Chapter 189
Chapter 189
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 189
Chapter Title: A Promise Gone Awry
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Boom! Boom! Boom!
The green smoke released from Yang Chan's hand exploded simultaneously in three directions.
"Hmph!"
A cold snort followed, and then flames erupted. The green smoke that touched the fire vanished in a burst of sparks.
At the same time, attacks lunged toward Yang Chan from two directions. Though it was the same tactic as before, the outcome was starkly different. Yang Chan slid smoothly across the river surface, twisting his direction. The two streams of energy barely missed him, plunging into the water.
Splash!
Splash! Splash!
Water sprayed up in the wake of Yang Chan's path. In an instant, he crossed the river and kicked off the ground to leap into the air, evading yet another surge of energy flying at his back.
Whoosh!
Screech!
Sand billowed thickly from where he had landed. Had he been even a fraction slower, it would have been a deadly peril.
Yang Chan had already realized it. These foes were on an entirely different level from the black-robed assassins earlier.
Among them, Mun I-jong and two of the blood-robed men stuck to his heels with astonishing speed.
This time, a crimson glow flared from Yang Chan's fingertips. The blood light shot toward Mun I-jong and the blood-robed men like arrows loosed from a bowstring.
"As if!"
Flames erupted from Mun I-jong and the two blood-robed men's bodies. The fire coiled around the incoming blood light like smoke.
But then?
Boom! Boom! Boom!
"Ugh!"
A cry of alarm mixed into the explosion.
Unlike the green smoke, the blood light unleashed a powerful blast, throwing Mun I-jong and the two blood-robed men into disarray—they had assumed it was the same trick as before.
In the chaos, the distance between them stretched to nearly thirty zhang. In the end, Mun I-jong called off the pursuit. With their lightness arts evenly matched, thirty zhang was an insurmountable gap.
Twitch.
"Damn it...."
Mun I-jong's eye twitched.
The others landed to his left and right, arriving late. One of the blood-robed men was bleeding from his side.
'I was only focused on his poison techniques....'
Murderous intent burned in Mun I-jong's eyes.
In truth, when he had set out to find Yang Chan, he had prepared countermeasures tailored to poison—specifically, a defensive technique using the Threefold Truefire.
It exploited poisons' weakness to fire, and the first green smoke had worked perfectly.
But the second attack, the blood light, was an explosive martial art unlike the green smoke. It wounded one blood-robed man and allowed Yang Chan to widen the gap, slipping away.
"Pah!"
Mun I-jong spat roughly and checked on his companions. Fortunately, no one else besides the blood-robed man appeared injured.
One of the blood-robed men asked,
"Shall we head back?"
"We lie in ambush around the pavilion."
"You think he'll return?"
"Not him—we target the one he intended to meet. He wouldn't linger at the pavilion for no reason at this hour. He must have arranged to meet someone there."
"Understood."
They all crossed the river once more.
Mun I-jong glanced back toward Yang Chan's position. But Yang Chan had already vanished.
* * *
Yi Hwan stared at the pavilion from the shadows.
Swaaa....
Reeds swayed this way and that in the wind-swept marsh. Though no sign of human presence was visible, Yi Hwan remained shrouded in the darkness.
The smell of gunpowder carried on the wind, along with faint wisps of smoke, hinting at a fierce clash nearby.
Yi Hwan scanned the pavilion's surroundings sharply.
'No corpses?'
This detail fueled his suspicions. The absence of bodies meant the opponent had resisted the poison techniques—someone formidable.
Which meant Yang Chan had likely fled the pavilion.
And one more thing.
Amid the wind-tossed reeds, one spot moved unnaturally. A short distance from the pavilion, the reeds there barely stirred compared to the rest.
Could someone be crouching or pressing down on the reeds from below?
'What a pity.'
Yi Hwan turned away without regret.
There was no reason to plunge into a suspected ambush. Besides, he was certain that if Yang Chan was alive, he would seek him out again.
If he intended to leave for good, he wouldn't have sent that note arranging a meeting in the first place.
'Had I brought the human skin mask....'
He would have investigated the ambushers' identities. It was a night of frustrations for Yi Hwan.
Whoosh!
* * *
Drip!
Blood fell from Yang Chan's body.
'I've unwittingly dragged you into my mess.'
Yang Chan gazed at the pavilion.
He had seen it clearly. The pursuers hadn't left but had instead lain in ambush around the pavilion.
So he too had stayed, watching all this time. If Yi Hwan showed up at the meeting spot and clashed with them, he planned to intervene.
Whoosh!
The wind rocked the tree he perched on violently. Yet Yang Chan remained utterly still, as if one with the tree, eyes fixed on the pavilion and its surroundings.
Time slipped by. Even well past the appointed hour, Yi Hwan did not appear.
'Did he never come at all? Or did he sense something amiss and turn back?'
Yang Chan waited a little longer.
But Yi Hwan never showed.
'I'll seek him out again.'
Yang Chan turned and melted into the darkness. Shortly after he vanished, Mun I-jong and the blood-robed men also departed the pavilion.
* * *
Returning empty-handed, Mun I-jong sought not the Second Prince but the Empress. Even late at night, she received him with heavy makeup.
She intuited from his expression alone that things had gone wrong.
Mun I-jong bowed his head low.
"I failed to win him over."
"Did you kill him, then?"
"He escaped."
Irritation flickered in the Empress's eyes. Crossing her legs, she snapped sharply,
"The Second Prince said as much. That he's no longer the Hong Wol of old. If I agree, what becomes of you and Hong Wol—never mind the Golden Imperial Guards?"
"...."
Mun I-jong offered no defense. Knowing her temperament inside out, he knew silence was wisest.
"What would you have me do?"
"Though we failed tonight, I will bring him before Your Majesty by any means necessary. If not, I will bring his head."
"Hmph!"
With a cold snort, the Empress sank deep into her chair, looking down at Mun I-jong.
A brief silence followed. But it didn't last long.
"If you can't bring him to my side, kill him by any means. Should he ever join our enemies, I will cut your head off myself!"
"I will keep that in mind."
"Leave me."
"I dare to make one request."
"What?"
The Empress's brows arched sharply. But she had to hear what it was.
"What is it?"
"I need Blood Antidote Pearls. With them, more warriors could engage him simultaneously when we cross paths. If persuasion fails, we must capture him alive—and for that, the pearls are essential."
Blood Antidote Pearls were rare orbs crafted from substances that countered poison. Carrying one repelled most toxins, but acquiring them was as difficult as plucking stars from the sky.
The Empress gave him an incredulous look.
"You speak as if I can just snap my fingers and hand them over."
"Your Majesty can surely obtain them."
"Why are you so certain?"
"When I served by His Majesty's side in the past, I once overheard that the Imperial Palace Treasury held quite a few."
The Empress's eyes gleamed.
"His Majesty said that?"
"Yes. If my memory serves, he did."
"Hmm...."
The Empress interlaced her fingers, her gaze cooling slightly. Mun I-jong kept his head bowed, awaiting her reply.
"If I grant you the pearls and you still fail, your head will truly be forfeit. Understood?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Then go."
Mun I-jong bowed and exited the Palace of Illusory Flowers. His aides waited beyond the bridge. As he crossed, a cold smile twisted his lips.
'Win over a man who's all but our enemy thanks to the Fourth Prince? She actually thinks that makes sense? If she'd ordered his death from the start, we wouldn't have failed.'
Rage boiled within Mun I-jong—not at the Empress's attitude, but at the Second Prince's words relayed through her.
'No longer the Hong Wol of old? A fool without the eyes to judge dares....'
His aides greeted him.
"Shall we visit His Highness?"
"To the command post."
"Shouldn't we report to His Highness?"
"It's too late."
Mun I-jong brushed them off and headed straight for the command post. Sensing the mood, his aides fell silent.
* * *
The Empress's brow furrowed faintly.
"To enter there, I'd need to reach into the Crown Prince's Palace...."
She needed Crown Prince Yi So's key. Her own keys alone weren't enough to access the Imperial Palace Treasury.
It was tricky. Yi So wouldn't just hand over his key. Nor could she bluntly suggest they visit the treasury together.
The moment she mentioned the key, suspicion was certain.
"A poison technique master is a force unto himself. If I could pull him to my side, it'd be like gaining wings...."
That's why the Empress refused to give up. Poison techniques could neutralize any variable—the ultimate trump card.
Lost in thought over entering the treasury, her head began to throb. She swept out of the hall, robes billowing.
"I'm going to the hot springs."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"You too."
Lust flickered in the female guard commander's eyes at that moment.
* * *
Yi Hwan, returning without meeting Yang Chan, tossed and turned sleeplessly.
'Who could it be?'
Someone who knew his true identity had appeared.
A descendant of the Blood Demon, perhaps—but if not, who, and how did they know so precisely?
'These events started after he showed up.'
Yi Hwan thought of Yang Chan.
The man he'd seen in Zhao had crossed into Yeon and staged a poisoning attempt. It might not be him, but the methods matched—highly likely.
Clatter!
Yi Hwan opened the window. The star-filled sky now poured down fine rain.
'I can only wait for him to reach out again.'
No other choice for now.
That's when he spotted Go Mi heading out.
Catching the light from his room, she turned to him.
"Where to at this hour?"
"To the training hall."
"Train hard, but don't overdo it."
"Pa Pa has agreed to help."
"Pa Pa?"
"Yes. See you tomorrow, Great Prince."
Yi Hwan watched Go Mi vanish into the darkness, smiling faintly.
He looked up toward Jo Gwang's quarters. Just then, Pa Pa emerged.
Seeing the light in Yi Hwan's room, she glanced over and bowed her head.
Yi Hwan raised a hand in reply.
'Pa Pa will be a great asset to the Moon Lord.'