Chapter 253
Chapter 253
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 253
Chapter Title: Rescuing the Brother-in-law (4)
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In my past life, during a time when I was wrestling with loneliness, I once interviewed at an amusement park with the purest of intentions: to finally get a girlfriend.
However, after that interview, I came to the profound realization that nothing in this world ever goes my way.
‘What motivated you to apply to our Overland?’
‘To burn this body to ashes and make Overland the greatest amusement park in the world…’
‘Have you ever been praised by a manager during a part-time job?’
‘I’ve never had a part-time job.’
‘…’
Despite my earnest answers, I was swiftly rejected.
Perhaps it was the curse of Overland, but my life thereafter was a tapestry woven with countless interview rejection notices.
But not anymore.
I had become a talent coveted by anyone and everyone under the heavens.
So much so that the Left Commander-in-Chief, who held half the authority of the Imperial Guard, had come to see me personally.
“Descendants of the Sima family… I’ll be honest. I want you.”
I must seize this opportunity to make a name for myself…
‘No, no. That’s not it.’
I steeled my resolve to infiltrate the Imperial Prison and rescue Myo San, then answered.
“Ahem, have you heard of our circumstances?”
“I heard you need money to rebuild your family…”
“That is correct. We are in dire need of a great deal of money.”
“Alright, how much do you want?”
“I believe it is proper for the party that recognizes our value to propose the amount.”
“Hahahaha! Trying to bargain with me. You young folk are truly audacious.”
The Left Commander-in-Chief, Lee Mu-cheong, laughed heartily and nodded.
An officer standing beside him lifted a chest the size of a human head and placed it before us.
For some reason, it didn’t look particularly heavy. I quickly used my Insight to examine it and found about a hundred silver coins inside.
“It doesn’t seem like much.”
It wasn’t a small sum, but for a man of his stature, the scale was a bit underwhelming.
‘Is he paying a monthly salary?’
Typically, a mercenary’s payment is divided into an advance and a final sum.
But such a small amount made me wonder if he intended to pay us a monthly salary, unlike others.
As I looked at him with a questioning gaze, Lee Mu-cheong chuckled softly.
“I may not know much about the martial world, but I know what’s needed to build a martial family.”
“…?”
“Money, people, and land. Am I wrong?”
“That is correct, but…”
“There’s a land deed inside the chest. It’s on the outskirts, but it should be large enough to build a manor in Hangzhou.”
Frankly, I was stunned.
If the land prices in Hanzhong were comparable to Cheonan, then the Nine Dragons Fortress and Chengdu were like Gangbuk in Seoul, while Nanjing and Hangzhou were on the level of Gangnam.
Moreover, land large enough for a manor meant it was at least five hundred pyeong, a value that would far exceed two thousand silver taels.
‘This is a bit too generous.’
No matter that Lee Mu-cheong was a first-rank Left Commander-in-Chief, and no matter how desirable we were, this was an excessive expense.
In other words.
‘The fight has truly begun.’
This place was a deathtrap where we could die at any moment.
All the better.
The more chaotic it was, the higher the chances of rescuing Myo San.
‘I’ll sell it and buy the kids a house. I’ll take what’s left.’
Having made up my mind, I nonchalantly pulled the chest closer and spoke.
“We look forward to working with you.”
“As do I.”
Nodding with a satisfied smile, Lee Mu-cheong asked as if something had just occurred to him.
“But there is one thing I’m curious about.”
“Please, ask.”
“You say you are brothers, yet you don’t resemble each other at all.”
Ah…
I hadn’t thought of that.
But if I aroused suspicion here, everything I had done so far would be for nothing.
I spun the CPU in my head at high speed and finally came up with an answer.
“Well… we are half-brothers.”
“…All three of you?”
“Yes.”
“…”
It seemed I had managed to smooth things over.
***
After signing the employment contract, we were assigned to be the personal bodyguards of the Left Commander-in-Chief, Lee Mu-cheong.
He had wanted us to stay as guests in the Commandery and become his swords, but I insisted on taking on bodyguard duty.
‘No matter how fallen we are, the sword of the Sima family cannot be used to kill others.’
‘Then?’
‘Instead, I wish to take responsibility for the Left Commander-in-Chief’s safety.’
I needed to stick close to him to enter the capital, which was the only way to get near the Imperial Prison.
The problem was…
“Oh my? We have new people?”
“The Commandery has really fallen. To think they’d hire brats like them as escorts.”
“We should be more than enough for protection…”
“Hmph, if they get in my way, I’ll snap their necks.”
…we weren’t the only escorts Lee Mu-cheong had hired.
“…Sigh.”
A sigh escaped my lips as I looked at the four men who reeked of the Unorthodox Path.
However, I couldn’t cause trouble on the first day. I gave U Je-jun and Sima Heun a look, telling them to just ignore it.
That is, until one of them decided to pick a fight with Sima Heun.
“Hey! You there!”
“…”
“Yes, you, the one who looks like a pretty boy. I need to check if you’re a man or a woman, so why don’t you drop your pants?”
“Heeheehee, you’re so mischievous, big brother. Looks like I’m in for a good show.”
I paused to think.
“…”
Was it better to endure this or not?
In the end, however, my deliberation proved meaningless.
*Tap, tap, tap.*
Before I could say a word, Sima Heun had drawn his sword and charged.
“You’ve got some nerve!”
The man who had provoked him immediately reached out.
“What a mess…”
That man’s technique was incredibly sharp.
As expected.
Sima Heun’s sword strikes sliced through the air, cutting relentlessly.
And then.
*Swish!*
In just three moves, the wrist of the bald man who had provoked Sima Heun was severed.
“Aaargh!”
He was a personal escort to the Left Commander-in-Chief, after all. His skills couldn’t have been poor.
Objectively, the difference in martial skill between the bald man and Sima Heun was only a couple of steps.
The reason the fight ended so easily was simple.
A difference in mindset.
It was the difference between the bald man, who had underestimated his opponent from the start and hadn’t even drawn a weapon, and Sima Heun, who had drawn his sword with the intent to kill.
The condensed combat experience from Hanzhong must have played a part as well.
This was why the word ‘absolute’ didn’t exist in the martial world.
A moment of carelessness could lead to instant death.
Sima Heun glared at the others with a murderous aura.
“Anyone else want a go?”
“Hmph! You got lucky… Huk!”
The one who seemed to be the leader of the group was about to stand up.
*Shwoook.*
A blade of sword energy shot from U Je-jun’s sword, carving a long gash in the floor.
“If any of you wish to go to the underworld, speak up. I’ll send you there myself.”
“…”
That was the end of it.
Their eyes darted around, sizing up the situation, but they didn’t dare draw their weapons.
They had no loyalty to avenge their comrade, and getting hurt after needlessly provoking us would only be their own loss.
Thanks to that, we were able to return to our quarters without any further disturbance.
That night, under the cover of darkness, I slipped out of the manor and successfully met with Yang Ok-seon.
“I knew you would succeed.”
“It wasn’t too difficult.”
“That is a relief.”
“First, take this. Don’t forget to memorize it and burn it.”
He handed me a small note.
On it was a map of the escape route out of Nanjing after rescuing Myo San.
“There will be brothers at each point. You can escape with their help.”
“Thank you.”
As I tucked the paper into my robes, Yang Ok-seon spoke with a hint of concern.
“We’ve confirmed that the Golden Shadow Division is split in two. Fifty are stationed in the deepest part of the capital, and fifty are on standby outside the outer walls.”
“That’s a lot.”
“Yes. If you get surrounded from both front and back, it will be a disaster. You must get out as quietly as possible.”
“Hmm…”
That was not good news.
It meant we could run into the Golden Shadow Division while trying to escape.
“Can’t be helped. I’ll just have to be as careful as possible.”
When I nodded, Yang Ok-seon bowed deeply.
“Then, we will withdraw now.”
“Alright. I will never forget this effort.”
As I offered a small word of praise, he smiled slightly and said.
“It is a small thing compared to the grace our Hall Master has shown Haomun.”
Watching his retreating back, I thought to myself.
‘He’s so polite.’
Like father, like son, as they say. It seemed my influence was making the kids better people.
***
The next day.
As I headed to the Commandery’s main gate at sunrise, the Unorthodox Path bastards I saw yesterday waved at me.
“Did you sleep well? If anything was uncomfortable, please let me know. I’ll tell the servants I know to have it corrected.”
“Oh my, this great warrior has such brawny arms.”
“Since it’s your first day, you should just follow behind us and get acclimated. Don’t step forward.”
“No.”
Weren’t they being a little too servile?
“…”
As I stared at them, dumbfounded, Lee Mu-cheong emerged from inside.
His bold presence and piercing gaze, which seemed to see right through a person, spoke of the life he had lived.
As he mounted his horse, he looked back at us.
“I heard you caused trouble on your first day.”
“I couldn’t control my fiery spirit. I apologize.”
“If you could control it, would you even be a warrior? As long as you protect my life, I don’t mind.”
It was a warning. Don’t let there be any problems with my protection.
“…Yes.”
“Then let’s go.”
Lee Mu-cheong turned away impassively.
The group of Unorthodox warriors followed right behind him, with us after them, and behind us, a hundred soldiers of the Imperial Guard followed in two long lines.
After walking for an hour while taking in the sights of Nanjing, we finally entered the capital, ten days after leaving the Nine Dragons Fortress.
***
Guard duty within the capital was nothing special.
It was just waiting outside the Commandery for Lee Mu-cheong.
To be honest, I had expected as much.
What kind of madman would swing a sword in the capital, where five thousand Imperial Guards lurked?
Especially against the Left Commander-in-Chief, a man equivalent to the army’s chief of staff.
‘No, Master might actually do it…’
However, despite this leisurely routine, we were incredibly busy.
I moved to pinpoint Myo San’s location, while U Je-jun and Sima Heun began to identify the positions of the guards along the escape route.
As we cautiously snooped around, military officers would occasionally block our path. Each time, I used a prepared line to get out of the situation.
“You there! Who are you? This area is off-limits to outsiders!”
“I am Sima Hu, newly joined to the Left Commander-in-Chief’s escort team.”
“Ah… so you’re the Commander’s new escort. But why are you here…?”
“I was familiarizing myself with the paths to better perform my duties. If an enemy were to attack, wouldn’t their first priority be a safe escape route?”
“Th-that’s true. Understood. It’s normally not allowed, but I will grant you special permission to check the inner area this one time.”
“Thank you for your cooperation.”
“Don’t mention it.”
After searching for a long time, I finally reached the vicinity of the Imperial Prison, where the most serious criminals were held.
‘Five guards at the gate, and patrols… at fifteen-minute intervals.’
Perhaps because it was inside the capital, security wasn’t as tight as I’d feared.
‘Let’s see.’
*Shaaa.*
To get a clearer picture, I projected my Blade of Seven Senses into the prison.
Having recently gained a new understanding of the Ultimate Death Force, the range of my Blade of Seven Senses had expanded, allowing me to grasp the general situation inside.
The problem was…
‘There’s no one here?’
…things weren’t going as I had thought.