Episode 258
Late at night.
“Whoa.”
I was lying on my cot in the barracks, staring blankly up at the ceiling. I sighed and got up from my seat.
I could hardly sleep.
The reason was clear and bright.
It was because I was feeling anxious.
‘It would have been nice to have Damun.’
My guess is that the area around the Baekmak Gate (白幕門) would have been wallpapered with bamboo.
It would not be easy to break through the trap that Baekmakmunju, who had the owner of a Cheonggyo merchant as his son-in-law, had poured all his money into.
‘Well, it was my decision to leave Damun behind in Sacheon.’
From the perspective of the great nation, the rescue operation may have been more important, but for me personally, taking on the legacy of Muyeongshintu was just as important.
Because I also want to find out the secret of regression.
‘Damun is a key figure in the excavation team. If he is away, Bidong’s attack should be considered to be temporarily suspended.’
It goes without saying, but if Bidong suddenly declared that he would stop his attack, the hired workers and experts had no choice but to remain silent.
There is a high probability that there will be a backlash.
In the worst case, they might have to be dispersed.
‘If that happens, the risk of confidential information being leaked will naturally increase.’
One way would be to imprison or exterminate the workers to silence them, but that method was far from my taste.
There was no way Hao Mun, who provided the manpower, would just sit back and watch.
‘If the negotiations go well, it might be possible to arrange for workers to wait near Bidong. But even that is just a temporary measure.’
Experts with high self-esteem could have joined forces and carried out a strategy as they pleased, resulting in an accident.
Above all, it was inevitable that the longer the attack period, the higher the possibility of information leakage.
Therefore, Damun decided to remain in Sacheon and proceed with the attack on Bidong.
Bang Cheok-sam and Yeo So-ok had no choice but to remain as his bodyguards.
‘There are people in the rescue team who can replace Damun, but his presence is essential to the attack on Bidong.’
Among the martial arts people who joined the rescue team, there were several who were skilled in the art of fighting.
There were even two absolute masters.
In the past, the reason the Vampire Demon Emperor entered the Mirozin on his own was not for any other reason.
It was because I had the confidence that I could break the line whenever I wanted to.
No matter how large-scale the formation was, if an absolute expert decided to go on a rampage, it would collapse in an instant.
The story would be a little different if it were a strategy created by a great master of Damun’s level and over a long period of time.
‘Especially if there is an evil female spirit who has mastered the Cheonjicheongsul, she will be able to neutralize most traps before they are activated.’
There are dozens of experts who are absolute masters who have mastered sound techniques to the limit and are well-versed in the technique.
From an objective perspective, there was never a lack of talent.
Still, the reason why I couldn’t shake off the feeling that it was inadequate was simple.
‘Because one person is more reliable than all of them combined.’
At least in the field of Jinbeop, I have never seen a being that surpasses Damun in both my past and present lives.
Therefore, his absence could not help but be felt as a disappointment.
I stretched out and got down from the bed and sat cross-legged on the floor.
‘There’s no point in regretting someone who doesn’t exist.’
Is it because he is excited like a child about his first field trip in his life?
Or is it because of the anxiety of entering a dangerous battlefield?
I could hardly calm my agitated mind.
Now that things were like this, I felt like I had to do luck work until morning.
“······?”
It was then.
The unfamiliar presence caught my sense of energy.
I narrowed my eyes and stood up.
Next, he picked up the damro (湛盧) that was leaning against the bed and tied it to his waist.
‘Who is it?’
I had a doubt.
Who on earth would approach the commander’s personal barracks at this time of night without any message?
Why don’t the warriors standing in the domain stop him?
‘If you’re a key member of the rescue team, there’s no way I wouldn’t be able to tell.’
Some time passes.
The hero of the story stopped in front of the barracks and gave me a shout.
-may I come in?
It was a voice in my memory.
I removed my hand from the sword with a surprised expression.
I never thought I would be reunited with her like this.
-Please come in.
As soon as permission was given, a bamboo-covered man with his entire body covered with a blood-covered robe entered the barracks.
Unseasonably hot clothing.
There was one reason why she was not stopped by the warriors standing in line even though she was dressed in an extremely suspicious outfit.
Because in her hands is an artifact that proves that she is the leader’s direct subordinate.
“Long time no see. Sozer.”
“long time no see. “Small cooperative.”
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The woman took off her deeply pressed bamboo ribs and said hello.
A beautiful face that had not changed at all since the last time I saw it came into view.
“I didn’t know you would come here so suddenly.”
“Are you surprised?”
“May I ask what brought you here?”
“I have received orders from the lord. “He told me to join the rescue team for a while and help the small cooperatives.”
“Are you saying the Lord sent you?”
“yes. “I was late to join because an order suddenly came while I was performing another mission.”
“Excuse me, but may I ask Sozer’s affiliation?”
“This is the dark night unit. “I am in charge of the seven groups.”
“······!”
It was an amazing story.
How long has it been since you joined the alliance that you have already become the leader of the dark side?
‘You said you were going to join the military department, but did you mean the Black Army Corps?’
The Black Army is the shadow of the military department.
Although it was said to be directly under the military department, it was actually a group that carried out the orders of the leader.
Now I felt like I could understand why she was holding an artifact in her hand that proved she was a direct subordinate of the leader.
“Please sit down first.”
I pointed to a table in the corner of the barracks and offered her a seat.
The woman sat with her butt pressed against the chair, and a faint smile appeared on Zhuge Hye’s lips.
Staring at her with narrowed eyes, I nodded and said.
“You’ve come at the right time.”
“······?”
“Thanks to you, I think things will be resolved easily.”
* * *
Is it because he hastily joined without any prior preparation in response to an order from the leader that came out of nowhere?
Zhuge Hui had no idea what kind of situation the rescue team was currently in.
I briefly explained the current situation and asked her to cooperate.
“So, I’m asking you to help us break through the traps spread around the Baekmakmun Gate.”
“That’s right.”
Zhuge Hui is a direct blood relative of the Zhuge family.
There were few people with as much knowledge about Jinbeop as she did.
Considering that the formations spread out around the Baekmakmun Gate were created with reference to those of the Zhuge Dynasty, there was no one more suitable.
‘It would be perfect to be Damun’s substitute. The right talent arrived at the right moment.’
Is it just a coincidence, or is it Zhuge Huan’s insight?
I don’t know which one, but in any case, it was a welcome event from my perspective.
Thanks to you, I felt like I could relax for an hour.
“Brother Simaun, or rather Damun, is not here?”
“We are carrying out some kind of mission somewhere else.”
“What kind of mission do you mean?”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you in detail.”
“okay. All right.”
It was a strange feeling watching Zhuge Hye retreat cleanly without delving deeper.
The atmosphere had changed significantly from before.
There was none of the awkward feeling that was characteristic of Kangho Chochul.
It seemed like she had gained some experience over the past year.
‘It’s not just the atmosphere that has changed.’
Martial arts also increased significantly.
Before, even if you set it high, it was only at the beginning of the peak, but now it has become a skill that is just around the corner from the peak.
He was a completely different person than the last time I saw him.
This was the reason why I could not immediately recognize her identity even though I sensed her presence.
‘Do you have the ability to recognize it? The quality of the energy given off has changed.’
I thought maybe he had taken an elixir with special properties, like Hwari’s Naedan or Seolsam.
Considering that her patron was Zhuge Huan, a military officer of the Meng Dynasty, it was quite likely.
‘It seems like I’m still not good enough to lead the Black Night Army…’
No matter how talented a warrior was, he could not usually grow that much in a year.
It was clear that Zhuge Huan was determined to raise her.
“There was something I wanted to say when I met Sohyeop.”
“Please speak.”
“sorry.”
Suddenly, Zhuge Hye bowed his head and offered an apology.
I looked rather embarrassed by her unexpected behavior.
“Why are you doing this all of a sudden?”
“I broke my promise to the small cooperative.”
“······Are you saying that I revealed to people around me that I was a member of the Homyeonhyup Association?”
“You already guessed it.”
“If that’s the case, it’s okay. I didn’t suffer any damage because of that. “I don’t really care.”
“But the grudge against me will remain.”
“Sojeo must have had his own circumstances. “I can understand.”
I had no intention of getting into trouble with Zhuge Hye by speaking bitterly here.
No matter what, isn’t this person who came to help?
All you had to do was keep your guard in your heart without showing it outwardly.
“I told the story about me to Master Zhuge Huan and the Earth Dragon Xiaohyeop…”
“yes?”
A puzzled look appeared on Zhuge Hui’s face.
She tilted her head and asked me in a cautious voice.
“Have you met my brother by any chance?”
“yes. “I briefly accompanied King Namgung when he attended the 80th birthday banquet for the head of the Taesang family.”
“Jina (進兒) said that? “He heard a story about a small cooperative from me.”
“yes.”
Zhuge Hui’s face frowned slightly.
“It may be hard to believe, but I have never told my younger brother about the small cooperative. “Not once.”
“······?”
“Of course, I arbitrarily revealed the identity of the small cooperative to the military…”
An expression full of resentment.
It didn’t look like he was lying.
I scratched my cheek with my index finger and remembered the conversation I had with the earth dragon in the past.
[I heard a story about the branch manager from my sister before.]
[······Jegalhye Soje said a story about me?]
[yes. I thought about it then. When I get better, I want to meet you someday.]
If you think about it, the things he said at the time were things that could have been made up.
‘How much is the truth and how much is a lie?’
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
This is why the people of the Zhuge family were difficult to deal with.
“All right.”
“Small cooperative. I am······.”
“I repeat, it’s okay. “I don’t have any ill feelings towards Sojeo.”
“······.”
I ignored Jegal-hye’s excuses and accepted her apology.
“Rather than that, I would like to ask you a few questions regarding the Baekmakmun. “I heard that he had frequent exchanges with the Zhuge family…”
After comforting her as she nodded with a nervous expression, I immediately changed the topic.
Whether she told the Earth Dragon about me or not, it didn’t really matter.
Whether what she says is true or not.
There would be no change in my attitude towards her.
‘Either way, she is something to be wary of.’
martial arts,
