Chapter 219: Who Took the Treasure (4)
The monks who escaped from Shaolin boarded the naval vessels. The remaining task was to wait for the martial artists of the Murim Alliance who were taking a detour.
The Wolf Fang Squad members assigned to scouting came down to the shore to monitor the surroundings.
“Senior brother Hyeon-jeong, will they really be okay?”
Looking at Hyeon-jeong, Cheong-hae’s face was filled with worry.
Patting his junior brother’s back, he said with a smile,
“They’ll be fine. With the Captain and sister together, who could possibly do anything to them? They’ll arrive shortly, leading the Murim Alliance.”
The two formed a pair and moved to a spot ten li away from the fleet.
Reaching a suitable location, they sat on a tree branch and quietly monitored the surroundings.
After about an hour, they felt a presence approaching from afar.
“Senior brother, I think they are coming!”
“Indeed. See, I told you.”
It was the detachment of the Murim Alliance. Although about three hundred had departed, their numbers were somewhat reduced now.
Looking at their state, it was easy to guess how difficult their journey had been.
Scanning their ranks, Cheong-hae tilted his head.
“I don’t see the Captain and sister.”
“Hmm.”
It was an incomprehensible situation. The two who should have had the highest survival rate were nowhere to be seen.
Although they had an awkward relationship with the Murim Alliance and didn’t want to talk, they couldn’t afford to be picky now. They had to find out what happened.
Hyeon-jeong and Cheong-hae leaped down from the tree simultaneously.
Whoosh!
The approaching Alliance crowd halted upon spotting them.
At the front, the Alliance Leader and other elders stood. In their days as disciples of the Mount Hua Sect, they wouldn’t have even dared to look them in the eye, but now they were centurions of the army.
Hyeon-jeong clasped his hands and greeted them.
“You’ve worked hard on your long journey.”
The impatient Abbess Jin-jeong of Emei asked,
“No, it is fine. More importantly, have the Shaolin monks arrived safely?”
“Yes, thanks to you, they have safely boarded the ships. But why is our Captain not with you?”
Abbess Jin-jeong hesitated for a moment before replying reluctantly,
“The Great General remained behind to buy time for our escape.”
“…Will he be okay?”
When they last saw him, he was surrounded by six elders in the Realm of Transformed Qi. Even for a master of the Realm of Transformed Qi, it was a force whose outcome could not be guaranteed.
“Amitabha. May the blessings of the Buddha be with him.”
Having finished the conversation, the Murim Alliance column passed Hyeon-jeong and Cheong-hae, heading toward the ferry. Since they hadn’t eaten or rested for a long time, everyone wanted nothing more than to board the ships and rest.
Cheong-hae said to the stunned Hyeon-jeong,
“He’ll be fine. Our Captain is invincible.”
“True… He’ll return soon.”
While they stood with bitter expressions,
they overheard some disciples of the Wudang Sect whispering as they passed by.
“Where did the Plum Blossom Sword Guards of Mount Hua go?”
“I heard they couldn’t escape from Yonghwa Temple. They were cut off at the rear.”
“What? Then what will happen to them?”
“They are probably surrounded and dying. They might have been wiped out already.”
“What a pity. To think even the surviving disciples who escaped the destruction of their sect are dying like this. How did the grand Mount Hua Sect fall to this state?”
Hearing their words, Hyeon-jeong’s face turned pale.
Noticing his expression, Cheong-hae looked confused.
“What is it? Isn’t it actually a good thing for us?”
“Even if I hate them… they are still our senior brothers.”
“You are too soft. Did you forget how they beat us at Mount Hua?”
Clench!
Hyeon-jeong gripped his sword hilt tightly. He was clearly hesitating.
“You… you also came to save me back then.”
“Sigh, forget that. I just happened to pass by and helped.”
“Haha. Anyway, I will never forget that moment. So I want to try doing the same as you did.”
Cheong-hae also let out a sigh and gripped his sword.
“Don’t regret it later. We might already be too late.”
“We have to try.”
Yonghwa Temple was not far from here. The problem was whether the two of them could rescue the Plum Blossom Sword Guards.
Logically, it was impossible.
“But can the two of us manage? We might die.”
Since it was highly dangerous, he couldn’t bring himself to ask the other squad members. Yet, Hyeon-jeong showed no hesitation.
“We’ll check the situation, and if it’s impossible, we’ll return. Since it’s dangerous, you stay here, junior brother.”
“What kind of talk is that? Let’s show them how well the two of us coordinate.”
Just as they were about to depart, a familiar voice echoed from behind.
“Let’s do it together. So-so will help.”
Turning around, they saw So-so approaching lazily like a puppy, holding a small sword. She seemed to have been hiding nearby.
They couldn’t drag their niece into a dangerous place. Hyeon-jeong waved his hand to send her away.
“It’s dangerous, so go back.”
“What about you, uncles? You mustn’t die.”
She had overheard their conversation. Cheong-hae smiled and said,
“It was just a joke between us. Nothing will happen. We’ll be right back.”
Instead of answering, So-so executed a movement technique. As she performed the Shadow Step, her small figure vanished into the shadows.
Unless she revealed her killing intent, it was impossible to tell where she was hiding.
“Sigh, what do we do?”
If nothing else, when it came to escape techniques, no one could match So-so. Even the Transformed Qi master Il-gwang had thrown up his hands after trying to chase her. If things went wrong, she would easily be able to escape on her own.
“Who can stop our niece? So-so, you must listen to what we say. Never reveal yourself, stay far away, and run immediately if it gets dangerous.”
“Understood!”
There was no time to delay.
Hyeon-jeong and Cheong-hae ran at full speed, hoping to leave So-so behind.
It would take about fifteen minutes at their pace. By then, it was highly likely everyone would be dead.
As he ran, Hyeon-jeong glanced back and let out a dry laugh.
As if she were his shadow, a tiny silhouette was keeping a constant distance behind him.
He shook his head and spoke to Cheong-hae.
“So-so’s martial arts have already surpassed ours.”
“Of course. I heard she learned from the King of Assassins.”
“Is that rumor true?”
“There is an even crazier rumor: she claims to be the vice leader of the Assassin Sect.”
Hyeon-jeong couldn’t help but laugh.
“Hahaha. She’s really something.”
Their lighter mood did not last long.
A moment later, both of them halted.
Carefully parting the bushes, they saw a wide clearing. Since they were on high ground, the scene below was fully visible.
“How can this be…”
Seven Taoists were surrounded by a massive crowd of soldiers. They were the government troops of the State of Hui.
“The one who kills them will be promoted to an officer! Push them!”
A man who appeared to be the commander was standing far back, urging the soldiers.
And the seven sword guards trapped in the encirclement were all heavily wounded.
Their robes were stained with blood, and they had countless injuries.
The only reason they were still alive was the Plum Blossom Sword Formation they maintained.
The plum blossoms scattering in all directions bewildered the soldiers, cutting down any who approached.
However, it didn’t look like they could hold out much longer. The sword qi on their blades was flickering, and their ragged breathing could be heard even from here.
“Senior brother Hyeon-jeong, this is not a force we can handle.”
There were over a thousand soldiers, and the sword guards were surrounded by dozens of layers. Rescuing them was practically impossible.
But Hyeon-jeong’s eyes remained firm.
“Cheong-hae, you take So-so and go back.”
“What are you going to do alone?”
“If I launch a surprise attack from behind, it might create a small gap. If they can escape through it, great. If not, I’ll run.”
“It’s still too dangerous.”
With so many soldiers, once they were surrounded, there would be no escape.
No matter how much they thought, no good plan came to mind. While the two were sighing,
“Uncles, I will help you.”
So-so appeared, smiling brightly. To smile so innocently in this situation. Hyeon-jeong and Cheong-hae said in disbelief,
“How can you help?”
“Go back. Quickly.”
So-so sheathed her sword and said seriously,
“I will unleash the Lion’s Roar.”
“You’ll unleash what?”
“The Lion’s Roar?”
They had heard she was practicing the Lion’s Roar to play a special music sheet. However, since they had never seen its power, they were skeptical.
Before they could stop her, So-so vanished into the darkness again.
“What do we do, senior brother?”
Looking around, Hyeon-jeong realized they couldn’t stop their niece, and his expression darkened.
“There’s no way a Lion’s Roar can handle that many troops.”
“If she gets captured, it will be a disaster.”
“Sigh. We’ll have to draw their attention so she can escape.”
Looking at each other with determined eyes, they nodded. Then, they stepped forward into the clearing, no longer hiding.
“Hey, misters! Isn’t it too much for this many to fight seven?”
Since they channeled their internal energy, most of the soldiers heard them clearly.
The soldiers surrounding the sword guards temporarily halted their attacks. Bewildered, they turned to look.
There stood Hyeon-jeong and Cheong-hae in the black armor of the Wolf Fang Squad, holding their swords.
The general directing the battle from the corner asked in disbelief,
“Who are these bastards?”
As if they had agreed, Hyeon-jeong and Cheong-hae smiled at the same time.
“Wolf Fang.”
With those words, they charged at the Hui soldiers.
The vivid sword qi wrapping their blades and their wolf-like agility instantly tensed the soldiers.
They were, after all, officers of the Wolf Fang Squad, the finest elite unit of So. The ordinary soldiers of Hui were no match for them.
Slash! Splat!
Wherever their sword qi passed, severed limbs flew into the air.
“Ugh!”
“Ack!”
“W-What are these guys?”
Their heroic momentum was short-lived. Though the two coordinated to cause chaos, the problem was that the enemy’s numbers were simply too large.
Furthermore, the two of them couldn’t form a battle formation, leaving them highly vulnerable to encirclement.
Soon, Hyeon-jeong and Cheong-hae were forced to fight back-to-back. The number of soldiers surrounding them grew to hundreds.
Not far away, the panting Plum Blossom Sword Guards watched them in disbelief.
“Why are you guys here…”
What words were needed? Meeting their eyes, the two merely nodded slightly in response.
Finding their actions absurd, the soldiers surrounding them sneered.
“These guys are completely out of their minds.”
“You’re dead today.”
There was no refuting it. It was the worst situation.
And everyone was ignoring something. In the midst of the chaos, a fierce wind had begun to brew.
Rumble!
A bizarre roar like thunder shook the basin.
Everyone temporarily turned to look. The Hui soldiers, the Wolf Fang officers, and the barely standing Mount Hua sword guards. In an instant, everyone’s face turned to disbelief.
“W-What is that?”
“What is happening?”
At the center of the storm was a young girl in a horse stance, hands at her waist.
Seeing this, Hyeon-jeong and Cheong-hae frantically gestured to the sword guards. They were telling them to cover their ears before their eardrums burst.