Chapter 89
Chapter 89
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: Pa Pa's Decision
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The battle was over.
But there were still those locked in a desperate fight for survival on the knife's edge between life and death.
The general who had led the vanguard, the Blood Ghosts and Black Tiger Squad protecting him, and Ju Tae along with the warriors of the Hebei Paeng Family unleashing a ferocious assault against them.
Numerically, the Zhao Kingdom forces held the advantage, but Ju Tae and the Paeng Family warriors were overwhelming their numerical superiority by exploiting the terrain. Were falling autumn leaves any different?
“Kraaak!”
“Uwaaak!”
The Black Tiger Squad, which had tormented the Yeon Kingdom army so relentlessly, was already on the brink of annihilation, and even their elite Blood Ghosts were rapidly losing the will to fight.
Flash!
Ju Tae’s sword severed the neck of a Blood Ghost who had guarded the general to the very end.
Thud!
“Guhk!”
As the few remaining Black Tiger Squad members began to flee, the fierce battle finally raced toward its conclusion.
Tremble...
The Zhao Kingdom general trembled from head to toe, unable to accept this unbelievable reality.
Having already lost all will to fight, he couldn’t even think of resisting as Ju Tae approached.
“Shall we take him alive?”
When a Paeng Family warrior asked, Ju Tae shook his head.
“What use is capturing an incompetent fool like this?”
Slash!
Ju Tae mercilessly decapitated the general. Before the severed head could hit the ground, he snatched it up with his hand.
Incredibly, not a single drop of blood fell from the cut. The cross-section had frozen white.
The Paeng Family warriors showed no surprise at this terrifying display of Yin arts. They had already witnessed Ju Tae’s horrifying prowess throughout the battle.
There had been casualties among their own ranks, but it was a victory so overwhelming it bordered on the miraculous.
Ju Tae slowly scanned the Paeng Family warriors and spoke.
“You all fought well.”
“It’s thanks to Your Lordship’s leadership!”
“We are grateful!”
“Let’s call it even for fighting well together. Now, tie that bastard’s body to a horse and send it back to the enemy camp!”
“Understood!”
The headless general’s body was loaded onto a horse. Everyone watched as it galloped off to the west.
It was an overwhelming victory they had achieved themselves, yet it didn’t quite feel real. The Paeng Family warriors’ breaths were still coming in heavy gasps.
Ju Tae turned first.
“Let’s head back to the main camp.”
“Yes!”
* * *
Jo Gwang’s face flushed red.
The annihilation of the vanguard. It was the worst outcome he hadn’t even considered.
Survivors trickled in one after another.
But even combined, their numbers barely reached a few hundred. Jo Gwang felt his insides burning black with agony as he watched.
‘How in the world...’
Pa Pa confirmed the situation through the survivors and spoke in a somber tone.
“We fell completely for the enemy’s scheme. We underestimated the abilities of the enemy Commander, Paeng Mu-wi. From what the survivors say, it was as if our own forces charged straight into a trap the enemy had laid.”
Twitch.
Jo Gwang’s eye twitched faintly.
His devastation had already turned into uncontainable rage.
It was then.
Thud thud thud!
A single rider galloped in.
Everyone focused on the horse and rider, soon overcome with shock and grief. They had confirmed it was the body of their vanguard commander—headless.
“Those bastards...”
Murderous light exploded from Jo Gwang’s eyes.
Sending back only the body after severing the head was blatant mockery and provocation.
Jo Gwang turned to one of his generals.
“Advance at full speed!”
“Yes!”
“Advance!”
“Full-speed advance!”
Boom boom boom!
The Zhao Kingdom army began advancing once more.
How much time passed? Corpses of their allies began appearing, strewn across the hills and fields.
No one showed fear at this horrific sight. Instead, they trembled with rage and enmity, vowing revenge. Jo Gwang was no different.
He shouted coldly at the martial artists around him.
“Whoever brings me Paeng Mu-wi’s head will receive a great reward!”
From the beginning until now, neither Jo Gwang nor the Zhao Kingdom army had ever considered Yi Hwan’s existence.
* * *
Southern Legion command tent.
Yi Hwan and the generals discussed future countermeasures. Whenever Yi Hwan explained the strategy, the generals simply nodded.
By annihilating the enemy vanguard, no one now questioned Yi Hwan’s plans.
Paeng Mun was the same.
Watching Yi Hwan’s excessively calm demeanor, he harbored another doubt.
‘How could someone like that have lived until now under the stigma of being a puppet Great Army?’
The doubt soon turned to relief.
‘If our side wins this war, even setting aside the Great Prince, His Highness the Crown Prince’s position will become even more secure.’
If the Crown Prince’s Palace solidified its standing, there would be no need to blame Paeng Mu-wi any longer for cutting ties with the Fourth Imperial Prince. Since it directly tied to the clan’s safety, Paeng Mun could feel some relief.
[Do you believe my words now?]
Paeng Mu-wi’s telepathic voice snapped Paeng Mun from his thoughts.
Paeng Mun had no intention of making a fuss.
[The war isn’t over yet. I’ll watch until the end, so don’t get ahead of yourself.]
[Heh heh heh.]
It was then.
Creak!
The flap opened, and Ju Tae entered.
Everyone in the tent focused on the severed head in Ju Tae’s hand.
Yi Hwan asked calmly.
“Is that the enemy vanguard commander?”
“Yes.”
“Hang it somewhere highly visible to the enemy.”
“Understood.”
As Ju Tae left, Yi Hwan stood from his seat.
“It’ll take the enemy some time to climb up, so everyone grab something to eat.”
* * *
An unexpectedly lavish meal was laid out in Yi Hwan’s tent. It was a breakfast the chefs had prepared for him since morning. Go Mi let out a hollow laugh.
A feast like this in the face of life-or-death crisis. They had perfectly crushed the enemy vanguard, but the real crisis lay ahead.
At least, that’s how Go Mi saw it.
Yi Hwan said to her.
“If you want to fight well, fill your belly first.”
“Yes.”
Go Mi nodded, pondering his words for a moment.
‘Right. Gotta eat to fight. Let’s eat.’
Go Mi wielded her chopsticks more vigorously than anyone, downing the liquor without refusal.
In the midst of the meal, Yi Hwan asked Cha Jung-kyeong.
“Can you fight?”
“The Zhao Kingdom no longer exists in my heart. Don’t worry.”
“I’m asking about your condition.”
“...I’m perfectly fine. In fact, I’ve grown stronger thanks to the training.”
“That’s good enough.”
This time, he gazed at Song Cheon-mu.
Song Cheon-mu, who hadn’t yet entered battle, was resolute.
“Where have you been assigned?”
“The Dragon-Tiger Army.”
The Dragon-Tiger Army, led by Deputy General Song Hoe, was positioned at the center of the camp, with support and supply as its main duties.
Creak.
Ju Tae entered. A Paeng Family warrior followed behind him.
Ju Tae introduced the man to Yi Hwan.
“This friend did great work this time. Thought it’d be good to have him stick around, so I brought him to say hello.”
“Is that so?”
Yi Hwan’s eyes scanned the warrior from head to toe. The warrior unwittingly held his breath.
“Serve this friend some food too.”
“Thank you, Great Prince!”
A chef brought dishes before the bowing Paeng Family warrior.
“I’ll eat well, with gratitude!”
* * *
Hwangbo Tae-jin and the Hwangbo Family were positioned at the rear. From the start, Jo Gwang hadn’t assigned them any specific duties.
Because they were aligned with the Southwest King. Hwangbo Tae-jin sneered as he watched the forces being pushed back en masse.
“They excluded us completely just for being political rivals, and now look at the Crown Prince’s mess. Losing thirty thousand troops without even properly fighting.”
“They’ve tasted bitter defeat, so won’t they ask for our help now?”
“He’s a man who lives on pride. Unless he gets hit again, he won’t reach out. Well, it’s not bad for us—we avoid the damage.”
It was then.
The Ghost Valley Lord approached from the front lines.
A sneer crept back onto Hwangbo Tae-jin’s lips.
“Was I wrong?”
“Is he here to ask for help?”
“Someone who should be at the Crown Prince’s side wouldn’t come all the way to the rear unless...”
Hwangbo Tae-jin stared straight at the approaching Ghost Valley Lord with calm eyes.
“His Highness is looking for you.”
“He’s giving us a mission?”
“Ask him directly when you see him.”
At the cold attitude, Hwangbo Tae-jin asked something else.
“Why didn’t Ghost Valley take the vanguard? The outcome might have been different if you had.”
“We merely followed His Highness’s orders.”
The Ghost Valley Lord turned first.
Hwangbo Tae-jin followed alongside.
“Let’s at least hear what he plans to do next.”
“Ask His Highness directly about that too.”
Snort.
Hwangbo Tae-jin shot a sneer at the Ghost Valley Lord and strode ahead. The Ghost Valley Lord warned him.
“You’ll need to fix that expression and gaze before His Highness.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
* * *
Hwangbo Tae-jin bowed deeply to Jo Gwang. Jo Gwang’s gaze upon him was no different from usual.
He couldn’t reveal his inner thoughts before a political rival, so he feigned composure. However, Pa Pa and the surrounding martial artists eyed him coldly from the start.
Their stares wouldn’t be kind toward allies of the Southwest King, who had taken everything from Jo Gwang.
“I’ll assign a mission to your family.”
“Command me, Your Highness.”
“Join the second vanguard. Ghost Valley will assist, so give it your all to break the enemy’s first line of defense. Can you do it?”
“For Your Highness and our kingdom, I’ll do my utmost.”
Hwangbo Tae-jin accepted readily. Even if he’d stepped down from the Crown Prince’s seat, he hadn’t lost enough power to refuse orders.
In any case, Jo Gwang held absolute authority over life and death in this army.
“Then advance to the front with your entire force.”
“I obey your command!”
Hwangbo Tae-jin bowed once more and withdrew. Jo Gwang watched his retreating figure toward the rear, his gaze darkening.
“Will they truly fight with all they have?”
Pa Pa replied.
“Don’t worry too much, Your Highness. Defeat here would hurt the Southwest King too, so they’ll give their all.”
“Pa Pa.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“When the war ends, kill them. And send men to their home to ensure they never sprout again.”
“Understood.”
Pa Pa bowed, her eyes tinged with pity.
‘He’s pretending to be calm, but he’s deeply anxious. Then I must ease His Highness’s worries before the main battle begins.’
* * *
The rain stopped, and the moon and stars rose.
The Zhao Kingdom army entered its final rest near the Southern Legion’s main camp.
Pa Pa, who had never left Jo Gwang’s side for even a moment, met four people slightly apart today.
All wore black or white cloaks, each exuding a thick aura of death.
Pa Pa asked.
“Are you prepared?”
“Yes, Pa Pa.”
“His Highness is very anxious. You must wash away that anxiety.”
“Yes, Pa Pa. We will surely bring Paeng Mu-wi’s head and offer it to His Highness.”
“I’ll bring Jeong Cheon’s head.”
“If you fail, I won’t look upon you. Go.”
“Yes.”
Whoosh!
They vanished like wisps of smoke.
Pa Pa stared into the darkness, her eyes flashing. The Ghost Valley Lord had appeared behind her.
“Did you watch?”
“It happened unintentionally, Pa Pa.”
“Keep it from His Highness.”
“Of course.”
The Ghost Valley Lord asked.
“Why only four? Shouldn’t you have sent more to increase success chances?”
“I wanted to protect His Highness’s pride.”
“Victory comes first. Defeat leaves nothing.”
Whoosh!
“How dare you lecture me.”
Blood light flickered in Pa Pa’s pupils.
In an instant, the Ghost Valley Lord’s eyebrows and beard froze white. The terrifying power of her Yin arts.
Yet the Ghost Valley Lord’s gaze didn’t waver.
“Please don’t misunderstand. It was merely advice for His Highness’s sake.”
“Remember you got the first button wrong.”
Pa Pa, radiating chilling energy, soon returned to Jo Gwang. The Ghost Valley Lord watched her back, his eyes gleaming.
‘That petty pride kept you from recovering your Crown Prince seat, and you still haven’t learned. Know this, Pa Pa: depending on this war’s outcome, the hand I grasp may change.’