Chapter 15. Jing Ke Attempts to Assassinate the King of Qin (3)
There was good news and bad news.
The good news was that the torture ended rather successfully.
Jang Gal's subordinate finally opened his mouth.
“I, if you keep traveling northwest, you’ll find an unnamed ruin. The Demon Lord is staying there.”
“How many men do you have?”
“Around two hundred.”
“Two hundred? Impossible.”
“Your supply lines should be terrible. You’re telling me you’re maintaining a force that large in the middle of this desert?”
And the bad news was that this mission had become far more difficult than expected.
“I swear I am not lying!!”
“Then explain properly.”
“How did a force that large survive until now after the Black-and-White Demon Venerable's rebellion ended?”
“Someone has been regularly providing us with supplies!”
Now this was interesting.
What kind of ridiculous nonsense was that?
“What is your name?”
“Wang U!”
“Fine, Wang U.”
“Do I, Bi Anso, look like the kind of fool who would believe nonsense like that?”
“How could I dare lie before you?!”
“Food and water do not rise from the desert floor.”
“Who would provide valuable supplies to the remnants of traitors isolated in the middle of this desert?”
“I, I truly do not know who it is!”
“The person who brings the supplies always wears a mask, and he only speaks with the Demon Lord!”
I glanced toward the Deputy Leader.
Her eyes had narrowed.
Apparently, Wang U's story had made her think deeply as well.
“Deputy Leader. Are there any farms or ranches nearby capable of producing large amounts of food?”
“If you go far enough west, there are cities along the Silk Road, but they’re far too distant from here.”
“Then someone inside our Cult is supporting the rebels.”
“Assuming this bastard is telling the truth.”
“Damn it. I came here to avenge my sister, but this is becoming much larger than expected.”
The Deputy Leader frowned as though she had developed a headache.
But to me, this was an unexpected opportunity.
If I could uncover collaborators still hiding within the Cult, the achievement would be far greater than merely eliminating rebel remnants.
It would move me much closer to becoming Prince Consort.
Of course, the larger reward meant the mission had also become much harder.
I had expected Jang Gal to have fewer than fifty men.
I had also assumed they would be isolated and suffering from poor morale.
Instead, there were around two hundred enemies.
And all of them were being properly supplied.
Dealing with a single Demon Lord was already troublesome.
Now I had to deal with a well-supplied elite force of two hundred men as well.
What should I do?
“Lunatic. You aren’t frightened because of their numbers, are you?”
“If you say we should go back now, I’ll kill you myself.”
“I have absolutely no intention of turning back, so stop worrying about useless things.”
I was a first-rate assassin.
My Master had been the greatest man of the Unorthodox Path and the greatest assassin under heaven.
My sect had once been the greatest assassin organization in the Central Plains.
Would someone like me turn away after seeing such a delicious target?
Impossible.
“To pass through two hundred soldiers, take Jang Gal's head, and obtain information about the collaborator...”
The most important thing in assassination was not martial arts.
It was thorough preparation.
Calculate every possible situation.
Prepare until there was no room for failure.
Only then should an assassination begin.
Master had been forgiving when we failed to kill a target.
But he never forgave carelessness in the process.
What kind of plan would Master prepare in this situation?
“...Deputy Leader.”
“Are you willing to do anything if it means killing Jang Gal?”
“Of course.”
“If I can bite off that bastard's head, I wouldn’t care even if my dantian were destroyed and I became a cripple for the rest of my life.”
“Do you have a plan?”
“I do.”
“If everything goes according to plan, we will definitely take Jang Gal's head.”
“I don’t know what kind of plan it is, but it has to be better than charging in blindly.”
Wow.
This woman was actually agreeing with me without arguing.
She must really want revenge.
“If we fail to cut off Jang Gal's head, I’ll kill you myself.”
“Don’t worry. Everything will work as long as you behave and follow the plan.”
“I hope that isn’t empty boasting.”
“Deputy Leader. Have you ever heard of an assassin named Jing Ke?”
“Jing Ke? I think I’ve heard that name...”
“Ah. You mean the man who tried to assassinate the King of Qin?”
“Correct. You’re more educated than I expected.”
“Stop flattering me.”
I was mocking her.
What an unnecessarily positive woman.
“Let’s begin preparing properly.”
“First...”
Anyway, the outline of the plan was decided.
And for that plan, we needed our beloved prisoner, Wang U.
“Wang U.”
“Y, yes!”
“You’re going to help me with something.”
Several days later, at Jang Gal's main camp.
Bang!
A man whose face was covered in scars from blades slammed his hand onto a table.
He was Jang Gal.
A surviving follower of the traitor Black-and-White Demon Venerable and a former Demon Lord of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
“What are we supposed to do now?!”
“We started the rebellion because we trusted your promise to help us from within!”
“Because your side failed to keep that promise, the rebellion failed! Now I’m trapped in this desert with nowhere to go!”
Jang Gal breathed heavily like an enraged bull as he shouted at the masked man seated across from him.
But the masked man did not care about his anger.
“You should speak accurately.”
“We promised to assist you only after your forces broke through the front line.”
“If you wanted us to break through, you should have stopped the Cult Leader from personally appearing on the battlefield!”
“What was your master doing?!”
“Watch your words.”
“Unless you want the tiny escape route you still possess to disappear as well.”
The masked man's calm but terrifying warning immediately extinguished Jang Gal's rage.
After all, one of Jang Gal's only remaining ways to survive was in this man's hands.
“We have arranged for you to surrender to the Martial Alliance.”
“The Martial Alliance? Is that true?”
“Travel around the Heavenly Mountains and reach Gansu somehow.”
“The Martial Alliance will meet you there.”
“Considering your history as a Demon Lord, if you handle things well, you may even obtain a respectable position within the Martial Alliance.”
A bright expression slowly appeared on Jang Gal's previously dark face.
“My master is a person who honors his promises.”
“Although your failure to cross the front line ruined our greater plan, my master still wishes to give you a path to survival.”
“I, it is difficult to believe. Why would the Martial Alliance accept the surrender of a Demonic Cult martial artist?”
“Are you doubting my master's generosity?”
“Then remain hidden in this desert for the rest of your life.”
“I hear the Left Envoy is searching everywhere for the Black-and-White Demon Venerable's remaining followers. Try your best to survive.”
As Jang Gal hesitated, the masked man mocked him inwardly.
Pretending to think carefully.
