Chapter 126: Embrace Your Karma Part 3

At the bottom of the Heavenly Dragon Keep, a backwards ear is sealed.
When the time comes, it will descend upon the Qingdao Palace, shattering everything in sight and leading the Yellow Sea to ruin.
Princess Ah Hyun has seen it time and time again, and the ending has never changed.
The blade of Seol Taepyeong, sharpened to the utmost, has cornered the Duke of Yue, but never cut him down.
This time, however, it may be possible.
In all her countless reincarnations, she’d watched Seol Tae-pyeong, but she’d never seen him in as good of shape as he was now.
Yan Li had been lost in such thoughts, so seeing the White Demon’s final fate could only make his head spin.
“There’s… a manifestation of the White Demon in the main palace…?
Ever since this endless reincarnation had begun, the nervous battle with the Back Demon had never ended.
The grotesque body of the Backslider might be sealed deep underground, but its spirit and soul might be wandering the heavens.
Considering what has happened, it’s not surprising.
There was a reason why they were able to wreak such havoc throughout the years of reincarnation.
The timely dismissal of the White, Sun, and Moon Demons could all be explained using that premise.
It’s said that somewhere, she’s contemplating the situation in the main palace… and using her power to somehow bring down the Heavenly Daoist Princess herself….
Then who is that…?
For such an arrogant white demon to pay such respect… it must be someone of noble status, or at least someone who is widely recognized.
It’s likely that he’s someone who can easily grasp the inner workings of the Heavenly Dao Palace, and can operate outside the prying eyes of others.
‘There aren’t many people in the Qingdao Palace who are high enough to be able to review the situation in the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion…’ ….
Yan Li’s normally relaxed expression stiffened once more.
In his past life, when he had repeatedly reincarnated, he had traveled to every nook and cranny of this Qingdao Palace and had met almost everyone he could.
How many of them were in a position to see the situation in the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion?
The Heavenly Dragon Residence is the residence of the Heavenly Daoist Princess of the entire country. There are not many people who are in a position to see what is going on there. You can count them on both hands.
Emperor Yunsheng.
Crown Prince Hyunwon.
Inseon-rok of Sangseokwan.
Chu Beom-seok of Zhongshu Hall.
Librarian Hua’an.
General Seong Sa-rook.
Cheongchuk General Huang Su.
And deputy general Seol Tae-pyeong.
If there’s a manifestation of the Backward Jew among them.
Whoever it is… they must be killed.
It was the quickest way out of this whole mess.
* * *
“I’ll have to tell the lieutenant general to excuse myself.”
A man with a face covered in cotton cloth bowed his head in front of the tea room.
The man with the reputation of being the most famous demon catcher in the active room. He was a loyal aide to the vice general, Seol Tae-pyeong.
Seol Tae-pyeong had many talented people under his command, but few of them were as directly useful as the Black Moon Captain, Cheong Jin-myeong.
Since he was no longer a member of the Qing Dao Palace, he had no restrictions on his movements and could take on a wide range of tasks.
From hunting demons, to direct combat, to using his body, to acting as a simple messenger and messenger, to concealing himself, he was also skilled at sneaking and collusion.
Perhaps as long as the Active Room remained active, Black Moon Captain Qing Jinming would never lose his position as the most important aide to Sun Taiping.
Therefore, Pao Hyunbi, who cared deeply about his vice general, Seol Taepyeong, could not treat his second-in-command, Cheong Jin Myung, casually.
Social life is a tug of war.
If you choose who you work for carefully, even an unskilled adjutant can earn the respect of the prince.
“Taepe… It must have been a very urgent matter for you to send your own lieutenant even though you told him to step down directly. Considering his personality, I don’t think he would have dealt with his lieutenants in this way….”
His head throbbing, Prince Po sat down at the tea table and pressed his temples together.
He had stayed up all night to sort out all sorts of problems, but since he had to meet a public figure, he had groomed himself, but with less energy than usual.
“Your lieutenant general is in a difficult situation.”
The man with the lowered head said in a low voice.
A shiver ran down Po’s spine as soon as he heard the voice, for some reason, it sounded a little familiar.
Normally, the sharp-eyed Po would have been able to recognize the source of the discomfort, but he had joined forces with Ha Deqi to use his daoist skills to impede his perception.
Inside the cotton cloth wrapped around his face, he was covered with all sorts of talismans.
Although he introduced himself as the Black Moon Captain Cheng Jinming, the face hidden beneath the cotton cloth belonged to someone else, whose name I won’t bother to mention.
If he couldn’t meet with Po Hua Ling as a deputy general, he decided that he would at least borrow Qing Jin Ming’s identity to deliver his message.
“The deputy general is in trouble?”
“Yes. It seems that the Emperor is going to entrust him with a major responsibility, but he feels that if he takes on more, he’ll be distracted from his work… so he’s looking for a way to decline the Emperor’s request as politely as possible.”
“Certainly… Considering the personality of the Deputy General, I doubt he would want to take on more than this.”
“That’s why… I hope the masters of the Four Great Palaces will tell him that his duties as an Inner Inspector and as a deputy of the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion are enough to stretch him to his limits.”
“That was the deputy general’s duties.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Prince Po sighed heavily and tried to bury his head in the tea table.
For now, the deputy general’s adjutant had come to report. Showing any agitation would only cause Seol Tae-pyeong to worry.
“That’s easy. At the next tea party, I’ll have a word with the princess and suggest that she be excused so that she can focus more on her work as an inspector.”
“…!”
The man who had been bowing his head twitched his fingertips.
It’s as if he’s just heard good news. Certainly, a loyal lieutenant, I thought.
My master’s wish was granted, and I rejoiced as if it were my job.
It is said that a good man attracts good men.
Certainly, Black Moon Captain Cheong Jin Myung was a capable lieutenant worthy of Seol Tai Pyeong’s name.
At this point, Po Hua Ling became a little curious.
“May I ask how the deputy general is doing these days?”
As if surreptitiously, he turned to the man with the bowed head.
“You mean the deputy general? He’s doing well.”
“Really? Doesn’t he seem unnecessarily bothered, or even somewhat worried?”
“Well, there’s no reason to be, we’ve defeated the demon threat, but there’s been a bit of a disturbance at the palace, and the masters of the Four Great Palaces are a bit worried about his physical condition.”
“Hmph… Worried….”
Po Hyunbi fiddles with the rim of her teacup for a moment, realizing how ridiculous the question is, before she asks.
“Who… did she worry about the most…?”
“…What?”
“…I’m asking you specifically who you worried about the most… Bu, the vice general is a person, too… I don’t think worry can be cut into four pieces like a knife, can it?”
“….”
It was as if he was asking for trouble. In fact, I wasn’t sure why she was asking such a useless question.
But I was curious anyway. Human curiosity is a natural thing.
Yes, curiosity.
When you live in the midst of this mess, you can’t help but wonder where Seol Tae-pyeong’s gaze is going…!
“I know that my lowly status doesn’t allow me to ask such a question, but nevertheless, for the sake of my lord’s safety, I can’t help but ask… Prefect Po, why did you ask such a question…?”
“Gu, I was just curious. Do I have to ask for a reason for my curiosity…?”
“Well, if you say so, then…. Oh, I see.”
I didn’t have the courage to ask him why he was curious.
If you are the master of the Hyunmoo Palace, you are second only to the Princess of Heaven in the order of protocol within the palace. No lieutenant of the active chamber would question such a person.
There was nothing more I could do but answer any questions.
The problem is that the man hiding his face under that cotton cloth is not Qing Jinming.
But it was said that he could recite the Fengyue in three years.
Even if Seol Tae-pyeong doesn’t care much about socializing or fitting in, he knows what the right answer is in this situation.
It’s in the presence of Po Hyun-bi.
In that case… it would be most appropriate to say that you were worried about him.
“Po, I’m very worried about you, considering that you’ve been suffering a lot, and that you’ve been attacked by a white demon.”
“Me?!”
“Yes, yes… I mean, that… what is it… you’re… close friends with the deputy general, aren’t you… and he was very worried that you might have been seriously injured by the burning of your arm.”
“…That’s right… I’m close to him…!”
Suddenly, flower petals seemed to emerge from the back of the Pohua Spirit’s head.
He lowered his voice to maintain his dignity, but his excitement seemed to be rising as he spoke.
The man under the cotton cloth couldn’t help but break out in a sweat for a moment, as he hadn’t expected to be so excited.
“No… No, no…! What a strange vice general!”

“….”
“I have so much to worry about, and the other noble princes and princesses are so embroiled in their own affairs… how is it that you are most concerned about me? Strange~ Strange~.”
“…….”
“Ouch! By the way, the adjutant of the deputy general has come to see me, and you have not offered me a cup of tea… Would you like a cup of tea?”
“It’s a great disloyalty to receive tea directly from the Master of the Four Great Palaces when you’re a subordinate.”
“Ahaha. I see you’re so strict about the distinction between up and down…! Ah, no… I’m not an adjutant of Taiping… I’m an adjutant of the deputy general….”
He shrugged off his mistake and looked at the man as he dusted his shoulders.
Prince Po cleared his throat, humming again.
Her ears pricked up from her imperial etiquette training. As the princess of a country, she’d been taught to project dignity rather than familiarity.
I wasn’t exactly used to that, but I still had to maintain a certain amount of dignity in the presence of someone so obviously beneath me.
Nevertheless… it’s hard to bear…!
Black Moon Captain Cheong Jin-myung is one of Deputy General Seol Tae-pyeong’s most trusted lieutenants.
Because he’s always around, he probably knows things about Seol Tae-pyeong that no one else does.
‘I want to find out more…!’
As she thought about it, she suddenly felt a pang of disappointment and slapped her own cheek.
“What do you expect me to do if I think this…!
At this point, I had to admit it.
Hyunbi Paohua Ling… she doesn’t really think of Seol Taepyeong as a friend…!
However, she doesn’t want to cause unnecessary strife in the palace. She knows her place, and she doesn’t want to burden Seol Tae Pyeong more than necessary.
I don’t want to see Seol Tae Pyeong… as the opposite sex…!
To do so… would be to lose my best friend!
Just like the other princesses, you’d be making yourself a burden to Seol Tae-pyeong.
So… harboring heated feelings won’t help Seol Tae-pyeong in the end.
At this point, it’s simply a ripple in his mind, like a myungkyung index.
She’s never loved anyone so fiercely that she’s had an affair, she just recognizes that Seol Tae-pyeong is a decent guy and that there’s something about him that she can’t help but be attracted to.
‘Wait… my head is getting too hot….’
Po Hyunbi quickly shook her head.
He looked at the bowed head of the Black Moon Captain to see if he was okay, but no answer came back.
He was too busy trying to organize his thoughts.
“Hmph, Black Moon Captain, listen carefully. Don’t misunderstand.”
When he finally managed to organize his thoughts, he spoke up.
“You are the closest lieutenant that Vice General Seol Tae-pyeong trusts with all his heart.”
“Yes, I am.”
“You work only for him, no matter what, and you’re prepared to sacrifice anything for him…?”
“That’s right, I am… but how could you ask me such a question….”
Po Hyun Bi was breathing heavily.
Shame to the limit had a way of upsetting a person’s composure.
It’s not easy to organize your feelings for Seol Tae-pyeong when you’ve done all sorts of scandalous things in front of him.
Therefore… she needed to make him distance himself from her at all costs.
There are too many embarrassing things about him to say.
But if it’s the mouth of a servant that Seol Tae-pyeong truly trusts… who knows….
“Bu, go to the deputy general and tell him yourself. Go to the vice general and tell him that Hyunbi Pohwa-ryung might have feelings for him… Hwa, I’m not sure, but it might be possible….”
“………Eh? What do you mean by that, Mr. Po….”
“There’s no such thing as a friend between a man and a woman, so tell Mr. Po to be careful….”
“Go, why did you suddenly say that….”
“Well, just do it…! I really want to die, too…!”
Po Hyunbi spoke like she was about to vomit, and no one else could retort.
As his sister-in-law said, the difference in status between the two of them is enormous, so the counter-question itself is a great disloyalty.
If it weren’t for Po Hyun Bi’s personality of not questioning authority, he would have been beaten to death.
In any case, Po Hyun-bi bowed his head deeply and picked at his hair.
Saying it out loud made his spine heat up more than he expected, but it was still better than telling the party directly.
– Thump!
“I’m sorry, Ms. Po!!!!”
I see you’re a man.
I wonder how much courage it took to say those words.
After all, I couldn’t say it to Seol Tae-pyeong’s face, but I could at least convey it with all my strength.
I know how much courage it took to say those words…. Shi Taiping could no longer hide behind the cotton cloth.
When he looked up, he saw a man who had quickly removed the cotton cloth with the talisman on the inside.
That face was so familiar.
“….”
“That… was… too urgent for me, so… since you wouldn’t meet me anyway, I… took the easy way out….”
Seol Tae-pyeong couldn’t help but understand how much courage and noble will Po Hyun-bi had when she said those words from the bottom of her heart. Therefore, he couldn’t stand still.
It’s a problem that can be overlooked if someone is a bit flattering.
It’s a situation where you can just listen and pass it off as if you don’t know anything, and keep your distance while satisfying your self-esteem in a moderately shady way….
Seol Tae-pyeong is… that’s not a person….!
It was just… that kind of guy….!
The sight of Seol Tae-pyeong hanging his head in frustration and apologizing was a truly Seol Tae-pyeong-like sight.
“Hmph.”
Poe Hyun-bi, who remembered all the disgraceful things he had done to her in one fell swoop….
He almost fainted from a heart attack on the spot.
If there was ever a time when Po Hyun-bi, who is so bright and full of laughter in the world, would decide to commit suicide, when would it be?
Probably…. It would be right now….