Cheon Ryu-yeong felt as though the eight hundred fifty warriors were issuing a threat disguised as an unspoken demand.
For an ordinary person, their sheer presence would be enough to make them nod in agreement out of fear.
But Cheon Ryu-yeong firmly waved his hand and shook his head.
"Hahaha. Now, what are you all saying? I simply have a bit of keen observation. It's as if you're treating me like some grand strategist…"
Dokgo Mu-yeong cut him off.
"You have more talent as a strategist than anyone I've ever seen."
Han Chu-gwang and Neung Un-bi both nodded.
Cheon Ryu-yeong thought for a moment.
If he could become a strategist for a renowned clan or the Martial Alliance…?
He could probably make decent money. And maybe even learn martial arts. He'd always envied the stamina of martial escorts at the escort agencies—so much stronger than ordinary men.
It was a tempting proposal.
If he failed to produce results as a strategist… well, that would be their misjudgment, not his fault.
Still… he decided against it.
In his judgment, fighting Baek yun-hoe was like jumping into a fire with a bundle of firewood on his back.
"I'm sorry, but—"
Just as he was about to decline, Dokgo Seol stepped in close beside him. A sudden, inexplicable chill ran through him.
She leaned in, bringing her hand and lips near his ear, and whispered.
"The hundred taels of silver are fine… but you know the drinks last night cost two hundred taels, right?"
"…"
"Of course, I chose and bought them myself. But the reason I bought them was because of the Green Forest Eighteen Strongholds…"
Flustered, Cheon Ryu-yeong cut her off, whispering back into her ear.
"I already told you all about that yesterday."
"That was a lie. Impressive, really. Even in that drunken state, you lied so smoothly to the end. Until just now, I honestly thought you were a con artist. And besides, you…"
Dokgo Seol trailed off. How could a maiden's lips utter that this man had groped her chest?
That was a secret she would bury for life—known only to herself.
Cheon Ryu-yeong, oblivious to her thoughts, looked troubled.
"It wasn't a lie—it was the truth."
"Really? Then I can go around saying that Guang Hyeol-chang of Aso Stronghold is aiming for the position of head of the Green Forest Eighteen Strongholds, right? It'll just fade away as a baseless rumor anyway."
Cheon Ryu-yeong frowned slightly. Every time she whispered, her warm, soft breath tickled his ear.
Now that he knew she was a woman, it felt… oddly unsettling.
"Ugh… what is this? Are you trying to blackmail me?"
"Let's make a deal."
"…?"
"I'll bury all three hundred taels' worth and everything about the Green Forest Eighteen Strongholds. So… help me."
"…"
"Headmaster Bohyeon of the Amipa is a highly respected man who has helped many of the weak and poor. We can't just let him die like this."
"Look… what exactly do you think I can do? I've never acted as a strategist before. Honestly."
At his words, Dokgo Seol looked pensive for a moment. But her deliberation was brief—her belief that this man was far better than some half-baked strategist remained firm.
"It's fine if you can't do anything. I just confirmed that my instincts about you yesterday weren't wrong. Just come along today and give your opinion. That's all I ask."
Meanwhile, the three leaders grew increasingly uneasy watching Dokgo Seol and Cheon Ryu-yeong whispering one after another.
If the Amipa was under attack right this moment, they should already be on their way. Yet they still couldn't move.
Because they felt… they had to take Cheon Ryu-yeong with them.
What if there was some other scheme lying in wait?
Should they just drag him along?
But as proud orthodox factions—the Dokgo Clan, the Kunlun Sect, and the Martial Alliance—they couldn't bring themselves to commit such a thing. Especially not here, with so many eyes watching.
Just as they were about to give up on him and leave, Cheon Ryu-yeong sighed and looked at Dokgo Seol.
From that look, the three leaders knew he had made some sort of decision.
He said to her,
"Fine. I'll just follow and give my opinions. But you must keep your promise—to bury everything you heard yesterday."
"I swear on my family's honor and on my nickname, Sword Peak."
Cheon Ryu-yeong's eyes went wide as lanterns. He was so shocked that the corners of his eyes twitched.
"You're Qinghua, Dokgo Seol of the Five Beauties of the Martial World?!?"
One of the five women every man in the martial world dreamed of meeting—even in their sleep!
Dokgo Seol frowned. Why did men always prefer calling her Qinghua over Sword Peak?
She was Sword Peak Dokgo Seol!
With a look of regret, Cheon Ryu-yeong asked,
"Then why the disguise…? Why not show your real face…? Are you really that beautiful?"
For a moment, Dokgo Seol felt her confidence in him waver. The capable man she'd thought she saw seemed to regress back into just another ordinary fellow.
Seeing her sudden change in expression, Cheon Ryu-yeong realized he had just made a blunder.
Ah! We're supposed to be going to save the Amipa, and here I am saying things like this. Tch. Mistake.
Feeling awkward, he quickly went over to Dokgo Mu-yeong.
"There's no time. We should head to the Sichuan Branch."
Dokgo Mu-yeong looked startled.
"You mean not to the Amipa?"
"Yes. We need to go to the Sichuan Branch. All of us."
Han Chu-gwang nodded in agreement.
"You said there were six hundred people there earlier. If they fought last night, they'll be exhausted. If we all go now, it could be a winnable fight."
Han Chu-gwang was eager to face the Heavenly Demon Sword. But Dokgo Mu-yeong shook his head firmly.
"The Sichuan Branch is important, but the Amipa and Headmaster Bohyeon are more so."
Before he could finish, Cheon Ryu-yeong leaned in and whispered in his ear.
In just that brief moment, a glint flashed in Dokgo Mu-yeong's eyes.
"I see. You're right. If it's already too late to help the Amipa, then we should at least reclaim the Sichuan Branch."
Some found it odd how quickly Dokgo Mu-yeong's stance changed after Cheon Ryu-yeong's whisper, but most didn't think much of it.
After all, it was better than making a wasted trip.
"There's no time. Let's move."
At his words, everyone returned to their positions and immediately set off westward. In the meantime, Dokgo Mu-yeong also sent a carrier pigeon to inform the Tang Clan of the situation.
Dokgo Mu-yeong personally seated Cheon Ryu-yeong behind him and spurred his horse forward.
"Have you ever ridden a horse before?"
"Yes. I'm not skilled at it, but I learned a bit while working at an escort agency. Why do you ask?"
"It's nothing. Just that the way you're sitting, holding my waist, looks very steady. By the way… about that tenth reason you mentioned earlier?"
"You mean the part about looking like a spy?"
"Hahaha. Honestly, wasn't that a bit too out of the blue?"
"Several of the ten reasons were meant to provoke the spy psychologically. The tenth was like a feint in martial arts—meant to draw out a misstep."
When Cheon Ryu-yeong said this with a straight face, Dokgo Mu-yeong responded with equal seriousness.
"You mean you staked your life on it."
"I trusted in the skill of the Invincible Sword Han Chu-gwang—his reputation is well-known. Still, I was extremely nervous… Anyway, my aim was to provoke her into exploding with that joke about looking like a spy…"
Cheon Ryu-yeong bit down on a wry smile. The spy hadn't even waited to hear the entire tenth reason before throwing her dagger.
In truth, the real tenth reason wasn't his joke.
His calculation was that, cornered, the spy would wait until after hearing the final reason—when everyone was thrown off by the absurdity of his words—and then strike in that split second of distraction.
To set this up, he had approached her, using the Heavenly Demon Sword Baek yun-hoe's name to heighten her psychological pressure.
Even thinking about it again, Dokgo Mu-yeong shook his head in admiration. They had just crossed a low hill when he raised his hand to halt everyone.
Han Chu-gwang asked,
"We're short on time—why stop now?"
"This friend gave me some advice."
Dokgo Mu-yeong gestured toward Cheon Ryu-yeong.
At that, Han Chu-gwang, Neung Un-bi, and the others remembered how, after Cheon Ryu-yeong had whispered something, the clan leader had suddenly changed his decision about rescuing the Amipa.
Cheon Ryu-yeong addressed them.
"From the situation, I'd guess the Heavenly Demon Sword spread his subordinates widely around Chengdu and the surrounding area. Last night, they would have all gathered in one place."
Everyone nodded attentively.
"In that case, among the onlookers earlier, there could have been another spy who saw us with the captured one."
A murmur of concern rippled through the group—it was a very real possibility. Baek yun-hoe was known to be a cautious man who constantly kept tabs on the situation.
His reputation as an undefeated general at such a young age came not only from his exceptional martial skill and strategic mind, but also from his meticulousness and refusal to grow complacent.
Han Chu-gwang said,
"Then when we said we were going to the Sichuan Branch…"
Cheon Ryu-yeong smiled.
"Yes. That was a ruse. We're going to rescue the Amipa."
Han Chu-gwang, who had been eager to face the Heavenly Demon Sword, looked disappointed but accepted it.
Personal grudges could wait—rescuing the Amipa came first. And indeed, attacking the Sichuan Branch with their current numbers would have been risky.
Cheon Ryu-yeong dismounted first, then had thirty others who were still on horseback do the same.
"If I were the Heavenly Demon Sword, I would have placed messengers along the road to the Sichuan Branch. We'll need to pick riders to continue toward the branch to keep up the deception."
Neung Un-bi tilted his head.
"Why go that far? What if there aren't any scouts?"
"There might not be, but it doesn't hurt to prepare. And this buys us time."
"Time?"
"Yes. Once the Heavenly Demon Sword realizes we've all headed for the Amipa, he'll lead reinforcements himself. That could put us in danger."
"I see—you mean we could get pincered from front and back."
"Exactly. So we need to keep him thinking we're still headed for the Sichuan Branch to keep him from moving."
When traveling quickly, mounted scouts naturally pull far ahead. Any hidden messenger will see that vanguard of thirty riders and send word by carrier pigeon.
Of course, once they stopped and waited for the rest, and the others never appeared, they would realize something was wrong. But by then, the time bought would be critical.
Cheon Ryu-yeong believed that time would later prove to be a matter of life and death.
"What if the Heavenly Demon Sword is actually with the forces attacking the Amipa?"
At Neung Un-bi's question, Cheon Ryu-yeong shook his head.
"No. As always, he'll be the commanding general directing the operation. Naturally, he'll stay at the key point of the plan—the Sichuan Branch—ready to crush us piecemeal. The Amipa will have been left to trusted subordinates. That's the logical course."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Dokgo Mu-yeong asked with concern,
"Then you're saying only thirty will go to the Sichuan Branch. Couldn't that put them in danger? What if there's an ambush?"
Cheon Ryu-yeong replied confidently,
"There's no reason for it. The terrain of the Sichuan Branch is extremely advantageous. There's no point in leaving that position to split forces. If they did, any ambush party could just be wiped out by us, and the branch they fought so hard to take would be left undermanned. I'd never risk something so foolish."
Dokgo Mu-yeong smacked his lips, impressed despite himself.
This young man's foresight seemed to stretch several moves ahead—beyond anything he could even imagine.
Cheon Ryu-yeong spoke urgently.
"Quickly, choose who will ride for the Sichuan Branch. All they need to do is get there and race back. They don't need to be strong, but still, assign a few skilled fighters just in case."
Dokgo Mu-yeong said,
"Splitting from three different groups will take time—so I'll pick thirty from my own clan right away."
As he hurried toward his chief steward, Hwang Ha-seong, Cheon Ryu-yeong called after him,
"Wait—please set aside one horse for me. I don't know any lightness arts, and I'm not fit enough to run all the way…"
Trailing off with an embarrassed tone, he drew faint smiles from Han Chu-gwang and Neung Un-bi on either side.
Once again, they felt they were seeing Cheon Ryu-yeong's true worth.
He was an extraordinary young man—enough to make them wonder if even the Martial Alliance's Chief Strategist, Jegal Cheon, could have handled things this well.