Rebirth of the Heavenly Demon

Chapter 108 – Into the Fragrance of the Sword (1)

Early the next day, Gal Sa-ryang and I met Jong Cheon-rak[1], the leader of the Thousand Bow Regiment.

Jong Cheon-rak was surprised to see Gal Sa-ryang.

“I really didn’t know that Military Officer Gal would be the officer for this operation.”

“It’s been a long time. Have you been well?”

Gal Sa-ryang’s attitude was more polite than before. Having been demoted to a regular military officer, he was now lower in rank than Jong Cheon-rak.

Nevertheless, their gazes towards each other were gentle. Originally, Jong Cheon-rak respected Gal Sa-ryang, and Gal Sa-ryang was grateful to Jong Cheon-rak, who had supported his intentions to the end among the three important units.

Jong Cheon-rak boarded the carriage with Gal Sa-ryang.

“Since the mission is urgent, let’s talk about the details as we go.”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

The two of them boarded the carriage first.

At that moment, a martial artist from the Thousand Bow Regiment came to me. He introduced himself as Yang Hao.

“I’ll be exclusively responsible for guarding the two of them.”

Usually, when a military officer goes on an operation together, dedicated martial artists are assigned to protect him. Their role is to protect the military officer and escape if necessary.

“If a situation arises, please make sure to follow my instructions.”

“I look forward to working with you.”

“Then please get in the carriage.”

As soon as I got in, the carriage departed immediately. Martial artists from the Thousand Bow Regiment followed on horseback. The Thousand Bow Regiment was originally a large organization with a thousand members.

The personnel mobilized for this operation were Thousand Bow Regiment leader Jong Cheon-rak and thirty elites who followed him.

***

In the moving carriage, Gal Sa-ryang asked,

“I heard this operation is top secret.”

“That’s right.”

Jong Cheon-rak’s answer should have originally been Gal Sa-ryang’s. Usually, it was the military officers from the Righteous Thought Pavilion who knew the operation details and commanded the operation. In that sense, this operation was not typical.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you the operation details yet. I’ll let you know when we arrive at our destination.”

“I understand.”

A hint of sympathy flashed in Jong Cheon-rak’s eyes towards Gal Sa-ryang. He knew Gal Sa-ryang’s situation well from the rumors he had heard.

‘Why didn’t you leave the Alliance?’

That’s what Jong Cheon-rak wanted to ask. He couldn’t understand Gal Sa-ryang. If it were him, he would never have stayed in the Martial Righteous Alliance while enduring such humiliation.

Although Gal Sa-ryang had lost his power and influence within the Alliance, Jong Cheon-rak was not the type of person who changed his attitude just because someone’s position had worsened.

Jong Cheon-rak was glad to meet Gal Sa-ryang again like this and tried not to hurt his pride as much as possible.

Knowing this effort well, Gal Sa-ryang also treated him carefully. But there was one thing he wanted to hear an answer to.

“Knowing where we’re going would be a great help to the operation.”

“Originally, this too would be confidential, but considering our past friendship, I’ll tell you specially. The place we’re going is Sword Fragrance Forest[2] in Zhongqing.”

“Sword Fragrance Forest!”

In the past, Sword Fragrance Forest in Zhongqing[3] was one of the three holy sites of the Blood Heavens Divine Cult.

“Thank you for telling me.”

“No, I can’t tell you how reassuring it is to have Military Officer Gal on this operation.”

“You’re too kind.”

I, who had been listening to their conversation, also felt nostalgic.

I remember when I first saw Jong Cheon-rak. I met him before I became the Alliance Leader. At that time, he had a very deep knowledge of archery. What I liked wasn’t his archery skills, which were the best among the young masters, but his clear eyes, like well-polished arrowheads.

The young man with messy hair said to me, carrying a large bow on his back,

“I’ll become the best in the martial world with this bow. And someday, I’ll defeat you, the best in the world.”

That connection continued, and he eventually rose to the position of Thousand Bow Regiment leader.

Thank you for keeping your loyalty to the end, Cheon-rak.

***

After talking with Gal Sa-ryang for about an hour, Jong Cheon-rak got off the carriage and rode on horseback.

Gal Sa-ryang and I spread out a map and started analyzing the route to Zhongqing and the surrounding situation. Although all we knew about the operation was the destination, there were still things we could do. We found the shortest route to the destination and identified Martial Righteous Alliance branches that could provide support if problems arose on the way. There was a significant difference between knowing these things in advance and frantically searching for them when problems occur.

As Gal Sa-ryang was studying the map intently, he suddenly asked,

“This will be your first operation, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Yet you don’t seem very nervous?”

“You’re here with me, Military Officer.”

“You’re good at saying flattering things.”

“I was sincere. What is there to be afraid of when I’m with someone who once led the entire Martial Righteous Alliance? Ah, is this answer also one that could be misunderstood?”

Although I couldn’t see it because my head was lowered, I could tell Gal Sa-ryang was smirking. It was very important to build up his favor or trust, even if just a little.

This time, I asked,

“You must have experienced many operations like this?”

“I have.”

“Which operation do you remember the most?”

Honestly, I was curious. Which battle did he remember the most?

Was it one of the battles against the Thirteen Dark Paths? Or was it a battle against the Blood Heavens Divine Cult? Perhaps it was the operation where he found and killed the Demonic Cult Leader?

But an unexpected answer came out.

“Operation New Dragon[4].”

Even I had never heard of it.

“What kind of operation was that?”

He just smiled without giving any answer.

Operation New Dragon?

No matter how much I tried to recall, I couldn’t remember. If the operation name had included a place name, I could have guessed roughly, but with a name like this that seemed like a code word, I couldn’t know.

What kind of operation could it have been?

***

That night, we had to camp.

Several campfires were lit, and a guard perimeter was set up in all directions.

I personally prepared Gal Sa-ryang’s sleeping area. I laid soft leaves on the ground and placed the blanket we had brought on top.

“The night air is cold, so make sure to cover yourself with the blanket when you sleep.”

“You use this blanket.”

“No, I’ve trained in martial arts, so I don’t feel this level of cold. I brought it for you, Military Officer.”

“Thank you.”

I was glad that I could take care of him now, even if I couldn’t in my previous life.

“Isn’t it hard for you?”

“No. It actually feels good to be outside after so long.”

Back when we were at war with the Four Great Evils, he moved with me and planned strategies. I took it for granted and didn’t think that he might be struggling.

Now that I think about it, it must have been really hard for him. A person who didn’t know martial arts had to move with martial artists. Even if he rode horses and carriages, it must have been very difficult. After all, the war continued for a very long time.

At that moment, Jong Cheon-rak approached with a bottle of alcohol.

“Would you like a drink?”

“That would be nice.”

The two shared drinks.

Jong Cheon-rak looked at me and asked,

“I heard earlier that you’ve learned martial arts?”

“Yes, I’ve learned our family’s martial arts.”

“If a fight breaks out with the enemy, don’t rashly jump in.”

“I understand.”

I, too, was hoping such a situation wouldn’t occur.

I moved to a spot a little distance away, leaving the two to drink. Still, their conversation reached my ears.

From their exchange, I could tell that Jong Cheon-rak hadn’t changed at all from his younger days. He was truly a typical martial artist with strong loyalty.

Although he was someone I needed, he wasn’t someone who would come easily.

He was actually harder to bring in than Gal Sa-ryang. That’s because his loyalty wasn’t directed towards a person. It was towards the Martial Righteous Alliance and for this martial world. While it would be reassuring if he became my ally, I had no intention of forcibly bringing him in.

As I was sitting there, Yang Hao, who was assigned as our guard earlier, called me. A few martial artists who didn’t have guard duty tonight had gathered to have a drink.

Because they were all elites with firm discipline, they could afford this kind of freedom.

They offered me a drink too.

“It’s cold, have a drink.”

“Thank you.”

They also passed me some hot soup. Perhaps because they often camped, the spicy soup was quite tasty.

“Ah, it’s delicious.”

“I’m glad it suits your taste.”

The Thousand Bow Regiment martial artists were skilled in archery. Of course, that didn’t mean they only used bows. They had also learned basic swordsmanship, so they all carried swords as well.

“Have you learned swordsmanship?”

“Yes, I have.”

“It’s very rare for a Righteous Thought Pavilion military officer to have learned martial arts.”

Everyone nodded at those words.

“I’m just a newcomer who’s still unfamiliar with being called a military officer.”

Then everyone chimed in.

“Still, a military officer is a military officer.”

“That’s right.”

“The day will come when you’ll be commanding us, won’t it? When that time comes, treat us well.”

Although they spoke jokingly, their sincerity was contained in those words. I felt an inexplicable surge of emotion as I could sense the feelings of the martial artists active in the field. After all, just a year ago, these were my subordinates.

“Yes, I won’t forget.”

“Don’t just say it! Make sure!”

“Haha. I’ll definitely remember.”

The drinking session with them was enjoyable.

Gal Sa-ryang glanced at me from afar, observing this scene.

***

As we completely left Hubei Province, Jong Cheon-rak gave orders to his subordinates.

“Disperse and regroup at the destination!”

After all, when more than thirty people move together, no matter how careful they are, they’re bound to attract attention. So usually, it was common practice to move dispersed and then regroup at a promised location.

At that moment, Gal Sa-ryang stepped forward.

“Regiment Leader Jong.”

“Speak, Military Officer Gal.”

“I advise that we move without dispersing.”

It seemed to be an unexpected suggestion, as Jong Cheon-rak wore a somewhat surprised expression.

“If this many people move together, it will attract attention. Information might leak, and the target might notice and flee.”

“That could happen.”

“May I ask the reason?”

“Although I don’t know the details of this mission, if it’s related to the Demonic Cult, I think it’s better to be more careful.”

“Are you saying this operation could be a trap?”

Of course, Jong Cheon-rak probably thought that the trap might have been set by the Demonic Cult side when he said this.

Gal Sa-ryang didn’t bother to mention the possibility that the trap might have been set by the Martial Righteous Alliance.

“Yes. If that’s the case, we’ll be defeated one by one.”

“Hmm.”

“I have a bad feeling. Please trust my intuition.”

Jong Cheon-rak fell into contemplation. He knew better than anyone what kind of person Gal Sa-ryang was. There had been countless battles won based on his strategies.

“Even if it’s a trap, if we move together, we can minimize the damage.”

“I understand. I’ll follow the military officer’s opinion.”

Fortunately, Jong Cheon-rak didn’t insist on his way.

***

We moved without dispersing our forces.

One day passed, and then another.

The incident occurred on the dawn of the fourth day.

I woke up from sleep. My instinct, sensing danger, had awakened me.

I could see the campfire in front, almost burned out.

It was just before sunrise, the time when the alertness of the martial artists on guard duty was at its lowest.

I raised my energy sense to the maximum and scanned the surroundings. Very subtle movements were being detected from all directions. The numbers were not just one or two.

This time, I looked at the martial artists on our side standing guard.

One person in each direction, and two in the center were taking turns on guard duty.

The movements were so subtle that they hadn’t yet noticed the presence of those approaching.

They came a little closer. Just before the enemies could strike first.

“Enemy attack!”

At my shout, everyone sprang up. The first to react were the martial artists on guard duty. They instantly drew their bows and fired arrows.

Ping ping ping ping ping!

As expected of the elites of one of the Martial Righteous Alliance’s three important units, they were extremely agile. They didn’t panic at the sudden ambush, and their arrows hit the enemies accurately.

Those who had been sleeping were the same.

The time it took for them to wake up, get up, nock an arrow, identify the enemy, and release was truly in the blink of an eye.

Ping ping ping ping ping ping ping ping ping ping ping!

Dozens of arrows instantly filled the air.

Although the difference was a split second, the difference between striking first and being struck was huge. Especially since our side mainly used bows. If they gave up distance, they would be at an absolute disadvantage.

The ambushers, having lost the initiative, left behind about ten corpses and fled. Although they failed in their ambush, their retreating movements were extraordinary.

“Don’t pursue! Strengthen the guard!”

The martial artists dispersed in all directions on their own to strengthen the guard.

Fortunately, thanks to the quick response, there were no casualties on our side.

There were nine enemy corpses in total.

We examined the bodies but couldn’t find any traces. There were no tattoos, and no personal belongings. Even the weapons they used had no distinctive features.

There was only one thing this meant.

“They’re martial artists from an elite organization.”

Whether assassins or from another organization.

I also joined the martial artists in examining the corpses. What I focused on was whether they might be users of the Undying Demon Spirit Dan. Fortunately, they weren’t. If those who had taken that drug started to go berserk just before dying, the Thousand Bow Regiment martial artists wouldn’t be able to handle it.

Gal Sa-ryang approached Jong Cheon-rak and asked quietly,

“This mission, what kind of mission is it?”