The Slowly Approaching Grip of the Devil - 1
"I just can't stand it!" Mahwa snapped irritably, only to receive an apathetic response.
"What's bothering you?"
"…."
"Why are you always so full of complaints?" Im Choong's indifferent reply only aggravated Mahwa, who started venting in frustration.
"And why wouldn't I complain? Just look at this mess… We could wipe out ninety thousand Mongols with the power of the Imperial Black Wind Brigade alone, without their help. So why is the General dragging things out and choosing to team up with these Mongols?"
"Because the General likely has his reasons."
"And what's with all that?"
Im Choong gave a sidelong glance in the direction Mahwa pointed before replying curtly. "What else would they be? Mongol women."
"Why are they even bringing them in? Just seeing those miserable women dragged here every day is enough to make my stomach turn. If they want to make a statement, they should just kill them all and leave them to rot in the fields. Instead, they drag them along, leaving trails of bodies along the roadside from exhaustion. Why go through all this unnecessary trouble?"
"Don't worry too much. Captain Gwanji said the final battle is near…."
"But I doubt it'll all end with just the battle, or by taking Cheol Jincheon's head."
"Why? Once the enemy leader's dead, we'll pull back."
"If they only intended to kill the leader, they could have picked out ten of the best from within the Black Wind Brigade to do it. That would've been the simplest solution. Our captain… calling him 'Gukgwang,' really? Ridiculous…."
"What's with you today? Your nerves seem unusually frayed. And what's with bringing up the captain's name?"
"I asked his name recently, and they told me it's Gukgwang, which I find hilarious. Gukgwang? What kind of name is that? Just by sending a few blockheads like you, we could end it, without needing to massacre so many."
"…."
Seems she's got a temper today. Someone once said women get touchy at that time of the month….
"Then there's Gongji, that shameless creep, who spends his days picking out the few tolerable-looking women among the captives, satisfying his urges. What do his subordinates think of him? It's humiliating. And he still has the nerve to act that way after taking an arrow to the shoulder, which he couldn't even dodge! Even shamelessness has its limits…"
As Mahwa finally lost control and began insulting their superiors, Im Choong's face turned pale. He knew Gukgwang to be a patient man who likely wouldn't flinch at a few insults, but if Captain Gongji caught wind of it, they might as well consider it the end of the world.
"You… better watch your mouth today. Come here."
"What is it?"
"Come on, let's go on patrol together. A good ride will clear your head."
"Don't say such nonsense!"
Whack!
Clutching his stomach dramatically, Im Choong groaned as though in excruciating pain.
"Ugh! Damn it, your hand is like iron… Ow, you're killing me!"
"Stop being so dramatic."
"Listen, let's just get out of here. This road's too busy; something bothersome could come up…."
"I can say whatever I want with my own mouth, so mind your own business."
"Please… let me off the hook. If you're determined to draw trouble, go alone. Don't drag me down with you…."
"Do you think everything I say is just talk?"
Thud!
Im Choong rubbed his chest, grumbling.
"Ow… today's just not my day…."
If I keep pushing back, I'll only make a fool of myself. Getting out of this mess is the smartest move for now…
"…Actually, Mahwa, why don't we head back? I've got a little stash of good liquor—not mare's milk wine, but something from the Central Plains. I was saving it to drink alone, so let's have a taste and talk, alright?"
"Liquor?"
"That's right, a rare, fragrant spirit from the Central Plains. Let's go. Talking here won't solve anything, but over a drink, words will flow freely."
"Fine, let's go."
Ugh, with our skills being so evenly matched, it's impossible to subdue her easily, and if we start throwing punches, I'll look like the bad guy… There goes my precious stash…
As Mahwa and Im Choong settled down for a midday drink, Gukgwang was patrolling with about ten of his subordinates. Initially, the Mongol army had an impressive presence, but after the loss of several notable generals and twenty thousand soldiers, along with uncertainty about their families' fates, their morale had significantly dwindled.
How long had Gukgwang been patrolling, looking around? Suddenly, he sensed a faint presence.
An enemy? An ally? A formidable master… someone I haven't encountered before….
He casually glanced around, observing his men's faces, but none of them seemed to have detected the presence.
None of them noticed. If it were an ally, they'd make their presence known somehow… The silence suggests it's an enemy. But even I can only approximate the hidden figure's location—how impressive.
To prepare for a potential ambush, Gukgwang discreetly plucked a leaf from a nearby tree, pretending to sniff it as he casually spoke to one of his followers.
"What kind of tree is this?"
"I'm not sure. Why do you need to know the name of the tree?"
"Never mind, then."
Shrugging off the response, Gukgwang focused his energy, honing his perception to locate the hidden presence. He employed Cheonraji Listening Technique, a highly refined skill he had learned in the Imperial Guard. This technique allowed him to pinpoint an enemy's position through the faintest of sounds, and although he often sensed his enemies in his sleep, the lack of clues here forced him to rely on this specialized technique. All the while, he continued to lead his party forward.
After moving nearly ten meters, a faint sound registered within his heightened senses, revealing the hidden presence.
"Fire!"
Gukgwang gathered his energy just enough not to alert the target and launched the leaf in that direction with remarkable precision. This technique was an art of hidden weapons he had perfected in the Imperial Guard, enabling him to kill with something as simple as a leaf. But upon reaching the target area, the leaf met with nothing, and he sensed no further movement.
Did I misread it? Could've just been a rabbit.
The sudden shout and the leaf shooting forward with force to shatter stone made his subordinates draw their weapons and look around warily. Seeing no further signs, they glanced uncertainly at Gukgwang.
"It seems my nerves are on edge. Lower your weapons."
"Yes, sir."
After Gukgwang's group moved away, a figure emerged from the forest. Clad in dark green, this strange figure bore a perfectly circular hole over the heart, though the wound was healing at an unusual speed. He barely seemed concerned by the wound.
"As expected, it's the vice leader. From all the information gathered so far, he must have lost his memory and forgotten all the martial arts he learned in our sect, yet he managed to use Dead Leaf Execution… To kill with a single leaf requires exquisite control of inner energy; truly, he deserves his title as the strongest in the cult. He barely escaped after a stab through the heart that ruptured his meridians, yet he's already healed."
The green-clad figure then moved with startling speed, performing lightness techniques as he headed through the forest. After a while, he stopped at a spot and rummaged through some bushes, pulling out a large cage containing ten messenger pigeons. Sitting beside it, he took out a small brush and paper, meticulously writing tiny characters.
「Mookhyang's survival is confirmed. He currently serves as a captain within the Black Wind Brigade, wielding a lavish sword rather than the Mookhon Sword. Tracking him is impossible for anyone unfamiliar with his face. He employed the Dead Leaf Execution to pierce my heart, suggesting he may have mastered techniques from the Imperial Palace while forgetting all martial arts previously learned in our sect. Judging by his inner strength and skill, he appears to have regained the level of the Harmony Realm. I couldn't get within ten meters of him even when he was unguarded. Although he has lost his memory, his body reacts as it used to.
天 (Heaven). 」
The figure wrote this report entirely in code, producing a second copy and sealing both messages with wax before securing them in message tubes. Choosing two pigeons, he attached the messages to their legs and released them into the sky. Watching them fly off, he murmured, "Even when I was secretly summoned to serve him, I couldn't believe Mookhyang was alive. He was the greatest master our sect ever produced… If his memories return, our sect may drown in blood."
Two days later, one of the pigeons arrived at a grand manor nestled within a forest in southern Mongolia. This manor belonged to a man known as Yang, a merchant who had fled China and established a prosperous trade in Mongolia. He exported vast quantities of high-quality furs and horses to the Central Plains, and in return, he imported low-cost goods like salt, cast-iron pots, kitchen knives, various trinkets, and the gold and silver crafts favored by Mongolian nobility, all goods generally deemed inferior in the Central Plains. Through these trades, he amassed enormous profits and maintained strong relationships with local tribal leaders and border officials through generous bribes.
The estate was filled with warriors clad in Mongolian attire, but among them was a middle-aged man with a thick black beard who, despite his dress, had unmistakable Central Plains features. Spotting the newly arrived pigeon, he carefully took it and removed the sealed message tube from its leg. Realizing the message's importance due to the wax seal on the unassuming container, he quickly hurried to Yang's office.
"Master Yang, a message has arrived."
"Hmm…"
Yang examined the seal on the message tube. Unlike most seals, it bore no intricate or ornate design, a detail that unsettled him. Normally, trade-related correspondence wasn't sealed with wax, so this extra measure seemed out of place. Breaking the seal, he removed the message and found it filled with unfamiliar codes. However, what shocked him most were the six characters written on the back of the paper: 「父親本家入納」 ("Father, entering the main house for offering"). Though seemingly innocuous, this phrase signaled the highest priority, cleverly disguised to avoid arousing the curiosity of anyone who might intercept it. When sending messages by carrier pigeons vulnerable to hunters or wild hawks, vague phrases were often used to indicate urgency rather than specific priority labels like "top-level" or "special."
Without hesitation, Yang ordered the guard, "Summon Steward Jang immediately!"
"Yes!"
The elderly steward, Jang, hurried over, and Yang handed him the message. "Good, you're here. We've received an urgent dispatch. At any cost, ensure this reaches the central headquarters as quickly as possible. What would be the best method?"
Steward Jang responded cautiously, "Sending pigeons across the border isn't advisable. If the border guards see it, they may shoot it down or release hawks to intercept. Also, given the wild hawks in these frontier regions, it's far safer to deliver it directly to the Luoyang branch."
"But that will take too long. Isn't there another way?"
"There are other methods, but the safest is direct delivery."
"This is a top-priority dispatch to the central headquarters. If it doesn't reach Luoyang in time, my position could be at risk. Choose five warriors with exceptional agility, equip them with our best horses—ten in total—and have them set out immediately. Also, inform the local tribal chiefs and border patrol commander, Jo, to provide any assistance along the way."
"Yes, sir."
As he watched Steward Jang hurry away, Yang fell into deep thought. To think that, after being practically exiled to this remote outpost, I'd receive a message marked with the phrase 'Father, entering the main house for offering,' indicating it should be delivered directly to the highest levels at headquarters... All intelligence collected in Mongolia goes through here to Luoyang, and from there, it's sent to the desired location. This must be a matter that's caught the central headquarters' attention… Could it have to do with something significant happening in Mongolia? But what? Wait! How could I have missed it? The Imperial Black Wind Brigade is currently engaged in a fierce battle with Cheoljincheon. It seems headquarters is interested in that event as well.