Chapter 75: Chapter 75

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Having galloped delightfully for a long while, Yang Goeng subtly glanced back.

Far off on the plain, he saw those galloping while raising dust. It must be the Great Peace Band a beat late due to scuffling with the Black Market group. Since Yang Goeng could see them right now, they would also still see Yang Goeng.

It didn’t matter. He was now emerging from the plain and entering rocky mountains and valleys. Entering this way, even if the distance narrowed slightly, their vision would be obstructed, making it hard to find Yang Goeng. And somewhere in this place slept Li Shimin’s legacy. Yang Goeng gave a subtle smile.

In the legends of the Li Clan, there was a story that they departed leading ten wagons’ worth of treasure. However, Yang Goeng didn’t believe that all ten of those wagons were treasure. Though the Li Clan of that time was an ancient clan, in the end they were those driven out after failing to overcome friction in the Central Plains. There was no way their wealth was that immense.

Probably most of those ten wagons were merely furniture or the luggage of clan members.

Yang Goeng, who was a Dark Dragon Corps agent and secret agent for the Martial Alliance, actually knew the end of the Li Clan slightly better than Li Yeon. The reason the patriarch at the time, Li Zhi, abandoned some of the workers and collateral members of the clan in Sinsacheon was clear. Li Zhi could not feed and support them, and those abandoned were healthy of body so they were ones who would survive even doing manual labor.

Even after that, as the Li Clan moved east, those whose opinions conflicted with Li Zhi and those disappointed in this land and the patriarch continued to fall away. According to what he found out using the Martial Alliance secret agent information, the clan members who followed Patriarch Li Zhi to the very end barely exceeded ten. The rest had all scattered across this New Continent.

It was a natural story that the one who left behind the Treasure Map was one of those ten, and the commoners killed by horse bandits were their descendants. At the fact that the descendants of an ancient clan that used to lord over the world had lost both martial arts and wealth, becoming mere farmers, Yang Goeng burst into laughter again. Probably that farmer didn’t even know who his ancestors were. Nor would he have known that the Treasure Map was a Treasure Map.

“Whether descendants or ancestors, I have to eat well and live well first. I will eat up the treasure you left behind well, Patriarch Li Zhi.”

Muttering so, Yang Goeng pulled out the Treasure Map he had roughly shoved into his breast pocket earlier. Inspecting the spot where he currently stood and the path he had traveled so far, he soon galloped his horse again. Desolate rocky mountains were filling his front view.

Galloping in that greyish-brown world for a long while, sweat soon dripped down his forehead. His horse, which had repeatedly galloped and walked until now, also gradually foamed at the mouth, its condition not good.

“Let’s go a bit further, just a bit.”

Coaxing and encouraging such a guy, Yang Goeng ran along the rocky mountain valley. He unfurled the Treasure Map in between to check his surroundings, but because rocky mountains were mostly similar in shape, he couldn’t find the path easily.

“Fuck… Make some kind of mark at least…”

Galloping and stopping again for a long while while frantically looking all around. At a certain moment, having decided on one direction, Yang Goeng galloped his horse without hesitation. Sand dust raised by horse hooves rose up hazily between rocky mountains.

And the moment Yang Goeng rounded one of those rocky mountains, a valley unfolded in front of him.

In fact, saying a narrow plateau rather than a valley would be accurate. Jagged rocky mountains rose on both sides, but the ground between them drew a gentle hill like a slack clothesline. If there were a village, it would be good land to run an inn business for people crossing back and forth across this side and that side of the rocky mountains.

And as if there were ones who actually had such thoughts, old wooden houses were seen here and there.

“Fuck, what is this? Around here? They set up a village here? In this desert?”

Just then, the horse he was riding let out a deflating sound and collapsed limply.

“Huh? Woah!”

Yang Goeng nimbly stepped onto the ground so as not to be pinned under the falling horse and inspected the horse’s state. The guy, taking deep, rough breaths, did not look to be in a state to carry him and run.

“…Yeah, just rest.”

Leaving the horse lying down like that to rest, Yang Goeng nimbly turned around and ran toward the wooden houses. Only upon getting close did he realize that the condition of the old houses was in a state where one could hardly view people living in them now. Pulling out a short saber from behind his waist, Yang Goeng ran to the nearest wooden house among them and kicked the door open outright.

Inside the wooden house spewing dust with a thud, there was no one. There were several pieces of dust-covered furniture, but those too merely proved that people had not lived there for a long time.

“…What is this?”

Yang Goeng rapidly exited the house. And with tightly knitted eyes, he pulled out the Treasure Map and compared it with the houses visible here and there. Meanwhile, the largest house among the old houses caught his eye. A signboard was hanging above the entrance of that building. And the pattern drawn on that signboard was a symbol present on the Treasure Map as well.

Running over nimbly, Yang Goeng entered inside that large house where wind blew right through. Even amidst being old and dust-covered, the furniture inside that house was not normally luxurious. However, even seeing that, his expression slowly darkened.

Afterwards, Yang Goeng began frantically searching the inside of that house. Old luxurious furniture would also be quite worth money if he found a suitable buyer, but right now what he wanted was not such things. He wanted the gold and silver treasures that the final Li Clan patriarch, Li Zhi, would have possessed. If nothing else, at least Li Shimin’s martial arts.

However, in the house blowing only dust, there wasn’t much useful. There were also several booklets, but because they were too old, they crumbled to dust, making it hard to read their contents. They wouldn’t have left Li Shimin’s martial arts like this.

“Fuck… Completely broke?”

Cold sweat began to flow from Yang Goeng’s forehead. To begin with, he hadn’t even expected a truly vast treasure. He thought just obtaining one small chest would be a gain, and running off nimbly thinking it’d be better to eat that alone rather than share it. But if there was nothing like this…

Moving around the house frantically in desperation, next moment he realized the floor beneath his feet creaked and shook slightly. His expression brightened. He snapped his body around to inspect the floor. And he froze with that bright expression intact.

Someone was standing at the door.

“…You caught up quickly, Li Yeon. Where is Brother Jang?”

Standing at the door and lightly catching her breath, Li Yeon glared at Yang Goeng without answering. Standing with the bright exterior behind her, her figure looked black like a shadow. Simultaneously, the axe held in her right hand was glinting.

Once her breathing settled down to some extent, she opened her mouth.

“…You bastard. I was a fool to trust you.”

It was a tone as if spitting out each word. However, Yang Goeng shrugged his shoulders lightly and answered.

“You trusted me? Really? Look here, Li Yeon. You and I, though there’s a slight difference, are ultimately back-alley thief woman and man. Where is there trust in that? Did you really think I would stay quiet until the end? Probably Brother Jang didn’t think so either.”

“Are you calling that an excuse?”

“It’s not an excuse, look at the truth. Speak honestly, Li Yeon. You too would have betrayed me or Brother Jang if you had the chance, wouldn’t you? What was our profit distribution? Brother Jang was to take six, while you and I took two each. The martial arts book was unconditionally to be owned by Brother Jang. Does that make sense?”

Yang Goeng spoke in an attitude as if it really didn’t make sense.

“Let’s lay it all out open. Brother Jang probably didn’t think that unreasonable ratio would be maintained until the end either. Honestly, the friendship between Brother Jang and me is a bit far from such financial trust relations. And you didn’t really intend to take just two shares either. Why did you seduce Brother Jang? Weren’t you thinking of changing the distribution ratio a bit? A thief rolling her brain, a thief reading maps, and a thief using blades met, and they find treasure happily without any problem and part cleanly after dividing? Writing a novel like that gets you criticized too.”

Li Yeon raised her axe, pointed it at Yang Goeng, and said.

“…Either way, the one who ran off with the map is you. The thoughts of me or Warrior Jang don’t matter. Because you are the only one who executed it.”

Yang Goeng smirked.

“Fuck, are you going to press me like that leaving me speechless?”

The moment Li Yeon saw that smile and tried to say something, Yang Goeng suddenly lunged at her. His blade thrust in sharply targeting near Li Yeon’s shoulder.

However, she quickly hooked that blade with her axe and pulled it strongly outward. Surprisingly, Yang Goeng let go of the blade just like that. And before the flying blade hit the floor, he grabbed Li Yeon’s arm and twisted it.

Strength loosened in Li Yeon’s right palm, and the axe dropped with a thud. Holding her arm twisted like that, Yang Goeng raised his fist for a follow-up strike.

Just then, Li Yeon’s foot flashed up and kicked Yang Goeng’s groin. Yang Goeng’s face turned pale.

“Hueck… This is… a foul…”

“Foul my ass, you bastard who ran off with the map, fuck!”

Yang Goeng pulled his legs together and backed off in a half-bent posture. Thanks to that, Li Yeon freed her restraint. Gaining freedom in both hands like that, she drove her fist straight into Yang Goeng’s face.

His head snapped around, and Yang Goeng tumbled across the house just like that. Dust accumulated for a long time rose acridly. Li Yeon closed in tightly intending to continue beating up the fallen Yang Goeng. However, Yang Goeng who had fallen backward kicked Li Yeon’s belly straight as she approached.

While she staggered back, he stood up and lunged straight away. Tangled together like that, the two smashed up the old house and tumbled around. The old yet organized house was wrecked into a mess.

“Fuck! You actually knew from the start that this wasn’t a treasure map, didn’t you!”

Fighting hard for a long while, Yang Goeng suddenly shouted so. Mounting atop the fallen him and raining down fists, Li Yeon froze stiff. Yang Goeng thrust his fist high in that gap. His fist planted firmly into Li Yeon’s face.

As she was pushed to that side, Yang Goeng stood up stumblingly and continued speaking.

“Shitty… Now I get it. What this Treasure Map pointed to wasn’t buried Li Clan treasure, but the newly built Li Clan base right here… You must have known everything from the start. Right?”

Sitting collapsed, Li Yeon spat blood to the side, wiped it off, and stood up.

“…If you search, there should be at least a few scraps of gold.”

“No, fuck… What is here besides old worn-out tables and chairs!”

Yang Goeng pretended not to know even while clearly knowing there was something beneath his feet. However, Li Yeon looked at such a Yang Goeng as if he were pathetic and said.

“Pretending not to know while knowing everything. As you said, this was the new stronghold of the Li Clan. The person who took the Treasure Map was personnel dispatched to gather information emerging from Sinsacheon. However, at a certain moment, contact with this place was cut off. Even the small support that used to come stopped coming. The agent, thinking a problem arose in the clan, simply settled in that land as is. Because he thought reestablishing the clan in a desert like this made no sense to begin with.”

Yang Goeng listened to her words blankly while nosebleed flowed down. Li Yeon knew far more than expected.

“Later, when that agent barely got in contact with other clan members, the clan members who found it hard to survive had all left this place, and the only person remaining until the end was Patriarch Li Zhi. And even while the clan members were leaving like that, he didn’t give out a single penny. Surely there must have been not a small amount of gold and silver. Even if not ten wagons’ worth, that gold and silver should be hidden somewhere in this house. Probably Li Zhi’s corpse is there too. Because there wouldn’t have been anyone to collect it.”

“…Y-You, knowing all that, said the Treasure Map was real…”

Li Yeon gave a smile similar to Yang Goeng’s earlier and shrugged her shoulders.

“Why? At this level, it IS a real Treasure Map. You didn’t really believe there would be ten wagons’ worth of treasure either, did you? How many proper Treasure Maps are there among those in this New Continent? I knew from my father’s records that such a thing existed, and recognized it as soon as I saw it, but originally Treasure Maps are nothing more than children’s toys. I really don’t get why that Je Clan and other trash clung to it so stubbornly. I expected at most the Black Market’s pursuit.”

Of course, the reason this pursuit became so huge was a result reflecting the battle between giant powers in Sinsacheon. However, had that not been present, Li Yeon, Yang Goeng, and Jang Geon would have seized the Treasure Map from the Black Market’s horse bandits and run straight all the way here without major interference. Originally, trash who heard rumors of the Treasure Map would have ended before even cutting in.

Li Yeon stomped her foot with a thud. A hollow sound echoed from the dry wooden floor.

“Looking roughly, it seems to be under here, and after I beat you to death, I’ll go down, pull out the gold and silver, and share it with Warrior Jang. You won’t get a single penny. Got that?”

“…Fuck. So when is Brother Jang…”

“Thieves! Come out!”

The two, stealthily standing up, holding fists, and glaring at each other, turned into bewildered expressions at the voice suddenly cutting in. The voice heard from outside continued.

“You are surrounded by our Great Peace Band! Do not commit foolish acts and come out quietly! Otherwise, we will burn down the whole building!”

Li Yeon’s and Yang Goeng’s expressions froze completely. Facing each other, the two quickly picked up the blade and axe rolling on the floor. Due to urgency, Li Yeon picked up the blade, and Yang Goeng picked up the axe.

“Fuck, now we’re in a situation where we have to wait for Brother Jang.”

“Crazy bastard. Waiting is bullshit. When that man comes, you’ll be the first to die.”

While Yang Goeng wore a sulky expression, the shout was heard again from outside.

“I will count to five! If you don’t come out before then, we’ll set fire right away! Five! Four! Three! Two!…”

“W-Wait! Why are you counting so fast! Do it slowly, you motherfuckers!”

“If you don’t want to burn to death, come out right now! We know both of you man and woman are inside! Both of you come out!”

Hesitating for a moment, Yang Goeng and Li Yeon ultimately opened the door slowly and stepped out. Coming outside, they saw the Great Peace Band dismounted from horses standing in a semicircle surrounding the entrance.

Among them, a woman appearing to be the protagonist of the shout looked at the two and spoke.

“Is this the place? Is this the destination of the Treasure Map?”

Scanning the Great Peace Band in full, Yang Goeng confirmed that nowhere in their hands was anything like a torch visible, and chuckled.

“You sure bluff well. Where is the fire to set on the building?”

The woman narrowed her brows and drew the sword at her waist, pointing it at Yang Goeng.

“Now is probably not the time to act so arrogantly.”

“Then when should one act so? One should act so when there is even one advantageous point.”

“…You have an advantageous point? The ones surrounding you are us?”

“We do. Do you think we just came out? We had thoughts.”

In fact, Yang Goeng looked quite relaxed and confident. He didn’t look at all like a person surrounded by a dozen-plus hostile martial artists. Li Yeon beside him almost turned to look at him unconsciously thinking what this guy had eaten wrong.

However, she was soon able to understand Yang Goeng’s attitude. He was saying anything with the thought of buying time until Jang Geon arrived. So she also wore a similar expression. Of course, she wasn’t as shameless as him.

However, that alone seemed sufficient, as the woman of the Great Peace Band tilted her head and asked.

“…What is that?”

“What are you referring to?”

“What is the advantageous point you have!”

Yang Goeng gave a smirk and gestured slightly with his chin toward the house behind his back.

“This is not the destination of the Treasure Map. We still have to go a bit further.”

“…This is not the place? Are you telling me to believe that now?”

“What will you do if you don’t believe it? The Treasure Map was already burned. The contents of that map are only inside my head and this friend’s head.”

“What? Burned the Treasure Map?”

Li Yeon knew well that Yang Goeng wouldn’t do such a thing. The symbols and ciphers of the Treasure Map weren’t so easy that one could just memorize them in head and pull them out. However, Yang Goeng’s attitude was so natural that for an instant she almost believed it too.

However, the woman who had appeared startled rather slowly erased that surprise from her face. And becoming a cold face, she spoke.

“You’re buying time. Are you waiting for that swordsman to come?”

The corners of Yang Goeng’s mouth, pretending to be relaxed, trembled finely. Speechless for a moment, he couldn’t say anything.

“Playing clumsy tricks like a thief.”

She raised her hand that wasn’t holding a sword high. At that, all the rest of the Great Peace Band raised their swords. The woman spoke.

“Great Peace Band! Let’s reclaim the Treasure Map and treasure!”

“Reclaim my ass… When was it ever yours?”

Muttering so, Yang Goeng gripped the axe held in his hand more firmly. Li Yeon also held her blade and slowly backed off. Rather than a wide open space, entering inside the house to reduce space was better.

The Great Peace Band dismounted from their horses in a swarm and strided toward the two. Their stiffened faces and glinting blades were threatening.

Just when Yang Goeng and Li Yeon were about to slowly retreat inside the house again, a swoosh sound echoed from somewhere. At that strange sound, one of the Great Peace Band members turned his head to the side.

With a thud sound, an arrow lodged into his eyeball. The member whose head was pierced straight inside collapsed limply just like that.

Looking at the situation from behind without dismounting from her horse, the woman, Ju Seon, was startled and looked at the place where the arrow flew from. Riding horses and fluttering pitch-black long cloaks, men were galloping over while shooting bows. Their number was only five in total, but the Great Peace Band had no time to consider that number. Because arrows flying while tearing through the wind lodged into the bodies of the Great Peace Band members.

“Take cover! Everyone hide behind buildings!”

With about seven falling in an instant, the Great Peace Band scattered in total confusion. They hid behind the building where Li Yeon and Yang Goeng hid, or dashed frantically to hide behind other buildings. Ju Seon also dismounted from her horse and hid behind a wooden house.

However, even in the midst of that, two more Great Peace Band members fell. Now those remaining didn’t even reach five including Ju Seon.

“Damn it… Black Market? Are those bastards Black Market?”

“I haven’t heard that there are warriors among Black Market warriors capable of rapid shooting while galloping horses like that. They’re not Black Market.”

Entering inside the wooden house again and peeking outside through a gap in the split wall, Yang Goeng knitted his brows at Li Yeon’s answer.

“Not Black Market? Then are they Je Clan?”

“Well. In my view, it seems to be another side.”

“Another side?”

Li Yeon met eyes with Yang Goeng who turned to look at her and spoke.

“Another side. Another ancient clan.”

“…What?”

“Then don’t you understand this chaos? No matter if Li Shimin’s martial arts are at the end of the Treasure Map, that is a thing from more than a hundred years ago. Meaning it’s an outdated martial art. It’s not an item an ancient clan with high pride would make an effort to target. Unless it’s an unripened greenhorn. And to other ancient clans, that unripened greenhorn is actually more appetizing.”

Only then did a realization similar to Je Un-seong far off brush past inside Yang Goeng’s mind. Of course, not knowing the identity of the Great Peace Band, he didn’t notice that the Martial Alliance Leader had intervened. However, he was fully capable of inferring that there was a third force.

“…Fuck me. All that shit happened in Sinsacheon and I didn’t know?”

“Why? Isn’t it weirder for a thief to know the tactical game of ancient clans?”

Yang Goeng did not answer. Because there was no reason to reveal his identity.

While the two talked, the pitch-black archers slowly approached near the building. They were wearing conical hats over long cloaks slightly yellowish from dust, and bows were held in each of their hands. And arrows were still loaded in their bows. So the surviving Great Peace Band members all hid behind cover, merely glaring at them.

Just then, stopping their horses, those archers snapped their heads around and shot arrows toward the hiding Great Peace Band members. Ugh! Screams were heard. What kind of arrows had they shot, piercing through cover and lodging into the Great Peace Band members beyond.

Peeking outside through a gap in the wooden wall, Yang Goeng was also startled seeing a bow raised toward himself and rolled his body to the side. Thanks to that, the arrow that entered piercing the wall where he had been until just now had to lodge into the wooden floor.

“F-Fuck…”

Both Yang Goeng and Li Yeon gripped their weapons while breaking out in cold sweat. They could understand the reason the arrows could pierce wooden walls. Because their arrows were iron arrows made of iron.

However, after that single volley, the outside became quiet. Puzzled for a moment, Yang Goeng swallowed hard, put his face back to the gap in the wooden wall, and peeked outside.

The five archers were still mounted on their horses standing near the building, but strangely, all of them were merely looking vacantly somewhere far off.

Yang Goeng rubbed his face against the wooden wall with effort to see what they were looking at. Li Yeon beside him looked at that pathetically, gently shook her head, and carefully opened the door. Even when she opened the door like that, the archers were still looking far off.

Rather than looking at Li Yeon, they turned their horses’ heads in the direction they were looking and began galloping. Furthermore, they even shot the arrows they had been holding. Pitch-black arrows flew while drawing black lines continuously.

“Ah!”

Li Yeon, who poked her head out the door, only then was able to know who they were looking at and shooting arrows toward. The man galloping over along the ridge of the rocky mountain over there was the one she had been waiting for.

The one galloping over while lightly deflecting arrows was Jang Geon.