Chapter 310
Ssssssh!
Five hundred bandits emerged from the shadows behind Thousand Strength Axe.
Ju Hwa-Ran's icy expression wasn't solely due to their overwhelming numbers.
'Today, they exude a different aura.'
The Dragon Phoenix Armed Escort Agency and the Green Forest Alliance shared a complex history.
Usually, a toll was paid, and peace maintained.
But today, Thousand Strength Axe and his Black Stone Fortress bandits showed no signs of backing down.
“You are... determined to see bloodshed.”
At Ju Hwa-Ran's words, Thousand Strength Axe smirked.
“Young bitch, you are quite perceptive. Yes, today I plan to drench Black Stone Mountain in blood.”
“Young bitch?”
“Why, would you prefer if I called you an old bitch?”
“I am the young leader of the Dragon Phoenix Armed Escort Agency. As I respect you, you should also show some courtesy.”
Ju Hwa-Ran's elegant brows arched.
As the sole heiress, she was no delicate flower.
She grew up training rigorously, earning her the title 'Strong Flower of the North'.
She was no sheltered bloom.
“You are a daring bitch. What will you do if I don't?”
“Then…”
Ju Hwa-Ran, the Flower-Shrouded Blade, spoke with frost in her voice.
“You will die, bitch.”
“What? Uh-huh, hahahaha!”
Thousand Strength Axe's laughter halted abruptly.
“You have more backbone than I thought. I like that.”
“I don't care if an old bandit like you is pleased.”
“You have a sharp tongue. Aren’t you worried about what comes next?”
“Why are you doing all this?”
“Why? Does a bandit need a reason to murder and steal?”
Ju Hwa-Ran bit her lip at Thousand Strength Axe's sly retort.
"If this gets out, the Green Forest Alliance's standing will be jeopardized."
"Jeopardized?"
"We, the Dragon Phoenix Armed Escort Agency, are also part of the orthodox martial world. The orthodox martial arts world won't just stand by."
"Members of the orthodox faction, huh? That would be troublesome."
Thousand Strength Axe pondered, stroking his wild beard.
"That's why I intend to make sure it doesn’t get out. All secrets remain secrets if there is no one to leak them out, right?"
"……!"
He plans to murder them all.
Tensing up, Ju Hwa-Ran tightened the grip on her sword as Chief Escort Heo Jun intervened.
"One hundred nyang! If you let us pass, we’ll give you one hundred silver nyang. We'll consider today’s matter closed and ask no further questions."
"Ho, one hundred nyang? And in silver?"
"Of course. Have I ever spoken falsely before?"
"That's true. We’ve met each other more than once or twice. I can trust Chief Escort Heo."
Chief Escort Heo Jun had been with the Dragon Phoenix Armed Escort Agency for nearly thirty years.
The Dragon Phoenix Armed Escort Agency, based in Shaanxi, was a large courier service. Having successfully completed hundreds of large and small courier missions, Heo Jun frequently traveled over Black Stone Mountain, familiarizing himself with the leaders of the Green Forest Alliance, and it was the same with Thousand Strength Axe, who became the new leader five years ago.
"Five times the usual toll. Enough with your cruel tricks, just let us through."
"Cruel tricks? Did it seem that way?"
Thousand Strength Axe's face, which had burst into a carefree laugh, suddenly turned cold.
"You can take people for fools, but there is a limit. Listen, Chief Escort Heo. The price has to be right."
"Right price?"
"I know that among the goods you're transporting, there's the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng. Even the dogs raised in our mountain fortress know this. If I sell it as stolen goods right now, I could easily get thousands of silver nyang. Isn’t that right?"
"……!"
Ju Hwa-Ran, Heo Jun, and the rest blinked rapidly, stunned.
The Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng, an elixir that could grant a lifetime's worth of energy if fully absorbed.
The existence of the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng, was meant to be a tightly guarded secret of the Dragon Phoenix Armed Escort Agency, commissioned by the Southern Edge Sect.
How did Thousand Strength Axe know?
'It wasn’t a coincidence.'
Memories of the past four months' courier missions flashed through Ju Hwa-Ran’s mind:
Relentless attacks by bandits and rogues, seemingly personal vendettas.
All these conflicts, the losses they suffered, must have stemmed from the leaked information about the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng.
'Who could it be?'
This thought, though reluctantly considered, was previously stifled by Ju Hwa-Ran.
Her trust in her team had been her rock, supporting her through the turbulent last two years.
These people were her legacy, inherited from her grandfather and father.
Even as the Dragon Phoenix Armed Escort Agency's fortunes waned, they remained loyal, their trust and support unwavering despite her setbacks.
This loyalty made her reluctant to suspect them. She didn’t want to believe it.
'But now…'
Ju Hwa-Ran's gaze swept across her companions.
Chief Escort Heo Jun, equally stunned by the betrayal, and the three privy to the secret of the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng appeared in her line of sight.
The Dragon Phoenix Escorts Three, the agency's most esteemed escorts.
'Seok Chil. No Pil-Jung.'
Her eyes moved from the two middle-aged escorts, both nearing forty, and rested on the third.
'Song Il-Seom.'
Song Il-Seom, a striking figure, stood apart from the others.
He had joined the agency a decade ago, quickly ascending the ranks thanks to his martial prowess.
Despite his occasional brashness, his skill had led many successful missions, earning him his esteemed position.
But whispers surrounded Song Il-Seom.
'He’s said to be from a vagabond background.'
'They say he wouldn’t refuse any job if the price was right.'
'Not just that? There are widespread rumors that he is in love with the young lady. Last time, the maid Mi-Hyang told me that he sneaks into the inner garden whenever he gets a chance.'
'The reason he joined the courier agency was because of the young lady… Everyone knows it, but the lady of the house has always been against an escort as a son-in-law.'
Ju Hwa-Ran was aware of these rumors about Song Il-Seom. She knew there was truth in them.
His overt attention had always made her uneasy. She had even hesitated to include him in this mission for that very reason.
'But could it really be Chief Escort Song…?'
As her gaze settled on Song Il-Seom, his expression shifted dramatically.
Flash, Ssssssssh!
"Hwa-Ran!"
Three actions unfolded at once.
A dagger sprung from Song Il-Seom's sleeve. Chief Escort Heo Jun instinctively shielded Ju Hwa-Ran.
And then…….
Thud!
“Kuhuk, krrk.”
Twenty yards away, a Black Stone Fortress bandit fell, a dagger lodged in his throat.
He convulsed, foam bubbling from his mouth, then lay still.
“……!”
A heavy silence fell. Breaking it, Song Il-Seom shouted.
“No need for words! Be prepared to fight to the death!”
His words carried in the night, and the Dragon Phoenix Armed Escort Agency realized negotiations were futile.
They had been unwittingly thrust into a desperate battle against overwhelming odds.
"Song Il-Seom! What are you doing?"
Chief Escort Heo Jun's outrage was met with Song Il-Seom nonchalantly positioning his liuyedao. [Note: The liuyedao or willow-leaf saber is a type of dao, a single-edged Chinese sword, that was commonly used as a military sidearm for both cavalry and infantry during the Ming and Qing dynasties.]
"What am I doing? It’s too late to question that now, isn’t it?"
"You…!"
"He’s right."
Ju Hwa-Ran's voice was steady.
She gripped her sword firmly.
Song Il-Seom was right.
Thousand Strength Axe, his eyes ablaze with fury, advanced rapidly.
"I will slaughter you all."
Tsss!
A red aura rippled around his enormous axe.
Among the numerous members of the Green Forest Alliance, Thousand Strength Axe was a Peak Master, ranked within the top twenty.
Empowered by their leader's aura, the five hundred Green Forest Alliance bandits growled like wild beasts.
"Kill them all!"
"This place will be your grave!"
Ju Hwa-Ran gazed at the stars.
'Maybe... this will be my last courier mission.'
Out of the remaining seventy or so people, excluding the porters, there were only about forty escorts.
All were exhausted from the long journey. Facing Thousand Strength Axe and his five hundred bandits was an overwhelmingly dangerous situation.
'Can I do this?'
Thump, thump, thump.
The earth trembled under the march of the bandits. A clash they had hoped to avoid was now unavoidable.
'The only thing left is to fight to the end.'
Someone must survive this.
Just as Ju Hwa-Ran was about to lift her head, a star she had never seen before caught her eye.
Among the night's tapestry, one star blazed brighter than the rest, then vanished.
Then, unexpectedly, a voice rang out.
"Everybody stop fighting! No matter how bad your relationship is, fighting will only make things worse!"
All action froze, and all eyes turned towards the source of the voice.
In a world engulfed in darkness.
Four figures stood on a hilltop, silhouetted against the faint moonlight.
Their whispers rippled through the crowd.
"Who are they?"
"They look like bandits. One group seems to be from an escort agency."
"No, they are clearly bandits, but why are they fighting here in the middle of the night? We have enough troubles right now."
"Those people seem to be having more trouble than us, don't they?"
"Has it been long since Mu-Jin got hit last?"
"No, I was hit an hour ago."
Slap!
"Gibang, do you know who they are?"
"Of course."
"Help me out here."
"By the look of the flags, it’s the Dragon Phoenix Armed Escort Agency. The other group is the Black Stone Fortress, led by Thousand Strength Axe."
"I've never heard of either. But for some reason, Thousand Strength Axe sounds familiar."
"The Dragon Phoenix Armed Escort Agency was once among the top ten courier services in the martial world, and Thousand Strength Axe is a Peak Master in the Green Forest Alliance, ranked within the top twenty. He handles his axe like a ghost..."
"Wait a minute. The Thousand Strength Axe?"
"You know the Thousand Strength Axe?"
"I'm sure I killed him... Did he ride the reincarnation bus or something? Wait here. I'll go take a look at his face." [Note: the MC is referring to Jong-sam of the Thousand Strength, who he fought in manhwa chapter 5 as part of the tutorial quests. That Thousand Strength also used an axe, so given their similar names and weapons, he thinks that this is the same guy reincarnated.]
"Savior! What’s a reincarnation bus?"
"If you're bored, try crossing the crosswalk." [Note: instead of bothering to answer, the MC is telling Cheong Pung to think of or do something else.]
The baffling exchange ended as a large shadow descended the hill, its heavy footsteps echoing in the stillness.
As the shadow neared, its form became clearer.
'What is that?'
'Such a young guy? Why is he carrying an A-frame carrier on his back?'
It was indeed a strange sight.
In the moonlit standoff, amidst the armed throng, a young man with an A-frame carrier strolled casually.
Trudge, trudge.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
The young man finally stopped walking and slowly turned his head.
He paused, surveying the scene. His eyes flicked dismissively over the bandits, then awkwardly over Ju Hwa-Ran, and finally landed on Thousand Strength Axe, whom he scrutinized.
“That’s not the guy.”
“……!”
“……!”
His words shocked the crowd.
To address Thousand Strength Axe, a respected Peak Master, so casually...
Then came another shock.
"Ah, it’s you. The real Thousand Strength Axe. I thought something was off, but you don't seem as impressive as the rumors suggest."
Regaining his fury, Thousand Strength Axe's eyes blazed.
“This- this bastard!”
His axe hurtled towards the young man.
Ssssh! Bang!
A clash of Qi ensued. Ju Hwa-Ran, with a slender sword, intercepted the axe's red aura.
Ju Hwa-Ran's wrists trembled as she desperately blocked the attack.
She too was a Peak Master. However, she was still no match for the natural strength and experience of Thousand Strength Axe.
“Huff! Young Master, run away……!”
“How dare this young bitch!”
Clang!
Sparks flew as the weapons clashed, the axe's weight overpowering.
As Heo Jun and Song Il-Seom leaped to assist, the young man, previously motionless, spoke.
“Just say one word.”
“…What?”
“'Please help me.' Just say that.”
Was he sane?
That was the thought that momentarily crossed Ju Hwa-Ran’s mind.
The young man hadn’t even reacted to Thousand Strength Axe’s attack. Had she not blocked it with her sword, he would have been helplessly cut in two.
But regardless of what she thought, her mouth was already speaking the words.
“Please help me!”
And then she saw it.
A faint smile formed on the young man’s lips.
Then, a whisper, audible only to her ears, followed.
“Accept quest.”
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a blast of hot wind swept over them, and Ju Hwa-Ran felt an overwhelmingly warm sensation.
---
Tags:
Murim Login (Novel)