Chapter 521
Chapter 521
Chapter 521. Facing Again (2)
Maeng Hyeon could not help but doubt his own ears.
He was no longer the Young Palace Head!
It was a thunderbolt out of the blue, something he had never once imagined.
“F-Father! I am Father’s eldest son! It is only natural for the eldest son to succeed Father. Yet what do you mean by suddenly saying this?” (Maeng Hyeon)
“Do not misunderstand. In none of this palace’s records is there any regulation that says the eldest son must inherit the position of Palace Head.” (Maeng Jin)
“If I am driven out of the position of Young Palace Head like this, it will be an enormous disgrace.” (Maeng Hyeon)
“When considering the future of this palace, it would be better to suffer disgrace now.” (Maeng Jin)
“I am a disgrace?” (Maeng Hyeon)
“…….” (Maeng Jin)
At the remark that thought of himself more than Zhurong Palace, Palace Head Maeng Jin let out a sigh and tightly shut his eyes.
When he opened his eyes again, not even the slightest warmth remained in his voice.
“This decision will not be reversed.” (Maeng Jin)
At Palace Head Maeng Jin’s firmness, Maeng Hyeon used his final method.
“Father! If you are going to do this, then kill me here instead!” (Maeng Hyeon)
“What?” (Maeng Jin)
“I am telling you to just kill me! It would be better to simply die. How am I supposed to endure such humiliation?” (Maeng Hyeon)
“Hoo…….” (Maeng Jin)
Maeng Jin let out a sigh.
“I realize once again that my decision to depose you from the position of Young Palace Head was correct. I nearly ended up ruining this Zhurong Palace.” (Maeng Jin)
Shrrng.
Maeng Jin rose from his seat, drew his sword, and approached Maeng Hyeon.
At the sight of the Palace Head like that, Maeng Hyeon stepped backward.
“F-Father? Why are you doing this?” (Maeng Hyeon)
“Did you not ask me to kill you? Since you say so, as your father, I cannot very well refuse to grant your wish…….” (Maeng Jin)
At Maeng Jin’s true killing intent, which he was feeling for the first time, Maeng Hyeon trembled.
“Still, I will send you off without pain.” (Maeng Jin)
Woooong!
Maeng Jin’s sword swung toward Maeng Hyeon.
“Hiiik!” (Maeng Hyeon)
A large amount of his hair was cut off and scattered across the floor.
Thud.
And Maeng Hyeon sank down on the spot.
“Why? You asked me to kill you.” (Maeng Jin)
“I-I am sorry! I, I spoke nonsense!” (Maeng Hyeon)
“That is precisely why you are stepping down from the position of Young Palace Head.” (Maeng Jin)
Shrrng, clack!
Maeng Jin sheathed his sword and spoke coldly.
“Confine yourself to your quarters and reflect.” (Maeng Jin)
“…….” (Maeng Hyeon)
“Get out at once.” (Maeng Jin)
Maeng Hyeon staggered out of the office. Watching that, Palace Head Maeng Jin clicked his tongue.
“Are you not being too harsh?” (Hae Dalman)
Even at the concern of Outer Chief Administrator Hae Dalman, who had quietly watched the entire situation from beside him, Maeng Jin shook his head.
“If the vessel is unfit, it must be replaced even a day sooner.” (Maeng Jin)
“That is true.” (Hae Dalman)
He nodded and continued.
“But…… is Second Young Master not always in that book hall Captain Eun Seoho entered? I do not think you sent him in without knowing that. By any chance, are you expecting something?” (Hae Dalman)
At that question, Maeng Jin nodded.
“I am curious how Young Palace Head Eun will evaluate that boy.” (Maeng Jin)
After entering the library, I looked around the shelves and realized there was someone else there besides me.
Who is it?
When I carefully approached the direction where I felt the qi, I saw someone leaning against the wall beside a shelf, reading a book.
That person is?
His face was younger than I remembered, but it was definitely him.
Someone I had a connection with in my previous life.
Perhaps sensing my presence, he raised his head and looked at me.
“You are someone I have not seen before. Seeing as you have entered this place, it seems you received Father’s permission.” (Maeng Cheon)
At his courteous words, I clasped my hands and showed proper courtesy.
“This is our first meeting. I am Eun Seoho, the Young Palace Head of Seolpung Palace. With the Palace Head’s permission, I was briefly looking for materials here.” (MC)
At my greeting, he nodded.
“Ah, so you were the Young Palace Head of Seolpung Palace. I heard you had come because of the talks.” (Maeng Cheon)
He set down the book he had been reading and introduced himself.
“My name is Maeng Cheon. I am the second son of this palace’s Palace Head. It is a pleasure to meet you like this.” (Maeng Cheon)
Ah…… so he was the Zhurong Palace Head’s second son.
Was meeting Young Master Maeng Cheon here like this someone’s intention? Or was it coincidence?
Thinking that, I observed Young Master Maeng Cheon.
A calm expression and eyes that seemed to hold clear intellect.
He is completely different from the first son, Young Master Maeng Hyeon.
Not only his outward appearance, but also his gaze and voice were exactly the same as the him I had met in my previous life.
Though his name is different from back then.
In my previous life, what on earth had happened?
In any case, if he was here at this hour, he must know this library well. I should get some help.
“By any chance, do you know this library well?” (MC)
“It is a place I visit often.” (Maeng Cheon)
“I see. Then may I ask for some help? There are so many materials that I was at a loss as to how to find what I wanted.” (MC)
“I see. What materials are you looking for?” (Maeng Cheon)
“I am looking for materials on Doyeonmun and Hyeolcheonmun. Those two sects.” (MC)
At my answer, he flinched.
“What is the matter?” (MC)
“It is nothing. I was simply a little surprised because you were looking for materials I had not expected.” (Maeng Cheon)
Well, it was understandable that he would be surprised.
If he came and went from this library often enough, he would know what kind of places those two were.
“If it is those materials, they should be over there.” (Maeng Cheon)
He took the lead and guided me.
On the way, he found a small cart and pulled it along.
“Why are you bringing the cart?” (MC)
“Ah. Because there are many books.” (Maeng Cheon)
“Do not worry. I can carry them all.” (MC)
“Of course you can carry them. But if you do, the books will be damaged. The books here are precious things, so they must be handled carefully.” (Maeng Cheon)
“I see.” (MC)
I quickly nodded.
Certainly, if one carried books in one’s arms, they could easily be damaged.
Young Master Maeng Cheon examined the shelves one by one, taking out books and placing them in the cart.
“I think I have gathered them all.” (Maeng Cheon)
“It seems you have read all the books on these shelves.” (MC)
I could not help but admire him.
To think he could pick out the books I wanted in less than half an hour.
“It is a modest talent. If you examine those books, you should be able to find the materials you want.” (Maeng Cheon)
“Thank you for helping me.” (MC)
“Not at all. Please look through them at your leisure before you leave. Then I will take my leave.” (Maeng Cheon)
Though he had helped me, as if he did not want to be disturbed, he headed back to where he had originally been.
I quietly watched his back.
His back seemed to overlap with the way he had looked in my previous life.
In my previous life, the man I met had been a wanderer.
I met him because there was a need to hire wanderers.
But for a wanderer, he knew a great deal, and there was dignity in his conduct as well.
And while working with him, I was taken by his wisdom and vast knowledge, so I asked him to work as an employee of the Eunha Trading Company.
At first he refused, but he gave in to my persistent persuasion.
He quickly distinguished himself, and especially in the sugar trade, thanks to his strategy, we were able to stand in an unrivaled position.
But he was the second son of the Zhurong Palace Head?
In any case, thanks to that, I was able to solve one question I had about him.
Why he had so firmly refused trade in Yunnan.
At the time, when I learned he was from Yunnan, I had once asked him to handle trade in Yunnan.
“I will not go to Yunnan. If you send me to Yunnan, I would rather submit my resignation.” (Maeng Cheon)
So I had no choice but to send him not to Yunnan, but to Guangxi, the production region of sugar.
Perhaps the reason he refused trade to Yunnan was because of Young Palace Head Maeng Hyeon.
From what I had seen, that man was by no means the type to leave someone who had incurred his hatred alone.
Young Master Maeng Cheon was probably hated and exiled, and if he returned to Yunnan, his life would have been threatened or something.
It was truly unfortunate.
But that is something for later, so for now, examining these materials is urgent.
I sat before the reading desk.
Perhaps because of the library’s nature, the reading desk had a bookstand installed, so I could read the books comfortably.
I began examining the books quickly.
[At the request of the Doyeonmun Sect Leader, this palace has decided to accept him under this palace.]
Is this the beginning of the records about Doyeonmun?
I looked through the records in order.
They were not particularly special records. However, one record suddenly caught my attention.
[According to the words of one who visited Doyeonmun, Doyeonmun’s attitude toward our party was suspicious. It was a report that they seemed to have grasped another lifeline, not us.
The one who reported this was someone with rather sharp instincts, so the contents are fairly trustworthy.
And they say they saw a stranger there.
This was reported to the Palace Head, and for now we decided to watch.]
A stranger?
This record is from over twenty years ago.
Of course, as I saw yesterday, it is not the Palace Head’s record, but the previous Outer Chief Administrator’s record.
Because the place I am in now is not the place I went to yesterday.
But it does not matter.
For matters like this, the records of the people beneath the Palace Head are often more detailed and accurate.
[According to that martial artist’s words, my subordinate reported that for some unknowable reason, the stranger seemed to smell of blood.]
Smell of blood?
[In the end, as expected, Doyeonmun declared independence. At this, we asked indirectly. Had they perhaps obtained some good backing somewhere? To this, a Doyeonmun martial artist said that Doyeonmun would now break away from being a martial family of the borderlands and become a sect of the Central Plains.
A sect of the Central Plains?
They are dreaming nonsense.
How petty the sects of the Central Plains are, and how tightly they band together among themselves.
As if they would readily let you into their territory.
Even if they do let you in, they are certain to use you and then discard you.
However, we have no obligation to care for those who declared independence to that extent.
Still, I cannot help but be annoyed.
If they were going to become independent, they should not have come under us in the first place. They only sucked up all the sweet water of this palace and…….]
I chuckled.
It seems the previous Outer Chief Administrator who left this record was rather furious.
After that, the records were full of criticism of Doyeonmun.
Among the contents I had just read, there was something else that bothered me.
The reason Doyeonmun abandoned Zhurong Palace and joined hands with somewhere else was said to be in order to break away from the Outer Regions and advance into the center.
But to do that, they would have had to join hands with a force that had influence even in the empire.
They, too, had their own pride as an orthodox sect, so they likely would not have joined hands with the black path.
Rather, the more borderland a sect was, the stronger such pride tended to be.
They merely had more practical laws and rules because of geographical characteristics.
Though that meant their surrounding environment was that much of a mess.
And if Doyeonmun went so far as to say they would leave Zhurong Palace’s fence, then the ones involved must have been quite famous or powerful even in the murim.
There was one more thing that bothered me, and that was the record saying that the person who served as the link to Doyeonmun seemed to smell of blood.
I took out another book.
That book contained information about Doyeonmun’s annihilation.
[Something felt strange. It was like the filthy feeling of someone secretly eating the precious sweets I had left behind.
I learned why I had felt that way at dawn the next day.
At the report that a martial artist from Doyeonmun had come, I hurriedly got up and went out, and saw a martial artist prostrated on the floor, his whole body covered in blood and his hair disheveled.
And he begged us to save Doyeonmun.
He said that because of someone’s attack, Doyeonmun was in a desperate crisis.
So I asked.
Had they also requested help from those who had been protecting them?
The martial artist answered with a grief-stricken expression.
He said contact had suddenly been cut off three days ago.
Sigh.
You foolish people.
What did I tell you? I told you not to trust those Central Plains people.
In any case, after reporting to the Palace Head, I immediately led the disciples and headed to Doyeonmun.
But it was too late. There was nothing left.]
These records meant one thing.
Doyeonmun’s annihilation had been thoroughly planned long in advance.
[The Palace Head, thinking that those who targeted Doyeonmun might ultimately target us as well, ordered us to find the culprits who had annihilated Doyeonmun.
Accordingly, we dispatched disciples throughout Yunnan and began investigating.
After a persistent investigation, we uncovered the culprits.
Hyeolcheonmun.
They were black path people who had suddenly appeared and settled here about five years ago.
They had been behaving quietly without any particular trouble until then, so we had not paid much attention to them, but to think they would cause such a problem.
After reporting this to the Palace Head, we went to Hyeolcheonmun to protest to them.
However, they claimed self-defense, saying that Doyeonmun had pointed their swords at them first.
While speaking with them, I felt something strange.
Unlike the usual black path, they seemed to be ordered not by money or strength, but by something else.
Moreover, while meeting them, I briefly sensed a scent of blood, but soon that scent of blood disappeared.
What a truly strange place.]
I bit my lip.
I paid attention to the record about the smell of blood.
The one who had gone to Doyeonmun had also said he sensed the smell of blood.
Both the Northern Sea Ice Palace and Zhurong Palace use martial arts close to nature.
As such, their senses for ominous things or distortions of nature were extraordinary.
Perhaps that was why the two forces did not stray down a wrong path and walked the righteous way.
I, too, had sensed the bloody smell mixed into the qi of the black path several times until now.
And Master had said that Blood Cultists smelled of blood.
Then that means Blood Cultists were involved in the matters of Doyeonmun and Hyeolcheonmun?
Why on earth did Doyeonmun think their new backer was an orthodox sect force from the Central Plains?
Then did the Blood Cult manipulate Doyeonmun to cause the disaster at Seolpung Palace, and afterward establish Hyeolcheonmun to erase Doyeonmun, whom they had used?
But soon, I could not help but let out a sigh.
The problem is “why?”
Why on earth did they have to annihilate Seolpung Palace so thoroughly?
And there is another problem.
That is “how.”
Because it is impossible for them, who were known to have been annihilated and at most had barely maintained their lineage, to establish Hyeolcheonmun, let alone annihilate Seolpung Palace.
Hoo, there is still a long way to go.
Still, it is fine.
Because at this point, I have learned quite a lot.