Chapter 539
“So, you’re telling me you’re from the ancient Yeon royal family?”
As I stared at Yeon Jong-hwi in disbelief, he began narrating his tale.
“I am from Seokha County, near Qinhuangdao. Until I was five, I grew up blissfully unaware of my past. But then, my parents started sharing the family’s intriguing history and the secret martial arts that have been passed down through generations. About twenty-three years later, I stepped into the Jianghu.”
“What do you mean, Yeon royal family?”
“I am a descendant of the ancient Yeon royal family.”
I was taken aback. “Seriously, you’re saying you’re from the same bloodline as the Yeon clan from the Warring States period?”
If that were true, it would be no ordinary lineage. Being a direct descendant of the Yeon family, which existed long before the Qin dynasty, would mean an incredible history and tradition, at least over a thousand years old. Yeon Jong-hwi responded with a wry smile.
“In fact, after fifty-three generations, I can’t be sure how much the bloodline has mixed. I’m just holding onto the family’s martial arts as a faint sign of my heritage.”
“And what about that black bow?”
“It’s also a treasure passed down from the royal family, known as the Ink-scaled Long Bow.”
Yeon Jong-hwi lifted the bow, aiming it forward. But this bow had no string and didn’t seem capable of firing any arrows. When I looked at him puzzled, he casually acted as if the string was there, and soon after, he shot something.
Thwump!
Moments later, a dark hole appeared in a rock about ten paces away. Yeon Jong-hwi lowered the bow and announced, “This is the power of the Ink-scaled Long Bow. Even without a string, it can shoot, continuously drawing on the user’s Qi to condense an invisible arrow. The arrow’s power, as you can see…”
“……!!”
“It has excellent efficiency of Qi.” I exclaimed, astonished.
“Mangnyang and Zhuge Sa tested that bow but got no reaction,” I added, still amazed.
“Only the pure bloodline of the Yeon royal family can use it,” he replied.
If that’s the case, then the Ink-scaled Long Bow is an extraordinary treasure. It may not be as revered as a divine bow, but it certainly qualifies as one. Yeon Jong-hwi continued,
“Even with such martial prowess and treasures, I couldn’t be confident about being a royal descendant. I was always doubtful whether I should restore the royal family or not. So, I left the Jianghu to act with righteousness while searching for a particular location.”
“Where is that?”
“Zhongnan Mountain.”
Zhongnan Mountain? I raised an eyebrow in surprise, and he explained,
“Before my parents passed, they mentioned that if I visited Zhongnan Mountain, I would learn about the origin of my lineage. That’s why I was on my way there when I got caught.”
“Hmm… what were you planning to do once you got there?”
“I would probably search the mountain thoroughly. They must have been talking about treasures or divine artifacts.”
Now it all made sense. After entering the Jianghu, he had been wandering around doing good deeds and had coincidentally stopped by the Namgung Clan, becoming a guest fighter. And just as he was ready to leave that wandering life, he crossed paths with us.
I looked at him and said, “The enemies I plan to face are exceptionally powerful. The White Lotus Sect, the Imperial Palace, the Twelve Joules… even the human factions are formidable, and soon, we might have to battle with gods.”
“……”
“If you’d like to back out now, just say the word. I can wipe your memory and send you back to Zhongnan Mountain.”
“No, I want to join.” Yeon Jong-hwi stated firmly.
“I was just roaming without a significant goal. If I can change the world by doing righteous deeds, how could I not participate? Please take me along.”
“…Understood.”
I decided to fully accept Yeon Jong-hwi as my ally.
‘If he had been a worthless fellow, I would have used the Soul Exchange Technique on him and discarded him.’
But Yeon Jong-hwi was not that kind of person. In a way, he had passed my test. I informed Zhuge Sa and Mangnyang of his joining, and they reacted with surprise.
“You really pulled off what seemed a highly unlikely persuasion!”
“What’s the harm? It’s a success, after all.”
“Regardless, if Yeon Jong-hwi has joined willingly, that’s great. With his abilities, we can smoothly tackle many tasks.” Mangnyang remarked.
Then Mangnyang added, “Baek Woong, about that Silver Phoenix Fragment you mentioned earlier…”
“What about it?”
“There’s been no progress on that front. Aside from the information that it’s related to Balhae, I don’t have anything concrete… I’ve sent informants and scholars to the old Balhae territory, but it seems like it might take a while.”
“I see…”
“So, could you please call Yeon Jong-hwi? He might have some knowledge of that fragment.”
On Mangnyang’s suggestion, I summoned Yeon Jong-hwi. He took the Silver Phoenix Fragment, examined it for a moment, and then said, “Isn’t there another Phoenix Fragment that pairs with this one?”
Mangnyang’s interest piqued at his comment. “What makes you think that?”
“Just… the way this fragment seems to look in a direction, like it’s searching for its pair. It gives off the impression of being part of a matched set.”
“Interesting hypothesis. That’s very helpful.” Mangnyang replied while adjusting the Fire God Flame.
“Baek Woong, please give Yeon Jong-hwi a spiritual pill. He could play a crucial role in this operation.”
“Got it.”
Like before, I handed him a Black and White Lotus pill. Yeon Jong-hwi went to the training chamber to refine his power while I hurried to Dongyoung, where Miho was waiting.
When I arrived, Miho greeted me excitedly, her white tail swaying in delight. She then pulled me into a hug, rubbing her cheek against mine.
“Why did you take so long?”
Being embraced by Miho’s childlike form felt a bit awkward, especially given how mature she actually was. I found it hard to breathe because of her chest, so I shook my head a little.
“Miho, what happened with the obsidian?”
Miho pulled back, grinning. “I’ve managed to recruit Kouka and negotiated with the Shogunate. We’ve acquired six obsidian mines! Right now, we’re expanding the mines and hiring workers to dig. The mined materials are being shipped directly to Kyoto, so we should have plenty stacked up in three to four months.”
Good news all around! I thought for a moment before continuing, “Miho, could I ask another favor…?”
“What’s that?”
“Could you buy as much explosive powder as possible?”
“Of course!” Miho laughed as I explained my plan. “Since the current Shogunate is peaceful, they probably have a stockpile of military supplies lying idle. If we use the remaining platinum bars, we could easily buy a large quantity.”
“When do you think it will be ready?”
“Hmm, let’s see… in about six days, you should come around.”
“Got it.”
“You’ll definitely need my help for that operation, so don’t forget to come.”
As Miho stroked my face, she added playfully, “Ah, you ugly thing.”
“……”
“Kyaaha! You’re just so cute!”
I grumbled, “What even is your definition of cute?”
“Hmm? You’re not exactly handsome for your age; more like quirky, you know? Sure, your grown-up version could be a bit hard to look at, but that’s a human standard. We could at least say you’re kind of cute.”
She gently placed her finger on my chin, keeping eye contact.
“To me, Baek Woong is just Baek Woong. Isn’t that right?”
I answered bittersweetly, “For a human, ten years is a blink. I’ll just be an ugly face for a while longer, and then… will you still accept me?”
Miho stared at me blankly. “You could just get plastic surgery, no?”
“No reason not to,” I sighed.
Miho chuckled, “Ahaha! You were hoping I would say I loved you just as you are, weren’t you?”
“It would be a lie to say otherwise.”
“Well, if you didn’t know about plastic surgery back then, I might have understood your feelings. But you already have the means to become handsome, don’t you? Once you’re good-looking, everyone around you will see you differently. Don’t you want to enjoy that kind of power?”
“Well, that’s….”
Once a nonchalant topic, facing it now made me awkward.
I hesitated, not knowing how to respond until Miho embraced me from behind.
“Your ugly appearance could be a divine punishment, and I know you’ve got that pride and stubbornness typical of someone unattractive. But that’s no reason to suffer forever.”
“Hmm.”
“Honestly, looking good is preferable! And more than anything, I want you to heal from past wounds caused by your appearance. Is it not natural to want to shield someone you care about from pain?”
I felt I understood Miho’s sincerity now.
She was being honest about her preference for attractiveness, but ultimately, regardless of my exterior or inner self, she cared for me. Her playful suggestion to change my looks was imbued with kindness, not selfishness. If that’s what Miho wanted, then conforming to that wish might be called love.
I caressed Miho’s cheek and assured her, “Once everything is settled, I’ll get surgery to become the handsome guy you want.”
“My tastes are picky, so you’d better master plastic surgery by then, ahaha!”
“Understood.”
Miho subtly hinted that she already knew.
This life might never have a conclusion.
Returning, I began re-training in the art of transformation under Lee Cheong-un for six days. While six days isn’t enough to make a noticeable leap in skill, I felt a sense of gradual improvement. Sensing my change in mindset, Lee Cheong-un also seemed to take more joy in teaching.
The day for the grand operation approached. I went to Miho, took the large amount of explosives she had bought, and headed to Jangryeong Valley. Zhuge Sa examined our personnel before we set off, sternly instructing, “Understand? The most important thing is to capture that guy alive.”
“Got it.”
“We don’t need to take down the Imperial Palace all at once. We’ll take it down steadily instead.”
Boom!
With that, I and my companions swiftly headed to the location of Zhuge Yulong’s clone. Pulling explosives from the bags, I said, “Let’s rig this whole area to explode.”
“Understood.”
Boom! Boom!
We quickly blew up all five hiding spots of the clone. With half the explosives still left, we headed next to Luoyang to the headquarters of Dongyoung and the Golden Eagle Guard.
Upon arrival, I immediately threw lit explosives into the building’s first floor.
Boom! Boom!
“Kraaaack!!”
“Aaaah!!”
Amidst utter chaos, screams erupted. I escaped through the fire while calling out to Lee Cheong-un, “This is the auxiliary building; we need to blow up the main compound now!”
“I know.” Lee Cheong-un nodded.
“I’ll breach in first, subduing the leaders. Then you deal with anyone trying to escape.”
“Understood.”
“Let’s move out!”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Lee Cheong-un lunged forward like lightning into the distant building. He quickly dashed from one pavilion to another, subduing the enemy personnel with speed. After waiting a moment, his voice came through Suspicious Fishhook.
[ I’ve neutralized the leaders of Dongyoung and the Golden Eagle Guard, but I don’t see the White Tiger or Xuanwu you’re concerned about. ]
[ That’s not good. ]
[ There were quite a few. I couldn’t completely neutralize them since we rushed in. Let your friend know to eliminate anyone trying to escape. ]
I glanced at Yeon Jong-hwi, who was already in action.
Fwip! Fwip!
Yeon Jong-hwi shot arrows like a madman. The invisible attacks from the Ink-scaled Long Bow struck down tiny shadows that were fleeing from the pavilion. Even from over a hundred paces away, it seemed he was accurately piercing the heads of the enemies.
Had he taken down around ten or so? Yeon Jong-hwi asserted, “No more are visible.”
“Alright then.”
We moved towards Lee Cheong-un’s direction as countless enemies lay dead as we made our way up. Clearly, with even Lee Cheong-un, catching every escaping enemy would be impossible. Upon reaching the top floor, we found the fallen leaders of Dongyoung and the Golden Eagle Guard, all in disarray. One of them shouted defiantly, “No matter how much you torture us, we will never reveal any information…”
In that moment, Miho stepped forward, locking eyes with him, unleashing her charm. The man trembled, falling prey to Miho’s allure as he helplessly began to spill secrets.
“Our leader, the White Tiger and Xuanwu, entered the Imperial Palace and have yet to come out…”
“What about the Vice Leaders?”
“The two Vice Leaders are the same…”
For the next while, Miho deftly gathered information, getting the necessary details. While we could have used the Thunder God’s torture technique, Miho’s charm was far more effective and swift. Once Miho cast aside the dazed Golden Eagle Guard member, she observed, “Seems like the real heavy hitters are holed up in the Imperial Palace. And the slaves are likely under the control of the Shura Sect’s Demon Path and Shura Sect.”
“Hmm.”
Lee Cheong-un pondered, “This is good; we now have a clear course of action.”
“Yes.”
I nodded, planning, “We need to blow everything up.”
Boom! Boom! Boom!
After blowing up the pavilion, I dashed straight to the Great Dragon Hall of the Imperial Palace. There in the basement, I detonated the remaining explosives and escaped through the fire.
Crash! Bang!
‘Goodbye, Emperor.’
I secretly muttered, joining my comrades as we headed to the Shura Sect’s hidden location to rescue the slaves. The elite members of the Shura Sect attempted to block us, but they were no match for us and were quickly obliterated.
Arriving at the secluded area in Luoyang, I was dumbfounded at the vast number of slaves huddled together. Though I hadn’t confronted them yet, it was evident even from a distance.
“They said 5,000, but this looks like far more.”
Indeed, while it was stated as 5,000, it appeared to be several times that number. Perhaps they had rented an entire mountain and pushed the refugees into a hollowed-out basin. They looked like an array of destitute souls, surrounded by rags and meager homes. Lee Cheong-un murmured solemnly, “What do we do now? If there are this many, it’ll take a long time even to carry them out via your invisibility.”
“Hmm…”
Then Miho chimed in, “There’s no need for us to tend to each one. How about we focus on something else first?”
“What if they all starve?”
“We can just come back and scatter sacks of rice later. Since there’s no room in Jangryeong Valley to house all 5,000, it’s better to keep the Imperial Palace off-balance first, don’t you think?”
“Alright.”
I made my way to the Inner Imperial Pavilion and arrived in front of the Nameless Ritual Book. However, the next moment, I furrowed my brow.
‘It’s gone.’
The Nameless Ritual Book had vanished from its original spot. Furthermore, almost all the books in the Inner Imperial Pavilion appeared to have been moved or were absent entirely. Likewise, the people who were supposed to be there had vanished, leaving the space desolate. Lee Cheong-un remarked, “This looks like it wasn’t moved yesterday or the day before… judging by the situation, they’ve likely been gone for some time. It seems someone else intervened and smuggled everything out of here.”
“That can’t be right? Until now, there’s been no sign indicating the Imperial Palace caught wind of anything…”
“……”
After a brief contemplation, Lee Cheong-un noted, “It seems some variable aside from us has taken an interest in this affair. Let’s settle for today and head back to Jangryeong Valley to discuss.”
