Chapter 163
Chapter 163
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 163
Chapter Title: Disappearance
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Splash!
As soon as they entered Zhao Kingdom territory, rain began to pour.
Yi Hwan and his group entered an abandoned shrine devoid of people to shelter from the rain for a while.
Crackle, crackle.
Everyone felt the warmth produced by the campfire and settled in to rest.
Having traveled without rest for several days, they were all quite exhausted, without exception. Was that why?
Hwa Ryeong and Moon Pavilion's female operative sought sleep in one corner of the shrine, while Go Mi used Yi Hwan's breathing technique to drive out her fatigue. On the other hand, Cheol Mu-ok, Ju Tae, and Pa Pa were still full of energy.
Yi Hwan leaned against the wall with his eyes closed. Ju Tae smirked.
“Doesn’t sit right with me.”
“What?”
“That face.”
Ju Tae nodded toward Hwa Ryeong’s freckle-covered face, and Cheol Mu-ok smirked as well.
“Better than drawing attention.”
“Makes me wanna stare even more ’cause it’s funny.”
“…….”
For a fleeting moment, silence fell, and soon the two burst into laughter simultaneously.
The pair then turned their gaze to Pa Pa. She had placed a branch over the campfire and was carefully roasting something. A large chunk of meat.
Pa Pa, disguised with a human skin mask, exuded the aura of an utterly ordinary middle-aged woman.
Ju Tae asked.
“How’s it feel, heading back to your hometown?”
“This body’s home is by Your Highness’s side.”
Pa Pa calmly replied, drew a dagger, sliced off the charred parts of the meat, and cut it into bite-sized pieces.
She sprinkled salt over it and looked at Yi Hwan.
“The meat’s all done, Great Prince.”
Yi Hwan opened his eyes.
Pa Pa then pulled out some liquor from her bosom.
“Did you prepare this for me?”
“His Highness instructed me to give it to you, Great Prince.”
Yi Hwan sat up properly and popped a piece of meat into his mouth. It tasted pretty good, somehow. At that moment, Hwa Ryeong opened her eyes.
“Meat.”
“Come sit.”
“There’s some for me too?”
“We’ll share one piece each.”
“Huh!”
Just then, the female operative opened her eyes as well, and everyone shared a piece of meat.
Yi Hwan asked Pa Pa.
“How many days left to the capital?”
“At a quick pace, about four or five days.”
Yi Hwan nodded silently, took a sip of liquor, and turned to Moon Pavilion’s female operative.
“Mind showing me the human skin masks?”
“Yes, Great Prince.”
The female operative pulled out four human skin masks. Yi Hwan picked one up.
“From today, we vanish completely from the Southwest King and the Empress’s sight.”
“You mean the disappearance you mentioned before?”
“That’s right. Once we disappear, the Empress will think the Southwest King did it, and the Southwest King will think the Empress did. Even if we skip the martial conference, Zhao Kingdom won’t make an issue of it.”
“Oh…….”
“So that’s what you meant by disappearance.”
Go Mi asked.
“What if the two meet? Won’t it come out right away?”
“People dreaming of the throne don’t ask those questions. Even if their insides are rotten to the core, the outside has to be spotlessly clean.”
“Then what do we do?”
“Gather every bit of information you can. Moon Lord, draw maps of Zhao Kingdom’s capital and nearby cities with perfect accuracy, no errors. Hwa Ryeong, assist the Moon Lord.”
“Got it.”
“Understood.”
Hwa Ryeong turned to Go Mi and smiled brightly. Go Mi, who would normally avert her gaze, wore an awkward expression today.
Yi Hwan turned to Pa Pa.
“Pa Pa, you and I have a place to go first.”
“Yes, Great Prince.”
“Everyone, be extra careful with titles from today.”
“Understood.”
“Yes.”
Ju Tae asked excitedly.
“We moving out right now?”
“When the rain stops.”
“……Yes.”
The rain was still pouring fiercely.
Splash!
* * *
Southwest King Jo Yun’s face flushed with anger.
“You threw in that many troops and couldn’t even find a trace?”
“It’s just one person moving so nimbly and elusively…….”
“Shut your mouth!”
“…….”
Crack.
The teacup shattered in Jo Yun’s grip. Why was Jo Yun, who never showed such agitation normally, acting this way?
The reason was a series of brutal murders over the past few days. Among them, the Black Dragon Gang Leader, savagely killed in his residence, had been providing him substantial funding.
For Jo Yun, who desperately needed funds, it was a major blow.
“Ahead of the great event, this must be the work of those trying to hinder me. We must root them out completely, no matter what! Understand?”
“Yes!”
“What are you waiting for! Get out and find the culprit!”
“Yes!”
Those in the hall hurriedly filed out. But one remained.
He spoke quietly.
“We should strengthen security at the conference grounds. If trouble breaks out where envoys from various kingdoms are, it could turn serious.”
“The work of those following Jo Gwang?”
“Likely.”
“We have some time, so hold off on tightening security and focus everything on finding them. Given the gravity, send the top experts too.”
“Understood.”
The middle-aged man exited.
Left alone, Jo Yun sank deep into the grand seat and calmed his eyes.
‘This is actually good. Use this chance to root out Jo Gwang and his followers completely.’
At that moment, the middle-aged man who had left returned. But he wasn’t alone.
“Go ahead and report.”
“Yes.”
The warrior bowed toward Jo Yun and spoke.
“Upon examining the bodies, they were all poisoned to death. Especially the Black Dragon Gang Leader—his head melted away completely.”
“Did you say poison just now?”
“Yes.”
Both Jo Yun and the middle-aged man looked quite shocked.
A head melted away completely. He’d never heard of such a poison existing.
In an instant, Jo Yun’s eyes changed.
‘No way the Descendant of the Poison King has appeared?’
Shiver.
A chill ran through his entire body.
The Descendant of the Poison King, whose true form hadn’t even been revealed yet. But to Jo Yun, it was more terrifying and fearsome than any existing enemy.
Of course, he himself had reached the state of Immunity to All Poisons, so he had nothing to fear even facing the Descendant directly.
However.
‘If they’re determined and storm the conference grounds…….’
It was obvious unimaginable catastrophe would ensue.
Which would also mean his plan to win back the people’s hearts and solidify his position would go up in smoke.
The middle-aged man said in a heavy tone.
“A poison user appearing out of nowhere. Doesn’t feel good. Until now, no martial artist in our Zhao Kingdom has used poison.”
“No poison users in Yeon or Qin either?”
“In those two kingdoms, none have appeared in the last thirty years. So I suggest we prepare assuming it could be the Descendant of the Poison King. If the Sword King and Blade King’s descendants appeared, there’s no reason the Poison King’s can’t.”
At this, Jo Yun thought of Yi Hwan.
“Is Yi Hwan being watched properly?”
“Yes. We’ve assigned several skilled in stealth tracking. I was about to report—he entered our territory a day ago.”
“You said a day ago?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Jo Yun’s eyes subtly shifted.
-The poisoning incidents happened two days ago. Even if the culprit is the Descendant, it can’t be Yi Hwan. The timing doesn’t match.
-No. They could have sent the Descendant ahead to disrupt the martial conference.
-Using poison doesn’t necessarily mean Descendant of the Poison King. Am I overreacting?
Throb!
His head tangled like a knotted thread, so Jo Yun gulped down a bowl of cold water.
Thud!
“If need be, I’ll handle the root myself. Poison users, Descendant or not, must be eliminated on sight.”
“By the way, how many guards does he have?”
“That’s…… Including him, seven in total.”
“Seven?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“Ridiculous. Leaving aside me, knowing the Empress is after him, and he moves with just seven.”
“Maybe showing how confident he is?”
“To whom? Me? Or Yeon’s Empress?”
“Possibly both.”
“He’ll regret it when he crosses to the afterlife. Until separate orders, don’t engage—just tail them discreetly.”
“Understood.”
Jo Yun shot to his feet.
“I’m resting. Don’t disturb unless it’s urgent.”
“Rest well.”
Jo Yun disappeared behind the wall.
The middle-aged man watched his back until the wall closed, then let out a low sigh and sat.
‘Removing Yi Hwan now isn’t the issue.’
The middle-aged man was on edge over the poison user’s emergence. Even if not the Descendant, poison was inherently threatening—striking indiscriminately at the conference could cause massive casualties.
If a high official from Yeon or Qin fell to poison, the backlash would be unbearable.
‘If they’re serious, they’ll target the conference grounds for sure.’
As the middle-aged man’s eyes grew heavier, a warrior rushed into the hall.
“What is it?”
“Report: Yeon’s Fourth Imperial Prince has vanished completely.”
“What!”
“We confirmed him crossing into our territory and entering a remote shrine, but lost track after.”
Twitch.
The middle-aged man’s brow curved like a blade, anger filling his eyes.
“Have you ever seen such idiots! Seven people moving and you lose them?!”
“Don’t worry too much. We’ve mobilized all nearby forces—we’ll find them soon.”
“Haa…….”
The middle-aged man tilted his head back, then stared at the wall Jo Yun had entered. Jo Yun’s recent order to tail discreetly echoed in his ears.
He should report immediately.
But Jo Yun hated interruptions while resting more than anything. So the middle-aged man hesitated.
‘Yeon’s Empress likely has eyes on him too. Have they lost track as well?’
* * *
Yi Hwan moved with Pa Pa.
Originally, Cheol Mu-ok and Ju Tae wanted to come along, but they set a meeting point and departed with Go Mi.
Splash……
The rain was still heavy.
With thick fog too, it was the perfect condition to shake pursuers.
Pa Pa asked.
“Shall we go to that person first?”
She meant Jo Gwang’s lover. Yi Hwan shook his head.
“Meet her last. The Crown Prince and Pa Pa trust her, but I don’t. Meeting first could backfire if she changes her mind and betrays us—we’d be in danger.”
“This one’s thinking was short-sighted.”
Pa Pa understood fully. She’d do the same if she were Yi Hwan.
Splash.
Whoosh!
The wind picked up fiercely too.
But Yi Hwan pressed westward without rest. Pa Pa followed, vigilantly checking for pursuers.
How far had they gone?
The mountainous terrain ended, and a city’s outskirts appeared. Pa Pa said.
“Many martial artists reside in that city—best to avoid it.”
“Any special reason so many martial artists stay there?”
“Those the Southwest King strategically nurtures are gathered there. Even His Highness had to withdraw without a fight because of them.”
“Quite a few experts, then.”
“Experts aside, their numbers approach three thousand…….”
Three thousand was an astonishing figure.
Yi Hwan gazed at the city briefly, then changed direction. Pa Pa followed, saying.
“Over one more mountain is a small village—rest there a bit.”
“Safe place?”
“A mountain village beyond official reach.”
“Then head there.”
“Yes.”
Pa Pa treated Yi Hwan with utmost sincerity.
Perhaps it was only natural.
‘Nothing must happen to the Great Prince. For our His Highness too…….’
* * *
There were those pursuing the path Yi Hwan and Pa Pa had taken. About twenty, roughly?
Each had sharp, gleaming eyes with bulging Sun Veins.
They scanned surroundings keenly, following Yi Hwan and Pa Pa’s trail precisely.
After about half a shichen, the leader’s eyes flashed as he shouted.
“They went that way!”
The direction he pointed was completely wrong. Yet the others trusted his word like iron. He possessed unmatched tracking skills.
So why point the wrong way?
Leave traces in another direction. Make it so they can’t find easily—that’ll fool them.
It was Yi Hwan’s order to Cheol Mu-ok and the others.