Chapter 69
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: Chapter 20. Hunting the Snake and the Hawk (6)
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"Is my opponent just that exceptional? Or have I truly grown too old?"
The old man muttered to himself in a self-deprecating tone.
Yet even as he spoke those words, his gaze fixed on some distant point with a chill that could freeze a man solid. His stance was relaxed and at ease, but he maintained a single thread of tension, ready to unleash explosive power at any moment. It was much like an arrow nocked on a bowstring, waiting to be loosed.
The old man was Seok Maeng, the "Hawk's Eye."
As Dan Geum had predicted, it was Seok Maeng who had loosed the arrows at Ye Dok-du and Flying Tiger.
Seok Maeng had been out for his morning stroll when he happened upon Flying Tiger's group just as they were causing chaos in the warehouse and fleeing on horseback. Since he hadn't brought a horse himself, pursuit on foot had its limits, so he had chased them using lightness skill before finding a suitable spot and letting fly his arrows.
The distance at the time had been fifty jang away.
To some, that might have seemed far, but it posed no problem for Seok Maeng.
What surprised him instead was the fact that, despite landing both shots cleanly, he hadn't managed to take down either target.
After that, the targets split up, and Seok Maeng naturally chose to pursue Flying Tiger. Dan Geum was riding away and putting distance between them, while the fallen Flying Tiger couldn't flee properly on his injured leg and had hidden himself away.
What if he had ignored Flying Tiger and gone after Dan Geum?
Flying Tiger would surely have seized the chance for a counterattack.
As a seasoned hunter, Seok Maeng could read the intentions of a wounded beast just from its movements.
From that point on, Seok Maeng and Flying Tiger engaged in a game of cat and mouse, neither able to see the other.
And at some point, Seok Maeng became certain.
The target hadn't shown himself yet, but he had slipped into the dense thicket seventy jang away.
And so, up to now, the two had remained in a standoff.
'Still hesitating, is he? With his body in such bad shape, will he try to flee like this, or risk it all and lunge at me? Doesn't matter either way. Time is on my side, after all.'
Seok Maeng waited for his prey to reveal itself. The opponent might have a rough idea of his position but not the exact spot. He was confident he could take him down completely if he spotted him first.
Thus, Seok Maeng framed the success of this hunt as a battle of endurance: "Can he hold out? Or will he lose patience and move first?"
Moreover, he firmly believed that time—the most crucial factor in such contests—was on his side. After all, this was friendly territory, so reinforcements would arrive soon enough.
But it didn't take long for Seok Maeng's conviction to shatter.
Bwooo~
A horn sounded from the bandits' village.
It was a signal for everyone—no exceptions—to assemble immediately. Even Seok Maeng himself was no exception. Despite being mere bandits, the Yellow Worm Brigade maintained discipline rivaling that of a proper army.
In the end, it was Seok Maeng who had run out of time.
Ping- ping- ping- ping-
Seok Maeng loosed four arrows at his chosen spot in frustration, but there was no reaction.
He waited a moment, just in case, then let out a wry smile. In the end, hadn't he been the one who couldn't hold out and moved first?
"Fine. You win this time. I salute you. We'll meet again soon—count on it."
Seok Maeng gave up the chase, erased his presence, and withdrew. As if no one had ever been there to begin with.
Quietly.
It was already early morning, with the sun just breaking over the horizon.
...
By the time Seok Maeng returned to the Yellow Worm Brigade's village, it was in an uproar.
The entrance was noisy with bandits presenting their horses, while inside, armed bandits rushed about amid shouts and curses. He headed straight for the residence of their leader, Yu Orogo.
Yu Orogo had been issuing orders to his aides when Seok Maeng entered. He dismissed them all and greeted the old man.
"Elder Seok, where have you been since the crack of dawn?"
"Ran into an amusing bit of game on my morning walk and had some fun with it."
"Oh? What happened to the prey?"
"Had to let it go, unfortunately. I was a bit short on time."
"To escape Elder Seok's sharp eyes—truly a lucky beast."
Seok Maeng nodded and cut straight to the point.
"Speaking of which, I saw on my way in. Are we mobilizing?"
"Yes. Word from the hunting dogs we sent out."
"Location?"
"They passed Cheonpyeong Plateau and headed west. By the time we get there, those dogs will have sniffed out their hiding spot."
"You're betting they'll hole up instead of keeping on the run?"
"Of course. I've given it some thought—they must have covered at least a hundred ri overnight for that dawn raid. They'll have no choice, what with their stamina running out. What do you think?"
"If that's what you say, then that's how it is. Understood. Let's head out right away."
Seok Maeng's eyes gleamed as he replied.
He might have shelved his regrets, but could there truly be no lingering bitterness?
Now, with a fresh haul of prey in sight—including that big fish called Wang Baek-gun—he intended to quench his thirst on them.
The Face Pursuit Unit Jeong, led by Jin Ga-yong, had inflicted casualties on the vanguard of Yu Orogo's Yellow Worm Brigade in this raid: fifteen bandits slain and around thirty horses eliminated.
In exchange, Flying Tiger had fallen behind from the group.
And now, with the bandits fully armed and mounted for departure, their numbers exceeded seventy. It was the total after mustering every spare horse for baggage and such.
Clop. Clop.
As Yu Orogo and Seok Maeng rode side by side at a walk, Go In-gyeom and Yu Orogo's four trusted aides followed close behind.
Then the rest of the bandits fell in one by one behind them.
Yu Orogo gradually picked up from a walk to a trot before blowing vigorously on the horn at his neck.
It was the signal to depart.
Bwooo~
The mounted bandits behind responded with ferocious roars.
Uwaaaah~
With that, the over seventy bandits surged forward as one, charging in earnest.
Their goal: the annihilation of the Face Pursuit Unit.
Dudududu-
About twenty ri west of the Cheonpyeong Plateau's fields lay the gentle hills leading to the ruins known as Guwangjin, an old military outpost.
Legend had it Guwangjin was built by an ancient kingdom, large enough to house a thousand troops and equipped with basic defenses.
The reason it's described in the past tense is that it now lay abandoned, battered by the elements over countless years, most of it crumbled to ruin.
This was one of the three retreat candidates recommended by No Song-seo, the spot chosen by Jin Ga-yong—and thus where the Face Pursuit Unit was now holed up.
Time had already passed into early sasi, around nine or ten in the morning.
Two mounted warriors entered Guwangjin.
These were A Jeok-gang and Dan Geum, who had gone out on patrol about half a sikjin earlier. Judging by the blood staining their weapons, they had achieved some success.
A Jeok-gang reported to Jin Ga-yong.
"Caught three skulking around, lost two."
"I see. Then our position's blown back at their base. It'll just be a matter of time before they come swarming. Good work."
"No problem."
Their location exposed and enemies inbound—yet Jin Ga-yong and A Jeok-gang spoke with remarkable calm.
Why?
This was all part of Jin Ga-yong's plan.
Take a painful hit to the forehead, then pretend to flee and hide—wouldn't the enemy come charging in fury to root you out and smash you?
That was the idea: lure them in and meet them at Guwangjin. It was the defensive battle Flying Tiger had once suggested, though he'd worried they might not take the bait.
Of course, the raid had thinned their numbers less than hoped, and Guwangjin proved more dilapidated than expected, with defenses weaker in many spots.
But in the jianghu, when did things ever go exactly to plan?
Once you'd roughly set the stage, all that was left was to fight with abandon.
A Jeok-gang surveyed the interior of Guwangjin, where preparations to receive their "guests" had been completed in his and Dan Geum's absence, and let out a whistle.
"Was going to rush back and lend a hand, but you're already set. Well done."
"Na Mok did the heavy lifting."
"That blockhead?"
"Heh, seemed genuinely sorry, worked himself to death."
"Guess he has a conscience after all. But when the fighting starts, you planning to rely on that blockhead? Looked like self-loathing and shock had broken him."
"That's why Wang Protector pulled him aside for some mental training."
"Heh heh, got it. By the way, no sign of the deputy leader yet?"
"Nope. With enemies coming any moment, we'll have to count him out of this fight."
"Shame. Could use every hand."
Jin Ga-yong nodded in agreement and told A Jeok-gang to rest up a bit.
In one corner, Wang Baek-gun was speaking with Na Mok—what one might call mental conditioning.
"Do you resent it?"
"No, sir. It's just..."
"Just what? Still hard to stomach killing a subdued foe?"
"N-no, sir. Just that I have no face left with you, Protector Wang."
"Hmm, Na Mok, have you ever seen a village the Yellow Worm Brigade razed?"
"No, sir."
"I've seen one. They killed everyone. The women, they raped first then killed. The babies? Boiled and eaten. Know what I thought seeing that horror?"
"..."
"Made me doubt if heaven even exists. Those scum have been doing that for nigh on twenty years. That's the infamous 'Yellow Worm Brigade.' How many have died under that name? How many more trembled in fear? And now you think it's too much to kill a bandit without splitting hairs over right and wrong?"
"..."
"No! Merely taking their name is already a capital crime."
"...Yes, sir."
"Heaven turned a blind eye, the nation turned a blind eye, even the murim turned a blind eye—and that's how their sins grew this vast. Now we step up to judge them."
"Yes, sir."
"So hold your head high. This is the act of a true xia."
"The act of a xia...!"
"Yes. Not for your fine family or this doddering old man, but for you alone—you, the warrior Na Mok. A deed worthy of lifelong pride."
Na Mok clenched his fist tight. Hearing such words from the Wang Baek-gun he so admired made his ears tingle and strength surge through his body.
Watching the reaction, Wang Baek-gun smiled faintly and struck the match.
"So, how about it? With such a grand battle ahead, are you properly prepared now?"
Dududu-
An hour later, the thunder of hooves shaking the earth echoed from far beyond Guwangjin.
It was the seventy-odd bandits.
Flying Tiger never appeared in the end, and the guide had slipped away first—as per the original deal, no participation in the fighting.
The six warriors, lounging here and there in relaxed poses, gathered up their weapons and assembled.
All eyes turned to Jin Ga-yong.
Jin Ga-yong met their gazes one by one—in order: A Jeok-gang, Ye Dok-du, Dan Geum, Na Mok, and Wang Baek-gun. Then he drew his sword and declared,
"Let's fight!"
His voice rang out clear and bright. Wang Baek-gun drew his sword with a hearty whistle.
Na Mok gripped his hilt till it creaked, burning with battle fervor.
Dan Geum slammed his hammer against the ground, thump thump.
Ye Dok-du pounded his shield in response.
And A Jeok-gang raised his axe high, igniting their fighting spirit.