“Ugh!”
With a pained groan, the old man struggled upright.
Then he froze in shock and hurriedly looked around.
He was inside a tent.
“You’re awake?”
Jeok Wigang spoke when he saw the old man sit up.
“Ah!”
The moment he saw Jeok Wigang, it all came back to him.
This was the group that had saved him after he fell from the cliff.
“Thank you. I keep receiving kindnesses I could never hope to repay.”
“Taking care of an injured man is only natural. How does your body feel? I treated you a little.”
“Much better. Thank you.”
“The meal was just finished. I’ll have them bring you a bowl, so eat and get your strength back.”
“No. I-I have to leave at once.”
“It’s already late at night. If you move around carelessly at this hour, you could get attacked by wild animals.”
“Even so...”
Just then, Taecheon entered the tent carrying a steaming bowl.
Inside it was freshly made food, warm and rich and undeniably inviting.
The old man swallowed hard.
His stomach growled the instant he saw it.
Jeok Wigang let out a soft chuckle and offered him the meal.
“Eat before it gets cold. Taecheon’s a very good cook.”
At Jeok Wigang’s praise, Taecheon’s face reddened.
“Then... I will shamelessly accept with gratitude.”
The old man lifted the bowl and took a sip.
As the warm broth flowed down his throat, the tension melted out of him all at once, and a pleasant heaviness spread through his body.
At the same time, he could feel his strength returning.
He emptied the whole bowl in no time.
Jeok Wigang held out his own.
“Have this one too.”
“You should eat as well, young master.”
“There’s plenty outside. Taecheon, bring another bowl.”
“Understood.”
While Taecheon took the empty bowl and stepped out, the old man stared silently at the food for a moment before beginning to eat again.
He truly ate with appetite.
By the time he finished two bowls, his stomach was full, and he settled back down wearing a visibly more comfortable expression.
As he ate, Jeok Wigang asked,
“Were you being chased by men like bandits?”
“Bandits... Well, thieves are thieves. They’re much the same sort.”
“Were they after your valuables, sir?”
“No. It is something far more important. I hope you will understand if I say I cannot tell you.”
“That’s fine. You don’t need to say anything.”
The old man slowly pushed himself to his feet.
“What are you trying to do?”
“If I remain here any longer, you will be put in danger. The men chasing me are not the sort to show mercy. I do not want my benefactors to be dragged into trouble because of me.”
“You won’t be causing us any trouble, so rest for now. At this hour, trying to leave is what would actually make things troublesome for us.”
At Jeok Wigang’s words, the old man looked troubled.
He had ended up in a situation where he could neither stay comfortably nor leave comfortably.
“What kind of men are chasing you, sir? Are they martial artists?”
“N-no. They are not martial artists. Are you one, young master?”
“Yes.”
“In that case, they won’t dare lay a hand on you carelessly. There is still a line that keeps the officials and the martial world from interfering with one another.”
“Them... Could it be the Embroidered Uniform Guard?”
“H-how did you know?”
“I just took a guess. If they belong to the authorities and still chased you this far, there aren’t many possibilities besides the Embroidered Uniform Guard.”
“How sharp.”
“How far are you headed? If it’s on our way, we can escort you.”
“I am going to Beijing.”
“Oh? I’m headed that way too.”
“What are you going to Beijing for?”
“To take an exam.”
“An exam? Don’t tell me... you mean the imperial examination?”
“Yes.”
“Didn’t you just say you were a martial artist?”
“My family belongs to a martial sect. But I never trained in martial arts, so I’m just an ordinary man.”
At the words ordinary man, Taecheon, who had been listening nearby, made a face that plainly said that was absurd.
But he remained silent.
“Hoh... It would be better not to take the imperial examination right now.”
“Why is that?”
“Before long, a bloodstorm will sweep through the imperial palace. The turmoil will be great. If you pass the exam and enter office now, you may be dragged into the vortex for nothing. Wait a little longer. Once the situation settles, I will put in a word for you myself.”
That was, of course, only if he was still alive by then.
But the old man did not say that part aloud.
“A bloodstorm? I’d heard the imperial palace was already in disorder because the current Emperor is too weak to properly oversee affairs of state. So it’s true, then.”
“H-how do you know that?”
“It might become my workplace, so I looked into it.”
“But that... that isn’t the kind of information one can simply dig up...”
Jeok Wigang studied the old man steadily.
“You can read information out of anything, if you know how. Take your clothing, for example. Your robe is worn and tattered, but the traces along the fastening line are still clear. Judging by the grain and wear, you usually wore an official robe. And the square stitch marks left on your chest and back make it obvious you wore an over-robe over it. The pressed marks behind your ears were left by the cords of an official’s hat.”
“Hoh...”
The old man let out a sound of admiration.
“The calluses on your fingertips were made by a brush, not a blade. And in the way you speak, official vocabulary comes out naturally—phrases like ‘once the situation settles.’ Taking it all together, you served in the Hanlin Academy... or possibly the Censorate.”
“I see now that you truly are a gifted man. Which makes me want to stop you from taking this exam all the more. The more talented a man is, the shorter his life tends to be.”
At the old man’s words, Jeok Wigang smiled and asked,
“If there’s some way I can help, tell me. In your current condition, there’s no way you can break through the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s cordon and make it safely to Beijing on your own.”
At that, the old man’s expression turned grave.
After agonizing over it for a long time, he finally opened his mouth.
“You are right, benefactor. I am a Lecturer of the Hanlin Academy. I was traveling under an imperial decree.”
“So my guess was correct after all. Then the men chasing you really are from the Embroidered Uniform Guard.”
“That is so.”
“May I ask why?”
The Lecturer hesitated.
Could he really trust Jeok Wigang?
“If it’s hard to say, you don’t have to.”
“I’m sorry. The truth is... this...” He let out a long breath.
“It seems you’ve had a very difficult time.”
“All my comrades are dead. I alone barely managed to escape.”
“Are you going to Beijing to see the Emperor?”
The Lecturer nodded.
“I am going to report that I failed in my mission. The reason the Embroidered Uniform Guard is chasing me is...”
As if he had made up ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) his mind, the Lecturer began untying the plain cloth wrapped around his waist.
“If it had not been for you, young master, they would already have taken this from me. I may as well leave it to fate.”
What emerged from the cloth was a seal carved from blue jade.
“What is that?”
“The Imperial Seal.”
“The Imperial Seal?”
“That’s right. It had fallen into the hands of evil men, and we secretly stole it back. I must deliver this Imperial Seal to His Majesty. And I must beg forgiveness. Forgiveness for our lack of strength—for failing to properly serve the Emperor.”
“I don’t think that’s a very good idea.”
“It isn’t?”
“If His Majesty truly has no power, then there are already men around him waiting for you to arrive. Going to him now would only hand the Imperial Seal right back into their hands. And as for begging forgiveness—why would you do that? That would only burden His Majesty even more. What ruler would feel at ease watching a loyal subject abase himself and plead guilty on his behalf?”
“Then what should be done? There is no one of talent around His Majesty, and the imperial palace is crawling with men who want nothing but power.”
Jeok Wigang let out a sigh.
“Being Emperor really doesn’t seem worth it. Even if someone offered me the throne, I’d refuse. Why are people so obsessed with such a troublesome position?”
The words themselves were outrageous, but what they implied was even more shocking.
“But it means becoming the master of the world.”
“What good is that? It just means endless trouble.”
“Then what do you live for, benefactor?”
“My family’s happiness.”
“Your family’s happiness?”
“Yes. As long as my family is happy, that’s enough.”
“How modest.”
“Modest? Do you know how difficult that is?”
“Difficult?”
“To build a happy home, the country has to be at peace, and the Central Plains have to be calm. I have to help create that kind of world, so of course it’s difficult. Isn’t that obvious? Why do you think I’m going to take the imperial examination? I’m taking it to make that happen.”
“Hah...”
What kind of answer was that?
Passing the imperial examination could not make the world peaceful.
To begin with, passing did not give one power, and becoming an official did not mean one could change the world.
To do that, one had to climb step by step from the very bottom and, in the end, seize the monster called power.
If one could preserve one’s original heart until then, it might be possible.
But in all his years, he had never once seen a man who had managed that.
“Your dream is truly absurd, benefactor. If you want to achieve it, you will need to make an extraordinary effort. And in the imperial palace as it is now, that dream can never be realized.”
“You won’t know until you try. If you don’t even try, how could you know?”
“There are many things in this world that still cannot be done, even if you try.”
“I’ll show you. I’ll show you the world changing.”
As Jeok Wigang said it with a grin, the old man had the strange illusion that light itself was shining from him.
He wanted to believe.
“Y-young master... would you help me?”
“I will. But first... we need to clear away the guests who’ve come to visit. No matter how noisy it gets outside, do not come out.”
“Noisy?”
“Yes. Taecheon. Stay here and protect him.”
“Young master. I’ll go out.”
“No. It’s better if I go and handle it myself.”
“Understood.”
Leaving Taecheon to guard the Lecturer, Jeok Wigang rose and stepped outside.
*****
The moment he emerged, he felt killing intent pressing in from every direction.
Chu Sohwan rolled his shoulders and said,
“They’re giving off a fair bit of killing intent, aren’t they? What should we do? Shall we wipe them all out?”
“No. I’ll handle this.”
“I’m bored too, you know.”
At Chu Sohwan’s complaint, Jeok Wigang let out a faint laugh.
“Keep it a secret from Taecheon.”
“Understood.”
“Start with the ones at the edge of the woods over there.”
“Yes, sir!”
The instant he was given permission, Chu Sohwan vanished like the wind.
Jeok Wigang launched himself straight ahead.
Dull thuds rang out one after another through the darkness.
Then came the repeated sounds of heavy bodies dropping to the ground.
Everywhere Jeok Wigang passed, masked men of the Embroidered Uniform Guard crumpled limp with foam at their mouths.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard panicked.
Even in that pitch-black darkness, the man moved through it as if he were walking through his own home, subduing their comrades one after another like some kind of monster.
He was so fast that they could not even tell when or how the men in front of them had been taken down. Tense and frightened, they whipped their heads around in every direction.
But in the end, they too were struck and collapsed unconscious where they stood.
By the time Jeok Wigang had neutralized the encircling force and pressed onward, he came upon a larger group of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and a man who appeared to be their commander.
“What the hell? Who are you?”
Ignoring the question entirely, Jeok Wigang kept walking forward at an unhurried pace.
“He’s suspicious! Take him down!”
At the commander’s shout, the men of the Embroidered Uniform Guard drew their swords and rushed him all at once.
CRACK!
“Kghk!”
CRACK!
“Guhk!”
BWAAK!
CRACK!
THUD— THUD— THUD—
Jeok Wigang knocked down every charging guard with casual ease, as if it were nothing at all.
THUD—
As the last of them dropped, Jeok Wigang was no longer hidden behind the others, and the commander found himself staring straight into his eyes.
His subordinates were by no means weak, yet this man had subdued them all in a single blow each.
A master stronger than himself.
Charging such a man would be like carrying firewood into a blaze.
“S-stop!”
But Jeok Wigang had no intention of stopping.
“W-we are the Embroidered Uniform Guard, here under imperial command! I am the Martial Inspector leading them! What you are doing now is treason against an imperial order!”
“An imperial order?”