Chapter 72: Chapter 72

* * *

The Great Peace Band pursued the Je Clan’s tracks while the sun was up, but from when the surroundings turned dark, they moved while relying half on intuition for direction. Moving for a long while following only the approximate direction by looking at the stars. The members of the Great Peace Band, who had been overflowing with energy when departing, were all drooping, holding only reins and walking sluggishly. Even the horses were walking by merely following the touch of the humans leading their heads in the scenery where nothing could be properly seen.

Had it not been for Baek Sa-gyeong and Ju Seon leading at the very front, the Great Peace Band would have lost their way and become isolated long ago. It would have been better if they had sat down to rest instead, but the two men leading at the front were striding forward without even tiring.

Just then, Baek Sa-gyeong spoke shortly and firmly.

“Halt.”

Half out of their minds, the Great Peace Band flinched and froze in surprise at that sudden voice. Thanks to Baek Sa-gyeong’s voice being thunderous, there was no one who failed to hear it. The Great Peace Band members looked toward the direction of the voice with puzzled eyes. After a brief silence, Baek Sa-gyeong spoke.

“Everyone light your torches!”

At that shout, the bewildered Great Peace Band members sluggishly pulled out torches tied to their horses. Because it wasn’t well visible, while they were dithering around, when someone else lit fire first, some also lit their torches from that light.

Either way, a short while later they were all able to check their surroundings holding torches. There wasn’t anyone else in particular. Except for fatigue dripping heavily from their faces, they were in the exact appearance as when they had first dismounted and started walking.

But Baek Sa-gyeong, who stood at their lead, was also holding a torch and looking around with a serious face. Ju Seon, who was looking around together, asked.

“…Why, Commander? Did you find something?”

“I hear Gal Woong’s voice.”

“Pardon?”

Baek Sa-gyeong soon pinpointed a direction and drew the sword mounted on his back. And walking at the lead again, he spoke.

“Everyone draw your weapons. It might be a trap.”

Only then did the Great Peace Band members follow behind him with tense faces. They advanced while keeping watch on their surroundings, and a short while later they were able to discover the owner of the voice Baek Sa-gyeong had heard.

“Gal Woong!”

A lump of blood was tied to a thick tree with a rope. Looking around and confirming there were no enemies, Baek Sa-gyeong ran as if flying, held him, and slowly untied the rope to lower him. Around him, the Great Peace Band members gathered.

“…My heavens.”

“Is, isn’t he dead?”

The bloody lump Baek Sa-gyeong called Gal Woong was simply a person who had been beaten to a mess within an inch of his life. The Great Peace Band members could not associate Gal Woong with him, but Baek Sa-gyeong was different.

“Gal Woong! Get a grip! Gal Woong!”

“…Co, Commander…”

One of Gal Woong’s swollen, blood-soaked eyes opened ever so slightly. Discovering Baek Sa-gyeong, he trembled and desperately moved his lips.

“Commander… Do, don’t fight… with Jang Geon… The ones who did this to me… were…”

He could not finish speaking like that and his limp trembling stopped. And simultaneously, that place where over thirty people gathered became extremely quiet. Anyone could see Baek Sa-gyeong, who had been tightly gritting his teeth, slowly placed the breathless Gal Woong on the ground and stood up. And he began digging a pit beside him.

He dug a pit big enough for one person by himself, laid Gal Woong inside, and even covered the soil by himself. While he was doing so, all the Great Peace Band members stood blankly holding torches, watching him with silent eyes.

Baek Sa-gyeong, whose hands and clothes had become covered in dirt, looked at the mound he had built, then turned around to face the Great Peace Band members.

“Let’s go. We will no longer pursue while hiding. We will hold torches and pursue as fast as possible.”

“W, wait a moment, Commander. Please be a bit calm! The Je Clan warriors could be inside that forest right now, and considering the words Gal Woong said at the end…”

Baek Sa-gyeong held up his right palm toward Ju Seon, who was trying to stop him.

“Enough. This is no longer simply a fight for the Great Peace Band’s war funds. Now we must take revenge.”

“No, do you even know how things are turning out? To speak bluntly, the ones who did that to Gal Woong could be the Je Clan’s warriors! ‘The ones who did this to me were the Je Clan’s warriors!’ Don’t you think he was trying to say that?”

“Gal Woong was captured by that man named Jang Geon. So even if Gal Woong ultimately died by the Je Clan’s hands, considering the circumstances, it doesn’t seem Jang Geon can be left out. Then he must pay the price for torturing a Great Peace Band member like this.”

Baek Sa-gyeong spoke as he strided past her.

“…If you wish, you may turn back.”

He spoke only that much, and holding his horse’s reins in one hand and a torch in the other, he began walking at the front. All the Great Peace Band members followed behind him. Watching that with a frowning face, Ju Seon ultimately let out a deep sigh and followed behind.

* * *

In the long martial history of the Je Clan, there were also martial arts that enhanced eyesight so one could see well in dark places. It was a martial art revealed only to Je Clan warriors and could only be learned upon joining the striking squad, but right now everyone here was such a person.

The sight of over a hundred warriors and horses walking through the dark forest without a word, making only rustling sounds underfoot, was like a marching army of the dead.

Just then, the Blood Plum Eagle flying in the midnight sky descended toward the head of that march. Je Un-seong narrowed his eyes upon seeing the Blood Plum Eagle return. It meant there was some special occurrence regarding Jang Geon’s party. The Blood Plum Eagle landed on Je Un-seong’s left arm, bobbing its body.

“…They departed? Did they notice our pursuit? No, they probably guess the pursuit itself. But they shouldn’t know we’ve closed in right now?”

The Blood Plum Eagle, bobbing its body, fluttered its wings and flew again. As Je Un-seong watched it, Je Sang-cheon approached beside him.

“What is it?”

“…They say the Treasure Map party has departed, Young Master. Whatever happened, we must adjust our route slightly to the east and keep moving.”

Je Sang-cheon nodded.

“There’s no rule that that side wouldn’t use their heads while we use ours. Fine, let’s keep moving.”

At his hand gesture, the warriors who had temporarily paused their movement began moving again. The noisy yet reticent march turned direction slightly and continued on.

They were not fast, but moved steadily. There was no hesitating from taking a wrong direction, nor did anyone stop from exhaustion. And that was also an imitation of the form of the strongest legion under heaven.

Fundamentally, the warriors of ancient clans move like a small-scale Imperial Army. Because its efficiency was proven over a thousand years of history, they felt no need to change it. In fact, the Imperial Army could move several times the scale of the Je Clan currently moving, more flexibly like a single living organism.

After their march continued like that for a long while, the dark sky began to be dyed bluish. Dawn was starting. And the valley of the rugged mountain range was curving down gently. They had crossed the mountain range spending the entire night starting from yesterday.

Just then, the Blood Plum Eagle returned again. The Blood Plum Eagle continually went back and forth between the target and Je Un-seong, reporting the direction and remaining distance, but now the time it took to return had noticeably decreased. They had gotten close to the target.

Je Un-seong launched it up again and continued forward. And the forest that had been dense until now gradually thinned out, and his view began to open wide. Thanks to that, he was able to confirm far below the valley a presence crawling forward ahead.

“…One person?”

At that moment, Je Un-seong thought he had fallen into a trap. Guessing the Je Clan’s pursuit force, they split their personnel into two to split their tracks, leading the pursuit force at the front while the rest escaped by bypassing the route.

But he soon realized that was not the case either. If the party had split into two and moved, the Blood Plum Eagle would have informed him. Then? That the one moving was only that person over there.

Guessing the situation, Je Un-seong smirked.

“…Indeed, the friendship of thieves is ultimately like that.”

It was perhaps natural for thieves not to trust each other over treasure, betraying and stealing the treasure. It was just that because Jang Geon was among those thieves, because he was a man to whom Je Un-seong and the Je Clan owed a small debt yesterday, he hadn’t thought of it immediately.

“Why is that guy alone?”

Je Sang-cheon, who had approached beside him, also discovered the person advancing below the valley and asked so. Je Un-seong answered with a subtle smile.

“Thieves trusting each other is a story that only comes out in storybooks, Young Master. It is not so strange for a greedy and fast-handed guy to sneak off with the Treasure Map and run ahead first.”

“…Are you saying he betrayed his companions?”

“Well, betrayal is something possible only when there is trust… One cannot expect that from a thief…”

Je Sang-cheon snorted.

“Trash. Let’s go. Since he’s in sight, we can catch him quickly.”

“Ah, calm down, Young Master. The distance between that guy and us is quite considerable compared to how it looks. Because the trees and grass have decreased, the sense of distance is slightly off. If we recklessly gallop our horses from here at full strength, by the time we catch up to him, he will gallop his horse as well, and then our horses will become gradually exhausted, eventually losing him.”

When Je Un-seong held him back like that, Je Sang-cheon knitted his brows and asked.

“Then?”

“…Until that guy notices, we just need to follow along as we are now.”

Je Sang-cheon looked back and forth between the thief visible far off and Je Un-seong, appearing to deliberate. While Je Un-seong was thinking about how to further persuade this greenhorn, Seom Ji-young beside him subtly grabbed Je Sang-cheon’s arm. At her touch, he nodded to Je Un-seong with a tightly closed face.

“Mmm… Then let us continue, Young Master.”

Je Un-seong led the way while recalling the dilemma he had pondered yesterday—whether to be satisfied that the prospective mistress was wise, or to suffer at the sight of the prospective patriarch easily swayed.

Certainly his words were right. The distance between the pursuit force and the thief walking far below did not easily shrink. At a certain moment, the trees and grass drastically decreased, and terrain with ground entirely covered in gravel and jagged rocks appeared. As the sky gradually brightened and sunshine finally beamed down, those gravels and rocky mountains began to shine in yellowish-grey.

And at a certain moment when the Je Clan’s pursuit force was holding its breath and continuously shrinking the distance, the thief trudging ahead while leading his horse suddenly stopped his steps and turned around with a whip.

Je Un-seong shouted.

“We’re spotted! Mount your horses!”

* * *

“What the fuck? What are those bastards? Je Clan? Is it the Je Clan’s pursuit force?”

Walking in a pleased mood with the Treasure Map embraced in his chest, Yang Goeng suddenly turned around at a strange feeling. And from above the rocky mountain looking down at the valley where he was, he was able to discover over a hundred black dots rushing down. Only then did his eyes see an eagle circling high up in the sky.

“…Blood Plum Eagle! Damn it!”

Yang Goeng hurriedly scrambled onto his horse and kicked its flanks. The horse, walking half-asleep, was startled by that and began sprinting forward with a thud. Hazy dust rose up thinly along that sprint. The Je Clan’s forces also began galloping behind him.

Once leaving the forest, trees were no longer visible. Thanks to that, there was no place where even a small shadow cast, and so that whole area rapidly brightened. Though they had merely crossed one mountain range, the world had become a dry, desolate land. Leaving the prosperous Sinsacheon region, they had reached the wilderness.

While the dim sun rose, Yang Goeng adjusted his horse’s speed while glancing back repeatedly. If he ran too frantically, the horse would become completely exhausted and caught up to, and if he was too leisurely, they would catch up. Deeply carved valleys between hills rising bulge-like without a single tree became their racetrack. The distance between Yang Goeng and the pursuit force was considerable, but because there were no thickets or trees to hide them other than hills, they could clearly confirm each other’s positions.

“Fuck… Why are they suddenly closing in so near… Is it because I’m alone, so they think it’s a chance?”

Yang Goeng’s muttering was correct. Je Un-seong viewed now, when he was separated from Jang Geon, as the golden opportunity. For him, fighting against Jang Geon carried a bit of a burden. Because if possible, he wanted to draw Jang Geon into the clan’s fold.

Running while adjusting pace for a long while, finally the front of Yang Goeng opened wide.

He had completely emerged from the mountain range. Though there was still a gentle slope downward, now his front was only wilderness filled with dry grass and dust.

“Fuck! Is this map even right? What crazy bastard hides a treasure in a place like this?”

Though no one was listening, Yang Goeng vented his temper for no reason. Slowing down his horse’s speed, he pulled out the Treasure Map from his breast pocket. A map filled with ancient Li Clan ciphers unfurled.

“Dammit…”

In truth, Yang Goeng was a person quite confident in deciphering such ciphers or secret codes. He was a member of the Emperor’s secret organization, the Dark Dragon Corps, as well as a secret agent for the Martial Alliance. And he was a thief. Even if his martial arts were slightly lacking, he prided himself on being quite adept at stealing things and interpreting information to cause confusion. Of course, that pride wouldn’t protect him when he met Jang Geon.

Based on the path they had traveled so far and the approximate destination Li Yeon had told him, Yang Goeng rapidly interpreted the symbols of the Treasure Map. There was no need to interpret everything. Right now, knowing just the direction was enough.

“Good, this way…”

Just then, receiving a strange feeling like when he noticed the Je Clan’s pursuit force earlier, he snapped his head up. And he rapidly scanned all directions.

“What the hell are you guys again?”

Far off to the left of Yang Goeng, who emerged from the valley and ran toward the plain, a group of mounted men was rushing in a swarm. They had been waiting below a hill in a direction not visible from the valley Yang Goeng emerged from. But their numbers were quite large. More than the Je Clan pursuit force following behind right now.

Narrowing his eyes to inspect their attire, Yang Goeng soon realized their identity.

“…Black Market? Those shameless bastards…”

Fluttering black robes as over a hundred warriors rushed forward, they appeared to be the warriors of the Sinsacheon Black Market. Setting aside how they possessed such a large force, seeing that number right now made Yang Goeng feel as if his heart were pitifully shrinking.

Yang Goeng increased his horse’s speed. According to the map, running straight ahead was correct, but he unconsciously tilted his route to the right.

Just then, there were those who appeared from that right side as well.

“…Fuck me, it’s a full-on festival, isn’t it?”

Yang Goeng was now so dumbfounded that he gave snickers while riding his horse. The ones appearing from the right had the smallest numbers. However, wrapping yellow cloth around their heads and galloping while glaring with bloodshot eyes, their appearance even showed a faint madness. Those charging toward Yang Goeng carried the name Great Peace Band.

The Je Clan pursuit force originally chasing them, the Great Peace Band, and from Yang Goeng’s perspective, the Black Market that suddenly appeared—hundreds of people and as many horses ran after the very front while raising acrid dust in the wilderness. And at that very front, Yang Goeng galloped his horse while laughing like a madman from a certain moment.

“Fuck me! Do you bastards think I’m that easy! Fine! All of you come on! Catch me if you can, you dumbasses! See if I get caught, fuck-!”

* * *

On a hillock unclear whether it was a mountain or a hill without a single tree, two horses stood. In their eyes as well, hundreds of people raising dust ahead were visible.

“What on earth… what situation is this? Don’t tell me those are all people targeting the Treasure Map…”

“It must be so.”

“My heavens…”

Those two were Jang Geon and Li Yeon, who had confirmed Yang Goeng had disappeared only at dawn and ridden here without getting a wink of sleep. Looking at the hazy dust raised by them, Jang Geon turned his head to Li Yeon.

“Reclaiming the records of the ancient Li Clan ultimately means confronting all of them. Can you do so?”

At those words, facing Jang Geon, Li Yeon slowly calmed her flustered self. She nodded.

“…Every year when I performed my father’s memorial service, I didn’t have much to say. Until the moment he died, my father was obsessed with a non-existent clan and forced that on me too. I’m not grateful for that, but… shouldn’t I at least try so that in front of his memorial table I can say I did my best in my own way? That would be the minimum courtesy I can show my father.”

Saying so, she pulled out a hand axe from her waist.

“…And I also have to teach that bastard Yang Goeng a lesson.”

Jang Geon laughed softly.

“Indeed. That is an important matter too.”

Muttering so, he lightly tugged the reins. As if excited seeing hundreds of horses moving down below, Jojo let out a rough snort and pulled the reins. It seemed to say let’s run quickly. Jang Geon lightly stroked his mane and spoke.

“Let’s go.”

Afterwards, the two also galloped toward the preliminary chaos swirling in the wilderness below.