Chapter 40
Chapter 40
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Parents Have No Prodigal Sons
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Martial God (40)
Parents have no prodigal sons.
"Run!"
Ak Muyoo shouted as he sprang forward.
"Hya!"
"Hah!"
Gun Cheokjeon and his group, along with Luha, whipped the reins with all their might.
Kuerk!
The camels bellowed and charged ahead.
As the camels galloped, the assassins leaped out from both sides, pursuing the group.
"Innkeeper, Red Flame Heaven has arrived."
Jin Hu, deputy leader of the Sand Assassins, reported to Zan Gawool.
"How many did we lose?"
"Thirty-five."
"Urgh!"
Zan Gawool groaned. He hadn't expected so many of his men to fall.
"Red Flame Heaven might interfere."
"Where did Red Flame Heaven come from?"
"From the Four Sands Quicksand Pit."
"Does he know the way through the Four Sands Quicksand Pit?"
"That's..."
Jin Hu couldn't answer immediately.
"He grew up as the heir to the Wind Sand Enemy Family without ever knowing hardship. He never even dreamed of schemes like framing others. Then, when his father died, he inherited the family."
"So it's his first time in the Four Sands Quicksand Pit."
"Right. First time. As you know, no one can cross the Four Sands Quicksand Pit on foot without knowing the path. So how did he cross it?"
"He must have used Void Treading Steps to traverse the Four Sands Quicksand Pit."
"Exactly. He crossed it over several days using the Void Treading technique, and even if he circulated his qi to recover, he's thoroughly exhausted."
"If it comes to a fight, you're saying we have a chance?"
"For now, resolving this without fighting is key. Halt the attack."
"Yes."
Jin Hu departed at once.
Heading to his men, Jin Hu relayed Zan Gawool's orders.
Puk! Puk! Puk!
The Sand Assassins burrowed into the sand all at once.
―Stop.
Luha sent a transmission to Ak Muyoo.
Ak Muyoo looked at Luha.
―Red Flame Heaven can't attack us.
"..."
―There's no proof.
'Face covering.'
He recalled that Jeok Riha had appeared wearing a mask. Ak Muyoo stopped in his tracks. Gun Cheokjeon's group halted their camels as well.
Thud.
Red Flame Heaven landed behind the group.
Luha turned first.
"Long time no see."
Luha greeted him first.
"I see."
Red Flame Heaven nodded.
"But do you have business with us?"
Luha asked.
She planned to play ignorant about Jeok Riha's death.
"My son..."
"I parted ways with him long ago, and now I'm with the Central Citadel Caravan. Though I've even lost my husband now."
"Your husband died...?"
Red Flame Heaven's eyes widened. This was the first he'd heard of Cha Sawoong's death.
"The Four Evils Bandits ambushed us. He took an arrow trying to protect me. We caught one of them in the fight, and he said something very interesting. Do you know what it was?"
"No idea."
"Someone who knows me well put them up to it. It wasn't about targeting the Great Heaven Demon Palace—it was to assassinate my husband."
"And you're saying my son put them up to it?"
"Yes."
"To frame someone, you need evidence."
"I was furious but could do nothing for my dead husband, so I was on my way back. Then the Four Evils Bandits attacked again. What would you have done in my shoes, Hero Jeok?"
"..."
Red Flame Heaven had no reply.
It was clearly his son's fault. If not for the mask, he could have done something, but there was no opening here.
"My son is dead."
"..."
Luha silently regarded Red Flame Heaven.
"You're not surprised."
"Should I be?"
"He was once the man you loved."
"Do you know why I went to the distant Chacha Kingdom, tens of thousands of li from Wind Country?"
"I'm not you."
"Because of the parents of the man I once loved. His father said to me, 'You lowly wench, how dare you eye my son?' He told me to leave Wind Country if I didn't want to die a wretched death. Soon after, my parents met with an accident. They survived, but crippled for life. Even then, the man I loved just watched from afar like it was a fire across the river. In the end, my parents and I had to leave Wind Country. Do you know how it feels to flee without a destination? My only crime was loving one man. Anyway, we wandered until we settled in the Chacha Kingdom."
"...So you're saying you're not involved in my son's death?"
"Yes."
"And the Four Evils Bandits..."
Red Flame Heaven closed his mouth. She'd silenced the last of them too. No need to link it to his son.
―Who's there?
He sent a transmission to Zan Gawool, twenty-odd paces away. It wasn't that he didn't know the attackers on Luha's group were Hell Thousand Evils assassins.
'Amazing.'
Zan Gawool clicked his tongue.
Even without fully concealing his presence, he'd been hiding it. Yet Red Flame Heaven spotted him immediately.
―Zan Gawool of Hell Thousand Evils.
Zan Gawool replied via transmission.
―Sand Assassins, eh.
It meant he knew who they were.
―Indeed.
―Who's the client?
―You know the rule: we don't reveal clients.
―Fine, another question. Is the target Luha?
―...
―Didn't you consider I might interfere?
―Great Bow Dragon, correct.
―How much is the bounty?
―One million alive, five hundred thousand dead.
―Planning to take her alive?
―Why toss away an extra five hundred thousand nyang? Of course alive.
―Take her out.
―...
―I'll pay the five hundred thousand you would've gotten for capturing her.
―Is that necessary?
Zan Gawool scowled. The client had specified brutal disfigurement, and he intended to follow through. Killing her outright would deny him that petty pleasure. It wasn't what he wanted.
―Did the client add conditions?
―Yes.
―Forget those conditions.
―That's...
―I know the client is my wife. Perhaps to protect my wife's honor—no, the Wind Sand Enemy Family's honor—I'll choose total annihilation.
―...As long as the money's good, I don't care.
Seeing no need to make an enemy of Red Flame Heaven, Zan Gawool accepted.
―Take her out.
―Understood.
Zan Gawool pulled a small flute from his pouch and put it to his lips.
'Back to it.'
Piiik!
Muttering inwardly, he blew hard.
"You seem to have made a deal with the assassins?"
Ak Muyoo said.
"Is that so?"
Luha asked Red Flame Heaven.
"You knew he was my son. Am I wrong?"
"...Yes. I knew. We even talked. He told me to abandon my husband and come back to him. Does that make sense to you?"
"So you killed him?"
"You seem to forget he's Black Wind Dragon of the Yellow Heaven Ten Dragons. We don't use tricks in a fair fight. The cowardice was your son's doing."
"...In any case, you'll die here today. For harming the Wind Sand Enemy Family's heir, all you can pay is your lives."
Red Flame Heaven spoke coldly and retreated.
"Catch."
Ak Gun-eok tossed the Dark Dragon blade to Ak Muyoo.
Meaning take it back with you.
"One of the Desert Ten Heroes is targeting us now—think I'll survive?"
Ak Muyoo asked.
"It's hopeless, sure, but strangely, I feel like you'll make it out alive."
Ak Gun-eok grinned.
"Your dreams outshine the interpretation."
"That guy behind us can wait. First, let's clear these."
Ak Gun-eok dismounted the camel. Fighting from a mount wasn't his style.
"Thanks for everything, beasts."
He then slashed mercilessly at the camels' rumps with his held blade.
Slap!
Kuerk!
The two camels bolted forward.
"Won't be easy alone."
Gun Cheokjeon also dismounted. He stroked his camel's neck, then tapped it. It seemed light, but infused with inner power, delivering a heavy shock.
Kuok!
His camel bellowed and charged ahead.
"Guess I'll dismount too."
Ara leaped down from his camel.
"The Heavenly Flow General has other duties."
Gun Cheokjeon said to Ara.
He still called Ara the Heavenly Flow General.
"What duty?"
"Escort that fellow to the Central Plains, deliver our effects to our families, and above all, expose Lord Jeokcheol's betrayal to the world. That's more important than dying here."
"General."
"Listen. Of course, no guarantee you'll survive here—or the desert. But we must keep all possibilities open and give our all. You two are enough here."
"...Understood, General. Thank you for everything. I'll never forget you both."
Ara bowed to Gun Cheokjeon and Ak Gun-eok.
"Was fun for me too."
"See you in the next life."
The two smiled faintly.
"I'll come find you in the next life."
Ara mounted his camel.
"Come on!"
Ak Gun-eok shouted, charging forward.
Puaak! Puaak! Puaak! Puaak!
The assassins surged up again.
Sand and dust scattered everywhere, shrouding the area like fog.
"Our family isn't just famous for spear arts. We..."
Paat!
Ak Gun-eok shot forward.
Already resolved to die and choosing this as his grave, he unleashed all his inner power. Crimson blade aura erupted from his blade.
"Watch closely. This is Blood Rain Heaven Earth Hell Blade. Chaha!"
Ak Gun-eok's battle cry rang out.
The half-chi-long aura swept around him. A storm of blade aura. Front, left, right—all filled with blood-red glow.
Chaeng! Kangkangkang!
Nothing could stand it. The assassins' weapons shattered, followed by their torsos. Flesh sliced into dozens of chunks floated up then rained down.
"This is Heaven Breaker."
Ak Gun-eok soared into the air, ten paces high. He plunged down, swinging his blade. The blood-red aura streaked like a meteor to the ground. If Blood Rain's initial stance was a storm of blade aura, Heaven Breaker was a storm of flying blade energy.
Puk! Pukpukpuk! Pukpukpuk!
Hiding in sand was futile. Those outside and buried alike were slain.
One stance.
Fifty assassins fell to Blood Rain and Heaven Breaker.
Thud.
Ak Gun-eok dropped to his knees there.
Having poured out everything, he couldn't even stand.
Puaak! Puaak! Puaak!
Dozens more assassins burst from the sand.
"Chahahaha!"
Ak Gun-eok swung his blade from his seated position. The scarlet aura swept forward with terrifying force.
Kang! Kangkangkang! Kangkang! Kangkangkang!
The dozens of Sand Assassins who had leaped up became mincemeat in an instant, plummeting down.
"Hell."
Ak Gun-eok thrust his blade into the ground.
Puaak! Puaak!
Dozens more broke through the sand and rose.
Paat!
Ak Muyoo shot toward them. Luha loosed arrows, and Ara joined the attack.
Gun Cheokjeon watched Ak Muyoo's group silently, then turned. His gaze shifted to Red Flame Heaven in retreat.
"Not Chacha Kingdom folk."
Red Flame Heaven said quietly.
The martial prowess just shown by the fallen one was extraordinary. No way such a man was Chacha Kingdom blood.
"True. We're unrelated to Chacha Kingdom."
Gun Cheokjeon nodded.
"But why...?"
"Call it fate, perhaps."
"That guy... you'll stop him?"
Then Ak Muyoo's voice came. Gun Cheokjeon and Red Flame Heaven turned simultaneously.
Ak Muyoo gripped an assassin's throat, dagger to his neck, looking their way.
Beside him, Grand Harmony General Ak Gun-eok knelt motionless, as if life had fled.
"Can't hold him long. Run as far as you can."
"You've done enough."
Ak Muyoo slashed the dagger deep. The assassin's throat gaped open.
"That it?"
"Yeah. You and I did our part. From here, it's up to fate."
"Promise you'll try."
"Don't worry. I won't miss a chance."
"Good. It was fun."
Gun Cheokjeon smiled faintly.
"For me too."
Ak Muyoo grinned broadly. Blood stained his bared teeth.