Chapter 334
Chapter 334
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 334
Chapter Title: Reunion with Ban Go
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Yi Hwan watched the retreating figure of Yi Seong-ji. A profound loneliness clung to his back.
“I hope you don’t get involved in our fight.”
Those were the words Yi Seong-ji had spoken before leaving the tent. At the time, Yi Hwan had given no reply.
Yi Seong-ji hadn’t demanded one either. It was as if he simply believed it would be so.
His close aides approached. Sensing Yi Hwan’s somber mood, none of them dared utter a word.
Rumble!
Thunder crashed, followed by sheets of rain pouring down. Jeok-su was a place where the rains came unusually often.
* * *
The Imperial Palace of the Qin Kingdom.
Crown Prince Yang Mu’s expression shifted oddly. It was due to the report he’d just received from his general.
“Jo Gwang-mu has come to Jeok-su, you say?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“How strange. The man who’s supposedly rotting away King Zhao’s insides by feigning disinterest in the throne—why would he come to Jeok-su?”
“He’s leading fifty thousand reinforcements. Given that Woo Mun-sul, known as Jo Yoon’s bag of tricks, is accompanying him, it seems they intend to take this war seriously.”
“Hmm…”
Yang Mu sank deep into the tiger-skin chair, furrowing his brow. He fell silent for a long moment before muttering to himself.
“If the crown prince of the enemy kingdom has come and I just hole up in the palace, tongues will start wagging again.”
“Who would dare think such disloyal thoughts? Pay it no mind, Your Highness.”
“Politics isn’t that simple. There are more than a few who revere you one moment and swarm like jackals to tear at any weakness the next.”
“…”
A smirk.
Yang Mu suddenly chuckled softly.
“No helping it. I suppose I’ll have to go myself.”
“There’s no need for Your Highness to go in person!”
The general jumped up in alarm.
Yang Mu gazed at him with a smile.
“Do you want me to hear that I lack the talent of Zhao’s crown prince?”
“How could this humble subject harbor such disloyal thoughts? It’s just that I…”
“Enough.”
Thud!
Yang Mu lightly slapped the table and rose.
“I must see Father Emperor. Go and tell everyone to prepare to depart for Jeok-su.”
“…”
Yang Mu swept out toward the throne room, his robes billowing. He looked utterly delighted.
* * *
Whoosh.
The rain had been falling for two straight days.
Yi Hwan joined the Qin warriors heading out on reconnaissance. Ju Tae and Kim Mu-gwan accompanied him, while the others remained at camp.
Baek Woo-kyeong took the lead. Normally, hundreds of warriors would go along, but today only a small group of fighters set out.
“There are no enemy forces above this point?”
“Yes, Great Prince. It’s such a treacherous area that we haven’t set up a separate defensive line.”
“I was under the impression this whole upper region is Qin territory.”
“That’s correct. But with the western and eastern flanks around here ceded to the Zhao forces, we had no choice.”
“No plans to reclaim it at all?”
“The Grand Commander hasn’t yet…”
Baek Woo-kyeong trailed off, and Yi Hwan asked no more.
It was Won Gae-se who had retreated from the Ten Thousand Great Mountains without any gains—and worse, suffered grievous wounds from the Dark Heaven Cult’s ambush.
Naturally, he’d grown sensitive to failure, and he’d avoid rash battles where victory wasn’t assured.
A wry smile tugged at Yi Hwan’s lips.
‘The Qin Kingdom’s greatest liability is none other than their own commanding general…’
Suddenly, he thought of Yeon Kingdom generals like Gwak Chung-mu and Jeong Cheon.
What if Gwak Chung-mu were the commander here at Jeok-su? He’d have moved to reclaim the lost territories long ago and produced the optimal results.
Rumble!
Crack!
Lightning spiderwebbed across the not-so-distant sky. The flash piercing the rain-fog sent a chill through everyone.
How much farther did they go?
Two warriors approached stealthily from ahead—the advance scouts.
“We spotted Zhao forces coming down this way. Only about fifty men, so probably just a recon party.”
Baek Yeon turned to Yi Hwan.
Yi Hwan spoke calmly.
“If they’re coming down, no need for us to go up. Let’s lie in ambush nearby and strike when they pass.”
“Understood.”
They split into two groups, heading for denser forest cover on either side. Yi Hwan, Ju Tae, and Kim Mu-gwan went left with a handful of Qin warriors.
“I hope the bastard shows up.”
Yi Hwan silently nodded at Ju Tae’s words. Then he turned to the Qin warriors.
“If fighting breaks out, we’ll take the lead—you follow behind. Not to belittle you, but it’s the most efficient way. Don’t take it wrong.”
“Understood.”
“Yes, Great Prince.”
No one took offense. How could they? This was the man whom even Baek Woo-kyeong and Baek Yeon held in such high regard. Most were glad to fight alongside him.
Whoosh!
The rain drove through the trees on the wind. They retreated to spots shielded from the downpour as much as possible.
How much time passed?
A birdcall echoed from the opposite side—the signal that Zhao forces were in sight.
The Qin warriors eased their swords from their sheaths. Ju Tae and Kim Mu-gwan, meanwhile, simply crossed their arms and stared north, utterly relaxed.
Rumble!
Crack!
Lightning forked again. Through the mist, faint shadows flickered.
Even then, Ju Tae and Kim Mu-gwan didn’t budge. The Qin warriors shot them puzzled glances.
Snap!
The rustle of branches grew closer.
Yi Hwan circulated his qi to sharpen his vision to its peak. But the relentless rain and fog revealed only silhouettes—no faces.
Staring across, he spotted Baek Yeon in the opposite woods. Their eyes met just then.
[Best to wait for them to pass and hit from behind.]
Baek Yeon nodded at Yi Hwan’s transmission.
Surprise flickered in Baek Yeon’s eyes.
‘Impressive. Sending a transmission so precise and clear through the rain from that distance.’
He could have sent one to Yi Hwan easily enough. But matching that clarity, as if whispering right in his ear? He wasn’t so sure.
‘Deeply trusted, brilliant strategist, and now this level of martial prowess… No wonder Yeon’s emperor holds him in such esteem.’
At that moment, Baek Yeon thought of Second Prince Yi I-cheon. He promptly shook his head. No similarities came to mind.
Soon after, the Zhao forces emerged. Far more than the scouts’ report—nearly a hundred men.
Baek Yeon frowned.
‘No recon party would bring this many. Then maybe…’
That was when Yi Hwan’s voice echoed in his ear again.
[Doesn’t look like recon. Let’s tail them stealthily for now.]
Baek Yeon nodded once more.
* * *
Ban Go brought up the rear. The bamboo hat he’d pulled low against the rain hid his lower face.
“Hey, you’re lagging too far behind.”
The yellow-robed man up ahead scowled back at him. Ban Go ignored him and kept his pace.
“Crazy bastard.”
The yellow-robed man whipped his head away.
In that instant, bloodlust flashed in Ban Go’s eyes. But it quickly subsided into gloom.
Whoosh.
‘Did I kill Cha Ryong?’
Ban Go’s mind was consumed with worry for Cha Ryong. The others with him were meaningless to him.
Even the several Blood Demon followers bound by sticky fate meant nothing special.
They pressed on. After about half a shichen, the blue-robed leader at the front raised a hand, halting everyone.
Lost in thought, Ban Go bumped into the yellow-robed man ahead before stopping.
“Get your head in the game, punk.”
The blue-robed leader spoke low to the group.
“Our goal is to torch the enemy’s grain depot. Once the operation starts, no one acts on their own—stick strictly to the plan. Got it?”
“Yes.”
“Hey, Ban Go. You hear that?”
Ban Go just nodded, wordless.
“We’ll all go down together to near the camp, then split into two teams on my signal. Make sure you’ve got your fierce fire oil.”
One warrior spoke up.
“Seems we picked the wrong day. Even fierce fire oil won’t light in this rain, will it?”
“The enemy won’t expect us to hit the depot in this weather. We start the fire inside the warehouse. We don’t need the building—we just need to turn the grain to ash.”
The blue-robed man gestured, and they moved out again.
Ban Go still trailed at the end.
* * *
“They’re heading for the main camp.”
Yi Hwan narrowed his eyes at Baek Yeon’s words.
‘What can such a small group do against the main camp with nearly a hundred thousand troops?’
Then he noticed it. Each Zhao warrior carried a container at their waist—twice the size of a gourd flask. Not waterskins.
Waterskins were typically leather pouches, not ceramic, to avoid breakage. All three kingdoms did it that way.
‘Could it be…’
A sudden thought struck him.
Yi Hwan asked Baek Yeon at once.
“Is the grain depot in the center of the main camp by any chance?”
“No. It’s at the southern rearguard to guard against raids. But why do you—”
“They might be carrying fierce fire oil.”
“Then they could be targeting the depot.”
Baek Yeon’s face hardened.
Yi Hwan continued.
“Better safe—someone should go ahead and warn them.”
“Understood.”
Moments later, two warriors detoured widely through the woods toward camp. Yi Hwan and the rest resumed tailing at a safe distance.
As they followed, Yi Hwan eyed the bamboo-hatted man at the rear. The build matched Ban Go’s, but he couldn’t be sure.
Then the hatted man stopped and headed toward the trees.
Yi Hwan soon smiled wryly. The man was just dropping his pants to relieve himself.
Yi Hwan’s eyes sharpened as he heard someone call out.
“Hey, Ban Go! Rain’s pouring— just piss yourself, you prick!”
“Crazy bastard pretending to be neat.”
Yi Hwan kept his gaze fixed on Ban Go, unperturbed as he urinated.
‘Finally, we meet again.’
And there were more familiar faces.
As the mist thinned, the yellow-robed man’s features emerged. It was the very same one from the inn where trouble had nearly erupted while tailing Jo Seok.
* * *
Yi Seong-ji, who had returned to the eastern camp, received orders from Won Gae-se to come to the main camp. He set out with only Gong Ya-un and a few close aides.
Gong Ya-un draped a cape over him.
“You’d be safer staying at the main camp.”
“I hate the main camp.”
“Because of the Grand Commander?”
“Yes. Looking at him feels like staring at a monkey.”
A faint smile.
Gong Ya-un chuckled softly. In truth, Won Gae-se resembled a massive monkey. Those who disliked him even called him the Monkey Grand Commander.
“Still, for your safety, if they insist you stay, don’t refuse.”
“That won’t happen. They called me here because of my second brother. He’s still dealing massive blows to the Qin army— they wouldn’t keep me at the main camp. There must be another reason.”
“…”
Yi Seong-ji gazed up at the pitch-black sky. Lightning flashed beyond the thunderheads.
Over it floated the faces of Yi Tae-ji and Yi Hwan, one after the other, then faded. A bittersweet smile touched his lips.
‘Me or them—we’ve all got such twisted fates. And yet we share the same father’s blood…’