Chapter 298
Chapter 298
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 298
Chapter Title: Surprise Attack
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Yi Hwan and Go Mi sat facing each other.
"For now, we've confirmed two places that seem to be their bases. Since both are inns, it's highly likely that the surrounding area is their den."
"If it's definitely the Reverse Heaven Society, we can't move until we find the leader and the top brass. Ju Tae has captured one, so let's wait a bit longer."
"You captured one?"
"He pretended to hug her and jump off a cliff on purpose to capture her. Even though she's a woman, her martial prowess is considerable, so we can hope to get important information from her."
"Ah, so that's what happened."
"Have you deployed all of Moon Pavilion?"
"Yes. I just sent them all to the nearby areas."
"Good work. Go rest."
"Yes."
Go Mi left, and Yu Woo-seong entered.
"Everyone is ready for deployment."
"Delay the deployment."
"......Pardon?"
"We haven't confirmed their base. If the Golden Army moves in this situation, they might slip away underwater."
"Ah, yes."
"For now, increase the guard forces around the Imperial Capital and secure as many messenger birds as possible for each unit to ensure smooth communication."
"Understood."
Yu Woo-seong left.
Yi Hwan donned his outer robe and stepped outside. A moment later, he arrived at the command post's prison.
Cheol Mu-ok was there.
"How did it go?"
"Ju Tae is investigating personally. Shall I open it?"
"Open it."
"Yes."
Clang!
Entering through the iron gate, the stench of blood hit him.
Ju Tae stood up.
"You're here?"
Yi Hwan stared at the woman groaning in pain. Dozens of inch-long needles were embedded in various parts of her body.
"Learn anything?"
"She confessed just a moment ago."
"She confessed the base?"
"Yes. I didn't expect much since she's just someone who kidnaps people for ransom, but surprisingly, she seems to hold a fairly high position in the society."
As someone with a rank, she must have received special torture training, because at first, she didn't show the slightest sign of pain under Ju Tae's torment and refused to open her mouth.
But as the number of needles piercing her body gradually increased, and once it reached thirty, she could no longer endure the unbearable agony and broke.
Now, she was trembling all over in a corner, covered in blood.
Then, words from Yi Hwan's mouth plunged her into further shock.
"Verify it once more."
"Pardon?"
"If it's false, everything could go to waste."
"Understood."
As Ju Tae approached, the woman screamed desperately.
"I-it's not a lie! P-please believe me!"
"I don't trust villains easily. Do it again."
"Yes."
The brutal torture resumed. Yi Hwan watched without blinking.
A moment later, she repeated what she had told Ju Tae and then lost consciousness, slumping down.
"It doesn't seem like a lie."
"Keep her locked up here for now."
"Understood."
Yi Hwan stepped outside. Cheol Mu-ok followed and asked.
"Shall we move right away?"
"If the Golden Army moves suddenly, it'll draw attention. They're likely to go into hiding if alerted, so only a small group will move with me, and the Golden Army will follow based on the situation."
"Then when do we depart?"
"Tonight."
"Understood."
* * *
Early evening, as darkness began to fall.
A man in white robes entered an inn on the outskirts of the marketplace with several men in blue robes. As he entered, not only the waiter but all the customers in the inn stood and bowed their heads.
The white-robed man approached the yellow-robed man who had kidnapped Elder Gong's daughter.
"I heard you lost several men."
"On the way back with the silver, we got into a fight with bandits. At first, I thought they were just ordinary bandits, but they were stronger than expected..."
"Was it a situation where you had to fight?"
"They wouldn't get out of the way, so there was no choice."
"Among the dead was a branch leader. That child must have told you to just leave to avoid variables."
The new Society Leader had instructed branch leaders to hide their identities even from society members, in preparation for emergencies.
Given the huge sums of money involved, it was to prevent potential mishaps and also serve as a form of surveillance, but that very thoroughness had caused this side effect.
"......!"
The yellow-robed man recalled the woman who had told them to ignore the bandits and pass by when they encountered them.
To think she was the branch leader—something the yellow-robed man had never anticipated.
Ssshh...
The yellow-robed man felt a chill run through his entire body.
The white-robed man's identity was none other than the new Leader of the Reverse Heaven Society.
After the previous elderly Leader suddenly died of illness and he was elected, he had gained fervent support by breaking old habits and providing better conditions, but he showed merciless cruelty to those who caused harm to the organization.
"Please forgive me! I-I had no idea she was a branch leader!"
Thud!
The yellow-robed man prostrated himself and slammed his forehead on the floor.
"Stand up."
Whoosh!
The yellow-robed man shot up at the speed of light.
At that moment, the Leader's right-hand man grabbed his throat.
Crack!
"Gah!"
"If you didn't know she was a branch leader, you must have thought you were the leader of your group. Then you should have realized what was more important."
Crunch!
"You said you let the bandits go?"
"......Yes."
"Then you should have chased and killed them all, or never returned here."
Crunch!
With the sound of bones crushing, the yellow-robed man went limp.
Thud!
"Remove him."
"Yes!"
The Reverse Heaven Society Leader swept his gaze intimidatingly over everyone in the inn and said coldly.
"Avoiding revealing our identity is as important as succeeding in operations. If you face a similar situation in the future, beg on your knees to avoid conflict if possible. Otherwise, kill them all or die yourselves. Understood?"
"Yes!"
The Reverse Heaven Society Leader headed straight upstairs.
Only after he went up did everyone sit down and exhale in relief.
* * *
Upstairs, others bowed their heads before the Reverse Heaven Society Leader.
"Welcome, Leader."
"Any movements from the Golden Army?"
"No Golden Army has left the Imperial Capital."
"Are you certain?"
"Yes. It seems they clashed mistaking passing martial artists for bandits."
"Keep a close eye on the Golden Army just in case. If they move, we evacuate immediately. Understood?"
"Yes, Leader."
"Bring some liquor."
"Will you stay here tonight?"
"No. I have to leave soon, so bring something simple."
"Understood."
The Reverse Heaven Society Leader walked to the table by the window and sat.
A blue-robed man sat across from him and cautiously spoke.
"How long will we continue this? The Great Prince has returned, and I'm worried something might go wrong."
"You seem afraid of him."
"What do you mean? I am merely concerned that our Reverse Heaven Society's great cause might falter."
"How much funds have we secured?"
"About seventy percent of the amount you wanted. With this..."
The Reverse Heaven Society Leader cut him off, shaking his head firmly.
"That's not enough."
"You might consider other methods."
The Reverse Heaven Society Leader stared silently at the blue-robed man. Reading the anger in his eyes, the blue-robed man hurriedly bowed his head.
"I'm sorry. I was just worried..."
A moment later, liquor and freshly stir-fried meat were placed on the table.
The blue-robed man filled the Leader's cup.
Pour.
The Reverse Heaven Society Leader muttered.
"Watching the Dark Heaven Cult's chaos made me realize the path our Reverse Heaven Society must take. For that, we need vast funds, and that's why we started this."
"Yes."
A faint bloodlust gleamed in the Reverse Heaven Society Leader's eyes.
"The resentful spirits of our ancestors slain by the Yi imperial clan's blades still wander the nine heavens. To soothe them, we must bring down the Yeon Kingdom with our own hands."
"All of us, starting with me, will lay down our lives for the Reverse Heaven Society Leader."
Boom!
Those standing around knelt in unison.
The Reverse Heaven Society Leader looked them over carefully and brought the cup to his lips.
Clink.
"You all go down and eat something."
"Yes, Leader."
* * *
On the roof of the inn where the Reverse Heaven Society Leader was staying.
There, Yi Hwan heightened his senses to the maximum. His eyes flashed the moment he heard "Leader."
'We found the right place.'
Earlier, while entering the marketplace, he spotted the Reverse Heaven Society Leader entering the inn. Sensing something unusual about the atmosphere, he had been watching until now.
Yi Hwan turned to Ju Tae and signaled.
[You go down and wait around the inn with the warriors, then take out anyone who tries to escape outside.]
[Understood.]
Yi Hwan signaled to the roof of the opposite inn as well.
There were Kim Mu-gwan, Park Ji-mun, and Haedong warriors who hadn't joined the Hundred Thousand Great Mountain expedition. Go Mi and Hwa Ryeong were with them.
Tae Seon had stayed at the Golden Army command post due to Tae Mu-rang, and Park Seon-ha and Kim Suk hadn't come due to circumstances.
Yi Hwan turned to Yang Chan and asked.
[Can you use poison technique here?]
[No problem inside the building.]
[Don't kill everyone—handle just the first floor.]
[Yes.]
Yang Chan silently descended from the roof.
Cheol Mu-ok watched him and said.
[I'm looking forward to seeing how powerful it is.]
Yi Hwan felt the same. Since joining, Yang Chan hadn't used poison technique. Even in Hundred Thousand Great Mountain and the Qin Kingdom, he had fought with sword to avoid harming allies.
Yi Hwan silently drew his sword.
[We strike right away?]
[After Yang Chan deploys the poison, we enter through the windows.]
[Understood.]
* * *
On the roof of the opposite inn.
Go Mi and Hwa Ryeong, with the Haedong warriors, watched Yi Hwan and Cheol Mu-ok, waiting for the signal.
A moment later, they saw Yang Chan descend from the roof. Hwa Ryeong's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
"Finally, we get to see that man's abilities."
Go Mi was curious too.
Just how powerful was Yang Chan's poison technique? It had been the biggest question since they started traveling together.
"Could a poison technique master incapacitate even super peak experts in one go?"
"Who knows. Against super peak or above, it might be hard to do instantly. But if they let their guard down and get poisoned before noticing..."
"Straight to the afterlife."
"Let's watch for now."
Then Park Ji-mun asked.
"Is that gentleman really that great?"
"We don't know yet either. But since the Great Prince acknowledges him, we're expecting it."
Park Ji-mun and Kim Mu-gwan were also very curious about Yang Chan's abilities. In fact, during Hundred Thousand Great Mountain, Yang Chan had shown excellent martial arts, but in their eyes, it was far from impressive.
"Looks like it's starting."
As everyone focused on Yang Chan, suddenly a red light emanated from his hand and seeped into the inn through the slightly open window.
After just a few breaths?
"Gah!"
"Urk!"
Screams began erupting from inside the inn.