Chapter 256
Chapter 256
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 256
Chapter Title: Rescuing the Brother-in-law (7)
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After meeting with Yu Ryong, I returned straight to my quarters.
The plan was to take Woo Je-jun and Sama Heun to raid the Ice Grotto and rescue Myo San.
I had originally intended to attack immediately, but after hearing Yu Ryong's opinion, I decided to regroup and prepare before heading out.
‘The Ice Grotto is a facility managed by the Left Commander. Moreover, with the scholars imprisoned there now, security will be extremely tight. It would be much safer to strike from within.’
‘You're more timid than you look. Those Imperial Guards would run away crying if I gave each of them a good flick on the head...’
‘We have intelligence that twenty members of the Golden Shadow Corps, all at the Peak level or higher, are guarding the place. Their two vice-captains are Transcendent Masters. Furthermore, the Left Commander's retainers are right next door, so underestimating them could lead to a major disaster.’
‘Well, there's a saying about being prepared...’
Complacency is a dangerous thing.
Having finished our preparations, we decided to start our operation from inside the Left Commander's estate.
The plan was simple.
We would begin at the Hour of the Pig, subdue the estate's masters without a trace, then enter the Ice Grotto at the Hour of the Rat to break Myo San out.
After that, we would take everyone and escape Nanjing, using the route prepared by the Underworld Brotherhood. Then it would all be over.
Seeing the end in sight, I couldn't help but sigh.
‘Getting married is surprisingly difficult.’
Still, what choice did I have?
I couldn't just let Myo Hyang's only living relative die.
"Let's go."
I led Woo Je-jun and Sama Heun toward the pavilion where the other escorts were staying.
Woo Je-jun cleared his throat and strode forward, calling out loudly.
"Is anyone there?"
*Creak.*
"Hmm? It's you, brother. What brings you here?"
"Ahem, it's nothing much. If Miss Oh is here, could you call for her? I have something to say..."
The man from the unorthodox faction nodded with a sly grin.
"Khahaha, of course. She's been waiting eagerly, so she'll be out in a moment."
Calling a woman out in the middle of the night had an obvious purpose.
After a short wait, the woman called Miss Oh-something appeared.
"Great Hero Woo, what brings you here at this hour...?"
Her gestures and voice seemed like those of a virtuous lady at first glance, but everyone here knew her true nature.
"Ohoho, do you perhaps have something to say to this maiden?"
Maiden? What kind of absurd nonsense was this?
‘As if caking on makeup will hide your wrinkles.’
Especially in an era without functional cosmetics.
My Myo Hyang, on the other hand, boasts smooth skin even after washing her face... No.
‘That's not it.’
I snapped back to reality and immediately activated my Seventh Sense.
As expected, I could feel the unorthodox faction men plastered against the windows, their ears pricked up, not wanting to miss the interesting spectacle.
‘I knew it.’
*Fsssh...*
I prepared the Battle Lord Arrow, the ultimate hidden weapon once known as the Lightning Arrow that had dominated the world.
[Now!]
Upon receiving my mental message, Woo Je-jun's face turned beet red.
This was because the line he was about to deliver was a bit over the top.
"I'll be direct. Tonight, I wish to share a night of passion with you, Miss Oh."
"A-A night of passion?!"
It was a truly insane confession.
Even by modern, open-minded standards, it was a confession only an alpha male with celebrity-level looks could make.
Which was precisely why Woo Je-jun had stepped up.
Of course, this was the martial world, governed by a Confucian worldview.
There was no way such an absurd confession would work.
Nine times out of ten, he would surely get slapped.
Our plan was to use that opening to subdue our enemies.
The tense moment passed.
"...A-Alright."
The woman accepted Woo Je-jun's confession.
‘What.’
How did that work?
A complete miscalculation.
I barely suppressed a surge of envy and infused my qi into the Battle Lord Arrow.
I couldn't miss the moment their attention was diverted.
‘Go!’
The Battle Lord Arrow flew like a streak of light.
And then.
*Thwip, thwip, thwip.*
It successfully pierced the heads of all three men pressed against the window frame.
Instant death for all of them.
Not one of them was a slouch, but this was the price for being distracted by the soap-opera-like development.
*Whack.*
"Gack!"
Sama Heun, who had approached unnoticed, struck like lightning, hitting the back of the woman's head and knocking her unconscious.
With a bitter expression, Woo Je-jun sealed the woman's pressure points.
He couldn't bring himself to choose the option of killing her.
"Hoo..."
Watching Woo Je-jun, his face still bright red, let out a deep sigh, I thought to myself.
When it comes to grabbing attention, entertainment value is more important than plausibility.
***
After that, securing the estate proceeded step by step.
The Imperial Guards, no matter how well-trained, were no different from strong ordinary people and were no match for us.
Occasionally, some had sharper senses, perhaps from training at a martial academy, but even they couldn't block a single blow and fell like wooden logs.
Only one place remained.
The quarters of the retainers brought in by the Left Commander, Lee Mu-cheong.
The problem was that we had no idea how many people were inside or what their strength was.
[This won't be easy.]
[How about we take the Left Commander hostage instead?]
It was a decent idea, but I shook my head.
[That would make escaping difficult.]
If we took Lee Mu-cheong hostage, things would be easier for the moment, but the Imperial Guards would swarm us like bees.
It would be like a North Korean spy taking the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff hostage and trying to escape.
[Let's just do it.]
[Yes, sir.]
It was a decision made because neutralizing the enemies as quickly as possible was the right move.
‘If I'd known, I would have asked my eldest brother to bring a poison bomb...’
My eldest brother, the Green Dragon Hall Master, would have gladly given me one...
‘Wait.’
On second thought, even if I didn't have a poison bomb, I did have a treasured weapon.
The Explosive Fire Canister.
The treasured weapon of the Green Dragon Hall, with a terrifying name to match.
A hidden weapon given to me by my eldest brother, who had praised my efforts to save the former Lord.
[Wait a moment. I think I have a way.]
I used the Flying Heavenly Wind, which had reached the tenth stage, to quickly return to my quarters. Then, I rummaged through my belongings and found the Explosive Fire Canister.
A small cylinder made from a mixture of cold iron and steel.
It looked sturdy enough at a glance that an accidental explosion seemed unlikely.
When I returned with it, Woo Je-jun and Sama Heun looked at me as if asking what it was.
[Just wait. I'll take care of this in one shot.]
Leaving them behind, I aimed the Explosive Fire Canister at the pavilion.
I created a qi barrier to prevent the sound from leaking out, then infused my internal energy into the canister.
The gunpowder technology of this era was probably not even at the level of dynamite, so I planned to supplement the lack of explosive power with my Explosive Death Force.
"Hoo."
I pressed the button and simultaneously detonated the Explosive Death Force.
*KWAAANG!*
With a massive explosion, a thousand ox-hair needles shot out like arrows.
*Pshhh...*
Countless impact sounds were heard as tiny, invisible holes appeared all over the pavilion.
"..."
Complete silence.
"...Did we get them?"
Woo Je-jun and Sama Heun entered the pavilion to check the situation and sent a mental message a moment later.
[...Everyone inside is dead. No, to be precise, they've melted to the point that their forms are unrecognizable.]
"Holy crap!"
As soon as I heard that, I threw the Explosive Fire Canister far away, only to quickly pick it up again.
‘Just in case it can be reused...’
I looked down at the black cylinder and thought.
‘Brother, what in the world did you give me...?’
I resolved to be good to my eldest brother from now on.
***
The promised Hour of the Rat arrived.
As I waited right next to the Ice Grotto, Yu Ryong appeared with two other men.
"..."
I gave him a look, and he hastily explained.
"They are like brothers to me. You don't need to worry."
"...I'll trust you."
We'd already come this far; there was no other choice.
I could only think of it positively, that our numbers had increased.
"Let's go."
Perhaps because it was an artificially dug cave, the Ice Grotto had only one entrance.
This meant that no matter what happened inside, it would be difficult for anyone outside to notice.
However, the reverse was also true; if the Ice Grotto were surrounded from the outside, it would be hard for those inside to know.
Therefore, Yu Ryong and I each assigned one person from our teams to stand guard outside.
Yu Ryong took the lead.
Geographically, it made sense for me, a specialist in fist techniques, to be at the front, but I couldn't trust my back to them.
Getting stabbed in the back always hurts.
He seemed to have noticed my reluctance and willingly stepped forward, so I just nodded without a word.
We proceeded cautiously for a while.
[As expected, it doesn't look easy.]
We spotted masters from the Golden Shadow Corps hidden throughout the Ice Grotto.
We weren't close enough to be identified as friend or foe, so they didn't charge at us yet, but it was clear that if we moved a little further, they would notice immediately.
I sent a mental message to Yu Ryong.
[Go all out from the start.]
[If I do that, won't it be difficult to deal with the ones who appear later?]
Seeing his doubt, I realized something.
This guy had never fought with his life on the line.
[Just do as I say for now. If you find it overwhelming, I'll help you, so don't worry.]
[Yes, I'll do that.]
Yu Ryong unleashed a lightning-fast movement technique and dashed through the dark cave.
"Who goes there?!"
"It's an enemy!"
Members of the Golden Shadow Corps, all exuding the aura of Peak masters, instantly appeared and brandished their weapons.
At the same time, Yu Ryong swung his sword, which emanated a blue qi wave, in a straight line.
*Kwang! Kwang!*
The two men who blocked the sword staggered heavily.
It was like watching Dan Un swing his heavy sword.
However, the enemies were also from the Golden Shadow Corps, known as the Imperial Palace's finest elite.
Unflustered, they raised their qi and swung their swords and sabers.
Seeing this, Yu Ryong's subordinate tried to rush in, but I stopped him.
"Wait."
The timing wasn't right yet.
"What are you doing...!"
At that moment, a blue qi wave spread from Yu Ryong's entire body.
*Kraaa!*
A Protective Aura, like that of a wild beast, deflected the enemies' sword qi.
And then.
*Fwoosh!*
Someone who had been hiding leaped out and swung a polearm imbued with a powerful aura.
A golden aura, just like Yuk Hak's.
Judging by the weapon he used, it seemed certain he was one of the Golden Shadow Corps' vice-captains, personally taught by Yuk Hak.
"Now!"
The moment I saw him, I unleashed the War King Step with all my strength.
*Kooong.*
A Form-Shifting Movement that had reached its peak.
The surrounding terrain seemed to shift as I instantly closed the distance to the vice-captain.
"...!"
The man, who had just extended his weapon, was shocked, but there was nothing he could do.
He was in the middle of projecting his aura, so he couldn't deploy his Protective Aura.
And there was no time to dodge.
In the end, there was only one choice he could make.
To retract his weapon, even at the cost of internal injury.
*Gulp.*
The man vomited blood as he righted his weapon. No, as he tried to.
*Paaang! Crack. Crunch.*
That was, until the full-powered War King's Thirteen Strikes completely shattered his ribs.
"Kuaargh..."
Out of respect for Yuk Hak, I didn't kill him, but it was a severe injury that would require at least a year of recovery.
Taking down a Transcendent Master in an instant cast a silence over the area.
In truth, this was a foregone conclusion the moment I, the unparalleled strategist born of the Nine Dragons Fortress, stepped in.
"See? Pretty easy, right?"
As I smiled brightly at him, the dazed Yu Ryong snapped to his senses and swung his sword.
*Flash!*
A lightning-like aura shot from his sword, wiping out the enemies.
I couldn't just stand by either.
I unleashed the War King Step toward the other boss mob, the enemy's second vice-captain.
*Kwaang!*
After an incredibly fierce battle.
"Found him."
"Jin... Mujeon?"
I had finally found my brother-in-law.