Chapter 58: Black Moon Unit Part 5

The plot to assassinate Crown Prince Hyeon Won, which Under Councilor Shim Sang Gon had prepared for years, would end in failure.

This was because Cheong Jin Myeong, the leader of the Black Moon Unit and the core of the plan, would fail to kill Crown Prince Hyeon Won.

I already knew the reason… since I have read the “Heavenly Dragon Love Story”.

This immoral and treacherous plan to assassinate the Crown Prince… should have been stopped by beating the masterminds, regardless of its success or failure…

When I think about the reason why the Black Moon Unit couldn’t kill Crown Prince Hyeon Won… I felt it was fine to quietly turn my head away for now.

In many ways, that seemed to be the better option.

Darkness is fair.

Once the darkness of night settled in, the atmosphere was equally eerie whether it was in the brightly lit courtyard of the Black Tortoise Palace or the streets of Hwalseong District filled with poor people.

When the incomer’s eyes adjusted to the darkness draped like a curtain, the scenery of Hwalseong District slowly came into view.

Is this the Hwalseong District where Tae Pyeong manages his territory?

Black Princess Po Hwa Ryeong concealed her small frame in the darkness as she moved between the buildings.

The crescent moon high in the sky was too faint to illuminate this vast land entirely.

For Po Hwa Ryeong who needed to move quietly, this was an advantage.

The story of how Po Hwa Ryeong earned the nickname “Sage Butterfly” was not a short one.

While Seol Tae Pyeong hunted countless demonic spirits in the northern lands, Po Hwa Ryeong fervently read every book in the main palace’s library.

It took her just over two months to devour all the classics that a nobleman should study throughout his life. After that, she read all sorts of agricultural, ritual, technical, and historical texts, as well as the various edicts and reports that passed through the palace… She read anything that was in written form.

Moreover, by using her delicate movements like those of a butterfly, she mastered various forms of flying martial arts to an extreme level. She also became proficient in handling small blades and throwing weapons.

When she first entered the Black Tortoise Palace, she was just a beautiful and lively girl. However, it took only two years for her to become the true mistress of the Black Tortoise Palace, skilled in many forms of knowledge, quick-witted, and adept at dealing with people.

The footprints vary in shape, but the traces are consistent. There are quite a few footprints from the military boots worn by the military officers, but if I carefully observe the stride, I might be able to distinguish Tae Pyeong’s footprints. There aren’t as many footprints from high-ranking officials as I expected.

I can estimate the stride and height by measuring the length between the footprints. Tae Pyeong holds a noble status for his age. Considering his age, even if he wore the same high-ranking official’s boots, his stride would have been relatively shorter…

There are many traces that could be Tae Pyeong’s footprints… The ones with the front part of the footprint relatively deeper should be his. This is a sign of him moving forward while being wary of something.

He must have been keeping his weight forward, ready to leap into action at any moment if someone attacked. It’s either in this direction or that direction.

As Po Hwa Ryeong examined the numerous footprints near Seol Tae Pyeong’s mansion, she quickly deduced which ones were his. Her insight was so remarkably precise to be human.

Did he lead them into the forest for the battle? I hope he wasn’t seriously injured…

While the palace was in turmoil over the news of Seol Tae Pyeong’s abduction, Po Hwa Ryeong wasn’t overly worried about him.

Even though he was just a boy who would soon become an adult, Seol Tae Pyeong was someone who had acquired the qualities of a sword master from the divine fever. He wasn’t someone who could be easily subdued by a few assassins.

Through her reasoning and speculation, Po Hwa Ryeong concluded that Tae Pyeong had allowed himself to be captured.

If someone tried to take him by force, it wouldn’t be this quiet or without leaving traces. He was capable of destroying a building or two if he decided to resist.

The Vermilion Princess and the White Princess might not realize it, but The Azure Princess probably has an inkling.

The significance of being blessed by the divine fever was hard to grasp unless one experienced it firsthand.

The divine fever also played a significant role in Black Princess Po Hwa Ryeong earning the nickname “Sage Butterfly”.

No one could catch her, as she floated like a butterfly among the flowers. No warrior in the palace could lay even a finger on Black Princess Po Hwa Ryeong.

If she decided to run away, even the palace’s best trackers couldn’t catch her. This was why Headmaid An Rim couldn’t stop her from sneaking out of the Cheongdo Palace and wandering outside whenever she found an opportunity.

Regardless, whatever Seol Tae Pyeong’s intentions were… this was a chance for her to meet him without the palace’s interference and have a heartfelt conversation with him.

While at it, she could check if he was severely injured and gather any reassuring information to calm those worried in the inner palace.

Following the path up the hillside would lead to a small cabin. Po Hwa Ryeong who was familiar with the small mountains near the White Immortal Mountain remembered this well.

The traces seemed to lead towards an abandoned cabin.

“Who goes there!”

“There’s someone here!”

She was climbing the hillside behind the Hwalseong District as she followed Seol Tae Pyeong’s trail.

The hill was more like a mound due to its low height. Yet, a suspiciously large number of assassins were camped out and guarding this place.

“Ah!”

Po Hwa Ryeong held up the hem of her dress to keep it from getting dirty as she walked.

Suddenly, a number of assassins leaped out of the darkness of the night, startling her so much that she covered her mouth with her sleeve.

“A girl?”

“Why are you climbing the hill at this hour?”

Around ten to fifteen Black Moon Unit members appeared.

One of them drew a sword and asked her a question, leaving Po Hwa Ryeong unsure of how to respond.

Given that the Black Moon Unit members had appeared, it seemed she was in the right place. Seol Tae Pyeong was likely here.

“Uh, I… think I took a wrong turn…”

Usually, she would order around and talk down to the maids, but in this urgent situation, she didn’t hesitate to speak politely. After all, she was originally from a commoner background.

As she stammered out her explanation, the Black Moon Unit members exchanged glances.

Seeing her small figure and hearing her delicate voice, they didn’t perceive her as a significant threat. She seemed like a lost girl rather than a danger.

However, soon the moonlight began to glow little by little… and as the girl’s dazzling court robe came into view their suspicions grew.

Though she wore clothes that were as inconspicuous as possible, even the simplest clothes looked very noble in the eyes of commoners. It was impossible for the mistress of the Black Tortoise Palace to conceal her identity easily.

Finally, one of them recognized her face.

“It’s Sage Butterfly Po Hwa Ryeong!”

“What…? The mistress of Cheongdo Palace, here… in a place like this…!”

It was as if they had encountered a dragon while walking. To find the mistress of the Black Tortoise Palace suddenly in the middle of a hill was shocking.

One of the Black Moon members quickly crouched and sprang forward to inform the Black Moon leader of this.

However, no matter how fast a Black Moon Unit member was, he couldn’t move as quickly as Po Hwa Ryeong who was blessed with divine fever.

Swoosh.

It was as if she was flying on the wind, or perhaps she was the wind itself.

Without even a hint of effort, Po Hwa Ryeong delicately landed the tip of her shoe on the arm of the leading Black Moon member. As if she were dancing,

“……!”

The hem of her court robe fluttered like butterfly wings.

She still held it to prevent any dirt from soiling its edge.

Po Hwa Ryeong’s body lightly settled on the arm of the Black Moon member who had drawn his sword…. her weight was almost imperceptible.

It was said that those who reached the peak in flying martial arts could even erase their own weight.

They could stand on a fluttering leaf or the tip of a swinging sword and perform incredible feats on the battlefield.

“Ah, sorry if it hurts… though it’s meant to hurt…”

“What?”

At that moment, Po Hwa Ryeong flicked her foot and sent the dirt from her shoe into the eyes of the Black Moon Unit member.

Swish!

“Argh, argh!”

“I-I-I’m sorry! I’m really sorry! If you wash it off with water, it shouldn’t be too bad! R-really! Maybe? Anyway, really!”

She then twisted her body and leaped up to land on a tree branch.

Po Hwa Ryeong perched on the edge of the tree in the darkness like a squirrel. Her luxurious court robe looked completely out of place with her actions.

The Black Moon members all stiffened their expressions and drew their weapons.

As the moonlight gradually illuminated her once more, Po Hwa Ryeong appeared once again.

She thought to herself as she adjusted her robe with a mysterious grace.

…Scary!

…This was her first real battle, after all.

“Black Princess Po Hwa Ryeong has entered the hill. It seems this cabin is her destination…!”

“What…? The Black Princess…?”

Black Moon Leader Cheong Jin Myung who had been talking with Seol Tae Pyeong made a bewildered sound.

It was like hearing that a lion had appeared in the middle of the sea. Why would the mistress of the Black Tortoise Palace suddenly appear here?

In fact, there was only one reason that came to mind. When Cheong Jin Myung quickly turned to look at Seol Tae Pyeong, he saw that the latter too was sweating.

“…Why would the Black Princess be here…?”

He didn’t seem to know the reason either.

However, he could make a guess.

Black Princess Po Hwa Ryeong was definitely not someone who could be caged in a birdcage.

She had matured and become familiar with the palace rules enough not to run amok recklessly, but if she didn’t want to stay in the palace, there was no way to keep her there.

But she didn’t have a proper chance to talk with Seol Tae Pyeong since he returned, so it was certain she had come to check on his condition. No matter what anyone said, she really liked Seol Tae Pyeong.

While the Black Princess’s physical strength was weak, her agility was at a level that even the most skilled warriors found hard to match. No matter how hard the Black Moon Unit members tried to chase her, they would struggle to catch e ven her shadow.

It was clear she wouldn’t take long to reach the cabin. She would certainly want to see with her own eyes who the Black Moon leader was, the one who had kidnapped Seol Tae Pyeong.

That… is not good…

The incident surrounding Crown Prince Hyeon Won was essential for Seol Ran to advance to the position of a senior maid. Furthermore, it served as an opportunity for Crown Prince Hyeon Won to start to rethink about the value of his life.

Although there was a major crisis, it did not result in any casualties, and it was rather an opportunity to get rid of Under Councilor Shim Sang Gon. It was indeed good for such an incident to occur.

However…. If the Black Princess were to identify the face of Black Moon Leader Cheong Jin Myeong, things could get complicated.

Cheong Jin Myeong had infiltrated the palace disguised as an official to assess the situation. With the help of Under Councilor Shim Sang Gon, it wouldn’t be too difficult.

The reason he hadn’t shown his face in public might have been to conceal his identity as much as possible. No one in the palace should notice his presence.

Revealing himself to the Black Princess, who never forgets a face once she has seen it, would probably ruin all their plans. Especially since the plan involved targeting Crown Prince Hyeon Won, leaving such a clue would be highly dangerous.

Even the smallest hint might lead the quick-witted Black Princess to the truth in no time.

However, it was impossible to ask her to keep silent about the assassination plot against Crown Prince Hyeon Won.

No matter how close a friend she considered him to be, how could he just ask her to stay silent in the assassination plot of Crown Prince Hyeon Won? Even if there was no real intention to assassinate him, there was no way to make her believe that.

Therefore, it was best to hide everything that could be hidden for now.

“Ugh…”

Seol Tae Pyeong propped his chin and fell into deep thought. It seemed wise to devise a plan now.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Swoosh!

It felt like they were trying to cut through water. It was impossible to land a strike.

The girl was so agile that she dodged the Black Moon Unit members’ swords without much effort.

She moved as naturally as flowing water and her robes fluttered in a way that made it difficult even to follow her with their eyes.

Whoosh!

One of the Black Moon Unit members lunged with his sword, but the Black Princess climbed up his arm with her slender legs and kicked his face backward.

Thud!

“Ugh!”

The man’s head snapped back.

“U-Ugh, gah…!”

However, he spat once and quickly turned his head forward again.

The Black Princess made eye contact with him, trembled, and leaped backward with a gasp.

A sharp pain shot through her leg.

Ah… It seems it doesn’t even hurt him…!

Yes, that was the Black Princess’s greatest weakness.

Her body was nimble but her strength was weak, and her attacks lacked power, which made her limits clear.

She couldn’t overpower those sturdy men in battle. No matter how agile a butterfly is, it can’t break human bones.

I do have a blade, though…

She pulled out a silver knife and held it in a reverse grip beneath her sleeve, but she still lacked the courage to stab someone.

As a result, the battle between the Black Moon Unit and the Black Princess reached a stalemate.

The Black Moon Unit members couldn’t touch a hair of the Black Princess no matter what they did. And the Black Princess didn’t have the courage to stab someone.

Although it seemed like the balance would be maintained forever, the Black Princess steeled herself and charged again.

It was the first time the Black Princess had charged first in this battle. For the Black Moon Unit, who couldn’t even follow her movements, it was a terrifying sight.

Swish! Thud!

However, the Black Moon Unit members didn’t stay still.

They pulled out several hidden weapons from their sleeves and threw them. But those weapons seemed to fly infinitely slowly to the Black Princess.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

She struck down all three weapons flying towards her with her silver knife.

Buzz

The impact made the tip of the silver knife waver. It wasn’t a weapon suitable for battle in the first place. It was just something that the small Black Princess could easily carry.

Ah… My arm hurts…!

Even deflecting a few hidden weapons made her arm throb painfully. With tears in her eyes, the Black Princess kicked one of the Black Moon Unit members in the stomach as if pushing him away with her foot.

Crash! Thud!

Just breaking an enemy’s balance took her a lot of effort. No matter how the Black Princess thought about it, it seemed impossible for her to overpower a dozen sturdy men with her strength.

I’d better run towards Tae Pyeong! If I can somehow free him, Tae Pyeong will take care of everything!

In any case, if the Sword Master Seol Tae Pyeong’s arms were freed, assassins of this level would be swept away with a single sword strike.

The Black Princess completely revised her plan. If she couldn’t break through, she would divert them elsewhere. Since her movements were much faster, the conditions for such a plan were more favorable.

Just when she was about to leap again.

Clang!

Thud! Thud!

Was it lightning that just passed?

A single sword strike.

With that one strike, the silver knife in the Black Princess’s hand flew away.

Startled, the Black Princess leaped back to create a great distance between her and the new attacker.

The hand that had been holding the silver knife throbbed painfully again. The strike had immense pressure, and if she hadn’t let go of the knife immediately, her wrist might have been injured.

What, what was that…

After she widened the distance quickly, the Black Princess looked back at the Black Moon Unit members with wide eyes.

I didn’t see it at all…

Even someone as fast as her who was unrivaled in Cheongdo Palace couldn’t see the tip of the sword.

She couldn’t believe it.

“……”

A man emerged from among the Black Moon Unit members.

The man wearing a white hood and full Black Moon uniform… cannot be identified.

Seeing him standing with the moonlight behind him as he held a sword in one hand, it was clear he was on a different level than the other Black Moon Unit members.

This should be the Black Moon Leader, Cheong Jin Myeong.

And beside him stood the team leader Geo Jin who was his right-hand man.

Black Moon Leader…!

Po Hwa Ryeong swallowed dryly. At a glance, the level of his martial arts was exceptionally high. It was beyond her imagination.

Did she perhaps misjudge the situation?

The wise Po Hwa Ryeong had thought that no matter how strong the Black Moon Unit was, they couldn’t capture Seol Tae Pyeong.

Therefore, she assumed that Seol Tae Pyeong had been captured deliberately for some reason.

She was confident that this was the right answer.

That’s why she had come here alone without informing anyone.

She suspected Seol Tae Pyeong had a specific intention, and she didn’t want to publicize the matter to Cheongdo Palace until she knew what it was. She didn’t want to ruin whatever Seol Tae Pyeong was planning.

However, was her judgment wrong?

Was Seol Tae Pyeong really captured simply because he couldn’t handle the Black Moon Unit?

Seeing the Black Moon Leader appear before her eyes… she began to think that might be the case.

The ominous aura emanating from him was unsettling, even from a mere glimpse.

Swoosh.

The sight of the Black Moon Leader flicking his sword tip exuded an overwhelming pressure.

A true strong person radiates an unapproachable aura just by their presence. And with her keen intuition, Po Hwa Ryeong gauged his level from that single strike.

She couldn’t win. No matter what, she couldn’t win.

And, she couldn’t even run away.

That man had the ability to catch her, even with the agility she had gained from the blessing of the divine fever.

She couldn’t understand how that was possible, but it was happening. Wasn’t he attacking faster than Po Hwa Ryeong?

“Black Moon Leader… Cheong Jin Myeong?”

Po Hwa Ryeong spoke with a trembling voice, but the man in the hood did not respond, as if he didn’t even want to reveal his voice.

Po Hwa Ryeong had to swallow dryly again.

No matter how much of Bitter Harmony Poison Cheong Jin Myeong had consumed, he would struggle against someone who had overcome the divine fever.

That’s what she thought… but Cheong Jin Myeong’s level was far higher than she had imagined.

Whoosh!

“Eeeek!”

Another strike. The other Black Moon Unit members didn’t even need to move.

The sword strike, invisible even as it was executed, cut right in front of Po Hwa Ryeong’s nose.

Thud.

Po Hwa Ryeong’s hair tie split in two and fell to the ground; her hair which was once bound scattering freely in the wind. A few strands of her green hair drifted off into the darkness of the hills.

Po Hwa Ryeong couldn’t even think of avoiding it, let alone move. It was several times faster than the first strike.

“……”

She couldn’t even swallow dryly anymore.

If he wanted to, he could have cut off her head. He simply chose not to.

If the sword strike had been a bit deeper, it wouldn’t have been a few strands of hair scattering, but red droplets of blood.

When she realized this, Po Hwa Ryeong could no longer afford to be at ease. From now on, if she didn’t focus all her attention, she might really get cut.

“……”

Cheong Jin Myung’s level was entirely different from what Po Hwa Ryeong had known.

The appearance of the man who had melded into the darkness was hard to see clearly.

However, she could clearly see a ray of light shining from his eyes under that white hood.

It was truly a terrifying sight.

The energy of the Heavenly Dragon is in turmoil.

Azure Princess Jin Cheong Lang sat in the inner chamber of the Azure Dragon Palace. Her body was bathed in the moonlight.

Her level increased as time passed, and she was already at a level where she could be called a master of Taoist arts.

She was lost in thought as she glanced through the scriptures. But she eventually covered her mouth with the sleeve of her robe and quietly gazed out the moonlit window. The warm moonlight, as always, softly illuminated the sky.

…Why?

Time elevates a person’s state.

Just as a soul refined through countless practices becomes an exalted being.

For Jin Cheong Lang who was born with the the blessing of heaven, the level of mastery itself was meaningless.

But just like how the endlessly repeated trials had honed the soul of a certain sword master…

I’m sure this is my first time reading this scripture…

Even for Jin Cheong Lang who quietly looked down at the scriptures…. a glimmer of clarity was gradually emerging in her eyes.

This content… Why does it seem like I have read it before.