novelraw Chapter 174 : Eunuch Saerye
Chapter 174 : Eunuch Saerye
Chapter 174: Eunuch Saerye
For the past few days, golden-armored troops had been glinting around the manor.
They were eye-catching no matter where the sunlight struck them—a presence so overwhelming it resembled a golden fortress wall surrounding the estate.
Though the Imperial Army had withdrawn from the front gate, they maintained a wide, thin encirclement around the manor and had yet to lift the siege.
And so, the members of the Byeok Clan and the Troubleshooter Office remained completely trapped inside.
“Sigh… What kind of hardship is this now?”
As dawn broke, Ilhong quietly removed her human-skin mask in a secluded corner of the manor where no one ever came.
She then prepared to wash up. What she had brought with her was Hyangbijo, a luxurious facial care item supposedly used by daughters of noble families.
Even in such a frustrating situation, she diligently tended to her appearance every morning—because there was someone she wanted to look good for.
Of course, the problem was that that person only saw her as a “pretty boy” at best.
Sometimes he even told her not to come near because she was interfering with his romantic pursuits. Truly, she found those remarks utterly exasperating.
“This damned disguise… I don’t even feel like a woman anymore.”
A proper disguise meant changing everything—from face and build to behavioral habits.
Ilhong gazed at the human-skin mask, which had turned her from a young lady into a youth, with a tinge of resentment.
When would she finally be able to stand before him with her bare face?
“No matter what it takes, I need to reclaim the Hao Sect.”
That was the only way she could walk proudly again.
In the past, it was vengeance that drove her to take back the Hao Sect. Now, there was one more, far more personal, reason added to that cause.
“Black Diagnosis Bird, Jonggwang, White Mew...”
She whispered the names of the traitors every day, never allowing herself to forget.
After finishing her splashing face wash, she dried herself and revealed a clear, fair face under the morning sun.
“Oh, so you were a girl, not a hyung. No wonder you looked so cute.”
“……”
Ilhong’s hand froze at the sudden cheeky voice coming from between the buildings.
She glanced up and saw Byeok Muji—the boy whose name was oddly similar to the captain’s—sticking his head out from beyond the wall.
“Where the heck did you pop out from?”
She’d chosen this spot precisely because it was hard for anyone to find.
“This is my house. I know all the secret passages and secluded spots like the back of my hand.”
Byeok Muji explained that’s how he managed to escape when disaster struck the clan.
At his words, Ilhong recalled her own memories of the Hao Sect—how she too survived the rebellion thanks to hidden passages and emergency mechanisms.
“But I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone prettier than my sister. Why are you hiding such beauty?”
At his innocent question, Ilhong quickly tied her loosened hair back into a ponytail.
“…Can you keep it a secret? I have my reasons.”
“Our clan was saved thanks to you. Of course I’ll keep it secret.”
Surprisingly, Byeok Muji responded with sincerity. Still, Ilhong reinforced her point.
“For the record, you’re the only one who knows. If this ever gets out, I’ll assume it was you and act accordingly.”
In truth, there were a few others who knew, but she made sure to leave no room for doubt.
“Tsk, you don’t need to scare me like that. I won’t tell anyone.”
Byeok Muji shrugged like it was no big deal, mentioning how he’d recently decided to model himself after his ideal role model—Dan Mujin.
Only then did Ilhong feel at ease and began putting her disguise back on, piece by piece.
“So? Why’d you come find me?”
“Hyungnim asked me to bring you. You weren’t anywhere to be found, so I looked around… By the way, does he know you’re a girl?”
“…He doesn’t.”
She’d just told Byeok Muji that he was the only one who knew, so the lie snowballed.
“That’s why he treats you like a dude, huh. Kinda funny.”
Ilhong did not find it funny at all.
The captain was treating her like a boy even though he knew she was a woman. That was the part that twisted her up the most inside.
Still fuming at the thought, she stomped her feet in place.
“Judging by your reaction… you’ve got a thing for him, huh?”
“...You brat. Stay out of grown-up affairs.”
Snapping back curtly, Ilhong provoked an indignant response from Byeok Muji.
“Huh? I’m not a brat, okay? You’re only two years older than me!”
Hearing that, Ilhong suddenly recalled a memory from the past.
She used to grumble about not being a kid when she was just a year younger. Was this how the captain felt back then?
“It’s ‘cause of his face, right? My hyungnim’s kinda good-looking.”
How long had it been since they met that he was already calling him “my hyungnim”?
Ilhong narrowed her eyes at him and said,
“Face, huh? Don’t you remember what happened at the inn? When the bomb dropped?”
She reminded him of how he’d thrown himself over her like a shield when something like a Thunderburst Bomb had landed at their feet.
“You think many people would do something like that?”
A person’s true nature reveals itself in a crisis. She asked if he could do the same for someone else, and Byeok Muji grimaced.
“…Mm, even among family, that’s not easy.”
“But our captain did. Without a second of hesitation.”
Turned out it was just a flash bomb and not a real Thunderburst, which was a letdown…
Still, thanks to that, she had ended up embraced by the captain and forged an unforgettable memory.
“Also, his face is… not bad. I’ll admit that much.”
Ilhong murmured under her breath.
He normally didn’t put any effort into his appearance, but when dressed up like a nobleman—like during the Namseongga request—he was undeniably dashing.
“But what’s more important is his character.”
It wasn’t just the incident at the inn. He had always come running for her, fought through filth and mire for her, and faced death more than once.
The only man who had melted the walls she’d built up after a painful betrayal—the man she’d vowed never to trust anyone again because of.
“You’re totally head over heels. But I don’t think he sees you as a woman at all.”
“You little runt, seriously…”
Sometimes kids were the most brutal. The boy from the Byeok Clan had no qualms about stabbing her with the painful truth.
Clenching her fists, Ilhong forced herself to stay composed and fired back.
“Sigh… What would a brat like you understand anyway? Just talking drains my inner strength.”
“I said I’m just two years younger! Quit calling me a brat!”
Brats always hated being called brats.
And so, as the two who admired Dan Mujin in different ways bickered in a secluded corner—
From beyond the stacked stone wall, something heavy began to soar over with a booming sound.
Thud!
A large iron orb arced through the air and crashed down not far from them.
“…!”
Spotting the burning fuse, Byeok Muji and Ilhong dove away at the same time, without a word.
BOOOOM—!
It had been days since the manor was surrounded and cut off from the outside.
Fortunately, they had a sufficient stockpile of food inside.
The stone walls and front gate were excessively fortified for an ordinary manor. As a facility for black-powder weaponry, signs of defense against raids and fierce beasts could be seen throughout.
“Thanks to that, we're eating well for a siege.”
After finishing my dawn training, I was as hungry as always.
I chewed on a wheat biscuit while walking alone through the small, quiet, green garden.
Then, a chill crept up my neck—and a powerful sense of danger surged through me.
‘Dodge, you idiot…!’
A sharp warning from my symbiotic inner demon, Salseong.
“...!”
Without hesitation, I flung myself aside—just as a round object flew in an arc and crashed exactly where I’d just stood. An iron ball with a burning fuse.
The moment the flames were swallowed into the orb—
BOOOOOM—!
It was like seeing a Great Thunderburst Bomb explode. A massive blast swept through the garden.
The earth blasted upward, and the shockwave roared. It had enough firepower to obliterate the entire area in an instant.
“…Holy sh—”
The curse slipped out of my mouth without thought.
If a body of flesh and bone took a direct hit from that, could even a Transcendent master survive?
That unsettling question swirled in my head—
“Troubleshooter! Troubleshooter!”
A panicked voice called out to me. It was the voice of a woman who’d previously misunderstood me and rained explosives in my direction.
“Byeok Nara? What’s going on?”
“The Imperial Army! They’ve brought cannons and started shelling the manor!”
Was that what it was.
Well, if an iron ball that big was to fly all the way into the middle of the manor, it could only be launched using some imperial-grade weaponry.
BOOM! RUMBLE!
Before I could even finish the thought, another shell struck the stone wall. Though the impact site was a little far, its unique explosive force brought the wall crumbling down.
It wasn’t just one cannon they’d brought. One after another, the cannons roared, firing shells.
Flames began shooting up across the manor. Fortunately, their aim was pathetic, and the delayed explosions gave everyone enough time to evacuate.
“Guess we won’t be putting on fire shows in Beijing anymore.”
Draw the palace’s attention, and the Imperial Army shows up in droves, shelling you with cannons. A lesson learned.
BOOM!
Though it struck an empty patch of land again, the trembling ground beneath my feet made it feel plenty threatening.
Even the seasoned martial artists of the Byeok Clan were helplessly fleeing from the bombardment raining in from afar.
“Cowards! Too afraid to face us with blades, you use such cowardly tricks!”
To think they’d resort to foul play. I shouted in the direction of the cannons.
I used to laugh at people on TV who’d charge guns with swords. But now? I was that very fool.
“But who am I?”
“…Huh?”
My muttering drew a wide-eyed reaction from Byeok Nara.
“I’m Dan Mujin! The all-purpose troubleshooter and Transcendent master, damn it!”
As I unleashed Whirlwind Steps, my body shot forth like a gust of wind, with the woman’s startled cry trailing behind.
Taaat!
I used the stone wall as a stepping stone and leapt into the air—just in time to spot an incoming shell. I reached out with both arms and snatched it midair.
Papatpat—
Impact-fused detonators were a highly advanced technology in this era. Even Byeok Nara had said the impact-delayed fuse she used in the mountains was a prototype.
Which meant, as long as the fuse hadn’t burned out, I could catch and redirect it. Soft overcomes hard—the subtle art of using softness to control strength.
More precisely, it was that martial art demonstrated by Hwang Geolgae, where your skull feels like it might split—but doesn’t. And now, I was executing it through my fingertips.
Fwoosh.
My waist folded like a drawn bowstring. Shedding all the momentum from the shell, I flung it back at them like a colossal shot put.
BOOOOM—!
The returning shell exploded near the cannons, causing panic among the Imperial Army.
Their shimmering gold armor rippled as they staggered back in disarray.
Fwoosh.
BOOOOM—!
Once more, I soared into the air, caught a shell, and flung it back. With that, the one-sided bombardment ceased entirely.
Realizing they too could become victims, they no longer fired so recklessly.
“What the hell… Who is that guy?!”
The commander of the Imperial Army, a Cheonhojang, bellowed. The sheer absurdity of returning a shell midair had drained all color from his face.
“Mujin, I saw what you did on the way here. How’d you manage that?”
Startled by the shelling, Jo Harang had rushed over and now asked curiously as she looked at the blast marks near the cannons.
“Just spend a whole day getting pounded by Hwang Geolgae. You’ll pick it up too.”
“That old man scares me. His eyes are kind of weird.”
“It’s not just his eyes. That old man’s got a lot of weird going on.”
As we spoke ill of Hwang Geolgae out of nowhere, the Imperial Army started pulling back their cannons and shells, likely fearing secondary explosions, and the scene quieted.
Meanwhile, their soldiers stared up at us standing on the wall and murmured.
“What the hell was that just now…”
“No way he sent it back with his bare hands, right?”
“He’s not a cannon… Can martial masters do that kind of thing?”
The once confident Imperial Army now buzzed with uncertainty, shaken by the technique I’d displayed.
Beyond them, the Cheonhojang glared at me with a burning gaze, furious that I had disrupted his plan.
“A mere troubleshooter, interfering in imperial affairs… Do you wish to be branded a traitor and see your entire family annihilated?!”
Claiming that standing against the Imperial Army was tantamount to defying the Emperor, he brought up guilt by association.
A brutal threat to wipe out my bloodline to three generations.
“I don’t have a family, though.”
“…Your acquaintances, your pathetic office—everyone there could be harmed. Stand down at once. And hand over Clan Head Byeok Jinsang.”
See? I told you he was here on someone’s orders.
“I have a motto: when I take on a request, I see it through to the end. So I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
With that, I imbued a plain iron sword, borrowed from a Byeok Clan warrior, with Sword Flux.
I couldn’t unleash it outward yet, but the pure white flame-like flux covering the blade was proof of a master—a force that could even slice through sword qi and steel.
Beside me, Jo Harang raised her broadsword high, unleashing a chilling Blade Flux, as if to say she would share my fate.
Perhaps sensing the resolve of two Transcendents, the Cheonhojang’s expression twisted in frustration.
As the tense standoff dragged on, a thunderous voice suddenly shattered the stalemate.
“Which mad bastard dares detonate shells in the Imperial Capital, Beijing?!”
The voice was not loud, but the deep power behind it reverberated through the area.
A gruff, familiar tone. One I’d heard once at Baekyangchon, and again at the Princess’s Palace—the sharp-eyed middle-aged man who was the closest aide to Princess Peach Blossom.
“Huh? Grand Eu—”
“Finish that sentence and I’ll kill you.”
His voice carried such killing intent that I swallowed my words on the spot.
“Ahem. What’s Cheon Sugong doing here…?”
I asked in a perplexed tone as he approached.
“An explosion in the capital—of course the Eastern Depot, tasked with the Son of Heaven’s safety, would investigate.”
Now that he said it, it made sense. The Eastern Depot was supposed to root out anything that could threaten the imperial family.
I’d been so caught up in other messes that I’d forgotten all about it.
“And what about you? Why are you fighting the Imperial Army at the explosion site?”
Cheon Sugong’s gaze sharpened.
“It’s a long story.”
“Tell it anyway.”
I gave him a condensed version—about the Byeok Clan’s internal strife, Byeok Jinsang’s shady betrayal, and how that Imperial officer seemed to be aligned with the Second Prince’s faction.
As he listened, Cheon Sugong’s expression grew increasingly twisted.
“What are you?! Even if you’re a martial master, how dare you meddle in imperial matters?!”
The Cheonhojang, frustrated by the intrusion, shouted with a furious face.
“I am Cheon Sugong, attendant to the Third Princess.”
Just that one sentence.
With it, the Cheonhojang’s face immediately began to harden.
“Cheon Sugong? Could it be… the Eunuch Saerye of the Eastern Depot…?”
His tone, once dismissive, turned respectful in an instant.
The Eastern Depot was a terrifying force even within the palace, but for a military general to be this terrified?
I tilted my head, confused.
“Hey, Ilhong. What’s the big deal about Eunuch Saerye?”
Out of breath from running, Ilhong had just arrived as the battle paused, and I asked her directly.
“E-Eunuch Saerye?! You seriously don’t know what that means, Captain?!”
“Of course not.”
It’d be weird if I knew every last ancient Chinese government title.
“It means Chief Eunuch with the Seal of the Eastern Depot! He’s their leader!”
“Ah…”
With her down-to-earth explanation, I instantly got it. No wonder he was absurdly strong for a eunuch.
So this guy wasn’t just some high-ranking member—he was the head of the Eastern Depot.
Now it made sense why everyone at the Princess’s Palace tiptoed around him.
“That’s why the palace folks flinched every time I acted too casually with him.”
With a spark of realization, I slapped my palm with my fist.
“Now that you know his true identity, are you going to behave?”
Ilhong asked, recalling how I always pushed the line when dealing with higher-ups.
“Nope. Sudden changes kill people. Gotta keep doing what I’ve been doing.”
“……”
I’m a man of conviction. You could even say I’m consistent.
More than anything, I just really didn’t want to kowtow to that guy.
Reading my stubbornness, Ilhong simply shook her head, speechless.