Chapter 499: Daoist Yin-Yang Manual[R-18] (133)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 499: Daoist Yin-Yang Manual[R-18] (133)
After returning to the Namgung Clan estate, I cautiously opened the golden box Joo Cheong-un had given me. Inside lay a single silk letter, stamped with the ornate seal of a phoenix.
I unfolded the letter and began to read.
[This is an official position I barely managed to secure from His Majesty. Besides, if you intend to marry Yeon-hwa, you’ll need the proper qualifications, won’t you? It’s a formal appointment, so not even the royal court will dare to question it.]
Below that, a line of red text written in a fine hand caught my eye.
I examined the red script more closely.
[Jin Seo-yun is hereby appointed as an Imperial Secret Inspector, reporting directly to the throne. No one, save for those of direct imperial lineage, may issue orders to this post.]
Beneath it, the Emperor’s Imperial Seal was stamped in crimson.
“Joo Cheong-un… it seems your survival instinct is strong after all. To go this far and send me something like this.”
I could feel that he was wary of me. At the same time, it meant he coveted my power just as much.
Well, I can spare his life. In exchange, he’ll have to spend the rest of it in a noble house or a brothel after I find a TS Potion for him.
“Wow… that’s a higher position than I expected,” Bi-yeon murmured, peering at the letter over my shoulder.
“Does that prince have any idea how many women you’re going to fuck with this thing in your possession?”
“Who knows? If he did, he’d probably throw a fit and try to kill me.”
I carefully folded the letter and placed it in my inventory. This document would serve as an important shield against liability in my future endeavors.
*
The next day, at dawn.
Honestly, assassination would have been the easiest path. Just slit his throat and run. But if I eliminated someone with ties to the imperial family so crudely, the cleanup would be a massive headache.
So, once again, I disguised myself with a different appearance. Beneath the mask, only my eyes glinted.
My destination was the mansion where Gu Hyeong-cheon lived. It wasn't far from Anhui, so the journey didn't take long.
Moving silently, I slipped between the estate walls under the cover of night. I had already scouted the layout beforehand and memorized it.
The goal isn’t a simple assassination. I need the ledgers and registers that Geumhwa needs… any material that can be used as evidence.
The mansion was quiet. The guards stationed in the garden didn't look particularly strong.
Bi-yeon, see if you can find any hidden spaces.
Bi-yeon nodded and closed her eyes.
A gentle breeze stirred at her feet. The imperceptible wind crept into the mansion, flowing over the ground and along the walls. This world might not have spirits, but she had said the wind here possessed a faint ‘will.’
A moment later, she slowly opened her eyes.
“Found it.”
“Where?”
“In the room where he’s staying. If you open the left wall, there’s a space that leads underground. It’s disguised as a normal wall, so you’d never know just by looking.”
As soon as she finished, we headed straight for his room. It was silent inside, the early morning hour finding its occupant deep in slumber. Two young women lay naked on either side of him, nestled in his arms. The sight of him snoring so peacefully was a pathetic spectacle.
I’ve seen something foul.
I quietly took a silver pouch from my inventory. It was a sleeping incense I had procured from Haomun. According to the person who gave it to me, a single dose was enough to put a grown man into a deep sleep for over four hours.
I opened the small vial and carefully sprinkled the incense throughout the room. A faint, pleasant fragrance soon began to fill the air.
That should do it.
I immediately walked over to the spot Bi-yeon had indicated. As I tapped my palm against the wall, feeling its texture, I could tell the resonance was different in one area. The surface was decorated to look like a wooden panel, but it was clearly designed to hide a secret space.
“Bi-yeon.”
“Here, this part. Try pushing the bottom right. It should open like a hinge.”
I placed my hand where she pointed and pushed.
Click…
As if by magic, a section of the wall swung inward, revealing a stone staircase that descended into darkness.
I carefully made my way down. Just as Bi-yeon had warned, there were traps. I kept my body low, moving to avoid triggering any of them.
It’s deeper… than I thought.
To build a secret space of this scale, there was a high probability that something more than simple ledgers or gold was hidden here.
Finally, as I stepped off the last stair, I saw a massive stone door. I opened it and stepped inside.
“Ugh… I think I’m going to be sick.”
Bi-yeon covered her mouth and turned her head away.
“Disgusting.”
The air in the underground chamber was damp and reeked of rotting flesh. Inside, mutilated corpses that looked like slabs of meat were hanging in a row. Every one of the bodies suspended from iron hooks was a young woman. Their faces were youthful, looking as if they had just reached adulthood.
Their bodies were covered in so many wounds, scars, and tears that their original forms were unrecognizable. Some of the corpses had even had their organs removed.
And then, the most chilling commonality caught my eye.
“They’re all blonde.”
“And… don’t they all resemble someone?”
I nodded at Bi-yeon’s words.
“...Namgung So-ha.”
The truth was laid bare. He had been intentionally kidnapping women who resembled her, only to torture and kill them.
“That’s one more reason… he absolutely has to die.”
Bi-yeon nodded silently.
Despite the nauseating stench and the horrific scene, I clenched my jaw and stepped further inside. There was another door at the back of the chamber.
“Somehow… I’m more scared to open this one.”
“I agree,” Bi-yeon muttered nervously.
I cautiously turned the handle and opened the door. Thankfully, the space beyond the creaking door did not reek of blood.
But… it was hard to call it ordinary.
The inside was set up like a storeroom. To the left, gold and silver were piled up like mountains. To the right, various documents lay in messy heaps.
I picked up a sheet of paper from the top of a pile.
“A ledger…”
It detailed where money was spent, who it was given to, and the targets of bribes, showing the flow of funds in meticulous detail.
As I continued to flip through the ledgers, I found a thick, strangely sealed document.
“What’s this…?”
I broke the seal and opened it. The contents were secret records related to the Emperor.
“Ha, these crazy bastards. They were even drugging the Emperor.”
It described a drug named Seoncheonhyang, or Innate Fragrance, that was being secretly distributed within the Imperial Palace. On the surface, it was a therapeutic incense, but the document explained that long-term use led to impaired judgment, lethargy, and hallucinations.
Next to it, tucked inside, was a red letter stamped with the crest of the Honcheonhoe.
I took it out and unfolded it.
[Gu Hyeong-cheon. The Assembly has been unable to operate openly for several years. Proceed with the existing plan until the Emperor is fully addicted. Maintain the supply of Seoncheonhyang to cloud his judgment and guide him to exclude Joo Cheong-un from the line of succession. Do not forget to coordinate with Prince Joo Hyeon-cheong. Should you fail, the next step will be…]
Prince Joo Hyeon-cheong was the First Prince, the one currently closest to becoming the Crown Prince.
“…Just as I thought. The Honcheonhoe is clearly trying to turn the Emperor into a puppet.”
Bi-yeon nodded in agreement.
“At this point, this is much bigger than just Gu Hyeong-cheon, isn’t it?”
I nodded at her words. If I gave this information to Joo Cheong-un, his chances of ascending to the throne would increase dramatically.
But—
“I’ll have to hide this.”
The emperor I had chosen was not Joo Cheong-un, but Ju Yeon-hwa.
I shoved the Honcheonhoe’s letter deep into my inventory. For now, this information could not be given to anyone.
I checked the other secret letters as well. Most of them were related to the Emperor.
This much information should be fine to give to Joo Cheong-un.
I took one of the secret letters and tucked it into my clothes. Then I looked around at the piles of gold and silver.
“I’d love to take all of this, but…”
“It would be obvious someone was here.”
Accepting her point, I gave up on the idea and nodded.
“There will be plenty of other chances. For now, let’s be satisfied with securing the information and get out of here.”
Bi-yeon quietly nodded and followed me.
We carefully exited the secret chamber. Thanks to the sleeping incense, the man upstairs was still snoring away, and we restored the wall entrance to its original state.
*
Not long after the funeral, a lavish wedding ceremony was being held.
It was an event fraught with gossip and trouble, but no one dared to openly object to a wedding between the Namgung Clan and a merchant guild with ties to the imperial family.
And now, a man who looked like a cross between a toad and a pig sat in the groom’s seat, slowly wiping his mouth in front of the distinguished guests and attendees. Beside him, Namgung So-ha was struggling with all her might not to scowl.
Master… he’s not going to bail on me, is he…?
She could barely keep her mouth shut. The urge to scream right then and there that she was already pregnant was overwhelming. She wanted the whole world to know whose child it was.
“Slurp… Namgung So-ha… you are truly… beautiful today…”
“...Would you please shut your mouth? Your stench is making it hard to breathe.”
Ignoring her words, Gu Hyeong-cheon let out a greasy smile and licked his lips with a sluggish tongue.
“Khuhuhuhu… even your words have a feisty spark. I like it very much… Hoho, you will please me for the rest of my life with that sturdy body of yours. Hahaha…”
“Please, just stop opening your mouth.”
She suppressed a wave of nausea and averted her gaze, praying she wouldn't have to hear that disgusting laugh anymore.
But as time passed… there was still no sign of Jin Seo-yun.
…Don’t tell me he’s really not coming?
Anxiety began to squirm in the pit of her stomach. Her impatience soon turned to anger, and she finally gripped the handle of the dagger hidden in her sleeve.
Should I just slit this bastard’s throat right now…?
It was then that a familiar voice spoke from beside her.
“So-ha. You look truly beautiful today.”
Namgung So-ha slowly turned her head to glare at Namgung Hyeok.
“Shut up, Brother. I’ve had enough of your disgusting act. Just get lost.”
Namgung Hyeok’s eyes hardened for an instant at her words, but he quickly recovered his smile and stepped closer to her.
“…You should have just listened to me. A mere woman dared to covet the position of family head, and this is what you get.”
Namgung So-ha scoffed.
“Yes. Make sure you remember those words. Let’s just see if you can hold onto that seat until the very end, Brother.”
Then she whispered mockingly.
“Oh, by the way, have you heard the interesting rumor going around lately?”
“……What rumor.”
“That the cock of Namgung Hyeok, the head of the Namgung Clan, is so small… people wonder if it even exists. They say you’ve never satisfied a single woman. Does Hwa Yeon-seol find you satisfying? Oh, or is it too small for her to even feel?”
At her words, the corner of Namgung Hyeok’s mouth twitched and twisted. Murderous intent filled his eyes.
“…Watch your mouth.”
Namgung So-ha smirked and raised her eyes to meet his.
“Oh my, you’re getting so angry. It must be true, then?”
Namgung Hyeok seemed at a loss for words for a moment, but he soon smiled and took a step back. His eyes, however, were as cold as ice.
“Today is a joyous occasion, so I’ll let it slide for one day. But remember this. From this day forward… your life will be hell.”
With that, he turned his back and left.
Namgung So-ha turned her head, searching for any sign of Jin Seo-yun, but he was still nowhere to be seen.
Ah, Master… when on earth are you coming…!
The wedding ceremony was about to begin.