Seeing The True Nature Of Power (1)

Neung Je-gang reached Bu County in Shaanxi Province. He did not take a boat and went straight onto the official road. Traveling by boat would be comfortable, but boats had to be waited for, and Neung Je-gang’s legs were fast and sturdy.

It was a choice that required no deliberation. Because of this choice, one Thousand-Household officer of the Brocade Guard saved his life.

The great official road leading from Bu County in Shaanxi Province to Jixian in Shanxi Province. On a mountainside by that road, which had long since become sparsely traveled, a group of people were hurriedly changing clothes.

“Why do we have to change into these?”

One person asked, sounding extremely uncomfortable.

“Do you know where these clothes are from?”

“They look like government-office uniforms.”

“That’s right. See this mark here? This is the mark of Prince Ye’s Estate. In other words, once we wear these clothes, we become warriors of Prince Ye’s Estate.”

“So?”

“You know that Secret Shadow drove a wedge between us and Prince Ye’s Estate. This time, we are driving a wedge between Prince Ye’s Estate and Secret Shadow.”

“Ah! I see. But then what happens to us?”

“Prepare to die. For the sake of our families who died unjustly because of Secret Shadow, we will throw away our lives. If trouble breaks out between Secret Shadow and Prince Ye, one of the two will surely fall.”

These were the people of the families and sects that had been framed as thieves because of Neung Je-gang’s scheme. At the time, they had all been dragged into Prince Ye’s Estate.

But witnesses appeared who proved that they had not done it. They were the Brocade Guard. In exchange for clearing their false charges, the Brocade Guard asked them one thing. It was to strike Secret Shadow.

They had no choice but to accept. If things went exactly according to the Brocade Guard’s operation, Secret Shadow might be put in trouble.

If Secret Shadow was only driven out of the Eastern Depot, making him an official public enemy of the martial world would not be impossible. That was the only way they could take revenge on Secret Shadow.

At the words that they had to die, the atmosphere briefly turned solemn.

“Hurry. According to what the Brocade Guard told us, it will not be long before Secret Shadow comes here.”

“Understood.”

They quickly changed clothes and took up their weapons. The weapons had also been prepared to match those of Prince Ye’s Estate’s warriors. Those, too, had all been prepared by the Brocade Guard.

“With Secret Shadow’s skill, he may sense our ambush in advance. Even so, do not panic. And when calling one another…, well, there probably won’t be much need to call one another, but call each other guards. And never use the martial arts of your families or sects. From now on, we are warriors of Prince Ye’s Estate. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“And the representatives of each family and sect, gather here.”

People came rushing over. There were more than ten of them. The man who had been leading the discussion handed something to each of them.

“T-this is?”

The hand of the person who received it trembled violently.

“That’s right. Jincheon Roe. And government-office Jincheon Roe at that. When Secret Shadow arrives, you must hide here, light the fuse in advance, and throw it around the time we are almost annihilated.”

“Annihilated?”

“That’s right, annihilated. Because all of us will die here. Do you understand?”

“I understand. If it is to catch Secret Shadow, then there is no other way.”

“Then go prepare. Never forget this. Remember that you must throw them when we are almost annihilated.”

In that way, they were preparing to capture Neung Je-gang by even mobilizing firearms called Jincheon Roe. They did not know. This, too, was all one of the plots arranged by the Brocade Guard.

Prince Ye believed the Brocade Guard would attack Secret Shadow. To capture Secret Shadow, who had mocked him, he had paid the Brocade Guard a huge sum and requested it. However, the Brocade Guard had never intended to touch Neung Je-gang directly from the beginning. That was why they were using these people.

In truth, the ones who had attacked Cheong Yeon, Ma-jil, and the others were not the Brocade Guard either. The Brocade Guard had merely told them the path Ma-jil and the others would take. Those who attacked them were the families of these very people now preparing to attack Neung Je-gang. In the end, only these people were being deceived by the Brocade Guard and continuing to suffer casualties.

Neung Je-gang moved very quickly along the empty official road.

“Hm? Killing intent?”

There were beings ahead who were leaking killing intent. Neung Je-gang stopped far ahead of the place those preparing the ambush had expected.

“What is this now? Are they targeting me? Or are they targeting something else?”

No matter how little people used this road because of the waterway, it was not as though there were absolutely no people who occasionally traveled it. The ambush ahead could have been prepared for someone else.

“It probably isn’t me, after all.”

Neung Je-gang thought so. He believed that anyone who knew him would not set up such a clumsy ambush. But if this truly was waiting for him, he could only think that they were really looking down on the existence known as Secret Shadow.

“Should I go take a look first?”

He deliberately moved slowly in front of the ambush. He could have simply dashed like he was flying and made the ambushers feel empty-handed, but at the very least, he needed to know whom they were waiting for and where they had come from. He was still of the Eastern Depot, so how could he just pass by something like this?

“He’s here.”

When Neung Je-gang revealed himself, someone shouted very blatantly. This was neither an ambush nor a surprise attack.

“Hm? Those are government-office uniforms. The government office is after me?”

Neung Je-gang found it strange. There was no reason anywhere for the government office to rush in and try to capture him. But then one thing suddenly entered his eyes. The mark of Prince Ye’s Estate, far too clear.

“Damn it! Did I get caught?”

Because he had a prior record, he felt a stab of guilt inside.

“I’m worried about the others.”

If the incident last time had been exposed, he could not guarantee that Ma-jil, Cheong Yeon, and the others were safe either.

“Strike!”

The ambushers charged.

Neung Je-gang found himself in a difficult position. If Prince Ye was angry with him, it would be hard to soothe that anger. Kings could do anything, so long as it was not rebellion, and it would not become a crime. It was said that a monarch was beyond shame. If they fought each other, the crime would fall entirely on Neung Je-gang himself.

“This won’t do.”

Neung Je-gang first tried to leave the place. He did not attack and only dodged. If he tried to avoid them, no one could catch him. But there was someone who noticed that Neung Je-gang was trying to avoid the fight and flee.

“He’s trying to run. Throw them.”

It was an extreme measure. It was a desperate cry that disregarded life.

Sizzle.

Neung Je-gang thought the thing they told them to throw would be a hidden weapon or some kind of capture device like a net. But it was not. The sound of something burning, and black lumps of iron flying through the air. It was one of the firearms he had seen several times even in the Eastern Depot.

Kwa-gwang-gwang-gwang!

More than ten fire bombs exploded, damaging the official road.

“Aaaagh!”

Affected by the explosion of the firearms, the people gathered there who had attacked Neung Je-gang had their bodies burst apart. It was such a tremendous power that even the people who had thrown the Jincheon Roe were shocked.

The explosions of the firearms soon stopped. The ones thrown at first were all of them. Once nothing more was thrown, the thick cloud of dust that had risen gradually settled.

“D-did he die? He must have died, right?”

The voices of the people who had thrown the fire bombs trembled, and their hands trembled as well. They had not known the fire bombs were this powerful. In the end, they had killed their own families and juniors of their sects with their own hands.

They had meant to throw them only after the others had nearly all died by Neung Je-gang’s hands in order to avoid that, but the plan had been completely ruined.

“I’m not dead yet.”

It was then. A gloomy voice sounded from behind them. It was a voice filled with great anger.

Neung Je-gang was regretting that he should have simply avoided them. He had never imagined they would carry out a suicide attack with fire bombs.

But because of that, he had ended up taking the fire-bomb attack head-on. Since he had leaped away and avoided it, he had not been injured, but he had already become angry. That was why he revealed himself behind the people who had thrown the fire bombs.

“Prince Ye’s Estate! I will not let this matter pass.”

Neung Je-gang killed all the people who had thrown the fire bombs in an instant. Since the matter had already happened, handling it cleanly was better for his personal safety.

However, Neung Je-gang also made a mistake this time. He did not ask about the true identities of the dead. He believed, based only on their clothes and weapons, that they truly were warriors of Prince Ye’s Estate. In the end, just as the Brocade Guard intended, Neung Je-gang came to harbor bad feelings toward Prince Ye’s Estate.

Neung Je-gang changed his course to Zhengzhou. Prince Ye’s Estate was right there.

If one had to choose the most famous thing in Zhengzhou, it would be the Martial Alliance, no matter what. The next most famous place was Prince Ye’s Estate. That was in terms of fame, but in terms of the size of power, the Martial Alliance did not dare compare to Prince Ye’s Estate.

Neung Je-gang had arrived there. He had run all the way without rest. But as he thought while coming there, something felt rather strange. For soldiers of a princely estate, their number had been too small. And above all, the ambush had been too clumsy.

If they had truly been soldiers of a princely estate, they would have been trained. The soldiers of the empire were not idlers. They trained without rest. In the course of training, ambushes were the most basic of basics.

“They may not have been soldiers of the princely estate.”

That was the thought that had occurred to him on the way. If someone was perhaps trying to make him fight Prince Ye’s Estate, they could have carried out such an operation.

“I need to investigate first.”

Neung Je-gang hid himself and observed Prince Ye’s Estate. If someone was waiting for him to come, they would be watching Prince Ye’s Estate.

Sure enough, Neung Je-gang discovered people watching Prince Ye’s Estate. They were clearly not people of Prince Ye’s Estate. Nor were they people of the Eastern Depot. But they were certainly people who did similar work.

Neung Je-gang followed them. They did not know they were being followed, and they watched the princely estate while changing shifts. Neung Je-gang followed the person who left after his shift ended.

“Is it a safehouse?”

It was a small manor located on the outskirts of Zhengzhou. Neung Je-gang followed them. The people who had been so cautious while watching the princely estate were swaggering around once they entered the manor.

“I have returned.”

“Anything unusual?”

“Nothing unusual yet.”

“Understood. Go rest.”

“Yes.”

Neung Je-gang was listening to their conversation right above their heads.

‘There’s no mention of where they came from. Do I need to look for something else to confirm it?’

Neung Je-gang tried to move elsewhere.

“Squad Leader, a message from Beijing.”

“What is it?”

“They say there has been a hitch in the operation in Beijing. The woman who was the target turned out to be an incredible master. So those two have fled and are being chased by Eastern Depot agents.”

“A master? Wasn’t that woman said to be a physician?”

“They say everyone thought so because she had never used martial arts anywhere else. They said that even during the suppression of the Necromancer Cult, she treated people with medicine.”

“Damn it, we were completely deceived. In any case, we of the Brocade Guard have far too few people. Whenever someone seems talented, the Eastern Depot takes them all away.”

While listening to the conversation, Neung Je-gang nearly jumped in. The woman appearing in the conversation seemed to be Je So-yeon. It meant someone had tried to kill her. At the mention of two men, the names Deung Gak and Deung Hyeon suddenly came to mind.

But because they said it had failed, he barely managed to restrain himself. Otherwise, even if he had to sweep this place away, he would have forced them to confess.

‘The Brocade Guard?’

At last, Neung Je-gang approached the name Brocade Guard.

‘The Brocade Guard is targeting the princely estate?’

That was probably not it. If they did not want to be ruined, they could not do such a thing. If so, just as he had first thought, someone was planning to borrow his hand to kill another.

‘Is this a scheme to ruin both sides? Or only me? If it is the Brocade Guard, they are an organization with the capacity to do something like this, but why would they?’

The Eastern Depot and the Brocade Guard did not have a very good relationship, but it was not an extremely bad one either. As these people had said, many of the Eastern Depot’s agents were also selected and brought over from the Brocade Guard. And they tended to give many conveniences to their original home, the Brocade Guard.

‘Is there someone who bears a grudge against me?’

Neung Je-gang stopped thinking and moved elsewhere. That place seemed to handle the Brocade Guard’s information. It was written in the Brocade Guard’s own secret code, so he could not tell what it meant.

There were many people sleeping, so there were no conversations worth listening to. He returned again to the place where the person called the squad leader from earlier was located.

“If we drive Secret Shadow out, can the Brocade Guard really stand above the Eastern Depot?”

“Wouldn’t that happen? In any case, has there been no news yet from the ones who went carrying the fire bombs?”

“Whether they fail or succeed, they are all people who will die there. They were fire bombs we barely obtained, so it would be a waste if they failed. But making them use the fire bombs was done with the clash between Secret Shadow and the princely estate in mind, so even if they fail, doesn’t it not matter?”

“They say fire bombs were also issued to the people of the Alliance, right? The martial world is finished now, too. To think they would rely on firearms like that.”

“They say the higher-ups are worrying now that those people might use those fire bombs to do something unintended.”

“Something unintended?”

“Like striking the Black Alliance. In truth, with fire bombs of that level, wouldn’t even one be enough to bring down a building easily?”

“If they fight among themselves, that wouldn’t be a bad thing either. It would be fine to take this chance to erase the martial world altogether.”

The squad leader nodded as though he wished that would happen. A moment later, the squad leader went outside, and the subordinate who had been talking with him also left.

‘Did these things notice me? It feels strange that they suddenly left the place empty all at once.’

Neung Je-gang quickly rummaged through the documents the squad leader had been looking at. And he found one truth. After obtaining it, Neung Je-gang left the manor.

Neung Je-gang was furious. He had roughly come to understand what the Brocade Guard’s conspiracy was. In short, they were leading him and Prince Ye’s Estate to fight each other.

If that happened, Neung Je-gang himself could not live in this country. One could not touch a princely estate and remain safe. He would either have to flee to another country or hide away somewhere in Tianshan or the desert like other criminals and spend his whole life there.

If he, who stood at the peak of the Eastern Depot’s martial force, was removed, the Brocade Guard would activate its plan to recover the pride it had lost to the Eastern Depot. He did not know what that plan was. But it was certain that the Eastern Depot would suffer a blow from which recovery was impossible.

He recalled what had been written in the documents. The final objective was for the Brocade Guard Commander to concurrently hold the post of Admiral of the Eastern Depot. Right now, the Brocade Guard had become like a subordinate organization of the Eastern Depot, but they were trying to reverse it so that the Eastern Depot became a subordinate organization of the Brocade Guard.

“Who is the current Brocade Guard Commander?”

Come to think of it, because he had been busy with martial-world affairs, he had not paid much attention to the shifts in imperial power. He did not even know who the commander of the rival Brocade Guard was.

“I should have paid attention. If he is an ambitious man, I should have checked him in advance….”

There was no way a man without ambition would have made a plan like this. They said it was to raise the Brocade Guard’s status, but in the end, it contained the inner desire to become the highest authority after the emperor himself.

If he held the Eastern Depot and the Brocade Guard in one hand, who would be able to oppose him? Perhaps even the emperor would no longer be able to treat him carelessly.

“First, I should meet them and find out what has happened so far.”

It was the kind of matter where a mistake could occur if he acted up and tried to solve it alone. It involved the power of the state. A mistake would immediately mean the end.

From the beginning, Neung Je-gang had no intention toward power. But his will to stop the empire from being swayed by one man’s ambition was firm. In that sense, if the Brocade Guard Commander had some foolish ambition, he believed removing him in advance was also the right thing for the future of the empire.