Chapter 10
Those Who Target Cha Jung-kyung
Kya-rrung.
A fox bared its fangs as it watched a bird flying through the air.
“Quiet.”
The man in green robes stroked the fox’s head, then turned to look at the other man, frowning.
“He hasn’t moved an inch for days now.”
“We wait until he does.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to act at night?”
“All the generals there are masters who’ve reached a high realm. Evading all their eyes at once is no easy task. Acting rashly would be a mistake.”
The man spoke calmly, but inwardly he wasn’t at ease. It had already been several days since they’d come here, yet Yi Hwan had not stepped outside the pavilion once.
Still… going into the camp itself is too dangerous. When we don’t even know whether that man is an enemy or an ally, there’s no reason to gamble our lives.
The man pulled a wine flask from his robe and took a swig.
And then—
Ssssk.
A presence stirred in the forest behind them.
Both he and the man in green instantly melted into the shadows beyond the trees.
Moments later, figures pushed their way through the underbrush.
Ten of them, perhaps? They all wore the uniforms of the Yan army.
The man in green transmitted his voice.
[They’re men from Zhao’s Black Tiger Unit.]
[Are you certain?]
[Yes. They’re dressed as Yan soldiers, but those sword-shaped ornaments are something the Black Tiger Unit favors. Still, why would they come all the way here?]
[A routine patrol, no doubt.]
[Seems a bit deep for a patrol, don’t you think?]
[Let’s just watch for now.]
The man folded his arms and stared at the Black Tiger Unit as they passed.
Then—
“Do you really think that Cha Jung-kyung stole classified documents from the general’s tent and defected to Yan?”
“Honestly, I doubt he’s got the guts for it. But if the general says so, we have to investigate.”
“A fellow who was with him at the time said that when the battle started, he moved off alone in a completely different direction. That makes it pretty clear something’s up.”
“Whether it’s true or not doesn’t matter. We’ve been ordered to capture him, so we have to get him—kill him if we have to.”
At the overheard words, the man in green glanced at his companion, eyes widening.
[Sounds like he stole something important.]
[Not our concern.]
The suspected Black Tiger men passed the two hidden watchers and disappeared into the woods.
A short while later, the two emerged from the forest and climbed to higher ground. From there, they could see the suspected Black Tiger Unit descending toward the Yan army camp.
The man’s eyes narrowed.
“Were there always men like that in the Black Tiger Unit?”
“What do you mean?”
“They’re not just warriors. Every one of them reeked of murderous intent.”
“You mean they’re demonic sect experts?”
“Zhao has been recruiting such people for years now. Not surprising, really. Still… if they get involved, things could get messy.”
“Shall we just kill them now?”
The man fell silent for a moment, then shook his head.
“Watch for now.”
“What if waiting puts the whole army in danger?”
“That one won’t be taken so easily. If my eyes aren’t mistaken, he…”
The man trailed off.
The man in green asked, curious, “If your eyes aren’t mistaken…?”
“…He might be a master even I couldn’t handle.”
“No way.”
The man cuffed him on the head.
Smack!
“You still have that bad habit of judging people too easily. I’ll say it again—true masters always exist in places we least expect.”
“…Yes.”
“For now, we watch. Since the general’s quarters are set apart from the rest of the camp, if they find out Cha Jung-kyung is there, they’ll surely make a move.”
“Understood.”
It was an unusually clear morning.
Song Cheon-mu was preparing morning tea with Cha Jung-kyung. Cha boiled the water, and Song ground the tea leaves.
Thump, thump, thump.
Song’s rhythm with the pestle was uneven. Cha spoke up.
“If you grind like that, it’ll turn bitter. You have to flip it evenly and make it as fine as possible.”
When Song didn’t respond, Cha let the matter drop.
After an awkward pause, Song suddenly asked,
“I heard you were once with the Black Tiger Unit. How did you end up captured?”
“Ask the general. He’s the one who caught me.”
“The general really captured you?”
“You doubt the general could? You don’t believe the rumors, but you don’t think they’re that far from the truth either, do you?”
“….”
Caught off guard, Song was momentarily flustered.
Cha went on dryly.
“That’s right. On the battlefield, the general suddenly charged at me, and I tried to run but was caught.”
“You didn’t think to resist?”
Snort.
“You think I just let myself be taken? If that were the case, I’d have bitten my tongue already. Even as a prisoner, I still have a warrior’s pride.”
“So you mean there’s no shame in being caught by a stronger opponent?”
“Yes.”
Doesn’t seem like that kind of man…
Cha poured the boiled water into the teapot and came over.
“You need to grind it a bit more.”
“I’m doing it.”
Thump, thump, thump!
Cha studied Song’s handsome face, then said,
“One thing—I’m not just saying the bad rumors are wrong; the good ones are, too.”
Song stopped and looked straight at him.
“What do you mean?”
“On the day I was captured, it was said a few Black Tiger members died by the general’s hand. But the truth is, it was more than a few. Quite a lot died, including some of the very top experts in the unit.”
At that moment—
Song Hoe’s voice came from inside.
“Is the tea ready yet?”
“Almost!”
Cha placed the ground tea powder into the tea bowl and stood up.
“Wash the rice after tea; you’ll be having breakfast right after.”
As Cha went inside, Song Cheon-mu frowned.
What’s the truth? If what he says is real, the general’s skill is extraordinary.
Some called the prince useless; others praised his ability. And if a man captured by him said so, it was unlikely to be a lie.
I’ll find out soon enough.
Yi Hwan gazed at the steam curling up from his cup.
“What’s he doing?”
“Preparing breakfast.”
“From lunch onward, have the others handle chores. Don’t make him do them.”
“Others?”
“I asked for a few warriors to be sent over—plus a cook.”
Song Hoe brightened. Yi Hwan had avoided being around people, keeping only Song in the tent, which meant Song had to do all the chores himself.
“Will the general send them?”
“They’ll be here soon.”
Even as he spoke, Song Cheon-mu opened the door.
“The warriors are here.”
In Zhao’s army camp…
Across a vast plain, thousands of tents stood, and in the center, several grand pavilions rose.
In the largest and tallest of them, two men faced each other over tea.
The officer in blue armor spoke cautiously to the high-seated general.
“If he’s handed it over to the Yan army, that would be disastrous.”
“We still haven’t located him. Even if he did, it would take them considerable time to decipher what it means. No need to panic yet.”
“Still, we must consider the worst. If the palace learns that a secret was leaked, your life will be in danger.”
The general’s gaze darkened.
“The worst-case scenario, eh…”
“We have to find Cha Jung-kyung. I was thinking—what if we hired martial artists? I’ve heard some are very skilled at tracking.”
“Martial artists…”
“They’re troublesome to get involved with, but now’s not the time to be picky. If you approve, I’ll look into it.”
The general was silent for a moment, but not for long.
“The palace will soon send Blood Demons. If we bring in other martial artists too, we’ll only make things harder for ourselves. Leave it to the Black Tiger Unit.”
“Will the Black Tiger Unit be enough?”
“If not, we’ll have to ask the Blood Demons. That’s my decision. You may go.”
“Yes, sir.”
Outside, the blue-armored officer frowned.
He could lose his head over this—so why refuse the help of martial artists?
Yi Hwan pulled back the cloth blocking the sunlight.
Is it night already?
He hadn’t realized how late it had gotten, having spent the day immersed in cultivation.
Was it just clouds?
The world was pitch-black—no moon, no stars. Even the insects, noisy every night, were utterly silent.
Clack.
Closing the window, Yi Hwan stepped outside.
Unlike the hot day, the night was cool.
Whooo—
He let the wind cool his body, strolling through the darkened camp.
Warriors kept watch by torchlight in various spots.
A wry smile tugged at his lips.
His was the only tent without guards.
They put the “great general” right in the middle of the camp. To get here, an enemy would have to get past several layers of defenses, so they didn’t bother posting guards.
But for a master capable of bypassing those lines, it would actually make for an easy, quiet kill and escape.
He thought back to the past—how he had once slipped alone into a Qin camp of a hundred thousand elite soldiers and beheaded their general.
Compared to that, the defenses here were far weaker. Any skilled enough in stealth arts could break through.
Of course, if an assassination caused a commotion, escaping wouldn’t be easy, so few would risk it.
Whoo—
The wind picked up.
Yi Hwan’s eyes changed subtly.
In the darkness, watchers observed him.
They wore Yan uniforms, but they were Zhao warriors sent to find Cha Jung-kyung.
Before coming here, they’d captured a Yan guard on the camp’s edge, interrogated him about Cha, and infiltrated quietly.
“Unbelievable. How could someone like him be captured?”
“Maybe he didn’t get captured—maybe he defected.”
“No. The beaten guard said he was dragged here by the fourth prince.”
“You’re saying he’s that strong? Doesn’t look it.”
“Either the rumor’s wrong, or there’s more to it. Anyway, if he’d just go inside, we could act.”
They waited for Yi Hwan to enter his tent; they couldn’t move while he was outside. If they were spotted, they’d never leave alive.
“Why not just kill him too?”
“Without orders from above, we can’t kill a Yan prince. Even a despised one is still royalty. If we anger the Yan emperor, this border skirmish could turn into a full-scale war, and only Qin would benefit.”
And if such a disaster happened, their entire families would be wiped out.
Then—
“The clouds are clearing.”
“Damn…”
The clouds drifted away, revealing the moon. The pitch-black night faded into soft silver light.
“At this rate, we might lose our chance.”
As doubt flickered in the leader’s eyes—
“Wait! He’s gone!”
