Chapter 73: Error (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 73: Error (2)
“Excuse me?”
“They are the Unorthodox Faction. Do you truly not understand what that implies?”
At her words, Seok Myeong hesitated before speaking.
“You said they stop at nothing to achieve their goals. But they are still human. If we clearly explain the profit they stand to gain…”
“How naive. Did you say the Unorthodox Faction pursues profit?”
Interrupting him again, she continued, her gaze fixed firmly on Seok Myeong.
“If so, you are mistaken. Nine out of ten martial artists in the Unorthodox Faction are not like that. They enslave or kill people for sport, or for no reason at all. They kill because someone is an eyesore, or simply because they don’t like the look on someone's face. Countless people have died for reasons no more significant than that.”
“That can’t be…”
Seok Myeong’s face paled with shock.
The Unorthodox Faction he knew merely pursued profit and specific goals; they weren't inherently, senselessly cruel. Hadn't the Golden Martial Association shown him that?
But the woman’s eyes were sincere.
Her gaze held a deep sense of contempt. It was as if the pain she had been suppressing was leaking out through her eyes.
Seok Myeong instinctively looked toward Old Man Hwang, who was nodding in grim agreement. It was a sign that the woman was right.
“Ah…”
Seok Myeong fell into deep, agonizing thought.
Could he save everyone from those who intended to kill them? No—could he at least save the children?
“Do not try to shoulder the burden alone.”
While he was agonizing, Old Man Hwang’s face came into view. He was smiling. Seok Myeong thought his gaze was exceptionally gentle, as if he were trying to ease the weight on Seok Myeong’s shoulders.
Madam Yeon was the same. There was no anger or fear in her. Instead, she looked at him with trust. She was placing her faith in Seok Myeong, believing he would surely save the children.
“Then…”
Seok Myeong let out a heavy sigh and looked around. He had to make a decision now. He needed the best way to save at least some of them without charging straight in and slaughtering the enemy.
He had to make a choice, even if he had to swallow his self-loathing to do it.
“I am sorry, Elder Hwang, Madam Yeon.”
Seok Myeong’s voice trembled. In the end, he was about to ask an unreasonable favor of them.
At his words, the old man and Madam Yeon simply nodded.
“All the adults, please escape through this back path.”
“Understood.”
“We will do that.”
The two answered without hesitation. They had already guessed as much—that they would have to act as a decoy to draw the enemy's attention away.
“Hyeok-jin.”
“Yes, Brother.”
“How many children are there?”
“There are eleven.”
“Have them all hide under the straw. You stand in the center of the warehouse. If someone comes, go outside and fight.”
“Yes.”
Hyeok-jin understood immediately. It was a strategy to make it look like Hyeok-jin was alone in the warehouse, drawing their attention elsewhere.
“I will not disappoint you.”
Seok Myeong nodded at Hyeok-jin’s determined expression.
*
“Everyone, please be quiet and follow my instructions.”
At Old Man Hwang’s raised voice, all eyes inside the warehouse turned toward him. Madam Yeon stood by his side.
“Where are we going?” a woman nearby asked. With her drooping eyes and age spots spreading across her cheeks, she looked to be at least fifty.
“All adults, please stand up and follow me.”
“…”
“We must move quickly.”
The moment they heard those words, several elderly people walked forward as if they had been waiting for this moment. It was an unspoken agreement among the adults—that they would sacrifice themselves to save the children.
The younger women did not move immediately; they were whispering final words to the children they held. It was a final farewell.
“Where are you going, Mother?” Jeong Wol asked anxiously as her mother approached. Though they had only recently reunited, she could feel that the look in her mother's eyes was different than before.
“I’ll be back soon.”
“Where are you going? Just stay here with me.”
At those words, Madam Yeon hugged her daughter tightly.
“Be strong…”
“Ah…”
“You must live strong. Do you understand?”
“Come out quickly!” the old man’s urging voice rang out.
At his call, the younger women who hadn't moved yet stood up one by one. Madam Yeon stroked Jeong Wol’s face, then turned her head away as tears fell.
“I’ll live strong. I’ll definitely survive,” Jeong Wol said. She was a clever girl. She immediately realized what her mother’s departure meant. She wanted to ease the burden on her mother’s heart on her final journey.
“Yes. As long as you have that will, you can survive anything. Live your life with that strength.”
She hugged Jeong Wol once more and stood up. She did not look back.
Jeong Wol’s world was growing dark.
“Sob.”
“Waaaaah!”
The moment the adults left, the children burst into tears. They were all girls and boys who had lived in constant fear while serving the men of the Unorthodox Faction. They knew why the adults had left without needing to be told.
“Everyone, shut your mouths!”
The moment the crying grew louder, a young man’s voice thundered through the room. It was Hyeok-jin. Standing still in the middle of the warehouse, his face was masked by the shadows.
“This is reality. What you see before your eyes is your world now.”
The children held their breath and listened. There was no internal energy infused into Hyeok-jin’s voice, but it was steeped in the raw sorrow of someone who had experienced the exact same tragedy.
“You must live. Whether it’s for revenge or anything else, you can only achieve it if you survive first. If you die here, everything ends.”
Hyeok-jin’s voice grew louder, more desperate.
“Let’s live. We must survive!”
His words were a vow, but one that would be difficult to keep. Even if they distracted the Black Snake Union, it would only be for a moment. Once the enemy failed to find the children among the adults, they would search this place again. It was a desperate gamble that only bought a little time.
A brief silence followed. There were still some muffled sobs, but perhaps because Hyeok-jin’s words had reached them, the children did not cry out again.
Seeing the children act with such restraint made Hyeok-jin’s heart even heavier. He felt as if the lives of these eleven children were resting entirely on his shoulders.
Grip.
He tightened his hold on his sword hilt, his knuckles white.
Meanwhile, Seok Myeong, who had moved to a hill overlooking the warehouse, watched the scene below. In small groups, the elderly and the women were seen leaving the warehouse and heading down the slope.
‘It’s my fault. I was too rash.’
Seok Myeong blamed himself. The thought haunted him: if he hadn't interfered, or if he had been as strong as the former Song Yeo-guk, they wouldn't have had to endure this pain.
‘I will never let this happen again. I will become strong!’
Seok Myeong bit his lip and vanished into the forest. There was no other way right now. He had to infiltrate the enemy camp and delay their advance as long as possible. That was the only move he had left.
*
About a dozen men were watching the hill. They were members of the Eyebrow Life Team, led by Martial Commander Jang Gyeong and their Great Lord, Hong Geom-baek.
“What is the status?” Hong Geom-baek asked a man wearing a leather raincoat. The man’s stoic face remained unchanged even before his superior.
“The Life Killing Team and about eighty percent of our Eyebrow Life Team have surrounded the perimeter.”
“Any chance of escape?”
“The terrain is gently sloped, so while someone might be able to slip in, escaping unnoticed is impossible.”
At those words, Hong Geom-baek smiled thinly. He turned his gaze to the dozen or so men crouching under the tree trunks.
“To think a man who supposedly served as a guard for the Enlightenment Hall got thrashed by a mere Qingcheng Taoist. He must be furious.”
“Heh. Isn't that just how Lord Dan Ri-geon is? He refuses to admit his own failures.”
Hong Geom-baek chuckled and crossed his arms, adopting a relaxed posture as if he were merely a spectator.
“What do you plan to do?” Jang Gyeong asked, noticing Hong Geom-baek’s lack of urgency. It looked as if he were taking a step back.
“I’m going to watch for a bit.”
“Pardon?” Jang Gyeong tilted his head. He had expected an order to slaughter everyone at once.
“Hehehehe.” Hong Geom-baek laughed softly. “There are only two people holding swords anyway; they’ll be dead soon. There’s no reason for us to dirty our hands yet.”
“Then are you saying we should hand the credit over to Dan Ri-geon?”
“Did you not hear what that fellow said earlier?”
“Pardon?”
“Who did he say was among them?”
“He said someone from the Qingcheng Sect.”
“Right, Qingcheng. If we kill a Taoist of the Qingcheng Sect, can you handle the aftermath?”
“…But isn't this Black Snake Union territory? Since they trespassed, they’d have no right to complain even if their heads were taken.”
“That’s true. But the Qingcheng Sect is a notoriously troublesome lot. There’s no need to waste our strength getting entangled with a place like that.”
Only then did Jang Gyeong understand. He saw the calculation in his superior’s eyes.
“There will be quite a mess once this is over.”
“That fellow brought it all on himself.”
“Indeed. Then we’ll be able to make a clear impression this time, won't we?”
“Maybe, maybe not. Actually, I have a better idea…”
Hong Geom-baek looked around and whispered into Jang Gyeong’s ear. Jang Gyeong’s eyes widened in shock.
“Are you serious?”
“I am.”
“But still, Dan Ri-geon is…”
Hong Geom-baek’s smile deepened. “Shouldn't you take over the position of the Eyebrow Life Team’s Great Lord by now?”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“We just have to watch. And then we move in whatever direction benefits us most.”
They were the ones who once controlled the Black Snake Union. But now, they had been pushed from masters to guests. Hong Geom-baek felt this most keenly. Having once served as the Union Leader of the Black Snake Union, he had been demoted to third in rank.
Even if Jeok Ya-seong was a supreme master, Hong Geom-baek didn't believe he was inferior to Dan Ri-geon. The rule of the Unorthodox Faction was the law of the jungle. It was only natural to crave the status that matched one's strength.
“Let’s watch the situation unfold. Just watch.”
Hong Geom-baek laughed. No matter how things turned out, the situation wouldn't be bad for him.