Chapter 670
It was a short yet long moment.
A single instant that felt like seven days and nights.
As if he were reliving decades of life with every breath—watching the passage of time unfold from a crying infant in his dead mother’s arms to the grown man that child had become.
Baek Sang’s hesitation was both brief and endless. Long yet fleeting.
And when his tightly sealed lips finally broke the silence, the answer to his torment was already decided.
“You’ll regret it.”
The Beast Miao King spoke calmly.
“What do you mean? Regret coming to find you? Or regret saving Jin Taekyung and the other Han?”
“Everything. All of it.”
“Like you do, Baek Sang?”
“It’s different.”
Baek Sang’s expression hardened.
“Unlike me, you still have a chance. One last chance to undo your mistake.”
“A last chance…?”
“If you walk away quietly now, I’ll forget everything I saw and heard here. As if none of it ever happened.”
“You think I can cover the sky with my hand? I knew what I was doing the moment I told you to spare your men guarding the dungeon.”
“If you command them to remain silent, they will obey. The loyalty of the Baek Tribe to me is no less than the devotion of your Seven Miao Tigers.”
“So this is your final show of brotherhood?”
Baek Sang nodded silently. The Beast Miao King smiled faintly, his eyes filled with sorrow.
“Then as your brother, I’ll ask one last thing—open the path for them. Just half a shichen. That’s all I need.”
“Palace Lord!”
“Even if I could turn back, I wouldn’t. That’s the only difference between us.”
Baek Sang’s eyes trembled.
He wanted to deny it with all his might—to shout that the Beast Miao King was wrong. That unlike him, Baek Sang had only one path left, and he had no choice but to walk it.
But his lips stayed shut. His hand had already found the hilt of his sword.
Click. Shing—
The cold sound of metal slicing through silence. The Beast Miao King’s eyes darkened as he looked upon Baek Sang’s drawn blade.
“So that’s your choice?”
“I have no other, Palace Lord. This is all I can do.”
“Hah. You even sound like your old self. Feels like we’ve gone back in time.”
“You know as well as I do, we can never go back.”
“You think so?”
“Of course.”
The firm answer brought a faint smile to the Beast Miao King’s lips.
Then, without hesitation, Baek Sang struck.
Shhhk—
A brilliant surge of light filled the surroundings. The condensed energy of his sword aura poured forth, descending toward its mark.
Slash!
* * *
Like wind, three white tigers lunged forward, the purest of them leading the charge.
The eldest of the Seven Miao Tigers, Yuanhu, watched their figures vanish into the darkness and murmured,
“Fast.”
That was all he said.
Those who chose to leave were gone. Those who stayed had made that decision for themselves.
“Heh.”
Yuanhu chuckled, pulling out a gourd from his chest.
Pop.
The cork came off, and the fragrance of alcohol spread instantly. The nearby Miao warriors’ eyes lit up.
“Oh ho.”
“Smells amazing. Did you brew this yourself, Chief?”
“Tch, what are you, bloodhounds? Can’t even drink in peace.”
Though he grumbled, a smile played on his lips as he passed the gourd around.
“Fine. There’s not much, so drink sparingly on the way back.”
“I swear, not a drop will be left for you.”
“Ah, come on, that’s just mean.”
Laughter echoed as the Miao warriors took turns drinking.
Southern Barbarians were notorious for their love of liquor, and with twenty strong men here, it was believable that not a single drop would remain.
But—
“Ah, good stuff. Left you a few drops, Chief. Out of courtesy.”
Yuanhu chuckled when he took the gourd back.
Slosh.
A light shake told him the truth—the bottle was still more than half full.
Looking at their sheepish faces pretending to be drunk, he couldn’t help but laugh.
“So you’re not bastards—you’re just liars.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Getting senile already?”
“Stop talking nonsense and drink.”
Giving in to their teasing, Yuanhu tilted the gourd—not toward his lips, but toward the ground thick with weeds.
Drip.
“Don’t mourn the drops. If we live, we’ll drink till sunrise. If we fall here, we’ll drink forever in death.”
The warriors watching him smiled grimly.
“Can’t argue with that.”
“Chief really knows his way around a toast.”
“Yeah, he’s always been better at drinking than fighting.”
Yuanhu laughed, and so did they—the Seven Miao Tigers, the Miao warriors who had volunteered for this suicidal mission.
Regret? Not a trace.
Even if they all died here, at least one would survive to carry hope forward.
That was enough reason to smile.
He thought of the man who had led by example his entire life, even sending his only son into danger.
‘If there’s punishment for disobeying orders, I’ll accept it gladly in the afterlife, my lord.’
Neither the Beast Miao King nor Yal Mok feared death.
They didn’t hide behind their subordinates, nor did they cower in fear.
Though the Beast Miao King loved his son more than anything, if he learned what Yuanhu had done, he would scold him—for he always said life has no rank or worth.
‘That’s reason enough to die.’
Yuanhu emptied the gourd completely.
He stared at the last drop clinging to the rim, then licked his lips and looked into the darkness.
“Got any more of that?”
A quiet voice answered.
“You’re drinking on duty?”
“Yeah, yeah. Spare me the lecture. Just pass me the bottle.”
Yuanhu grinned.
The scheduled shift change had long passed, and the energy emanating from the darkness was overwhelmingly strong.
“So, not sharing?”
“I’ve heard there’s a drunken monkey among the Miao. Catch.”
Whoosh.
Yuanhu snatched the object flying toward him and recognized the familiar gourd in an instant.
“This is…”
No doubt about it—it was the Beast Miao King’s own gourd, the one he always carried.
“Recognize it?”
A voice reached his ear. Yuanhu slowly lifted his gaze.
There he stood—a man in a bloodstained white robe, his skin pale as moonlight.
“…Baek Sang.”
Baek Sang’s tone was dry.
“A mere warrior dares to speak a Grand Chief’s name?”
“What happened to our lord?”
“You’ll know soon enough.”
Ssshhk!
In an instant, movement erupted.
With a flick of Baek Sang’s sleeve, more than a hundred Baek Tribe warriors appeared from the shadows, surrounding them.
‘Damn it.’
Cursing inwardly, Yuanhu drew his dao.
He glanced at the sky. The moon was hidden by clouds. A bad night to die—but also a good night to flee.
On dark nights, the hunted have the advantage.
‘Please be safe, both of you.’
Only one thing left to do.
Yuanhu—and the rest—charged without hesitation.
Their roar shook the night.
(T/N: Fuck you x 1000000000 Baek Sang)
* * *
Swoosh!
The wind was cold against my face.
Even now, as we raced forward, the scenery blurred around us—no shadows of men, no houses, only the endless field of grass. We had escaped the outer palace.
‘But it’s still within the Beast Palace’s territory. We can’t slow down.’
Maybe we’d have to keep running until we found the scouts leading the Fire Dragon Pavilion members.
The Beast Palace’s domain covered all of this unknown land—forests, plains, jungles, swamps.
“Sorry, but I’m going to need a little more from you.”
Grrr.
As expected of a divine beast—it seemed to understand me perfectly. With a low growl, the white tiger accelerated even faster.
Swoosh!
It was probably because its master was still tied to its back.
I sighed as I looked at Yal Mok’s limp form swaying with every stride.
‘Yal Mok…’
We’d escaped the outer palace, but I hadn’t tried to wake him.
No—it was more accurate to say I couldn’t.
‘If he wakes up, he’ll try to go back.’
But if he did, everything would be lost.
The only path his men had opened with their lives would close, and all that would remain was a meaningless death.
Because of his status, they wouldn’t execute him immediately—but if he returned, I would stop him.
For Yal Mok. For the Miao warriors fighting for him. For the Fire Dragon Pavilion.
Call it selfish if you want. Call me a coward clinging to my life.
But damn it, this was the only way.
‘Damn it…’
I bit my lip hard.
Within half a day, at most a full day, the Heavenly Net would spread across all of the Southern Barbarians.
Before that, we had to get as far away as possible and find the scout unit.
‘The two chiefs leading them are loyal to the Beast Miao King. Maybe we can save the others without another fight.’
That was the best outcome I could imagine.
But with Dark Heaven’s interference and Baek Sang’s betrayal confirmed, nothing was certain anymore.
‘First, rescue every Fire Dragon Pavilion member. Then—’
My thoughts were cut short.
Rustle.
The white tiger suddenly stopped.
“What’s wrong?”
Grrr.
“If we keep heading northwest like your master said—”
Grrr… sniff sniff.
“Huh?”
It turned its head back and forth, then pressed its nose against my hand, sniffing just like it had before we left.
‘Wait. Don’t tell me…’
And then—
Ding.
– A sudden quest has been generated: [Yohee’s Scent of Pursuit].
As the system message rang in my ears, I remembered.
The scent pouch of Yohee we had found back in the Western Division.