Return of the Sword Emperor - Chapter 60

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 22: Shaking the Board (1)

Late into the night, Gong Ja-gyeol’s expression was distinctly sour as he left a banquet meant to encourage the candidates who had participated in the Martial Tournament.
He found Jo Sa-eung’s voice—boasting endlessly while pretending not to—thoroughly repugnant, and the other candidates’ fawning attitudes toward him equally grating.

‘And indeed, the Chongchaejoo’s eye for talent is…’

Gong Ja-gyeol marveled at and felt grateful toward Nok Rim Tu Wang for seeing through his half-hearted movements during the Martial Tournament at a glance, yet choosing not to expose him openly—instead offering a subtle, indirect rebuke.
Of course, it was his own delusion.
Not only Nok Rim Tu Wang, but many others watching the tournament had seen through his lack of earnest effort in his bout with Jeon Woong long ago.
But now, the person confusing Gong Ja-gyeol’s mind more than anyone else was unquestionably Dokgo Jin.

“Ugh. I’m going mad.”

Gong Ja-gyeol sighed as he recalled the Transmitted Sound that had suddenly reached him as he moved from the tournament grounds toward the banquet hall.

“Damn it.”

He wanted to ignore it, but curiosity gnawed at him too fiercely to resist.
Reluctant as he was, his feet carried him naturally toward the appointed place.
At the edge of the now-empty tournament grounds, Dokgo Jin sat perched on his heels, gesturing toward Gong Ja-gyeol.

‘What the hell is this lunatic doing.’

Already in a foul mood, Gong Ja-gyeol frowned at the sight of this absurd figure beckoning him.

“It’s me.”
“Hic!”

Gong Ja-gyeol jumped at the voice that suddenly reached his ears as he turned to look for Dokgo Jin.

“You!”
“I was wearing a disguise. You know—I can’t exactly walk around showing my face.”
“That’s true enough. There are people from Heukgol Pae here, after all.”

Though Gong Ja-gyeol nodded as though convinced by Dokgo Jin’s excuse, he kept his guard firmly in place.

“You’re a suspicious one.”

Dokgo Jin grasped the edge of the Human Skin Mask and lifted it slightly as he continued speaking.

“You didn’t take the Spirit Pill I gave you.”
“That’s right.”

Only when the word “Spirit Pill” left Dokgo Jin’s lips did Gong Ja-gyeol finally lower his guard.

“You didn’t trust me. Thought I might’ve poisoned you?”
“No, that wasn’t it. It was definitely a genuine treasure pill.”

Gong Ja-gyeol, who had tested portions of the Spirit Pill several times over, was certain of its authenticity.

“Then why didn’t you take it?”
“If you met a stranger who suddenly showed you kindness for no clear reason, would you accept it without question?”

Dokgo Jin let out a short laugh at Gong Ja-gyeol’s counterargument.

“Not in a thousand years.”
“Exactly. Damn it! With something that good right in front of me, why should I have to agonize over it? Can you imagine how that feels?”

Watching Gong Ja-gyeol suddenly flare with emotion, Dokgo Jin broke into laughter instead. At last, he was seeing the man as he’d been before.

“Does it matter if there’s a reason?”
“Yeah, this is how it should be.”

Gong Ja-gyeol, his expression brightening, steadied his breathing and studied Dokgo Jin’s face calmly before speaking.

“What do you want from me?”
“I want you to become the Nok Rim Tu Wang’s heir. And beyond that—the leader of Nok Rim itself.”
……

Gong Ja-gyeol stared at Dokgo Jin’s face as if he’d just spouted nonsense, then shook his head.

“I don’t buy it. I can’t make sense of it. Why in the world would you want me to become the leader of Nok Rim?”

Dokgo Jin answered without hesitation.

“It’s simple. You know I came from the Jeongmu Maeng, right?”
“I do.”
“So if anyone else becomes the Tu Wang’s heir and takes over as leader, they’ll probably end up in bed with the Madoryeon bastards.”

Gong Ja-gyeol’s eyes widened, and a hollow laugh escaped his lips.

“I’ll grant you Jo Sa-eung. But what about Jeon Woong? Isn’t the Jeongmu Maeng backing him?”

Though his own power was modest, Gong Ja-gyeol was hardly ignorant of the fact that both the Jeongmu Maeng and Madoryeon had a hand in the succession struggle.

“The Jeongmu Maeng does back Jeon Woong. But not me.”
“Why not?”
“Because the man’s rotten at heart.”
“What?”

The answer was unexpected enough that Gong Ja-gyeol stared blankly for a moment before laughing like a madman.

“Haha! This is insane. You’re right though—the man is rotten. So you’re saying you’ll help me for that reason alone?”
“That’s right.”
“Fine. Suppose I go along with it. Once I’ve become the heir as you wish and taken over as leader, surely you’ll want something in return?”
“Nothing. Just maintain the status quo as the Tu Wang does now. We stay neutral—neither with us nor with the Madoryeon. That’s enough. If it troubles you, you could even lean our way a little.”

Gong Ja-gyeol studied Dokgo Jin with eyes that had gone sharp and clear.
Beneath the lightness of his tone lay a seriousness that made it unmistakably plain this was no jest.

“So—will you take my hand? Do I need to give you more time to think?”
“No.”
“You’re accepting?”

At Dokgo Jin’s counter-question, Gong Ja-gyeol nodded readily.

“Of course. However I look at it, the terms are far too favorable to me. Refusing would make me an idiot.”
“Good thinking.”

Dokgo Jin’s face brightened as he welcomed the decision.

“Though there’s something I’m curious about.”
“Ask away.”
“When we met before, you said there was a separate test to determine the heir.”
“That’s right.”
“Breaking with Nok Rim’s tradition—is there information we don’t know about?”

Dokgo Jin hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should explain about the Jade Blade, but then let the thought go. He judged that such knowledge was unnecessary to him right now.

“I can’t say for certain. But there’s no doubt the leadership is making such a move.”
“Hmm, so you’re saying it’s uncertain. Then I suppose we’ll have to act.”
“Act? Surely you don’t mean…….”
“We can’t afford to sit idle on a single piece of unverified information—not when our rivals are already pulling ahead.”
“So you’re saying we rob the Mangeum Sangdan?”

Dokgo Jin’s voice rose sharply.

“Right, I just realized—how exactly do you know we’re targeting the Mangeum Sangdan?”

Gong Ja-gyeol’s expression betrayed burning curiosity, but Dokgo Jin felt no compunction to answer the question.

“Quiet. Do you think Wa Ryong Pae has the strength to pull it off?”

At Dokgo Jin’s cold tone, Gong Ja-gyeol found himself hesitating before he spoke.

“My uncle from Buyun Pae said he would help. Buyun Pae isn’t widely known, but…….”

Dokgo Jin exhaled slowly and cut him off.

“Absolutely not. You can’t pull it off.”

The sheer finality in his tone prompted Gong Ja-gyeol to silently demand an explanation with his eyes.

“Do you know who backs the Mangeum Sangdan?”

The mention of a backer made Gong Ja-gyeol start.

“I’ve never heard of such a thing. The Mangeum Sangdan has a backer?”
“The Namgung Clan. They are the Mangeum Sangdan’s patrons.”

For a moment, Gong Ja-gyeol’s mouth fell open.

“The Namgung Clan?”
“Yes. And they know the current state of Nok Rim far too well. They understand what those blinded by lust for the Successor’s seat are scheming.”
“Then…….”

Gong Ja-gyeol’s voice trembled without his meaning it to.

“Exactly. The Namgung Clan’s masters will move. If you target the Mangeum Sangdan without knowing that, you and your uncle will both face ruin.”

After standing vacant for a long moment, Gong Ja-gyeol cried out in frustration.

“But there’s no choice, is there? Like I said, we can’t just wait—our competitors are already outpacing us.”
“Don’t worry about that. I have a plan. All you need to do is trust me and wait. Take the Spirit Pill I gave you and build your strength.”
“Are you certain?”
“I am.”

At Dokgo Jin’s firm reply, Gong Ja-gyeol, who had been deliberating at length, nodded heavily.

“All right. I’ll abandon it, like you said.”
“Good thinking. I’ll be in touch soon. It won’t take long.”

Dokgo Jin tapped Gong Ja-gyeol’s shoulder and turned toward Yu Seollan, who waited a short distance away.
Gong Ja-gyeol, watching him with a troubled expression, let out a sigh and turned away.

“When did those two become so close? The way they talk—it’s like watching old friends.”

Yu Seollan kept her gaze fixed on Gong Ja-gyeol’s retreating figure as she spoke.

“Was it that way? Perhaps because we’re of similar age, I found myself speaking more casually than I intended.”

Dokgo Jin, unaware of the tone he’d adopted in his conversation with Gong Ja-gyeol, managed an awkward smile.

“Have you finished talking?”
“Yes, my apologies. I spoke for longer than I should have.”
“No, that’s not the issue.”

Her gaze shifted from Gong Ja-gyeol to Dokgo Jin.

“The Spirit Pill was yours from the start, so I wouldn’t have complained no matter who you gave it to—neither I nor the Deputy Chief had any right to. To be honest, the idea of giving it to a Sanjuk troubled me somewhat. But this situation is different.”

Yu Seollan’s voice took on an edge.

“What were the two of you discussing?”
“Mainly about the Spirit Pill. He still doesn’t fully trust it. He’s suspicious not of the pill itself, but of why I gave it to him.”
“Anyone with sense would doubt it. And what else?”
“I explained how the succession struggle is playing out. I even warned him that rushing in recklessly would be dangerous.”

When Yu Seollan’s eyes suggested that wasn’t enough, Dokgo Jin added a few more words.

“I told him to conserve his strength now and plan for the future.”
“That’s overstepping your authority. Jeongmu Maeng supports Jeon Woong.”
“I’m aware of that.”
“Then why are you trying to help him?”
“You saw it yourself. Jeon Woong is no match for Jo Sa-eung.”
“And Gong Ja-gyeol can be?”

Dokgo Jin didn’t answer immediately to Yu Seollan’s question.

‘If he were to fully master the Internal Force and Secret Transmission left behind by his master, Janggang Eoeun, then Jeon Woong and Jo Sa-eung would be trivial opponents.’

Even Janggang Suro Maeng, which could be called the ruling power of the Janggang River, treated Janggang Eoeun with caution. The fact that such a figure had chosen a Sanjuk from Nok Rim as his heir was, even upon reflection, absurd beyond measure.
Though Dokgo Jin knew Gong Ja-gyeol’s potential all too well, he had nothing to say for the moment. The clear truth was that he fell far short of Jo Sa-eung and Jeon Woong at present.

“I have no intention of providing substantial aid, nor am I in a position to do so. I simply thought it would be valuable to have someone in Nok Rim who could be an asset to us when Jo Sa-eung becomes the heir and the Chongchaejoo.”
“Why him specifically? Even if he loses in the succession struggle, Jeon Woong would suffice.”
“No. Though you assessed Jeon Woong’s character as passable at the Dark Council gathering, you know as well as I do what kind of man he truly is. He’s arrogant, contemptuous of others, and lives by his own conceit. Whether he loses the succession struggle or even becomes Chongchaejoo with our help, he’s not the type to cooperate with us willingly. He’s the sort to stab us in the back.”
“That’s true enough.”

Since Yu Seollan’s impression of Jeon Woong was equally poor, she couldn’t counter Dokgo Jin’s words.

“Above all, I wanted to repay a debt from last night.”
“Hmm.”

At the mention of last night, Yu Seollan’s lips twitched.
The moment they’d broken through Heukgol Pae’s encirclement and encountered the Sanjuk of Waryong Chae and Buyun Pae was truly a critical moment.
Given Dokgo Jin’s skill, she’d been certain breakthrough was possible, but she could never have guaranteed the safety of the others in such circumstances.
Yet even so, supporting Gong Ja-gyeol was another matter entirely.
While it wasn’t an official move by Milkgeom Dan but rather Dokgo Jin’s personal deviation, the problem was that such an action wasn’t something an individual member could decide and determine on their own.

“We can understand it. But for our senior who’s invested so much in Jeon Woong for so long, this is quite insulting.”
“That’s certainly true.”

Yu Seollan was about to bristle at Dokgo Jin’s calm reply when she let out a heavy sigh instead.

“Ugh. I don’t know anymore—let’s just go back. We need to inform the Deputy Chief and ask his opinion. I want to be rid of this wretched situation as soon as possible.”

Yu Seollan scratched her neck irritably and spun around sharply.
Against her usual nature, Yu Seollan forced herself to swallow her anger, and Dokgo Jin felt a mixture of gratitude and guilt watching her.

‘Just a little longer, please. You’ll understand why I’m doing this soon enough.’

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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