Chapter 288 – Escape Attempt (2)

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Translated by Jinmu

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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The entrance to the Underground Forbidden Prison was, in every sense, a scene of utter chaos.

Because the Innermost Forbidden Prison had suddenly collapsed, the Embroidered Uniform Guard of the Office of Penal Service had fallen into confusion.

If only Deputy Thousand-Household Commander Im Gyu-wol, the head of the Office of Penal Service, had been there, the chain of command would have remained intact and somehow they would have tried to put the situation back in order. But as things stood, they were busy doing nothing more than trying to determine whether there had been any escapees from the Underground Forbidden Prison.

In the midst of that, an even more bewildering situation arose.

That was,

‘Ho… how can this…’

Thousand-Household Commander Mak Myeong-ho of the Office of Penal Service lay prostrate on the ground, not merely tense but drenched in cold sweat.

Before him stood a being he did not dare even look directly at.

An old man with a sickly, haggard appearance, clad in a golden dragon robe and reclining upon a splendid jade seat on a palanquin.

That being was none other than,

‘His Majesty has come here in person?’

The Emperor.

With the ruler of the nation appearing in person, Thousand-Household Commander Mak Myeong-ho felt as though his mind had gone blank.

He was already at wit’s end trying to think how this worst disaster in the history of the Office of Penal Service could possibly be contained, and now he truly did not know what to do.

Then the Emperor’s voice reached him.

“If there was red smoke, does that mean the Innermost Forbidden Prison collapsed?”

“…Th-that…”

Thousand-Household Commander Mak Myeong-ho was shaking so badly that he could not answer properly.

At that, someone beside the Emperor sharply rebuked him.

“Can you not answer properly?”

At that weighty voice, Mak Myeong-ho’s eyes shook.

He knew at once who it was the moment he heard it.

Officially, there were two guards who attended the Emperor closely and acted as his confidants.

Among them, this one was the more famous by name, and to Mak Myeong-ho he was virtually the same as a direct superior.

“Answer the question at once.”

“Th-that is correct! The Innermost Forbidden Prison has collapsed.”

Still kneeling, Mak Myeong-ho’s face twisted into misery.

Now that His Majesty the Emperor had come here in person, it was over, no matter what measures might be taken.

Even if the matter were somehow contained, someone would be held responsible for it.

The most likely outcome was that his head would roll. And even if not, he would either be exiled or imprisoned.

As he suffered inwardly while imagining what would happen to him next, the Emperor’s voice reached his ears.

“Then this means that someone attempted to break out. Has anyone escaped?”

“N-no, no one has, Your Majesty. This servant was guarding the entrance, and up until the red smoke rose, there was not the slightest sign of such a thing. Please believe me.”

“So there was an attempt to escape from the Innermost Forbidden Prison, but no one came out. Is that what you are saying?”

“Y-yes, Your Majesty.”

“Hmm.”

At the Emperor’s thoughtful hum, Mak Myeong-ho felt his lips go dry.

It was true that while he had been watching, no escapee had appeared.

No, there had to have been none.

Only then might he be held responsible yet at least preserve his life.

At that moment, the Emperor spoke.

“Seong Baek-a. In your view, now that the Innermost Forbidden Prison has collapsed, do you think there could be no escapees?”

“If the Innermost Forbidden Prison has collapsed, then the one who attempted to break out likely fell when the ground gave way and lost their life.”

“Can you be certain?”

“I cannot give an absolute guarantee.”

“And why not?”

“Those imprisoned in the Innermost Forbidden Prison are all strange figures whose existence itself cannot be taken lightly. As Your Majesty knows, that is a place filled with every sort of monster, including ones that have survived for decades without eating a thing. We cannot ignore the possibility of variables.”

“Variables…”

“………”

“Seong Baek-a.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“If you chose to do so, how many within the entirety of this imperial palace could deceive you with what you call martial arts?”

To that question from the Emperor, the answer came without the slightest hesitation.

“None, Your Majesty.”

“None?”

“That is correct.”

He spoke with tremendous confidence.

Then the Emperor lifted the corners of his mouth and said,

“If you were to make up your mind to do it, how long would it take you to search the entire imperial palace?”

“Three quarters of an hour would be more than enough.”

“Then go.”

“But, Your Majesty…”

“By my side are Chief Eunuch Gwak of the Inner Grand Directorate and that one. There is no need for concern. More importantly, if there was an escape attempt from the Innermost Forbidden Prison, then it cannot have been something done on sudden impulse in a short span of time. Hurry at once. There may be more to it.”

“…….This subject, Gu Seong-baek, receives Your Majesty’s command!”

-Swish.

No sooner had he finished speaking than the figure called Gu Seong-baek disappeared.

* * *

Mok Gyeong-un looked with interest at the hand of Dam Baek-ha, one of the Six Blood Saints of the Old Blood Cult, protruding from the leftover barrel.

Since his ghost eye was open, he could see it.

He could see that strange form of vibration spreading out from Dam Baek-ha’s hand.

Mok Gyeong-un recognized that this strange form of qi was the very same thing she had tried to use on him back in the Innermost Forbidden Prison.

At the time, he had simply wondered what it was.

But when that qi spread in all directions, an interesting result occurred.

It seemed to stimulate and deceive the senses of the targets it touched, and all of them had collapsed unconscious.

‘…….Sound. And the form of the qi must be tied to an incantatory formula.’

He did not know the exact formula, but he could infer it from the form.

Thought was repeating in a fixed pattern.

And those repeated thoughts became stimulated and deceived the opponent’s senses.

If so, then it was a kind of suggestion.

‘Interesting.’

The corner of Mok Gyeong-un’s mouth twitched.

Then he heard someone’s voice.

-What was that just now?

It was Blue Spirit.

She had been observing the situation from the air and, having judged that things had become tangled, was about to descend and help.

Then suddenly the warriors of the Imperial Guard Bureau and the eunuchs of the Western Depot had all fallen unconscious, leaving her puzzled.

-Well now, I do not know precisely either. It seems to be a kind of suggestion.

-Suggestion?

-Yes. I read about it once in one of my grandfather’s books. If one repeatedly gives stimulation through sound or visible things, then…

-Thwack!

“Puhah.”

At that moment, Dam Baek-ha’s face burst up from the leftover barrel.

She was not the only one. The Sacred Fire Leader, who had also endured inside the food scraps, could no longer hold out and thrust her face up as well.

“Hah… hah…”

“Are you all right, elder?”

Seop Chun asked the Sacred Fire Leader.

Even if they had taught her how to hold her breath in advance, she was old and had not practiced martial arts, so it must have been even harder for her to endure.

“I-I’m… fine. Hah… hah….”

At Seop Chun’s question, the Sacred Fire Leader answered with a pale face, nodding.

To be honest, both the smell of the leftovers and the strain of holding her breath had been terrible, but she had gritted her teeth and endured.

At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un approached Dam Baek-ha, who was catching her breath, and said,

“How about making continued use of the method you just used?”

“In what way?”

“If that method is a kind of suggestion, then it should be able to deceive the target’s perception itself. Would it not be possible to make them accept someone as though they were not there at all?”

‘!?’

At those words from Mok Gyeong-un, Dam Baek-ha’s eyes widened.

She had never spoken to him about this method.

No, to begin with, there had been no reason for her to do so.

Then how did Young Master Mok know that this was a type of suggestion?

While she was still puzzled, someone appeared.

-Slither.

The one approaching them was Deputy Thousand-Household Commander So Ye-rin, who had at some point changed her outer clothing into that of a palace maid.

She was even holding a black face covering in her right hand, as though she had intended to hide her identity and use force if necessary.

Looking at the unconscious warriors of the Imperial Guard Bureau, she said,

“You used the Illusory Intent Scripture, did you not?”

“Yes. As expected, my lady recognizes it as well. My master received it directly from that person.”

“I see. In that case, rather than hiding in the leftover barrels, it seems using the Illusory Intent Scripture would be of greater help.”

“……That is difficult.”

“Why is that?”

“Unlike the blood descendants of that person, I did not cultivate the Innate True Qi that belongs to them, so I cannot use continuous suggestion. Even now, I can only use it to this degree because my origin qi increased after consuming the blood of a spirit creature, but using it repeatedly in a single day is a burden.”

“Ah……..”

At that, So Ye-rin nodded as though she now understood.

Then Dam Baek-ha said to her,

“Then would it not be better if my lady herself used the Illusory Intent Scripture?”

At that, So Ye-rin replied, sounding troubled,

“Even if I wished to, I cannot.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“My father said that because he was still only the young cult leader, my grandfather never passed the Illusory Intent Scripture on to him. So I never learned it either.”

“Ah!”

At those words, Dam Baek-ha instead let out an exclamation.

Wondering why, they listened as she continued,

“This truly fills me with joy. It seems that that person passed this skill on to the master’s line for the sake of this very day. To think that a chance has arisen to repay the grace I have received from the blood descendant of that person.”

“Sixth Blood Saint……”

“Before we leave this place, I will teach my lady the incantatory formula of the Illusory Intent Scripture.”

“…….Thank you. But before that, it seems we need to hurry. Now that the entire search party at the middle gate has fallen unconscious, others will soon notice and the whole search force will come here.”

“Understood.”

After that, they closed the lids of the leftover barrels again and set off in haste.

Now that they had already passed the middle gate, if they could somehow reach the south gate of the outer wall, the odds of getting out would rise considerably.

Thus they hurried along, pulling the leftover carts even faster.

Above ground, So Ye-rin guided them, while Blue Spirit watched the surrounding area from the air, so there was no problem with the route itself.

With nothing obstructing them, they gradually drew closer to the south gate.

But then, while they were traveling on for some time,

-Rattle, rattle, rattle!

-Flinch.

Mok Gyeong-un, who had been pulling one of the carts, suddenly stopped.

When he did so, Mong Mu-yak and Seop Chun also halted and asked in puzzlement,

“My lord, why have you suddenly stopped?”

“……..Someone is coming.”

“What do you mean?”

-Thud!

At that moment, Dam Baek-ha, one of the Six Blood Saints of the Old Blood Cult, suddenly threw open the lid and leapt out.

Her face filled with wariness, she took up the starting stance of Blood Jade Hand.

Looking toward the northwest, Dam Baek-ha swallowed dryly.

It had been a long time since her qi sense had been provoked to such a degree.

“You brats. Hide together with the little old woman.”

“What?”

-Swish.

As they stood there puzzled, Deputy Thousand-Household Commander So Ye-rin appeared in front of them, her face already covered with a black cloth.

Somehow, she had already drawn her sword.

“Deputy Thousand-Household Commander?”

Mara Hyeon, the masked officer of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, also asked in confusion at their reaction.

So Ye-rin urgently waved a hand behind her and said,

“Commander Mara. Fall back. Quickly!”

No sooner had her words ended than,

-Gooooooo!

The true qi in all directions grew so heavy that breathing itself became difficult, and in an instant Mara Hyeon’s legs buckled as though his shoulders had been crushed down.

‘Wh-what in the world is this…’

He was not the only one.

Mong Mu-yak and Seop Chun’s faces also twisted under that immense pressure.

‘This is bad!’

‘What kind of presence is this?’

A pressure so enormous that it covered the entire surrounding area had descended, and both of them felt their hearts pounding violently.

-Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

Their eyes slowly turned toward a single point.

-Step, step.

There, a strikingly handsome middle-aged man with strong features appeared, wearing a black flying-fish robe and a golden belt.

At the sight of the man in the black flying-fish robe walking toward them with his hands clasped behind his back, So Ye-rin’s eyes shook violently.

‘Ah… of all times.’

The worst of the situations she had imagined had come to pass.

That officer of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in the black flying-fish robe was, together with Hyeon Sun, one of the Northern Suppression Envoys, one of the men who stood at the apex of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in practical power.

The Southern Suppression Envoy of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Gu Seong-baek.

As one who guarded the Emperor at his side, he was both the strongest expert in the imperial palace and someone whom the martial world called by another name.

The Northern Sect Blade King of the Six Heavens.

“Three people who have crossed beyond the Wall. There is no need to show mercy.”

-Shring.

A grandmaster-tier expert who occupied one of the seats among the Six Heavens, the very pinnacle of the Central Plains martial world, was now drawing his saber at them.