Chapter 6 At The Outlaws' Camp

Taeyang woke to the sound of voices.

Low and serious discussions filtered through to him from somewhere outside.

He could barely make out the voices coupled with his head which was pounding fiercely.

He tried to make out what was being said but gave up when the throbbing worsened.

The bed he was lying on was made of straw and coarse wool a sharp contrast to the warm, soft beds he was used to in the palace. Looking up he noticed at once that the ceiling was made of rough timber from where small light beams streaked through. He'd been unconscious for hours.

He sat up slowly from the bed, pressing both palms against his temples until the throbbing eased.

The room was bare. Not the inn he remembered paying for.

He stood up abruptly and stumbled outside into the cool evening ait.

The place turned out to be a small camp with several tents clustered around a central fire. Across the clearing, He recognized Soyono, the female outlaw from earlier standing before a rough table, a map spread before her. All the other bandits gathered around her and listened while she dictated.

"Taeyang." Someone called from behind.

He turned.

Baekho approached him with a chipped cup. "You look terrible."

"I feel worse."

"Here drink this, it will help with the hangover. It tastes like boiled dirt though."

Taeyang took a sip and grimaced. "You weren't exaggerating."

"Drink it anyway. You've been out for hours." Baekho glanced toward the meeting. "They're planning something. Soohyun and Yohan are already there."

"What is it about?"

"I don't know much, but from what I have heard, some imperial-grade weapons are being smuggled to the Tang Dynasty. Since the workshop burned down, there's been a shortage. Someone's trying to move what's left before the border patrols tighten."

Taeyang couldn't get himself to think about the workshop fire, he drained the cup in one gulp, smacking his lips immediately after. "Let's go."

Soyono didn't look up when Taeyang joined the circle.

"—a merchant named Sangho. He's got a stockpile of imperial swords and armor that survived the workshop fire. He's moving them tonight before anyone can trace them. We've tracked the shipment to a warehouse on the eastern road."

"How do we get in?" Dohan asked.

"We don't. We will make him come to us." Soyono traced a line on the map. "We are to pose as buyers: Tang merchants interested in bulk purchase. We've already prepared the forged currency. We’ll complete the transaction,then we take the shipment and question Sangho. Our client wants to know who's supplying him.”

"How about the guards?" Seokjin asked.

"There should be four. Maybe five. They'll be focused on the money, not on us, so there's nothing to worry about."

Seokjin rubbed his chin. "What if they check the currency before the deal is done?"

"They won't. They're desperate. The workshop fire destroyed most of their inventory. They need this sale."

Taeyang felt the words like a blade. His fire. Every weapon these outlaws were about to recover was a weapon that had survived only because it wasn't in the workshop when he burned it down.

He was so lost in thought that he almost missed Soyono assigning roles. Baekho, Soohyun, and Yohan were given support positions — loading, watching exits, staying out of the main action.

"What about me?" Taeyang asked.

Soyono looked at him. "You don't have a role."

"I'm here. Give me something."

"You're here because you were too drunk to walk. That's not a qualification."

"I want to help."

"You want to prove something." Her eyes were cold, as she studied him.

He nodded.

"This is different, Prince and it's dangerous."

"I can learn." He protested.

"You can barely stand properly on your own." She snorted and turned away. "Stay here and stay out of our way."

A group of bandits at the table roared with laughter.

Fury rose in Taeyang's chest, he blurted out hotly before he could stop himself. "No."

The word landed like a stone. The outlaws that had been laughing paused, all eyes snapped to him and then Soohyun.

Soohyun closed his eyes and turned back slowly. Her expression hadn't changed, but something behind her eyes had sharpened. "What did you say?"

"I said no." Taeyang's voice was steadier than he felt. "I know I'm useless. I know I have no training. But I started a fire with my bare hands last night and walked away unmarked. I don't know what that means yet. But I'm not going to find out by sitting in camp here playing Prince, why the rest of you are out there having fun."

She laughed at that.

"You think this is fun?” She asked.

He said nothing, just glaring at her stubbornly.

“You can get killed out there and your imperial blood would be on our heads, do you think I would want that?”

"Then tell me where to stand and I'll stand there. I won't move. I won't speak. I'll just watch." He fought back still holding her gaze. "But I'm not staying behind."

The silence stretched. Soyono studied him the way she might study a broken blade — not useful, but possibly repairable.

"Let him come." Seokjin suddenly said.

Soyono looked at him.

"He'll either learn something or get scared enough to stop asking."

"What if he causes trouble?"

"Then I'll deal with him.” The old man replied studying Taeyang.

"You're to stay with Seokjin," she finally decided. "You are not allowed to speak or move unless he tells you to.” She paused. “And if you compromise this operation, I'll leave you in the warehouse for the next patrol to find."

He swallowed hard but still held his ground. "Understood."

“Good.”She turned away. "We move in thirty minutes."