—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Screams heralded the arrival of night in Beijing.
Fires raged throughout the city, and monstrous creatures, impossible to believe even when seen with one’s own eyes, roamed the streets.
Beijing, a haven of peace, was now engulfed in chaos unlike any seen in the history of the Ming Dynasty.
‘A Ghost Gate has opened. Inside the city.’
Namgung-Woo saw it clearly.
His eyes, now completely silver-blue, locked onto the Ghost Gate hovering in the sky above Beijing.
Unlike the strange barrier he’d seen in Wuan, this one had appeared without warning, its very presence deeply unsettling.
“Benefactor! I’ll open the gate!”
Anyone with eyes and ears could tell that something was terribly wrong.
Peng Ha-ryeong quickly produced her ivory tablet, proof of her Peng Family lineage.
These tablets, essentially Ming Dynasty identification badges, were typically made of ivory or bone, though they were sometimes crafted from wood or metal.
She held it aloft and shouted.
“Guards! Beijing is under attack! We are from the Peng Family! Open the gate!”
“The… Peng Family?”
“Here’s the tablet! See for yourself!”
She tossed the intricately carved tablet towards the guards.
One of them, despite the chaos, managed to catch it. A single glance confirmed its authenticity.
“Open the gates! Reinforcements from the Peng family are here!”
The gates swung open with surprising ease.
Namgung-Woo noted the influence the Peng Family wielded, even under the watchful eye of the Imperial Court.
“Benefactor, are you heading to the inn where the Yo-Pyeong Escort Agency is staying?” Peng Mu-ho asked, his anxiety clear.
“Yes. You should assist the citizens.”
“…My apologies.”
While they’d used their influence to open the city gates, the Peng Family wasn’t entirely free to act as they pleased.
They had a duty to help defend the city.
“Ha-ryeong, you and five members of the Third Unit will escort the benefactor. The Fourth and Fifth Units will come with me to rescue the civilians!”
“Be careful, Uncle.”
“You too. The Ghost Gate in Beijing isn’t high-level. Barely Blue. The Imperial Guards should be able to handle it.”
Peng Mu-ho had fully recovered from his internal injuries.
As a martial artist on the cusp of the Transcendent Realm, a Blue-level Ghost Gate wasn’t a significant threat.
But there was something he hadn’t considered.
“Master Peng, be careful. It’s not just the Ghost Gate.”
“What? What do you mean…?”
“There are unidentified assailants. They’re the ones setting the fires.”
The Ghost Gate hadn’t been open for long.
So, who started the fires?
Someone was deliberately sowing chaos within the city.
If the Ghost Gate had been opened intentionally, they wouldn’t simply leave after opening it.
“…I understand.”
Peng Mu-ho, a shrewd and experienced martial artist, understood the warning and proceeded with caution.
“Benefactor, we’ll follow you.”
“You should.”
Even as he replied, his gaze was fixed on something beyond the city walls.
‘It’s still contained.’
The Yo-Pyeong Escort Agency was his priority.
After gathering his thoughts, he launched himself forward.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
*Boom! Crash!*
Pyeong Cho-yul resisted the urge to cover his ears, and muttered to himself as he tried to comprehend the chaos.
“What in the world!? What’s happening? This is insane…”
*Bang!*
“Master Pyeong! The door’s broken!”
“No! Block it! Use the tables or anything you can!”
He shouted, his voice hoarse.
It was a nightmare. He’d been asleep when the commotion began, only to wake up to find the inn under siege and the streets outside a scene of utter pandemonium.
Even he, a seasoned veteran, was overwhelmed.
“Damn it, damn it! What’s happening in Beijing… I should have just gone to Tianjin with Woo!”
Staying behind to finalize business deals had been a mistake.
He’d prioritized his existing clients over the potentially lucrative Peng Family connection.
It was a grave error.
“Master Pyeong!”
“What now!?”
“We’ve used all the tables! We have to abandon the inn and go upstairs…!”
*KABOOM!!*
An earsplitting explosion rocked the inn. It sounded like a cannon blast.
“Oh… oh no…”
One of the escorts crumpled, his eyes vacant with shock.
A monstrous figure lumbered through the shattered doorway.
A hulking ape-like creature, larger than any man.
Pyeong Cho-yul recognized it and breathed its name, his voice filled with dread.
“A Great Ape Wraith…”
A yokai that emerged from Blue-level Ghost Gates.
Though considered a low-level yokai among Blue-level creatures, its combat strength was comparable to a Peak Realm martial artist, and its relentless nature was infamous.
Its unsettling eyes, with indiscernible pupils, were fixed on him. He knew, instinctively, that he was its target.
‘Did it sense I’m in charge?’
*Thud!*
The wraith vanished from his sight. He instinctively yelled, “Everyone protect me…!”
But it was too late.
Only their leader was a Peak Realm expert, and even he was no match for the wraith’s speed.
His perception slowed. He could see every detail, even the saliva dripping from the wraith’s grotesque maw as it lunged.
‘Is this… what masters mean when they talk about transcending the senses…?’
He’d heard that your life flashed before your eyes before death. Not his, apparently.
He closed his eyes, bracing for the end.
But perhaps death wasn’t his destiny.
*Swish! Slash!*
The keen whistle of a blade slicing through the air snapped him back.
He opened his eyes to see the Great Ape Wraith, with its massive form split cleanly in two.
“…Huh?”
*Splatter!*
Hot blood erupted, but it arced away from him; it was a deliberate act.
*Thump!*
The wraith’s corpse, lifeless as a broken kite, crumpled to the ground.
Steam rose from the blood gushing from its bisected form.
As the rapidly dissolving remains of the wraith settled, a swordsman emerged from the splintered doorway.
Pyeong Cho-yul, his voice strained with relief, croaked, “Woo! You came!”
Namgung-Woo.
He wore the black robes of the Peng Family, an unusual sight, but inconsequential at this moment.
Pyeong Cho-yul rushed towards him, his terror was replaced by overwhelming relief.
“I knew it! It was you! What was that? A flying sword? My god, I knew you were strong, but this is… is this a dream?”
“I’m glad you’re safe, Master Pyeong.”
“Yes! Yes, of course!”
Namgung-Woo appeared calm, but inwardly, he was deeply relieved.
A moment later, and Pyeong Cho-yul would have been dead.
‘Just in time.’
Leaving the others behind had been the right call.
“We need to get out of Beijing as soon as possible.”
“But… in this chaos…”
“The Peng Family is here. We’ll meet up with them, and they’ll ensure your safety. A transport ship is arriving via the Grand Canal. Take that and leave the city.”
“The Grand Canal…”
Peng Ja-ryeong was traveling north along the Grand Canal.
Once he arrived, he could evacuate survivors, even if Beijing fell.
Though the choice of who to rescue would be his, the Yo-Pyeong Escort Agency, thanks to their connection to Namgung-Woo, would be among them.
“Aren’t you coming with us, Woo?”
“I…”
He looked north.
Like in Wuan, he sensed a concealed power, something beyond conventional martial arts. Sorcery.
It might deceive others, but not him.
The source of this chaos was there.
And if he didn’t stop it, Beijing would be destroyed before Peng Ja-ryeong arrived.
He could leave it to the Imperial Guards, but the power emanating from beyond that barrier far surpassed the Ghost Gate that had spawned the Form Snatching Wraith.
Was there anyone else in Beijing capable of stopping it?
‘They said there’s a Dao Lord stationed here. He must be powerful to be guarding the palace, but…’
What if, unlike him, this Dao Lord couldn’t detect the sorcery?
He wasn’t sure if even he could escape once that growing power reached its peak.
He had already climbed onto the back of a tiger.
And he’d brought others with him.
He was responsible for their safety.
He wouldn’t wield his power lightly.
“I have somewhere else to be.”
He turned towards Longevity Hill, the highest point in the Forbidden City, drawn to the epicenter of the power he sensed.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
