Chapter 23
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Flickering Shadows
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“Didn’t something seem to waver just now?”
“You idiot, the wind’s howling out there.”
“……Yeah?”
The bandits peering out from the illusion formation at the entrance to Pagoda Peak—Clueless gave a listless reply to Farsim’s words.
“Still, something feels off.”
“Farsim, Farsim. Quit worrying and have a drink. Don’t you know that in weather like this, your eyes play tricks on you no matter what?”
“But…….”
“It’s been years since the last suppression force showed up. No word from the government’s lackeys either.”
“Well, true, but…….”
“Damn, they live up to their reputation. Anyway, drink up.”
“…….”
“Gotta sell off those Zhejiang Province catches quick if we wanna pocket some real coin…… Not with all this snow, though.”
“Yeah. Haven’t been able to head out much since winter hit…….”
The two sighed and passed the bottle back and forth, swigging deeply.
They had no clue that someone was slipping past them, using the torch flames at their side for cover.
Phew, good thing the worrywart’s got a clueless dimwit next to him.
That’s why they call him Clueless? ‘Cause he’s a birdbrain without a shred of awareness?
Either way, lucky break. If the infiltration had been spotted, I’d have had to snap those two idiots’ necks.
Before returning to the past, Yu Hyun had trained in countless martial arts and drills to prepare for battles against the minions of chaos.
Stealth infiltration, evasion, and escape using concealment techniques had been part of it.
But his spirit energy was still lacking.
Who’d have thought the illusion formation would ripple during the approach……
And those things they caught at the Zhejiang Province border?
Referring to them like objects, but they had to be people.
Outrageous scum. Doesn’t matter if they come from prestigious backgrounds—they’re all the same shit-stain filth.
Mount Liang’s code was to ransom lives and hand them back to families, not stoop to human trafficking.
Sure, Yu Hyun had been a wastrel himself, second to none, but he’d never sunk to that level of trash.
Abandon the bare minimum duty every human owed, and you were no better than beasts.
These guys? Beasts through and through. The kind that preyed on humans.
He itched to rip them apart, but now wasn’t the time.
He hadn’t even scouted their full strength yet.
First things first: the Child Ginseng.
Yu Hyun passed through the illusion formation and headed up the mountain path along the outer thickets toward the summit.
The spot where quartz reflected the sunset. He had to get there at least.
If the Child Ginseng was nearby, he’d sense the spirit energy it held.
Paht!
Channeling his inner energy to boost his speed, he reached the summit in no time.
No guards in sight—lucky. Probably figured the blizzard meant no threats.
Yu Hyun easily concealed himself beneath the watchtower the bandits had built to surveil the outside, right by the cliff.
Lewd banter drifted down from the tower, but he tuned it out.
As the saying goes, the darkest spot is right under the lamp.
Yu Hyun scanned the surroundings once more, then slowly closed his eyes and circulated the Spirit Heart Core Method, subtly extending his spirit energy outward.
Thump, thump……
His heart’s inner core pulsed, accelerating the spirit energy through his meridians. It spread from his limbs, seeping out his pores like wisps caught in the wind.
“…….”
A quarter hour, half hour……
Long after the spirit energy had diffused like twilight haze.
What? Not here?
Anxiety surged, and Yu Hyun bit his lip hard.
He’d even checked every rock near the cliff just in case.
Distance: within ten zhang.
Close enough for the spirit energy to connect without dispersing—if Child Ginseng was there, it should react, intertwining faintly.
After concentrating nearly an hour with no trace, Yu Hyun withdrew his spirit energy.
What now? Bail?
No.
Even if the search party’s trackers and hunters spotted the red-glowing stone elsewhere, it’d take till tonight for the signal in this blizzard.
Like Elder Eoksu said, they’d move by day and rest at night to recover stamina.
The tip was just that the chaos minions had it near a self-glowing red rock.
No guarantee it was right next to it.
Search from here—starting at the Pagoda Peak summit, at least a hundred zhang out, up to the valley where the stone came into view.
No way it wouldn’t turn up.
Problem was, sensing its aura meant spreading spirit energy faintly…… Hope none of these bandit scum could pick it up.
Worst case, escape if things got dicey.
Resolved, Yu Hyun used the pitch-black night to stealthily comb the summit where the bandits’ lair was, starting from the outskirts and working inward……
How far had he gone?
Circling the summit in a wide loop, he suddenly sensed presences and ducked into hiding.
Bang!
“You damn bitch!”
“Eek!”
A guttural curse rang out, followed by a sharp scream, and the area lit up bright.
The man who burst from the cabin torch in hand was unmistakably a bandit—shaggy-haired brute.
Dragged by the hair in his grip…… a woman?
Yu Hyun, watching from cover, furrowed his brow.
Bastard……
Likely one kidnapped from Zhejiang Province.
“What? No? Have you lost your mind!”
Thwack!
The vicious bandit flung the woman’s hair loose and kicked her. She tumbled limply into the snow.
Blood spewed from her mouth, stark red against the pristine white.
But why?
Though it must hurt like hell, she sprang up without pause and glared straight into the wide-open cabin.
“Who’re you blocking? This old man takes a shine to you, and you and your little girl get to rest easy!”
“You dog! How can you wear a human skin and do such things!”
“Bullshit. You’re just captured trash…… Let’s see how long you stay so uppity.”
As the brute turned toward the cabin, the woman—who’d been glaring murderously—paled and dashed inside.
“You son of a—!”
Thwack!
But what strength could she have left after that beating? The brute’s merciless second kick sent her sprawling again.
No mistake—that vile prick was about to violate her……
Yu Hyun ground his teeth silently, clenching his fists.
Attacking would expose him.
Then the Child Ginseng hunt was over.
Damn it, those bastard masters……
A long-ago conversation floated up dimly.
‘Until you gain power, steel yourself in ruthlessness.’
‘Endure injustice before your eyes, ignore the dying.’
‘It goes against righteousness and chivalry, but always remember: it’s to protect the martial world and avert greater harm.’
Yu Hyun bit his lower lip till it bled, clinging to reason.
Endure.
Sorry to that woman, but he’d turn a blind eye to their villainy now.
But mark this.
In the martial world he’d defend, scum like you wouldn’t have a single inch to stand.
Yu Hyun turned away, eyes bloodshot, committing the bandits’ deeds to memory.
Then a cry from the cabin halted him.
“M-Mommy!”
“Fragrance!”
About ten years old?
Yu Hyun’s face hardened visibly at the little girl who rushed out and hugged the woman.
Trembling uncontrollably, torn clothes forgotten, she fumbled over her mother, bare feet buried in snow……
“This bitch bites my hand?”
“Idiot. Can’t even grab one kid properly?”
Another man emerged, sucking his clearly bitten hand.
“Not bad. Even kittens gotta scratch to taste right, eh?”
“Pfft. What’s so great about brats.”
“Hmph, how would you know? This flavor…… Heh heh heh.”
Two—no, two beasts—traded lewd remarks as they approached the pitifully huddled mother and daughter.
“Fine, snow play sounds fresh.”
“Heh heh heh. Nice. Mom and kid at once.”
The brutes reached out.
Toward the tiny girl and the mother glaring at them, eyes brimming with venom.
……Subhuman dogs.
Yu Hyun changed his mind. No—reason half-flew out the window.
The greater good?
If the martial world demanded ignoring this horror right in front of him, better it crumbled.
The moment his self-vowed restraint crumbled under rage, the suppressed Jin Wi-gang within him surged forth.
Before he knew it, Yu Hyun was charging the bandits.
Crack, crunch.
Two sounds echoed at once.
“…….”
The woman, clutching her terrified daughter with eyes squeezed shut, cracked them open.
Napes?
Her body stood straight—why could she see their napes?
Puzzled, she spotted another figure amid the brutes.
A sturdy man who’d twisted their heads backward to face him: Yu Hyun.
“Who……?”
Yu Hyun ignored the woman’s dazed question, stripping off his outer robe to cover the girl.
This child……
Fury twisted his face unwittingly, but he commanded in the gentlest tone he could muster, so as not to scare the pair.
In their dire straits, comfort was proper—but orders worked best to ensure instant obedience.
“Get up.”
“…….”
“Anyone else?”
“I-In there…….”
“Round them up and follow. Staying out gets you spotted, and the bandits’ll go berserk.”
“…….”
Yu Hyun dragged the two headless corpses into the cabin.
He barred the door and checked outside—thankfully, he’d ended them in one silent strike, so no one came running.
“Wh-Who are you?”
The man hauling in bandit bodies left the captives inside staring in bewilderment.
Ten in all inside.
Elderly, children, women—shivering, bruised from repeated beatings, faces etched with fear……
Shit…… What now?
Reason returning, Yu Hyun bit his lip.
He’d acted on impulse in the heat.
Stupid. Should’ve been more cautious……
But the water was spilled.
With comrades dead, the vicious bandits wouldn’t leave the rest alive.
Could he overpower them all alone?
Yu Hyun shook his head fiercely, banishing the worries crowding his mind.
Stay calm—the tenser, the cooler.
“Listen up. I can buy some time, but not much.”
“…….”
“I’ll get you set to escape.”
“R-Really? Are you imperial troops? Here to suppress the bandits?”
“…….”
Hope flickered in their eyes at the wrinkled old woman’s words.
If only.
Sadly, just a passing heart demon scout.
“Are you all the captives?”
“Yes. The men we came with…… all had their throats…….”
Figured.
Couldn’t move in the snow, so they killed them to prevent funny ideas.
Any escape attempts would be hard to control.
“How many bandits in the stronghold?”
“Didn’t see them all, but around fifty.”
“Fifty…….”
Way more than expected. And “around” meant probably more.
“Their level…….”
He started to ask their martial prowess to gauge strength, then stopped.
How would they know? Just powerless commoners……
“Sir, are troops outside? Waiting to rescue us?”
“…….”
The old woman’s question left Yu Hyun speechless.
How to answer?
Knowing he was alone would crush them.
But false hope was cruel too.
Yu Hyun delivered the harsh truth in a deliberately cold, firm voice.
“Nothing like that.”
“Huh?”
“But I’ll clear a path. The rest is on you.”
“……!”
“Stay if you want.”
As expected, hope turned to despair in their eyes, but Yu Hyun said no more.
Harsh, but no other way.
“What must we do?”
“……?”
The woman who’d nearly been assaulted.
“Die here or there—it’s death either way. How can we blame your grace, whatever the method? Just tell us what to do.”
Unexpected. This woman……
Yu Hyun steadied his surprise and spoke.
“Good.”
“……?”
“From now, you lead them. I’ll signal—run straight down the mountain. Avoid paths; use roadside thickets if possible. The entrance illusion blocks intruders, not escapees.”
“And the bandits?”
“I’ll draw their eyes and stall.”
Had to.
Kill as many as possible, buy time for them to flee and hide.
Even if it meant failing his martial world duty, he’d stake his life for them now.
To keep the despair in their eyes from becoming reality……