Chapter 66
Chapter 66
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: The Prodigy of the Namgung Family
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“Damn it all...”
Second Prince Yi Tae-ji’s eyes blazed with fury. His neck had flushed bright red from the sheer rage.
Baek Po-in spoke in a mournful tone.
“With the Prime Minister’s approval, even though Her Majesty the Empress is returning, it’s become that much harder to pardon the head of the Yellow Dragon Merchant Group.”
“We can’t just sit here and take this. We need to find some way.”
“The real problem isn’t just the loss of funding—it’s that all our money tied up in the Yellow Dragon Merchant Group is now frozen. If pardon isn’t an option, we have to hurry and recover the funds at least.”
Tremble...
A twitch ran across Yi Tae-ji’s eyelids.
He still couldn’t believe the whole sequence of events. It had all happened in the blink of an eye, like stir-frying beans in lightning. What infuriated him even more was how this incident had solidly boosted Crown Prince Yi So’s presence.
‘I should have handled it properly back then...’
It was then, as Yi Tae-ji muttered those cryptic words.
A general entered the room.
Baek Po-in asked.
“What’s the status?”
“The Fourth Imperial Prince hasn’t left the Southern Legion.”
“Are you certain?”
“Yes. We confirmed it twice.”
Yi Tae-ji asked.
“Why is that bastard coming up here?”
“The Moon Lord of Moon Pavilion suddenly becoming an imperial censor felt suspicious, so I ordered an investigation. Just in case the Fourth Imperial Prince might be involved.”
“Hmph! As if that punk could.”
Yi Tae-ji continued.
“The Moon Lord of Moon Pavilion has always shown exceptional loyalty to the Crown Prince’s Palace. If we bring in the East Depot, things might blow up too big, so the Crown Prince’s Palace must have used that woman to strike at the Yellow Dragon Merchant Group. It’s also likely they’d been investigating it through Moon Pavilion all along and seized the moment when Her Majesty left the palace.”
“I hadn’t considered that far.”
“Has the woman headed back to the Southern Legion?”
“Yes. She just left the Crown Prince’s Palace and exited the Imperial Palace.”
Yi Tae-ji’s gaze gradually turned icy cold. In his mind, Yi Hwan was completely ruled out, without even a shred of suspicion.
“I thought she’d just been sent to the Southern Legion to stand against the Golden Imperial Guards, but she landed a solid hit.”
“Something feels off. I think I should send my direct subordinates to the Southern Legion for a look.”
“Your direct subordinates?”
“There might be a situation where force is needed, so sending my own men would be more reliable than the Golden Imperial Guards.”
Were Baek Po-in’s direct subordinates that impressive?
Yi Tae-ji furrowed his brow in thought. But he didn’t dwell on it long.
“Approved. Just make sure your identities stay hidden. Understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
Yi Tae-ji took a sip of his cold tea and brought up another matter.
“Those guards from the Censorate. We need to investigate them too.”
“Why the guards...?”
“There was one who gave me a really bad vibe. A face I’d never seen before, but his eyes felt strangely familiar.”
“The Censorate guards always disguise their identities thoroughly. No one but the censors themselves can know who they are.”
“Do you think I’d order an investigation without knowing that?”
“I-I’m sorry!”
As Yi Tae-ji’s gaze sharpened, Baek Po-in hurriedly bowed his head.
“I’ll investigate as quickly as possible and report back!”
“If you don’t deliver satisfactory results, I’ll have no choice but to doubt your abilities. I hope it doesn’t come to that.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
“And the woman from Moon Pavilion? Feel free to kill her. No—make sure you kill her so she can never become a problem again.”
“...The head of a covert organization?”
“What? Don’t think you can?”
“N-No, sir. I’ll carry out the order.”
Yi Tae-ji sank deep into his chair and muttered.
“If Moon Pavilion sides with the Crown Prince, we’ll have no choice but to erase them entirely. The East Depot’s already not listening, which is annoying enough. I can’t have a covert organization giving me more headaches.”
* * *
Southern Legion.
In the backyard of Yi Hwan’s residence, Cha Jung-kyeong was sweating profusely.
Ever since recovering, he’d devoted every waking hour to training, with Gong Son-tae assisting him.
It was precious time for Cha Jung-kyeong, who had nothing particular to do until Yi Hwan returned.
“Huff... huff... huff!”
Cha Jung-kyeong collapsed flat on his back, gasping for breath. Gong Son-tae sat in a chair with a bored expression.
“And you call that training to become a master? Tsk, tsk, tsk.”
“What am I supposed to do when my internal energy won’t cooperate! Huff... huff... huff!”
“It’s not internal energy—it’s your mental fortitude. You don’t push past your limits; you just flop over at the slightest hardship.”
“If it were that easy, everyone would be a master!”
“Oh? Getting snippy now?”
“Hey!”
Cha Jung-kyeong shot to his feet irritably.
“Let’s have a go!”
“You serious?”
“Of course it’s a joke. Huff... huff... huff!”
He flopped back down, panting again.
That was when Song Cheon-mu emerged into the backyard. He too had returned a few days prior and was deep in his own training.
“You two should eat.”
Whoosh!
Cha Jung-kyeong sprang up as if nothing had happened, but Song Cheon-mu stopped him.
“You stink of sweat. Go wash up first.”
“What’s a little sweat between men?”
“Deputy General’s orders.”
“......”
As Cha Jung-kyeong sighed and grabbed a cloth to head to the stream, a door creaked open from the front of the hall.
“Looks like someone’s here.”
“I’ll check.”
Song Cheon-mu headed inside.
Gong Son-tae rose from his chair and stretched grandly.
Crack!
“Bored as hell. Wonder when he’ll show up.”
It was then.
“You’re back!”
“Great Prince!”
The shouts from inside made Gong Son-tae’s eyes widen.
“He’s here!”
Swish!
Cha Jung-kyeong beat Gong Son-tae to it.
* * *
Yi Hwan removed his human skin mask the moment he stepped inside. Song Hoe did the same.
Yi Hwan looked at Song Hoe—face pale, nape blackened—and asked.
“No issues?”
“No, sir. Things were quiet on the Zhao Kingdom side, so we just lounged around. How did your trip go?”
“Well enough.”
Yi Hwan grabbed a cloth.
“I’ll wash up quick. Eat without me.”
“No, sir. We’ll wait!”
Song Hoe’s face broke into a beaming smile at Yi Hwan’s return.
Seeing this, Yi Hwan felt a pang of guilt inwardly.
‘I’ll take him with me from now on.’
Yi Hwan pulled something from his discarded robe and handed it to Song Hoe. It was a gold ornament used to decorate the hilt of a sword or greatsword.
“My sister made it for you, so don’t lose it.”
“Her Highness? Thank you!”
Gong Son-tae and Cha Jung-kyeong sidled in slyly.
“Nothing for us?”
“Me too.”
Cheol Mu-ok stepped forward.
“We’ll split them one each.”
“Score!”
“Thanks!”
Meanwhile, Ju Tae was dumbfounded. No one had even glanced his way.
Song Hoe finally turned to him.
“Who’s this guy?”
‘Quick to ask.’
* * *
Go Mi immersed herself in the hot water.
Outside, the warriors were busy preparing dinner in honor of her long-awaited return.
Treat the youngest as your lord and follow him. This isn’t an order—it’s a request.
Those were Yi So’s words before she left the Imperial Palace. It was unacceptable for the head of a covert organization to serve under someone.
But Go Mi couldn’t refuse.
From the new intelligence gathered during the palace operation, the Second Prince was practically the root of all evil. The Empress too, of course.
To exaggerate slightly, it wouldn’t be an overstatement to say he was plotting rebellion.
‘How could he do such a thing?’
She’d been stunned at first. But as time passed, it turned to anger, and she vowed to help the Crown Prince ascend to the throne by any means.
It wasn’t just loyalty to the Crown Prince.
Her upright nature couldn’t tolerate treason.
‘His Highness trusts the Great Prince absolutely. Not just because of blood ties, but because he believes in his abilities.’
In the Imperial Palace, Go Mi had come to see Yi Hwan in a new light. His plan had unfolded without a single error, ultimately succeeding in severing the Second Prince’s funding.
Even she, at the operation’s center, had doubted success more than once or twice. Yet the result was a resounding triumph, easing the Crown Prince’s Palace’s worries.
‘My lord...’
Go Mi imagined Yi Hwan as her lord.
But it didn’t quite click yet.
Splash!
Go Mi lay back in the water.
She sensed someone entering the backyard. Then a figure shimmered above the water.
“The Great Prince sends this.”
Splash!
Go Mi poked her head out of the water.
The warrior held a bottle of liquor.
“From the Great Prince?”
“Yes. He said it’s a gift from His Highness the Crown Prince.”
Go Mi’s eyes widened slightly.
“He brought it himself?”
“Yes. When he heard you were bathing, he left this and departed. Dinner’s ready, Moon Lord.”
“Got it. I’ll be right out. Leave the liquor on the table—we’ll all share it.”
“A gift from His Highness...”
“It’s fine. It’s just booze.”
“......”
* * *
Jinsha, northwest of Gui Prefecture.
The clash between Qin and Zhao had turned the area into a battlefield overnight, and heavy rain poured from morning.
The front had originally been farther north, but Zhao’s deployment of major forces had pushed down to Jinsha. It was a defeat no one in Qin had foreseen.
Rumble!
Crack!
Pour!
Amid the raging thunder and lightning, Qin’s camp exerted every effort on vigilance.
Yielding Jinsha would mean losing the south next, so Qin had sent reinforcements to bolster defenses.
“Damn it, what if those Zhao bastards push down again with their martial artists out front?”
“That punk’s scared. They say our own martial artists will join soon. Rumor has it masters from the Namgung Family are coming personally—something to look forward to.”
“For real? The Namgung Family’s really coming?”
“It’s still just rumor, but with our forces pushed back this far, you think the Imperial Palace will sit idle?”
“God, I hope some powerful martial artists show up.”
Qin’s initial attack had been pushed back to Jinsha because Zhao had first deployed large numbers of martial artists. Qin, riding high early on, had been caught flat-footed and routed.
Several renowned generals had fallen in the process, all to Zhao’s martial artists.
Rumble!
Crack!
Lightning webbed across the sky.
Splash, splash!
Cloaked figures appeared from behind. As the camp’s commander walked with them, the soldiers snapped to attention and saluted in unison.
“Loyalty!”
No one relaxed until the commander passed. But their eyes followed the commander and his companions.
How much time passed?
“It’s the Namgung Family!”
“Whoa! They’re really here!”
Cheers erupted everywhere.
The cloaked ones were revealed as Namgung Family masters.
Woooah!
The cheers spread across the entire camp.
The commander spoke to the man beside him amid the roar.
“Hear that cheering? Everyone’s been waiting for you.”
At those words, the figure beside the commander lowered his cloak. Early to mid-twenties? A striking youth with handsome features and dragon-like eyes.
Namgung Jang-cheon.
The unparalleled prodigy of the Namgung Family.
He was also at the center of rumors that he would become the Qin Emperor’s son-in-law.
He slowly scanned the camp.
A faint glow in his eyes flashed briefly, and his womanly lips parted.
“You said the enemy vanguard is the Blood Ghosts?”
“That’s right. Brutal fiends worse than yakshas, numbering over two hundred.”
“Strange. I heard their leader was killed by Yeon Kingdom’s Southern Legion forces and his body dismembered, hung at the camp gate. And you were overwhelmed by underlings like that?”
“Is that true?”
“Yes. Not just killed—torn limb from limb and displayed.”
“Such a thing...”
Namgung Jang-cheon turned his gaze northwest and said.
“The Zhao forces have someone stronger than the Blood Ghosts.”
Flash!
For an instant, a strange light flickered deep in Namgung Jang-cheon’s pupils before vanishing.
“We’ll kill them for you.”