Chapter 235
Chapter 235
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 235
Chapter Title: The Woman Named Park Seon-ha
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A woman suddenly appeared, blocking the path ahead.
Namgung Jang-cheon nearly crashed into her and shouted urgently.
“Watch out! Get out of the way!”
“Isn’t it you who’s in more danger?”
“……!”
“Just a moment.”
The woman stared at the leader again. Just then, those wearing blood-red demon masks dropped into the area.
The woman’s eyebrows curved gracefully.
“There are more?”
“Miss, we don’t have time for this! Get out of the way!”
“You stay put.”
Snap!
When the woman snapped her fingers, another woman emerged from beyond the forest. Her build was larger than an average man’s by a full head.
“Suka, take care of this man.”
“Yes, miss.”
“Miss!”
Grab!
The giant woman seized Namgung Jang-cheon’s arm.
“You’ve lost too much blood—you’re in danger. So stay still.”
Those were the last words Namgung Jang-cheon heard before losing consciousness. The giant woman had sealed his blood points.
The blood-red demon-masked men burst into laughter all at once.
Not only had they captured Namgung Jang-cheon, but they had also encountered a beautiful woman. They all laughed uproariously, feeling as though they had caught a bonus prize.
But not the leader.
“Form a defensive array.”
“Yes? Why a defensive...”
“Now!”
The blood-red demon-masked men exchanged glances of utter confusion. But an order was an order, so they had no choice but to comply.
The leader stared straight at the woman and asked.
“Do you know who that man is?”
“No?”
“Then it seems this has nothing to do with you, so wouldn’t it be best to just back off?”
“No.”
“…….”
“I don’t care what you do when you’re out in packs. But if you set foot where I live, that changes everything. If you have eyes, look closely. Count how many flowers you’ve ruined.”
“You’ll fight us over something like that?”
“Yeah. I’m going to kill you all.”
At that moment, a demon-masked man sneered from behind.
“Crazy bitch.”
“She’s got flowers in her hair. Let her slide.”
“Kekeke!”
The other demon-masked men laughed in unison. That was when murderous intent flared in the woman’s eyes.
“Huh!”
A startled exclamation burst from someone’s mouth. Suddenly, thousands of flower petals floated above their heads.
The demon-masked men were momentarily entranced by the bizarre, beautiful sight.
And that single moment led to a fatal blunder.
The petals, drifting like wind-scattered blossoms, poured down on the demon-masked men like a torrent of rain.
Pew-pew-pew-pew-pew!
“Argh!”
“Keak!”
Fountains of blood sprayed across the pristine white snow.
The leader, abruptly bereft of all his subordinates, recoiled in shock and fell back. A flash of bloodlight gleamed reflexively off his sword.
‘To encounter an expert like this in these remote mountains...’
Unlike his underlings, he was a considerable master, and he had sensed it from the start. The woman before him was a martial artist who surpassed him.
“Commit suicide.”
“…….”
“Or I’ll do it for you.”
Boom!
The blood-cloaked man kicked off the ground and leaped skyward. But his direction was not toward the woman—it was behind him.
“Not that way.”
No sooner had the woman spoken than a thunderous blast erupted.
Boom!
“Ugh!”
The leader, who had chosen flight, flew back to his original spot with a strangled cry. Looming before him like a totem pole stood the giant woman who had carried Namgung Jang-cheon into the forest.
“Shall I kill him?”
“He’s human, so do it cleanly. Don’t rip him up like a bear. I’ll head out first—clean this up and follow.”
“Yes, miss.”
* * *
Namgung Jang-cheon dreamed a nightmare.
When he opened his eyes, the woman he had seen before blacking out was there.
“Stay still. If you move rashly, the wounds could worsen.”
“What in the world... what happened?”
“What do you mean, what happened? We saved you. Thanks to you, we got properly tangled up with those lunatics. This was such a nice spot, too...”
“You killed them all?”
“Or else how could you have woken up like this?”
Namgung Jang-cheon was stunned.
That meant this woman—along with one other—had slain all the demon-masked men by themselves.
“Who are you? Why were you locked in a chase with those bastards?”
Namgung Jang-cheon struggled to sit up. Excruciating pain surged from wounds all over his body, leaving him breathless, but he wanted to express his gratitude properly while seated.
“I am Namgung Jang-cheon of the Namgung family. You’ve saved my life, and I will repay this grace without fail.”
“Don’t call it grace. I didn’t like those guys anyway. Well, if you insist on being grateful, just recover quickly. Oh! And don’t take it as rude—I can’t reveal my name.”
“…….”
The door opened then, and the giant woman entered. In her hands was a bowl wafting a thick medicinal aroma.
“Already done?”
“Yes.”
“Drink it down quick. It may not look like much, but it’s excellent for internal injuries.”
“Thank you.”
Namgung Jang-cheon downed the medicinal broth the giant woman offered in one gulp.
“Suka, prepare to depart at once.”
“Yes, miss.”
“You’re leaving this place?”
“I was planning to stay longer, but we got dragged into things with those guys because of you. It’s going to be a headache from here on.”
“Could you tell me where you’re headed?”
“Don’t feel like it.”
“Having received such grace, isn’t it only right to repay it? Please give me the chance to do so.”
The woman pondered briefly, then spoke.
“I’m thinking of heading to the Yeon Kingdom. Their new emperor’s enforcing Non-Aggression between Court and Martial World, so it should be easier living than in the Qin Kingdom.”
“If that’s your reason, the Qin Kingdom has plenty of quiet places to settle. If you’d like, I could introduce you to a good one.”
“Thanks, but I’ll pass. Truth is, one reason for Yeon is it’s closer to my hometown. I had to leave due to circumstances, but I’d still like to be as near as possible.”
If it was closer in Yeon than Qin, then it couldn’t be the Zhao Kingdom. Qin shared a border with Zhao, after all.
‘In that case...’
Did she read his mind? The woman smiled faintly and continued.
“I’m not from the Central Plains—I’m from Haedong. So we won’t meet again. Once we’re gone, forget all this talk of grace and repayment.”
Clunk.
The giant woman entered again.
“Miss, all preparations are complete.”
“You packed plenty of food?”
“Yes, more than enough.”
“Got it.”
The woman turned to Namgung Jang-cheon.
“Rest a couple of days lying down, and you’ll be able to walk around. We’ve set up formations around the house, so those guys won’t find this place—don’t worry. Well, we’re off.”
“……!”
Click!
The door shut.
Namgung Jang-cheon stared at it for a long while, then shook his head and lay back down.
Ouch!
Every motion brought waves of agony. But the pain of the flesh paled against the torment in his heart.
He had suffered his first defeat.
An utter rout.
True, it came after prolonged combat that had drained his stamina—but a loss was a loss.
‘Forgive me.’
The images of his dying clansmen rose before his eyes, tearing at his chest. They would not have perished if he hadn’t pushed too far out of greed.
“Haa...”
A sigh heavy with regret escaped his lips. Then the door flew open.
Clunk!
The two women who had departed returned.
“I just couldn’t bring myself to leave an injured man behind.”
“…….”
“We’re leaving in two days, so stay in bed today. Tomorrow, circulate your qi or do whatever to recover fast.”
“……Thank you.”
“You know sleep is the best medicine when you’re hurt, right?”
Namgung Jang-cheon blacked out without a word. The woman had sealed his blood points.
“The name rang a bell, but I didn’t realize he was the one set to become the emperor’s son-in-law.”
“You came back because of that?”
“Not for him—for the princess who must be waiting desperately for him. I know how agonizing it is to wait for someone like that. Couldn’t just abandon him.”
A shadow of deep pain flickered across the woman’s eyes.
“Suka.”
“Yes, miss.”
“That man... did he ever come back to Haedong?”
“He abandoned you without a second thought. Forget him, miss. I’ll prepare dinner.”
The giant woman rose.
The woman gave a wry smile.
“Got any liquor?”
“Yes.”
“Then skip the rice—let’s just have a drink.”
“Yes. I’ll get some snacks ready. Please wait a moment.”
* * *
Two days later.
The two women and Namgung Jang-cheon descended the Ten Thousand Great Mountains. Fortunately, they encountered no Dark Heaven Cultists on the way down.
Right before parting, Namgung Jang-cheon asked the woman’s name. Though reluctant, she relented to his earnest pleas.
“Park Seon-ha. That’s my name.”
The women departed.
Namgung Jang-cheon remained rooted until Park Seon-ha’s figure vanished completely from view.
‘Park Seon-ha...’
* * *
A watchtower rose in the Blue Wolf Tribe’s encampment.
From it, Tae Mu-rang keenly scanned the Yeon Kingdom’s primary defensive line.
The dense forest made clear observation impossible. He could only confirm that the wall-like ramparts were far too high to breach easily.
To the Blue Wolf Tribe, those walls had been a wall of lamentation. At least until now.
“Our forces overwhelm theirs in numbers. Shouldn’t we just press on as before?”
Tae Mu-rang shook his head at Gwiran’s words.
“That only works if the enemy meets us head-on. If they seal the gates and dig in for defense, we’ll take massive losses even in victory.”
“True, but before the blizzard intensifies, shouldn’t we at least break through to that point?”
“No need to rush yet—stay calm. For now, go select our swiftest lightfoot warriors and send them on recon. We’ll decide once we’ve observed the enemy more closely.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Gwiran descended the watchtower first.
Just then, Tae Mu-rang spotted someone ascending a watchtower in the Yeon Kingdom camp at a similar height.
The distance was considerable, but his profound inner energy let him make out the armor’s color easily enough.
‘Black plate with a red dragon emblem... then that must be the Yeon Kingdom’s Fourth Imperial Prince.’
Only imperial kin in Yeon could bear a dragon crest. That had to be Yi Hwan, the one who beheaded So Mun-gae.
‘Could be because of him. With a prince on the field, Jo Cham has no choice but to act more cautiously than usual.’
The sole change in the Northern Legion had been Yi Hwan’s arrival.
Slotting him into the puzzle finally made everything click.
Flash.
Tae Mu-rang’s eyes gleamed sharply.
‘If the Great Prince is Jo Cham’s son and his weakness...’
He glanced swiftly down at the watchtower base. Gwiran had just touched down.
“Gwiran.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Hold off on recon. Assemble an assassination squad. We move tonight.”
“Yes?”
“Why dawdle? Move!”
“Understood.”
Gwiran headed off to the camp, head cocked in puzzlement.
Tae Mu-rang turned back to the Yeon Kingdom watchtower. The figure he took for Yi Hwan still gazed this way.
‘You don’t get a view just because you want one at this range.’
Spotting details with the naked eye from here required a master of Tae Mu-rang’s caliber. Yi Hwan was undoubtedly skilled enough to fell So Mun-gae, but Tae Mu-rang didn’t for a second believe he matched that level.
A faint smile played on Tae Mu-rang’s lips.
‘This war might prove far easier than expected. Heh heh heh.’