Chapter 170: That Too Is Kanguk's Fortune
The outcome of the battle at Gaeyang Fortress spread rapidly throughout all of Qingzhou. Everyone was stunned by Yeop Hyeon's exploits.
Among them, the news of the Black Flame Cavalry's total annihilation was especially hard for many to believe at first.
The fact that Qingzhou's strongest cavalry unit, the Black Flame Cavalry, had been wiped out by Yeop Hyeon.
There was another event that shook all of Qingzhou with Yeop Hyeon's name. It was that he had become a Sword Lord.
A boy not yet twenty had already ascended to Sword Lord.
This was an exceedingly rare occurrence not just in Qingzhou, but even in Jungto Sinju.
And as Yeop Hyeon's fame grew, a swift reevaluation of the malicious rumors surrounding him took place. For instance, the incident where he was expelled from Cangmu Academy.
On the other hand, Cangmu Academy had long since become little more than a laughingstock in Qingzhou.
Yeop Hyeon, the very man responsible for reducing Cangmu Academy to that state, had now arrived in the imperial city of Cho Country.
The atmosphere in Cho Country was far from good. Out of a hundred thousand cavalry dispatched, fewer than thirty thousand had returned.
For Cho Country, which had suffered such a devastating blow, any further schemes were now impossible. Moreover, both Daeun Empire and Cangmu Academy had cut off all contact with them.
The imperial family of Cho Country was trembling in anxiety. Without Cangmu Academy's covert schemes and the backing of Daeun Empire, they could not stand against Kanguk. They worried whether Kanguk would truly leave them be.
At present, Cho Country was at a loss, unable to find any solution.
In one of the grand halls of the Cho Country imperial palace.
The lord of Cho Country sat upon the dragon throne, looking down at the ministers below.
His cold voice echoed through the hall.
"Why have you all turned into mute fools!"
When no one replied, the lord kicked back his throne and roared to his feet.
"You useless lot! How terrifying is Kanguk that none of you have the courage to utter a single word!"
Just then, a soldier rushed into the hall.
"Your Highness! A man claiming to be Yeop Hyeon has appeared outside the palace!"
Yeop Hyeon?
The expressions of everyone in the hall changed dramatically in an instant.
Upon hearing his name, the lord of Cho Country paled and slumped back onto the dragon throne.
The numerous ministers in the hall also showed clear fear on their faces.
They were well aware of how Yeop Hyeon had dealt with the officials back then. On that day, he had been a murderous demon!
Was this Yeop Hyeon now come to turn the Cho Country imperial palace into a sea of blood?
As they panicked, a man appeared at the entrance of the hall. His eyes were tightly shut, he wore blood-soaked white robes, and fresh red blood dripped endlessly from his sword.
It was Yeop Hyeon.
Since entering the imperial city of Cho Country, Yeop Hyeon had killed no small number of foes. Once the soldiers learned his identity, none dared to challenge him, clearing the way instead, allowing him to reach the palace smoothly.
The ministers who saw Yeop Hyeon recoiled in horror, as if beholding a ghost. Only a few armed guards held their positions despite their fear.
The lord of Cho Country clenched his fists tightly, glaring at Yeop Hyeon. His entire body trembled with rage.
Yeop Hyeon slowly raised his sword and stopped near the lord. Lifting his head to gaze at the man on the dragon throne, he spoke.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Yeop Hyeon from Kanguk, dean of Canglan Academy."
"Insolent wretch!"
At that moment, an armed guard bellowed in fury.
"Yeop Hyeon, how dare you barge into the Cho Country imperial palace and cause such chaos..."
The warrior's words did not reach their end. A sword had suddenly pierced between his eyes.
Blood poured from the wide-eyed warrior's brow, drenching his entire face.
As Yeop Hyeon extended his right hand, the sword withdrew from the brow and returned to him, while the warrior's corpse collapsed to the floor.
Yeop Hyeon shook his head.
"I usually admire those with spirit, but I'm speaking now, so give me some face. Interrupt me once more, and I'll ensure you never speak again."
Yeop Hyeon resumed walking toward the lord of Cho Country. At that instant, an elder appeared behind the lord.
A Myriad Laws Realm expert.
Yeop Hyeon pointed his sword at the Myriad Laws Realm elder.
"If you don't want to doom Cho Country, step aside."
Terror was already evident in the elder's eyes as he glared at Yeop Hyeon.
He had recently heard how I Mok-rim had died.
Thus, with no one daring to intervene, Yeop Hyeon approached the lord and swung his sword before the man could utter a word.
Slash-!
The lord of Cho Country stared at Yeop Hyeon in disbelief.
Yeop Hyeon's blade pressed straight toward him. The lord collapsed limply.
Yeop Hyeon kicked the lord's unmoving corpse aside, then plopped onto the dragon throne. He placed the lord's still-bleeding head atop the desk.
"Now, let's discuss reparations. We'll delve especially deeply into compensation for my mental anguish, so bear that in mind."
"......"
The hall fell deathly silent.
The lord they served was dead. Without any chance to respond.
The weaker ministers had already collapsed to the floor, while the rest trembled in fear. Only a scant few clung to their sanity.
The Myriad Laws Realm elder behind Yeop Hyeon also wore a deeply distorted expression.
He was the only warrior here capable of facing Yeop Hyeon.
Yet he could not bring himself to strike.
Even if he did, victory was no guarantee. Regardless of the details, a Law Realm expert like I Mok-rim had died by Yeop Hyeon's hand.
Moreover, if things went awry, Cho Country could vanish from the world under Yeop Hyeon and Kanguk.
I must endure!
The elder shuddered and closed his eyes. At present, Cho Country was mere meat on the block for Kanguk to carve as it pleased.
Yeop Hyeon addressed the ministers below.
"Send out your negotiation representative."
Silence persisted; no one moved.
Yeop Hyeon shrugged.
"Then I suppose I'll have to kill you all."
As the ministers paled on the verge of fainting, a hunched elder stepped forward.
Standing not far from Yeop Hyeon, the elder spoke without a trace of fear.
"This old man is Yi Sa, the Grand Preceptor of Cho Country."
Yeop Hyeon nodded.
"I have a few conditions, so listen carefully. If you don't agree, I'll replace the representative."
Yeop Hyeon slammed his Spirit Water Sword onto the desk with a thud.
"First, Cho Country's national treasury now belongs to Kanguk. Second, from henceforth, Cho Country shall pay five hundred million taels of gold in tribute to Kanguk annually. Third, I know of a city called North City in Cho Country. It's close to Kanguk, so we'll annex it as our territory. That's it—exactly three conditions. Do you accept?"
The ministers' faces twisted in extreme displeasure.
They're going to loot our entire national treasury?
That would turn Cho Country into beggars in an instant!
Moreover, the annual tribute of five hundred million taels treated Cho Country like a mere egg-laying hen.
Most critically, North City was second only to the imperial city in size. Flanked by seas on both sides and surrounded by rugged terrain, it held the ideal position to block Kanguk and Jeoguk to the south.
If North City fell to Kanguk, Cho Country would be strangled by them.
At Yeop Hyeon's outrageous demands, Grand Preceptor Yi Sa trembled and glared.
"What difference is this from outright destroying Cho Country!"
Yeop Hyeon shot up from the dragon throne and shoved the lord's head before Yi Sa's eyes. Leaning down to meet the man's gaze, he grinned ferociously.
"You think I haven't considered annihilating Cho Country? Or that I couldn't? The only reason I haven't is I don't want more Kanguk soldiers dying."
Yeop Hyeon stepped closer.
"And lest you've forgotten, you lot from Cho Country started this war, not us!"
"But this is too cruel!"
Yi Sa clenched his fists and shouted, drawing a mocking smile from Yeop Hyeon.
"Cruel? Would you think the same if Cho Country had won? No—if you'd conquered Kanguk, countless Kanguk citizens would have died miserably!"
Yeop Hyeon stepped back to the front of the throne.
"I'm no silver-tongued talker. Especially not with you Cho Country folk—I have no interest in pointless debates. Accept the conditions or refuse. Choose one."
At that moment, the Spirit Water Sword on the desk began to tremble violently.
The hall fell silent once more.
Yeop Hyeon was openly threatening the Cho Country ministers.
Unable to contain his anger before Yeop Hyeon, Yi Sa shuddered.
Accepting the proposal would gravely damage Cho Country's vitality, reducing it to a third-rate minor nation in short order. Refusing meant death for everyone here.
Yeop Hyeon possessed both the will and the power.
"Cho Country accepts... your proposal."
Just then, noise erupted outside the hall.
Moments later, a woman appeared at the entrance. Appearing in her early twenties, she wore ornate palace robes.
At her arrival, the ministers hurriedly bowed their heads.
It was Cho Jo-han, the grand princess of Cho Country.
The princess pushed past the ministers' worried gazes and approached Yeop Hyeon.
"Follow me. I'll guide you to the national treasury."
With those curt words, Cho Jo-han turned and exited the hall.
Guided by the princess, Yeop Hyeon arrived at the Cho Country national treasury and swept every treasure inside into the Gyeok Ok Tower.
Cho Jo-han watched in silence throughout.
Once Yeop Hyeon had emptied the treasury and departed, Cho Jo-han followed.
Waiting outside the door were tens of thousands of Cho Country soldiers. Their eyes toward Yeop Hyeon held contempt, fear, anger, and resentment.
Yeop Hyeon gave a faint smile and shook his head.
"If you want revenge, come at me. I'm not afraid."
As Yeop Hyeon moved to walk away, two soldiers blocked his path and refused to yield. Moments later, their heads separated from their bodies.
The Cho Country soldiers erupted in rage, drawing their swords. At that instant, Cho Jo-han's furious voice rang out.
"Stand down!"
As the soldiers turned to her, Cho Jo-han shouted coldly.
"Any who do not withdraw will be exterminated to the last clan member!"
Though displeased, the soldiers had no choice but to clear a path for Yeop Hyeon.
After a few steps, Yeop Hyeon halted for some reason. In that moment, a sword flashed like light and stopped right before Cho Jo-han's brow.
Cho Jo-han stared at Yeop Hyeon without flinching.
The other soldiers, unable to contain their fury, drew swords and charged at Yeop Hyeon.
Yeop Hyeon spoke to Cho Jo-han.
"I don't want more Kanguk soldiers dragged into war. You're a wise woman—you know how to act to ensure Cho Country survives longest."
Cho Jo-han glared at Yeop Hyeon.
"Don't worry. No Cho Country soldier will set foot on Kanguk soil before you die!"
Only then did Yeop Hyeon nod.
"Honest—I like that. I promise, as long as I live and Cho Country doesn't pull any tricks, nothing like today will happen again."
With that, Yeop Hyeon walked away.
This time, no soldier blocked his path.
As he vanished, Cho Jo-han slowly closed her eyes.
At that moment, the Myriad Laws Realm elder from the hall appeared before her.
"Still no word from Cangmu Academy or Daeun Empire today?"
The elder shook his head at Cho Jo-han's question.
Her expression grew icy.
"Damn them all!"
In truth, right after Cho Country's great army suffered defeat, the imperial family had sought aid from Cangmu Academy and Daeun Empire. They knew Kanguk would come for them.
Yet neither Cangmu Academy nor Daeun Empire had sent any response.
The elder sighed deeply.
"Cangmu Academy and Daeun Empire only ever meant to use Cho Country from the start—they never saw us as true allies. That's why I opposed attacking Kanguk, but the lord wouldn't listen... and now... alas."
Cho Jo-han wore a cold expression.
"Don't worry. They'll soon share our fate."
Gazing in the direction Yeop Hyeon had gone, she continued.
"That man never forgets even the slightest grudge. He won't let Cangmu Academy or Daeun Empire be."
The elder nodded.
"Why did Canglan Academy ever let a man like that go of their own accord... Truly idiotic fools."
Cho Jo-han closed her eyes.
"Why did such a figure have to be born in Kanguk... That too is Kanguk's fortune."