Chapter 64
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: Separate Engagements
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In the midst of the chaos, Ha Seong-seo was busier than ever.
Even he, who had carved out such precious time, met with one woman.
"This humble girl greets the Golden Thunder Commander."
"It's Division Leader. Temporary, mind you."
He corrected her words with a heavy sigh.
"Uncle..."
"As you know, I'm swamped. What do you want?"
Ha Seong-seo was curt beyond measure with his waiting niece.
While he hid behind official duties, Ha Eun-ye licked her dry lips.
"Is it... truly decided, then?"
"Just as you suspected. Isn't that why you're here?"
Ha Eun-ye set aside her dreaded choice and stated the purpose of her long journey.
"Couldn't you reconsider? If we keep fighting a full-scale war with over a hundred sects, the Alliance's losses won't be trivial. The harm to the common folk, and our honor..."
"It's the Alliance that erred. We can restore our honor after everything's settled. Don't confuse priorities."
Ha Eun-ye had no retort.
Neither as a niece nor as Vermilion Bird Unit Leader.
Blending family and duty, Ha Seong-seo was the one person she feared most.
"Eun-ye."
He cherished his niece dearly.
"Yes, Uncle."
"You know well the ruthlessness and cruelty of Demon Cultists. We're in no position to be choosy."
One hundred and twenty-three in total.
Junior disciples swayed by the Demon Cult's temptations.
Along with the warriors they brought and purpose-driven ronin, their numbers approached a thousand.
Whether they truly pledged themselves to the Demon Cult, made a one-time mistake, or were coerced by unavoidable circumstances...
"Even if we don't know, weighing each one's story will cost us something greater."
"I know. I know, but turning a blind eye to junior disciples untainted by the Demon Cult..."
"Only if they're still alive."
The number branded as primary Demon Cult targets far exceeded expectations, but not enough to secure hostages.
"Even if the juniors you mentioned remain as hostages there, we lack the means to protect them. No negotiating with Demon Cultists either. They're enemies of the martial world. You know what aiding them means."
Ha Seong-seo eyed his unusually shaken niece with puzzlement.
"...You're right."
Ha Eun-ye, who had always led the charge against Demon Cultists.
Warriors who dove into the gutters to hunt sewer-dwelling fiends.
The four units under Golden Thunder Division consisted of men who cast aside appearances, each with distinct command styles, temperaments, and overall vibes.
Among them, Individual Combat Vermilion Bird Unit Leader Ha Eun-ye boasted the highest achievements.
"I'm sorry. I must have let emotions cloud my judgment."
Reprimanding herself, Ha Eun-ye tasted bitterness in her mouth.
Her wasted trip was brief; Ha Seong-seo patted her shoulder plainly.
"Shandong falls under Vermilion Bird Unit's jurisdiction, so I understand your sense of responsibility. But don't push too hard."
"...Yes."
"Not saying abandon the greater good, but always watch your back. I don't want a scolding from the Alliance Leader over personal matters at my age."
Chuckling, Ha Seong-seo offered advice, reminiscing about young Ha Eun-ye.
"Thank you for your words."
As she bowed slightly and turned to leave...
"...Come to think of it, there's not no way to minimize casualties."
"Pardon?"
"As I said before, this is beyond your purview..."
The dark clouds over Shandong weren't a martial contest or simple duel to the death.
"Don't you have your own duties?"
It was war, plain and simple.
"Ah..."
And her role wasn't fighting the war, but capturing the fiends.
"I'll assign you two units. Catch the rest of the fiends."
Demon Cultists demanded, above all, severed intel and disruption.
In exchange for demonic arts, they received funds, warriors, and resources, but their ultimate goal wasn't all-out war with the orthodox martial world.
"We'll monitor the fiends' movements too, but it's no easy task."
Fiends slipping out of Shandong amid the chaos.
"Capture them first. Cut off the head, and the body settles quickly. Casualties will minimize too."
At the crossroads, Ha Eun-ye gazed at Ha Seong-seo's back, clenching her delicate fist.
She steeled her resolve, setting aside personal grudges.
With partial permission granted, she reviewed her allocated authority and personnel, moving briskly.
'At a time like this, what the hell is that guy doing without even a message...'
The news she'd awaited came six days later.
* * *
It rained.
Upper Dong and Yeonju Prefecture, in the rainy season, knew no dry days from the humidity.
"Try hanging laundry, and it'll just swell up without drying."
Bareheaded U Hak-bong grumbled as he entered a small inn.
"Welcome."
The boy attendant greeted him.
With few guests, the young boy's hospitality was excessively warm.
"You've got company."
"Ah, yes. Indeed."
Only one group stayed at the inn now.
"This way, please."
Before the boy could ask his preference...
"What’s that dark fellow up to?"
"Who... might you mean?"
"Tall and handsome chap, with peculiar tastes. Chatty or silent depending on mood, pretty shady too."
"Ahaha."
The boy nodded awkwardly at the detailed description.
"If you mean the young master, he's at the stables. Grooming the horse fur."
"Lead the way."
The inn wasn't large, so it wasn't far.
Swipe. Swipe.
U Hak-bong clicked his tongue at Seo Mun-ha peacefully brushing the horse.
'Who'd believe that's the man who smashed Zhongjing's fiends.'
U Hak-bong's head already ached.
Since stepping away from Beggars' Sect events, he hadn't handled so much.
"You're here?"
Sensing him, Seo Mun-ha greeted without pausing.
Neigh.
The warhorse entrusted to him whinnied contentedly, a world away from its prior lethargy.
"Here I am. But what the hell are you doing?"
"Can't you tell?"
"I can. But I can't figure some things out. What sorcery did you work for the beast to brim like a young foal?"
"Shandong's hot."
"And?"
"That's it."
This rainy season was like giving wings to Bi-ryong, adapting to the climate.
"If that's all, why not have someone else do it?"
"Little hobby. I've always been close to horses."
Strictly speaking, not just the rains.
Spirit beasts weren't mere sales talk; the warhorse's reactions suggested it recognized its master.
Since meeting Seo Mun-ha, Bi-ryong nuzzled his chest in constant delight.
'Like a pet dog.'
U Hak-bong, giving up gauging, shook his head.
Can't read people, let alone animals.
"Anyway, gonna keep at it?"
"Done."
"Then let's head in."
"Food?"
"Street vendors all shuttered in this weather—no way you ate."
"Liquor?"
"Make it top-shelf."
The surprisingly compatible pair sat at one table.
While awaiting drinks and dishes, U Hak-bong spoke first.
"Thanks."
"I'm the one helped."
"Too grand for the martial world; on behalf of the Beggars' Sect, I thank you. We've lost many sect brothers to Demon Cultists these fifteen years."
Setting aside his frank greeting, Seo Mun-ha realized anew.
Precise intel. And, when needed, authority and ability to represent the Sect.
"So, let's keep using each other well."
"..."
"No matter how I look, you're bound for greatness."
"My dream's long life and easy living. Sounds like you wanna leech proper."
"You heard right!"
His hearty laugh led to the main topic.
"Oh, that lady's safe—no worries."
"Lady?"
"The magistrate's daughter. Yi Hwa-young, was it? No threat to her life. Given his position, the Alliance is 'protecting' her, but she needs recovery anyway..."
Alliance protection wasn't literal.
"Detained? Still, interrogation's necessary."
"Right. Strong Young Hero's condition is dire too, so treatment-wise, no discrimination—should be decent."
Listening, Seo Mun-ha asked curiously.
"But why tell me?"
"Aren't you eyeing her? Rumors say Seo Mun young master’s a lustful demon..."
At the tepid response, U Hak-bong pivoted swiftly.
"Not spreading it—just a few know. Ahem. Don't take it heavy. Would I joke if scared?"
Stoic Seo Mun-ha burst laughing.
From sheer absurdity.
Yi Hwa-young's whereabouts were mere context; U Hak-bong outlined Shandong's overall situation from the incidents.
No surveillance vibes entering the inn.
U Hak-bong, ever cautious day and night, laid out topics over dishes.
"As expected, mid-to-small sect warriors and ronin are being quelled easily."
The issue was the fiends.
"Two fiends left. No, three."
"Child Ghost and Mad Wind Twin Fiends. And one more?"
"Seductress. Hundred Tones Seductress."
Shandong's sole female fiend.
A temptress draining men's essence—not fragile despite the name.
"Hundred voices to enchant all. No man survives her clutches, they say. Deadly arts aside, she's a peerless beauty."
Ex-courtesan Seductress excelled in disguises, sonic arts, and martial prowess.
"Taoists and monks? Never her match from the start."
Dismissing half of humanity outright, her arrogance alone marked a fiend not to underestimate.
"Crucially, it's Ha young lady's target."
U Hak-bong stressed it wasn't their affair.
"I've heard vaguely."
"Then the rest."
Spreading a map, a large duck platter landed.
Thud.
Their roast duck.
Even the Five Summits wait after meals, but the oblivious boy intruded on U Hak-bong's grave mood.
"It's fine."
Sending the boy off, Seo Mun-ha refilled cups; U Hak-bong tore into a drumstick.
"I said Child Ghost and Mad Wind Twins remain."
"Right! Tough fiends all, but the Alliance isn't slacking. Vermilion Bird juniors and conference talents are scurrying everywhere."
Juniors divided into four paths.
"The last group?"
"Searching missing sect brothers."
Unlikely hostages, but not impossible; traces narrowed searches.
U Hak-bong pointed on the map, gnawing the leg.
By region, Yeonju and Dongchang Prefectures, where they sat, were highest alert.
"So."
After spilling intel, he jabbed the clean-picked bone at Seo Mun-ha.
"Which way you heading, Seo Mun young master?"