Chapter 104
Chapter 104
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 104
Chapter Title: The Eastern Inspectorate
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"The Eastern Inspectorate?"
Kwak Min whipped his head to the side. His face was deeply furrowed.
"Uncle, what do you think?"
"If it's an imperial censor... aren't those the Censorate bastards? Never heard of such a thing. If they had a talent with peerless martial prowess among them, half our workload would have vanished."
Embroidered Uniform Guard Yun Kang shook his head.
The feud between the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Censorate was infamous within the court. With their jurisdictions overlapping significantly, they inevitably clashed over authority and power from the shadows.
Even setting aside personal grudges, the Censorate's involvement at this juncture was blatantly suspicious.
The realm was already in turmoil from rebellions across the provinces and Prince Chao's uprising. No matter how bitter the internal strife among the officials, they weren't fools enough to ignore decorum to this degree.
Kwak Min proposed another possibility.
"They wouldn't have sent another Embroidered Uniform Guard to support us from the court, would they?"
"No chance. If so, a messenger hawk would have reached us too."
Kwak Min tapped his finger against his chin, lost in thought, then let out a smirk.
"Then it's obvious. Looks like the Alliance dogs have finally arrived. Just like in Shandong, they're here to meddle in our affairs this time too."
"That's my thinking as well."
Yun Kang nodded and turned to the man disguised as a gate guard.
"Hyu Ya, are the officials waiting inside? We might need to advance the grand undertaking if things go south."
The Embroidered Uniform Guard disguised as a gate guard, Yun Hyu, nodded.
"Yes, Uncle. As you commanded, I've summoned the Regional Commander, the Pacification Commissioner, and the Postal Commissioner. The old fools just grumbled about how long they had to keep this up."
Kwak Min smirked. But the words that followed were utterly at odds with his expression.
"Ungrateful idiots who can't even repay the imperial grace. When we return, I must report their insolence. We should execute or imprison the lot of them to bring this place back to order."
"Yes, yes. Let's head in for now."
Yun Kang placated Kwak Min as they made for the government office. They passed down a long corridor straight to the deepest chamber, originally the Branch Prefect's office for administering Guizhou Subprefecture.
Sliding open the paper-screened door revealed a lavishly decorated room with fine porcelain and orchids. Four officials were already there, sipping tea.
The Branch Prefect governing Guizhou Subprefecture, the Pacification Commissioner overseeing Guizhou, the Postal Commissioner, and the Regional Commander. All the high officials controlling the region had gathered.
The Embroidered Uniform Guards sat across from them without so much as an invitation. It was the height of insolence, yet no one dared call them out. Kwak Min brazenly crossed his legs and declared outright.
"We need to advance the execution date. Three days, perhaps?"
The high officials first glanced at their colleagues beside them.
Their ranks were lofty, but their opponents were the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Rank meant nothing to them. These men represented the central court's will—a hierarchy beyond official precedence.
The Regional Commander overseeing Guizhou's military cautiously spoke up.
"We merely follow the court's directives, of course... but could you explain the reason? This notice is rather sudden."
"It seems the Alliance mongrels have finally set foot here. Bold enough to impersonate an imperial censor, no less."
"Hrm...! They've come at last."
The high officials let out groans.
Though far from the Central Plains, known as the battleground of martial sects, Guizhou's officials weren't entirely ignorant of worldly affairs. They knew full well what the Alliance's arrival signified.
Kwak Min sneered.
"We can't just sit idly by while the beasts break free from the cage we've so carefully built, can we? We strike first."
"But there are issues."
The Regional Commander voiced his concerns.
"I received urgent news on my way here too. The Ghost Sword Society is starting to stir. The sentries guarding the beacon towers were attacked."
"...And?"
"Their leader has a deep grudge with Prince Chao. We might clash with them too if we're not careful. Why not let them mutual-destruct with Prince Chao instead?"
Kwak Min scoffed. He showed no concern whatsoever for a clash with the notorious unorthodox faction lately making waves.
"All the better, then. We can discipline those mongrels yapping about being the hegemon of the shadows or Guizhou's finest without even hunting down their lair."
"One more thing. The city's grain stores are running dry. Not just Prince Chao's private troops—even the government soldiers under my command are short on rations. The Ghost Sword Society's schemes have been effective."
"Which is exactly why we need a swift, decisive battle."
Kwak Min swept his hair back and slowly met the eyes of the high officials.
"Of course, you sirs needn't worry yourselves. Just follow our orders, and there won't be the slightest threat to your safety."
"If you say so."
"Is there nothing we can do to assist?"
"Speak up anytime if you need something."
Kwak Min shook his head. A firm gesture that blatantly disregarded their status.
It was excessive rudeness, but not only Kwak Min—the other Embroidered Uniform Guards didn't bat an eye. That was her usual demeanor. Born the daughter of a meritorious noble and imperial in-law, she had never bowed her head to anyone save the imperial clan.
And sometimes, Kwak Min's arrogance proved useful. Especially against those who sized up opponents to pick their battles.
"Just do as you're told. Then your heads will stay on your shoulders."
The Five Harmony Alliance group was escorted to their lodgings. An official guesthouse attached to the main camp nearby. Cozy and intimate, it put their minds at ease.
They'd barely lain down when dusk began to fall. Unlike camping on the road, evening arrived refreshingly swift.
As Won Yeong gazed at the sunset, an attendant arrived and served dinner in their room.
The meal was meager. Pickled radish, tofu, and a single bottle of cheap wine to make it look presentable. Guizhou Subprefecture's dire straits were laid bare.
The attendant mumbled apologetically.
"Forgive us—the spread is lacking."
"It's fine. You're dismissed."
Yuk Jin-yang waved him off. The attendant bowed and backed out of the room. Won Yeong poked at the tofu a few times before setting down her chopsticks entirely.
"If this is what they serve guests, no need to wonder about the rank-and-file soldiers' meals. Those folks we met on the way weren't exaggerating about supplies."
"They've reached their limits on all fronts here. The troops might even disband on their own from starvation."
"Mercenaries targeting supply lines are ruthless but effective. Even Xiang Yu, the hegemonic overlord who once dominated the world by might, floundered in Fan Kuai's guerrilla warfare with no counter."
"Best to decide quickly."
Won Yeong replied.
"Indeed, I was just about to ask—perfect timing. Care to elaborate on what you mentioned earlier? A chain stratagem, was it? What exactly do you have in mind?"
"Once Senior Yu arrives..."
Yuk Jin-yang trailed off. His sharpened senses had detected a faint killing intent wafting silently from the ceiling.
It was like a hazy mist of presence. No footsteps, no sound at all. Likely an assassin or spy rigorously trained in erasing their aura.
Moreover, any assassin or spy they'd encounter here could only belong to one group. The Ghost Sword Society.
Won Yeong tilted her head.
"Why stop mid-sentence? Baek-i..."
She couldn't finish. Yuk Jin-yang abruptly reached out and clamped her mouth shut.
Caught off guard, Won Yeong's eyes bulged wide. Just from their eye contact, he could plainly sense her bewilderment and the curses running through her mind.
Yuk Jin-yang gestured toward the ceiling with his eyes. Only then did Won Yeong let out a soft sigh and transmit mentally.
—Couldn't you have just used mental transmission?
No chance to reply.
Boom!
A blade burst through the ceiling, plummeting toward their heads. The two swiftly dodged. Won Yeong looked up and shouted.
"Two of them! They're splitting in opposite directions—take one each!"
Her eyes, brown from disguise, now sparkled their natural sky blue. She'd released her concealment technique to unleash her eye arts.
Yuk Jin-yang leaped high without a word. As his form soared, his view cleared. Beyond the tiled roof, he spotted a shadowy figure dashing away. It was vanishing in the blink of an eye.
He gauged the distance first. Roughly fifty paces. Close enough to catch.
Whoosh!
True energy erupted from his Yongcheon acupoint. Propelled by the force from his soles, he shot forward like an arrow. The headwind tore at his ears, savagely clawing past surroundings.
The gap closed in an instant. Sensing him, the assassin glanced back. By then, Yuk Jin-yang was already at his rear. The assassin flipped around in panic.
His sleeve fluttered, and hidden weapons streaked like beams of light. Long needles.
No sooner had he snatched the sudden strike than a flash dazzled before his eyes. The assassin wielded a hand axe in one hand and a throwing knife in the other, swinging both.
'What is this? The style feels familiar.'
The Seoryongbang's chief had used dual-wield arts too. But this felt entirely different. An intense sense of déjà vu.
Yuk Jin-yang responded barehanded for now. Drawing Cheongnam might make restraint impossible—he wanted the assassin alive. Against a short-weapon user, he had the perfect technique.
Yuk Jin-yang extended his arm. In that instant, his hand blurred faintly. To the Ghost Sword Society assassin, it vanished. The speed rendered its form hazy.
The silent thrust seized the opponent's wrist.
He twisted to snap the bone, but the joint contorted unnaturally, unraveling the joint-lock with a golden breaker hand. It didn't stop—blade strikes followed in succession.
Movements defying human limits. Seeing the distinctive art, the vague familiarity crystallized into a name. Yuk Jin-yang spat it out.
"Bone-Splitting Twin Demon Sword?"
The assassin flinched. Yuk Jin-yang's expression hardened too.
Bone-Splitting Twin Demon Sword. The signature art of a demonic fiend from his past life, bound by fateful enmity.
No mistaking it. What were the odds of two arts in the world blending dual-wield swordplay with joint-breaking and bone-shrinking principles?
Instead of an answer, a serpentine trajectory shattered the air as it lunged.
Yuk Jin-yang stepped forward.
In that cramped space where even a close-range hundred strikes would be tricky, he unleashed the Tiger Whisker Forest Capturing Art, clamping the foe's forearm. An unbreakable seal no matter how the joints twisted.
A scream accompanied the other arm's thrust, but it too tangled in the joint-lock.
With both arms sealed, the assassin couldn't hide his panic. He lashed out desperately with his legs, but Yuk Jin-yang easily evaded, binding tighter.
"Kuh...!"
"Where's your sect?"
Yuk Jin-yang pressed harder.
But the struggles persisted. Soon, he realized they weren't voluntary. Bloody tears streamed from the assassin's eyes.
Splat!
Suddenly, blood erupted from near the assassin's heart. A centipede burst through the flesh, writhing grotesquely with its head protruding. A gu poison insect. Just like last time.