Chapter 366

The skilled soldiers of Daesun Ho shared glances and waved their fingers.

They were communicating silently, using hand gestures, with their fingers flexing and closing, mimicking slapping a palm with a fist as they exchanged messages.

Just by looking at their level of sign language meant to conceal their presence, one could tell how elite this unit was.

Thus, their conversations in sign language went like this.

– Halt. Civilian obstacles ahead. Two watchtowers, one breakthrough point, no sentries.

– Stop, prepare for steel-cast demonstration, observe the advance team for movements.

– Civilian obstacles are closed. No sentries. No signs of enemy. Shall we break through?

– Hold judgment. Wait a moment and listen carefully.

A moment of silence passed, and after about an hour,

the scouting team, pressed against the closed wooden door, sent another sign.

– No signs of the enemy.

– Hold position.

With that, the general and his aide began to whisper observations in a hushed voice, blending into the sound of the wind.

“Since they saw a forest fire, they must have evacuated, right?”

“There’s quite a bit of smoke rising.”

“They might have left without putting out the fire.”

“For that, the distant smoke looks pretty fierce. It’s not a level of fire that would just have one person tending it; someone must have piled on logs to raise the flames.”

“What shall we do? Push through?”

“It’s a civilian village. Creating unnecessary disturbances isn’t wise, so let’s call out first, and if there’s no response, we’ll break through.”

“Understood.”

With that, the aide raised both hands high and stepped closer towards the village’s stockade gate.

They said there were no enemy sentries, but indeed, no signs of life could be felt.

Taking a deep breath, the aide unleashed the booming voice typical of a Northern man.

“I am-!!” / Creak!

At the same moment, the door creaked open cautiously, as if the wood was twisting.

The aide blinked in surprise.

What? I haven’t even had a chance to introduce myself, and someone’s already shouting?

Qing was equally startled.

What’s going on? Why is this guy just standing quietly at the door and then shouting the moment it opens?

On the northern side of the village, the Golden Guards were resting, taking advantage of the moment to slip out through the south gate.

The moment the door opened, a figure shouted, just as if they had been waiting.

With his chest strap fastened and a cart positioned behind him, Qing exchanged awkward glances with the stranger who held a sweet potato in one hand.

Crunch. Qing chewed the sweet potato once, crunch, stepped back a step, crunch, another step, crunch, a third step, crunch, a fourth step. Finally, his backside touched the cart.

Qing pushed the cart backward with his rear, and then cautiously closed the door again.

Creeeak.

The stockade door slowly closed with the sound of twisting wood, as if to brush the incident under the rug.

In a hurry, the aide shouted.

“Stop! If you don’t freeze, I’ll shoot!”

Gulp.

Qing felt a chill go down his spine and swallowed the half-chewed sweet potato.

Good thing it was raw sweet potato, so it didn’t choke him.

The threat didn’t really concern him.

The fortified village’s gate was built of thick planks, and even if the crossbow pierced through, it would barely have any momentum.

However, if they kicked up a fuss, the Golden Guards would swarm in, and that would be trouble.

If they got surrounded from both sides, then, hmm.

Qing decided to comply for now.

This kind of door was only reliable for fights among common folks; if faced with a real warrior, there wouldn’t even be time to take a few steps back.

As he pondered, he thought about pretending to be a fleeing villager.

He could act as if he was fleeing with his sick mother and his frail little brother.

After all, it would be odd for a villager to come out fleeing from a fire on the southern mountain when there was a perfectly good north gate nearby, but a quick plan like that would be as shallow as a puddle.

So, Qing cleared his throat and prepared to speak—

“Oh, right. It’s you. I thought it was someone familiar. The rickshaw guy pulling the cart.”

Someone acknowledged him from the other side.

A man clad in a thick blue overcoat, there weren’t any women at the military gates, so it had to be a man.

Qing squinted, unable to see clearly, but could catch a glimpse of acorns embedded neatly outside the coat, glinting silver.

It looked like a thick overcoat, but every round head of iron had armor plates behind it.

Though it looked like heavy clothing, it was just filled with cheap cotton.

As he tightened the sash over his waist, it stuck out comically, draping ill-fitted over his ample body.

The aide’s anger boiled over, yet he didn’t seem to display outright hostility.

Qing cleared his throat and mimicked the man’s voice.

“I… I apologize. But it feels a bit unfair to say I kicked you. I just nudged you with my foot, in case you might get hurt.”

“What? Nudged with your foot!? That’ll kill a man if you do it twice!”

“With the fire chasing after me, I was too flustered to see clearly. I’m sorry, but I don’t have much else to offer. Maybe a sweet potato—”

“What’s this, are you mocking me—”

“Right. When in a hurry, such things can happen.”

Cutting off Qing’s words, the aide’s superior nodded.

The aide immediately cried out in unfair protest.

“General! But he just kicked me right in the chest! Even though I did my utmost, how can you treat me so lightly?”

“That’s for the parties involved to resolve. So, what’s your name?”

Qing pondered briefly before replying.

“Um, I’m, uh, the one they call Unyeonjeong.”

“Unyeonjeong?”

“Un Yeon Jeong.”

“Unyeonjeong? What’s that, is it Un or Yeon?”

“It’s Un, Yeon, no, Unyeonjeong, no Unyeonjeong, ah, this is confusing!”

It was indeed a very tricky name to pronounce.

“Well, whatever your name. By the way, do you have any intentions regarding military service? I’ve seen your skills, and you’d make a great asset to my army. Will you join me?”

“Thank you for your offer, but—”

Suddenly, the general raised his hand.

With that, snap, the troops formed a semi-circle and pointed their crossbows in an organized manner. No, it seemed like they were going to point them.

“Looks like you misinterpreted what I said. I’m not exactly asking for your opinion. Who buys military service from the Northern Army? People would rather die than do that. So, which side are you on? Would you prefer to live and buy your military service, or rather die?”

“Do you want to join the army with me, or choose to die?”

What a troublesome dilemma.

This is what the king from that famous western country must’ve pondered, whether to live or die before re-enlisting.

Because living as a soldier isn’t really life at all.

To either live without dignity as a man or to die as a proper human being.

That’s the dilemma between the infamous re-enlistment and death, between a shabby life and peaceful death.

Can it be done or not? That is the question.

To act or not to act, that is the question.

Surprisingly, Qing was a stunning military woman.

Is it better to join the army, or is it better to die?

Even if they say life in the army is tough, this is a world even more primitive and ancient than those times, so it’s probably not any better.

But according to the law of the land, women can’t enlist in the military.

Why, you may ask, was such a law established? Because there are many who break it, specifically, many who choose to.

Military service in this era is about fulfilling quotas by household; if you don’t want to go and you don’t want to send your precious son either, you end up with remaining daughters who get sold off into other households.

When a daughter is married off, the husband’s household has to send gifts, and this amount is called “chai-rye,” which means they build her up well and then make a good return.

Thus, daughters are essentially raised to be married off, making good profits.

So if one gives up chai-rye, they dress them as men to fulfill military duties.

Nonetheless, Qing thought.

Since women cannot serve in the military—

I could just agree, mingle a bit, get Jayu and Yeon Pa to safety, and then, oops! Actually, I’m a woman, and I’ll make my exit.

“Uh, General. I have a sick old mother and a frail child to take care of. I’m just about to take my mother to her relatives in Seonnyeong, but would it be alright if I escorted her?”

“Oh, I see. So that’s why you’re pulling a cart. You aren’t a soldier, then? It made sense that such a feat was difficult for an ordinary unknown soldier. It seems you’re taking care of your sick mother.”

The general nodded approvingly.

Even the aide’s dissatisfaction softened a bit, showing a hint of warmth.

He had the guts to kick the chest of a heavenly being like the aide, but since he was desperate to save his mother, it wouldn’t be right to blame him, right?

“Right, right. It’s good that you have another child. Even if you serve in the military, there will still be someone to support your family. Seonnyeong, you say? I’ll keep that in mind.”

“In Seonnyeong, they should be on the western slope of the mountains.”

“Then we’ll stop by Seonnyeong and return to Beijing. Everyone, prepare for a great hero formation. We’re still under the influence of the fire demon, so let’s hurry to get away.”

“Um, General?”

Qing called the general to a stop.

“What is it?”

“Uh, there are some rather suspicious people lingering around the village, and I heard something about the Golden Guards.”

At that, the general’s expression changed drastically.

In contrast, Qing’s expression brightened a little.

Oh, do they have some bad blood between them?

“It wouldn’t do any good to confront them unnecessarily. Hmm, you know this area well, right? Find a path that avoids detection, whether it’s heading towards Seonnyeong or elsewhere. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“I can say that’s true.”

If it’s a path that avoids detection, can’t they just cut through the wilderness heading west?

So it wasn’t technically a lie.

“Alright, then you lead the way.”

With that, Qing took the cart and stepped forward as they were about to set off.

“Stop!”

Even if the Golden Guards were lax, they had a team of Supreme Martial Artists led by a master of the Realm of Transformation.

So, undoubtedly, the booming voice of the aide shouting from the south gate wouldn’t go unheard.

Of course, they all came out because they had to.

Thinking it could be a fleeing villager returning, everyone was ignoring the ruckus, only for the vexed captain to switch from carefree to caution upon hearing something suspicious.

However, sometimes such annoyance could yield results, and the Golden Guards must have spotted the Northern Army’s Daesun Cheonhojang just as they were supposed to be burning.

And so, as the south gate swung wide open, the Golden Guard’s elite soldiers emerged, standing shoulder to shoulder with arrogant poise.

Outside the gate, the Northern Army had surrounded them.

“Who’s this? Why, it’s the general, isn’t it? I’m pretty sure I delivered a royal decree to you? Confirm the fact that the fire line has burned and then return after verifying the rebels have perished.”

“The wind was fierce, and it burned much quicker than expected. Rest assured, the mission was accomplished as planned.”

Amid the palpable tension, Qing bit into his sweet potato with a crunch.

“Is that even possible—”

“What isn’t possible?”

“Doesn’t it not add up? We’ve only been here for barely half an hour! If you guys are here, that means—”

“Did the official see it with their own eyes? I personally saw up to the fire line and withdrew. You, who seem to be enjoying your leisure in such a little village, say that?”

“How dare you—”

“There’s a proper hierarchy in place, so as a Cheonhojang, I have no reason to lower myself before you. Show respect to your military.”

With three consecutive interruptions, Makseok’s face turned bright red.

“Fine, you obviously want to die, and today will be your funeral. All soldiers, draw your weapons!”

Clank. The Golden Guards drew their swords.

The general raised his arm, and the soldiers forming a semi-circle leveled their steel crossbows at the guards.

Qing’s eyes sparkled. His mouth continued munching away.

Oh, will they fight? Will they clash?

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