Chapter 35: First Mission (4)
Chapter 35: First Mission (4)
There were seven men in black clashing blades on the main road.
Two of them lunged at me.
Judging by the faint, hazy energy shimmering on their blades, both were at least above the Second-Rate level.
As for the duo consisting of the woman and the middle-aged man…
Claaaaang!
Hmm. They were experts. The woman had clearly surpassed the First-Rate level, and the middle-aged man had reached the Peak Realm, at the very least.
Even though he was just holding his sword, his hem fluttered—a clear sign that his Middle Dantian was open.
'Is Pyeongseong actually going insane?'
Usually, a Peak Realm master would be the leader of a small-to-medium sect. Even in a great sect, they would hold the rank of an elder.
I didn't understand why such people were popping up like pebbles on a path.
Considering that the vast majority of martial artists are Third-Rate, and only those who invest an immense amount of time and effort crawl up to the First-Rate, with only a tiny fraction of those crossing the threshold into the Peak Realm, there were simply too many experts near Pyeongseong right now.
"You bastard, looking away in a fight!"
Slash!
The man in black, who had closed the distance in an instant, shouted as he swung his longsword in a wide arc. The sound of the blade cutting through the air was quite ferocious.
'He’s not an assassin,' I thought.
Even my childhood friend Won-ho, who had mastered the techniques of an assassination sect, was quieter than this.
Clang!
"What…? You… you blocked it?"
"Friend. If you see a martial artist you've never met before looking away…"
I parried the sword strike with my Heart-Protecting Fist and stepped forward.
I didn't need any martial arts more sophisticated than this. I moved toward the one who was clearly at a lower level between the two.
The Mountain Lord Step. A gait that captures the flow of the offensive incessantly, dodging what needs to be dodged and parrying what needs to be parried while closing in.
Without lightness arts, without defensive footwork. Without even hiding the surge of energy in every step—just blunt and honest.
This was the hunting method of the Mountain Lord.
I stepped right up to the man's nose, parrying all his desperate flailing, and finished my sentence.
"It means the difference in our levels is that vast. You have to realize that if you want to live a long life."
"You…!!"
Crunch. My Iron-Crushing Hammer dug into his abdomen.
The sensation of ribs shattering was vivid. I heard a wet, ragged gasp as blood filled his lungs. Since his lungs were torn by this single strike, he wouldn't live long.
And then.
"You brat—!!"
The other man in black, who had rushed me from behind, brought his sword down toward the nape of my neck.
With a slight twist of my body, the blade slung over my shoulder blocked his strike.
The Linked Blade. A technique where the direction of the blade resting on the right shoulder is swung, intentionally disrupting one's own center of gravity to put full power into every strike, then pushing that broken balance to the opposite side to bring the blade back.
It was a saber style that embodied the unity of offense and defense.
If the Mountain Lord Step and the Hunyuan Art were martial arts solely for attack, the Linked Blade and the Iron Jacket Art were defensive techniques focused on self-preservation.
The Heart-Protecting Fist performed with the gauntlet on the left hand and the Linked Blade performed with the great saber in the right hand completed the defensive forms of a Peng Family martial artist.
That was why they were grouped together as introductory martial arts.
Clang!!
"What kind of strength is this…?"
I spun my body as the man in black stumbled back. I ducked my waist halfway toward his chest and tilted my raised saber at an angle.
This fellow's martial arts seemed to be at the First-Rate level. The sensation when our blades collided was different. His skill was at a level where his Sword Qi could actually harm people. It meant he was at a level where he could walk with his head held high anywhere.
If it were a commoner who hadn't learned martial arts, they wouldn't stand a chance against a martial artist of this level, no matter how much luck or coincidence was on their side.
Against such a man, I thrust my tilted saber forward.
Crackle!!
"Lightning Qi…! That saber…! The Hebei Peng Family!!"
"You're a bit late on the uptake, aren't you?"
The sword he was holding was snapped in two. Everything in the straight trajectory of my blade was cleanly severed.
From his left shoulder down to his right hip.
No blood sprayed from the wound. The doll-like figure, its severed surface neatly cauterized, tottered and collapsed.
I spun my saber once to shake off the charred ash and turned around.
"Oh…"
"Hmm."
The two martial artists who had already finished their part of the fight were staring at me.
The young woman and the middle-aged man.
They stood with their swords drawn, looking like they didn't quite know what to do.
"Would you happen to be heroic knights of the Orthodox Faction?"
"I don't know about being 'heroic knights,' but we are classified as Orthodox," the man replied.
"Aha."
I spun my saber and rested it on my shoulder, standing at an angle. I felt like I could handle the girl, but that middle-aged man would be troublesome to deal with at this point.
As if reading my thoughts, the middle-aged man gave a slight tilt of his blade and spoke.
"I am Murong Jeon of the Murong Family."
"Oh boy, of all people."
"Indeed, my family isn't exactly on friendly terms with the Pengs. However, young martial artist of the Peng Family, would you mind if we had a brief conversation first?"
The middle-aged man sheathed his sword as he spoke. Once he did, the younger woman also sheathed hers and stepped back. She still looked wary, but it was clear she had no intention of continuing the fight right now.
I also sheathed my saber and stepped back.
"Even people from Wu and Yue won't fight if they're in the same boat, right? I am Hyeon-hwi of the Peng Family."
"Peng Hyeon-hwi… Peng Hyeon-hwi… Hmm. That sounds familiar."
"My name is a bit common."
"No, wait. Are you by any chance the youngest of the Peng Family?"
"Ah, yes. My father is Peng Wi-cheon."
"The youngest son of the Mad Blood Saber Demon. Right, I heard there was some commotion a few years ago. To think I'd run into a pillar of the Peng Family in a place like this."
Murong Jeon's gaze became a bit suspicious. I naturally let my hand hang near the hilt of my saber and smiled. Since I wasn't in peak condition, I felt like I would lose if we fought now.
However, contrary to my expectations, Murong Jeon stood with his eyes closed for a moment, deep in thought, and then relaxed his aura entirely. It seemed he had no intention of fighting here, at least.
"I'll get straight to the point. How much does the Peng Family know?"
"We know that the Martial Alliance is preparing an ambush to cut down the Peng Family's strike force in order to break the momentum of the Hebei Dragon Slaying Alliance. Pyeongseong is likely the trap."
"You know in great detail. I wonder if there's even a need for me to add anything."
"Then who are these guys? We don't hire such half-wits on our side."
Since they attacked the Murong Family martial artists, I suspected they were from the Unorthodox Faction, but I couldn't place them. This might truly be my fault for not being familiar with the Shanxi martial world, but they definitely weren't martial artists dispatched by our side.
In the first place, the only people who knew the full story of what was happening in Pyeongseong were Seong Chwi-san and me. Seong Chwi-san would have only just made contact with the Flying Tiger Pavilion squad members by now, so he wouldn't have had time to dispatch assassins.
As for an assassination pavilion… absolutely not. These guys were far too low-level for that.
"They are likely martial artists from the Martial Alliance."
"Oh, have they defected to the Black Path? That's a welcome development."
"What kind of nonsense are you spouting without even blinking… It's not like that. When I said I wouldn't involve myself in the scheme you've uncovered, they dispatched assassins. This is the second time we've encountered them."
"Are you planning to go back and demand an explanation?"
"If we go in now, we'll die. If it's a trap set to capture the Peng Family's strike force, there's no way they couldn't kill just me and Cheong-er."
"Aha."
So that's how it was. I was even slightly impressed. The plan to lure the Peng Family into a scheme and dispose of their martial artists would have been a very efficient means for the Martial Alliance, but this man, who seemed to be a mid-level figure in the Murong Family, had rejected it flat out.
And the Martial Alliance even sent assassins? This must be a tactic of 'killing with a borrowed knife.' If a Murong Family martial artist died and the Peng Family's strike force appeared in the vicinity, the Murong Family would want to declare war immediately.
A place where schemes and plots popped up whenever one was bored. This was medieval China, a world of machinations where the weak could not survive.
I let out a hollow sigh and said, "If that's the case, would you like to accompany me for a while?"
"Hmm?"
"A strike force from my family will be arriving. I figured out the situation in advance and rushed ahead of the others, and I plan to persuade them to turn back once the family's martial artists gather here. They should all be here within a day or two, so please stay with me until then."
"Are you saying you're going to openly take Cheong-er and me as hostages?"
"No. If the Martial Alliance is aiming to kill with a borrowed knife by sending assassins, it means we will protect you and your niece."
"Why should I trust anything from the Peng Family?"
"We take blood as the price for blood."
The Peng Family exacts a blood debt for the lives of their kin. This was the family's law. And that meant—
"It is hardly strange to repay the honor you have shown with honor in return."
"Hah. To think I'd live to hear such words from a Peng Family martial artist."
The look in Murong Jeon's eyes softened. He gestured behind him. The woman, who had been glaring at me with her hand on her sword hilt, slowly relaxed at his gesture.
"I'd like to pay my respects to your niece as well."
"Murong Cheong."
The woman spoke curtly, only poking her head out from behind Murong Jeon. Murong Jeon laughed awkwardly at her attitude.
"She's not my daughter. She's my niece. I raised her like a daughter, but I fear I've raised her to be too ill-mannered. Please understand. This child isn't very familiar with the Han language yet."
"It can't be helped. It's fine."
"Peng Family. Martial artist."
Murong Cheong spoke in a stiff tone.
"Inside Pyeongseong, there is one person."
"…What?"
"Imprisoned. They are guarding him. The Beggars' Sect members… umm. Uh… Uncle…"
Murong Cheong struggled to continue for a while before letting out a deep sigh. She then began to whisper something into Murong Jeon's ear.
After a moment, Murong Jeon spoke to me.
"It seems Cheong-ah saw a Peng Family martial artist in Pyeongseong. Do you have anyone in mind?"
"…Yes."
The traitor of the Peng Family. Or rather, the person suspected of being the traitor.
Peng Jeong-gyeon, the leader of the Flying Tiger Pavilion's 4th Squad… I turned my head toward the distant horizon for a moment.
When I focused my vision to the limit, I could faintly see the old pavilions of Pyeongseong. If I moved at full speed, could I arrive before dawn?
I had to stop the Peng Family's strike force from heading into Pyeongseong here. But…
'Is there any reason to keep him alive until the Peng Family's strike force arrives? Once the plan succeeds, he'll have outlived his usefulness.'
If he was still alive, it was purely for the purpose of luring the Peng Family's strike force. There would be no reason to keep Peng Jeong-gyeon alive once the family's strike force arrived. A Peak Realm expert was a prisoner burdensome enough just to keep alive and watch over. Even if his internal energy was sealed, his trained external arts wouldn't just disappear.
And if he died, I would never know 'why.' Why he betrayed the Peng Family. Something that might not even be that important was somehow bothering me immensely right now.
I felt a slight twitch at the Baekhoe acupoint on the crown of my head. It felt as if the stars scattered across the night sky were whispering to me bit by bit.
Should I call it intuition? A feeling that I shouldn't just let this slide kept surging up. A feeling that I was missing something important.
"Can you tell me where to go?"
"You're going to Pyeongseong?"
"I think I have to."
Even setting aside those reasons, let's assume for a moment that Peng Jeong-gyeon isn't a traitor. If so, he is a member of the Peng Family captured in an Orthodox dungeon. If I hadn't heard about it, that would be one thing, but now that I have, I must rescue him. That was the Peng Family's law.
Hearing my words, Murong Jeon looked troubled for a moment. He closed his eyes in thought and then nodded.
"Then let us go together."
"Pardon…? But didn't you say it was dangerous?"
"Of course it's dangerous. But if I send you alone, how will you find the dungeon Cheong-ah saw in that vast city?"
Murong Jeon gave a small smirk and continued.
"And if you aren't there, is there any reason for the Peng Family martial artists to let us live? We'd have to deal with the Martial Alliance's assassins all the way until we reach Liaoning. It seems being with you is the safest path for us."
"If that's the only reason, then hide nearby. No matter how long it takes, after three days, the Martial Alliance will have no reason to target the Murong Family."
"There is one more important reason, Young Hero Peng."
'Young Hero Peng,' huh? Since my family was so far removed from heroic deeds, that combination was quite jarring.
As if reading my expression, Murong Jeon let out a hearty laugh.
"Didn't you say it yourself, Young Hero? That you would repay honor with honor. If you are a Peng Family martial artist who can say such things, I think the world would be better off with you alive."
"You do know that my family belongs to the Ten Great Sects of the Black Dao, right?"
"A lotus leaf is not defiled by the mud." (From the Sutta Nipata)
"Aren't you evaluating me a bit too generously?"
"My evaluation will take a very long time. You'll have to live a long life."
"I'm honored."
I bowed my head silently and took my stance.
Internal energy flowed from the Chongmai meridian along the Qiaomai meridian into my legs. Through the Taebaek, Yongcheon, and Haenggan acupoints, and back to the Yongcheon acupoint.
When internal energy crosses through the acupoints, they shine like stars. The method and order of connecting those stars is the heart of a martial art. Martial arts are, in essence, the names of constellations.
As the aura of the Seven Shadow Immortal Step enveloped my legs, my body regained its vitality and shot forward. I felt the two of them following behind me with short gasps of admiration.
We ran toward Pyeongseong.
The city gates were closed, but no one here was restricted by a mere wall. The three of us were able to leap over the battlements with just a few kicks against the stone.
It was a relief I hadn't neglected my study of lightness arts. I couldn't ask anyone in the family about the Seven Shadow Immortal Step, so it was 100% self-taught, but the manual was kind enough with its annotations that learning it wasn't difficult. In the first place, it was a martial art that was far too easy to learn compared to its effectiveness.
Perhaps it just suited my body perfectly. Or maybe the Hao Clan Leader knew this and handed it to me.
'What do Murim grandmas like? My grandfather seems to enjoy drinking Longjing tea, but I don't know what the Hao Clan Leader likes. I should ask her the next time I see her.'
"Over there."
Murong Cheong ran with almost silent footsteps, as if she were lightly flying. How should I describe it? Rather than the secretive footwork typical of assassins, it felt more like she was stepping on the wind.
Was that the Murong Family's Single Leaf Fall? I had heard stories about it. A martial art that emulates a leaf fluttering in the breeze. I have no idea how one does that with actual martial arts. Since the Hebei Peng Family doesn't really teach martial arts with such mysterious special effects, it felt a bit surreal.
"It's too quiet."
"It's right before the execution. Most of the martial artists will be lurking near the Divine Spear Yang Family estate."
"I suppose so."
Nodding at Murong Jeon's words, I threw myself toward the manor.
The darkened manor was gouged and broken in various places. There were traces of a fierce battle. I stopped for a moment in the middle of it. I saw a familiar mark.
'Hunyuan Blade. Performed without internal energy.'
I saw a saber mark that had smashed a lantern. It was a strike from the Hunyuan Blade, but the cut was rough. It was a form swung purely with the strength of external arts, without any internal energy. Despite being performed without internal energy, the mark stretched long across the wall, and I could even see dried bloodstains in between.
This was the discipline of a Peak Realm expert.
This confirmed it. I entered the manor with my eyes narrowed.
"I hear the sound of wind from over there. As expected, they've dug a dungeon underground."
"That's not the kind of facility a prestigious Orthodox sect should have."
"Usually, they're built secretly within the sect. Does the Peng Family not have one?"
"We prefer to kill people cleanly rather than capture and torture them."
"Hmm… If possible, please let my retainers live if they are ever captured."
"I'll make a strong recommendation."
Murong Jeon and I conversed in hushed tones as we headed toward the dungeon.
In a corner of the first floor of a pavilion that looked like a perfectly normal manor, there was something that looked like a small cellar hole for storing food. I drew my saber and flicked the latch with the tip; the door creaked open.
And from below, a thick scent of blood wafted up.
"If the Murong Family's dungeons are like this, I'd rather you just kill any Peng Family martial artist you capture."
"We only seal their acupoints; we do not use torture."
"That's a relief."
I narrowed my eyes and leaped into the dungeon. Hearing the sound of the two landing behind me, I stepped forward.
The dungeon, reeking of blood, was pitch black without a single point of light. I took out a fire starter and struck a spark onto a torch on the wall. As the resin-soaked torch sputtered to life, the scene of the dungeon finally came into view.
"What the f—… Ah, sorry."
"No need. I was about to say something similar."
"It seems we have more in common than we thought. Since it's come to this, shall we call each other brothers?"
"How old are you?"
"I'm seventeen, Brother."
"…Let's stick to 'Senior.'"
"Yes, Senior."
Even a light joke didn't lighten my heart. It was even more so seeing the mangled corpses strewn about the dungeon's cells. I held the torch toward a nearby cell.
The slumped corpse had a clear cause of death at a glance. I saw a saber mark on the nape of the neck.
"Is that a Peng Family technique?"
"The weapon is definitely from the Peng Family, but the technique isn't."
Judging by the width and length, it was indeed a strike from a Peng Family saber. It was precise enough that someone who didn't know the Peng Family's martial arts well would easily be misled.
But it wasn't a Peng Family saber style. Whether swung with the right hand or the left, one cannot strike down with the Hunyuan Blade from that angle.
After inspecting the dungeon like that, at the very end of the last cell…
"Peng Jeong-gyeon."
A man reduced to rags was sitting there. His tendons were severed, his Dantian shattered, and he sat with his eyes closed, blood trickling from his mouth. If it weren't for his faintly heaving chest, one wouldn't even know he was alive.
"Who… is it?"
Peng Jeong-gyeon's dry lips trembled as they opened. More blood surged out from beneath them.
Why did they leave him alive? This cell was even wide open. They left a man on the verge of death sitting in a cell that was open for anyone to come and go?
'They were trying to manipulate the time of death. How meticulous.'
They planted traces of Peng Family martial arts on the other corpses in this dungeon and left Peng Jeong-gyeon to linger a bit longer than their estimated time of death. Whether Peng Jeong-gyeon tried to escape or not, if one were to look at the scene once everyone was dead—
'The imprisoned Peng Jeong-gyeon slaughtered the other martial artists in the dungeon while escaping and died from exhaustion.'
That was the picture they were painting. Then the corpses scattered around this dungeon were most likely Orthodox martial artists. Probably from small-to-medium sects. People at a level that could be cut away without burden, yet held just enough reputation in the Shanxi martial world.
"I am Peng Hyeon-hwi of the Sanwol Pavilion."
"Young Master…"
"Speak. Peng Jeong-gyeon, was it you who joined hands with the Divine Spear Yang Family to exterminate the Cheonggang Sect? What did you do with the kin who were with you?"
"Over… there…"
Following Peng Jeong-gyeon's gesture, I turned my head and saw a corpse shoved into the corner of another cell. The blood-soaked black martial robe caught my eye. I didn't even need to check. I knew instinctively.
"Why did you betray the family?"
"I didn't… Cough. We heard information that the Cheonggang… Cheonggang Sect had betrayed the Dragon Slaying Alliance, and went to confirm… Cough. Hyeon-jin was killed by the Cheonggang Sect Leader's poison right then and there…"
"Hyeon-jin. Is that his name?"
"Yes, Jang Hyeon-jin. Cough. Cough. While I was dealing with the Cheonggang Sect Leader, someone using a Yang Family spear attacked from behind. Wheeze… wheeze!"
So the Peng Family martial artists were swept away while investigating the Cheonggang Sect. That was the gist of it. Then the traces of the Thunderbolt Blade left at the Cheonggang Sect could also be explained.
This must be a plan that had been prepared for a long time.
Subvert the Cheonggang Sect, control information through the local Beggars' Sect members, move the Pyeongseong Divine Spear Yang Family to provoke the Peng Family, induce the Divine Spear Yang Family and the Peng Family's strike force to destroy each other, and in the meantime, prepare to snatch up the interests in Hebei…
How much mental effort must have been poured into such a long and complex scheme?
How much labor must have been spent to control every single variable?
If all this was orchestrated merely to hand over a few interests in Hebei to the Five Great Clans, then how many more things must be happening across the vast world of the Central Plains—a world so wide that Hebei would seem like a mere speck in comparison?
As I sank into thought, Peng Jeong-gyeon reached out and grabbed my forearm.
"Young Master."
"Speak."
"The information regarding the Cheonggang Gate... it was given to us by the Second Young Master."
With those final words, Peng Jeong-gyeon coughed up a spray of blood and his head slumped forward.
He was still breathing, but he seemed to have no strength left to continue the conversation. The grip of his trembling hand gradually loosened until it fell away with a dull thud.
Despite suffering such horrific injuries, the warrior born of the Peng bloodline still clung to life.
Murong Jeon placed a hand on my shoulder.
"He cannot survive, Young Peng. If you are hesitant, I shall step in. It would be better for him that way."
"I belong to the Sanwol Hall."
"Hmm?"
"The Sanwol Hall of the Hebei Peng Family is an organization that monitors, restrains, and executes the family's own warriors. Senior Murong, one should not enter the Sanwol Hall if they are not prepared to stain their blade with the blood of their own kin."
Screee.
I gripped the hilt and drew my blade.
I took a deep breath to steady my respiration. My mind was a mess of complications, but the task at hand was clear.
I knew everything I needed to know.
My second brother controlled the Outer Hall. All the younger warriors of the Outer Hall supported him. Yet, even so, he could never hold more prestige than our eldest brother.
The eldest brother enjoyed the support of the Council of Elders and the Inner Hall.
The younger warriors of the Outer Hall had relatively little say in the family's affairs. To overturn that situation, they would have needed an 'incident'—something significant enough to elevate the status of those young warriors.
An incident that could grant appropriate honor and fame to the warriors who supported him.
A conflict with the Orthodox Faction.
It would have been perfect if they could cleanly annihilate an Orthodox Martial Sect of a scale similar to the Divine Spear Yang Family.
My thoughts accelerated. In the brief moment it took to raise my sword, countless pieces of information clicked into place.
Second brother must have needed a conflict, and he likely needed a way to weed out the warriors who didn't follow his will.
The Orthodox Martial Alliance provided that means.
The Martial Alliance decided to offer up an Orthodox Martial Sect that did not fall under their direct sphere of influence as a sacrifice. In the process, they deceived the hot-blooded second son of the Peng family.
They promised to hand him the Divine Spear Yang Family.
From the Martial Alliance's perspective, the Divine Spear Yang Family were ambitious upstarts attempting to reorganize the Orthodox sects around the Shanxi martial world. They were an eyesore, but they were useful as pawns.
They promised to hand this old, prestigious sect over to the Peng family.
Upon receiving this, the Peng family dispatched their martial forces. Those forces, along with the Divine Spear Yang Family, were then meant to be wiped out together.
The Peng family would have no way of knowing they had been deceived.
Though the second brother's position would weaken after losing his martial forces, he would be too busy dealing with the fallout of annihilating the Divine Spear Yang Family to grasp the detailed circumstances.
Meanwhile, the Beggars' Sect would control the flow of information, packaging it to suit the Martial Alliance's tastes.
And the Martial Alliance would distribute the interests in Hebei to the Nine Great Sects and One Alliance and the Five Great Clans—the very foundations of their support.
At the cost of turning the Peng family and the Shanxi martial world into a wasteland, the Martial Alliance's prestige would become even more unshakable.
"Peng Jeong-gyeon."
"..."
The peak master of the Peng family, used and discarded by both sides, looked at me with hazy eyes.
As I leveled my blade while meeting that gaze, Peng Jeong-gyeon gave an almost imperceptible nod.
Do it. That was the meaning behind it.
Crackle!
Thunderbolt energy sparked along the blade. The edge resembled a bolt of lightning.
The moment it was unleashed and struck was nearly instantaneous.
The flash of lightning severed Peng Jeong-gyeon's neck.
The warrior, who had been suffering because his Peng bloodline refused to let him die, finally closed his eyes.
I carefully caught Peng Jeong-gyeon's head as it fell. Setting it down gently so as not to cause any shock, I whispered into his ear.
"I will collect the blood debt."
I stripped him of his martial uniform. I did the same for the other Peng warrior lying dead beyond him.
I tied the two uniforms together and spread them wide.
The two members of the Murong family followed me out of the dungeon in silence.
I snapped a long pole from the inner courtyard. I tied the uniforms of the dead warriors firmly to its end.
The blood-soaked uniforms fluttered violently in the night wind.
"What do you plan to do now?"
"Will you help me, Senior?"
"Had I not seen it, I might have turned away, but having seen it, I will not back down. Such are the teachings of my family. There is a limit that an Orthodox Martial Sect must observe. This matter has crossed that line. Regardless of whether it involves the Orthodox or Demonic factions, I shall do what I believe is right."
"The Pyeongseong branch of the Hao Clan is the Seonrae Pavilion located in the inner gate. Can you deliver a message to the Pavilion Lord?"
"What message?"
"Tell him that Peng Hyeon-hwi requests the bond of a disciple. If you show him this token, he will understand."
I handed the Hao Clan Leader's dagger to Murong Jeon. Then, with the pole bearing the fluttering uniforms slung across my shoulder, I spoke.
"I am going to the Yang family."
This was a conspiracy thick with countless dark schemes.
Ahead lay a trap prepared to devour the Peng family's martial forces, and I had precious few allies in this land. Even including the Murong uncle and niece, the odds were not in our favor.
Therefore, taking them with me would be foolish.
I could not allow these righteous people, who had stepped forward to help me, to be buried alongside me in a place where death was certain.
The correct answer here was obvious.
I should retreat, make contact with the Peng martial forces approaching Pyeongseong, and pull them back. It would be safer to settle the rights and wrongs of this matter after returning to the Peng family.
Doing only that would be enough to thwart their plans.
However... the blood dripping from the soaked uniforms ran stickily down the pole, wetting the back of my hand.
"Act only for the sake of the family."
I would have to rely on luck, but if things went as expected, it wasn't entirely without a chance of victory. Besides, a warrior of the Hebei Peng Family does not learn how to retreat.