CRS Chapter 37
by BlossomTLYoon Pyeong, the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guards, gathered all the Embroidered Uniform Guards of Thousand-men Commander rank and above.
About ten Embroidered Uniform Guards listened to Yoon Pyeong’s words and couldn’t help but lament.
“How dare…”
“Such insolence!”
And for some reason, their pride was hurt too.
The Embroidered Uniform Guards were the highest elite military unit in the Imperial Palace.
The eunuchs couldn’t be ignored either, but their roots were as eunuchs.
In any case, the Embroidered Uniform Guards who had started as military officers and risen to their current positions always carried pride as warriors in a corner of their hearts.
But now, some martial arts practitioner suddenly appeared and displayed arrogance, relying on his personal martial prowess. It was irritating.
Moreover, this was happening in the Imperial Palace, their home base.
At that moment, someone raised their hand to gather everyone’s attention and spoke in a subtle tone.
“Then how about this method?”
After hearing his plan, a sly smile crept across Yoon Pyeong’s face.
***
“Will they really come?”
Hwa-yeon was very worried.
It was because Eunho’s plan was too blatant.
Just going outside the palace and waiting, saying they would come.
“They’ll come.”
“What if they don’t?”
“Then there’s nothing we can do.”
That’s what he said, but he was certain they would come.
It wasn’t like he had only dealt with such guys once or twice.
Combining his past life and current life, it had been over hundreds, no, thousands of times.
Among them were those who created and led armies, those who rushed in believing in their own strength, and those who planted followers inside to devise schemes.
Literally, Eunho’s intuition, which had dealt with all sorts of guys, was clearly saying:
“That bastard will come.”
Originally, crazy guys often respond better to unconventional methods.
In Eunho’s view, Blood Demon was like that.
“Hmm.”
However, Hwa-yeon’s worry didn’t easily subside.
Of course, since there was nothing she could do, she would follow Eunho’s choice, but who wouldn’t be anxious by common sense standards?
At that moment, someone knocked on the door of their quarters.
“Are you in there?”
As Eunho made his presence known, the person opened the door and entered.
Judging by the small gold badge hanging at his waist, he seemed to be a warrior of the Embroidered Uniform Guards.
He made a fist-and-palm salute towards Eunho, acting like a ‘martial arts practitioner’.
“I’ve always admired martial artists. They split the sky, walk on water, and never hesitate to act with righteousness and chivalry through their personal martial prowess. How could one not admire them?”
Eunho’s gaze narrowed as he looked at him.
Eunho thought that no one who spoke such flowery words was ever decent.
“So, I came to make a request. How about giving our Embroidered Uniform Guards some guidance in training, young hero?”
His mission was to bring Eunho to the training grounds.
It was indeed a polite attitude and eloquence.
Anyone would find it difficult to easily refuse such a request.
However, his mistake was that he hadn’t fully grasped his opponent.
“I don’t want to.”
“Haha, as expected of a young hero, I thought you might say… Huh?”
“I said I don’t want to.”
Basically, within the Imperial Palace, when they made a polite request, no one refused, so the warrior was flustered.
“W-why don’t you want to?”
His tone had subtly twisted by now.
Of course, that was the part Eunho was most confident in.
“First, it’s bothersome, and second, there’s nothing in it for me. Since two reasons seem lacking, if I were to add a third, I don’t think there’d be any satisfaction in teaching either.”
“Umm.”
For a moment, he almost blurted out ‘You bastard!’, but he was an Embroidered Uniform Guard, one of those who should never lose their composure in any situation, serving as the Emperor’s closest bodyguards.
“Ah, you lack confidence.”
Since ancient times, that’s how martial artists have been.
Stupid bastards who live and die by their pride.
He should have clearly bristled, saying, ‘How dare you! Come on then! I’ll show you the ways of the martial world!’
However, Eunho just smiled faintly and said,
“Yes, that’s right. Actually, I’m not confident, so please go back now.”
“…?”
He was dumbfounded.
What kind of martial artist is this?
In the end, he had no choice but to return to Yoon Pyeong without completing his mission.
After confirming the man’s retreating back, Eunho stretched.
“My body is a bit stiff. Shall I go train?”
Hwa-yeon was truly bewildered.
If he was going to do that anyway, he could have just gone with the man.
***
“Such insolence!”
After hearing his subordinate’s report, Yoon Pyeong shouted in great anger and strode forward with rough steps.
Behind him, a dozen or so Embroidered Uniform Guards followed in an orderly manner.
As Yoon Pyeong was heading towards Eunho’s quarters, an absurd sight entered his view.
“Th-that, that bastard!”
The guy who had refused, saying it was bothersome, was now training in the Embroidered Uniform Guards’ exclusive training grounds!
Yoon Pyeong immediately approached the training grounds and burst out in anger.
“Who said you could train here?”
Eunho, who had been training, looked at Yoon Pyeong blankly.
What’s this now?
Judging by the yellow things dangling behind him, he seemed to be a high-ranking official of the Embroidered Uniform Guards.
Sure enough, someone quickly approached and said,
“This is the head of our Embroidered Uniform Guards, the Commander of 2nd rank.”
The warrior put particular emphasis on ‘2nd rank’.
He must have been hoping that Eunho would be startled and apologize immediately.
However, the response was far from his expectations.
“Ah. I see. I didn’t know it wasn’t allowed to be used. Then, I’ll be going.”
He said this while giving them a look that seemed to say, ‘Why be so petty about this?’
“No, if you used it, you should rightfully pay for it.”
Though contempt briefly flashed in Eunho’s eyes, what could he do?
It was Eunho who had used it without saying anything.
“How much will it be?”
Might as well just pay it.
He had more than enough money anyway.
Yoon Pyeong became increasingly dumbfounded as the conversation continued.
He had heard about it roughly, but he didn’t expect the guy to be this brazen.
However, Yoon Pyeong hadn’t risen to his position by luck. Once started, he would see it through to the end!
He glanced at one of the Thousand-men Commanders and said,
“Forget about the money. How about giving our Embroidered Uniform Guards some guidance in training?”
The Thousand-men Commander who received his glance had spent over ten years with Yoon Pyeong. He could roughly understand what he meant just by looking at his eyes.
That look now meant… beat him up.
“Hah…”
Hearing that he was a master who could even defeat an admiral made him doubt if this was right, but the Commander’s gaze was too fierce.
In the end, he decided to let whatever happens happen, and rushed at Eunho with a wooden sword.
“I challenge you to a duel!”
Everyone present had never seen such a duel before.
Attacking simultaneously with the challenge.
What an efficient method.
Eunho lightly stepped aside, avoiding his wooden sword.
“Huh.”
Eunho let out a short sigh and his gaze swept over the Embroidered Uniform Guards one by one.
Most of the warriors who met Eunho’s eyes flinched greatly.
“You want help with training? Fine. I’ll help.”
There was no more polite speech.
Why be polite to guys who rush in without warning?
Eunho was quite ruthless about this.
First, he grabbed the attacker’s hair, pulled it back to bend his waist, and raised his other hand, tightly clenching it into a fist.
Crack!
He hit him precisely on the bridge of the nose.
Bright red blood leaked from the nose of the man who collapsed helplessly.
After briefly glancing at him, Eunho’s gaze turned to the Embroidered Uniform Guards.
“Next.”
They were looking at each other, hesitating.
“Next!”
Still, not one of them stepped forward.
The one who had just collapsed wasn’t just an Embroidered Uniform Guard, but a Thousand-men Commander.
Of course, they were also warriors of Thousand-men Commander rank or higher, but it was incomprehensible by common sense that a warrior who had reached his peak would fall with just one punch.
When witnessing an unexpected scene right before your eyes, anyone’s body would freeze for a moment.
“Alright. Let’s do it all at once.”
When no one stepped forward, Eunho approached them while loosening his neck left and right.
Someone shouted urgently.
“W-wait!”
“Oh, yeah. You’ve got courage.”
However, it only caught Eunho’s attention.
Whack!
Another one fell.
They had numerical superiority, but like a group of mice before a cat, there was nothing they could do.
Whack! Thud! Crack!
In fact, just by bearing the title of Embroidered Uniform Guards, most dangers bypassed them.
Who would dare to touch the highest power group of the imperial family?
But now, for the first time in their lives, they were feeling fear of being beaten.
Thump! Crack! Slap!
Ah, the sounds were truly diverse.
Eunho, who was also well-versed in music, was creating a rhythm while quickly turning them into a mess.
Watching this scene, Yoon Pyeong bit his lip.
He had heard the guy was strong, but he didn’t know it would be to this extent.
However, there was one thing that this youngster didn’t know.
This is the Imperial Palace, and in the Imperial Palace, political sense is more important than personal martial prowess.
Yoon Pyeong was someone who had survived for twenty years in the Imperial Palace, where cunning people swarmed.
“Now it’s my turn. For a master of your caliber, using a real sword shouldn’t be a problem, right? After all, it’s just a sparring match.”
Yoon Pyeong approached Eunho while drawing the sword at his waist.
Eunho’s steady gaze turned towards him.
“Yes. Let’s begin. Hurry up.”
Eunho clenched his fist.
Provoked by Eunho’s confident attitude, Yoon Pyeong launched his body forward.
His sharp sword grazed Eunho’s clothes.
Eunho’s eyebrow twitched.
This bastard is using killing techniques?
The difference between sparring and a life-and-death battle isn’t about wooden swords versus real swords.
It’s about whether you use killing techniques or not.
But this bastard was now blatantly using killing techniques.
After avoiding his sword a few times, Eunho drew his own sword and swung it lightly. He thought he would at least cut that sword in half.
The sword aimed precisely at his sword.
But instead, Yoon Pyeong pushed his body closer to Eunho.
If he swung as is, the man’s neck would fly off completely.
Eunho’s sword stopped right there.
At the tip of Yoon Pyeong’s neck.
A very, very thin drop of blood trickled down.
That’s when it happened.
Yoon Pyeong’s complexion suddenly turned pale.
He then quickly wiped his neck, checking the blood on his hand.
Eunho could clearly see it.
The moment he squeezed the wound to force out blood.
At that moment, one of the Thousand-men Commanders let out a thunderous roar.
“You bastard! How dare you try to assassinate the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guards under the guise of sparring within the Imperial Palace!”
“…?”
It was nonsense.
The corner of Eunho’s mouth twitched.
Ah, so that’s how you want to play it?
Hwa-yeon, who had been watching this whole scene from the side, quickly grabbed Eunho’s arm. Although she hadn’t observed for a long time, she could tell what Eunho was about to do.
Look at that. Isn’t he clenching his fist?
“D-don’t do it.”
Hwa-yeon’s voice was full of worry.
Regardless, Eunho slowly approached them.
The Embroidered Uniform Guards backed away.
Yet their gazes glaring at Eunho were straight and firm, truly befitting the name of Embroidered Uniform Guards.
As Eunho approached with a stern expression, the Commander also faced him seriously.
It might be a bit, no, very childish, but so what?
This is the Imperial Palace.
A place where one wrong word can get your head cut off, and a minor misunderstanding can also get your head cut off.
Justification is not something to be found, but to be created.
Someone of Commander rank had the ability to create any justification they needed.
That’s when it happened.
“Who do we have here! Isn’t it Eunho!”
As someone greeted Eunho cheerfully from afar, pretending to know him, everyone’s attention turned to that person.
Who dares to interfere with what the Commander is doing?
Yoon Pyeong also looked towards the source of the voice with a very distorted face.
Upon confirming who it was, Yoon Pyeong’s expression crumpled.
Then, with a sour expression, he bowed his head deeply in greeting.
“Grand Scholar. Have you been well?”
Grand Scholar[1] Baek Woon.
Although only of 5th rank, he was the head of the Cabinet, the Emperor’s secretarial organization.
Also, in the current imperial court where there was no Chancellor, he effectively played the role of Prime Minister and even served as the Emperor’s teacher, making him one of the most influential figures.
And Baek Woon was an old drinking companion of Ha Jin-wi and Namgoong Cheong.
- (大學士)[↩]