Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Nine Deaths One Life (13)
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At first, he thought it was an easy mission.
Right up until he received the order and led his squad to raid the inn. He figured they'd just caught on and fled, so he ordered his men to scour for traces to track them down.
But it didn't take long to realize what a ridiculous miscalculation that was. The old man hadn't hidden or run away—he'd been right here from the start.
The elder didn't even consider concealing himself. He revealed himself boldly. Yet until that moment, no one had noticed he'd pierced straight to the heart of their formation.
'He didn't even notice me approaching...?'
His own martial prowess fell short of true first-rate, but it was a cut above second-rate, enough to hold his own against first-raters.
That's why he instantly recognized the old man as no ordinary figure. He looked like nothing more than a ragged rural geezer on the surface, but appearances could deceive.
In the martial world, judging by looks alone was as foolish as eyeballing poison to see if it was real. Just like a colorless, odorless toxin that could still kill you.
Pinnacle Realm masters excelled at masking their presence. Even fooling the sharpened senses of someone near first-rate was no small feat, pinnacle or not.
'Which means... could the old man be a pinnacle expert...?'
"What the hell's this wretched old fart babbling about?!"
This, this fool!
I'd warned him time and again not to act so rashly!
The squad leader let out a deep sigh at the death brought on by his subordinate's hot-blooded stupidity. Moyong Hoseong was arrogant and brutally violent, earning him poor regard from peers and underlings alike.
Yet even they had to acknowledge his skill. Among the Moyong Clan's second-raters, no one could stand against him head-on.
The elders themselves had praised him as a prodigy who could reach first-rate by thirty if he behaved. Ironically, that very confidence had hastened his doom.
And for a talent like him to die without landing a single blow, his neck simply severed... It was no wonder his inferior underlings froze in terror.
"You'd best answer properly this time."
"......"
His words flowed like a calm river, but the warning within struck the senses like thunder. The squad leader had only one choice left.
Thanks to that, Nameless gleaned unexpectedly valuable intel from him. Nearly sixty percent of the Moyong Clan's warriors were away, including their absolute pinnacle master and elder, Moyong Jin.
Hearing this, Nameless inwardly sighed in relief. An "absolute master" meant at least Fusion Realm.
'At least that's a relief. In the wuxia novels I read before, Fusion Realm experts were rare outside the late stages.'
He even learned that the clan's elders and most warriors harbored deep dissatisfaction with the patriarch's policies. What an unexpected windfall.
"Then you know where the Young Lord is being held?"
"Not the exact spot. But..."
"But?"
"I've seen the patriarch head off alone at dawn several times."
He'd only glimpsed it by chance while patrolling, but it started right after the Young Lord's confinement. Too coincidental to dismiss.
"My thanks for your cooperation. Take care of yourself."
Nameless clasped his hands in salute, expressed his gratitude to the squad leader, and swiftly departed. Once the storm had passed and silence returned, one underling hesitantly spoke up.
"S-Squad Leader... Was it really okay to tell him all that?"
"We couldn't beat him anyway. And you all already know, don't you? The patriarch's gone astray."
"......"
"We may not help right his wrongs, but we shouldn't stand in the way."
He'd long known the patriarch's path was misguided. Too much blood stained his hands under the banner of preserving tradition and history. Yet they'd turned a blind eye.
They'd closed their eyes and mouths to injustice. Now karma had returned as a sharp blade. The squad leader sighed deeply and closed Moyong Hoseong's eyes.
"How could I blame you? It was my failing as your leader that led to this."
Rest in peace there.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Fortunately, he'd obtained solid information.
Nameless had never been here before and knew nothing of the layout. But Sua overheard and immediately recalled it. She knew the Moyong Clan grounds inside out.
Thanks to her, he reached the spot without wasting time. It was a forest behind the family quarters, leading to a back gate. Walking the path without pause, a massive lake suddenly appeared.
A small rocky islet sat in the center, connected by an old bridge. Nameless nodded.
"This must be the place."
"Brother's there...!!"
No room for doubt. But instead of crossing immediately, Nameless reflexively raised a hand and snatched something inches from his temple like a ghost.
Sua whipped her head around at the sudden twang, startled. She gasped again seeing what he held: an arrow.
"An arrow?! Where did that—?!"
"I see. So you were waiting here from the start."
"......That's right, Great Hero."
Her blood-red hair gleamed like fresh blood under the faint moonlight, its eerie glow undimmed. Sua cried out in despair, voice unmistakable.
"Moyong Heisu, you traitor!!!"
"I've been listening, Sua."
"Why betray me, betray Brother?! I trusted you!!"
"......I was just following orders."
Orders to stick by your side and monitor you.
Her flat, emotionless reply was all she offered. She fell silent after that, and Sua pieced together the rest easily enough.
I thought she was someone who understood me, even if just a little. I excused her for not helping more due to the patriarch's watchful eye. But it was all orders from the start.
Yet, astonishingly, Sua's resolve didn't crumble. Her heart ached as if torn apart, true enough. But she had a sturdy pillar to lean on.
"Sua, listen."
"Yes, Great Hero."
"From here, you'll have to find Young Lord Moyong Hyeon alone."
"You'll hold them off by yourself?"
"I must."
A mere month together, but in that time, Sua had learned much from the Great Hero. Nameless gazed at her, then placed a hand on her head.
"Don't fear. You can do this."
The man who'd taught her so much. Yes, if the Great Hero believes in me, I won't break. I can endure. And with that, Sua was already sprinting across the bridge.
As she glided over it, the warriors moved to pursue. Had Moyong Heisu not raised a hand to halt them, they surely would have.
"Why stop us? The patriarch ordered no one through the forest..."
"You think we can just ignore him?"
"He's just a ragged old man. Overwhelm him with numbers, and we'll win easy."
"That's why you're still second-rate."
Moyong Heisu wasn't alone. A handful of the warriors here stood tense, sweat pouring like rain from their brows.
Over sixty percent of the clan had departed, yet nearly a hundred remained. But numbers meant nothing here.
"No one passes."
They knew what it meant to cross swords with the Moyong Clan, pillar of the Five Great Clans. Yet he stood against a hundred.
To describe it:
Enemy of Ten Thousand.
He was the reincarnation of a fierce general severing the bridge, forming the death trap, facing hundreds of cavalry alone. Moyong Heisu had no choice but to concede.
'Pinnacle absolute masters are on another level. No wonder they're called the Unmoving Realm.'
Those who press forward with iron will, unbowed by pressure, clinging to their path until they touch the heavens in mortal flesh.
And so.
'His internal energy feels off—all second-rate or lower here. Makes sense; over sixty percent gone, elders silent with discontent...'
His judgment never wavered.