Sword of the Emperor Volume 1 Chapter 14

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Chapter 14 – An Unexpected Offer

Once the woman was up, she turned and walked towards the bed while her long graceful hair was wrapped around a towel. As she unknowingly passed Pa Chun who had hidden himself, he managed to catch the fragrance of her body along with the refreshing smell of perfume as if she took a bath filled with countless incense. While the overwhelming mysterious scent tickled his nose, the woman dumped herself on the bed. As these events were unfolding right before his eyes, even the almighty Pa Chun couldn’t help but feel his face flush red as blood rushed to the head. Just imagine, the most beautiful and heaven-like woman, walking around naked in front of your eyes! Furthermore, wasn’t she completely unaware of his presence?

She cleared away the blankets and tucked her body away.

-Damn what a waste! She should’ve waited a little longer before going to bed!!

Even without Chun Ma’s lamentation, even Pa Chun was disappointed. Why did it feel like his chest was so empty?

“By the way, why did I even come here? Oh yeah! I’m here to seduce her! From appearances, she seems pretty docile and kind, if I tread carefully she’ll be extremely useful!

Pa Chun’s outstretched hand flickered across Dok-Go Sul-Lan’s body. However it wasn’t to obscenely grope her body. It was simply to prevent the woman from screaming and making a ruckus by sealing off her pressure points. Dok-Go Sul-Lan opened her eyes wide when she realized something was wrong. However her pressure points were already blocked and she was unable to scream. She seemed to be extremely shocked at Pa Chun who suddenly appeared before her. He was wearing a faint smile as he brought a chair and sat down. His actions seemed so natural that it was like this was his own room. Furthermore, he looked at her with a charming smile. Although she could not speak, her eyes seemed to be asking endless questions. Who are you? What are you doing? Do you think you’ll be safe after this? If you don’t quickly release me, you will regret it!

[Young Lady! I am not someone whose here to harm you. First, allow me to introduce myself. I am called Jade Faced Divine Dragon Mun-Yun. While I was traveling in the night, I by chance discovered a person who seemed like an intruder so I ended up following him here. After that, by chance, just by chance, I learned of young lady’s crisis. I wish to help you, young lady, and I wish you no harm. I will release your pressure points so can you promise me that you will not create any problems?]

Dok-Go Sul-Lan’s eyes seemed to stutter. Well, since her pressure points were blocked, she would be unable to express her intentions!

“Very well then. Then I will trust and release you”

His hands once again flickered across her body.

As soon as her pressure points were released, she immediately sat up and tried to slap Pa Chun across his face.

However, Pa Chun grabbed her hand and immobilized her. Should I just have taken the beating? It wasn’t like this was a crime worthy of death… However should I have let her slap me just once? No, that won’t do. He is a prideful man with dignity. How could he let a woman slap his face?

Huk! He finally realized when he grabbed Dok-Go Sul-Lan’s wrist…. She was still not wearing anything and was showing him her natural curvy figure. It was at this moment that both of them became aware. Dok-Go Sul-Lan stupidly looked at Pa Chun when she realized her naked body was clearly and plainly visible in clear sight. When both their eyes met, Pa Chun realized that she was about to scream when her shoulders were rising. His hand shot out like lightning and clamped the woman’s mouth shut.

“Mmpff”

Was the only sound she was able to make.

“Shh, please be quiet. If you try to make a scene, I will have no choice but to be ruthless with you”

She nodded her head but could he trust her? Although unsure, he had no choice but to trust her!

So he decided to trust her once more. Once he removed his hand from her mouth, she quickly covered her body with blankets. Why are you being so embarrassed, I already saw everything….

Pa Chun leaned on his chair.

“I wish to help you young lady. Please acknowledge my sincerity”

Did he realize how fake his words seemed? However Dok-Go Sul-Lan’s mind was not clear. She couldn’t acknowledge the fact that her precious naked body that she had protected and hidden away for countless years was seen by a complete stranger. To make things worse, when her eyes met Pa Chun’s, the tips of her ears turned red and could not say anything. The intelligence and talent that described her in the rumors was nowhere to be seen. Instead, she shivered in fear like an ordinary young girl. She was never able to learn the martial arts. She followed her father’s wishes so she never had an opportunity and instead read or painted pictures. Her life in other words, was extremely ordinary. She knew nothing about the outside world and knew even less about people. The things she knew were from books she read or things she heard from conversations. It would not be an exaggeration to say that all she had was her imagination. From the day she was born, she had never set foot out of the North Swords. She was unable to determine the motive of the man and couldn’t make a clear judgment. In the end, all she was able to do was shake in fear. However, she was still in a way special.  As she carefully watched Pa Chun’s eyes, she began to calm down. She did not see any malicious intent in those eyes.

“What will you do to me?”

If this was heard and understood in a different way, it might have been strange. However because it was Dok-Go Sul-Lan who said the words, it did not seem weird.

“Um…… I will do whatever young lady wants me to do”

This conversation seemed almost too appropriate to be had with a naked lady during the late night.

“Then will young lord do whatever I tell you to do?”

If the conversation was heard by someone else, it is possible that they would misunderstand.

“That’s right! Just say it! If it’s from you, I will do whatever you ask of me”

He immediately felt embarrassed as soon as the words left his mouth. If he wasn’t, it would mean that he had no dignity as a human.

“Then please take me away.”

“?”

Pa Chun was once again stupefied. Because she said something he had never imagined, he was left speechless. Pa Chun was previously stressing about the methods of seduction so that he could use her. But now that she declared that she wants to go with him willingly, Pa Chun felt almost betrayed because his seduction plans which he was so worried about became worthless.

“Will you….. follow me?”

“Yes! Wherever…. If you can take me out of the North Swords, anywhere is fine. I will forever be in young lord’s debt for the rest of my life.”

“Very well then. After you dress, we’ll leave.”

“Right now is not possible. Please come back tomorrow at this time.”

“What did you say?”

“I said to come back tomorrow…..”

Did this girl think that he was stupid? She might as well try to toy with him. Does she think that this even sounded reasonable?

“Alright”

Was she thinking that I would be intimated by something like this? Obviously not. She must think that without my schemes, I would be no different from a corpse. Who does she think I am…?

In the end, he agreed to this weird promise. Suppressing his disappointment, he left Dok-Go Sul-Lan’s room.

When he returned to the Guest Reception Pavilion, the situation was far more severe than he had anticipated. When Nangong Hyuk Ryun and Nangong Ah-Yeon came in to Pa Chun’s room, they immediately left after discovering that he was missing. After that, Nangong Ah-Yeon repeatedly visited to see if Pa Chun had returned. Even when other groups of people went to see the voting results, Nangong Ah-Yeon stayed behind and continued to guard Pa Chun’s room. Although her overdramatic actions brought suspicion, she remained stubborn. When they returned, they found her sitting down in Pa Chun’s room while tears dripped down from her eyes.

It was then that Nangong Hyuk Ryun realized that something was wrong. He immediately reported the disappearance to the experts of the Five Clans Union, and the news then traveled to the Nine Jung Alliance. When the revered representative of the Nine Jung Alliance, the High Priest Ji-Gong, learned that there was a man of the title, Jade Faced Divine Dragon, who had succeeded the secret moves of Lord Huineng, he took great interest in this man. This resulted in a great amount of interest towards the disappearance. After concluding that the North Swords had done something to this man of importance, the Five Clans Union and the Nine Jung Alliance  immediately went to the North Swords for answers. But how could they possibly know of the real reason for Pa Chun’s disappearance? It was only then when the head and the previous head of Gae Bang visited the North Swords. When the news of the arrival of the two heads spread, even the head of the North Swords made an appearance. Who was the previous head of Gae Bang? Along with the twin Nohs, he was a loyal vassal planted in the Gang Ho by the First Emperor.  It had not been a day since he met the Gunmun Emperor, Yun-Mun. After hearing that he may have been hurt by the North Swords, his anger had already pierced the heavens. Although Dok-Go Han-Chun was the leader of the North Swords, the man he greeted earnestly was the close friend of his own father. In front of the head of Gae Bang, he had no choice but to keep his head down. While he paid his respect, he scolded his subordinates to immediately give them their full aid in the search. This was how the disappearance of one person created such a gargantuan crisis.

 

When Pa Chun arrived at the Guest Reception Pavilion, no one was present.

‘Are they not finished?’

He sat down and poured himself a cup of tea.

‘Come tomorrow? Unbelievable….. You don’t think she’s going to tell a different story after setting a trap do you?’

-Pa Chun! Are you really going to do what the girl says?

[Why do you ask?]

-I don’t think her mind was stable…. I admit that she’s pretty and kind but isn’t it absurd that she asked you, a stranger to take here away? Furthermore she’s a woman.

[Is that what you think? But my thoughts are a little different from yours. I don’t know what it is but I think she’s different from other ordinary woman. Furthermore, from looking at her eyes, I don’t think she lied to me]

-Hey Pa Chun! Strange… you…. perhaps…you fell in love with her?

[That’s right. Why, is that a problem?]

-Aren’t you mistaken about something? In the future, that woman may regard you as an enemy.

[I am aware]

-Don’t be stupid! Love! That’s absolutely nothing. It’s worthless as a pile of dirt you see in the street.

[By the way, why are there people running around everywhere? Is there something going on?]

-Who knows, maybe there’s a fight going on…

Pa Chun went outside. Not only in the Guest Reception Pavilion, but warriors of the North Swords were also running around. It seems like something did happen. He called a warrior who was about to run past him.

“Hey you. Did something happen? What’s with the commotion?”

“I’m not sure. Something about a Jade Face or whatever. Because of that one guy, the entire Norh Swords is in the state of emergency.”

Once he finished talking, the warrior went his own way.

“Jade Face? Just who is he to cause this commotion? Have the Tartars (Mongols) invaded? No that’s not possible, this is the Murim! Even if that were the case, that wouldn’t cause this much chaos…. Wait a sec, haven’t I heard that name before? Wait, Jade Face? That’s me!”

What’s happening! Is this because I saw that girl’s naked body? Did she tell them that I’m an intruder? If I waste time here hesitating, I might fall in a difficult situation

In order to gain more information, Pa Chun ran towards an area, densely populated with warriors. If that’s the reason for the search, I should get ready to run.

As he was running, he found a suitable fellow. He was called Chang San of the North Sword Prefecture who usually did odd jobs and chores. He just stood there watching the warriors while continuously sighing.

“You over there”

Jang-San turned around in surprise.

“Just what is going on? Why is it so chaotic?”

“Huh? I don’t know myself. How could someone of my status know anything? All I am aware is that someone went missing and people are trying to find him”

“What? By any chance, is that missing person you’re looking for the Jade Faced Divine Dragon?”

“Hmm…. Jade Face… yeah, it was something like that”

“Is that so?”

What is this? I’m missing? Just what crisis are we under? Why am I missing? And why are they looking for me?

Pa Chun was still unable to understand the situation. In cases like this, it’s best if I were to find someone I knew….

Divine Sword Pavilion! The Great Business Hall! This was where all the plans and decisions in the North Swords were made. At this time, the air had already cooled, leaving a chilly atmosphere. The highest seat was empty, as the head of the North Swords, the Supreme Divine Sword Dok-Go Han-Chun, sat below along with several other figures. Among these figures was the previous head of Gae Bang, the King Gae Poong Chun-Ho. It was easy to tell just how uncomfortable and anxious he was by looking at his folded arms and closed eyes. Besides these two, many other notable figures had also gathered. Not only the experts of the North Swords, but the experts of the Five Clans Union and the Nine Jung Alliance were also present. Even the experts of South Blades who have heard of  the investigation also decided to attend. Now that the votes have ended in favor of the plan, Dok-Go Han-Chun needed to leave a good impression with the people present. For him, this time was vital for his plans and unfortunately, he could tell that he was being misunderstood because the person of importance has disappeared in the North Swords which he governed. As a result, Dok-Go Han-Chun was being evaluated poorly by the others present. He was of course angered by their expressions but with the previous head of Gae Bang present, who had dozens of years of friendship with his father, the Concealed Dragon Emperor, right in front of him, he was unable to lash out on the others.

“Damn it….. Just what happened? How does it make sense that you still haven’t found him? How can 15,000 warriors not find one person? If, just if….. If something happened to that person…. Be aware that we will fight you till either the Gae Bang or the North Swords disappears. Even if we have to deploy a hundred thousand beggars, we will not leave leave a single blade of grass unsearched, do you understand!”

Dok-Go Han-Chun was endlessly shocked because he had never seen this person so angry. Truly strange. Just what was the relationship between that young lord and previous head of Gae Bang? He felt that his words were too fierce. Even if that young lord was like his son, his words and a search of this scale seemed far too exaggerated. However he only quietly listened to Poong Chun-Ho’s scolding. If even the head was acting so submissively, what could a North Swords expert do?  Watching Dok-Go Han-Chun’s behavior, the Five Clans Union’s head of Peng Clan seemed extremely pleased…. Until Poong Chun-Ho noticed him grinning.

“Oi Peng, what are you so happy about that you are smiling? Is there something that calls for congratulations? Huh? Did your father teach you that way?”

Whine….The Peng Clan head stood there with his head down as if he committed a crime punishable by death. The South Blade’s chief was 80 years old this year, but even he was Poong Chun-Ho’s junior. So no one dared to refute him or get involved. Perhaps it would be different if the Concealed Dragon Emperor were to come. While the leaders of the Murim were having their discussion, Nangong Huyk Ryun and 9 others were standing in a corner. The heaviness in their hearts was the same for each and every one of them. But despite the heavy mood, there was someone who seemed pleased because of the crisis. That person was the North Swords Law Enforcement Corp’s leader, Smiling Sword Wu Hyun-Choong. Although he tried to restrain himself, he could not help but grin. Thankfully he was standing behind Poong Chun-Ho, so he was not caught.

“Advisor! How did it go?  Has your subordinates contacted you yet?”

“Unfortunately they have not…”

“Hmpf! Are you even trying?”

It was the Five Clans Union’s clan leader Peng. Who else but him would further disturb their mind sentiments?

“Elder Peng, aren’t you taking this too far?”

The North Swords’ Advisor, the Three Eyes Thousand Brained So Chun-Ak stated.

“What do you mean? Was I wrong? From what I know, the North Swords were disgracefully destroyed by the Jade Faced Divine Dragon. He has now disappeared in the very center of their territory! Then isn’t it obvious what happened? Despite that these people are feigning ignorance on what happened….

“What did you say? You dare say that?”

“All of you be silent! Now you guys are starting to fight amongst yourself? Fine then, you might as well take the fight to the very end!” Roared the previous head of Gae Bang.

“My Lord! The Jade Faced Divine Dragon, Mun-Yun, seeks your audience”

Jump.

“What?”
“Where?”

“Hurry up and bring him in!”

It was really him. The first person to run out to see was Nangong Ah-Yeon who spread her arms out for an embrace….. only to be dodged by Pa Chun who continued to walk as if nothing was out of ordinary! Because he seemed perfectly fine, the people present were stupefied.

“My Lord….. You were safe”

!!!
!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The previous head of Gae Bang just called the young Jade Faced Divine Dragon Mun-Yun… his lord?

[Poong Gae, what are you doing? There are many eyes watching]

It was then King Gae Poong Chun-Ho realized his mistake. Because he was too joyful, he acted without thinking. Even though he realized his mistake, hasn’t the water already been spilled? The head of North Swords was so surprised that his eyes became visibly larger! That was also the same for Nangong Hyuk Ryun, the Nine Jung Alliance, the Five Clans Union, and the South Blades. Just who was King Gae Poong Chun-Ho? Was he not this one of this generation’s most highly esteemed elders and the previous head of Gae Bang, the Largest Outer Force under the Heavens?  How could someone of that level call someone else as lord and bow before him? It was even stranger that this “lord” seemed to be a young man in his twenties. This was huge news. It was necessary to control the situation to prevent this information from leaking out but that was not possible. If they were to try to forcefully hide the truth, it would only serve to amplify the suspicious.

 

After Pa Chun smoothly helped him to his feet, he declared to the people around him

“Because of my lack of responsibility, I burdened all of you needlessly. For that I sincerely apologize. I especially don’t know what to say to the North Swords’ head.”

“N…. Not at all. I don’t mind”

He was still unable to come out of the shock. Because of that, he became extremely awkward in regards to Pa Chun.  Regardless, the crisis seems to have now been resolved. The tense atmosphere was finally broken with Dok-Go Han-Chun’s announcement.

“Please, let us all go to the Great Banquet Hall. Isn’t today a day where we make history in our Jung Pa Murim? Please eat and enjoy as much as you desire.”

Because the mood was so tense that everyone’s nerve was on high alert, his casual words left everyone in bad taste. However he still managed to ease their minds. The people from the Five Clans Union and the Nine Jung Alliance, as usual, did not seem very comfortable. In the meantime, although Poong Gae asked Pa Chun for an explanation, but he failed to receive an answer.

In a short time, the area was soon filled with people who gathered with food and alcohol. While the table was being set up, the menservants brought in countless types of food and alcohol. At the entrance, the experts of the North Swords enthusiastically greeted the individuals coming in who belonged to the Nine Jung Alliance and the Five Clans Union along with the experts of Gae Bang.

Along with the previous head of Gae Bang, the Five Clan Union’s clan leader Peng, the Nine Jung Alliance’s High Priest Ji-Gong, and the South Blades’ Top Elders, Pa Chun was guided to the innermost center of the banquet hall where the highest guests of honor was seated. The special treatment towards Pa Chun was because he was of his “master” relationship to the previous head of Gae Bang. Nangong Hyuk Ryun who originally wanted to sit with Pa Chun was disappointed while Nangong Ah-Yeon continued to glance and sometimes outright stare at Pa Chun.

“Elders! Please ease your past grudges and allow me to pour you all a glass”

“Here, you too Sir Mun! Please receive a glass from me as well!”

It was the North Swords’ head, Dok-Go Han-Chun. While he poured Pa Chun a glass, his eyes were aimed at Pa Chun, not wanting to miss even the slightest details. He sharply examined every single one of his movements and characteristics.  Although Pa Chun noticed, he calmly ignored the stare and continued with his drink.

‘Hmm, just how does it make sense that this brat is King Gae’s master? In order to conquer all of Murim, it is absolutely necessary to gain King Gae’s support. Although I was able to curry a few favors using my father’s relationship with King Gae, I still need to coax this brat….. In times like this, I wish I had another daughter….. ugh’

He was truly a frightening man. The man named Dok-Go Han-Chun!

From this merry atmosphere, laughter after laughter were poured out. The sound mostly came from those who threw a vote favoring the North Swords’ plan. At first, it seemed that both sides would come out to be pretty even, but once the voting began, most had voted in favor of the eradication plan. No one could now prevent the plan from taking its course. Even the Clan Leader Peng who had declared he would leave the Jung Do Alliance seemed like he could not go against the flow. All the cards were now in North Swords’ hands.

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