Chapter 179
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 179
Chapter Title: Chapter 50. Crouching Tiger (2)
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Flying Tiger's single arrow opened the battle, but it was over before half an incense stick had burned. Shim Heum had fled in a panic without even grasping the enemy's full strength.
That left just six men from Hanjung Fortress behind. They still outnumbered Flying Tiger's group two-to-one, and they boasted of their prowess in these parts with every swing of their blades, but the gap in skill was obvious.
Shim Heum's deputy had stepped up prepared for the worst. What he couldn't comprehend, though, was how they'd melted away so quickly without landing a single decent blow.
'Heh heh heh... So this is the mighty pride of Hanjung Fortress warriors?'
The deputy scanned the area with bloodshot eyes. Aside from himself and one other barely clinging to life, the rest lay scattered like roadside trash.
This can't be!
With rage boiling over, the deputy charged at So Myeong-rang, ignoring everything around him. He thrust his spear in a strike that disregarded his own life.
A mutual death wish.
He aimed to take at least one foe with him to the afterlife. That was his last shred of pride, his warrior's honor.
Whoosh~
So Myeong-rang was tangled with the last remaining Hanjung Fortress warrior at that moment. He'd just slashed one down and was bringing his blade down when the man dodged and grabbed hold. Then the deputy leaped in from behind, stabbing with his spear.
So Myeong-rang spun half a turn with the warrior still in his grip, switching positions, then shoved him forward with a roar.
What happened next was inevitable.
Squish—
The spear tip pierced the shoved warrior's back and jutted out the front.
"Agh!"
The deputy stared blankly at his last comrade, whom he'd slain with his own hand, his expression one of pathetic despair—until it vanished.
Thwack.
A flying stone smashed his skull. It wiped away his pride, his honor, and even the look on his face.
…
"Too easy."
"Yeah. Almost disappointing."
Hyeong U-saeng spoke, and So Myeong-rang replied.
With the fight over, the group took a moment to regroup. So Myeong-rang wiped the blood and grime from his blade. Hyeong U-saeng rummaged by the stream, picking out stones to replenish his ammunition.
Flying Tiger gulped down water from his canteen, listening to them. He wondered if he should offer a word of caution.
The outcome and the time it took were perfect, of course. But the ambush had worked too well, and the enemy commander had made an idiotic blunder. Luck had favored them. And who could say whose side luck would take tomorrow?
Seizing luck when it comes is skill in itself, but...
'Yeah. Their skills are top-notch, no doubt. Operation execution, situational judgment, proactive pressure... Hm, fine. They'll handle it themselves.'
Flying Tiger capped his canteen and yanked his Overlord Sword from the ground where he'd planted it. He spun it through the air with a whirl~ then gripped it reverse and sheathed it in one smooth motion.
Click.
He turned to his comrades.
"Daylight's fading. Time for us to move out."
Thud thud thud—
Flying Tiger's group galloped along the official road as the sun began to set right on cue. Soon enough, they spotted an abandoned carriage.
"They're not total idiots. Looks like they finally realized carriages have their limits for escape."
"Should we pick up the pace?"
So Myeong-rang echoed Hyeong U-saeng's words and turned to Flying Tiger, who suddenly yanked the reins, halting the two as they tried to pass.
Flying Tiger leaped from his horse and inspected the empty carriage, then scanned the surroundings. He combed the roadbed thoroughly.
Hyeong U-saeng wheeled his horse around and approached.
"What's up? Hunting for dropped coins?"
"They split into two groups here."
"...!"
"Huh? How'd you know?"
"Thanks to you, brother."
"Me?"
Hyeong U-saeng, twenty years Flying Tiger's senior, called him "little brother," so Flying Tiger played along. It tangled up their nicknames even more with So Myeong-rang included, but these were men who lived by their own rules—no one minded.
Anyway, Flying Tiger explained.
"Yes. You said they weren't idiots. Made me think they might've pulled some trick. So I checked, and found traces."
"Oh, so you know pursuit arts?"
"From way back. Just a hobby."
Hyeong U-saeng and So Myeong-rang were impressed deep down.
Both had roamed the jianghu extensively and knew pursuit techniques well from reports and tales. Flying Tiger seemed to track foes just by reading the terrain—a true expert.
So Myeong-rang said,
"So the ones who took the horses were a decoy?"
"Not quite."
"...?"
"No wounded now, and spare horses too. They can speed up. Rotate mounts and keep galloping the road—they'll hit Hanjung Fortress territory in two shichen at most."
"So not just a decoy, but off to alert their allies?"
"Exactly. Let them go, and the op ends with grabbing Im Wan-baek and Shim Heum. If Shim Heum's in that group, we settle for Im Wan-baek."
"Hold on. Shim Heum might ditch Im Wan-baek?"
"Not ditching. For them, fetching reinforcements fast is key. Plus, if they think the ploy works, it's the riskiest role."
"So we split up too. Can't be here just for Im Wan-baek."
Flying Tiger looked at Hyeong U-saeng, then So Myeong-rang.
"Here's my plan. I'll track Im Wan-baek's group. Brother U-saeng, you pursue the road group. Method..."
"Ride till the horses drop. Then lightness skill. Been a while since I sweated—don't worry about me, little brother."
"What about me?"
"You're the wildcard, So. Balance says go with Shim Heum's side, but we don't know which."
"Fifty-fifty?"
"Yeah. So I'll ask you—where do you want to join?"
"Intriguing."
Moments later, the group split.
Flying Tiger tethered his horse to a tree by the road and proceeded on foot. Within half an incense stick, he found solid traces.
'Careful up to here, minding every footprint. Then full sprint from here. Figured they'd put enough distance from the carriage? So the hideout's...'
His gaze fell on a shallow stream leading to dense woods.
A decent spot to hole up overnight. Plenty of cover, and any approach would make noise. Fine for most—but did they know it wouldn't fool Flying Tiger?
'Doubt it. They don't realize they're rats in a trap.'
The sun had set in the forest, and Flying Tiger slipped into the darkness.
Half a shichen passed.
Rustle.
Insects suddenly went silent, then a deer bolted. Startled birds took flight. Minor commotion. A stifled human groan followed, then silence returned.
…
It was a hollow under a large boulder. Cramped, but enough for three men to lie flat. Lightning-struck fallen trees and thick underbrush screened it naturally—a perfect hideout.
Three men were there, but none spoke.
One stared mutely, mouth seemingly locked. Another lay dead at his feet, beyond words. The last, acupoints sealed, lay speechless. But his face screamed:
'Who are you?'
The pinned man—Im Wan-baek, Hanjung Fortress master's third disciple—guessed who it was. He just craved conversation to ease the fear and anxiety from those silent eyes looking down.
Meanwhile, some fifty li west on the road, startled horses neighed wildly as they collapsed one by one. Hyeong U-saeng had caught the fleeing Hanjung Fortress warriors, hurling stones to shatter their horses' legs.
Neighhh~
Two warriors rode; one leaped off just before his mount fell, dodging disaster. The other failed, tumbling with his horse and slamming the ground. Before he recovered, another stone flew, snapping his senses.
Thwack.
"Who the hell are you?"
The suddenly ambushed man—'Crouching Tiger' Shim Heum—demanded with clear dismay. He unslung the two short spears crossed on his back, butted their handles, and twisted them together.
Clunk.
Connected, they became a long spear with blades on both ends.
"Zhao Family Manor never forgets grudges! ...Or so this guy says."
Hyeong U-saeng grinned and stepped aside. So Myeong-rang emerged behind him, drawing his Stabilizing Heavy Blade to signal: you're mine.
Shing.
Shim Heum glared alternately at the retreating and advancing foes.
"Zhao Family Manor? Hah, a bunch of cowards hiding in their yard dares touch Hanjung Fortress?"
"What a clown. Chasing thieves who tried scaling Zhao Manor walls, and it turns out to be Hanjung Fortress scum? So what?"
"…"
"Don't bullshit your way out. Pick up your spear."
Shim Heum nodded grimly. What use in talk now? He assumed stance, tilting his spear tip to tap the ground.
Come on.
So Myeong-rang's eyes flashed as he raised his heavy blade high. His lower body exposed before the long weapon? He didn't care.
"Madman."
Shim Heum scoffed. That was the signal. “Crouching Tiger” and “One-Legged Tiger” charged at each other.