Black Eagle surpassed first-rate masters in its very existence.
No one hadn't thought, 'Can't I just kill that hawk?' Plenty had tried.
But there was no way to kill a Golden-Eyed Black Eagle.
Flying high, the best one could do was shoot arrows or hurl stones. But that never worked. Its feathers outdid any armor.
Or set an ambush with a net.
That failed too. It would fly off with the net in tow, dragging the holders skyward if they clung tight.
Lure it with bait.
As a bird, it needed to eat. Hawks favored rats, rabbits, fox cubs. So people laid out poisoned bait. But the Golden-Eyed Black Eagle sniffed out poison and never touched it.
No way to fight it.
That's why it was so dangerous. No one ever escaped its grasp.
If it hadn't been for surveillance only, Hanbi would've been done for already.
If ordered to capture, it would've snatched him. To kill, it would've ended him.
Pursuits with the Golden-Eyed Black Eagle never failed.
Just follow from afar, savor the time, relax... and watch the sky.
"What now?"
"What do you mean? Shake that thing off."
"The Golden-Eyed Black Eagle?"
"Or what? Walk around with a tail on me?"
"Hey! That's not what I meant. How are you gonna shake off the Golden-Eyed Black Eagle?"
Jaja shot back.
The Fox of Bireung Mountain stared at the sky without answering.
After Jaja emerged from the cave, about fifteen minutes passed before Fox appeared via the same path.
"Quick!"
That was Fox's first word upon spotting her. Without a moment's delay, he shot forward. Jaja pursued him, having no other choice.
And they ran straight into the Golden-Eyed Black Eagle.
More precisely, they chased it as it tracked Hanbi alone, gliding effortlessly.
She'd thought of so many ideas during the pursuit.
How to shake it? Shaking it seemed impossible; killing it was the only way. But how?
Jaja had brainstormed countless methods.
Yet they were all ones Hanbi had already tried, as if he'd heard her thoughts. Throwing darts, fleeing...
In the end, Jaja's mind went blank.
Hanbi seemed the same. No longer even attempting to evade, he just ran.
Fox had watched until things reached this point. Now, as Hanbi abandoned all methods, Fox suddenly claimed he could shake it off.
"You really can shake that thing?"
Jaja asked again for confirmation.
Fox didn't answer this time either. He scowled up at the sky.
Hanbi stopped running.
He'd dashed all night. Started before midnight, now past the hour of the tiger. Dawn would break soon, red sun rising in the east.
He stretched his legs for a brief rest.
The Golden-Eyed Black Eagle folded its wings too. Perched on a tall tree, it ignored Hanbi and scanned the surroundings.
Hunting for food? It happened sometimes. It would fly off for real prey but never fully avert its gaze. Start running thinking the sky clear, and it'd reappear, gliding lazily.
Hanbi had completely given up on shaking it.
Whether it glanced sideways, hunted, or flew far—he ignored it all. He wouldn't believe it gone until Zhuge warriors swarmed or he saw its corpse.
He kicked off his shoes, shaking out the dirt.
'Kid, you made me do everything... what now?'
Hanbi scowled.
Just before departing, Fox had slipped him a note.
Shoot arrows. Hurl stones. Sprint through the slums. Run full speed on a moonless night. Keep going for at least two hours.
Everything he'd done was on that note.
The instructions were exhausted. He'd even fulfilled the last: run over two hours. So he slumped down to rest.
'Do something, damn it! I'm beat.'
Hanbi glanced at the Golden-Eyed Black Eagle.
It sat calmly on the branch, unflagging.
"Perfect!"
Fox muttered softly.
"What? What's perfect?"
Jaja whispered.
Fox stepped much closer. Before Hanbi sat, he'd approached within twenty paces.
"It saw us."
Fox grinned.
"What?"
"That thing. It saw us."
"Is that... good?"
"Saw us at just the right moment. It's tired too. Heh heh!"
Fox chuckled like a kid pulling off a prank.
"Alright, time to hunt. Listen up. Get to Hanbi as fast as you can. So fast he'll think it's an ambush."
"Hey! Why do you talk so casually to me!"
"Not the time to nitpick, is it?"
"Ugh! We'll settle this later!"
Jaja stood to follow Fox's orders. She didn't know his plan, but it felt like obeying was the way to shake the Golden-Eyed Black Eagle.
Kyaaack!
Jaja lunged at Hanbi. Approaching him, but so swiftly it looked like an attack. Hanbi even startled to his feet.
Fox moved too, charging straight for the Golden-Eyed Black Eagle.
The eagle sat arrogantly, unmoving.
No need to move. It had already spotted the two. Like all the others it'd encountered, they posed no threat. Fast or slow, it watched plainly.
Swoosh!
Fox reached the tree base.
Bothersome. Fly up?
The Golden-Eyed Black Eagle spread its wings briefly, then folded them.
Whatever the one at its feet tried, it wasn't a threat.
The eagle tilted its head, scanning around. In that instant,
Shiiing!
Fox hurled a dart.
Weak power. Thrown not for force, but precision. No intent to pierce deep... just touch it, and it would die—or so it thought.
The Golden-Eyed Black Eagle stared blankly at the incoming dart.
Thud!
The dart couldn't penetrate the feathers. Naturally, it bounced off. But right then, the ricocheted dart twisted strangely.
Thud! Whoosh!
Suddenly, the sun burst from the dart.
Dazzling light and intense heat poured out, engulfing the Golden-Eyed Black Eagle.
Kyaaaack!
The Golden-Eyed Black Eagle shrieked violently and soared upward powerfully.
"Huh?!"
"Ah!"
Hanbi and Jaja whipped their heads skyward at the ear-splitting scream. They saw it: a fireball rising high.
"Th-that!"
"The G-Golden-Eyed Black Eagle..."
They were speechless.
The Golden-Eyed Black Eagle was burning. Flames wrapped it as it flew skyward.
It feared no fire. Ordinary blazes it pierced easily. Passing through heat left singe marks, but not like this inferno.
How... with what... set the Golden-Eyed Black Eagle ablaze?
Kyaaack!
Fox rushed to their side. He barked urgently,
"What are you doing? Run! The Zhuge Clan will swarm soon!"
Hanbi and Jaja snapped to.
Right! They'd seen the flaming eagle too. They'd come rushing.
The two hurriedly chased Fox, already a dozen paces ahead.