Chapter 42 Red Winter Part 8

When Sukh turns around, he spots a pregnant woman and a man walking towards him in Kukungga clothes, he slowly steps forward to investigate who is sneaking up behind him.

"Please help me, my wife is about to give birth. We are not familiar with this place," the young man pleaded.

Sukh said, "The capital is over there. There are doctors in the capital who can help you."

The pregnant woman snorted in pain and squatted on the ground. "Hold on." The man said with concern. The young man looked up at Sukh. "My lord, please help me carry my wife back to the capital."

Sukh squatted in front of the young couple and grabbed the pregnant woman's left arm. He said, "I'll help you carry her back to the city."

"Thank you." The pregnant woman snorted in pain, and at the same time slowly stretched her hand behind her and grabbed the knife that tuck behind her belt.

The young man took a quick look at Sukh who hadn't realized that he had fallen into a death trap, and quickly sprinkled a handful of dirt on Sukh's face. When Sukh fell to the ground, the woman stabbed Sukh in the chest and pinned Sukh to the ground. She grabbed the handle of the knife and tried to drive the knife deeper into Sukh's flesh, but Sukh knocked her off Sukh's body. The young man charged at Sukh with a knife in his hand. Sukh quickly rolled to the left and got up quickly.

Sukh stood not far from the two assassins. Sukh was blind and injured, he knew very well that he couldn't win against these two assassins in this battle. "Who sent you?" he asked.

The man said, "You don't need to know."

Sukh said, "At least when the grim reaper asks me, I can tell who gave the order to kill me."

The man smiled and said, "That makes sense."

The woman chuckled and said, "Those who break their promises will be punished with death, this is the rule of our ancestors."

Sukh yelled, "Liar! He wouldn't do that to me."

The man smiled and said, "Don't be too sure. You have been in this business for a long time, and you should know that people who don't talk much are the scariest."

The pain in the eyes and the pain in the upper left shoulder are not as hurt as the pain in his heart. He asked himself what he did wrong. After all, Chief Keme and him had a good relationship like father and son before they parted ways, but the two people standing in front of him now told him that it was Chief Keme who ordered them to kill him.

The two assassins rushed towards Sukh. Sukh was furious and launched a series of fierce attacks on the two assassins. Sukh threw a punch at the female assassin, causing her to stumble back towards the male assassin. The two assassins looked at each other, and quickly fled, because their mission had been completed.

Sukh didn't chase those two assassins, he knew that with his current state, he couldn't catch up with them. Just as he was slowly walking towards the capital, he fell to the ground, and suddenly passed out in the middle of the dirt road due to excessive blood loss.

In the backyard of Sukh's small house, the maid has already placed two different dishes on the table.

Haneul asked, "Did he say when he would be home?"

The maid said, "My lord, his lord said he will be back before noon."

Haneul sighed heavily, and said, "It's past noon."

The maid asked, "Does the lord like to have lunch now?"

Haneul said, "No, I'll wait for General Bayarmaa."

A guard rushed into the backyard and knelt in front of Haneul. "Your Majesty," he said worriedly.

Haneul sighed and said impatiently, "What's the matter? We told you not to bother us, we will return on our own."

The guard said, "Officer Li said that a couple said that they saw a man who looked like Great Grand General Bayarmaa passed out in the middle of the road outside the city."

Haneul asked, "Is there any evidence that it is Great General Bayarmaa?"

The palace guard said, "I have already sent someone out to confirm."

Haneul stood up, rushed out of the yard, and walked towards the door. The guard quickly got up and rushed towards Haneul who was walking in front of him.

As soon as Haneul arrived at the city gate, he met Officer Li. Haneul asked, "The person who fainted outside the city is General Bayarmaa or not?"

Officer Li said, "Your Majesty, I don't know, but a couple who came in said they saw someone who looked like Great Grand General Bayarmaa lying on the side of the road. I have sent troops out to investigate the situation."

Haneul didn't wait for the soldiers to come back but rode out on horseback. After Haneul arrived at the scene, he found only blood on the road, so he suspected the blood was not Sukh's because Sukh was very skilled in combat fighting.

A soldier drags the female assassin towards Haneul. The soldier kicked the female assassin behind her knee, and she fell in front of Haneul.

Haneul asked, "What is this?"

The soldier said, "Your Majesty, we found this suspicious woman snooping around. We asked her why she was snooping at us, but she refused to answer us."

Haneul looked at the woman and by the way she dresses, he knew immediately that she was a Kukungga woman. Haneul said, "Let her go, maybe she's just going south with the other Kukungga."

The woman knelt. "Thank you, Your Majesty." The female assassin stood up slowly.

As soon as the female assassin walked away, she deliberately threw Sukh's golden seal on the ground. Haneul knew at a glance that it was Sukh's golden plate. In a fit of rage, he grabbed the female assassin and punched her heavily on the lower abdomen, causing the female assassin to kneel on the ground, moaning in pain. The two soldiers quickly retracted their swords and placed them around her neck.

Haneul said angrily, "Is the owner of this gold plate alive or dead?"

The female assassin raised her head and smiled, "Who knows? He was still alive when he was dragged out, and he may be dead now."

Haneul asked, "Where is he?"

The female assassin said, "Where he should be. He made a promise, and he must keep it. The penalty for breaking a promise is death. This is the rule set by our ancestors for generations."

Haneul bent down and grabbed the shirt of the female assassin. "Do you think your little threats will scare us? We've been through hell, and we're not afraid of your threats or mages. As far as we know, we're still the king of Tangzang. If we can give a servant a title, we can take it back too." He rose slowly. "Throw her in the dungeon, she shall not see the light of day without our permission."

Two soldiers grabbed the female assassin's arms and pulled her up.

Haneul approached her and murmured, "You sit in the dark waiting for us to come back. When we destroy your so-called protectors, we will skin you alive and feed you your flesh." He walked towards his horse but turned around suddenly. With a changed heart, Haneul walked back to the female assassin's left ear and spoke softly. "The taste of human flesh is quite delicious...if it is grilled on an open fire."

Haneul got on his horse and rode back to the capital. After arriving, the palace guard had already arrived. Haneul looked at Duri who is the chief of the palace guard. "Go south first with two hundred palace guards and six hundred soldiers. Tell Keme to release the Great Grand General. If he refuses, you will do everything you can to bring the Great Grand General back."

Duri said, "Your Majesty, I'm just a low-level palace guard. What if General Qadan doesn't listen to my orders? If that's the case, I don't think I will fight against Tangzang's second-level general."

Haneul took out his golden plate and threw it at Duri. "Seeing this seal is like seeing me. If General Bayarmaa disobeys my orders, you have the right to arrest him and his soldiers."

Duri picked up the gold plate on the ground and smiled. "I will do as His Majesty wishes."

The movement from outside caused Sukh to slowly open his eyes. He quickly realized that he was attacked by two assassins, and sat up quickly, only to find himself sitting on a bed in a clean room. He touched his wound, but it was already neatly bandaged. He got up slowly and walked to the window. He slowly opened the window and found himself staring down into the busy morning market.

Sukh walked slowly to the door, opened it, and walked into an open space. He looked left and right, and a waiter rushed over.

The waiter asked, "My lord, what do you need?"

Sukh asked, "Who brought me here?

The waiter replied, "It was a nice young woman who brought his lord here. She left money for us to take care of his lord and left." He smiled at Sukh. "I was the one who called the doctor to treat your wounds."

Sukh saw that two soldiers walked into the tavern. A soldier said, "By His Majesty's order, the gates of the city are closed until tomorrow morning. Everyone needs to stay in the city."

Sukh walked up to one of the soldiers and asked, "Why?"

Seeing Sukh, the soldiers were stunned. His lips trembled and he said, "Weren't you kidnapped by Chief Keme and his mages?"

Sukh said angrily, "Nonsense, who made up this accusation?"

The soldier was trembling all over and couldn't speak... He stammered and said, "A female assassin... His Majesty, has gone mad and brought more than two thousand soldiers and palace guards to Peace Valley to rescue you."

Sukh's heart sank. He murmured, "What... what a reckless move..." Sukh rushed out of the door and the two soldiers quickly chased after Sukh.

The waiter watched Sukh and the two soldiers disappeared into the street. He happily rushed into the room next to Sukh's room. He opened the door without knocking, then quickly closed the door behind him.

The waiter smiled at Minister Choi. "My lord, the Great Grand General had left."

Minister Choi smiled and said, "Come... come and get these gold leaves."

The waiter stepped forward with a smile and reached for the gold leaves on the table. The male assassin fell from the ceiling, quickly pulled the waiter's head back, and slit the waiter's throat.

The male assassin said, "Remember to release my partner as agreed."

Minister Choi chuckled. "Don't worry. Your partner will be free tomorrow morning. You two will be needed in the future." He looked at the male assassin. "After Sukh and Keme are gone, the only powerful clan in the capital will return to the Choi family...no one can take this title away from us. It's rightfully ours since the beginning."