“Are you not feeling regretful? Sending off that Ho Cheon-an like that?”
“It would be a lie if I said I wasn’t regretful, but do you really think he’s someone we can just keep?”
Yoo Gyeong laughed heartily.
“Indeed. After this incident, I realized you are quite extraordinary. I was impressed by your bravery when you called me after realizing your gambling skills weren’t average at the Heavenly Pavilion, but I didn’t expect you to handle this situation so perfectly.”
Princess Yuya chuckled.
“More importantly, thanks to Senior Ho, I’m finally starting to tidy up family matters. Since Senior Ho provided me the chance to correct the wrongs, how could I keep him detained?”
“Hmm.”
“By the way, keep a close watch on the activities of the four who left the Golden Guards. They must be worth Senior Ho’s attention.”
“I’ve already instructed for regular reports about those four. Well, shall we get going?”
“Of course.”
Yoo Gyeong and Yuya stood up side by side.
Today was the day Yuya would directly participate in state affairs.
After about a month of preparation, this was finally the day to start a full confrontation with the powerful nobles.
“Your Majesty the Emperor! Greetings!”
“Princess! Greetings!”
Princess Yuya looked at the assembled civil and military officials. Among them were loyal subjects, powerful nobles, and individuals who were neither.
‘Another new phase, huh?’
Despite having spent a month learning about state affairs and politics, Princess Yuya was still just a novice. Having lived as a martial artist outside the palace since childhood, there were bound to be shortcomings.
However, Princess Yuya was not afraid.
“If Senior Ho could perform the instructor position, which he has never done before, so perfectly, then I too must work hard to stand firmly before Senior Ho.”
“From today on, Princess Yuya will partake in the state affairs as an observer, so let it be known!”
“Congratulations on your return to state affairs, Princess Yuya!”
“Congratulations on your return to the Imperial Palace, Princess Yuya!”
Princess Yuya said with a smile.
“Nice to meet you all. I was an incompetent royal who could not care for state affairs due to personal circumstances, but from now on, I will dedicate myself to governing.”
Her battle was about to begin.
* *
Winter.
In this frozen season, as the earth froze, plants could not take root or grow, and animals tended to hibernate. By the law of nature, people unable to farm or hunt consumed the food stored during autumn and prepared for the coming spring.
With nothing to do, the men would flee to the inn to avoid their wives and enjoy a drink.
However, in winter, rumors tended to dry up quickly. Yet their mouths were ceaselessly discussing something, which was strange.
“Miss Yeo Il-ye of Red Bamboo Swordswoman…”
“Fighting Dog Tang Do-gyeong…”
What they were discussing was, in fact, rumors from the martial world.
The rumors in the martial world were like changeable entities. It was not uncommon for rumors to vanish overnight, and it typically took only three days for someone to be unaware of these whispers. Such fleeting rumors were almost like new ones; they would reinterpret past rumors with fresh insights.
Among these rumors, the hottest was about Jeomchang Faction just before autumn ended.
“Master Un-jong of Jeomchang Faction has ascended to the Hyeong-gyeong, right?”
“In the official exchange of sects, he demonstrated his Gang-hwan!”
“Whoa…! Having two masters of Hyeong-gyeong, which is hardly seen in this era, means the rapid growth of Jeomchang Faction is to be feared.”
The power struggles among large factions were perfect topics for drinking at the inn. Wang Il, Jang Yi, and Yoo Sam started discussing who would become the tyrant of Sacheon, all while getting quite tipsy.
“The momentum of Jeomchang Faction is extraordinary. With two masters of Hyeong-gyeong, they’ve definitely ascended to a whole different level compared to other factions in Sacheon!”
“True, but can they really compete with the Tang Clan?”
“Though the Tang Clan has much more influence, when it comes to martial prowess, they are bound to lose without any Hyeong-gyeong masters!”
As their discussion on Sacheon’s power structure temporarily stalled, Yoo Sam, who had been watching, finally spoke up.
“By the way, have you heard the latest rumor?”
“What rumor?”
“The rumor about the Sacheon Outcast who teaches realization.”
“Pfft, that’s old news.”
Wang Il scolded him, and Jang Yi chimed in.
“That’s the rumor that circulated when Miss Yeo Il-ye sought revenge…”
“Just hear me out. That Miss Yeo Il-ye treated that Sacheon Outcast with respect, and it turns out that while Master Un-jong was ascending the Hyeong-gyeong, he was staying at Jeomchang Faction!”
Wang Il and Jang Yi exchanged glances. This was getting a bit interesting. They pulled their chairs closer and urged him on.
“Isn’t that just a coincidence?”
“Oh come on! Twice in a row! You can’t tell me that’s a coincidence! People curious about that rumor began to trace the Outcast’s whereabouts, and they say he vanished without a trace at the Outcast Inn!”
“Whoa…! That’s bizarre!”
“A Qi Person! To have the ability to give realization even to the masters of Hwa-gyeong! If this rumor turns out to be true…”
Just as the three of them were trying to expand their imaginations, someone suddenly plopped down next to them.
“I have fresh rumors about that Outcast, are you interested?”
“…Who are you?”
“I’m Cheon-chil. I’m a peddler who got delayed on my way back home and ended up wandering around in winter. So, if you provide me with a drink, I’ll happily tell you all about that rumor.”
The three exchanged glances and offered a drink to Cheon-chil.
“Ahhh… Nothing beats a drink to warm up the body.”
“Alright, now that you’ve warmed up your throat, let’s hear it.”
“Got it. So you heard that the Outcast disappeared without a trace at the inn, right?”
“Indeed.”
“That Outcast is headed to Nangyang. To be precise, they received a summons from the Imperial Family.”
“No way! They called in a mere Outcast to the Imperial Family?”
The three jumped, surprised. Cheon-chil smirked.
“Apparently, this person has been staying at the inn for a long while. Even a royal cart moved for him, and he referred to himself as a guest of the Imperial Family.”
“Unbelievable! Incredible!”
“It’s too early to be amazed. The most astonishing part is that this person became an External Instructor of the Golden Guards.”
“No way!”
In Sacheon, an Outcast who was treated worse than a beggar suddenly becoming a high-ranking official of the Golden Guards excited the three men.
“That’s truly incredible! Amazing!”
“My friend! If he can truly impart realization on martial artists, then being an External Instructor of the Golden Guards is no big deal!”
“So, what happened after that?”
“Ahem.”
Cheon-chil coughed, surveying the surroundings. After all, those sitting at the inn were all in need of new stories. The lingering attention from outsiders gravitated entirely toward the three men’s commotion.
“H-heh, maybe my throat hasn’t warmed up yet… I can hardly speak…”
“Jeomsoi! Get that guy some skewered meat!”
Someone sitting at another table shouted.
“Alright, now spill the beans.”
“So that person became the Training Instructor of the Golden Guards! To be more specific, he became the Training Instructor for the candidates of the Golden Guards. It seems the Imperial Family was also curious about whether this Outcast really could impart realization to other martial artists.”
“So, can this Sacheon Outcast really impart realization or not?”
Cheon-chil casually chewed on his skewered meat and continued.
“Listen! The selection test of the Golden Guards is when each instructor trains their own team, and they compete. But astonishingly! In that selection test, that Outcast led his team to victory!”
“The rumor seems to be true!”
“If he imparted realization, it wouldn’t be surprising for them to pass the Golden Guards!”
“But!”
As each was expressing their opinion, the atmosphere in the inn suddenly turned quiet.
“Suddenly, that team’s trainees all withdrew en masse! They had passed the test, and realistically, they had already secured positions in the Golden Guards, yet…”
“What happened?”
“Tell us quickly!”
Cheon-chil enjoyed the hot interest of the villagers while stuffing his face with skewered meat and liquor.
‘Ahhh… If it weren’t for this taste, I wouldn’t be able to do this job.’
The frustrations of wandering in the cold winter evaporated like snow. Originally, he had spent the day cheerfully sharing this and that news and enjoying a drink, but since this event occurred, he felt utterly exhausted.
He craved more food and wished he could relish that feeling from before, but unfortunately, there were conclusions to reach.
“That vile fellow reportedly treated the trainees so badly that it was akin to torture! Dressed in ghostly attire, he made them roll around like a spinning top all day long, to the point where the Golden Guards’ masters nearly vomited!”
“Unbelievable…!”
“Wasn’t he supposed to impart realization?”
“Had he truly imparted realization, would the trainees have withdrawn? They’d have honored him as a benefactor, surely! Just think about the resentment that must have built up to give up the position at the Golden Guards! Upon hearing this, the Commander of the Golden Guards was enraged and dismissed that Outcast from his position as an instructor and external consultant!”
“Really?!”
“Is this all true?”
“Absolutely! I have connections with merchants supplying goods to Nangyang, and I heard it through them; it’s solid information!”
“Right! This is how it should be! How can a mere Sacheon Outcast dream of a position in the bureaucracy?”
“Exactly!”
While opinions were being exchanged regarding the Outcast’s fate, someone suddenly shouted.
“So, can he really impart realization or not?”
In response to the question, Cheon-chil pounded his chest and answered.
“Looking at that Outcast’s actions, the answer is evident, isn’t it? If he truly had the ability to impart realization, would he have behaved so disgracefully to grasp a position he got by luck? Of course, it’s all nonsense!”
“Agreed on that!”
“If he truly could impart realization, he wouldn’t be thrashing about so pathetically!”
Cheon-chil finished the last of his skewered meat, feeling revitalized by the new gossip that filled the inn before he stepped outside.
“Well, the Lord certainly has a knack for picking prime places.”
Cheon-chil admired the Lord’s choice. It was hard to believe a rumor this widespread could escape the surroundings, and it was indeed a perfect place to train quietly, away from the world.
“Those worthless fellows are certainly doing well enough while the Lord makes a fuss over that New Year’s Day nonsense…”
Cheon-chil reflected on the events in Sacheon. When an absurd order to seize control of the information network in Sacheon dropped, there had been various discussions within Wolbok-dang, but now all that was silenced.
Miss Yeo Il-ye.
He had contacted the enemies of Miss Yeo Il-ye, providing them false information about her movements and extracting a hefty sum in return. When Miss Yeo Il-ye approached the region, he passed information regarding the enemy to her.
As shady individuals by nature, they had a lot of hidden treasures they couldn’t reveal. Wolbok-dang could secretly track their hidden assets and earn a neat profit from the information.
While the information provided for Miss Yeo Il-ye’s revenge was free of charge, this free service was generating enormous side profits.
Although Cheon-chil was well aware that the sensitivity of the Wolbok-dang members regarding Black Cat’s visit during the New Year was for reasons beyond mere money, as he found himself working busily in the middle of winter, complaints involuntarily slipped out.
“Ugh.”
Cheon-chil sighed deeply in front of a mansion. A suitably sized residence, somewhat distanced from other homes even in this rural area.
Upon a second look, it really seemed like the perfect place for two martial artists to train in seclusion.
Thud, thud, thud.
Thud, thud, thud.
“Someone’s here?”
“Senior! It must be a guest! Let me go out!”
Squeak!
“Whoa!”
Cheon-chil was taken aback. It was Black Cat, revealing her eyes through a face-covering mask.
The members of Wolbok-dang were all individuals who had seen the fierce gaze of the Black Cat swirling during the Taeyang phase. Naturally, they couldn’t avoid the vigilance regarding her eyes.
“…Lord? Your eyes?”
“I’ve managed to gain some control as my level has risen.”
“Goodness…”
The reason the members of Wolbok-dang were on edge regarding Black Cat was due to the suspicions that arose during the handling of the rumors surrounding her. The rumors of the mysterious face-veiling maiden had spread widely in Nangyang. Given that those rumors were ubiquitous, how could it be that she was now looking at them?
Gathering individuals who couldn’t sleep at night due to their curiosity was exactly what Wolbok-dang was about. So, it was perfectly normal for them to be anxious over rumors regarding Black Cat.
“So, why did you come here in person today? I had asked you to simply send a report during your training without any major issues.”
Among the Wolbok members, the one who first verified the truth regarding the Lord had to confirm it!
In this exhilaration, Cheon-chil suddenly woke up.
“What do you plan to do for this New Year’s? The members have been curious about your changes, hearing only rumors. Even if you’re in training, it might have been enough time for you to achieve something by now…”
“Hmm…”
Cheon-chil recalled the route Black Cat had taken after leaving Nangyang. Immediately venturing to Jeomchang Faction without stopping anywhere, she entered seclusion in this rural area of Pal-dun.
‘Having secluded since autumn throughout winter, she must have achieved satisfying results…’
“Senior!!”
“Why?”
“I plan to go to the Wolbok-dang headquarters at the end of the year. Would you like to join me, Senior?”
“What? Am I allowed to go there?”
“It’s not very far. Why not go together?”
“Hmm…”
Black Cat’s sudden proposal made Ho Cheon-an stroke his chin. Even after so many game plays, he had never grasped any real hidden information from Wolbok-dang. Wasn’t this his chance to actually visit the headquarters? This could be a great opportunity, even if it reaps no reward.
The intense curiosity of a veteran about a new event!
‘I’ve secluded long enough during winter, and perhaps I might find something worth my while at the Wolbok-dang headquarters.’
“Shall we?”
Thus, a visit to the Wolbok-dang headquarters by Ho Cheon-an was decided.
