Secrets of the Eastern Depot
The Nine Provinces of the Jianghu.
It was an alias born from the fact that the Central Plains was once divided into nine provinces, a division dating back to the borders of the Xia and Shang dynasties before the Zhou dynasty.
Now that the territory of the Central Plains had expanded, it comprised more than thirteen provinces rather than nine. The land was vast beyond measure.
Thus, it was only natural for the hegemon who ruled the Central Plains to obsess over information.
After all, one could never know when or where a heinous treason might be brewing.
Realizing the critical importance of intelligence gathering, the imperial court and the royal family established an organization dedicated solely to this task.
It was called the Eastern Depot.
As the hands and feet of the imperial court, the Eastern Depot was far superior to any prominent organization or sect in the Jianghu.
Even the Beggars' Sect of the Orthodox faction, boasting a hundred thousand beggars gathering information, was no match.
Nor was the Hao Clan of the Unorthodox faction, which dominated the pleasure quarters, entertainment houses, and gambling dens.
In the presence of the Eastern Depot, they had no choice but to tuck their tails and cower.
When the gossips of the Central Plains debated the greatest intelligence network, the Eastern Depot was always excluded from the discussion.
Merely uttering its name was a dangerous gamble.
It was the only place authorized by the supreme imperial decree to fabricate charges, torture suspects, and, in extreme cases, execute them at will.
At the apex of the Eastern Depot stood the Grand Eunuch Director. Beneath him were two high-ranking officials known as the Cheophyeong. Below them were commander-level agents called Du, and at the very bottom were the field agents, the Beonyeok.
"A spatial rift is truly something that defies common sense."
The speaker was Heo I-gyeom, a legendary figure who had risen to the rank of Du at the youngest age since the founding of the Eastern Depot. He clicked his tongue as he surveyed his surroundings.
He was wrapped in a black robe, his face veiled with black silk, leaving only his eyes exposed.
His eyes curved gently like crescent moons. Judging by the bridge of his nose, his brow, and his cheekbones, he was undoubtedly a strikingly handsome man.
Though his eyes were narrow, appearing as if drawn with a single thin stroke, they missed nothing unusual or out of the ordinary.
He observed the river surrounding him on all sides, which had turned into a toxic, unsettling green fluid, and the massive island upon which he stood.
"Though I am not sure if this can even be called an 'island.'"
It was worlds apart from the reality outside the spatial rift.
It was an island, yet not an island.
In truth, the ground Heo I-gyeom trod upon was not red soil, but a wooden deck.
It was a grotesque structure, looking as though thousands of wrecked and shattered warships had been forcibly stitched together.
This was the nature of a spatial rift.
Immediately upon manifesting, a spatial rift devoured the surrounding terrain and objects to construct an entirely new dimension.
This place, Ghost Ship Island, had been forged in the exact same manner.
"To think I would encounter the remains of the fierce battle waged by the Founder in this way..."
The remains of the battle referred to the Battle of Poyang Lake, fought between the Founder, Zhu Yuanzhang, and Chen Youliang.
In that colossal naval clash—the only one in history comparable to the Battle of Red Cliffs—the sunken warships of both sides had fused together to form this place.
The half-destroyed, sunken vessels had merged into a single patchwork entity. The name Ghost Ship Island was indeed fitting.
Ghost Ship Island was so vast that Heo I-gyeom had found absolutely no trace of what he sought, despite searching relentlessly for three days since his arrival.
"Sigh. I have no time to waste here..."
Heo I-gyeom sighed.
Though heaven's luck had guided him here, time was of the essence.
"Where on earth is the artifact...?"
As mentioned, it was a stroke of luck that had brought him to this place.
A few months ago, a low-ranking agent under his command had reported a strange occurrence: the river at Red Cliffs in Hubei had split in half.
The source of the information was a slash-and-burn farmer, and the tale was so absurd that no one in the Eastern Depot paid it any mind.
Except for one person: Heo I-gyeom.
Intrigued by the rumor, Heo I-gyeom investigated the traces on his own.
He traveled to Red Cliffs himself, not even hesitating to submerge himself in the water.
And there, he found it.
I found traces of a power so immense that even the treasures in the Imperial Vault could not compare.
He had found the remnants of a sacred relic possessing a heart-stopping power.
Although someone had already taken the relic, it did not matter.
With the power he possessed, he could work around it.
Using the lingering scent of the remaining traces as a medium, I was able to complete a technique to track other relics of the same grade.
Reaching the spatial rift of Ghost Ship Island was entirely due to the guidance of this completed technique.
After months of tracking, he had finally discovered this place ten days ago.
For several days, Heo I-gyeom had made no reports to his direct superior, the Cheophyeong, let alone the Eastern Depot itself.
Keeping everything shrouded in absolute secrecy, he made thorough preparations.
Then, three days ago, he entered the spatial rift alone.
Yet, despite scouring the entirety of Ghost Ship Island over those three days...
Sigh. I must return to the Imperial Palace soon... yet I have found nothing.
He had not uncovered a single clue or trace.
The technique he had perfected was only useful for locating the spatial rift; once inside, it was utterly useless.
Frustrated, Heo I-gyeom bit his lip.
His already narrow eyes slit even further, but there was no one around to notice.
What should I do...
It was at that moment, as Heo I-gyeom was agonizing over his next move.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, the air began to twist and distort.
What?!
It was a sight he had seen before.
He had witnessed and experienced it firsthand when he entered this place.
Someone was infiltrating the spatial rift.
Who could it be?
The moment Heo I-gyeom instinctively focused his vision despite his panic.
Flash!
Finally, a figure materialized.
Thud.
Though drenched in water, the mysterious intruder landed lightly on Ghost Ship Island.
Is it not said that one can recognize a master just by the way they land?
Heo I-gyeom felt an extraordinary aura emanating from the stranger.
It is too late to hide. Besides, there is no need to.
The visitor did not come with good intentions. If necessary, he would have to fight.
Heo I-gyeom braced himself for combat and glared at the unidentified opponent.
At that moment, their eyes met.
Huh?
Something was strange.
"...!"
The intruder's eyes widened as if they were about to burst.
As if...
As if he recognized him.
No, that's impossible.
But Heo I-gyeom quickly dismissed the thought.
No matter how he looked at him, the man was a complete stranger.
Besides, had he not abandoned everything before joining the Eastern Depot?
He had changed his face and discarded his family name.
Leaving his past in the past, he had been reborn as Heo I-gyeom.
There was no one left who could recognize him.
Therefore, there was absolutely no one in the entire Central Plains who could possibly know his true identity.
Confident in this, Heo I-gyeom spoke.
"It would be wise not to harbor any foolish thoughts."
He issued a warning to the nameless intruder.
"I am Commander Heo, the Seventy-Eighth Du of the Eastern Depot. I am currently executing an operation under the direct orders of the Grand Eunuch Director."
"..."
The Grand Eunuch Director was the supreme leader of the Eastern Depot.
And referring to himself as a commander indicated his high status.
It was a clear warning: he was an agent of the Eastern Depot on official duty, and any rash action would bring dire consequences.
For any martial artist, whether orthodox or unorthodox, daring to cross the Eastern Depot meant not only their own death but the total annihilation of their clan or sect.
In short, he was using authority to pressure his opponent.
It was a well-worn tactic, and one that usually worked.
"You must not have forgotten the principle of non-interference between the government and the martial world. If you dare meddle in imperial affairs—"
"Right. There's no way you'd recognize me."
"...Excuse me?"
The response was baffling.
It was a cryptic statement, completely devoid of context.
What did he mean, that Heo I-gyeom couldn't possibly know him?
Just as Heo I-gyeom's brow furrowed in confusion.
Wait, looking closely, that man is...
Heo I-gyeom finally recognized the man standing before him.
His name had appeared countless times in the recent intelligence reports sent from the Hunan Province branch.
Since the reports included portraits and personal profiles, Heo I-gyeom could not fail to recognize him upon closer inspection.
"I wondered where I had seen you. You are the Leader of the White Night Squad of Sadocheon."
Jeok-un.
The prodigal son of the Jegal Family.
The one who murdered his stepmother and half-brother before fleeing his clan.
The man who had defected to Sadocheon and become the center of attention for the past few months.
This will make things easy.
Seeing the man fall silent the moment his identity was revealed, Heo I-gyeom felt confident that the situation would be resolved without much trouble.
According to the reports, his martial prowess is at most at the peak of the Peak Realm.
Because Heo I-gyeom had entered the spatial rift three days prior, he was unaware of the recent incident in Tongseong County and the updated assessment of Jeok-un's strength.
Assuming the man was far inferior to his own Master Realm cultivation, Heo I-gyeom relaxed and spoke leisurely.
"Do not worry. Once I leave this place, I will ensure you are handsomely compensated to make up for your disappointment..."
Surely, the intruder would recognize his own inadequacy.
Just as he was offering a carrot instead of a stick.
"Heh. Still rolling those petty schemes and hoping for a stroke of luck, I see."
"...!"
Before Heo I-gyeom could even finish his sentence, Jeok-un smirked and cut him off.
At the same time, Jeok-un's aura and demeanor shifted completely.
"I'm busy, but I'll leave you with a quick lesson."
Whoosh!
A massive tempest of energy erupted from Jeok-un, sweeping outward like a storm.
This... is the Peak Realm...?
Feeling the pressure, Heo I-gyeom realized that Jeok-un's martial prowess far exceeded his expectations.
The man before him was definitely not just at the Peak Realm.
Heo I-gyeom panicked as he felt the sheer depth of Jeok-un's cultivation.
Jeok-un sneered at his flustered expression.
"When you try to lay your hands on someone else's property, you have to pay the price."
"!!"
Before Heo I-gyeom could utter a word, Jeok-un stomped his foot heavily.
Heo I-gyeom was utterly bewildered.
Although the reports had described Jeok-un as an unpredictable madman...
Is he really going to make an enemy of the Eastern Depot?
Boom!
A shockwave that shook the entire deck—the very ground beneath them—swept through the area.
The toxic, unsettling green lake surged violently in response.
Rumble!
A massive ripple of energy radiated outward from Jeok-un.
Had it just been a display of raw power, Heo I-gyeom would have dismissed it as mere bravado.
"What are you doing—!"
But Heo I-gyeom realized the enemy's true intention a moment too late, and a cold shiver ran down his spine.
Roar!
The wave of energy Jeok-un had unleashed was acting as a beacon.
Heo I-gyeom could feel countless hostile presences drawn toward them by the sudden burst of qi.
As Jeok-un grinned, Heo I-gyeom gnashed his teeth and glared at him.
"Let's see you bleed for this."
Rumble!
Crash!
At that moment, the deck beneath Jeok-un's feet collapsed.
Jeok-un plummeted naturally into the dark space beneath the shattered deck.
Jeok-un sent a telepathic transmission to Heo I-gyeom as he fell.
Ugh!
Heo I-gyeom wanted to pursue him immediately, but...
Creak!
The deck that had swallowed Jeok-un sealed itself shut in an instant, as if by magic.
Even when Heo I-gyeom stomped his own foot, the wooden planks remained as unyielding as an iron wall.
Screeech!
At that moment, countless monsters surged toward Heo I-gyeom.
Yet, even in the face of this life-threatening crisis, Heo I-gyeom's mind was entirely consumed by the vanished Jeok-un.
Jeok-un's final transmission echoed in his mind.
How on earth did he...?!
He knew Heo I-gyeom's true identity.