novelraw Chapter 127 : Chapter 127
Chapter 127 : Chapter 127
Chapter 127 Prince Yeomseong (5)
As the bearded man set down the box, Jaun naturally placed his box next to it. When the two opened the lids of the boxes simultaneously, the smell of medicinal herbs wafted out in all directions.
The warrior, who had slightly furrowed his brow and covered his nose with his sleeve, stepped forward and picked up the Golden Ointment with his hand.
"Hmph."
After removing his sleeve, he sniffed it and turned it over and over before nodding once and throwing the Golden Ointment back into the box.
—THUD
"It is indeed Golden Ointment, Squad Leader Jo."
The warrior in the lead slowly bowed his waist toward the man standing at the very back and spoke. At that, the man called Squad Leader Jo, who had been staring blankly up at the sky, lowered his gaze.
A refined energy wave emanated from the man, who had sharp eyes, thin lips, and a sharp jawline.
He looked to be at most in his early twenties, but he possessed a vacant gaze that did not match his age.
"The Moyong Merchant Group. I was under the impression they had not been very active in Beijing. When did they start doing business here?"
His voice was as clear as jade beads rolling on a tray.
"...Merchant Group Leader Eun-wol has recently taken an interest in the commercial rights of Beijing as well."
When the Ice Rakshasa answered, Squad Leader Jo, with a slight frown, snorted softly.
"Moyong Eun-wol, Eun-wol, you say. I have heard the stories. They say it was all thanks to that child that the Moyong Merchant Group was able to encroach on the northeastern commercial rights at such a frightening speed, was it not?"
Squad Leader Jo looked directly at the veiled Ice Rakshasa.
"But it would be a great miscalculation to think that will work in Beijing as well. I will let you off for being lucky today. However, from now on when you move about in Beijing, it would be wise to listen to the talk around you before you act."
The man gave a faint smile and scanned the group again.
The man's gaze, after passing over the physician, the merchant group's warrior, the bearded man, and the Ice Rakshasa, stopped on Jaun.
"...Your build is too good to be wasted working as a porter for a merchant group."
As soon as Squad Leader Jo's words ended, a fierce energy wave shot out toward Jaun.
'?!'
Although surprised by the sudden action, Jaun did not resist the extending energy and was pushed backward.
—CRASH!
"Oof."
Squad Leader Jo glanced at Jaun, who was clutching his waist with his head bowed, snorted, and turned his head.
"That is enough. Go about your business."
As Squad Leader Jo spun around and walked away, the other warriors followed behind him.
A little time passed, and Jaun, who had been watching the spot where the warriors had left, straightened up and a grin spread across his lips.
"I have found it."
"What? What did you find?"
[A trace of Blood Qi.]
At Jaun's telepathic message, the Ice Rakshasa turned her head with a bewildered expression.
[Surely... those warriors just now are not involved, are they?]
[It seems so. I do not think they have directly learned the martial arts of the Blood Cult, but there were faint traces of Blood Qi remaining around their bodies. It seems they were with someone who has learned the martial arts of the Blood Cult until just a moment ago.]
"...Ah, this is really not good."
At Jaun's confirmation, the Ice Rakshasa placed a hand on her forehead and shook her head from side to side.
"The golden ornaments on their wrists. That is a sign that they belong to the Eastern Depot. The Admiral of the Eastern Depot, who is the head of the Eastern Depot, and the two Spymasters below him. And a hundred Squad Leaders work as Spymaster Officials and run the Eastern Depot. That man just now was also called Squad Leader, which means he holds a position within at least the top one hundred in the Eastern Depot. If such a person is involved..."
The bearded man's complexion turned pale as he listened to the Ice Rakshasa's words.
"The... Eastern Depot! Is that not the Imperial Court's innermost circle, along with the Embroidered Uniform Guard!"
"That is right. If the Embroidered Uniform Guard is the Emperor's right arm, the Eastern Depot is the organization that can be called the Emperor's left arm."
"The Emperor's inner circle? But why are they here? Does Prince Yeomseong have some connection with them?"
When Jaun asked, the Ice Rakshasa nodded.
"Yes. Until about five years ago, the Emperor gave equal power to the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot to keep each other in check, but at some point, the Emperor started to put more weight on the Embroidered Uniform Guard's side. As a result, the Eastern Depot, which had gradually lost key official positions to the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was said to have been frequently interacting with Prince Yeomseong's side recently."
"So the Eastern Depot is cozying up to Prince Yeomseong. It seems they are also looking for their own way to survive."
"That is right. I do not know for what reason, but as their position started to narrow, they are trying to rely on the second-in-command of the Imperial Court... huh?"
At a sudden thought, the Ice Rakshasa bit her lip hard.
"Could this be, re... "
"Ahem! Watch your mouths!"
The old physician, who had been quietly observing the situation until now, spoke with a stern face and interjected into the two's conversation.
"Do you have any idea of the repercussions that would occur if what you are talking about now were to enter someone else's ears? There are some things that must never be spoken aloud!"
At the physician's admonishment, the Ice Rakshasa also realized she had been too careless and bowed her head slightly in apology.
"I am sorry. It was only speculation... and I had set up an energy barrier, so our voices would not have leaked outside."
When the Ice Rakshasa replied cautiously, looking embarrassed, the physician scanned the group and shook his head in disapproval.
"Tsk, tsk. Even if you are martial artists, to be so careless. If you bring up such a topic again, I can no longer accompany you. Even if it is a request from the youngest lady, I cannot risk my life, can I? Good grief."
The physician let out a small sigh and looked around with anxious eyes.
"Let's not waste any more time, let's just finish what we have to do and get out of the manor."
After the physician finished speaking and started walking, the group followed behind him.
Jaun, who was following last, turned his head in the direction the warriors had gone.
'Squad Leader Jo. If a warrior like that is at the level of the top one hundred in the Eastern Depot... this is certainly not something to be taken lightly.'
Jaun cautiously spread his energy to memorize the structure of the manor in his mind and then followed the physician again.
***
After delivering the Golden Ointment without any trouble, and while the physician was treating a member of Prince Yeomseong's household, the group explored the inside of the manor and then returned to the manor Eun-wol had prepared for them.
Now that they had found traces of Blood Qi, they had to enter the manor again, one way or another.
Upon entering the room, Jaun slowly checked the flow of his internal energy.
'My body has recovered quite a bit while traveling. I am at a level where I can handle the increased internal energy. In that case...'
There was not much time to continue a tedious reconnaissance.
While the physician was examining the patient, he had observed the interior, and the level of the warriors guarding Prince Yeomseong was not as high as he had expected.
Therefore, Jaun decided to take the risk and move himself that evening.
'There is no need to make them worry unnecessarily.'
Having decided to move alone without informing the group, as soon as the sun set, Jaun draped the Demon Dragon Robe over his shoulders, fastened the Mangru Blood Sword to his waist, completely concealed his internal energy, and erased his presence.
After erasing all traces of his presence, he peeked his head out to survey the inside of the manor, then jumped over the room's window and flew out of the manor.
—TAP TAP TAP
Having left the manor, Jaun hid his body in the shadows and began to pass through the alleys of Beijing at high speed.
Jaun's destination was the manor where Prince Yeomseong was staying. Before long, Prince Yeomseong's manor came into view.
Taking a black cloth from his bosom, Jaun covered his face with it and took a deep breath. Then, as he drew up his energy, Demonic Energy spread out thickly into the darkening surroundings and began to seep into the ground.
'It has been a while since I have done stealth.'
After looking around once, Jaun kicked off the ground. He kicked the ground with great force and shot forward, but no sound was heard.
Soon, the emanating Demonic Energy enveloped Jaun's body, and in an instant, Jaun's form melted into the darkness and disappeared without a trace.
Thus, without being detected by anyone, Jaun crossed the wall and headed for the right side of the manor.
The deeper he went into the manor, the more warriors there were, but his internal energy, which had grown sufficiently through various incidents, completely concealed Jaun's body.
'...It seems the Heavenly Demon Divine Art has taken another step forward while I was on the brink of death, has it not?'
Now that his body had recovered and he was using his martial arts in earnest, he could definitely feel a difference from before.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Art, which had been unable to break through the wall for some time, had leaped far beyond the Realm of Eight Stars while he was on the verge of death.
The moment he realized he had surpassed the Realm of Eight Stars, Jaun's field of vision instantly widened.
The Demonic Energy that enveloped Jaun's body became blurry, and soon Jaun's form became a hazy cloud brushing past the air, and he began to race through the manor.
***
The manor Prince Yeomseong had rented was so huge that it resembled a small village.
Jaun, who had been quickly passing by the small pavilions while concealing his presence, raised his head and looked ahead.
In the far distance, a huge pavilion surrounded by torches.
Judging by the structure of the building and the deployment of manpower around it, there was a high probability that Prince Yeomseong was staying there.
Slowing down a little, Jaun extended his senses toward the pavilion.
'...At least over one hundred.'
There were over a hundred warriors guarding the area around the huge pavilion.
'Among them, the ones to be wary of are about three people inside the pavilion.'
As he had observed in the morning, from Jaun's perspective, there were not many high-level warriors.
Considering Prince Yeomseong's status, Jaun tilted his head at the level of the guards, which could be said to be quite lacking.
'Does he think that no one would dare to touch Prince Yeomseong, so he just set up the guards as a formality?'
After staring at the huge pavilion where Prince Yeomseong was presumed to be for a moment, Jaun shook his head and slightly changed his direction to the side.
'There is no need to overdo it. For now, finding traces of Blood Qi is the priority.'
Dozens of small pavilions stood in a circle around the huge pavilion, and Jaun approached one of them and pressed his body tightly against the wall.
For now, he planned to start by searching for traces of Blood Qi among the warriors scattered around. Since the warriors were grouped in fives and sixes and were patrolling the area around the pavilion, Jaun focused on holding his breath and examining the energies of the patrolling warriors.
'If there is someone who is learning the martial arts of the Blood Cult, they would have no choice but to leak even a faint amount of Blood Qi.'
For a while, he examined the energies of the warriors who were patrolling the area around the pavilion with strict vigilance, but there were no particularly suspicious warriors.
He was moving between two or three pavilions, searching for traces of Blood Qi, when it happened.
'...?!'
A large flow of Blood Qi was felt in Jaun's senses.
The very center of the huge pavilion.
And it was an energy flowing out from the room located at the very top.
'...This is?'
It was an amount that could never have been released unless someone had directly used the martial arts of the Blood Cult.
'The very center of the pavilion. And the top floor... Prince Yeomseong?'
Jaun took a moment to sort out his complicated thoughts in the sudden situation.
This made it certain that there was some connection between Prince Yeomseong and the Blood Cult.
But he could not imagine for what reason they were emitting Blood Qi in this way, here.
'I was planning to slowly search for traces from the outside...'
Now that he had confirmed the Blood Qi so directly, searching the surroundings was meaningless.
'I have no choice but to get closer and confirm.'
Jaun took a deep breath, and covered in black Demonic Energy, he began to race silently toward the pavilion from which the Blood Qi was flowing.