NOVEL WEB Chapter 99 - Green Forest (3)
Chapter 99. Green Forest (3)
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
A seductive voice echoed through the inner chamber.
With eyes as red as flames and serene silver hair, Cao Cao lightly shook the wine bottle a couple of times before filling the old man’s empty glass in front of her.
“The atmosphere seems to have changed.”
“Does it? But the same can be said for you, Master Wang Yun.”
Cao Cao smiled faintly.
That smile made the old man, Wang Yun, feel a chill, but he still accepted the glass Cao Cao had offered.
“Now that we’ve finally dealt with the traitors, how could things not change? The times are shifting rapidly like a rushing stream. So, you, I, all of us must change accordingly.”
“Hm.”
Cao Cao tilted her glass.
“The Turbid Faction and the Pure Faction were both shattered by General He Jin and the Ten Attendants’ tyranny. Also, the traitor who mocked the imperial family has fallen, so at this point, everything has lost its meaning. A new era has arrived. And at its center, it won’t be the Turbid Faction, the Pure Faction, or Dong Zhuo, but another figure entirely.”
As Wang Yun spoke, Cao Cao placed her glass down with a thud.
“A new era, you say. Then let me ask you, Master, what do you think of the current world?”
“The age of warlords has finally arrived.”
Likewise, Wang Yun put down his glass as he spoke.
“An era of power and madness, an age of iron, blood, and death.”
“Why do you think so?”
“That, Mengde, is something you’d know better than anyone.”
At Wang Yun’s words, Cao Cao’s crimson eyes glowed.
“You, who have seized control of the court, would understand the true meaning behind those words.”
“Heh… If you say that, you might lead me to misunderstand your intentions, Master.”
Cao Cao laughed, and Wang Yun felt a shiver run down his spine.
Cao Cao’s eyes soon focused on Wang Yun.
“But you are right. Master, I will personally bring an end to this chaos.”
“Mengde…”
How did she become such a monster?
Wang Yun felt a sense of despair.
The upright woman he once considered a hero of the realm now appeared like a plague upon the land.
“A dream beyond one’s grasp will only bring disaster.”
“Do not act recklessly. For standing before you is none other than Cao Cao.”
“But absorbing even Dong Zhuo’s army? Isn’t that the act of a traitor?”
Finally, Wang Yun brought up the main issue.
His logic was that anyone related to Dong Zhuo should be eliminated.
He believed that the imperial authority must be revived to restore justice in the land.
However, Cao Cao was different from Wang Yun.
As long as something could grant her power, whether it was yesterday’s enemy or today’s foe, she would draw it to her side.
This was the decisive difference between Cao Cao and Wang Yun.
“You’re no different from me after all.”
Cao Cao laughed mockingly.
“How long will you remain shackled to the past?”
“If not the past, how can we dismiss the ghosts of Dong Zhuo’s followers who still run rampant today?”
As he said, survivors from Dong Zhuo’s army, such as Li Jue, Guo Si, and Hu Zhen, were plotting to reclaim Chang’an.
Additionally, various other warlords continued to expand their power, rendering the title of Emperor increasingly meaningless in the current state.
The sun was meant to shine alone, yet now, countless stars were illuminating the sky of this fractured world.
For a while, the two stared at each other in silence.
A heavy stillness hung in the air.
It was Cao Cao who broke the oppressive silence.
“Our conversation has gone on for too long. Master, I don’t wish to engage in a war of words with you.”
“The same goes for me.”
“Master, you shall walk your path, and I will live as a loyal servant of the Han in my own way.”
“My only wish is to bring peace to the state. Mengde, I hope your path will be one where the imperial family can shine once more.”
With those words, Wang Yun turned and left.
As soon as Wang Yun disappeared, Cao Cao began to laugh wildly.
“Master, you are still as steadfast as ever. Truly, you are the true capable minister of this country.”
Then, her laughter suddenly ceased.
“To call me a traitor.”
She tilted her head back, staring at the ceiling that exuded a sense of desolation.
“No, that’s not it, Master. What I wanted to become was…”
She tightly shut her eyes.
She knew it herself.
How weak she had become.
Cao Cao, who once commanded all under heaven, now found herself lost, like a woman adrift with nowhere to lean on.
Shortly after, the sound of the door opening echoed.
It was Xiahou Dun, her close ally and comrade-in-arms.
“Mengde, the preparations are complete.”
“Is that so.”
“The army is ready for deployment, and we’ve secured the military provisions.”
“Well done, Yuanyang.”
“…”
Xiahou Dun’s expression was grim. He looked at Cao Cao like a father worried about his troubled daughter.
“Are you really alright, Mengde?”
“What, do I seem mad to you?”
“Mad or not. Only those out of their minds grasp the world in their hands.”
“You’re right.”
Cao Cao smiled, intrigued by Xiahou Dun’s words.
“Yes, Yuanyang. I, Cao Cao, am indeed the greatest madman under heaven. A monstrous fiend and a hero whom no one can challenge.”
“…”
Cao Cao stood up and began to walk.
Xiahou Dun followed her outside.
The crescent moon hung in the sky.
It was a night where the lake shimmered under the moonlight.
“It’s absurd.”
“What is?”
“My life up until now.”
She reached into her sleeve and pulled out a letter.
How weak she had been. How powerless.
How much she had relied on others all this time.
Realizing her own frailty, Cao Cao faintly curled her lips.
“Yuanyang, I, Cao Cao, will seize the world.”
Xiahou Dun’s eyes widened at her words.
Though she had hinted at her ambitions before, it was the first time she had ever expressed her desires so bluntly.
“What are you saying now?”
Xiahou Dun then smirked.
He had already decided to serve Cao Cao as his lord. He had in the past, and he would continue to do so in the future.
“And so, I will set the world right. I, Cao Cao, will stand above the heavens so that no one dares covet what is mine.”
Cao Cao handed the letter to Xiahou Dun.
“So, burn this.”
“…”
“You must use whatever you can. War is not a game, Yuanyang. The Unryong Army is volatile and violent, but at the same time, they’re more eager than anyone to pick up their swords and fight those bastards. Yuanyang, I plan to exploit this thoroughly.”
“Haa…”
Xiahou Dun accepted the letter.
“If that is my lord’s command.”
Cao Cao’s cloak billowed as she strode forward.
Xiahou Dun clenched the letter tightly in his hand and closed his eyes calmly.
“Mengde, are you truly going to walk the path of a conqueror?”
At last, Xiahou Dun also began to walk the path Cao Cao had set.
It was a moment when his eyes welled up with tears.
***
Inside the silent tavern, one of the unconscious members of the Green Forest opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was that monstrous man from earlier.
“…!”
He desperately tried to scream, but his throat wouldn’t cooperate.
Unryong was tapping his cane on his shoulder, watching him with a lazy, careless gaze.
“Answer my questions.”
“…!”
“I’ve sealed your mute acupoint, so that loose tongue of yours won’t be able to flap.”
“…”
As Unryong said, no matter how much the man struggled, no sound came out.
What was this? How could a mere human wield such supernatural powers?
The man’s eyes were consumed by terror.
“Hey, screw it. Let’s just kill him. Why are you interrogating him so thoroughly?”
At that moment, Lü Bu tapped the back of the man’s head with her halberd.
“You see, that’s your problem. If it were up to me, I’d have torn them all limb from limb.”
“Yeo, please stay still. And if you tear him apart here, who’s gonna clean up, the neighbor’s dog?”
“That’s not my problem.”
Unryong let out a deep sigh and turned his gaze back to the trembling man.
“Where’s your bandit hideout?”
As Unryong got to the point, the man lowered his gaze.
“See? I told you, we should just kill these bastards.”
Lü Bu slowly brought the blade of her halberd closer to the man’s skin.
“From the top, slowly. First, we’ll peel off his face and boil it. Then, chop off his arms and legs, and toss the rest of him in the mountains. Wouldn’t it be fun to watch him crawl around like a worm?”
“…!”
At that, the man jerked his head up and looked desperately at Unryong.
Unryong poked the man’s neck with his index finger.
“Gah! Keuk!”
“Yeah, yeah, now it looks like you’re finally in the mood to talk.”
“Hah, haah!”
The man, still bound, threw himself forward and slammed his head to the ground.
“P-please spare me… I’ll tell you everything I know…!”
And so, Unryong listened to the man’s story.
It seemed the Green Forest’s bases were not just one or two.
It was absurd that mere bandits were running rampant like this.
Normally, he would have been more focused on training, but these bastards had crossed far too many lines.
Unryong stood up and tossed the tightly bound man into the center of the crowd that had been silently watching.
“Do whatever you want with him, roast him or boil him.”
At Unryong’s words, the people remained silent, only bowing their heads.
It felt like they were in a worship service.
Unryong frowned in discomfort as he stepped out of the tavern.
***
“W-will they really be alright…?”
Among the people remaining in the tavern, a young man muttered in a worried tone.
“They don’t seem to have any proper soldiers… Surely they’re not thinking of taking on the Green Forest all by themselves…?”
“…”
At the young man’s words, people exchanged glances.
“L-let’s help them!”
“Yeah! How can we live without helping our saviors?”
“Let’s gather the people! It’s finally time to rid our village of this plague!”
The villagers rose from their seats, excitement shining on their faces.
Just then, Hyeryeon clapped her hands together.
“Shouldn’t we start by getting weapons?”
She pointed at the organization members sprawled around.
Some were twitching, while others were pretending to be dead.
The villagers nodded in unison.
The Green Forest, once so terrifying, now seemed as weak as they were.
Their fear had turned into anger, which then led to resolve.
“For him, we will stand up as well.”
People finally gathered around Hyeryeon.
Over the next few days, they prepared supplies, weapons, food, and more.
The villagers’ morale had reached its peak.
They believed the time had come for them to finally sever this cursed connection with their own hands.
They also felt it would be enough if they could even slightly assist in what he was doing.
Shouts echoed through the village, and the clanging of metal rang out.
However, they overlooked one thing.
“I heard the Green Forest’s leader has been killed?”
Unryong was no ordinary person like them.