'That guy?'
—Really?
At Namcheon Cheolgeom's words, I slowly lifted my head and looked at the bamboo blinds.
The tent was so spacious that faint human figures could be seen through the gaps in the bamboo blinds.
—It's him! It's definitely him. Unhwi!
Never before had Namcheon Cheolgeom reacted so emotionally.
Two people were conversing just now.
One was presumably the emperor who referred to himself as "Jim" (a royal pronoun), and the other seemed to be a minister responding to him.
'The former or the latter?'
—The latter.
So, the emperor's retainer is the one-eyed golden-eyed man, Jonju?
A secret that had remained hidden until now was finally revealed.
—So he's from the royal family?
That can't be definitively concluded yet.
We don't even know how long Jonju has lived.
If he has lived a long time, it's possible he didn't serve the royal family out of loyalty but was instead scheming behind the scenes.
—Ah! Then maybe Jonju manipulated the emperor with his schemes.
That's possible.
He's the one who tried to manipulate the major powers of the martial world from the shadows.
A man bold enough to do that might not have spared even the royal family.
Right now, there are too many variables to understand the situation clearly, but one thing is certain—if Namcheon Cheolgeom correctly identified the voice he heard, then that man is inside.
Voices continued from inside.
Let's listen closely.
"The thing I saw in midair, and the unidentified master who attacked the prisoner convoy—it's clear we're closing in on something, Your Majesty."
This time, the voice belonged to Pagung-gwi Chosa.
From the sound of it, he doesn't seem to have seen my appearance clearly.
—That's a relief.
Be quiet.
Let's keep listening.
"If the head of the Special Archery Unit says so, then it must be so."
The emperor responded in agreement.
Then another new voice chimed in.
"But Captain Cho, are you sure you saw it correctly? Weren't the arrows found intact?"
They calculated the angle they were deflected from midair without damaging them.
And yet—
'…This voice sounds familiar.'
A deep, thick voice. Oddly familiar.
Feels like the first time hearing it, but also not.
Strange.
Don't you guys feel like you've heard it too?
—I think I have.
—Really? I'm not sure.
While we were puzzled, the emperor's voice came again.
"Oh, stop it. Don't provoke Captain Cho any further, Jwasirang. Do you know how fiercely he's glaring at you right now?"
—Thud!
"I apologize, Your Majesty. I failed to control my emotions for a moment."
With the emperor's rebuke, we heard the sound of someone kneeling and Pagung-gwi Chosa speaking in embarrassment.
Whoever this Jwasirang is, Chosa seems to dislike him quite a bit.
He even glared openly at him in front of the emperor.
Yet the emperor casually pointed that out himself—he must be rather fastidious.
"Four li (about 1.6 km), so the truth should be revealed within two to three sijin (hours), Your Majesty."
—It's him.
Namcheon Cheolgeom emphasized again.
So this is Jonju. I should remember his voice.
But despite the many presences inside, I couldn't sense any that matched Jakyungjeong or even resembled him.
That guy wouldn't be foolish enough to expose himself, but still, it's odd.
Beopgu is definitely in there, though.
Then the emperor's voice was heard again.
"It's finally coming together. If this is true, then Yongho Geumdan will soon be in my hands."
'Yongho Geumdan?'
I doubted my ears for a moment.
Yongho Geumdan is an elixir of longevity that only Master Jeongyang can concoct.
The reason Taoists can live for such a long time while maintaining a youthful appearance is because, aside from cultivation, they take this elixir.
—So the emperor is after the Yongho Geumdan?
At first, I thought surely not.
But now his goal is crystal clear.
And the fact that their marching direction wasn't coincidence—it was truly toward the fuse.
'…What?'
Something is off from what I expected.
Revealing the location of Yongho Geumdan and the fuse goes beyond betrayal.
Based on what I knew of that man's character, I thought he infiltrated this place to take down the emperor for the people's sake—but I never expected he would leak this kind of information.
—Did he side with the emperor?
He might have.
To reveal the location of the elixir of immortality to the worst tyrant—that's true rebellion.
Fortunately, Jakyungjeong miscalculated the timing of the fuse's presence.
Had he been just two or three sijin earlier, the imperial forces would have reached the misty forest.
'Master chose the wrong disciple.'
Even after what he did, Master Geomseon wanted him to repent.
But if it's to this extent, he deserves death.
He has become a threat to the fuse.
—Will you kill him?
'If the situation calls for it.'
Unfortunately for him, I'm not a Taoist.
If someone's going to be a future threat, it's better to kill them.
Just then, the emperor's voice returned.
"We've kept the grand general waiting long enough. Let him in."
"Yes, sir."
A nasal, seductive voice came from the entrance.
Most likely a eunuch.
But from the qi in his voice, he must be the infamous Dongchang.
—What's Dongchang?
They are eunuchs who have mastered martial arts.
Called naeshi, they are bureaucrats who serve closely beside the Emperor.
But because they stay so near him, they have all been castrated for the Emperor's sake.
"You mean… they were cut down there?"
Yes.
Inside the palace where the Emperor resides, no one but him can be male.
All the palace maids are essentially the Emperor's prospective brides—his women.
In any case, those eunuchs known as Dongchang also serve as guards by the Emperor's side, so I've heard they learn martial arts for that reason.
"This place is crawling with experts."
No kidding.
At that moment, the bamboo curtain lifted upward.
A middle-aged man in blue official robes with a completely bare face—no sign of facial hair—bowed deeply before us.
Presumably a Dongchang eunuch, he knelt and addressed us with his head lowered.
"It is His Majesty's command. The Grand General and generals may enter."
"I, Grand General Hang Mugi, humbly receive the Emperor's command."
Following the Grand General's response, General Yeom and I also spoke.
"We receive the command."
With that, we all rose and stepped inside past the lifted bamboo curtain.
As I entered, my eyes quickly scanned the interior.
Though my head was lowered so as not to look upon the Emperor's face, it wasn't hard to look around.
'Jagyungjeong… Jonju…'
Where are they?
As I looked around, I couldn't help but be surprised.
Now that I think about it, I didn't consider it earlier because we were let in without issue, but everyone inside the tent was armed.
Even in wartime, weapons aren't normally allowed near the Emperor.
But they all had them.
Even Chosa, who was seated to the left, had a large bow and quiver on his back.
"Is that man in the center the Emperor?"
In the very center on the dragon throne sat a strong-looking middle-aged man wearing golden imperial robes.
Indeed, he had the commanding presence of an Emperor who rules a nation.
Even without martial skill, his aura of authority was extraordinary.
'...A guard?'
There were two guards standing beside the Emperor.
Their faces were covered with black veils.
The one on the left had reached a peak level of martial mastery, but the one on the right was different.
Not just different—he was on a whole other level.
"How much stronger is he?"
'...He's surpassed the wall.'
"Seriously?"
Though dressed as a mere guard, to possess such martial power…
Perhaps he's the hidden power of the royal family.
'One mountain after another.'
There are four who have surpassed the wall in here.
Aside from the unexpected one next to the Emperor, the other three must be from the Twelve Masters of the World.
At least knocking Seol Baek unconscious was a stroke of luck.
I rolled my eyes to the right.
Wearing gray martial robes and even holding a folding fan in this cold weather—that old man must be Myowol Yang Myeong-shin.
I'm glad I had Hojongwon describe their appearances to me beforehand.
To his left stood another wall-surpassing figure—so then that must be Bok San-seosaeng, Noejang… huh?
That wasn't the appearance I'd been told.
'A cane?'
Next to Yang Myeong-shin stood a man in official robes leaning on a cane.
His eyes were covered with black cloth—he was blind.
He had a beard, and when I saw his face, I couldn't hide my surprise.
'!?'
"What's wrong?"
'...It's him.'
"Him?"
The man with golden eyes.
"What? Really?"
Yes, really.
Even with his eyes covered and a beard grown, how could I forget that face?
He's the one who sought out Guyaja in the mental space of Bongnim Valley and the Blood Demon Sword.
I never imagined we'd meet again—certainly not here, beside the tyrant Emperor.
'Ah!'
That familiar voice from before must've been his.
The reason it sounded both familiar and different was because he had deepened it deliberately.
"He must be pretending to be blind to hide his golden eyes."
That seems likely.
Who would tell a blind man to open his eyes?
"Still… why is that monster here?"
'…Could it be?'
Come to think of it, back in Bongnim Valley, he seemed to know Jonju, the man with a golden eye and a missing eye.
If that's true, then this might be that time period.
Ha! Of all times, why now?
Wait—then where is Jagyungjeong?
"Isn't it that guy next to the Emperor?"
"Him?"
Something feels off. The aura is different.
Jagyungjeong cultivated Dao, so his energy was more serene. But this guard's presence was immensely heavy.
Even though he was suppressing it, the pressure was still palpable.
"Unhui. I think the guard to the Emperor's right might be Jonju."
"What?"
"I can't see his full face, but the jawline looks a lot like his."
Namcheon Iron Sword's voice echoed in my head.
If that's true, then Jonju might really be the hidden power of the royal family?
It made some sense.
So then where is Jagyungjeong?
That's what I want to know.
The sacred artifacts are in here, but Jagyungjeong is nowhere to be seen.
Also missing is Bok San-seosaeng Noejang, the final member of the Twelve Masters who supposedly joined the imperial camp.
So who's carrying the sacred artifacts?
Two of them can be hidden as accessories, but the other two are obvious weapons—you can't conceal them easily.
Then, the man with golden eyes pretending to be blind turned his head in my direction.
And frowned.
I was about to kneel beside the Grand General and General Yeom, but I froze in surprise at the sight.
'Damn!'
Even with his eyes covered, he possesses golden vision.
To someone who reads energy through light, concealing one's presence is meaningless.
He must have noticed that I use a different martial technique than that of Gang Cheoninjang.
I didn't know what to do—then the man turned to the Emperor and said,
"It seems the guest he mentioned has arrived, Your Majesty."
What the hell does he mean?
As I puzzled over it, the Emperor on the throne spoke.
"Oh? Is that so?"
The Emperor looked at me with interest.
Then Grand General Hang Mugi and General Yeom suddenly drew their swords and pointed them at my neck as I knelt.
They weren't the only ones.
—Ching! Ching! Ching!
The tent rang with the sound of weapons being drawn.
All the Dongchang eunuchs pulled daggers from their sleeves.
Even Pagunggwi Chosa, one of the Twelve Masters, aimed his bow at me, and Myowol Yang Myeong-shin unfolded his fan.
"What the hell is going on, Unhui?"
How should I know?
What's clear is that everything has gone very wrong.
I've stepped into a trap without even realizing it.
Then the Emperor crossed his legs on the throne and spoke again.
"Did Dohwaseon send you?"
'!!!'
He just said it outright—Dohwaseon.
That blind man said something, and suddenly the Emperor names Dohwaseon to me—this makes no sense.
I stayed quiet for a moment, darting my eyes around, then spoke carefully.
First, I had to play dumb to understand the situation.
"Your Majesty, I'm not sure what you mean. I…"
"Captain Cho."
—Pang! Shoo!
The Emperor barely finished speaking when something sharp came flying toward me with blinding speed.
It was almost too fast to even describe.
Without flinching or lifting my head, I caught it mid-air.
—Pak!
It was an arrow fired by Pagunggwi Chosa.
"You caught my arrow at this range without even looking?"
He seemed genuinely surprised.
The Emperor too looked startled, his eyes narrowing.
The act of pretending to be Gang Cheoninjang was over.
"Phew…"
I let out a sigh and slowly lifted my head to meet the Emperor's eyes.
The amazed expression on his face now twisted into one of joy as he smiled and said:
"I've been waiting for you… Heir of the Sword Immortal."
'!!!'