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Neung Je-gang moved to Beijing without stopping by Prince Ye’s Estate. He changed his body with the illusion art of the Extreme Secrecy Method, and even that was not enough, so he secretly hid his form and headed for Beijing.
While moving, he could feel eyes watching people passing by everywhere. He could not tell whether they belonged to the Brocade Guard or the Eastern Depot. In any case, Neung Je-gang chose places where those gazes did not reach and moved through them.
Beijing.
The Eastern Depot, located on one side of the imperial palace. There was someone secretly climbing over the wall. Since two assassins had already climbed over the Eastern Depot’s wall before, surveillance had risen far beyond its previous level.
Neung Je-gang climbed over the wall with a bitter smile and entered a building. Once he was inside, he could avoid the eyes on guard.
“Just how badly did they get hit for there to be this many agents standing guard?”
It seemed they had mobilized as many personnel as they possibly could. Because of that, even Neung Je-gang found it difficult to move.
“I have no choice but to use illusion art.”
Neung Je-gang’s body slowly faded away as though being dyed by the darkness.
Whoooosh, clatter.
The sound of wind was heard, and the door of the building Neung Je-gang had entered clattered open. In an instant, two people arrived at the spot and inspected the building.
“What was that?”
“It seems the door shook in the wind.”
“You startled me for nothing. Damn it, what is all this because of those cursed bastards?”
“Stop grumbling and let’s go back.”
“Fine.”
Because of the infiltration by Deung Gak and Deung Hyeon and the damage that followed, the pride of the Eastern Depot agents had been greatly damaged as well.
Neung Je-gang went to his room. He thought Ma-jil, Cheong Yeon, or the others would be there. But unexpectedly, Je So-yeon was there.
After escaping the crisis last time, Je So-yeon had become much more focused on martial arts training. Yet of all places, she was using Neung Je-gang’s quarters as her training room.
Srrrk.
Neung Je-gang waited for Je So-yeon’s energy circulation to end. The room was cool. No, it was cold. The longer Je So-yeon’s energy circulation continued, the lower the room’s temperature became. After finishing about half an hour of energy circulation and opening her eyes, Je So-yeon was startled when she saw someone in the room.
“H-hah! Who are you?”
Seeing Je So-yeon’s sharp-tempered appearance for the first time in a while, Neung Je-gang chuckled.
“Older Brother! No, Senior Brother!”
“Pick one and call me that. It’s confusing.”
“Senior Brother! Uwaaah!”
Je So-yeon suddenly grabbed Neung Je-gang and burst into loud sobs. Neung Je-gang blocked the sound waves so her crying would not leak outside.
“Are you done crying now?”
After Je So-yeon stopped crying, Neung Je-gang asked her in a gentle voice.
“I heard something dangerous happened not long ago. You aren’t hurt anywhere, are you?”
“Sniff! No.”
“I’m sorry. I should have protected you by your side, but I did not pay enough attention.”
“No. I have become strong now too.”
In truth, after defending against Deung Gak’s ambush, Je So-yeon had become very firm mentally. Experiencing a threat to her life had made her that way. She was now truly walking the path of a female warrior.
“What about the others?”
“They are all safe. But what about you, Senior Brother? Did you avenge Master?”
“Not yet. The culprit was Deung Gak. I dealt with all the people who had followed him from Tianshan, but I could not find any trace of the Deung father and son.”
“Ah!”
Je So-yeon felt regret.
“Call the others here. The fact that I came here must not be known outside yet.”
“Yes.”
Je So-yeon quickly wiped away her tears and brought the group.
“Captain!”
“Captain!”
“Master!”
In an instant, Ma-jil, Cheong Yeon, and even Jo Ja-myeong came running and clung to Neung Je-gang.
“Have you been well?”
“Well? We almost died more than once.”
Ma-jil spoke first.
“I want to know what happened during that time.”
“As expected! It seems you already know something.”
“Yes. I learned it because something absurd happened on my way back from Tianshan. Someone is targeting us—no, targeting me.”
“If they are targeting you, Captain, then they are ultimately targeting us, so please do not try to exclude us on purpose. In any case, things began at Antang Mountain.”
They explained to Neung Je-gang one by one the things they had experienced. As their words continued, Neung Je-gang frowned. The enemy’s power was stronger than he had expected. If they could move the military as well, this was not at the level of something the Brocade Guard could carry out alone. The problem was that he could not clearly identify that force.
“……That is how it happened.”
With Cheong Yeon’s words as the last, their explanation ended.
“I know the Brocade Guard is involved. But it seems there is someone else too. Who could that be?”
“What? There is another enemy besides the Brocade Guard?”
“The military moved. Do you think the Jiangxi Province unit could go to Zhejiang Province merely on the Brocade Guard’s word? This means there is someone else who can move the military.”
“Then could it be the Five Military Commissions?”
Cheong Yeon flinched in shock. If the Five Military Commissions had stepped forward, it would be fair to see it as the entire empire.
“That is not it. If it were the Five Military Commissions, there would be no need to proceed so secretly.”
Neung Je-gang’s words were correct. The Five Military Commissions had no reason to devise such a conspiracy, but if they had taken Neung Je-gang’s removal as their goal, they would be the kind to come at him head-on. There was no one in the world who could fight an army of eight hundred thousand. That was impossible even for Neung Je-gang.
“Then who could it be? Someone who can move the military, yet has to proceed secretly?”
They thought of every powerful person. But for now, no one beyond the openly revealed Brocade Guard Commander came to mind.
“Right, who is the Brocade Guard Commander?”
Neung Je-gang suddenly remembered and asked. At that, the group looked at Neung Je-gang with dumbfounded expressions. Cheong Yeon answered in an uneasy voice.
“You don’t know?”
“No. I have never heard of him. I think he changed not long ago….”
Neung Je-gang answered that way.
“Mm, his name is Yu Deok-geun. He is the First Princess’s imperial son-in-law. He is someone His Majesty has been favoring recently. That is why he was suddenly appointed as the Brocade Guard Commander.”
“He receives His Majesty’s favor?”
This made him difficult to touch. His heart had been more at ease when he did not know. If the man was the emperor’s highly favored son-in-law, the only card their side could use to oppose him was Princess Jang-ok. But Neung Je-gang had absolutely no intention of borrowing Princess Jang-ok’s power.
“For now, place taking care of yourselves as the highest priority. Ah, and this is yours, Ma-jil.”
Neung Je-gang took the Shinsu Secret Record from his robes and gave it to Ma-jil.
“What is this?”
“Gyessu True Qi was in there. Learn it first, and I will soon obtain Eulmok True Qi for you as well.”
“Hah! Gyessu True Qi.”
As if afraid someone would see, Ma-jil quickly snatched the secret manual. Then he went to a corner of the room, opened the book, and examined it alone. Since he had been very dissatisfied that the others were each learning one of the forbidden arts, giving him Gyessu True Qi this time was a very good medicine to stop Ma-jil’s sulking.
“How is Ja-myeong? Is he worth teaching martial arts to?”
“Yes.”
“Ja-myeong’s aptitude is truly astonishing. His handling of that cudgel called Pungroe is also incredible.”
“That should be so. I do not know Pungroe’s martial art well, but as far as I know, it is at least as strong as the forbidden arts, if not stronger.”
“Huh! It is a martial art of that level?”
The group looked at Jo Ja-myeong with new eyes. Jo Ja-myeong wore an embarrassed expression.
“The retired Black Cloud Demon was never defeated even once in his life. As far as I know, he can truly be called the number one under heaven. Although you may never meet him, you must never forget that he is your master.”
“Yes.”
“And this is something I made to give you whenever I had the chance. It is not as good as Pungroe’s martial art, but they are quite useful things, so they will help you live in the martial world from now on.”
Neung Je-gang took out another book from his robes and gave it to Jo Ja-myeong. It was a martial-arts secret manual he had made out of guilt because he could not always stay by his side. It contained the essence of the martial arts Neung Je-gang had obtained in the Forbidden Demon Prison, the martial arts Nam Yeong had collected throughout his life, and the martial arts he had obtained in Tianshan.
“Thank you.”
Jo Ja-myeong’s face brightened. It felt as though all the sorrow of having seen Neung Je-gang’s face only a few times and having had to learn the basics from other people had disappeared.
“So-yeon, first learn the Small-Hand Art from Gongsun Gyeong-in. I have no martial art suitable to give you. Among ice arts, there is nothing beyond what you are currently learning. Even so, the Small-Hand Art suits the yin-cold category best.”
“Yes.”
“Then, let us discuss what we must do now. I will investigate the Brocade Guard. Therefore, the fact that I have returned must absolutely not be known outside.”
“Understood.”
“Cheong Yeon, as soon as the Eastern Depot’s information organization revives, have them investigate Prince Ye’s Estate.”
“Yes.”
“So-yeon, Ma-jil, and Ja-myeong, continue training martial arts here. Especially you, Ma-jil. Until Gyessu True Qi reaches a certain level, do not concern yourself with anything else.”
“…….”
Ma-jil did not even answer. He was frantically memorizing Gyessu True Qi. Even without being told to train only in martial arts, he did not look like he would do anything else.
“Gongsun Gyeong-in, teach So-yeon the Small-Hand Art, and then you must do something truly important.”
“Yes.”
“Investigate the Five Military Commissions.”
“Hah! The Five Military Commissions?”
“Yes. Since the military moved, there must be a record of it somewhere. You must find out who gave the order to send the Jiangxi Province unit to Zhejiang Province.”
“Understood.”
Though Gongsun Gyeong-in’s heart trembled, he felt a strange excitement. He would be committing something no one, no thief, had ever attempted. The Five Military Commissions of the Great Ming Empire….
“From now on, once every three days, gather here at this time and share what each of you has found out. Cheong Yeon and Gongsun Gyeong-in, carry signal flares with you, and if your identities are exposed, fire a signal flare. I will come running.”
“Yes.”
After dividing all the duties, Neung Je-gang stood up. Now he was about to leave the Eastern Depot again. The place he had to go was the residence of Yu Deok-geun, the head of the Brocade Guard.
“You’re leaving already?”
“I have to. The faster I move, the more I can trouble the enemy. Then I will see you in three days.”
Neung Je-gang greeted everyone with his eyes and went outside. Everyone else’s faces had now brightened. They were far different from the expressions they had worn when Neung Je-gang was not there.
“Huh? Captain, where did he go?”
Ma-jil, who had been entranced by Gyessu True Qi, only then lifted his head and asked when he saw Neung Je-gang had disappeared.
“Haha!”
“Hoho!”
For the first time in a while, laughter came from their mouths. They had faith that there would be no more need to be chased. Because Neung Je-gang had come.
Yu Deok-geun. One of the greatest powerful men of the era, holding the position of Brocade Guard Commander. He was now receiving someone’s report in a secret room.
“You confirmed the fire bombs exploded, but you don’t know Secret Shadow’s whereabouts? Not that he died, but that you don’t know?”
“That is correct.”
“Did he not die from the fire bombs?”
“Among the people dead there, there were some who died unrelated to the fire bombs.”
“Who were they?”
“They were likely the ones who threw the fire bombs. But the fact that they died means there is a high probability they died by Secret Shadow’s hand. In other words, Secret Shadow is alive. We lost track of him after that.”
“What about the man inspecting the scene?”
“He was dead as well.”
“Damn it! Then Secret Shadow, whose whereabouts we do not even know, is wandering around somewhere?”
Yu Deok-geun unconsciously touched his neck. The opponent was the official number one under heaven and the number one assassin under heaven. If what he had plotted was exposed, he might die, and the opponent was someone highly likely to kill him.
“What is the possibility that he entered Beijing?”
“It is not certain. But currently, every road leading into Beijing is being thoroughly inspected, so for now we believe the possibility is low.”
“That is fortunate. Make the Brocade Guard’s defenses thorough as well. The opponent is Secret Shadow.”
“Understood.”
The subordinate who had finished all his reports for the moment left. Then the figure of one person entered the place.
“Report!”
At Yu Deok-geun’s words, the person who entered first bowed his head in greeting and then opened his mouth.
“We have prepared a safehouse in Tianjin for the Deung father and son for now.”
“Tianjin is close by.”
“That is correct. Once Deung Gak’s injuries recover, it seems he will cause trouble again.”
“How serious are Deung Gak’s injuries?”
“They were quite serious. But he is recovering now.”
“Good. That young girl learned a remarkable martial art. Who was the bastard who reported that she had not learned martial arts?”
“He has already been removed.”
“Really? Well done. We do not need someone who disrupts the great enterprise with personal opinions. By the way, do the people from the Alliance still have no movement? If we even prepared a safehouse for them, shouldn’t they attempt something?”
“It seems reaching out to the Alliance was a mistake. When they heard there was a possibility Secret Shadow was alive, they refused to move.”
Yu Deok-geun lifted a hand and pressed his forehead as though he had a headache. He was already regretting having allied with the Martial Alliance, which was of no help at all right now. But he could not tell them to leave the safehouse either, so he was in a difficult position.
“Pass them one piece of information.”
“What information do you mean?”
“The shift schedule of the Eastern Depot’s guard squad. If they do not take any action even after receiving that information, it will mean they are useless, so we must erase them.”
“Understood. You mean we should give them a final notice.”
“If you understand, take care of it that way. You may go.”
“Yes.”
Only Yu Deok-geun remained in the secret room. After thinking about something for a moment, he left through another door instead of the door people used to enter and exit.
In one corner of the secret room where Yu Deok-geun’s form had disappeared, Neung Je-gang’s figure slowly revealed itself.
‘Judging by his actions and conversations so far, Yu Deok-geun is certainly the one at the top of the conspiracy. If I harm Yu Deok-geun, will the true conspirator appear next?’
He wanted to try such a gamble as well. Killing the emperor’s son-in-law. It was a gamble that might perhaps make him fall into the abyss once more.
‘Not yet. In any case, I have plenty of time. The hurried one is not me, but Yu Deok-geun. More importantly, knowing the shift schedule of the Eastern Depot’s guard squad means Yu Deok-geun has a connection inside the Eastern Depot. As expected, hiding myself was the right choice.’
Neung Je-gang left the Brocade Guard. There was no one, at least in the imperial palace, who could discover him. The place where Neung Je-gang flew off and disappeared was the direction in which the person who had last reported to Yu Deok-geun had vanished. He had already sprinkled Tracking Incense on him.
He was curious about the identity of those said to have come from the Alliance. Perhaps that Alliance was the Martial Alliance. It certainly seemed unlikely that those proud people would kneel and simply endure.
A Brocade Guard safehouse.
In the case of an information organization or an organization with many secrets, a place where one could take refuge in an emergency was called a safehouse. It was a safe zone that would not be caught by any enemy’s eyes or ears.
In the middle of Beijing, about one hundred jang away from the Hebei Paeng Clan, the traditional martial family representing Hebei Province, was a certain manor. One person was busily walking toward it.
While pretending not to, he carefully observed the surroundings and stood in front of the manor with quick little steps.
Tap, tap, tap.
At the sound of knocking on the door, it creaked open. It was quite a swift response. It meant there was always someone guarding the door. But no one took an interest in such things.
He entered, and the door closed.
“Where are they?”
It was a deep voice that did not match his quick little movements. Somehow, it did not fit.
“They are gathered in the main hall.”
“Understood.”
He now walked boldly like a man, swinging his arms with confidence.
The people waiting for him in the main hall all stood up and greeted him. Only after exchanging greetings with one another for some time did they get to the main subject.
“Here it is.”
“What is this?”
“It is the shift schedule of the Eastern Depot’s guard squad.”
“Ah!”
They looked at it with curiosity.
“But why this?”
Even so, one person had doubts about why he was showing it to them.
“You have rested enough now, so you must work.”
“What work?”
“Have you forgotten that Secret Shadow’s companions are in the Eastern Depot? Do you even have any intention of avenging your grudge?”
The people’s faces turned red. When they first set out, their goal had been clear and their will had been firm, but as time passed, their spirit had vanished and only fear remained.
“The execution is tomorrow. There has been a decision from above that if you do not move this time either, everything that has happened so far will be treated as if it never happened.”
“Understood. We will discuss it and make a decision.”
The atmosphere became heavy. But they probably did not know. Once they had been caught between the gaps of power, it would be difficult to leave this place safely.
“Then I will take my leave now. Please discuss it and make a decision.”
The person who had guided Neung Je-gang from the Brocade Guard stood up just like that and went outside. The moment he left the manor gate, he took quick little steps like before and disappeared.
Neung Je-gang did not follow him and decided to listen to what the people inside the manor were saying. These were people Neung Je-gang knew well. As expected, they were from the Martial Alliance. It seemed they had joined hands with a powerful man in order to revive the prestige of the collapsing Martial Alliance.
But they probably had not known that this would plunge them again into a deep and bottomless mire.
“Fellow Taoists, it seems we now have no choice but to move.”
“But we do not even know whether Secret Shadow is alive or dead. What will you do if Secret Shadow returns later?”
“Then how long are we supposed to stay here like this?”
“As long as the Brocade Guard has not fulfilled its promise, we bear no responsibility, do we? They said they would make Secret Shadow be driven out of the Eastern Depot, yet they have not kept that promise. Therefore, the fact that we are not moving now is not our fault.”
“That is right. The ones who broke the promise first were the Brocade Guard. Only after Secret Shadow withdraws from the Eastern Depot can we make him a public enemy, but since they have not even succeeded at that, they cannot say anything to us.”
Neung Je-gang, who was listening from hiding, nodded. The picture was now being drawn.
After clashing with Prince Ye’s Estate, he would be driven out of the Eastern Depot. Once that happened, as if they had been waiting, the Martial Alliance would make him a public enemy of the martial world, and he would be hunted by the entire martial world.
Meanwhile, Yu Deok-geun would push out Princess Jang-ok and take the position of Admiral of the Eastern Depot. Princess Jang-ok had to step down from the position of Eastern Depot Admiral soon anyway. She had already passed the age when she should be married.
If Princess Jang-ok stepped down without anything happening, the person closest to taking that position was himself. In the end, the reason Yu Deok-geun was targeting him was because of that.
‘Then what is the reason the others are targeting me?’
For the Martial Alliance, it was resentment. That was why they were trying to make Neung Je-gang a public enemy of the martial world. Deung Gak and Deung Hyeon were also fueled by resentment. They were trying to vent the resentment of losing Deung Myeong. Yu Deok-geun wanted the position of Eastern Depot Admiral. Removing an obstacle in the future was his purpose. And there was also someone else, but he still did not know who that was.
Neung Je-gang waited for the result of the Martial Alliance people’s meeting. If they decided to attack the Eastern Depot, he intended to go and inform the others.
But fortunately or unfortunately, the result of their meeting was to leave Beijing and return to the Martial Alliance. Their thought was that as long as Neung Je-gang had not withdrawn from the Eastern Depot, they could not move first.
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