Chapter 884

The moment I saw what was happening, I thought:

I knew this would happen.

It wasn’t as if I were some gifted shaman who’d come rushing over because a divine spirit told me to. I’d decided I should see for myself as soon as Hong Jin gave me the news.

“People from Young Master Jin’s group entered the palace a little while ago. Disguised as a circus troupe. But…”

“Did something go wrong?”

“I think so. They seem to have attracted more attention than we expected. You know that huge man in the group?”

“Ah, fuck. I told them not to do that.”

“…I haven’t even said anything yet.”

“What’s the point? I know what they’re usually like. I’d better go take a look.”

Wait. Eunuch Ma must have made arrangements. Let’s give it a little longer.

“I know my companions better than anyone. Even if it’s only to be safe, I should see for myself.”

“Captain, you’re absolutely right. I’ll escort you and have you back in no time, so Comrade Hong can relax.”

“Mujin.”

“Yes, Captain.”

“Quit showing off and stay here.”

“……”

“That bastard would only go and cause another mess.”

I’d left the pavilion without a moment’s hesitation half an hour ago.

For some reason, ever since I’d met the Emperor two days earlier, the Embroidered Uniform Guard surrounding the pavilion had only watched from a distance. They hadn’t tried to stop me. And the place Hong Jin had told me about was much closer than I’d expected.

I’d had to take a roundabout route to avoid looking suspicious, but fortunately, I’d arrived just in time.

Right now.

“Oh, Hogun. What are you doing here?”

At my casual greeting, the air around us, taut as a bowstring, eased.

Then every eye turned to me. Among the faces were a few that looked unfamiliar and familiar at the same time.

I don’t know if those are human-skin masks or what, but they’ve done a hell of a job with the disguise technique.

The smallest change to someone’s features could give them a completely different look.

Pretending to sweep my gaze over the crowd, I spotted my companions huddled in one corner. Then I waved to Jeong Hogun.

“There’s an old saying that you can’t spit in a smiling face, but looking at you, Hogun, I guess that isn’t always true. Could you at least answer when someone speaks to you?”

Jeong Hogun opened his mouth, his expression subdued.

“Who are you calling ‘our Hogun’?”

“Fine, then. Your Hogun.”

“As always, it’s impossible to have a sensible conversation with you.”

“What’s the point of a bunch of smelly, black balls understanding each other? Are you interested in me, by any chance?”

“Not at all. But I am interested in why you’ve suddenly appeared here.”

That was the Embroidered Uniform Guard for you.

His tone was blunt, but the meaning behind it was sharp as a needle. Still, I hadn’t spent all my time stumbling around Murim training only my martial skills.

And the half hour I’d spent getting here had given me plenty of time to think about how to avoid the enemy’s suspicion—and what to do if I drew it anyway.

“What the hell do you mean, why? I was bored and taking a walk nearby. Things looked tense, so I came over.”

I pointed to the blood splattered across the ground. It had to have come from someone.

“Thought I might find something, and sure enough.”

“……”

“On my way here, I saw about fifteen people being dragged off in a line. What did they do, commit treason?”

Jeong Hogun stared at me for a long while without answering, then abruptly spoke.

“They were trying to attend the banquet disguised as courtesans.”

I wasn’t lying about seeing people dragged away.

I remembered the corpse one of the Embroidered Uniform Guard had hauled off, rolled up in a straw mat. That was probably the courtesan Jeong Hogun meant.

I wonder why she did it.

I had no way of knowing. She might have survived the destruction of her family at the Emperor’s hands, or she might have been an assassin sent by someone who considered themselves a champion of loyalty and righteousness.

There were plenty of possibilities. The problem was that the incident had put Jeong Hogun even more on edge. He might start suspecting my companions.

This can’t be how things go from the start.

I spoke as naturally as I could, with the same hint of contempt in my eyes and voice I’d used until now.

“You brought down a traitor who dared raise a blade against His Majesty the Emperor. You’re definitely getting promoted this time, Thousand Captain Jeong.”

“I didn’t kill her. She took her own life.”

“It’s basically the same thing. Why do you think she killed herself? Because being dragged off and tortured to death would’ve been worse. She’d failed anyway, so dying cleanly was a hundred, a thousand times better. You know that too, don’t you?”

Jeong Hogun was silent for a moment, then answered evenly.

“Yes. You’re right.”

What?

He’d always been like that, but there was something strange about how little my sharp words seemed to affect him. I wondered to myself,

Has he noticed something?

His instincts seemed sharper than those of the other Embroidered Uniform Guards. I couldn’t rule it out, and if he had noticed something, I couldn’t leave things as they were.

I smiled broadly and stepped forward.

“Nice to see you admit I’m right for once. How about I lend you a hand while I’m here?”

“You want to help?”

“It’s easy enough. Who knows? If I catch a traitor even the Embroidered Uniform Guard couldn’t weed out, maybe His Majesty the Emperor will grant me a wish.”

“What are you up to?”

“There you go again. That’s an occupational disease, you know. At this stage, even the Divine Physician couldn’t cure you.”

Thank goodness every eye was on me.

I pretended not to notice the Divine Physician flinching on reflex among the crowd, then shrugged at Jeong Hogun.

“Anyway, say the word if you don’t want my help. Otherwise, I’ll take a quick look around. I’m better at that sort of thing than you are. You know that.”

I wasn’t just saying that.

Jeong Hogun was far better at surveillance and interrogation, but when it came to judging someone’s martial skill, I was a step ahead of him. I’d crossed the threshold of Supreme Peak, after all.

No—if I could use Qi Sense, which I couldn’t right now, to get precise information, I’d be the perfect person for the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Of course, my offer probably sounded strange to everyone else.

—Is this madman serious…?

—What are you plotting?

Two Sound Transmissions reached me in succession. The first came from Jeok Cheongang. The second came from Jeong Hogun.

I gave a quiet laugh and replied in kind, addressing only the man staring at me as though determined not to miss the slightest opening.

—Why bother with Sound Transmission? It’s not that big a deal.

—Answer me properly. Why are you doing this?

—Why? Isn’t it obvious?

I looked Jeong Hogun straight in the eye and moved my lips.

—What if some lunatic starts swinging a sword at the banquet? And what if that stern Emperor you love so much gets hurt? Who do you think’s going to take the blame for it all?

—……!

—I’m not doing this for the master you serve. I’m doing it to protect His Highness Prince Shangshan, you idiot.

It was an explanation that made perfect sense from start to finish. I’d come up with it in a hurry on the way here, but it worked.

The muscles in Jeong Hogun’s rigid face relaxed, if only a little.

Success.

But I wasn’t finished.

I swallowed the sigh of relief that was about to escape me, clicked my tongue, and turned away.

—From what I can see, there’s no one particularly suspicious right now. Just do your job properly from here on out. Both of us have someone to protect, don’t we?

That was it.

I walked back the way I’d come, at an easy pace, crossing through the now-quiet crowd. I didn’t forget to pause and react when I reached Taishan, whose face had changed but whose massive build hadn’t.

“Whoa, damn. Look at the size of you. What on earth do you eat to get that big?”

Taishan answered haltingly.

“I like… I like five-spice pork.”

“Liar.”

“…Huh?”

“You look like you’d eat anything.”

“Oh. Uh, yeah. I do.”

“Those muscles and bones of yours are ridiculous. You’ve trained in external arts, haven’t you?”

“Geosan. Sold to circus troupe when young. Had to learn to survive.”

Circus troupes traveled the land putting on shows. You could find one in just about any sizable city, and there was nothing strange about performers who pushed their bodies so hard learning external arts.

What’s strange is how huge he is to begin with.

I thought to myself, then ran my hands over Taishan’s arms and legs, which were packed with muscle.

“With a build like this, you could beat most First Rate masters with your fists… Where are you from?”

Namho, an old man with dark skin standing beside us, promptly bowed and answered.

“We’re based north of the Yangtze, sir. We mostly perform in Hebei and Liaoning Province.”

“Oh, that’s close. If you’re interested, stop by the Jin Family of Taiyuan in Shanxi Province sometime. He may have missed his chance, but if he has enough internal energy to back it up, he could still become a great martial artist.”

“We’re grateful for the offer, but we’d rather not. As you can see, he’s not as bright as most, but he’s the treasure of our circus troupe…”

His time in the Hidden Shadow Pavilion had certainly made Namho a hell of an improviser.

Namho was showing the kind of acting that could kick one of Chungmuro’s¹ rising stars in the shins. After exchanging a few more words with him, I left with an exaggeratedly disappointed look.

Inside, I was certain.

That did it.

Anyone who’d heard us would now know that the giant had learned enough external arts to defeat a First Rate master, that his troupe performed north of the Yangtze, far from the Imperial Capital, and that there wasn’t much reason to suspect them.

And the potbellied official turned out to be an ally I hadn’t even known about.

“If there’s nothing more to investigate, let them through. They’ve already been thoroughly vetted several times, and I have a mountain of work to do.”

Hong Jin’s words flashed through my mind.

Wait. Eunuch Ma must have made arrangements. Let’s give it a little longer.

Those words hadn’t been a lie.

Rather than draw attention by mobilizing the East Depot, Ma Sanbao must have planted an ally where no one would notice.

Luckily, my arrival fit right in.

After I’d walked a little over ten jang,² my keen hearing picked up Jeong Hogun’s blunt voice.

“Let them through.”

I cheered inwardly, then found myself at a loss for words when a Sound Transmission came from Jeok Cheongang.

—As expected, you had a plan all along. This old man never doubted you.

—……

No, Old Master.

A moment ago, you called me a madman.