[Episode 93: The Gisaeng’s Spirit (1)]
These strange beings, with skin all over their bodies mixed with copper and silver, were clearly made from human corpses.
The black blood they poured out gave off a rotten odor reminiscent of a corpse, and the entire body, including the heart, stopped beating.
“Do you know what these strange things are?”
When the last one’s head and body were separated by my hands, King Gyeong stuck out his tongue and came up to me and asked.
“I’m not sure, but I think it might be called Jiangshi.”
“Jiangshi?”
Gang (僵) in Gangsi (僵尸) means to stand firm.
In other words, it means that the body is walking around standing up.
King Gyeong said, looking at the dead monsters as if it was hard to believe.
“What are you talking about? “I thought it was just a rumor going around.”
This is not just a story told by rumors around the world.
After going through a lot of things, I also got used to these things and became a little dull.
How surprised would an ordinary person be when they see a dead body moving?
“But it’s truly amazing. Even these strong men are no match for you. “You really are the monster.”
I simply responded to King Gyeong’s compliment with a faint smile.
In fact, the jiangshi I was dealing with now had a body as strong as that of a diamond Buddha.
Moreover, the strength they possessed was comparable to that of a supreme expert.
They attacked the opponent without feeling any pain, so they were so dangerous that even an expert who had overcome the wall would be in trouble if he let his guard down.
-Was it that bad? I didn’t know because it was easy to deal with.
Because of my previous experience, I was able to deal with it smoothly.
From the beginning, we increased our attack power through the coordination of middle and lower battles and then targeted their heads, which could be said to be their weak point.
-The experience so far was not in vain.
I know.
Anyway, I can’t believe they’re hiding these strongmen in a sarcophagus.
It made it impossible to let down one’s guard.
That’s why they came up with a device to prevent the secret art of immortality from easily falling into someone else’s hands.
“Are you feeling okay?”
In response to my question, King Gyeong spoke to me as if he was curious.
“What on earth did you do? “I feel like my mind has become clearer because the pain in my hands and feet has decreased so much.”
“Half of the major blood vessels that were blocked by yang qi were unclogged.”
King Gyeong could not hide his surprise at those words.
“Is that true?”
“Even if it was only half, the flow would have become smoother and the pain would have been relieved to some extent.”
“It is as you said. “The pain hasn’t completely gone away yet, but at this level, I can handle it without drinking.”
“I wanted to pierce all of the veins, but I had no choice but to stop midway because I didn’t think your highness would be able to withstand it.”
King Gyeong could not calm his excitement at my words.
“If you pierce all the veins, does that mean you can be completely cured?”
I’m sorry that I couldn’t live up to your expectations, but I have to tell you the truth.
“I’m sorry, but that seems difficult.”
“Is it difficult? Even the so-called god could not relieve the pain to this extent. “If you can pierce all of those veins…”
“Your Majesty’s illness was congenital.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“There would be no problem if yang qi was naturally formed to the level of a normal person after piercing the vein, but that is not the case in your body.”
“…Does that mean it will happen again?”
“That’s right.”
King Gyeong, who had been excited by those words, could not hide his disappointment.
I think deep down, I had hope that my body might get better even if it wasn’t the elixir of immortality.
Since I told you the negative news first, I should tell you the positive news as well.
“Don’t be disappointed either.”
“what?”
“At least, if you manage it consistently before the yang energy grows and blocks the main vein again, Your Highness will not have a short life due to the solar vein.”
“Is that true?”
“It is difficult to say that it is absolute as I am not a member of the National Assembly, but at least from what I have looked at, it seems to be so.”
“Ahhh!”
At those words, King Gyeong’s face flushed again and his eyes became red.
It seemed like he was thrilled with revived hope.
Humans feel passionate emotions at the glimmer of hope that arises amidst despair.
I, too, felt the same way when I was able to learn martial arts again in a body that was unable to do so.
King Gyeong, who was so moved, politely took his arms from me and said,
“majesty?”
“thanks. “I wanted to say hello to this person, not as a king or a prince, but as a person who received help from someone.”
Regardless of his status or status, he is a very good person.
The more I know about King Gyeong, the more I think about this.
King Gyeong, who unclasped his hands, smiled at me and said.
“Since you have shown me gratitude as a person, I would like to repay you as a king, and even as a monarch who will sit on the throne of this country in the future. “Isn’t there something you want?”
“You are not healed yet. majesty.”
“Just being in remission is something to be thankful for. Besides, if it weren’t for you, Yeonsaeng, I would have lost my life right here to this group of weightlifters.”
It seems like he wants to give me something in return.
But right now I wanted nothing.
“I appreciate your words, but I have no wishes.”
“You don’t want anything?”
At those words, King Gyeong burst out laughing heartily.
Then he spoke to me again.
“This is my first time with someone like you. Or is it because you already have the secret art of immortality before you, so you have nothing to hope for?”
“…To be honest, I don’t have any regrets about immortality.”
I wonder what pleasure there is in living for a long time.
Moreover, I too am already in a state of semi-eternal immortality.
It is only to prevent it from falling into the hands of the most dangerous being.
“But why did you want to take that secret art?”
“This is to prevent it from falling into the hands of those with wrong ideas.”
There’s no need to tell him everything.
However, unexpected words came out of King Gyeong’s mouth.
“It’s to stop the wrongdoers… Could it be that the person those dead people said was Geumsangje?”
“How do you do that?”
“Have you forgotten that I didn’t faint earlier?”
‘Ah…’
I forgot for a moment.
I think I heard this when I was interrogating Pakungwi Chosa.
Unintentionally, the golden statuette entered his ear.
This had the potential to be a bit of a problem.
-why?
Emperor Jin Shang was called a tyrant, but he was the emperor of the Yan Dynasty.
In other words, he is one of King Gyeong’s long-standing ancestors.
I don’t know how he will accept it when he finds out that this plenipotentiary is the 6th emperor of the Yan Dynasty.
-That’s right. It led to blood.
While I was perplexed, King Gyeong asked me seriously.
“Are you sure that you are referring to the person who is the 6th emperor of the great empire that Emperor Jin Shang opened?”
There was no way to explain the title of Emperor since they only had the same title.
-What are you going to do?
What should I do?
Now that things have come to this, I need to explain the situation in an understandable way.
In the end, I nodded and expressed my approval.
“That’s right.”
King Gyeong said as if he couldn’t believe those words.
“How could something like that happen? Geumsangje passed away from a chronic illness about 300 years ago.”
“…He’s not dead. “He just hid himself for a long time.”
“Hide yourself? How could Geum Sang-je, who was the emperor, be like that…..”
“Geum Sang-je, who was called a tyrant, tried to annihilate all the martial people in the central plains. “I think Your Majesty knows that.”
“…….okay. Know.”
It is impossible not to know because it must have been left behind in the imperial fraud of the Yan Dynasty.
I can’t go into detail, so I’ll keep it brief.
“The Geumsangje had a purpose other than erasing the martial arts.”
“What was that?”
“It was different from your highness, but Geumsangje also dreamed of immortality.”
King Gyeong clicked his tongue and said at my words.
“I don’t know what you might think, but in fact, among all the emperors of the past, there was no one who was not interested in immortality.”
“I guess so. However, he is a tyrant who killed countless Murim people and people.”
“……I can’t deny it.”
“It is such a golden prize, but the opportunity for immortality like your highness has come.”
King Gyeong asked in surprise.
“A chance for immortality? So does that mean Geumsangje achieved immortality?”
“no. I almost achieved it, but I had no luck. At that time, a descendant of Geomseon appeared and stopped his ambition.”
“Inspection? “Isn’t he the legendary swordsman in the world?”
“you’re right.”
“But there are no such records left in the scam.”
“There is no way I can stay. “That incident must have brought the worst shame and fear to Geum Sang-je.”
It feels so strange even to say these words with my own mouth.
Even if you talk about it like it’s someone else’s business.
“…How do you know something that is not recorded?”
“I heard about it because I have a connection with a descendant of the swordsman of the time.”
“Huh.”
I think I’m really good at lying.
It comes out well according to the situation.
King Gyeong, who had been groaning at my words, opened his mouth again.
“As you said, the descendant of Geomseon blocked Geumsangje’s ambitions, so why are you talking about him as if he is still alive?”
“It’s alive. “In a state of imperfect immortality.”
“Incomplete immortality?”
When he questioned me, I pointed to the five-pointed stone chamber and said,
“You can think of it as half of the secret magic hidden within.”
King Gyeong spoke with a serious face upon hearing my words.
“Then didn’t you say that Geumsangje used the king and even tried to kill him in order to obtain the secret art of perfect immortality?”
“The bottom line is, yes. ah! And seeing as it is related to His Highness King Jin, it seems that the purpose is to place him on the throne.”
“what?”
“His Majesty the King of Jin also wants to suppress the martial arts and eliminate the Sapa martial arts, although not as much as Geumsangje, so it can be said that it is most in line with his will.”
At the last words, King Gyeong’s expression became scary.
Whatever the reason, he wants to become emperor.
I tried to think of how he would react if Geum Sang-je, known as his predecessor, blocked his path, and the desired reaction came out as a result.
“How could someone who retired so long ago do such a thing!”
“Once you have power in your hands, you cannot easily let it go.”
“No matter how much it is, interfering with the current imperial family’s affairs while hiding one’s existence through death is no different from the worst.”
Now that we think about it, what Geumsangje ultimately wants may be the position of emperor.
After achieving immortality and dealing with me, his archenemy, he has nothing to fear in the world.
If that were the case, he might have tried to reign as an eternal emperor.
King Gyeong, who was feeling uncomfortable, said to me.
“If what you say is true, the secret art of immortality should never fall into his hands.”
“The answer is to not fall into anyone’s hands.”
In the first place, gaining immortality is no different from foul play.
Giving such power to a tyrant not only disturbs the world, but also endangers it.
King Gyeong told me.
“Then what are we going to do with the secret arts?”
“We will get rid of it. “Don’t let anyone get it.”
That was my purpose.
I am not interested in a life where I gain immortality and never die.
King Gyeong chuckled at my words and said,
“That is the correct answer. “It is right for secret arts to fall into the hands of someone like you.”
“First of all, since Emperor Jin Sang has delayed enough to send a second party, we must eliminate the secret arts.”
“Let it be done.”
I entered the blood-stained pentagonal stone chamber.
Since all the Jiangshi in the sarcophagus are dead, I have to hope that there are no more traps.
As I entered and approached the sarcophagus, I was embarrassed.
‘…What is this?’
The inside of the open sarcophagus was empty.
Does having nothing mean that there is no secret to immortality?
Or is it related to the dead jiangshi?
Just as I was wondering, I suddenly noticed something on the asbestos wall.
‘What is this?’
There was a unique engraving carved into the wall of the sarcophagus.
Its shape was exactly that of a sword.
‘Blood Demon Sword?’
Its shape was identical to that of the blood demon sword.
Even the patterns were the same, so it seemed like a sword could be inserted into the asbestos.
‘No way…’
I went to another sarcophagus.
When I went to the sarcophagus, I saw that it was also engraved in the shape of a sword.
And they were of a different type from the blood demon sword.
The third sarcophagus was engraved with the same pattern as that of the Saryeon Sword, and was shaped so that a sword could be inserted into the engraving.
I again approached the sarcophagus with an engraving similar to a blood demon sword.
‘……Let’s check.’
I took out a lucky bag that could fit anything in my pocket and took out the blood demon sword.
As soon as it came out, the grumbling sound of the blood demon sword rang out.
-shit. Damn human. It’s extremely stuffy inside.
I’m sorry, but you can’t hide it somewhere else.
I unsheathed the Blood Demon Sword and held it towards the intaglio on the sarcophagus.
Then, a strong adsorption occurred in the dug area.
I took my hand off the sword bottle.
-Clap!
-Ugh!
The blood demon sword that fell out of his hand was held in exact alignment with the engraving.
Soon, the entire stone chamber, including the sarcophagus, shook as if there had been an earthquake, and a sound like a clattering engine was heard from inside.
‘what?’
I thought there would be some change in the sound of the tracheal apparatus.
But this was the end.
The stone chamber was still the same.
I stepped away from the sarcophagus containing the blood demon sword and came to the center of the five-pointed stone chamber.
And then I looked carefully around the sarcophagus.
-Did something come out?
Something leaked out onto the floor of the stone room.
It looked like a black liquid and it drew something.
Since it was neither a pattern nor a letter, it appears to have been drawn as the outline of a map.
-Try putting in a four-pointed sword as well.
I should do that.
I even took out the sword and placed it in the intaglio of the sarcophagus that matched it.
-Clap!
-Ah! I got stuck.
…..Don’t say strange things with that voice.
In any case, when the sword entered the intaglio, the sound of the engine was heard, and liquid rose from the bottom, creating another line.
However, it stopped at the level where the shape of the outline became clear.
If you just look at this outline, you might
wonder, ‘Is it Sichuan?’
If you look at its shape, it must have been Sichuan Province.
The fact that a map like this came out when two swords were inserted into the intaglio of the sarcophagus meant that all five swords had to be inserted to create a complete map.
-no way. It’s okay. Then there is no result, right?
Not that there aren’t any.
At the very least, in order for Geumsangje to obtain the secret art of immortality, he had to seize all of my two magical swords and the sword of absolute death, which is one of the five great evildoers.
Just knowing that is a significant achievement.
At least, if he can’t take the two swords from me, it means that my dream of immortality will never come true.
-Clap!
I recovered all the blood demon swords and silkworm swords on the wall.
Strangely enough, when I removed the sword from the engraving, the liquid that rose from the floor seeped in and disappeared.
-Woonhwi. How about just getting rid of this place?
‘Get rid of it?’
-okay. You said you were going to get rid of the secret art of immortality anyway. If you destroy this place, won’t the map disappear too?
No, you have to leave it behind.
That way you can lure him in.
-Luring you?
If he finds out the secret of this place, he will try to take the sword from me in some way.
That’s the perfect opportunity to take him out and kill him.
-oh. There is a way like that too.
If he won’t show himself, we’ll have to force him to do so.
I went to King Gyeong, who was waiting outside the stone chamber.
“Have you acquired a secret art?”
“yes. “I immediately destroyed the secret technique.”
-Eh? You couldn’t even save it.
No, I said that on purpose.
It’s not that I don’t trust King Gyeong, but it was just in case.
If he continues to station himself here to check King Jin, who is competing with him for the throne, he will be exposed to danger.
Since it was not possible for me to stay by King Gyeong’s side all the time, it was better to let him think that there was no longer the secret art of immortality here.
King Gyeong said to me with admiration.
“This is truly amazing. “Even if you have no interest in immortality, you would not hesitate to destroy such a treasure.”
“It’s a dangerous item, so what can you do?”
“Even so, it’s great that it’s great. “If you have a passion for public office, I like you enough to want to keep you by my side.”
“I’m sorry, but I am a martial artist.”
King Gyeong licked his lips in disappointment at my words.
Then he spoke as if he remembered something.
“ah! Now that I think about it, there is something I want to ask you.”
“Ask me.”
“Where is the real Yeonsaeng?”
“You don’t have to worry because he’s asleep under the bed in the garrison barracks.”
“It means you’re safe.”
Could it be that he killed an innocent woman just for the sake of disguise?
King Gyeong, who was nodding his head as if relieved, glanced at the government officer who was unconscious due to blood poisoning and said to me.
“Can I ask you one favor?”
“What are you asking?”
In response to my question, King Gyeong smiled meaningfully and spoke to me.
“Become Yeonsaeng one more time.”
* * *
A place only about ten miles away from King Pyeong’s tomb.
On the plain there was a barracks garrison consisting of about 5,000 government soldiers.
At the barracks in the very center of the garrison, there was a flag with the name Wuhan written on it.
These were the Wuhan government forces.
There was an unexpected person inside the central barracks.
He was none other than King Jin.
In addition to King Jin, there were several military commanders and several officials dressed as eunuchs.
King Jin, who was sitting at the head table, spoke to a middle-aged general with a long beard.
“What on earth is in that tomb that prompted you to send the men under the command of the Five Thousand Seals?”
“I’m sorry, but even God doesn’t know.”
“I don’t know, so how did you send it?”
“God simply carried out the commands given to him.”
King Jin clicked his tongue at his words.
“I don’t know if you are mine or someone else’s.”
“God is simply carrying out his command to assist His Majesty.”
“It’s that sound again.”
King Jin felt uncomfortable.
Despite being his personal assistant, Incheonjang was a man with many secrets.
If it weren’t for the fact that he had an outstanding military reputation and a pact with him, I wouldn’t have wanted to keep him around.
‘It’s only until you ascend to the throne.’
When that time comes, he will deal with all those who try to take advantage of him.
While I was repeating this to myself, I heard someone running urgently from outside the barracks.
“majesty. “I have something important to discuss.”
“What’s going on?”
One of the military commanders asked instead.
Then an answer came from outside.
“I request that His Highness King Gyeong see the person in charge of the military outside the garrison now.”
“King Gyeong?”
At those words, King Jin looked at the five thousand seals with narrowed eyes.
At this, the Five Thousand Seals also frowned as if they were embarrassed.
King Jin said in a heavy voice.
“It seems that King Gyeong came here alive.”
“…There seems to have been some mistake.”
“Not only did he boast that he could handle everything with the people he planted, he also sent his subordinates and now King Gyeong has come here…..” “
God will handle it. “Your Majesty, please hurry and move
to the garrison…” Before he could finish his words, King Jin stood up and spoke.
“done. I’m tired of leaving work to you, who isn’t even a real commander. Are there any crabs out there?”
“yes. majesty.”
“Has King Gyeong brought the army?”
“No. “I brought only about a hundred bodyguard officers and women who appeared to be gisaeng.”
The corners of King Jin’s mouth went up at the report heard outside.
“Bringing gisaeng girls with you? under! That’s really like him. “I think I was worried for no reason about that damn bastard.”
King Jin was worried that he might have brought his soldiers with him.
If that happens, it could lead to war.
However, if the number was only that much, it seemed like it would be possible to appease King Gyeong and send him away, or if the circumstances allowed, deal with it naturally.
-Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-tak!
At that time, I heard someone else running outside the barracks.
“My Highness! “I’m in big trouble.”
Jinwang asked with a frown.
“What is happening?”
“A gisaeng woman wearing green military uniform has invaded the military garrison and is running through our government soldiers to get here.”
“what? parasitism?”
Upon hearing the soldier’s report coming from outside, the officials in the barracks, including King Jin, looked puzzled and asked what he was talking about.
King Jin said as if it was absurd.
“Are you taunting me? What kind of nonsense are you talking about?…”
At that time, shouts of soldiers erupted from outside the barracks.
“Stop it!”
“Catch that gisaeng bitch!”
‘!?’
ⓒ Hanzhongwolya
