Chapter 155
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 155
Chapter Title: Chapter 43. Rotten Lifeline (1)
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When they had arrived, it was a pitch-black night, but now as they departed, it was a brilliantly bright morning. While they had ascended via remote trails, they descended boldly through the main gate of Jeonghae Pavilion.
A great many things had happened in between.
And it wasn't just that. On the outbound journey, their group had numbered just three—Jin Ga-yong, A Jeok-gang, and Maeng Dal-seo—but on the return trip, it had ballooned to nine, three times as many.
"Are you sure you don't need me to help support you?"
"My frame's sturdy enough, so don't worry about me. Truth be told, I'm in no shape to help anyone else looking like this, so you're the one bearing the burden."
"Well, I didn't do much anyway, so this is the least I can do."
"What do you mean you didn't do anything? We all went through it together."
"Ugh."
Maeng Dal-seo of the Lowly Demon Horns let out a groan. A Jeok-gang's words of comfort didn't sit entirely well with him—they stung with embarrassment.
Sure, they'd all suffered together, but his own contributions amounted to little more than getting thrashed by Flying Tiger and rolling around.
In contrast, A Jeok-gang's face was ghastly pale from his exhausting deathmatch with a formidable foe. He leaned heavily on his staff, hobbling along alone with great difficulty.
That was why Maeng Dal-seo had fussed over whether A Jeok-gang was alright. It was also why he was carrying the massive Mountaineering Sword Go Dan-o on his back. His head still throbbed and his body ached all over, but relatively speaking, he was in one piece. Yet Go Dan-o's head alone was larger than Maeng Dal-seo's, making it no easy task—sweat poured down his back in rivulets.
Maeng Dal-seo felt utterly out of sorts all around, so he glanced back and vented his frustration on an innocent bystander.
"This is all that damn kid's fault."
The kid in question—Flying Tiger—overheard Maeng Dal-seo and snorted derisively. For the record, he too was carrying the Mountain East Elder on his back.
"That's rich. Are you whining to me about how heavy the baggage on your back is? If that's the case, why'd you even tag along?"
Suddenly reduced to baggage, Go Dan-o flinched. He'd only allowed himself to be carried because Flying Tiger had advised him to stay as still as possible, but he'd felt guilty about it the whole time. It wasn't manly for a grown man to act so helpless.
So Go Dan-o spoke up. "Lowly Demon Horns, sorry about this. Should I get down and walk now? I'm feeling better than I thought..."
Maeng Dal-seo panicked. "Whoa there! Young Master Go, don't say such nonsense. Is it because I called you baggage? Ridiculous. That was just me venting about that punk—empty words, nothing more."
Watching the two bicker, Flying Tiger grumbled.
"Why's this all my fault? Blame the guy begging to be saved, or the one who actually saved him. What power do I even have in this?"
Even as he said it, Flying Tiger's conscience pricked him, so he stole a sidelong glance at Jin Ga-yong. He also scanned the soldiers trailing behind in a line.
There were a lot of them.
It's a universal truth that the first button must be fastened with care. It's that important. But once that's done, the rest follow easily without much thought.
Something along those lines.
In other words, getting Jin Ga-yong to forgive Flying Tiger's sins had been the hard part; everything after was comparatively smooth sailing.
How so, you ask?
"Thank you for sparing me."
"I'm just holding off on a decision—haven't forgiven you yet. Don't get the wrong idea."
"Of course. I won't disappoint you."
"I hope not."
"..."
"What? Something else on your mind?"
"I hate to ask, but since you're holding off anyway, could you put off deciding the Mountain East Elder's fate too?"
"Him..."
"You're worried that old fool of mine might draw his sword against Zhao Family Manor if you let him live? I'll keep a close eye on him to make sure he doesn't. And once he's in his right mind, I'll make him swear never to draw his blade against them again."
"Haa~"
"Thank you so much."
That was the second button.
And from the third onward... well, Flying Tiger hadn't even asked for them. They were the ones lining up, begging to be fastened on.
Jin Ga-yong finished his talk and went to gather his junior colleagues, while Flying Tiger hoisted the sprawled Mountain East Elder onto his back and hurried after him.
He was anxious that Jin Ga-yong might take one look at the mess he'd made and get upset. He hadn't done any major damage, but the sight of them all huddled together wasn't exactly appealing.
And sure enough...
"Your handiwork?"
"Whoa, handiwork? They looked beat from the fierce battle, so I cleared the area for them to rest up."
Flying Tiger had swiftly subdued A Jeok-gang.
A Jeok-gang was utterly exhausted, and though he'd been on guard, Flying Tiger's ambiguous attitude had kept him from ramping up to full alert as if facing a mortal enemy. To Flying Tiger, such an A Jeok-gang was just a mouthful away.
Afterward, Flying Tiger dragged him over and laid him beside Go Dan-o and Maeng Dal-seo.
Feng Yeon-ja and Ho Ye-hwa happened to be there too. Just in case, he figured he could use them as hostages.
Feng Yeon-ja welcomed Flying Tiger noisily, thrilled at the extra hostage he'd procured, but he took her down while he was at it.
And Flying Tiger sealed Ho Ye-hwa's acupoints as a precaution, even as she lay moaning.
With that, he tidied up the arena. Then he leisurely watched the duel between the remaining two: the Mountain East Elder and Jin Ga-yong.
Flying Tiger rushed in and released the sealed acupoints on Go Dan-o, A Jeok-gang, and Maeng Dal-seo in that order. With quick hands, he brushed off the dust clinging to their bodies, straightened their clothes—even if just a bit.
Go Dan-o shot Flying Tiger a single glare before averting his eyes and reuniting with his senior brother.
A Jeok-gang blinked in confusion at the sight of Flying Tiger and Jin Ga-yong appearing chummy together but said nothing. He could guess there was a story behind it, and he was the patient, steadfast type who could wait to hear it.
Maeng Dal-seo, on the other hand, unleashed a barrage of curses at Flying Tiger the moment he was freed. His temperament was foul to begin with, half his face was swollen, and he'd been trampled to the point his joints felt limp. If he had his way, he'd have gone at Flying Tiger with fists and feet alongside the insults, but he held back.
What could the perpetrator, Flying Tiger, say to that? He simply ignored Maeng Dal-seo's glare and offered an excuse.
"It was all a misunderstanding. Sometimes guys need to throw punches to clear up old grudges, and that's how they end up as friends, right?"
Not the sort of thing the one-sided beater says to the one-sided beaten.
Maeng Dal-seo looked ready to explode when Jin Ga-yong, having just finished a brief greeting with his junior, approached him.
"Lowly Demon Horns, you must have had it rough. How's your body holding up?"
"Young Master Jin, I'm fine."
"Good to hear."
"Yeah. And here I was feeling bad for nothing."
Flying Tiger couldn't help butting in, earning a sharp glare from Jin Ga-yong in the end.
The third button made its appearance amid the arena's chaos.
Suddenly.
The bushes in the corner rustled, putting everyone on edge, until someone burst out and scurried toward the group.
It was one of the swordsmen who had fled earlier.
He dropped to his knees on the spot, and surprisingly, his target was Flying Tiger—even though anyone could see Jin Ga-yong was the group's leader.
"Senior Flying Tiger, please spare Lady Ho Ye-hwa."
"Huh? You're..."
"Yes, the Yun family man. You remember me, right?"
Now that he mentioned it, this swordsman was Yun Ga, the subordinate who had come to the mountain folk's house with Ho Ye-hwa the day before, right after Flying Tiger had taken down the six Yunseong Seven Wolves.
In an unexpected turn, he'd shown up like this because his superior was in danger.
In truth, Yun Ga had fled with the other swordsmen long ago, but a nagging unease had drawn him back. Lacking the courage to intervene, he'd hidden and watched the battle unfold. But with Ho Ye-hwa's head about to roll any moment, he'd charged out.
His loyalty was commendable, but...
"You want me to spare her?"
"Yes. You two are close, aren't you?"
"Hmm, friendship aside, seems you've got the wrong address..."
"No, you're our last lifeline—Lady Ho Ye-hwa's and mine. Just spare her. I'll do anything you ask."
Flying Tiger clicked his tongue. The fool had no idea he might be clinging to a rotten lifeline.
Glancing around, everyone's expressions were icy. Hardly surprising. Would they have spared her in the reverse situation? And who had started this mess in the first place? Still, the Zhao Family Manor folk revered righteousness at their core, so they merely found Yun Ga's loyalty touching rather than mocking him.
But seeing A Jeok-gang fidget with his belt, it looked like he'd step up as representative soon enough.
"Please."
"..."
Yun Ga was desperate.
Flying Tiger had no obligation or code of honor binding him to protect Ho Ye-hwa.
She'd joined or turned a blind eye to schemes to eliminate him multiple times, whenever it suited her needs.
That said, Flying Tiger wasn't particularly resentful or angry toward her. After all, he was just as willing to eliminate her whenever it suited his needs.
In short, that's the kind of relationship they had. They'd smile and shake hands, but if one smashed the other over the head, it wouldn't even come as a shock.
Thus, Flying Tiger didn't care if Ho Ye-hwa lived or died. And in his usual state, he wasn't soft-hearted enough to change his mind just because someone grabbed his pant leg and begged.
But...
This time, Yun Ga's actions struck Flying Tiger as rather poignant.
Over the past few days, he'd expended a tremendous amount of mental energy. Now, with the dramatic conclusion just reached, all tension had melted away. Perhaps that left him a bit softer toward people at the moment. It was that kind of instant.
So Flying Tiger simply didn't feel like being cruel to any human being today—not judging what kind of person they were, but humanity itself.
'Tch, I don't like it.'
Flying Tiger disliked his own decision but stepped forward before A Jeok-gang could.
He first asked Yun Ga,
"You know your actions right now are putting your own life at risk too, right?"
"Yes. But..."
Poke.
Flying Tiger sealed Yun Ga's mute acupoint to shut him up. Then he warned him.
"I'll do as you wish. So shut it and watch closely. No matter the outcome, don't blame me."
With that, Flying Tiger approached Ho Ye-hwa, released her sealed acupoints, and injected a tiny amount of his internal energy. It sharpened her senses in a flash.
Ho Ye-hwa hadn't actually fainted. Amid her hazy daze, she had a minimal grasp of the situation.
I'm done for now. Damn it.
That money-grubber was right. Flying Tiger's a traitor.
But why'd that idiot Yun Ga come here? Unbelievable.
Clap.
Flying Tiger clapped to draw Ho Ye-hwa's attention and laid it out.
"Ho Ye-hwa, you know the situation, right? Go ahead and try convincing that gentleman over there. Tell him why he should spare you. Choose your words carefully. It's not just your neck on the line—your subordinate's life hangs in the balance too, since he's staking it all for you."
Flying Tiger pointed at Jin Ga-yong as he spoke.
He was passing the buck.
Needless to say, persuasion would be no easy feat—which made it a rotten lifeline indeed.