Chapter 7
The Disappearance of Cha Jung-gyeong
“General! He’s gone!”
“Are you certain he’s gone?”
Clack.
Lee Hwan set down his cup and narrowed his brows. Song Hoe continued.
“This was found beyond the wall. It’s undoubtedly his ring.”
Twitch.
Lee Hwan’s eyebrow arched slightly.
A ring doesn’t just fall off unless you take it off deliberately. And it made no sense for someone on the run to stop and remove their ring.
Clang!
Lee Hwan grabbed the sword propped against the wall and stepped out of the room. He headed straight for the next room—where that man with the unsettling gaze had been staying.
Song Hoe followed with his hand resting on his hilt.
Crash!
The door burst open, but the room was empty.
Lee Hwan stepped into the hallway and vaulted out the window. No trace of the man could be seen anywhere.
Did he have business with him from the start?
Rage welled up.
The only lead to finding the Sword King’s descendant had just vanished.
Swish!
Song Hoe landed beside him.
“Do you think it was the man who was staring at him earlier?”
“At the moment, they’re the most likely suspects.”
Song Hoe was about to say more when he flinched. He had felt the chilling aura radiating from Lee Hwan.
What is this… this deadly aura…?
“Go ask the innkeeper about them.”
“Yes, General.”
Song Hoe headed toward the inn’s entrance.
Lee Hwan kept his gaze sweeping over the marketplace.
Was it as he said—a Zhao soldier tracking a deserter? If not, why else would they take him…?
Before long, Song Hoe came running back.
“They left about an hour ago. But before that, someone in a blue robe came to see him, left first, and when he eventually left, he was alone!”
An hour ago—that was exactly when Cha Jung-gyeong had gone to the latrine.
“That’s strange. If he’d been abducted, there would have been some commotion.”
“He’s a former Black Tiger Corps soldier. No matter how skilled an opponent, it’s impossible to silently subdue him alone. Which means… that blue-robed person who went to see him first probably helped.”
“Or maybe they used poison?”
“That’s possible.”
Lee Hwan nodded silently, deep in thought.
He couldn’t simply give up on Cha Jung-gyeong. If he lost him here, finding the Sword King’s descendant would become almost impossible.
“How many troops handle security in this city?”
“About ten thousand, I believe.”
“Take me to headquarters.”
“Yes, General.”
Lee Hwan followed Song Hoe toward the north of the marketplace.
Before long, the government office on the city outskirts came into view.
Armed guards blocked their way.
“Halt!”
“This is the General! Open the gates at once!”
“Ah!”
A man in his early forties, broad-shouldered with thread-thin eyes, stepped inside.
Lee Hwan sat, watching him closely.
The officer clasped his hands and bowed his head.
“I greet the General!”
“You’re in charge here?”
“Yes. But… what brings the General to see me at such a late hour?”
“There are people I need pursued immediately.”
Lee Hwan described the suspects’ appearance.
His gaze darkened when he noticed the officer half-listening.
Song Hoe was the first to bark sharply, “How dare you drift off while the General is speaking!”
“I am listening. Please continue, General.”
The man’s insolent tone made Lee Hwan extend a hand toward Song Hoe.
“Sword.”
“…!”
Song Hoe realized belatedly and handed him his blade.
Clang.
Lee Hwan placed it on the table and spoke casually.
“Repeat everything I just said.”
“…Pardon?”
“Maybe not word for word, but tell me what you remember.”
“…!”
The officer was inwardly flustered.
Is this guy crazy? They say he can’t even handle low-ranking officers, and now he’s…
He had heard stories about the Fourth Prince from acquaintances in the Southern Corps, which is why he wasn’t particularly nervous when Lee Hwan arrived.
“You said to find a man in black with shoulder-length hair, carrying a dragon-engraved scabbard, correct?”
That was accurate.
A few words were off, but the content matched.
Yet Lee Hwan’s reaction was different.
“There’s one more thing.”
One more thing? What? That was all there was…
As the officer tilted his head, Lee Hwan whipped the pommel of the sword forward. The scabbard slid down and struck the officer square in the chest.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
The officer doubled over with a groan.
Song Hoe’s eyes widened.
Was there really something else? I didn’t hear it either…
Lee Hwan’s voice was icy.
“A petty city guard daring to mock a royal general…”
Shing.
He slowly drew Song Hoe’s sword. The chill from the blade made the air in the room turn cold.
“Deputy.”
“Yes, General.”
“What’s the harshest punishment for insulting a royal general?”
“Immediate execution.”
“Even for an officer?”
“Anyone below the rank of Sacheong General.”
“…!”
Finally realizing the gravity of the situation, the officer shot to his knees, slamming his forehead to the floor.
Thud!
“Forgive me! I was unwell and failed to concentrate on the General’s words!”
Blood trickled from his split brow, his hands trembling on the floor.
“Mobilize every soldier to find him right now. Your punishment will depend on the results. Understood?”
“Yes, General!”
Bleeding heavily, the officer scrambled out.
Lee Hwan returned the sword to Song Hoe.
Clang.
“Was there really something else, General? He didn’t seem to have heard anything more.”
“There wasn’t.”
“…?”
“A man like that won’t move unless you scare him, and I can’t just beat him without cause. What, do you have a problem with that?”
“Of course not. Well done.”
Lee Hwan leaned back in his chair.
“We’ll spend the night here.”
Song Hoe stepped outside to fetch wine for the General. He smirked to himself.
If only that fool had been hit in the head long ago.
He still wasn’t used to the General’s change in behavior. Sometimes it felt strange.
But today, he felt nothing but satisfaction.
That arrogant officer had powerful backing in the Southern Corps and was notorious for his conceit.
Seeing him grovel was refreshing.
Feels like ten years of frustration just vanished.
His steps were unusually light.
In the mountainous region north of the city…
Below a sheer cliff lay a cave, faint light spilling out.
Cha Jung-gyeong looked between the man and the blue-robed figure, speaking weakly.
“I didn’t desert. I was captured by the Yan army during battle.”
“That’s not why we brought you here.”
“You’re not a deserter-hunting squad?”
When the man shook his head, Cha Jung-gyeong’s tone changed.
“How dare you! I serve the General of Yan!”
“Didn’t you just say you were captured?”
“I was captured… but I chose to serve the General! If you acted without knowing, I’ll forgive you—now untie my meridians!”
He shouted with forced authority, but the man’s gaze didn’t change.
The blue-robed one sighed and said, “Maybe something happened to the Sword King’s bloodline, and his descendants turned into fools. This guy seems completely dim-witted. What if the technique he used wasn’t actually the Soul-Severing Technique, but something similar?”
“Did you just say Soul-Severing Technique?”
“Why? Going to keep pretending to be stern?”
“Just answer me! Is that why you captured me?!”
The man’s eyes glinted strangely.
“So… you mean others besides us recognized it too?”
“The Yan general came to the battlefield just to capture me. That’s why I was caught. For the same reason as you.”
“What?”
The man’s expression changed sharply. The blue-robed one’s eyes widened.
“How could he recognize the Soul-Severing Technique?”
“If he knows it, he’s either on our side or theirs. For now, we deal with this one first, then find him.”
“Yes.”
Taking “deal with” in the worst sense, Cha Jung-gyeong shouted in panic,
“I’m not who you think I am! I just helped a wandering swordsman in trouble and learned one technique from him!”
“You learned it from a wanderer?”
“Well, what happened was…”
Cha Jung-gyeong repeated the same story he’d told Lee Hwan.
When he finished, the man stayed silent for a while. The blue-robed one spoke in sound transmission,
[We can’t search all of Yan right now, so we should investigate this Fourth Prince first. His incompetence might be an act to hide his identity. And if it turns out to be him… wouldn’t we have to kill him?]
[If it’s him, prince or not, he dies.]
The man stared at Cha Jung-gyeong, who swallowed dryly under his now-menacing gaze.
“Do you want to live?”
“Yes.”
“Then you’re going to help us.”
“What’s that?”
The man and the blue-robed one froze upon leaving the cave. Down the path were hundreds of torches floating like ghostly flames.
Not only there—other paths also glimmered with torchlight.
“Looks like they’re searching for him.”
“What do we do? If they’ve mobilized troops, the whole city will be covered.”
“Doesn’t matter.”
The man looked at Cha Jung-gyeong.
“Don’t forget what I said.”
“I know.”
“Why the face?”
“I can’t exactly grin like an idiot.”
“Go on.”
Cha Jung-gyeong vanished into the darkness. The blue-robed one frowned.
“Can we trust him?”
“He’s not the type to throw his life away easily. To survive, he’ll help us.”
“Yes.”
The man turned to leave.
“Where are we going?”
“We’ll have to hide in the mountains until things quiet down.”
“Should we just kill them all?”
“Are you serious?”
“…Just joking.”
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
