Chapter 876

Hong Jin stared hard at the golden armor blocking his way.

His voice, usually as high and gentle as a woman’s, had sunk lower than anyone had ever heard it.

“Move.”

“Impossible. You cannot take a single step beyond this place.”

“I said move.”

“Sir! Deputy Military Commissioner!”

“Do you really think you can stop me? You lot dare?”

“……!”

The several dozen Embroidered Uniform Guards looked at one another, their faces stiff.

They already knew the eunuch standing before them was no pushover.

They said no matter how high you climbed, power never lasted ten years, and no flower stayed red for ten days. But things were different when you were talking about the East Depot’s former Investigating Eunuch, who had once enjoyed the late Emperor’s favor.

Besides, plenty of old officials still remained at court, and Hong Jin surely had ties with them.

Whether those ties were friendships forged as fellow servants of the late Emperor or secrets he’d seized while holding sway over the East Depot, no one could say. But one thing was certain.

His influence was not to be underestimated.

“Even after more than ten years away from the palace, a few letters are enough to send a low-ranking Embroidered Uniform Guard to the borderlands. So get the hell out of my way, if you want to keep wearing that shiny armor.”

A cold flame flickered in Hong Jin’s eyes.

It had been two shichen¹ since his young lord left to meet the Emperor.

The eunuch, renowned even within the East Depot for his cool head, was already at the end of his patience.

If I’d known it would come to this, I should’ve done whatever it took to go with him.

Something had clearly happened.

He tried to suppress the unease that kept rising inside him, but even that was getting harder to do.

Just as Hong Jin bit down hard on his lip without realizing it—

“Everyone, calm down. Take it easy.”

A breezy voice cut in out of nowhere. Hyuk Mujin stepped in front of Hong Jin and waved the Embroidered Uniform Guards down.

“Try to be understanding. It’s taking a while, so he’s worried.”

“Martial artist Hyuk!”

“Come now, Comrade Hong, you should calm down too. What did these people do wrong? We underlings do what we’re told, whether they say ‘get down’ or ‘bark.’ Right?”

The Embroidered Uniform Guards frowned, unsure whether he was taking their side or calling them sons of bitches to their faces. Hyuk Mujin didn’t give them time to think it over.

“Still, could you at least find out what’s going on? We’re tired enough as it is. If you make this difficult, nobody’s going to have a good time. Right?”

“Wait. That’s…”

“Oh, you’ll check? Wow! The Embroidered Uniform Guard! The pride of the Great Nation! The guardians of the imperial family! Thanks a fucking lot! If you get the time, drop by the Hyuk Family Textile Shop in the center of the Imperial Capital. Give them my name and you can get a discount.”

There was no chance to reply. Without waiting for the guards’ answer, Hyuk Mujin turned, grabbed Hong Jin, and hurried him away.

He spoke in a low whisper.

“There’s nothing to gain by provoking them right now. You know better than most, so why are you doing this? Get a grip.”

Those words didn’t make Hong Jin’s unease disappear, but they were enough to remind him of the reality he’d briefly forgotten.

Hyuk Mujin was right.

If he used his remaining influence at court to move a few powerful figures, all he’d manage to do was get rid of a few hunting dogs.

He wouldn’t touch the body, let alone the head. Reaching the owner holding the hunting dogs’ leashes was out of the question.

Now was the time to hide his claws and sheath his fangs.

Of course, though his head had cooled, his heart was still pounding wildly.

“Aren’t you worried, Martial artist Hyuk?”

At Hong Jin’s sudden question, Hyuk Mujin tilted his head.

“Sorry? About what?”

“You don’t feel any particular loyalty toward His Highness Prince Shangshan. I know that. It’s the nature of martial artists, so I have no intention of criticizing you for it. But…”

“Oh, you mean I’m not worried about what happened to the Captain who went with him?”

Hong Jin nodded weakly, and Hyuk Mujin answered at once.

“Of course I’m worried. I am.”

“Then how can you be so calm?”

“This is the best I can do.”

“What?”

“I’ve followed the Captain through all kinds of trouble. Whenever he’s stepped in to handle something himself, he’s found a way to settle it.”

“……!”

“No matter how badly things got tangled, in the end, the Captain swept it all away. All those bastards who strutted around claiming to be masters or secret masterminds went off to interview with Yama.²”

Hyuk Mujin looked at Hong Jin’s wide eyes and continued in an unruffled voice.

“To be perfectly honest, I’ve never met anyone as strong as the Captain. He’s insanely strong.”

“Martial artist Hyuk, I’m sorry, but I’ll be blunt. The imperial palace is practically a living monster. No matter how skilled a Supreme Peak master Young Master Jin is…”

“I wasn’t just talking about martial arts.”

“……?”

“Not his martial arts. The man himself. He’s just a strong person, period. That’s the kind of person the Captain is.”

“……!”

“Even if the palace is crawling with masters a level or two above him, they still won’t be able to handle the Captain. It makes no sense, but that’s how the Captain I know has always been.”

“Does that make any sense?”

“It shouldn’t, but somehow it does. Isn’t that why you asked our Captain to look after His Highness Prince Shangshan?”

Hong Jin was struck speechless. Then he understood.

When he’d first received Ma Sanbao’s secret letter saying the Embroidered Uniform Guard was on the move, why had Jin Taekyung been the first person to come to mind?

Trust between them?

Of course that mattered. But if trust alone had been the deciding factor, he would have brought Li Feng, a lay disciple of Huashan and the Assistant Military Commissioner of Shanxi Province.

Though Li Feng and Hong Jin had briefly been at odds, Li Feng had remained unwaveringly loyal to Prince Shangshan for years, even when the prince had been all but cast adrift.

Compared to that, calling Hong Jin’s relationship with Jin Taekyung one of mutual trust was a little embarrassing.

It was true that he had a fairly close business relationship with the Jin Family of Taiyuan.

But why?

Why had he asked for Jin Taekyung when he could have brought a proven loyalist or another master from the martial world?

Hong Jin already knew the answer.

“You’re right, Martial artist Hyuk. I’d foolishly forgotten for a moment. I let my emotions get the better of me.”

Seeing Hong Jin regain his composure as if nothing had happened, Hyuk Mujin grinned.

“I understand. It happens.”

“Young Master Jin… yes, he really is an unfathomable person. Most of what I’ve heard about him is hard to believe. Of course, some of the information I went to great trouble to obtain must be nonsense.”

“Nonsense? What information?”

“Oh, that?”

Hong Jin gave a small laugh.

“You’d laugh your head off if you heard it, too, Martial artist Hyuk. Apparently, Young Master Jin caught a dragon in Dongting Lake.”

“That’s definitely a rumor. It was more of an imugi than a dragon.”

“Thought so. I paid a thousand gold pieces for that information, and this is the kind of ridiculous…”

Hong Jin stopped mid-sentence.

After a breathless silence, he finally managed to squeeze out a few words.

“What did you just say?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“No, just now. You said it wasn’t a dragon…”

“Oh. An imugi. That’s right. I was there, too. At first I thought I was dreaming, but after a while I realized I wasn’t. Well, it didn’t fly through the sky, so it definitely wasn’t a dragon. It was an imugi.”

“……?”

“By the way, what piece of shit leaked that information? That was supposed to have been handled quietly, under the strictest secrecy.”

“……!”

Still reeling as if time had stopped, Hong Jin realized that everything Hyuk Mujin had said earlier had been true. Every last word.

Choosing Jin Taekyung really had been a stroke of genius.

An imugi? He caught an imugi? A person caught an imugi? Wait, those things actually exist?

The shock was so great that, for a moment, he even forgot to worry about the young prince.

Just as Hong Jin stood frozen with his mouth hanging open, Hyuk Mujin, who’d been cursing the rumor-monger for some time, cautiously spoke up.

“Um, would you be willing to spend another thousand gold pieces? I saw a talking tiger when I went to Nanman recently…”

“Move!”

A shout rang out, carried on internal energy. It was a voice Hong Jin knew all too well.

Hong Jin whipped his head around. His eyes widened like saucers when he saw who it was, while Hyuk Mujin, who’d been trying to strike a quiet deal, cried out on instinct.

“I’m sorry! Please spare me! I didn’t say anything! May the Captain protect me—long live the Jin Family of Taiyuan!”

“I’m back. I have something to tell you, so let’s get inside… Hyuk Mujin, you little shit, what’s wrong with you? Why is he acting like that?”

Hong Jin had been about to tell him about the talking tiger, but his heart sank.

Where is His Highness…?

No matter how many times he looked around, he couldn’t see him.

His young lord. The Great Nation’s last hope.

Hong Jin rubbed his eyes with his sleeve again and again, but only one person was coming toward him.

Jin Taekyung, the Blazing Flame Divine Dragon.

So it’s come to this.

Something had definitely happened. That cruel Emperor’s hand had finally reached his lord.

But Hong Jin fought back the haze gathering before his eyes.

It wasn’t over yet. Surely that young martial artist had found some way out.

And as if to answer Hong Jin’s hopes, Jin Taekyung—who’d nearly knocked the Embroidered Uniform Guards, standing firm as iron towers, flying with a shoulder-check—moved his lips.

“Get inside the pavilion. Right now!”

Of course, he didn’t forget to smack his one loyal subordinate on the back of the head in the moment he had to spare.

“Glad you returned safely…”

Whack!

“Ow!”

“Yeah, I’m back safe and sound, you little shit.”

Back at the pavilion, I used my internal energy to soundproof the place, then quickly laid out what had happened.

As briefly as possible. Just the essentials.

First. The Emperor had locked Prince Shangshan inside Qianqing Palace under the pretext of protecting him.

Second. That Emperor was shameless as hell. Like the rabbit in the old folktale³ who left his liver behind, he seemed to keep his conscience hidden somewhere else. Oh, and he was a Supreme Peak master who looked way older than he was.

Third. It seemed like the beloved concubine the Emperor had taken from the City Lord of Sichuan Province a few months ago was in Qianqing Palace.

That wrapped up my summary. Even the twenty-first-century summary junkies who treated their eyes and scroll wheels as mere decorations would’ve given it a passing grade. Hong Jin’s expression had changed with every point; now all that remained was unconcealable shock.

“The City Lord of Sichuan Province’s concubine… is staying in Qianqing Palace?”

“Yes. Almost certainly. But before I draw my own conclusions, there’s something I need to ask you.”

I took a deep breath and asked again.

“Is it normal for the Empress or the imperial consorts to stay in Qianqing Palace?”

“Not at all.”

“Even a consort the Emperor favors?”

“Not at all. The rules of the imperial family are strict.”

“Then…”

“That’s right. There’s only one explanation.”

Hong Jin and I met eyes. The next moment, we spoke at the same time.

“Pregnant.”

“With child.”

Fuck.

The Emperor seemed to have found a new heir for the Great Nation to replace Prince Shangshan.