episode_0159

* ***

Entering the palace hall, Yu-gyeong had a glimmer of anticipation. Is there anything that would make Ho Cheon-an call him?

Wouldn’t it give us some kind of silver bullet to solve the problems surrounding Hyeok Kirin now?

“Hasn’t a man named Ho Cheon-an come up with some kind of clever trick?”

“Well…I personally think it is negative.”

Contrary to Yu Qing’s expectations, Sima Qinghui had a negative stance.

“Uh huh. Think positively. Didn’t Ho Cheon-an’s authorized letter work well?”

Sima Qinghui lowered his head with a bitter smile.

‘Hocheonan. That person was Princess Yuya, so he must have guessed that Hyuk Kirin, whom he knew, was Du-jak’s younger sister.’

When Sima Qinghui heard Yu Qing’s complaints, he thought of Ho Cheon’an’s condition. His face suddenly turned pale and he broke into a cold sweat.

‘Perhaps Yu-kyung’s complaint contained a clue that Princess Yuya and Her Majesty were siblings.’

There were clues like this and that.

He must have been active in Sacheon at the same time as Sima Yeom and Hyuk Kirin, so he would have had the opportunity to see Sima Yeom’s attitude toward Hyuk Kirin. And above all…

‘The princess must have been able to explain it, but no matter what excuse she made, the reflection was so immediate.’

No matter how quickly things are done, a minimum amount of time is needed. However, since it had been less than a day since Yu-kyung, disguised as Du-jak, appeared in a dejected state, Ho Cheon-an had no choice but to have doubts.

There is a limit to the time Hyuk Kirin and Ho Cheon-an can stay in Gungcheongjeon, so the gap was inevitably revealed. I couldn’t spend days and days trying to kill my doubts, so I had no choice but to press ahead.

Since I see his face once a day, I would have been able to check Hyeok Kirin’s state of mind and give him appropriate advice.

However, it was virtually impossible to guess the circumstances of these two people intertwined over the throne.

‘He should be helpful in his current situation, but… His Majesty seems to be expecting too much.’

Sima Gyeong-hwi also acknowledged Ho Cheon-an’s gambling skills. And he also acknowledged that people themselves have wit.

When he realized that his acquaintance was a member of the royal family and at the same time realized that his actions were the cause of the sibling quarrel, he barely showed any outward signs of agitation.

Sima Gyeong-hui also hoped that Hu Tian-an would provide a breakthrough in this situation, but he felt that Yu-gyeong’s expectations were too high, so he deliberately said negative things.

Controlling Yugyeong’s tendency to lean towards one method was also one of the duties of Admiral Dongchang, the head of the imperial intelligence agency.

“Eng. You’ve been walking around the palace using a fake identity, so relax your shoulders.”

Yoo-gyeong seems to have read Sima-gyeong-hwi’s intentions and gives him a harsh blow. It was a story that made you shake your head from the perspective of Sima Gyeong-hui, who had disguised himself countless times in order to rise to the rank of Admiral Dongchang.

Sima Qinghui’s expression hardened as he opened his mouth to make a light complaint.

“Your Majesty. Stay behind me.”

“…What’s going on?”

I felt a huge energy. It wasn’t a threatening trend, but even Sima Gyeong-hwi, the ultimate martial artist, felt a lot of pressure.

“I can feel a strong energy from the training ground.”

What did Ho Cheon-an do? Sima Jinghui frowned. For Sima Gyeong-hwi, Yu Gyeong’s safety is the top priority. Yu-gyeong spoke faster than Sima Gyeong-hui, who was trying to say that he should go back immediately.

“Let’s go.”

“Your Majesty! It’s dangerous! After calling Geumgun and ensuring safety…!”

“Didn’t he call me?”

Yu-kyung smiled. Sima Qinghui was momentarily taken aback when he read the firm determination on Yu Qing’s expression.

“Didn’t you see his talent at the gambling table? In a way, it is natural that extraordinary things happen because extraordinary people display talent.”

“Haona…”

“Add.”

Hearing Yu Qing’s firm tone, Sima Qinghui sighed inwardly and pulled out his soft sword. Since the master’s will has been decided, I have no choice but to follow it. Holding a sword that was stiffened by injecting internal energy into it, Sima Qinghui approached the training hall while being wary of the surroundings.

And what they saw was Hyuk Kirin enjoying the moment of enlightenment with his eyes half-open, and Ho Cheon-an watching him.

“Ja…”

Sima Gyeong-hwi, who was about to make a loud noise, reflexively suppressed his voice when Ho Cheon-an gestured for him to be quiet. Not only Sima Gyeong-hwi, a martial artist, but also Yu-gyeong, who was well-versed in the common sense of the martial arts people, approached Ho Cheon-an without even making a sound.

“Before I met you two, I wanted to have a quick exchange of swords with Hyeok Kirin Daehyup.”

Ho Cheon-an’s words made me wonder what the two were talking about.

“Then, suddenly, as if he realized something, he entered the current state. I tried to communicate with both of them when I met them, but the situation was not favorable.”

“…Is Hyukkirin Daehyeop okay?”

“I’m just gaining enlightenment. It would be enough to just watch so that no one touches the Hyeokgirin Daehyup.”

At Ho Cheon-an’s words, the two people looked at Hyeok-ki-rin again.

High-density, vaguely tangible energy was shaking around Hyuk Kirin. A moment of enlightenment that fellow admiral Sima Jinghui also witnesses for the first time.

It was a mysterious sight. It showed a dynamic appearance, sometimes contracting and expanding, as if it was continuing life activities on behalf of Hyeok Kirin’s body, which was motionless. The appearance of Hyeok Kirin was like a huge heart, and the energy from around the training ground flowed in and out of Hyuk Kirin like blood.

The two watched the scene in silence. It was a scene that needed no further explanation as to why Ho Cheon-an was just looking at Hyuk Kirin.

Yu-kyung looked at the scene as if fascinated. Even Yu-gyeong, who was not a warrior, could vaguely feel the huge flow of energy and the tangible energy flying around Hyeok Kirin could be traced with just his eyes.

“It’s so…gentle.”

Yu-kyung muttered that without realizing it. Hyeok Kirin was showing great power. Even though Yu-kyung was an outsider in martial arts, she knew that if Hyuk-ki-rin’s energy moved towards her even for a moment, she would have no choice but to fade away like a candle in the wind.

But I wasn’t afraid.

It wasn’t because they were blood relatives.

Because I was able to feel warmth and warmth despite the huge flow of energy. These delicate and gently flowing energy… were not intended to harm people. It was a flow of energy that wanted to give to people and hug them.

Even though he was a Confucian scholar who did not know the martial arts character, he was somehow able to understand that fact.

This was possible because I was on the way to enlightenment.

It was understandable because the life accumulated by a warrior named Hyeok Kirin was knocking on the door of heaven to overcome the limit by taking the open road with a few words.

‘This was you.’

The inner feelings that Hyuk Kirin could not express on his own. It was possible because Hyuk Kirin’s true character, which was hidden in Hyuk Kirin’s murky emotions, which he could not express because he had no achievements to show off or because he did not want to burden his brother, was revealed to the world through the topic of conversation.

Yu-kyung observed the pulsating flow of energy.

The flow of energy like that heartbeat was the martial artist Hyeok Kirin. No, it was the person named Hyeok Kirin, whom Princess Yuya had built up after leaving the imperial palace.

Hu Tianan quietly placed his hand on Sima Qinghui’s shoulder.

“With the two of you coming, I feel relaxed and my legs are shaking.”

Sima Gyeong-hwi, who, like Yu-gyeong, was immersed in the scene of Hyeok-ki-rin’s enlightenment, came to his senses.

“It’s embarrassing, but I haven’t swung a sword in quite some time, so I just got overly excited. I would like to rest a bit, but could you help me get to a place where I can rest?”

Sima Qinghui almost reflexively retorted, asking what kind of nonsense this was. It was obvious that he had been sparring with Hyeok Kirin just by looking at his sweat-soaked clothes, but a strong, top-class warrior could lose his legs after swinging his sword at most.

However, instead of answering, Sima Qinghui looked at Hyuk Qilin and Yu Qing.

“…Okay then.”

In fact, rationally, it was a decision that made no sense. No matter how Hyuk Kirin was, he was in a state of trance, and if something untoward happened, Yu-kyung, an ordinary person, could have suffered significant injuries in the aftermath alone.

Sima Jinghui thought. If someone asks you later on what basis you made this decision, you probably won’t be able to answer.

I don’t know what will happen to the two people left behind, and even though I abandoned my duty to take responsibility for Yu-kyung’s safety, I can only say that I vaguely felt like this could be okay after seeing Hyuk Kirin.

Nevertheless, Sima Jinghui supported Hu Tianan’s shoulders.

‘I wonder if I’ve been possessed by enlightenment.’

Sima Qinghui smiled and left the training hall with Hu Cheonan.

Only Hyuk Kirin, who is digesting enlightenment, and Yu-kyung, who looks at Hyuk Kirin, are left in the training hall.