Chapter 440
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 440
Chapter 440. Unexpected (3)
I was so startled that I got goose bumps all over my body.
“What's wrong?”
Pal-gap, who was standing next to me, asked, and I stroked his arm and said, “No, it's just that His Excellency Hyeokgon Seung just smiled at me.”
“What do you mean? He passed away 500 years ago.”
“What do you mean? He died 500 years ago.”
“You're right. I must have seen something strange.”
Then, Myeongjong Musha said with a worried look on his face.
“You seem to be overworked lately. It would be better for you to go back to Beijing and get some rest.”
“I would like to do that.”
I replied with a bitter smile.
By the way, did I really see something?
It clearly looked like Ambassador Hyukgon Seongseung was smiling. When I looked back at the remains, they were the same as when I first saw them.
An expressionless, peaceful face.
I definitely saw it.
Could it be that Master Xue Gongcheng left this item for me, asking me to take care of it?
Or could it mean that he likes his current life, which is different from his previous one?
Perhaps Master Xue Gongcheng made this sword, but he didn't want anyone to die because of it.
The remains of Grand Master Blood Moon were in the center, so they belonged to the Martial Alliance and the orthodox sects.
“What should we do with these remains?”
At that moment, someone said with greedy eyes.
"Could there be something in these remains?
In other words, he wanted to search the remains thoroughly.
I felt disgusted.
I glanced at Elder Jing Shan, who seemed to agree with him.
I sighed inwardly.
I didn't know why he smiled at me, but he smiled at me.
I didn't want to see the remains of such a person being desecrated.
He left behind ten gold bars and a book expressing his remorse to Shaolin Temple.
That means his heart was with Shaolin Temple.
Therefore, his remains must be returned to Shaolin Temple intact.
I said to Elder Jing Shan.
“Elder, I don't think it's a good idea to touch these remains.”
“Why not?”
“Consider the numerous traps we have discovered so far. Are you certain there are no more traps here?”
“Hmm...”
“Furthermore, I am concerned about that passage.”
I pointed to the passage engraved on the wall next to him.
It read, “I, Hye-jin, will watch over this place.”
“I'm sure the monk's name was Hye-jin, right?”
“Yes, I know that.”
“Then that means he's watching over something from here. But what could he be watching?”
“The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, of course. He hated them with a passion when he was alive.”
“Then he must be looking toward the northwest. But you are looking toward the east.”
“The east?”
“The east... Songshan!”
Songshan is where Shaolin Temple is located.
“It means that even at the moment of his death, he could not forget Shaolin.”
“...”
“The teachings of Buddhism are about non-attachment, and although he violated the precepts of killing, he strictly followed the other teachings of Buddhism. I think it is only natural that nothing remains in this sword case.”
“I guess so...”
“That's right.”
“Then what is this sword case for?”
I calmly answered someone's question.
“Can't you guess from the numerous traps inside? And how did you know that this sword case belonged to the Great Master of the Blood Sword Sect in the first place?”
“Well, it says right here at the entrance that this is the sword case of the Great Master of the Blood Demon Sect. Those who are brave enough may enter. You will get whatever you want, including gold, silver, and secret techniques... It was engraved there.”
It seemed that those who had gathered there finally realized the significance of this place. The followers of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, in particular, turned pale.
“To lure the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and kill as many of them as possible?”
“...”
They all trembled with a hatred beyond imagination.
“It seems you believed that the orthodox sects would not enter the sword hall. That they would not covet the gold, silver, jewels, and secret manuals.”
“...”
At my words, the members of the Martial Alliance and the orthodox sects bowed their heads in shame or looked away toward the distant mountains.
By engraving those words at the entrance, perhaps he intended to label even those blinded by greed as evil and kill them.
In any case, everyone became fearful and solemn.
My plan worked.
“I want the remains of Grand Master Hyeokgon to be returned to Shaolin, where they belong.”
“But Shaolin Temple has already excommunicated Grand Master Hyeokgon, hasn't it?”
Hey! Who's pouring cold water on the atmosphere?
“That is true. However, many people still respect Master Xue Gong. Even at Shaolin Temple, he is still referred to as Master. Shaolin Temple will not mistreat him.”
“....”
“If we desecrate the remains of such a person and Shaolin Temple finds out, I don't know what they will do.”
Everyone from the orthodox sects and the Martial Alliance fell silent at my words.
I looked at Elder Gyeongsan and said,
“Elder, you are the leader here, so please make a decision.”
“Hmm...”
Elder Gyeongsan groaned with a pained expression.
It couldn't be because of the sweat dripping from his forehead.
“Come to think of it, I heard that the person you said you respected most, Master Ilshim, is Master Hyukgon Seung.”
“...Is that so?”
Elder Kyungsanja flinched as if he felt pressure.
Of course, that was the right thing to say.
Shaolin Temple was not a force to be ignored.
How else would there be a saying that when the Abbot of Shaolin Temple claps his hands, mosquitoes flying in the sky of Yunnan are crushed to death?
After much deliberation, Elder Kyungsanja made a decision.
“Hmm... We cannot treat the sacred body carelessly. Let's hand it over to Shaolin Temple.”
Yes!
The excavation work continued, and night fell.
I lay down in front of the bonfire in front of the barracks.
The excavation work was coming to an end, and we had found the remains of Master Hyeokgon Seongseung.
Now, the work at the sword hall was finished, but I still hadn't completed the emperor's orders.
After all, I came here in the first place because I received orders from the emperor.
Master Kwon of the Royal Guards and Master Kwon of the Royal Guards were reluctant to move.
Are they being cautious?
Or are they innocent?
The emperor would not have sent me here for no reason.
By the way, the stars are really clear.
Perhaps it is because the ground is high and the air is dry.
They say that you can see the stars clearly in the desert.
This place is actually close to the desert.
That's why there's a shortage of water, and every day, people come and go with water barrels on their carts.
Ah!
I sat up straight.
Come to think of it, the Guizhou family was in charge of escorting the people who transported water!
That means they can inform someone outside Yeonji Mountain about the situation here faster than anyone else.
That person could be someone from the imperial palace or even someone from the Martial Alliance.
That means that depending on who I tell, I can find out who the two Royal Guards are loyal to.
Let's see, what time is it now...
It should be about time for them to have reached the entrance of Yeonji Mountain.
I got up from my seat and said to Pal-gap.
“I'm going to take care of some business. I'll be right back.”
“Yes, sir.”
I naturally slipped away from the crowd and ran down to the foot of Yeonji Mountain.
I hadn't run very far when I saw the workers pulling the carriages and their escorts.
Among them was Master Kwon.
Master Kwon must still be at the camp.
That way, I could tell him what had happened during the night.
I followed behind, hiding my presence.
The carriages stopped near a stream.
One of the streams flowing into the Yellow River was sufficient for drinking water.
While the workers drew water and loaded it onto the carriages, the soldiers kept watch around them.
After observing the situation, Master Kwon Jik ordered his warriors.
“Keep watch. I'm going somewhere for a moment.”
“Yes, sir.”
Master Kwon Jik left the stream and headed toward a dense forest.
I followed him, trying to hide my presence as much as possible.
As he was standing in the forest, someone approached him.
Who is it?
They must be skilled to approach him so secretly without being noticed by the others.
However, I don't sense any black energy.
I concentrated my hearing.
“Are you here?”
“Yes, Master.”
“Today, a sacred body was found in the sword vault of the Blood Moon Sect.”
“I see. Is that all?”
“And it looks like the excavation will be finished soon.”
“Is there any sign that anything will be found?”
“No, nothing.”
“Then what should we report to the higher-ups?”
“Tell them to stop paying attention to it. It seems that the legendary artifact he is looking for is not there.”
“I will do so.”
With that, the man disappeared, and Master Kwon muttered under his breath.
“Why is he looking for that artifact so desperately? It's not like he can sit on the throne just because he has it.”
With that, he left the dense forest and returned to the stream.
“...
Meanwhile, I couldn't help but look serious because of what I had just heard.
Did I hear that right?
He just said ”throne."
The throne refers to the chair where the emperor sits when conducting official business. In other words, it means the emperor's seat.
Could it be that the emperor ordered me to watch over the Royal Guards because of the Martial Alliance?
Come to think of it, the emperor only told me to watch over them, but he didn't tell me who exactly they were working for.
There was a reason why they hadn't been acting strangely. They didn't need to.
Phew, I almost missed it.
When I realized that Master Kwon Jik was not loyal to the emperor, but to someone who was after the emperor's throne, I naturally had questions.
Then who is Master Kwon Jik loyal to?
And what is “that weapon” he just mentioned?
I shook my head and dismissed my thoughts.
It's pointless to speculate here.
What I had to do was simple.
I had to find out who the person was who had just received information from Master Kwon Jik.
I quietly followed the mysterious man and saw him send a letter to somewhere.
- Geum-ryung.
- Kwi?
- I have an errand for you. Can you find out where that letter is going and where it will arrive?
Kui!
At my request, Geum-ryung immediately chased after the messenger.
.
.
.
The next afternoon.
It was break time.
I naturally approached Master Kwon.
He must have been tired from escorting the water transporters the night before, but he was still working hard on the excavation.
I hadn't thought much of it before, but now it was different.
I knew why.
It was because of the royal artifact that might be here.
Last night, I found out where the messenger had gone, but I couldn't find out what kind of artifact they were looking for.
Come to think of it, the emperor said that he sent the Royal Guards here because there might be a royal artifact here.
If so, the emperor may already know what they are looking for.
They may even be after a different artifact.
In any case, I must try to find out.
But how can I talk to them?
As he was racking his brains, he saw a snake crawling toward him.
He had an idea.
Geum-ryeong! Make that snake go near Master's feet!
Kui!
At my request, Geum-ryeong approached the snake. The snake was startled and quickly changed direction.
Good!
“Be careful!”
I warned Master Kwon-jik and jumped forward.
“What...?”
Whoosh!
I grabbed the snake and tossed it aside, then spoke to him.
“Are you all right?”
“I'm fine. It was quite a surprise to see a snake appear out of nowhere.”
“Indeed. I've heard that the snakes here are very poisonous, so I'm glad you weren't bitten.”
“Thank you for your help.”
“Don't mention it.”
I continued naturally.
“By the way, the fact that nothing has appeared so far means that there really is nothing. I said that, but... I was actually hoping that something would appear.”
“Hoping... I'm sure you weren't the only one hoping.”
“That's right. Actually, I was hoping that a weapon would appear. Something like the red rod that Master Hyukgon used.”
I asked him casually.
“Do you have any expectations, Master?”
“Expectations...”
He smiled slightly, either completely free of suspicion toward me or wanting to tell someone about his secret, and continued.
“I was hoping that there might be some kind of artifact.”
“An artifact...?”
“Yes. According to legend, when the Great Monk Hyukgon was traveling incognito in the forest, he met the emperor, who was dressed as a commoner, and saved his life. In gratitude, the emperor presented him with a treasure.”
“Is that a true story?”
“It's not a well-known story. Anyway, since it's the sword of the Great Monk Hyukgon, I was hoping that the treasure might be inside...”
“What kind of artifact is it?”
“It's a wrapping cloth.”
“What?”
“It's a red wrapping cloth, and if you write your destination on it, it will guide you safely to that place, no matter where it is.”
A red wrapping cloth?
Wasn't the cloth that wrapped the books and letters I found red?