Martial Artist Lee Gwak - Chapter 36: The Thread of Fate Leads to Unpredictable Places (2)

Light Novel: Volume 2 Chapter 11

Manhwa: Chapters 38

Episode 4. The Thread of Fate Leads to Unpredictable Places (2)

Lee Gwak patrolled the outer city along with Seok Yi-cheon and Ki Jinhwi. After all, one of the duties of the Outer Hall was to patrol the outer city.

It was extremely rare for trouble to arise inside the outer city. This was because only those who passed a thorough identification check at the main gate were allowed to enter.

It was extremely rare for those with verified identities to cause problems. However, that didn’t mean there were no issues at all. Occasionally, unexpected events would occur, and so the Outer Hall would patrol regularly to check for problems.

Lee Gwak’s squad, being significantly understaffed compared to others, primarily took on patrol duties instead of guarding the main gate.

“Look at that, brother. There’s a traveling merchant’s cart roaming around inside.”

“Enough already.”

“There’s a market too.”

“I said stop it.”

“All the ladies passing by are so beautiful too.”

“Really!”

Unfamiliar with the scenery of the outer city, Ki Jinhwi continuously exclaimed his admiration, while Seok Yi-cheon turned away, embarrassed by Ki Jinhwi’s remarks. Nevertheless, Ki Jinhwi persistently followed Seok Yi-cheon around and chatted hesitantly.

Over the past few days, Ki Jinhwi had grown so close to Seok Yi-cheon that he didn’t hesitate to call him brother. Although Seok Yi-cheon didn’t dislike Ki Jinhwi, he felt embarrassed to raise his head whenever Ki Jinhwi exposed his countryside origins.

The area where Ki Jinhwi’s previous faction, the Blue Light Martial Hall, had been was incredibly barren and desolate. Naturally, it had fewer people and the village wasn’t large, which made the bustling scene of the Jade Heaven Alliance a shocking contrast.

“You better keep your mouth shut.”

“Brother!”

“What?”

“I think I made the right decision of joining the Jade Heaven Alliance.”

“Alright, just please be quiet.”

Seok Yi-cheon was now pleading with Ki Jinhwi.

Seok Yi-cheon’s face was flushed. He was genuinely embarrassed.

Lee Gwak ignored the sounds from behind him, surveying his surroundings.

The scene was the same as any other day.

Far away, a fierce battle with the Celestial Demon Union was ongoing, but he couldn’t sense any of that here.

People were going about their daily lives in peace, and there was no sign of worry or unrest on their faces.

Lee Gwak felt a sense of alienation seeing their calmness.

If he hadn’t experienced the Steel Blood Hell Training Ground at Mount Shaohua, he might have found it hard to believe they were at war with the Celestial Demon Union.

It was then.

Ding, ding, ding!

Suddenly, an urgent bell rang from the direction of the main gate. It was a signal to summon the warriors of the Outer Hall.

Seok Yi-cheon’s face changed as he looked at Lee Gwak.

“Gwak!”

“Let’s go!”

Lee Gwak took the lead and started running, followed closely by Seok Yi-cheon and Ki Jinhwi.

They arrived at the main gate in a flash.

In front of the gate, a large number of Outer Hall martial artists had already gathered.

“What’s going on?”

Lee Gwak asked Cho Mu-tak, the squad leader of Squad 12, the reason for the summon.

Cho Mu-tak pointed towards the main road opposite the main gate.

“Look over there.”

Following his direction, Lee Gwak’s eyes lit up. A cloud of dust was rising from beyond the road, a phenomenon that occurs when a large group of people moved.

It was then.

“Why is it so chaotic here?! Can’t anyone stay calm?”

The booming voice of Maeng Hee-cheon, the leader of the Outer Hall, filled the air as he suddenly appeared at the main gate. In his hand was a note sent via messenger.

The content of the note was so shocking that Maeng Hee-cheon personally rang the emergency bell to summon the personnel of the Outer Hall.

The martial artists of the Outer Hall went to their positions with tense expressions.

When they saw that even Maeng Hee-cheon had come out, they realized that something serious was going on. Maeng Hee-cheon quickly issued an order.

“Squads one to five, make sure no one approaches near the main gate. Squads six to ten, control the route to the Inner Court. Absolutely no one should know about what’s happening from now on. Squad leaders, move out!”

“Yes!”

“Understood.”

The squad leaders mentioned responded and began to move in order, leading their members to control the area.

Maeng Hee-cheon then turned his attention to the remaining squads.

“Squads eleven, twelve, and thirteen, you’ll escort those entering the main gate into the inner city. Make a human barrier and be on high alert.”

“Understood.”

“Yes!”

Lee Gwak also responded with a stern expression.

Behind him, Seok Yi-cheon and Ki Jinhwi also had their lips pursed tightly, their faces tense.

Even at that moment, the cloud of dust was drawing closer, and finally, it neared the city gate.

What had stirred up the dust turned out to be about ten cargo wagons and dozens of warriors.

Their faces were smeared with sweat and dust, and they were breathing heavily. It was clear at a glance that they were exhausted, at the brink of collapse. However, what truly shocked everyone was not the warriors but the cargo wagons.

Instead of a roof, the wagons were covered with tarps from which black blood dripped. The sight of blood flowing from about ten wagons, staining the ground, was not just shocking but horrifying.

Thud!

Suddenly, an arm protruded from between the tarps. Only then did the Outer Hall warriors realize the wagons were laden with corpses.

‘Good heavens! Does this mean all ten wagons are loaded with bodies?’

Judging by the size of the wagons, there were easily over two hundred bodies. It was as if a medium-sized martial faction had been annihilated.

The warriors of the Outer Hall became frozen in front of this major incident.

Maeng Hee-cheon approached the warriors who had brought the wagons.

“Are you all that survived?”

“Ah! I’m sorry. We were ambushed by the enemy and…!”

The blood-soaked warrior couldn’t even finish his sentence as he broke into sobs. Overwhelmed by guilt for losing his comrades, he couldn’t even raise his head.

“Let’s go inside. The leader of the Main Court is waiting.”

“Yes!”

Maeng Hee-cheon then addressed the Outer Hall warriors.

“What are you waiting for? Get moving!”

“Yes!”

Finally regaining their senses, the Outer Hall warriors started to move.

Lee Gwak also led his squad members, escorting the wagons and warriors.

As they entered the outer city, they could see the other squads controlling the streets. Curious onlookers from afar looked on, but the intimidating presence of the guarding warriors deterred any closer approach.

The wagon procession swiftly crossed the outer city and reached the gate of the inner city. The warriors guarding the inner city hurriedly opened the gates.

Thud!

As soon as they entered the inner city, the massive gates closed firmly behind them.

The wagon procession moved swiftly towards the Main Court without a moment’s pause. Upon arrival, an elderly warrior cloaked in a blood-red robe greeted them.

A horrific scar ran across the right side of his face. The man, who was missing his right eye, was none other than the head of the Main Court, Nam Il-geuk.

His cold and ruthless personality earned him the nickname, Dark Blood Assassin. A gleam of anger flashed across his face as he spoke,

“Jwa Ryun!”

At his shout, a blood-covered warrior leaped out from the procession.

“Court leader!”

“What happened?”

“I’m sorry.”

The warrior named Jwa Ryun knelt before Nam Il-geuk.

A flicker of recognition crossed Lee Gwak’s eyes for a moment.

‘Jwa Ryun? Does this mean that the people who were slaughtered were members of the Black Tortoise Squad?’¹

The Black Tortoise Squad was one of the Main Court’s elite units.

Like the Blue Dragon Squad, White Tiger Squad, and Vermillion Bird Squad, they mostly operated outside the Jade Heaven Alliance, so this was Lee Gwak’s first time seeing Jwa Ryun’s face.

Nam Il-geuk’s voice was chillingly cold as he spoke,

“I don’t want to hear your apologies. I’m asking what happened.”

“It seems the meeting place was leaked. We were ambushed and had no time to react.”

“The casualties?”

“Twenty-seven from the Black Tortoise Squad died, and a hundred seventy warriors who attended the meeting perished.”

“Ugh!”

Nam Il-geuk’s voice was heavy with the weight of the unthinkable loss.

Not long ago, the Jade Heaven Alliance had hosted a secret meeting. The goal was to gain cooperation from the leaders of factions in areas bordering the Celestial Demon Union.

The ones who were sent on behalf of the Jade Heaven Alliance were the Black Tortoise Squad and Jwa Ryun.

“What about the culprits?”

“Who else but the Celestial Demon Union could have staged such an ambush?”

“Ugh!”

Nam Il-geuk ground his teeth, his eyes bloodshot with rage.

He then looked towards Maeng Hee-cheon.

“Outer Hall leader.”

“Your command, sir.”

“I will hold a leadership meeting in my capacity as the leader of the Main Court. Inform the Alliance Leader as well.”

“Understood.”

“Then take care of the aftermath.”

“Please leave it to me.”

Maeng Hee-cheon bowed in acknowledgment.

Although Nam Il-geuk was not his direct superior, the order still came from someone of much higher rank, so he had no right to refuse.

Maeng Hee-cheon issued orders to the squad leaders who had followed him.

“I’ll report to the Alliance Leader. You handle the bodies and then disperse.”

“Yes!”

Without looking back, he walked towards the Alliance Leader’s residence.

The remaining squad leaders of the Outer Hall exchanged glances.

Even though it was an order from their superiors, they were all reluctant to take on the task of dealing with nearly two hundred corpses.

Ideally, it was a task that should have been left to the martial artists of the Main Court, but in the face of the loss of their comrades, it was unfathomable to burden them further. In the end, the task fell to the Outer Hall warriors.

Cho Mu-tak, the oldest among the squad leaders, sighed and said,

“Hoo, let’s get started.”

“Yes!”

Following his command, the Outer Hall warriors unveiled the tarp-covered wagons. Layers upon layers of corpses were then revealed.

“Ugh!”

“Hic!”

Groans that bordered on screams erupted from the mouths of the Outer Hall martial artists. The condition of the bodies was horrific.

Some of them even turned their heads, gagging.

Lee Gwak turned to Seok Yi-cheon and Ki Jinhwi and said,

“Let’s carry them too.”

They nodded and followed him. The smiles had long since faded from their faces.

They carefully began carrying the bodies to the warehouse.

Lee Gwak held one of the bodies in his arms and moved cautiously.

It was a horribly mutilated body. His body was covered in blood, and his mouth was gaping open with horrific wounds.

Lee Gwak carefully brushed back the hair that covered the corpse’s face. A face frozen in horror was then revealed.

The corpse was a martial artist around his age.

He must have been a promising disciple of some sect. What must it have been like for him to have to face death before he could even begin to fulfill his dreams?

His pain-stricken expression and terrified eyes seemed to hint a little bit about what he was feeling in his final moments.

‘May you find peace in a better place…’

Lee Gwak sincerely prayed for the warrior’s passing.

Whatever the warrior’s ambition or status in life, in death, they would be reduced to this pitiful state.

The Jade Heaven Alliance might be outraged by his death and take measures for now, but this individual’s existence would soon fade into oblivion.

Jianghu’s kindness was as fleeting and fickle as the wind.

Lee Gwak knew this well from his years of experience. Countless warriors had died on Mount Shaohua, but now, no one spoke of them. They were already forgotten by the world.

Lee Gwak carefully set the body down inside the warehouse.

The spacious warehouse was filled with bodies carried by the men from the Outer Hall. Their own appearances were dirtied and marred in the process, yet not a single complaint was uttered.

Even though they were now in the safety of the Jade Heaven Alliance, they knew that they too could be thrown into battlefields and meet a similarly futile end.

After carrying the last of the bodies, Lee Gwak looked around the warehouse quietly.

The strong smell of blood that filled the warehouse made him dizzy. But he knew this was just the beginning.

This tragedy would escalate a local conflict into a full-blown war, leading to even more deaths.

“Hoo!”

Lee Gwak’s sigh dissipated into the wind.

SoundlessWind21’s Notes:

The Four Squads of the Main Court seem to be named after the Four Symbols or Four Mythological Creatures in China: Blue Dragon Squad, Black Tortoise Squad, Vermillion Bird Squad, and White Tiger Squad.

Here are some translation changes between the manhwa and the novel:

1. Black Mystic Squad → Black Tortoise Squad.

Anyway, thank you for reading!

1. Black Tortoise Squad. Raws: 현무조(玄武組).
   • 玄武 xuánwǔ – Black Tortoise
   • 组 zǔ – to form / to organize / group / team / classifier for sets, series, groups of people, batteries

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