Chapter 416 – Heavenly Silk Robe

The noble city of Beijing.

Jeong Yeon-shin paused as he was walking. He had just met with the Chief Eunuch and was on his way back when he felt a gaze intently focused on him.

The night in Beijing was bright.

Lantern light flowed hazily from the straight, long streets, illuminating the marketplace.

Naturally, the figure of a young man staring blankly at Jeong Yeon-shin while accompanied by two servants in the distance was clearly visible.

He appeared to be about 15 or 16 years old.

His clothes were spotless silk without a single stain.

He seemed to be the son of a noble family. His demeanor was different from the passersby who were walking by with muffled footsteps.

“Could it be…?”

He muttered while openly staring at Jeong Yeon-shin. Unlike the young Jeong Yeon-shin of the past.

There was a strange authority in his youthful voice, which felt natural.

When his eyes actually met Jeong Yeon-shin’s, the young man flinched slightly. But he did not retreat and approached Jeong Yeon-shin. With one hand behind his back.

“Are you Lotus Nezha Lightning Genius?”

“What business do you have?”

Jeong Yeon-shin replied curtly. The young man’s face brightened slightly upon exchanging words with him.

“I’ve come to express gratitude on behalf of my busy parents. My family home is at the edge of Beijing’s outer city wall, so we heard the rumors of the Radiant Demon Wing Leader’s arrival in the capital quite late. As you know, the land is vast.”

His manner of speech was polite yet brazen.

Soon after, the young man extended the hand that had been behind his back toward Jeong Yeon-shin.

The gesture was somewhat awkward. In his grasp was a single golden reed stalk.

“Please accept this.”

Though he seemed to have never been intimidated in his life, there was a clear formality to his conduct.

However, it did not pique Jeong Yeon-shin’s interest.

His mind was preoccupied with matters concerning the purple rank, and to the common people, Beijing nobles were no different from martial artists.

Perhaps it was because he had been subjected to finger-pointing reminiscent of the Jeong family mansion since arriving in Beijing. Jeong Yeon-shin concealed indifference in his expressionless eyes.

“I don’t understand the meaning of this.”

“It’s a recent custom. As the years of famine continue with each rising and setting sun, people exchange fine reeds, rice stalks, or blades of grass like well-wishes. Hoping for good fortune in the days ahead…”

Jeong Yeon-shin took the reed from the young man and held it. Then he looked down at the stalk.

Indeed, as the young man had said, it had a faint golden luster.

Perhaps it was preserved using the mystical techniques of noble clans. It was a fitting greeting exchanged by people from prestigious households.

“Thanks to you, a great calamity befalling our family was resolved, but my parents’ position is awkward so they couldn’t express their gratitude separately. But isn’t that improper? I thought it right to convey thanks in person.”

“A family calamity?”

“My father was appointed to the office of Thousand Blessings Gate Protector, overseeing the formations of Beijing’s outer wall. And my mother became the Provincial Governor of Shanxi. They were greatly troubled until the Zhuge Clan Leader’s death. They would lament their difficulties whenever they visited our family home.”

The Thousand Blessings Gate Protector was an official position that existed only in Beijing, Nanjing, and Hangzhou.

It was a high-ranking fifth-grade official responsible for coordinating the activation of formations laid throughout the city in case of invasions by martial artists and foreign enemies.

And the Provincial Governor of Shanxi. The highest local official governing a land comparable in size to an average country.

Since Shanxi was right next to Beijing, as Provincial Governor she would have significant influence in the Forbidden City.

Jeong Yeon-shin stroked the long reed with his fingertips. The current Radiant Demon Wing Leader was a master of social graces.

“The color is quite beautiful.”

He treated it like a precious sword. Indeed, Jeong Yeon-shin was now called a peerless swordsman by many, and the corners of the young man’s mouth twitched as if about to break into a wide smile.

“You shouldn’t mind the opinions of those vile people. They’re all worthless… Not everyone in Beijing has a twisted heart. Perhaps because I’m the child of local officials, I truly appreciate the efforts of you and the Divine Sword Group…”

It was then.

‘A fight? I don’t sense any powerful energy waves though.’

Jeong Yeon-shin suddenly furrowed his brow. An unfamiliar resonance faintly touched his skin. A vibration as if from metal. It was the sound of swords.

“Take care. Go home.”

Jeong Yeon-shin leapt from that spot. Before the young man could say anything.

Leaving his footprints far behind, he rapidly distanced himself from that place.

Whak!

There was no need to run far.

After crossing countless roof tiles with the lightness skill sprint of the Ten Li Gentle Light, it wasn’t long before Jeong Yeon-shin descended upon the source of the sword sounds.

It was Beijing’s outer city wall.

A pungent smell entered his nostrils. The scent of blood from those who had died not long ago.

Two corpses, eight Imperial Guard military officials collapsed on the road, a reddish sand puddle, and the humid early summer breeze.

“……”

He could no longer follow the Divine Sword Group Leader’s intentions. Jeong Yeon-shin decided then and there to no longer delay entering the palace.

***

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Translated by Nine Heavens!

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***

One hour later, massive chaos descended upon the Forbidden City.

* * *

It was a place filled with golden silence.

A dragon statue holding a wish-granting pearl in its mouth looked down upon the hall from the center of the ceiling.

With its golden body forming countless circles as it coiled. Beneath the dragon symbolizing the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the greatest palace in the Forbidden City, the civil and military officials had gathered.

The smooth luster flowed from the neat silk official robes in red, yellow, and blue that each wore.

Sharp words poured from their mouths.

“Though I deeply regret the delay in entering the palace, there is a matter that must be addressed. That person over there… how can a black-robed martial artist of Desolate Fortress be placed in a venue discussing the great affairs of state? I am extremely confused.”

“You would do well to watch your words. A black sword of the Divine Sword Group outranks you in status. I fear you may suffer an unfortunate accident without anyone knowing.”

“Only for criminals.”

When the large woman in a red official robe bluntly retorted, the hall fell silent.

Soon after, confused gazes flickered toward Jeong Yeon-shin… He was standing at the edge of the carpet that bisected the interior of the palace.

He silently nodded in gratitude to the Chief Eunuch who had just defended him.

The Chief Eunuch could not respond. This was because she had to turn her head toward the highest seat in the palace.

“Eunuch.”

It was a monotone voice.

The palace was enveloped in silence. The air inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony seemed to rapidly dry up.

From the person seated in the red metal chair just below the empty golden throne that no one dared to sit in.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The Chief Eunuch bowed her head.

“It’s too noisy. Dismiss them all. You go out and see too.”

The man reclining in the red throne spoke.

The black dragon robe on his upper body and the red skirt called a hongshang testified to his status as the Crown Prince of this country.

His posture was as relaxed as if using the throne’s backrest as a bed. It meant he was unconcerned with the gazes of his many subjects. He didn’t even glance at Jeong Yeon-shin.

He was the longest-serving Crown Prince in history.

This was because his father the Emperor, as a mixed-blood noble and peerless master, had long occupied the throne of the Son of Heaven without incident.

When his father could single-handedly face Shaolin’s One Hundred Eight Arhat Formation just to observe Shaolin’s martial arts, there was no chance for the Crown Prince to sit on the golden throne. The Crown Prince had been Crown Prince for decades.

“Disgusting creatures. Throwing out meaningless chatter as if it were important remonstration… Get out, all of you.”

The civil and military officials turned on the spot. No one wished to exchange words with the Crown Prince.

They were high officials of a country founded upon the martial world. Fundamentally, they had to be both scholars and masters proficient in civil and military affairs.

With rumors even circulating that the Crown Prince might die before the Emperor, there was no reason to clash with the Crown Prince by offering remonstrations or confrontations.

‘It’s as the Group Leader said.’

Jeong Yeon-shin thought silently.

“The Grand Commander seems to have died…? That would be beyond His Majesty’s expectations.”

The Crown Prince muttered.

A weary look settled beneath his sharply extended eyebrows. At a glance, he resembled a deeply enlightened monk.

Thus, two people remained in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. The Crown Prince and Jeong Yeon-shin. After a brief silence passed, the Crown Prince who had slightly raised his head glanced at Jeong Yeon-shin.

“You don’t resemble Ma Yeon-jeok much.”

“I am deeply honored.”

“…?”

The Crown Prince, who had tilted his head to the side for a moment, gestured with his eyes toward Jeong Yeon-shin’s hand.

“What is that reed?”

“I received it from a young man in the marketplace before entering the palace. He said his family benefited from my duties…”

“You managed not to discard it and enter the palace. You must have been quite distracted. Well, how could you have known Beijing would be in such turmoil.”

The Crown Prince who had muttered as if to himself looked down at Jeong Yeon-shin again. Then he slowly opened his mouth once more.

“You’ve come seeking the purple rank, I assume?”

“I entered the palace because of the dead officials.”

Jeong Yeon-shin spoke in a flat tone.

Unlike the Crown Prince’s son whom he had casually interacted with two or three times, he felt no particular affection for the Crown Prince who was the father.

“The deaths of the officials. That is indeed a very… very unfortunate matter. But what can be done. From the beginning, the world under heaven today is sustained by the sacrifice of the small for the great.”

“I don’t understand your words.”

“Enough. You want to attain the purple rank, don’t you? Wait a moment. A test has been prepared for you.”

Jeong Yeon-shin suddenly felt something strange.

Even after hearing about the deaths of the officials, about the traces of overwhelming martial arts that had crushed their bodies beyond recognition, after receiving reports of the Imperial Guard Grand Commander’s disappearance, the Crown Prince showed no particular agitation.

‘What is this?’

Jeong Yeon-shin’s exhalation was subtly interrupted. It was because he had a strange intuition.

Perhaps sensing this.

The Crown Prince who had been blankly staring at the dragon statue in the air lowered his gaze once more.

“Do you know the story of crossing the river on a single reed?”

It was the tale of Bodhidharma crossing the vast Yangtze River on a reed. The story goes that he eluded the soldiers pursuing him with his miraculous protective technique.

“He did nothing. He didn’t use martial arts against Emperor Wu’s soldiers who tried to kill him, or against Emperor Wu himself. He simply avoided fighting.”

The Crown Prince’s fingertips tapped the armrest of the throne. A slow reverberation began to fill the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

“When I was young, I couldn’t understand. A man who was possibly the greatest in martial arts in the world, or perhaps of all time, avoiding mere soldiers and beginning his wall-gazing meditation? But he was one who saw broadly. Because his abilities reached all under heaven, he knew that if he struck out once, he would have to face all under heaven. How could the various rulers of the world leave such a person be?”

“…Your Highness.”

“One must avoid when it’s time to avoid. Do not wield martial arts as you please… A peerless master who does not disturb the country is one such as him. Your maternal grandfather was the exception there.”

The Crown Prince continued speaking.

“I hear you are a once-in-a-millennium prodigy. If so, you should be able to wait like Bodhidharma. The purple rank was never something decided by the will of the imperial family to begin with. The common people, the scholars in the countryside, the proud nobles of Beijing… In the end, all under heaven must acknowledge it. That the one in purple has the right to wield his sword regardless of the opponent’s status.”

“What exactly is happening outside right now?”

Jeong Yeon-shin asked quietly.

Indeed, when the Chief Eunuch left the Hall of Supreme Harmony and closed the door, he had felt as if he was completely cut off from the outside.

Even now, he sensed no energy waves. Not the breath-like energy fluctuations of the civil and military officials, nor even the Chief Eunuch’s presence.

The Hall of Supreme Harmony.

It was originally where the Emperor discussed state affairs. It was fitting to be more mystical than where the leaders of major factions resided.

Some kind of formation seemed to have been deployed.

“Wait a little longer. There are trends in the world, and particularly new rumors tend to spread from Beijing. Know that if this place does not acknowledge you, you cannot become purple. And some threats only instill a sense of relief when they disappear after being directly experienced.”

His voice was like a cold blade. The intentions could be guessed. He planned to place Beijing in some danger, then have Jeong Yeon-shin save this great city.

“I heard ominous mystical creatures might be roaming about. Was the death of the officials the work of that mystical creature? Is that what I must slay?”

Jeong Yeon-shin asked while touching his empty waist. He had temporarily entrusted the divine sword Remaining Thunder to the Imperial Guard.

Since weapons could not be carried even in places where the royal family resided.

The Crown Prince nodded… “Even if some blood is spilled… To overturn the ominous atmosphere caused by the gathering of the Divine Sword Group and create justification for bestowing the purple robe upon you, there is only one way. Did you think the authority of purple would be granted without reason to one who momentarily threatened imperial power? But it’s clear the current imperial family needs a peerless master like you, so in the end it’s sacrificing the small for the great. To rule a country, one must see the big picture. Of course, it’s not a country I rule…”

Words devoid of any vitality.

It was unclear what kind of life he had lived in the Forbidden City. The Crown Prince’s voice did not sound like that of a living person.

It was not Jeong Yeon-shin’s concern.

His fingers twitched as he stood on the red carpet. At the same time, the Crown Prince’s eyebrows, which had been looking down at Jeong Yeon-shin from the throne, also twitched.

“Do you intend to disobey?”

“I intend to save Your Highness’s common people.”

“There are no people in the world that I would embrace. Moreover, you have no sword in your hand. I heard your fist techniques are unrivaled in the martial world, but what can a renowned swordsman do empty-handed?”

Jeong Yeon-shin, who had been staring blankly at the Crown Prince, stroked the reed with one hand. In his mind, he constantly pondered whether this was the right thing to do.

Was this acceptable on the verge of attaining purple? Wouldn’t he be expelled from Desolate Fortress?

In the instant that was divided dozens of times, deep contemplation continued, and that contemplation ultimately conjured the face of one person.

‘Grandfather.’

The aged Crown Prince had clearly referred to his grandfather casually. Tyrant Hero Ma Yeon-jeok is purple-rank. There’s no way Gentleman Jeong Yeon-shin cannot be.

“If I consider this a blade.”

He made up his mind.

“Then this too is a sword.”

In Jeong Yeon-shin’s mind, a dragon with a fan in its mouth arose, coiling around the reed in his hand.

It took only an instant for the Fan Dragon Treading Lotus Technique to burst forth with a resonant hum from his upper dantian. The reed stalk that rose buoyantly from his grip shattered the ceiling of the Hall of Supreme Harmony with a bang and soared endlessly upward.

Simultaneously, the blurred form of Jeong Yeon-shin leaped into the void along with the reed. In that moment, a ferocious gale roughly swept through the interior of the palace.

Kwaaaaa—!

Amid the hazy dust, wooden fragments shattered at will and scattered in all directions. From the great hall left behind, a brief mutter flowed out.

“Not again……”