Chapter 247: Escape (2)

Cheon Yura wasn’t the only one guarding the entrance.

The entire delegation, including Grand Protector The Crimson-Faced Demon Fighter Wang Cheongeol, surrounded the lodging like an iron fortress, wary of intruders.

“Phew…!”

Baek Sang-ah exhaled a long breath, as though steeling her resolve at the sight.

Then, she slowly approached Cheon Yura.

“Lady Cheon.”

“……”

Cheon Yura silently stared at Baek Sang-ah.

Normally, under such a chilling gaze, she would have shrunk back in fear. But this time, she held her ground and met her eyes without backing down.

“We have to escape. Right now.”

“You’re saying that after abandoning Jin Yeomyung?”

Baek Sang-ah bit her lower lip lightly and nodded.

“Yes.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Cheon Yura swung her sword like lightning.

Chwaaaak!

A long line was carved into the ground right in front of Baek Sang-ah’s feet.

That line was like a wall of the heart, pushing away one who had once been a soulmate.

“Get lost. Don’t test my reason any further.”

Despite Cheon Yura’s refusal to engage in conversation, Baek Sang-ah didn’t back down.

“I understand that you doubt me. But…”

“I said get lost!”

Fwoosh!

A massive killing intent and pressure burst out from her, slamming into Baek Sang-ah’s entire body.

It was on a completely different level compared to when Cheon Yura had tested her previously.

“…Kgh!”

Blood trickled from the corner of Baek Sang-ah’s lips as she sustained internal injuries almost instantly.

At that, the Saber King stepped forward, judging the situation to have become too dangerous, and scattered her killing intent.

“Now, now, such a fiery temper. Still, shouldn’t you at least hear her out? Our Sang-ah went to great lengths to bring this young lady here.”

“……!”

Only then did Cheon Yura notice Sa Biyeon, carried on the Saber King’s back.

Bu Ilhwa, who had been standing behind, urgently stepped forward and bowed deeply.

“Young Cult Leader. Lady Baek helped us despite knowing it would bring conflict with her family. Please, at least hear her out….”

With even Bu Ilhwa saying such, Cheon Yura’s heart wavered slightly.

“Speak. I won’t listen for long.”

“…Thank you for that.”

Baek Sang-ah let out a sigh and began.

“The mastermind behind all of this is my grandfather.”

Twitch!

Cheon Yura’s eyes twitched.

“My grandfather… used my uncle to attempt to assassinate you and tried to pin the blame on the Heaven-Defying Society.”

“Why would the Sword King try to assassinate me?”

From a political standpoint, it could be explained. But hadn’t they all been in the same boat now?

Clench!

With a clenched fist, Baek Sang-ah forced the words out.

“…To tie Young Master Jin to me.”

Crack!

Cheon Yura barely restrained herself from slicing Baek Sang-ah’s throat with superhuman patience.

“Keep talking.”

Baek Sang-ah gritted her teeth and continued.

“If you die, the Heavenly Demon Cult would have no choice but to start a war with the Heaven-Defying Society in the name of revenge. Naturally, the target would expand to all of the Central Plains. In such chaos, my grandfather planned to remove himself and the clan from the crosshairs.”

“And?”

“If things had gone as planned, the Namcheon Baek Clan and the righteous factions would have allied with the Heavenly Demon Cult and stood against the Heaven-Defying Society. In return for that alliance…”

“You’re saying a marriage alliance would be sealed?”

“…Yes. And in most cases, such alliances ignore the wishes of those involved.”

If things really reached that point, the Heavenly Demon Cult wouldn’t have a reason to reject it.

Cheon Yura, the heir, and even the next in line, Cheon Yujeong, had both been kidnapped.

Naturally, selecting a new heir would take time, and the cult had no reason to make unnecessary enemies.

“More than anything, my grandfather knows the Cult Leader doesn’t have much ‘time’ left. That’s probably the main reason he was so confident this plan would work.”

“……!”

“Of course, once Young Master Jin caught on, everything fell apart…”

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say the current Heavenly Demon Cult’s power was half held by the Cult Leader alone.

If the Cult Leader were to disappear?

The cult would have to rebalance its power somehow.

“That conniving bastard…”

Cheon Yura gritted her teeth and let out a string of curses.

“My grandfather gave Young Master Jin substantial authority within the clan, probably thinking he wouldn’t notice his betrayal.”

But Jin Yeomyung sensed the Sword King’s strange behavior and threw himself into danger to save Cheon Yura.

“Even now, my grandfather would never kill Young Master Jin. But you, Lady Cheon, are different.”

“……”

“No matter what it takes, he’ll try to eliminate you. You can’t stay in Namcheon.”

What’s more, the righteous factions cooperating with the Heaven-Defying Society were already converging near Namchang by the moment.

Once the encirclement was complete, even someone like Cheon Yura might have to risk her life.

However—

“No.”

“Lady Cheon!”

As Baek Sang-ah raised her voice in frustration—

“Sang-ah.”

Flinch!

Baek Sang-ah’s shoulders slightly trembled at the softened tone of Cheon Yura’s voice.

More than anything, wasn’t this the first time she had called her by name?

“I understand that you’re willing to set aside your feelings as a woman to help me.”

Thud!

“But.”

She slammed the tip of her sword into the ground as she shouted.

“Who abandons the one they love and runs away alone?”

Her will was unwavering.

“If you were in my place, could you do that?”

Flinch!

Baek Sang-ah, momentarily shrinking back, tightly shut her eyes.

“It’s because I’m not in your place that I can say this.”

“……You.”

“Who in their right mind could just stand by and watch their friend die?!”

“……!”

Cheon Yura’s eyes widened in shock at those words.

Baek Sang-ah placed her hand over her heart, appealing with sincerity.

“I’ll protect Young Master Jin. I’ll risk my life to protect him. I swear I won’t let anyone lay a finger on him!”

“…….”

“Please, trust me. Just once.”

Everyone fell silent, suppressing their auras as they watched the unfolding situation.

A quiet stillness settled over the hall.

Cheon Yura quietly locked eyes with Baek Sang-ah.

She was still confused.

There was no selfish desire in those eyes—but could she truly entrust Jin Yeomyung to that promise?

‘This is a situation where I can’t afford to compromise.’

Her reason told her so, without doubt.

Jin Yeomyung, the person who held the most important place in her heart, was hovering at the edge of life and death—how could she hand over the key to his fate to someone else?

However—

“If what you say is true…”

Slowly,

Cheon Yura’s arm holding the sword lowered.

“Then me staying here would be even more dangerous for Jin Yeomyung.”

“Lady Cheon!”

Baek Sang-ah’s face lit up with joy at the sight of Cheon Yura relenting.

“Grand Protector.”

“Yes, Young Cult Leader.”

Wang Cheongeol, who had been suppressing all presence with stealth techniques, responded to the call.

“We’re leaving Namcheon Baek Clan. Regroup and prepare.”

“Understood.”

Just as Wang Cheongeol answered—

“Now, ladies? I’m sorry to interrupt such a moving moment, but there’s no need to rush just yet.”

From a distance, a man dressed as a Namcheon Baek Clan scholar approached, fanning himself.

“…Who are you?”

Both Cheon Yura and Baek Sang-ah tensed with wariness.

It wasn’t just the unexpected appearance—it was also the fact that the man was dragging someone by the hair, completely naked.

Baek Sang-ah muttered the name of the person being dragged, her voice laced with disgust.

“…First Chief?”

The strange man who had subdued the First Chief of the Namcheon Baek Clan, one of Jin Yeomyung’s collaborators, bowed politely to Cheon Yura.

“I am the Master of Hao Sect, the Hundred-Faced Fool, an ally of Young Master Jin.”

Thud!

The Hundred-Faced Fool tossed the First Chief aside like trash and said,

“You’ve all been far too careless. Perhaps it’s time to do a proper sweep of the area? There may be more spies lurking around.”

Cheon Yura, without sparing the First Chief even a glance, spoke.

“You claim to be an ally of Jin Yeomyung?”

“Indeed. Great Hero Jin asked me to prepare an escape route from Namchang in case something like this happened.”

“Jin Yeomyung…”

Cheon Yura trailed off.

The others were equally impressed by Jin Yeomyung’s foresight.

“To get to the point, escaping Namchang itself isn’t all that difficult. But right now, if we move too hastily, we’ll only get caught.”

“Get caught?”

“Yes, while escaping is one matter, the surroundings of Jiangxi Province are covered in a net of Heaven-Snaring Traps numbering at least several thousand. More importantly…”

The Hundred-Faced Fool paused for effect.

“Under the command of Evil Path Sect, nearly three thousand demonic sect members have left their territories and are reinforcing the Heaven-Snaring Trap.”

“……!!”

“In this kind of situation, securing an escape route beforehand is far more important than attempting to flee blindly.”

“In that case, wouldn’t it be better to find a route after escaping?”

Cheon Yura asked, and the Hundred-Faced Fool shook his head.

“A Heaven-Snaring Trap isn’t a simple brute-force net that closes in all at once.”

Heaven-Snaring Traps were designed to predict a target’s movements and channel them in a direction of the enemy’s choosing.

“The ones making up the bulk of the troops are just average martial artists, not affiliated with ‘them’. Even if they converge, they can’t operate in perfect coordination.”

More importantly—

“They likely already understand your level of power. If they clashed with you head-on, they know their central forces could be obliterated.”

“Hmph, they’d better.”

Cheon Yura snorted in agreement.

Indeed, if they rushed in just to claim credit despite having set up the trap—

“They’d get wrecked by me, Dao Zun-seonbae, and those two over there.”

The Saber King chuckled with derision as well.

Then, a relaxed voice drifted down from the top of the pavilion.

“Our main obstacle will undoubtedly be the Ten Heavenly Lords.”

It was clearly the voice of a young girl, yet it carried the weight of deep experience.

“Dao Zun-seonbae!”

Dao Zun leapt down from the pavilion and said,

“Especially once night falls, we may have to face the true elites of the Heaven-Defying Society.”

Monsters born of the bloodline of the mythic era—each possessing overwhelming strength and regenerative power.

No one knew how many there were or how monstrous they would be.

“Which is exactly why planning our escape route is crucial. Do you have one in mind?”

“Yes, I do. Great Hero Jin and I mapped one out together.”

The Hundred-Faced Fool raised his finger and pointed west.

“We’ll cross Dongting Lake and exit through the Jinryeong Mountain Range.”

“…Dongting Lake?”

“Yes. According to Great Hero Jin, there are only two groups that ‘they’ absolutely cannot infiltrate.”

While the others were still puzzling over what those two groups might be—

Cheon Yura nodded knowingly.

“Bandits and pirates.”

“Correct. He said it might be possible with the Beggars’ Sect or our Hao Sect as well, but…”

The Hundred-Faced Fool gave a shrug, pride coloring his face.

“They wouldn’t dare extend their hands to rootless groups with no history or legitimacy.”

“Quite a bold criticism, considering you’re relying on pirates for this escape.”

“Well, if you pay them enough, they’ll sell their services to anyone.”

“…….”

“…….”

Many people stared intently at the expression on the Hundred-Faced Fool’s face.

Even under those suspicious gazes, the Hundred-Faced Fool puffed out his chest and declared confidently,

“Heh heh, why are you looking at me like that? Do you really think I’m acting out of greed in this situation?”

“I do.”

“I absolutely do.”

“Isn’t that the case?”

As Cheon Yura, Dao Zun, and Baek Sang-ah replied one after another, the Hundred-Faced Fool’s mouth clamped shut.

“Ahem! Ahem! Of course, I did agree to accept a small monetary payment from Great Hero Jin…”

Those around tilted their heads in curiosity.

“A small amount?”

“Did you mean to say a thousand gold taels by mistake?”

“Ahem-hrrm!”

At the remark that came dangerously close to the truth, the Hundred-Faced Fool let out a loud cough.

“Surely, you can understand—it’s a job that warrants such compensation.”

“……Hmm.”

They didn’t press further.

Indeed, planning such a perilous escape might well cost a fortune.

“Of course, what’s more important is that Young Master Jin kept his end of the contract with me. Whether intentional or not, the outcome is what matters.”

A deep satisfaction crept across the Hundred-Faced Fool’s lips.

“……?”

“In any case, the Hao Sect is now fully mobilized. We’re working on a projected deployment chart of the righteous factions, and we’ve begun negotiating with the Waterway Pirates. We can wait for Great Hero Jin to wake up until then.”

“How long will that take?”

“If things go quickly, three days. At worst, maybe seven days and nights.”

“…That’s too long. If we delay that much, Namchang will be completely locked down. Even if it isn’t, if the standoff drags on, there’s no telling what the Namcheon Baek Clan might do.”

At those words, the Hundred-Faced Fool covered his mouth and chuckled.

“You don’t have to worry about that. There are ways.”

“You have a way?”

“Yes, so don’t worry and just wait for Great Hero Jin to awaken.”

And so, five tense days passed.

Yet even after five days, Jin Yeomyung showed no signs of waking.

Each time Jin Yeomyung writhed in pain, Cheon Yura’s heart felt like it was being torn apart.

The only thing giving her hope was the golden, auspicious energy that still lingered around him—proof, she believed, that the worst had not come to pass.

At that moment, the Hundred-Faced Fool approached her with a letter in hand.

“The negotiations with the Waterway Pirates have concluded. They said they won’t wait much longer, so we need to move as soon as possible.”

“…….”

Having come this far, Cheon Yura could no longer postpone her decision.

Now, not only Jin Yeomyung’s life but the lives of countless members of the delegation rested in her hands.

For now, she had no choice but to trust Baek Sang-ah.

“…We escape.”

At last, she made her decision.

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