Chapter 246
Chapter 246
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 68
>Chapter Title: Prince Gyeongchin (2)
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‘Ha......’
Despite his status as a royal prince extending a formal invitation to serve, the reason for the jab to his eye was simply talking too much?
Prince Gyeongchin was so dumbfounded that he momentarily lost his words.
But that lasted only a moment.
A severe headache came crashing in, starting from his jabbed eye.
“Urk!”
“Your Highness!”
Serang’s eunuch, Ho Gonggong, called out to him in a worried voice.
Ho Gonggong was seething with rage.
If it weren’t for Prince Gyeongchin, he would have unleashed a killing blow on this irreverent thug right then and there.
Yet he knew that losing his composure could truly cost His Highness his life.
Suppressing his fury, Eunuch Ho Gonggong spoke carefully.
“Listen here. Please calm down. If you release His Highness unharmed, we’ll let you go without harm and grant whatever you desire.”
“Whatever I desire?”
“Indeed. So long as you release His Highness unharmed.”
At these words, Mok Kyung-un chuckled and replied.
“Ah, so you’d do anything for His Highness.”
Was that even worth calling a statement?
“Of course!”
Eunuch Ho Gonggong emphasized his response.
As the prince’s longtime right-hand man, he was prepared to do anything for him.
Mok Kyung-un curled his lips slyly and said.
“Then if Gonggong takes his own life, I’ll release His Highness.”
“What?”
Eunuch Ho Gonggong’s expression froze for an instant.
He had figured the intruder would demand something self-serving, but never imagined it would be a demand to end his own life.
Unable to contain the anger he had been suppressing, Ho Gonggong raised his voice.
“You call that a proper demand?”
“Hm? Are you getting angry now?”
“What?”
“You said you’d do anything for His Highness, but surely you’re not saying your life is too precious?”
Eunuch Ho Gonggong’s face twisted at the words.
This cunning bastard had cornered him in a dilemma, toying with him.
It was clearly a ploy.
If he died, the intruder would have free rein.
Yet refusing here might make Prince Gyeongchin doubt his loyalty.
It was a true no-win situation.
At that moment, Prince Gyeongchin, clutching his injured eye and writhing in pain, spoke up.
“Ugh.... Ho Gonggong. Don’t fall for this man’s trap just because you’re concerned for me.”
“Your Highness!”
“I won’t doubt your loyalty over something like this.”
Mok Kyung-un smirked at the prince’s words and said.
“You talk a lot, but you judge situations well.”
“Haa.... Haa.... You asking Ho Gonggong to end his life means you can’t subdue him easily, doesn’t it.”
“Not wrong.”
Eunuch Ho Gonggong wasn’t someone he could kill in one strike.
If he took his own life, things would be far simpler.
“Then could His Highness order Ho Gonggong to end his life in my place? If so, I’m willing to release you right now.”
“Don’t spew nonsense you don’t mean.”
“Nonsense I don’t mean?”
“I treated you with courtesy, yet you act like this—do you think this prince would believe such words from you?”
“Ahhh. Fair point.”
“This prince would never utter such an order. Rather, there is only one command I will give Ho Gonggong.”
“Pardon?”
“Ho Gonggong. Ignore my safety and shatter this window immediately to report the intrusion.”
Mok Kyung-un raised one eyebrow at the words.
Prince Gyeongchin, despite his pain, lifted the corner of his mouth and continued.
“Even if you could kill me here, I doubt you’ll escape the imperial palace alive.”
“You’re playing this interestingly.”
“Does this situation amuse you? Even if the head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Nam Jin-musa himself arrives, could you withstand it?”
‘Nam Jin-musa?’
Mok Kyung-un’s eyes narrowed at the name.
It matched prior intel—one of the three most dangerous figures in the palace was Nam Jin-musa, the pinnacle of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
He wasn’t just their leader.
Nam Jin-musa Gu Seong-baek.
His other title, as the emperor’s protector, was North Faction Blade King—one of the Six Heavens, the pinnacle of the martial world.
He had many famous tales, one being how he cleaved three massive ships led by the Yangtze River Waterway Stronghold in a single stroke on the Yangtze.
That feat elevated him from the Five Heavens to claim his place among the Six Heavens.
‘One of the Six Heavens.’
Yet as the palace’s top expert, he never left the emperor’s side.
Some in the martial world called him a hidden dragon or a famed blade locked in its sheath.
But within the palace, the situation changed.
“If Nam Jin-musa and the palace experts arrive, no matter how skilled you are, do you think you could harm this prince and escape easily?”
Prince Gyeongchin’s reason for saying this was simple.
To show that if he resolved to sacrifice his life, retribution would come immediately.
“......I see.”
Judging that Mok Kyung-un had grasped the situation, Prince Gyeongchin spoke in a somewhat softer tone.
“So how about we both take a step back?”
“A step back?”
“Indeed. This prince won’t force you to join my service. But you too must abandon killing me and leave. If so, I swear on my honor to let this matter drop.”
It was the best compromise Prince Gyeongchin could devise.
To make the other realize mutual destruction and back off voluntarily.
Mok Kyung-un smiled faintly and said.
“This ploy is far better than your earlier wordiness.”
“.......Then you’ll accept my proposal? I don’t even know your identity, so retreating now costs you nothing.”
“True enough.”
“Then please release me.”
Mok Kyung-un stroked his chin as if pondering.
Prince Gyeongchin was certain that unless the man was truly resolved to die, he would accept this time.
Then Mok Kyung-un spoke.
“I’ve thought it over, but I don’t see the need.”
“You insolent—!”
“No matter how I look at it, Gonggong won’t let His Highness die.”
“Ha!”
Prince Gyeongchin tsked in disbelief and said.
“If I command it, Gonggong will obey without question. You seem to underestimate both me and Ho Gonggong.”
“It’s not underestimation. From what I know, the imperial palace has strict laws and disciplines.”
“What are you getting at?”
“If His Highness dies, won’t those responsible for his protection be held accountable too?”
“........”
“Accountable with their lives, even.”
Prince Gyeongchin was at a loss for words.
It was an undeniable fact.
If he were assassinated, palace rules would demand the lives of all Embroidered Uniform Guards and eunuchs who protected him.
Prince Gyeongchin inwardly stuck out his tongue.
Threatened as he was, he had proposed the best path forward without friction.
Yet this cunning foe had instantly spotted a flaw hard to find in his plan.
In the end, the prince had no choice but to gamble.
“.......Gonggong. Can you offer your life for me?”
With that, he stared piercingly at Eunuch Ho Gonggong.
His true intent wasn’t a real demand for sacrifice.
‘Just show willingness to give your life.’
Only then might this man accept the proposal.
Ho Gonggong’s pupils trembled faintly.
Even sworn to loyalty, with his life on the line, he hesitated at the gamble.
But soon, grasping the prince’s intent from his gaze, he prepared to respond with resolve.
“This servant.....”
Right then, Mok Kyung-un interjected.
“Ahhh. Since Your Highness is being so resolute, I suppose I can yield a bit too.”
“Yield?”
“Yes. Then order Ho Gonggong to cripple his own dantian. I’ll spare both His Highness’s life and Gonggong’s.”
“What?”
At the demand to cripple his dantian, flames sparked in Ho Gonggong’s eyes.
For a martial artist, destroying one’s dantian was little different from death.
It ended their life as a warrior.
Even without practicing martial arts himself, Prince Gyeongchin knew this and couldn’t suppress his rage, raising his voice.
“Ho Gonggong is no different from my right arm. Demanding he cripple his dantian is like cutting off my own arm—do you think I’d fall for such a trick?”
“That’s not for Your Highness to decide.”
“What?”
“It depends on Ho Gonggong’s choice. I’ll count to five. If he doesn’t cripple his own dantian by then, I’ll kill Your Highness.”
“You bastard!”
Ho Gonggong couldn’t hold back and snapped.
He wanted to tear Mok Kyung-un apart right then.
But doing so would likely get the prince killed.
Yet Mok Kyung-un sneered.
“Not asking you to die, just to abandon your martial arts to save His Highness—and you can’t? Then your loyalty’s questionable.”
“What did you say? You dare.....”
“Then why hesitate? I’m offering to save both His Highness and yourself. Is it that hard? Is martial arts more important than His Highness?”
“........”
“Ah, I get it. Of course. For someone who values their own life, martial arts are precious too. In the end, when push comes to shove, self-preservation comes first for humans.”
“You... you bastard......”
Under Mok Kyung-un’s relentless pressure, Prince Gyeongchin’s complexion darkened.
The man was masterfully driving his foe to psychological extremes.
One look at Ho Gonggong’s wavering told it all.
At this rate, he might actually give in.
“Ho Gong....”
-Grip!
“Gurk.”
Mok Kyung-un seized Prince Gyeongchin’s throat.
The prince’s face turned beet red as his airway closed, gasping.
“You!”
“One!”
As he tried to speak, Mok Kyung-un began counting.
Hearing “one,” Ho Gonggong’s face hardened, frozen in indecision.
Was this bastard really going to kill His Highness?
From the moment he appeared wearing something like Inspector Bam’s human-skin mask, it was obvious.
“Two!”
Ho Gonggong bit his lip hard.
He had only two choices.
Cripple his dantian as demanded, or shatter the door per His Highness’s order, report the intrusion, and seek aid.
The latter would surely bring the emperor’s wrath.
Execution was certain.
-Grind!
Either way, it was the worst outcome for him.
Then he saw the throttled prince gesturing toward him.
It was
‘Ah........’
a hand pointing to his abdomen.
Meaning: cripple your own dantian.
Ho Gonggong’s eyes sank darkly.
In the end, when his own life hung in the balance, Prince Gyeongchin chose self-preservation over future worries.
“Three!”
As “three” left Mok Kyung-un’s mouth, strength entered the hand gripping the soft sword.
In that fleeting instant, countless thoughts flashed through Ho Gonggong’s mind.
Finally, he made his choice.
It was
-Thwack!
hurling his qi-infused soft sword at Mok Kyung-un while launching himself through the window to escape.
‘Gonggong!’
Prince Gyeongchin’s pupils dilated with betrayal at the sight.
In the end, he hadn’t chosen to save him but preserved his dantian.
-Tat tat tat tat!
Bursting through the window, Ho Gonggong bit his lip.
It was an unavoidable choice.
He could escape palace laws or later accountability if needed, but a crippled dantian was irreversible.
What if the intruder reneged and killed both him and the prince after?
That would be even worse.
‘Forgive me, Your Highness. Didn’t you prioritize your own safety over mine?’
Even if the intruder kept his word and spared the prince, Ho Gonggong doubted he’d be reinstated with a ruined dantian.
Better to plan for the future.
But as he prepared to shout outside, Ho Gonggong frowned.
‘What’s this?’
The palace grounds were eerily silent.
Dozens of Embroidered Uniform Guards and palace warriors were stationed in Bi-gyeong Palace alone.
Yet not a single presence could be felt.
What in the world was happening?
Sensing something off—and wary the intruder might pursue—Ho Gonggong decided to flee beyond the palace first.
As he moved to launch himself out,
-Clack! Clack!
Footsteps echoed from the front hall gate.
Ho Gonggong instinctively looked over.
There, a stunningly beautiful woman in resplendent golden robes approached, holding something in one hand.
His expression hardened instantly.
The moment he saw her face, he knew exactly who she was.
‘Consort Ho?’
[Chapter 68: Prince Gyeongchin (2)] End