Chapter 173
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: One Night (5)
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Flying Tiger set aside all interest in Jin Ga-yong's past. Whether he had been good or evil, man or woman, a swordsman of the light or a killer from the shadows—what did any of it matter? As long as it didn't tangle with his own future self.
Two days prior, at dawn, when Flying Tiger had subdued Jin Ga-yong and interrogated him, he had already surmised far more than what Jin Ga-yong himself had revealed. He had simply chosen not to confirm it. And now, he intended to seal even that away.
Thus, for Flying Tiger, only the present Jin Ga-yong remained—the superior he had seen, heard, and sensed, the second young master of Zhao Family Manor.
"He's a good man. Must have been exhausting... I'll support you too."
Back at the residence, Flying Tiger gazed at the moon he had shared with Jin Ga-yong and downed the last gulp from the bottle. He then entered his room, where only faint moonlight streamed in.
In that way, Flying Tiger sought to sever his ties with the Ghost Face connected to Jin Ga-yong, the Ghost Shell linked to the Ghost Face, and the Ghost Beast beyond—even cutting off all bonds with Shaanxi's Three Ghost Relics. However, he vowed to eliminate the fake Ghost Face, the serial killer, whenever the opportunity arose. That fell squarely into the realm of vengeance he himself had to avenge.
But could the threads of fate be woven or cut at one person's unilateral whim? The cursed artifacts that Jin Ga-yong had dubbed damned objects now sought to cling tenaciously to Flying Tiger in a far more vivid form of ill fate.
Its origin lay in a certain hidden spot in Chang'an City. While some strove to tidy up and clear their minds, others were scouting new paths.
*Fourth Watch*
"The moon's bright. The road won't feel so lonely."
A burly, robust man muttered that while gazing at the moon outside the window. The words slipped out midway through drinking alone with a thoroughly intoxicated man seated across from him. In essence, it was a cue to wrap up the session.
The drunk man glanced sharply at him without a word. His bloodshot eyes burned fiercely.
The robust man shrugged and offered an excuse.
"Bear with me. Shame, but what can you do? I've got to grab some side-sleep to hustle at dawn. These days, age is hitting; my body's not what it used to be."
"......"
"What, you sulking 'cause I'm heading there? But after that fiasco, how could I not show my face for three whole days? It's your fiancée's family, no less."
"......"
"Tsk! Should've handled it right from the start so I wouldn't get dragged into this mess."
Bang!
The drunk man, feeling the ultimate insult, slammed his fist down on the table with all his might. The robust man flinched theatrically with an "Eek, scary!" but his face wore a sly grin.
"You snake!"
"Hey, friend, mind your tongue. I'm a sensitive type, you know. Not like you to act this way."
"Heh heh heh! Beats me why. Maybe 'cause I trusted a so-called friend, pushed ahead, and lost it all in one go? Or 'cause that friend shows up to my fallen ass talking new deals while dumping his own shit on me to clean up?"
"Tsk, you're wasted. I get the bitter gut, but ease up. You came begging first, and it was your call. Wasn't it?"
"But someone was missing from the list."
"You mean the Gold Gate Leader? Yeah, that was a curveball. Even a rotten fish swims true—Zhao Family Manor blood, I guess. But did you really not expect a powerhouse like Ye Mountain's Zhao Family Manor to hide an ace up its sleeve? After getting scorched once before, you regrouped for revenge?"
They had anticipated it. That's why they had surveilled Zhao Family Manor and Jin Ga-yong for months, amassed three times their known forces, and even devised an ambush tactic.
But their foes' prowess had surpassed every effort.
Painfully so.
"And honestly, if even our plants inside didn't know, how the hell was I supposed to?"
"Really... you didn't know?"
"That's stretching it. What do I gain? Hell, I trusted your outfit on your word, invested big, and ate massive losses. And now you're gonna pin it on me just 'cause you feel sorry for my heartbreak?"
"Damn it all."
The drunk man had no comeback, so frustration burst out instead.
"If my pitch rubs you wrong, turn it down. It's your call whether to bite. So sleep it off and mull it—what serves you best."
"......"
"I'll be off. No send-off needed; you rest too."
With that, the robust man flung open the door and stepped out. At once, nine guardian warriors patrolling the perimeter converged swiftly and bowed in unison. Their movements were crisp and disciplined.
Soon, he exited the main gate, and as always, the guards shadowed him silently like phantoms.
Crack.
Left alone, the man gripped his cup in uncontrollable rage and shattered it. Blood trickled from between his clenched fist through the shards. As a seasoned warrior's hand, he could have avoided even a scratch if he wished. But he craved the sight of his own blood—a form of self-flagellation.
He muttered in self-reproach.
"Too hasty after all? But......"
Yet the coalition's lightning strike on Zhao Family Manor had its own compelling reasons.
In the end, this battle could be seen as biting off more than they could chew by underestimating Zhao Family Manor, only to get their noses bloodied. But the truth was, it stemmed from overestimating and fearing their hidden strength too much.
What the coalition wanted was the utter annihilation of Ye Mountain's Zhao Family Manor. They had prepared steadily, but the execution date wasn't supposed to be now. Isn't it said that a gentleman's revenge is never too late, even after ten years? They planned to press until limbs were severed, then snuff out the last breath.
They had diligently built their foundation while keeping the pressure on...
But a tectonic shift rocked the political landscape.
The coalition's core figures, after Zhao Family Manor, gnashed their teeth at Lion Hall Lord Gwak Bu-ui. His daughter, Mountain Flower Gwak Nan-hoe, surged ahead, upending the succession dynamics. And the one who gave her that first step? None other than Zhao Family Manor's Benevolent Sword Jin Ga-yong and his Face Pursuit Unit Jeong!
From the moment Face Pursuit Unit Jeong eradicated the Huang Chong Group, rulers of the northern plateau, everything unfolded in a flash.
In the few days everyone gawked at Jin Ga-yong in shock, Gwak Nan-hoe swiftly rallied the snubbed northern sects, positioning herself as their proxy with masterful politics. Not only that—she had led the existing Face Pursuit Squad effectively, amassing achievements that all but reserved her the leadership of the soon-to-be-reformed squad.
She now backed by immediate political muscle and future pillars alike.
How could such a Gwak Nan-hoe not heavily favor Jin Ga-yong? Moreover, thinking back, hadn't her father Gwak Bu-ui forced Jin Ga-yong in despite all opposition?
In truth, relations between Gwak Nan-hoe and Jin Ga-yong had prickly points. But from the outside, their bond appeared rock-solid.
In short, the Zhao Family Manor they thought buried was showing eerie signs of resurrection.
If Lion Hall strategically nurtured them, what would the jianghu look like in ten years?
Wouldn't the Martial Qin Alliance's power hierarchy, embodied by Ok Jeong and Sa Ju, be fundamentally upended?
It was worth fearing.
Thus, they had to crush the sprout before it grew.
The fallout would bring noise for now, sure, but with no replacements in sight, what choice? Some branches pruned, but as long as the trunk lived, they could bide for later.
Resolved, but why this date—lacking pretext or prep?
Jin Ga-yong and Face Pursuit Unit Jeong's feats hadn't fully circulated as rumors yet. The coalition and sympathetic Martial Qin Alliance figures suppressed them under the guise of verifying truth. Strangely, Gwak Nan-hoe's side tolerated it too.
But they couldn't palm the sky forever. The moment she wrapped northern affairs and returned in glory, it'd go public.
Then...
That was why.
If they were to commit an outrageous act anyway, better to slay the despised remnants and stragglers than the hailed heroes of Zhao Family Manor and Jin Ga-yong. Less backlash that way.
"Young master, did the talk go well?"
"So-so."
"Still, surprising. Charging in like that and taking such a beating. Zhao Family Manor can't brag openly, but if word spreads, it'll be trouble enough."
The robust man from the drinking session was Jang Han, heading back with his longtime confidant and guard captain at his side.
Jang Han chuckled back.
"What, shocked their incompetence defies common sense?"
"The results speak for themselves."
"That's why the world's so harsh. Just a year ago, they rivaled our Lion Hall; now any mutt laughs at them."
"Ah! I overstepped."
"Heh heh! Talk a good rivalry, but truthfully, our Lion Hall was just the alpha of mutts back then. The true lions were them."
"......"
"I still vividly recall my master—unfazed by the world's grit—pacing anxiously that day."
"But......"
His guard captain and confidant, walking beside him, ventured cautiously.
"One hand can't block ten, right? We crushed them in the end."
"True enough. I was inspired too. 'So this works.' Gave me an epiphany: if once isn't enough, hit twice. Can't block ten with one? Beat 'em till they collapse from exhaustion."
"You mean......"
"Yeah. There's something I desperately want, but no one's fetching it. Guess I'll go get it myself."
"You've finally resolved!"
"Right. Time to rally the kids. We'll pick a day soon."
They set fire to the tiger's den; the enraged tiger burst out and tore apart the yapping jackals. But the tiger took wounds too—and now they knew how many tigers lurked in that den, and who they were.
Time for the real hunt.
That was the backstory behind the passphrase "Igniting Tiger Den" Flying Tiger had exchanged with the coalition's people the day before. Of course, the slain jackals never grasped its meaning.
*Fifth Watch*
As the fifth watch drew to a close, three men gathered at the village entrance near Ye Mountain's Zhao Family Manor. Simple packs slung over shoulders, weapons in hand.
Flying Tiger, Heaven-Striking Clan’s Hyung U-saeng, and Solitary Horn Tiger So Myeong-rang. Without a word, they nodded once to each other and set off.
Thus, the night ended, and a new day began.