Chapter 175

“Great Master. Are you alright? Your complexion doesn’t look good.”

These were the words that escaped Geumshin’s lips as soon as he saw Namgung Woo return, having kept watch without sleep.

Normally, Namgung Woo would have brushed it off with a casual expression, but this time, he couldn’t.

“I have some things to think about alone. There’s no need for you to stand guard, so go and rest.”

“Understood.”

“How’s the Crown Prince?”

“In his chambers.”

“Good. I see.”

“Should I call for Chumyeongbo?”

“That’s not the issue.”

So Un-pyeong, under the Empress Dowager’s cooperation, was working to locate the parrot.

So Un-pyeong was a master of the Protective Divine Technique. In terms of that technique alone, he could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Supreme Peak Masters, if not surpass them.

Speed was speed, and stealth was stealth. In movements excluding direct attacks, few could match So Un-pyeong.

On the other hand, his combat prowess wasn’t particularly high, placing him in the lower ranks among Peak Masters, but within the Forbidden City, there was no need to fight.

Returning to his quarters, Namgung Woo revisited the information he had gathered from the Eastern Depot.

What he already knew, what he had newly learned. The existence of Namgung Jin, connecting the two.

Pung Hyeon, who had spoken the prophecy, felt fear upon seeing Namgung Jin, and Mugeuk, who vowed to protect the prophecy, had joined the Imperial Family under Namgung Jin’s influence.

Why had Namgung Jin sent Jeongryong to the Imperial Family instead of the Namgung Family?

Every time he thought he had figured something out, another chain of questions arose, and Namgung Woo let out a deep sigh.

Nothing was being resolved cleanly.

“I’m not a detective…”

That’s right. Namgung Woo wasn’t a detective.

There was no need for him to rely solely on limited information and his own deductive skills to force an answer.

If information was lacking, he could supplement it. If deductive skills were lacking, he could rely on the collective intelligence of others.

‘Top priority is Dongbang Hwa.’

He had been active since the Blood Sect’s calamity and was a close associate of Namgung Jin, as well as a partner of the Five Yin Demon Lord. He would likely clear up a significant portion of the mystery.

And if that wasn’t enough…

‘I’ll have to meet the head of the Heonwon Family.’

Someone even more deeply involved in the Blood Sect’s calamity than Dongbang Hwa. Heonwon Kang, the head of the Heonwon Family, had even engaged in a martial duel with Mugeuk. As one of the Three Extremes and the foremost of the White Path, he must have realized something.

What was particularly suspicious was the matter of the White Ghost Gate, which he had heard about from the Wudang Sect.

Paeng Hu-sang might have advocated for opening the White Ghost Gate out of a desire to heal Paeng Ye-ryeong, but why had Heonwon Kang insisted on opening it?

Was it simply a martial artist’s competitive spirit, wanting to test his own strength? Or was it greed, aiming to defeat the Ghost Gate Master and claim the spoils?

As one of the Three Extremes, who stood at the pinnacle of martial arts, it was more likely the former than the latter. Yet, upon seeing the inside of the White Ghost Gate, he immediately closed it. What had he seen? What had he seen that made him retract his words and be the first to close the gate?

‘Regardless of Namgung Jin, I need to meet Heonwon Kang.’

§

On the third day of his stay in the Forbidden City.

Taking advantage of the new moon, when the night’s black veil enveloped the world in darkness, Namgung Woo slipped out of the Forbidden City unnoticed.

In his arms, Cheongdangon held a pitifully captured parrot.

Cheongdangon’s round eyes sparkled with excitement at the new toy. It poked the parrot with its long toes, but the parrot didn’t budge.

Being quite intelligent, the parrot was playing dead. However, Cheongdangon’s intelligence was too high to be fooled by such an act.

“Things are going smoother than I expected. Man Gwibi is quite foolish.”

“She was too anxious. Un-pyeong did well too.”

At Namgung Woo’s praise, So Un-pyeong humbly deflected the credit.

“Discovering that the parrot was a messenger was a big help.”

The parrot used as a messenger by Man Gwibi and Dongbang Hwa. It was So Un-pyeong’s achievement to have found it.

Taking advantage of the Empress Dowager Ju’s move to keep Man Gwibi away from her residence, So Un-pyeong successfully infiltrated and retrieved the parrot.

“And… honestly, I’m not sure if I should take credit for this. The eunuchs just told me.”

“The Eastern Depot must have had a lot of grievances.”

However, it wasn’t entirely So Un-pyeong’s achievement.

In fact, So Un-pyeong had only planned to scout the perimeter, noting the guards’ placements, patrol routes, and shift changes before returning. The actual infiltration was supposed to be Namgung Woo’s task.

Entering Man Gwibi’s residence was too risky, even for So Un-pyeong’s exceptional Protective Divine Technique.

It was agreed that only someone like Namgung Woo, with his vast sensory abilities and transcendent physical prowess of a Peerless Master, could thoroughly and flawlessly search Man Gwibi’s residence.

But before it even came to Namgung Woo’s turn, their goal was achieved with surprising ease.

There was an inside helper.

“Well, even if the Eastern Depot helped, your quick thinking at that moment was separate. You can be proud. Our Great Master is surprisingly stingy with compliments.”

“That’s for you to say, Geumshin.”

Perhaps because things had gone so smoothly.

The atmosphere among the three was exceptionally warm.

“I was worried about the Western Depot’s influence, but it turned out to be less than I thought.”

“Those guys were once disbanded by the Emperor for causing too much trouble. Man Gwibi revived them quickly, but they must have learned their lesson.”

“Above all, the Eastern Depot is beyond imagination. If they decided to move, the Western Depot would be swept away in an instant. With the Imperial Guards, a full-scale war would be winnable, but in palace intrigue, they’re no match for the Eastern Depot.”

The Eastern Depot’s leader, Baek Seobeon, was a force to be reckoned with.

Regardless of martial prowess, his unyielding spirit even in the face of Peerless Masters was formidable.

Perhaps it was due to the influence of Jeongryong, the celestial being, that his threshold had become absurdly high.

Just as they were about to cross the Forbidden City’s outer walls and enter the inner city, Geumshin cautiously spoke up.

“But is it alright to leave like this?”

“What do you mean? I’ve already informed the Empress Dowager. The parrot the Crown Prince received as a gift should have been disposed of by now. I was going to give it to Cheongdangon as a toy, but the Empress Dowager wanted to handle it herself.”

“No, that’s not the issue… Never mind. I shouldn’t have brought it up. Please forget it.”

Namgung Woo also knew what Geumshin was trying to say.

It was about Princess Gasang Jihyang.

While Namgung Woo was with the Empress Dowager, Jihyang had gone to meet her elder brother, the Emperor. He heard she had been scolded for running away and was under house arrest.

But with Namgung Woo leaving like this, Jihyang would be left without a proper farewell.

“I’m sorry, but there’s no other way. If I become the Imperial Son-in-Law, I won’t be able to escape the Imperial Family’s political struggles. As long as Man Gwibi is protecting Dongbang Hwa, she’s our enemy, but if it becomes a political struggle, one of us will have to die.”

However, Man Gwibi was under the Emperor’s protection.

If Namgung Woo wanted, eliminating Man Gwibi would be no trouble. No matter how many guards were around, it wouldn’t matter. That’s why he had taken on the role of retrieving the parrot.

But if he killed Man Gwibi, the next enemy would be the Emperor.

‘The Lamp Guardians. Those who guard under the lamp. I’ve never even heard of that organization, the one that had Jeongryong. That must be the Imperial Family’s hidden trump card.’

He felt sorry for Jihyang, but their relationship had to end here.

As they reached the outer city, something caught Namgung Woo’s senses.

Until now, he had been focusing his senses on the Forbidden City, wary of pursuers. Only upon reaching the boundary between the inner and outer cities did he notice the anomaly in the outer city.

‘They’re fighting. This energy… it’s Changcheon Pavilion.’

Changcheon Pavilion was fighting someone.

The familiar energy wasn’t just from allies. The energy of those Changcheon Pavilion was fighting was also something Namgung Woo had experienced before.

Though it was almost embarrassing to compare, the basics were the same. Gwak Dan’s martial arts. Those who had trained in the Imperial Family’s martial arts. The Imperial Guards.

“Geumshin! Un-pyeong! I’ll go ahead! Changcheon Pavilion is under attack! The enemy is the Imperial Guards. You two join up as quickly as you can, but conserve your strength!”

“What? The Imperial Guards?”

“Subdue them, but don’t kill them. If we kill them, things will escalate!”

With that command, Namgung Woo activated the Heavenly Thunder Divine Energy from his Yongcheon point and shot forward.

The Thousand Miles Courtyard Steps, executed at full power, turned Beijing into his personal domain.

As Namgung Woo rapidly disappeared into the distance, So Un-pyeong shouted irritably.

“Damn it! I thought he liked her!”

“That Man Gwibi is quick to react!”

“She even killed the Crown Prince just because he got in her way! We should have expected this…!”

The preemptive strike by the Empress Dowager and Han Gyeran, targeting Namgung Woo and Changcheon Pavilion.

Man Gwibi hadn’t just stood by and watched.

While Namgung Woo was in the Forbidden City, she had attempted to annihilate Changcheon Pavilion.

Confident in her invincibility under the Emperor’s protection, she acted boldly. If Jihyang and Namgung Woo were to marry, she judged it impossible to win him over.

If that was the case, she would crush Changcheon Pavilion and turn Namgung Woo into an enemy of the Imperial Family to prevent the marriage. If the result was the same, she intended to prevent the Empress Dowager’s faction and Namgung Woo’s faction from cooperating effectively.

“What a ruthless nature. She doesn’t think about the consequences at all. Changcheon Pavilion has the Jegal Family and the Hapbuk Paeng Family’s treasures…”

“Do you think Man Gwibi fears that? I told you, she even killed the Crown Prince!”

“Today’s escape was sheer luck. If we had been in the Forbidden City, even the Great Master wouldn’t have noticed due to the magical barriers…”

“That’s Man Gwibi’s mistake. She didn’t expect us to move this quickly. And one more thing…”

Man Gwibi didn’t truly understand the power of a Peerless Master.

The great battle of Peerless Masters at Manse Mountain had been concealed by the Forbidden City’s magical defenses and the Ghost Realm, preventing their power from being revealed to the outside.

But this time, she would learn.

A heavy and overwhelming presence enveloped the outer city of Beijing.

A presence that instilled fear in enemies and reassurance in allies.

“…We might not even need to join. It’s better to find an escape route.”