Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Paeng Mu-wi Again
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The more he circulated the inner technique, the more distinctly different the movement in his dantian became. Along with it, he could clearly feel his body growing as firm as steel.
But it was still far from enough to unleash the martial arts he had wielded as the absolute ruler of Daye Fortress.
‘I haven’t even encountered any true masters yet.’
The world was vast, and experts were as numerous as grains of sand on the beach.
Since he never knew when, where, or what kind of powerhouse he might run into, he had to regain his past strength as quickly as possible.
“Hoo.”
Yi Hwan finished circulating the technique and exhaled a long breath. As always, his entire body was feverishly hot and drenched in sweat.
After a few deep breaths, Yi Hwan drew up his qi.
Five flames flickered to life and floated lightly above his head. It was the same method he had used to kill the Black Tiger Squad member who had come disguised as a Yeon Kingdom soldier to find Cha Jung-kyeong.
The five flames circled the air like fireflies before burrowing into the rear wall.
Pew-pew-pew-pew-pew!
Five holes were punched into the log wall.
A breeze flowed in through the holes, gently caressing Yi Hwan’s heated body.
‘Not bad.’
There was no turmoil at all. His breathing was steady too.
That was when it happened.
“Ugh... my head.”
A groan drifted in from outside.
* * *
Cha Jung-kyeong, who had been chopping firewood in the backyard, clutched his head with both hands from the sudden impact to the back of his skull.
“What dog bastard...”
Cha Jung-kyeong looked around with a furious face. But there was no one anywhere.
That was when blood seeped through the gaps between his fingers.
“Ugh! Blood!”
* * *
Yi Hwan ignored Cha Jung-kyeong, who was wrapping his head in cloth.
‘If it hadn’t been the wall, I almost killed the poor guy.’
If the wall hadn’t cushioned the impact, Cha Jung-kyeong would have died with a hole in his head.
Song Cheon-mu asked,
“Who threw that stone?”
“Yes. Once I catch that bastard, I’ll rip his limbs off and hang him out to dry like laundry!”
Song Hoe said with a pathetic look,
“No one here likes you. So you shouldn’t have let your guard down. A former Black Tiger Squad member getting his head cracked by a stone. Tsk tsk tsk.”
“I was chopping firewood! What guard was I supposed to keep? This is the Great Prince’s camp! This is an insult to the Great Prince, so we must find the culprit!”
“You sure can talk with that gaping mouth.”
“Argh, damn it!”
Cha Jung-kyeong was still fuming, snorting like a wild boar.
But Yi Hwan ignored him and worked his chopsticks.
“The meat’s well stewed.”
“Yes. Good meat came in just in time, so they prepared it specially.”
Yi Hwan stared at Cha Jung-kyeong.
“Stop snorting and eat. The meat’ll all be gone. It’s beef.”
“......Yes.”
A moment later, Yi Hwan set down his chopsticks and stood.
Song Cheon-mu asked,
“Going for a walk?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll accompany you.”
“No need. Finish your meal.”
“I’m done.”
Yi Hwan and Song Cheon-mu stepped outside.
Yi Hwan headed toward the outskirts of the camp.
Though it was a place where bloody battles had raged for years, the scenery was stunning. Especially if you climbed higher up the valley, vast mountain ranges unfolded like a painting, perfect for soothing the mind and body.
Yi Hwan paused for a moment and gazed southwest. The mountains bathed in morning sun were shrouded in mist, like a sea of clouds.
“Is your family in that much trouble?”
“......”
“No support from the imperial family?”
“Yes. They’ve always been heartless, haven’t they?”
Song Cheon-mu gave a bitter smile and continued.
“Please don’t worry too much about the Princess, Your Highness. As my brother said, her health has improved a lot.”
Tweet-tweet!
A flock of birds landed on branches, chirping melodiously.
Yi Hwan watched the birds and thought of ‘that guy’s’ sister. No, it was more accurate to say the thought arose unbidden, against his will.
‘I should go see her someday.’
“Great Prince.”
“Yeah?”
“What are you thinking so deeply about?”
“Nothing.”
Yi Hwan headed back to his tent.
“May I ask one thing?”
“What.”
“Why did you hide your skills?”
“I didn’t hide them.”
“You did.”
“I said I didn’t.”
“......”
Song Cheon-mu took it as Yi Hwan dodging the question on purpose and asked no more.
Yi Hwan suddenly asked,
“What’s your dream?”
“To become an excellent general.”
“For your family?”
“Yes. I’ve received more love than I deserve so far. Of course, it’s also a dream for myself. But my martial arts aren’t improving much, so I’m worried. I’ve been honing my skills without rest... but I wonder if I can really become a great general like this.”
‘Martial arts, huh...’
Song Cheon-mu’s skills were certainly superior compared to his peers. At his current level, he could easily handle a captain’s position.
But high-ranking generalships weren’t positions you could climb just by being a bit better than others.
Not just in Yeon Kingdom, but in the key military posts of every nation, they were mostly occupied by martial artists from sects and clans like Paeng Mu-wi’s.
The martial arts of prestigious clans and sects had been built up over long histories, so their depth and level were inevitably different.
Moreover, those from martial clans and sects had environments where they received guidance from excellent masters from the moment they began training.
Competing with them for key military posts was extremely difficult.
‘Fools...’
That was why Yi Hwan was all the more displeased with this situation.
It angered him that the martial prowess they had honed was being used like fangs for the military’s hunting dogs.
Rumble!
Thunder rumbled faintly in the distance.
“Oh? Looks like rain. Let’s head back.”
Yi Hwan quickened his pace. Then, something suddenly occurred to him, and he furrowed his brow.
‘I forgot about those guys for a moment. If they were watching the tent, they might realize the Pursuance Fragrance was applied to someone else, not me. What a slip-up.’
Yi Hwan gave a wry smile at the mistake born of a moment’s carelessness.
“Why is that?”
“Nothing.”
* * *
“That ass is glued to the tent. How can he not move for days?”
The man in green robes grumbled while staring at Yi Hwan’s tent.
Neither the man in green nor the other man knew Yi Hwan had left the tent.
Since the fox would react if the Pursuance Fragrance took effect, they hadn’t needed to watch without blinking until now.
“If we were sure it was him, we could just kill him and be done.”
“I told you to watch a bit longer how many times?”
“Until when!”
“You fool...”
As the man’s eyes turned icy, the one in green quickly bowed his head.
“I’m sorry. I just got frustrated... Sorry.”
“Our ancestors endured far longer in the darkness than us. And you can’t even handle this much before getting impatient? Fool.”
“......”
The man turned back to stare at Yi Hwan’s tent.
That was when it happened. The man’s eyes narrowed.
He spotted Yi Hwan coming down from behind the tent.
“How is this possible? Why is that guy coming from there?”
“Exactly. He left the tent, so why didn’t this thing react?”
The fox was sleeping in the green-robed man’s bosom. It should have woken and reacted if Yi Hwan had moved.
“Could Cha Jung-kyeong have spilled everything? Maybe he sprayed it on someone else on purpose?”
“If he figured out it was Pursuance Fragrance, maybe.”
The man nodded with somewhat angry eyes. If the true nature of the Pursuance Fragrance had been exposed, they had been thoroughly played by Yi Hwan all this time.
Fury filled the man’s eyes.
“We go down to the tent tonight.”
“What will you do?”
“Capture him and interrogate.”
“Yes.”
The green-robed man’s face brightened instead. He thought this boring wait was finally over.
‘Honestly, you’ve been too cautious until now.’
* * *
The cook was staying in Yi Hwan’s tent. Fortunately, his skills were excellent, satisfying Yi Hwan and everyone else.
Hum-hum.
The cook hummed a tune as he prepared lunch, with one warrior assisting him.
“Already preparing lunch?”
“The Great Prince loves meat. Meat tastes better if you let it age a bit before cooking. So we have to start now.”
“Since when have you cared for the Great Prince like that? Weren’t you the most dissatisfied when assigned here?”
“How’s that time the same as now? Didn’t you see? The way people treat the Great Prince is changing. So no backtalk—focus. The veggies burn if you’re not careful.”
Sizzle!
The warrior shook his head and trimmed fresh greens. Then, feeling something off, he looked up and saw someone peeking in through the window.
“Huh?”
“What?”
“Someone was watching us.”
“Probably the Great Prince’s entourage.”
“Why would they watch secretly?”
“Right, yeah. Then who would spy on the Great Prince’s kitchen...”
The warrior quickly opened the door and went out. But there was no one there.
“What the?”
* * *
Yi Hwan, just finishing his walk and coming down, spotted someone quickly vanishing toward the Paeng family’s tents behind his own.
‘Paeng Mu-wi spying on me?’
Yi Hwan’s eyes gleamed oddly.
He entered his tent as if nothing had happened.
Song Hoe and Cha Jung-kyeong greeted him.
“Nothing going on?”
“What would be?”
“Go tell Paeng Mu-wi I want to see him.”
“Why meet that guy?”
“Got something to say. Cheon-mu, you go.”
“Understood.”
* * *
“The Great Prince wants to see me?”
“Yes.”
“What for?”
“I’m just conveying the Great Prince’s order.”
Paeng Mu-wi’s eyes flashed strangely as he stared at Song Cheon-mu.
Twitch.
Song Cheon-mu’s calm demeanor irked Paeng Mu-wi. If he weren’t the Great Prince’s guard, he’d have punched him already.
‘What’s this punk up to now...’
Paeng Mu-wi donned his armor and stepped out. He prided himself on his position as Left General, the top among the four generals, and enjoyed wearing armor as a show of it.
A form of ostentation.
“Hup!”
Moments later, arriving at Yi Hwan’s tent, Paeng Mu-wi took a deep breath and entered. The moment he did, his eyes were drawn to the teacup on the table.
‘Not this time, Great Prince.’
“You wanted to see me?”
“Thought we could have some tea. Sit.”
“My stomach’s been off, so I’m avoiding tea. I’ll have a bowl of cold water instead.”
“Stomach really bothering you?”
“Yes. Somehow.”
Song Hoe placed a bowl of cold water before Paeng Mu-wi and stepped back.
Clink.
Yi Hwan took a sip of tea and asked calmly,
“How’s camp life treating you?”
“Do I do it because I want to? Just following orders to the best of my ability.”
Paeng Mu-wi calmly took a sip of the cold water. Thirsty as he was, he drained the bowl.
“The tea smells good—sure you don’t want a cup?”
“Sorry. I’ll gratefully accept the Great Prince’s thoughtfulness for my health.”
‘No way, you old fox.’
Paeng Mu-wi sneered inwardly.
“Is that so? Then go on.”
“......Pardon?”
“Suddenly tired.”
As Yi Hwan went into the inner room, Paeng Mu-wi’s face flushed red.
‘You damn bastard! There’s a limit to toying with people!’
Song Hoe said quietly,
“He just returned from a walk, so he must be tired.”
The retort of why call him if tired rose to his throat, but how could he utter it?
Paeng Mu-wi glared murderously at innocent Song Hoe and stormed out.
Watching him go, Song Hoe entered Yi Hwan’s room.
“I did as ordered, but what was it you told me to put in the cold water?”
“A tonic.”
“Pardon?”
“Don’t be annoying. Get out.”
“......”