Chapter 203
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 203
Chapter Title: Chapter 56. Final Mission (2)
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Flying Tiger received the news he had been waiting for. It was an emergency summons from the Face Pursuit Squad's main unit, ordering him to return by morning.
For reference, the Face Pursuit Squad didn't know the location of the safe house where Flying Tiger was staying. They had only contacted him at the inn he mentioned staying at, and the Western Nation Hall's Hidden Moon had received it on his behalf and passed it along. The summons didn't provide any specific explanation, but two or so hours prior, he had already received a messenger bird from Jin Ga-yong in Ye Mountain. So Flying Tiger knew what had transpired.
In any case.
The news Flying Tiger received aligned largely with what he had hoped for.
The fake Ghost Face was indeed Ye Hoe, leader of the Face Pursuit Elite Squad. And they had even identified the location he was scouting for his next crime.
The problem was that location.
The place where Geum Yu-bong's youngest disciple's clan resided was somewhere midway up the Qilian Mountains, spanning the northeast of Qinghai Province and the west of Gansu Province.
'Too far. Crossing a desert and climbing ice mountains? And how on earth did the Zhao Family Manor in Shaanxi Province connect with a clan in such a distant frontier?'
Up until now, the targets the fake Ghost Face had chosen were clear.
They were leaders of mid- and small-sized sects within Shaanxi Province—particularly those that had sided with the anti-Martial Qin Alliance during the Unification War, only to switch sides like rats when the tide turned.
The Six Jia Gate, which had recruited the Fufeng Four Heroes, and about six or seven others?
But at some point, that pattern broke. For instance, his most recent bloodbath had targeted the Goseok Mountain Manor under Han Zhong Bao's control.
And now, he was aiming for the distant Geum Family Manor in some remote frontier that had no connection whatsoever. It was tantamount to openly baring his fangs at the Zhao Family Manor in Ye Mountain.
How had things come to this?
Of course, if one had to interpret it, it wasn't impossible. One could dismiss it as the fake Ghost Face, cornered after his Superficial Shadow Sword was shattered, losing his mind and lashing out to bite off a toe or two from the Zhao Family Manor's sore spot.
But...
Was that truly the whole reason?
Flying Tiger shook his head.
He could hear the full details directly from Jin Ga-yong, and if that wasn't enough, they could discuss it further.
So the immediate concern was the travel time. Flying Tiger had assumed the fake Ghost Face was somewhere within Shaanxi Province, estimating it would take one to three days at most to catch and interrogate him—perhaps a week if things dragged on. But the Qilian Mountains? Even rushing there and back would take at least ten days, making this mission a minimum of half a month.
It grated on him, and it made him uneasy.
But he couldn't abandon this mission. It was the price for the Golden Jade Immortal treating Gong Won-yeong, and a promise to Hidden Moon of the Western Nation Hall. On a personal level, it was also vengeance for Ma Yeop.
With a troubled heart, Flying Tiger went to meet the Golden Jade Immortal. He needed to check her progress before deciding anything.
But upon actually speaking with her, it turned out—fortunately, at least from her perspective—that there was no particular issue.
"It might take half a month to catch Ye Hoe... or even close to a month if it drags on?"
"Yes."
"That's longer than expected. Why?"
"Because I learned he's far away. Very far."
"Hm, a month is quite a while..."
The Golden Jade Immortal glanced at him slyly as she broached the topic, but Flying Tiger's stoic expression didn't change a whit. With a show of generosity, she continued.
"But even that shouldn't be a big problem. Preparing for the Heaven-Defying Great Law—administering drugs, remodeling the body—takes at least half a month anyway. So we can proceed with that process slowly."
And then the Golden Jade Immortal warned him.
"However, exceeding a month would be trouble. It wouldn't just mean abandoning the groundwork I've already laid."
"A month will be enough."
"Then that's fortunate. But keep it firmly in mind. This is a transaction. If you fail to deliver results within that month, no matter what, I won't proceed to the next stage of the Great Law."
"..."
The Golden Jade Immortal spoke bluntly, her tone a veiled threat that she wouldn't continue the treatment even if a blade were at her throat. Then, observing Flying Tiger's complexion, she looked puzzled.
"Why are you grinning like that?"
"Because it's a relief."
"What is?"
"Everything, in various ways. Anyway, you don't need to worry about me. Ye Hoe is as good as dead. So forget any stray thoughts and focus on waking Gong Won-yeong."
"Is this a threat?"
"No. Please, I'm begging you."
With that, Flying Tiger concluded the conversation and stood up. As he opened the door and stepped out, the faint smile on his lips had hardened into a cold line.
It was because a foreboding premonition struck him—that he and the Golden Jade Immortal would never see eye to eye in the end.
Afterward, Flying Tiger met with Lady Tang Bong Yeon-ja and Woo-i together.
There, he asked Bong Yeon-ja what she thought of the Golden Jade Immortal's Heaven-Defying Great Law. Though it wasn't her specialty, she answered as best she could based on her knowledge.
According to her response, the treatments administered to Gong Won-yeong so far were all standard. Reluctantly, she admitted they were even showing results.
Because Gong Won-yeong had been like a candle in the wind, where her remaining breath could flicker out at any moment. Yet she had endured without any signs of her body collapsing, which was proof enough.
Bong Yeon-ja added,
"Honestly, I'm still skeptical if this will really allow her to open her eyes and move again. The Heaven-Defying Great Law? It sounds like something from another world."
"You think it's nonsense?"
"By common sense, yes. But it's not impossible. My former master, the Five Pine Immortal, was always obsessed with 'immortality.' And he was a genius. I never learned it, but after I left, he researched corpse immortals, and if the Golden Jade was by his side attending him then... she might have picked up some knowledge indirectly."
Flying Tiger sighed inwardly.
The Five Pine Immortal, called the world's greatest with his immortal aura. And Lady Tang Bong Yeon-ja, once his disciple, along with the Golden Jade Immortal. There was undoubtedly a tangled history among the three.
But Flying Tiger had no time to delve into it now.
"Got it. So the Golden Jade Immortal hasn't done anything particularly strange to Yeong so far?"
"Right. Why? Worried?"
"Of course. It's the Heaven-Defying Great Law... I can't help but wonder if I'm doing something awful to her by refusing to accept her death."
As Flying Tiger voiced his doubts, Woo-i, who had been listening quietly, spoke up encouragingly.
"Hey, chin up. We knew this might happen—that's why we steeled ourselves for it, right?"
"Yeah. But back then, I didn't know I'd have to go that far away for the mission. Half a month at least, even rushing. If something like what we prepared for actually happens in the meantime..."
"Hey now, this isn't like you. Trust your big sis, remember? I told you, even aside from the commission, I'm personally rooting for you and Gong Won-yeong. So I'll keep my eyes wide open. Don't worry too much."
Woo-i reassured the uneasy Flying Tiger, and Lady Tang chimed in.
"Yes, trust Lady Woo-i and go. I'll examine Gong Won-yeong regularly too. I don't know how that Golden Jade bitch plans to save her, but if she veers off course, I can correct it. Symptoms always manifest in some way."
Flying Tiger nodded readily.
He was grateful that these two women, like elder sisters, were stepping up for him. Though the lingering unease in his heart remained, he decided not to show it. He didn't want to burden them with unsolvable worries.
But the sharp Woo-i saw through his inner thoughts and asked,
"Worried that something might happen to Gong Won-yeong while you're far away? That you might not even see her last moments?"
"..."
"There's a solution for that."
"...?"
"I have Chu Hyang-i. That falcon can cover a thousand li in half a day without breaking a sweat, so no matter how far you are, it'll find you in a day."
Chu Hyang-i was Woo-i's falcon, which Flying Tiger also handled often.
Only then did Flying Tiger's mind ease somewhat. He couldn't rush back at a moment's notice without being Chu Hyang-i himself, but at least he could receive fresh news.
With that, Flying Tiger steadied his wavering resolve and changed the subject.
"Oh, right, Lady Tang—how's Brother So's condition?"
"He's going with you?"
"Yeah. He's insisting, but I was thinking of leaving him behind. This mission seems like it'll involve a lot of bloodshed."
"Take him. He's not at full strength, but I've patched him up enough to hold his own as a man."
Flying Tiger let out a low whistle of admiration, and Bong Yeon-ja shrugged it off nonchalantly.
The day before, Lone Horn Tiger So Myeong-rang hadn't returned to the Zhao Family Manor with Maeng Dal-seo but had stayed here instead.
Right before arriving, So Myeong-rang had sustained a major injury during the operation with Flying Tiger (against Han Zhong Bao's elite unit), and the aftermath had been far from minor. He just hadn't shown it, and Flying Tiger had suspected but chosen not to mention it.
Instead, upon arriving here—amid his own chaos—Flying Tiger had separately asked Bong Yeon-ja to examine So Myeong-rang's condition in detail.
Thanks to that treatment, which brought major improvement, So Myeong-rang had stayed to receive her care and focus on recovery.
And after just a few days, Bong Yeon-ja had given permission for him to fight.
Given the circumstances, how could Flying Tiger not be impressed?
Come to think of it, those miraculously healed by Bong Yeon-ja's treatments weren't few. Those on the brink of death survived as half-cripples, somehow clinging to life, and those expected to be half-cripples for half a year were made to stand on their own feet after some rest.
At this level, she deserved to be called a divine healer.
So Lady Tang Bong Yeon-ja must truly have been a disciple of the Five Pine Immortal.
Only Flying Tiger's first impression of her—lounging about, doting on her venomous insects—had been so strong that even knowing this, he couldn't help but marvel anew. Just like now.
"...For all those reasons, I'm heading out again. But I swear it—this separation will truly be the last. After this, I'll stay by your side, Yeong. Until the very last moment God allows. And perhaps... even beyond the time God permits."
Flying Tiger gently caressed the hand of the peacefully sleeping Gong Won-yeong as he made his vow.
As he did, he reminisced about their past, examined his current mindset, and imagined a future with her—one that might consist of only a handful of moments left.