Chapter 184
Chapter 184
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 184
Chapter Title: Battle's End
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The battlefield was nearing its conclusion.
The Black Sword Squad and Flame Spirit Squad, now fully unleashed, were systematically subduing or cutting down the attackers one by one.
"Already wrapping it up?"
A voice came from the side.
Cheonhwi didn't even turn his head as he replied.
"Can't you see for yourself?"
"Does sweet-talking you make it go any faster?"
Cheon Igae, who had revealed himself, furrowed his brow.
He was inwardly quite shocked from chasing Cheonhwi, but he was pretending to be nonchalant.
'These aren't ordinary skills.'
He knew the Mount Hua Sect's forces very well from reports shared among the sects.
After all, the Beggar Sect managed information on the Nine Great Sects with ironclad thoroughness.
But now, he doubted his own eyes.
'This is nothing like the intel.'
The Mount Hua Sect was resurging, but its forces were still far inferior to the other current Nine Great Sects.
Less than a hundred fighters.
And they'd lost all their Plum Blossom Sword Guards, the backbone of their strength.
The only thing competitive with the Nine Great Sects was the so-called Mount Hua Divine Sword.
'And it turns out to be this guy right in front of me.'
Wrinkles formed between Cheon Igae's brows.
As he watched the Mount Hua Taoists rampaging on the battlefield, his eyes deepened.
'I need to revise all the intel.'
The Mount Hua Sect had risen to a level where it could no longer be underestimated.
Though young, they were a step ahead of their peers from the other Nine Great Sects.
'If this continues, they might even challenge Shaolin and Wudang's dominance...'
Cheon Igae's eyelids twitched.
His gaze locked onto two men and women leading the Mount Hua Taoists at the forefront.
Skills far superior to the other disciples.
Even among countless later-generation prodigies, they'd rank in the top handful.
"Mount Hua's done a fine job raising their later-generation disciples. My sect doesn't have a single promising one."
Cheon Igae clicked his tongue in admiration.
Then he casually glanced at the corpse sprawled in front of him and spoke.
"But what's this guy?"
"Seemed like the ringleader."
"The ringleader, huh... What? The ringleader?"
Cheon Igae's eyes widened at Cheonhwi's casual response, which he'd nearly glossed over.
"You... killed him?"
"Yeah."
"What about intel?"
Cheon Igae's voice rose.
"You got intel out of him, right?"
"No."
"What?"
"He was just a disposable tail, so he only spouted useless crap anyway. Even if we figured out their backers, they'd deny everything and play dumb if they're hiding this thoroughly."
Cheon Igae scowled.
"Still, torture might—"
"What good would that do? They'd just cut ties and pretend ignorance. Better to kill them quick and save the hassle than waste time on that."
"......"
"Plus, this way, they'll get antsy, won't they?"
Cheonhwi's lips twisted.
"If we stay quiet, they won't know if we got info or not."
"......!"
Cheon Igae's eyes bulged.
"You planned this?"
Cheonhwi tapped his temple with his index finger and continued.
"The smarter they are, the more cautious they get. And if their plans go even slightly off, they start suspecting everything. 'Why did it go wrong?'"
Cheonhwi's eyes gleamed coldly.
"Then they'll scramble to gather info to fix it, and that's when they slip up."
Cheon Igae's jaw dropped.
His impression of Cheonhwi flipped in an instant.
"I thought you were just a brute who smashes everything, but you use your head too."
"Smashing simply is best. Might makes right in the jianghu, after all."
Cheonhwi's voice was calm.
But its content was hardly what you'd expect from a Taoist.
"No one stands against raw power."
Cheon Igae smacked his lips.
"I felt it before, but are you really a Taoist?"
Cheonhwi pointed at his Taoist robes.
"Can't you tell? Going blind in your old age?"
"Pah! Blind, my ass!"
Cheon Igae bellowed.
He was already touchy about his age, trying all sorts of "health" foods lately!
"Fine, fine. You're a Taoist, whatever."
As Cheon Igae grumbled,
"Martial Uncle!"
"Senior Brother!"
Jeokgeom and Cheonhyang waved their hands.
"We've taken care of them all."
"All done!"
Thick smiles plastered their faces as they shouted.
Seeing them, Cheon Igae grinned slyly and spoke.
"Do they look like Taoists?"
Around the beaming Jeokgeom and Cheonhyang lay corpses foaming at the mouth or stone-dead.
"Not really."
Cheonhwi glanced at them and replied.
"Escort Leader!"
A loud shout rang out.
Han Yuseong, slumped on the ground with shaky legs, somehow staggered to his feet from behind.
He approached with trembling steps and clasped his hands in a strained fist salute.
"Thank you for your help."
His eyes glistened with moisture, lips quivering as he looked up.
"How can I ever repay this grace?"
"It's what we should do."
Cheon Igae was stunned by Cheonhwi's words.
'What? 'What we should do'?'
What kind of guy was Cheonhwi? He hated hassle and rushed through any work.
"As an affiliated secular clan, we have to take responsibility."
But to Cheonhwi, it was obvious.
Didn't a leader protect and nurture those under him?
And for an affiliated secular clan, helping Mount Hua Sect was a given.
Han Yuseong, unaware of this nuance, couldn't hide his joy.
"Never have I been so proud to be a secular disciple of Mount Hua Sect."
Cheon Igae smiled anew, looking at Cheonhwi with fresh appreciation.
'Ruthless in battle, but a true Taoist.'
It was just one phrase.
But that one phrase earned Cheonhwi high marks from Cheon Igae.
'He even has the air of a great hero.'
Then Cheonhwi spoke.
"Anyway, time to clean up."
At his words, they moved with perfect coordination, gathering corpses, binding the unconscious in one spot.
Those with golden sore balm or internal injury pills distributed them to the wounded escorts and porters.
"Apply this here."
"Chew it slowly and swallow. Then circulate your qi—it'll stabilize the internal injuries."
The escorts and porters bowed deeply in awe and gratitude at the Taoists freely sharing even precious internal injury pills.
"Thank you so much."
"We'll never forget this grace."
"Haha, grace? It's just what fellow Mount Hua members should do."
"Don't burden yourself—focus on recovering."
"No wonder Mount Hua Sect's reputation is rising among the common folk lately."
Cheon Igae watched the heartwarming scene, reaffirming why Mount Hua was Mount Hua, one of the Nine Great Sects.
Meanwhile, Cheonhwi locked eyes with a bound attacker and asked,
"You said you're from Siyu Valley?"
"......Y-yes."
The attacker trembled.
The Mount Hua disciples who'd fought them were exceptional, but this man before him made them pale in comparison.
Overwhelming martial prowess.
And brutal hands.
Recalling their leader's gruesome end, something stuck in his throat.
"Hm. Siyu Valley..."
Cheonhwi stood without asking more.
Cheon Igae looked puzzled.
"Not gonna ask more?"
"What good's asking a grunt? They'd just followed orders."
"You never know."
Cheon Igae asked the attacker.
"Why attack the Prosperity Escort Agency?"
"J-just following orders."
"See?"
Cheonhwi smirked twistedly, and Cheon Igae's face soured.
"Tch!"
"Where's Siyu Valley again?"
"...What're you planning?"
"What else?"
Cheonhwi's lip twitched.
"They provoked us first—we have to hit back."
"......You're storming in?"
"Don't wanna just take it lying down."
Cheon Igae smacked his lips at Cheonhwi's deadpan tone.
"Fair enough. You going right now?"
"Gotta. Before they gather intel, or we won't uproot them properly."
"Fine. I'll at least guide you."
"Appreciate it. Oh, right!"
Cheonhwi met Cheon Igae's eyes as if remembering something.
"Did you send the letter? The one about heading to the coast suddenly."
"Letter? Oh, that? Too slow by regular post, so I sent it express hawk. Should arrive on time."
* * * "So you're the Prosperity Escort Leader."
The escort leader broke into a cold sweat under the old Taoist's aura.
'Wh-why is the Chungnam Sword Saint here?!'
His mouth went dry.
"What brings the Sword Saint to this humble place?"
The Sword Saint's eyes narrowed.
Sharp gaze piercing through his thin eyelids.
The escort leader felt utterly exposed.
"What do you think?"
"My lowly mind can't fathom it, but could the great Sword Saint enlighten me?"
"Hohoho, eloquent as ever."
The Sword Saint chuckled.
But the escort leader's face went slack at the sound.
It carried infused inner power.
"Unaware of Shaanxi's current state?"
The escort leader's face twisted.
'As if I wouldn't know...!'
He rubbed his hands hastily.
"Haha... I-I haven't joined forces with that bandit scum from Prosperity Escort."
"But you're unorthodox."
The Sword Saint's tone was icy.
As the escort leader swallowed hard,
"Please wait a moment!"
The Ilhwa Sect Leader rushed over.
He greeted the Sword Saint with a respectful fist salute.
"I'm Jusoong, leader of Ilhwa Sect. Might I have a word with the Sword Saint?"
"......Speak."
"Prosperity Escort isn't the sort to stir chaos in the coast."
"Defending the unorthodox?"
"Yes."
The sect leader spoke calmly.
"When my sect faced utter peril from other unorthodox raiders, Prosperity Escort aided us. How could I, as a man, forget such grace?"
"Aided you...?"
The Sword Saint's brow twitched.
"Those unorthodox helped you?"
"Yes."
The escort leader nodded frantically, meeting the Sword Saint's eyes.
"Y-yes!"
"......"
As the Sword Saint's expression hardened,
"Hm?"
He looked up.
A black-feathered hawk was diving at fierce speed.
"Black Hawk?"
The Sword Saint was mildly surprised.
The Black Hawk was Cheon Igae's cherished messenger bird, rarely used.
For it to come here...
Swoosh—
The Sword Saint raised his arm, and the hawk landed gracefully with soft wingbeats.
"It's been a while."
He stroked its head once, then untied the note from its leg.
"......"
A brief silence fell.
The Sword Saint refolded the note carefully, tucked it away, and spoke.
"You know Cheonhwi?"
The escort leader's eyes lit up.
"Yes!"
"Sect Leader's words check out, then. Hohoho, unorthodox aiding the orthodox... heh."
The Sword Saint trailed off and turned away. As he receded into the distance, the escort leader's legs gave out.
"I... I'm alive."
Collapsing, he looked up at the sect leader and said,
"Thanks for the help."
"As a fellow coastal sect we've shared years with, it's only right."
"Haha."
The escort leader laughed awkwardly.
The sect leader's words mirrored exactly what he'd said when aiding Ilhwa Sect before.
'Back then, I had no excuse, so I said it... how strange.'
As bittersweet feelings welled up and he scratched his head,
'But something's off.'
The sect leader's gaze followed the now-distant Sword Saint.
'Chungnam Sect's in near-seclusion, yet why is the Sword Saint here alone on the coast...? Did something happen?'
Anxiety stirred in his gut.
But he shook his head.
Who was he?
One of the jianghu's top absolute masters, the Chungnam Sword Saint, called Shaanxi's foremost expert since venturing into the world.
The sect leader looked up.
Gazing at the clear sky, he quelled his unease and closed his eyes.
'Just needless worry.'