Chapter 87: Infiltration (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 87: Infiltration (3)
‘That bastard?’
-Really?
At the Namcheon Iron Sword’s words, I slightly raised my head and peered through the bamboo blinds.
The tent was so spacious that I could only see faint silhouettes through the gaps in the bamboo.
-It’s him! It’s definitely him, Un-hwi!
The Namcheon Iron Sword had never reacted this vehemently before.
Two people had just been speaking.
One was the man presumed to be the Emperor, who referred to himself as "Us," and the other was the official answering him.
‘The former or the latter?’
-The latter.
Was the Emperor’s official the one-eyed Golden Eye, the Jonju?
A secret that had remained hidden until now was finally coming to light.
-Is he someone from the Imperial Court?
I couldn't be certain yet.
I didn't even know how long the Jonju had been alive.
If he was someone who had lived for a very long time, he might not be serving the Imperial Court out of loyalty, but rather pulling the strings from the shadows.
-Ah! Then the Jonju might have manipulated the Emperor into moving.
It was possible.
He was a man who tried to manipulate the major powers that served as the pillars of the martial world from behind the scenes.
I couldn't guarantee that someone with that level of audacity would leave the Imperial Court untouched.
There were too many variables to grasp the situation fully right now, but one thing was certain: if the voice the Namcheon Iron Sword heard was correct, that bastard was inside.
Voices continued to drift from within.
For now, I had to listen.
“Between the thing I saw in the air and the unidentified master who attacked the prisoner transport, it is certain that we are approaching something, Your Majesty.”
This time, the voice belonged to Ghostly Bow Chosa.
Based on the conversation, it seemed he hadn't gotten a clear look at me.
-That’s a relief.
Be quiet.
I need to keep listening.
“If the commander of the Special Archer Unit says so, then it must be true,” the Emperor replied, as if in agreement.
But then, a new voice spoke up.
“However, Commander Chosa. Are you sure you saw correctly? Weren't the arrows found exactly where they were fired?”
I had snatched the arrows and dropped them straight down after calculating the angle they were fired from. I had done so without damaging them on purpose.
However...
‘...I’ve heard this voice somewhere before.’
It was a deep, resonant bass, strangely familiar.
It felt like I was hearing it for the first time, yet also not.
It was strange.
Don't you guys think you've heard it too?
-I think I’ve heard it as well.
-Really? I’m not so sure.
As I was wondering, the Emperor’s voice rang out again.
“There you go again. Stop provoking Commander Chosa, Vice Minister of the Left. Do you have any idea how fiercely he is glaring at you right now?”
Thud!
“My apologies, Your Majesty. I failed to suppress my emotions for a moment.”
Following the Emperor’s jab, I heard the sound of someone kneeling and Ghostly Bow Chosa speaking in a flustered tone.
I didn't know who the Vice Minister of the Left was, but it seemed Chosa disliked him quite a bit, considering he glared at him openly in the Emperor's presence.
But for the Emperor to personally point that out as if chiding a subordinate, he seemed to have a rather fastidious personality.
“If it is four ri, the truth will be revealed within two or three watches, Your Majesty.”
-It’s him.
The Namcheon Iron Sword emphasized once more.
I had to burn it into my memory that this man was the Jonju.
However, despite the many presences inside, I couldn't hear Jagyeongjeong’s voice or feel any presence similar to his.
Unless he was a fool, he would be hiding himself, but it was strange.
The Dharma Tool was definitely inside.
The Emperor’s voice came again.
“I am looking forward to it. If it is true, the moment the Dragon-Tiger Golden Pill falls into Our hands is near.”
‘The Dragon-Tiger Golden Pill?’
For a moment, I doubted my ears.
The Dragon-Tiger Golden Pill was a miraculous elixir of longevity that only Great Immortal Jeongyang could concoct.
The reason those Taoists could live for so long while maintaining their youthful appearance was not just due to their cultivation, but also because they consumed the Dragon-Tiger Golden Pill.
-So the Emperor is after the Dragon-Tiger Golden Pill?
I had wondered at first.
But now, his goal was clear.
It wasn't a coincidence that they were marching in this direction; their destination was truly The Fuse.
‘...Wait.’
Something was different from what I had guessed.
Revealing the location of the Dragon-Tiger Golden Pill and The Fuse went beyond mere betrayal.
Given the character of the man I knew, I thought he had infiltrated this place to deal with the Emperor for the sake of the people, but I never imagined he would leak such information.
-Didn't he side with the Emperor?
That might be the case.
To reveal the location of the elixir of longevity to the worst tyrant imaginable...
He truly was a man of pure rebellion.
The only saving grace was that Jagyeongjeong had miscalculated the timing of The Fuse’s stay.
If they had been even two or three watches earlier, the Imperial Army would have reached the Misty Forest.
‘Master, you took in the wrong disciple.’
Even after everything he did, Sword Immortal Master wanted him to repent.
But if it had come to this, he deserved to die.
He was a man who would only bring harm to The Fuse.
-Are you going to kill him?
‘Depending on the situation.’
It was unfortunate news for him, but I wasn't a Taoist.
If he was going to be a future threat, it was only right to kill him.
Just then, the Emperor’s voice was heard.
“We have kept the Grand General waiting long enough. Tell him to enter.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
A high-pitched, nasal voice came from near the entrance.
It was likely a eunuch.
But judging by the formidable True Qi contained in that voice, he was undoubtedly from the famous Eastern Depot.
-What’s the Eastern Depot?
They are eunuchs who have mastered martial arts. They are officials who serve the Emperor closely, but because they stay so near him, they have all been castrated for his sake.
-They cut that off?
Yes. Inside the palace where the Emperor resides, no one else is allowed to be a man. This is because all the palace maids are the Emperor’s potential brides and women. Regardless, those eunuchs called the Eastern Depot are said to learn martial arts to serve as the Emperor’s bodyguards.
-This place is crawling with masters.
Tell me about it.
At that moment, the bamboo blinds were rolled up.
A middle-aged man with a clean-shaven face and no trace of a beard, wearing blue official robes and bowing deeply, appeared.
The man, presumed to be an Eastern Depot eunuch, spoke to us as we knelt with our heads bowed.
“It is His Majesty’s command. The Grand General and the officers may enter.”
“I, Grand General Hang Mugi, humbly obey the Emperor’s command.”
Following the Grand General’s lead, General Yeom and I also responded.
“We obey your command.”
With that, everyone stood up and passed through the rolled-up bamboo blinds into the interior.
In that instant, my eyes rapidly scanned the room.
I had to keep my head down so as not to look upon the Emperor’s face, but surveying the surroundings wasn't that difficult.
‘Jagyeongjeong... Jonju...’
Where were they?
As I looked around, I couldn't help but feel a strange sensation.
Come to think of it, I hadn't realized it because they let us in so easily, but everyone inside the tent was carrying weapons.
Even considering it was a wartime situation, one normally couldn't carry weapons near the Emperor.
Yet, everyone was armed.
Chosa, sitting on the left, also had a large bow and a quiver slung over his back.
-Is that man in the center the Emperor?
On the dragon throne in the very center sat a middle-aged man with a powerful impression, wearing golden dragon robes.
He truly looked like an Emperor who ruled a nation.
Regardless of martial arts, the pressure he exuded was extraordinary, unlike that of ordinary people.
‘...Bodyguards?’
There were two guards protecting the Emperor on either side.
Their faces were hidden by black veils.
The one on the left was a master of the Supreme Peak Realm, but the one on the right was different.
He wasn't just different; he was on an entirely different level.
-How strong is he for you to react like that?
‘...He has broken through the wall.’
-Really?
Judging by his attire, he was just a guard, yet he possessed such martial prowess.
Perhaps he was the hidden strength of the Imperial Court.
‘One mountain after another.’
There were a total of four people in this room who had broken through the wall.
Excluding that unexpected man next to the Emperor, the rest were likely three of the Twelve Peaks of the World.
It was a stroke of genius that I had knocked Seol Baek unconscious.
I rolled my eyes to the right.
Was that old man in grey light armor, holding a folding fan even in this cold weather, Wondrous Moon Yang Myeongshin?
I was glad I had heard about their appearances from Ho Jong-won beforehand.
Then the other person who had broken through the wall to his left must be Scholar Noejang of Mount Bok... Huh?
His appearance didn't match what I had heard.
‘A cane?’
Next to Yang Myeongshin was a man in official robes, leaning on a cane.
He was a blind man with his eyes covered by a black cloth.
He had a beard, and the moment I saw his face, I couldn't hide my shock.
‘!?’
-What’s wrong?
‘...It’s him.’
-Who?
The man with the two golden eyes.
-What? Really?
It was true. Even though he was pretending to be blind with his eyes covered and had grown a beard, how could I forget that face?
He was the man who had come looking for Gu Yaja in the mindscape of Bongnim Valley and the Blood Demon Sword.
It was a truly unexpected encounter.
I never imagined this man would be by the side of the tyrant, the Golden Emperor.
‘Ah!’
That familiar voice must have belonged to him.
The reason it felt familiar yet different was that he had deepened and disguised his voice.
-I guess he’s pretending to be blind to hide his golden eyes.
That seemed to be the case.
After all, who would ask a blind man to open his eyes?
-No, why is that monster-like guy here?
‘...Could it be?’
Come to think of it, when I met him in Bongnim Valley, he spoke as if he knew the one-eyed Golden Eye, the Jonju.
If that was true, this might be that very era.
Ha! Of all times, it had to be now.
Wait, then where on earth was Jagyeongjeong?
-Isn't it that guy next to the Emperor?
‘That guy?’
His presence and feeling were different for that to be the case.
Jagyeongjeong had a purer energy from practicing the Way, but that guard’s weightiness was extraordinary.
Even though he was suppressing his energy as much as possible, a heavy pressure naturally emanated from him.
-Un-hwi. It seems the Emperor’s guard on the right is the Jonju.
‘What?’
-I can’t see his face clearly, but his jawline is a perfect match.
The Namcheon Iron Sword’s voice echoed in my head.
If that was true, was the Jonju the hidden power of the Imperial Court?
It was certainly a possibility.
If so, his legendary strength made some sense.
-Then where the hell is that Jagyeongjeong fellow?
That was exactly what I wanted to ask.
The Dharma Tool was in here, but Jagyeongjeong himself was nowhere to be seen.
Furthermore, Scholar Noejang of Mount Bok, the last of the Twelve Peaks of the World who was said to have joined the Emperor’s service, was also missing.
Then who was holding the Dharma Tool?
Two of them were in the form of accessories and could be hidden, but the other two were in the form of weapons and couldn't be concealed.
Just then, the man with the two golden eyes, who was covering them with a black cloth, turned his head toward me.
Then, he furrowed his brow.
As I was about to kneel following the Grand General and General Yeom, I was momentarily flustered by his reaction.
‘Damn it!’
Even with his eyes covered, he had golden eyes.
In front of golden eyes that read energy as light, suppressing one's energy was meaningless.
He couldn't help but notice that I possessed martial prowess different from a mere commander.
I was wondering what to do when the man with the two golden eyes, who was pretending to be blind, turned to the Emperor and spoke.
“It seems the guest that man spoke of has arrived, Your Majesty.”
What did that mean?
As I was wondering, the Emperor sitting on the dragon throne opened his mouth.
“Oh? Is that so?”
The Emperor was staring straight at me with an intrigued expression.
Suddenly, Grand General Hang Mugi and General Yeom drew the sword and saber at their waists and pointed them at my neck as I knelt.
They weren't the only ones.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound of weapons being drawn echoed throughout the tent.
All the Eastern Depot eunuchs guarding the interior pulled out daggers from their robes.
Even Ghostly Bow Chosa, one of the Twelve Peaks of the World, drew his bow and aimed an arrow at me, and Wondrous Moon Yang Myeongshin spread his folding fan wide.
-What on earth is going on, Un-hwi?
How should I know?
One thing was certain: things had gone horribly wrong.
It seemed I had walked into a trap without even knowing it.
Then, the Emperor sitting on the dragon throne crossed his legs and spoke.
“Did The Fuse send you?”
‘!!!’
The Fuse was mentioned directly from his mouth.
I couldn't understand how he could say that to me immediately after the words of the man pretending to be blind.
After a moment of silence, I scanned the surroundings and cautiously opened my mouth.
For now, I had to play dumb to grasp the situation.
“Your Majesty. I do not know what you are talking about. I am...”
“Commander Chosa.”
Twang! Whoosh!
As soon as the Emperor’s call fell, I felt something sharply hurtling toward me from the side.
It was so fast it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it instantaneous.
Without moving a muscle or even raising my head, I snatched the incoming object.
Grab!
It was the arrow fired by Ghostly Bow Chosa.
“To catch my arrow from this distance without even looking...”
He seemed astonished that I had caught an arrow fired from such a close range.
The Emperor’s eyes also narrowed, seemingly quite surprised that I had caught the arrow of the Ghostly Bow, one of the Twelve Peaks of the World.
Pretending to be Commander Kang was already out of the question.
“Whew.”
Exhaling a sigh, I slowly raised my head and looked the Emperor straight in the eye.
But the Emperor, who had been surprised, now had a face full of delight as he curled his lips into a smirk and said to me:
“I have been waiting for you to come. Successor of the Sword Immortal.”
‘!!!’