Chapter 135
Grand General Ju Wonyang.
The pinnacle of the millions-strong military, and a symbol of power that divided the imperial palace's military force into three along with the Embroidered Guard and the Eastern Depot.
People say that those in power must be perfectly happy.
However, those who climbed up by knocking down and trampling on others could not close their eyes comfortably for a single moment until they died.
A life where the wine cup they drank from daily might be laced with poison, or where they might get a knife stuck in their neck while taking a nap due to spring fatigue—that was their life.
The Grand General was no different.
He couldn't even remember the last time he had slept comfortably with his legs stretched out and his eyes closed.
Such a Grand General was having a dream for the first time in a while.
When he was young, before he entered the path of a military official.
It was a dream of the days when he wandered the entire martial world holding a single greatsword, saying he would gain worldly experience.
He crossed mountains, crossed rivers, and ran endlessly across plains.
He entered any inn his feet led him to and filled his stomach with noodles, dumplings, and baijiu.
He often camped out, and there were times when he almost died clashing with some evil faction bastards.
Nevertheless, the fact that the dream of that time was so comfortable.
Perhaps the Grand General was also a martial artist at heart.
'Mmm, the noodles in Tianjin were especially delicious...'
The Grand General thought so at the familiar scent that suddenly wafted over. His mouth naturally watered, and the unique savory taste came to mind.
"It is delicious."
At the answer that came out of nowhere, the Grand General was startled and opened his eyes. He was on the floor. To be exact, he was leaning against some dining table.
The Emotionless Guest, who was honestly scarier than the Son of Heaven, looked down at him with a dry gaze while eating noodles. Next to him were the young pups of the Hidden Dragon Unit.
"It wasn't... a dream?"
His journey through the martial world in his youth that he had dreamed of.
This was reality. Cheon Woojin was dragging the Grand General, crossing mountains, crossing rivers, and stopping at an inn to eat noodles.
He had planned to return straight to the imperial palace, but the Hidden Dragon Unit members had complained loudly, begging to fill their stomachs.
Jin Woon said with an awkward expression.
"S-shall I order a bowl of noodles for you?"
Song Yiyeon and Namgung Jin next to him made expressions asking if that was something to say in this situation.
Tears welled up in the Grand General's eyes for a moment. Why was he, who stood at the center of power, lying on the floor of an inn? Even these young brats were looking down on him.
At that sight, Jin Woon made a flustered expression.
"I-I didn't mean to make fun of you."
"Young Master, shut your mouth and eat your noodles."
Song Yiyeon said quietly. Namgung Jin also nodded slightly in agreement. Jin Woon forced his gaze away from the Grand General and ate his noodles.
The Grand General's mind went blank in this situation. He felt like he was losing his mind, but in fact, it wasn't just a feeling.
In reality, Cheon Woojin struck the back of his neck and knocked him out again. Because it was obvious that he would be noisy if left awake unnecessarily.
* * *
The Grand General's sightseeing did not last long.
Unfortunately, the distance from the Shandong Peninsula to the imperial palace was not very far for martial artists.
A brief meeting was held in front of the imperial palace.
Song Yiyeon, Jin Woon, and Namgung Jin talked seriously about what to do. The most standard method would be to report to the imperial palace through the government office, receive the emperor's order, and then enter the palace with the Grand General.
In any case, he was still the Grand General. If things went wrong, the backlash would be difficult for the entire Murim Alliance to handle, let alone themselves.
In the midst of this, Song Yiyeon and Jin Woon suddenly stopped talking.
Because it was a situation they had clearly experienced once before.
Namgung Jin looked at them with an expression asking what was wrong.
Then Song Yiyeon pointed at Cheon Woojin.
Drag, drag, drag.
Cheon Woojin was dragging the Grand General and heading towards the main gate of the imperial palace. Because the Grand General's build was quite large, a path was being created as the dirt floor was dug up.
"..."
Namgung Jin closed his mouth and watched the scene.
As the young head of the Namgung family, he rarely panicked in most situations, but now he could only stare blankly.
'No way...'
The thought of 'no way' soon led to reality.
After a brief argument between the martial artists guarding the main gate of the imperial palace and Cheon Woojin, Cheon Woojin threw the Grand General.
The Grand General's huge body smashed the historic gate of the imperial palace. The startled gate guards drew their swords. As martial artists in charge of the imperial palace's security, they were also masters who had reached the peak.
However, they could not easily attack. The fact that the Emotionless Guest was a master who had reached Heaven Beyond Heaven was already clear.
While they were hesitating, Cheon Woojin strode into the imperial palace and dragged the Grand General again.
Soon, soldiers holding long spears began to gather from all directions like a swarm of ants. They had never imagined in their lives that their leader, the Grand General, would suffer such a fate in the imperial palace.
Cheon Woojin looked at the soldiers for a moment and then took out a small wooden plaque from his chest. It was the pardon plaque personally bestowed by the emperor.
The soldiers who saw this trembled. As soldiers of the imperial palace, they also recognized the pardon plaque.
Therefore, they could neither do this nor that.
If they withdrew their long spears, it felt like the military had yielded to a martial artist, and if they didn't withdraw them, they had no confidence in handling the Heaven Beyond Heaven master holding the pardon plaque if he started to move properly.
Soon, the ones who saved them were.
Coincidentally, the ones the military soldiers were always wary of.
Dozens of martial artists rushed into the area, their gold robes fluttering.
"Young Master Cheon! What on earth is going on?"
The Embroidered Guard member who had received martial arts guidance from Cheon Woojin asked urgently. He had intended to scold the military soldiers and take Cheon Woojin to the Embroidered Guard, but when he confirmed that what was in his hand was the Grand General, he felt his heart sink.
Cheon Woojin answered calmly.
"This person was embezzling military funds in collusion with the Peng family head and the Dark Blood Saber Lord, a disciple of the Dark Heavenly Son."
"What do you mean..."
"The Dark Blood Saber Lord's new title is the Eastern Ghost."
In an instant, the martial artists in the area widened their eyes.
They also knew the rumor of the Eastern Ghost who was said to be active recently. He was clearly said to be a martial artist from the East, but how could he be a disciple of the Dark Heavenly Son?
Not just anyone could be a martial artist of the imperial palace. Even without further explanation, they soon understood the situation.
The military soldiers no longer opened their mouths. They also knew that the Grand General was not a completely upright person.
"Hah, then what happened to the Eastern Ghost and the Peng family head? Did you kill them?"
At the Embroidered Guard member's question, Cheon Woojin answered casually.
"I don't know if they are alive or dead. They bled a lot, so if they are lucky, they will live, and if not, they will die. The Sword Demon and the Berserk Demon appeared and took them away."
"..."
The Embroidered Guard member also closed his mouth. It was because he realized that it was not an incident of a level he could handle.
"F-first, I will report to the Commander. This is too..."
Cheon Woojin silently looked behind the Embroidered Guard member. There was no need to report, as two men were walking from behind.
The head of the Embroidered Guard, Gam Jibyeok, and the Eastern Depot Admiral.
Gam Jibyeok drew a sword with a faint golden light and shouted at the military soldiers.
"How dare you! Who do you think you are pointing your long spears at? Listen, Embroidered Guard. Cut down the necks of those who do not withdraw their weapons immediately without hesitation."
A chilling order fell.
The Embroidered Guard members followed their leader's order like law.
Seeing them move immediately, the soldiers were startled and put down their long spears.
The fact that the Commander and the Admiral stepped forward like this meant that there was no hope for their leader, the Grand General.
The Embroidered Guard disarmed the soldiers, and the Admiral's cold voice immediately followed.
"Follow me. His Majesty is waiting."
Cheon Woojin, who had looked around for a moment, shrugged his shoulders, and the Hidden Dragon Unit members tactfully slipped behind Cheon Woojin.
* * *
The Grand General, who woke up in front of the emperor, immediately continued his excuses.
"Your Majesty, the Emotionless Guest is my savior."
"Is that so?"
The emperor, sitting on the throne, rested his chin on his hand and looked at him intently. It was an attitude that seemed to say, 'Make as many excuses as you want.'
Although he was a very young emperor, his innate dignity was clearly that of the Son of Heaven.
The Grand General, who swallowed his saliva, continued his words.
"I was threatened by Peng Myeongseok, the head of the Hebei Peng family. He said he needed funds to establish the Righteous Heaven Alliance and that I had to help him."
"Is that so."
"Yes. Although that fellow is my nephew, he is also a martial artist who has reached the peak. Moreover, since we are connected by blood, we cannot avoid seeing each other for the rest of our lives. If he made up his mind, it would not be difficult for him to kill me during a family event."
The emperor nodded.
"I see. The Peng family head was truly an audacious person. How dare he mock the Grand General of the country and even commit the crime of immorality. Naturally, the Peng family must pay the price with extermination."
"..."
The Grand General's face turned white.
Since the Peng family head was gone anyway, he had planned to roughly wrap it up with his sacrifice.
But extermination.
If that really happened, the martial artists of the Peng family would truly sharpen their blades, vowing to beat the Grand General to death.
"Why is there no answer? Are my words wrong? There is no way you would dare to tell me a lie."
The Grand General's deliberation was not long.
Future dangers could be overcome again then. For now, overcoming the immediate danger was the priority.
For a powerful person who had risen to the position of Grand General, such things were as common as eating.
"Yes, that is correct. If you leave it to me, I will mobilize a million soldiers to exterminate the Hebei Peng family, who dared to plot treason."
The emperor's eyes became colder than ever.
A fleeting emotion of sadness flashed through that coldness, but it did not last long.
"What on earth made you, who even received the imperial surname, like this..."
The emperor, who had said so, signaled to the Admiral.
Then the Admiral, who had approached, stabbed the Grand General's body here and there with a silver dagger. He had severed the most important joints and muscles of his body.
"Kuaaaak!"
Since the Grand General's blood points were already subdued, he couldn't even resist properly.
The Grand General was puzzled even in that terrible pain. How could they take such measures against the crimes of someone like the Grand General without even an investigation?
However, the investigation was already coming to an end.
The emperor, who had heard the reason why Cheon Woojin wanted to head to the Shandong Peninsula, had ordered the Commander and the Admiral to investigate.
They ran until their feet sweat without even informing their subordinates. Since the honor and pride of each organization were at stake, they investigated fiercely as if competing.
Soon, the Admiral dragged the Grand General away and disappeared.
He would confess all his crimes in detail with his own mouth through the notorious torture of the Eastern Depot.
After a brief commotion passed.
Silence descended upon the huge hall.
The sight of the Grand General of a country being dragged down from the top of power was quite solemn.
Naturally, Song Yiyeon, Jin Woon, and Namgung Jin looked only at the floor, half giving up their sight.
In the meantime, the emperor said in a sighing voice.
"My heart feels truly empty. Have you all eaten?"
At that subtle question, the Hidden Dragon Unit members, except for Cheon Woojin, already felt like they had indigestion.
* * *
The three people ate with their heads down.
It was definitely delicious food, but it was not easy to savor the taste in front of the emperor.
"It seems to suit everyone's taste."
The emperor smiled as if he was satisfied, and then suddenly asked Cheon Woojin, who was not picking up his chopsticks.
"Why are you not eating?"
"I ate on the way, so I'm full."
"...!"
The food got stuck in the throats of the Hidden Dragon Unit members.
Even though they had their heads down, they could feel the emperor's gaze.
"You should have told me. It seems I have bothered you unnecessarily. Hey, bring some wine and fruit."
A drinking table was quickly set up.
Only then did Cheon Woojin wet his throat a little, and the Hidden Dragon Unit members also seemed to be able to breathe.
"Did you say your name is Jin Woon? I heard you are the future of the Mount Hua Sect?"
"I am flattered."
Jin Woon, who was about to pick up a teacup instead of wine because he was a Taoist, hurriedly showed his respect.
The emperor waved his hand, telling him not to do so, and continued in a comfortable tone.
"I also enjoyed reading the thoughts of Laozi and try to practice them in everything I do. There is also a story that Yinxi, the founder of the Mount Hua Sect, was a disciple of Laozi, so in a way, you and I might be fellow disciples who learned the same Tao."
"Keheok!"
Jin Woon, whose tea got stuck in his throat, coughed.
At that sight, the emperor became sullen.
"It was a joke. It seems I really have no talent for jokes because I've lived surrounded by old men my whole life."
Then Cheon Woojin, who was quietly wetting his throat with wine, said.
"It's funny."
The joke the emperor had just made was similar to how the Poison Asura had forced a relationship of senior uncle and junior nephew on Cheon Woojin.
At Cheon Woojin's favorable review, the emperor smiled again.
Then he talked about the Namgung family and the Anhui Song family.
In fact, since the Namgung family was such a large family, there was nothing else to say.
"I am just always pleased with the loyalty that Namgung sends."
In fact, the Namgung family had already gone beyond being a local influential figure and had a strong feeling of being the hegemon of a province, so they paid a lot of attention to the parts they showed to the common people and the imperial palace.
Of course, because the Sword King's personality was not like that, the actual management of the family was handled by his younger sister, the Sword Princess.
The emperor also knew this.
"She is a rare heroine in this era. If you return to the family, please give her my regards."
"...I am flattered."
Namgung Jin showed his respect as if he was embarrassed.
Soon, the emperor's gaze turned to Song Yiyeon.
Song Yiyeon wore a tense expression anew. Compared to the Mount Hua Sect and the Namgung family mentioned earlier, the Song family was just a small merchant family.
However, the emperor knew the Anhui Song family clearly.
"Song Habaek is your father, right?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"Was it around the year before last? The snacks sent from the Song family on my birthday were very delicious. The name was Tang something..."
"Tanghulu!"
Song Yiyeon also remembered it.
Tanghulu was a snack made by coating hawthorn berries with melted taffy and then cooling them until hard.
Since maintaining the cold was the key, it was a tribute that the Song family had ambitiously sent, spending a huge amount of money to prepare ice as well.
"Yes, Tanghulu. It was really delicious. There was no one in the imperial palace who could recreate that snack."
At the emperor's words, Song Yiyeon wore a troubled expression. Tanghulu was a snack that did not yet exist in the Central Plains. It was one of the ambitious business items the Song family was preparing, but it was being delayed day by day because the cost of making it was very expensive.
The merchant instinct engraved in Song Yiyeon quickly calculated. If they were to offer this to the emperor regularly, a considerable amount of money would be spent.
The emperor smiled faintly.
"I know that it is a very expensive food. I will bestow gold upon the Song family soon. I will make sure to mention your name as well. What else is filial piety?"
At that, a bright flower bloomed on Song Yiyeon's face. If his name was mentioned along with the gold bestowed by the imperial palace, he could clearly see how happy his father would be.
"Your grace is boundless, Your Majesty!"
The emperor smiled faintly. It was the first time in his life he had heard such a vigorous 'boundless grace,' so it was very amusing.
And so, the emperor smiled pleasantly and said words of blessing to each of them.
"You should not neglect your Taoist studies and we can have a discussion on the Tao later, and you will inherit Namgung and it will be perfect if you just do as you are doing now. And you should make more Tanghulu. Because it's really delicious. Ah, lastly, you, the Emotionless Guest, can be my Grand Tutor. Now, shall we have a drink each and end the gathering?"
Everyone nodded with satisfied smiles and then suddenly stopped.
It seemed like some strange words were mixed in just now...
It was so natural that they almost let it pass.
(End of Chapter)