Chapter 632
Chapter 632
Chapter 632. The Will Passed Down (4)
Soon, Warrior Jin Yu joined me where I was.
“What is the matter?” (Jin Yu)
I pointed to the man unconscious at my feet and said.
“No, that is…… he fainted.” (MC)
“You knocked him unconscious, then.” (Jin Yu)
“No, that is not it. I only made a little joke, but he fainted.” (MC)
“What did you say to him…….” (Jin Yu)
“I said I had come to take the one who tormented my descendants to the underworld…….” (MC)
I grumbled for no reason.
“I did not know that even someone at the first-rate level could be this timid.” (MC)
“In this situation, if you wear that mask and say such things, anyone would be frightened. On top of that, my lord’s energy is yin energy, so he would have had no choice but to think you were a ghost.” (Jin Yu)
“……Ah.” (MC)
I felt awkward. It was understandable that he had fainted.
“What happened to the one you were in charge of?” (MC)
“He is here.” (Jin Yu)
Warrior Jin Yu threw someone he had dragged over onto the floor.
Thud.
It was an unconscious dark path warrior.
Soon, the other escort warriors also began joining me one by one.
“It seems you dealt with them all.” (MC)
“Yes. That is correct.” (Escort Warrior)
As if sealing their acupoints was not enough, they had even bound their arms and legs thoroughly.
It was in preparation for the possibility that their sealed acupoints might be released.
“Then let us wake them.” (MC)
“Yes.” (Ip Pil)
Warrior Ip Pil placed a small bottle he had taken from his robes beneath their noses.
“Ugh!” (Hwang Gu)
“Krgh!” (Dark Path Warrior)
They woke up quickly.
Seeing their reaction, Warrior Ip Pil smiled and said.
“It is a waking incense I made this time, and its effect is quite good.” (Ip Pil)
Just as he said, every one of them looked wide awake.
“If it were me, rather than smell that, I would rather go into a manure heap.” (Yeo Eung-am)
Warrior Yeo Eung-am shook his head as he said that.
That must mean he had smelled it before.
Just what kind of smell was it…….
No, that is not what matters right now.
I looked at them and said.
“There is something I am curious about…….” (MC)
Before I even finished speaking, the man who had fainted nodded repeatedly.
“I-I will talk! I will tell you everything you are curious about, so could you please just attain rebirth in paradise as you are? I was wrong. Please forgive me! It is not that I wanted to do it either. I only did it because those above ordered me to!” (Hwang Gu)
At the reaction, which was more intense than I had expected, I blinked.
Does he still think I am an ancestral ghost protecting Chungyeong Fortress?
This bastard seems to be terribly afraid of ghosts.
Well, martial arts skill and fear of ghosts are clearly different matters.
If he is misunderstanding it like this, then it is convenient for me.
Because I do not want to see someone being tortured, crying out, and suffering either.
The man beside him widened his eyes and said.
“No! What on earth are you saying right now? These people are…….” (Dark Path Warrior)
Hm, I should knock him out for a while.
Because he must not interfere.
Pow!
After knocking that man unconscious again, I said to the man who was sobbing and begging.
“Then I will hear your story and decide whether to forgive you or not.” (MC)
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A little while later.
The man who had pleaded with me lay there as a corpse.
His name was Hwang Gu, and he said he belonged to the Asura Blood Cult.
“Our goal is to raise the Blood Cult again and open the era of the Blood Cult.” (Hwang Gu)
Unfortunately, however, he did not know the location of the Asura Blood Cult’s headquarters.
“Without even my knowing, letters are placed on top of my desk. We communicate through those.” (Hwang Gu)
“Then what is the method of contacting them from this side?” (MC)
“If I place it on the desk, the letter disappears.” (Hwang Gu)
That meant the method of contacting them from this side and luring them would not work.
Because they would come to retrieve the letter and notice that something was wrong with this inn.
It was also impossible to ask Geumryeong to find the Asura Blood Cult using the scent of the letters they had sent.
Because the scent had been thoroughly erased.
“When I think about the intervals at which we have exchanged messages until now, three days from now is when the contact is due to come here.” (Hwang Gu)
“I see. But how did you learn about the sword tomb in Chungyeong Fortress?” (MC)
“That, I do not know in detail either, but from what I heard, they discovered it in a cave in Chungyeong Fortress. So they researched it based on that, but because it was inside Chungyeong Fortress, they concluded that they had to empty Chungyeong Fortress in order to excavate it.” (Hwang Gu)
“So they tried to massacre my descendants?” (MC)
“I am sorry! It was not my will! I only did it because those above ordered me to!” (Hwang Gu)
“Then how did that end up in the hands of the imperial palace?” (MC)
“That, I do not know either. As far as I know, a thief broke in. So they interrogated the person suspected to be that thief and his family, but they said they could not find it. In the end, they killed that entire family…….” (Hwang Gu)
Does that mean the owner of the manor in Luoyang that I purchased was that thief?
I asked several other things as well, and he answered my questions smoothly.
“But you know, if you are that afraid of ghosts, were you not afraid that the vengeful spirits of the people you have killed until now would become ghosts and come find you?” (MC)
“Ah, that is because I have a talisman.” (Hwang Gu)
He lifted the wooden plaque hanging around his neck and said.
“This is a talisman written for me by an elder of the Asura Blood Cult, and they say that if I have it, the vengeful spirits I killed cannot find me. So I had no worry about that.” (Hwang Gu)
“But because I am not a vengeful spirit you killed, the talisman does not work?” (MC)
“Hehe, that is it. I have told you everything I know, so please attain rebirth in paradise as you are.” (Hwang Gu)
At those words, I gave a faint laugh.
“You know that is an insult to a living person, right?” (MC)
Perhaps because my tone suddenly changed, or perhaps because he was trying to grasp what my words meant, he blinked both eyes.
And soon, once he grasped the situation, he shouted in anger.
“You deceived me! You son of a bi×!” (Hwang Gu)
“I have no reason to hear such words from you. Thanks to you, I heard quite an interesting story.” (MC)
I continued speaking with a smile, as though teasing him while he trembled.
“It seems that talisman is fake after all. Why else would a situation like this have happened? Is this not all because the resentment of the vengeful spirits you killed piled up and piled up?” (MC)
The scent of blood mixed into the dark path aura I felt from the man named Hwang Gu was extremely foul.
It meant he had killed that many people.
At my gesture, Warrior Jin Yu cut off Hwang Gu’s head and the head of the man beside him without hesitation.
I glanced at the cold corpses of the two dark path warriors.
The Asura Blood Cult, huh…….
What an obvious name.
I also have no talent for naming things, but they have even less creativity than I do.
We had not managed to find out the location of the Asura Blood Cult, but we still gained quite a lot.
We confirmed what their goal was, and even their identity.
In any case, they say someone will come three days from now to make contact…….
We have to hurry.
“Then let us move as well.” (MC)
“Yes.” (Jin Yu)
We stripped the corpses of the dark path warriors, no, the Asura Blood Cult warriors, who had been here, and dumped them nearby.
There are many wild beasts here, and they are always starving.
It was a somewhat cruel way to dispose of them, but considering the lives of the innocent people they had killed, this should soothe their vengeful spirits at least a little.
Then we poured oil on the clothes and burned them, buried them in the ground, and even burned down the inn before returning.
And I did not forget to bathe and apply scented oil before entering my quarters.
Because Lady Seo-hyang might be startled by the scent of blood coming from me.
And because we had to thoroughly erase the evidence that we had done it.
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As soon as dawn broke, we moved immediately.
The Castellan’s alternative was simply to expose this situation.
Since the exploration of Chungyeong Fortress’s sword tomb had not been carried out in secret anyway, it was impossible for us to move it secretly.
Therefore, we decided to openly move the treasure discovered there.
Of course, we were not simply going to reveal it openly.
We decided to transport all the treasure from the sword tomb to Beijing by order of the Emperor, and spread a rumor that the Castellan of Chungyeong Fortress, shocked by this, had fallen ill in bed.
It was a rumor that the Castellan had fallen ill from pent-up anger after his son was taken hostage and even the treasure was stolen.
Because the result would be the spread of the Emperor’s notoriety, the Royal Guards, including Master Kwon Jik, expressed concern.
However, I persuaded them.
“If we do not do this, Chungyeong Fortress will fall into danger again because of those who covet the treasure. Do you wish for the hometown of Her Highness the Princess’s consort, and the place where Her Highness the Princess will live in a few years, to become a wasteland?” (MC)
“Ahem…… It is not that.” (Kwon Jik)
“If they think that treasure is in the Castellan’s hands, they will take his family hostage.” (MC)
“They would. Those people are not the kind to care about mercy or circumstances.” (Kwon Jik)
“If that happens, that will truly be something that obscures His Majesty the Emperor’s glory.” (MC)
“…….” (Kwon Jik)
“And notoriety lasts only a moment. If His Majesty the Emperor uses those treasures to govern benevolently, notoriety will soon become fame. To be honest, would one or two such pieces of notoriety be enough to obscure His Majesty the Emperor’s glory?” (MC)
“That is not the case.” (Kwon Jik)
After finishing the persuasion like that, we loaded the gold and silver we had discovered this time onto several carts.
And Captain Kwon kept exactly what he had once said to me.
“Member Jang Gal, Member Song Cheong.” (Kwon Jik)
“Yes!” (Jang Gal)
“Did you call?” (Song Cheong)
“These are the carts you will pull. Just as when you came here, you may pull them all the way to Beijing.” (Kwon Jik)
“……Pardon?” (Jang Gal)
“Why that expression? Did you not say that you would undertake ascetic hardship to restore your loyalty to His Majesty the Emperor, which had grown lax?” (Kwon Jik)
“…….” (Jang Gal)
“Do your best. Once this work is finished, you will be able to become members of the Royal Guards with even stronger loyalty.” (Kwon Jik)
Gold and silver are quite heavy compared to their volume.
For ordinary people, even carrying one piece and moving around would be difficult.
Since they had to pull carts full of such gold ingots and silver ingots, it must have felt like death.
“Young Master, you seem to be in a good mood.” (Palgap)
“Hm? What are you talking about?” (MC)
When I tilted my head at Palgap’s words, Palgap pointed to his own eyebrow and said.
“When your left eyebrow rises slightly, Young Master, you are angry, but conversely, when your left eyebrow droops slightly downward, that is the expression you have when you are in a good mood.” (Palgap)
To think he noticed a habit I myself did not know. As expected of Palgap.
“By the way, are you satisfied?” (Palgap)
“Well.” (MC)
I looked at the two Masters, whose expressions made it seem as though they had seen the gates of the underworld, and said.
“I think I will know that after we arrive in Beijing.” (MC)
“Young Master. I have a request.” (Palgap)
“What is it?” (MC)
“If by any chance I have done something wrong to you, Young Master, or if there is anything you feel disappointed about, I would like you to tell me immediately. I will do my very best to correct it.” (Palgap)
“You are doing well now. But why are you saying something like that?” (MC)
“It is because I feel like I may have done something wrong to you, Young Master.” (Palgap)
As he said that, he glanced at Master Jang Gal and Master Song Cheong, who were wrapping bandages round and round their hands to pull the carts.
No, this is unfair.
I do not act that meanly toward my own people.
* Kkui! (Geumryeong)
Yes, Geumryeong. You understand.
* Kkui! Kku! (Geumryeong)
So you would be grateful if I gave you just one silver coin?
You are saying that this time you told me the bottom of the box smelled like money, and you are not letting that pass?
Yes, I should give it to you.
But Geumryeong, why are you being so polite?
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The Castellan of Chungyeong Fortress and his family did not see us off.
It was to increase the credibility of the rumor we had deliberately spread.
Of course, we had secretly exchanged farewells separately the night before.
We left Chungyeong Fortress proudly like that.
No matter how large our search party was, reaching over a hundred people, if it was the treasure of a sword tomb, there were bound to be bold bastards who coveted it.
So I spread other rumors in advance as well.
[The treasure discovered in Chungyeong Fortress’s sword tomb is poisoned. You die just by touching it.]
[A soldier who coveted the gold ingots touched one and died.]
[The Green Forest Bandits of a mountain stronghold who went after the gold ingots were wiped out by poison.]
And to add credibility to those rumors, we all wore masks covering our noses.
We also acted as though we were trying to stay as far away from the gold ingots as possible, and ordered our party to know this as the truth and act accordingly.
Of course, even if we did that, there was no way there would be no moths to the flame coveting the gold ingots.
Those people were punished without mercy.
It was because we received the cooperation of the Provincial Military Commissioner along the way.
The Provincial Military Commissioner is the one responsible for each province’s military administration.
Thanks to receiving the cooperation of the Provincial Military Commissioners of each province while passing through Guizhou Province, Hunan Province, Hubei Province, Henan Province, and Hebei Province like that, we were able to arrive safely in Beijing.
In truth, I had wanted to meet the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Guizhou Province on the way back to Beijing this time, but circumstances did not allow it, so I had to promise myself there would be another time.
“You went through much hardship in many ways.” (Kwon Jik)
At Captain Kwon Jik’s words, I showed humility.
“Not at all. I only did what I had to do.” (MC)
I clasped my fist politely and did not forget to add a word of caution.
“Please do not let your guard down until the very end. I am sorry to say this, but it is not as if even inside the imperial palace is perfectly safe, is it?” (MC)
“Of course. Do not worry.” (Kwon Jik)
“Thank you. Then I will take my leave.” (MC)
And after exchanging greetings with Young Master Yeon Yu-mun and the Princess as well, I returned to the Beijing branch.
Naturally, mountains of documents welcomed me.
Haa…….
That night.
Master Jin Young came to find me.
“It is good to see you, Master Jin Young.” (MC)
“Your face has worsened greatly. It seems this matter was truly arduous.” (Jin Young)
“Hahahaha.” (MC)
I laughed without saying anything.
In truth, my face had worsened not because of this journey, but because of the documents I had been handling until just now, but there was no need to say that.
“Prepare to enter the palace immediately. His Majesty the Emperor is calling for you.” (Jin Young)
I immediately straightened my attire and followed Master Jin Young, and headed to the Emperor’s office.
“This humble merchant Eun Seo-ho greets His Majesty the Emperor.” (MC)
As I bowed with the utmost courtesy, His Majesty the Emperor’s voice reached me.
“Does it please you to saddle Us with notoriety?” (Emperor)
“…….” (MC)
“However, I did not hear the name Sword Immortal Handsome Wolf this time. Quite thoroughly, as if it was intentional.” (Emperor)
Ah…… I was caught.