A Sickbed Visit and Treasonous Chatter
Murim folk hardly ever fell ill. Both external and internal cultivation strengthened the body as a matter of course, after all. Cheong had breezed through winter wearing nothing but a single layer of thin, translucent cloth without so much as a sniffle, so something as trivial as a minor ailment had no chance of breaching a martial artist’s constitution. Even setting Murim aside, the people of the Central Plains were absurdly robust compared to the standards of her original world. That was why the news of Jayu taking to his bed struck Cheong as faintly bizarre.
So the guy really was a weakling. You really couldn’t underestimate a doctor’s eye. Still, it was only proper to visit a sick friend at least once. Besides, she had been freeloading without lifting a finger. Back in her own world, you were supposed to at least shoot a text asking how someone was doing when they got sick. People turned strangely sensitive during illness; the same person who once swallowed their grievances would transform those very grievances into resentment the moment they came down with a fever.
When she actually saw Jayu, his complexion was indeed deathly pale. Huh? Had he always looked that pale?
“Wh-what is it?”
“What do you mean, what is it? You said you were sick, so I came to check on you. How are you feeling? Let me see—got a fever?”
Cheong slapped her palm straight onto Jayu’s forehead without hesitation. In truth, the whole palm-on-forehead method was nearly meaningless. Thanks to the constant chill of Sosu Magong, her hands were always icy, so every spot she touched would feel warm whether he had a fever or not. To Jayu, however, it was positively shocking. A sick visit between a man and woman was already wildly inappropriate by Central Plains standards, and now she had gone and pressed her hand to his forehead on top of it.
The cool touch made heat rush to his face in an instant.
“Oh. You’re pretty hot. Your face is all red, too.”
“No, that’s—”
Since Jayu had only been faking illness to shut himself away, he found himself at a loss for words. Claiming to be bedridden was practically an invincible “no visitors allowed” card in the Central Plains. The Tang family was practically a congregation of physicians, and they had poured their focus into medicine ever since the time of Mucheon-daeje. As the greatest medical house in the Central Plains, there was no way they would fail to take a guest’s pulse. The moment they did, an unspoken agreement would form: ‘Ah, this bastard’s faking it. But since he insists he’s sick, let’s just call it a cold.’
“Still, what use is a guy this frail? Your family looks loaded—why not at least pick up some martial arts?”
“That… um.”
But Cheong had always existed at a certain distance from common sense. Her expression was so honest that the genuine concern shining in those large eyes sealed Jayu’s lips. They sparkled brighter than any treasure the world called precious.
“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“It’s nothing.”
Jayu snapped back to his senses and glanced at Choe-ri-ong. The old man had clearly known it was fake—why hadn’t he taught her any common sense? Choe-ri-ong merely snorted.
As if I’d tell a child who’s genuinely worried that the whole thing is an act. Insolent brat. Minus twenty points.
Jayu’s standing in the old man’s mental scoreboard plummeted in an instant. Not that Choe-ri-ong’s scoring system mattered to anyone but himself.
A sudden thought made Jayu ask urgently, “Wait. Isn’t the Tang family in an uproar right now? Why haven’t you left? You were clearly caught up in the treason—”
Cheong lightly rapped his crown with the edge of her hand.
“Watch your tone. You’re supposed to be sick, yet you’re not even trying to sound weak anymore?”
“That’s hardly the important part right now.”
“Why are people like this? You were happy to let me mooch off you, eat your food, and take your money, but the second I might actually be useful, everyone changes their tune and runs off.”
“But it’s treason—”
“I was thinking of dropping by Mount Emei, but with things like this, it’d look like I only know how to eat and run when I’m needed. I should at least help out a bit.”
Jayu glanced at Choe-ri-ong again. The old man clearly hadn’t explained how dangerous treason truly was. Choe-ri-ong snorted once more.
In truth, Choe-ri-ong had no reason to stop her. His general attitude had always been ‘do whatever you want.’ He knew Cheong valued her own life above all else and that offering help didn’t mean she planned to throw herself on a suicide mission. Her lightness skill was so outstanding that few in the world could catch her if she fled. With the greatest female master of the righteous path as her backer and connections to a high-ranking Taoist elder, even the imperial court couldn’t easily touch her. And if all else failed, she still had the Divine Cult.
Most of all, he simply lacked the confidence to endure her resentment if he blocked her path again. Seeing no intention of dissuading her, Jayu finally let out a long sigh.
“Haa… Listen, my friend.”
“Yeah?”
“This matter will not be easily overlooked. The imperial family has waited long for this moment—ever since that insolent wretch known as the Heavenly Demon, in fact.”
The shock the imperial house suffered after Mucheon-daeje’s raid on the palace had been earth-shattering. Until then, martial artists had been nothing more than local powers that could be crushed at any time. They were merely one of the tools the imperial family used to govern. The Central Plains were simply too vast for the emperor’s eyes to see everything, so they had kept the leash on the hounds called Murim instead.
Yet Mucheon-daeje had proven that a single person’s martial prowess could reach the heavens. He had gravely undermined the authority of the Son of Heaven. The legitimate ruler chosen by heaven could not split mountains or cleave the earth with a single sword, after all.
“So leave the Tang family now, while you still can. Given the circumstances, they won’t try to hold you here.”
“Why would I?”
“Did I not just tell you? This will not be easily overlooked. If you get entangled in high treason, even you won’t escape unscathed.”
“That’s for me to worry about. But isn’t this funny? That’s not the important part right now, is it?”
“Then what exactly is so important?”
“We should first determine whether the Tang family is truly guilty. In my opinion, even if they don’t fear the imperial family, what reason would they have to assassinate a prince? I know it looks suspicious, but still. Besides, the Tang family makes a fortune selling poison. That alone means there’s no solid proof they did it.”
Jayu frowned. Her words weren’t wrong, but they showed not the slightest respect for the imperial family.
“Well… are you certain the Tang family is innocent?”
“What? You mean they actually did it?”
Cheong’s eyes widened in surprise. If the Tang family really was behind it, the story changed completely. Just as her ears perked up, Jayu shook his head.
“That is not what I meant. Can the so-called righteous factions of Murim truly claim innocence? Do they not simply swing their blades, prey on commoners, ignore the government’s rule, and do as they please? By what right do they—”
“That’s hilarious. Then tell me, by what right does the emperor sit on his high throne and rule?”
“……?”
Jayu’s face went slack with disbelief.
“I mean, just because you were born the emperor’s son, everyone has to shut up and obey? If it all comes down to who can wave an army around and crush people, what’s the difference between the imperial family and Murim?”
“Do you even hear the words coming out of your mouth? The Son of Heaven is chosen by—”
“Bullshit. Chosen by heaven? What the hell kind of emperor gets born by ripping the sky open and screaming ‘Above in the heavens and below on the earth, I alone am honored’?”
“Such… such disrespect… blasphemy…”
Jayu couldn’t even form a proper sentence. To a person of the Central Plains, her words were shockingly radical. The phrase “There are no seeds for kings, nobles, generals, or ministers” was the kind of treasonous drivel only rebels dared utter.
“You must not speak such things so carelessly—”
“What, did I say something wrong? From what I’ve seen, the Tang family at least has the qualifications to act like kings. They drove out the Evil Faction, offer free medical care, and just look at what they did during the Five Yangs Festival. They put up bounties, poisoned the wells with neutralizing agents—did everything they could. Of course, my brilliant intellect solved everything in the end, but isn’t that the sort of thing an emperor should be doing?”
“……Ahem.”
At a loss for words, Jayu could only clear his throat awkwardly. Cheong clicked her tongue.
“Only people who never received anything from their ancestors pray so fervently. Rather than praising an emperor who’s done nothing, you’d be better off just living as a martial artist.”
“……Even so, you should keep such thoughts inside. Simply speaking them aloud makes you sound like a rebel.”
“I do have some sense, you know. I wouldn’t go around saying this in front of just anyone.”
She was saying all this in front of the current emperor’s own younger brother.
“Or is my friend going to report me for sounding like a traitor?”
“I would not, but…”
“Then it’s fine. Anyway, take care of yourself. I’m confident I can slip away if things get dangerous, so I’m not worried. You, on the other hand, should avoid getting stabbed for no reason. Especially while you’re lying here pretending to be sick.”
After that, Cheong chatted lightly about trivial things before taking her leave.
Once she was gone, three human shadows silently dropped from the ceiling of the now-empty room.
“That woman… is she truly not a rebel? In all my years, I have never heard such terrifying words.”
“Watch your tongue. She is the woman our Prince has taken an interest in.”
“Ah! Is that so! This mouth of mine… Your Highness, please pretend you did not hear that. This subordinate spoke out of turn.”
“No, no. Gyeon No, cease your ridiculous slander. If word gets out, you will ruin an innocent woman’s marriage prospects.”
Jayu waved his hands urgently. Gyeon No smiled with a sly glint in his eyes. Another masked figure then spoke.
“Even this old woman thinks she is an excellent lady. After all, true fate is measured by the loyalty that follows once a bond is formed. Is it not admirable that she refuses to abandon him in his time of need?”
“Yeon Pa, were you not just now fiddling with your throwing knives? Your eyes were practically dripping with killing intent. If you change your tune now, does that not make me the only strange one here?”
“I have no idea what you are talking about. A green youngster like you must already be going blind to see such hallucinations.”
The masked person called Yeon Pa feigned ignorance. Jayu frowned and cut off their banter.
“Enough. More importantly, have you found the rat?”
The three immediately turned deadly serious. The youngest-sounding voice answered.
“It was that son of a bitch Changnan Geumho. To think he would forget the grace Your Highness bestowed upon him. We should never have taken in that beast. He was wagging his tail so hard at the Eastern Depot’s eunuchs that it looked ready to break off.”