Chapter 99
Hua Yumu made several attempts to contact Lin Lin, but to no avail. Squinting at the sky, he searched for any signals but saw nothing.
His unease deepened with each passing moment.
As they moved further from the port, a group of mounted men suddenly appeared on the road ahead. Judging by their uniforms and the tokens hanging from their waists, it was clear they were the law enforcement of Jinxin Port.
The leader of the group bowed slightly, “Captain Hua, Captain Jing, we saw the signal flares and came to assist. We were slightly delayed. Are we too late?”
Just as Jing Tianyang was about to reply, he caught sight of Hua Yumu making a subtle gesture to keep quiet.
Hua Yumu replied calmly, “No problem, the matter is already resolved. We were just about to head back.”
“Good to hear,” the leader replied. “But where is Lady Kitagawa? Did she run into trouble?”
At these words, Jing Tianyang tightened his grip on his weapon, finally understanding the situation.
As mercenaries, their status as the Queen’s private soldiers wasn’t exactly a secret, but their names weren’t publicly known either. It wasn’t surprising that someone from the palace could recognize them, but…
When Hua Yumu had gone to seek help from the patrol and law enforcement with the queen’s decree, he hadn’t mentioned they were mercenaries at all.
So how did the law enforcement captain from Jinxin Port know their names so precisely?
And why did he specifically ask about Wakako, but not Lin Lin and the others? It was as if he already knew they had split into two groups.
Were they really here to provide backup?
Inside the carriage, Wakako had already stuffed a piece of cloth into Old Chen’s mouth to keep him quiet. Listening to the disordered clatter of hoofbeats outside, she roughly estimated the number of people. If a fight broke out, it wouldn’t be too hard to handle, but still…
Were they really on their side?
Hua Yumu face remained calm as he replied smoothly, “Lady Kitagawa stayed behind to clean up, so she didn’t come with us.”
In the distance, the sound of another group approaching could be heard.
It was the patrol squad that had been sorting through the cargo earlier.
“Is that so?” The law enforcement captain smiled. “Well, what a coincidence. They’ve caught up too. Let us escort you back together then.”
Hua Yumu’s smile slowly faded. Could the patrol squad also be compromised?
Just who were these people? And what was their goal?
There were only two possibilities. One, corruption ran deep from top to bottom and they were resorting to any means for profit, simply wanting to secure this shipment. Two…
They were working for the Eagle Kingdom
If it was the former, it wouldn’t be a huge issue. Although as mercenaries, they shouldn’t turn a blind eye to the safety of the city’s people, their sole purpose in coming here this time was for the trial. After passing it, it wouldn’t be too late to round up all these accomplices of smuggling.
Even if the corruption was widespread, they could always root out the bad seeds and replant the tree.
But if it was the latter… if Jinxin Port had truly been infiltrated by the Eagle Kingdom, that would be disastrous.
Hua Yumu still held a sliver of hope.
But that hope was completely extinguished when he saw the patrol squad. The reason was simple – the leader was holding a firearm.
This was a weapon only the Eagle Kingdom could use…
How could this be possible?
After the incident five years ago when the Saionji clan committed treason and burned down the armory, everything in Jinxin Port had been rebuilt from the ground up. Personnel were meticulously screened, with background checks going back three generations to ensure absolute loyalty.
Some corruption at the lower levels was inevitable, but for the entire system to have fallen? Impossible. The defensive structure of Mios would never be so lax, or they’d have been crushed in the war with the Eagle Kingdom long ago!
Moreover, if the Eagle Kingdom had inside help, why wait until now to make their move?!
None of this made sense!
The law enforcement captain smiled at their changing expressions. Slowly, he drew a firearm from behind his back and raised it:
“Captain Hua, you cost us quite a few men earlier when you were tracking Princess Loren… Now, please accept this as payback.”
There was no time to discuss tactics. Hua Yumu and Jing Tianyang both leaped from their horses as the gunpowder ignited, a wave of heat grazing Hua Yumu’s cheek, leaving a searing burn.
The three of them faced hundreds of enemies, and their only hope of survival was…
Everything happened too quickly and the lie they’d told earlier hadn’t been uncovered yet.
The law enforcement had no idea there was still someone hidden inside the carriage!
Wakako drew her sword from behind her, the gleam of the blade flickering through the gaps in the carriage’s curtains. Her strikes were dazzling, but to her, everything moved in slow motion.
She preferred heavier weapons—if she had her battle-axe on hand, these people wouldn’t stand a chance. Unfortunately, she hadn’t brought it this time, leaving her with only what she had on hand.
But it didn’t matter.
For most, overcoming such overwhelming numbers would be nearly impossible.
But she wasn’t just anyone. She was Wakako, a survivor of the Rose War.
So she would win. She had to.
Patiently, she watched and waited, and then…
Her sword struck.
She stepped on the edge of the carriage, her body soaring into the air. Using nothing but her flesh and blood, she crashed into the enemy formation, her sword piercing through several men in one stroke.
There was no complex strategy, just pure, overwhelming force.
The enemies soon spotted her and threw every weapon they had in her direction, but none could stop her fierce advance.
Having lived through the Rose War, Wakako knew that in a battle like this, getting hurt was inevitable. As long as it wasn’t fatal, she didn’t bother avoiding it.
Soon, blood soaked through Wakako’s black clothes—some of it hers, some belonging to others.
She readied her sword for another strike but suddenly locked eyes with one of her enemies. His gaze was lifeless, like a puppet on strings, his will and actions controlled by another.
Wakako knew that look.
It was the same as the men Miki had controlled on the mountain, using her blood to bind them and drag them back to the Eagle Kingdom.
But this time, it couldn’t be Miki who was controlling them.
Could it be…
Wakako’s sword faltered. Just moments ago, she had been in control of the battlefield, but now she was on the defensive, falling back step by step.
“Wakako!” Hua Yumu shouted from the side, “What are you doing?!”
Wakako’s voice was even louder, “They’re not our enemies! They’re being controlled! It’s Saburo! He has the same ability as the Saint, granted by God!”
Even though she knew hesitation was dangerous, she couldn’t bring herself to strike down her own Kingdommen.
These were just ordinary patrol guards. If they were to be slaughtered just because they were temporarily manipulated by the enemy, Jinxin Port’s defenses would be crippled.
And the only ones to benefit and reap the rewards would be the enemy!
Wakako gritted her teeth and switched to using the blunt edge of her sword to knock them out. It worked, but it slowed her down significantly.
This wasn’t a viable solution.
Miki had to use her own blood to control, and the cost was significant. Saburo couldn’t be far—he had to be hiding nearby!
“Do you know his scent?” Hua Yumu squeezed out this question despite his injuries.
“I do!”
“Find him!”
Jing Tianyang didn’t hesitate. “We’ll hold them off!”
But Captains Hua and Jing weren’t Wakako. They could feel pain. Even though they could each take on several enemies, the relentless attacks were taking their toll.
Wakako didn’t have much time.
There were too many people, and the mixed scents made it hard to pick Saburo out. On top of that, they weren’t exactly close acquaintances, and her memory of his scent was fading…
Wait. When she and Liu Siruo had been on a mission in the Eagle Kingdom, they’d attended a noble’s wedding. She had smelled Saburo’s scent there.
Could she remember it?
Blood was gushing from the wound on Wakako’s arm, pooling on the ground like the petals of a blossoming plum.
Blood… She had drunk Miki’s blood, taken medicines made from Miki’s flesh. Their blood and flesh had long since mingled.
Saburo was Miki’s blood relative. She had to be able to find him.
Wakako abruptly turned around and, to everyone’s surprise, leapt back into the carriage. Without a word, she thrust her sword toward the tightly bound “Old Chen”…
But the moment their eyes met, her hand shook, and her sword fell from her grip.
His gaze was dark and impenetrable, filled with a mysterious power that made it impossible for Wakako to move.
She couldn’t even throw a punch at him.
Indeed, this man was favored by God and would not be killed so easily.
As he controlled Wakako’s movements with his gaze, the soldiers outside began to slow, easing the pressure on Captains Hua and Jing.
If she could buy them some time, that would be good.
The cloth stuffed in his mouth earlier had disappeared somewhere and the ropes binding him had slipped off at some point. “Old Chen” gave a faint smile, calm and composed, though his expression couldn’t help but show a hint of regret.
“I tried to make you eat that leaf earlier. Why didn’t you?”
Saburo sighed, lowering his gaze slightly, his lips curving into a faint smile. Even though he was still in disguise, there was no mistaking it—his expressions were eerily similar to Miki’s.
It wasn’t surprising. After all, they had both been raised at the Saionji clan, learning the same etiquette.
“I thought you would want to see your old master again,” he mused. “That drug isn’t exactly addictive, but it’s tempting, isn’t it? How did you resist?”
Wakako saw no need to waste words on him. She stared coldly, silently trying to move her fingers, to regain control of her body from the invisible shackles.
They were very close. If she could just throw a punch, she could hit him.
If she could just regain a bit of control…
Saburo suddenly said, “Wakako, you always treated me well. Much better than those dogs in the Saionji clan who looked down on me. I won’t kill you.”
These words gave Wakako pause. At most, they had only crossed paths in their former home. When had she ever “treated him well”?
“I know you’re devoted to Miki,” He said gently, “So, if you could go and persuade her, you’d probably be more effective than anyone else.”
“Persuade Miki to surrender. Tell her not to be so stubborn. Giving in would be better for everyone, and it would save the trouble of going through these tiresome trials, wouldn’t it?”
“Princess Loren sacrificed her life for this, after all.”
“If Miki voluntarily gives up resistance, I promise not to hurt her. I can even put in a good word for you before God, ask God to show mercy.”
“When Miki ran away with you back then, wasn’t it because she didn’t want to be the Saint anymore? Well, I can take her place.”
“And you? Don’t you want to finally be together with Miki? After all these years, you still care about each other. I can make it happen.”
“Think about it. How does my offer sound?”
Wakako stared at Saburo’s smiling face.
After a long pause, she slowly began to speak.
