CLS-Chapter 46

Chapter 46:

“Hmm?”

Gok Bi-hang tilted his head, not understanding why the green-robed man was pointing at Wei Yan-ho.

“What’s with that guy?”

“……He’s someone our escort agency is transporting.”

“Transporting?”

The answer came from atop the cart.

“I’m cargo.”

“……”

“……”

Both the green-robed man and Gok Bi-hang were left speechless.

Gok Bi-hang was at a loss for words on how to explain this situation to the green-robed man, and the green-robed man couldn’t open his mouth because he didn’t understand what this was all about.

“……What kind of nonsense is this?”

Gok Bi-hang whispered to the green-robed man.

“His body is sick and his mind isn’t quite right either, so we’re taking him to a physician. You don’t need to worry about him.”

“Hmm……”

The green-robed man glanced at Wei Yan-ho and nodded.

“His face certainly looks vacant.”

“Indeed it does.”

Wei Yan-ho shouted loudly.

“What’s wrong with my face!”

But neither the green-robed man nor Gok Bi-hang paid any more attention to Wei Yan-ho.

“So what did you say? That you had no need to make enemies of the Green Forest?”

“Of course. Why would we do such a foolish thing?”

“There’s certainly no reason for that.”

“Then do you believe us?”

“Believing or not believing isn’t the issue. The problem is that something has already happened. Because of that guy in the cart. I definitely asked if you saw someone in red clothes, didn’t I?”

Everyone turned to look at the cart.

No, more precisely, they looked at Wei Yan-ho on top of the cart.

“I’m wearing white clothes though?”

Wei Yan-ho waved his hands as if to say it absolutely wasn’t him.

He didn’t want any unnecessary misunderstandings.

“……That person is wearing white clothes, isn’t he?”

Gok Bi-hang helped Wei Yan-ho too.

But the green-robed man seemed to pay no attention to their words.

“If you don’t come out, I’ll drag you out myself. Or do you want to watch everyone here die?”

Again, everyone looked at Wei Yan-ho.

Wei Yan-ho felt wronged.

“I’m telling you it’s not me!”

Gok Bi-hang glanced at Wei Yan-ho.

It was natural—he acted as if he truly felt wronged to death.

Clang!

At that moment, the green-robed man drew his sword.

“Are you trying to play games with me?”

Gok Bi-hang’s expression darkened. The green-robed man seemed to know everything. This kind of reaction wouldn’t come unless he knew someone was hiding inside the cart.

But he couldn’t let go of the last thread. He knew that if they were caught like this, things wouldn’t end with just handing over Peng Daoji.

“I say again, we……”

As Gok Bi-hang tried to make excuses again, the green-robed man brought his sword up to Gok Bi-hang’s mouth.

“……”

Gok Bi-hang’s mouth clamped shut like a clam. The green-robed man who had smiled quietly at this sight lowered his sword and spoke.

“Then let’s do it this way.”

The green-robed man smiled coldly.

“I’ll kill one person. If no one has seen him even then, I’ll kill another. If I keep killing one by one like this, I’ll be able to tell if you’re really innocent.”

Gok Bi-hang cried out in shock.

“What kind of…!”

Just moments ago he’d wanted to keep his mouth shut after having a sword pointed at it, but such shocking words made him cry out involuntarily.

“I guarantee that before I kill three people, someone will say they saw him.”

Gok Bi-hang desperately made excuses.

“I don’t know why the Green Forest is oppressing our Swift Dragon Escort Agency like this! We’ve never once had a conflict with the Green Forest!”

“That’s not my concern.”

“But……”

Gok Bi-hang was at a loss for words.

The green-robed man stared at Gok Bi-hang quietly before opening his mouth.

“Not bringing him out means you’re all prepared to die, right?”

The green-robed man’s smooth words clearly pierced their ears.

“If you bring him out, I’ll spare your lives.”

Gok Bi-hang was conflicted for a moment.

Should he hand over Peng Daoji and live, or should he die protecting him?

The answer seemed all too obvious.

However, there was one thing that bothered him.

‘If they were certain he was here, they would have attacked without asking questions. But why do they keep threatening like this? Perhaps?’

Maybe they weren’t certain that Peng Daoji was here.

Gok Bi-hang decided to bet on that.

“We really didn’t see him. I don’t even know what you’re talking about right now!”

“Kekeke.”

The green-robed man laughed at Gok Bi-hang and raised his sword.

“That’s fine too. Then who shall die first?”

“We really……”

Before Gok Bi-hang could finish speaking, the green-robed man pointed at Jaeng Ja-su who was sitting on the cargo cart.

“You.”

Jaeng Ja-su cried out in surprise.

“M-me, sir?”

“Come here.”

“My lord, I……”

“Do you want to die quickly?”

Jaeng Ja-su ran forward desperately, his hands trembling.

The green-robed man put his blade to his throat.

“Answer me. Have you ever seen a young man in red clothes?”

“I……”

“Your life depends on this one answer.”

Jaeng Ja-su trembled all over, then glanced at Gok Bi-hang. Meeting eyes with Gok Bi-hang, Jaeng Ja-su remained terrified for a long moment before answering with trembling lips.

“W-we didn’t see any……thing……”

“Then you can die.”

The green-robed man’s sword pierced into Jaeng Ja-su’s throat.

At the same time, Gok Bi-hang grabbed the sword at his waist.

At that moment!

“He’s here.”

The green-robed man stopped his hand and turned his head.

Where his gaze fell, there was Wei Yan-ho sitting on the cargo.

The green-robed man spoke to Wei Yan-ho.

“What did you say?”

Wei Yan-ho rubbed the sleep from his eyes and said.

“I said he’s here. Stop oppressing innocent people and just take whoever you came to capture.”

Gok Bi-hang shouted angrily.

“You, what are you doing right now……”

But Wei Yan-ho firmly cut off Gok Bi-hang’s words.

“That’s enough, mister.”

Was it because of some unknowable weight in those words?

Gok Bi-hang could no longer speak and closed his mouth.

“There’s nothing more stupid than losing your life because of someone else. Living uncomfortably is a hundred times better than dying cleanly.”

Gok Bi-hang looked at Wei Yan-ho with a pitying expression.

Where was there any guarantee that these people would let the escort mission pass safely just because they handed over Peng Daoji?

“Hey, you’re found out. Come out.”

Wei Yan-ho said this, but there was no response.

“Will you come out after everyone here dies?”

Then the cargo stirred.

And from within it, Peng Daoji revealed himself. With a resolute expression, Peng Daoji pushed the cargo aside and walked out.

The green-robed man looked at Peng Daoji and smiled coldly.

“You would have had at least a slim chance of survival if you had run away, but you’re foolishly crawling out.”

“If I had done that, you would have killed everyone here.”

“Are you trying to imitate a chivalrous hero?”

Peng Daoji let out a low snort.

“I, Peng Daoji, may not be a chivalrous hero, but I’m not such a petty person that I would stand by and watch innocent people die because of me.”

“A little rat that was running around frantically sure talks well.”

Peng Daoji bowed with cupped fists toward Gok Bi-hang.

“Thank you for your help. Since this seems to be a problem I must resolve myself, please continue on your way.”

Gok Bi-hang couldn’t really say anything in response.

“Their target is me, so if I just leave, there should be no problem for your escort agency.”

“But young hero, you will……”

“I’ll be fine.”

Peng Daoji smiled lightly, then turned his head.

“It would be difficult to avoid them anyway.”

The green-robed man spoke up.

“Swift Dragon Escort Agency, was it?”

Gok Bi-hang answered in surprise.

“That’s right.”

“Forget everything you saw here. Otherwise, Swift Dragon Escort Agency will disappear.”

Conflict appeared on Gok Bi-hang’s face.

Certainly, opposing these green-robed men before them was like an egg against a rock.

Moreover, even if they defeated them, nothing good would come of it.

Given the nature of escort agencies that always had to deal with the Green Forest, making enemies was synonymous with not wanting to do business.

But if they turned away and left like this, Peng Daoji would surely die.

Gok Bi-hang had no choice but to be conflicted knowing this fact.

Peng Daoji guessed at Gok Bi-hang’s feelings and lightened his burden.

“Don’t worry about me.”

“But……”

“This is something I brought upon myself.”

Gok Bi-hang’s expression darkened. Having to turn away knowing that a young martial hero would lose his life was far too heartbreaking.

“Please leave quickly. Otherwise, we’ll have to bury our bones together here. Just forget what you saw here.”

Gok Bi-hang let out a deep sigh.

There was nothing they could do anyway. Gok Bi-hang finally let go of the sword hilt he had been gripping tightly.

“Then I wish you martial fortune.”

“Martial fortune.”

Gok Bi-hang opened his mouth with a bitter expression.

“Prepare yourselves. We’re leaving.”

Jaeng Ja-su and the escorts climbed back onto the cart with uncomfortable expressions.

They too understood the situation, but they couldn’t fight alongside Peng Daoji.

“Depart……”

At that moment, a low voice came from atop the cart.

“That won’t do.”

Gok Bi-hang closed his mouth. Normally he would have just ignored such words, but strangely, they bothered him.

“What are you talking about?”

The voice came from atop the cart again.

“You’re trying to go over there right now. Toward those greenish guys.”

Gok Bi-hang frowned.

‘That rude bastard. When an adult is speaking, he should at least sit up to talk.’

What kind of manners was it to lie there and conduct a conversation with just his voice?

Even in this situation, Gok Bi-hang couldn’t tell whether it was strange for him to be concerned about manners—or for that guy to be chattering away while lying down without getting up.

Gok Bi-hang asked while hiding his inner thoughts.

“So?”

“Obviously they’re going to come at us with swords, and then everyone will die.”

Gok Bi-hang’s expression hardened.

“Why would they attack us!”

“Ai, Head Escort mister, you’re someone who’s been through all sorts of battles, so why are you so clueless? That person is from the Peng Family, right?”

“……That’s right.”

“No matter how great the Green Forest is, they wouldn’t want to face the Peng Family head-on. But what if we go back alive and someone mentions that a Peng Family member was killed by the Green Forest? What would happen then? All the Peng Family members would draw their swords and search through every mountain, so rather than see that happen, they’d cleanly try to kill us all.”

Gok Bi-hang’s face turned pale.

He turned his head to look at the green-robed men.

The green-robed man who had said he would let them go just moments ago seemed to think about something, then nodded.

“That’s certainly true.”

Shing.

The sound of swords being drawn could be heard.

All those around the green-robed man had drawn their swords.

“Actually, I hadn’t thought that far, but it makes sense.”

At the green-robed man’s words, Gok Bi-hang’s head snapped around.

His eyes glaring at the top of the cart were filled with murderous intent.

‘This damn bastard!’

If Wei Yan-ho hadn’t said those words, it seemed like they really would have let them go!

“Oh? You hadn’t thought of that?”

That was all.

No more sounds came from atop the cart.

‘That sword-fodder bastard!’

Gok Bi-hang was foaming at the mouth.