Chapter 173

“Why is there still no communication? Didn’t I say there’s no time? How can you be so slow!!”

A woman nervously urging someone on.

Even though the room was empty, she shouted as if she were talking to someone.

Despite all the care and elixirs she had consumed, the traces of aging on her face were unmistakable.

Already nearing 50, the possibility of having a child had long vanished, but the woman still clung to hope.

In this world, miracles existed that could even turn the elderly back into young boys and girls.

Just look at Gwak Dan, who hadn’t changed much since his youth, and Dongbang Hwa, who maintained his youth despite being much older.

But Man Gwibi’s patience was wearing thin.

“If the Crown Prince grows up, it will be too late!”

By then, even if the Emperor tried to change the Crown Prince, the solid foundation built by the Crown Prince would likely prevent it.

Originally, she would have waited for Dongbang Hwa’s grand technique to be completed while tightly controlling the Western Depot, not giving the Crown Prince any chance to build his foundation. However, news that Empress Dowager Ju and the Grand Empress Dowager had brought in a Peerless Master to protect the Crown Prince made Man Gwibi lose her composure and become anxious.

The fact that they were even planning to marry Princess Gasang to the Peerless Master to quickly establish a military force surpassing the Imperial Guards pushed Man Gwibi’s anxiety to the limit.

“Find out the exact date the grand technique will be completed… If you can’t, you should worry about losing your support, Dongbang Hwa….”

In Man Gwibi’s empty room.

A faint presence of a small creature stirred.

§

While Man Gwibi was having her outburst, Namgung Woo had accompanied the Crown Prince to the Eastern Palace. Namgung Woo wasn’t sure if an outsider was allowed to stay in the Eastern Palace, but that was a problem for Empress Dowager Ju to handle.

Even if Namgung Woo didn’t stay as the Crown Prince’s guard, just making others perceive him as an ally would have a positive effect on the Crown Prince’s safety, so the Emperor would likely be persuaded.

“Ah, Sir Namgung, shall I show you something interesting?”

The Crown Prince looked at Namgung Woo with eyes full of childlike anticipation.

This came after Namgung Woo had secretly brought in the Cheongdangon, hoping its spiritual energy might help with tracking, and had been playing with it for a while.

“Hey, bring my parrot.”

At the mention of a parrot, Namgung Woo immediately understood what the Crown Prince meant. A parrot. A bird that mimics human speech was entertaining enough in this era with limited amusements.

Even in a future where all sorts of mysterious things were done in the name of science, parrots were still considered fascinating birds, so how much more so now?

But I should act a bit surprised, right? I don’t plan to become the Crown Prince’s close aide, but there’s no need to create unnecessary barriers.

‘Come to think of it, this might be the first time I’m seeing a parrot in real life?’

Namgung Woo, who had only seen them in videos and had never been to a zoo, felt a genuine sense of anticipation.

“Grrrrrr-”

“Did you read my mind again? Don’t worry. Raising you alone is already a handful. I have no intention of taking in another, so don’t get ahead of yourself.”

Namgung Woo stroked the Cheongdangon, which was growling softly, but the creature’s alertness showed no signs of easing. Instead, it became sharper as footsteps approached.

An overreaction, even for competitiveness.

There was nothing unusual in his energy senses, so he had let it go, but feeling something off in the Cheongdangon’s behavior, Namgung Woo activated his Azure Tranquility Eyes. At the same time, the door opened, and eunuchs entered with a cage containing a parrot.

‘Ha, this…’

This is no ordinary parrot. How it managed to deceive even a Peerless Master’s energy senses and perfectly mimic an ordinary parrot is beyond me.

Well, with that ability, it could have been smuggled into the Forbidden City, despite all the magical barriers. Even if bribes allowed it to bypass the magical defenses, deceiving the eyes of a supreme master like Han Gyeran would require such skills.

However, while it could deceive energy senses, it couldn’t escape the Cheongdangon’s spiritual energy and the Azure Tranquility Eyes.

“Crown Prince, who gave this to you?”

“Oh, are you interested too, Sir Namgung? Well, my grandmothers were suspicious, but Lady Gwibi gave it to me as a gesture of reconciliation.”

From what Namgung Woo had heard, the Crown Prince’s mother had been poisoned by Man Gwibi. Did the Crown Prince not know, or did the time he spent under Man Gwibi’s care before Empress Dowager Ju took him away leave him with good memories?

Surprisingly, the Crown Prince harbored no hostility towards Man Gwibi. Perhaps, being so young, he didn’t fully understand what poisoning meant, but Namgung Woo thought otherwise.

The Crown Prince’s intelligence was undeniably extraordinary, and if he were to learn martial arts with his five virtues, reaching the level of a Supreme Peak Master wouldn’t be difficult.

Anyway, that’s beside the point, and not something Namgung Woo needed to deeply involve himself in. On the other hand, the parrot given by Man Gwibi was a different matter.

What should I call this?

A stroke of luck? Right place, right time?

I didn’t expect to find such a clear lead connecting Man Gwibi and Dongbang Hwa so easily.

“Crown Prince, please listen without misunderstanding.”

“Huh?”

“Have you been talking a lot in front of this parrot?”

“Uh, well… yes? The whole point of having a parrot is to see it mimic speech… and it gets lonely when I’m alone.”

“You should be careful.”

While speaking, Namgung Woo adjusted his energy waves to prevent his voice from reaching the parrot.

To ensure no one could eavesdrop through it.

‘I’ll leave it be for now. If they notice and change their methods, it’ll be troublesome.’

But once this is over.

‘I’ll tell the Crown Prince and reward Gon by throwing it to him as a toy.’

§

For a moment, Namgung Woo felt a bit lost on where to start tracking.

But with a clear lead found, his mind felt more at ease.

Having successfully traced Dongbang Hwa’s trail, all that remained was to follow it.

Here, Namgung Woo moved to investigate his second target: Mugeuk.

The Forbidden City held countless pieces of information.

From basic books to historical records and official documents related to state affairs.

Naturally, such materials were scattered across various places. The Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the Palace of Earthly Tranquility, the Palace of Heavenly Purity, and even the Emperor’s working quarters and the inner court where books were stored.

But the largest library in the Forbidden City was undoubtedly the Wenyan Pavilion.

The imperial library established with the founding of the Ming Dynasty. Originally built in the palace of Nanjing, the first capital of the Ming Dynasty, it was moved to Beijing by the Yongle Emperor and located in the outer court of the Forbidden City.

Containing all sorts of documents, including the Yongle Encyclopedia, the Wenyan Pavilion usually closed its doors at night, but tonight, for some reason, someone was moving about inside.

Was it the Emperor? No. Moving through the Wenyan Pavilion as easily as if it were broad daylight, with not a single candle lit, was none other than Namgung Woo.

There were places where top-secret information was stored, but even for Namgung Woo, those places were a bit daunting without mastering stealth techniques. So, he started his investigation with the Wenyan Pavilion, which boasted the largest collection of books in the Forbidden City.

Swish-swish-

The sound of turning pages, though very soft, was enough to break the silence of the Wenyan Pavilion filled with darkness.

As Namgung Woo turned the last page, a second uninvited guest’s voice shattered the quiet night of the Wenyan Pavilion.

“If you’re chasing Dongbang Hwa, investigating here is a waste of time.”

Though the words came out of nowhere, Namgung Woo wasn’t startled. Despite the considerable stealth, Namgung Woo had sensed his approach.

The other party, also aware of Namgung Woo’s presence, showed no particular hostility. Top assassins could control even their killing intent at will, but to Namgung Woo, who had his Azure Tranquility Eyes open to pierce the darkness, it was meaningless.

“Who are you?”

“Eunuch Baek Seobeon of the Military Records Office.”

But Baek Seobeon was more commonly known by another title.

“The Director of the Eastern Depot as well.”

The head of the Eastern Depot, the Imperial Secret Police. Also known as the Factory Duke or the Overseer.

Just a year ago, he had been at the pinnacle of the imperial intelligence network, holding all the world’s information in his palm like the lines on his hand.

But now, having lost the Emperor’s favor and fallen under suspicion, he was a fallen figure, pushed aside by the Western Depot.

‘He’s trained in martial arts too.’

The skill reflected in Namgung Woo’s Azure Tranquility Eyes confirmed that Baek Seobeon was indeed the Director of the Eastern Depot.

Unlike Wang Jik, the Director of the Western Depot, who had reached the peak through an abundance of energy from potent elixirs and grand techniques, Baek Seobeon was on a different level.

With his three Dantians in harmony and deep training achieving the Three Flames Convergence, the aura of a true Supreme Peak Master emanated from Baek Seobeon.

Baek Seobeon glanced at the title of the book Namgung Woo had put down. Moving only his eyes slightly, a skill even most masters wouldn’t notice.

‘He was looking into the Yunyang incident.’

The experience and intuition accumulated as the Director of the Eastern Depot quickly analyzed that Namgung Woo’s goal wasn’t Dongbang Hwa.

“Are you looking for Mugeuk?”