Chapter 18
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Translator: MJK
Chapter: 7.3
Chapter Title: Chapter 7: Subjugation
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“!!!”
Regardless of friend or foe, everyone's thoughts froze in that instant.
It was because none of them could comprehend what had just unfolded before their eyes.
Especially since the one who had cleaved off his head was a young boy—they couldn't help but be even more shocked.
“Hah, this nobody sure knows how to make a racket.”
-Shlick... slash...
The boy yanked the blade from his heart while spinning halfway around, slicing off the enemy leader's head in one fluid motion.
Thud.
Grabbing the enemy leader's head—frozen in an expression of disbelief at his own death—the boy bellowed,
“Anyone who doesn't want to die should surrender!”
Though it was the voice of a young boy, the killing intent pouring from him surpassed even the enemy leader's from moments ago. No one dared take it lightly.
-Clang! Clank!...
Soon, weapons began clattering to the ground here and there as signs of surrender.
“...Y-Young Master?”
Jeong Chil stared at him in utter disbelief.
He had been scanning the entire battlefield, yet he hadn't even noticed when the young master had reached the enemy leader.
The enemy leader himself had been no different.
If what he'd seen was correct, the leader hadn't even sensed his presence until the blade was buried in his heart.
But what truly horrified Jeong Chil came next.
The young master expertly claimed the leader's head, seizing control of the battlefield in an instant.
He had single-handedly ended a battlefield ablaze with fervor.
Rationally speaking, they were still at a disadvantage, but the bandits, robbed of their momentum, showed no will to resist.
-Scraaape!
“P-Please, spare me!”
The first step was the hardest. Once the momentum shifted on a battlefield, it was tough to turn back.
Surrender spread like wildfire, with nearly thirty percent throwing down their arms before long. Some even fled into the distance to save their skins.
Jeong Chil had braced for a grueling fight, so he shook his head at how anticlimactically it all ended.
-Thump.
Then, a head rolled to a stop before him.
It was the enemy leader's.
“Please take charge of this for me, Officer Jeong.”
“Y-Yes, understood, Young Master.”
Jeong Chil barely managed to respond as he picked up the head.
He ordered a stunned soldier to preserve it in salt, then gazed after the departing young master.
Back to his usual languid demeanor, Jeong Chil swallowed hard.
He looked as if he'd just stepped out for a quick drink—it made Jeong Chil wonder if this was truly nothing to him.
Amid the chaos, An Hoe let out a long yawn as if his work was done, then settled in for a nap by himself.
Cleaning up the battlefield didn't take long.
The fight had ended early, and most bandits had fled overwhelmingly.
Plus, quite a few of those who surrendered put up clumsy resistance and got themselves killed.
In the end, the number of prisoners barely reached twenty.
Jeong Chil began interrogating them.
“Arghhh!”
“I-I don't know any more! Please!”
Perhaps because it was a newly established bandit stronghold?
The bandits spilled everything the moment interrogation began.
Some had tough reputations, but even they didn't hold out long.
Anyone truly tough wouldn't have surrendered in the first place.
Knowing this, Jeong Chil skillfully pressed and eased, extracting every detail.
The screams finally died down half a day later.
“Send them off peacefully.”
“Understood.”
Jeong Chil calmly washed his hands in the water a soldier had brought, pointing at the last bandit he'd interrogated.
-Stab! Slash...
Chilling sounds of hearts and necks being severed shattered the newfound silence around them.
Without even rinsing off the blood, Jeong Chil sought out the young master.
Tension etched his face.
It was a stark contrast to his unflinching demeanor during the interrogations.
-Huff.
Finding him at last, Jeong Chil approached with a short breath.
“Young Master, the interrogations are complete.”
“Yaaawn~.”
An Hoe, who had dozed off briefly, turned to him with a sleepy face and a long yawn.
“Anything useful?”
“Yes. We may need to hurry because of it.”
“If Officer Jeong thinks so, then do what you must.”
“In that case, we'll eat here and move out immediately after.”
“Yes. Thank you for your efforts.”
An Hoe leaned against the horse munching grass, half-closing his eyes once more.
He looked utterly indolent, but rather than judge, Jeong Chil felt a wave of relief at still being alive and quietly withdrew.
Before the battle, he might have found it odd.
But now, no one batted an eye at Jeong Chil's attitude.
That terrifying enemy leader who wielded sword aura?
He'd slain him in one strike and claimed his head.
The impression was too profound.
No one dared complain about the young master being in charge anymore.
Far from it—fear was growing with time.
If word got out, outsiders might chalk it up to lucky happenstance.
But those present knew better. No one thought it was luck or chance.
To them, he was an enigmatic being beyond their simple minds.
And that enigma bred fear.
“I'll prepare the meal.”
“Mm.”
The merchants from the trade group fared a bit better.
They already had some rapport with An Hoe, and above all, they were civilians ignorant of martial arts.
They didn't grasp just how bizarre this event was.
But quick on the uptake as merchants were, they realized his feats weren't mere luck.
“No wonder they say 'Jangga's Little Tiger'.”
“...The patriarch had good reason not to worry.”
“The manager must have known the young master's true colors too. Why else hand it over without a fuss?”
“I'll say it now, but I always thought the young master had exceptional talent.”
“.....”
When the biggest complainer said that, the merchants fell silent, shaking their heads.
Best not to engage pointless talk.
Sensing as much, he didn't press further.
It was evening the next day when they finally arrived.
They'd pushed hard to the horses' limits, leaving everyone exhausted.
Except for An Hoe and his mount.
“Does that horse have endless stamina? Even accounting for the young master's small frame... this defies reason.”
“He feeds it like crazy too. Doesn't look big, but it eats more than any other.”
“Like master, like steed...”
Recalling the young master's bottomless appetite, the merchant just watched in wonder.
Seemingly oblivious to the stares, An Hoe blankly gazed at the distant mountainside where Red Bear Stronghold lay.
After staring for a moment, he frowned—remembering last night's events.
An Hoe had retrieved the enemy leader's head from Jeong Chil.
Preserved in salt, it hadn't rotted despite the sweltering heat.
He brushed off the salt lightly and lifted it, locking eyes with those dried-up orbs.
His blue gaze pierced straight into them.
He released the Soul Subjugation Art about half an hour later.
Half a day dead, so the info was limited—he had to wrap up quickly.
Still, he'd gleaned what he needed.
Sorting through the memories in his mind, An Hoe shook his head.
Red Bear Stronghold's forces weren't what he'd expected.
“Blade Lord, you mad bastard... You really went and did it.”
He cursed involuntarily. The Mi Family's actions were utterly incomprehensible.
Unlike what Mi Ryang had revealed, Red Bear Stronghold wasn't manned solely by Mi Family elites.
“He actually dragged Evil Spirit Castle into this.”
Incredibly, Evil Spirit Castle experts were entrenched there too.
Proof was this very head.
Its owner was from Evil Spirit Castle.
“No wonder he was too sharp for a bandit and too malicious for Mi Family...”
The problem? Evil Spirit Castle's contingent nearly matched the Mi Family's in strength.
Not quite their Chief Protector level, but they'd sent a superlative expert like Mi Ryang plus five peak experts.
The one An Hoe beheaded was one of those five peaks, leaving five Evil Spirit Castle warriors now.
“Definitely Evil Spirit Castle. A superlative like Mi Ryang as mere hall leader?”
Disappointing, but he knew superlatives like Mi Ryang were rare in the jianghu.
In mid-tier factions, they'd represent the group.
Yet here, just a hall leader.
This alone showed Evil Spirit Castle's caliber.
“No wonder the Hubei Great War erupted.”
Regardless, Blade Lord had crossed the final line.
For An Hoe, nothing could be more irritating.
To stop the war, he'd now have to deal with not just Mi Family warriors, but Evil Spirit Castle ones too.
Musing on last night, he muttered,
“Might be best to take one out first...”
Snagging the Mi Chief Protector or an Evil Spirit Castle hall leader early would smooth the subjugation.
But luring them out quietly wouldn't be easy.
Peak experts, maybe—but superlatives like Mi Ryang? Tough to handle discreetly.
'Still, exploiting the war's uniqueness might work.'
They'd want to hide their identities too.
Exposure would draw Hubei jianghu's wrath.
Evil Spirit Castle especially—could turn into a full subjugation target.
“Of course, if they tidy up late, they might slip away.”
Considering centuries of Mi Family merits for Hubei jianghu, they might get that chance.
After pondering, An Hoe joined the main force.
The subjugation army's general couldn't hide his shock at the transport's unexpected merits.
Especially An Hoe's feats, which he'd eyed warily—they left him in awe.
“Jangga's Little Tiger indeed! Never dreamed you'd claim such glory!”
“Officer Jeong made it possible.”
“Hahaha! So humble!”
“....”
The general brushed it off as modesty.
An Hoe started to say more but held his tongue.
There had to be another reason he'd summoned him.
Sure enough, after praising the feats a few more times, the general broached cautiously,
“We rushed preparations, so we're short everywhere. Supplies you helped with, but the issue is our commanders.”
Commanders—meaning elite experts.
“I heard White Wolf leads a fine group of them?”
“Still short. Without White Wolf, I'd have pulled back.”
“....”
At mention of retreat, An Hoe eyed the general in surprise.
Retreating without battle meant severe reprimand unless justified.
Worst case, execution.
That's why generals fought on despite odds since ancient times.