Episode 783Blood of the Empire (8)
As expected, the emperor readily accepted Yeon Ho-jeongâs request.
However, it was stipulated that the criminal must be thoroughly met in prison and that his closest associates would be included in the conversation with him.
It was a very natural thing to do. That Taoist was a high traitor who had harmed the imperial palace by helping the Blood Jade Demon Lord Kwak Jun, who was still unable to come to his senses. It was absolutely forbidden for the martial arts people to harm the Taoists.
It was time for the group to head to the prison.
âhey.â
Everyone in the group turned their heads.
There, a cold-faced Gok-gyeong stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall of the half-destroyed building.
ââ¦!!â
There was surprise on the faces of Hwa Jin-cheon and Peng Mu-gang.
All of them were experts who could safely represent Gangho. However, no one knew of his existence until the unknown man opened his mouth.
However, Peng Wugang immediately recognized who he was. It was because I had only seen it briefly during the battle.
âyou areâ¦!â
Yeon Ho-jeong opened his mouth.
âAre you here?â
Gok-gyeong frowned openly.
âThe way you talk has changed? âAre you even being polite in front of adults?â
At that moment, Full Sangâs eyebrows twitched. The other personâs tone was too provocative to just listen and ignore.
However, I couldnât just open my mouth without knowing who the other person was. Full-sang just quietly looked at Gok-gyeong.
Yeon Ho-jeong said with a smile.
âDidnât you go from being an enemy to being a comrade in arms? âWe will treat you in our own way.â
âFuck you. Is it always like this? âIt means playing with the other person and shaking it off with a smile when they lose interest.â
âYour words are harsh. When have I ever played with a senior?â
âAnyway, heâs a funny guy. âI donât know why His Majesty made such an offer to a guy like you.â
Yeon Ho-jeong shrugged his shoulders.
âAre you doubting His Majestyâs insight?â
Gok-gyeongâs eyes became cold.
âHeâs such a cocky guy. âThey say there is no way a wolf grows under a charm, but it seems that a sinister wolf like you is born, right?â
âI donât care how you look at me. âSo, why did you go to such lengths to hide your presence and come to me?â
Gok-gyeong looked around at the group and turned around.
âFollow me.â
That was the end of those words. He walked forward without hesitation, as if he was confident that he would follow.
Yeon Ho-jeong sighed.
âYouâll be fine without me. Since this was approved by His Majesty, the jail would have been contacted long ago.â
Hwa Jin-cheon nodded.
âSure.â
Full Sang asked.
âWho is it that you have such a stiff attitude?â
Paeng Mu-gang answered on behalf of Yeon Ho-jeong.
âLight spirit demon.â
ââ¦Itâs a good thing I didnât wake up.â
Hwa Jin-cheon clicked his tongue.
âDonât be swayed by personal feelings. This is the imperial palace. âIf you set things up the way they did outside, even if they bring an entire 100,000 swords, they wonât be able to save you.â
âSo you didnât say anything harsh.â
âYouâre very good.â
Yeon Ho-jeong opened his mouth.
âThen Iâll see you again later.â
âOkay then. âTake care of yourself.â
âItâs not like Iâm going to fight. Do not worry.â
Like that, Yeon Ho-jeong left the group and followed Gok-gyeong.
Gok-gyeongâs steps were fast. Even if he walked without consciously thinking about it, his walking speed was as fast as that of an ordinary person. Yeonhojeongâs gait was also not inferior to Gokgyeong.
How long did you walk?
Saaaaaa.
The howling cold wind sharply scratched the bare trees.
It was quite a remote place even outside the imperial palace. It was a clean space during this battle, but I thought it was justifiable because it was so far away.
It was bare, but there were lots of trees. It was a small forest.
And in the center of the forest, there was a large clearing.
Slurp.
Only then did Gok-gyeong stop walking and dig out the base of a particularly large tree.
âhmm?â
What came out of the dug-up ground was a fairly large box.
Gok-gyeong roughly shook off the dirt scattered on the box and placed it on a flat surface. And sat in front of him.
âSit down.â
Yeon Ho-jeong obediently did as he asked and sat across from him.
Sigh.
Gok-gyeongâs hand movements as he opened the box and took out something were very careful.
Yeon Ho-jeong, who was watching wondering what was going on, soon burst into laughter. What Gok-gyeong took out were two liquor bottles made of high-quality porcelain.
Gok-gyeong said with a frown.
âwhy? âIs this funny?â
âItâs funny. âWell, how precious is it that someone worthy of being a nobleman in the world is so careful?â
âItâs not just alcohol. âThis liquor bottle, which looks like ordinary porcelain, is also a 100-year-old Hanok.â
âI donât know what it is.â
âI wish I was ignorant.â
Yeon Ho-jeong snorted.
Gok-gyeong handed a bottle of alcohol to Yeon Ho-jeong.
âThere is no cup. Drink it.â
Yeon Ho-jeong opened the stopper.
âHoo.â
A noble and heavy scent flowed from the bottle.
It has a strange scent that somehow seems to be mixed with the smell of leather. But it wasnât that bad. Although it was a completely different type of alcohol than I had ever drank, I could tell that it was a famous liquor that was difficult to find.
Yeon Ho-jeong was surprised as he put the spout of the bottle to his mouth and slowly poured out the alcohol.
âHuh, this is pretty harsh, isnât it?â
When did you drink it? Gok-gyeong said, letting out an exclamation.
âItâs something that came over from the West Station. âI donât know the name, but itâs completely different from Joongwonâs liquor.â
âCompared to this, our alcohol is quite fancy.â
âyes.â
After taking another sip, Yeon Ho-jeong smiled and put down the bottle.
âIt feels like my whole body is burning, from my throat to my stomach.â
âAre you on an empty stomach?â
âThatâs how strong it is. Of course, I also have an empty stomach.â
âAlcohol is meant to be consumed on an empty stomach.â
âHow many people have you drunk to death because of that pointless theory?â
âbouncer.â
Gok-gyeong also placed a bottle on top of the box.
Yeon Ho-jeong tilted his head.
âI guess itâs a drink thatâs quite cherished.â
âAt least Iâm sure itâs a drink that wouldnât be a waste to put in your mouth.â
âWhy are you pouring that good wine into this beautiful spout? âDo you have anything else to say?â
Slurp.
Raise your left knee and place your right hand on the floor.
Gok-gyeong, who was looking at Yeon Ho-jeong with a fairly relaxed attitude, asked as if throwing a question.
âI heard you rejected His Majestyâs offer?â
There was a strange look of fatigue on Yeon Ho-jeongâs face as he sighed as if he had lost steam.
âWas that really it?â
âDid you think there was any other reason?â
âI guessed.â
Yeon Ho-jeongâs eyes became slightly sharp.
âAre you trying to persuade me?â
âpersuade? Thatâs a funny thing to say. âWhy would I persuade you?â
âto?â
Yeon Ho-jeong scratched his head.
âIt wasnât?â
âThere is no need to persuade. âOf course we will have to get married.â
Yeon Ho-jeong frowned.
âDo you use the word âobviousâ so easily?â
âEverything is natural before His Majesty the Emperor. Do you know why?â
Gok-gyeongâs expression was somehow drowsy. At least it seemed more relaxed than Yeonhojeong.
âI said it was a suggestion, but in reality, it is no different from the imperial decree. âIf you donât want to give up being a human being, at least if you live in this land called Jungwon, you must never disobey the Emperorâs orders.â
âIt was a suggestion, not an imperial decree. âLet me make that clear.â
âNo matter what your Majesty says, everything that comes out of the mouth of the Emperor is a command and fate. âI knew you had a big liver, but I never thought of you as an innocent person.â
âDonât lie.â
ââ¦Yeah, honestly, I often thought there was no case. But that was only when the target was me.â
Yeon Ho-jeong laughed without even realizing it.
Gok-gyeong continued.
âI know what youâre thinking. I donât know about you, but I know at least this one thing. âYou want nothing more than to save the Central Plains from the hands of the Three Schools.â
It is natural to save it, and I plan to completely uproot it.
Yeon Ho-jeongâs thoughts have always been that way and have not changed even once. Gokgyeong knew that.
âYou know this, but now itâs impossible with only the power of the martial arts. âRegardless of which organization is superior, it will be difficult to achieve the results you want without the help of the imperial palace.â
âOf course I know. But the imperial palace would also like to destroy the three religions.â
âThatâs why His Majesty made such a suggestion to you.â
âI know that trying to read the minds of superiors is not a very good attitude. âWhatâs more, you are the emperor.â
âDonât you like conversations that throw away all sorts of useless formalities?â
It seemed like he had come with a plan. SÑarch* The Nôvel(F)ire.nÑt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Gok-gyeong was never excited. He is not swayed by Yeon Ho-jeongâs answer, which is a bit like a play on words.
Yeon Ho-jeongâs face became serious.
âI know your Majesty didnât send you here.â
âof course. âYour Majesty is not a very petty person.â
I wanted to throw away formalities and talk, but I didnât expect him to say something like this.
âI want to ask you something.â
âI will do what I can to answer.â
âI am not interested in your past or how you came to work under His Majesty the Emperor. âWhat Iâm curious about is why you care so much about me.â
Gok-gyeong laughed as if he was dumbfounded.
âHis Majesty wants you, so who cares about you or who? âShould I care about your little brother Iâve never seen?â
âI know. âBut it seems too obsessive to be that simple reason.â
Yeon Ho-jeong frowned.
âLetâs be honest. Yes, I have definitely reached a place that others may find surprising. âSince I opened a martial arts drama before I was born, this is not an easy task for anyone.â
Gok-gyeongâs eyes deepened.
He is angry, sharp, sometimes extreme, and sometimes vicious.
Nevertheless, Yeon Ho-jeong never once boasted about the value of his name or the position he had achieved. Rather, they were busy reducing it. What was important to Yeon Ho-jeong was martial arts, not making others envious.
Yeon Ho-jeong speaks confidently. He says he is an excellent person.
At first glance, it may seem like bragging, but Yeon Ho-jeong didnât say this to brag.
âBut Your Majesty, it would be better for you to choose someone else rather than me. No, you know itâs better.â
âWhy do you think that?â
âI am busy. Beyond being busy, youâre always on the firing line. In martial arts, those who are strong in martial arts are treated well? Itâs not wrong. However, trying to attract a super expert who may die at any time is never the right decision from a national perspective.â
Military influence, family name value, etc.
In many ways, Yeon Ho-jeong could be said to be the most notable master in the Tanggeum world.
Thatâs why it can be burdensome. Yeonhojeong was saying that.
âThere are many young people whose martial arts skills are lower than mine, but who have potential, are full of determination, have outstanding perspectives, and even come from good families.â
âBefore answering, let me ask you one question.â
âPlease speak.â
Gok-gyeongâs eyes also became more serious than Yeon-ho-jeongâs.
âDo you simply dislike marriage? Or is it because you feel burdened by forming a relationship with a member of the imperial family? Or is there a wife or child you have in mind?â
ââ¦.â
âWhy on earth are you refusing this marriage?â
Yeon Ho-jeongâs answer was a masterpiece.
âBecause Iâm so good.â
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