Chapter 875

The farewell was brief.

Before long, the palace attendants returned. They surrounded Prince Shangshan and led him away through Qianqing Palace’s vast, maze-like corridors.

For now, this is the best I can do.

I thought to myself as I watched the young prince’s back, glimpsed now and then between the attendants.

How much time did that child have left?

I didn’t know.

If I’d gained anything from this audience, it was confirmation that the Emperor wasn’t a complete madman who would stop at nothing.

His coup has already made him plenty of enemies. He can’t get rid of his youngest brother the same way.

Everything needs at least some pretext.

Even in an era of absolute monarchy, with the Emperor ruling over all, that was no exception. And the Emperor, who’d brought a bloody storm to the imperial palace more than a decade ago, had dangers lurking out of sight.

Old retainers who longed for the late Emperor.

And common people who pitied the young prince.

If Prince Shangshan died under unnatural circumstances now, it would give someone a pretext for another rebellion.

Poisoning would look the most natural…but it won’t be easy.

No one knew exactly how far the Myriad-Poison Ring’s power extended.

But it was a rare treasure that had even absorbed the Formless Ultimate Poison that once spread through Jeok Cheongang’s body. Even the Emperor wouldn’t have an easy time obtaining poison of that caliber.

Unless he eventually discovered the Myriad-Poison Ring and took it by force.

But I’ve bought us some time, at least.

Did I regret leaving the Myriad-Poison Ring with Prince Shangshan?

No.

From everything I’d seen so far, the Emperor and Dark Heaven were definitely connected somehow, and if the imperial family fell into their hands, it was all over.

I had to protect Prince Shangshan, even at the risk of losing the ring.

He was the anti-Emperor faction’s only hope, the one person who could hold it together.

And he was one of the friends I’d made here.

Though there’s a bit of an age gap for me to call him a friend.

I smiled bitterly and watched until Prince Shangshan and his party disappeared from sight.

When I turned away, heavy-hearted, a woman stood quietly watching me. I still wasn’t used to seeing her, but her face was the sort I’d remember for a long time after a single meeting.

“Have you been waiting long?”

So Gyo answered calmly. “No. This humble woman is carrying out His Majesty the Emperor’s orders. What does it matter whether the wait is long or short?”

Can’t fault her loyalty.

I gave an awkward nod. “Then let’s go.”

The Emperor’s order So Gyo had mentioned was to guide me out of Qianqing Palace.

Of course, “guide” was a polite way of saying she was watching me and kicking me out. But what did it matter?

“I’ll lead the way. Please follow me.”

I’d barely taken a few steps after her when I frowned.

“Wait. I don’t think this is the right way.”

“It is. You remember the way we came.”

Of course I did. I’d made a point of checking my escape route in case the worst happened.

“Don’t just say it is. I’m telling you we’re going the wrong way.”

“The way into Qianqing Palace is different from the way out.”

“What?”

“The life gate can become the death gate, and the death gate can become the life gate. Since you’re a martial artist who travels the martial world, Young Master Jin, I thought you would understand what that means.”

“……!”

I fell silent. A word flashed through my mind like a bolt of lightning.

“Don’t tell me…mechanisms and formations?”

So Gyo gave a slight nod and started walking again. I stared after her for a moment before hurrying to follow, still reeling from what she’d told me.

Damn it. Even for an Emperor, this is ridiculous. This isn’t a residence. It’s an impregnable fortress.

There were no fewer than three Supreme Peak masters stationed in Qianqing Palace, not counting the Emperor.

One was a master of the concealment technique who guarded him at close range. And even by a conservative estimate, more than a hundred elite assassins were stationed throughout the palace.

On top of all that, mechanisms and formations?

He’s definitely not normal.

Naturally, an Emperor needed tight security. But there were limits.

The defenses here were abnormal, as though they reflected the Emperor I’d met just moments ago.

Maybe he was afraid, too. He made so many enemies.

They said thirty thousand people had been dismembered or beheaded during his coup.

Among them were his own blood relatives in the imperial family, founding heroes who had laid the foundations of the Great Nation, upright officials, and renowned scholars.

All of them had died.

Killed in a coup that defied the natural order, on the command of a single man.

It would have been absurd if an Emperor like that didn’t have enemies.

Then could it be…?

As I followed So Gyo, I thought of him not as the Emperor who stood above all others, but as a Supreme Peak master.

His formidable martial prowess. His face, which looked ten years older than it should have—no, a good twenty years older for a man so young and so skilled.

Was that why?

Supreme Peak was a lofty realm no one could enter through innate talent alone.

And yet the ruler of the continent, who had everything anyone could want, had sweated blood to learn martial arts.

He must have swung weapons without pause, like the martial artists of the martial world he called ruffians. At times, he must have groaned under pain that racked his whole body.

Even so, it seemed he had never entirely shaken his fear of assassination or his nightmares.

It’s only a guess, but it’s certainly possible.

I’d taken countless lives with these hands. I thought I could understand a little of what he felt.

There was no such thing as a justifiable killing. Only a killing with a pretext.

I’d comforted myself by saying I’d had no choice, that they were people I had to defeat. But that didn’t change the truth.

The countless dead would come to torment me from time to time—maybe even quite often—and I’d wake up drenched in cold sweat.

So what must it be like for an Emperor who’d killed tens of thousands in a coup with no pretext at all?

His nights must be a real inferno.

I smiled bitterly and kept walking. So Gyo led me onward without a word, deeper into passages I couldn’t make sense of.

I was starting to get a bad feeling.

“Um, can I ask you something?”

So Gyo stopped and turned around. At the same time, she spoke without hesitation.

“It’s all right.”

“What?”

“I mean that nothing unfortunate will happen to you, Young Master Jin. Please follow me.”

I was quiet for a moment, then clicked my tongue.

“Right to the heart of it. Did you learn to read minds?”

“No. I noticed that your breathing had become slightly uneven.”

“Oh. I gave it away, huh? You’re perceptive.”

“I’ve learned martial arts as well. Few things matter more to a martial artist than controlling one’s breathing.”

She was right. The higher a master’s realm, the more likely a fight was to be decided in less than a breath.

But that didn’t change how pointed she sounded. As I watched her turn away, I thought, Is she picking a fight with me?

Probably. No, almost certainly.

It was absurd for So Gyo, who was First Rate at best, to lecture me. I let it pass with a silent chuckle.

She was one of the Emperor’s loyal servants, and I was in enemy territory. What else could I expect?

I should be grateful she isn’t attacking me.

There was no point arguing. I shook my head and was about to start walking again when—

Crash.

“……!”

The sound was faint, but I heard it clearly. It came from somewhere in a dark corridor beyond one of the paths branching off like a crossroads.

Then I heard an irritated voice.

“You lowly wretches! How dare you…!”

“Please follow me.”

So Gyo hurried over and blocked my path. Ignoring her, I drew up my internal energy and sharpened my senses.

A woman. That was definitely a woman’s voice.

Something was going on. Something I didn’t know about yet.

And if I wanted to accomplish what I’d come to do in this damn imperial palace, I needed every clue I could get.

Step.

“Young Master Jin!”

Her low shout reached me the moment I stepped toward the darkness. She glared at me, her cold eyes carrying an unmistakable warning.

That only made me more certain. If she was this determined to stop me, there was something outsiders must never see.

But this was the Emperor’s residence. I put on an innocent smile and pretended not to understand.

“It sounded like something happened. Shouldn’t we go take a look?”

“I told you to follow me.”

“Come on. The imperial palace isn’t very friendly, is it? Who was that just now? Sounded like a woman to me.”

“That’s enough. I’ve warned you.”

“One warning means I’m still fine for now, right? But seriously, who was it? I’m so curious I might not sleep tonight.”

“Better that than sleeping forever.”

Her face set, So Gyo suddenly cried out, “Come out!”

Shhk-shhk-shhk!

In an instant, a dozen or so blades dropped from the high ceiling and surrounded me.

Black masks as dark as the shadows, with the eyes of killers visible above them.

Surrounded in a flash by the assassins of Qianqing Palace, I spoke in a low, heavy voice.

“You said nothing unfortunate would happen.”

So Gyo put a hand on the flexible sword at her waist. “It won’t. As long as you turn around and leave quietly.”

“I just looked because I heard a strange noise. Why are you so touchy?”

“Should I take this to mean you intend to defy His Majesty’s will?”

“That would be a problem.”

“Then turn around and follow me. Quietly.”

“And if I don’t?”

Ssshhh.

I silently drew up my internal energy.

Perhaps it was the weight of my aura bearing down around them, or perhaps they expected a bloody fight. Either way, So Gyo and the assassins’ faces went cold as ice. I looked them over one by one, then quietly raised both hands.

“Fine. I surrender.”

“……!”

“Just finish showing me the way. I need to get back and eat.”

So Gyo let out a small sigh and dismissed the assassins. I watched them withdraw and smiled to myself.

There was no need to invite any more danger here.

Though I’d been stopped in no time, I’d already accomplished what I’d set out to do.

I’d heard that woman’s sharp cry clearly.

And it reminded me of someone’s voice I’d heard a few months ago at the residence of the City Lord of Sichuan Province.

It had been so sweet and dripping with seduction that I couldn’t have forgotten it.

What was her name…?

Right. Aehyang.

The beloved concubine the Emperor had taken from the City Lord of Sichuan Province.