Chapter 39: Emperor of Flames 1

Baek Moo-jin looked down at Jin So-hye, who remained unconscious, his expression grave.

There were more than a few strange points. Above all, Jin Sohye possessed the most formidable power among the masters Baek Moo-jin had faced. There was no reason for someone with this level of skill to lose consciousness so easily.

The first thing to suspect was…

‘Could she be ill? But that seemed unlikely.’

At this level of cultivation, one’s body transcends the realm of ordinary humans.

Baek Moo-jin shook his head.

‘If not then…’

At that moment, Jin Sohye dropped the sword she was holding. But Baek Moo-jin, paying it no mind, looked at Jin Sohye and then, with no other choice, touched her body again.

As Baek Moo-jin cautiously tried to infuse his qi, an unknown force repelled it with intense resistance.

Baek Mujin looked even more startled than when he had fought Jin Sohye.

‘What the hell is this?’

How could he possibly describe this sensation?

It was as if a colossal power, too immense even for Jin Sohye herself to handle, was coursing through her body.

“Miss Jin, Miss Jin!”

Unable to channel his qi, Baek Moo-jin had no choice but to tap Jin Sohye’s temple with his cold fingers, infused with only the barest trace of his inner energy. Jin Sohye exhaled a rough breath with an expression utterly unbecoming of a young princess, then opened her eyes briefly.

“The Flame Emperor… must be subdued with qi…”

“Huh? The Flame Emperor? Should I practice qigong?”

Jin Sohye’s pale face was gradually turning red.

“What about the time? Young Lady Jin!”

“Carry me away… There’s no one here.”

“No one?”

There was no time to interpret the meaning of the words.

‘What the hell is Yeomje, and why is there no one here…?’

Baek Moo-jin raced through the possibilities.

Jin Sohye speculated that Jin Sohye was either suffering from side effects of mastered martial arts or her body couldn’t withstand the runaway state of her inner energy. Whatever Yeomje was, time was running out.

Baek Moo-jin spoke.

“Miss Jin, bear with me a little longer. And please excuse me.”

This was not a suitable place to regulate his qi. Baek Moo-jin embraced Jin Sohye again with both hands, then knelt to pick up her sword before abruptly activating his lightness skill and dashing off.

Finding a deserted place was the immediate priority.

For the first time, Baek Moo-jin began running at full speed. He was so fast, it was as if he were the god of wind himself. Soon, a shabby inn appeared, but seeing a crowd of drunken revelers gathered in front, Baek Moo-jin passed right by.

The drunken men were chuckling among themselves when something white flashed past. They stared blankly in the direction Baek Moo-jin had vanished.

“What was that? Just now.”

“Did you see it? Didn’t something just pass by?”

“I saw it! Something white.”

The drunks had been exchanging lewd jokes, but in an instant, the topic shifted. They began arguing loudly about the identity of the thing that had just passed, and soon started fighting.

As soon as Baek Moo-jin passed the drunks, he continued talking to Jin So-hye.

“We’ll arrive soon. Pull yourself together. What is Yeomje? The Fire Emperor? An elixir? Or… I need to understand what it is to help you, Miss Jin!”

Seeing Jin Sohye didn’t respond, Baek Mujin saw no need to go further. He entered a quiet roadside inn where no drunks were in sight. He carried Jin Sohye on his back so her face wasn’t visible, then woke the dozing innkeeper and whispered quietly.

“Hey there.”

“Yes? Yes?”

As the innkeeper wiped his mouth and stared blankly, Baek Moo-jin spoke softly.

“A quiet room.”

Jumsoi couldn’t help but glance at the woman’s long, straight hair draped over Baek Mujin’s shoulder, a satisfied smile spreading across her face.

‘Oh dear, where did he get drunk… like this. A guy who looks perfectly fine already slurring his words.’

Jumso-i spoke politely, her words completely at odds with her inner thoughts.

“I’ll show you to a secluded room. Twenty-five nyang.”

“What?”

“Why?”

“Ah, never mind.”

Baek Moo-jin wasn’t in the mood for an argument, so he simply took out a silver coin and placed it on the counter.

“I’m counting on you. If anyone comes looking for someone…”

Before he could finish, the shopkeeper swiftly covered the coin with her hand and replied.

“Of course not. Don’t worry and just follow me. You’ve come to the right place. When it comes to quiet spots, there’s nowhere better than our Love Song Inn.”

Baek Moo-jin let out a sigh and followed the innkeeper. It was odd that the inn was named Love Song. Somehow, a shadowy atmosphere seemed to linger. The inn’s layout was also strangely peculiar, but this wasn’t the time to pick apart details.

2.

A man stopped before the Jin Family Trading House, where flames still burned. Embroidered across his back like Left Minister Yi Gon were enormous flames.

It was Lee Mong-yeom, the younger cousin of Lee Gon and the Right Minister of the Sunghwa Palace.

He stared up silently at the burning scene of the Jin Family Trading House, as if unable to believe what he was seeing.

Where on earth had he come running from?

After a subordinate sent by Left Minister Lee Gon arrived covered in blood to report, Lee Mong-yeom had been running almost nonstop for two hours.

Yet, not a single ragged breath escaped his lips.

Following him, three masters who were his direct subordinates and members of the Eight Great Protectors arrived simultaneously, cutting through the wind.

These four had been carrying out the Holy Flower Palace Master’s orders not far from the Young Palace Master’s party. They had intended to pay their respects to the Young Palace Master after completing their task, but only the four of them had rushed over at full speed.

The man who arrived first spoke to Lee Mong-yeom, who was staring at the horrors of the Jin Family Trading House with a frozen expression.

“What on earth happened?”

“Look around. The flames are dying down. It seems we’re quite late.”

Even amidst this chaos, a calm voice flowed from Lee Mong-yeom’s mouth.

The three guardians scattered to survey the area around the Jin Family Trading Company. But before long, one of them shouted loudly.

“The Left Guardian has collapsed!”

At those words, Yi Mong-yeom sprang forward as if propelled, and in an instant, he was looking down at the Left Minister. His knees immediately hit the ground, and he lifted the Left Minister up with both hands.

His voice trembled faintly as he spoke.

“Brother, I’m terribly late. Why are you lying here like this?”

Of course, Left Minister Lee Gon gave no reply. Behind them, another subordinate examined a severed head caught on his foot and reported.

“Looks like Yu Ja-eon, the deputy leader of the Iron Blood Sect. Someone cut his throat.”

Lee Mong-yeom, the Right Minister of the Sunghwa Palace who had been examining the left minister, turned his head.

“What of the Young Palace Master’s traces?”

“None to be seen. Perhaps she was taken captive by the Iron Blood Sect.”

“That’s impossible. With Yu Ja-eon dead, another faction might have intervened.”

“Hmm… Could it be the Nine Heavens Alliance?”

Lee Mong-yeom shook his head as he spoke.

“For now, Zhang the Guardian, escort my brother… to the An Family. And Bang Yi, report to the Palace Master. Tell her only what you know. She will decide.”

The two men responded to Lee Mong-yeom’s words.

“Understood.”

As Jang Ho-beop took Lee Gon’s body, Lee Mong-yeom scrutinized the sparse trail of bloodstains on the floor. It showed signs of someone fleeing while bleeding.

“Guardian An, follow these bloodstains and investigate. It seems someone fled while injured. I will take the opposite route to search for the Young Princess. If I find nothing, I will join you at the An House. Iron Blood forces may be nearby, so each of you be cautious.”

“Understood.”

The three men looked at Yi Mong-yeom for a moment. Yi Mong-yeom spoke with a resolute expression.

“After seeing you off…”

Li Mengyan glanced at the burning Jin Family Merchants before continuing.

“Let’s burn the Iron Blood Sect together.”

The three guardians nodded.

“Of course. We’ll report to the Palace Master and prepare immediately. Then.”

“Be careful.”

“We’ll meet you at the residence.”

As the three vanished in separate directions, Yi Mong-yeom remained alone, scanning the surroundings of the Jin Family Trading House.

His footsteps halted when he discovered bundles of steel needles scattered across the floor.

Swords and iron clubs lay scattered haphazardly nearby. When Lee Mong-yeom touched them, most felt faintly damp.

Lee Mong-yeom was certain a third party was involved.

‘…Could they have already made their move? That can’t be.’

Lee Mong-yeom forced himself to dismiss the ominous thought and calmly surveyed the surroundings once more.

Bodies lay scattered—some killed instantly by blows to the forehead, others slashed by blades. Yet the wounds bore an unusual mark, unlike typical sword cuts. It felt as if the blood had frozen momentarily at the instant of the strike?

‘Even a slash from an extremely fast sword would cause more bloodshed than this… Someone wielding a strange sword technique must have been here.’

After studying the state of the scattered corpses for a moment, Lee Mong-yeom made a serious expression and speculated.

“Only one person…?”