Masters In Captivity (2)

“Won’t you confess quickly!”

Yu Jinsan shook the handle of the execution cleaver up and down.

The sensation of the cleaver’s blade against his throat left Wang Sa-pyeong unable to think straight.

“I-I don’t even know what the Blue Dragon Troops are!”

“Then who ordered you to release the Blue Dragon Troops?”

“Th-that was….”

Wang Sa-pyeong hesitated and did not answer easily.

Could he be stalling for time?

As time passed, Yu Jinsan grew increasingly impatient, the number of officials gathering at the door steadily increasing.

At that moment, Yu Seol, who had been pressing his back, grabbed and twisted his earlobe.

“Tell us quickly who ordered it! Hurry!”

“Gyaaah!!”

For such a high-ranking official, it must have been an unprecedented, brutal pain.

Only after enduring the pain did Wang Sa-pyeong hurriedly raise one hand.

Had he finally decided to speak? That high official’s whining was second to none.

When his ear was released, he sniffled and asked.

“I-If I tell the truth, will you spare my life?”

Not wanting him to change his mind, Yu Jinsan answered immediately.

“I promise.”

“How can I believe that?”

Yu Seol grabbed his earlobe once more.

“Our grandpa doesn’t lie!”

“Ugh! I-I’ll tell you! Put that down!”

When he raised both hands, Yu Jinsan smiled triumphantly.

“Good thinking. If there’s even the slightest lie, you’ll taste the cleaver immediately.”

After a brief pause, Wang Sa-pyeong finally spoke.

“It was… my third son-in-law who asked for it.”

The claim had some credibility.

There was no reason to lie if he even sold out his son-in-law.

Now the only remaining question was who that person was.

“What kind of fellow is he?”

“He’s leading troops from Information Control courtyard.”

Yu Jinsan tilted his head in puzzlement.

Even with his experience, it was an organization he had never heard of before.

“There’s such an organization in the country?”

“How would you know? It’s a secret organization that analyzes intelligence collected from outside.”

Pieces of the puzzle seemed to be falling into place.

From the investigations so far, the Blue Dragon Troops’ purpose was to prepare for an invasion from Tianzhu.

Wasn’t the head of the Protectorate watching the Western regions from Dunhuang also a member of the Blue Dragon Troops?

It wasn’t surprising that the Blue Dragon Troops had taken control of the country’s intelligence agencies.

It occurred to him that there might be more than one planted agent in Information Control Courtyard.

“Where is this courtyard located?”

“I don’t know either. All their activities are secret.”

“You’re lying. The governor of Kaifeng doesn’t know that?”

“I-I’m telling the truth. I don’t know anything.”

He was a high-ranking official with political influence.

No matter how secret the intelligence agency, it was hard to believe he knew nothing.

“Then tell me where to go to meet your son-in-law!”

Wang Sa-pyeong, who seemed about to answer obediently, began to hesitate again.

“Now you want to protect your family? Fool, you’ve been used by him all along.”

It was obvious even without further confirmation.

There’s no way a Blue Dragon Troops member approached Wang Sa-pyeong’s daughter with pure intentions.

He had become a son-in-law to exploit Wang Sa-pyeong’s power.

At that moment, Yu Seol, who had been watching silently, urged his grandfather on.

“Grandpa, we have to leave soon.”

Yu Jinsan paused the interrogation and glanced around.

He felt a bustling flow of qi on the other side of the closed door.

“Quite a crowd has gathered.”

At his remark, Wang Sa-pyeong noticed that reinforcements had arrived.

Suddenly, his previously terrified face hardened into a solemn expression.

It was as if he’d been waiting for this moment.

“You bastards of the realm! The military forces have arrived, so you’re finished now!”

Ignoring him, Yu Jinsan looked back up at the roof.

He could sense numerous presences even on the pavilion’s roof.

“Yes, it seems we’re in real trouble.”

Perhaps bolstered by Yu Jinsan’s quieter tone, Wang Sa-pyeong raised his voice even more.

“Kneel at once! Beg for forgiveness now and I might show mercy…”

He couldn’t finish his sentence, the lightning-fast strike of Yu Jinsan’s right hand smacked his cheek.

Smack-!

“Look at you, where does a pig get the nerve to stand up to a person?”

Only then did Wang Sa-pyeong clamp his split lip shut.

As he fell silent, Yu Seol asked.

“Grandpa, what do we do now?”

It would take some time to get everything they wanted.

His granddaughter might escape even if surrounded by a million troops, but that wasn’t the case for him. Dragging things out any longer could be dangerous.

After pondering, Yu Jinsan grabbed Wang Sa-pyeong’s hind and said.

“I didn’t want to go this far, but there’s no choice. Lead the way.”

Yu Seol, from the front, hoisted Wang Sa-pyeong’s chest up with both hands.

They looked like two kids carrying a pig.

Dangling in midair, Wang Sa-pyeong thrashed about.

“Y-you brats! Didn’t you say you’d spare me!?”

“Shut him up; quiet him down.”

At that moment, Yu Seol’s right foot shot up over his head.

The vertically aimed toe struck his face precisely.

The duo hoisted the unconscious Wang Sa-pyeong and sprinted outside.

At the same time, Yu Seol’s forefoot slammed into the closed pavilion door.

Six officials standing before the door were flung out along with the door.

“Ugh!”

The scene before them was nothing short of absurd.

It wasn’t the Protectorate’s officials who were the problem.

There were easily hundreds of armed soldiers.

Their numbers kept pouring in even now.

From the center, a commander thrust out his sword and shouted.

“You bastards, won’t you put the man down at once!?”

At that moment, a shard of the door’s debris floated up before Yu Seol’s eyes.

It was a small splinter of wood, but it glowed brilliantly.

It was imbued with the qi of the Profound Realm.

It then drifted through the air and shot off at incredible speed.

Its movement seemed almost alive.

The wooden splinter turned freely in the air like a will-o’-the-wisp.

Before the soldiers could react, a beam of light began cutting through them.

What on earth was happening?

Its speed was beyond imagination, too fast for the eye to follow.

To imbue objects with qi and control them freely was the highest realm of martial arts, attainable only by supreme masters.

If the object is a sword, it’s Air Sword technique; if a spear, it’s Spear Control Technique.

If weapons were used, they would unleash extreme lethality, but Yu Seol could only handle light objects so far.

But even that was enough to display terrifying force.

It was just as the splinter began to lose power and fall.

Ching-ching-! Ching-ching-ching-!!

The soldiers’ eyes widened in shock, the swords in their hands cracking.

Soon dozens of blade fragments clattered to the ground.

In that instant, terror swept the courtyard of the administrative hall.

The soldiers froze as if they’d seen something horrible.

At that moment, Yu Jinsan shouted from behind his granddaughter.

“From now on, those who come near won’t face blades, they’ll have their heads pierced!”

Even the military officers skilled in martial arts had gone pale.

“Let’s go, Grandpa!”

While they hesitated, the grandchild-grandfather pair began to move.

They leapt, trampling the shoulders of the flustered soldiers, attempting a frontal breakthrough.

In the blink of an eye, the Yin Yang Twin Monsters passed through the administrative gate.

The soldiers, dumbfounded watching their backs, had no idea what to do.

Then the first commander to regain his wits shouted.

“Th-the murim world’s troublemakers have kidnapped the official! Chase them!”

No matter how fearsome the opponent, they couldn’t just stand by and watch.

The soldiers began to surge after the officers.

“Halt!”

But by that time, the Yin Yang Twin Monsters had already broken through Kaifeng’s outer gate.

It wasn’t easy to catch up with them once they’d put distance between them.

Before half a quarter of an hour passed, the two were already approaching Kaifeng’s Fortress’s city gate.

The gate guards blocking the entrance shouted.

“Stop!”

They paid no heed to the gate guards.

The pair thrust their feet into the ground at the same time and sprang up.

They flew lightly over the guards’ heads and ran off recklessly toward somewhere.

A deserted riverbank.

The sun was setting, painting the sky with dusk.

Sitting opposite the campfire, the pair were tearing into a nicely roasted fish.

“Hehe. It’s so nutty and tasty. Right?”

“Yeah. The flesh is plump and just perfect.”

As Yu Jinsan wiped oil from his granddaughter’s face with the back of his hand, it happened.

“Do you think you’ll get away with this? You’ve kidnapped me, so a manhunt will be declared!”

The voice came from behind them.

It must have been the previously unconscious Wang Sa-pyeong waking up now.

He wasn’t wrong.

They had kidnapped a second-rank official; by now Kaifeng would be in an uproar.

Despite the seriousness, the Yin Yang Twin Monsters showed no concern.

Yu Seol murmured with a smile.

“Grandpa, they say we’re in big trouble now.”

“Indeed. If we’re driven out of here, shall we go live in the Western regions?”

“Hmm. What’s there?”

Yu Jinsan had never left the Central Plains either; the farthest he’d been was Dunhuang.

After a moment’s thought, he improvised an answer.

“It’s full of rare foods you can’t taste here. The streets are full of music, and the beautiful buildings delight the eyes.”

“Wow. I really want to go!”

Wang Sa-pyeong stared at them with a look of disbelief.

“…You absurd, vicious rascals. You can’t even imagine what you’ve done.”

Yu Jinsan picked at one ear and replied.

“He’s sure talkative. Be quiet until we finish eating. Before we knock him out again.”

At that moment, a rumble sounded from Wang Sa-pyeong’s bulging belly.

He was a huge man, easily 300 kgs in weight.

With such a large body, he needed to eat regularly to supply nutrients.

After a moment’s thought, he clutched his stomach and spoke cautiously.

“…I-I’ll accept just one piece.”

There was only one fish left.

Ignoring his plea, Yu Seol snatched it up at once.

As she brought it to her mouth, Wang Sa-pyeong grew angry.

“You brats, can’t you hear me!”

Heedless, Yu Seol happily tore into the golden-brown grilled fish.

Then she teased him by showing the half-eaten fish.

“Yum~ So tasty~”

Wang Sa-pyeong, looking incredulous, sank down to the ground.

He wore the expression of a man who’d lost everything.

“I suffer from consumptive illness; if I don’t eat on time, I could die.”

Feeling pity, Yu Seol handed him the leftover grilled fish.

“Then I’ll give you one bite.”

“I am the Governor of Kaifeng! Would a noble stoop to eat leftovers from the lowly?!”

Yu Seol looked at her grandfather with an apologetic expression.

“He’s sulking. He says he’ll die—what to do? Shall I catch another one?”

After a moment’s thought, Yu Jinsan shook his head.

“We can’t feed a nobleman the lowly food we eat, can we?”

“Then?”

“Hmm. This is a good chance for Seol to show off her skill.”

Overhearing their conversation, Wang Sa-pyeong looked at a bundle placed in the corner.

Through the opened bundle he saw a small old pot and simple cooking utensils.

His expression brightened in an instant.

“Good, I thought you might at least have that much conscience.”