WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME NOVELS
Translator/Editor: Chen
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Former Supreme ◈
Chapter 59: Wield It Secretly (2)
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Silence filled the hall as every strategist turned to Baek Socheon.
Anyone could tell they intended to take Baek Socheon's life.
Surprisingly, he remained calm.
"I'll go."
"No! There's no way they called for you with good intentions!"
"Of course not. But we can't sacrifice the hostages, can we?"
"We should send the Secret Pavilion or the Iron Sword Corps to rescue them."
"They'll have already anticipated that much if they called for me."
"Unit Commander Baek! These men subdued the Sect Leader of the Slanted Shadow Sect. They're masters."
The Slanted Shadow Sect Leader was not an extraordinary master, but he had still reached the peak realm.
"Don't worry so much. Do you think I'd be defeated by people who take hostages to threaten others?"
Baek Socheon was not worried at all. Now that he had regained his internal energy, there was no situation he needed to fear.
The problem lay elsewhere. He had to fight without revealing that he had recovered his internal energy. This was a time when exceptional combat finesse was absolutely necessary.
Zhuge Hyeon had no choice but to send Baek Socheon. With a hostage situation unfolding, Zhuge Hyeon could not refuse to send him and allow the Slanted Shadow Sect Leader and the leader's family to be sacrificed.
"You don't have to comply with their unreasonable demands. Judge the situation as it develops."
"Understood."
"Be careful. I'll support you however I can from behind. Ah, wait a moment."
Zhuge Hyeon had Sima Iljung retrieve something from Zhuge Hyeon's office. It was Dragon Scale Armor, protective armor thin enough to be worn beneath one's clothes. It was a treasured garment the Alliance Leader had awarded Zhuge Hyeon during the war, a treasure that could withstand even blades without being damaged. It was thin and flexible, making it easy to move in.
"Wear this."
"I'll be fine."
"If you refuse even this, I won't send you."
"Thank you."
Baek Socheon put on the Dragon Scale Armor in front of Zhuge Hyeon. If he had to eliminate them, it would help conceal his true ability. They would assume he had survived the danger thanks to the armor.
After leaving the Strategic Command Center, Baek Socheon immediately mounted a horse and left the Murim Alliance.
* * *
With an hour remaining until midnight, Baek Socheon arrived at the Slanted Shadow Sect.
The Iron Cavalry Corps' Fourth Unit had arrived first and secured the area. Its commander came to greet him.
"I am Ju Deokyang, Fourth Unit Commander of the Iron Cavalry Corps."
He wore the Iron Cavalry Corps' distinctive armor and carried a long spear. The horses tied nearby also wore armor. This armor, exclusive to the Iron Cavalry Corps, was sturdy and strong yet remarkably light.
The Iron Cavalry Corps, masters of horsemanship and spear techniques, showed their true strength in battles on open ground.
That did not mean they were only formidable while mounted. Of course, they were less formidable fighting dismounted than when mounted and wielding their spears, but their skill on foot was still well above average.
"I am Baek Socheon, Unit Commander of the Sage Heaven Corps. What is the situation?"
"We haven't confirmed their numbers, but there don't seem to be many. There appear to be three or four of them. They're masked, so we haven't identified them."
"Any casualties?"
"Fortunately, it seems there have been no casualties yet."
In other words, he was definitely their target. They knew that if too many people died, the Murim Alliance would be more likely to forcefully suppress them. This was not something they had done on a whim just to see the face of a former hero.
"I'll go inside."
Ju Deokyang knew Baek Socheon had lost his internal energy. Even if he could display considerable skill without it, this was a hostage situation.
"Will you be all right?"
"Yes. Leave it to me."
There was not the slightest trace of unease on Baek Socheon's face.
Ju Deokyang nodded.
"Understood. Please be careful. If you think you're in danger, shout. We'll enter at once."
"All right."
Baek Socheon walked toward the main gate. The Iron Cavalry Corps martial artists watched him anxiously. They knew of Baek Socheon as well. Some even owed him their lives.
Bang. Bang.
After knocking on the door, Baek Socheon called out.
"I'm Baek Socheon, the one you're looking for."
A moment later, the gate opened.
Creeeak.
Beyond it, he saw the cold eyes of a masked man.
"Your weapon?"
"I don't have one."
He had left the Ghost Shadow Sword behind. In a hostage situation, they would obviously confiscate it anyway.
"I'll search you."
"Go ahead."
The masked man searched Baek Socheon. He had not even brought a single dagger.
"Come in."
Once Baek Socheon stepped inside, the gate closed again.
The courtyard was empty.
The masked man led him through the Slanted Shadow Sect to a reception hall in an annex.
Everyone taken hostage had been gathered there. The Slanted Shadow Sect Leader, Gwak Jinbong, his family, and the sect's martial artists had all been captured with their acupoints sealed.
The ordinary martial artists had their paralysis points and sleep acupoints sealed and were unconscious. Only three people remained awake.
They were Gwak Jinbong, his wife, and his son, who looked to be around thirteen or fourteen.
There were fewer masked men than expected.
Only three.
One stood beside the hostages with a sword in hand.
One had brought Baek Socheon here, then gone outside to keep watch.
The apparent leader sat in a grand chair at the back of the reception hall.
"Baek Socheon."
The masked man's low voice echoed through the room. It was a voice Baek Socheon had never heard before.
Judging by the voice and eyes, the masked man appeared to be in their fifties. From the aura they gave off, they were a master at the peak realm. All three masked men had reached the peak realm.
"So the hero of the martial world has come, the man who once made even the masters of the Black Heaven Alliance tremble?"
That single mocking remark allowed Baek Socheon to infer one thing. The masked man did not belong to the Black Heaven Alliance. Had they belonged to it, they would have said, "the masters of our alliance."
"Do you know me?"
"Of course I do. You don't know me, though."
"Who are you?"
"If I tell you, I'll have to kill all those people."
Baek Socheon glanced toward the Slanted Shadow Sect Leader and his family. They stared at him in terror.
"If you alone die, everyone else can live."
That would not be the case. They would need the hostages when they escaped. Would they really spare them once they were safe?
"It doesn't seem that I have any grudge against you."
"Do people in the martial world need a grudge before they kill each other?"
"Fair enough."
"By the way, are you stupid? Or do you still think you're some hero of the martial world? You came even knowing you would die?"
"It's been so long. I was nearly forgotten over the past three years. I was glad you called for me, even if it was like this."
Baek Socheon's relaxed demeanor made the masked man feel an inexplicable unease.
The masked man soon shook it off. Even if their opponent was Baek Socheon, they were not weak enough to lose to someone who had lost all internal energy.
"Tell the third one to come in."
"Yes."
The masked man beside the hostages whistled.
The one keeping watch outside entered.
"All right, let's finish this."
"Yes."
The last masked man to enter drew a sword and approached Baek Socheon.
Another masked man placed a sword against the child's neck.
"If you resist, this child dies."
Gwak Jinbong and his wife cried out.
"No!"
"Please spare him! Kill me instead!"
Baek Socheon looked at the man seated in the grand chair.
"There's one thing I'd like to know before I die."
The masked man in the chair raised a hand, stopping the others.
"What is it?"
The masked man was excited at the thought of killing Baek Socheon. The chance to boast of having killed Baek Socheon would torment them for the rest of their life. It would be a historic accomplishment, after all.
"Who ordered this?"
"I don't know either. I was promised three hundred thousand nyang for killing you."
"Why go this far? You could have simply infiltrated my home and killed me."
"I heard that even without internal energy, you knocked out an Iron Sword Corps Unit Commander with one blow."
"Did the client give you even that information?"
"The client said you'd never let hostages die. Especially with a child and women among them. Besides, Murim Alliance martial artists all know about this situation, don't they? If the hostages die, people everywhere will blame you. They'll say a child and women died because you were trying to save your own life. Can you bear that criticism?"
"Whoever it was gave you good information."
"Goodbye."
The masked man signaled for the one approaching Baek Socheon to finish it.
The masked man moved in from behind.
Swish.
The instant the sword was swung, the masked man's hand cut through empty air.
"Huh?"
The sword that had been in the masked man's hand was now in Baek Socheon's hand.
The masked man guarding the hostages shouted.
"Move and they die!"
That was when it happened.
Slide. Thud. Slide. Thud.
The three hostages collapsed at the same time.
The masked man holding a sword to the child's neck was startled. They had been standing right beside them, yet all three had suddenly fallen asleep.
Baek Socheon had sent out finger wind, striking all three of their sleep acupoints at once and putting them to sleep.
While the masked man stood stunned, Baek Socheon cut down the masked man whose sword he had taken, severing the man's neck in a single strike.
Swoosh.
Spurt!
The attack was so fast that the masked man could not even think of dodging.
Blood sprayed from the masked man's neck as the body fell backward.
"The hostages..."
The masked man in the grand chair was about to order their deaths, but his words caught in his throat.
They had seen it.
The sword flying like a flash of light.
Thwack!
The sword in Baek Socheon's hand flew through the air and pierced the throat of the masked man beside the hostages.
The sword embedded itself in the rear wall, and the masked man crumpled to the floor.
The masked man in the grand chair was horrified. In the time it took to draw a breath, both of his younger brothers, masters at the peak realm, had died.
"You... You have internal energy."
Baek Socheon strode toward him. His hands were empty, but he did not hesitate.
"The client told you everything properly, except for one thing."
"P-Please spare me."
The masked man appeared to lower his head.
"Die!"
The masked man suddenly thrust out a sword.
Swoosh.
But Baek Socheon was not someone a desperate struggle could reach.
He lightly evaded the strike, swiftly struck the man's acupoints, and threw him into the air.
'Urgh!'
Ordinarily, this would have been the moment to use Waning Moon, Dawn Stars, a technique of the Fourth Fist of the Heaven-Turning Nine Fists, and turn him into a bloody pulp.
But to conceal any sign that he had used internal energy, he needed to use a sword.
Baek Socheon stretched out his hand, and the sword embedded in the distant wall tore free and flew toward him.
Whoosh.
Suspended in the air, the masked man opened his eyes wide. Being held aloft was shocking enough, but the sword pulling free from the wall and flying into Baek Socheon's hand was even more unbelievable.
He was helpless. When Baek Socheon had thrown him up, he had sealed both his paralysis point and mute acupoint, leaving him unable to move.
'It's the Baek Socheon from before!'
His body slowly tilted.
He was forced into a posture that exposed his neck.
'Ah!'
The last thing the terrified man saw was the semicircular trail of a sword drawn through the air.
Swoooosh!
There was nothing after that.
Thud.
The masked man's head rolled across the floor, followed by his body.
Baek Socheon looked down at the sword in his hand. It felt wonderful to use internal energy to eliminate enemies.
His control of internal energy was far easier, more precise, and faster than before.
Every hair on his body stood on end as a shiver ran through him. He wanted to shatter the roof and soar into the sky at once.
But this was not yet the time to reveal his strength.
The surging power settled back into every corner of Baek Socheon's body.
"Hoo..."
After taking a long, deep breath and calming himself, Baek Socheon checked the sleeping hostages. Fortunately, they were all unharmed.
Next, he searched the dead men. In the leader's clothes, he found a cloth bundle containing banknotes. There were eight banknotes worth ten thousand nyang each, along with three or four worth one thousand nyang. It seemed they had received one hundred thousand nyang as an advance payment for this job. They had apparently already spent more than ten thousand nyang on entertainment.
Baek Socheon took the banknotes. He intended to see if they could be traced.
He searched the others as well, but found nothing of note.
Baek Socheon opened the door and stepped outside.
Everyone was startled.
"Go inside and take a look!"
At his words, the Third Unit of the Iron Cavalry Corps entered the main hall.
They were shocked by the scene within.
Ju Deokyang, Third Unit Commander of the Iron Cavalry Corps, asked in astonishment, "What happened?"
"I killed them all while they let their guard down. It was thanks to the Grand Strategist lending me this protective armor."
Baek Socheon opened his collar and showed them the Dragon Scale Armor.
"Ah!"
"Fortunately, all the hostages are unharmed."
Exclamations and applause rose from the Iron Cavalry Corps martial artists standing around him.
There had been rumors that despite having no internal energy, he had passed the mechanism training and defeated Wang Ho of the Secret Pavilion. No one questioned what had happened here.
Ju Deokyang was overjoyed. If hostages had died while he was in charge, it would have caused serious trouble.
"Well done. You truly worked hard."
"Not at all. I was lucky."
While they spoke, an Iron Cavalry Corps martial artist came over and made a report.
Ju Deokyang relayed it to Baek Socheon.
"Someone recognized their faces. They were known as the Three Bloodfang Wolves, men who took money to commit every sort of evil. Do you know them?"
"I don't."
"It seems someone hired them to take Unit Commander Baek's life."
Baek Socheon nodded.
"Then please handle the aftermath."
"Yes, don't worry."
Someone had tried to kill him. If he had not recovered his internal energy, it would have been a difficult trap to escape. Even if he had escaped, the hostages would have been sacrificed, and that would have left Baek Socheon scarred.
Who could have done this? Could it be?
Thinking of that person in this situation was unbearably sad and painful, but it was true that they came to mind before even the Black Heaven Alliance Leader or the Blood Cult Leader.
Whoever it was, he would know soon enough.
In the meantime, the awakened Gwak Jinbong and his family repeatedly bowed to Baek Socheon in gratitude. The joy the two parents felt after confirming their child was safe was beyond words.
Baek Socheon gave them a light martial salute, then mounted the horse he had ridden there and disappeared into the darkness.
Footnotes:
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