Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Unexpected Incident
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It was just as they finished eating and were about to have some tea.
“Great Prince.”
Song Hoe gestured toward outside the tent with his eyes.
Mo Jae-hwang of the Golden Imperial Guards was approaching through the downpour. Go Mi’s gaze upon him was not just sharp—it was icy cold.
“Send him away.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to at least receive his greeting, if possible?”
“I’m in the middle of tea.”
“……Understood.”
In the end, Mo Jae-hwang left without meeting Yi Hwan again today.
Song Hoe asked,
“Is that one trying to submit as well?”
“No, I plan to rile him up.”
“Rile him up?”
Yi Hwan took a sip of tea and continued calmly.
“If Paeng Mu-wi is a brutal bear, then that one’s a cunning wolf. You can’t easily tame a wolf. Given the chance, it’ll lunge and bite.”
“Then you’re hoping he’ll come at you?”
Before Yi Hwan could answer Song Hoe’s question, Go Mi spoke up.
“Is it about justification?”
“Not bad. Then do you also guess what I plan to do?”
“Step on the Golden Imperial Guards? Of course, I mean that in a very broad sense.”
“Something like that.”
Go Mi saw Yi Hwan in a new light. She had known from reports that he had changed into a completely different person, but the Yi Hwan before her now seemed like yet another person entirely.
She quietly watched Mo Jae-hwang’s retreating figure.
‘Mo Jae-hwang... that one’s no easy opponent...’
* * *
‘Let’s see who comes out on top, Great Prince.’
Mo Jae-hwang, turned away at the entrance, laughed coldly instead.
‘The likes of a pathetic Great Prince’s status? I could crush it anytime. So enjoy it while you can. Heh heh heh.’
A moment later, as he entered his tent, Paeng Mu-wi greeted him.
“How did it go?”
“They said he was having tea and told me to leave.”
“Damn it all. He demands we come greet him with proper etiquette, but sends us packing when we do? The nerve.”
“I need to wash up. Got soaked through.”
Mo Jae-hwang headed to his own tent.
That was when Young Ho-chung approached.
“The Deputy Overseer was turned away again?”
“That’s right. Said he was having tea and sent him off.”
“Looks like he’s trying to put him in his place properly. What a joke. Heh heh heh.”
At Young Ho-chung’s words, Paeng Mu-wi snorted.
“Hmph! The camp officers have been fawning over him with ‘Great Prince this, Great Prince that,’ and now he’s full of himself. He’s going to get himself in real trouble like that. Do they even know what the Golden Imperial Guards are? Tsk tsk tsk.”
“We should just sit back and enjoy the show.”
“Cut the carefree talk. The Golden Imperial Guards are on our side. We ought to help them out.”
“Of course. I just meant the Deputy Overseer isn’t one to go down easy, so let’s watch and see.”
“True enough.”
* * *
Rumble!
A sound like the heavens and earth splitting apart echoed.
In the end, the landslide had come. The sight of one side of the mountain crashing down with a roar was terror incarnate.
“Gasp! What the hell is that!”
“Landslide!”
The warriors stopped their work, stunned. Fortunately, though not all tents had been moved, the warriors working nearby had all evacuated.
Yi Hwan and the others rushed outside.
Boom!
Crack!
“Damn rain’s finally caused real trouble.”
“Half the camp’s about to be buried.”
Everyone was shocked.
Yi Hwan crossed his arms and stared at the landslide site. Just as the rumors said, half the camp was buried under a pile of earth. If the rain kept up, it could be even worse.
Go Mi muttered to herself,
“Humans are truly insignificant before the power of nature. That immense force we know is coming yet can’t stop...”
“This tone of yours is much softer and better.”
“……!”
Go Mi’s eyes widened round.
“Sorry. It slipped out.”
“It’s not just idle talk. The Moon Lord needs to soften up a bit more.”
“Because I’m a woman?”
“Drop the victim mentality too.”
“…….”
Yi Hwan turned back to her and continued.
“If I come on strong, they respond in kind. But if I’m soft, they let their guard down. When going undercover or investigating—when trying to uncover something—wouldn’t the latter be more advantageous?”
“……!”
Yi Hwan turned his gaze back to the site.
Go Mi’s eyes trembled. She vaguely grasped the meaning behind his words.
“I need to meet General Hwang.”
“I’ll accompany you.”
Yi Hwan headed to Hwang Ho’s tent with Song Hoe.
The rain still fell, but Yi Hwan walked through it without a hat or umbrella.
Go Mi couldn’t take her eyes off his back.
Drop the victim mentality too.
His words from earlier lingered in her mind, refusing to fade.
‘Right. All this time, I’ve been acting tough because I was afraid people would look down on me for being a woman. When I could just prove it with my abilities...’
* * *
Yi Hwan and Hwang Ho sat facing each other.
Hwang Ho’s expression was quite grim due to the landslide. Jeong Cheon, seated behind him, looked just as heavy.
“Actually, this might be for the best.”
“Pardon?”
“Might as well move the camp now. Truth be told, this place wasn’t suitable from the start.”
“Then where would be better?”
“About twenty li northeast, there’s a decent spot. Close enough to the city for support in emergencies, and farther from the Zhao Kingdom camp, so no worries about raids.”
“If we move, the Zhao Kingdom will take this place. We can’t hand over a position we’ve bled for, Great Prince.”
“If the Zhao aren’t idiots, they won’t set up camp here. What fool would try digging out a dirt pile that’s already half-filled their camp?”
“…….”
“The spot I mentioned is neutral ground, so the higher-ups won’t complain. Of course, it’s just a suggestion—think it over.”
After Yi Hwan left, Jeong Cheon cautiously spoke up.
“As the Great Prince said, this place has lost its function as a camp. The mountain that served as a natural barrier collapsed, expanding our defensive perimeter. With our current forces, it’ll be a strain.”
“Ha ha ha!”
Hwang Ho suddenly laughed.
“Isn’t he something?”
“What do you mean?”
“The Great Prince. How long has it been since the landslide, and he’s already devising such plans? I’ve been racking my brains not knowing what to do.”
“Then you’ll follow the Great Prince’s advice?”
“What choice do I have? Everything he said makes perfect sense. Didn’t you say the same?”
“Indeed.”
“Then we prepare to relocate immediately, not just clean up. We need tents for shelter—send warriors to the city to gather as many as possible.”
“Yes, General.”
As he stepped out, Jeong Cheon gazed at Yi Hwan walking ahead in the distance. His figure, striding through the downpour, exuded such composure.
‘Just how deep does the Great Prince’s true nature go? Impressive, yet I can’t get used to it.’
* * *
Whoosh!
Whooosh!
Atop a peak overlooking the Yeon Kingdom camp, five Yeon Kingdom warriors stood amid the raging wind and rain.
But they were Blood Ghosts from the Zhao Kingdom, disguised as Yeon soldiers.
Having come for the special mission to assassinate Hwang Ho, they looked down at the landslide-ravaged camp with satisfied smirks.
“Landslide hit them good. Looks impossible to recover from that.”
“The more chaos, the better for us.”
“Then we wait for nightfall here and move out.”
“Agreed. That’s the plan.”
The leader, smirking confidently, spotted Yi Hwan emerging from Hwang Ho’s tent and walking through the storm.
“That’s the Yeon Kingdom’s Great Prince, Yi Hwan. Why not take his head while we’re at it?”
“Not a bad idea. But primary target is Hwang Ho. We’ll decide on the Great Prince after.”
“Understood.”
The leader warned his subordinates.
“Watch out for those experts from the pursuit battle. If we run into them during the op, fight to the death—never let yourself get captured.”
“Yes!”
The leader’s eyes darkened as he recalled Cheol Mu-ok and Gong Son-tae. He had witnessed their power up close then.
One Blood Ghost asked,
“They weren’t in any intel. What if they’re Hwang Ho’s guards?”
“They’re not. They moved elsewhere just before the battle ended, not to his side. Guards would’ve stuck to him.”
“When did you even notice that?”
“I saw it up close.”
Turning, the leader continued.
“Into the woods to shelter from the storm.”
“Yes!”
* * *
The decision to relocate was made, but they couldn’t move right away. They had to wait out the rain first.
Fortunately, by sunset, the downpour began to ease.
Clink.
Go Mi’s hand, setting down her teacup, was strikingly white and delicate—not at all like a martial artist’s. The lack of calluses suggested she practiced internal arts, not external.
The warrior seated across from her spoke cautiously.
“Moving the camp means roughing it for a while. Tents at first, and all.”
“Worried?”
“We’re fine, but the Moon Lord...”
Go Mi smiled faintly.
“When I was at your level, I spent half a month in a blizzard-swept wasteland. Survived on one strip of jerky a day with no food. This is nothing.”
Clink.
Go Mi took a sip of tea. It was the premium Dragon Well tea Yi Hwan had given her.
The warrior marveled.
“Expensive tea really smells different. Thanks to you, Moon Lord, my mouth’s getting spoiled. But why would the Great Prince give you this rare stuff?”
“‘It doesn’t suit my taste.’”
“Pardon? No way. Our intel says he’s loved Dragon Well since childhood. You read the report we gave, right?”
“……!”
Go Mi’s eyes widened slightly.
As the warrior said, their intel on Yi Hwan was extremely detailed. It clearly stated he had enjoyed Dragon Well tea since youth.
‘He said it so casually, I overlooked it. Then why give this precious tea to me?’
“Could it be the Great Prince toward the Moon Lord...”
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
“……Yes.”
Unpleasant memories suddenly flooded Go Mi’s mind.
Throughout her life in the Imperial Palace, countless men had lusted after her. Some from the imperial family, many higher-ranking officials.
Second Prince Yi Tae-ji had been one of them.
As a woman, it could be seen as a crisis, but Go Mi had never given any of them the time of day. She’d even resigned when pressured.
‘If the Great Prince is that type too...’
Clink.
Go Mi drained the rest of her tea and stood.
“I’ll step out for some air.”
“The rain hasn’t fully stopped.”
“It’s just a drizzle. Don’t wait up—go to sleep.”
“Let me accompany you.”
“No need.”
Leaving the tent, Go Mi headed to the rear ridge. Since arriving at the Southern Legion, she often strolled there.
The rain had turned to a light drizzle.
The wind had died down.
Moments later, atop the ridge, Go Mi lightly leaped onto a rock jutting from the forest.
From there, Yi Hwan’s tent and the Paeng family tents came into full view.
Go Mi stared at Yi Hwan’s tent. Shadows flickered beyond the lit window.
His voice echoed in her mind like an auditory hallucination.
Drop the victim mentality too.
The words had clung to her thoughts from afternoon till now.
“Hoo...”
As she exhaled deeply, Go Mi’s eyes flashed—the moment she spotted figures moving stealthily through the torchless area.
By the time she registered it, they were gone. Her face hardened.
‘Toward General Hwang Ho’s tent!’