Chapter 36
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Troublesome (2)
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"...Is he insane?"
Jang Do-ryun let out a hollow laugh, his face a picture of disbelief as he watched Kang Moo-jin charge straight at him, leaving his comrades behind.
"A guy who doesn't know the meaning of fear."
Jang Do-ryun, who held the rank of Commanding Deputy in the Suppression Army Guard, was a seasoned general with vast combat experience and formidable martial prowess.
In his youth, he had roamed the border battlefields countless times, claiming the heads of thousands of enemies and enduring every manner of bizarre ordeal.
But he'd never laid eyes on a madman like this before in his life.
"Iron Cavalry! Ready your arrows!"
True to his expertise on the battlefield, Jang Do-ryun issued efficient orders.
"Yes, sir!"
The Iron Cavalry—cavalrymen armed with spears and bows—sprang into action at the command.
As elites forged in the crucible of countless battles, the three hundred riders moved like a single organism, smoothly and swiftly nocking their arrows.
"Fire!"
Pssshhh—!
Hundreds of arrows sliced through the air, rising in a deadly arc.
The sharp whine of steel tore through the wind as the volley darkened the sky like a black cloud blotting out the sun.
And moments later...
They rained down on Kang Moo-jin like merciless sheets of death.
"It's over, you lunatic."
Jang Do-ryun smirked bitterly as the arrows struck home.
He could already picture the fool's body riddled with hundreds of shafts, lifeless at last.
But...
"What!?"
The man was alive. No, more than alive—he was unscathed.
His rain cape was riddled with dozens of holes, true, but that was it. Not a single scratch marred his body.
'What the hell...?'
He wasn't even wearing iron armor under his skin. How could anyone shrug off an arrow barrage like that?
"Warhorses... Trample him with the warhorses!"
Even as shock rattled his mind in this absurd turn of events, Jang Do-ryun barked orders at his men.
"Yes, sir!"
The Iron Cavalry—all three hundred clad in iron plate atop their mounts—slung their bows on their backs and gripped their reins.
"Full charge!"
At Jang Do-ryun's command, they thundered toward the lone enemy.
Rumble rumble rumble—
The ground shook with the thunderous drumbeat of hooves filling the air.
"Charge!"
Thick hooves encased in iron plating pounded down toward Moo-jin.
"It's over this time, you monster!"
Now Jang Do-ryun was certain of victory.
No matter how superhuman his external arts, no one could withstand the crushing weight of three hundred warhorses, each over 1,000 catties—some six hundred kilograms!
"Crush him flat!"
But once again, reality defied his expectations.
Thung—! Thwoong—!
The horses flew through the air, repelled.
The warhorses that had tried to trample Moo-jin were flung back by the rebound force, unable to withstand it.
Horses weighing over a thousand catties each somersaulting through the air before crashing to the ground—an utterly shocking sight.
"...!?"
Jang Do-ryun's jaw dropped at the impossible spectacle.
"Wh-what the hell is this!?"
Muscles tougher than a horse's weight?
Could a human even do that?!
"You. Stay right there!"
Kang Moo-jin plowed through the warhorses trying to crush him and charged straight at Jang Do-ryun.
"How dare you... dare ruin my precious rain cape!"
His treasured rain cape, now reduced to rags like some beggar's cloak, twisted Moo-jin's face into a demonic snarl.
"H-heek!"
Jang Do-ryun blanched at the horrific visage—like a demon and a ghost had spawned a child together.
"A-attack him! B-block him, I said!"
He frantically ordered the Iron Cavalry to engage, then wheeled his horse around and fled.
"H-hold the line until I get away...!"
"Gotcha, you bastard."
A hot breath grazed Jang Do-ryun's left earlobe as he bolted.
"...!"
His body froze solid; he couldn't even turn his head, managing only to roll his eyes leftward.
"H-heek!"
He came face-to-face with a ferocious demon god, eyes bloodshot, nostrils flaring, teeth grinding in rage.
A monster more terrifying than any nightmare could conjure.
Jang Do-ryun's eyes rolled back in his head, whites showing.
"Let me go! I said let go! I'm an officer of the Great Ming Empire!"
Bound with ropes against a massive tree trunk, Jang Do-ryun bellowed.
"You scum! Planning treason, are you? Do you have a death wish!?"
Whether he'd earned his rank through sheer lung power, Jang Do-ryun was deafeningly loud.
His thunderous roars had even the Diamond Escort Agency's escorts plugging their ears.
"Boss, this guy's way too noisy. What do we do?"
Do-ryang approached Moo-jin after finishing tying up the Iron Cavalrymen.
"Should we just gag him?"
"Leave him be. I was planning to have a little chat with him."
"Chat? What kind of chat?"
Do-ryang raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
A Commanding Deputy was a high rank, sure, but this guy had no useful intel to squeeze out.
They'd already wrung everything from the earlier attackers.
"A physical conversation, maybe?"
Moo-jin donned a spare rain cape in place of his shredded one.
Then, clutching the tattered garment, he strode toward Jang Do-ryun.
"Untie me, you filthy traitors... Heek!"
Jang Do-ryun, mid-rant, shuddered at the sight of Kang Moo-jin.
The memory of getting pummeled for trash-talking from horseback was still fresh.
"Wh-what the—?!"
"What?"
Moo-jin cocked his head at an odd angle.
"...Wh-what do you want?"
"Are we the traitors here?"
"...You attacked the imperial army, so technically, yes..."
Moo-jin's head tilted even further at that.
"You struck first."
"Th-that's true, but..."
"So we can't hit back just because you're the imperial army?"
"Y-yes! Exactly."
"Aha. I see."
Moo-jin's head skewed to an impossible angle—practically resting on his shoulder.
"Guess I'll have to kill you all then. Right?"
"P-pardon? Why?! Why even think something so dangerous?!"
"Isn't it obvious?"
Moo-jin flashed a casual grin.
To others, it might've looked like a handsome young lord's gentle smile. Not to Jang Do-ryun.
In his eyes, it was a six-armed, three-headed monster leering with murderous glee.
"Gotta eliminate every witness."
"Heek!"
Pale as a ghost once more, Jang Do-ryun pleaded.
"Sp-spare me, great hero! I-I swear, mum's the word. I'll take today's secret to my grave!"
"What happened today?"
"N-nothing! Absolutely nothing! What are you talking about?"
Jang Do-ryun sweated bullets, forcing his lips into a grotesque grin.
"I-I just tripped during Iron Cavalry training today and had a little mishap. That's it—no one saw a thing!"
"Is that so?"
"Yes! Of course! Right, boys?!"
Jang Do-ryun shot desperate glances at the Iron Cavalry, who nodded vigorously in unison.
"That's right, General!"
"We didn't see anything!"
"Hmm."
Moo-jin nodded, satisfied smile playing on his lips.
"Good. All good. But there's one little problem."
"Pr-problem? What problem...?"
Thud.
Moo-jin dropped the ragged rain cape at Jang Do-ryun's feet.
"Why'd you ruin this?"
Rooooar—
Moo-jin's suppressed fury erupted outward.
"Have you ever had anything as warm and precious as my rain cape!?"
Eyes bulging, he thrust his face forward, snorting hot breaths.
"How dare you disrespect my rain cape? Apologize."
"Heek! S-sorry! Forgive me, O Rain Cape! I'm so sorry!"
Jang Do-ryun bowed repeatedly to the tattered garment.
"Good. Now pay up."
"Of c-course! The Rain Cape must be compensated! B-but..."
"But?"
"I-I'm a bit short on cash right now..."
Jang Do-ryun eyed Moo-jin nervously. Moo-jin curled his lip and glanced elsewhere.
"You've got something better to offer."
"Wh-what's that?"
"That."
Moo-jin's finger pointed at the golden armor Jang Do-ryun wore.
"Looks pricey. Trade it for my old rain cape."
Kang Moo-jin arrived in the imperial capital and rolled his stiff shoulders, stretching.
"So this is the capital."
The heart of the realm, where all roads converged.
The majestic palace with its golden tiled roofs towering against the sky left the escorts slack-jawed.
"Do-ryang."
"Yes, boss."
"Take the guys, sell that stuff, and bring back the cash."
Moo-jin jerked his chin at the cart laden with armor his men were hauling.
"Got it, boss. Be right back."
Do-ryang clasped his fists in salute, then led the cart and a few escorts away.
"You seem awfully fond of that rain cape."
Won Jong-do emerged from the Eight Righteous Alliance outpost, eyeing Moo-jin with curiosity.
Rain capes cost more than regular clothes.
Warriors who roughed it up needed durable, tightly woven material.
Some treasured theirs second only to their weapons.
Even so, Moo-jin's attachment bordered on the eccentric.
"It's expensive."
"The Diamond Escort Agency didn't strike me as hurting for coin. Seems pretty well-off, no?"
Moo-jin pretended not to hear, dodging the inconvenient question with peak realm-master reflexes.
"This way."
Moo-jin led them to an inn called Drunken Cloud Pavilion.
With its red pillars and black tiles, the ornate building screamed high-class at a glance.
A hotspot for rivers-and-lakes warriors to court officials alike.
"Let's unpack and rest here tonight. Gotta shake off the travel dust first."
Even riding the Eight Righteous Alliance's carriage left its traces.
A bath and a day's rest were in order before entering the palace.
"Sound plan. Thanks for thinking of us."
"Appreciate the consideration, Hero Kang."
Moo-jin watched Won Jong-do, the escorts, and finally Won Yu-hwa—who'd stuck close—head up to their rooms.
He scanned the inn once more before turning to go.
But then...
"Hero Kang."
Won Yu-hwa descended the stairs, cheeks faintly flushed, stealing a glance at him.
"If you're free... care for a cup of Hundred Flowers Dew?"
Hundred Flowers Dew—a famed wine brewed from the dew of a hundred blossoms. A lovers' favorite.
"Booze, huh."
"Yes. They say the food's great here too. Especially the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall."
Moo-jin shook his head, looking troubled.
"Eh. Booze is a problem."
"Oh..."
Disappointment flickered in Yu-hwa's eyes.
But Moo-jin, oblivious, stared at his own forearm.
"It hinders muscle growth and causes loss. You should cut back too, Miss Won, for your muscle gains."
"..."
Yu-hwa masked her fluster with a nod.
"R-right."
The man before her seemed even denser than she'd thought.