Chapter 115
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 115
Chapter Title: Caught in the Trap
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I had caught the inner pill that Dang Pae had vomited up amid his bile and filth, holding it in my hand before opening the gourd flask at my waist to clean it off.
I'd prepared the flask with water ahead of time, anticipating I'd need to wipe it down.
Even so, the acrid stench of stomach acid made my gut churn.
Seeing me fiddling with something unrelated to the fight, Shin Eung muttered under his breath.
"Distracted with other nonsense right in front of this seat."
He seemed offended by my behavior, his pride wounded.
I figured Shin Eung would unleash his aura.
After hurling Dang Pae toward the Tang Clan headquarters, I immediately deployed a barrier.
A double-layered one.
Thud!
The first barrier tore apart.
Whoom!
The second one rippled violently as if about to burst but held firm.
Shin Eung nodded slightly at the sight of me.
"You're the first in a while to block my aura. I figured that ridiculous title of Scholar Sword Ghost was a joke, but it looks like the rumors aren't entirely baseless after all."
"If my skills were all hype, how could I have killed O Ju-hyang? Right?"
I shot back casually.
Shin Eung grinned in response.
"True enough. Now this feels worth fighting for. You deserve to be beaten into a bloody pulp by my fists."
"Enough talk. Come at me already. I'm bored to death here."
At my words, Shin Eung sauntered toward me leisurely.
As if on cue, the Demonic Cult warriors launched a coordinated assault on the Tang Gate.
The Tang Clan warriors moved in unison as well. I shook my head at Dang Jinin leading the vanguard.
Shin Eung glanced over the two forces clashing before fixing his gaze back on me.
"You said it's boring? I'll make it fun from here on out."
"I'm looking forward to seeing just how entertaining you can make it."
Whoom!
I sidestepped to dodge his fist strike.
Bam!
The air exploded where my head had been moments before.
Fist fighters devoted the most rigorous training to their footwork and movement techniques.
They had to be swift and bold to face opponents wielding weapons.
That was why fist masters excelled in lightness skills and evasion steps.
I couldn't deny that Shin Eung, with his vast inner energy and battle experience, was stronger than me.
But with the Phantom Spirit Movement Technique, I could close the gap.
As I effortlessly evaded his kicks and punches, Shin Eung tilted his head in confusion.
"What the hell are you?"
His bewilderment was plain as day.
He clearly hadn't expected anyone to keep up with his footwork.
I poured everything into the Phantom Spirit Movement Technique, dodging every one of Shin Eung's attacks.
Rather than fear for my life, I felt the thrill of the challenge.
Opportunities to clash blades—or fists—with a master like Shin Eung didn't come often.
That excitement drew out my full potential, pushing me to my limits.
A smile must have crept onto my face as a result.
It seemed to irk Shin Eung.
His aura intensified, growing denser and fiercer.
Boom!
I dodged a downward smash, and the ground cratered beneath it.
Anyone caught in his aura around us exploded on impact.
Soon, no fighters remained in our vicinity.
Even so, a clueless Tang warrior wandered too close and died.
Seizing the moment, I quickly swallowed the inner pill.
Shin Eung spotted it, of course.
"Too late, kid. Swallowing a pill to boost your power now won't help. From here on, I'm focusing solely on killing you."
But unlike Shin Eung, I couldn't devote myself entirely to the fight.
Even amid the chaos, I kept track of Pentagon Lord Neung Heo's whereabouts.
Despite the battle raging on, the Demonic Cult's Fifth Pentagon Lord, Talmyeong Sinwol Neung Heo, hadn't returned.
"Lord Shin, where did Fifth Lord Neung Heo go?"
Shin Eung flew into a rage at my question about Neung Heo.
"You dare let your mind wander elsewhere with this seat right in front of you?"
I ignored his fury.
"Come on. With the three hundred warriors Neung Heo took, you could overrun the Tang Gate. So where the hell did he go?"
Amused by my curiosity, Shin Eung let out a scoff.
"Now that I think about it, no reason not to tell you. The Fifth Lord headed back to the manor where the Third Young Master is."
"And why's that?"
Shin Eung stared at me before answering.
"To catch the White Tiger."
His words sent scenarios and possibilities swirling through my mind.
Then one clicked into place.
"So that's it. Lure out the White Tiger Squad, then hit them with a pincer attack and wipe them out. Marching on the Tang Gate with five hundred at the start was bait to draw them in. Then he doubled back to the manor."
Shin Eung smirked.
"Scholar, huh? Your brain turns pretty quick."
I hesitated.
If he was telling the truth, the White Tiger Squad was marching to capture Mo Donggwak only to face annihilation.
They'd have to contend with the Demonic Cult warriors already at the manor plus those three hundred reinforcements.
If it had been the Demonic Cult warriors before their innate energies surged, I wouldn't worry as much.
They'd hurt the White Tiger Squad badly but not wipe them out.
But not anymore.
The two hundred Demonic Cult warriors here were holding their own against five hundred Tang fighters.
p>They wouldn't let righteous experts like Wang Qing die easily, at least.
Overhearing us, Dang Myeong approached me.
"Scholar Cheon, go. I'll handle things here."
Dang Myeong's robes were soaked with blood.
"You sure you'll be okay?"
"Scholar Cheon, I am the Tang Family Head, Dang Myeong."
Pride filled his voice.
Dang Myeong wouldn't fall to Shin Eung.
Their power levels were comparable, but his hidden weapons and poisons would elevate him a realm higher.
Shin Eung burst into laughter at our exchange.
"Hahaha! One more like you leaving changes nothing."
"I'm heading to the manor where Mo Donggwak is."
"You even know where?"
"Three hundred men marched out. Just follow their trail."
As I prepared to break from the front lines, Shin Eung grinned wickedly.
"Who said you could leave? Today, for Fragrance Plum, I have to take your head."
I pulled away, but Shin Eung pursued.
I pulled a book from my robe, tore out pages, and flung them at him.
Shin Eung laughed incredulously at the sight.
"What a lunatic!"
But the pages hurtled toward him infused with sword intent, faster than any Tang hidden weapons.
"What the—?!"
He smashed one with his fist.
Ting!
The sensation was like striking iron plate. His eyebrow twitched.
Cheon Taesan unleashed dozens of pages in an instant.
Slash!
One sliced across Shin Eung's side as it passed.
"Hmph!"
Shin Eung focused on dodging the flurry of pages.
Their power was nothing to scoff at.
"Crimson Leaf Throwing Blades! So you've been hiding your true strength all this time!"
Shin Eung recalled the storyteller's tale from the inn over his meal.
Among the gossips, some called the Scholar Sword Ghost the "Hundred Leaf Throwing Blade."
They said he hurled paper like crimson leaves.
He remembered laughing for a good while over his food.
'The storytellers aren't all talk after all. Can't let a guy like that reach the manor.'
As Shin Eung stomped to pursue, Dang Myeong blocked his path.
He'd closed the gap while he was fending off the pages.
Dang Myeong spoke coldly.
"If you're leaving, leave your head behind. I'll take good care of it."
Hidden weapons flew from Dang Myeong's hands toward Shin Eung.
They came from all directions—front, back, left, right—and were far from ordinary.
Dang Myeong shouted.
"Tang warriors, form the poison formation!"
The Tang fighters moved in perfect unison, beginning to array themselves into formation.
Until now, it had been a battle of hidden weapons.
Now, with the poison formation taking shape, the true poison arts would begin.
Dang Myeong intoned to Shin Eung.
"I'll show you why the Tang Family is the Tang Family."
Shin Eung felt a chill from Dang Myeong's presence.
As Cheon Taesan slipped away toward the manor, a figure leaped from the Tang headquarters' rooftops into the air, pursuing him.
Wang Qing had divided the White Tiger Squad into three groups of exactly one hundred, positioning them at the front and flanks.
"Young Master Zhuge, we attack now, right?"
The plan's architect was Zhuge Dowon, so Wang Qing sought his input.
To capture Mo Donggwak, the White Tiger Squad had borrowed Zhuge Dowon's head from the Blue Dragon Squad.
They'd set the ambush for when the Demonic Cult vacated the manor to attack the Tang Gate.
After joining the Blue Dragon Squad, Zhuge Dowon had used clever tactics in fights against Demonic Cult warriors, minimizing losses while felling many foes.
Wang Qing needed a strategist for this op, and Zhuge Dowon fit perfectly.
Plus, he'd precisely predicted the Demonic Cult's movements this time.
Upon hearing Mo Donggwak had been poisoned by Formless Toxin, Zhuge Dowon devised the plan.
Everything had unfolded as he foresaw, earning Wang Qing's reevaluation.
He'd been one of the Zhuge Family's wastrels, but now he carried himself like a true hero.
His gaze fell on the fluttering empty sleeve.
'Maybe he lost one thing to gain another. People sometimes must lose to truly gain what's greatest.'
Nangong Seongjin had upheld his noble house's dignity and reputation, but Pang Soun was infamous as the Murim Alliance's playboy wastrel.
Yet now, he was entrusting a hundred White Tiger Squad members to him.
Rumors said Pang Soun had reformed under Scholar Cheon's tutelage, but Wang Qing hadn't expected this much change.
'They say too much change leads to an early grave... Nah, probably not.'
Wang Qing was lost in such random worries.
"No other variables I can see. Give the attack order."
Snapping out of it at Zhuge Dowon's words, Wang Qing whistled sharply.
Preeee!
Three long blasts echoed, and the White Tiger Squad charged the manor as one.
No shouts or war cries.
No need to alert the enemy.
The three hundred White Tiger warriors scaled the manor walls.
Demonic Cult warriors appeared immediately upon breaching, attacking at once.
"Enemies!"
The cry rang through the manor.
"Young Master Nangong! You find and secure Mo Donggwak!"
Nangong Seongjin nodded at Wang Qing's order and led his men toward the main hall.
Boom!
Then the main hall's doors shattered, and Demonic Cult warriors poured out.
"What?"
Pang Soun muttered at the sight.
"These bastards had more reserves."
Nangong Seongjin's eyes scanned the surroundings.
"Still just another hundred or so. It'll be tougher, that's all."
He'd thought only fifty remained in the manor, but with an extra hundred, it wouldn't be easy.
Especially since they were all Mad Blood Fiends.
But the White Tiger Squad didn't falter.
"Kill them all!"
They'd already formed three-man cells to counter Mad Blood Fiends, so chaos was minimal.
But Zhuge Dowon frowned—not because his calculations were off.
Having a hundred warriors hidden gnawed at him.
Still, none among them outmatched Nangong Seongjin, Pang Soun, Un Sang, or Wang Qing, which was a relief.
Yet something felt off.
The hidden hundred Demonic Cult warriors spread to the manor's outskirts, positioning to trap the White Tiger Squad inside and prevent escape.
Others ignored it, but it jumped out to Zhuge Dowon first.
'No way.'
He realized what their formation meant.
One of the thirty Zhuge Family battle precepts everyone memorized came to mind.
'If the attack goes too smoothly, expect an ambush. If you've sprung one trap, assume others await.'
Zhuge Dowon issued orders to the White Tiger Squad.
"Over the walls! Out of the manor!"
He needed to test his theory.
"Just as I thought!"
As five White Tiger warriors tried scaling the walls, Demonic Cult fighters blocked them.
If they only meant to defend the manor, they wouldn't bother stopping escapees.
"Squad Leader Wang! We need to break out of the manor!"
"Why?"
Zhuge Dowon approached Wang Qing, who was butchering Demonic Cult warriors, and explained. Wang Qing scowled.
"It's a trap! Looks like we've fallen for their scheme."