Chapter 104
Chapter 104
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 104
Chapter Title: Heavenly Island's Secrets
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Je-gal Lin couldn't help but acknowledge the Heavenly Qi Master's genius. And to fully assimilate that genius-level knowledge of formations into her own, she toiled at it every single day.
Formations were, in essence, methods to alter or control the flow of qi to achieve the desired effect. The formations engraved on the Heavenly Island pierced right to the heart of that principle, providing Je-gal Lin with tremendous insight.
As Je-gal Lin immersed herself deeply in her research, someone approached her room.
"Miss Je-gal, are you in?"
Je-gal Lin's concentration shattered at the voice from outside. It was so familiar she knew exactly who it was just from the sound.
"Come in."
The door opened, and a man stepped inside. It was Ha Won-hu.
"You look awfully busy these days. Oh, isn't that the Heavenly Island?"
Ha Won-hu spotted the Heavenly Island as he entered Je-gal Lin's room, his eyes lighting up. The Heavenly Island was an extraordinary treasure. And its owner was the Sword King's granddaughter. Rumors had already spread far and wide, with some even saying the Sword King was its de facto master.
"The aura it's emanating is no ordinary thing."
Ha Won-hu muttered as he took a step closer to Je-gal Lin.
"What brings you here?"
At Je-gal Lin's question, Ha Won-hu answered with an expression as if he'd just remembered.
"Ah, word came from the Alliance."
Je-gal Lin tensed slightly at the mention of the Alliance. Ha Won-hu chuckled inwardly at her reaction.
"They've ordered us to return immediately. The Henan Escort Bureau has stabilized enough as it is—we're no longer needed here."
Je-gal Lin nodded at Ha Won-hu's words. He was right. The Henan Escort Bureau had taken root magnificently.
It had forged ties with most of the sects in Henan, taken over all the escort duties for the Umun Family and the Sichuan Tang Family, and even received support from the Martial Alliance. Its growth was nothing short of explosive.
"You should head back, Leader Ha. I'll stay."
Ha Won-hu's eyebrow twitched at Je-gal Lin's words.
"What do you mean by that? Are you saying you'll defy the order?"
"Do I really have to obey?"
Ha Won-hu wore a strange expression at Je-gal Lin's retort.
"Do you think you can just say no because the Je-gal Family is the Alliance's pillar? The Strategist won't stand for it."
Jegal Jung-cheon would indeed do that. Je-gal Lin knew it full well.
"Researching this is more important to me."
Ha Won-hu's face hardened at Je-gal Lin's words.
"You're going to abandon the Martial Alliance over something like the Heavenly Island?"
"It might be nothing to you, Leader Ha, but it's important to me. So please, go back."
Ha Won-hu realized he couldn't bend Je-gal Lin's stubbornness with his own power.
"You might regret it."
"I might."
With nothing more to say, Ha Won-hu turned and left the room.
After he was gone, Je-gal Lin quietly stood, closed the door, and peered back at the Heavenly Island. She had been on the verge of a breakthrough when Ha Won-hu interrupted her.
"Haa..."
Letting out a soft sigh, Je-gal Lin began focusing once more on the lines etched into the Heavenly Island.
Leaving Je-gal Lin's room, Ha Won-hu decided to seek out Jo Seol-yeon first. Since Je-gal Lin wouldn't budge, he'd have to take a detour. If the Escort Bureau Chief herself issued an expulsion order, even she couldn't refuse.
The recall order from the Martial Alliance had arrived just the evening before. Lately, there had been little left for them to do at the Henan Escort Bureau anyway. After reporting the situation, the simple return order had come down.
What Ha Won-hu and the Victory Dragon Unit members had been tasked with was, in truth, surveilling the Sword Demon. But that purpose had vanished. The biggest concern, the Heavenly Island, was being examined by Je-gal Lin, and it had been confirmed to have no connection whatsoever to the Golden Demon Art.
From here on, simple observation of the Henan Escort Bureau from a broader perspective would suffice. There was no need for a peak expert like Ha Won-hu to handle it personally. Infiltrating a few suitable agents as escorts or porters would be more than enough.
'Still, that one person nags at me.'
The one who inexplicably grated on Ha Won-hu's nerves was Dan Hyeong-u. It was only natural to be wary ever since they'd been separated because of him on the way to the Orthodox Heaven Alliance. It was hard to believe, but didn't that mean he was at least superior to Ha Won-hu?
Still, he couldn't surpass the Sword King or Sword Demon. The presence of two of the Ten Great Experts in a single escort bureau was no small issue to overlook.
Ha Won-hu always pondered what the most important task was before acting. Right now, the most crucial thing was returning to the Martial Alliance to rebuild his foundation. The Martial Alliance had to wage an invisible, fierce battle against the Orthodox Heaven Alliance. And he was the one who could claim the greatest merit in that fight. Je-gal Lin was the person best suited to aid him in that.
'To let that intellect rot away like this—I can't allow it.'
Everything else aside, Je-gal Lin's mind was truly exceptional. Even Ha Won-hu acknowledged that. She was undoubtedly the next Strategist of the Martial Alliance.
'And the next Alliance Leader will be me.'
That was Ha Won-hu's ambition.
Ha Won-hu emerged from Jo Seol-yeon's room, unable to hide his displeasure.
"How dare she look down on me? Does the Martial Alliance mean nothing to her? Backed by the Sword King and Sword Demon, she thinks she can reach for the heavens."
Jo Seol-yeon had firmly rejected Ha Won-hu's request. For her, granting it was impossible.
Her bond with Je-gal Lin had deepened even further. And truthfully, the Martial Alliance was something of a thorn in the side for the Henan Escort Bureau.
Jo Seol-yeon's choice was obvious, but Ha Won-hu couldn't accept it.
"Ungrateful wretch."
That's how Ha Won-hu saw it. In reality, his contributions to the Henan Escort Bureau had been negligible. But with his excessive pride, Ha Won-hu didn't think that way. He believed his mere presence was a boon.
He thought no one would dare touch the bureau with the Victory Dragon Unit Leader of the Martial Alliance there. But that effect was already overflowing from the Sword King and Sword Demon alone.
The Martial Alliance's role was little more than lending its name. Of course, Ha Won-hu refused to admit it.
"Should I drag her back by force?"
Ha Won-hu muttered, then startled himself back to composure. In his excitement, he'd voiced something he shouldn't have. Looking around, no one was there. He sharpened his senses, scanning afar, but the area was clear.
Regaining his reason, Ha Won-hu decided he needed to return to the Martial Alliance as quickly as possible. He'd take his Victory Dragon Unit members and head back, then discuss the Je-gal Lin issue with Jegal Jung-cheon.
"It might not be a bad idea to push the marriage forward this time."
He'd thought it a bit early to start a family, but someone like Je-gal Lin warranted haste. Lately, the aura she exuded was markedly different from before.
The moment Ha Won-hu saw her again, he had to admit it: He couldn't find a better wife. And someone of his caliber would surely satisfy even Jegal Jung-cheon.
With confident strides, Ha Won-hu headed toward where his comrades were.
The Victory Dragon Unit, led by Ha Won-hu, promptly left the Henan Escort Bureau and set off for the Martial Alliance.
The Henan Escort Bureau housed peculiar individuals who were neither escorts nor porters. They called themselves porters, but no one treated them as such.
Today, too, they swung their swords in the bureau's new training ground.
Pzzt!
Pzzzt!
About thirty men were scattered across the training ground, swinging their swords. They merely repeated simple downward strikes. Sloppily, without power or flair—anyone watching would have turned away in disgust.
But the sounds they made were anything but ordinary.
Pzzt!
Each swing produced a noise like a tiny bolt of lightning. Their blades even glowed faintly. Their eyes blazed as they watched the shining swords.
They swung like that all day. It had been quite a while since they'd gone on escort missions. They simply swung their swords.
Around midday, a new man appeared in the training ground. He frowned the moment he entered.
"Damn it, you're all overdoing it."
The incessantly grumbling man was Jong Chil. Unlike the other porters, he had to help with bureau duties. He could only train like this in the afternoons after handling morning tasks.
Jong Chil went to a corner and began swinging his sword.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
A sharp wind whistled from Jong Chil's blade. In truth, he was the strongest among them. But the others held far greater potential.
As he swung, Jong Chil grumbled more, seeing faint sparks of lightning form on his comrades' blades.
"Damn it! What a mess because of that Sword King or whatever."
Thwack!
"Gah!"
Jong Chil felt a blow like his skull was shattering and tumbled forward. Whipping his head around, he saw the Sword King.
"Try flapping that trap again."
Jong Chil's face paled as he gaped speechlessly at the Sword King.
"Poor fool! I rushed here to help, and this is the crap you spout?"
The Sword King's eyes gleamed coldly. Jong Chil jumped up in fright and clung to his leg.
"Elder! That's not it! It's not!"
"Not what, you punk!"
Thud!
The Sword King's leg slipped deftly from Jong Chil's grasp and smacked the back of his head. Jong Chil slammed face-first into the ground, pain exploding in the same spot.
His consciousness faded.
'They say the unlucky bastard cracks his nose even falling on his back...'
That was Jong Chil's last thought before blacking out.
The Sword King smacked his lips lightly as Jong Chil passed out, then bellowed at the dazed porters staring at him.
"No training?"
At his shout, the porters hurriedly resumed. But they couldn't focus, glancing nervously at the Sword King as they swung.
"Tch, not a decent one among you."
The Sword King hoisted the limp Jong Chil over his shoulder and left the training ground. Only then did sighs of relief escape, and the heated training atmosphere returned.
"Huh? A carriage? Again?"
Jong Chil stared blankly at the Sword King. The Sword King grinned mischievously, making Jong Chil flinch and step back.
"Remember the old days? Doesn't that sound fun?"
Jong Chil shuddered. Memories flooded back of driving the carriage all the way to the old brewery. How he'd suffered then. Sure, with Dan Hyeong-u there, danger was nil, but the mental torment was indescribable.
Crucially, it was because of the Sword King that he'd fallen behind in Dan Hyeong-u's Heavenly Thunder martial art. That still haunted him.
"You still can't let it go. It was actually better for a punk like you, but you won't believe people. Tch, tsk tsk."
He'd have believed it from Dan Hyeong-u.
Anyway, with the decision made, Jong Chil had no escape.
'Should I just quit and leave?'
Jong Chil muttered inwardly in frustration, then shook his head. Ridiculous.
How could he quit the bureau? And even if he did, he'd end up driving carriages anyway. Fists spoke louder than laws.
Jong Chil followed the Sword King to the front courtyard. A fully prepared carriage awaited. His eyes widened at the sight.
"Wh-what's with the size?"
The Sword King chuckled at Jong Chil's words.
"With this many people, it has to be that big."
The carriage was enormous. Six horses pulled it. Jong Chil's head began to ache.
Handling six horses at once was no easy feat. The previous one had just two, and even that was tough.
"I saw you drive well last time. Just do exactly like before—no more, no less."
Jong Chil sensed grave danger in the Sword King's words. Something was omitted at the end; his expression gave it away.
Frowning, Jong Chil nodded reluctantly. No choice anyway.
Moments later, passengers arrived. Quite a few, but Jong Chil's eyes locked on one: Dan Hyeong-u. His expression eased.
"Hero Dan's coming too? Why didn't you say so earlier?"
Jong Chil shot a resentful glance at the Sword King. If he'd known beforehand, no need for this anxiety. Who'd entrust the carriage to anyone else with Dan Hyeong-u aboard?
The passengers boarded one by one. Mostly women. Jong Chil nodded vigorously. Just like Hero Dan.