Chapter 49 - Defying Common Sense

While dealing with the aftermath of that morning’s events, the Namgung Clan had ordered all its guests to remain inside the guest halls. They had no way of distinguishing spies from genuine guests. To those who had come for the wedding, however, it was a bolt from the blue. They had come to watch the ceremony or offer their congratulations, only to find their lives in danger. And the Namgung Clan, which should have been protecting them, had confined them to the guest halls without any clear plan...

The Namgung Clan had mobilized the entire Cheonpung Unit and Muae Sword Unit to spend the afternoon hunting for whoever had left the blood-and-bone inscription the day before, but they had found no one. That was only natural. They had no physical evidence, nor even anyone they particularly suspected.

Judging by the internal power required to produce the Three Sacred Lights, Tang Wu was the only plausible candidate. But he could not possibly be the culprit. As the sworn brother of Namgung Byeok’s father, he was practically a member of the Namgung Clan. Besides, his granddaughter Tang Hwa had also been injured that morning, even if her wounds were not severe.

“What is Uncle Tang doing?”

Once his thoughts turned to Tang Wu, Namgung Byeok found himself wondering what the man was doing now.

“He is in the Medicine Hall.”

Namgung Byeok nodded at Namgung Bang’s reply. Since Tang Hwa was injured, Tang Wu would naturally be staying there with her while she received treatment.

With a hollow expression, Namgung Byeok raised his head to the sky again. The long, busy day was drawing to a close, and the sun was slowly setting. Yet the sky remained clear, without a single cloud. Such dark clouds hung over the Namgung Clan, while the sky alone remained so bright and clear.

Unsure what to do next, he closed his eyes and sank into thought. Then Namgung Bang, who had been waiting quietly for his orders, spoke.

“Patriarch, if I may be so bold, might I offer a suggestion?”

Namgung Byeok opened his eyes and nodded to him. The commander of the Imperial Sword Unit had traditionally served as the Namgung Clan’s patriarch’s right hand, and its current commander, Namgung Bang, was no exception. Namgung Byeok generally took his advice whenever he could. All the more so in a situation like this.

“As I see it, we have three broad options for dealing with our present situation: resistance, escape, or a messenger. Those are the three.”

Namgung Byeok watched him silently, and Namgung Bang continued.

“Resistance means exactly what it sounds like: waging an all-out battle here, prepared to die. Escape would mean having everyone leave the estate at once and concentrate on breaking straight through the enemy in a single direction.”

Namgung Byeok shook his head as though there were nothing to consider.

“Move on to the third. You know as well as I do that the first two are out of the question.”

Had a fight to the death offered even an even chance of success, he would never have agonized over the matter like this. And fleeing was unthinkable. The moment the Namgung Clan abandoned its estate and ran, it would cease to be the House of Kings. As its patriarch, Namgung Byeok would sooner die gloriously in battle here than make that choice.

The third option was, in fact, the one Namgung Bang had meant to propose all along. He immediately continued.

“The messenger option is to have someone inform the Murim Alliance of our situation and wait for reinforcements. Given the distance from here to Zhengzhou, someone using movement techniques could arrive in less than a week. If they truly pushed themselves, they could make the round trip and return with reinforcements in ten days and nights.”

Namgung Byeok shook his head again. In truth, he had already considered every option Namgung Bang was proposing. He answered in a low, somber voice.

“I understand your plan well enough. But who in the Namgung Clan could break through their encirclement and reach Zhengzhou?”

Namgung Bang answered at once, as though he had been waiting for that very question.

“Must the messenger necessarily be a member of the Namgung Clan?”

The moment he heard that, Namgung Byeok knew whom he had in mind. Someone who was not a member of the clan, yet could be trusted, and whose movement techniques and martial arts were exceptionally advanced. There was exactly one person in the estate who fit that description.

“You mean to send Uncle Tang to Zhengzhou?”

“Yes, Patriarch. We have no choice. Without him, I see no way at all to break out of our present predicament.”

“But I question whether even he could break through so many enemies alone.”

Do Heo-ok alone had been strong enough to contend with Tang Wu. Could Tang Wu really fight his way through untold layers of enemies and reach Zhengzhou by himself? That was what Namgung Byeok meant.

But Namgung Bang had already given that some thought as well.

“Alone, no one short of the Two Gods or the Three Monsters could possibly break through that encirclement. But he need not go alone, need he?”

“What do you mean? Are you suggesting that we mobilize the entire clan to punch a temporary hole in their lines? If that goes wrong, they could counterattack and breach the entrance to our estate.”

Namgung Bang shook his head slightly. That was not the course he had in mind.

“No. My plan is not to create an opening in their lines.”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“There are hundreds of people in the estate who are desperate to escape. And among them is the intruder who left the blood-and-bone inscription. If we cannot single that person out, I believe sending them all outside is another option.”

“Hmm. You mean to send out a force we cannot control anyway, rid ourselves of an unseen enemy, and request reinforcements in the process?”

“Yes. I do not know what that person is after, but while they are neither our ally nor on the enemy’s side, one thing is certain: they are an expert. Once their own life is in danger, they will naturally reveal their true abilities and cut down the enemy.”

“But tell me, will the wedding guests really be so willing to leave? Once they learn that an inescapable net surrounds the estate, none of them will want to venture out.”

“Patriarch, land is not the only way out of the Namgung estate. If we provide boats, they will be falling over themselves to leave.”

“That may be true, but the enemy may have encircled us from Soho Lake as well.”

“They surely have. But their defenses there will not be as thick as we might think. Soho Lake itself is as vast as a sea, and beyond it lies the Yangtze River. The idea that their net could extend across that entire expanse and all the way to the Yangtze is impossible, even inconceivable. Moreover, the Yangtze waterways are firmly under the influence of the Eighteen Waterway Strongholds of the Yangtze River, while our Namgung Clan has controlled most of Soho Lake. That means that however many boats they muster on the lake, they cannot outnumber ours, nor will theirs be warships. In that case, they are likely only blockading the land routes along the lakeshore. If the Namgung Clan’s boats all leave through the South Water Gate at once, the enemy will have no choice but to concentrate their warriors at the entrance to the So River.”

The So River was one of the Yangtze’s tributaries, and anyone traveling from Soho Lake to the Yangtze had to pass through it. Any boat departing the Namgung estate for the Yangtze would have to take that river.

Namgung Bang’s point was that the enemy could not cover the vast expanse of Soho Lake, so they would inevitably concentrate their troops and boats there.

Listening to him, Namgung Byeok began to think it might indeed be a sound plan. With their hands and feet bound and their eyes covered, might this at least free their feet? For a moment, that thought crossed his mind.

“You make a convincing argument. But most of the wedding guests will die if we do this. The enemy waiting outside is the Heavenly Demon Castle, not some minor local sect.”

Efficient though the plan was, it would inevitably entail enormous sacrifices. And it would not be the blood of Namgung Clan warriors, but the blood of countless others that flowed into the Yangtze.

His expression set, Namgung Bang pressed his argument once more.

“That cannot be helped. Most of those who came here as guests were looking to gain something from us, or have already done so. Rather than let them remain here and continue to get in our way, I believe it is only right that they help the Namgung Clan, even if it must be like this.”

His words were brutally cold, but equally pragmatic. Keeping the guests here would do nothing to strengthen their fighting forces. On the contrary, having to watch them would only drain their strength.

And above all, there was no clear way for the Namgung Clan to survive. Of what options they had, the plan Namgung Bang was proposing seemed the best.

If things went well and the wedding guests could force their way past the entrance to the So River, they could reach the Yangtze and seek help from the Eighteen Waterway Strongholds, which had an agreement with the Namgung Clan. Moreover, this plan would finally let him send the “guest who was no guest,” that constant source of irritation, out of the estate.

If only to put that phrase out of his mind, Namgung Byeok had little choice but to accept Namgung Bang’s proposal. He considered it a little longer, but still found no alternative. His resolve firm, he looked at Namgung Bang and finally gave the order.

“Go at once and launch every available boat. Assemble all the wedding guests, hired servants, and household servants at the South Water Gate.”

“Yes, Patriarch!”

Namgung Bang answered vigorously and left the King’s Hall without a moment’s hesitation.

Namgung Byeok waited until he was gone before slowly rising from his seat.

Once more, he raised his head to the sky. Through the gaping hole where the ceiling had been, he could see the sky stained red with sunset.

Was it merely his imagination that it looked like blood spilling onto water and spreading in every direction?

Before long, he lowered his head again and left the King’s Hall.

His steps took him straight to the Medicine Hall.

SLURP.