The leaders' eyes trembled violently.
Though they commanded overwhelming power, they all knew it now: they had been toyed with by a single young man, Cheon Ryu yeong.
They told themselves it was because of the Formless Deadly Poison, but Cho Ji-myeong's piercing words had cut straight into their hearts.
Hearing them, they realized how swiftly they had been undone. At the most crucial moment of judgment, they had already been drawn into Cheon Ryu yeong's rhetoric, unable to calmly or coolly assess anything.
Regret gnawed at them, but they could not admit their mistake. No—they dared not.
For they were men of power.
To accept responsibility would strip them of all standing, leaving only ridicule and contempt.
The Blood Priest spoke with wrath.
"Black Wolf Master! Do you mean to insult us? The Young Lord was right—those Tang warriors hid the Formless Deadly Poison. What more proof do you need?"
Nok ak cheon followed, voice sharp.
"Insolent! Arrogant fool! Do you not see how grave the situation is, and still nitpick? Are you saying I, or the Grand Elder, or the nobles of the Black Heaven Lotus Sect should have thrown our lives away?"
Cho Ji-myeong had already seen the flicker of doubt on their faces. He had his answer. There was no need to press further. Steeling himself, he said:
"Go on ahead. I will hold them back, if only for a moment, and try to save whoever I can."
He offered himself as sacrifice. None of the leaders dared rebuke him, their lips only biting down in silence.
Just then, the Tang Clan's war cries grew louder.
"Waaaaaaah!"
From the inner fortress gate, the Tang warriors finally appeared. Some of the fleeing subordinates stumbled out bloodied head to toe.
Elder Mong Hyulbi's eyes bulged wide.
"Already?"
It was staggering—how the Tang had cut through so many and reached the gate so swiftly.
The Grand Elder Blood Priest fixed Cho Ji-myeong with a heavy gaze.
"Your shallow doubts have wasted our precious time. By rights, you should be punished immediately. But the situation is urgent, so I will grant you a chance to redeem yourself. Hold them off, as you said."
Ma Bul sneered.
"You were given the chance to live with us, and you refused. Tsk, tsk."
He turned from Cho Ji-myeong to look over the Black Wolf Unit.
"You've chosen the wrong commander. You'll die dogs' deaths."
Nok ak cheon's eyes burned into Cho Ji-myeong.
"You asked for this. Die without regret."
Cho Ji-myeong bowed respectfully.
"I will delay them as long as I can, then follow."
The Blood Priest muttered darkly.
"I regret I won't live to see your arrogance stripped away when the poison consumes you."
With that, the leaders departed. Nearly three hundred of them withdrew from the battlefield—shamefully routed, fleeing in disgrace.
Cho Ji-myeong took a deep breath and looked upon his Black Wolf warriors, their eyes full of fear.
Pa Reuk asked with a face on the verge of tears:
"Master, are you truly going to fight?"
Cho Ji-myeong gave a bitter smile.
Not long ago, he had vowed to waste no more of his men's lives, to ease their hardships.
Yet now, he spoke with eyes shining:
"If the poison is real, we'll retreat quickly."
Pa Reuk pouted, stamping his foot.
"It is real!"
Cho Ji-myeong ignored his grumbling.
"This battle is already lost. But… if we can capture that man…"
He raised the Blue Dragon Halberd, pointing at the white horse that had advanced halfway between the inner and outer fortress.
Upon it sat Cheon Ryu yeong.
He had stopped upon seeing the Black Wolf Unit, calmly reorganizing the Tang Clan's lines rather than fleeing.
Cho Ji-myeong continued:
"If we can take him, then I do not believe this defeat will matter."
Mongchu shrugged, giving a hollow laugh.
"Well, if by some chance you're right and the poison doesn't exist… then with just us, we could wipe out not only Cheon Ryu yeong, but the Tang Clan itself."
Cho Ji-myeong nodded firmly.
"Yes. That is the Black Wolf Unit!"
The Black Wolves smiled grimly, their faith in him unshaken. Fighters to the core.
Pa Reuk sighed heavily, then gave a resigned shrug.
"Well, since it's come to this, let's fight to the end. But if there's any sign of that poison, we run immediately."
Cho Ji-myeong smiled faintly.
"There's another way."
"What is it?"
"If we shield only our eyes and mouths, we can last a minute or two. In that time, we seize Cheon Ryu yeong."
Pa Reuk gaped. Such reckless bravado.
Yet slowly, he grinned.
Yes. That was the Black Wolf Unit. The unit he loved.
"Heh heh… Fine. As you said earlier, let's gamble on mutual destruction and fight with abandon. And if we take Cheon Ryu yeong hostage, we can demand the antidote. Surely he'd hand it over."
Mongchu interjected sourly.
"They say the antidote is scarce."
"Still—there must be some. At least enough for a hundred of us Black Wolves."
Mongchu gave a dumbfounded look, then chuckled.
"Hah! True enough. And if we save even a few of our comrades, so much the better."
His eyes turned toward the outer wall, where many comrades were fleeing toward Sojun Mountain to hide and recover.
If the Tang pursued, they would surely die. But if the Black Wolves fought here, those fleeing might yet survive.
Pa Reuk nodded.
"Exactly. And… now that I think about it, what I saw back at the training ground did seem strange. Like a well-rehearsed play…"
Perspective changes everything. Pile on the doubts Cho Ji-myeong had raised, and the picture shifted further.
Cho Ji-myeong's eyes gleamed.
"Is that so?"
"Yes. At the time, I was entranced, but… indeed, as you said, Cheon Ryu yeong held the initiative from beginning to end. I thought it was simply confidence from wielding the poison, but…"
"You mean it may have been bluff?"
Pa Reuk nodded.
"Yes. Somehow, it feels that way. But… they did cough blood and die…"
Cho Ji-myeong grinned.
"Then we'll confirm it ourselves."
"True. But, master…"
"Hmm?"
"We can cover our mouths, but what about our eyes? We can't fight blind."
"..."
Cho Ji-myeong fell silent, turning his gaze aside.
Pa Reuk's eyes bulged.
"Y-you mean… you didn't think of that?"
"..."
The entire Black Wolf Unit fell speechless. Then, all at once, they understood.
Their master believed the poison was false—or at most, long since exhausted.
They shook their heads with helpless smiles. Then, one by one, their bodies flared with fighting spirit.
Behind them, the bloodied remnants of the demonic army scrambled after the retreating leaders.
Cheon Ryu yeong, seeing the Tang lines solidify once more, called out to Cho Ji-myeong.
"We meet again, Black Wolf Master. The eyepatch suits you well."
Cho Ji-myeong's smile deepened.
"Cheon Ryu yeong! I won't be deceived."
From atop his white horse, Cheon Ryu yeong tapped his golden fan against the side of his head and asked lightly:
"What do you mean?"
"The Formless Deadly Poison."
Cheon Ryu yeong only shrugged silently. Cho Ji-myeong continued:
"I've no wish to trade words with you. So—will you come to us, or shall we come to you?"
"..."
"We'll come, then."
Cheon Ryu yeong lifted his folded fan and waved it casually.
"No, we'll come. The moonlight's fair, and a wide-open field is better for fighting, don't you think?"
Cho Ji-myeong readily accepted the suggestion. Truthfully, he didn't want to enter the outer fortress. On either side of the breach the Red Wolf Unit had made, the Tang Clan's mechanical formations still stood intact.
There was always the danger that this "Martial Scholar" might turn those formations against them.
"Fine. We'll fall back thirty jang (about ninety meters)."
"But tell me, you don't actually think the Formless Deadly Poison is fake, do you?"
"..."
"Or perhaps that whatever little you had, you've already used up?"
As Cho Ji-myeong withdrew with the Black Wolves, he replied coldly:
"On the battlefield, fights are settled by the sword, not words."
Cheon Ryu yeong advanced with the Tang warriors and countered:
"There's no rule it has to be words or swords. This is the Tang Clan, after all. I intend to fight with poison."
Cho Ji-myeong sneered.
"By all means. If you truly have it, unleash it. We'll fight through it, and within two minutes—no, within one—I'll have your head."
Cheon Ryu yeong smiled in return.
"You'll regret that."
"..."
"Are you fine with your men dying dogs' deaths because of your stubbornness?"
Cho Ji-myeong pressed his lips tight, saying nothing more. He refused to repeat the same mistake as the leadership who had been led astray at the grand training ground.
Instead, he increased his pace of retreat.
Around Cheon Ryu yeong's white horse, his escorts—Dokgo Seol, Namgung Su, and the others—grew tense once more. They still didn't know the truth of the poison, unlike the confident Tang disciples behind them.
Jo Jeonhu muttered under his breath.
"Damn that monster again. I hate battlefield variables."
He glanced at Pyeong-u beside him.
"Hey, you."
"What?"
"You never told me you were that strong."
"..."
"Terrifying bastard. Anyway, I'll deal with you later. Just answer me this—can you beat the Black Wolf Master?"
The "Spear of the Battlefield," the Black Wolf Master.
If they couldn't stop that fearsome juggernaut, Cheon Ryu yeong might truly be in danger.
Dokgo Seol answered first.
"He should be able to. He just took down that black-skinned monk in an instant, and that monk was clearly at the peak realm."
Jang Deukmu muttered lowly:
"Tch. The so-called 'Peak'—the dream of every warrior—sounds like a dog's name the way we use it. Sure, Pyeong-u's skill was shocking, but that monk was caught by surprise."
Namgung Su nodded.
"True. If the Black Wolf Master is prepared, he won't fall so easily to Pyeong-u's swift swordsmanship."
As he spoke, Pa Reuk was pointing at Pyeong-u and whispering to Cho Ji-myeong—likely recounting how the Asura Monk had been slain.
Looking troubled, Pyeong-u admitted:
"I'm confident, but it won't be easy. A man who reached the peak not through cultivation or duels, but through decades of life-and-death battles on real battlefields—experience like that can't be underestimated."
Namgung Su sighed, his face darkening. He had hoped for a quicker resolution.
"So even if you win, it will take time. Then we must prepare for a prolonged clash—something we hadn't planned for. If the Black Wolves fight at full force…"
He glanced at the Tang warriors following behind and muttered:
"…our losses could be heavy."
The Tang disciples had no poison or hidden weapons left. They believed utterly that the ten disciples—Ilwol through Siwol—carried the remaining bags of "poison powder."
Dokgo Seol nodded grimly.
"He's right. It could get very dangerous. And if the fight drags on, we won't be able to carry out the commander's greater strategy."
Namgung Su replied firmly.
"Then the only solution is to call in Hero Nangwang Bang Yacheol's White Tiger Unit."
Dokgo Seol frowned slightly, then shook his head.
"That would mean abandoning the many demonic warriors who fled into Sojun Mountain. If they realize they aren't poisoned and manage to regroup with the Black Wolves, this battle could spiral into chaos."
"I know. But as things stand, summoning the White Tigers is our best option. And when the Tang young lord's reinforcements arrive, we can still win here, even if at heavy cost."
Jang Deukmu cut in:
"I'm not so sure. Can we truly win? And if the demonic forces in Sojun Mountain are as many as I think, then the White Tigers should seize this chance to slaughter them easily."
Namgung Su clicked his tongue.
"I know. But if we don't deal with this first, we'll be the ones in danger."
As they whispered their heated debate, they reached the outer fortress gate. By then, the Black Wolf Unit had already completed its wedge formation, ready to maximize their fearsome breakthrough charge.
Jo Jeonhu shuddered as he stepped through the gate.
"Damn… to face the Black Wolves again. Young Lord Cheon, surely you have some trick up your sleeve?"
From atop his white horse, Cheon Ryu yeong was staring intently ahead, absentmindedly tapping his fan against his head.
Jo Jeonhu gave a wry laugh.
"Young Lord Cheon."
"..."
"Young Lord Cheon!"
Only when he raised his voice did Cheon Ryu yeong glance his way.
"What is it?"
At that, all seven escorts wore incredulous expressions. A deadly clash was imminent, yet their commander seemed elsewhere.
Dokgo Seol asked anxiously:
"Is the pain in your chest worsening?"
"I can bear it."
Namgung Su looked up at him and asked:
"Commander, did you hear our discussion just now?"
Cheon Ryu yeong gave him an apologetic look.
"Ah, forgive me. My mind wandered for a moment…"
The escorts' faces cracked. In this dire moment, he had been daydreaming? Their eyes twitched.
A single thought struck them all:
During the carriage accident, had his head been injured along with his chest?
Dokgo Seol gazed at him nervously.
"Your head… it is all right, isn't it?"