◈ Episode 79. Am I a walking panther?
“The heavens?”
The army commander’s eyes grew wide as if they were going to tear apart.
This is completely unexpected.
Jinmu Lip said.
“You must have heard it, since you are one of the descendants of Do-seong. Eungok, who opposed the war, and our Sangcheon are the ones who came together to form this.”
The Army Command also knew that fact.
Even his teacher was against the war and fled to Sichuan.
Jinmu-rip, holding the sword in his hand, urged them to make a choice.
“Now that you know my true identity, there is no way back that you can choose.”
“Ha, hahaha.”
The Army’s laughter is full of complex emotions.
Jinmu Rip was not just a human far more dangerous than himself, he was the most dangerous human in the current martial arts world.
But I had no regrets.
Anyway, I am alone.
If there were this many people in this wide world with whom one could share the same secrets, there would be no more loneliness.
The Army Command made a decision.
“Okay. I’ll go with Sangcheon too.”
“Good choice.”
Jinmu-rip smiled brightly and spread his arms wide.
“Say hello.”
“greeting?”
The moment the Army Commander tilted his head, a ten-person silver stage appeared simultaneously in the darkness.
“I see God.”
The heavy energy in his voice spreads out in all directions.
Jinmu-rip said with a grin.
“They are my subordinates.”
The army commander’s eyes grew wide as if they were going to tear apart.
There were ten drones hiding nearby, but they were completely undetected.
If he had refused to join the upper heavens, their swords would surely have flown towards his neck.
‘Oh, I almost died.’
The army commander, looking at their faces, inwardly stuck out his tongue.
‘Is this the unmanned Eungok?’
There is no one who is easy to defeat.
The strength of Eungok was something I had heard a lot about from my teacher, but when I actually encountered it, it was beyond my imagination.
The army commander, his chest pressed hard, asked cautiously.
“So should I call you God from now on?”
“Etiquette only applies in public.”
As Jinmu-rip raised his arm, the silver stage disappeared at once.
“There’s no time. Let’s talk about the rest as we go.”
Army Myeong, who was unfolding the new law following Jinmu Rip, secretly asked Danryehwa.
“Whose martial arts did you learn, young lady? Sword Master?”
Danryehwa smiled brightly.
“No. I am not from the upper world.”
“ok?”
Jinmu Rip said to the surprised Army General as if it was nothing.
“She is the daughter of the dragon and the warrior of Hwaryeong.”
“Huh! What a coincidence!”
My mouth is wide open at this strange fate.
“Why can Hwaryeong’s unmanned unit be here with us?”
After the end of the World War, the first ones to take the lead in searching for Eungok were Hwaryeong.
From Sangcheon’s perspective, it is okay to view them as enemies.
It was extremely disconcerting to see the daughter of the enemy leader, the dragon, with me.
Danryehwa said with a grin.
“I am a watchman for the King of Myeonsan Mountain. I am with you on a grave mission to protect the peace of the martial arts world.”
“Ha, haha… … . Does your father by any chance know about this?”
“If that were the case, I would have already been taken away.”
“… … .”
The army name looked at Yongchu with a hopeful expression.
“You too, by any chance, are you Hwaryeong’s… … .”
“I am Yongchu, the mighty mountain herb of the heavens.”
I have heard of most of the famous mountain vegetables of Sangcheon, but this was the first time I heard of Geosanchae.
“Where is Geosanchae?”
Yongchu chuckled.
“I don’t have any right now. I’ll make one someday.”
“… … .”
* * *
Jinmu-rip and his party arrived near Nagok two days earlier than scheduled.
——————
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This was possible because all of the followers were masters who never missed a beat wherever they went.
The group, who had been running for five hours without stopping, went under a large rock to take a short break.
While the warriors sitting cross-legged were practicing their spiritual methods, Jinmu Rip took out a map from his bosom.
‘It’ll take five days to get from here to Jirim.’
Jinmu Rip was confident that the Battle of Cheonmu would begin within a day or two.
If we retreat there, we will surely gather in Jirim.
‘It only takes three days from each region to Jirim. If things continue like this, it will be too late.’
Jinmu-rip, who had gathered his thoughts, stood up from his seat.
“I have to go to the village. I’ll be back soon, so get some rest.”
At that moment, the single-minded man who had been struggling with his past stood up in a panic.
“I’m going too!”
Jinmu-rip smiled meaningfully.
“I was planning on taking you anyway.”
The two people, who had run about two miles away from the group, arrived at a fairly large village.
The two people who entered the main road pulled up their masks and looked around.
The exotic atmosphere was similar to Changdo, but it felt like I was in a slightly more unfamiliar land.
While walking through the crowd, Danryehwa asked.
“But where do you plan on going?”
“Why did you follow me when you don’t even know where you’re going?”
“I have a life to live, too.”
“what?”
“We left in a hurry so we didn’t have time to prepare properly. It’s a hassle to hunt for every meal, so I’m thinking of buying some beef jerky.”
Jinmu-rip smiled without realizing it at her meticulousness.
“Then let’s go there first.”
“great.”
As they entered the city, the two men discovered a butcher’s stall with dried meat hanging there.
Jinmu Rip took out two pieces of meat the size of his forearms.
“How much?”
After hearing Jinmu-rip’s words, the owner narrowed his eyes and began to explain earnestly, using gestures.
Danryehwa, who had been watching closely, spoke with a trembling face.
“I think you’re asking for five silver coins?”
“There is no such thing as a thief.”
Then someone behind me burst into laughter.
“Hahaha! This is a region where the teachings of Western Buddhism are widely spread, so meat is as expensive as gold. Western Buddhism prohibits hunting.”
When I turned my head, there was a middle-aged man with a warm face who seemed to be from the Central Plains.
Danryehwa asked, clicking her tongue.
“They prohibit hunting, but sell meat.”
He said with a big smile.
“Not everyone eats meat. The meat hung here is not from hunting, but from livestock herders. There aren’t many places here that accept hermits, so I guess I’ll have to live with what I have.”
She sighed, took out five silver coins, and counted them.
“Thank you for your help.”
The middle-aged man shrugged his shoulders at Danryehwa’s greeting.
“That’s about it. You don’t look like a merchant. Are you here on a trip?”
Jinmu-rip nodded.
“exactly.”
The middle-aged man said with a hearty laugh.
“You really are a well-matched couple.”
The two people who suddenly looked at each other at those words turned their faces away with reddened faces.
The middle-aged man continued speaking.
“But the timing is not good, so don’t go any deeper.”
“What’s going on?”
“The atmosphere is tense due to the war between the Blood Cult and the Podalap Palace. I heard that the main palace of Rabsal fell the day before yesterday and the lamas were scattered. We should be careful here in the east as well, as we never know when the sparks will fly.”
The middle-aged man waved his hand and left.
Danryehwa’s expression hardened.
“The palace of Rabsal… … .”
Even if it’s faster than I thought, it’s still too fast.
Jinmu-rip nodded slightly.
“If we don’t hurry, the way back will be difficult. Let’s go.”
“is it so.”
The place Jinmu-rip headed to was the horse stables on the outskirts of the village.
“Are you thinking of going by horseback?”
“If we want to make it on time, we have to hurry even if our whereabouts are revealed. We have to take some risks.”
Fortunately, the owner of the stables was someone who could speak the language of the Central Plains.
Jinmu Rip ordered fifty horses, taking into account the number of survivors.
While the servants were out getting the horses, the master finished paying the bill and said:
“Would you like to pay in silver?”
“Yes. How much?”
“All together it amounts to one thousand silver coins.”
Twenty silver coins for one is not a bad price.
Jinmu-rip immediately extended his hand to Danryehwa.
“money.”
Danryehwa opened her halibut eyes and asked.
“You… you said you were going to take me with you?”
Jinmu-rip said with a mischievous smile.
“If not this, then what?”
“under!”
The corners of her eyes went up slightly.
“Am I a walking panther?”
In the end, Jinmu-rip, who had settled the accounts with Danryehwa’s money, tied up fifty horses and left the village.
Jinmu-rip glanced over and smiled as he spoke.
“Come to think of it, I left my wallet behind. I told you I’d give it to you when you got back.”
“I’ll give you a lot.”
It’s quite cute how he turns his head away and farts.
“Yeah. I like that look. If you don’t have expectations, you won’t be disappointed later.”
Danryehwa was speechless at that shamelessness.
Jin Mu-rip, who soon joined his subordinates, resumed his halting steps.
As fifty horses galloped across the field, Army Commander-in-Chief rode alongside them.
“What are you going to do if there’s no one in Jirim?”
“I have to come back and report that they are all dead.”
After hearing the story, Dan Ryeo-hwa opened her mouth with her eyebrows furrowed.
“If it’s Cheonmu-dae, it won’t be so easy to defeat them.”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Jinmu-rip nodded in agreement, turned around and shouted.
“Hurry up!”
“yes!”
They picked up speed and galloped across the field like a whirlwind.
* * *
Red blood drips down onto the pure white snow.
A lush mountainside with a small river.
Seongyeon, who had dealt with the madman Han Gu at the end of the fight, was out of breath.
“Gasp! Gasp!”
The gruesome battlefield along the river is reflected in her eyes.
Among the dozens of corpses strewn across the snow were some of my colleagues who had been talking to me just moments ago.
She couldn’t hide her sorrow and shed tears.
‘It’s a trap.’
The enemy attack began while scattered friendly forces were searching the mountains.
There was no way to withstand the attack of one single person from the Cheonmu-dae, with one married man and five unmanned people attacking them.
There was no way to deal with the simultaneous surprise attacks.
‘I should have listened to the madman’s words a little more.’
Belated regrets are creeping in.
If Jinmu Rip had thought a little more carefully when he suspected the information in the pavilion, he would not have fallen into the trap.
At that moment, urgent footsteps were heard from behind.
“Vice-captain!”
The person running towards me, covered in blood, was Dang Ja-gun, the commander of the Paljojang.
“Your Majesty!”
The party that arrived in front of her burst into tears.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry!”
He fell to his knees and apologized.
Seongyeon easily guessed the meaning of the apology.
When Jinmu Rip doubted the information in the pavilion, it was Dang Ja-gun who refuted it.
“It’s not your fault. Get up.”
Following the Tang army, the scattered troops broke through the encirclement and returned one by one.
Their whole bodies were covered with tiny wounds, so much so that not a single spot was clean.
When the nine returned, the screams and banging noises ceased as if they were lies.
Those gathered in front of you are all the survivors.
Seongyeon said with his eyes shining solemnly.
“The enemy will soon pursue you. I will block the rear, so everyone move to Jirim.”
Jirim, located between Gangdal, Songbok, and Chikgak, was the place where they promised to meet after completing their mission.
The party shook its head desperately.
“This whole thing is my fault. I will block the way, so you, the commander, lead them.”
“Today’s events are not something that can be blamed on just one person. The most reasonable choice we can make now is for me to block the way and you to run away. Go ahead.”
To remain here is to risk one’s life.
“Vice-captain!”
“No!”
Seongyeon shouted firmly in response to the protests of the members.
“This is an order!”
Her determined will made her subordinates bite their lips until they bled.
The man took her hand with a sorrowful look in his eyes.
“I will go. Next time… … . Next time, if one of us has to die, then I will follow the deputy commander.”
Seongyeon smiled brightly and pushed away Dangjagun’s hand.
“I won’t wait. Just go.”
“I wish you good luck.”
The warriors who had all won the lottery left with tears in their eyes.
At the same time, enemies begin to descend the mountainside.
Seongyeon’s eyes, clutching the sword, shone with a fierce light.
“From now on, I won’t let anyone go easily.”
* * *
The situation elsewhere was not much different from Kangdal’s, with only a difference in time.
The trapped Cheonmu-dae began to desperately try to break through the siege and escape.
A cliff with a spectacular view of the snowy valley.
An old man with white hair stood precariously on the spot where a strong wind was blowing.
The rough rumble of the canyon and the agonizing screams rise up from the cliffs.
The old man who had been watching the battlefield below opened his mouth.
“There is no need to chase them. Just kill those who remain.”
“I will give the order.”
Soon after, the head of the unmanned unit that had been desperately blocking the rear fell to the ground.
With the battle over, the old man turned around with a satisfied expression on his face as he looked into the distance.
“Keep on running. Run away as hard as you can. Wherever your running steps stop, only hopeless despair awaits you… … .”
As the soft voice was carried away by the wind, the old man’s body disappeared as if it had been extinguished.
