Chapter 105: Chapter 105
Myo Chae-gyeong offered a venomous smile and spoke.
“Such matters are only complete when no one ever finds out. But… do you think the Third Elder will simply sit back once he learns that his nephew’s child harmed his own son?”
Maeng Won-won’s face went ashen, as if suffering from motion sickness.
Sit back? Of course he wouldn’t.
However,
She raised her eyes toward the triumphant Myo Chae-gyeong and asked.
“…Got proof?”
“What…?”
“You don’t. Proof that I said any such thing to Maeng Hwi.”
Myo Chae-gyeong’s face went momentarily blank. Then her lips curled slowly upward before she burst into laughter.
“Hohohoho!”
“Why are you laughing?”
“That is exactly it, Fifth Young Lady! That is how it becomes complete. Yes, indeed. There is no proof. Naturally, there shouldn’t be.”
Myo Chae-gyeong stepped closer and clasped Maeng Won-won’s hand tightly.
What was she doing? Had she lost her mind?
Maeng Won-won glared in disbelief, but Myo Chae-gyeong remained beaming.
Naturally. She had finally found common ground with a member of the Maeng Family.
“In that sense… I would like to make a proposal.”
“A proposal?”
“Nothing major. You just need to say a single word before the Third Elder.”
“What word.”
“Everything was Jang I-seo. That it was all because of him.”
Maeng Won-won’s eyes went wide.
And so, a covert deal was struck between the two.
* * *
Maeng Won-won turned away, leaving the dazed Maeng Cheol-yong behind.
Then she spoke quietly.
“I’ll be going now.”
“S-so soon?”
Surprisingly, it was Myo Chae-gyeong who was flustered. She was leaving after saying just that? If she was going to do it, she should at least properly ruin Jang I-seo before going.
But Maeng Won-won thought differently.
‘Hall Master. It would be fortunate if things go according to your plan and Jang I-seo disappears… but I wonder. Will it really be that easy? Jang I-seo. He’s not someone to be trifled with.’
Moreover.
‘You only asked me to say one word.’
Maeng Won-won was just as cunning.
She smiled and walked briskly out.
Of course, Myo Chae-gyeong, unaware of these circumstances, sneered inwardly.
‘They say her disposition is so vicious she’s called the Madwoman of Clear Eyes. Now I see she’s all bluster. She orchestrated this whole mess and then cowers like that. The Maeng Family’s reputation ends here.’
Two ships passing in the same night. But would Myo Chae-gyeong ever know?
That the Jang I-seo of today was not the man she had known in the past.
“Why… why!”
After Maeng Won-won disappeared, CRAK! Maeng Cheol-yong roared and shattered the grandmaster chair with a single punch.
Why on earth was his son, who was supposed to become the master of all, so obsessed with the Seventh Small Palace?
Countless thoughts flooded his mind.
But that was precisely the moment Myo Chae-gyeong loved most. The optimal time to manipulate the opponent’s heart at her discretion.
“Why, you ask? Jang I-seo bewitched the Sixth Young Master. How vicious a man must he be? It shames me to say this, but…”
Myo Chae-gyeong flushed her face and lowered her head. Maeng Cheol-yong’s eyes narrowed. For the woman who always held her chin so high to show such a side was a first.
“Recently, outside the cult, he harmed our Flying Dragon Hall’s elite warriors and vanished alongside an Iron Horse Bandit lieutenant… right before my eyes, no less.”
“Then that’s why!”
Understanding finally settled in Maeng Cheol-yong’s eyes.
He had concluded that Myo Chae-gyeong had come to him directly without reporting above in order to conceal her own failure.
‘If only you knew you’re not the only one. Stop being indignant and follow my lead. We need to go catch them, don’t we?’
An artful blend of truth and falsehood.
The timing of Maeng Hwi’s disappearance, the period he had stayed at the Seventh Small Palace, and the circumstances behind Jang I-seo vanishing with Gwa-pyeong. All of it was concealed, but none of it would matter much to Maeng Cheol-yong’s ears right now.
Only one thing.
“The fortunate thing is that we know where they are heading. The Sea of Death. The desert on the southern route. That is where the Sixth Young Master, the Iron Horse Bandits, and Jang I-seo will be.”
“The Sea of Death…”
“The sandstorms are severe, so most cannot enter… but if it is the Maeng Family’s Maeng Armor Ghost Horse Cavalry, who pierced through even the northern blizzards. Then it would be a different story, wouldn’t it? What do you say? There is still time to set things right. Will you… join me?”
Myo Chae-gyeong had cast her die. The Third Elder’s eyes wavered. But soon steadied.
There was only one answer.
“I will go myself.”
Done. The corners of Flying Dragon Hall Master Myo Chae-gyeong’s lips turned coldly upward.
With this, all preparations were complete.
With the Third Elder and the Maeng Armor Ghost Horse Cavalry on her back, the Sea of Death or anywhere else posed no problem.
Both the Iron Horse Bandits and Jang I-seo would meet a miserable end. And the credit for it…
would all belong to the Flying Dragon Hall.
‘Jang I-seo, don’t blame me too much. It’s your sin for showing up there.’
Hohohoho! The demon’s laughter, unheard by anyone, echoed within her.
* * *
– Cheonsan Southern Road, Tarim Basin.
Meanwhile, Jang I-seo and his companions entered the Tarim Basin where the Sea of Death lay, completely unaware of the dark shadow creeping toward them.
The elapsed time was two and a half days.
Considering it normally took over three or four days, one could imagine how relentlessly they had ridden without rest.
However, the moment they entered the desert, their marching speed dropped noticeably. The scorching sun had heated the sand, intensifying the heat far beyond what they had endured before.
As a result, they had adapted their attire like a Western Region caravan, wrapping cloth around their heads and mouths, and draping themselves lightly in a single white robe that breathed well.
Even so, the heat remained oppressive.
An absolute realm master should be able to ignore most temperatures, if not quite achieve perfect immunity to heat and cold, yet sweat drenched the foreheads of both Jang I-seo and So-o.
Even the rigorously trained Iron Horse Bandits conserved every breath, bracing against their steadily draining stamina.
Simply walking was an ordeal.
Except for one person.
“Yaaawn, nice weather.”
Mao, the Heaven-Yang Body brimming with abundant yang energy, was the sole exception.
“Is this what all the Cult Leader’s children are like? Truly remarkable…”
Gwa-pyeong, not knowing the truth, reassessed Mao with his mouth hanging open.
As the heat naturally slowed their pace, even the taciturn group began exchanging words. It was Mao who started the conversation.
“But I’ve been wondering for a while, why do I keep seeing baby camel carcasses? Where are the mothers? They should at least protect them.”
He was right. Since entering the desert, dead baby camels had appeared intermittently. A strange sight by any measure.
“You get curious about the strangest things.”
Gwa-pyeong snorted and replied. But his eyes didn’t look so good. There was a sense of bitterness.
“What. What is it.”
“None of your business.”
“Tell me. What is it.”
As Mao, sensing something, pressed annoyingly, an answer came from the silently walking Jang I-seo.
“Those are funerary markers.”
“Funerary? Like burying dead people?”
“Yes. Nomads change their home frequently, so it is difficult to remember where they buried the dead. That is how they remember the location. They bring a mother and her calf together and kill the calf. The mother will remember that spot and return to it the following year, and the year after that.”
“Th-that’s what it is?!”
Mao was appalled. He had just asked a simple question and never expected such a backstory. Then the places where he had seen the carcasses earlier were… graves?!
Gwa-pyeong, leaving the shocked Mao behind, asked Jang I-seo.
“I’ve felt this before, but you know a great deal about these parts. You knew about the Sea of Death too.”
“My old job involved hunting people down.”
“Even so, learning the Xiongnu language wouldn’t have been easy. Who taught you?”
A pointed question. So-o also tilted his head with curiosity.
The truth was that the Xiongnu language was now a dead tongue, used by almost no one.
However, because it was an ancient language written in oracle bone script, it was occasionally learned by those in the shadows.
For instance, intelligence operatives, cleaners, assassins. Or spies.
That sort of thing.
‘Jang I-seo. Which one are you?’
So-o’s eyes gleamed. He had never thought Jang I-seo was just an ordinary former Counter-Espionage member.
However.
“It’s something even an inn proprietor knows. Nothing remarkable.”
Jang I-seo smirked and turned the question on So-o instead.
“Hey, Adjutant Jang. My situation is different!”
“Different how?”
“As someone who meets people from all walks of life…”
“For a merchant, your field knowledge seems quite practiced. Almost like someone who has slipped outside the cult secretly before.”
“Every place has its exceptions. Sure, yeah. The Xiongnu language is actually easy once you get to know it.”
What was he even saying? Gwa-pyeong scowled and turned his head away.
Jang I-seo and So-o stared each other down, waging a silent battle of wills.
And between them, Mao, having gathered his thoughts, returned to his original point and spoke up.
“But do they really have to wander like this? They could just settle down and live.”
Settle down? Pfft! Gwa-pyeong burst into laughter and fired back.
“Spouting thoughtless nonsense worthy of a young master. Look around. See if there’s any grass for the livestock to graze on. The only ones who can settle on this barren land are the few strong ones who have won their wars. The weak either leave or die. Living here is a battlefield.”
“Then fight. You said you were strong?”
“We are strong. But with less than a hundred men, how exactly are we supposed to fight you people?”
You people? Who? Us?
“Why would our cult come into this?”
“Who else would we fight? Aren’t you the rulers of this land? Even the tribes that won their wars must pay tribute to you. If only that weren’t the case, they would manage somehow. But cross the line and incur your displeasure? More often than not, you reduce them to ash.”
“Surely it’s not that bad…”
“Heh, you didn’t even know that? They did call you the Cult Leader’s child, but you really are a clueless young master.”
Mao’s jaw dropped and he sought out Jang I-seo. Is this true? Jang I-seo nodded.
Honestly, there was some embellishment. The Demonic Cult didn’t only kill when someone displeased them. They eliminated people simply when the time came.
When a single tribe reigned for too long, eventually they would seek to challenge the Demonic Cult’s supremacy.
So at the appropriate juncture, they wiped out the entire tribe. The cycle of annihilation.
“I didn’t know…”
Mao muttered, clearly shaken. He truly hadn’t known. How much could a mere bastard son have known about external affairs?
No, more honestly, he had never thought there was a reason to know. It simply hadn’t concerned him, so he had paid no attention.
“Known or not, nothing changes. The fact that you people are the Demonic Cult doesn’t change.”
Ptooi! Gwa-pyeong scowled deeply and turned his head. It wasn’t just resentment from what he had suffered. If anything, it was the opposite.
‘This one, and that one. Why the hell are these Demonic Cult bastards making such conscientious expressions?’
The fact that they were unlike the Demonic Cult rubbed him the wrong way.
Gwa-pyeong, who had been ignoring them and walking ahead, finally couldn’t contain his anger and stopped. Then he snarled fiercely.
“What we did to you was evil? Hardly. You people deserve everything you get. We just wanted to live. Without wandering anymore, without selling off our children. Greeting each other with smiles. That kind of simple life. If only you hadn’t been here… Damn it.”
Mao’s eyes filled with shock.