Chapter 667

Infiltration. Assault. Finish.

The sequence of events could only be described as a Quick Attack. It lasted no more than a few moments, and the twenty warriors guarding the area around the underground prison collapsed helplessly before the unexpected ambush.

“I-intrud—!”

Sssht—thud!

The urgent voice that burst from someone’s lips died out before it could become a shout.

Moving like a streak of light, Yayul Mok struck the Bai warrior’s Mute Acupoint, then his Dizziness Acupoint. He caught the man as he collapsed and lowered him quietly to the ground.

Sss.

That had been close. A moment later, and the whole operation might have gone wrong.

“Whew.”

Yayul Mok let out the breath he had been holding and swept his gaze around the area.

Some twenty figures dressed in black, each wearing a different mask, watched every direction as they hid the subdued warriors in the grass.

—Report.

—All of them subdued.

The answer came through Sound Transmission from a man in a monkey mask.

The fact that he and six of the other men in black were the Seven Miao Tigers, the most outstanding warriors among the Miao people, was a secret known only to them and the Beast Miao King.

—One seemed to be missing, but I counted again. The man you just subdued was the last of them, Young Palace Lord. He probably stepped away to relieve himself.

—Any casualties on our side?

—None.

—Good. We nearly ruined everything before we even began.

—That would have been a problem.

Given what they were doing, a problem was putting it mildly.

On the surface, Jin Taekyung was a criminal imprisoned for an unforgivable offense. If word got out that Yayul Mok had tried to free him, even his position as Young Palace Lord of the Nanman Beast Palace would not protect him.

But we have to do it.

Yayul Mok wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

Young though he was, he understood how bold and dangerous this was. He also believed it was right.

Jin Taekyung is our ally. He came to help us. He even saved our warriors when they were in danger on Ailao Mountain.

Like most people of Nanman, Yayul Mok had grown up with little love for the Han Chinese. That had remained true until he met Jin Taekyung and the members of the Fire Dragon Pavilion.

Thinking well of Jin Taekyung did not mean he trusted all Han Chinese. An individual was an individual; a group was a group.

But he knew what was right and wrong here.

Just as his father, the Beast Miao King, did. The man he respected more than anyone.

—Do you have the keys to the underground prison?

—Of course.

The man in the monkey mask nodded and handed over the bundle of keys in his hand.

Opening the prison required five keys to be inserted in precisely the right order to activate the mechanism. They already knew how.

Click. Rumble.

The massive iron door began to move. As soon as the stairs leading underground came into view, everyone—including Yayul Mok and the Seven Miao Tigers—turned their clothes inside out.

Sssht. Flutter.

The wind stirred the torchlight across their white garments. In an instant, they looked like Bai warriors. They took up positions around the prison as though nothing had happened.

They would hold the post until the next shift arrived, half an hour from now.

We can only hope nothing happens before then.

They had mapped out the routes and guard positions beforehand, but no one could know how the operation would unfold.

Yayul Mok descended with the Seven Miao Tigers, his white clothes feeling especially strange today.

Jin Taekyung is on the fourth floor.

He knew where the cell was. He also knew wardens and guards were posted inside the prison.

They muffled even their footsteps as they went. Before long, faint voices reached them from somewhere ahead.

“Damn it. You didn’t cheat, did you?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Just admit you lost.”

“Shit. I can’t make sense of it. Five games in a row? I’ve lost two nyang¹ already.”

Wardens often gambled to pass the time. Their carelessness was a welcome sight to the intruders.

“Damn it. Turn your hand over.”

“Oh, give it a rest. Stop whining and keep your voice down. The higher-ups are already on edge over that Han Chinese bastard. If they catch us slacking off…”

Sssht—thud!

The voices in the dimness cut off.

The Seven Miao Tigers were among the finest warriors of the Miao people—Peak masters whose skill was recognized even in the Central Plains. The wardens never sensed them approaching. In an instant, their pressure points had been struck, their keys taken, and they themselves locked in an empty cell.

—Gisan. Dogok. Stay here.

—As you command.

—Not even an ant will get past us.

Leaving the post empty would invite suspicion.

Yayul Mok left two of the Seven Miao Tigers behind and increased his pace. Faster than an ordinary walk, but not so fast as to invite suspicion.

Step. Step.

Six figures made their way through the underground prison’s maze of corridors.

But things did not go as Yayul Mok had hoped.

“Hmm? Who are those men?”

Security on the fourth floor, where Jin Taekyung was held, was far tighter than usual. Besides the wardens, plenty of warriors guarded the prison’s interior.

“You there. Stop.”

Yayul Mok stopped without protest. As he steadied his breathing, he counted the men blocking their path.

Twenty.

Five of them were Peak masters.

These were elite Bai warriors. Yayul Mok kept his voice calm as he answered.

He had already removed his mask, and the few torches did little to light the prison. The darkness would help hide his face.

“We’re here on the Great Chieftain’s orders.”

“The Great Chieftain?”

The Bai warrior who appeared to be their captain deliberately furrowed his brow.

“He only just left. What does he want?”

“Nothing urgent. He said to give the prisoner another Force-Sealing Pill, just in case.”

“Hmm. Did he?”

“He must be worried about an escape. I’ve only heard the rumors myself, but the man sounds like a monster.”

The Bai warrior gave a short laugh.

“So I’ve heard. Now he’s just waiting to die.”

“I think so too, but you never know what might happen.”

“True enough. You sound young. Unless you’re here to relieve us, get on with it. You’ve got seven or eight minutes.”

“We won’t be long.”

Yayul Mok shrugged and walked toward them, his head lowered slightly to keep his face out of view.

Then he noticed one warrior’s hand gripping his scabbard tight.

They’ve already figured it out—!

Shing! Slice!

A flash grazed his shoulder. A few drops of blood flew with a faint sting as Yayul Mok twisted aside, evading two swords.

A shout like a thunderclap shook the prison.

“Intruders! Intruders!”

Peeeeep!

A shrill whistle sounded with the cry. Hurried footsteps broke the silence as warriors rushed from their posts throughout the prison.

Sensing them converging, Yayul Mok bit down hard and shouted, “Attack!”

At once, brilliant sword light flashed behind him.

Sssshh-shing!

Blades met in the dim torchlight.

Clang! Clang-clang!

Slice!

“Gah!”

A dozen weapons clashed in an instant. Blood flew, and men screamed.

The two men left at the wardens’ post realized what was happening and joined the fight. Within moments, half of the twenty Bai warriors had fallen wounded.

But…

Peep! Peeeeep!

“Stop them, whatever it takes! They’re after Jin Taekyung!”

“There aren’t many of them! Capture them if you can!”

The security was far tighter than their information had suggested. For every man they brought down, five more appeared. Bring down five, and ten took their place.

Worse, Yayul Mok and his men had sworn not to kill their fellow Nanman people while rescuing Jin Taekyung. It was one obstacle piled on another.

Sssshh-shing!

“Keep pushing!”

Bai warriors charged from every direction, their blades honed to sharp edges.

Surrounded by more than fifty enemies in the blink of an eye, Yayul Mok and the Seven Miao Tigers gritted their teeth and fought back.

Clang-clang-clang!

Slice!

Their hopes were one thing. The reality was another.

The enemy kept coming, too many for their small party to overcome. Worse still, Peak masters were scattered among them, each attack dangerous in its own right.

Sssht—thunk!

“Ugh!”

Small wounds multiplied. The bleeding did not stop.

Yayul Mok and the Seven Miao Tigers had brought down plenty of Bai warriors, yet the enemy’s numbers kept growing. Guards from the other floors had joined the fight.

Damn it.

Cold sweat soaked Yayul Mok’s back.

He had known this would not be easy. But they had been discovered too soon, and the prison was far more heavily guarded than he had been told.

If they capture us here…

Everything would end in the worst possible way.

As the Young Palace Lord of the Nanman Beast Palace, Yayul Mok would not lose his life. But his father, the Beast Miao King, would lose his political standing, while Jin Taekyung and the Fire Dragon Pavilion members—the original targets of the rescue—would be executed.

And then war will begin.

Not the Great Faction War they had once fought against the Demonic Cult. A war against the Murim of the Central Plains.

If Jin Taekyung died, nothing could be undone. That was one of the greatest reasons the father and son were risking their lives to rescue him.

There’s no other choice.

Yayul Mok bit his lip until it bled. His lips moved.

—Wonhu. I’m counting on you.

The Sound Transmission was brief, but it was enough.

Wonhu, the middle-aged man in the monkey mask and eldest of the Seven Miao Tigers, sent his sword flashing out and shouted, “Open a path!”

There was only one way forward now: break through, regardless of the cost, and rescue Jin Taekyung.

It was why they had all come here despite the danger. Yayul Mok could see no other way out.

If Jin Taekyung gets out of this prison, he can resolve everything.

Yayul Mok felt the hard wooden case inside his robes.

What he had told the guards before the fight—that he had come to give Jin Taekyung a Force-Sealing Pill—had not been entirely false.

Only it was not a Force-Sealing Pill, but an antidote that would lift the seal on his internal energy.

Clang-clang-clang!

Thrust! Slice!

“Gah!”

With defeat looming, the narrow prison corridor was their one advantage.

Yayul Mok and the Seven Miao Tigers drove toward a single point, ignoring the attacks coming from all sides. At last, a dark corridor opened before them.

“Go! Hurry!”

Yayul Mok left his loyal guard’s urgent cry behind and gathered all his strength to launch himself forward.

Or he would have.

Sssshh-shing! Grab!

A hand reached out of the darkness and caught his shoulder.

“Where are you going? Got somewhere to be?”

“…!”

For a brief moment, Yayul Mok fell silent, oblivious to the battle raging around him. Then he spoke.

“…Why are you coming out of there?”