Chapter 67: Chapter 67

Beneath the sun tilting toward late afternoon, a hill composed of gravel and rocks spread out, and between those rocks, dried grass feebly reaching out trembled in the wind mixed with sand.

At a certain moment, heavy horse hooves stomped onto that trembling grass with a thud and passed by. Of course, the grass accustomed to harsh winds and parched land straightened its tilted body again as if this much was nothing. However, no matter how tough the wild grass of the wilderness was, it could not endure the snout approaching behind to bite off its stem.

“Hey, punk, is this the time to graze on grass?”

At Jang Geon’s light rebuke, Jojo snorted loudly as if telling him not to care for no reason. However, unlike that attitude, his slowed pace was quickly following behind Yang Goeng who took the lead. Chuckling slightly at Jojo’s behavior, Jang Geon raised his head and shouted to Yang Goeng who had gotten a bit distant.

“Slow down!”

At that shout, Yang Goeng turned at the waist and looked at Jang Geon in bewilderment.

“W-What do you mean? We’ve got to flee quickly! Not to mention those yellow bastards, the Martial Alliance and the Je Clan chasing them will be galloping with sweating soles!”

“We’re already far ahead. Now, instead of galloping blindly, we should look at the map.”

“Ah, is that what you meant?”

Easily agreeing, Yang Goeng turned his horse’s head and approached Jang Geon and Li Yeon. Jang Geon lightly tapped Li Yeon whom he had seated in front. Why she had been stiff for some reason, only then did she flinch in surprise and ask back.

“E-Yes? Why?”

“…Why else. You need to interpret the treasure map.”

“Ah! R-Right! Of course!”

Quickly stepping down from Jojo’s saddle to the ground, she awkwardly dusted off her clothes. That face of hers was strangely reddish. Approaching, Yang Goeng looked at that face and smiled wickedly.

“Haha. My my, was Brother Jang’s chest that reliable?”

“W-What, you bastard? Why do such words come out all of a sudden!”

Li Yeon flared up in anger and pulled out the axe she had tucked into her belt. Never expecting that she would pull out an axe over a single word, Yang Goeng was terrified and slowly pulled his horse’s reins back. Watching that, Jang Geon also dismounted from the saddle, pulled out the scroll from his breast pocket, and held it.

“Li Yeon.”

“Y-Yes?”

“Would you verify the treasure map for us?”

She nodded hesitantly and accepted the treasure map extended by Jang Geon. However, that hesitant attitude vanished in no time once she unfurled the map. Gazing intently at the map with a serious face, she placed the map against Jojo’s saddle and pulled out a round crystal-like object from a small bag hanging at her waist. Then she placed the crystal over the treasure map and examined it closely. It was a magnifying glass.

As she examined only the map without a word, Jang Geon as well as Yang Goeng, who had moved a bit away, subtly approached and looked at the treasure map. Staring through the magnifying glass for a long while, Li Yeon nodded as if realizing something and raised her head. Then she was startled out of her wits by the sight of the two men pressed right up against her on both sides.

Surprised by her reaction, Yang Goeng quickly backed away, but Jang Geon met her eyes without much fluster and asked.

“Can you make it out?”

“…Yes. I know the general direction.”

Forcing down a swallow of spittle, she took the treasure map, stepped forward, and compared the map with the land spreading out before them. After alternating her gaze between the map and the scenery before her several times, she soon nodded.

“We just need to keep heading southeast. Since we have horses, we’ll be able to arrive within a week.”

“Good. We will procure a horse for you to ride along the way, but for now continue riding Jojo with me.”

“…Yes.”

Jang Geon immediately mounted Jojo and extended his hand to her. Wearing a face that seemed half on the verge of smiling, she took that hand and sat up on the saddle. Watching that from a short distance away, Yang Goeng wore a smirk as if thinking they were acting foolish.

Seating Li Yeon on the saddle, Jang Geon turned his head and looked in the direction of New Sichuan. Thanks to the fact that where they currently stood was a hill slightly higher than the surroundings, Jang Geon could see quite far. And at the end of his vision, faintly wriggling dots could be seen. They were probably the yellow-masked pursuers chasing after them diligently.

The distance between them and Jang Geon was not easily caught up to, yet it was not a distance that could be called completely safe either. Roughly checking the enemies’ distance, Jang Geon tugged Jojo’s reins and began moving. It was toward a shallow riverbank visible up ahead.

“Let’s go.”

Yang Goeng promptly fell in behind. High above them as they galloped, a large eagle glided smoothly across the vast sky, looking down at the ground.

* * *

“…We lost the tracks.”

“They moved along the river. Is there no way to find out whether they went upstream or downstream?”

“That… will be difficult. After all, dividing our personnel…”

“Right. We must split up. I will go downstream.”

“Yes, Chief. I will go upstream.”

Wearing yellow scarves around their necks, they split their personnel in front of the river. The man called Chief spoke again to the one who turned his horse’s head.

“If you discover tracks, dispatch personnel immediately to contact me.”

“Understood.”

He and half the split personnel galloped toward the upper reaches of the river in a swarm. Watching that, a woman beside the Chief spoke.

“Gal Woong seems overly eager. Looks like he might cause trouble at this rate.”

“He fought the Je Clan’s young master and lost the treasure map right under his nose, so it’s understandable. More importantly, do you know who those fleeing people are?”

“No. They don’t seem to be famous figures in New Sichuan or other cities. But seeing how Li Yeon accompanies them obediently… I suspect they might be figures from the back alleys.”

The one called Chief nodded.

“The situation has become complex. It seems that from the start, that woman intended to steal the treasure map together with them. Result-wise, they succeeded.”

“Right now, the Je Clan will also be pursuing behind us. The Martial Alliance will send a pursuit team as well, but it will be a formal headcount. Is it a relief that the Je Clan’s pursuit can ultimately only follow behind us?”

“It is a complex cause and effect, but what we must do right now is clear. Pursuing the treasure map.”

“Indeed.”

After exchanging conversation for a moment, they also turned their horses’ heads and began galloping downstream. In the spot where countless horse hooves had departed, only yellow dust rose hazily.

* * *

The man who had moved to the upper reaches of the river was able to discover tracks at sunset. The man named Gal Woong decided to pursue those tracks immediately. Beside him, a subordinate asked cautiously.

“Uh, didn’t the Chief tell us to make contact?”

“They are merely three. We are twenty. Without troubling the Chief for no reason, we will seize the treasure map before tonight passes. Is there any problem?”

“…N-No, there isn’t.”

At Gal Woong’s firm tone, the subordinate obediently shut his mouth. His mood didn’t look good. It was natural if natural. If he hadn’t recklessly provoked the Je Clan when raiding the transaction scene during the day, they wouldn’t have fought fiercely with them, and then they wouldn’t have lost the horse bandits.

If they had seized the treasure map back then, they would now be galloping in search of the treasure instead of following tracks like this.

As they moved following the tracks, they soon felt the surroundings grow completely dark. Even the sunset filling the horizon faded as the sun set completely. Thanks to that, the tracks they were diligently following were now hard to make out. Gal Woong had to pause for now. If he moved recklessly for no reason, they might miss each other entirely. His face distorted with annoyance.

“Oh! Lord Gal Woong! Look over there!”

Right then, one of the subordinates pointed to a distant place. Looking over, Gal Woong saw a faint light beneath a large rock far away. His face brightened.

“Did they think they completely threw us off? Let’s go!”

Moving toward that light, they stopped their horses midway and began running on foot. It was to deaden sound. The surroundings were dark and quiet, while only the light they pursued flickered alone. Thinking that the thieves who stole the treasure map would be there, Gal Woong felt something strange. As they drew closer, the light and its surroundings became clear. Beyond that small campfire, only a single man was sitting.

Gal Woong instantly suspected a trap. Unlike their guess, the thought followed that perhaps there was a force behind them. Those thieves hadn’t simply fled, but had set a trap here and waited for them.

However, even when he lowered his posture, hid, and intently surveyed the surroundings, there was no sign of people hiding in swarms. Wondering what this was, Gal Woong tilted his head. Perhaps he was merely a traveler passing through here?

Right then, Gal Woong’s eyes sweeping the surroundings met those of the sitting man. He was looking precisely beyond the dried grass where Gal Woong was hiding. At the man’s eyes gazing steadily over here, Gal Woong felt that they had been discovered.

Gal Woong slowly stood up. Although the other subordinates around him were flustered, he merely met the eyes of the man looking straight at him and spoke.

“I am called Gal Woong.”

“Jang Geon.”

He nodded at Jang Geon’s brief answer.

“You are the fellow who seized the treasure map, correct? Where are the other two?”

Sitting beyond the campfire, Jang Geon spoke without any particular expression.

“Without even being certain of that, you threw spears and tried to set fire?”

“Because Li Yeon is the only one in New Sichuan who can decipher the code of the old Li Clan. And if you had nothing to fear, there would be no reason to flee like this. Now, unless you want to die, hand over the treasure map. Naturally, Li Yeon as well.”

However, sitting as he was, Jang Geon neither pulled out the treasure map in his breast pocket to give him, nor did he call her who was lying prone atop the rock behind his back. He asked again while remaining seated.

“You said you’re Gal Woong. I haven’t heard of bandits wearing yellow masks and raising riots.”

“…Bandits? Did you just call us bandits?”

“Are you not then?”

Drawing the sword he held with a metallic rasp, Gal Woong walked forward.

“Do not speak recklessly, Jang Geon. We move for the powerless commoners, for the people of this New Continent. We cannot be compared to bandits who move merely out of individual base desires.”

“I believe the ones who started the attack first were you guys.”

“That attack was to separate the black market warriors from the horse bandits holding the treasure map. They too make a living by the sword, so they will understand.”

Jang Geon tilted his head.

“Will you try to excuse pointing blades at those Je Clan people as well?”

“The Je Clan? All ancient noble clans, including the Je Clan, are defeatists who have eked out an existence for hundreds of years by licking the toes of that Han Imperial Court. They are bastards who sucked the blood and marrow of commoners. Like the Empire, they are obstacles that must be shaken off. Plundering their storehouses will allow more people to eat their fill.”

Jang Geon laughed softly in absurdity.

“Well. Though there are many people living arduous lives in this New Continent, few starve to death.”

Approaching with drawn sword, Gal Woong shouted loudly.

“Are you trying to defend the Han Imperial Family and ancient noble clans right now? Already, countless riches of this land are being sucked into the Central Plains! And in that process, the Central Plains is taking exorbitant profits! It means only those already full are growing even fuller! That is why the treasure map and those riches are needed! To retrieve what is ours from those full ones for the coming war, the Li Clan’s legacy will become that military fund.”

Jang Geon spoke no further. To him, who had wandered here and there across the New Continent and met quite a few people, it merely looked like a city bumpkin who knew nothing whining after falling into strange ideology. However, not wanting to mock or make efforts to refute that, Jang Geon picked up the sword he had set beside him and stood up from his seat.

He spoke.

“I will not hand over the treasure map. The same goes for Li Yeon.”

“Did you open both eyes properly? There’s quite a difference in our numbers.”

As Gal Woong muttered like that, his subordinates who had been lying prone rose in a swarm from their spots. It was a number of roughly twenty people. Tucking his scabbard into his waist, Jang Geon answered.

“Just right.”

“…Ha. Just right? Ridiculous. Boys, we must chase the other two, so dispose of him quickly. Since we must interrogate him, just cut off his limbs appropriately.”

Answering in one voice that they understood, Gal Woong’s subordinates drew their respective swords or knives and stealthily approached Jang Geon. Jang Geon merely stood still until they approached within reaching distance of an extended arm. And seeing the warriors wearing sneers thinking he wouldn’t resist out of fear, he drew a deep breath in, then exhaled with a phew.

The next moment, his blade was drawn.

The warrior whose neck was cut first merely saw something flash and didn’t see Jang Geon’s movement at all. As a person’s neck was suddenly cut off, the warriors flinched and froze in shock. Jang Geon approached them soundlessly. Only his blade gleamed in the campfire light.

Before the first warrior who had approached closest to Jang Geon collapsed completely, his blade pierced straight into the second warrior’s heart. Only around the time the third warrior died did the warriors snap back to their senses, instinctively charging at Jang Geon while shouting roaring cries.

A single exchange exploding their internal energy flew at Jang Geon. And Jang Geon counterattacked every single one of those attacks. The warriors’ attacks were certainly lethal, but at the same time, they didn’t even reach half of each strike the Leopard-Head Commandant used to swing down.

Thanks to taking one swift step forward, six warriors who attacked Jang Geon brushed past him and collapsed onto the ground.

The warriors’ faces turned pale white. Until Jang Geon approached directly and killed three, they too were angry at their comrades’ deaths. However, six charging over, brushing right past Jang Geon, and collapsing like puppets with severed strings evoked bewilderment and fear rather than anger.

Feeling bewilderment was the same for Gal Woong. However, he soon pulled his sword up near his shoulder, placed it horizontally, and took a stance. A stance with his left foot extended far forward, his weight centered on his right leg, and his knees bent. Added to his left hand extended straight forward, he looked as if he were trying to shoot an invisible bow with a sword.

“You fellow!”

Shouting briefly, Gal Woong thrust the sword he had pulled back to his shoulder straight toward Jang Geon. The instantaneous speed was fast enough that the ground he stepped on burst apart. His entire body became an arrow, and the sword at its tip seemed to become an arrowhead.

Watching Gal Woong flying at him like that, Jang Geon widened both eyes. Thrusting his sword forward, Gal Woong thought Jang Geon was dazed with surprise at his speed and unconsciously wore a smile on his lips.

However, Jang Geon, who swept his blade horizontally to lightly parry the thrust, slammed his right elbow straight into that face pressed extremely close.

“Gack!”

Dropping his sword, Gal Woong gushed blood from his nose and collapsed backward. Having felled him with concise movements, Jang Geon wore a peculiar look in his eyes. Looking down at the briefly unconscious Gal Woong for a moment, he suddenly raised his head. Frightened warriors were trembling shivering as they looked at him.

Jang Geon gestured slightly with his chin toward them, and the warriors who understood the meaning eagerly fled in joy. They didn’t even glance back at their fallen leader or comrades. Watching that sight, Jang Geon muttered suspiciously.

“Are these fellows really the Yellow Turbans?”

His eyes turned back to the unconscious Gal Woong. The certainty was something he could slowly find out now.