Nano Machine c 341 to 350

 Chapter 341 - Imperial Order (5) Chapter 341 - Imperial Order (5) Mun Yun pointed out the fact. He was from a family that had a long history in the Demonic Cult, so he knew many historical pacts made in the past. As he said, Yulin and the Imperial Palace were entirely independent of each other. There were some from the Yulin clan of the Forces of Justice that joined the Imperial Palace, but the Demonic Cult had no interest in that. The cult only served the Fire, Demon God, and the Lord who was a conduit to both of those. ‘Hmph. I knew this was coming.’ Yon Namgun sighed as soon as he heard it. There was no way the Demonic Cult will kneel to the King due to the nonaggression pact, nor will they succumb to threats. ‘It’s better to stop here and then make them become more uncomfortable.’ Carrying out any more of those plans that Yuking asked to do was only going to make cultists more furious. Yon Namgun thought Zhu Taikhan would stop here since things weren’t going as planned. But his expectation was wrong. “YOU DARE!! You dare try to teach the King of the Great Ming?! Guards! Bring this arrogant man down on his knees!!” Zhu Taikhan ordered and even the handsome lieutenant who stood next to Yon Namgun frowned. “Wai…” “As you wish, your highness.” Three of the Imperial Guards immediately pulled out their swords and charged at Mun Yun. “Hmph. You are going too far.” But there was no way Mun Yun would lose to top-class level warriors. Mun Yun easily shattered their swords with a flick of his hand. “M-my sword!” “Argh!” That’s when a few clan leaders came in and struck the guards down. “Protect the King!” “Treason!” The Imperial Guards immediately pulled out their weapons and used their steel shields to create a barrier. Yon Namgun became shocked by the situation going south, but Zhu Taikhan smiled as if he wanted this to happen all along. ‘Hehehe… they are making things worse for themselves!’ That’s when he heard a telepathic message. [Yuking! What do you think you are doing!!] Surprisingly, the chubby man who introduced himself as the King was actually Yuking. Yuking looked at the man who sent a telepathic message and responded politely. [Your highness. I am taking your order to teach these arrogant cultists a lesson.] [I never told you to do it this way!] The man who was sending the telepathic message frantically was the lieutenant who stood next to Yon Namgun. He was the true King Zhu Taikhan. ‘He said we just need to show the authority of the palace… YUKING!!!’ He disguised himself as a guard and had Yuking be his decoy, but Yuking said something Zhu Taikhan didn’t wish to speak about and made things worse. Yon Namgun was now looking at him, thinking that Zhu Taikhan actually ordered Yuking to do such a thing. [I-it’s not me!] Zhu Taikhan shook his head but it was too late. The Imperial Guards were frantically moving to be ready to fight. Yuking was satisfied with the situation. ‘With this, the cult will now side against the Empire. We didn’t even need to go down to the third option in the Grand Plan… everything has been done by Yuking’s hand…’ It was then when a shadow drew upon Yuking. It was Chun Yeowun who suddenly appeared in front of him. ‘H-how did he come through the guards?!’ There was no time to be surprised. Yuking, who was an established master, immediately attacked Yeowun. But… “Aaaaargh!” His hand was cut down immediately from the wrist. Yuking screamed and shouted angrily. “H-how dare you attack the King! This is treason!” “King? Don’t give me that rubbish.” “W-what are you…” Yeowun then gathered blade qi on his hand and cut down his other arm from his shoulder. “Aaaaaaargh!” Yuking rolled on the ground from the pain of losing both his right hand and his left arm. Blood poured out from the wound, soaking the ground with blood. Yeowun then reached down and picked Yuking’s chubby body up with his hand. Guards became shocked to see such strength. “W-what are you trying to…” “I’m trying to do this.” “Aaaaaargh!” Yeowun then threw Yuking toward the gate where the cultists were gathered. “Ugh!” Yuking was instantly transferred from behind the Imperial Guards to the middle of warriors of the Demonic Cult. “H-how dare you!” “Get him!” The Imperial Guards charged toward Yeowun with their swords, but Yeowun disappeared, leaving his trace behind. The Imperial Guards learned martial arts so they knew what this was. “H-he disappeared!” “It’s mirror image!” They tried to find Yeowun, but Yeowun was already in front of Zhu Taikhan and Southern Commander Yon Namgun, who were surrounded by the Imperial Guards. Yeowun was so fast that no one was able to see him clearly. “H-how did he get through the barrier?” “Get him!” Guards tried to charge at Yeowun, but three figures appeared around Yeowun and blocked them. It was Great Guardian Marakhim, Left Guardian Lee Hameng, and Right Guardian Submeng. Three Guardians at the level beyond their imagination easily broke through the Imperial Guard’s defenses. Lee Hameng drew a line on the ground with his distinct red sword and warned, “If you cross this line, it will cost at least an arm.” “Yeah, yeah. Same here.” Submeng also created a line on the ground with the blade qi from his Crazy Blade. Two superior master levels made all the Imperial Guards stay in their spots in fear. And now, powerful clan leaders were circling around them. ‘I-is this the Yulin… no, the Demonic Cult?!’ Zhu Taikhan was shocked. He too had learned martial arts — a barrier created by top-class warriors would be impenetrable. But it was useless against them. And Chun Yeowun, who didn’t even seem to have learned martial arts, was a monster beyond imagination. When the area became silent, Yeowun bowed slightly toward Zhu Taikhan and spoke. “Your highness. That lieutenant armor fits you well.” “?!” Chapter 342 - Imperial Order (6) Chapter 342 - Imperial Order (6) King Zhu Taikhan was dumbfounded. He had made a decoy and hid between guards, but this demon-like Lord knew that he was the King after all. Then did he play along even when he knew that Taikhan was hiding between the guards? Taikhan became speechless when Yon Namgun walked forward to protect Taikhan with a tense look. “I know there is the pact of nonaggression, but do you think it can be justified to injure an official of the Imperial Palace and threaten his highness?” He seemed much more careful with his tone now. But it didn’t make him any more comfortable with these cultists. Submeng then scoffed as he said, “Hah. Mister Commander. It’s not us, but you people who started this.” “B-but…” As Submeng said, it was the decoy to the King who started all this in the beginning. The Demonic Cult had its highest officials come out of the castle walls to greet them, paying the utmost respect to the Imperial Palace. But it was the palace who urged the cultists to kneel. ‘He is correct, but I can’t just say yes to their power or else the authority of our Imperial Palace will fall.’ The commander glanced toward the soldiers and the Imperial Guards. They seemed all tense and fearful of the Demonic Cult warriors. ‘This is not right.’ Even if they were at the Demonic Cult, they were still the Imperial Army. The authority of the King, a son of the Great Ming Empire’s Emperor, was not to be undermined. Yon Namgun had to stop that from happening at least. “Hmph. That was Yuking’s doing, not our king. And even if what Yuking did made you feel uncomfortable, it doesn’t mean you have the right to harm our official like that,” Yon Namgun said. Yeowun scoffed. He then asked Zhu Taikhan who was behind Yon Namgun, “Let me ask you, your highness. Our cult executes those who impersonate the Lord. How does the Imperial Palace take care of an imposter trying to be a king?” ‘?!’ Zhu Taikhan frowned but he couldn’t say anything. Yeowun easily countered the words that Yon Namgun had said to him. If it wasn’t for the cult, the Imperial Palace would’ve also punished them heavily by killing the impersonator and their family. “Let me tell you this: if it wasn’t for the pact of nonaggression, that man would not be alive now.” Chun Yeowun, who became the Lord, never knelt to anyone, even if it was in the presence of the Emperor of the Great Ming Empire. ‘This man isn’t just only powerful.’ Yon Namgun was shocked by Yeowun’s monstrous power at first, but now that he saw it, Yeowun was also very intelligent. Yon Namgun had to return to basic reasonings. “Ugh, okay. Whatever the case, what you are doing is disrespecting the Royal family. Get away from our King right now!” And with that, Yon Namgun aimed his sword at Yeowun. That’s when someone charged toward him quickly and struck his sword. Yon Namgun focused 80% of his energy into it, but the attack had much more power in comparison. ‘How can the power be that strong?!’ He once thought that no one would stand a chance against him unless he was up against the top five strongest warriors of Yulin. He even dueled and tied against the elder of the Fire Mountain clan once. ‘Who is this masked man?!’ The man who attacked as soon as he aimed the sword was Great Guardian Marakhim. With Yon Namgun’s right arm thrown upward, he raised his left foot to kick up Marakim’s neck. But Marakim easily dodged the attack by tilting his head back and struck his finger into the blood point on the leg. “Argh!” Yon Namgun screamed as sword qi penetrated through his thighs. He then tried to regain balance by pulling his leg back, but Marakim kicked his right leg that held him up. Yon Namgun was then thrown off to the ground. He dropped the sword he had been holding at the time, and Marakim reached out toward it. The sword then moved into Marakim’s hand. “Ugh!” Marakim aimed his sword at Yon Namgun’s neck and warned, “Don’t you dare aim the sword at our Lord.” “Ugh…!” Yon Namgun became wordless with the cold sword upon his neck. His pride that he earned after becoming a superior master warrior had shattered. The masked man was more of a warrior than he could ever be in terms of power. ‘Commander is down!’ Yon Namgun was one of the top warriors within the Imperial Guards. With the only one who can protect to be fallen, Zhu Taikhan became shocked. All other guards were too afraid of Yeowun and his guardians. ‘He will now threaten me too!’ The only thing Zhu Taikhan now had was his mouth. He wasn’t going to win against these cultists anyway. After a slight moment of thinking, Zhu Taikhan spoke. “How dare you threaten me and show violence toward the Imperial Army?! Are you not afraid of the million soldiers of the Great Ming Empire?!” Zhu Taikhan chose the most simple way. For a prince who had grown up within the palace, it was not possible to imagine he had to bow down to someone who wasn’t from the Royal family. “You are quite bold.” Yeowun spoke surprisingly. He thought this show of power was enough to make Zhu Taikhan succumb. But Zhu Taikhan didn’t back off. He thought there was no way a martial artist, no matter how strong he was, would stand a chance against millions of arrows. Of course, a real battle against millions of warriors was not something that they could fight against. “If you harm me in any way, the Demonic Cult will be wiped off the map!” Zhu Taikhan spoke strongly. He had to use the best weapon he had to threaten his enemies. He figured the Demonic Cult would not be afraid of the giant Imperial Army coming at them. But it was strange. ‘What? What’s with that look?’ Chapter 343 - Imperial Order (7) Chapter 343 - Imperial Order (7) Yeowun, nor any of the cultists seemed to care. Yeowun was even looking disappointed as he shook his head. “You’re not bold, but reckless. I was anticipating seeing someone from the government for the first time… but this is disappointing.” “What?” “Million armies?” And with that, Yeowun raised his left hand. That’s when something happened to all imperial guards surrounding them. “W-what?! What’s happening!” “My sword!” They had been clenching on their weapons but suddenly their weapons began to come alive and move, trying to get out of their grasp. “Aaaargh!” They tried to hold onto it by using their internal energy, but their energy was too feeble to resist to the great amount of force unleashed. “UGH!” And over two hundred weapons got out of their master’s hand, turned in the air and aimed back at them. It was a sight to behold. “Hiiiek!” “Impossible!” Commander Yon Namgun became terrified at the sight of this. He even thought maybe he was dreaming. ‘A-air sword? T-this is an air sword?! Is the Lord really a monster or something!?’ Yon Namgun was trained in martial art, so he knew what air sword is and who can use it. He heard that Top Five strongest warriors who were at supreme master level can use air sword. But this was beyond imagination. ‘How can this be…’ But it wasn’t only the Imperial Army that were shocked. Marakim, who had guessed Yeowun to have become supreme master level, and other high ranking officials all became astonished. ‘How did he become so strong in that short amount of time…?’ All of them saw Yeowun’s power back at the Great Halls. But controlling over hundreds of swords at once made them have chills. “Oh… Our Chun Ma is here!” “Chun Ma has come down upon the world!” Yeowun’s monstrous power even reminded them of Chun Ma – the Sky Demon. While the Imperial Guards were being threatened by their own weapons, Yeowun slowly walked toward Zhu Taikhan. “Hiiiek!” Zhu Taikhan became terrified at Yeowun’s power and backed up a few steps before he tripped and fell down. There was no authority or dignity in his mind anymore. He was just terrified at the man standing in front of him. When Yeowun gestured picking something up with his right hand, Zhu Taikhan’s body was pulled up in the air. “Ugh! M-my body?!” Zhu Taikhan let loose of his body. He knew that resisting would give him internal damage against such powerful energy. When Taikhan was pulled up, Yeowun walked up to him and spoke. “Do you know why the nonaggression pact was made?” “W-what do you mean?” “Do you think the pact was made because the Demonic Cult was afraid of the Imperial Palace’s army of a million?” Zhu Taikhan couldn’t answer although he truly thought so. He just thought the reason for the pact’s existence was because the Empire didn’t want to waste valuable lives and also because they were helped. “No, it’s the opposite.” “Opposite?” “The pact is made because the First Emperor was afraid of us.” “You DARE! How can the First Emperor of the Great Ming Empire be afraid of a… UGH!” Zhu Taikhan tried to shout back angrily as Yeowun seemed to insult the First Emperor, but he couldn’t finish as his body was sent higher up into the air. He was sent up too high, making him fear the height. “An army only moves by the order of the Emperor. But what if… that Emperor is gone?” “?!” Zhu Taikhan became shocked. This Lord of the Cult was saying that he could kill the Emperor. Zhu Taikhan wanted to object, but his body was rising up in the air, making him too scared to even speak. “What if a warrior like me sneaks into the palace at night?” Zhu Taikhan became shocked. He then realized Yeowun or the warriors of cult easily penetrated through the defense of the Imperial Guards. “When all members of the Royal Family are gone, whose order will the million-strong army have to take?” Zhu Taikhan then felt the fear of death for the first time in his life. Yeowun’s cold eyes and words proved that he wasn’t lying. He implied that he could do it anytime if he wanted to. ‘H-he really means it.’ That was the most terrifying part. “Do you now see why the pact was made in the first place?” Yeowun smiled as he pulled the terrifying energy back into him, and looked at Zhu Taikhan shivering. Zhu Taikhan nodded frantically at the question. His body was then slowly returned to the ground. Zhu Taikhan slumped down on the ground. He was panting and was drenched in sweat from fear. ‘Well… but that’s not the only reason.’ If that was the sole reason, the Imperial Palace would have been gone since long ago. It was rumored that there was hidden power within the Imperial Palace that protected the Emperor. An assassination attempt would require power like Chun Yeowun’s, or else it wasn’t possible. But he didn’t need to speak about something that Zhu Taikhan nor the Imperial Guards knew about. “Ah!” “T-the sword!” With Yeowun bringing his hand down, all air swords that were aimed at them dropped to the ground. “Then shall we read what the Emperor is trying to say now?” Yeowun reached out toward the plate that dropped to the ground in front of the carriage and the scroll automatically flew into Yeowun’s hand. The Imperial Guards had seen so much that they weren’t surprised by this anymore. Yeowun untied the golden rope on it and was trying to open it when… “Aaaaargh!” He heard a scream and turned. In the distance, Yuking was bleeding from his eyes, nose, and mouth as he screamed in pain. All clan leaders around him seemed to be shocked by the unexpected behavior. ‘What’s going on?’ Yeowun grabbed the scroll and ran toward Yuking. Chapter 344 - Imperial Order (8) Chapter 344 - Imperial Order (8) The chubby man became painful as he glanced around at warriors of the Demonic Cult with a fearful look. "Aaargh!" It was the man Yuking who impersonated Zhu Taikhan. The reason why he was thrown in the middle of cultists was to have this man tied up. "Y-you! I am an official of the Imperial Palace! Don't come near!" "Official? Hah!" "Argh!" Yuking tried to move back with his feet but he was surrounded by cultists. The atmosphere seemed rough. 'Dammit. I might die at this rate!' He thought everything had been going well with his plan, but it wasn't. "Stop for a moment." That's when one man walked out with a cold look. It was Muk Yen from the Sword Illusion clan. "I feel like ripping you apart, but I will let you live for now." Muk Yen ripped his robe over him to tie it over his shoulder and arm to stop the bleeding, and sealed his blood points so that he cannot use internal energy. Yuking had to commit suicide at this point, but he was weak minded so he couldn't even try to do that. It was better to live as a slave than to die. But something unexpected happened. Yuking realized his body was turning cold. He then felt the excruciating pain of someone stabbing into his organs and screamed. "Aaaaaargh!" Clan leaders quickly walked up to him and saw black blood oozing from all of his openings beside his ears. The blood let out a foul stench and smoke when it touched the ground. "P-poison?!" "Get back!" All clan leaders backed away when they realized Yuking was poisoned. Yuking then confirmed that he was indeed poisoned. 'Poison? Yuking? But how? Did the cult do it?' Yon Namgun first thought if the cult was behind it, but that didn't seem possible. The Lord just showed that he could kill everyone if he wanted to. There was no need for poison. 'Ugh… W-why? Since when…?' Before he was sent to King Zhu Taikhan for the third part of the Grand Plan, he was planted with the centipede, but that was to activate only when he spilled important information. But he didn't know anything about the poison. 'Aaaargh… the centipede kills by exploding…' It wasn't the centipede. It was surely a different type of poison. Yuking felt the poison spreading into his body. That's when he thought of someone. 'Master of Blade Poison?' He then remembered meeting with the Master of Blade Poison two days before he left for the Imperial Palace. This man was considered the most dangerous among the six masters. He was afraid, but the Master provided him money and fed him good food that Yuking was pleased with. 'The food… It was that!' "Aaaaargh!" Yuking vomited a large amount of blood and began to flinch. Now, the poison was coming all over his body. That's when Yeowun quickly got up to him. "M-my Lord! It's dangerous!!" "Poison is coming out of his body!" Many clan leaders tried to stop him, but Yeowun's hand was already reaching toward Yuking. The poison kept coming out from it, but with Yeowun at the end stage of supreme master level, there was no way poison could affect Yeowun anymore. The poison evaporated the moment it touched Yeowun's skin. 'The poison won't work against him!' 'Ah… so the Lord has reached the final stage!' All clan leaders became astonished at the sight. But Yeowun did not care and focused on his hand to check on Yuking's state. He felt the heart beating, but it was slowing down. "Dammit." He couldn't let the man die. Yeowun tapped on the telepathic message and found out that the man had disobeyed King Zhu Taikhan and tried to have the Imperial Palace fight against the Cult. Yeowun then figured this man was a spy from another place. Yeowun sent his energy into Yuking to push out the poison. "Argh!" But the poison had spread to all parts of the body so it was too late. There was no chance Yuking would survive through the poison. "What is wrong with him?" Yeowun asked with a confused look and Muk Yen answered. "I-I sealed his blood points so that he can't use internal energy and he was poisoned." "Blood point seal?" Yeowun frowned. This meant the poison spread the moment the body was stopped using internal energy flow. This was surely done to prevent the man from spilling any information. 'Who can do such a thing?' There was no way to make this man live anyway. Yeowun then needed to search through him so he could find out where the man was from. Yeowun then checked the body. 'This… is Bichu Art?' Chapter 345 - Imperial Order (9) Chapter 345 - Imperial Order (9) This was an art created from Sorim. The reason why Yuking was chubby was because he was trained in the art. It was famous and well known, but required one to gain weight and made the person slower, so it was unpopular. ‘A spy from the Forces of Justice?’ That seemed likely considering the martial arts style. But why would they want the Imperial Palace to fight against the cult? ‘This is strange. Wait…’ Yeowun ordered Nano. ‘Nano, do the MRI scanning.’ [Understood. Initiating Magnetic Resonance Imaging on the target.] Yeowun’s hand shined with a faint red light, and Yeowun had augmented reality over his eyes. The scanned image popped up. ‘Let’s start with the head.’ Yeowun touched Yuking’s head, as he could now barely move. That’s when Yeowun saw something on the image. ‘That’s…’ Something small was squirming inside the head. Its movement was slowing down as if it was dying together with its host. ‘It’s the centipede. I’m sure of it.’ This was similar to the centipede that Yeowun pulled out from Yi Baek, Master of the Blade Sword of the Blade God Six Martial Clan. The only difference was that the centipede was dying. That’s when Yuking’s head fell. He finally had died. As soon as he died, the white thing in the image assumed to be the centipede exploded and turned into liquid. Fluid then oozed out of Yuking’s eyes. It was the dead centipede. At the same time, in a dark stone room at the Yellow Mountain by the Jurkang Castle. Noisy screaming filled the room as a red centipede screamed with a weird noise from within the red wooden box on the table. The man with his face hidden under the shadow was looking down at it. The centipede suddenly shivered and exploded. The man closed the wooden box and mumbled, “The cult again.” The lid of the box read ‘Third Grand Plan – Spy on the Demonic Cult’. This time, the man didn’t need to get the centipede as the spy was programmed so that he would die from poison the moment he was affected with any potential threat. “There’s no way you will find out what we are doing.” The Second Grand Plan failed recently. If it worked, the cult would have fallen under their hands, but they even lost the spies that waited for so long. At least he worked it so that the centipede would not leave a trace. There was no way the Demonic Cult would find out who was behind it. …Or so they thought. There was one thing that the man did not know. It was Nano. Yeowun was able to find out the centipede. ‘Blade God Six Martial Clan!’ The man was from the Blade God Six Martial Clan. ‘It’s them again…’ Yeowun couldn’t imagine how influential this clan was now. That’s when Yeowun became curious about the Imperial Order and opened it. “Ugh!” “Imperial Order! Get down on your knees!” When the scroll opened, all Imperial Guards and two thousand soldiers went down on their knees and bowed. But Yeowun and the cultists stood proudly. ‘Ugh… those arrogant bastards.’ Commander Yon Namgun who barely went down on his knees with an injured leg gritted his teeth. But he couldn’t say anything. “Hmmm…” Yeowun read through the scroll. Unlike Zhu Taikhan’s arrogance, the scroll was written very politely, considering the cult as an equal. It was more of a letter rather than an order. […I want to invite heroes and many important guests to the place of our renewed nonaggression pact for my successor.] The scroll was an invitation being made to Yeowun, dated next month. But the message didn’t seem to be only aimed at the cult. “Huh?” Zhu Taikhan became shocked when Yeowun appeared in front of him again. “W-what is it?” Yeowun showed him the scroll and spoke. “Your highness. Do you know what the scroll said?” “I don’t know by every word, but yeah. Mostly.” The scroll of the Emperor wasn’t something that even the royal family could open. But he had heard from the Emperor himself about the invitation already. Yeowun then asked as he gave the invitation to Zhu Taikhan, “Do you know who received these invitations?” Zhu Taikhan hesitated for a second and responded, since Yeowun would know soon anyway. “It was sent to all the leaders of each faction.” “The three factions?” Yeowun frowned. This meant that the Palace will have leaders from all three factions on the same day. ‘Gathering them in the same place at the same time?’ It was not something that could easily happen. Up until now, that had happened less than five times. ‘Is the Blade God Six Martial clan trying to make the three factions go to war against each other?’ That seemed like a possible plan. But Zhu Taikhan revealed some unexpected details instead. “No. If you are talking about your cult, the Yulin clan of the Forces of Justice and the Alliance of the Forces of Evil, there is one more faction.” “One more?” “A new faction called the Blade God Six Martial clan.” “!!” Chapter 346 - You will help me (1) Chapter 346 - You will help me (1) The locations of all factions across Yulin were scattered, so each messenger from the palace arrived at different times within the two weeks. The first messenger to arrive was at the Yulin clan’s base, or the Nakeng Region. The one who went there was the eldest son of the Emperor, Zhu Taiyoon. He was known as the most likely successor of the throne. With Zhu Taiyoon’s visit, the Yulin clan had been partying for three days straight. Many beautiful women danced while musicians played happy music. As the feast went on, the Yulin clan leader Yen Bukeng sat beside him. “Your highness. Please drink more.” “Hahaha! I’m so honored to be treated like this!” Zhu Taiyoon was very pleased to be treated like this by the leader of the giant faction of Yulin. Inside, there were also the leaders of other clans, or the 17 Leaders of the Yulin clan. But not all of them were here. One leader, or the leader of current Sorim Temple, was not here as he was a monk who did not join feasts. At the same time, outside the hall where the feast was being held, a beautiful woman was talking with one of the monks wearing the Flower Mountain clan’s clothing. “We still haven’t got all the spies with us. I’m not sure if it’s okay to party for 3 days straight… Miss Jegal.” “I understand your concern, Elder Poong. But it’s better to leave a good impression on the possible future Emperor too.” These two were the Second Strategist of the Yulin clan, Jegal Sohi and Sixth Leader Poong Chungwun. After they returned from the Demonic Cult, they had been working hard for the past few months to find spies hidden among them. Unlike the Demonic Cult that was comprised of one giant group, the Yulin clan was a union of countless clans, so it was hard to find all those spies. But Jegal Sohi strategically worked to set up traps and sorted out many spies between them. Surprisingly, those spies were hidden among the main 9 clans of Yulin. But even then, there were still spies to be found. ‘Since when they place this many spies within our clan? How long has it been?’ This was the most mysterious part. It wasn’t understandable as it hadn’t been long since the Blade God Six Martial clan surfaced. Maybe the enemy had been around for quite a long time. “But Miss Jegal, I am growing suspicious.” “About what?” “This invitation for the nonaggression pact… I can’t shake the feeling that the Blade God Six Martial clan is involved.” Jegal Sohi nodded at Poong Chungwun’s words. Actually, this was something that all leaders of the Yulin clan had been predicting already. There was no way they would not be wary of the new faction coming into play, when the event traditionally only consisted of three main factions. “This really seems obvious. Do you think the Demonic Cult and the Alliance of the Evil Forces will take the risk?” Unlike the Yulin clan, the other two clans always sent the representatives, rather than their leaders to go with the pact. And with a very high possibility of the fourth faction trying to play tricks, it didn’t seem likely that their leaders would come. “No, they will. At least the Demonic Cult will.” “Why do you say that?” “Do you remember the Crown Prince… I mean, the new Lord of the cult?” “Ah, yes of course. He was quite a man.” Poong Chungwun originally thought Yeowun was just an ordinary Crown Prince, but he wasn’t. The first one to detect the trap and take care of when they were at the cult was Chun Yeowun. And they heard that Yeowun ascended to the throne not too long after. “If I were in his position, I would try to use the trap against them. And I’m sure the current Lord will not think of something I can think of.” “So, you think the Lord will come by himself?” “Yes, as far as I know, he will take this chance.” Jegal Sohi thought very highly of Yeowun. They weren’t sure what trap was waiting for them, but it was the first time that the Blade God Six Martial clan was going to reveal themselves in public. If their leader were to appear, then it was their best chance. She was sure that Chun Yeowun would surely try to take this chance to use it to his advantage. It was then. “Oh, that’s good news, isn’t it? Sohi.” “Oh!” Jegal Sohi became surprised as she knew who the owner of the voice was. The man with white clothes, in his early 30s were standing behind Jegal Sohi. “Buso!” He was Jegal Sohi’s fiancé, and the eldest son of the Yulin clan’s leader, Yen Buso. He was called the future of the Forces of Justice by many people. ‘Wow… his power increased again.’ Poong Chungwun became astonished by Yen Buso’s appreanace. He couldn’t feel anything until Yen Buso appeared. If he could stay undetected by Poong Chungwun, a superior master level warrior, they couldn’t be sure as to how much he had grown in power. ‘But the world is quite fair.’ Poong Chungwun always thought that no one would match Yen Buso in terms of power. But that changed after he returned from the Demonic Cult. It seemed there was always one stronger than others in the world. “What do you mean?” “I will finally get to meet the man that you, Elder Poong or Moyong spoke so highly of.” Jegal Sohi became surprised. When she first talked about Chun Yeowun, Yen Buso didn’t seem very interested. But it seems he was actually very interested indeed. “Oh, I didn’t know you wanted to meet him.” “Well, he is the man who will live with the next generation.” He spoke as he smiled, but he looked very serious. Jegal Sohi became a bit curious, but just considered it a feeling of rivalry. “Well, you will get to see him soon enough.” “Haha, I’m looking forward to it.” Chapter 347 - You will help me (2) Chapter 347 - You will help me (2) Seven days had passed since Zhu Taikhan arrived at the Demonic Cult. He had been staying within the inner palace during those seven days. At first, Zhu Taikhan was terrified by Chun Yeowun and the cultists that he tried to get the answer to the invitation and leave at once. But Yeowun said he needed time to think about it and offered Zhu Taikhan to rest, so he had to enter the cult without his intention. But unlike his expectation, the Demonic Cult treated Zhu Taikhan with their best. ‘What are they thinking?’ He couldn’t adapt to their changed attitude at first, but soon got used to the treatment he received and enjoyed his seven days. He even began to hope that maybe the Lord of the Cult would actually agree to the invitation this time around. ‘I needed some achievement to be noticed. Maybe this might do.’ When he was first chosen as the messenger, no one from the Imperial Palace, including the Emperor, hoped the Lord of the Demonic Cult would accept the invitation. The Cult and the Alliance of evil forces always sent their representatives, so there was no hope in that. But if the Lord were to accept the invitation, then it was going to honor the name of the current Emperor. ‘His majesty said negotiations are powerful tools.’ Perhaps this might even give Zhu Taikhan the chance to be recognized for his skill and become the Crown Prince. It was said that the Crown Prince would be chosen for this event, so Zhu Taikhan had to do whatever he could. That’s when someone knocked on the door. “Your highness. It’s me, Yon Namgun.” “Come in.” It was late at night when Yon Namgun came to meet him. Yon Namgun bowed and Zhu Taikhan offered him a seat. He then spoke with a telepathic message. [Commander. Do you think maybe the Lord of the Cult will accept the invitation this time?] “Ah…” Yon Namgun glanced around at the question and unleashed his energy. Zhu Taikhan became confused and Yon Namgun spoke. “I’m sorry, your highness. I put a barrier around the room. You can speak freely.” “Oh! Good. You know me very well.” Zhu Taikhan then began to speak his thoughts freely. But there was something that they did not know. There was a powerful warrior listening to them speaking on top of the ceiling that Yon Namgun could not sense. At the same time in the medical room of the inner palace… Demonic Doctor Baek Jongwu and other doctors were watching another doctor doing her treatment very carefully. The bald man with a pale face lying on the bed was former Lord, Chun Yujong. And on his hairless head, an old woman was putting needles on it. It was Godly Doctor Gam Rosu. ‘She’s been putting down needles for over 2 hours already. It’s amazing.’ Baek Jongwu was astonished. Gam Rosu had been working on both herbal and needle techniques to heal Lord Chun Yujong’s damaged heart, and it shocked all doctors in the room. ‘She sure is the best doctor of Jianghu.’ Baek Jongwu had pride in his skill as he was trained in the practice for his entire life, but Gam Rosu’s technique was at a much higher level. Her well- developed muscle proved to be real as she didn’t seem exhausted even after two hours of continued treatment. It was hard to believe that she was an old lady. ‘Haha… I should not slack off in training physically.’ Baek Jongwu did learn internal energy, but he had not trained physically as much. Now, he learned the need for it. After working on it for a few more minutes, Gam Rosu finally stepped back. “Demonic Doctor, you said?” “Yes, Godly Doctor.” “Hmmph!” “Oh, I mean, Granny Gam.” Gam Rosu insisted everyone address her as Granny Gam, except Yeowun. Gam Rosu gave Baek Jongwu a golden needle bottle. “I need these needles to be taken out after 2 hours, but can you do that for me? I am too exhausted. I need to get some rest.” “Of course. We will take care of the rest.” It was the Demonic Doctor’s responsibility to look after the Lord’s family anyway. He was satisfied to have watched Godly Doctor’s treatment from close up. When Gam Rosu came out of the room, Yeowun was waiting outside with the Left and Right Guardian. “How was it?” “The damage has persisted for a while, but he will be okay. We will have to keep watch, but he will wake up within two weeks.” “Ah!” It was surely amazing. Gam Rosu had done something that Nano, even with the vast knowledge of medical information and MRI couldn’t do. But maybe this was natural as injuries from martial arts had many mysteries that were not known in the future. “Thank you, Doctor.” “It’s nothing. I just did what I had to do.” Gam Rosu seemed very exhausted, so Yeowun offered her to take a rest. When she returned, someone frantically came over to him. It was Huan Yi. “Huhuhu… My Lord, I found it.” Yeowun immediately showed interest. Next day afternoon, the Imperial Army had finished preparing to leave. All soldiers were lined up by the northern gate, and they were now only waiting for a signal to depart. Countless cultists came out to say farewell, and even Chun Yeowun came out to bid farewell to Zhu Taikhan. Zhu Taikhan bowed and thanked him. “I was treated very nicely, thanks to you. I will tell his majesty that I was treated well.” “It’s good that you had a good time.” The first impression had been the worst, but Zhu Taikhan was pleased nonetheless. The only thing he would hope for was Chun Yeowun’s acceptance to the invitation. A female servant was waiting by Yeowun with a scroll sealed with the Lord’s seal on the plate she was holding. “So, have you decided, Lord Chun?” Zhu Taikhan asked with an anticipating look. It was going to give him a great boost in reputation if the Lord of the Demonic Cult joined as it had not been possible in history. “I’m sorry, but I will have to send a representative.” “W-what?!” Zhu Taikhan frowned. He was so disappointed as he had been very hopeful. Yon Namgun and other Imperial Guards also became disappointed. They were treated nicely, so they hoped maybe the Lord of the Cult was willing to accept the invitation. Yeowun bid them farewell until Zhu Taikhan got up to the carriage, but he was so disappointed that he did not want to look at the cultists anymore. “Your highness, shall we leave?” Yon Namgun asked from outside and Zhu Taikhan answered grumpily. “Yeah, whatever.” “Depart!” “Yes, sir!” Two thousand soldiers began to leave for the Imperial Palace. Inside the carriage, Zhu Taikhan annoyingly looked at the scroll that had Yeowun’s answer. He kicked the scroll and mumbled. “Dammit! Why did he treat me so nicely if he wasn’t even going to come? Ugh.” He wanted to unleash his annoyance, but he couldn’t do it as he had been the center of embarrassment too much recently. All he could do was to cuss in a small voice. “Damn bastard. What does he think he is? If the Emperor invites him, then he should come right away and…” It was then. “W-what!” Zhu Taikhan became so shocked that he had to stop cussing out the Lord of the Cult. He couldn’t feel any presence for quite a while after they left, but someone dropped down from the top of the carriage like a feather. “L-Lord Ch- NNGH!” He tried to call out the name, but a powerful energy made him close his mouth. Zhu Taikhan looked at the man with disbelief. The man was Chun Yeowun. ‘Since when did he enter the carriage?’ It was unbelievable. And Zhu Taikhan was actually talking ill about him. Yeowun smiled coldly and sent a telepathic message to Zhu Taikhan. [You must have been very mad about me, your highness.] ‘Hiiiiek!’ Zhu Taikhan became pale and shook his head side to side frantically. Chapter 348 - You will help me (3) Chapter 348 - You will help me (3) It was unbelievable. Chun Yeowun was left behind at the northern gate, but it seemed like he had been hiding by the carriage all along. It was hard to believe that Yeowun came in when Zhu Taikhan entered the carriage. “NNNNNGH!” [Can you use telepathic messages? I suppose you can.] Zhu Taikhan nodded. His mouth was forced to close, so his jaw was hurting. That’s when the energy that forced him to close his mouth disappeared. “Ha… Hah…” He could have breathed with his nose, but he was too fearful that he became pale and panted through his mouth. ‘Dammit. I guess there’s no point in screaming for help.’ He saw Chun Yeowun’s monstrous power by his eyes. Yeowun was a monster who could wipe out the entire Imperial Army if he wanted to. Taikhan had to play along. ‘What have I done to go through such trouble…’ He didn’t think he would suffer such an event when he left for the Demonic Cult. He was, after all, a King who had enormous political power. [S-since when did you get in the carriage?] [It’s not been that long.] Yeowun answered vaguely and Zhu Taikhan misunderstood the truth. ‘His power is like a god. He got on the carriage while all that people were watching?’ Zhu Taikhan thought Chun Yeowun got on his carriage when he opened the door to get on. But that wasn’t true. Yeowun actually got in when the Imperial Guards were preparing to leave. [S-so, why did you get in my carriage?] Zhu Taikhan was afraid of getting on Yeowun’s nerves, but he couldn’t figure out why. Yeowun had declined to participate and the carriage was now going toward the Empire’s capital so there was no possible explanation. Yeowun answered. [Of course, I’m going to the Imperial Palace with you.] [Im-Imperial Palace?] Zhu Taikhan became shocked. He couldn’t even guess why a leader of one of the three largest factions of Yulin suddenly wanted to go to the Imperial Palace. And Zhu Taikhan was just too afraid of Chun Yeowun himself. ‘I-is it because he heard me cussing him out?’ It was possible that Yeowun had become angry at Taikhan who had been cussing ever since the carriage departed. Zhu Taikhan spoke assuringly. [L-Lord Chun. If you are saying that because of what I said… don’t be too mad. I was just too sad since you cannot come with me.] [I see, that’s good. I almost got mad because I thought you hate me.] ‘Ugh!’ Those were just simple words but it was enough to make Taikhan afraid. The words seemed to threaten that Yeowun might have done something if he felt hostility. Zhu Taikhan became lost for words. [I’m sorry for spooking you by getting in the carriage, but I will consider it excused.] [O-of course!] Actually, it was Yeowun who was the rude one for sneaking into the carriage. But Zhu Taikhan was so concerned that his cussing would have made Yeowun uncomfortable that he agreed excitedly. “Whew.” Maybe he was quite naïve. Yeowun then went into his purpose. [Let me cut to the chase. You will help me, your highness.] It wasn’t a request for help. It was a disguised threat. Zhu Taikhan became dumbfounded but he was afraid of Yeowun, so he just frowned and did not reply. ‘I am afraid of him, but the word of the Royal family should be heavy.’ That’s what Taikhan had learned every time from his father, the Emperor. The word of the Emperor and the Royal family was above the law, so the Emperor always made sure that all of the Royal family should watch their words. [W-what do you want me to do?] Yeowun became surprised at Taikhan who didn’t just agree even when he was afraid. ‘So, he still is in the royal family.’ Yeowun needed to persuade him. He needed Taikhan’s help at the palace. [I will need an explanation. Do you remember the person who impersonated you?] […] Of course he remembered. It was that incident that made Taikhan afraid of Yeowun. The cult explained that Yuking was poisoned before they arrived at the cult and Yon Namgun agreed also, but no one was sure why the poisoning had been done. [Your highness, you said the Blade God Six Martial clan will join this ceremony too?] […Yes.] [That dead man was a spy from the Blade God Six Martial clan.] [W-what?!] Zhu Taikhan frowned at the unexpected piece of information from Yeowun. He was curious as to how Yuking was poisoned, but he still couldn’t believe that a low-ranking official of the palace was actually a spy. [I will explain about what happened at the cult first.] Yeowun then began to explain a simplified version of how the Blade God Six Martial clan appeared in Yulin, and the incidents that happened at the cult. Yeowun also told him the existence of a centipede that was embedded in the person to avoid spilling information. [By the gods… they do that kind of thing just to prevent the information from being leaked?] Zhu Taikhan became shocked to know about the centipede. It was quite effective, but it seemed to be on the very extreme side. ‘They are extremists.’ After an explanation, Yeowun went into the important issue at hand. [I asked you to help me, but this will help you too, your highness.] [Help me? How?] [Actually, there is still a spy remaining within your forces here besides that Yuking.] “What! Y…” [Quiet!] Zhu Taikhan almost spoke out loud but quickly grabbed his mouth to stop. He was so shocked to hear that there had been a spy and that spy still remained within his forces. ‘Is he lying?’ he thought, but there was no need for such a powerful man to lie about such a thing. If that was true, then Zhu Taikhan had to thank him. [If what you say is true, then we must arrest them!!] Taikhan didn’t want to play on top of the hands of these spies any longer. Yeowun shook his head. Chapter 349 - You will help me (4) Chapter 349 - You will help me (4) [Why?] [If we do that, we won’t be able to find spies within the palace.] That was Yeowun’s true purpose. The reason why Yeowun got in the carriage was to find spies among the palace. The Blade God Six Martial clan had placed spies among all factions of Yulin to proceed with their plans. If the Imperial Palace was to be involved, it was going to be more complicated. That’s why Yeowun wanted to get rid of them first before that happened. ‘Hm… this man wants to get the roots out from it.’ Zhu Taikhan truly felt afraid of Chun Yeowun. Zhu Taikhan only thought about the spies that he can see, but Yeowun wanted to remove the roots. He was going to be a terrible enemy to have. ‘Is it right to bring him to the palace?’ Helping Yeowun sneak into the palace like this was a very complicated issue. If things went that way and Taikhan was revealed of doing so, it was bound to anger the Emperor. And this man was none other than the Lord of the Demonic Cult. Maybe it was an act of setting a monster loose in his backyard. Yeowun then continued to seal the deal. [Don’t you want to become the Crown Prince?] ‘?!’ Zhu Taikhan became shocked. ‘How did he…’ Yeowun knew something that Taikhan only spoke about to Yon Namgun. Yon Namgun said no one was listening, so Taikhan became shocked to hear it from Yeowun. [If we get those spies within the palace, I will hand it over to you so you can claim all the glory.] [A-are you serious?] [Of course. My goal is to remove them, not be awarded by the Emperor.] Zhu Taikhan became hesitant. This was a very tempting offer. If he really found the spies hidden inside the Imperial Palace, it was going to be a very huge achievement indeed. ‘If I can do that, then maybe I will truly become closer to the Crown Prince.’ There was a month left until the ceremony. Taikhan needed something big to appease the Emperor. Taikhan then asked Yeowun, [What will you do if I refuse your request?] [Well, I will leave that to your imagination.] Zhu Taikhan felt a chill running down his spine. This meant Yeowun was going to do what he wanted even if Taikhan refused. Taikhan then nodded. ‘Well, I have no choice. Let’s just think that I’m using him for my own benefit. I won’t lose anything,’ Zhu Taikhan thought to himself. Yeowun smiled. [Great. Hope we have a great time while we go then.] ‘Huh?’ Zhu Taikhan frowned. He couldn’t think of this when he accepted. The two of them had to stay together for the remainder of the trip. ‘…Oh no.’ Imperial City of Kaifeng… It was the city with a population of over 500 thousand people, one of largest cities in the Empire. The giant outer wall of the city wall was about ten times large as the Demonic Cult’s castle, and it took 2 hours to get to the center of the city. At the center, there was the lavish Dragon Palace, built with golden roofs that showed authority of the Royal family. Zhu Taikhan’s Imperial Army was now passing through the southern gate of the Dragon Palace. Palace Guards raised their spears high up into the air to welcome Taikhan’s carriage entering the palace. After they entered, the carriage had to stop at one point. The carriage was no longer allowed from this point on. Zhu Taikhan got out of the carriage. He looked very wary and exhausted after the two weeks of long travel. ‘Finally… I’m finally here!’ He had wished to arrive sooner while on the trip. They had to stay together for almost seven days until they got to the Habuk Region. ‘It’s astonishing however.’ Zhu Taikhan glanced at the Imperial Guard standing behindYon Namgun. He was Chun Yeowun, who had the skin mask of Imperial Guard Yi Han. ‘We will keep him in the northern region of Honam until we are done with our business at the palace.’ Real Yi Han was now staying at the Demonic Cult’s outpost in the northern Honam region. Yeowun had prepared for everything for seven days while Zhu Taikhan stayed in the Cult. ‘Nobody noticed…’ Even Yon Namgun didn’t notice that the man was Yeowun. That was natural as Yeowun used Nano’s ability to mimic Yi Han’s voice. “Other than ten to guard his highness, all of you are dismissed. Standby for further orders.” Yon Namgun ordered the soldiers to be dismissed. ‘That’s good.’ Yeowun, who had been walking by Yon Namgun, was smoothly chosen to be within the ten members to guard. It was good that he stayed close. Zhu Taikhan had to go over to the Emperor’s palace to report while he was only allowed a few Imperial Guards to guard him. ‘He tags along without me having to worry about him.’ Zhu Taikhan became astonished. He was thinking if he should assign him to stay by him, but that was not needed. Zhu Taikhan then headed toward the Emperor’s palace. ‘It sure is the Imperial Palace.’ As they walked in, Yeowun became astonished by the lavish decor and buildings. The Demonic Cult’s inner palace was nice, but it was no match for this place. There were many decorations and landscaping done all over the place and there were even small ponds to look at. ‘Is it that place?’ Yeowun then saw a large palace in front. In the gate of the yard wall around the building, there were thirty men with blue robes, with one man with more lavish ornaments over him with heavy make up standing in the front. ‘He reminds me of Elder Huan.’ It seemed like this group of men were eunuchs. “Hah… East Spear.” Yon Namgun sighed at the sight of these men. These eunuchs were one of strongest organizations along with Imperial Guards within the Imperial Palace, called East Spear. ‘How come eunuchs all learned martial arts?’ All of these eunuchs learned martial arts, with their leader at the superior master level. Chapter 350 - Alumni Chapter 350 - Alumni It is quite often considered that the Moorim and eunuchs were unrelated. Some were even under the impression that the eunuchs don’t learn martial arts. However, as the Imperial family underwent a change in power, they appeared to be a group of guards trained in martial arts. In the Daemyeong Empire, there were said to be four groups of well-trained martial arts users: Alumni, Seochang, Internal Haengchang, and the Imperial Guards, or the Emperor’s guards. These were the official names given to distinguish one organization from another, but they are entirely under the eunuchs. Unlike any ordinary officials who operate solely under the command of the Emperor, these guards are given complete independent jurisdiction. So, they are given the authority to arrest, detain, and even carry out an execution regardless of the status. Originally, the Imperial Guards were given the strongest role among them. But, as the duties and outcomes of the eunuchs increased, they were slowly incorporated as an affiliated organization into the Alumni. All thanks to that outcome, the Golden Council wasn’t very pleased with the eunuchs’ rise in power. Especially so after the situation wherein the head of the Golden Council, who was equal to an admiral of a guards unit, was dragged down from power. ‘Hostility huh…’ Chun Yeowun could clearly feel what Yon Namgun, who was right next to him was expressing. Yon Namgun was visibly displaying a disgusted expression, almost as if he had no intention of hiding it. The eunuch, who seemed like the head of the Alumni, didn’t seem to care about it and approached Yon Namgun with his best smile, with one hand over his mouth. “We are pleased to greet the family of the Empire. Ho Ho Ho.” Seeing him with a smile and his hand covering his mouth, just like a woman, wasn’t a very good sight. Unlike the words which said they were pleased, their intent felt sly to the core. Zhu Taikhen didn’t seem very pleased to see the face of the eunuch when he greeted him back. “Oh Tae-Sung, it has been so long.” The name of the eunuch who decorated himself with ornaments is Oh TaeSung. One of two people who assisted Admiral Lim in public situations. ‘Seems different.’ Chun Yeowun took a careful look at the one called Oh Tae-Sung, whom he suspected to be a spy of the Blade God Six Martial clan, as he seemed to be one that possesses excellent martial art skills. However, the presence of Oh Tae-Sung appears to be far from being related to any extreme martial artist. ‘If this is how things are going to be, it will take more time to find the spies.’ Chun Yeowun was under the impression that very few people in the Imperial Palace would learn martial arts, except for the Golden Council. However, when they walked into the Palace, as he tried to sense their energy, he could feel nearly hundreds of people who learned martial arts. He realized right away that it would be difficult to catch the spies unless there was any kind of confrontation. “Your Majesty, it must have been excruciating to visit all those places.” “It was His Majesty’s order. It was not a problem carrying out the task handed.” “Ho ho ho, you came all the way here after being among those uncivilized mines, yet you act bold and fine.” ‘Huh?’ Zhu Taikhun seemed a little taken aback at the words of Oh Tae-Sung, while his eyes lingered to the side. He tried his best not to alter his facial expression as if he was fine. Yet, his eyes, which came back to meet the eunuch’s eyes, displayed disgust. “Hm, Uhm! Did His Majesty send you here?” “Ah, even if it wasn’t His Majesty’s order, I would have come to see you if I got a report saying you were back.” Fortunately, Zhu Taikhun managed to change the subject without any happenings. Slowly bowing, the eunuch, Oh Tae-Sung, pointed to the inside corridor with his palm. “From now on, I will take you to the palace. Ho Ho Ho.” Hearing those words made Yun Namgun frown and spoke. “We, the Golden Council, will take you to the palace and deliver you there safely.” At the words of Yun Namgun, Zhu Taikhun’s previously stern face turned into a cold one. “If you don’t belong to the four guards of the Emperor, and you don’t work under His Majesty’s name, you cannot enter the palace.” Excluding the commanders of the Imperial Guards and other three groups, not even those below, nor anyone, were given permission to enter. In the end, it could be said that almost no one is allowed to cross the threshold. ‘Bloody eunuch bastard…’ Yon Namgun couldn’t hide his displeasure. They were all considered to be the arms of the King and had the Guards under them. Blocking their mouths in such a way was no different from showing them that their authority ends there. However, the man that they were serving said it himself, they couldn’t enter, therefore, they had no say. “Men, return to the envoy.” Yon Namgun ordered the guards who were standing behind him. Chun Yeowun wanted to look at the inside of the Imperial Palace. He didn’t like these eunuchs who are referred as a member of the alumni. “Even Yon Namgun can head back. Ho Ho ho.” Grit-! Yon Namgun grunted at the sneaky words of eunuch Oh Tae-Sung. Witnessing this, Zhu Taikhen spoke to the eunuch in a lowered tone. “It was His Majesty’s order for Yon Namgun to serve and protect me.” “Ahh! I am so sorry, I didn’t realize.” Realizing it would be too much of a hassle to argue with a member of the Imperial family, he quickly bowed his head and apologized. However, his face held a conspicuous smirk. ‘Is the damn eunuch trying to say that brother’s position has been confirmed?’ Ever since the title of prince was mentioned last year, the palace was divided into factions. Among them, the alumni faction supported the Emperor’s eldest son as the next in line. Realizing that the Emperor’s favor was placed on the eldest, they began to act disrespectfully towards the other candidates. ‘The Imperial family became like this because of the power given to the damn eunuchs.’ It really didn’t feel right. If one could do what they wanted, then they would surely tamper with the Alumni. But, because the Alumni and Guards are under the Emperor and his family, it would be no different from putting a hand in a beehive. [Lord Chun?] Zhu Taikhan very carefully called him. [Don’t mind me. During drinking time, I will meet you at your place.] Chun Yeowun was already given a brief idea about the interior of the Imperial Palace. Zhu Taikhan looked up at the sky. The sun was nearly setting. ‘Well, if it is this monster, he will definitely come to find me.’ Zhu Taikhan nodded and followed the eunuch as they headed into the palace. Once they entered, Baek Ho, who was the second-highest in rank, took charge and naturally led the way. There were five guards at the opening where the Gold Guards were stationed in a lane. All the guards belonged to the Imperial family. As the distance grew and people were no longer visible, the members of the Gold Council complained. “Fucking Eunuchs!” “That bloody Oh Tae-Sung is arrogant as ever.” “They know no bounds!” Even Chun Yeowun had an unpleasant feeling during the visit with Oh TaeSung, but these people sound burdened by it. It didn’t look like it was the first time they were complaining about the situation. Even though they were talking behind their backs, it didn’t seem like the guards would be able to free themselves from the humiliation, no matter how long they talked about it. However, there was one person observing the guards talk. “Baek Ho.” He was the only one who didn’t get upset with what the Alumni did, he remained silent till the end. The reason why Chun Yeowun easily gave up on the idea of entering the Imperial Palace was because of the guard, Yoon Baek Ho. [Two of the Golden Guards were identified as spies.] Elder Chil Hwan-Ui said that, among the Imperial Palace envoys, there were five spies suspected. They acted suspiciously, for seven days, they would constantly wander and inspect the Demonic Cult. The Demonic Cult had loosened their perimeter watch just so the spies could move around freely and make themselves known. ‘His martial arts doesn’t seem that great’ Yoon Baek Ho’s gold suit made him a first-class master but without it, he is nothing. He was one of the two Golden Guards who wandered outside the halls, so there must be something he was hiding. Upon arriving at the residence, Baek Ho spoke to the nine Golden Guards. “You have worked hard all this time escorting His Majesty. Yun Namgun has said that he will suspend the watching duty for four days, so try and enjoy yourselves.” “Yeah!!!” The guards were excited at the unexpected good news. When they were given no special mission, it was their duty to stand guard at the residence. However, being given four days off was like a vacation. ‘Thank god.’ Chun Yeowun was already trying to think of ways to avoid standing guard, as he had disguised himself as a member of the unit. In this way, he would be able to track Baek Ho’s movements and see who he is in contact with. However, he met up with an expected situation. Once all the other guards entered the garrison close to the residence, Yoon Baek Ho approached him. With a very casual and friendly voice. “Yihan. Don’t we have a place to go?” ‘Huh?’ The words caught Chun Yeowun’s attention. It seemed like the person he had disguised as, the one called Lee Yihan, was someone who had a close relationship with Yoon Baek Ho. Never in a million years would he have imagined that such a variable would occur. ‘…great luck.’ If he panicked while trying to pretend, things would turn messy. The person he had currently disguised himself as was Lee Yihan and he was a rank lower than Baek Ho. “That’s…right.” At Chun Yeowun’s answer, Baek Ho frowned. Chun Yeowun wondered if he said something wrong, but that wasn’t the case. “We are still in the residence, so answer according to titles.” ‘Ah!’ After that, Chun Yeowun managed to realize what the mistake was. “Sir!” Only then did Yoon Baek Ho nod. He told Chun Yeowun to follow him as he took the lead while heading somewhere. Baek Ho, who walked away from the garrison moved to someplace in the residence, unlike Chun Yeowun, Baek seemed accustomed to the path. ‘Maybe it’s because of others’ attention.’ It looked as if they were deliberately getting the attention of others. As they walked ahead, no one stopped them because of the titles they had. This only solidified the suspicion about them being spies. After moving around the palace for a long time, they arrived at a large building within the palace. ‘Warehouse?’ The warehouse was assigned to store the foods for the Imperial Palace. Before arriving at the warehouse, Yoon Baek Ho took a long cloth that was hanging from the laundry of the palace and covered his face with it. Shhh! After covering up his face, Yoon Baek Ho moved to avoid the guards. Once the locations were known, they could easily enter the fourth out of the ten large warehouses without being noticed. ‘Rice warehouse?’ As he entered the building, he saw a huge pile of rice towered on the side along with its strong scent enveloping the room. The bales of rice stacked in the warehouse were enough to feed everyone in the Imperial Palace for an entire year. Chun Yeowun’s eyes narrowed at something. As they went further into the warehouse, the number of energies felt enormous, indicating all of those who are masters in martial arts. ‘I knew it.’ Those who acted in secret within the Imperial Palace were most likely members of the Blade God Six Martial clan. He managed to find them faster than he imagined. Following Yoon Baek Ho, he entered the innermost part of the warehouse, there were about twenty people who were covered in long black clothes. ‘Is he the boss?’ It was easy to guess since the person was seated on the innermost rice bag. While the rest were all standing as if they were escorts. Step Step! Yoo Baek Ho and Chun Yeowun walked to the middle. Yoon Baek Ho who was silently moving opened his mouth. “Lee Yihan, how did you manage to do it?” Chun Yeowun was flustered at the unexpected question. That was at that moment when Yoon Baek Ho jumped forward and shouted to the one who seemed to be the leader of the group. “Lord! He is a spy!” At his cries, the ten men behind Chun Yeowun blocked the exit of the warehouse. ‘Damn it…’ Everything happened before he could even realize what was going on. So, he decided to play something else. Chun Yeowun asked Yoo Baek Ho, who was standing beside the leader. “Yoon Baek Ho, sir, what are you talking about?” “You aren’t Lee Yihan. Lee Yihan never uses honorifics when we are the only ones in place.” He got caught because of an unexpected reason. Yoo Baek Ho, who was convinced that Chun Yeowun wasn’t Yihan continued. “And you even didn’t ask nor doubt anything when I brought you to the warehouse like this. What is your real identity?” He was thinking that being discreet and laying low would be enough to act as Lee Yihan, but that went wrong. He sighed deeply, realizing that his plan was ruined. “Aghh.” Even with a perfect face and voice as a disguise, deceiving an acquaintance still turned out to be difficult. The method was useless, and a loophole was easily revealed by the person named Yoon Baek Ho. The head of the spies who was seated on the rice bag rose from his seat. “Is he really a spy?” Said in a fearsome voice. Yoon Baek Ho nodded at the question. “It is true.” That was when the boss shook his head and spoke while revealing his white teeth. “You are a fool. You jumped right into my trap.” ‘Trap?’ Chun Yeowun was dumbfounded. The boss gave orders to the men behind to siege the spy. “Make him kneel in front of me this instant! You should already be aware of how strong he is.” “Yes” -pat! At that moment, three men from behind rushed towards Chun Yeowun. They thought that the spy was just an ordinary man that they could capture so they could please the head. But what followed gave them a huge shock. When Chun Yeowun flicked his finger, a strong gust of air pressure got generated and pushed back the three bodies at the same time. -Thud! “No!” “Awwwhhhh!” He was stationary, yet, the three men flew back and bounced off the floor. They seemed hurt enough as they weren’t able to get up. They were flinching almost as if they suffered severe internal injuries. As a result, Yoon Baek Ho and the other men couldn’t hide their embarrassment. “Ugh!” “What the hell is this?” They thought it was a normal spy, but they were very wrong. Biting down on his lip, the leader shouted. “He isn’t an ordinary guy! Everyone, take him down!” “Yes! Yes!” Once the order was given, his men hesitated before pulling out the blade from their waist. -Chang! The thin dagger-like blade came out in a curve. Normally it was a blade used by women and assassins, but it was the perfect kind of weapon to carry or hide for any mission. The men who took out their swords began to move towards Chun Yeowun. The moment they tried to prove themselves, something shocking happened. While they were still standing, he pointed his palm towards the approaching men. At that very moment, the men instantly dropped to the ground. Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! “Kuak!” “My body…” “Ugh!” Forced to touch the ground, they couldn’t move. Intangible dynamics, something beyond imagination arose and crushed them to the ground, literally. One could see the strength by looking at the crack on the floor of the warehouse. ‘Wh-what the hell is he? He isn’t just any man.’ A monster, enough to subdue everyone in the warehouse with simple gestures. The leader, who was shocked to the core, stepped back without knowing. But he didn’t manage to get that far. “Come” Chun Yeowun lightly stretched out his left hand and pretended to pull on to something, that was when the head of the boss who was walking away got pulled up. -Woong! “Ughhh!” The man who went up tried to strengthen his energy, but everything was useless. For him to rebel, he would have to get back on the ground. And the difference in their power was like heaven and earth. -Kuak! “Kuak! Kuak!” In an instant, the boss got captured by Chun Yeowun. As his throat was tightly grabbed, in a low voice Chun Yeowun asked. “Even if you know that I’m a spy, what can you do?”