Chapter 143
Translator: uly
Chapter: 143
Chapter Title: Mist, Darkness, and Fear (1)
As Hami lit the fire, the inside of the secret warehouse was revealed. The warehouse was filled with all sorts of miscellaneous items.
There were also sacks stuffed full of banknotes.
They appeared to be money received from the Myriad Demon Poison Clan and Hweong, along with funds gathered from banditry in the meantime.
Ak Muyoo ignored all that and rummaged through the stack of documents. He examined the papers meticulously.
But nothing he wanted to know was there.
Among the stack of documents, he found a leather pouch. He untied the string at the opening and pulled out its contents.
“Keuk!”
A cold smile crept onto Ak Muyoo’s lips.
This awl, embedded with hundreds of tiny protrusions on its surface, was the very weapon that had pierced into his left chest when he was young—the Heaven-Death Awl.
Ak Muyoo stared silently at the Heaven-Death Awl.
“You came looking for that?”
Hami asked.
“No.”
Ak Muyoo slipped the Heaven-Death Awl back into the leather pouch and tucked it between his belt at his waist.
“You came to learn about the client who commissioned it.”
“But there’s nothing here.”
“It’d be better to capture and torture them.”
“If I were overwhelmingly stronger, I’d take them alive, but Iyang’s no pushover. Trying to capture him could get me killed…”
“I’ll help you.”
“If you do, I’d appreciate it.”
“You’ll take all the money, right?”
“It’s one of the reasons I came here, so of course.”
Ak Muyoo nodded.
He didn’t know how long they’d travel together, but now he had to support two hundred people. To feed them, he needed money. The two gathered up the money sacks and headed outside.
“This house is now empty.”
Geuk Chal Ra said.
“Let’s head back.”
The group exited and raced toward Horim Forest.
At that moment.
The Western Xia Alliance warriors who had headed north were entering Horim Forest. The instant they entered, the Myriad Demon Poison Clan warriors from the south also stepped into Horim.
“It’s too quiet, Father.”
Dok Gun Ha, leading the group from the front, said.
“The enemy likely knows we’ve entered.”
Dok Go Yong said.
“Did they flee?”
“There was no word from the Western Xia Alliance surveillance that they’d run.”
“Then they’re crouching in the darkness.”
“That’s probably it. And tonight, those two vermin die.”
The Myriad Demon Poison Clan warriors continued onward.
“But…”
Dok Gunpae, scouting ahead, tilted his head. He’d heard that after passing the inn, the Jeonrimdan lodging was just about a hundred zhang away. Yet they’d walked at least five hundred zhang, and no lodging was in sight.
“Did we take a wrong turn?”
Dok Gunpae turned to look behind.
“Heuk!”
His eyes widened.
“What is it?”
Dok Go Yong turned to Dok Gunpae.
“It’s gone.”
Dok Gunpae said in a groan-like voice.
“What’s… Euk!”
Dok Go Yong also let out a groan. They had clearly passed the inn moments ago, descended, and walked through the trees. Yet the spot where the forest had been was now an open plain.
“Illusion formation!”
“You’re right, Father. We’re trapped in an illusion formation.”
Dok Gunpae said with a hardened face.
“Do you know about illusion formations?”
Dok Go Yong asked Ok Ju-ham.
“I don’t know much either.”
Ok Ju-ham shook his head.
“Don’t scatter. Stick close to the person in front and move.”
Dok Go Yong shouted to the troops.
“We outnumber them ten to one. No need to worry. Move!”
Following Dok Go Yong, Dok Gun Ha urged the disciples on.
The Myriad Demon Poison Clan warriors, tense as they scanned their surroundings, pressed forward.
“Fortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a Death Gate.”
After scouting the illusion formation for about an incense stick’s time, Dok Gunpae said. In an illusion formation, a Death Gate referred to a specific area where entering meant certain death. The Myriad Demon Poison Clan warriors were moving nearly shoulder-to-shoulder, but with eight hundred men, they were spread out quite widely.
If there were a Death Gate, some should have vanished by now, but nothing had happened. That meant this formation had no Death Gate.
“Even so, we can’t lower our guard.”
Dok Go Yong said.
“Of course.”
Dok Gunpae nodded.
“Let’s hurry.”
“Hurry up.”
Dok Gunpae shouted.
Even without a Death Gate, being trapped in an illusion formation made people uneasy. The Myriad Demon Poison Clan warriors moved quickly.
There were others whose hearts raced due to the formation—those who had entered from the north, the Western Xia Alliance warriors.
“It seems they’ve set up an illusion formation.”
Military Advisor I Mu-gwang said with a stiff face.
“We don’t know what kind?”
“From what we’ve grasped so far, no Death Gate.”
“An illusion formation without a Death Gate… Why set one up like that?”
“It could be they only know one kind.”
“Hm! For now, stay calm and keep advancing.”
“Yes.”
I Mu-gwang bowed his head.
The Western Xia Alliance warriors pressed forward through the darkness, sticking close together. But no matter how they searched the forest, the Jeonrimdan lodging didn’t appear.
“It’s a Maze Formation.”
That was I Mu-gwang’s conclusion after wandering for two shichen.
“Hm!”
Iyang looked at Hweong.
“We know mechanisms well, but formations are a blank slate to us.”
Hweong was just as flustered.
It’d be better if the enemy attacked outright, but the formation showed no change. Nor was there an obvious way out. It felt like being adrift in the middle of a vast ocean.
Sending scouts in all directions risked playing into the enemy’s hands, so that wasn’t an option.
“We’ll have to observe a bit longer.”
The Western Xia Alliance warriors walked on.
Time flowed relentlessly, night passed swiftly, and morning arrived.
“That’s better!”
I Mu-gwang let out a sigh of relief.
Fear of a night raid had kept him awake all night. He’d ordered the troops not to slack on vigilance. Fortunately, no raid came, and dawn broke.
‘But…’
Suddenly, he remembered they hadn’t brought food. They’d come for battle, but thinking it was nearby and wouldn’t take long, they hadn’t prepared supplies. Yet they’d spent the night without even water.
‘We trusted the Myriad Demon Poison Clan too much and rushed.’
He muttered inwardly.
They should have prepared more thoroughly. Relying solely on the Myriad Demon Poison Clan’s prowess and departing hastily was a mistake. No, their numerical superiority had led to underestimating the foe. Now they needed to regroup, but there was nothing to do.
He glanced at Iyang.
The man, frowning deeply as he scanned around, seemed plenty frustrated too.
“Keep moving. The enemy’s in here.”
A shout came from one of the squad leaders.
The Western Xia Alliance warriors walked on, eyes peeled.
“Alliance Leader.”
I Mu-gwang called to Iyang.
“Speak.”
“We need to find a way out.”
“I was about to say the same. Do as the advisor thinks.”
“Understood.”
I Mu-gwang bowed and headed to a clearing.
“Squad leaders, over here.”
I Mu-gwang gathered the squad leaders. The leaders of each squad approached him.
The one wielding a snake-shaped saber was First Squad Leader Red Snake Saber Chak Jeok-gi; the hairy brute was Demon Lord Hwang Don, Second Squad Leader. The one with an enormous head was Third Squad Leader Monster Head I Jang-do, and the bluish-faced man nicknamed Blue Face was Fourth Squad Leader Yang Ji.
The last was Fifth Squad Leader Eight Arms Palms Eo Jeok, who had suffered at Ak Muyoo’s group’s hands. These five were the strongest in the Western Xia Alliance.
“From now on, squad leaders should focus not on finding the enemy, but on figuring out how to escape this place.”
I Mu-gwang said.
“Find a way out, you mean?”
First Squad Leader Chak Jeok-gi asked.
“We have no water or food. It’s fine now, but in time, we’ll lose not from weakened martial arts, but from sheer exhaustion.”
“Understood. We’ll prioritize escape.”
The squad leaders nodded.
“To avoid converging in one spot: First Squad takes front, Second left, Third right, Fourth rear, Fifth stays here on standby. Leave markers without fail, and return following them.”
I Mu-gwang cautioned.
“Got it.”
The squad leaders dispersed with their troops.
About half a shichen after the squads split.
“What’s that?”
Hweong pointed sideways with a puzzled face. A faint haze was rising creepily.
“It’s mist.”
I Mu-gwang said dismissively.
“Does mist form often here?”
“When the temperature difference between night and day is severe, it does.”
“That mist is from temperature difference too?”
“Probably.”
“I hope so…”
Hweong eyed the mist uneasily.
“Squad Leader, mist’s rising.”
One troop said to Hwang Don.
“I see it.”
Hwang Don frowned. Horim did get misty often, and he knew that well, but trapped in a formation, it unnerved him greatly.
“How vast is this place anyway?”
A troop grumbled.
Hwang Don looked around. Like the tide, darkness rolled in with the mist.
“We rest here tonight! Maintain strict watch!”
Hwang Don decided rest beat reckless movement. From last night to now, no one had drunk water, but none showed it. Second Squad settled in. Exhausted from the sleepless night before, many dozed off tonight.
Soon, most fell fast asleep.
“Rotate watch by group, one shichen each. The rest sleep.”
In the end, Hwang Don ordered bedding down.
“Lee Sam’s dead!”
“U Seok’s dead!”
The next morning, terrified shouts erupted here and there. Over a dozen on watch had been found with throats slit.
“The enemy’s nearby! Find them!”
Hwang Don bellowed. Second Squad scrambled. But no sign of last night’s killer. Not even footprints. The mist lingered, floating like debris.
“Eum!”
Hwang Don groaned.
This wasn’t Horim’s natural fame; it was artificial fog conjured by the formation.
“Don’t scatter! Search sticking together!”
Hwang Don shouted with a grim face.
They searched all day, and night fell again.
The third night.
They posted more guards than before.
“Kraaak!”
“Aak!”
“Euaak!”
Around midnight, agonized screams jolted those dozing lightly awake.
“Where?”
Hwang Don jumped up, shouting.
“Left side!”
“Aak!”
“Euaak!”
Now screams from the opposite side.
“Enemy!”
“Enemy!”
With over a dozen slain in the mist, Second Squad couldn’t sleep anymore. They stayed awake through the night till morning.
“Damn it!”
Hwang Don spat curses.
Already three days without food—or even water. Yet they had to move.
“We have to get out somehow. From now, no turning—straight ahead.”
Hwang Don shouted.
Second Squad marked footprints as they went. Forest or not, it felt endless like a desert.
“W-We’re going in circles.”
One troop cried out in fear.
“What nonsense?”
Hwang Don demanded.
“That stone on this rock—I placed it three shichen ago.”
The troop pointed at a fist-sized stone on the rock.
“Really?”
“Yes. It’s definitely the one I set.”
“We marked with footprints as we went. But…”
Wooooo! Woo woo woo!
A low sound echoed from somewhere.
Faint, but clearly from hundreds at once.
Hwang Don and Second Squad’s gazes snapped rightward. But the mist hid everything.
We’ve sharpened our blades
Oiled them up too
They gleam shiny and new
Let’s slice, let’s slice
Woo woo woo! Woo woo!
Hair won’t even get nicked
What a beggar’s halberd
This’ll only sever enemy necks
Let’s kill, let’s kill
Wooo woo woo! Woo woo!
Slay foes with this blade and survive
Live to claim that paycheck
Live it up fat on the pay
Survive, survive
Woo woo woo! Woo woo!
You die, your pay’s mine
Neighbor dies, his pay’s mine too
I’ll live rich, you see
Live well, live well
From the mist, amid the song, black-clad figures emerged like ghosts.