The Red Dragon Martial Emperor - Chapter 192

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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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The Red Dragon Emperor, Chapter 192

Chapter 192 — Yi Seong-ji’s Demand

“Your Highness, the Third Prince has come to see you.”
“What?”
Yi Tae-ji, who had been reclining on his bed eating fruit at leisure, bolted upright.
‘Why is this bastard showing up without warning……’
“Shall I show him in?”
Just as Yi Tae-ji was about to answer, Yi Seong-ji stepped through the doorway behind the warrior.
Yi Tae-ji’s eyes hardened at once.
“I didn’t tell you to come in.”
“Younger brothers visit their elder brothers without requiring permission, surely?”
“Even between brothers there are minimum courtesies to observe. You ought to maintain them — especially a prince who is meant to set an example for everyone.”
“I have something to discuss. Sit down. You — get out.”
The warrior gauged Yi Tae-ji’s expression.
When Yi Tae-ji, glaring at Yi Seong-ji with unmistakable disdain, gestured for him to leave, the warrior finally withdrew.
Yi Tae-ji settled into a chair, crossed his legs, and bit into a piece of fruit.
“Your expression is quite solemn. Is there something you mean to accuse me of?”
“Not an accusation. Simply something I wished to discuss.”
“Then let’s hear it.”
“Could I gain access to the Imperial Archive?”
“What?”
“There is something inside that I desperately need. So I ask that you speak well of me to Mother. If you do, I will repay you handsomely.”
Yi Tae-ji’s expression shifted.
“That’s a place even I haven’t set foot in, and you expect to enter it? No — set that aside for now. First, tell me what it is you need.”
“I cannot disclose that.”
A faint laugh escaped.
Yi Tae-ji’s lips curved in a smirk.
“Neither you nor I — nor even Mother — knows what lies in there. So how can you claim with certainty that what you seek is inside?”
“When I was young, I overheard the Emperor mention it.”
Yi Seong-ji picked up the tea cup Yi Tae-ji had been drinking from and brought it to his lips.
‘He’s been invisible for so long, and now his manner has grown filthy.’
What Yi Seong-ji had just done was unthinkable of him in the past. The obsessive cleanliness of his nature meant he would never touch anything that had belonged to someone else’s mouth.
And from Yi Tae-ji’s perspective, it amounted to considerable rudeness.
“Fine. Suppose I do speak with Mother and have you admitted to the Imperial Archive — what compensation can you offer me?”
“I will leave the Imperial Capital.”
“……!”
“Isn’t that what you hope for — opening my residence to ordinary people and even establishing a military camp?”
At those words, Yi Tae-ji sank deeper into his chair and folded his arms. Yi Seong-ji held his gaze steadily.
Another faint laugh.
A smirk played across Yi Tae-ji’s lips once more.
“It sounds to me like you’re saying you’ll resist to the end if I don’t grant your demand. Is that it?”
“I’ve already decided to leave. But if my request isn’t granted, I’m thinking of moving my residence into the Imperial Palace — somewhere close to the Crown Prince Palace.”
The words carried a hidden weight.
“Even a prince should know the Imperial Palace isn’t a place you can enter whenever you wish, should he?”
“I’m aware. Of course both you and Mother would oppose my moving into the Imperial Palace. So I was thinking of asking the Crown Prince instead. Surely my elder brother possesses enough influence to manage such a thing?”
“……What?”
Yi Tae-ji’s face went white.
He had just understood Yi Seong-ji’s meaning as a threat to join hands with Yi So. If that were the case, it was unmistakable blackmail.
“Your mind has taken a strange turn.”
“Yes. Having survived death twice, my thinking had to change. That full brothers might be worse than half-brothers, or even worse than strangers. Something like that.”
“Are you doubting me now?”
“Not doubt. I am certain the assassination attempt was your doing.”
“……What?”
“If you wish, I can provide proof.”
Yi Tae-ji’s eyes trembled, narrowing to slits.

Yi Seong-ji rose to his feet.
“Then I shall await your decision. Ah, during the Ancestral Rites I’ll be staying in the Imperial Palace, so I’d be grateful if you could give me an answer by then.”
Yi Seong-ji took his leave.
Yi Tae-ji sprang up and strode to the window. He watched the receding figure of Yi Seong-ji, his gaze hardening as the distance grew.
‘Does he truly have the evidence?’
Unease began to take root in Yi Tae-ji’s chest.

* * *

Rumble.
Crash.
As night fell, torrential rain began to pour.
Yi Hwan spread the maps of Manhwa Palace and the Forbidden Zone’s surroundings that Hwa Ryeong had brought onto his desk and studied them meticulously. Yet the maps alone offered no clear path forward.
“There’s no help for it. I’ll have to feel my way through.”
Go-mi, sitting beside Hwa Ryeong, watched Yi Hwan and spoke up.
“No matter how I consider it, this is far too dangerous. Would it not be better to seek another approach?”
“We don’t have time to deliberate further.”
“But…….”
“Don’t worry. I’ll come back alive.”
Hwa Ryeong stepped forward.
“When will you go in?”
“The Ancestral Rites begin tomorrow, so I’m thinking tomorrow night or the dawn after next.”
“I’m coming with you.”
“You?”
“I may not know the inside of the Forbidden Zone, but I know the surrounding terrain like the back of my hand. Won’t that be of use?”
Yi Hwan deliberated for a moment. Then he nodded.
“Very well. But only to the entrance of the Forbidden Zone.”
“Yes, I understand. Ah, and if you’re going in anyway, dawn would be better than night. That’s when the Guard around Manhwa Palace is at its most lax.”
“You’re certain of that?”
“Ab-so-lute-ly.”
“Then we’ll go at dawn. It’s late—go get some rest.”
“Won’t you have a drink?”
Go-mi tugged Hwa Ryeong’s arm and stood.
“Sleep well.”
“Have pleasant dreams.”
Go-mi and Hwa Ryeong departed, and Yi Hwan walked to the window and pushed it open.
Whoosh.
The rain fell hard.
Yi Hwan gazed toward the direction connecting the Command Center to the densely populated Residential Area.
‘The watchers have multiplied considerably since that day. Could that be why they haven’t made contact again?’
The sender of the note had still not appeared by now. Perhaps it was due to the covert surveillance of the villages near the Command Center.
Crack. Crash.
Lightning spiderwebbed across the distant sky, bleaching the world white.
In that flash, shadows became visible on a rooftop some distance from the Command Center—part of those keeping watch.
As the lightning faded, the world plunged back into pitch darkness.
Whoosh.

* * *

‘Their numbers have grown.’
Yang Chan gazed at the Gold Guard Command Center from the darkness, his expression troubled.
Since his first appointment with Yi Hwan had fallen through, he’d returned here several times to send word of a new meeting, yet the covert presence lurking everywhere made approach itself impossible.
No doubt they were sent by Yi Hwang-ja to find him.
Of course, he feared them not. But if he were caught attempting contact, it might be revealed that the person he sought was Yi Hwan—and it would be dishonorable to bring trouble upon him before they’d even met.
So he had no choice but to wait for the most perfect opportunity.
Crack. Crash.
Lightning fell and brightened the world. In that instant everything lay exposed in white, then darkness swallowed it again.
‘There’s nothing for it. I’ll have to approach when the Grand Prince moves again.’
Just as Yang Chan turned to leave after staring at the Gold Guard Command Center a moment longer, he caught a faint presence behind him.
Yang Chan quickly concealed himself, but in doing so made the mistake of failing to properly step on a roof tile.
Click!
A faint sound that ordinary people could barely hear, yet to Martial Artists it would ring as loud as thunder.
And so it proved.
Snap-snap!
Two shadows rose into the air.
‘Damn.’
Yang Chan’s smile turned bitter. In the same breath, he extended his Martial Technique toward the shadows and hurled himself into the darkness.
Crash!
Sparks erupted with the explosion.
“Ugh!”
A cry of pain, and the shadows fell toward where Yang Chan had stood—but he had already vanished into the darkness.
“Cough!”
One black-robed figure doubled over, spitting blood. Another quickly steadied him.
Moments later, black-robed figures converged from all directions. Mun I-jong appeared in their wake.
Mun I-jong spoke.
“Was it him?”
“It appears so.”
“Appears? You should have risked your life holding him down for more time!”
“The throwing blades made it difficult…. My apologies.”
“Which way did he go!”
“That direction….”
Mun I-jong gazed toward where his subordinate pointed—westward, toward the Mountain Terrain.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
‘Just as I suspected. He appeared at the original sighting location. This can only mean there’s something here….’
Though he’d lost the target, Mun I-jong felt his mood lighten at the confirmation of his theory. He’d positioned the most men here precisely because he’d been certain Yang Chan would return to this spot.
‘What is it? Why does he keep coming back to this place, even after being discovered once already?’
That was when—
“Commander, the Gold Guard approaches.”
Mun I-jong looked toward where his subordinate pointed.
Dozens of Gold Guard soldiers were rushing in rapidly, no doubt drawn by the explosion.
“Let them come. They’re of no consequence.”
Mun I-jong paid them no mind, his gaze fixed on the Gold Guard Command Center. Then his eyes flickered, and a cold smile spread across his face.
‘How did I not think of this sooner?’
What had he realized?
The smile that bloomed at the corners of Mun I-jong’s mouth showed no sign of fading.

* * *

The next day, Mun I-jong visited Yi Tae-ji.
Yi Tae-ji, about to depart for the Ancestral Rites, asked abruptly.
“What’s happened with the man?”
“We haven’t captured him yet.”
A sneer twisted Yi Tae-ji’s lips immediately.
“I was a fool to hope. Tsk, tsk, tsk.”
“I have something urgent to report.”
“I’m busy. Make it brief.”
“Last night, he appeared near the Gold Guard Command Center, the site of the original sighting.”
A twitch.
“So he was right in front of you and you let him slip away again?”
“He is not an easy man to capture. And since the Empress wishes him taken alive, the task is all the harder.”
“Did you not hear? If he cannot be taken alive, eliminate him and root out the threat, that’s what she meant, I think?”
“When he appears next, I will prioritize killing him.”
“So what was this urgent news?”
Yi Tae-ji was growing impatient. Mun I-jong cut straight to the heart of the matter.
“If we link this man to the Fourth Prince, things become very interesting indeed.”
“……!”
Yi Tae-ji’s eyes changed at once.
His interest was piqued.
“Speaking so boldly, you must have already worked out your plan….”
“I will have it refined perfectly by the time you finish the Ancestral Rites. But first, there is something you must do for me.”
“What is it?”
“When the imperial relatives gather, create an atmosphere—subtly suggest that the man we’re pursuing may be connected to the Fourth Prince. Of course, the effect will be even greater if word reaches the Fourth Prince’s ears.”
“He won’t attend the Ancestral Rites. A bastard son has no place there.”
……
At that moment, one of Yi Tae-ji’s attendants approached.
“Your Highness, the Empress will arrive shortly. We should make haste.”
“Let us postpone that matter until after the Ancestral Rites are concluded. Of course, we must have a flawless plan prepared by then.”
“Understood.”
Yi Tae-ji rose at once and departed.
Mun I-jong watched the receding figure disappear, then allowed his brow to furrow slightly.
‘I needed to rattle him in front of the Empress and all the imperial relatives……’
He had known nothing of Yi Hwan’s absence from the Ancestral Rites. From Mun I-jong’s perspective, his first move had already gone awry.
“You there.”
“Yes, Commander.”
“From today until the imperial Ancestral Rites conclude, double the guards stationed at the Gold Guard Command Center. If the Fourth Prince leaves the compound, I must know exactly where he goes.”
“Understood.”

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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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