Chapter 108
Chapter 108
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 108
Chapter Title: Ambush on the River
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The troops that had exited the castle pressed northward along the river. Two boats accompanied the soldiers. Yuk Jin-yang rode calmly through the center of the formation, all the while sharpening his senses.
The enemies' stealthy pursuit had continued ever since leaving the castle. A persistent gaze that chilled him to the bone had been prickling at him nonstop.
And it wasn't just a matter of tailing them. A dragnet over heaven and earth. Forces had been deployed in all directions across a vast expanse. The opponents had clearly set up an encirclement net with full intent.
Yet Yuk Jin-yang's senses easily picked out an alien qi amid the net. Separate from the assassins, another group seemed to be observing them through dark arts.
'The Brocade Guards hiding among the officials, and the Ghost Sword Society. Looks like both sides have stepped up.'
Unlike the faint qi of the Brocade Guards, the Ghost Sword Society's presence was comparatively distinct. That was thanks to the sheer number they'd scattered everywhere.
Roughly dozens, at least. Even that wasn't precise. There might be swarms of hundreds of assassins lurking in spots all around.
His comrades seemed to sense the unease as well. Won-yeong and Yu-baek, disguised and mixed in among the generals, sent telepathic messages back and forth.
―Creepy as hell. They came out in full force. If they find out you're not Prince Chu, the Ghost Sword Society Leader's gonna be seriously disappointed. Kinda curious what his face looks like.
―Mind if I snag 'em all for you? Been itching to move since I couldn't before.
Yuk Jin-yang chuckled at the concern laced into their jokes.
The procession continued onward until it reached a fork where the waterway and land route diverged. A mountain lay in between, splitting the paths before they reconverged far to the northwest.
"Your Highness, treacherous deep valleys lie ahead, so please transfer to the boats here. We're afraid your noble body might suffer if we end up camping."
A general attending nearby deliberately raised his voice. It was Won-yeong, perfectly disguised as a man with reversal arts. Yuk Jin-yang nodded.
"Very well."
The lower officers, unaware of the full plan, stared in bewilderment. Splitting the forces would naturally make them more vulnerable to ambushes. It wasn't a tactic for a hasty march.
Yet the generals offered no explanations, instead urging swift compliance. With all their superiors pressuring them sternly, the men had no choice but to assent.
Soon, Prince Chu's procession divided in two. The bulk of the soldiers continued north by land, while the prince and a handful of escorts boarded the boats. With sails fully unfurled, the passenger ships glided leisurely along the waterway.
Meanwhile, figures cloaked in darkness watched the scene. They were masked assassins clad in black night robes.
"Prince Chu's switching to the boats. Looks like he's trying to slip away via the water."
"Saved us some needless effort. This tributary flows east for a good long way before linking back to the land route. Tail 'em, and a perfect ambush spot'll turn up naturally."
"Not a trap? It's almost too good. Feels like... they're deliberately exposing a weakness."
"It's a trap, sure. But one worth walking into."
The assassin murmured from the shadows. He continued his calm explanation despite his subordinate's wide-eyed stare.
"Ever hunted a tiger?"
"Me, hunt a tiger? I was kidnapped at ten and raised as an assassin. I could hunt people with my eyes closed, sure."
"Tiger hunts are different from other prey. The hunter and the beast both predict each other's moves. It's a numbers game of pursuit. Each thinks they're herding the other into a trap."
The subordinate brushed it off casually.
"So humans and beasts both see each other as the prey? Wild."
"That's exactly our situation. No way they don't know we're on their tail. They're knowingly dangling an opening to lure us in."
His tone assumed the enemy had already seen through their movements.
The subordinate responded with evident reluctance.
"Then why not target the ones that split off? Most of the brass boarded the boats—they won't handle a surprise attack well."
"Forgot our goal? Those grunts don't matter. Even if we take a hundred thousand heads, it doesn't compare to Prince Chu's."
"But what if this is another feint? What if the prince is using a body double?"
"Even then, it's just a reversal of order. Divided foes are that much easier to devour."
By now, Prince Chu's boat was vanishing toward the horizon. The assassin's voice grew urgent as he issued orders.
"You head back and report to the Leader. We'll overtake and lie in wait, so have him strike the rear at the critical moment."
"Understood. Good luck."
"The wind soughs sadly, the waters of the Yi River run cold."
Among the assassins, they recited the verse of Jing Ke, revered as a god. The leader raised his arm. With the hand signal, countless shadows leaped from branches, swarming the sky like a flock of crows.
And beyond the forest.
Three warriors observed the assassins' deployment through dark arts. They were Brocade Guards. The youngest, Yun Hoo, spoke up.
"The assassins are moving. What's the plan?"
Yun Gang, his uncle and the group's leader, replied.
"We tail them, obviously."
"Which side? Looks like the prince took the boat, but we can't be sure."
At that moment, the silent Kwak Min unfolded his arms and cut in.
"We follow the assassins."
"Not taking our own path, but dogging those bastards? Mind sharing your reasoning?"
"Simple. Either way, we profit."
Yun Gang nodded after a moment's thought. Their plan had rested on one assumption all along.
The assassins and Prince Chu's forces would clash and bloody each other.
Guiyang's local troops weren't without talent, but they couldn't hope to hold alone against Prince Chu's famed elite strategists. Their real firepower boiled down to these three Brocade Guards.
The Ghost Sword Society, on the other hand, had overwhelming numbers.
No matter Prince Chu's soldiers, a clash with the Society would cost them dearly.
The assassins hoped the prince was on that boat, but from the Brocade Guards' perspective, it didn't matter which. The Society would hound Prince Chu until their own faction was wiped out anyway.
He glanced back. The finest of Guiyang's locals and gunners stood arrayed.
"Alright, let's move."
The boat, drifting leisurely, reached a winding strait. Steep cliffs jutted skyward on both sides.
Absolute silence blanketed everything. Not a single bird called. A faint breeze stirred, but its touch on the skin sent chills utterly out of place.
Everyone sensed the wrongness, their faces tense.
Thud!
Suddenly, the boat rocked violently as if striking a reef. One general rushed out of the cabin to the rowers.
"What happened?!"
"S-Sorry! Something seems caught on the hull bottom."
"Of all places?"
Yuk Jin-yang, overhearing from the cabin, frowned. Here it comes, he thought.
This was a river, not the sea—no massive reef would lurk here. Unless someone had laid iron chains in advance.
"Ambush."
The curt word had barely left his lips.
Whoosh!
Sounds of figures kicking off the ground erupted from all directions. Not a word of rallying cry. It came like the eerie silence of deepest night—vague yet starkly contradictory.
The allies were the ones who raised voices.
"Assassins!"
"Protect His Highness! Don't let those bastards anywhere near him!"
"Traitors! This'll be your graveyard!"
But their resolve proved hollow—the assassins didn't limit themselves to the gunwales.
Boom!
The passenger ship's cabin roof caved in, assassins finally bursting into the cabin. Yuk Jin-yang instinctively gripped his sword hilt. But Won-yeong moved first.
Won-yeong swung her iron flail, cleaving the assassin lunging with a blade at her face.
She had already shed her disguise. Reversal arts including bone shrinking forced joints and bones into unnatural positions, making it hard to unleash full power while maintaining the change.
Snap.
Yuk Jin-yang effortlessly snatched the poisoned needle the dying assassin spat from his mouth. The needle's tip glistened with an eerie green sheen.
Poison. True to form, the assassins pulled every dirty trick.
That was when it happened.
Crunch. A metal hook shaped like a beast's claw burst through the door. The entire door was soon ripped away.
The chaos outside lay bare: imperial troops tangled with assassins in brutal melee.
But Yuk Jin-yang's gaze soon fixed straight ahead.
There stood a one-eyed assassin clutching a chain sickle, a bizarre exotic weapon. His aura was as demonic as the strange armament.
The fiend sneered.
"Beats me where your confidence comes from. Thought hopping on a boat would shake us off?"
"This kind."
Won-yeong spat the words and shot forward with terrifying momentum. Her iron flail crashing down at his brow clashed with the outstretched chain, scattering sparks.
"Long time no see, Red Sword Sect Leader."
"...You?"
"Red Sword Sect's name must ring far. Lost an eye and switched weapons too?"
"White hair, blue eyes, iron flail. Yeonam Won Clan daughter."
His voice was dry, but his killing intent blazed like wildfire. He shoved Won-yeong back with force and retreated several paces.
"I once visited your clan to test my dark arts. Wanted to see how your inherited True Eyes from the Dosak Army stacked up."
"And?"
"You and I both bear grudges, so let's settle it here. Come on."
But Won-yeong didn't budge. Duty came before grudges. In the meantime, escorts around Yuk Jin-yang formed ranks.
It was the military Ten Directions All-Encompassing Formation, covering front, rear, left, right, above, and below.
The Ghost Sword Society assassins gaped at the turtle-like, ironclad defense.
"Impressive guard. Won't be easy to breach."
"We'll peel away the layers one by one."
"I'll go first."
All who spoke exuded no ordinary auras. Elite experts positioned up front.
Soon they surged like crashing tidal waves. Melee erupted even in the roofless cabin, clashes echoing.
The assassins' assaults were potent yet simplistic. Charging on numbers like blood-maddened beasts—reckless, heedless of self-preservation, bordering on frenzy.
Yuk Jin-yang observed the battlefield with a frown.
He had quietly released his bone shrinking art in preparation for combat. No one would notice the shift amid the chaos. His Moon Maiden Divine Art qi already surged through his meridians.
And at last.
"Broke through."
One assassin pierced the throng and reached Yuk Jin-yang.
His mask had slipped, revealing a sneer. He'd clearly heard the rumors: the prince was a strategist of low martial attainment. Confident in a one-hit kill.
Yuk Jin-yang gripped the sword at his waist. Still seated.
"Die!"
The instant the bloodied fiend's blade neared.
Slash!
From his seated position, he drew and swung. The stroke traced a racing line, severing flesh and bone.