In Nanzhou (5)
At that moment.
As Eun Seo-ho had predicted, the mountain stronghold was in utter chaos.
Not only had the four Gold Guard warriors they were torturing for information vanished without a trace, but they had also discovered—far too late—that dozens of their own men lay dead.
"W-what the hell is going on here?!"
The chieftain trembled with rage.
They had gone to capture the men based on the informant's tip, but when they followed the trail, all they found was a single deer bone stuck in the ground.
A blatant act of mockery.
Furious, they had returned—only to find even greater cause for outrage.
That's right.
They had been completely duped from start to finish.
The chieftain recalled how it all began.
No need to go far back.
"Grab that bastard informant right now!"
"Yes, sir!"
.
.
.
Meanwhile, the informant had no more worries.
The Gold Guards who knew his dirty secrets had been captured, and those who came looking for them would have been caught too.
He had even kindly warned them to prepare thoroughly just in case, so they must have brought their full force.
There was no way the stronghold's men could have let them slip away.
All that remained was the cleanup.
Still, he had to report this to his superiors. But he had no intention of doing so immediately. Reporting too quickly might arouse suspicion against him.
He was on his way to meet the one who wanted his information, then return to his quarters.
That's when someone called out from behind.
"Informant?"
He turned to see familiar faces.
"Men from the stronghold, eh? What business do you have with me?"
"The chieftain summons you."
"Right now?"
"Yes. He wants to express his gratitude and ask you a few questions."
The informant nodded without a hint of suspicion.
"Very well. Lead the way."
"We'll escort you."
And so they headed to the stronghold. As the informant entered and began to cup his hands in greeting to the chieftain...
Bam—!
Before he could finish, he was sent flying by the chieftain's strike, crashing into the wall.
"Urk! Chieftain! What is the meaning of this?!"
"Meaning? You fucking snitch bastard! Feel good screwing us over twice, you son of a bitch?!"
"W-what are you talking about? Why would I screw you over?"
"You said those bastards were roasting meat down below, right? We went, and all we found was a deer bone."
"What?"
"We tracked the trail just in case, and at the end? Another deer bone."
"......"
"And when we got back, the Gold Guards were gone, and our men were dead?"
"So in this situation, who the hell do you think I should go after?"
At those words, the informant's face drained of color.
That meant the men from the palace had seen through his schemes from the very beginning.
In other words, he had been the one duped.
"I-I'm innocent too! I don't want the Gold Guards rescued any more than you do!"
The chieftain snorted derisively.
"Come to think of it, something felt off. One of the emperor's direct subordinates selling out Gold Guards? Be honest. You used us!"
Shing.
As the chieftain drew his sword, the informant cried out desperately.
"I-I'm—no, I am Dongchang! A direct subordinate of His Imperial Majesty! Touching me is high treason!"
"What bullshit. You fucking prick. Hey! We touched the Gold Guards, and nothing happened to us."
The men around nodded in agreement.
"True enough."
"If we were scared of that, we wouldn't have touched them in the first place."
"Eh, die here or die there, same difference."
Faced with their murderous glares, the informant collapsed and scrambled backward—only to hit the wall.
In that instant, his body shot forward.
The signature of Dongchang martial arts: stealthy, swift movement.
Thud—!
But the chieftain's martial prowess was superior, so he was seized and slammed to the ground.
With his acupoints sealed in an instant, the chieftain commanded.
"Drag him to the basement!"
"Yes, sir!"
Thus, the informant's escape attempt failed, and he ended up hanging on the very wall where the Gold Guard warriors had been chained.
* * *
I examined the wounds of the Gold Guard daehyeops.
Thanks to the expensive, high-quality medicines, they were healing faster than expected—but the injuries were so severe.
Some had wounds deep enough to expose bone.
"Urk......"
"Are you alright...? That was a stupid question. Of course you're not."
"Still, we're grateful to be alive."
Everyone nodded at Jin Yeong Daehyeop's words.
"The problem is that we failed to fulfill His Majesty's command."
"Kuh! Jin Daehyeop is right. That's what galls us most."
Bang Noshi clicked his tongue.
"Overzealous loyalty, that. Just focus on recovering."
I spoke gently.
"They have their own thoughts and circumstances. Don't scold them too harshly."
Turning to the Gold Guard daehyeops, I continued.
"Even enduring that pain to gather information—that alone will be a crucial lead in resolving this. You've more than done your duty."
They looked deeply moved by my words, while Bang Noshi just chuckled heartily.
I was astonished that they had collected intel even under torture.
"It's just standard Gold Guard training," they said, but training and reality are worlds apart.
And the mental fortitude to apply it in the field!
Gold Guards truly lived up to their name.
Then Bang Noshi asked me.
"So, you're just going to leave that informant bastard be?"
"No."
I shook my head.
"Honestly, I'd love to let him rot, but we have to keep him alive and drag him back to the palace."
I went on.
"Do you think he pulled off that corruption alone? Someone must have turned a blind eye. We rescue him, haul him before His Majesty, and shake him down for everything."
"Fair point."
One of the Gold Guard daehyeops said.
"The palace excels at interrogation techniques."
A chill laced his voice.
"Ah, of course, if he loses a limb or two in the process, that's unavoidable."
"True enough."
"But this won't be easy."
I smiled at Bang Noshi's words.
"Don't underestimate yourself, Noshi-nim. With your stratagems, it'll be a breeze."
"Flatterer. Heh heh heh."
He didn't seem to mind the praise.
Then Jin Yeong Daehyeop asked.
"No request for reinforcements?"
"Well......"
I glanced at Bang Noshi, who explained.
"His Majesty sent this young man a letter, but someone was after him."
"What?"
"What does that imply?"
"His Majesty's orders leaked somehow. Request reinforcements in that situation?"
"It'd escalate the problem."
"Exactly. We handle this ourselves."
"......We burdened you without realizing. Our apologies."
"Enough. I'll grill some meat and think it over. Rest up."
"Yes, sir."
With that, Bang Noshi left, and the Gold Guard daehyeops chatted among themselves.
"With Minister Bang stepping in, we'll resolve this successfully."
"To target a letter from the palace to Minister Bang!"
"What kind of scum are they?"
"A few suspects come to mind......"
I quietly asked Jin Yeong Daehyeop.
"Daehyeop, who exactly is Bang Noshi-nim?"
"Hm? Why do you ask?"
"Working with him, I sensed he's no ordinary man."
Jin Yeong Daehyeop hummed thoughtfully, then asked seriously.
"......You really don't know who Minister Bang is?"
"No."
"Ever heard of the famed judge Yuk Sik-gong, the Meat-Eater Duke?"
"Of course."
When I was very young, there was a legendary judge called the Meat-Eater Duke for his love of meat.
With his tenacity and brilliant stratagems, he cleared thousands of wrongful accusations.
Proof of how many injustices plagued the land.
Criminals couldn't face him, and the people praised him.
But he was a master of politics, deflecting all acclaim to the emperor.
"The Retired Emperor appointed him to the Ministry of Justice, and he rose to Minister."
"So Bang Noshi-nim is that Yuk Sik-gong?"
"Indeed."
I hadn't known because he hid his identity meticulously.
Just another layer of his political savvy.
"Seven years ago, he submitted his resignation to His Majesty and retired to the countryside."
"I see."
"Calling back a man like that means the palace needs his help with something major."
Jin Yeong Daehyeop gritted his teeth.
"If only I were fully recovered, I could serve His Majesty sooner."
He was deeply frustrated.
Their injuries were so grave, it was uncertain if they could return to active duty.
Then Palgap approached.
"Time to change the bandages, sir."
"Ah, right?"
Palgap unwrapped Jin Yeong Daehyeop's leg. Still a gruesome sight that made one's skin crawl.
I wanted to heal these wounds.
Not just pity—though that was there too.
With talented people around His Majesty, I wouldn't end up as his errand boy.
Any spirit medicines nearby good for wound recovery?
There was the Divine Spirit Recovery Salve Geum-ryeong smuggled before, but sharing it might not suffice.
Then Geum-ryeong peeked out from my sleeve, eyes gleaming at the medicine in Palgap's hand.
How does this guy spot valuables so keenly?
- Kkwi!
- No! That's not food.
Good thing I could use sound transmission. Otherwise, Jin Yeong Daehyeop would've thought it odd.
- Kkwi...... kkwi......
- You little...
I quickly pulled out a silver coin and popped it in Geum-ryeong's mouth to placate it, then hid it back in my sleeve...
Aigoo!
Just then, Geum-ryeong's drool dripped onto Jin Yeong Daehyeop's wound. As I frantically wiped it, I noticed something extraordinary.
The area touched by the drool was healing at an astonishing rate.
Could Geum-ryeong's saliva...?
I rubbed a scratch on my hem stained with its drool.
"......!"
The scratch vanished.
My heart pounded.
Everyone! Geum-ryeong is such a good boy!
Why hadn't I known about this effect before?
Maybe a recent development.
From all the money—er, silver and gold—I've fed it?
Anyway, I'd ask Master later. For now, I rushed out.
Grabbed a bowl and headed to my room.
Pulled out Geum-ryeong and set it before the bowl.
"Geum-ryeong-ah, want this?"
Geum-ryeong eyed the gold coin in my other hand, drooling eagerly.
Not silver—a whole gold coin.
Drip, drip.
Just as planned, saliva pooled nicely in the bowl.
Even Geum-ryeong's drool looked lovable now. Am I getting too materialistic?
Once enough collected, I gave it the gold coin.
My resolve weakened...
Geum-ryeong chomped it down happily.
Aigu, good boy. Eat up, our Geum-ryeong.
Having devoured the gold, Geum-ryeong noticed my gaze, flinched, and shuddered.
Hey... don't make me feel guilty.
.
.
.
The next morning.
I brought the bowl of Geum-ryeong's saliva back to the Gold Guard daehyeops.
"Palgap-ah, apply this to their wounds."
"What's that?"
To Jin Yeong Daehyeop's question, I scratched my neck awkwardly.
"Truth is, last night I set out pure water and prayed all night for a way to speed your recovery. Then in a dream, a divine figure appeared and told me to apply the water to the wounds."
"Remarkable."
"Isn't it? Could be just a dream, but no harm in trying, right?"
I wondered if they'd buy it, but strange things happen.
Can't exactly say "spirit beast saliva," though.
Even if saliva heals, preconceptions are scary.