It seems that people have arrived at Hongseong and Moonjeong.
Hongryeon, dressed in the official attire of the Hongseong clan, and Chaejin, clad in battle gear, came rushing in a flurry.
“If it’s the imperial decree, could it be?!”
“Is what is destined to happen finally happening?!”
The expressions of Hongryeon and Chaejin were filled with joy. After all, if there’s an unexpected imperial decree, it can only mean one thing.
As they eagerly scanned the crowd, the eunuch spoke with a poker face.
“Case Officer Yu Wol, are you prepared to receive the imperial decree?”
Yu Wol’s expression was equally stoic. As if nothing were particularly special, he stood before the eunuch and knelt on one knee as usual.
And so did Hongryeon, Chaejin, and the Sword Saint.
Once they were ready, the eunuch subtly raised his hand. One of the scholars waiting behind him presented a large, ornate box. From that box, the eunuch retrieved a purple scroll and exclaimed loudly.
“The current Empire…”
He went on with some complicated words. What could the state of the Empire and the setting of a wedding date mean?
Could it be that the emperor is using this opportunity to manipulate him?
Chaejin looked at Yu Wol with a serious expression.
After mumbling for a while, the eunuch folded the scroll, and Yu Wol politely said.
“I shall heed the imperial decree.”
Hearing that, the eunuch nodded and scanned the surroundings. A few martial artists were present.
Among them, the Doje with crossed arms and Namgoong Cheon holding a bottle of liquor caught the eunuch’s gaze, making him let out a deep sigh.
“Case Officer Yu Wol, His Majesty has instructed that when faced with tasks, do not try to handle everything alone. If it’s difficult, contact the royal family.”
“Thank you.”
“Although there are many superhumans around you, do not forget that brute force is not always the answer. Soon, we will be sending people from Dongchang to Seonhwa Island. If needed, you can contact the royal family through them.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
“Ahem.”
Clearing his throat quietly, he walked away. A few in the crowd tensed up at the mention of Dongchang, but the important thing was that they had now left.
As soon as the eunuch and his entourage departed, the tension in the air began to dissipate.
The guests who had come for breakfast shivered and started chattering about the events of the morning. Chaejin grabbed hold of Yu Wol and asked.
“Uh… Yu Wol?”
“What is it?”
“What was the imperial decree?”
“You already heard it.”
“…No, there was only talk about dragons flying and earth dancing, right?”
“Haha. That’s just flowery language used when issuing an imperial decree. When we say the dragon flies in the sky, it means it traverses the heavens. The royal family regards the dragon as the sun, and thus, when it traverses the skies, it represents the eighth month, when the sun exerts its most strength. Additionally, the earth absorbs that heat, and the natural energy concentrates during mid-eighth month. The imperial decree contained the auspicious day chosen by His Majesty the Emperor.”
“It’s a bit complicated, isn’t it?”
“Yeah… Why is it like that?”
“The imperial decree can indeed be complicated. And there’s a reason the message was conveyed in that way.”
Doje nodded as if he understood, and Yu Wol agreed as well.
“The Emperor is being clever. If you can’t grasp the imperial decree, it’s probably suggesting you go ask someone at Dongchang. It seems like a way to keep connections alive. Not that I plan to sever ties with the royal family anyway…”
“But how do you interpret the imperial decree? It’s something only those who know the royal customs would understand.”
“Haha. I only know what I know.”
“Just say it! So, by the fifteenth of the month… We have about a month left.”
“Indeed. Busy times ahead.”
Sending invitations, preparing to welcome guests, and most importantly, procuring gifts.
Yu Wol, who was sick, wasn’t about to let this event just pass by.
“Sir, I have a request.”
Yu Wol looked toward Doje and Namgoong Cheon. The sword master, Hongryeon, and Chaejin were startled and held him tightly.
“If you have a request, you can ask me.”
“Exactly.”
“Why do you want to involve your father and the Thunderbolt Sword King?”
He replied nonchalantly.
“Because I’ll need to go get gifts. I can’t just ask the parties involved to get their own wedding gifts, can I?”
“Oh.”
“I see now.”
“Gifts…”
It’s natural for either the groom or bride to procure gifts for each other when getting married.
With just over a month to prepare, it was bound to be hectic.
While the three were perplexed, Yu Wol chuckled softly.
“I don’t need extravagant gifts, so don’t overdo it. Just keep it simple. Simple.”
“What are you planning?”
Under the sword master’s gaze, Yu Wol just smiled instead of answering.
*
The moment had come.
The Emperor had chosen an auspicious day, so everything needed to be wrapped up by then.
I showed Doje and Namgoong Cheon the map as they entered my office.
“I have a personal request for both of you.”
“Where is it that you want us to take on a request?”
“To entrust a task to a transcendent should mean it’s quite a challenge. And the cost won’t be trivial either.”
“I’d like you to break through the hidden realm.”
Sword Master, Hongryeon, Chaejin.
There was a hidden realm I had been considering since deciding to marry the three.
After marking its location on the map, I presented it to them.
“It’s not far from Cheongho. And the other two locations… are they near Yangwiseong? Are there hidden realms in this area?”
“Yes. The hidden realm near Cheongho is the Baekhyun Realm.”
“The Baekhyun Realm? Does it really exist?”
As the Doje was taken by surprise, Namgoong Cheon looked perplexed. Facing him, the Doje scrunched his face.
“You don’t know the legendary martial artist from the Cha clan who was part of Moonjeong in the past?”
“I don’t.”
At Namgoong Cheon’s indifferent reply, the Doje furrowed his brows even more.
As the Doje said, Chae Hyun-kwang is a character you come to know during the main story of Chaeran through the sub-events of Moonjeong and Cheongho.
He was known as a strong warrior who single-handedly defeated the nine-headed serpent ‘Sangryu,’ a monster that had appeared to invade the dragon’s temple. It was said that he then ascended to the heavens due to his righteous deeds.
If he left behind a secret place, it would certainly pique the Doje’s interest.
Perhaps even more than the dragon’s temple.
“This is interesting. So, how do you know about this, son-in-law?”
I pulled out some books from the shelf. I showed about ten volumes, sharing the information I had gathered when I visited Cheongho and talked with people, as well as the details I learned during discussions about Hano and Cheongho.
When I combined all this information, the Doje shook his head in disbelief.
“You found this location by collecting such trivial things?”
“Trivial but also important. I know somewhat about the traps and how to navigate the maze within Chae Hyun-kwang’s secret place… And if it’s Chaeran, she should be good at finding her way.”
“Is that so? I got it. What should we fetch from there?”
“There’s an accessory you can obtain by capturing Sangryu’s offspring, the master of that secret place. I’ll be satisfied with that, so all the rewards for breaking through the secret place can go to you, elder.”
“Hah. If that’s the case.”
The Doje nodded, seemingly satisfied with the reward, and I cast a glance at Namgoong Cheon.
“The secret place I’d like you to visit is the secret place of the Bi-cheon Swordmaster.”
“Bi-cheon Swordmaster!!”
Namgoong Cheon’s eyes widened dramatically. Clearly flustered, he was mumbling before finally asking.
“You know about the Bi-cheon Swordmaster? Where is it?!”
“Who’s this Bi-cheon Swordmaster?”
“You don’t know the Bi-cheon Swordmaster?! How ignorant… How could you not know Namgoong Seong-hyeon, the Bi-cheon Swordmaster…!!”
“You old fool?! You didn’t know Chae Hyun-kwang either!”
With a furrowed brow even deeper than before, Namgoong Cheon began to explain about the Bi-cheon Swordmaster.
The Bi-cheon Swordmaster was a swordsman affiliated with the Namgoong Clan in the past.
He wasn’t a superhuman, but his spirit and prowess garnered him great respect from many.
There were tales of him fighting the Cheonma alone and holding off its advance for an entire day.
“He left behind a secret place?”
“He was someone who fought with a being of divine power for an entire day. There’s no reason someone like him wouldn’t have ascended to a higher plane of virtue.”
“Wow… I see. So that’s how it is…!!”
“Got it. Right. That’s what happened…!!”
Namgoong Cheon, appearing quite excited, was practically wiggling his butt, eager to share the news with the Namgoong Clan.
I smiled at him while showing the documents, and he nodded seriously after taking a look.
“I see. What do you need me to fetch from there?”
“There should be a labyrinth in that secret place. If you can break through it, you’ll get a bracelet called the ‘Heavenly Flower Ring.’ Please bring that back. Also, there should be records left by the Divine Swordmaster and a treasure of the Namgoong Clan, the Thunder Blade. That should be enough as a reward.”
“That’s more than enough! With that, the clan will know the Divine Swordmaster actually existed and that he stopped the Cheonma! Haha! The prestige and camaraderie of the Namgoong Clan will rise even higher.”
“That seems likely.”
I calmly spoke to the two overly excited superhumans.
“And please make a visit to this place as well.”
I pointed at another spot on the map, and they looked at it seriously.
“Where is this?”
“It’s the secret realm of a person called Cham-Ak. There should be a sword as a reward there. Please bring that back, and the rest you can handle yourselves.”
“Cham-Ak? Who’s that?”
“Well…?”
It seemed neither the Doje nor Namgoong Cheon knew.
Of course, it wasn’t necessary for them to know. Cham-Ak was the half-brother of the first Murim Alliance Leader, a hero who prevented the resurrection of the Blood Dragon by merging with it.
There’s a sword to send to the Murim Alliance from that secret realm, and I’ll need to get what I deserve in return.
“Then I ask you to do it within a week. If the two of you join forces and take Chaeran along, it should be enough. And… if I may add, please request Hongseong to bring along one of their disciples. Ah, it might be better to take Sayoon, who’s close with Chaeran.”
“Hmm? I don’t mind, but why?”
“It’ll be a good experience for both of them.”
“Really? If that’s the case.”
A week to break through three secret realms? It might be tight, but with these two around, it shouldn’t be a problem.
Plus, I’ve organized the methods, locations, and ways to deal with the evil monsters that appear there, so if they can’t manage that, would they even be superhumans?
The two quickly read through the materials I provided, nodded, and got up from their seats.
“Then we’ll be off. You just wait here.”
After confirming they had left, I lit a incense stick. As I approached the window and began to let out the smoke, I spotted three superhumans in the courtyard.
Seeing all of them in serious discussion with grave expressions…
“You don’t have to feel pressured to give me anything good!”
Upon hearing my shout, the three jumped and hurriedly scurried away, and I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
What could they be so serious about trying to give me?
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