Chapter 283: The Tomb of King Pyeong (4)

I was going to return to my original form anyway.

Being in Gyeongwang's body, I felt like my female parts were going to tear apart.

–Crack-crack-crack!

Gyeongwang clicked his tongue as he looked at me, who had returned to the form of the courtesan Yeonsaeng using the "Chehwa Manbyunsul" technique.

Then he asked suspiciously,

"You're not doing this to deceive me, are you?"

"Unfortunately, I'm a man."

"Ah…"

From the look on Gyeongwang's face, he seemed genuinely disappointed.

To think that I'd be asked to become an empress one day — how absurd is that?

Anyway, his proposal was off the table.

"Your Highness's proposal simply cannot be realized."

Gyeongwang smacked his lips with a regretful expression and said to me,

"...You're right, becoming the empress seems impossible. But then, could you serve as my guard in that form? That way, you can still observe whether I become a tyrant."

He was not giving up on the secret to immortality.

Strictly speaking, it was probably the desperation to escape the pain of the Taeyang Jeolmyeok.

I politely declined, giving a respectful bow with my fists.

"I'm sorry, but that too seems impossible."

"...Then I'll grant you whatever you want. Would that still not suffice?"

Gyeongwang truly wanted to live.

It wasn't merely a desire for immortality, so it felt quite pitiful.

Looking at him silently, I asked,

"You said 'anything' — do you truly mean anything?"

"Yes. Speak. If it's within my power, I'll grant it."

"Then… can you give up the imperial throne?"

'!?'

Gyeongwang's expression froze at my question.

He clearly hadn't expected me to ask him to relinquish the throne.

Besides his obsession with life, he had also played the fool, indulging in women and drink, to amass power — he had ambition for the throne too.

I was asking him to give up one of his greatest desires.

Gyeongwang hesitated for a moment, seeming to fall into deep thought, then muttered as if feeling sorry for me.

"...It seems I cannot change my fate after all."

A surprising response.

I didn't expect he'd be willing to give up his life for the throne.

Is his ambition for power really that strong, enough to endure pain and the fear of death?

As I looked at him curiously, Gyeongwang sighed and said,

"Don't look at me that way. Do you think someone who's lived in constant pain would desire power over peace?"

"Then why are you unwilling to give it up?"

He could be freed from a lifetime of illness and even achieve immortality.

That was clearly a better option than a fleeting period of power.

He could even gain immortality first and then break his promise to pursue power.

"I made a promise to my late mother. I promised her I would become emperor and fulfill her dream."

By "mother," he must mean Hyangjeong-bin, the imperial concubine.

Gyeongwang smiled faintly as he spoke.

"It wasn't a grand dream like ushering in a golden age. My mother, having started as a palace maid, could rise only to the rank of bin."

Ah…

So he's doing it for his mother.

–Why would that be for his mother?

The emperor's legal wife is the empress.

Just below the empress is bi (妃), and below that is bin (嬪).

Since she was originally a palace maid and her son was probably not the crown prince, Hyangjeong-bin likely had no path to ascend further.

But there is one way her status could be elevated.

–And that is?

If Gyeongwang becomes emperor.

The emperor's mother cannot hold the status of bin — she is elevated to empress dowager (후).

So more than a lust for power, Gyeongwang may be trying to fulfill his late mother's humble wish.

"Do I seem unfit to sit on the throne?"

To that, I shook my head and replied,

"You are honest. A person who cherishes even the wishes of their late mother would hardly stray from the right path, even as emperor."

At my words, Gyeongwang smiled.

He seemed genuinely pleased.

As if letting go of everything, he asked me,

"There's no point in lingering here and growing sentimental. I'd like to wake the children and head back. Must I wait until you retrieve that thing?"

It seemed he had truly let go of his lingering attachments.

He was a much bigger person than I thought.

I stared at him quietly and said,

"If you're willing to do that, I'd be grateful. But before that, there's one thing I'd like to confirm."

"Confirm?"

"Your Highness, are you able to endure more pain?"

Gyeongwang shook his head with a bitter smile.

"My whole life has been pain. Do you think there's pain greater than what I've already endured?"

"That's a relief. Then, please excuse me for a moment."

"What?"

As Gyeongwang reacted in confusion, I turned around.

Then I pointed my finger toward his myeongmunhyeol (命門穴) — a key acupoint.

'Seoreumji (설음지).'

A cold energy flowed from my fingertip and seeped into his acupoint.

"Ugh!"

As the chilling energy pierced into his meridian, Gyeongwang couldn't hide his alarm.

I warned him,

"From this moment on, if you can't endure the pain, you may lose your life here."

"Wh-What exactly are you doing…?"

"I'm going to unblock your clogged meridians."

"What?"

"Your recovery depends on how much you can endure."

"Recovery? What do you—"

"Please refrain from speaking, and clench your teeth."

As soon as I said that, I guided the cold energy from Seoreumji through the myeongmunhyeol and sent it into the twelve major meridians one by one.

These twelve meridians are interconnected in a cyclical system.

The meridians connect at the hands and feet; the yang meridians link near the eyes, and the yin meridians link in the chest, forming a loop.

That circulation had been blocked by intense yang energy.

–Swaaaaa!

"Gugh!"

When the cold energy reached the blocked points, Gyeongwang couldn't bear the pain.

Then, remembering what I had said earlier, he gritted his teeth.

I wasn't sure if this would work — it was a gamble for me as well.

'Pierce the yang-blocked points with yin energy to restore smooth flow.'

This was a direct method to address a fundamental problem that couldn't be solved with acupuncture, medicine, or elixirs.

I'd once heard that if a master with strong yang energy could clear the blockage, the symptoms of Gu-eum Jeolmyeok could be alleviated or even cured.

But there are very few experts in the world with such precise control over internal energy.

Even more so for those skilled in manipulating yin energy.

–Chiiiiii!

Gradually, steam began to rise from King Gyeong's body.

It was as if something hot and cold were overlapping, creating that effect.

It took nearly half a shichen (roughly an hour).

Because this process involved unblocking the meridians obstructed by yang energy, King Gyeong's entire body became drenched in sweat, and he trembled with pain every time energy surged through him.

What was surprising was that, except for the beginning, he endured all that pain without even a groan.

'Half of them are unblocked.'

But I wasn't sure if King Gyeong could endure the rest.

His head drooped—perhaps he'd reached his physical limit.

The pain that came whenever the cold and hot energies created by the Solar Meridian clashed must've been beyond imagination.

He had endured that for nearly half a shichen. How could he be all right?

"Your Majesty, please endure just a little longer. I will now extract the cold energy."

I placed my other hand on the Baihui point atop his head and channeled innate energy into him.

If he were to lose consciousness, it would affect the process of fully retrieving the cold energy.

"Ah... This feels strange. The pain in my limbs is much reduced—more so than even when I took Shinui's medicine."

It was only natural. The major meridians had been unblocked.

But this alone wouldn't be enough.

As I retrieved the cold energy from the opened acupuncture points, a small amount of yang energy began to rise again.

That meant that even after complete unblocking, ongoing management would be necessary.

"Is it not finished yet?"

"Just a little more and it will be...!?"

Suddenly, I turned my head toward the cave entrance.

I could feel quite a few presences approaching.

Sure enough, around twenty people—who looked like royal guards—came rushing in.

The three at the front were masters at the pinnacle level, and the rest were highly skilled first-class warriors.

King Gyeong, thinking they were his own guards, spoke with difficulty:

"Do not misunderstand. I am currently receiving treatment."

But despite his words, their behavior seemed odd.

The guards looked around awkwardly, their faces clearly troubled.

Then the man with the most formidable martial aura among them pointed to the five-sided stone chamber and commanded:

"Retrieve everything inside."

At this, King Gyeong, bewildered, asked:

"...Who are you people?"

"There's no need for you to know that. Since you're undergoing treatment, this works out well."

—Shing!

One of the pinnacle-level guards drew his willow-leaf saber.

The bloodlust emanating from him confirmed it—they weren't King Gyeong's guards, but under the direct command of the Emperor.

—What should I do?

It was almost complete.

If I stopped now, not only would King Gyeong suffer internal injuries, but he would also fall into qi deviation (a deadly cultivation backlash).

With the Solar Meridian still active, falling into qi deviation would mean certain death.

They had appeared at the worst possible moment.

The other guards entered the stone chamber.

—Just give up. Otherwise, they might steal the secret of immortality.

Almost done.

If I gave up now, the future emperor would change.

The key was to finish before they could carry out the stone coffins.

Then the guard with the willow-leaf saber approached King Gyeong and asked in a cold voice:

"Who did this to the master of that palace?"

"I don't know."

King Gyeong flatly denied it.

Perhaps because he knew I was trying to save him, he remained loyal.

The guard scoffed and said:

"You say that, yet it's known you never left this place. Does that make sense?"

With that, he turned his eyes to me.

Suspicious, he raised his blade and asked:

"What are you doing right now?"

"...."

I gave no response.

"You crazy woman—you must have a death wish."

He then tried to bring his saber down toward my neck.

I focused my mind and prepared to unleash the energy of the Jade Form.

Though I couldn't move freely, that didn't mean I couldn't use its power.

And just then—

"What... What is that!?"

A shout from somewhere drew everyone's attention.

It came from the five-sided stone chamber that held the secret of immortality.

Then, screams rang out in quick succession.

"Gaaaah!!"

"Gahhkk!"

The pinnacle-level guard who had aimed at me looked stunned as he stared toward the entrance.

Something had burst out from the stone coffins and was slaughtering the guards.

The strange beings had glowing red eyes and muscular, naked bodies. Their skin shimmered in silver and bronze hues, looking incredibly solid.

"W-What on earth..."

He said "that," but there was more than one.

There were five in total.

It seemed they had been inside the stone coffins.

There had been no sign of life within, and yet such creatures emerged—that meant they weren't truly alive.

"What are those things?"

One guard asked, and the one pointing his saber at me muttered:

"Maybe that's why His Majesty told us not to go in... Are they some kind of Jiangshi (Chinese hopping zombies)?"

"What do we do?"

"Retreat immediately."

"But what about the others...?"

The guards were being mercilessly slaughtered by the creatures.

Yet they didn't try to save them—perhaps they thought they'd lose their own escape chance. The one still aiming at me said:

"It's too late."

And with that, he tried to kill King Gyeong and me before retreating—swinging his saber.

At that moment—

—Pak!

His saber was stopped mid-swing.

By none other than my bare palm.

"W-What..."

The man was visibly shaken, seeing his sharp blade halted by my unarmed hand.

Thanks to those strange creatures bursting out of the coffins, I'd barely finished retrieving all the cold energy from King Gyeong.

Seeing his attack blocked, the man exclaimed as if realizing something:

"You—you're the disciple of the Grandmaster...!"

"Yes."

But even knowing that—it was already too late.

I grasped the saber blade in my palm.

—Clang!

"Guh!"

The sword shattered in my hand.

I then flicked the broken shards with my fingers. Infused with internal energy, they pierced the man's body.

—Thup! Thup! Thup!

"Gahhk!"

They pierced through his throat and chest, killing him instantly.

I turned to take care of the next one, but he quickly shouted:

"K-King Gyeong! We were sent by Prince Jin! If you kill us, Prince Jin will be furious!"

"Sent by Brother Jin?"

Barely standing, King Gyeong looked at me at the mention of Jin.

He must've had the same thought as I did.

"Perfect."

—Tatata!

"Huh?!"

I quickly struck the guard's pressure point.

He immediately lost consciousness.

Unlike the destroyed Pa Palace officer, these men didn't yet know I was the heir to the Sword Immortals.

They had assumed I was just one of King Gyeong's people—and were using Prince Jin's name to survive.

That meant I couldn't miss this opportunity.

—Unhwi, the screams have stopped.

As Sodamgeom (the talking sword) said, no more screams came from the stone chamber.

Because the guards who went in were all annihilated by those creatures.

—Step. Step.

The blood-drenched monsters were now coming outside.

Pointing at them, King Gyeong hurriedly said:

"Yeonsaeng-ah, I don't think those monsters are human. Can you stop them—huh!"

—Tatata!

Before he could finish, the monsters charged at us.

Their glowing red eyes and emotionless expressions as they rushed in were deeply ominous.

One of the monsters lunged at me, standing before King Gyeong.

—Pak!

I grabbed its head.

The moment I seized it, I understood.

Its body was nearly as hard as diamond.

'No need to hold back.'

They didn't seem human anyway—no point in saving energy.

—Crack!

Its skull was crushed in my grip.

Grabbing its shoulder, I ripped the head off.

—Crunch!

Black blood spilled out along with a rotten stench—something you'd expect from a corpse.

—Fwoosh!

Another one rushed in, and I kicked its neck upward using martial footwork.

—Thud! Boom!

Hit in the jaw, the monster's body flew into the air, its head crashing into the ceiling and dangling lifelessly.

Its stillness made it clear it had died.

'!!!'

The remaining three flinched and stopped in their tracks, clearly shaken by what just happened—even though they had no emotions.

"Not coming?"

Then I'll go to you.

I dashed toward them.

Monsters who had shown no fear suddenly turned and tried to flee all at once.

Seeing this, King Gyeong muttered in disbelief:

"...The real monster is you."