The sword pointed at Prince Hyeon Won ultimately couldn’t go any further.
In a very brief moment. Even though he knew that if he didn’t thrust the sword in during this window of opportunity when no one could stop the tip of his blade, all his plans would be in vain, Cheong Jin Myeong still slowly lowered his head.
“Your Highness.”
Gritting his teeth and struggling to find the words, he finally managed to speak with difficulty as if he was spitting them out.
“If I withdraw my sword here, what will you do?”
“Then I must live longer. It may be meaningless and unsightly, but I’ve heard that’s also a part of life.”
“Is that all?”
“What more do you need?”
Prince Hyeon Won who was lying on the ground looked up at the blue sky with his ashen eyes.
The sky reflected in his eyes was so gloomy. It was as if the world was covered in ash.
“I have lived abundantly enough. Just for inheriting the royal blood, I have received treatment beyond what I deserve.”
“……”
“I wouldn’t make a good emperor. Perhaps, it would be better to meet an early end.”
Even though he was still quite young, Prince Hyeon Won spoke as if he had transcended life.
When someone who had endured storms and trials watched him, an unnecessary sense of immaturity would come over them.
In the end, Cheong Jin Myeong slowly closed his eyes and opened them and spoke.
“That’s something you don’t know.”
At that moment, just when strength began to leave Cheong Jin Myeong’s fingertips,
Wham!
A massive cloud surged in like an army and engulfed Cheong Jin Myeong’s body.
The energy of that power was familiar to him.
Crash!
Cheong Jin Myeong was pushed back by the impact and collided with a nearby tree before he fell down.
“Your Highness! Are you alright?”
“Your Highness! Your Highness!”
He had heard rumors about a Taoist priest from the Anhyang region who controlled clouds.
The wandering Taoist An Cheon who manipulated white clouds like his own limbs and mended the disrupted energy veins of the Heavenly Dragon.
Long white hair, worn-out robe, curled-up eyebrows, and an intense gaze. He was indeed the White Taoist An Cheon who had once been a target of the Black Moon Unit’s assassinations in the distant past.
Cheong Jin Myeong had once pursued White Taoist An Cheon at the request of a group of merchants from Anhyang.
On the day of the previous Heavenly Dragon Festival, the Black Moon Unit had almost captured An Cheon… but he had narrowly escaped with Seol Ran’s help.
“Black Moon Leader Cheong Jin Myeong!”
How on earth had he known about all these plans? He had ridden all the way to the center of the Imperial Garden.
An Cheon who ran out with the help of the great prison hall maid Seol Ran easily figured out the structure of the palace and even pinpointed the place where the Black Moon Unit would appear.
“Ugh…”
The Black Moon Leader who was barely standing glared at An Cheon.
An Cheon jumped off his horse and gathered his energy once again. He was wary of the Black Moon Leader.
Meanwhile, Seol Ran ran towards Crown Prince Hyeon Won.
“Your Highness! Are you alright?”
“You, you are…”
“I am Maid Seol Ran of the Heavenly Dragon…no of the Great Prison Hall. Taoist An predicted a treacherous event would occur in the Imperial Garden, so we came to rescue you!”
After saying this, Seol Ran quickly helped Crown Prince Hyeon Won to his feet.
The Crown Prince shifted his gaze between Cheong Jin Myeong and Seol Ran with a bewildered expression on his face.
“While Taoist An faces the Black Moon Leader, we must flee as quickly as possible! Your Highness, are you injured? If you are alright, we should run faster!”
“You, you …”
Crown Prince Hyeon Won’s wide eyes were fixed on Seol Ran.
That face looked familiar. It seemed to stir a faint memory from the past.
Long ago.
On the night of the birthday ceremony when the demonic spirits rampaged. The image of a maid who took care of Crown Prince Hyeo Won while he was trapped under a rock seemed to overlap with the present situation. But the urgent situation quickly brought his thoughts back to reality.
“I am truly glad you are alive, Your Highness.”
“You… have I seen you somewhere before…?”
“There’s no time for that now. First, we must survive!”
Seol Ran gritted her teeth, helped Crown Prince Hyeon Won, and ran towards the outskirts of the Imperial Garden.
Although it must have been difficult for her small frame, Seol Ran didn’t even seem to care.
There is no sign of the Moon Demonic Spirit Yoran.
After he gathered his energy in front of Cheong Jin Myeong, White Taoist An Cheon was momentarily lost in thought.
In the future he had foreseen, a demonic spirit with a strange form would appear and set the Imperial Garden ablaze.
However, he had to first subdue the Black Moon Leader in front of him.
At this point with the situation already unfolding as it was, the Black Moon Leader would do whatever it took to kill Crown Prince Hyeon Won. If he missed this opportunity, all plans would be in vain.
The Black Moon Leader would try to shake off An Cheon and chase after Crown Prince Hyeon Won whom Seol Ran was helping. He had to prevent that from happening.
After organizing his thoughts, he unleashed all his magic towards Cheong Jin Myeong who had barely managed to stand up.
Blazing flames rose like pillars and engulfed Cheong Jin Myeong. Although he managed to roll away, he let out a scream of agony as he tried desperately to put out the fire on his left arm.
“Black Moon Leader Cheong Jin Myeong! It’s best if you surrender and reveal who is behind you!”
“……”
Cheong Jin Myeong who was cradling his badly burned right arm remained silent and lowered his stance. It looked as if he was preparing to take off. An Cheon spread his energy more widely to prevent him from reaching Crown Prince Hyeon Won.
However, Cheong Jin Myeong kicked off a tree and leaped away. He was actually dashing in the opposite direction.
“…What?”
An Cheon was momentarily startled but he quickly regained his composure. The plan to assassinate Crown Prince Hyeon Won had failed, which meant the enemy was now fleeing. He needed to capture him to uncover who was behind this.
An Cheon mounted a cloud shaped like a horse and began to pursue Cheong Jin Myeong. However, Cheong Jin Myeong’s nimble movements were not easy to follow.
Moon Demonic Spirit Yoran who was pierced by the Cold Iron Heavy Sword stood with little resistance and gradually dissipated.
The way it disappeared from the tip of its court robes looked like flower petals scattering in the wind.
Eventually, the form of the Moon Demonic Spirit completely disappeared, and when Heavenly Maiden Ah Hyun opened her eyes again, only the lonely figure of Seol Tae Pyeong remained.
Seol Tae Pyeong felt the dissipating energy of the Moon Demonic Spirit for a moment, then composed himself and turned his gaze to Heavenly Maiden Ah Hyun.
“As planned, the Moon Demonic Spirit has been dealt with.”
“Tae Pyeong-ah.”
Heavenly Maiden Ah Hyun softly spoke Seol Tae Pyeong’s name in a quiet voice and without her usual playful tone,
The reason the Plague Demonic Spirit had recreated the form of Jin Cheong Lang as the Moon Demonic Spirit was that it thought Seol Tae Pyeong would find it difficult to swing his sword at her.
Even if it was just a figure of the past that had scattered and disappeared, it was too sad for a woman who had once promised to be with him forever to end in such a way.
However, Seol Tae Pyeong who understood the Plague Demonic Spirit’s intention did not hesitate for a moment to strike.
And this was what the disappearing Moon Demonic Spirit Yoran had hoped for.
Yet, human hearts do not always follow reason.
The peculiar bitterness on Seol Tae Pyeong’s face made even Heavenly Maiden Ah Hyun’s heart ache.
“This is why you were reluctant to talk to me about the Moon Demonic Spirit.”
“……”
Cutting down the Moon Demonic Spirit with his own hands must have left a heavy weight on his heart.
However, Seol Tae Pyeong nodded his head as if to say he was fine, and firmly said they needed to focus on the task at hand.
The situation was rapidly escalating.
It was a time when all bitterness and grief had to be put off until later. From now on, speed was everything.
“I just finished talking with Under Councilor Shim Sang Gon. I promised to keep quiet about the Black Moon Unit if he helped me kill Moon Demonic Spirit Yoran. In exchange, he wrote me an authorization letter that allows me to dispatch warriors from the Red Palace in his name.”
“He has fallen into the trap. Do you think I need to step in?”
“There doesn’t seem to be any need for you to get involved, your highness.”
Seol Tae Pyeong sheathed his sword and adjusted his clothes by pulling on the ends of his sleeves.
Then he shook his head and spoke in a serious voice. His current demeanor was very different from to his usually energetic self, which made Heavenly Maiden Ah Hyun feel an inexplicable sense of bitterness.
“Let’s reap what we’ve sown. Let’s go with strength.”
Bang!
“A crisis has occurred at the Imperial Garden! Word is spreading among the high officials that a group of traitors attempted to assassinate the Crown Prince!”
In the Under Councilor’s office.
A military officer burst through the paper door as if he was going to break it, bowed urgently before the Under Councilor, and shouted this.
The Under Councilor who was waiting for the results while biting his nails furrowed his brows.
“What… did you say? What happened to the Crown Prince?!”
“I… I heard he managed to escape the Imperial Garden with his life…”
“……”
Blood vessels protruded on Shim Sang Gon’s eyes.
The story of the Crown Prince’s failed assassination attempt, for which he risked his entire political career, was a catastrophic disaster beyond any bolt from the blue.
It couldn’t be true.
No matter how elite the forces deployed, there couldn’t have been no window of opportunity for assassination in the middle of the deserted Imperial Garden.
Black Moon Leader Cheong Jin Myeong was certainly capable of seizing such an opportunity. It was impossible that someone of his caliber would fail to take advantage of a situation so meticulously prepared.
Damn that demonic spirit hunter…!
Because the plan was a gamble with his destiny, he wouldn’t use just anyone.
No matter how lowly the demonic spirit hunter was, his skill was undeniable. He had been repeatedly tested to ensure he could carry out an assassination under similar circumstances.
What the Under Councilor overlooked was that the demonic spirit hunter did not have the heart to kill the Crown Prince. This was a matter beyond skill or technique.
While he may have thought that he could control him as he pleased with the Black Moon Unit members, he didn’t understand the deepest part of his nature.
That was the difference between Seol Tae Pyeong and Shim Sang Gon.
Seol Tae Pyeong grasped the root of his deepest nature.
In the story of “The Heavenly Dragon Love Story”, the reason why Cheong Jin Myeong could not kill Prince Hyeon Won was because there was goodness deep within his heart.
The moment he witnessed the Crown Prince’s nature of only contemplating life, the image of himself stealing Cheong Seo Rin’s life would overlap and he would no longer be able to swing the sword…. He had known this would happen all along.
However, Shim Sang Gon couldn’t have understood this.
“What happened to those assassins?”
“It is said that they gathered around their leader and escaped! The group is quite large, so we thought there would be traces, but the pursuit is proving more difficult than expected…!”
It was only normal.
The strength Cheong Jin Myeong gained after overcoming the Bitter Harmony Poison allowed him to take his companions and stealthily move through places filled with dark energy. Any assassin would covet such an ability.
He hasn’t been caught…!
As long as Cheong Jin Myeong remained free, there was still a chance for survival.
As long as it wasn’t revealed that he was behind the Black Moon Unit, there could be another opportunity.
An escape route had already been prepared by the Under Councilor. Though the plan failed, it was important to prevent any Black Moon Unit members who knew about the Under Councilor from being captured.
I’ve silenced those who needed to be silenced… but I should double-check.
Few knew he was behind this.
Only a few trusted aides, the Black Moon Leader, and Seol Tae Pyeong.
The Black Moon leader would die the moment he was captured, so there was no fear of betrayal.
Seol Tae Pyeong could have easily overthrown Shim Sang Gon if he wanted to. He needed support to eliminate the Moon Demonic Spirit, so he wouldn’t want Shim Sang Gon to fall too quickly.
I can manage this…!
Shim Sang Gon swallowed nervously and stood up.
He needed to go to the Emperor first and report the entire situation.
He was, after all, the Under Councilor responsible for handling the Imperial Decrees.
Tap! Tap!
Whoosh!
The Black Moon Unit moved through the shadows between the buildings of Cheongdo Palace as they escaped the scene. Most of them were injured.
Some had lost a lot of blood, while others had broken bones.
Those who were seriously injured were carried on the backs of their comrades, and Black Moon Leader Cheong Jin Myeong led them towards the exit of Cheongdo Palace.
There were many warriors of the Red Palace running around Cheongdo Palace and searching for the Black Moon Unit members.
It didn’t seem easy to evade all their eyes and escape Cheongdo Palace.
Still, they had to survive somehow. Given the situation, they needed to get outside, regroup, and assess the outcome of their mission.
“……”
The Black Moon Leader gritted his teeth as he leaned against a wall and scanned his surroundings.
He trembled with anger at his own inadequacy for failing to kill Crown Prince Hyeon Won in the end. That single moment of hesitation had ruined everything.
If he had stabbed without delay.
If he had stayed focused on his task and ignored the Crown Prince’s demeanor.
If he had…
The situation would have been very different.
“Don’t feel guilty, Leader.”
“That’s right. It was a difficult mission from the start.”
The injured members of the Black Moon Unit comforted Cheong Jin Myeong.
When he turned his head to look at them, he saw that they were all severely injured. Every one of them had followed Cheong Jin Myeong. They put their trust in him only.
Cheong Jin Myeong could not bring himself to lift his head in front of them.
They had all entrusted their lives to him, believed in his judgment, and now they were in this state.
Was he a failure both as a father and as a leader?
The realization stabbed at his heart, but for now, the priority was to safely escape from Cheongdo Palace.
He never carried out a mission without an escape plan.
They would run between the buildings, climb over a few walls, and use the tunnel on the outer edge of the west gate to get out. This secret passage had been built over several months by Shim Sang Gon, using the palace staff.
There would likely be a massive manhunt for the Black Moon Unit. Attempting to assassinate Crown Prince Hyeon Won was a grave crime, one that warranted the death penalty.
If caught, they would be executed.
First, they had to ensure their survival, and then they could think about what to do next.
It took them a considerable amount of time to reach the tunnel entrance on the west side of the palace using the pre-planned route.
Since it had been less than an hour since the incident happened, the guards had not yet spread out to the outer perimeter of the inner palace. If they did not escape now, the opportunity would be completely lost.
Pushing aside the bushes on the marked ground near the western outer wall, they revealed a large lid resembling a giant jar cover.
When they lifted it, a small tunnel just big enough for a person to fit through appeared.
The Black Moon Unit members pushed their way inside all at once.
After ensuring all the Black Moon Unit members had entered the tunnel, Cheong Jin Myeong was the last to crawl inside.
Dry soil kept getting into his mouth, and the stench of his comrades’ blood made him tremble.
His burned arm throbbed continuously, but Cheong Jin Myeong gritted his teeth and kept moving forward.
As he ground his teeth and pushed through the dirt, waves of regret washed over him.
Being buried in the soil felt like being inside a coffin. It seemed better to end his life buried like this.
He was a failure.
If he couldn’t be a good father, he should at least have been a good assassin.
Was this current reality, where he had to accept being neither, to blame? The taste of blood seeped from his tightly clenched teeth.
Nevertheless, Cheong Jin Myeong tightened his fist and steeled himself.
Self-reproach can wait for later. For now, I must escape from Cheongdo Palace.
Despite the searing pain spreading through his body, Cheong Jin Myeong continued to move through the blood-scented tunnel.
– So, just come to the Hwalseong District.
Suddenly, the image of the Inner Swords Commander with his arms crossed and speaking at the hills of the Hwalseong District flashed through his mind.
It would make absolutely no sense to say that he had foreseen all of this…
If he had nodded to Seol Tae Pyeong’s proposal back then, would things have turned out differently?
A fleeting sense of regret crossed his heart but Cheong Jin Myeong shook his head.
Clinging to a rope already gone was meaningless. What he needed to consider now was what decisions to make as the leader of the Black Moon Unit.
Just like that…. when he somehow managed to make it outside the tunnel.
“Ah, you’re here.”
The first thing he saw upon emerging from the tunnel.
Seol Tae Pyeong who was accompanied by his adjutant Bi Cheon was sitting on a flat rock and sipping alcohol.
“……”
“Welcome back.”
Cheong Jin Myeong seriously considered going back into the tunnel.
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