novelraw Chapter 200 : What Happened Behind the Scenes
Chapter 200 : What Happened Behind the Scenes
Chapter 200: What Happened Behind the Scenes
The Commander-in-Chief looked down at his own groin before being sent flying, spraying blood and teeth from a sudden kick.
The imperial family and officials were horrified at this shameless attack that trampled the righteous duty of the Murim into the mud.
Yet, despite witnessing an Imperial Army officer collapse from such a cowardly method right before his eyes, there was one person who slowly curled up the corners of his lips.
“Hoho, ho.”
A low chuckle leaked from his mouth. Tapping the jade cup with his fingertips, the Son of Heaven of the Central Plains wore an amused expression.
Finding this behavior peculiar, an elderly eunuch tilted his head slightly and carefully spoke.
“Your Majesty, if I may be so bold, what is it that pleases you so?”
The old man had served the Son of Heaven since childhood, so he knew well just how rare such amusement was.
Born under the Emperor Star that ruled over all, this was a man who had governed only the Central Plains with strict dignity all his life.
“The more I watch, the more he reminds me of a certain old beggar.”
As he observed the man called Mudong with interest, the Son of Heaven stroked his beard, unable to hide his fascination.
At that, the white-haired Grand Eunuch Yu Unbaek narrowed his eyes as if recalling someone.
“Your Majesty, by ‘old beggar’… surely you don’t mean that beggar who played Go?”
“Yes, that very beggar.”
One day, the Son of Heaven had brought back an unidentified beggar as a ‘Go companion,’ and he had stayed in the imperial palace for quite some time.
Later, after investigating his identity and background, it turned out he was the Dragon Head Sect Leader of the Beggars’ Union.
He had caused endless trouble for the palace servants—being discovered sleeping on the roof of the Qianqing Palace where the Son of Heaven resided, or raiding the imperial food storage—leaving behind a trail of bizarre antics.
“He said he had cut ties with the mundane world and had no intention of taking in a successor.”
Recalling his conversations with that beggar, the Son of Heaven smirked.
Even the way he shamelessly tore into duck legs in front of the Imperial Concubine, and the way he struck first without regard for dignity whenever things turned unfavorable—
“He’s a perfect match.”
A strange satisfaction colored the Son of Heaven’s voice. He was even curious where such a successor had been found.
No wonder that man had remained in the Imperial Capital ever since that incident—perhaps because of that fellow, he had once again been dragged back into the mundane world.
The Son of Heaven suddenly recalled the expulsion order against the Beggars’ Union in the Imperial Capital and let out a bitter smile. Had he known it would turn out like this, there would have been no need to drive them out.
“Aaaargh! You dare touch my brother?! I’ll kill youuu!”
Seeing his blood relative, the Commander-in-Chief, collapse miserably, the Thousand-Household Captain Jang Sak charged forward in a frenzy.
From his fists, Fist Qi erupted explosively. With strikes that seemed capable of splitting the arena apart, the lapis stone floor began to shatter under the relentless barrage.
“Damn it! Harang, do something!”
The man called Mudong dodged like a slippery eel, shouting desperately.
“Hey! The one who caused this should fix it! Don’t come over here!”
The wanderer disguised as a palace maid swung her great saber frantically, shouting in panic.
Rather than a refined duel between masters, the martial arts tournament had turned into complete chaos.
As everyone stood dumbfounded at this absurd farce, one person alone faintly smiled and raised his cup.
“The wine tastes good.”
Only the Son of Heaven watched this entire situation with a smile.
While the arena fell into chaos, another movement unfolded behind the stage.
A woman’s silhouette blended into the shadows, descending along the eaves of the pavilion with silent steps, unnoticed by anyone.
Creak—
With a finely crafted tool no larger than a fingernail, she picked the lock, and the doors of the Heavenly Treasure Vault—where the imperial treasures were gathered—quietly opened.
The storekeepers guarding the place had long since collapsed after unknowingly inhaling the Dream-Soul Drug she had spread outside for some time.
“That was easier than expected.”
She sneered as she passed the unconscious guards.
It was a special Dream-Soul Drug crafted by a Divine Thief, enhanced with Qi-Dispersing Poison—so even if they noticed and tried to raise their Qi, it would already be too late.
By the time they woke up after a day, the vault would be emptied of its valuables.
“Aaaargh! I’ll kill you, you bastards—!”
At that moment, the roar of an Imperial Army officer echoed faintly from the arena. The battle was so fierce that even the residual Fist Qi vibrations traveled through the ground.
Normally, she would have struggled to break through the tight security here, but thanks to the tournament devolving into a dogfight, all attention had shifted—giving her the perfect opportunity.
“Dan Mujin… who knew that guy would be useful someday?”
With a sly grin, Yangyang tucked the Poison Expelling Pearl into her robes and stepped inside.
And the interior of the Heavenly Treasure Vault—said to be the imperial treasury—far exceeded her expectations.
“Oh my.”
An exclamation slipped from her red lips. Shelves upon shelves were lined with dazzling gold and silver treasures.
As if displaying the majesty of an empire that had conquered the entire Central Plains, rare treasures offered as tribute from all regions were gathered here.
“Honestly, what should I do? Hehe.”
Naturally, the corners of Yangyang’s lips twitched upward in delight.
Since she could only carry so much, she found herself happily 고민ing over what to take.
“Ah, get a hold of yourself. I can’t lose sight of my original goal because of gold. First, I need to find ‘that.’ Yes, yes.”
After lightly slapping her cheeks, Yangyang began thoroughly searching the treasury.
As she wandered back and forth, rummaging through countless stacked items—
Her steps suddenly halted.
At one corner of the building stood an ornate chest that looked exceptionally rare.
“Hmm? What’s this?”
Though this was already a treasury of rare items, this chest was decorated as if it contained something even more precious.
Such chests were meant to store the most valuable treasures.
Curiosity piqued, Yangyang approached it.
“Ah, this must be the Son of Heaven’s treasure the storekeepers were gossiping about.”
It was said to be a gift he had personally prepared for his wives for this banquet meant to strengthen bonds.
What could possibly be inside? Even the storekeepers didn’t know.
Any tribute or gift brought into the palace underwent strict inspection by the Eastern Depot and the Royal Guards—
But who would dare inspect a secret gift personally prepared by the Son of Heaven for his wives?
Opening it to check would be a crime punishable by death.
“But I’m not part of the imperial family, am I?”
Grinning, Yangyang forcefully opened the chest.
Expecting a dazzling display of treasure, she peered inside—only for her expression to freeze in confusion.
“What is this…?”
Instead of gold and jewels meant for the Empress and Imperial Concubines, the chest was filled with dull, black iron spheres stacked layer upon layer.
Each had a long fuse dangling from it, emitting the unmistakable scent of black powder.
“…No way!”
They were clearly Thunderburst Bombs.
And not just ordinary ones—these had multiple mechanisms set so they could explode at designated times.
Yangyang’s face turned pale as she realized she had stumbled into something grave.
This was a conspiracy within the imperial palace—something she should never have gotten involved in.
A cold bead of sweat ran down her forehead as she hurried to escape.
“This little rat… you’ve seen something you shouldn’t have.”
A cold, resolute voice came from behind her.
Startled, Yangyang kicked off the ground to flee, but the owner of the voice unleashed sharp martial arts techniques at the same time.
“…Die!”
The imperial arena had descended into utter chaos.
“You bastard! How dare you… to my brother…!”
Before my eyes, Jang Sak roared, his killing intent thick in the air.
The entire area had already been reduced to ruins by his Fist Qi. The ground was cracked, and everything around us was smashed into grotesque debris.
Even the spectators who had approached to watch a clash of masters had long since retreated.
This was no longer a duel—it was a life-and-death battle.
Yet no one dared intervene. And with the Son of Heaven silently watching, none dared step forward first.
“He was your brother? Figures—you were just helping each other out.”
I had known from the moment he called in his brother just before securing victory.
Of course, that brother—who had hoped to make a grand impression—was now lying unconscious at the edge of the arena after taking my surprise attack.
“I’ll kill you!”
Jang Sak howled and thrust both fists forward.
The third form of the Eighteen Strikes of Loyalty—Loyal River Rending Strike—crashed toward us. Waves of Fist Qi surged like a tidal wave, shaking the arena as dust exploded upward.
Crack—!
Like a shotgun blast tearing everything apart, the overwhelming attack left us no choice but to stand our ground and block it.
My sword strikes, along with Jo Harang’s, flashed wildly as we deflected and redirected the incoming blows.
“Mujin… no, Mudong! At this rate, it’ll never end!”
Though we had gained experience fighting a Blazing Flame master of the Blood Cult, this was still a tournament—leaving the arena meant disqualification.
Jo Harang shouted through ragged breaths.
“I’ll… tear you to pieces! Sky-Shattering Fist!”
Blue energy flared even more fiercely from Jang Sak’s hands.
The fifth form—Sky-Shattering Fist—tore through the air, followed immediately by the sixth form—Mountain-Crushing Fist—splitting the ground as it surged forward.
“You damn bastard!”
The killing intent was so intense that tracking its crimson trajectory was easy. Using that, I twisted my body like an eel to dodge—
But Jo Harang struggled, forced to block head-on with her great saber reinforced with Blade Flux.
“Mudong, at this rate we’ll lose…! Ngh!”
She was pushed back by the immense force, blood dripping from her lips from internal injuries.
“Die!”
Seizing the opportunity, Jang Sak stomped forward and launched a full-body charge.
Boom!
Stone fragments exploded into the air as his attack split us apart.
“I’ll finish you first!”
He targeted Jo Harang, who was already injured.
“You coward!”
I shouted, but he had already lost his reason.
Then I just had to make him regain it.
Since I had been pushed to the edge, I grabbed someone lying unconscious nearby and lifted him up.
“Jang Sak! Look here!”
It was his younger brother—the Commander-in-Chief.
In other words, a hostage.
I grinned, holding him by the collar as his eyes rolled back unconscious.
“Y-you cowardly bastard…!”
This time, Jang Sak’s face turned red with rage as he shouted those words.
The arena, half-destroyed and filled with rising dust, had completely lost the dignity of an imperial tournament.
The audience stood frozen between silence and shock, while the imperial nobles on the platform each watched with different expressions.
Among them, Imperial Concubine Ma Juyoung had already set down her drink, staring blankly as she asked Cheon Sugong beside her:
“Cheon Sugong, that man… what exactly did he do outside?”
His martial arts were one thing—but that ruthless mindset that disregarded all means for the sake of victory…
At her question, Cheon Sugong, who had recommended him, wiped the sweat from his forehead and answered calmly.
“As I mentioned… he is a troubleshooter from Beijing.”
Her brows lifted slightly.
A troubleshooter from Beijing. She had already assumed he was capable after hearing he saved her daughter, but—
To possess martial arts capable of contending with a Blazing Flame master, and even draw the Son of Heaven’s interest…
Imperial Concubine Ma Juyoung sensed there was far more to his story.