Chapter 158
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Ye Mountain Zhao Family Manor (2)
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Hapuigwon's Mo Seotak was Mo Kyung's half-brother.
He hailed from An-gang County at the southern tip of Shaanxi Province. In his youth, he had studied at the Wudang Sect before pledging himself to the Chongyang Sect, where he climbed the ranks steadily and reached the position of elder at a relatively young age. A man of remarkable standing.
But all that was in the past tense now because he was no longer among the living.
He had fallen in battle during the Martial Qin Alliance's campaign to unify Shaanxi. He always charged at the forefront, earning great renown, and the alliance leadership had taken note. They gathered him and several other outstanding talents for a covert operation, but he ended up dying midway through the mission.
For reference, the Chongyang Sect was one of the four pillars of the Martial Qin Alliance, alongside Han Zhong Fortress, Stone Sky High Clan, and Dance Melody Manor.
And the Yin Shadow Squad—which had been surveilling Flying Tiger and Jin Ga-yong only to get backtracked—was a direct independent unit under the Chongyang Sect's sect leader.
Moreover, many members of the Yin Shadow Squad, including the deceased Ban-chung, had joined the Chao Erjin. That was why Flying Tiger had already clashed with them several times.
Looking at it that way, both Mo Seotak's case and the Chongyang Sect in general were deeply entangled with the Chao Erjin.
'But is this a problem unique to the Chongyang Sect? Maybe all the other sects among the Martial Qin Alliance's four pillars are involved too.'
Flying Tiger stopped his thoughts there.
There was no need to speculate further. He figured the true nature of this Chao Erjin organization would come to light soon enough. They'd gone after Zhao Family Manor and failed—surely this was the inevitable next step.
Ho Ye-hwa finished her story.
"That's all I know."
"Hm. So in the end, blinded by vengeance, he abandoned a life of contentment at home and crawled back into the murk of the jianghu. And the target is our Zhao Family Manor."
A Jeok-gang spoke up, and Flying Tiger glanced at Ho Ye-hwa as he picked up the thread.
"It's not just vengeance, though. The other day, she told me that the Twin Dragons' fists carry the wills of 'repentance' and 'protection.' Something like a slogan, anyway."
"Repentance and protection?"
Maeng Dal-seo snorted derisively.
"Hah! Repentance, fine. But protection? Who 'protects' by breaking into someone else's home and wreaking havoc?"
"Is hunkering down in a fortress the only way a battlefield general protects his men?"
"Then what's your take?"
"Sometimes you have to break through boldly. So in this case, it's probably something like, 'I'll charge ahead, so trust me and follow.' I hear his late half-brother led the vanguard in the Martial Qin Alliance's war too."
"So you're saying Mo Kyung's recklessly following in his dead little brother's footsteps by coming at our Zhao Family Manor first?"
"Probably. And by now, Mo Kyung's likely followed his brother to the grave. What do you think, Commander Jin?"
Jin Ga-yong, having finished his deliberations, had been listening in.
"How should I know? We'll find out when we get back to the manor. Alright, enough resting—let's get moving."
Jin Ga-yong stood first as he spoke. His words carried no real urgency or worry, though.
This was a pavilion under the village's sacred tree up ahead.
Jin Ga-yong and his group had been resting here, having laid out some mats. They exchanged messages via homing pigeons and tended to the wounded along the way.
The village chief had offered to host them at his home, but Jin Ga-yong refused, citing the large group and the hassle. He didn't want to impose or give anyone leverage to cause trouble later.
Instead, he'd asked the chief to allow Ho Ye-hwa's adjutant, Yun Ga, into the village to procure carts for the wounded.
This had happened just one or two cups of tea ago.
And as Jin Ga-yong rose, Yun Ga was just leading a donkey hitched to a cart out of the village entrance.
"Hey, Warrior Flying Tiger."
"What?"
"You know I can't hold back my curiosity."
"And?"
As the group rose en masse, Ho Ye-hwa quietly pulled Flying Tiger aside.
"Didn't I just talk about the Twin Dragons?"
"You did."
"So why's no one worried? Do you all think he's a pushover because he lost to the Benevolent Sword Great Hero?"
"Nah, I doubt it. You said he might even be stronger than the Shandong Elder, right? If so, he's way above my league. By that logic, even if he's stronger than Commander Jin here, it'd be no big surprise for a transcendent master. Something like that, yeah?"
"Hmmm."
At that moment, everyone pretended not to listen while eagerly tuning in to Flying Tiger and Ho Ye-hwa's exchange. It wasn't deliberate eavesdropping—their ears just perked up on their own.
Who was the better fighter?
For these jianghu folk, that was their ultimate concern.
A Jeok-gang eyed Jin Ga-yong, silently asking what he thought of Flying Tiger's words. Jin Ga-yong gave a wry smile and shook his head. Flying Tiger's chest twinged anew.
'A duel might be different. But if we have to outright assassinate the target, and can only pick one from everyone here... I'd choose Flying Tiger. The sneaky bastard would jump up and down denying it, of course.'
"What, am I wrong? Why the deep thought?"
"It's not that... My thinking aligns with yours, more or less. That's what makes it weird."
"Weird how?"
"A master like that led the charge on Zhao Family Manor, and everyone's way too calm about it."
"Commander Jin read the report and said it's fine. You think he'd write 'all good' if some monster showed up and slaughtered our guys?"
"But who stopped him?"
"Beats me."
"Huh?"
Flying Tiger almost chided her—'It's been less than a day, hell, not even an hour since I defected. How would I know who's at Zhao Family Manor? I've been hanging with you the whole time.'—but swallowed the words, realizing it sounded boastful.
Evidently, Ho Ye-hwa mistook him for a spy Jin Ga-yong had planted in Zhao Family Manor from the start. Like Yang Ji, the merchant spy recruited from the Chao Erjin.
Ho Ye-hwa tilted her head, then went straight to the source.
"Commander Jin, if I may be so bold—our organization had investigated the notable masters residing at Zhao Family Manor."
"I heard. The merchant spy mentioned it."
"My apologies."
"You're no merchant spy, so no need to apologize to me. Go on."
"Ahem. That's why it's strange. Yes, Zhao Family Manor has gathered some impressive jianghu figures... but honestly, none on the Twin Dragons' level. So I'm wondering who blocked him."
"I see. Then how did the Chao Erjin rate this Jin's martial prowess?"
"Ah... well..."
"Speak freely. I'm just curious."
"The organization flagged three watchlist figures: Muddied River Fish Oh Rim, Sky-Piercing Bird Hyung Woo-saeng, and you, Commander Jin."
"Oh? Me too?"
Muddied River Fish Oh Rim was the middle-aged man who had spearheaded the sweep of the Chao Erjin's ambush unit alongside Jin Ga-yong this time. His Orchid Pavilion Clumsy Script, executed with a single judge's brush, was hailed as one of the jianghu's absolute arts.
Sky-Piercing Bird Hyung Woo-saeng was a hidden weapons master who could down birds in flight with mere pebbles. He'd stayed behind at Zhao Family Manor to await the enemy, so he hadn't appeared yet.
These two were figures whose reputations extended beyond provincial boundaries, and they truly possessed top-tier strength among Zhao Family Manor's guests.
So it was natural for the Chao Erjin to be wary of them.
But Jin Ga-yong seemed puzzled that the Chao Erjin had placed him on the same level as those two.
"No matter what anyone says, Ye Mountain's second young master was once Shaanxi's most promising prodigy, wasn't he? There were even rumors that if he'd continued active in the jianghu, the Twin Dragons—Narakdo and Cheonchucang—would never have risen."
"You're gilding this Jin's face."
"Far from it. You've proven it yourself, haven't you? Breaking your long silence to return to the jianghu, your exploits with the Face Pursuit Unit Jeong speak for themselves. Especially wiping out the Yellow Insect Group recently—that was a shockwave. It caused a huge stir in the organization."
"......"
Flying Tiger, listening, thought to himself.
'Huh? It's only been days, and even a mid-level Chao Erjin exec like Ho Ye-hwa already knows? That's near real-time intel. Their eyes reach the Face Pursuit Squad too? Rotten to the core? Hm, and Commander Jin's been hiding most of his strength. Did he anticipate something like this?'
A sudden insight flashed through Flying Tiger's mind. He turned to Ho Ye-hwa.
"Hold on. The Unit Jeong taking down the Yellow Insect Group was that shocking to your organization?"
"Of course. And it's not just us—anywhere people live, it'd be the same. Watch: the rumors haven't spread yet, but soon your Commander Jin and the Face Pursuit Unit Jeong will shoot to fame piercing the heavens. Not just the jianghu, but common folk everywhere."
"Oh? Never thought of that. The infamy the Yellow Insect Group built up means the credit we'll get is huge too, huh?"
"Exactly."
Ho Ye-hwa affirmed, and Flying Tiger grinned in satisfaction, turning to Jin Ga-yong.
"Wow~ After all the scandals you've weathered, Commander, this one feat catapults you back to hero status the jianghu admires. Shall we call it the Benevolent Sword's glorious return?"
"Flying Tiger, enough. I didn't scheme for fame or glory, and this isn't my achievement alone. It's thanks to the late Elder Ho Chi Wang Baek-gun, the sacrifices of the Face Pursuit Unit Byeong who got wiped out tracking them first, and the quiet support of so many others."
"Sure, but the eyes of the world will turn to you, Commander. Anyway, I'll stop there."
Even as Flying Tiger spoke, he sent a transmission to Jin Ga-yong.
-Your words are spot on, but you must remember this, Commander.
-I said drop it...
-No. Etch it in your mind. Even if you disagree, those who hate Jin Ga-yong will nod along with me. That's why you'll have even more worries.
-......!
Jin Ga-yong's eyes wavered.
Flying Tiger smirked coldly to wrap it up.
-Or rather, the worries have already started, haven't they? This mess proves it.
Ho Ye-hwa's question—who at Zhao Family Manor had stopped the Twin Dragons' Mo Kyung?—had veered into tangents, taking quite some time.
But the eventual answer was simple and clear, instantly convincing everyone without dissent.
"Apex Suppressor, Grand Army Guardian."
So many names had passed lips that day, but this one felt like the perfect finale.
Flying Tiger had never heard it before today. But Ho Ye-hwa's bulging eyes and slack-jawed shock said it all.