Chapter 275: Trap (1)
Cheong-hwa and Cheong-ui gazed at me with worried eyes. Their concern was natural.
“At the very least, I should go with you.”
“No.”
I shook my head at Cheong-hwa’s words.
“Those ruthless people might do anything to you.”
“That’s always been the case.”
I shrugged. What they might do wasn’t limited to just me. They could target Wudang, my roots. In that sense, bringing a few more guards didn’t hold much meaning.
“In any case, I’m now capable of looking after my own safety.”
“What about Myeong-gyeong?”
“Senior Brother can protect himself perfectly well. Shall we call it two separate bodies?”
“Are you really making pointless jokes even now?”
It wasn’t as if I wanted to make them either. The atmosphere had just gotten too stiff, so I was trying to lighten it.
“Anyway, please don’t worry too much.”
“…Who could ever talk you out of your stubbornness?”
Cheong-hwa raised both hands in surrender. In the end, it was decided that only Myeong-gyeong and I would attend the Palace of Heavenly Worship inauguration ceremony.
“Setting that aside, isn’t it too modest? You’re going as the New Justice Association representative, after all.”
“The Martial Alliance only sent a single disciple. What more do you expect?”
“The Martial Alliance Leader will probably be there too.”
“He probably will.”
“Will you be alright? The fact that you killed the Alliance Leader’s disciple has now spread across the heavens.”
“Well…”
That was indeed one of the sticking points. I had killed Cho Hae-ryang, my friend from a past life and the Martial Alliance Leader’s disciple, in a duel.
Of course, it wasn’t a despicable sneak attack or an unreasonable killing blow. It was a just sword strike that anyone could understand.
But that was our side of the story. The Martial Alliance Leader, who had lost his disciple, was in a position where his eyes could well turn red. The fact that the Alliance Leader’s disciple had used lethal force first—none of that mattered.
“Still, with the Emperor right there, they won’t make a scene.”
“Let’s hope so.”
Cheong-hwa and Cheong-ui seemed to have nothing more to ask. But they still appeared uneasy about sending only Myeong-gyeong and me out alone.
“Then I’ll be going.”
“Yes. Return safely. This is an order from the Sect Leader. If you disobey, I’ll expel you from the sect, so keep that in mind.”
“How terrifying. Understood.”
I gave Cheong-hwa and Cheong-ui a martial salute and left. I had already said my farewells to everyone at Wudang yesterday, and on the way out I had stopped by Jun County to greet the New Justice Association members as well. There was nothing more to do in Hubei.
“Junior Brother.”
Myeong-gyeong was waiting for me beneath the Wudang signboard. The bundle slung over his shoulder, hung from the tip of a tree branch, contained everything he was bringing.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
“It’s been a while since we’ve gone out alone together, hasn’t it?”
“Yeah. Is this the first time since Wuhan?”
Back in Hubei’s Wuhan, when I had first gone to establish the Radiant Crystal Merchant Company, I had gone with Myeong-gyeong.
I used to think I looked after Myeong-gyeong a lot, but looking back, I had been too busy to really care for him much.
“Senior Brother.”
“Hm?”
“When we get to Beijing, things will be tough, so enjoy yourself on the way. If there’s anything you want to eat, tell me right away. Don’t hold back.”
“Am I a child?”
Well, at fourteen, I was technically still a child. But fourteen was also the age when you desperately didn’t want to be called one.
“…No. Junior Brother, you said that because you were thinking of me. I’m sorry.”
Myeong-gyeong apologized. His apology stung more than his earlier irritation had. The old Myeong-gyeong would have snapped at me like that but then immediately struck up a friendly conversation as if nothing had happened.
“Senior Brother, were you always like this?”
I suddenly asked. Myeong-gyeong flinched.
“What do you mean?”
“Were you always this polite, apologizing and thinking of others first?”
“Those are all fine words, so why do they sound like a reprimand?”
Because they are a reprimand. I stared straight into Myeong-gyeong’s eyes. He answered while avoiding my gaze.
“I don’t really know.”
“Who are you, then? Who else would know?”
“Nobody knows. What kind of person I am.”
Myeong-gyeong’s tone was hollow. As if he were an old man who had lived eighty years. I shook my head.
“I know someone who does.”
“You know someone who knows me?”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
“Me.”
Perhaps my answer was too predictable, because a flicker of disappointment crossed Myeong-gyeong’s face.
“First of all, about what you said earlier—being polite is a good thing, but it’s not always a good thing.”
“Now you sound like Confucius jumping out of his grave.”
“Of course, a certain degree of etiquette is necessary. But maintaining formal politeness while keeping your distance from others—that’s adult etiquette. Children have their own etiquette.”
“And what’s that?”
“Cry when you want to cry, laugh when you want to laugh. Show joy when you’re happy, show sadness when you’re sad. Your emotions and expressions should be connected. If not, the world becomes too bleak. Adults don’t do that.”
I continued speaking.
“I don’t think Senior Brother is merely good at managing expressions and reading the room—I think you’re also good at acting. You must have originally been someone who could express your honest feelings more openly and felt comfortable doing so. But because your identity as a prince was exposed to me, you’re now putting on an act in front of me.”
Of course, that might not be true. You never know what a person is really like. But I wanted to believe that was the case. I wanted Myeong-gyeong to believe it too. Because the moment you believe it, my belief becomes reality.
“…It’s just, I was worried you’d be uncomfortable.”
Myeong-gyeong’s voice finally escaped his lips.
“The people who knew I was a prince were one of two types. Those who feared me, or those who tried to use me. But Junior Brother, you weren’t the type to use people, so I thought you’d be afraid.”
“Not at all.”
“Not afraid? Right, I suppose you could be like that.”
Myeong-gyeong let out a short laugh.
“But I’m the one who should be sorry. I hid who I was from you and treated you differently. Once trust is broken, I think it’s hard to put back together.”
“It wasn’t broken. And naturally, I didn’t reveal everything about myself either. I hid who I am. I don’t plan on telling you in the future either.”
This was the truth. No matter how much intimacy I felt toward Myeong-gyeong, I would never reveal the fact that I had regressed.
“But I don’t feel guilty about it. That’s just how people are. You may have hidden your identity for a while, but the conversations we shared, the memories, the time, the warmth—those weren’t lies. As long as those moments were true, that’s enough.”
I paused briefly to catch my breath and continued.
“And earlier, when you said I wasn’t the type to fear you or use you, I said ‘not at all.’ That denial wasn’t just about the fear part.”
“Hm?”
Myeong-gyeong’s eyes widened at my unexpected words.
“I’m going to use you, Senior Brother. You should use me too. You can sell my name to boast, or use me as a shield to avoid trouble. But just stop at using me—don’t try to manipulate me.”
“I don’t quite understand what you mean. How exactly would you use me?”
“You will be the spearhead aimed at the Emperor.”
I looked down at Myeong-gyeong.
“Because I’m going to overthrow the Imperial Palace.”
“…Hah.”
Myeong-gyeong was momentarily speechless. Well, I had just told a member of the imperial family about regicide. He must have been quite flabbergasted.
“You really don’t seem to be afraid of me, do you? Saying something so outrageous.”
“If you try to drag me to the Imperial Palace, then I’ll accept it as my poor judgment of character.”
“No, of course that’s not what I mean.”
Myeong-gyeong waved his hands frantically. That exaggerated movement reminded me of the old Myeong-gyeong, and it made me happy. The Myeong-gyeong I knew was slowly coming back.
“Frankly, I don’t care. They say I’m of imperial blood, but I’ve never received the treatment of royalty—I’m just a martial artist. The only thing I resent is that the Imperial Palace is pressuring us. Still, I never even thought about overthrowing it completely.”
“Then can we overthrow it? The Imperial Palace.”
“What, you want me to just say ‘overthrow it’? You talk about the Imperial Palace like it’s a dinner table.”
Myeong-gyeong chuckled. The sheer absurdity of it all was apparently funny enough to make him laugh.
“Yes. We’re overthrowing it. Just give me permission.”
“Fine, I’ll permit it. Honestly, I don’t have fond feelings toward them either.”
I knew it. My desire to overthrow the Imperial Palace was partly because of Myeong-gyeong.
Making such a pure child feel anxious, giving him such terrible experiences.
You can understand a whole person from one glimpse. If this is how they treat a child who knows nothing, imagine how ruthlessly they handle everything else.
The Guiyou Shipwreck had been entirely pinned on me, which gave me a rough idea.
“Alright. What shall we name the new country?”
“That’s genuinely insane.”
A smile spread across Myeong-gyeong’s lips. Only then did I relax my stern face and smile along.
“So I can really act like before now? Be comfortable?”
Myeong-gyeong asked. Fortunately, it seemed Myeong-gyeong’s true self was closer to how he was before than how he was now. Or perhaps my words had made him believe so. Either way, it was fine.
“Of course you should.”
“Great!”
Myeong-gyeong beamed. Just that alone made me feel that deciding to overthrow the Imperial Palace had been the right choice.
* * *
It didn’t take long to travel from Hubei to Beijing. If I had used my movement art alone, it would have been even faster, but with Myeong-gyeong, it took about five days. We rode horses on the main road for part of the way, took long breaks, and only ate food that tasted good. So it wasn’t a particularly grueling journey.
“Ah. That was wonderful.”
Myeong-gyeong’s face had relaxed into a grin again. The chain-linked meat we’d eaten at the inn apparently really hit the spot.
Whether adult or child, nothing lifted one’s spirits like delicious food.
“There are so many people. More than during the New Justice Festival.”
“Beijing naturally has a large floating population, but besides that, non-martial people are also coming to this event. They would have prepared much more accordingly, so the scale is bound to be different.”
“Somehow it makes me angry.”
“Don’t be angry. Just cause a scene and it’ll be over.”
“You’re way too casual about ruining other people’s parties.”
“They sent the Martial Alliance Leader’s disciple to ruin ours too. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”
I spoke solemnly. Myeong-gyeong’s eyes grew solemn as well.
On the way to Beijing, Myeong-gyeong had kept asking. Was I really going to overthrow the Imperial Palace? Wasn’t it just a joke to make him laugh?
Each time, I answered that I would. The words were so outlandish that Myeong-gyeong couldn’t believe it until the very end, but in the end, he did.
“Ah, that was fun.”
“Me too.”
The five days to Beijing had truly been enjoyable. Even I felt like I had stopped thinking and truly rested and played for the first time in a long while. During those five days, I didn’t worry about what might happen in Beijing. I only worried about what to feed Myeong-gyeong, what to show him.
“But now the fun has to stop, I suppose.”
Myeong-gyeong said. I nodded.
As we entered the heart of Beijing, where the Imperial Palace stood, familiar faces began to appear one by one.
And most of these people were my enemies. Because I was here as the representative of the New Justice Association.
“Oh! You’ve come as well!”
Just then, someone spotted me and approached with open arms. For a moment, the voice was so warmly familiar that I wondered if I still had friends left in Beijing.
But that couldn’t be. I saw the person and gave a bitter smile.
Martial Alliance Leader Su Je-heon. He stood with his arms spread wide, welcoming me. The corners of his mouth were curled into a smile tinged with killing intent.