Chapter 287
Chapter 287
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 79
>Chapter Title: Escape Attempt (1)
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A mark consisting of a vertical line piercing through the center of the character for "two."
Mok Kyung-un's mind grew complicated as he stared piercingly at it.
He had been told for certain that this charred clue was related to the Day of Great Catastrophe.
It was also part of the evidence that sorcery—techniques of spirits—had been used, so he hadn't thought anything more or less of it. But this was completely unexpected.
'Wasn't the Day of Great Catastrophe something that happened during the era of the Ancient Martial Forest?'
Yet the presence of this mark on a clue related to the Day of Great Catastrophe, which So Ye-rin's father had obtained, implied only one thing.
'...Does that mean the organization behind the mark already existed at that time?'
Mok Kyung-un's expression turned strange.
He was convinced, through the various pieces of information he had gathered, that the organization behind the mark was connected to his grandfather's death.
But he hadn't known it had existed so long ago.
Just what were these people trying to achieve?
They were linked to the Blazing Flower Cult and had deep ties to the Heaven-Earth Society.
And if the clue was accurate—though not certain—they were also connected to the Day of Great Catastrophe, when countless people were said to have died.
'What could it be?'
It wasn't unusual for an organization to persist over a long time.
But this one wasn't a well-known group; it was more like a secret society.
Moreover, the things this group had done so far were on a completely different level from other organizations.
If it was closely tied to the Day of Great Catastrophe, then they were the masterminds who had plunged the entire Central Plains into its worst crisis.
'Hah.'
Mok Kyung-un's lips twitched.
The more he learned, the harder it became to grasp their goals or their scale.
He had started with the single aim of avenging his grandfather, but the deeper he dug, the more it felt like he was only scratching the surface of an iceberg.
'Hmm.'
Mok Kyung-un stroked his chin.
He had thought catching his grandfather's killer would suffice, but now that he knew the masterminds were on a larger scale than expected, it didn't seem like something he could approach simply.
'...I need more forces.'
When he assumed the culprits were martial artists, he figured reaching a certain level of strength would be enough.
But the situation was changing.
If the scale was beyond what he could handle alone, he needed to assemble forces to match.
It was then that Sixth Constable So Ye-rin spoke to Mok Kyung-un.
"Young Master Mok. Have you found something?"
In response to her question, Mok Kyung-un held up the mark and smiled.
"It seems we're connected in more ways than one."
"Connected how?"
"This is a mark."
"A mark? That?"
"Yes. It's the symbol used by a certain organization."
"So... this clue is related to that organization with the mark?"
"I can't be certain, but the fact that it's on a clue tied to the Day of Great Catastrophe, which Constable So's father obtained, means the odds are very high."
"What kind of organization is it?"
Shrugging at her question, Mok Kyung-un replied,
"I'm not entirely sure myself."
"You're not?"
"No. I'm trying to uncover this organization behind the mark too."
With those words, Mok Kyung-un glanced at the Sacred Flame Commandery Lord.
She definitely knew something about it.
Otherwise, there'd be no reason for the organization to secure the Blazing Flower Cult members' safety or try to learn something through her.
The Sacred Flame Commandery Lord, meeting Mok Kyung-un's gaze, wore a peculiar expression.
Then So Ye-rin spoke to him.
"I apologize for asking, Young Master Mok, but may I inquire why you're trying to uncover this organization with the mark?"
She too had long investigated clues from the Day of Great Catastrophe to find her father's killer.
She had found nothing so far, so hearing Mok Kyung-un say the mark was linked to a specific organization sparked her curiosity.
To her question, Mok Kyung-un answered nonchalantly,
"Because I owe them a massive debt."
Her eyes flashed.
She hadn't known him long, but she'd never seen him show any special emotion.
Yet for the first time, she detected a faint but unmistakable killing intent in his voice.
There was only one implication.
'They're enemies.'
If so, it was quite the coincidence.
They had met for different reasons, but their paths crossed at the same target.
Smiling faintly at her, Mok Kyung-un said,
"It seems Constable So and I have some aligned interests."
"...What a coincidence. I was thinking the same."
If their goals matched, there was no harm in joining forces rather than opposing each other.
It was at that moment.
A familiar figure materialized by passing through the warehouse building.
It was none other than Blue Spirit.
Approaching Mok Kyung-un suddenly, she spoke in disbelief.
-What are you doing, mortal? Why are you still here?
She had assumed they would have reached the outer walls of the outer palace by now, per plan.
But when he didn't appear, she had tracked him using their bond.
-I went to the trouble of killing Prince Kyungchin and tying up the Embroidered Uniform Guards, and here you are dawdling.
-It's not dawdling; there were circumstances.
-Circumstances or not, the Underground Golden Prison incident has already mobilized Guard Bureau warriors at every gate of the outer palace, and East and West Depot eunuchs have begun searching the palace interior. If you don't hurry, you really won't get out.
-...We've delayed quite a bit.
-Then hurry up.
-I suppose we must.
As he replied, So Ye-rin suddenly frowned and stared toward Blue Spirit.
She wasn't alone.
Dan Baek-ha, the Six Blood Star of the Blood Ghost Sect, was also eyeing the spot warily.
-Ho. These two have exceptional senses?
Blue Spirit was amazed.
Her realm was nearly at Purple Spirit, and she had concealed her spirit power as much as possible, yet these two detected even her faint traces with their senses.
Though invisible, it would irritate their sixth sense beyond their five senses.
At that moment, So Ye-rin gathered her innate true energy and moved toward Blue Spirit.
Mok Kyung-un blocked her path.
"It seems we've lingered too long."
"Lingered?"
"Yes. Meeting you derailed the original plan, and we've stayed here too long."
"Ah... Are you leaving the palace?"
"As you see."
Nodding toward the Sacred Flame Commandery Lord, Mok Kyung-un continued.
Securing her from the Avici Golden Prison had been the goal from the start.
"You said you'd stay here, Constable So?"
"...Yes. I have things to do."
"Then we should part for now. If we gather useful information inside and out, we can meet later to exchange it."
So Ye-rin nodded at Mok Kyung-un's words.
No need to stick together just because their goals aligned.
Gathering and combining intel separately would bring them closer to their aims.
"But Young Master Mok, how do you plan to get out of the palace?"
At her question, Mok Kyung-un looked toward the masked Embroidered Uniform Guard Thousand Commander Mara Hyeon, who was sitting cross-legged in meditation.
He appeared to have finished organizing his insights, slowly opening his eyes.
* * *
The large carts loaded with food waste containers rattled along in a line—three in total.
In the vast Imperial Palace, housing tens of thousands across the outer and inner palaces, leftovers were sorted daily for use as livestock feed or fertilizer for farmlands.
To that end, these waste carts exited the palace multiple times a day.
Pulling these waste carts were three palace maids, actually Mok Kyung-un, Seop Chun, and Mong Mu-yak in prepared human-skin masks.
Escorting the carts like guards was the masked Embroidered Uniform Guard Thousand Commander Mara Hyeon.
After some distance, a fork appeared.
Sixth Constable So Ye-rin appeared about a dozen paces ahead, gesturing to indicate the direction.
Nodding at her signal, Mara Hyeon said to Mok Kyung-un and the others pulling the carts,
"Right path."
They veered the carts right.
Their method was thus:
So Ye-rin scouted ahead, guiding the waste carts through paths free of Guard Bureau, East Depot, or West Depot search parties.
Originally, Blue Spirit alone could have handled her role, but they let her volunteer to assist their escape.
The carts rattled on.
Among these waste containers hid the Sacred Flame Commandery Lord and Dan Baek-ha of the Blood Ghost Sect.
'Whew.'
'Damn it.'
Inside containers mixed with food scraps, they inwardly suffered.
The mingled refuse reeked like vomit.
But having endured torture and interrogation in the Avici Golden Prison, this was bearable for them.
The carts continued rattling.
So Ye-rin, scouting ahead, eyed the path with concern.
Dodging search parties with heightened senses so far, they would soon reach the outer palace's central gate.
Normally, waste carts passed unchecked, but with the Underground Golden Prison chaos turning the palace upside down, search parties likely guarded it.
'Hope they don't get caught.'
Without the Sacred Flame Commandery Lord, escape would have been easier.
But escorting an elderly woman who hadn't even properly learned martial arts—and could barely walk without her staff—required utmost caution.
'At least the search parties lack Embroidered Uniform Guards.'
For some unknown reason, no Embroidered Uniform Guards were visible.
If they had been included, helping would have been much harder.
She didn't know the exact reason, but it was thanks to Blue Spirit.
Possessing Prince Kyungchin's body, Blue Spirit had cried out that the Embroidered Uniform Guards drove her to death before leaping to her suicide, leading to most of them being urgently summoned and detained in the Non-script Palace.
They had missed the optimal pre-search escape window but still had this last chance without the Embroidered Uniform Guards.
The carts reached the outer palace central gate, as So Ye-rin feared.
As expected, Guard Bureau warriors and West Depot eunuchs were stationed at the gatehouse.
Leading them was a Supervising Vice Minister from the West Depot, just below the Junior Supervisor.
"Halt."
As the Supervising Vice Minister stopped the carts, the masked Embroidered Uniform Guard Thousand Commander Mara Hyeon stepped forward.
Showing his identification tablet to the West Depot Supervising Vice Minister, Mara Hyeon said,
"Embroidered Uniform Guard Thousand Commander Mara Hyeon. Waste carts. Checked before departure, under orders to let them out..."
"Step back, Lord Thousand Commander."
"What..."
"No 'what'—with the red alert signal, all entries and exits require inspection."
"...Understood."
"Inspect them."
"Yes!"
At the West Depot Supervising Vice Minister's order, West Depot eunuchs began opening the waste container lids on the carts.
With each lid lifted, tension filled the eyes of Mara Hyeon, and Seop Chun and Mong Mu-yak in their human-skin masks.
Discovery here would ruin everything.
The eunuchs, pinching their noses with sleeves, opened lids—including those hiding the Sacred Flame Commandery Lord and Dan Baek-ha.
The containers brimmed with food scraps.
Holding her breath inside, the Sacred Flame Commandery Lord lay still as if dead.
She had learned breath-holding in advance, but untrained in martial arts and elderly, she couldn't hold it long.
All lids were opened.
The inspecting West Depot eunuchs signaled to their Supervising Vice Minister that all was clear.
Seemed they weren't caught.
"No issues, so pass through the central gate..."
"No. Not yet."
"...Not yet? What's the problem?"
"Lend me a sword."
The Supervising Vice Minister reached out to a Guard Bureau warrior, who drew his sword from its scabbard at his waist and handed it over.
Mara Hyeon frowned.
'No way?'
It was then.
The West Depot Supervising Vice Minister thrust the sword into one of the waste containers.
-Squelch!
'!?'
Seop Chun, watching up close, froze.
Just when it seemed they'd pass, the worst happened.
The Supervising Vice Minister didn't stab once but jabbed wildly everywhere.
-Squelch! Squelch! Squelch! Squelch!
Then,
"See? Have the Guard Bureau warriors do the same to each container, one stab apiece."
"Understood."
-Shing! Shing! Shing!
The Guard Bureau warriors, grasping the intent, drew their swords.
They split into pairs or threes to the waste carts.
Mong Mu-yak and Seop Chun at the front hesitated in bewilderment—what to do?
With this, did they need to subdue them?
But there were too many—nearly fifty.
Fail to take them all at once, and they'd blow the small horns at their necks for reinforcements.
-Squelch! Squelch!
No time to deliberate.
They were stabbing into the containers; getting hit would expose them—and possibly kill the Sacred Flame Commandery Lord.
Then, a Guard Bureau warrior approached the container with her, sword raised.
'Damn!'
No choice— Mong Mu-yak moved to act.
But at that instant.
-Splurt!
Suddenly, a hand burst from one container.
"Gasp! Wh-what..."
The warrior about to stab recoiled in shock, trying to shout.
Before he could, the hand emerging from the scraps flicked a finger.
-Snap!
No sooner had it snapped.
-Thud! Thud! Thud!
Nearby Guard Bureau warriors and West Depot eunuchs flipped their eyes back and collapsed unconscious on the spot.
Mara Hyeon, Mong Mu-yak, and Seop Chun's eyes widened at the sight.
But not all fainted—one endured.
The West Depot Supervising Vice Minister, deepest in internal energy among them.
"Wh-what in the..."
-Pah!
"Mmph!"
Someone clamped his mouth.
"You've made this bigger than it needed to be. Would've been fine to just let us pass."
Whispering in his ear was none other than Mok Kyung-un in his human-skin mask.
"Mmph! Mmph!"
The frantic Supervising Vice Minister tried to shake off Mok Kyung-un's hand.
But before he could,
-Crack!
Mok Kyung-un twisted his neck.
With his neck turned backward, the Supervising Vice Minister breathed his last.
Gently laying the corpse down, Mok Kyung-un looked toward the hand protruding from a waste container.
The hand with sharp nails belonged to none other than Dan Baek-ha, the Six Blood Star.
Interest flickered in Mok Kyung-un's eyes as he gazed at her extended hand.