No matter how insignificant the fertilizer may be.(4)

“Sahyeong!”

At Gwak Hoe’s urgent cry, Yoon Jong couldn’t respond right away. His expression had frozen, and the bewilderment on it was plain for all to see.

‘What in the world is he thinking?’

The way Sapaeryeon pulled out felt like the ebb of the tide.

No, comparing it to a tide wasn’t quite accurate. Even as waves retreat from the shore, there’s at least some measure of predictability. Right now, Sapaeryeon’s state was nothing short of total chaos. Comparing it to a sandcastle being washed away by the waves would be more appropriate.

“Sahyeong! Give the order!”

Only after the repeated urging did Yoon Jong finally come to his senses.

‘An order… how?’

The conclusion wasn’t difficult: they had to pursue the enemy and slaughter them all. If Sapaeryeon managed to escape unscathed, they would regroup and continue the war.

Though Saperyeon had suffered significant losses in this battle, it wasn’t enough to bring about total collapse. Yoon Jong knew that all too well.

Therefore, for the sake of the future, there was only one command he could give.

Chase them down and drive your sword into their backs. Attack them without mercy, swinging your swords relentlessly akin to an asura.

However, Yoon Jong couldn’t bring himself to issue that order right away.

It wasn’t because he was suddenly letting compassion sway him. If someone must bear the weight of sin and go to hell, Yoon Jong would not shy away from that path.

Cheonumaeng’s victory. Stability in Gangho. And above all, the salvation for Gangnam, still wracked by suffering – he could cast aside any mercy or compassion befitting a Taoist if it meant achieving those ends. Even if it went against his own principles.

Yet, Yoon Jong continued to hesitate, unable to give the command, held back by one persistent doubt in his mind.

‘Could it be that Ho Gamyeong doesn’t know this?’

No, that couldn’t be. Ho Gamyeong must be perfectly aware that if Cheonumaeng pursues them now, Saperyeon will be driven to almost complete annihilation.

Then why would he have given such an order?

“Sahyeong, what are you doing? You must give the order!”

“Just a moment.”

“Sahyeong!”

“It could be a trap!”

Yoon Jong suddenly raised his voice.

He had said it ‘might’ be a trap, but in truth, he was certain it was one. There had to be a clear objective behind such a ridiculous retreat.

Even knowing this, he couldn’t make a reckless move.

However, Gwak Hoe’s thoughts seemed to be entirely different from Yoon Jong’s.

“So what?”

“…What?”

“If it’s a trap, so what? Are we just going to let those bastards go without a fight?”

“…”

“Sahyeong! You have to think rationally. Even if it’s a trap, we’ll take damage, but does letting them go just like this reduce the damage? On the contrary, the war won’t end, and the losses will only grow! We’ll have to go through all this again!”

Grit.

Yoon Jong bit down hard on his lower lip.

He was right. And yet, Yoon Jong still couldn’t bring himself to speak. The price of stepping into the trap they’d set might be more than mere ‘damage.’

A sense of urgency not to miss this opportunity tangled chaotically with a fear that he must avoid the trap, and it all muddled together in his mind.

Even at that moment, the enemy rear, swarming like an army of ants, kept scattering in all directions.

“Sahyeong!”

“Damn it.”

At Gwak Hoe’s urgent cry, Yoon Jong cursed quietly and finally made his decision.

“Pursue the enemy!”

There was only one option. He couldn’t just stand by and watch them flee because he feared a possible trap. Anyone else in his place would make the same decision at this moment.

Still, Yoon Jong decided to add one layer of protection to this dangerous double-edged sword.

“Do not break formation! Do not advance too far into enemy lines. It is not allowed to scatter and chase them separately!”

It was the best decision he could make under those circumstances. Even if the enemy had laid a trap, as long as they maintained formation, they could minimize their losses.

“Yes!”

Hwasan’s disciples swiftly followed Yoon Jong’s command.

Yoon Jong ground his teeth and clenched his fists. 

He couldn’t control the other sects. In this situation, no one could – whether it was him or anyone else. But at least the way Hwasan led the charge might serve as an example to those following behind.

‘I can only hope they’ll follow our lead.’

Forcing the last traces of doubt from his mind, Yoon Jong raised his voice again with firm resolve.

“Chase them! Don’t let them return unscathed!”

The disciples of Hwasan gritted their teeth and took off.

Their foes had not yet fallen, but there’s a world of difference between standing firm to fight and standing firm just to flee.

The moment a sword met a blade, that difference became clear.

Kwaang!

They collapsed so easily that one would think they weren’t the same enemies they’d been fighting all this time. It was enough to make one question whether these were truly Saperyeon’s elite.

Naturally, confidence surged in Hwasan’s disciples.

“Press the attack!”

Yoon Jong watched them swing their Plum Blossom Swords fiercely and relentlessly, his face set in a grim expression. Then he stole a glance towards Ho Gamyeong’s position.

‘How’s he going to move?’

Ho Gamyeong made no obvious move at all. He simply continued to observe the battlefield, his expression indifferent.

The front lines were in complete shambles, the fleeing forces tangled among themselves, and Cheonumaeng was in pursuit. Even in this disaster – there was no better word for it – Ho Gamyeong simply stood there, seemingly detached.

‘What are you thinking, Ho Gamyeong!’

In that moment, Yoon Jong wished desperately for Im Sobyeong’s presence. If only he were here, Yoon Jong’s thoughts wouldn’t be so clouded.

‘When are you going to make your move…’

Then suddenly, Yoon Jong stiffened.

It might have been a trick of his mind, but it felt as if Ho Gamyeong turned his head and looked right at him. As if their gazes met.

But that couldn’t possibly be.

Yoon Jong being conscious of Ho Gamyeong was only natural, but from Ho Gamyeong’s perspective, there was no particular reason to pay attention to Yoon Jong. Yoon Jong was merely the second-generation disciple of Hwasan. He was not someone who could pique the interest of a figure like Ho Gamyeong.

But at that moment, the corner of Ho Gamyeong’s mouth twisted faintly. Almost as though he were smiling…

A chilling sensation crawled down Yoon Jong’s spine. Something was happening. He sensed it the instant it occurred.

“Over there!”

A booming shout pierced Yoon Jong’s ears.

“Over there! Over there!”

At first, he pretended not to hear. If he really had locked eyes with Ho Gamyeong, looking away first would be too dangerous.

“Damn it! He’s running! Over there! Oveeeer theeeereeee!”

Yet the shouting didn’t stop. And it was far too desperate, too urgent to ignore—like someone about to cough up blood.

Another cry, raw with fury, rang out.

“Jang Ilso! Jang Ilso is escaaaaaaaping!”

Only then did Yoon Jong’s head turn around sharply. And he wasn’t the only one – everyone’s gaze followed suit.

“Over there! Over theeeere!”

Far off in the distance, at the tip of the man’s outstretched finger… Yoon Jong’s eyes gradually went wide as he looked.

…He could see it. Amid the crowd of people surging like a muddy torrent, a crimson robe fluttered – like a single drop of blood fallen upon a sandy shore.

“Jang… Ilso.”

A robe as red as blood. A dragon design vividly embroidered upon it.

That crimson robe, now synonymous with Jang Ilso, flashed before Yoon Jong’s eyes, and his mind went blank as though wiped clean.

‘He’s escaping? Jang Ilso is?’

There, far from where Ho Gamyeong stood, that red robe was rippling in the wind. If he let it go now, that figure in red robe would vanish into the distance, never to be caught.

The moment he realized this, Yoon Jong was engulfed by a powerful sense of dissonance, danger, thirst, and urgency all at once – feelings unlike anything he had ever experienced before.

Even at a moment like this, Yoon Jong couldn’t believe that Jang Ilso would run away. In fact, he had never even entertained the idea of Jang Ilso’s ‘escape.’ To him, ‘Jang Ilso’ and ‘fleeing’ simply did not belong together.

But now, he had glimpsed that possibility. Or perhaps it was a stark reality. Once he witnessed it with his own eyes, a single thought took hold of his mind.

What if Jang Ilso actually escapes like this?

That terrifying possibility overwhelmed Yoon Jong’s thoughts. The only reason he didn’t instantly shriek was due to the discipline he had cultivated all this time as a Taoist.

But not everyone could be like Yoon Jong.

“Jang Ilso is running away!”

“Jang Ilso is over there, over there!”

Everyone was frantically yelling. They didn’t even know what to do – they just kept repeating about Jang Ilso’s escape like parrots. To anyone uninvolved, it might have looked ridiculous enough to provoke laughter.

It happened because Jang Ilso’s escape was that shocking to them all. A dire confusion gripped everyone.

Those who should have made a decision couldn’t do so, and those who couldn’t decide just looked around for someone who could. Their sense of honor, cooperation, anger, even fear – all of it was paralyzed. Right as a panicked confusion began to reign over them.

A single beam of light descended.

“Chaaaase hiiiiim!”

Someone let out a fierce lion’s roar.

It was Zhuge Jain. Swept up by the raging currents of the battlefield, he was now shouting at the top of his lungs.

“Pursue him! We must capture Jang Ilso! If he escapes, even if we win, it’s no victory!”

For a moment, everyone stared at him, stunned.

“He’s the one who, in just a few years – from Maninbang in Guizhou to here – has plunged the Central Plains into hell! If we let him slip away, we’ll end up fighting this war over and over again!”

Groans of realization rose from all around at his words. Zhuge Jain raised his voice once more.

“Kill him! Kill him any way you can! Even if we let all the others escape, Jang Ilso must be killed! Don’t spare your lives – go after him and kill him! Now!”

Though it was Jang Ilso who was escaping, Zhuge Jain shouted as though he himself were being pursued. He looked like someone trembling before some colossal threat looming behind him. His cry was laden with deep, bitter resentment.

It exposed and shook the deepest fears lurking in everyone’s hearts.

Sapaeryeon without Jang Ilso cannot truly be called Sapaeryeon.

Yet the reverse does not hold true. Even if Sapaeryeon ceases to exist, Jang Ilso remains Jang Ilso. This was an undeniable truth known throughout the Central Plains.

While Jang Ilso’s value may not equal that of the entire Sapaeryeon, he possesses the ability to rebuild it at any time. As long as he lives, he will certainly do so, no matter how many sacrifices are made here.

“K… kill.”

Perhaps it was fear of a future that had yet to unfold, or maybe it was a clear desire for vengeance over what had been lost. Or it could have been sheer desperation, the realization of a once-in-a-lifetime chance, or the outpouring of a suppressed ambition for fame.

The source of their actions mattered little. What mattered was that, in that moment, someone took a step to pursue Jang Ilso.

Tak.

Enchanted, they took a slow but resolute step. The ripple from that single movement spread in an instant, painting all of Cheonumaeng in a single hue.

“Kiiiill hiiiiim!”

Losing all reason, the warriors of Cheonumaeng charged at one single figure like demons: the crimson robe fluttering in the distance. The one who had begun this war and would see it to its end – Paegun Jeong Ilso.