Chapter 234: Unwanted Companions Are Bound to Cause Trouble (3)

To reach Sichuan Province from Taiyuan, one had to pass through Shaanxi Province, an area that was best avoided due to the intense war with the Silent Night. Surprisingly, though, the road to the Shaanxi Western Fortress was crowded.

War changed many lives and landscapes. Martial artists chasing fame and glory flocked to the most intense battlefields, followed closely by merchant guilds.

These people were a common sight on the road to the Shaanxi Western Fortress. Although the war destroyed countless lives, there were always those who saw opportunity in conflict.

Jin Mu-Won’s eyes darkened. They’re the ones who benefit from war.

Many things were changing—people’s perceptions, their environment, and their worldviews. It was impossible to guess what the world would look like once everything settled.

Jin Mu-Won lifted his head and looked ahead at the Iron Brigade warriors chatting as they walked down the road.

Coincidentally, they were traveling the same road, bound for southern Shaanxi Province, where the fighting was fiercest.

The vortex of war that had engulfed Fu County now threatened the Mount Hua and Zhongnan Sects. If the sects were pushed back any further, their hallowed grounds, never before invaded by outsiders, would be in danger.

Because of that, Heaven’s Summit provided immense support to the two sects. One way they did so was by hiring mercenaries. They hired men who sold their services for money to reinforce the sects.

The Iron Brigade had clearly been hired the same way. They were known for diving into any profitable work, no matter the risk.

Does that mean Commander Yong Mu-Sung is in Fu County as well?

He couldn’t be certain, but the odds were high.

The thought left his expression complicated. Three years ago, Yong Mu-Sung was the one who had warned him about Gwan Dae-Seung.

He couldn’t have noticed anything amiss unless he has some connection to the man.

Suddenly, a large procession came into view, dozens of carts laden with goods and hundreds of martial artists escorting them.

“Who are they?” he mumbled to himself, not expecting an answer.

A woman replied, “They’re mercenaries hired by Heaven’s Summit.”

Jin Mu-Won turned at the voice. Chae Yak-Ran had ridden up beside him.

“Right now, they’re transporting supplies for the war. They sometimes buy from war merchants, but that way the cost climbs exponentially, so they procure the supplies directly.”

“I see.”

“You seem deeply interested in the war with the Silent Night yourself, Master Dan.”

“As someone living in this era, it’d be strange not to be.”

“Hmph!”

Jin Mu-Won’s answer did nothing to erase the doubt on Chae Yak-Ran’s face. She had never seen his face before, yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that she knew him.

“Is the Iron Brigade, no, the Iron Sect, going to Fu County as well?”

“That’s right. We received a request.”

“It must be a very dangerous one.”

“Why do you think so?”

“I heard that the Silent Night and the Heaven’s Summit are both concentrating their forces there. Doesn’t that make it dangerous?”

“That’s right.” Chae Yak-Ran nodded, not bothering to hide the truth.

“I see.”

“Master Dan, are you headed to Fu County too?”

“No, I am not.”

“That’s a relief. It’d be best if you stayed away from that area in the future. Especially with a child.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

CLATTER!

A loud clamor rose from up ahead.

The noise caused both of them to frown. Looking ahead, they saw a group of people approaching the mercenaries.

Chae Yak-Ran gestured, calling Jongri Mu-Hwan over. “What’s going on there?”

“Nothing major. It looks like the Demon Slaying Army is joining us.”

“The Demon Slaying Army? You mean those kids who received accelerated martial arts training?”

“Yes, about two hundred of them are scheduled for deployment in Fu County.”

“Hah! What a load of bullshit... What are they hoping those kids can accomplish?”

“I know, right?” Jongri Mu-Hwan shook his head bitterly. No matter how well the children had learned, how much help could they really be on a battlefield? At best, they would pad the numbers and be thrown to the front as cannon fodder.

“So they’re traveling with us?”

“It seems we have no choice. There is only one road to Fu County, after all.”

“Hmph!” Chae Yak-Ran frowned in obvious displeasure, but she knew that complaining wouldn’t change anything. She had no choice but to swallow her frustration in silence.

“I don’t like this any more than you do, but there’s nothing we can do about it right now.”

“I know, I’m not blaming you. I just hate this damn situation. What about the Commander and the others?”

“We’re scheduled to meet them in Fu County. They’ll probably arrive around the same time as us.”

“Got it.” Chae Yak-Ran nodded.

Jongri Mu-Hwan glanced at Jin Mu-Won, who was driving the carriage in silence with Yu Geon-Yeop seated beside him. Throughout the journey, Jin Mu-Won had barely spoken. He answered when spoken to and volunteered nothing.

Of course, taciturn men were common enough in the jianghu, and some wouldn’t say a single word all day. Jin Mu-Won wasn’t that extreme.

To put it simply, ‘Dan Cheon-Woon’ was an ordinary man with no particular standout qualities. Jongri Mu-Hwan had even looked into his background just in case. The Peacock Sect had indeed been annihilated, and Dan Cheon-Woon was its last survivor.

Still, something seemed off about all this. Although it was his first time seeing the man’s face, he seemed familiar. Not just his appearance, but his very aura.

No matter how hard Jongri Mu-Hwan racked his brain, however, he couldn’t place the man. Perhaps that was why it nagged at him all the more.

“Hmph!”

There’s definitely something there.

Jongri Mu-Hwan secretly marked Jin Mu-Won as someone to watch.

Jin Mu-Won glanced at the strategist. He felt the man’s subtle gaze, but thought nothing of it. Jongri Mu-Hwan was the brains of the Iron Sect. His situational judgment and intuition surpassed anyone else’s. Analyzing the cause of the slightest unease and digging for the truth concealed beneath came naturally to him.

Even so, he won’t find anything.

Jin Mu-Won tuned him out. Jongri Mu-Hwan wasn’t important right now.

His gaze fixed on the newly formed Demon Slaying Army. Two hundred soldiers marched with confident strides, their eyes intense and their backs ramrod straight. Their broad, proud shoulders spoke of rigorous training.

But their foundation is weak.

No matter the method, martial arts could not be learned overnight. One had to spend a long time building a foundation of physical strength and inner qi, and then erect the pillars of technique on top of it. Just laying the foundation took well over two years with a good teacher.

However, the Demon Slaying Army had learned in a fraction of that time and were being driven to the battlefield. To Jin Mu-Won, this was an impossible feat, even with the most brilliant instructors.

He had heard stories about the army, but this was his first time seeing its members in person. The sight was truly bizarre, but even more bizarre was how readily people accepted their existence.

While Jongri Mu-Hwan and the other Iron Sect martial artists looked on disapprovingly, most of the crowd seemed reassured by their presence.

Furthermore, the Demon Slaying Army swelled with pride under those gazes. They were the thirteenth generation, the thirteenth group to be deployed. The moment their training yielded even the slightest result, they were sent straight into battle.

“Hmph!” Jin Mu-Won’s gaze hardened. The members of the Demon Slaying Army were only fifteen or sixteen years old. They were children still young enough to long for their parents’ embrace, yet here they were, marching toward the battlefield with swords at their waists. The scene was surreal.

“What will happen to those hyungs?” Yu Geon-Yeop asked quietly.

“They’ll be sent to the front lines.”

“How many will survive?”

“Who knows?” Jin Mu-Won sighed. This was not an answer he could give, or a result he could predict.

“Those hyungs must have people waiting for and worrying about them, right?”

“I hope so.”

Jin Mu-Won meant it sincerely. He knew how hard and sad it was to be left alone in the world.

Even so, he had Hwang Cheol, someone he could trust and lean on. Thanks to him, he had never lost his humanity.

On the other hand, these boys had been thrown into this harsh world with nothing but a single sword. A cruel reality awaited them. They would have to weather the storm on that one blade alone. No one, not even Jin Mu-Won, could say how many would survive.

He sighed and tore his gaze away from the Demon Slaying Army. Just looking at them made his chest feel tight.

Jin Mu-Won drove the carriage in silence, and Yu Geon-Yeop remained quiet. A strange stillness settled over the carriage.

After traveling that way for some time, Yu Geon-Yeop suddenly lifted his head. He looked around, then glanced at Jin Mu-Won, whose gaze had sunk deep at some point without his noticing.

“Um...”

“You felt it too, huh?”

Jin Mu-Won was surprised. A faint killing intent had filled the area for some time. No one else, not even the Iron Sect martial artists, seemed to have noticed it. Yet, six-year-old Yu Geon-Yeop had caught it first. It was most likely because he was emitting such strong killing intent himself that he was sensitive to it in others.

The next to notice was, of course, Chae Yak-Ran. “Wait, the atmosphere feels strange.”

The Iron Sect warriors reined in their horses.

“What is it? There’s noth...” Go Cheon-Hu began, when his face darkened. He had sensed the killing intent as well.

“It’s an ambush!” Chae Yak-Ran shouted.

SWHOOOSH!

Before the words were even out of her mouth, countless hidden weapons flew through the air toward the mercenaries and the Demon Slaying Army.

“Kugh!”

“Keoheok!”

A dozen or so unprepared mercenaries and members of the Demon Slaying Army fell to the sudden assault. Only then did the rest realize they were under attack.

“Enemies!”

The Demon Slaying Army and the mercenaries belatedly took up defensive stances.

Gwak Sung, the commander of the Demon Slaying Army, drew his sword. “Who in the world?”

He was sixty years old and skilled in grappling arts and palm techniques, earning him the alias ‘Ghostly Apparition Hand’. Age had pulled him off the front lines and set him to teaching and leading the army, but his martial prowess was unchanged from his prime.

“The Demon Slaying Army will step forward and form a defensive line,” he commanded.

“Yes sir!”

The moment the words left his mouth, the army moved up and fell into formation.

Gwak Sung shouted in the direction from which the hidden weapons had come. “Who are you bastards? How dare you attack Heaven’s Summit!”

“Is Heaven’s Summit such a big deal?” a cold voice answered.

A cavalry troop appeared in the distance. One hundred martial artists clad in blood-red robes rode one hundred warhorses.

Gwak Sung’s face turned ashen. “D-Don’t tell me... the Supreme Demon Squad?”