Chapter 19
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Translator: MJK
Chapter: 8.1
Chapter Title: Mi Bang
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Jang Su continued calmly to the startled An Hoe.
"From Jeong Chil, I heard that the enemy general whose head you took wasn't just any ordinary fighter. They say he wielded sword qi?"
"The sword qi he wielded wasn't proper sword qi. It was nothing more than something forcibly drawn out through crude methods."
"Still, it's clear he wielded sword qi."
Even after downplaying himself, Jang Su was trying to elevate him, so An Hoe could easily guess what the man wanted.
"...You want me to join the main force?"
"Would you?"
Confirming his guess was spot on, An Hoe shook his head.
"That's no easy task. First, I'd like to hear about the current situation."
"..."
Jang Su hesitated to speak at An Hoe's words.
But soon, as if he'd made up his mind, he spoke with difficulty.
"Three days ago, we finished full preparations for the subjugation and moved out. Things went smoothly at first. The bandits of Red Bear Stronghold tried their tricks, but they couldn't hold back the elite soldiers I'd trained."
On top of that, the mercenaries the city lord had painstakingly recruited performed brilliantly.
Thanks to them, the subjugation force reclaimed nearly thirty percent of the territory Red Bear Stronghold had swallowed in less than a day.
But the next day, the subjugation force had no choice but to withdraw.
"Why is that?"
"...That night, White Wolf was ambushed."
"Did the enemy swarm under cover of darkness?"
"No. It wasn't 'the enemy'—there was only one person who carried out the ambush."
Astonishingly, the one who ambushed the subjugation force was a lone martial artist.
His face was masked, so his identity was unknown, but his white hair suggested he was an old master.
"Even now, thinking back on him sends chills down my spine. Every time he swung his sword, sword qi rippled out like waves, forcing even peak experts to barely retreat. If White Wolf hadn't stepped in when he did, many would have died."
White Wolf clashed with the masked man, but the outcome was shocking.
White Wolf began getting pushed back from the start, and before thirty exchanges had even passed, he retreated bleeding.
However, because of that, the masked man could no longer use his blade and had to withdraw.
The encirclement had already begun to tighten.
Even injured, with White Wolf intervening, escape would have been difficult for him.
"The wound itself isn't severe. But according to the physician, there's internal damage, so right now he can't even muster seventy percent of his strength."
Even in perfect condition, White Wolf had lost.
Naturally, if they fought again in that state, White Wolf would have a hard time withdrawing. In the end, they decided to pull back.
An Hoe's curiosity was piqued. He'd glimpsed White Wolf's skill briefly, and it was impressive.
'He was a cut above Mi Ryang, yet such a man was defeated in merely thirty exchanges?'
If this was true, then this Chief Protector was likely on the cusp of the Aura Realm.
'That would make him someone on par with Grandfather.'
Realizing he was a master on the same level as his grandfather—who had ushered in the Jang Family's golden age with the moniker Fierce Tiger Seven Swords—An Hoe found himself nodding unconsciously.
He now understood why the Blade Lord couldn't abandon his ambitions.
'He must see this as the Mi Family's absolute peak.'
He'd judged that if not now, the family would never again dream of claiming the throne.
In truth, if An Hoe from his regression hadn't intervened, the Mi Family likely would have smoothly established their kingdom.
Learning once more that this situation stemmed from his own family, An Hoe sighed inwardly.
'Hah, karma indeed.'
He steeled his resolve and spoke to Jang Su, who was watching him.
"I understand why you need me. With a master like that in the enemy camp, this subjugation force is doomed to fail."
He was someone who charged in alone, routed White Wolf, and vanished without a trace.
If such a man went on a rampage in earnest, Jang Su and the key officers might end up as corpses under his blade.
Yet they couldn't simply retreat either.
They had to at least show they'd fought their hardest.
In that regard, An Hoe—who had slain the enemy general said to wield sword qi—was someone he needed to recruit.
Even if by chance, having such a master on their side would make withdrawal far less likely.
"We'd like to take charge of delivering supplies to Juyang City. Is that possible?"
"Hm, supply deliveries..."
Jang Su looked troubled.
He'd tried to appeal to the boy's sense of justice upon seeing his youth, but An Hoe wasn't swayed.
Instead, the shallow ploy had backfired, making it hard to refuse the condition An Hoe proposed.
Supply deliveries involved massive profits.
Especially in Juyang City, where they were serious about building their forces, even the scraps picked up in the process amounted to a fortune.
It wasn't something Jang Su could decide alone.
As if reading his dilemma, An Hoe spoke.
"We'll handle the sincerity payments without skimping."
Saying they'd provide bribes as generously as before, Jang Su cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Ahem. With the young master going to such lengths, how could I agonize further? Very well. We'll do it that way."
"Thank you."
And so the deal was struck.
During the contract drafting, An Hoe added two minor conditions, which Jang Su accepted readily. They weren't anything grand anyway.
Back at his lodgings, An Hoe summoned the merchant group members.
The merchants, who had been preparing to depart in two days for the next grain shipment, came to him with weary faces.
"What's this sudden call about? Do you know something?"
"No idea. How would I? I just heard you went to meet Jang Su during the day."
"Jang Su summoned the young master?"
"Probably to commend you for capturing that enemy general last time, right?"
"Ah! Then this summons must be related."
"Could be."
The merchants whispered among themselves, puzzled, but fell silent as if by magic when An Hoe entered.
They resembled well-disciplined soldiers.
They themselves were unaware of how unnatural it was.
Their perception of the young master had shifted after just three days on the road together.
From afar, An Hoe had looked slothful as rumored, and during the journey to Juyang City, he'd hardly left his carriage or inn room, making it hard to deny.
But once they served him up close, they felt something uncanny.
The more they interacted, the more they sensed an intimidating pressure laced with fear.
It was the instinctive reaction to the aura emanating from An Hoe, the Absolute.
It was only natural they'd adjusted their attitudes.
"Come, sit."
An Hoe gestured for the tense group to sit in the prepared spots and showed them the contract he'd just signed.
"What is this?"
"A contract I had them write up as a condition for me staying with the main force."
"What?!"
The merchants looked at An Hoe in shock.
Just as they opened their mouths to say it was absolutely not allowed, An Hoe shook his head and spoke.
"Read the contract first, then speak."
"Ah, understood."
At that single phrase, the merchants bowed their heads and examined the contract.
Soon, astonishment spread across their faces.
No one was unaware of how lucrative supply deliveries were.
For a major city like Juyang, it meant enormous profits.
An Hoe continued as he watched their stunned expressions.
"As you'll see in the contract, I won't be deployed directly to the battlefield."
This was because An Hoe wasn't part of the mercenaries but more like a personal guard officer under Jang Su.
It was one of the two conditions An Hoe had proposed, and Jang Su had welcomed it.
In truth, he himself faced the greatest risk of death from that terrifying old master, so it was a condition worth putting forward first.
The other condition An Hoe had proposed was...
"They agreed to increase the escort soldiers for the transport unit by fifty more."
"Ah!"
The ten soldiers Jeong Chil had brought had shone in the recent raid.
Versatile and under Jeong Chil's command, they'd shown they could handle even a peak expert.
Now such soldiers were increasing to fifty.
The merchants' faces brightened, but only briefly.
The cost was that the young master had to stay here, which was burdensome in many ways.
After exchanging glances, the eldest merchant hesitantly spoke up.
"Young master, if it's alright, could you write a letter to send to the group leader?"
"We'll do our utmost, but it won't be easy to persuade her."
"Understood. I'll do that."
"Thank you."
With him agreeing so readily to the letter, the merchants sighed in great relief.
Of course, even with the letter, she'd scold them harshly, but bringing it versus not would make all the difference.
"Then we'll be in your hands."
"We'll give it our all."
Not just the merchants but even Jeong Chil responded with tense formality.
An Hoe smiled at Jeong Chil.
'As expected, once this is over, I need to bring Jeong Chil into the family.'
With proper nurturing, he'd be a great asset to both him and the family.
As if sensing his own fate?
Jeong Chil suddenly shivered with goosebumps, trembling unwittingly.
Mi Bang was originally a collateral branch of the Yang family.
He became a Mi thanks to his distinguished service in the Hubei Great War.
The family head at the time, the Blade Lord himself, bestowed upon him the surname 'Mi' and the name 'Bang' (防).
It meant to protect the family.
But rather than 'shield' (盾), he was given the 'defend/block' (防) character because the Blade Lord hoped he would go beyond mere defense and fight the enemy head-on.
"Your talent is immense. It's regrettable that I discovered you so late..."
Knowing the Blade Lord's usual arrogance, for him to say this was astonishing.
Mi Bang's talent was that exceptional.
Even starting the family's secret arts late, he achieved faster and higher mastery than anyone.
If he had a flaw, it was his collateral origins.
Even after the family head personally took him in, he couldn't shake off that tail.
Because of it, despite multiple chances to become an elder, he failed each time.
"If that's your will, I'll walk my own path."
With that resolve, he chose the path of protector.
At the time, the perception of protectors was poor.
Though close to those in power, the position of bodyguard was inherently lowly.
But when Mi Bang joined the protectors, things changed.
Not long after entering, he racked up merits repeatedly and rose to Chief Protector.
Once Chief Protector, he trained the protectors like his own disciples, and those who received his guidance naturally held him in high regard.
As the protectors' skills rose and a strong focal point emerged, their authority naturally grew.
Then trouble erupted. A dispute arose between the Elder Council and the Protector Council.
"How dare these fools ignore the Elder Council's orders! Do you have a death wish?!"
"Hmph! Senile old fool? You have no authority to command us."
"What did you say, you bastard?!"
The elders flew into a rage, but Mi Bang just scoffed and brushed it off.
At a glance, it seemed the protectors were at fault, but knowing their motives, he saw it was just a check on their power.
"Why not apologize now and end this?"
"Apologize? Anyone hearing that would think we're in the wrong."
Even the previous generation's master, the Chief Elder, stepped forward, but Mi Bang merely shrugged.
"You're set on causing trouble then. Won't regret it?"
At the Chief Elder's words, Mi Bang smirked and flicked his blade.
In the end, their squabble turned to swords.
The representatives from both sides agreed to duel, and the Elder Council side drew the Chief Elder's sword.
Even facing the family's second-in-command who had dominated alongside the Blade Lord, Mi Bang didn't waver in the slightest.
When the Chief Elder unleashed his prestigious aura, Mi Bang actually approved, drawing out his own fighting spirit.
-Kagagagang!-
The clash of blades and sword qi made onlookers hold their breath.
Even the elders abandoned their underestimation of Mi Bang.
They recognized him as a master who had surpassed sword qi projection to reach sword qi acupoint strikes.
One thing was clear: Mi Bang was still inferior to the Chief Elder.
However, that gap didn't last.
"Hahaha! This is maddening!"
The fiercer the battle grew, the sharper Mi Bang's blade tip became, his movements whipping like savage winds.