Chapter 163
Chapter 163
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 163
Chapter Title: Great King Namsaeng
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Feeling queasy meant my judgment had been off, so I quickly answered again.
"Let's wait and see."
"Shouldn't we chase them?"
I shook my head at Yang Man-chun's words.
"They would've expected something like that."
Yang Man-chun reluctantly agreed with me. As the mood grew awkward, Geom Mojam hurriedly stepped in.
"I'll keep watch, so you two should rest a bit."
While Geom Mojam guarded the door outside, the two of us slumped against the wall. It hadn't been long since we'd relaxed our tense bodies when Geom Mojam urgently called out to us.
"They're coming back."
We jumped up and looked down. There was Woo Hyo-dong, being dragged back to the butcher shop by the one-eyed man. Seeing that, Yang Man-chun muttered,
"Did they already meet and come back?"
"That's too quick for that."
As I answered flatly, I recalled what Woo Hyo-dong had said.
"He said they went underground. Down some stairs."
Yang Man-chun caught on immediately.
"Their leader was under the butcher shop."
"Exactly. They blindfolded him, took him out, and made him go in circles on purpose so he wouldn't know the location."
Geom Mojam, who had been listening by the window, said to me,
"We've confirmed the location now, so why not head back? I'll come later with my men and wipe them out."
"No. Let's take them out now. The three of us."
Yang Man-chun nodded, but Geom Mojam's face turned pale.
"Master."
"I trust you. Let's go."
I answered swiftly and headed down the stairs without looking back. Geom Mojam and Yang Man-chun followed with heavy footsteps. We went down to the first floor and straight to the butcher shop. A different young man stood where the bald guy had been. I said to Yang Man-chun, who had followed behind,
"Say you're here to buy a lot of pork and get inside."
"Got it."
Yang Man-chun took the lead, chattering loudly in Chinese as he approached. Before the other guy could react, he slipped inside. The young man with the knife followed in surprise. Seizing the moment, Geom Mojam and I entered after them.
We stepped over the bamboo threshold and went in. There was Yang Man-chun tripping the young man who'd grabbed his shoulder. As the young man let out a short scream and fell, I saw wooden-walled sheds with tiled roofs behind him. One side had no wall—pork and entrails hung there in abundance, with heads piled up below. At the scream from outside, a fat man emerged from the door beside it. He wore a leather apron like the bald guy's and, upon seeing the situation, pulled a thick cleaver from under it and hurled it.
"Watch out!"
Geom Mojam shouted sharply and shoved me aside. The knife flew over my head and embedded itself in a wooden pillar behind. Geom Mojam rose and sliced off the approaching fat man's wrist with his sword. The hand gripping the knife flew through the air with a spray of blood. Clutching his severed arm, the fat man screamed, but Geom Mojam's next swing severed the back of his neck. His head snapped forward as his body crumpled. Yang Man-chun pointed to the door the dead man had come from.
"I see stairs going underground."
"There!"
As I drew Jumong's blade and moved to lead, Yang Man-chun blocked me.
"I'll take the stairs first."
He dashed down quickly. Seeing that, Geom Mojam shouted,
"I'll cover the rear."
I followed Yang Man-chun down the stairs. At the bottom of the narrow, steep steps was a space dense with wooden pillars. Yang Man-chun, who had gone first, stabbed the throat of the man blocking the way and knocked him down. A few torches burned, but with no windows, it was as dark as midnight. I drew Jumong's blade and shouted,
"Enemy vitals!"
The blade slipped from my hand and whipped between the pillars like a snake, slashing or stabbing the throats of enemies rushing in with weapons. Those hit in vital spots collapsed without much resistance. In the meantime, Yang Man-chun took down one more and pointed ahead.
"Sounds are coming from that way."
I grabbed a torch from a pillar, tossed it to Yang Man-chun, and shouted to Geom Mojam, who had come down the stairs,
"We'll handle this. Block the outside."
Geom Mojam went back up, and I grabbed another torch before plunging into the darkness. A narrow passage barely wide enough for one person came into view. Yang Man-chun entered without hesitation. Midway through, a roar echoed from ahead. The one-eyed man from before charged, swinging an iron mace. Yang Man-chun blocked it with his sword and ducked. I hurled Jumong's blade in that gap.
"The eye!"
The blade streaked forward and pierced the one-eyed man's remaining eye. With a wet thud, blood poured from his eye as he twisted in agony. Yang Man-chun slashed his back and shoulder, then kicked him down. He leaped over the corpse immediately. I did the same, jumping over the dead one-eyed man and exiting the passage. There was a small room with Woo Hyo-dong collapsed beside an overturned chair, bleeding out. It seemed the leader had decided he was a traitor and executed him. Looking down at Woo Hyo-dong's body, I asked Yang Man-chun, who stood ahead,
"What about that guy?"
Yang Man-chun glanced around and pointed to a small window.
"Looks like he went out that way."
The window was high, but a desk below allowed us to climb up. Yang Man-chun went first, peered out, gestured, then crawled through. I followed, and he extended a hand. The window was almost at ground level, so we had to crawl out, covering ourselves in dirt. I brushed the soil from my jacket and chest and scanned the surroundings. The area bustled with merchants hawking wares and passersby indifferently going about their business. Geom Mojam joined us after hearing the noise from outside and looked around. Glancing at the ground, I spotted footprints leading from the window.
"That way."
Geom Mojam and Yang Man-chun took the lead. But the tracks soon mingled chaotically with others. Yang Man-chun clicked his tongue.
"Damn, we came this far."
Geom Mojam scanned the area too, but no one looked like the leader we'd met through Woo Hyo-dong. I looked around and noticed workers slumped against a temple wall under the blazing sun, dozing off drowsily. Among them, one stood out oddly. The workers were generally grubby, but this one, hunched over, had relatively clean clothes. As I approached, the others looked up hopefully, thinking I might have work, but the hunched one kept his head down. I called Yang Man-chun over and said,
"Offer them money to go somewhere else."
Yang Man-chun pulled out coins similar to sangpyeong tongbo—kaewon tongbo—from his sleeve and spoke in Chinese. They all jumped up and took the coins. But the hunched one stayed put. Up close, I told Yang Man-chun,
"Like Woo Hyo-dong and the prisoner said—small build, narrow shoulders."
"Let's finish this quick and get out. Officials show up, we're in trouble."
As Yang Man-chun said, people nearby were starting to murmur and stare. No time to waste—I gripped Jumong's blade and stood before the hunched figure.
"Stand up and show your face."
Yang Man-chun translated into Chinese, but he didn't budge. I was ready to kill him outright, but felt no nausea or queasiness. That confirmed it.
"This is the leader."
Hearing me, the hunched man looked up. His sagging cheeks and sunken eyes held no charisma whatsoever.
"So that's why he wore the mask."
He seemed to understand, his face twisting slightly. His hand slipped into his sleeve. But I'd seen his eyes redden and was prepared.
"Chest!"
Jumong's blade struck his chest like lightning. He writhed in pain and toppled sideways. Onlookers screamed. Ignoring the spreading cries, I approached the fallen man.
"We went to a lot of trouble finding you. Wanted to keep you alive for questioning, but circumstances didn't allow. Pity."
"Don't feel relieved just because I'm dying. Another me will appear soon enough."
It was flawless Goguryeo speech—you couldn't think him anything else. I wondered what hatred drove him to side with the Tang, but he closed his eyes before I could ask. As I pondered looking down, Yang Man-chun grabbed my shoulder.
"Hurry!"
Shouts came from the opposite direction. It hit me late that this was Youzhou, the Tang governor's seat. Geom Mojam cleared the path ahead as Yang Man-chun and I ran behind. Fingers pointed, people grumbled in our wake. We bolted out of the market and mounted horses prepared by Geom Mojam's waiting men. We galloped off without looking back. Yang Man-chun, leading, shouted,
"Ride fast. Gogeul Jung-sang is waiting just a bit farther."
I gripped the reins tight and urged more speed. Fortunately, no pursuers. Yang Man-chun laughed heartily.
"We uprooted them in one go and took out the leader too. Impressive as always."
"Curious why a Goguryeo man hated Goguryeo so much."
"Do bad guys need reasons for bad deeds? 'The world made me this way' is just a coward's excuse."
Yang Man-chun shook his head firmly.
"Didn't expect the Tang to come at us this meticulously."
"They've been preparing for ages. Couldn't stand sharing the sky with us."
"Yeah. I was skeptical when you first mentioned it."
"You punk, you didn't believe me?"
"It sounded too absurd. Sorry."
His non-apology apology made me chuckle. The key was we'd uprooted the shadowy operatives. Laughing cheerfully, we returned to Buyeo Fortress.
I briefly met the confined Yoksal to offer consolation, then headed back to the guesthouse. Several letters from Father in Chang'an had arrived, along with a messenger from Bu-sang, who was handling the Central Administration Bureau in my stead. It was time to go. After talking with them, I summoned Ariyeong right away.
"I'm leaving soon, so take measures to support Nak-sang Pavilion."
"How should I help?"
"First, set up a base in the valley north of Heukam and ensure stable food supplies. But keep numbers limited—no more than 500."
"Understood."
"Build a reliable communication network so northern matters reach me."
"I'll see to it."
"We've dealt with Woo Hyo-dong and all the spies in Buyeo Fortress, but watch for remnants and eradicate them thoroughly."
I gave other necessary orders. After Ariyeong withdrew, I called Geom Mojam.
"We're heading back to Chang'an now."
"I'll prepare. The severely wounded will recover here."
"Good. Inform the families of the fallen retainers and provide generous aid. Convey my sincere apologies."
"Of course."
After Geom Mojam left, I muttered unwittingly,
"Now the northern matters are settled."