Chapter 11
The Item Cha Jung-kyung Brought
In the darkness, several fireflies appeared. Strangely, these fireflies glowed with a blood-red light, and they flew straight toward the people watching Yi Hwan’s tent.
But no one realized what was happening.
Thud!
“Ghk!”
“Ugh!”
With short, choked cries, five men collapsed. Their lives were instantly snuffed out. Only when they saw their comrades dead did the others leap to their feet in shock.
But what they saw were the blood-red fireflies flying straight toward them.
Thud, thud!
Each firefly pierced a heart with perfect accuracy. Four more men dropped without even a scream.
“…!”
The sole survivor, the squad leader, froze and backed away, eyes wide. He saw someone step out from beyond the darkness—
It was Yi Hwan.
“As I thought, it’s still too much for me right now.”
Yi Hwan muttered something incomprehensible as he looked down at himself. His eyes met the squad leader’s in the dark.
“Do you want to live?”
“…!”
“Seems you want to die instead.”
“I–I want to live!”
Thunk!
A sword was driven into the ground in front of him.
The squad leader immediately dropped to his knees, heart pounding wildly. The method that had just killed his men was unlike anything he’d ever seen or heard of.
Even more shocking was the fact that the person who used it was Yi Hwan—the same man he had dismissed moments ago.
“Follow me.”
Yi Hwan strode toward the forest outside the camp.
The squad leader followed, too terrified to even think of running—like a monkey facing a python. Oddly enough, there were no guards nearby, so no one noticed the two of them leaving.
“If you’re going to disguise yourself, you should’ve done it properly. Anyway… why did the Black Tiger Unit come looking for me?”
Yi Hwan had recognized them as Black Tiger Unit soldiers at a glance—he still remembered clearly the sword-pendants he’d seen on the battlefield.
“…We came to capture Cha Jung-kyung.”
“How did you know he was here?”
“We captured one of the soldiers on watch earlier and got the information.”
“Not bad. To get in here without being noticed… But why is Cha Jung-kyung such a big deal that you came all the way here?”
The squad leader hesitated, then spoke.
“Our superiors ordered us to find him no matter what. We were just following orders. I don’t know the exact reason.”
Shhhk.
Yi Hwan lifted his sword and rested it on the man’s shoulder.
“Shall I start by cutting off an arm?”
“I–I really don’t know! I only heard that Cha Jung-kyung stole something very important and ran away!”
Yi Hwan’s eyes sharpened.
Stole something important? Then why did he hide that from me?
He frowned slightly at the thought, then, reorganizing his mind, looked back at the squad leader.
Perhaps sensing what was in Yi Hwan’s gaze, the man blurted, “Please spare me!”
Thud!
The squad leader knocked his forehead against the ground.
“That won’t do. If I let you live, word about me will spread to Zhao, and that’ll be a real nuisance.”
Two blood-red lights floated above the man’s head.
“Just think of yourself as unlucky.”
Thud!
Two holes appeared in the squad leader’s head—instant death.
Drip.
Yi Hwan touched his nose—blood was flowing.
To get a nosebleed from just that much…
The next morning, there was an uproar around Yi Hwan’s tent.
Nine corpses had been found nearby. But when it was revealed they weren’t allies but members of Zhao’s Black Tiger Unit, the commotion grew even louder.
The fact that enemy infiltrators had broken through the camp’s defenses was a serious incident. Commander Hwang Ho summoned the officers responsible for security and reprimanded them severely.
Meanwhile, Yi Hwan sat leisurely, sipping tea.
Clink.
“Who do you think killed the Black Tiger Unit?” Song Hoe asked, setting down his cup.
“How should I know?”
“It’s strange. No matter how deeply I was asleep, for nine men to die without me sensing a thing… Did you not sense anything either, Lord?”
“I told you, I was cultivating.”
Yi Hwan lied without a blink.
Just then, Song Cheon-mu and Cha Jung-kyung entered. With more guards now, they’d been freed from chores, though there was still work to do.
Yi Hwan’s gaze fixed on Cha Jung-kyung.
“You two, wait outside. You, sit here.”
“Me?”
Yi Hwan nodded silently. Cha Jung-kyung tilted his head but sat down.
Once Song Hoe and Song Cheon-mu left—
“I heard you stole something from Zhao’s army.”
“…!”
Cha Jung-kyung’s eyes widened—a near admission.
“Then those corpses outside…”
“If you don’t want to end up like them, speak the truth.”
“…Haa.”
Cha Jung-kyung sighed deeply and pulled something from his clothes—a small cylinder.
“Open it.”
He took out a rolled-up paper and spread it out—a map. Red dots and tiny words filled it.
“To be honest… I was thinking of deserting because my treatment was terrible.”
After his surprise attack on Yi Hwan—whom he’d mistaken for a big shot due to his ornate armor—Cha Jung-kyung had expected a hefty reward. Instead, Zhao gave him nothing and even scolded him for not finishing the job.
Furious, he decided to desert and looked for valuables in the Commander-in-Chief’s tent—finding this map instead.
“A treasure map?”
“That’s what I thought. And if they’re sending pursuit teams after me, it’s probably true.”
Yi Hwan tucked the map away and stared at him.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I thought you wouldn’t be interested…”
“What?”
“I didn’t think you cared about wealth. I planned to help you find your wanderer, then later check the marked places myself.”
“….”
It was ridiculous, but it did make a certain sense. Yi Hwan folded his arms, still staring.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Deciding what to do with you.”
“I don’t want to die like this. If I must die, I want it to be with honor.”
“Is desertion honorable?”
“If I went home with a treasure, that’d be worth more than honor. Besides, I never had loyalty to Zhao in the first place. I joined the army to make money.”
Yi Hwan flicked his fingers—a small gust struck Cha Jung-kyung’s forehead.
Smack!
“Ugh!”
“There’ll be more people coming after you, won’t there?”
“Possibly.”
“And I’ll end up dragged into the trouble.”
“…So will you really kill me?”
“Until I find my wanderer, you couldn’t die even if you wanted to.”
“Really? Then what’s the problem?”
Yi Hwan looked at his suddenly cheerful face.
“…Hmm. I should take some measures, but I can’t think of any.”
“Shall I help you?”
Smack!
“Gah!”
“From now on, I’ll think of something. Just keep it secret that I killed the Black Tiger Unit.”
“Don’t worry. No one would believe me anyway.”
Smack!
“Ugh!”
At that moment, Song Hoe entered.
“General Jeong Cheon requests to see you.”
Yi Hwan and Jeong Cheon sat facing each other.
The visit was to question him about the Black Tiger Unit deaths. In the next room, Song Hoe and the others were being questioned by other officers.
Yi Hwan lied smoothly.
Jeong Cheon seemed to believe him—after all, even if Yi Hwan was skilled, killing nine members of the Black Tiger Unit at once was a different matter from taking them down in the chaos of battle.
“This is just a formality, so I hope you understand.”
“I do.”
“Then I’ll take my leave.”
“I’m uneasy, so please find the truth quickly.”
“I’ll do my best.”
After Jeong Cheon and the officers left, the three returned to Yi Hwan’s side.
“Deputy.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“I need a human-skin mask. Can you get one?”
“To get one, we’d need contact with the martial world, which isn’t easy right now. And even if we did, it’d be very expensive.”
“I’ll handle the money. Just do it quickly.”
“Yes.”
Yi Hwan went into his room. As always, he covered the window with cloth and sat cross-legged.
He recalled the events of the previous night, brow furrowing.
If I use sixth-stage power, it definitely strains my dantian.
The only reason he’d taken them down so easily was because they’d been careless. If they’d fought head-on, it wouldn’t have been so easy.
The bigger problem is that I still haven’t fully adapted to this body.
In his prime as the absolute ruler of Daeyaseong, he had never once lacked internal energy. He could pour it out freely without ever harming his body.
But this body wasn’t yet strong enough to endure that kind of fighting. Pushing too far could injure him instead.
Until his internal energy recovered, he needed a fighting style suited to his current condition.
He closed his eyes in thought.
Half an incense stick later, he opened them.
Yes… in times like this, the simplest approach is best.
“I need to see what level your martial arts are at. Get your sword and meet me in the backyard.”
“…What?”
At the sudden order, Song Cheon-mu looked puzzled.
“I told you before—once I see your skills, I’ll give you a chance. So don’t just stand there like a calf, get moving.”
Yi Hwan went out to the backyard first. Soon, Song Cheon-mu and Song Hoe followed.
Song Hoe handed Yi Hwan a sword.
Cha Jung-kyung came out late, watching the two curiously.
“Think of me as an enemy and attack.”
“How could I dare—?”
“You can dare. Begin.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Song Cheon-mu drew his sword and spread his stance slightly wider than shoulder-width.
“Then I’ll begin.”
Clang! Clang!
Sparks flew as their swords clashed. Watching, Song Hoe and Cha Jung-kyung were unable to hide their surprise.
Song Cheon-mu’s sword style was close to fast sword techniques, but with destructive power rarely seen in such styles—enough to intimidate an opponent.
Even more shocking, Yi Hwan blocked every single attack with ease.
I didn’t know the Lord was this strong…
This kid’s pretty good.
Song Hoe and Cha Jung-kyung’s gazes were fixed—one on Yi Hwan, the other on Song Cheon-mu.
Clang!
In a flash, dozens of exchanges passed.
After a few more rounds, Song Cheon-mu retreated, panting heavily.
“Haa… haa…”
Yi Hwan’s expression was curious—half disappointed, half satisfied.
He handed the sword back to Song Hoe.
“I’m going to meet General Hwang. Don’t wait for me—eat without me.”
