Chapter 90
Chapter 90
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: Farewell (2)
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After the invasion of the Black Dragon Temple, the Chacha Kingdom expanded its alert range all the way to a day's distance from the kingdom itself. The sound of hooves had come from the south.
Scouts soon raced southward. They returned half a day later, accompanied by a sentry who had rushed over to report.
The queen and the kingdom's leaders received the report in the Yunzhong Godok Hyeonulga hall in the south.
"Two thousand warriors from Fengguo and the Black Serpent Black Dragon Heaven."
"Hmm!"
Arak Siru let out a groan.
"Jeok Yeom-cheon and Parap are both dead, though..."
Luha tilted her head.
"Could it be..."
Manju Jeokhwa tilted her head as well. She then asked the sentry.
"Who is their commander?"
Manju Jeokhwa asked.
"It's Tareu, Jeok Yeom-cheon's wife."
"So she has ultimately seized full control."
Manju Jeokhwa nodded.
"You know her?"
Arak Siru asked.
"We studied together at the Eight Desolates Martial Academy when we were young."
The Eight Desolates Martial Academy was a martial school that trained Border Wastelands warriors. It was renowned, with many of the Border Wastelands' powerhouses hailing from there.
"What kind of person is she?"
"I was the youngest among us, but she had the greatest ambition. She always went around saying she would become the empress of the Border Wastelands. The last I heard was that she had married into the Feng Family..."
"She'll attack us without fail, then."
"That's likely. Her leading the troops means she knows of Parap's death, and she won't let the chance to become the lord of the Black Serpent Black Dragon Heaven slip away."
"How high is her martial prowess?"
Luha asked.
"Her achievements weren't particularly outstanding, but she cultivated the Nine Heavens Soul-Scattering Illusion Art."
"What kind of technique is the Nine Heavens Soul-Scattering Illusion Art?"
"It's an energy absorption method."
"The kind that absorbs an opponent's internal energy through sexual relations?"
"Yes. Tareu always said she would make her internal energy the best in the world first."
"It's possible she even drained some from Jeok Yeom-cheon."
"That's highly probable. And from Parap too."
"Then her internal energy must be formidable."
"If she's moving personally, we can assume her preparations are complete."
"We couldn't even handle a thousand..."
Arak Siru, who had been listening to the two, let out a quiet sigh.
Just then, Ak Muyoo entered the room.
In his hands were a single spear and a sack. Whatever was inside the sack felt heavy. A rotting stench wafted from it as well.
Inside the sack was Parap's head.
"Perhaps we can resolve this with these."
Ak Muyoo pointed to Parap's head and Parap's spear.
"What do you plan to do with those?"
Arak Siru asked.
"I saw this spear in the Solar Divine Hall. That means it's the supreme divine relic of the Black Serpent Black Dragon Heaven. If this woman Tareu wants to take control of the Black Serpent Black Dragon Heaven, she'll need this no matter what."
"You're going to use it as bait?"
"This alone isn't enough."
"What else do we need?"
"Poison scorpions."
"How many?"
"The more, the better."
"Got it. I'll send out the full force to catch scorpions."
"And for precautions, evacuate everyone to Tianzhu Airo."
"Understood."
Arak Siru nodded. She immediately issued orders to each commander.
Once preparations were complete, the people set off northward for evacuation, while the soldiers went out to hunt scorpions.
Those who went scorpion-hunting returned two hours later. Fortunately, they had filled three sacks.
"I'll go check on the evacuation."
Arak Siru left the room.
Ak Muyoo loaded the sack of scorpions, the sack with Parap's head, and the Black Dragon Demon Spear onto camels. There were two camels each.
Just as Ak Muyoo was about to whip the reins, his hand stopped in mid-air. Arak Haru stood beneath a large tree. He gazed at her quietly, then dismounted and walked over to the tree.
"You're leaving?"
Arak Haru asked, her face stiff.
"Yeah."
Ak Muyoo nodded.
"You'll come back, right?"
"No."
This time, he shook his head.
"...You married Mom."
"That was... a fake wedding. Your mom needed someone unconnected to the Chacha Kingdom to protect the World-Subduing Heaven Rak Clan, and I happened to be there. That's why I was chosen. The head of the Tianzhong High Citadel Chaga Family, Luha, was the same. Now that everything's settled, I need to return to my original place."
"Where's your original place?"
"Captain Black Wind of Fengdae."
"You promised to be my dad."
"Don't you, when you turn a year older or on special days, resolve to accomplish something this time?"
"Yeah."
"How many of those do you actually achieve?"
"Maybe one."
"Adults are the same. There are things we really want to do but can't because of circumstances. This is one of those cases."
"But, but... Waaah!"
Arak Haru finally burst into tears.
"Want Uncle to hug you once?"
Ak Muyoo opened his arms.
Arak Haru threw herself into Ak Muyoo's embrace.
"I'll watch from afar, so do your best."
"Our country is weak, so you're going to lure the enemy away, right?"
"To never go through this again, we have to give it everything we've got. Got it?"
"Got it."
"Meeting someone for the first time is important, but parting is even more so. Now stop crying and send me off with a smile?"
"How do I smile?"
"Like this—can you smile now?"
Ak Muyoo stuck out his tongue, scrunched his nose, and pulled down the corners of both eyes. A faint smile appeared on Arak Haru's lips.
"Yeah. Live life smiling like that. Don't forget that smile."
"Dad will live smiling too, right?"
"Yeah. And Uncle's good at smiling."
"Then promise each other we won't cry."
Arak Haru held out her pinky.
"Sure."
The two hooked pinkies.
"I'm off."
Ak Muyoo immediately mounted the camel.
"Yah!"
"Chaha!"
Ak Muyoo and Ara whipped the reins.
Kuerk!
Kuok!
The camels let out eerie cries and bolted forward.
"Yah!"
"Haa!"
Thud thud thud thud! Thud thud thud thud!
A cloud of dust rose behind the camels galloping toward the south gate. Moments later, the two passed through the gate. After galloping nonstop for about fifty paces, Ak Muyoo halted the camels and looked back at the Chacha Kingdom.
Two figures stood atop the south gate, gazing their way.
Arak Siru and Luha.
"Didn't go well?"
Ara asked.
"With what?"
"You seemed like you were going to confess yesterday, didn't you?"
"How'd you know that?"
"I take a lot of interest in you."
"As a man?"
"As a comrade-in-arms."
"Pfft!"
Ak Muyoo chuckled.
"Why'd she turn you down?"
"Drop it, man."
"What a joke! They're widows, so they can just pass on a bachelor like you?"
Ara yelled.
"I'm the one who got rejected—why are you getting worked up?"
"How could I not? You've got that impressive thing down there too. With the Transparent Extreme Mountain Clan supplement you took, your stamina's out of this world. What the hell's wrong with you..."
"You a monk or something?"
"Whether I'm a monk or not isn't the point. The point is you got rejected. Aside from no money, you're perfect..."
Ara trailed off.
"When a man marries, money's the most important thing. A healthy body is worth nine out of ten coins for a man. Looks are all the same anyway. And in life, looks don't matter at all. So appearance is no selling point. But without money, you can't do anything. Can't even get a house, can't make a living. Can't buy wedding gifts either. That's a huge blow to pride. And a man's money ties into his woman's face too."
"What does a man having money have to do with a woman's face?"
"I don't know the exact reason. But they say marrying a rich man boosts not just the woman's pride but her whole family's. Even if that rich son-in-law doesn't contribute a dime, some families go into debt to buy cows just because."
"That's so they feel like they've become rich themselves."
"How do you know?"
"Our house is rich. Though I don't have any of it."
"True."
"Anyway, those women will surely beat the ground and wail in regret."
"You think so?"
"Yeah. So forget it. Just remember half the world is women."
"What about you?"
"What?"
"How am I as husband material?"
"...You little punk, joking around. Don't you know comrades are like family?"
"Family?"
"Family doesn't marry each other."
"Bull. She hates poor guys too..."
"If we married, we'd be sucking our thumbs all day—how would the marriage last? Better not to start."
It was a joke meant to lighten Ak Muyoo's mood even a little.
"You're hilarious."
Ak Muyoo turned the camel around.
Just then, five people rode out from behind the dunes on camels. Each had a spare camel in tow.
"...?"
The two looked at them puzzled. They were Mok Woo and the other Tianzhong Five Absolutes.
"What's this?"
"We heard you're heading to the Central Plains. So we came to go with you."
Mok Woo replied.
"You know there are two thousand enemies up ahead?"
"We do."
"And you still came?"
"We agreed to handle this in exchange for leaving the Chacha Kingdom."
"No one would say anything if you just left."
"Then why is the family head going to fight? Honestly, we did shepherd work here for three years, but you're truly unrelated, aren't you?"
"I'm not the family head anymore."
Ak Muyoo held out his hand forward. The Tianzhong Ring that had been on his finger was gone.
"We'll still call you family head."
"..."
"You don't have another name to call you anyway."
Mok Woo smiled faintly.
"What's in those sacks?"
Mok Woo wasn't the only one with a sack. The other four each had one too.
"We caught some snakes and centipedes."
"Snakes?"
"They're at their peak venom right now."
"I've got scorpions loaded behind me too."
"Perhaps this will work out well."
"It has to. It's been ten years since I headed back."
"Shall we go?"
"Let's."
"Yah!"
"Taha!"
"Haa!"
The group whipped their reins in unison.
Kuerk! Kuerok! Kuerk!
The camels charged forward all at once.
"Why didn't you catch him?"
Arak Siru asked Luha.
"I didn't not catch him—I rejected him."
"..."
Arak Siru looked at Luha silently.
"The shadow of my husband is still there, so I couldn't accept anyone."
"Isn't it that you're afraid of him not just bearing the general's shadow but pushing it aside and taking that place yourself?"
Luha had no reply.
It was a precise diagnosis. She was scared of him constantly pushing into her husband's place. No, it felt like betraying her husband, and it hurt too much. Every time they had made love, she had repeated endlessly that not even death could part them. Yet here she was, not long after his death, starting to hold another in her heart. She loathed and raged at herself for it.
So she had coldly rejected him.
"...Let's go."
Arak Siru said.
"Yes."
The two turned and headed to their respective quarters.
Luha, who lived closer to the south gate, arrived first. She entered her room. It was exactly as before.
Chairs were lined up facing the Tianshan Mountains, and the table between them for tea cups was unchanged.
Nothing had changed.
Yet the room felt utterly empty.
It was like standing alone in an endless wasteland. A chill ran through Luha, and she unwittingly crossed her arms, rubbing her upper arms. On her way to the chair where she always sat gazing at the Tianshan Mountains, she froze like a statue.
In the center of the table for tea cups sat a ring.
It was the Tianzhong Ring.
"Uheung!"
Luha collapsed to her knees right there and burst into tears.