Chapter 259 – Beast Blood Ritual (2)

The Shenwu Gate was guarded by soldiers of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

They appeared more tense than usual.

The first reason was likely because the Emperor had stepped out of Huangtian Palace for the first time in a long while.

Quiiiik—

The second reason was that wild boar-like animals were roaming around the Forbidden City.

And the most important third reason…

Swaeaaaek—Thud!

…was the fact that those wielding weapons, including bows, were strutting around openly.

Among them was Yi-gang.

He took his position on horseback. The horse stood still, possibly because his horsemanship wasn’t entirely unrefined.

He drew the bow and nocked an arrow.

Thwack, he shot it into the sky.

The arrow flew as if piercing the sun, but it struck something and fell.

Yi-gang, right after shooting the arrow, commanded his horse to walk a bit further forward.

After taking a deep breath and exhaling, a brief moment passed.

As Yi-gang extended his hand,

Tak—

to his surprise, he caught the very arrow he had shot.

A hawk was pierced by the arrow.

King Gye-yeong expressed his admiration.

“A skill close to divine. Did you have talent with the bow as well?”

“No, it was just luck.”

“Haha, so humble too.”

King Gye-yeong laughed heartily at that.

However, Yi-gang wasn’t being humble.

「Who would have thought it would hit…」

Just as Zhang Sanfeng was astonished, Yi-gang was also slightly surprised.

It was indeed a stroke of great luck. Though he could shoot better than an ordinary person, this was akin to being a sharpshooter.

Hitting a flying hawk dead-on was an incredible stroke of luck.

‘This feels a bit ominous.’

「Do you feel you have wasted your luck in a situation where you can’t afford to?」

‘Yes.’

「Such things are all a matter of perception. Remain detached from them, as a Taoist should.」

Yi-gang intended to do the same.

They eventually arrived at the imperial garden where the Emperor was.

“The defense is impressive,” King Gye-yeong murmured to himself.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard soldiers were stationed all around the garden and Mount Jingshan.

Although Jingshan was a man-made mountain and not very large, guarding this entire area was no easy task.

A colonel, who was guarding the outermost perimeter, greeted King Gye-yeong, “Your Majesty, King Gye-yeong.”

“I am here to see His Imperial Majesty.”

“Could you please head a bit more to the northwest?”

The fact that King Gye-yeong would be visiting the Emperor today had already been communicated to them.

“Is His Imperial Majesty at the Emperor’s Longevity Hall?”

“I do not know. I was only told to guide you elsewhere if you arrived, Your Majesty.”

“I see.”

Since the Emperor’s exact location was a closely guarded secret, even the colonel might not know.

King Gye-yeong quietly followed the directions given.

Yi-gang did not follow immediately but stood still for a moment.

As he continued to stare at the colonel, the colonel looked back at him, seemingly a bit displeased.

After looking for a while, Yi-gang soon followed King Gye-yeong.

“Why did you hesitate?”

“It seemed like a colonel I had seen somewhere before.”

“You have spent quite a bit of time here in the palace. You must have seen him in passing.”

Yi-gang did not respond further.

They headed northwest, as the colonel had directed, toward Mount Jingshan.

As King Gye-yeong had anticipated, there was a path leading up to the Emperor’s Longevity Hall.

Along the path, beautiful trees, seemingly transplanted, were lined up.

From below the path, the Emperor’s Longevity Hall could clearly be seen above.

“He’s over there.”

At a glance, the bulky figure of the Emperor could be seen.

Standing next to the Emperor was certainly the Seven Great Immortals.

“Prepare yourself.”

Once they approached the Emperor’s Longevity Hall, King Gye-yeong would meet the Emperor and push aside the Seven Great Immortals.

In the meantime, Yi-gang, his comrades, and the soon-to-arrive Eastern Depot guards and the second-generation disciples would strike all of the Seven Great Immortals’s men.

“Please stop for a moment.”

While they were preparing for battle, the Embroidered Uniform Guard soldiers approached.

The Embroidered Uniform Guards here had a more solemn look in their eyes than those seen earlier.

It was clear that they had stationed the elite troops here because the distance to the Emperor was not very far.

“Are you the one in charge?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The colonel gave a brief bow to King Gye-yeong.

“You’re not the Chief Colonel,” King Gye-yeong looked at the colonel and remarked.

Typically, there were separate guards among the Embroidered Uniform Guards who protected the Emperor most closely.

The elite guards were led by a single Chief Colonel.

Even Bu Yeong-hu, the Commander-in-Chief of the Embroidered Uniform Guards, could not command them at will.

“The Chief Colonel is at Huangtian Palace. Today, I have been given this honorable duty.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

King Gye-yeong nodded in understanding.

“From here, you must dismount from your horse.”

“…Understood.”

It was an expected request.

“Would you also surrender your weapons?”

“…His Imperial Majesty has organized a hunting competition. Is it necessary to go this far?”

“Bows are fine. However, it is customary not to carry bladed weapons…”

The colonel mentioned the “customary law.”

But since the Emperor himself was not adhering to these customs, King Gye-yeong remained silent for a moment.

“Understood.”

“Everyone accompanying you must also surrender their weapons.”

Naturally, the Embroidered Uniform Guards demanded the same from Yi-gang and his group.

In truth, they had already anticipated that their swords would be confiscated.

In preparation for this, each member of the group had hidden secondary weapons.

The group began to hand over their weapons to the Embroidered Uniform Guards.

Yi-gang, however, stood idly as if he had no intention of doing so.

The colonel’s eyebrows twitched.

“Please hand over your sword, Crown Prince’s teacher.”

“…”

Yi-gang remained silent.

Yi-gang stared blankly at the sky, as if he hadn’t heard the colonel’s words.

Today, the sky was particularly clear and bright. Not a single breeze was blowing.

Yi-gang lowered his gaze and scrutinized the faces of the Embroidered Uniform Guards one by one.

“Crown Prince’s teacher, please hand over your sword.”

“…”

There were about ten of them, including the colonel who seemed to be in charge, and the guards standing with him.

More had gathered here than he had expected.

Looking around, there were no other guards in sight.

It seemed all the guards stationed along the path leading to the Emperor’s Longevity Hall had gathered here.

“Crown Prince’s teacher.”

King Gye-yeong called out to Yi-gang softly, as if urging him to come to his senses.

Only then did Yi-gang finally move.

Everyone thought he had come to his senses and was about to hand over the meteorite sword.

But Yi-gang did not do so.

Instead, he stopped Master Azure Sky, who was about to hand over his sword.

Master Azure Sky was bewildered, and the Embroidered Uniform Guards were even more confused.

“What are you doing…?”

“Your Majesty.”

Yi-gang looked at King Gye-yeong and shook his head.

“Let’s go back.”

King Gye-yeong was taken aback.

“What are you saying? We have just promised to meet His Imperial Majesty.”

“His Imperial Majesty will understand.”

“What…?”

King Gye-yeong’s eyes glinted.

Yi-gang’s expression was not that of a madman. In fact, he appeared calmer than usual.

“Let’s leave for a moment and come back later.”

“…Alright, let’s do that.”

Unfortunately, Inspector Ye had already handed over his weapon.

It was at the moment when he approached the colonel to retrieve his weapon—

“His Imperial Majesty is waiting. Please go and see him.”

—the colonel did not return the weapon.

He wore a smiling face, but his tone was strangely coercive.

King Gye-yeong responded to him.

“I’ve forgotten a gift I intended to present to His Imperial Majesty. I shall return shortly.”

“…”

At that moment, several of the guards began to move stealthily behind Yi-gang and his group.

It seemed as though they were trying to block their way back.

In an instant, the tension became palpable.

-The colonel we saw earlier.

Yi-gang sent a telepathic message to King Gye-yeong.

-The ordinary colonel who claimed not to know where His Imperial Majesty was is a close aide of Commander-in-Chief Bu Yeong-hu. That’s why I recognized him.

It was there that he sensed something was off.

-These men are also suspicious. Among those dressed in the ordinary guard uniforms, half are experts. There are those stronger than the colonel acting as the leader.

Several individuals of higher rank than the colonel had concealed their identities and disguised themselves.

That alone might not be enough to confirm this was a “trap.”

However, the final reason, which Yi-gang hadn’t explained to King Gye-yeong, was the most certain.

It was when Yi-gang, sensing something was amiss, had just recalled the Scripture of Inexhaustible Mind and Emotion.

When he looked up at the sky, there were things visible there.

Despite it being a windless day, bright red threads extended into the sky from the Emperor’s Longevity Hall.

The multiple threads were distinctly visible even from this distance. The ominous threads fluttered as if blown by the wind or like seaweed swaying underwater.

As Yi-gang’s opened eyes closed, the threads disappeared from view in an instant, but the situation was undoubtedly suspicious.

“Wait a moment.”

At that moment, King Gye-yeong’s eyes widened.

He saw the Emperor stand up on the pavilion.

For some reason, the Emperor drew his bowstring and shot an arrow into the sky.

Yi-gang instinctively invoked the Scripture of Inexhaustible Mind and Emotion once more. The side effects hit him, causing his head to throb.

The bright red threads became visible again.

The threads, which had been swaying moments ago, now moved like living snakes and entangled themselves around the shot arrow.

The arrow, which should have succumbed to gravity and fallen, was caught mid-air.

As Yi-gang and his group watched, a few of the Embroidered Uniform Guards also turned their heads to witness the scene.

“What on earth…!”

“The arrow… it’s moving by itself…”

To others, it must have looked as if the arrow was alive and moving.

For a few seconds, the arrow wavered in the air.

The moment all the threads tightly grasped the arrow, it descended in the direction it had been shot from.

Thud.

There was no audible sound, but a faint echo resembling the squeal of a pig being slaughtered, unmistakably from the Emperor, resounded.

Shock enveloped the scene.

The full details of the incident were likely unseen by the Embroidered Uniform Guards stationed around the Emperor’s Longevity Hall. They had been watching the opposite direction, not the Emperor.

Only King Gye-yeong’s party and a few of the Embroidered Uniform Guards who had turned to look back would have seen it.

“This is…”

The colonel gave a cruel smile.

It wasn’t out of pleasure, but rather the grimness left by someone who had made a resolute decision.

Half of the guards were still staring at the Emperor’s Longevity Hall, unable to believe what they had just witnessed.

However, the other half—those whom Yi-gang had assessed as “those hiding their true skills”—turned around.

Chaechaechaeng—

And all at once, they drew their swords.

Yi-gang and Master Azure Sky stepped in front of King Gye-yeong to block them.

Puhuk—

But instead of attacking them, the guards stabbed their own comrades, who were still looking towards the Emperor’s Longevity Hall.

There had already been a difference in skill level, and with the added element of surprise, there was no way to defend against it.

Half of the Embroidered Uniform Guards were killed in an instant.

The number of enemies they had to face was now cut in half.

However, King Gye-yeong felt an even greater threat.

Perhaps he instinctively understood what they were doing.

The colonel shouted, “Treason—!”

He deliberately infused his voice with inner energy, shouting as loudly as possible.

“King Gye-yeong has committed treason! Embroidered Uniform Guards—!”

The noise was loud enough to make ears feel like they were bursting.

Startled horses reared up, causing chaos.

“The Embroidered Uniform Guards must take down these traitors—!”

And then, a throwing knife thrown by Yi-gang embedded itself in the chest of the colonel.

He seemed to be wearing armor underneath, so it wasn’t a fatal wound, but it must have been chilling.

He tried to take another breath and shout again.

“These traitors—!”

“Silence—!”

Yi-gang’s voice was even louder.

The ones who had just killed their fellow guards were so startled that they clutched their chests.

Seizing the moment while their souls were momentarily snatched away by the Azure Dragon’s Demon-Breaking Roar, Yi-gang pushed King Gye-yeong.

“Your Majesty, retreat. It was a trap from the start! Master Azure Sky! Escort His Majesty!”

Master Azure Sky grabbed the reins and helped King Gye-yeong mount the horse immediately.

However, the Embroidered Uniform Guards, who had already planned to target King Gye-yeong, would not stand by idly.

“Where do you think you’re going…!”

Two guards who were holding the rear charged forward.

They were clearly Peak masters, and they lunged forward, exuding powerful sword energy.

Master Azure Sky deflected one of the swords.

However, the other sword seemed ready to slice across King Gye-yeong’s back at any moment.

Puhuk—!

“Argh!”

A sword pierced the side of one of the charging guards.

Yi-gang had thrown his own sword to kill the guard.

Seeing this, the colonel gave a bitter laugh.

“Your loyalty is admirable, you traitor!”

It was a sneer, mocking Yi-gang for daring to discard his weapon so recklessly.

Even if Yi-gang was a master, the colonel was confident that with coordinated attacks, they could handle him if he was unarmed.

He swung his sword directly at Yi-gang’s neck.

Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that Yi-gang would attempt to confront it bare-handed.

Yi-gang’s hand smoothly swirled, grazing the sword.

Pajik—!

A spark flew, and at that moment, the colonel felt a sharp jolt in his right hand, which went numb.

The strange sensation made him wonder if it was some kind of sorcery.

But it didn’t matter.

Because the guard next to him, who was attacking in coordination, was about to sever Yi-gang’s neck.

Puk.

However, that did not happen.

The very sword that Yi-gang had thrown away earlier seemed to return as if alive and pierced the chest of his fellow guard.

“D-dark magic…”

Yi-gang grabbed the hilt of the sword embedded in the guard’s chest.

Then, as if drawing a sword from its sheath, he pulled it out.

Dengeong—

The colonel’s head was severed.

Yi-gang took a step back to avoid the splattering blood and spoke, “It is the telekinetic sword technique.”

It wasn’t dark magic.

“Y-you scoundrel!”

The Embroidered Uniform Guards were momentarily too shocked to think about attacking.

Seizing this opportunity, Yi-gang turned his body.

Only after he leapt in the direction where King Gye-yeong had gone did the guards dare to follow.

At that moment—

“Treason, it’s treason!”

Admiral Grand Eunuch Hu Gyeong was raging furiously.

Next to him, the Imperial Crown Prince was scratching the back of his head with a dumbfounded expression.

“Bu Yeong-hu, that bastard, and the Third Prince have started a rebellion! They’ve truly gone mad!”

The Forbidden City was in an uproar.

It was an unexpected counterattack.

Not just the Seven Great Immortals, but even the Embroidered Uniform Guards and the Third Prince’s faction had joined in.

An act like that of beasts, disregarding the lives of their own fathers and brothers.

In the midst of this chaos, Dam Hyun was quietly sitting on a stair landing with his legs crossed.

In his hand, there was a black box.

“I need to deliver this… right?”

The box that the Forest Lord of the Azure Forest had asked to be given to Yi-gang.

He had been instructed not to open it until he met Yi-gang.

Naturally, there was a seal attached to it…

“I forgot to give it to him… Should I just open it and check if there’s anything inside?”

Cheongho continued to stare blankly at Dam Hyun.

“Yes, you’re curious too, aren’t you? Well, I guess there’s no choice.”

Dam Hyun smiled slyly and applied pressure with his hand.

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