Chapter 319
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 319
Chapter 319. In Lanzhou (6)
Pal-gap applied the water I had given him, which was actually Geum-ryeong's saliva, to the wounds of the masters.
“Huh? Eh? Huh!”
Pal-gap cried out in surprise. No wonder, as the wounds of the masters began to heal rapidly.
“What a powerful spirit!”
Everyone nodded in agreement with Pal-gap's words. There was no other explanation.
Before we knew it, new flesh began to grow over the broken bones, and the small scars disappeared without a trace.
Seeing this, I smiled with satisfaction.
It was worth the effort of collecting Geum-ryeong's saliva in the bowl. However, I decided to keep it a secret that it was Geum-ryeong's saliva.
It wasn't because of anything else, but because it could put Geum-ryeong in danger.
That afternoon.
Bang No-sa proposed a plan.
“If we just want to wipe them all out, we can do it with our current forces, but the problem is that we have to save the children.”
“That's right.”
“So, I suggest we use sleeping poison.”
“Sleeping poison?”
“Yes. Just in case, I brought some sleeping poison that I used to use often.”
Bang No-sa took a container out of his sleeve.
“This is more effective than you might think. I used it a few times in the past. Since I can't use martial arts, I need something like this sometimes.”
Bang No-sa asked me.
“You're not accusing me of being cowardly, are you?”
“Why would I accuse you? Isn't this the only way to solve this problem?”
“I like that. Hehehe.”
Bang No-sa said with a smile.
“But you know, we have to feed this to them. I have an idea...”
* * *
The man called Gaeseung scratched his groin.
Gurgle.
He sighed at the sound coming from the ship. It had been more than half a month since the food supplies from the upper echelons had been cut off.
“I'm starving.”
“Are we all going to starve to death like this?”
“Don't say such ominous things! You bastard!”
However, that anxiety was gradually becoming a reality. They were catching wild animals and eating tree bark, but it was not nearly enough.
What's more, it was the lean season.
Even ordinary farmers were starting to go hungry, so where could they get food?
Perhaps because of this, or perhaps because of rumors that this area was being raided, there were no signs of the Trading Company.
Then,
Clatter, clatter
Hearing the sound from below, Gaeseung and his party pricked up their ears.
“That's definitely the sound of cart wheels!”
“Is it the Trading Company?”
“What should we do?”
“What do you mean, what should we do? Tell the Boss right away!”
One of them rushed to the mountain keep and reported to the Boss.
The boss hurriedly led his subordinates down.
How long did they wait?
Finally, the carts came into view.
They were carts bearing the mark of the Eunhae Trading Company, and the straw bags on the carts were clearly food.
“Hehehe! We're not going to die after all!”
“Let's eat our fill today for the first time in a long time!”
They waited for the carts to come closer, and at the Boss's signal, they shot their arrows.
Bang!
Bang!
The sudden surprise attack threw the Trading Company people into confusion.
“Damn it! It's the Green Forest Bandits!”
“Give up the goods!”
“But... But that rice...”
“Get out of the way! Do you want to die?”
The Trading Company men gave up the goods and began to flee.
“Should we chase them?”
Boss shook his head at the question.
“There's no need. Don't waste your energy.”
“Yes!”
“We'll be able to fill our stomachs with rice for the first time in a long time. Let's go!”
* *
I watched the cart disappear into the distance.
So, was the operation a success?
“Good work, everyone.”
Everyone smiled at my words. Myung-jong and Chang-woon seemed particularly refreshed.
“Being with you makes me feel like a character in a heroic tale.”
“I feel the same way.”
I responded gently to their words.
“I'm glad you don't mind, but you must still be careful in everything you do. You only have one life.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
“Now, Jin-yu, please keep an eye on their movements.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Let's go back and finish our preparations.”
When we returned, the head servant welcomed us.
“Well, did you do well?”
“Yes.”
We had to feed them sleeping poison, so we came up with a plan to steal some of their rice.
We took rice that had been deliberately polished, so even if there were grains of sleeping poison mixed in, they wouldn't know.
They could wash the rice while cooking, but that didn't matter.
It wouldn't dissolve just by touching water.
The poison might dissolve if it came into contact with hot water, but it was already in the rice cooker.
Bang No-sa said he usually put it in tea to make his opponents fall asleep.
The sleeping poison would spread completely while the rice was cooking, and anyone who ate it would fall into a deep sleep within an hour.
That would be our chance to move.
“Then let's get ready.”
We took a covered wagon and headed down the mountain.
We had to move with the children.
Then Lee Pil approached me.
“Liege, reinforcements have arrived at the military camp.”
The Royal Guards headed for the military camp in Gansu and brought reinforcements with them.
If we requested reinforcements from Beijing, it would take time, and the forces lurking in Beijing could leak the information, so we decided to request reinforcements from the Gansu military camp.
They may not be elite soldiers trained in the martial arts of the imperial palace, but they would still be helpful.
That was why we needed the sleeping poison even more.
We had to minimize the damage as much as possible.
As evening fell, Jin-yu returned to us.
“How did it go?”
“Yes. We cooked rice with the rice we took from them and ate it. We also confirmed that several people were asleep.”
Then it was time to move.
I said to Lee-pil.
“Tell the commander of the military camp that we are ready.”
“Yes, sir.”
My companions and I tied red cloth around our left arms. That was our sign that we were allies.
While they subdued the men in the mountain keep, we would rescue the children.
Rescuing Cheong-gwan would come later.
Just then,
an arrow flew into the sky.
It was a signal that they were about to move.
We secretly entered the mountain keep.
By the way, the sleeping potion that the chamberlain gave us is very effective. Everyone was leaning against the wall, fast asleep.
How did he get it?
He is known for his resourcefulness.
Thanks to him, we were able to enter the mountain keep easily and headed straight for the basement.
In the basement were the children we had seen before.
“Can you move?”
The children backed away with frightened expressions on their faces when they saw us.
“Who are you?”
“We are from the Imperial Palace. We have come to rescue you.”
“You left us before.”
They remembered us from before.
“That's right.”
I didn't deny it.
“We weren't prepared enough at that time. If we had taken you with us then, you would have all died.”
“What about now?”
“We've come fully prepared.”
I looked at Seo Woo-musha, and he cut the chains of the prison where the children were locked up with his sword.
Swoosh.
Clang.
The chains were cut, the door opened, and I went inside and said to the children,
“Let's get out of here.”
At my words, the children got up one by one and left the prison.
Above, I could hear the sound of people moving around busily.
The children were frightened by the sound and cowered, but I calmed them down.
“It's okay. They are good men who have come to arrest the bad men in this mountain keep.”
With that, I led the children upstairs.
Then one of the children said,
“A man has been arrested over there.”
“Really?”
“The bad men were tormenting him terribly.”
It sounded like the story of Cheonggwan Gong.
“But that man deserved it. He sold the men who were captured here before.”
It wasn't that the children didn't think for themselves.
Even while they were trapped, they had listened to the stories they heard and figured out what was going on.
“Are you going to rescue that man too?”
“We have to save him. But later. Right now, our priority is to get you out of here safely.”
With that, we took the children and left the cave. Most of the mountain keep had already been cleared out.
All we had to do was round up those who were asleep, so it was practically a walk in the park.
When they saw us suddenly appear, they all pointed their weapons at us, but they quickly put them down.
They had noticed the red cloth tied to our left arms.
“You are the ones sent by His Majesty the Emperor, aren't you?”
“Yes, that's right. We are here to rescue the children. What is the situation here?”
One of them answered my question.
“There are only a few left now.”
“That's good. Please see this through to the end.”
“Of course.”
Just as we were about to leave the mountain keep with the children,
“...!”
I felt the hairs on my body stand on end.
I instantly raised my sword and blocked the way.
Clang!
I felt something heavy against my sword. When I looked up, I saw a man with claws on his hands blocking my sword.
I quickly realized what was going on. Since the mountain keep was built on top of a cave, there was a place to hide on the floor.
He must have been hiding there and attacked us by surprise.
He was a skilled fighter, probably a master.
If so, he must be the boss of the mountain keep.
But how did the sleeping poison not work?
“It's you! You're the one who tricked me!”
“Are you the boss?”
“Yes, I am the boss of this mountain keep. Looking at your expression, I guess you're wondering why I didn't fall asleep.”
“...”
“You should have investigated me more. I am immune to most poisons. And I knew the moment I took a bite of rice that it contained sleeping poison.”
Hearing his words, I immediately gave an order.
“Take everyone and get out of here right now.”
“What?”
“Liege! We will help you.”
I responded firmly to Seo Woo and the others.
“That is an order. I will not listen to any objections. Take everyone and leave this place immediately!”
Then, I swung my sword and pushed him out of the mountain keep.
Bang!
He blocked my sword and smiled slightly.
“So, you want to get serious?”
The reason I had everyone step back was because of the Boss's martial arts skills.
He had the senses to recognize sleeping poison.
He was also resistant to most poisons.
Finally, the tips of the claws on the Boss's hands were blue.
That meant he was skilled in poison techniques.
Poison techniques can cause widespread damage to those around the user, so I had everyone step back.
Fortunately, thanks to my training in the Tae-Eum Byeong-Hae technique, I am not easily affected by poison.
That is why I decided to face Boss.
Clang! Clang!
My sword and Boss's knuckle armor clashed repeatedly.
Considering the difference in skill between Boss and me, I thought I would be able to defeat him easily, but his armor was more difficult to deal with than I had expected.
I couldn't afford to get even slightly scratched.
Swoosh! Evil!
Squeak!
On top of that, my opponent was fighting with the determination to die, which made it even more difficult.
At this rate, it won't be over quickly.
Then, a thought suddenly struck me.
Wait a minute, I'm immune to poison, aren't I?
That's why I overlooked it even though I defeated all the others.
Then it was worth a try. I raised my sword, looked at him, and summoned my inner arts again.
The Snow Wind of the Twelve Swords Technique.
I had to counter his quick movements with my own swift swordplay.
And then.
Swoosh!
Shush!
We both rushed toward each other.
Boss's armor grazed my side, and at the same time, I could see the joy in his eyes.
He didn't seem to realize that I let him hit me on purpose.
Now is my chance.
Swoosh!
I swung my sword at Boss, and it cut off both of his arms.
Thud.
Boss's severed arms fell to the floor.
“Kyaaaah!”
Boss collapsed on the spot and let out a scream of pain.
But when he saw the wound on my side, he grinned.
“Huhuhu, now that you've been poisoned, you're as good as dead.”
“I'm sorry, but you're not the only one who's immune to poison.”
The clear energy inside my body was already purifying the poison that had entered my body.
What an amazing mental technique.
“So you should worry about yourself.”
“Huh, you're right.”
Boss made a mocking expression.
I sensed that he was about to bite his tongue to kill himself, so I rushed over and kicked his jaw.
“Ugh!”
“Hey! Where are you running away to, coward?”
Bang!
Then I hit him on the back of the head and knocked him unconscious.
This man must not die.
He is an important person who knows the whereabouts of the kidnapped children.
Even if he dies, he must reveal the information he has.