Chapter 139
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 139
Chapter Title: Chapter 39: Time of Dogs and Wolves (2)
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Flying Tiger left the warehouse and went straight to find Ho Ye-hwa. Even though it was deep into the night, Ho Ye-hwa was still buried in stacks of documents, rummaging through them.
Flying Tiger relayed the information he had gathered from his interrogation.
It was a mix of useful intel that they probably already knew and some useless but peculiar details that only an outsider could uncover.
Ho Ye-hwa couldn't help but admire Flying Tiger's abilities once again. Regardless of the substance, he'd produced such an impressive-looking result.
It was a talent in its own right.
"I heard you treated Go Dan-o's injuries?"
"I only gave him a rough patch-up. But thanks to that, I earned his favor while treating him. For me, it meant finishing the job without getting my hands dirty. Not a bad deal."
"Ho~"
"What, did you think I'd enjoy torturing people or something? I only do it when necessary. I don't have that kind of twisted hobby."
"Not at all. Sorry if it came off rude. It's irrelevant now anyway. Mind if we talk about something else for a bit?"
"......"
Flying Tiger noticed Ho Ye-hwa's lukewarm reaction and realized his mind was filled with other thoughts. What could it be? A sudden idea struck him, and he asked first.
"Are you planning to hit the Zhao Family Manor tonight by any chance?"
"Did it sound that way? You really have sharp instincts."
"......!"
Was it getting tangled up again?
Should he just flip the whole board?
Flying Tiger felt a headache coming on and a flicker of killing intent, but he kept his composure on the surface.
"Mobilizing?"
"No."
"Huh?"
"Our side is on defense here, guarding the place. We've got Go Dan-o with us, after all. Not sure if they'll even make it this far, but the plan proceeds as original."
"What? You were jumping up and down about the strategy going awry because Yang Ji of the Upper Guest died, and now this?"
Flying Tiger sighed in relief while also feeling exasperated. Ho Ye-hwa explained sheepishly.
There had been no movement from the Zhao Family Manor all evening, so they'd assumed the ploy to lure them out by kidnapping Go Dan-o had failed. Sure, they had Go Dan-o secured, so they'd regroup, but for now, it seemed off the table.
That was the assumption—until around the second watch (9-11 PM), when the Zhao Family Manor's main gate swung wide open. A large group of warriors headed toward Golden Mountain, and up until then, they'd been searching the area around the Four Tiger Sect, centered on where Go Dan-o was kidnapped.
But with the trails left by Jeung-geum, it was only a matter of time before they headed this way.
"That's the situation. I only got word near midnight myself. I alerted the others right away, but you were in the middle of interrogating Go Dan-o, so I waited until now."
Flying Tiger nodded at Ho Ye-hwa's explanation. The picture was starting to come together.
Cheo-eojin's side was operating three units total for this operation.
The one Flying Tiger was with at Jeonghae Pavilion was tasked with kidnapping Go Dan-o and using him as bait to draw in the Zhao Family Manor's warriors.
Another unit was lying in ambush on the path from Golden Mountain to Jeonghae Pavilion. Having lured them in, they planned a grand welcome.
But what if the ambush failed?
Then it fell to them here to finish the job—that was their mission. In other words, Flying Tiger's group was both the lure and the final barrier.
And this was possible because of the formidable expert known as the Shandong Old Man holding the line.
Moreover, the martial artists gathered at Jeonghae Pavilion weren't numerous, but their skills and synergy were top-notch.
Or at least, that was the plan.
Especially Monk Gon-sun—if anyone fell for his tricks without knowing better, they were done for. As Flying Tiger had experienced just days ago, the rarity of sorcery made it all too easy to underestimate.
Unfortunately, that combination had turned into muddy water thanks to one slippery eel named Flying Tiger. But that's how it had been.
Anyway.
With three units total—one on defense, one in ambush—what was the third doing?
They were the assault team.
Made up mainly of Cheo-eojin's warriors, they were the main force, tasked with sweeping the Zhao Family Manor while a significant portion of their strength was away.
Thus, the war between Cheo-eojin and the Zhao Family Manor was set to unfold across three fronts: Jeonghae Pavilion, the Zhao Family Manor itself, and the path between.
"I see. The Zhao Family Manor is already short on numbers, so getting picked off like this means individual defeats. And since it's a surprise at an unexpected time, they might not even get a proper fight in before crumbling. But... hmm."
Flying Tiger trailed off ambiguously, and Ho Ye-hwa prompted him.
"Ask freely."
"Is the Shandong Old Man the top expert in this Cheo-eojin operation?"
"Why do you think that?"
"Just a thought, since this is the last line of defense."
"We have three units, remember? Naturally, the other two have heavy hitters on par with him. They're called 'Human Skull' and 'Twin Dragons.'"
Flying Tiger had never heard of Human Skull or Twin Dragons. He didn't know much about the martial world to begin with, but they were probably aliases.
Like the Shandong Old Man.
Aliases or real, the names gave away some info.
Take the Shandong Old Man—he was from or active in Shandong Province. Viewed that way, Human Skull was intriguing. It evoked "a beast wearing human skin."
'Probably some black path thug who rolled in the dirt like a dog but fights well. Then Twin Dragons must be Cheo-eojin's ace... Hmm, maybe wields twin blades?'
Out of curiosity, Flying Tiger probed.
"Twin Dragons? Does he handle two swords like you?"
"No, he's a fist fighter. They say his two fists embody the wills of remorse and protection, hence the name."
"Your tone says a lot—you respect him a bunch, huh? The organization's poster boy?"
"Something like that. There are others, but among those who've shown their faces, he has the highest prestige. Twin Dragons! Plenty have joined our group admiring him."
"Ho~ So how do the Shandong Old Man and this Twin Dragons stack up?"
"Hard to say for sure, but Twin Dragons has the edge."
"Why?"
"Twin Dragons has surpassed the pinnacle."
Ho Ye-hwa's face beamed with pride, as if he were the one himself.
"Surpassed the pinnacle... You mean a transcendent expert?"
"That's what people say."
Transcendent was a realm beyond the pinnacle.
But "pinnacle" already meant the absolute peak, so it was something of a word game. If transcendent truly existed, pinnacle wouldn't fit anymore.
His master had dismissed realms like transcendent or flower realm as nonsense. Said the folks over there were full of hot air.
Truth or not, claiming "transcendent" marked someone as a monster.
Flying Tiger let out a low whistle.
'Shandong Old Man, Human Skull, and Twin Dragons... Who could stand against them? This night might be brutal for the Zhao Family Manor.'
After chatting a bit more, Flying Tiger got up to leave.
That night started chaotic and grew harder to predict as it wore on.
The overcast sky seemed ready to pour rain, a few drops fell, then the clouds parted.
A damp wind blew.
This was as the fourth watch (1-3 AM) was ending.
......
Eventually, the black sky began to warp slightly, signaling the night's end, but on the ground, everything was shrouded in pitch darkness, outlines indistinguishable.
The deepest gloom just before dawn. The time of dogs and wolves had arrived.
'Two thousand fourteen, two thousand fifteen, two thousand...!'
Flying Tiger stopped counting. He pulled his gaze from the night sky he'd been staring at blankly and scanned Jeonghae Pavilion's grounds. After a moment, an ambiguous smile tugged at his lips—welcoming, bitter, resolute, complex.
He was on the roof of the warehouse holding Go Dan-o.
Flying Tiger had waited there, and after an hour and a half, he sensed his awaited guest had arrived.
"You really came. Now that's what I call my deputy."
It couldn't have been easy getting here. But Jin Ga-yong had exceeded expectations, cutting through the perils to appear.
Flying Tiger tucked away the broken sword Cheongryu—the remnant of Ma Yeop's blade—that he'd been fiddling with.
"Brother Ma, let's go. Time to end this."
Flying Tiger leaped from the roof and kicked the guard dozing against the warehouse door awake.
The startled guard fumbled for his sword in panic, but Flying Tiger clicked his tongue.
"It's me."
"Ah! I wasn't sleeping—I had something on my mind, so I closed my eyes for a..."
"Cut the excuses. Run straight to Ho Ye-hwa this way and tell him. Guests from the Zhao Family Manor have arrived."
"Pardon?"
"Shh! Keep it down. Why else would they come here? I'll hold the fort. Tell everyone to gather."
"Yes, sir. On my way."
Flying Tiger watched the guard dash off, then entered the warehouse. A strange excitement gripped him.
Was he finally meeting the real Jin Ga-yong?
What face would he show?
Clunk.
Shing—
A cold blade flashed, splitting a pounding heart.
"Urk."
The warrior on watch at Jeonghae Pavilion's outskirts stared in confusion at the sword piercing his chest. Too many thoughts flooded him at once. The blade had appeared out of nowhere; he hadn't been prepared at all.
Not even for death!
But realizing time was up, his final act was to look up. He wanted to see his killer clearly with his own eyes.
He saw the hand gripping the sword first—slender, long, smooth as jade.
His gaze traveled up the wrist, along the arm. The impression: lithe, agile, firm yet elastic.
Then the face he looked up at...
Plain. Eerily featureless.
But if pressed, it was gaunt and symmetrical, perfectly balanced left and right.
Huh? Plain?
Why?
Maybe captivated by those blazing eyes, like flames devouring the world. Like a moth to fire, blind to all else.
In conclusion, that face could never be plain.
"Who... are you?"
"Faceless Sword Jin Ga-yong. From the Zhao Family Manor you touched."