Chapter 132
Chapter 132
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 132
Chapter Title: Hwa Ryeong's Fury
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Ziiing!
The powerful shock traveling up her wrist nearly made Hwa Ryeong drop her sword.
It had happened after just two clashes.
Drip!
Blood trickled from her nose, blooming a single flower of crimson on the snow before her eyes.
'No way...'
Her shattered pride made Hwa Ryeong tremble with rage.
On the other hand, the blue-robed man staggered back five steps, his entire body swaying.
Drip, drip!
Blood fell from his nose as well.
On the surface, their skills seemed evenly matched. But the shock the blue-robed man had taken surpassed Hwa Ryeong's.
'A mere scout bitch is this strong...'
He was just as proud as Hwa Ryeong. He had lived without knowing failure, just like her, and carried the full trust of his superiors, just like her.
Linghu Qiu.
The eldest young master of the Ling Family, and Zhao Kingdom's most celebrated rising star among the new generation of experts—that was his true identity.
Fwoosh!
His shattered pride soon turned to killing intent.
The powerful aura surging from Linghu Qiu's entire body sent the surrounding snow exploding upward.
Whoosh...
"I'll kill you, bitch."
"You were just saying you wanted to embrace this beautiful body of mine, and now you've changed your mind already, you bastard?!"
Hwa Ryeong adjusted her stance.
By now, no one on the battlefield dared interfere with them. No, they were all locked in desperate fights for survival, with no spare attention for anyone else.
"What's your identity?"
"What about you?"
"Linghu Qiu. Eldest young master of the Ling Family."
"The Ling Family? I thought you were from some big deal place."
Hwa Ryeong spat and raised her sword, aiming it at the space between Linghu Qiu's eyes.
Linghu Qiu asked again.
"Reveal your identity."
"If you're so curious, come pry open my mouth yourself."
Flash!
Killing intent exploded from Linghu Qiu's eyes. Even among enemies, it was the unwritten rule of the martial world—passed down for a thousand years, an ironclad custom—to acknowledge an identity once revealed first.
Yet Hwa Ryeong had ignored it.
Linghu Qiu couldn't help but feel mocked.
"Fine. I'll rip your mouth open and check for myself."
"Watch your crotch. I might just rip it off."
Whoosh!
Their auras clashed, and snow powder shot up between them, swirling in a vortex.
That was when it happened.
Piiiek!
Suddenly, a horn signal blared from the distance. Hwa Ryeong looked up, and the sight of figures flying over the forest like the wind pierced her eyes like daggers.
"Retreat!"
Someone's shout rang out.
Immediately after, the martial artists of Yeon Kingdom leaped away. In that brief moment, all the ordinary soldiers had already been slain.
"We must withdraw quickly!"
A female warrior urged Hwa Ryeong.
Hwa Ryeong ground her teeth, glaring at Linghu Qiu as if to kill him. Then she kicked off the ground and leaped away.
Whoosh!
Linghu Qiu did not pursue.
He couldn't.
"Urk!"
Doubling over, Linghu Qiu vomited blood. Three yellow-robed men landed to his left and right.
One of them glanced at the gruesome scene, then turned to Linghu Qiu.
"Are you hurt?"
"It's nothing."
He tried to play it off, but Linghu Qiu's face had turned paler than wax.
"Looks like you ran into a pretty strong opponent. For you to suffer internal injuries like that."
"Drop it!"
Snapping irritably, Linghu Qiu turned west. The surviving Ling Family warriors hurriedly followed.
The yellow-robed man stared northeast, furrowing his brow.
"What a shame. To miss the chance to kill an expert who could push Linghu Qiu that far."
"Shall we pursue now?"
"Use your head. You think we can catch them if we go after them now? It's already too late—give it up."
"...Understood."
The yellow-robed man turned away.
At that moment, a Zhao Kingdom warrior whose breath hadn't yet stopped grabbed his ankle.
"P-please... spare me."
Flash!
Killing intent gathered in the yellow-robed man's eyes. The hand gripping his ankle snapped off limply, like breaking ice.
"Filthy thing, don't touch me."
* * *
The mood as Hwa Ryeong returned to camp was not just heavy—it felt endlessly dark.
'Is it my fault?'
Her focus had wavered for a moment because of the ones sent by the Empress, and the enemy had spotted them. No matter what anyone said, it was her responsibility.
Hwa Ryeong stared at the warriors walking ahead. Many had died, and their numbers had thinned drastically.
'The Great Prince and the Commander could use this as an excuse to put me in a tough spot. Then I won't be able to carry out my mission, and he'll blow it out of proportion in his report to Her Majesty the Empress.'
Hwa Ryeong thought of the Empress.
From staying by her side all this time, she knew the Empress was someone who never turned back once her mind was set. If things went wrong, she could become the target.
'Come to think of it, I haven't contacted the Palace of Illusory Flowers since coming here. That's why she sent them. Even giving them her token.'
Throb!
Her head grew complicated, and a headache rose.
Unknowingly, Hwa Ryeong let out a breath.
"Hoo..."
That was when it happened.
"That wasn't like you, Lady Hwa Ryeong."
One female warrior spoke up.
Hwa Ryeong turned to look at her.
"What?"
"You lost focus, and that's how the enemy spotted us. That was a mistake you never would have made normally."
"Are you blaming me right now?"
"I'm saying this for your sake... Gahk!"
Hwa Ryeong's hand seized the female warrior's throat. Blue light gleamed in Hwa Ryeong's eyes.
"Have I suddenly started looking ridiculous to you?"
"Kh, kuh!"
Crunch!
With the sound of bones crushing, the female warrior's head lolled to the side.
"What the hell?!"
The martial artists ahead roared.
"Shut up. Before I kill you all, close your mouths and keep walking."
"...!"
The powerful killing intent pouring from Hwa Ryeong's body made the martial artists and warriors flinch and step back.
"We won't let this slide."
"Go tattle then. Get lost!"
Moments later, only Hwa Ryeong and her female warriors remained.
"You all go ahead first."
"What about you, Lady Hwa Ryeong?"
"I'll go slowly. Hurry on."
"..."
"Won't listen?"
"N-no, ma'am. We'll go ahead then."
The female warriors soon departed first.
Left alone, Hwa Ryeong looked down at the female warrior she had brutally killed with her own hands, her eyes trembling faintly.
The woman she had spent nearly a decade with was more friend and comrade than subordinate. Yet she had killed her in a moment of unchecked anger.
Tremble...
The shaking spread to her fingertips.
"I'm sorry."
* * *
Go Mi entered Yi Hwan's tent.
"Most of the scouting force was wiped out."
"You're talking about the troops that woman Hwa Ryeong was with?"
"Yes. Apparently, she acted carelessly, and that's how the enemy spotted them. And on the way back, she couldn't hold her temper and even killed one of her own subordinates."
"I see."
Yi Hwan set down the teacup he had been raising to his lips.
Clink.
"Strange. She's not the type to lose her mind and make that kind of mistake."
"She might be a madwoman. Either way, because of her, our forces suffered heavy losses. You must punish her accordingly."
"Punish her..."
Yi Hwan brought the teacup to his lips again, his eyes darkening. In his mind rose the arrogant image of Hwa Ryeong looking back at him with a smile on the battlefield.
'Maybe there's something even better than gouging out her eyes for a necklace.'
A faint smile tugged at Yi Hwan's lips.
"Tell her to come see me when she returns."
"That woman, you mean?"
"Yes. Since she caused such great damage to our allies, punishment is only natural."
"May I ask what punishment you plan to give?"
"I haven't decided that far yet. But why do you look so grave?"
"...Me?"
"Yes. You look like you have a blood feud right in front of you. Did something happen with that woman?"
"No. I'm just a bit tired... Well, I'll take my leave."
Yi Hwan watched Go Mi hurry out, narrowing his brow, then nodded as something occurred to him.
"Doesn't the Moon Lord seem a bit off today?"
"Probably just a sensitive day."
"Ah..."
Ju Tae scratched his head and smiled awkwardly.
Cheol Mu-ok asked.
"What will you do with that woman?"
"Killing her is something to deliberate. For now, I need to find a better way."
Yi Hwan rose from his seat.
"I'm going to train, so don't disturb me unless it's urgent."
"Understood."
* * *
Hwa Ryeong returned in the evening.
She considered going straight to Commander Gwak Chung-mu to explain but headed to her tent first.
The first to greet her upon entering were the blue-robed and black-robed men.
Hwa Ryeong glanced at the female warriors standing with heads bowed in one corner of the tent and roughly guessed the situation. She sat across from the blue-robed man and downed a bowl of cold water.
Thud!
Hwa Ryeong looked straight at the black-robed man, tilting her chin up slightly.
"What's this about?"
"I heard you killed one of your subordinates. Is it true?"
"Yes."
"Then explain why."
"Why do I have to explain to you?"
"Have you already forgotten that Her Majesty the Empress granted me full authority? You're not their leader right now—you're my subordinate, so just fulfill your duty and report to me, Hwa Ryeong."
"And if I don't want to?"
At Hwa Ryeong's defiant attitude, the black-robed man shook his head with a faint smile.
"You dare defy Her Majesty's will?"
"It's not Her Majesty's will—it's your greed. You've always resented the trust Her Majesty placed in me. Isn't that why you volunteered to come here? To find some pretext to bring me down."
Snicker.
The black-robed man's smile deepened. The blue-robed man, who had been watching with arms crossed, let out a scoff.
"You're mistaken if you think I volunteered."
"Her Majesty sent me. She said things here don't seem to be going well, so go check it out. But when I arrived, the problems seem very serious. How can we properly carry out Her Majesty's orders like this?"
The blue-robed man spoke for the first time.
Hwa Ryeong didn't even glance at him, staring only at the black-robed man. The black-robed man pulled a plaque from Her Majesty the Empress out of his bosom and placed it on the table.
Thud!
"Return to the Palace of Illusory Flowers now. This is an order from Her Majesty the Empress herself, not me, so you must obey, Hwa Ryeong."
Twitch.
Hwa Ryeong's eyebrow arched sharply.
At that moment, the blue-robed man slightly pushed up the sword at his chest.
Click.
The blade rose slightly, spreading an icy chill through the room. He smiled as he spoke.
"Let's avoid any unfortunate incidents."
"You two are the ones inviting misfortune."
"No way. We're just here on Her Majesty's orders."
"Did Her Majesty really command this?"
"If you disobey the order, she permitted even more than that."
Tremble...
Hwa Ryeong's eyes wavered.
She didn't need to hear what "even more" meant—it was obvious.
'She really said that?'
Hwa Ryeong's chest boiled.
Her fury surged even more because her subordinates, who had shared life and death with her, stood silent like fools with mouths full of honey.
Normally, she should have reacted the instant the blue-robed man touched his sword.
"You should have remembered that Her Majesty tolerates not even a single failure, Hwa Ryeong."
The black-robed man stood.
But Hwa Ryeong couldn't even twitch.
'Shut up! I didn't fail. I was just waiting for a surer chance. So why...'
Hwa Ryeong swallowed the words that rose to her throat. That shout wasn't for the black-robed man—it was for the Empress.
The black-robed man moved behind Hwa Ryeong and asked.
"I'll ask one last time. Will you obey Her Majesty's command?"
His hand rested on his sword hilt.