Chapter 62
Chapter 62
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: Ancient Clan's Martial Prodigy
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One of the warriors stepped forward as representative, breaking the silence.
"Yuk Senior, thanks to you, we survived."
A man with a dignified bearing clasped his fists in greeting as he spoke. At his waist hung the Alliance's token alongside a tachi sword in the old Tang Dynasty style.
The blade was straight, its length roughly one cheok and five chon. It was the signature weapon of the Shaanxi Yi Clan, who clung to it steadfastly.
The man's condition wasn't great. Bandages wrapped various parts of his body, and countless untreated wounds lay exposed. The other Five Harmony Alliance warriors bore visible scars from the fierce battle as well.
Yuk Ryul asked with a shocked expression.
"Jeong-baek, was the enemy strong enough to push you this far?"
Yuk Jin-yang's face also showed surprise at the name Tang Hyuk had uttered.
Flipping Mountain Mysterious Leopard Yi Jeong-baek. A warrior who would later make quite a name for himself. His skill was one thing, but he was renowned for his unyielding sense of justice, never betraying his honor.
At the group's demeanor, Yi Jeong-baek gave a wry smile.
"The Hwangbo Clan joined forces with the White Lotus Cult, deploying all sorts of sinister sorcery. We were outnumbered to begin with, and their bizarre tricks made it impossible to hold out."
"What about Master Yeonseong?"
"Fortunately, Master Yeonseong is unharmed. We gave him a mild sedative to keep him asleep, just in case the battlefield's killing intent startled him."
Yuk Ryul let out a sigh of relief.
"Half a success, then. Good work. It wouldn't do that fragile gentleman any good to witness the slaughter."
"If we can't escape, it'll just be a total failure."
"Before we discuss countermeasures, I'd like to hear the full story first."
"Not here. It's dangerous. Let's move to a safer spot."
Yi Jeong-baek suggested, glancing around warily. Yuk Ryul raised an eyebrow in puzzlement but didn't argue.
They turned into alleyways where private homes intertwined like a spider's web.
Cold, extinguished red lanterns hung forlornly. The ground was littered with shattered flower pots and household items. It seemed someone had fled in haste, leaving them behind.
Yuk Jin-yang felt a sense of unease.
Gokbu County wasn't some small village. As the ancestral home of the Kong Clan and the sage's birthplace, it drew countless pilgrims. It was impossible for it to be this deserted.
The group headed to a building that had once been an inn. The interior resembled ruins. Broken furniture and fixtures were scattered about as if a fight had broken out, and holes gaped in the roof.
Yi Jeong-baek pulled out a fire starter and gathered scraps of leftover firewood and broken furniture to light a fire. He began to speak as they warmed themselves by the flames.
"We arrived here seven days and nights ago."
Yuk Ryul's eyebrows twitched.
"Seven days and nights?"
Yi Jeong-baek quickly cleared up the misunderstanding.
"No civilians were harmed. They were already gone when we got here. According to Master Yeonseong, the Hwangbo Clan drove out all the common folk, along with the other Kong Clan families."
"Damn it, so they were fully committed too."
"It seems that way. The entire village is a trap."
Yi Jeong-baek sighed and explained the full details.
Seven days and nights ago, the Alliance warriors had arrived at Gokbu County.
They hadn't failed to notice the village's abnormality. But infiltrating was unavoidable to complete their mission.
They had successfully rescued the detained Master Yeonseong, fortunately. The problem came afterward.
"We tried to escape with him immediately, but we got caught in a sinister formation and have been stuck ever since."
Yuk Jin-yang recalled thrusting his sword at Hwangbo Myeong. There had been no time to dodge, yet he had suddenly turned to smoke and vanished. It wasn't a movement one could mimic with mere godly reflexes.
But if it was a formation's effect, it made sense. The world was full of sorceries that could toy even with a master's senses once stepped into.
The White Lotus Cult's evil arts were infamous even in later eras. Countless experts had lost their lives to their schemes.
It was no exaggeration that during the chaos of the Yuan-Ming transition, they were regarded on par with the Yuan Demon Cult's shamans or the Western Regions' Lama monks. They had broken every taboo, even resorting to ancient human sacrifice rituals.
The situation here, in this much earlier era, wouldn't be much different. Yuk Jin-yang made a mental note. If he spotted any cultists capable of setting up formations, he'd strike immediately.
"If you're saying that much, it doesn't sound like ordinary tricks."
"Yes, the effects are quite vicious. No matter which direction we take, we end up back in the village. It also hides presences and figures, which wore us down badly."
"Couldn't you dispel it?"
Yi Jeong-baek nodded.
"We roughly figured out the structure, but we didn't have the manpower."
"Why?"
"The defenses are too tight. Every time we scout for an escape, they ambush us. We nearly got wiped out once, but we barely secured this base."
"So we're trapped too, effectively."
Yuk Ryul sighed softly. Guilt shadowed his face. He seemed to be blaming himself for dragging his nephew into danger.
"Don't blame yourself too much. There must be a way."
Yi Jeong-baek consoled him, his gaze naturally shifting sideways.
"By the way, that's a new face. To think he beheaded Hwangbo Jeong-jun... Is he a temporary external recruit?"
"He's my nephew. He recently passed the exam and got his wooden plaque. But he's already beyond that rank in skill."
Yuk Ryul replied with a relaxed expression, clear pride in his voice.
"Ah! Could he be the one who beat the Haenam Sect's Azure Swallow Division Leader...?"
"That's right. If circumstances were better, I'd have you two spar and get to know each other. You probably would have had a good match."
"A good match, you say?"
Yi Jeong-baek muttered, his face turning serious. He didn't dismiss Yuk Ryul's words as exaggeration. His gaze toward Yuk Jin-yang mixed fighting spirit and curiosity.
Just then, a drifting leaf fluttered between them.
Yuk Jin-yang sensed a faint strand of energy like a gentle breeze. The leaf flew toward his face. A subtle smile played on Yi Jeong-baek's lips as their eyes met.
Warriors sometimes played these pranks in place of a formal spar.
Yuk Jin-yang responded lightly, releasing his qi. Their auras intertwined in the air. The leaf between them stiffened. Neither was yielding; they were evenly matched.
The subtle contest didn't last long. The leaf shredded and scattered.
"Hah."
Yi Jeong-baek stopped with admiration.
"Please accept this one's apology for testing you."
"I understand. No need for apologies."
"With a young hero like you, I'd gladly entrust my back."
His words and actions were boldly straightforward. Yuk Jin-yang took no offense at Yi Jeong-baek. Testing a comrade's mettle before a decisive battle was commonplace. Lives depended on it.
Yi Jeong-baek returned to the main topic.
"For now, shall we scout for a way out again tomorrow morning? With you joining us, Senior, we have some spare manpower."
"Sounds good. We can't hole up here forever."
A moonless night fell. The group bedded down by the firewood flames. The occasional cricket chirps were poignant.
The morning in Gokbu County was overcast. Sunlight shyly hid behind clouds, draping everything in hazy gray. The crisp early autumn air carried a chill.
They had planned to scout immediately at dawn, but complications arose. Some in the group collapsed with high fevers and couldn't stand. The tension release after their injuries had taken its toll.
Yi Jeong-baek muttered gravely.
"This is bad. Of all times."
"No clinics nearby? Even if people fled, they wouldn't have taken every herb."
"There are some, but they're far off. Hard to say if any medicine's left."
Yuk Jin-yang had no choice but to cook porridge with the jerky and dry rations he'd prepared. It was a stopgap, but without a doctor, filling their stomachs came first.
Fortunately, it turned out decent. The injured seemed satisfied.
Yi Jeong-baek brightened as he took a bowl, adding by way of excuse.
"Thanks. Even rationing our supplies while trapped here, they ran out fast."
"I get it. After a hard fight, you'd be starving."
The warm food filled bellies and bolstered spirits; some even regained their senses. But severely delirious wounded remained.
'The longer this drags, the more they'll burden us. Need to find an exit soon.'
Yuk Jin-yang assessed coldly. It was a habit from his days of constant missions.
Yuk Ryul, who had gone out for night watch, approached yawning.
"No wonder it smelled so good. Give me a bowl too."
"Here."
Yuk Jin-yang handed his uncle a bowl and explained how the porridge came about. Hearing the situation, Yuk Ryul sighed deeply.
"It's a miracle no one's fallen ill sooner. Fighting nonstop for seven days and nights. Holding out this long is impressive."
"What now?"
"Let's discuss first."
Yuk Ryul turned to Yi Jeong-baek.
"You said you've mapped the formation's structure?"
"Yes, not the exact ritual base, but we traced where its power originates. The sage's shrine."
"Damn cultists."
Yuk Ryul spat a curse and asked.
"You failed to breach it yesterday too?"
"Yes. If we'd conserved strength from the start, maybe. But the unexpected formation effects killed and wounded many, and we failed in the end."
"The enemy must have taken heavy losses too. What if Jin-yang leads the vanguard to break through, and you carry Master Yeonseong and run? Might work."
No mention of transporting the wounded. It implied abandoning them if necessary. A resolve not to let pity ruin the mission.
Yi Jeong-baek flinched and asked softly.
"You're saying leave the wounded behind?"
"If there's truly no way."
"Mm."
Yi Jeong-baek groaned. He clearly disliked it. But he couldn't openly rebel. Yuk Ryul outranked him, and as an Alliance warrior, mission came first.
Yuk Jin-yang cautiously interjected.
"How about searching for a clinic? Even finding wound salve would help a lot."
"Would they leave medicine behind? I'd have cleared everything useful."
Yuk Ryul grasped the intent and countered immediately. But Yuk Jin-yang thought differently.
"They were busy evacuating villagers—did they have time for that? Worth a try, even if it fails."
Yi Jeong-baek gazed at Yuk Ryul with desperate hope. At last, he nodded.
Yuk Ryul inwardly dreaded the cold choice of abandoning the wounded too.