Chapter 218: Who Took the Treasure (3)
The renegade monk sat on the ground, crying.
“Waaah. The grandpa ran away with my treasure.”
The surroundings were filled with only the corpses of the cultists. Wiping the blood from her hands on the clothes of a fallen cultist, Seo-hwa said,
“You stole it too anyway.”
“No, it’s mine!”
She shook her head and turned away.
“Sure, keep it all.”
Too much time had been delayed. She had no leisure to chat with a crazy monk.
“Sister, where are you going?”
Seo-hwa’s eyebrows twitched. Even if her parents were alive, they would be younger than this renegade monk.
“Since when am I your sister?”
“I want to go with you.”
“Don’t come near me unless you want to get beaten.”
Executing her movement technique to shake him off, she dashed over the hill.
As she ran for a while, she glanced back and saw him still following her.
‘Sigh. That guy…’
She wanted to get rid of him, but it would take a considerable amount of time. Furthermore, he was not an easy opponent.
As expected, when she arrived at Samhwang Lodge, it was empty. Everyone had likely descended.
Evading the renegade monk’s gaze, she threw herself down the cliff.
***
The entrance of Shaolin Temple. The place was in utter chaos.
Elder Mu-jin cut his way through the enemies to reach Abbess Jin-jeong of Emei.
“How much longer do we have to hold out?”
Even as he spoke, he was slicing down three cultists.
Abbess Jin-jeong also swung her sword frantically and shouted,
“I’m busy right now, so go ask him!”
She was busy moving around to protect the disciples of Emei. She couldn’t afford to lose focus for even a second.
Mu-jin let out a sigh and looked around.
The martial artists of the Alliance were exhausted. No matter how many they cut down, the oncoming enemies seemed endless.
Then, his gaze turned to the most conspicuous area of the battlefield.
The person Abbess Jin-jeong had pointed to. Great General So-mu was fighting the six elders of the cult alone.
A fierce storm of qi raged around them, preventing anyone from approaching. It was a terrifying sight that was hard to believe even when looking at it.
“The appointed time has passed, so we must retreat now!”
Cutting down another cultist, Abbess Jin-jeong shouted behind her.
“What about the Great General?”
“Didn’t he tell us to retreat first if the situation turned bad?”
For the Alliance members to retreat, someone had to hold the elders’ attention. There was no time to hesitate.
“I will open a path.”
Abbess Jin-jeong’s figure blurred, creating dozens of afterimages. It was Emei’s ultimate technique, the Light-Splitting Sumeru Sword.
Whoosh!
“Ugh!”
“Aaaaack!”
Wherever she passed, over a dozen cultists fell, unable to even offer resistance.
Once a path was opened, Elder Mu-jin shouted to the Alliance members,
“Retreat! Everyone, follow Sect Leader Jin-jeong!”
The Alliance members had been waiting for this moment. Covered in exhaustion, they began to withdraw in an orderly fashion.
The retreat was easier than expected, as the cult’s elders were all focused on So-mu.
“Amitabha.”
Abbot Jeong-myeong chanted with a pained expression. Leaving the Great General of their country behind alone did not sit well with him.
“Let’s go, Alliance Leader. He is not someone who will fall easily.”
In any case, they had no choice. They had to support the rear of the column so that the Alliance members could retreat safely.
Rushing to the opposite side of Mount Song like a ebbing tide, the Alliance members felt a brief sense of relief, but it did not last long.
As they emerged from the forest, the shouts of soldiers echoed as if they had been waiting.
“Wipe out the rats of the Murim Alliance!”
“Aaaaah!”
“Charge!”
These were the soldiers of the State of Hui.
They had expected the government forces to interfere, but the number of troops was simply too large. The path was surrounded by layers of soldiers, numbering in the hundreds.
At the front, Abbess Jin-jeong’s expression turned grim. Behind her, the Alliance members muttered in despair.
“What is this madness…”
“How can this be…”
At that moment, something flashed through Abbess Jin-jeong’s mind like lightning.
Did they not prepare something for just such an occasion?
“Prepare the Yeonyumak!”
It was a secret weapon made with the technology of the Tang Clan. Though it had no lethality, it had the effect of temporarily neutralizing enemies.
The Alliance members quickly pulled out cloths to cover their mouths and noses while drawing small gourds from their robes.
“Throw them forward!”
Over twenty gourds flew into the air from the front of the column.
Following closely, the masters of the Tang Clan threw their hidden weapons with exquisite skill, puncturing the gourds in midair.
Pop! Pop!
The gas released from the gourds spread rapidly with the wind over the heads of the soldiers. Noticing this, the Hui government troops panicked.
“It’s poison!”
“Those despicable bastards have released poison!”
At the mention of poison, the charging soldiers hesitated. Who would want to inhale poison and die a dog’s death? Seizing the opportunity, Abbess Jin-jeong led the charge.
It was the wedge formation, a tactic usually used by government forces.
Though the Murim Alliance had not trained in it, the faster and stronger masters naturally gravitated to the front, forming the formation.
As the soldiers who inhaled the gas rolled on the ground holding their stomachs, a massive gap was created in the military’s ranks.
“Oh, my stomach!”
“Ugh!”
Since each person only had one gourd of Yeonyumak, they had to use them sparingly.
“Stop throwing!”
Their destination was the ferry in Hujin County. The Murim Alliance had to buy time until the monks who escaped from Shaolin arrived there. Therefore, they had to take a long detour.
There was no telling how many cultists and soldiers would block their path before they reached their destination.
***
Jeok-un, the Navy Admiral of the State of So.
Standing tall at the bow of the flagship, he held his commander’s baton behind his back.
Known as the Soul-Chasing Double Swords, he enjoyed immense respect from the navy despite his pirate background.
Most of all, it was due to his gentle personality.
“We have sunk forty-five enemy vessels. Six of our ships have been lost.”
A naval officer reported the results of the recent battle to Jeok-un.
Though it was a major victory, Jeok-un’s expression was not bright. Losing six ships seemed to weigh on his mind.
“Good job. We have a long way to go, so wrap up within fifteen minutes and set off.”
“Yes, sir. I will prepare without delay.”
Looking back, nearly a hundred vessels were lined up in a row.
After a moment, his gaze locked onto one of the supply ships.
“Hmm.”
The deck of the supply ship was in a frenzy. The soldiers were blocking the view, making it hard to see what was happening.
As a signal was sent from the flagship, an officer boarded a small boat and approached.
“Why is that ship so noisy?”
“Well… a little girl emerged from the cabin.”
Jeok-un’s eyes widened in surprise.
“A girl?”
“She claims her parents are all here and that she snuck on board because she wanted to see them.”
Channelling his internal energy to his eyes, he scanned the deck of the supply ship again. He saw a tiny girl looking dejected, caught by the soldiers.
“To only discover an outsider in the cabin now, the discipline is truly a mess. How can we guard against enemies when we let a child slip through?”
“I apologize. Her stealth skills were so exceptional that we had no way of knowing. If she hadn’t come out on her own because she was hungry, we wouldn’t have found her until the end.”
Listening, Jeok-un let out a dry laugh of disbelief.
“Ha. Are you really saying that…”
The naval officer took a deep breath and said cautiously,
“You haven’t seen her because you were stationed at the Han River, Admiral. She is a famous child in Chang’an. She is also the Great General’s daughter.”
For the first time, curiosity appeared on Jeok-un’s face.
Having come from the Murim, he knew a lot about So-mu’s past.
To think the daughter of the Sword Saint was here. He wanted to see her with his own eyes.
Meeting the child’s eyes, Jeok-un gestured for her to come over. At that moment, So-so’s figure leaped into the air as if she had been waiting.
Splash! Splash!
It was a surprising sight to see the child stepping on the water like a skipping stone to approach.
‘To be able to perform the Water-Skimming Flight at such a young age. Truly, she lives up to her reputation.’
In the blink of an eye, the tiny figure landed on the deck.
A breath later, she stood before him, clasped her hands, and bowed.
“Hello, uncle~”
Jeok-un stroked her head affectionately and said,
“Yes. Is your father Great General So-mu?”
“Yes. Where is my father?”
“We are on our way to pick him up, so you should see him today. But why did you sneak all the way here just because you missed your parents?”
So-so sniffled as if she felt wronged.
“I thought they went to play without me. Hmph…”
They had moved secretly, taking only twenty members of the Wolf Fang Squad. Yeon Seo-hwa had also only told the child she would be away for a few days, without mentioning the mission.
In the midst of that, she had overheard that the ships from Chang’an were going to pick them up.
“Haha. How absurd. Anyway, this ship is safe now, so stay here quietly.”
The ships of the State of Hui had already been destroyed. Their remaining task was to pick up the escapees from Shaolin and return.
“Yes, uncle…”
“But what is the matter? Tell me if you feel unwell.”
So-so slumped her shoulders, clutching her stomach with both hands.
If anything happened to the Sword Saint’s daughter on his ship, he would have to take the blame.
Seeing her weak state, he couldn’t help but worry.
“My stomach… my stomach is so hungry…”
During the two days she spent hiding, she had only eaten a few snacks.
Laughing heartily, Jeok-un said to the officer,
“Haha. Feed this child as much as she wants.”
As the flagship, the quality of the food was better than on other ships.
Following the officer’s instructions, the cook guided the child to the cabin.
“Come this way, child. I’ll make sure you eat your fill.”
Her face brightening instantly, So-so followed the cook, dancing as she went. Watching her with a warm smile, Jeok-un gestured to the deck officer.
A moment later, the command flag rose, and the officer’s thunderous shout echoed.
“Raise the anchor! Full speed ahead to our destination!”
The fleet of the State of So dominated the Yellow River as they sailed in formation.
Despite deep penetration into enemy territory along the river, no more ships blocked their path.
Most of all, it was thanks to So-mu destroying all the ships at Mengjin Port and taking the shipbuilders last year.
Half a day later, the fleet finally arrived at the ferry.
The ships lined up along the shore, keeping a perfect watch with bows and crossbows ready.
On the deck of the flagship, Admiral Jeok-un stroked So-so’s head as she stood beside him.
“You must want to see your family quickly.”
“Yes… I miss them so much.”
“Haha. Having a family to meet like that is a precious thing. I envy you.”
“Where is your family, uncle?”
Jeok-un was once the young leader and strongest master of the Paeryeok Sect, one of the massive unorthodox sects. There was no need to tell her that everyone in his sect had died during the Neo-Demonic Cult’s attack.
Instead of answering, he pointed his finger and murmured,
“It seems they are arriving.”
“Really?”
Straining her eyes to look ahead, So-so jumped in joy.
“The uncles are here!”
At the front, the uncles of the Wolf Fang Squad were visible, and behind them, the Shaolin monks were arriving in an endless stream.
Unable to wait, So-so leaped off the deck.
The Wolf Fang Squad members approaching from the other side were stunned. How could they have imagined their niece would appear here?
Hyeon-jeong, who was at the front, caught the running So-so by her waist and lifted her up.
“Our niece, why are you here?”
Looking around, So-so replied dejectedly,
“I snuck along.”
“Haha! Still a troublemaker, aren’t you? What about Darong?”
“Uncle Il-gwang and Aunt Cho-hee are taking care of him. But have you seen my mom?”
Yeon Seo-hwa had gone back to help So-mu. Though it could be dangerous, they were the strongest couple in history, so no one worried much.
Hyeon-jeong hesitated on what to say before giving a vague answer.
“Yes, she’ll be here soon. Shall we wait together?”
So-so wrapped her short arms around Hyeon-jeong’s neck.
“Okay, uncle!”