Chapter 256 Rescuing My Brother-in-Law (7)

Chapter 256: Rescuing My Brother-in-Law (7)

After meeting Yulong, I returned straight to the lodgings.

My plan was to take Woo Je-jun and Sima Xin with me to raid Bingdong and rescue Miao Shan.

Originally, I planned to attack immediately, but after hearing Yu Long’s opinion, I decided to reorganize our forces before moving out.

‘Bingdong is a facility under the Left General’s jurisdiction. What’s more, now that they’ve even locked up the scholars, security there must be extremely tight. It would be far safer to strike from within.’

‘You’re more cowardly than you look. A mere imperial guard? Give them a good whack and they’ll run crying…’

‘We have intelligence that twenty Golden Guard soldiers, all at the Peak level or above, are guarding the place. The two unit commanders are Supreme Masters. Moreover, the Left General’s retainers are right next door. Underestimating them could lead to a major setback.’

‘Well, there’s that saying about preparing for the worst…’

Safety complacency is unacceptable.

With preparations complete, we decided to begin our operation from within the left admiral’s compound.

The plan was simple.

We would begin at nightfall, the hour of the Pig, subdue the estate’s masters without a sound, then enter the ice cave at midnight to rescue Miao Shan.

After that, we’d lead everyone out of Nanjing through the escape route the Hao Gate kids had prepared, and it would all be over.

Seeing the end in sight, a sigh escaped me.

‘Getting married really is no easy feat.’

But what could he do?

I cannot let the only blood relative of Myohyang die.

“Let’s go.”

He took Woo Je-jun and Sima Heun with him and headed toward the pavilion where the other guards were staying.

Woo Je-jun cleared his throat and shouted loudly as he walked out.

“Who goes there?”

Creak.

“Hmm? Brother? What brings you here?”

“Ahem, nothing much. If Lady Oh is here, please call her out. I have something to discuss…”

The Sapa man gave a sly smile and nodded.

“Heh heh, understood. I’ve been waiting for her day and night anyway, so she’ll be out shortly.”

Summoning a woman in the dead of night meant the purpose was obvious.

After waiting a while, a woman came out saying something like, “Oh, what’s this?”

“Master Woo, what brings you here at this hour…”

Her demeanor and voice seemed demure at first glance, but everyone present knew her true nature all too well.

“Oh ho ho, might you have something to say to this maiden?”

A girl? What utter nonsense.

‘Does slathering on makeup hide your wrinkles?’

And this was in an era without functional cosmetics.

Take us, like Myohyang—we boast smooth skin even after washing our faces… No.

‘This isn’t right.’

Snapping back to her senses, she immediately unfolded the Chilgando scroll.

Sure enough, the Safa guys must not have wanted to miss the fun spectacle, because I could feel them pressed up against the window, straining to listen.

‘I knew it.’

Pssst…

I prepared the ultimate memorization technique, once called the Brain Exhibition, which had once scolded the world.

[Now!]

Woo Je-jun’s face flushed bright red as if it would burst upon receiving the telepathic message.

Because what he was about to say was a bit over the top.

“I’ll be blunt. Tonight, I wish to share a night of passion with Lady Oh.”

“W-what?! A night of passion?!”

It was a mad confession, to say the least.

Even from the open-minded perspective of modern times, it was a confession only an alpha male boasting celebrity-level looks could make.

That’s why Woo Je-jun stepped forward.

Of course, this is the martial arts world dominated by Confucian values.

There was no way such an absurd confession would fly.

He was almost certain to get slapped in the face.

Our strategy, too, was to seize that opening and subdue the enemies.

That tense moment passed.

“…Jo, okay.”

The woman accepted Woo Je-jun’s confession.

‘No.’

Why did that work?

A perfect miscalculation.

I barely suppressed my surging envy and breathed life into Jeonju City.

You must not miss the moment when their minds are distracted.

‘Go!’

The spear flew like a beam of light.

And.

Thud, thud, thud.

It successfully pierced through the heads of all three men clinging to the window frame.

Instant death for all.

Not a single one was a novice, but they paid the price for being distracted by the soap-opera-like turn of events.

Slap.

“Gah!”

Samaheun, who had approached unnoticed, swung his hand like lightning, striking the woman’s back of the head and knocking her unconscious.

Woo Je-jun pressed his finger to the woman’s pressure point with a bitter expression.

He couldn’t bring himself to choose the option of killing her.

“Huuu…”

Watching Woo Je-jun, his face still bright red, exhale a deep sigh, I thought to myself.

After all, when it comes to grabbing attention, fun matters more than plausibility.

* * *

After that, the conquest of the estate proceeded steadily.

No matter how much training they had received, the Geumgun, who were no different from strong commoners, were no match for us.

Occasionally, there were those with exceptional senses, perhaps having learned martial arts outside the military academy, but even they couldn’t block a single strike and fell like logs.

Now only one place remained.

The lodgings for the guests brought by Left Admiral Lee Mu-cheong.

The problem was that we had no idea how many were inside or what their combat strength might be.

[That won’t be easy, will it?]

[How about taking the Left General as a hostage instead?]

It was a decent suggestion, but he shook his head.

[That would make escaping much harder.]

Taking Imu-cheong hostage would make things easier for now, but it was obvious the royal guards would swarm like bees.

Think of it roughly like a North Korean spy taking the Army Chief of Staff hostage and escaping.

[Let’s just do it.]

[Yes.]

It was the right choice a hundred times over to subdue the enemy as quickly as possible.

‘If I’d known this would happen, I should’ve asked the eldest brother to bring poisoned bullets…’

If it had been my eldest brother, the head of the Green Dragon Sect, he would have readily given them to me…

‘Wait a minute.’

Come to think of it, even if there’s no poison dart, doesn’t he have at least one poison needle?

The Explosive Fire Needle.

A technique from the fearsome Green Dragon Sect, its name alone striking terror.

It was the secret technique given by the eldest brother, who highly valued the efforts to save the previous sect leader.

[Just wait a moment. I think there might be a way.]

He unleashed the Heaven-Defying Wind, reaching the tenth level, and swiftly returned to his lodgings. Then, he retrieved the Exploding Fire Needle from his belongings.

A small cylinder forged from a blend of iron and steel.

At a glance, it seemed sturdy enough that an explosion accident wouldn’t occur.

When I returned with it, Woo Je-jun and Sama Heun stared at me as if to say, “What the hell is this?”

[Just wait. I’ll take care of it in one shot.]

Leaving them behind, he aimed the Fireball Dart at the pavilion.

He spread his qi barrier to seal off the sound, then infused the fireball with his inner energy.

The gunpowder technology of this era hadn’t even reached the level of dynamite yet, so he planned to compensate for the lack of explosive power with his experience as a bomb expert.

“Huu.”

He pressed the button and detonated the explosive projectile.

BOOM!

A massive explosion erupted as a thousand feathered darts shot out like arrows.

Pssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

Countless impacts echoed as tiny, invisible holes appeared throughout the palace.

“……”

Perfect silence.

“…Did they take care of it?”

Woo Je-jun and Sama Heun entered the pavilion to assess the situation and soon sent a telepathic message.

[……Everyone inside is dead. No, to be precise, they’ve melted beyond recognition.]

“Holy shit!”

Hearing this, he flung the fire bomb he held in his hand far away, only to quickly retrieve it.

‘Just in case it might be recyclable….’

He stared down at the black cylinder and thought.

‘Bro, what the hell did you give me….’

I must treat my eldest brother well from now on.

* * *

It was the hour we had agreed upon.

Standing right beside Bingdong, Yulong appeared with two men in tow.

“……”

When I gave him a look, he hurriedly explained.

“They’re like brothers to me. You needn’t worry.”

“……I don’t believe you.”

Having come this far, there was no other way.

I could only choose to see the increase in numbers as a positive.

“Let’s go.”

Perhaps because it was an artificially excavated tunnel, there was only one entrance to the ice cave.

That meant whatever happened inside, it wouldn’t be easily noticed from the outside.

However, the reverse was equally true: even if Bingdong was surrounded from the outside, it was difficult to detect from within.

Therefore, Yu-ryong and I selected one person from each team to guard the perimeter.

Yu-ryong took the lead position.

Given the terrain, it would have been more appropriate for me, a specialist in martial arts, to take the lead. But I couldn’t very well leave the rear to someone else out of fear.

Getting stabbed in the back always hurts, after all.

Perhaps sensing my reluctance, he readily stepped forward, so I nodded without further comment.

We advanced cautiously for a while.

[He certainly doesn’t look easy to handle.]

We spotted the masters of Geumyeongdae hiding throughout the ice cave.

They weren’t close enough to distinguish friend from foe yet, so they didn’t charge at us, but if we advanced any further, it was obvious they’d notice us instantly.

I sent a telepathic message to Yuryong.

[Go all out from the start.]

[Won’t that make it harder to deal with the ones coming later?]

Seeing his doubt, I realized one thing.

This guy… he’s never fought with his life on the line before.

[Just do as I say for now. If it gets too much, I’ll help you out, so don’t worry.]

[Yes, let’s do that.]

Yu-ryong spread his lightning-like vision and dashed through the dark cave interior.

“Who’s there?!”

“Enemy!”

The Golden Winged Warriors, each unleashing their ultimate prayer, burst forth in an instant, thrusting their weapons forward.

Simultaneously, Yuryong drew his sword, emitting a vivid blue energy wave.

Crash! Crash!

The two who blocked the sword staggered heavily.

It was as if they were facing Danun wielding his heavy sword.

But the enemies were also the Golden Eagle Corps, counted among the imperial palace’s elite.

Unflustered, they raised their qi and swung their swords and sabers.

Seeing this, Yuryong’s subordinate lunged forward like a madman, but I stopped him.

“Hold on.”

Because the timing wasn’t right yet.

“What are you doing…!”

At that moment, a blue aura spread out from Yu-ryong’s entire body.

Kraaah!

A fierce, beast-like aura of self-defense repelled the enemies’ sword energy.

And then.

Whoosh!

Someone who had been hiding somewhere burst out, brandishing a spear that blazed with energy.

A golden aura like that of Yook Hak.

Judging by the weapon he wielded, it was undoubtedly one of the squad leaders of Geumyeongdae, personally trained by Yukhak himself.

“Now!”

The moment he saw it, he unfolded the Zhenwangbao with all his might.

Kwoong.

The Extreme Transformation of the Divine Body.

The surrounding terrain shifted, instantly transporting him right before the enemy commander’s eyes.

“……!”

The enemy, who had just raised his weapon, gasped in shock, but there was nothing he could do.

He couldn’t deploy his protective aura while unleashing his martial energy.

And there was no time to dodge either.

Ultimately, the enemy had only one choice.

Even at the cost of internal injuries, he had to retrieve the weapon he had thrust forward.

Gulp.

The enemy straightened his weapon, spitting blood. Or rather, he tried to straighten it.

Bang! Crack. Thud.

Until the former King Thirteen, giving it his all, completely shattered his ribs.

“Guhhh…”

Judging by Yookhak’s face, he wasn’t killed, but the injuries were severe enough to require at least a year of recuperation.

The utter silence that descended upon the scene spoke volumes about how swiftly the peerless master had been finished off.

Truth be told, this outcome was practically inevitable the moment I, the peerless strategist born of the Nine Dragons Fortress, stepped forward.

“Well? Pretty easy, huh?”

As I smiled and watched, Yulong, who had been staring blankly, snapped back to his senses and swung his sword.

Flash!

A thunderous burst of energy erupted from his blade, sweeping away the enemy.

I couldn’t just stand by either.

I unleashed the Zhenwangbao upon the enemy’s squad leader, another boss mob.

Kwaaang!

After a battle fierce beyond compare.

“Found it.”

“Jin… Moo-jeon?”

He had finally found his brother-in-law.