Chapter 1567
Taking a walk is best on a day like this. (2)
“Th-that…”
“I-It’s Jang Ilso! It’s Jang Ilso!”
The Beggars Sect members, who had been monitoring Sapaeryeon’s camp at Zhangjiajie, widened their eyes. They could hardly believe the scene before them.
“What on earth is that…?”
A man draped in an incredibly splendid red robe. It was Jang Ilso, Ryeonju of Sapaeryeon. He was walking at the forefront, followed by the elite forces of Maninbang and Black Ghost.
The army displayed a discipline so perfect that it was hard to believe the saying that the Evil Sects were just a ragtag group of numerous men.
However, the Beggars Sect members weren’t shocked by the discipline of the army.
“Why is Jang Ilso at the front?”
“Has he lost his mind?”
The voices of the Beggars Sect members sounded dazed and incredulous.
Jang Ilso was the leader, the core, and the very essence of Sapaeryeon.
For him to stand at the forefront of the army was an act that defied all common sense.
Of course, it would greatly boost morale. In truly dire situations, even emperors boldly lead their troops for that very reason.
However, even an emperor who personally leads a campaign does not stand at the front of the army. Nor does the leader in the final stand. Because if that one person dies, everything ends, there is no reason to take the greatest risk.
“…Could it be a fake?”
“A fake?”
“Jang Ilso once fooled us with his scheme, like a cicada coming out of its shed skin*, didn’t he? This Jang Ilso could also be a fake…”
“Y-yes. That could be the case!”
“Then we should report it first…”
As one of the beggars vigorously nodded in agreement at the suggestion to report.
Thud!
The head of the beggar in front of him exploded.
Hot blood splattered all over the face of the nodding beggar.
“Wha… What?”
In the face of the sudden, horrific event, the beggar could only let out a bewildered mumble.
Crunch!
In that instant, something pierced through both his knees.
“Ugh…”
Losing his balance, he collapsed to the ground, his pupils shaking wildly. He was so shocked that he couldn’t even feel the pain.
What on earth was happening?
Unable to lift himself, he saw a strange object before his eyes.
‘A… ring?’
It was an intricately engraved jade ring, clearly a luxurious item, completely out of place in this bleak landscape.
And so, the beggar immediately realized who had caused all this, and why he was now on the ground.
Click.
As if to confirm his suspicion, a chilling sound came from behind him.
The ring, which had been half-buried in the ground, floated gently into the air and then flew over his head and behind him.
“Hmm.”
At the same time, a strange voice was heard.
In that instant, a fierce battle between reason and instinct erupted in the beggar’s mind. Reason insisted he turn his head and identify the person behind him, while instinct screamed not to see that face with his own eyes.
This intense internal conflict further contorted the beggar’s already pained expression.
However, unfortunately, he wasn’t the one who would determine what happened next.
“Now, have you confirmed it?”
At the kind voice, the beggar froze and held his breath. His head jerked back, as if controlled by some external force.
A face both unfamiliar and familiar came into view. Jang Ilso, draped in a red robe, was smiling brightly.
“You were curious, weren’t you? Whether or not I am Jang Ilso.”
“Uh…”
Jang Ilso’s smile widened even more.
“Does this answer suffice?”
The beggar’s body, gradually soaked in blood, trembled like a leaf in the wind.
After all, dying was the least of it. Hadn’t he already prepared for death when he took on the mission to monitor Sapaeryeon?
But why was he trembling so much? After all, it was only death.
Jang Ilso’s red silk shoes approached leisurely.
Tap, tap.
The sound of the shoes lightly stepping on the ground echoed like thunder in the beggar’s ears.
“Or do you need something more? To be certain that I am Jang Ilso?”
“Uh… ugh…”
The color drained from the beggar’s face.
Watching this, Jang Ilso suddenly burst into laughter.
“Hahaha! Your face is so amusing. Hahaha! You look like an actor from a Peking opera [경극]!”
He laughed loudly, like someone who had seen something truly entertaining.
If not for the headless corpse lying in front of him, it could have been seen as a joyous and peaceful scene, such was the clarity of his laughter.
But the corpse was still warm, blood still spurting out. It was a truly gruesome and chilling sight.
Just as he had abruptly started laughing, Jang Ilso suddenly stopped and reached out to grab the collar of the fallen beggar, forcibly lifting him up.
Seeing him from a distance had been eerie, but seeing Jang Ilso up close was even more unsettling.
His skin was powder so white, even a woman would say it was excessive, his lips as red as blood, his long, dark eyelashes cast downward, and…
The beggar’s body trembled.
The eyes visible beneath those lashes.
His eyes, which seemed at once like those of a beast, a woman, and perhaps even a child, pierced through him like a blade.
“Speak.”
“Ugh…”
“Do you still need more?”
The beggar shook his head vehemently. The desperation made his movements all the more intense.
“Right?”
Jang Ilso smiled.
“I know. I know everything. The reason you all doubted me is because of what I did, right? It’s only natural. But… still, it’s not pleasant to be suspected, is it?”
The beggar, not fully comprehending the words, nodded hastily. He sought agreement, so he agreed urgently.
“Good boy.”
Fortunately, his response seemed to satisfy Jang Ilso.
“Yes. Now you believe that I am Jang Ilso.”
Jang Ilso, speaking gently, released his grip on the beggar’s collar. He smiled faintly and said,
“Then, go.”
For a moment, the beggar looked up at Jang Ilso in disbelief, as if doubting his ears.
“Why, what’s wrong?”
“C-Can I… really go?”
Jang Ilso clicked his tongue and shook his head slightly.
“I have no interest in beggars.”
It was an incomprehensible statement. Jang Ilso added.
“What good would it do to mess with someone who has nothing and from whom there’s nothing to take? It would only dirty my hands.”
He shook his hand, as if even the act of grabbing the beggar’s collar was distasteful.
“So, go on.”
“…”
“Hmm. Or do you not want to leave?”
“N-no… no! Than-…”
The beggar couldn’t even finish his sentence and awkwardly closed his mouth. After all, he was part of the Just Sect, and the absurdity of thanking the leader of Sapaeryeon left him momentarily speechless.
Turning his body and trying to get up as if he were a soul drained of life, the beggar lost his balance and fell again.
“Ouch!”
He was so out of it that he had forgotten his knee was pierced.
“Oh dear, oh dear. So forgetful. Tsk tsk.”
Jang Ilso, who had turned his back, glanced over his shoulder and clicked his tongue.
“You need to be careful. You’ll have a hard time getting to a place where you can beg if you can’t even walk. Though… as a member of the Beggars Sect, you might manage with just your arms.”
The terrified beggar desperately stretched out his arms, trying to grasp the ground and move forward.
“Come to think of it…”
The beggar’s blood ran cold in an instant. He instinctively sensed that Jang Ilso’s voice had changed ominously.
Forcing his trembling head to turn, the beggar looked back at Jang Ilso. Jang Ilso, who had been about to walk away, glanced back with a chilling gaze, vastly different from before.
“You still have something left.”
Swish!
Something pierced through the back of the beggar.
“Gah…ugh…uh…”
Blood gushed from the beggar’s mouth. The ring that Jang Ilso had sent flying earlier had pierced his dantian.
Of course, a person doesn’t die just from having their dantian pierced. But he could no longer use martial arts. What would the world call someone who has lost both their martial arts and their legs?
“A beggar should act like a beggar. Don’t you agree?”
Glancing at the beggar squirming like a worm, Jang Ilso smiled faintly and turned away.
“I’ve wasted enough time. There are people waiting for me, so I must hurry.”
“Yes!”
Leaving the groaning beggar behind, Jang Ilso moved forward again. The place he had left now held only a headless corpse and a man who had lost everything but his life.
“Commander… is this all right?”
“What do you mean?”
In a somewhat concerned tone, the subordinate cautiously spoke to Ho Gamyeong.
“I mean, is it wise for Ryeonju to be at the forefront?”
When Ho Gamyeong glanced back with a blank expression, the subordinate hesitantly continued.
“Granted, Ryeonju is the strongest, but… is it really necessary for him to reveal himself in such a manner? It doesn’t seem like a good move. It would be better to confuse the enemy instead…”
Ho Gamyeong’s eyes darkened ominously. Unaware of this, the subordinate continued speaking.
“Or rather, wouldn’t it be better to just finish off that beggar now? It’s obvious where the information from his mouth will go, so killing him to cut off the information seems like a better option.”
“We let him live on purpose.”
“Wh-what? Why…?”
“To let them know, as you said. To inform them that Ryeonju is here and that he is not an impostor.”
“But, why do something so unprofitable…?”
This time Ho Gamyeong slowly turned his head and stared directly at him.
“Do you know why people die?”
“…What?”
“Because they overstep their bounds, thinking they’re clever.”
At those words, the subordinate’s face turned pale.
“I-I apologize, Commander.”
“Ryeonju has spared you. If I hadn’t considered the sacrilege of spilling blood before Ryeonju, your head would already be severed by my hand.”
His voice was devoid of any murderous intent, as if stating a simple fact. This made the subordinate’s heart tighten even more.
Ho Gamyeong withdrew his cold gaze and lost interest. He then looked at Jang Ilso, who was walking at the front.
“Do you know why Ryeonju wears red clothes when going to the battlefield?”
“…That much, I’m not sure…”
Ho Gamyeong fell silent for a moment, looking at Jang Ilso’s red robe adorned with a black dragon.
‘You wouldn’t know’
– Bangju! They are targeting you, Bangju. You must escape!”
– Hahaha! Really? They’re targeting me?
That’s good news.
He had experienced countless battlefields.
Sometimes he survived, and sometimes he was allowed to survive. But Ho Gamyeong remembered clearly.
– Bangju! Why…?!
– This way, they’ll know exactly where I am, won’t they? Let them come. When the target is clear, people become blind.
In the middle of a battlefield swarming with wildcats, Jang Ilso, wearing a red robe stripped from a corpse, laughed maniacally.
Ho Gamyeong still vividly remembered the deep madness that flickered in his eyes.
That day, the two of them crawled out from the depths of what they believed to be inescapable death.
Since then, Jang Ilso always wore a red robe, or a white one stained red with blood.
So that, at any moment, the enemies could unmistakably recognize him.
‘Surely, they can see it clearly.’
That red robe does not allow the opponent to turn their head away.
Now the world would have to forcibly realize that Jang Ilso is here, and that he is coming to burn their world.
Could they still bury their heads in the sand and pretend nothing is happening?
Ho Gamyeong’s dark eyes gleamed coldly.
‘He is right here. The one you so desperately seek. The one who will burn you down!’
Jang Ilso’s red robe fluttered in the wind, as if heralding a sky soon to be covered in blood.
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