Chapter 12
"I'm sorry to my benefactor, but I can't tell you that."
"Ah, I see. I'm sorry. Hahaha."
Cheongun brushed off his embarrassment with an awkward laugh.
Matters concerning the Emperor were secret. There was nothing to be gained by getting caught up in unnecessary gossip.
Although everyone who needed to know already knew, it wasn't something to be talked about in an inn while wearing a eunuch's uniform.
Cheongun brought up another topic to change the awkward atmosphere.
"By the way, what surname did you receive when you became a eunuch?"
"Yes. I received the surname Jeong."
Usually, when one became a eunuch, they changed their existing surname or name. Many commoners used lowly names.
This was because many died young.
Among the common people, there was a folk belief that ghosts took them away. The belief was that if you wanted to live long, your name had to be lowly and dirty so that the ghosts wouldn't take you.
"Oh. You received a good surname. Then should I call you Xiaojian Jeong?"
"Please call me as you are comfortable."
Xiaojian Jeong covered his mouth, blushing, as if he were embarrassed about something.
They talked about various personal matters for a long time and occasionally talked about life in the palace.
Time flew by like an arrow as they enjoyed themselves without realizing it.
"I would like to enjoy the conversation with my benefactor more, but it is time for me to return to the palace."
"Oh, it's already that time. Haha. I didn't realize how time flew by while I was with you, Xiaojian Jeong. I'm sorry."
"No. May I know where you live?"
"I just arrived in the imperial capital today. I'll be staying here for a while, so please stop by when you have time."
"I understand."
Cheongun said goodbye to Xiaojian Jeong.
A little after Xiaojian Jeong left, the Blood Emperor opened his mouth.
[But why is that guy smiling like that? Even blushing?]
"They say that when you're young, you laugh even at the sight of a falling leaf, don't they? Maybe he finds everything in the world enjoyable."
[Well, he doesn't have a p*nis, so he has to live while smiling.]
The Blood Emperor looked down at the place where Xiaojian Jeong had left with a pitiful gaze.
"I'll have to stay here for a while and win Xiaojian Jeong's favor."
[Favor? It seems you already have plenty of it, don't you?]
As the Blood Emperor said, Xiaojian Jeong had expressed his gratitude to Cheongun excessively.
"Since I helped him, I've won over half of him. But you never know, right? There might be a problem with Xiaojian Jeong or his superiors. So for now, I think it's best to focus on winning his favor."
[Hmm... alright. Then how will you win his favor?]
"Just you wait and see. I've heard about the lives of eunuchs. Their desire for power and possessions is said to be greater than that of corrupt officials. I just need to satisfy that."
The only pleasure for eunuchs was power and money. Their obsession with money replaced the function of a man that they lacked.
[Hmm... you'll need money. I do have a secret safe I hid a long time ago... but I don't know if it's still there.]
"Is it nearby?"
"There should have been one here, but it's changed so much that I don't know where it is. I hid them in various places in the Central Plains. There were also places where I did business separately, but I don't know if they're still there."
The Heavenly Cult was the one that ruled the world. Such a Heavenly Cult had secret branches and secret warehouses separately.
The number of people who knew about the secret safes hidden all over the Central Plains could be counted on one's fingers, and among them, there were places that only the Blood Emperor knew.
"Hmm. Let's take some time to look for those places later. We don't know if they're still there or gone. I'll earn the money I need right now by selling my writing or paintings."
He didn't know who his enemy was, but it wasn't bad for Cheongun to be careful and careful again. With this level of caution, it would be a great help to his revenge.
[Those guys, they picked the wrong opponent.]
"They say that a gentleman's revenge is fine even after ten years. I have to show them. Who they messed with."
* * *
Cheongun, who had unpacked his luggage at the Dadam Inn, found a separate detached house and began his life there.
It cost quite a lot of money to get the detached house, but it didn't matter. Cheongun had the talent to make money whenever he needed it.
Cheongun put down the brush he was holding and smiled with satisfaction.
"This should be fine."
[Hmm. Why don't you make it a twelve-panel folding screen? It seems like it would make more money.]
The Blood Emperor nodded his head repeatedly as he looked at the painting Cheongun had drawn. Even to him, who had no knowledge of painting, it was a magnificent and powerful painting.
In addition to the two paintings, Cheongun had also written two pieces of calligraphy.
"I plan to draw a folding screen later when I need a lot of money. For now, meeting the Emperor is the priority."
The travel expenses he had received from the Kong family were running low. He didn't know how many days it would take to have an audience with the Emperor. So he needed money to use right away.
"I'll decide what to do after seeing Xiaojian Jeong. But I don't know when Xiaojian Jeong will come."
[He'll probably come before nightfall.]
"We just parted in the morning, will he come already?"
[From what I see, it seems he'll come running right away to see your face, don't you think?]
"That would be great. I'm running out of money."
The Blood Emperor's thoughts were correct. Xiaojian Jeong came to see Cheongun before the hour of you.
He smiled brightly at Cheongun, holding a silk bundle in one hand.
"Benefactor. It's so good to see you again like this."
"Xiaojian Jeong, welcome. You look even healthier than this morning."
"Hohoho."
Xiaojian Jeong smiled, covering his mouth with one hand at Cheongun's compliment.
At that sight, the Blood Emperor said with a sullen expression.
[Eunuchs think they're women, tsk tsk.]
The sight of Xiaojian Jeong acting coquettishly was not very pleasant. But he didn't think badly of it.
[Still, he's cute since he's young.]
The Blood Emperor nodded his head, and then, as if he had lost interest, he turned his gaze elsewhere.
"Come in. You've had a hard time coming. I was just about to have some tea, so let's have a cup of tea first."
"Yes."
Cheongun led Xiaojian Jeong into his detached house. The room was filled with the scent of ink and tea.
Xiaojian Jeong, who followed Cheongun in, looked around the room.
The painting hanging on a long rope on one side caught his eye first.
"Oh my. What is all this?"
"I had some time, so I tried drawing."
"Benefactor, you are truly a great person. I don't know how to treat you."
Xiaojian Jeong scurried over to the painting and examined it with an ecstatic gaze.
It was a painting by a great master at a glance.
After looking at the painting for a long time, Xiaojian Jeong looked to the left and opened his mouth with a puzzled expression.
"Benefactor, why didn't you put your seal on it?"
"It was a bit much to put my seal on it carelessly, so I didn't. I didn't draw it with my own unique painting style, but I twisted it a little, and a pretty good painting came out. I thought the seal might be a hindrance if someone who needs it comes along."
"Ah! Yes, yes."
Xiaojian Jeong immediately understood the meaning of Cheongun's words.
Both writing and painting can tell who drew and wrote them. This is because the unique font and painting style are contained in the painting.
But Cheongun said he did not use his own unique technique. Moreover, he did not put his seal on it to show that he had drawn it.
This meant that he was going to sell the painting to someone else.
This was not something that never happened. Those who wanted to show off to someone sometimes secretly asked a master.
The master drew a painting with a new painting style, not their own. Those who bought the completed painting used it as a folding screen or made a scroll and hung it in a place where it could be seen well.
Xiaojian Jeong had prepared something that would be worth money because of Cheongun's shabby clothes, but he felt that he had done something unnecessary.
He handed the small silk bundle in one hand to Cheongun and said.
"I have prepared a small gift, but I'm embarrassed."
"A small gift. Don't say that. To think of me like this, I must have seen the person well."
"Thank you for saying so."
Seeing Cheongun happy without even looking at the contents inside, Xiaojian Jeong also felt very good.
Xiaojian Jeong, as if he had thought of something, clapped his hands and said to Cheongun.
"Benefactor. If it's a painting like this, I can find a place to sell it."
"Really? Actually, I was in a difficult situation because I ran out of travel expenses. I have talent in writing and painting, but I don't have the talent to find a buyer, so I was worried. That's great. Thank you."
"Don't mention it. It's not too late yet, so I'll go and find out right away."
Xiaojian Jeong had been thinking about how to help Cheongun. Although he was in the position of a Xiaojian, he had not yet secured a key position that could be called power.
So he had been worried, but Cheongun was more amazing than he had thought.
"The sun will set in an hour, won't it be too late?"
"No. On the contrary, the timing is perfect."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. We have to be careful with this kind of thing because of the eyes of others."
A secret transaction was needed.
It was to secretly sell the two paintings Cheongun had drawn.
A painting by a great master whose author had not yet been decided.
Whoever it was, if they just put their seal on it, it would become their work.
Xiaojian Jeong carefully rolled up the two paintings and put them in a scroll tube for storing paintings. Then he left the Dadam Inn with a bright smile.
The Blood Emperor, who was staring at Xiaojian Jeong's figure, threw a word.
[But why does that guy keep smiling and blushing?]
"I told you it's because he's young. It's an age where you laugh even at the sight of the sun in the sky."
[Really?]
It wasn't something the Blood Emperor needed to pay much attention to. He just let it go, thinking it was just that.
Since it went according to plan, he had to prepare for the next thing.
"Since Xiaojian Jeong will probably get the money, let's just train now."
Inside the detached house, there was a fairly large courtyard. Since it was three zhang wide, it was enough to train in martial arts.
[It would be better to train during the day and have actual combat at night.]
"Haa, do I have to get beaten again?"
[Getting beaten is also training. For now, you need to learn how to use your body more, so let's just do it with our bare hands for a while.]
"What if I get stabbed?"
[You won't die easily just by being stabbed. Besides, your skin has become tough because of the Blood Emperor's energy and lightning energy, so it won't be cut easily.]
"..."
* * *
A week had passed since he started his actual combat training in the imperial capital.
Cheongun went out to fight every night.
He would pick a fight whenever he saw people who looked like they were from the underworld.
He would let go of those who had weapons and only fight those who didn't.
In the process, he was beaten countless times.
The difference from before was that he no longer just got beaten up.
He would present the blood points he wanted to the fist the opponent swung. According to the order of energy circulation.
Should I call it forced acupressure?
Sometimes he would get hit in a place he didn't want, but that couldn't be helped.
He fought, and fought again. He got beaten, and got beaten again...
Sometimes he would hit back and fight like a madman.
After a few days, a rumor spread that a madman had appeared near the south gate. Thanks to that, the figures of the underworld were not seen much at the south gate.
"Let's go to the east gate today."
Cheongun said as he left the inn.
The Blood Emperor looked left and right. The underworld gang was not to be seen.
[Let's do that.]
Cheongun moved for a long time and headed to a market near the east gate.
[The kids here look stronger than the ones at the south gate.]
"Really?"
[Those two over there have trained quite a bit. But they're no match for you. Think of it as a light warm-up.]
"I understand."
The third-rate underworld figures were no match for Cheongun. He was just letting them hit him as a way to activate the internal energy scattered throughout his body.
Cheongun composed himself and took a deep breath. Then he approached the men who were gathered in one place and picked a fight.
"Hey, you with the weird-looking face."