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Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors

Slicing through the sea breeze, we arrived at Dongyoung, racing across the ground following Miho. Everything I saw—the sights and the style of architecture—was astonishing, unlike anything I’d encountered in the Central Plains or Goryeo. The roofs, and indeed the overall shape of the buildings, were entirely different.

Miho spoke, “The current supreme power in Dongyoung is a man named Tokugawa Ieyasu. He’s the one who ultimately brought peace to the land after the wars, and it’s been about twenty years since he took power.”

“The names of the people here are quite bizarre,” I mused.

“Well, heh heh, this is an island nation with a very distinct culture,” Miho chuckled.

I found myself gazing at Miho, who was splashing about in the water barefoot, and asked, “So you seduced the emperor, right? Is Tokugawa Ieyasu the guy who’s the emperor then?”

She shook her head. “No, that’s not the case. They’re very different beings.”

“…? I thought the emperor is supposed to have the noblest lineage in Dongyoung?”

“That’s true enough.”

“Does that mean heaven can exist in both forms?”

Miho giggled. “Hehe… That’s the funny part. To put it simply, the emperor is more like a puppet ruler, a symbolic figure. Tokugawa Ieyasu, on the other hand, wields real power as the top authority of the current shogunate. Do you understand?”

“……???” I crossed my arms, deep in thought, unable to grasp it further. I eventually asked, “Isn’t this like a revolution? Why doesn’t Tokugawa Ieyasu eliminate the emperor’s bloodline?”

“Ahahaha! I told you, he’s a mental support! The emperor’s bloodline is treated as a living god and not viewed as mere humans. Tokugawa Ieyasu holds the reins of power without any reason to disturb the emperor.”

“I still don’t get it.”

“It’s a different concept from the Son of Heaven in the Central Plains. This is a rather strange land, after all.”

I tilted my head in confusion. Indeed, this island nation of Dongyoung seemed quite peculiar. In Goryeo, the culture resembled that of the Central Plains, making it easier to adapt, but here it felt like I was dealing with a tribe of wild barbarians.

“Miho, wouldn’t it be better for you to seduce Tokugawa Ieyasu instead of that puppet emperor?”

“That’s true, but I have no intention of wielding power in Dongyoung at the risk of my safety. It’s more convenient and safer to just play around with the emperor.”

Suddenly remembering something, I asked, “Are you worried about being dealt with by those Yin-Yang Masters?”

“Exactly. There’s the Tsuchimikado clan, which has been around since Abe no Seimei’s time, and they can be pretty bothersome. Right now, I’m also trying to keep a low profile.”

“Hmm…” It seemed there were sorcerer groups like the Twelve Joules in Dongyoung as well. I remembered hearing from Ji-yul about unique sorcery they called Yin-Yang Dao used in Dongyoung. With a recollection that made me frown, Miho spoke up.

“Originally, Tokugawa Ieyasu, who unified the Warring States, didn’t think highly of the emperor. He intended to regard him with great contempt and let him live in utter poverty. However, I helped the emperor find a place to live and enjoy significant status. Now, the emperor can exert quite a bit of influence over the shogunate.”

“Is that something impressive?”

“Hmm… It’s like bowing down and receiving commands! Hmph!” Miho glossed over with a tone that hinted at irritation. I hurried to assure her, “No, it’s just that I’m not familiar with it. Anyway, you’re implying that you can exert considerable influence over the administration of Dongyoung, right? That’s impressive.”

“Hehe, it’s my power!” Miho seemed to swell with pride, her mood instantly brightening. It appeared she had skillfully created a faction within the shogunate using her Enchantment Technique over time, manufacturing a favorable opinion for the emperor and establishing her own power. One could regard Miho as the true ruler of Dongyoung.

I delved into the main topic. “So what does this have to do with me mastering the Soul Removal Technique?”

In an instant, Miho transformed into an enchanting maiden. With her soft touch, she wrapped her arms around me from behind as she spoke, “Do you know where we’re headed?”

“Not really.”

“To the Heavenly Emperor’s Palace in Kyoto. It’s the emperor’s most powerful stronghold and the place where I can use my Enchantment Technique the easiest.”

Suddenly, Miho’s gentle fingers slipped under my clothing, lightly touching my chest. She murmured, “If I wished, I could manipulate the Edo Shogunate from behind the scenes to summon the greatest martial artists here to Kyoto. They’re all masters of the craft, and they might help you with that troublesome technique you’re struggling with.”

“Oh, I see…”

“Even if it’s not like that, don’t you think that your very essence will remember the emperor’s palace? Killing two birds with one stone.”

At that moment, Miho’s hand brushed over my lower half, causing my face to flush red.

“Huh.”

Against my will, Miho’s enchantment intensely stimulated my body. She bore an amusing expression and laughed, “You’re still too young and undeveloped~”

She teased me again!

“Shut up! In five years, I’ll be all grown up!”

“Kya hahaha.”

Seeing Miho laugh heartily as though she’d just taken a breath of fresh air, I felt quite troubled and inwardly grumbled. Why does this fox occasionally act like a playful child when she usually behaves like an ancient nine-tailed fox?

It took about three days for Miho and me to reach the Heavenly Emperor’s Palace in Kyoto. By that time, Miho had transformed into a dignified noble consort, and I was dressed as a Guardian Warrior. The palace guards greeted Miho with perfect manners, allowing us to enter without any resistance.

Inside, the emperor awaited Miho. With slightly bleary eyes, he staggered toward her. “Oh… you’ve… come…”

Miho gently smiled and waved her hand in front of the emperor’s eyes, and just like that, he fell asleep as if a string were cut. Miho declared, “From now on, you can relax.”

“He’s completely enchanted.”

“He’s the most important human in Dongyoung. I’ve placed an exceptionally strong enchantment on him, much stronger than on ordinary people.”

After laying the emperor down on a couch, Miho turned to me. “Heh heh… Do you want anything? A servant or a woman, just say the word.”

Thinking for a moment, I said, “But if I suddenly show up in the emperor’s palace in my past life, wouldn’t that make you want to kill me? Isn’t there a good plan?”

“Hmm…” Miho pulled the chair beside her closer and sat down. She then said, “Just tell them you spoke with the Queen Mother of the West. That should convince them.”

“Hmm.”

“To be honest, I still don’t trust everything you say. I’m also starting to believe you, but your actions somehow inspire trust, so I’ll keep an eye on you.”

I realized there was still a wall between us. After all, it was still too soon to expect anything more than the contractual relationship we had. Nodding, I then asked Miho, “Specifically, how can the guards of the shogunate help me?”

“Simple. Nobody knows the conditions for mastering that Soul Removal Technique right now, right? You’d have to learn through trial and error.”

“You can’t be serious…”

Miho’s eyes transformed into crescent moons.

“The swordsmen loyal to the shogunate are all talented geniuses. They rank among the best martial artists in Dongyoung. If you could pass on the Soul Removal Technique to them and gather the common traits and experiences of those who succeeded in mastering it, wouldn’t that work?”

“……!!”

I let out a low groan. ‘This is an idea I’d never have thought of.’ If I followed through with her proposal, I might even discover the prerequisites for mastering the Soul Removal Technique that even I didn’t know. The loyal swordsmen of the shogunate would all have excellent talents, so perhaps through them, I could uncover the true conditions needed for mastering the technique. Of course, there was a downside of my techniques being leaked, but that could be dealt with later. With nothing to lose, I nodded.

“Alright, let’s do it.”

“Okay, then I’ll appoint you as the martial arts instructor of the emperor’s household and work through the shogunate to summon the swordsmen. It’d work out perfectly if you were to instruct them here in the emperor’s palace.”

“Got it. How many do you plan to summon?”

“I intend to bring in ten in total. That’s the right number of renowned swordsmen and martial artists from Dongyoung.”

I decided to follow Miho’s plan.

Afterward, I briefly shared the current situation with Mangnyang. He was diligently training when he heard my report and grinned. “Looks like your newlywed life will be entertaining.”

“W-what newlywed?” I stuttered in surprise, and Mangnyang burst out laughing. “Haha, just teasing you. But seriously, I agree with Miho’s plan. It’s a martial arts experiment that couldn’t happen anywhere else, but since she’s controlling the emperor of Dongyoung, it’s possible.”

“Aren’t you going to help me with this?”

“You seem worried about rescuing General Hwang Yeon’s family.”

“Yes.”

It was a matter that had been bothering me since the beginning. The family of General Hwang Yeon was currently detained by the Golden Eagle Guards, in a state of house arrest. With General Hwang Yeon rescued now, they could be in imminent danger of being annihilated or tortured as hostages. Therefore, I felt a strong urge to rescue them as soon as possible.

However, Mangnyang responded, “Let’s put it bluntly, that’s not such an important matter.”

“What do you mean?”

“Even Hwang Yeon himself isn’t pinning much hope on rescuing his family. He knows all too well how difficult it would be to break past the impenetrable defenses of the Golden Eagle Guards, risking rebellion just to rescue them. If we can save them, Hwang Yeon would owe us a debt, and if they were to be killed or taken hostage, he’d likely abandon his loyalty and deepen his opposition against the current Huang Dynasty.”

“……!!”

“Of course, I have no intention of just standing by, so I’ve already taken action. You don’t need to worry about that.”

I was struck anew by how formidable Mangnyang was. He adhered to his principles and always used righteous strategies, but if he ever stopped caring about his methods, nobody would be able to stand against him. Mangnyang added, “If I were to ask you for something now, it would be just one thing.”

“Hmm…”

“It’s very important.”

I tensed as I locked my gaze on Mangnyang’s face. He spread his arms and said seriously, “Bring me a special product from Dongyoung as a gift…!!”

“……”

“Something expensive.”

I heeded Mangnyang’s request and returned to Dongyoung.

“Take this.”

“What is this?”

Upon returning to Dongyoung, Miho presented me with a yellow mirror. As I stared at her with curiosity, she reclined leisurely on a couch and said, “That’s one of the Ten Divine Treasures passed down in the royal family of Dongyoung, the Chōjinkyo. It’s on par with that faux Eight Trigrams Mirror I gave you before. You could consider it a high-level Law Book in the Central Plains.”

“Chōjinkyo, huh…”

“If you carry that around daily, your comprehension of language and learning ability will increase dramatically. Your magical power will also strengthen.”

I was taken aback and asked, “Is that for real? If I have this, I can learn languages faster?”

“Indeed. The emperor uses it when he needs to master the languages of Goryeo or the Central Plains.”

“Whoa…”

I felt both amazed and somewhat resentful. If I had had this earlier, I wouldn’t have had to suffer through years of hard study just to learn Goryeo’s language. If I had known, I would have gotten a lot closer to Miho during my previous life.

After just three days of studying under a scholar in Dongyoung, I felt my understanding of the language shooting up at an alarming rate. The speed felt ten times faster than my learning of Goryeo’s language, and I could almost intuitively grasp the accent of Dongyoung’s language already.

‘Incredible… At this rate, I could master the Dongyoung language in just three months.’

Finally, after about ten days, I managed to acquire basic conversational skills and was now using substantial advanced vocabulary, grammar, and even writing in their language. I had identified roughly what made Dongyoung’s language unique.

‘It’s quite similar to Goryeo’s…’

The grammar shared many similarities, and I felt a kinship within the vocabulary as if they had diversified from one another. Regardless of whether I learned Goryeo first or Dongyoung first, it didn’t seem to make much difference at all. However, as I delved deeper into both languages, a profound gulf existed between them, especially pronounced in terms of pronunciation.

After about a month, I became comfortable enough to converse in the language. At this point, Miho stared intently at me and asked in Dongyoung’s tongue, “Do you understand?”

“Of course.”

“Then it’s time to start summoning the swordsmen.”

Shortly thereafter, the swordsmen from Dongyoung who Miho had summoned to Kyoto entered the hall. Miho had transformed back to a noble consort while the emperor sat solemnly by her feet. I stood still in the court when the emperor spoke up.

“I declare a special command unto you.”

“Yes! Please command us.”

Gathered in the hall were a total of ten swordsmen. The emperor, still enchanted, slowly scanned them with eyes full of drowsiness and said, “The martial arts instructor here, Baek Woong, shall teach you a special technique… You are to diligently train in that technique and report back the results to Instructor Baek Woong.”

The swordsmen exchanged bewildered glances, their heads bowed. Being suddenly called into the palace for instruction in martial arts startled them to no end. But the middle-aged swordsman at the front calmly responded.

“I, Kamizumi Nobutsuna, dare to ask.”

“Speak.”

“Although Baek Woong possesses incredible skills for his age, wouldn’t it still be premature to claim he has seen the very pinnacle of martial arts?”

Miho wore a perplexed expression. Although she could manipulate the emperor’s mind to maneuver him easily, having such a high-level conversation made it challenging to maintain control over the emperor’s faculties. She had to resort to letting him speak freely rather than tighten her grip over him.

The emperor rested his chin on his hand and pondered before replying, “I do know that you are called the Sword Saint and are the mightiest warrior in existence. However, as a frog in a well, you have no concept of martial advancement. Baek Woong traveled from far away in the Central Plains to share his martial skills and purposefully came to this land; consider his sincere intentions.”

Upon hearing this, Kamizumi Nobutsuna’s expression changed as if he had gained insight into something. He bowed deeper, saying, “I failed to understand that meaning. I will serve with all my heart.”

“Good. Then I ask this of you.”

“Your Honor!”

And from that day forth, I began teaching the Soul Removal Technique to the swordsmen of Dongyoung. I was increasing the time devoted to my training while simultaneously seeking to unveil the hidden prerequisites of mastering the Soul Removal Technique, effectively using others’ talents through the leverage of my power.

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