Chapter 415: Beijing (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 415: Beijing (7)
And so, two cups of wine sat on the table between them.
One cup reflected the perfect image of a full moon. The other held a moon sliced cleanly in half—the result of an impossibly delicate and sublime release of a shockwave.
They belonged to the Head Eunuch and Jeong Yeon-shin, respectively.
Across the sparsely set table, a complex expression crossed the Head Eunuch's pale face.
"...You truly are his grandson."
She lightly tapped the table with the same finger that had touched Yeon-shin's cup. A slow, rhythmic tap, tap, tap echoed under the moonlit sky.
Her massive frame, born with martial bones, lent an innate dignity and weight to even the simplest of gestures.
"Even in the imperial court, I have rarely heard such arrogant words..."
The Head Eunuch seemed overcome by a strange sensation.
Her eyes, which had always looked down upon others from a supreme height befitting her status and her age as a contemporary of the Hegemon Hero Ma Yeon-jeok, were now filled with a deep, reflective emotion.
Does she have a history with my grandfather?
As Jeong Yeon-shin tried to read the high-ranking official's thoughts, the Head Eunuch's lowered eyelids lifted once more.
"Considering your age, his blood must run even thicker in you than it did in him."
"..."
Jeong Yeon-shin was slightly taken aback. He had spoken from the heart, only to receive what sounded like an insult. Should he have been more reserved?
I hope this doesn't delay my promotion...
Despite her youthful appearance, she was an elder of advanced years, making it difficult for him to openly show his displeasure.
Just then, she spoke.
"If a monster who entered the Desolate Fortress at fifteen, then slew the masters of the Jegal Clan, the Moyong Clan, the Golden Wing Sect, the Tenth Sect, and the Dark Night Hall in the summer of his seventeenth year before coming to Beijing, says so..."
The Head Eunuch drained her cup and slowly continued.
"...it is hard to dismiss it as a mere boast."
Clack.
The empty cup was set down before the bisected moon. Only Yeon-shin's cup remained full.
It was said that a true gentleman kept his distance from intoxication.
The corners of the Head Eunuch's mouth twitched upward. Her attitude had changed remarkably, as if she truly did share some deep connection with the Hegemon Hero.
"I see your mettle. Aside from the imperial family, you are the first person to remain so composed while I drink alone."
The giant of the imperial court was indeed an extraordinary figure. Her informal tone, surprisingly, carried a sense of warmth.
"Is that so?"
Jeong Yeon-shin gave a brief, noncommittal reply. The face of the Wudang Ancient Sword flashed through his mind.
"With confidence like that, you are worthy of discussing the world with me. I must reconsider things starting today. It cannot be right to withhold proper authority from one who deserves it."
"As long as things proceed as they should, that is enough for me," Jeong Yeon-shin said calmly.
Amusement flickered in the Head Eunuch's eyes.
"It brings to mind a report from Eunuch Myeong-yeo. He wrote, 'His bearing is proper and his speech is refined, requiring little supervision. Assisting the current Commander of the Demonlight Wing will require no great effort.' It was a report that was discarded and resurrected time and again within the imperial palace."
"..."
Jeong Yeon-shin silently lowered his gaze.
Myeong-yeo.
He recalled the features of the Brightfolk eunuch. In that moment, his understanding of the world broadened once more.
Remembering the physiognomy of someone destined for greatness would surely deepen his ability to read people.
"Sometimes, a single cup of wine is enough to judge a person. Even more so when the observer is of the Brightfolk. I will place my trust in your mettle, your chivalry, and your lineage—all of which have been proven by your countless achievements."
"What do you mean by trust?"
"I cannot force my opinion on someone like the Great Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard," the Head Eunuch said, pouring herself another cup. "But the officials of the Six Ministries, including the Ministry of War, can distinguish the scent of my ink from any other. They are experts at echoing my every word, so I might be able to hasten the day you don the purple robe."
A quiet, tranquil silence settled over them. Jeong Yeon-shin stared at her for a moment before slowly speaking.
"That is not a position to be attained through external pressure. I only ask for a fair judgment of my merits."
"Indeed, and I am saying I will foster such an environment," the Head Eunuch replied with a smile.
She then extended a large hand toward Jeong Yeon-shin—a gesture of dismissal.
"This will likely be the last time we speak so casually. You should return now, before rumors spread that the Head Eunuch brought a handsome young man into her quarters in the dead of night. Though, it wouldn't be so bad for me."
She was even cracking jokes. Inwardly repulsed, Jeong Yeon-shin immediately stood up. Before turning to leave, he asked one last question.
"What was your relationship with my grandfather...?"
"I loved him. At first, we were political rivals, but I was drawn to his character—one that placed chivalry and loyalty above all else, a trait I had never seen in the imperial court. He was the first man whose fists stung so fiercely."
"...?"
As Jeong Yeon-shin stood momentarily speechless, the Head Eunuch offered him some parting words of encouragement.
"I know the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps has vanished to search for the Emperor. If so, you must be the strongest person on the streets of Beijing right now. This land has seen frequent incursions by spirit beasts lately, so please look after the common people for the time being. Who knows? Perhaps those who have grown insolent, having never experienced the Divine Sword Corps, will soon be weeping and begging for your forgiveness."
Swoosh—
As she spoke, a silent breeze swept across the table, leaving a heavy, damp air lingering in the pavilion.
I suspect a rather dangerous spirit beast might manifest.
That was what Yong Hee-myung, the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps, had told Jeong Yeon-shin before leaving. He had also heard that this city was already a purple-ranked Jianghu.
And then there was the speculation that the Emperor had departed only after confirming their arrival.
Did he mean for me to protect Beijing as if I were already a purple-ranked expert?
Jeong Yeon-shin slowly turned around.
The quiet night of Beijing swallowed his figure.
* * *
Ever since his visit to the pavilion of the Desolate Fortress, the Great Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard had been hounded by questions.
His subordinate officers, who were supposed to be the most solemn figures in the Forbidden City, harbored an immense curiosity about the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps and the Commander of the Demonlight Wing.
"I am curious to know what it was like to see him in person. Could the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps truly replace the entire Embroidered Uniform Guard on his own?"
"If we are speaking solely of individual martial prowess, he is more than capable. Besides, you all should know Commander Yong's reputation better than anyone."
"What about the Commander of the Demonlight Wing? At his age, not only did he slay the Star-Brilliance Great Sword Lord of Liaodong by himself, but he also defeated the Lord of the Tenth Sect... It's simply unbelievable..."
"Enough. Do you want to end up in the Eastern Depot's Thunder Prison while wearing the uniform of the Embroidered Uniform Guard? There is nothing to be gained by gossiping about the most prominent figures in the Forbidden City. It is best for everyone to exercise restraint."
Originally, the moniker "The Sword of the Imperial Family" had belonged to the Embroidered Uniform Guard, not the Desolate Fortress.
A rivalry between them was inevitable—at least, that was how the officers saw it.
Thus, the officers of the Embroidered Uniform Guard could not easily divert their attention from the Desolate Fortress. Even at this very moment, as they swiftly traversed the night streets of Beijing, it was no different.
Despite the order to stop, talk of the figures from the Desolate Fortress continued to flow. The officers asked the Great Commander questions without holding back.
In private, his Brightfolk subordinates were actually the Great Commander's seniors.
Despite his stern exterior, the Great Commander was famous within the Embroidered Uniform Guard for his generous nature.
Whoosh!
A dozen or so officers clad in bright yellow martial uniforms leaped from roof to roof in a form of patrol.
However, their role was different from that of ordinary soldiers.
Such was the duty of the current Embroidered Uniform Guard. Acting directly under imperial command, they monitored the city for threatening spirit beasts.
Their job was to hunt down and kill them before they could harm the civilian population.
Beijing was the second most spiritually profound land in the world. It was a place where many of the countless spirit beasts that had run rampant since the empire's founding tended to gather.
Yet, there had been no issues. At least, not until now.
This was because the Emperor had maintained his position as a peerless master.
Furthermore, powerful masters of the imperial family had taken the lead in assisting the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the Guard itself had defended against the incursions of spirit beasts with a majesty that rivaled the 17th Unit of the Divine Sword Corps in Beijing.
The people of Beijing did not even know spirit beasts existed. That was how things had been before the northern demonfolk grew more powerful.
But now, with most of the Ju Clan masters away on the Northern Expedition, and even His Majesty—who would oversee all of Beijing and send telepathic transmissions—gone...
Just as a faint worry began to cloud the Great Commander's face, one of the officers pointed straight ahead.
"Look over there!"
On a section of the firmly built outer city wall, a human face stared blankly up at the sky.
It had the features of a middle-aged man. His pale, bloodless skin stood out in the night air.
There was no body. Only a severed head lay there.
The officers' expressions contorted.
"What bastard dares to commit murder in Beijing...!"
Two of them shot forward. Even in the presence of the Great Commander, this level of independent action was permitted.
Since they did not know what might emerge from the sides or rear, the remaining comrades naturally formed a defensive square, guarding their surroundings.
In that instant, the middle-aged man's head whipped around to face them. Immediately after, the corners of the pale face's lips split wide to the sides.
It was unmistakably a grin.
As the Great Commander watched his subordinates' backs, four words struck his mind like lightning.
"A Human-Faced Spider...! It was waiting for us!"
The Great Commander kicked off the ground with explosive force.
Boom!
The internal energy gathered at the Yongquan points on the soles of his feet left a massive shockwave in his wake.
A faint golden light from the Golden Immortal Eight Methods, an imperial martial art, swirled around his hands as he prepared to release his force.
In an instant, he overtook his subordinates.
At that moment, the middle-aged man's head, dragging a massive, dark spider body behind it, began to rise into the air.
The face rose higher and higher.
It soared far past the Great Commander's head, reaching a height from which no human could ever naturally look down.
As it rose over thirty feet, the face grew larger as well. The sound of stretching, swelling flesh cut through the night air.
Above the heads of the Embroidered Uniform Guard officers, who had begun to halt their light-speed dash one by one, a low, breathy laughter echoed.
Heh... heh, heh...
The night air shimmered around its six legs, which were covered in endless bristles.
The Great Commander stopped in his tracks and stared blankly upward.
Its body was as massive as the pavilion of a high-ranking noble. Up close, it looked as though the pitch-black night sky itself had descended and was writhing before them.
The Human-Faced Spider. Even in the Jianghu, where mysteries were as numerous as grains of sand, it was a legendary creature—a spider with a human face.
No one knew how such a thing had come to exist.
An anomaly of unknown origin.
If it was a spirit beast this close to being incomprehensible, it might even be capable of human-like thought.
It had highly likely made its move the moment the Emperor, whose massive internal power had long cast a protective shadow over Beijing, vanished.
The Great Commander slowly opened his mouth, as if compelled to.
"You all, fall back and call for reinforce—!"
Suddenly, the hair at his temples whipped upward. Two thick streaks of darkness had flashed past his sides.
The grotesque sound of tearing flesh and bone shattered the silence of the night.
Crunch!
The spider's front legs had pierced through the abdomens of two Embroidered Uniform Guard officers. Because of the sheer difference in size, it looked as though they had been crushed.
Pinned to the ground by the Human-Faced Spider's dark legs, their limbs flailed briefly before going completely limp.
These were men who, like many other martial artists, had once confidently boasted that they would grow even stronger if they could just obtain the inner core of a spirit beast.
"You monster!"
A sound like thunder erupted from the Great Commander's right arm. He had unleashed a palm technique, pushing his internal energy to its absolute limit.
The Large Intestine Meridian, running from his shoulder to his index finger, swelled with powerful true qi.
Leaping up in a single bound, he struck the Human-Faced Spider's lower jaw.
Clang!
It felt as though he had struck a fortress wall. A bone-chilling recoil accompanied the hard impact. The Great Commander gritted his teeth in midair.
Pressing his palm against the spider's jaw, he unleashed a tempestuous blast of force—an internal heavy hand technique.
The pale skin of the Human-Faced Spider folded into several layers of wrinkles.
But there was no other reaction.
"..."
The Great Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, who had been generating a propulsive force akin to Void Stepping with the internal power from his feet, gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist. He sent the resonant vibrations of the imperial secret technique, the Sword Song, humming aimlessly into the air.
His body would not move in any other direction. It was as if he were entangled in invisible spiderwebs.
This, too, was incomprehensible. How was the Human-Faced Spider manipulating its energy?
Heh... heh, heh...
Reflected in the Great Commander's eyes was the massive face, creaking intermittently as it lowered its head.
Their eyes met.
The Human-Faced Spider split its lips all the way to the sides, grinning.
Then, it suddenly opened its massive maw wide and swallowed the Great Commander whole.