Surviving the Romance Fantasy

Black Moon Captain Cheong Jin-myeong came to the front of Seol Tai-pyeong and squatted down.

“I… I’m sorry… I had to check your identity myself… I couldn’t help it…”

However, the voice was gentler than expected. Compared to Geojin, the action leader, his attitude and voice were truly mature.

“I don’t want to do it this way, but… because of my status, I may have made it more difficult for you than necessary…”

The subordinates beat them up all night, and then the top guy shows up and apologizes, so I wonder what kind of crazy group this is.

However, it was natural that he would not even show himself unless he was an opponent who had been so clearly suppressed.

He was a person whose identity should never be revealed. That was the position of the Black Moon Captain.

“D… that… ugh….”

Seol Taepyeong tried to say something, but the sound could not come out properly because it was blocked at the corner of his throat.

Captain Black Moon looked at that situation as if it were regretful, and then he sighed deeply.

“Please rest for now. After all the acts are completed, I will at least prescribe my medicine. It will be over soon. “Just lie here for a little while.”

Cheong Jin-myeong gently closed his eyes and bowed his head towards Seol Tae-pyeong, who was completely devastated.

Then he stood up and gave instructions to his subordinate.

I have confirmed everything that needs to be checked. It seemed like the work related to the Tongseokjang could now be finished.

“I saw with my own eyes that Tongseokjang Seol Taepyeong was captured. Thank you all for your hard work. Now, the remaining plans until the big day…”

“Yeah… I thought you were in pain, really…”

– Hwaaa

– Sigh!

It was that time.

A ray of sword wind blew through the cabin.

I heard that you can’t even track speeds above the limit with your eyes.

When the speed of a sword strike reaches its limit, it no longer looks like a sword strike, but rather a kind of Taoist magic.

Is it 1 second?

Or is it less time than that?

The time it took for Seol Taepyeong to tear off the rope tied to his wrist, stand up, pull out the sword of a nearby Black Moon member, and deliver a single sword strike.

That fleeting moment that was difficult for anyone to observe except Seol Tae-pyeong himself.

However, the series of processes clearly occurred. There is much left as evidence of that.

A swirling sword wind. A wooden table broken in two, a chair, a teacup, and even the hem of the Black Moon’s clothes.

Although the process passed by so quickly that it could not be observed, the result remained and struck the Black Moon Team members like a thunderbolt.

-Quaak! Sigh!

-Whaaa!

The members of the Black Moon Team who fell down after being hit by the swords could not even scream.

When Black Moon Captain Cheong Jinmyeong noticed the strange incident and turned his head back…

Geomzon, who was in complete disrepair, was adjusting his crooked jaw with his own hands.

– ‘Beware of the swordsman named Seol Taepyeong in the main palace.’

– ‘The level is high… strong… it’s not a matter of that level… it’s just… he’s crazy…’

This is what the Tang Shangguan who told Cheong Jin-myeong of the plan for the coup said.

Just when I thought I understood what those words meant, Cheong Jin-myeong’s head had already turned to one side after being slapped in the face.

“Wow!”

And Seol Tae-pyeong, who had grabbed her by the collar, put his head in front of his nose and spoke.

That face, covered in all kinds of blood, looks like you’re looking at a ghost. First of all, one thing is certain: it was not a human shape.

“I, mi, crazy…”

“I’m finally seeing your face in person… Black Moon Captain Cheong Jin-myeong.”

“Well.. you…”

“okay. I knew that you rarely appear in front of strangers. Anyway, if a baby boy is so timid… isn’t it shameful if he was born as a male boss and hides around like that?”

Cheong Jin-myeong tried to open his lips to say something, but no words came out. Seol Tae-pyeong, who was clutching his collar, raised his head further and spoke in horror.

“Okay, let’s take a look at that expensive Black Moon Captain’s face… I could give him a few punches… This man, Seol Tae-pyeong, won’t get his feelings hurt by a few personal punches like that…!”

“…Well, that’s right…”

“I was thinking…”

“…what?”

However, it was too much to do.

Is it the right thing for a person to do, to beat them to the brink of death just to drain them of their energy?

Seol Taepyeong said that and gritted his teeth.

“I could endure it until I got hit 30 times.”

“…”

“After fifty times, the bond of reason seemed to suddenly break. Still, it was worth holding on to.”

“…”

“But seeing you being beaten all night… I tried to think rationally… I’m sorry, I guess I’m just a normal person who can’t help it… Honestly, after being beaten like this, my head feels dizzy and I’m upset…”

“…”

“As expected… I guess humans are creatures of emotion…”

All the members of the Black Moon Team who were around couldn’t believe their eyes.

How could a person move like that when he was screaming so hard?

“So… before we go into more detail… let’s just hit him half as much as I hit him… But since I got half of it off, this is generous, right?”

“Wait… that’s not me, it’s my subordinate…”

“Ugh, you little boy. You know that the head position is originally a position of responsibility. “Would you like to stick your flippers out of here?”

Just like that, Seol Tae-pyeong grabbed Cheong Jin-myeong by the collar and threw him to the floor.

– Quang!

The sound of shaking and vibration echoed outside the cabin.

Heukwoldae (4)

Ghosts kill people.

And people also kill people.

These were the words that Black Moon Captain Cheong Jin-myeong, who had lived half his life as a ghost catcher, repeated out of habit.

Those who claimed to be ghost hunters in this area usually fell into one of two categories.

Either that, they have no way to make a living, or they have a desire for revenge against the ghosts.

In the former case, there were mostly vicious people such as criminals, gangsters, and runaway slaves.

They may pick fights with civilians or, in extreme cases, commit robbery. The bad rumors circulating about ghost hunting often come from people like that.

The latter has more diverse forms than the former.

These are people who have lost family, lovers, colleagues, etc. to ghosts, and killing ghosts has become their life’s goal. Since they are people who have lived normal lives and passed over, on the surface they appear to be people with common sense who can communicate well compared to the former.

In the former case, when circumstances improve, there are often people who quit hunting ghosts and pursue their own lives.

However, most people who take the latter path live by beheading ghosts until the day their bodies allow it.

Civilians prefer the latter, who appear to be normal and can communicate well, but Cheong Jin-myeong, who lived as the Black Moon Captain, did not think so.

Those whose goal was revenge rather than survival usually had bad words.

It is not a very pleasant experience to meet someone with whom you had a drink and become close because you communicated well, only to find them with their arms and legs cut off in a ghost’s nest.

Rather, people who left to find their own lives once they had enough money were good companions to have for a long time.

Even though it was rough and rough, once you started your own family and put down roots in a good place, you became a very healthy person.

The companions who survived for a long time and often sat down for drinks with each other were usually people whose goal was survival rather than revenge.

However, Cheong Jin-myeong himself is a person whose goal is revenge. That is truly paradoxical.

Like many ghost hunters who have remained on this earth for a long time, he has lost all his family and friends to the ghosts. He was the one who persevered with the desire to catch and kill those mindless monsters.

If the ones infesting the border of the imperial capital are ghosts, then the person who repeats their killing spree while covered in their blood must be a vengeful ghost.

And, like most revenge demons, one day he will die a horrible death. He met a powerful ghost that he could not do anything about with his own skills. Many Black Moon members died like that.

A man named Cheong Jin-myeong lived by simply postponing and deferring the time of death that could come at any moment.

The life I have lived passes through my mind. It was like a lantern.

My hometown house in the Anhyang region.

A father who was scary but responsible, and a mother who always cared for him. Even my younger brother who was immature in the world.

When I close my eyes and open them, the images of my family, covered in blood, are transformed.

The ghosts are tearing off the arm and giggling with their faces stuck in the intestines.

When I was a child, I would run out with a few coins and travel around cities in the outskirts. The scenery flows like a single moment.

When he learned how to hold a sword from a ghost catcher he met while wandering around, when he cut down and killed his first lowly ghost, when the number of ghosts he had cut down reached hundreds, and when he had a group of people who followed him and regarded him as a teacher.

Eventually, the number of ghost hunters following him increased… until he came to his senses and became a group called Black Moon, making a name for himself.

Why do all those scenes pass by like a flash of light?…

– Puck, puck, puck.

– Quack, swish, swish.

“Kuhuhuk, keuhuhuk…!”

“Oh, don’t turn your head, or you’ll get seriously hurt.”

– Puck, puck, puck

Yes.

It’s not ‘the same’ as the dazzling light… It’s just because the dazzling light is right…

*

“I’m sorry… I think I may have gone too far…”

I was the one who hit him first, but when I came to, I was the one apologizing.

When I saw Cheong Jin-myeong’s beaten, naked face, I suddenly came to my senses.

The white hood that Black Moon Captain Cheong Jin-myeong was wearing had already been completely removed.

He was a middle-aged man who had lived long enough to survive, but his face was swollen like mine, probably because he had been beaten so much. It was almost impossible to even see the face of a human being.

The sight of two men with swollen faces side by side staring at each other was a comedy when seen from afar, but a tragedy when seen up close.

It is a very terrible tragedy.

“…”

“I’m not the type of person who uses my fists so easily… That’s how it happened… But you know it’s a good thing, right?”

Somehow, I set up a wooden table and placed the cheap alcohol that was piled up in the corner of the cabin.

Then he grabbed Cheong Jin-myeong’s arm, lifted him up, and sat down in front of the wooden table.

“…”

“Let’s drink and forget.”

It was absurd for me to say this, but I didn’t come here to fight with Black Moon Captain Cheong Jin-myeong.

All I wanted to do was meet face to face and talk about various things… But after getting beaten up, the bond of reason was cut off, so I stopped…

“It looks like I spent a long time training in martial arts… When I subdue my subordinates, my movements are barely visible…”

“Uh huh, words are short.”

“…”

Cheong Jin-myeong, who was bleeding, looked at me with dumbfounded eyes.

The same went for the subordinates who were rolling around on the floor, groaning in pain.

“I am twice as old as you.”

“I am Tongseokjang, 5th rank Jeong. “Do you have a government position?”

“…”

“…”

Fighting…!

– ‘Black Moon Captain Cheong Jin-myeong is not a person who can be easily taken under command. He is a person who has lived in the field of life and death killing ghosts for decades since childhood, and has gained great trust as the Black Moon Captain for a long time, so he has a wide personality.’

– ‘I’m not sure how someone like that ended up being recruited to commit a conspiracy like assassinating the crown prince… but if I try to coax him, I might be able to somehow get him under control.’

Certainly, as Princess Ahyeon said, he was a person who seemed to have experience in physiognomy.

Because he has lived a wild life, he is definitely not a person who can easily be loyal to someone.

The same goes for the Black Moon Captain, Cheong Jin-myeong, and the countless Black Moon members under his command.

“And consider your position. “The entire Cheongdo Palace must be in an uproar right now because I’ve been kidnapped. If I grab you by the collar, drag you in front of the emperor, and throw you, do you think you’ll be able to hang yourself?”

“…”

Cheong Jin-myeong’s eyes twitched once.

Yes. From the moment I found out that I had been deliberately beaten and captured, I realized that the situation had no choice but to be structured to my advantage.

“Just tell me straight. “I am managing a territory on the border called Active Room, but I am short on manpower and not enough people to be my eyes and ears.”

“What does that have to do with me?”

“Uh huh, you keep speaking short. After all, aren’t the members of the Black Moon a group of people who lost their hometown to ghosts and wander around without a place to settle down, repeatedly hunting ghosts? I’ll give you a place in the active room and guarantee your status to some extent, so help out. “The situation seems to have gotten worse recently, so let’s help each other in times like this.”

I need assassins who can move freely at will.

Compared to the demons of the main palace, there is a strong feeling that the Black Moon Assassins are raw and untrained, whether in movement or martial arts. In some ways, it could be seen as unsystematic, but in other ways, it was able to easily permeate into the people.

The story was that during the day, I stayed as a member of the active room, and at night, I was a manpower who could move like my own hands and feet. These people are not easy to find.

First of all, if you want to rise to the rank of Jeong 3rd rank or higher, it is better to be firm in your power. Otherwise, you will only be raised in rank and will have to support others forever.

The way to survive in Cheongdo Palace, which is degenerating into a political arena, is all similar.

If you can’t control someone, you have to be controlled by someone.

That was the essence of politics.

“refuse. “We already have someone who is loyal to the government.”

After saying that, Cheong Jin-myeong looked at the end of the sword sheath that was lying on the floor. This meant that you could reach out and pick it up at any time. You probably know that resistance is meaningless…

One way would be to beat him up some more, but I didn’t want to tease him any more needlessly.

“The scholar Sim Sang-gon is a rotten dong-jul.”

“…!”

“I don’t know what he promised you, but the scholar was pushed out in a conflict with the superior officer, In Seon-rok, and eventually fell.”

Was it surprising that I knew the object of my loyalty, even though I never mentioned that name?

Cheong Jin-myeong caught his breath and eventually stood up. Those eyes were completely wide.

“Who heard it from?”

The fact that scholar Sim Sang-gon was running the Black Moon was probably the secret of secrets.

The Blackwoldae group was like a piece of baduk brought by a disciple of the Tang Dynasty to keep the treacherous Hwaan in check.

The situation within the palace has remained unchanged for several years.

Prince Hyeonwon’s momentum seems to be sky-high.

However, that is not because Prince Hyeonwon is a great person.

This is because the trickster Hwa-an, who presents him as a puppet and is his guardian, and numerous party officials are protecting him. Moreover, since he is receiving the Emperor’s favor, there is no better reason.

In order to bring them down, they had to get rid of Prince Hyeonwon, the central point.

However, how can they possibly harm the crown prince of a country?

Even if successful, the investigation will not be completed until the person behind it is found and retaliation is taken. Picking and killing does not always turn the situation in the scholar’s favor.

Therefore, even if they killed someone… they had to put the blame on someone. Only then will the plan be completed perfectly.

And, the target was In Seon-rok, the Sangseogwan, who was said to be the most retarded among the three major party officials.

If Crown Prince Xuanyuan is removed, Talisman Hwaan will also lose his political power. As a bonus, if they even get rid of the scholar-officials… the reputation of the scholar-officials within the palace will rise several levels higher.

Of course, given the scale of the plan, it must have been prepared carefully and with the utmost secrecy for several years.

The inclusion of Heukwoldae was also possible because Munhagwan’s attendant personally traveled to the Anhyang region. A person who had as little contact with Cheongdo Palace as possible but was good at stealth was needed, but it would not have been easy to find such a person.

“I don’t know what you wanted to receive from your disciple in return, but if you lay a hand on the prince, you will have to live the rest of your life as a fugitive in a distant, foreign land.”

“…”

“Are you confident that you will receive enough compensation to endure that? Against that scholar?”

Cheong Jin-myeong was unable to answer. Well, it had to be that way.

From Noble mtl dot com

There are only a few people in the world who know who the Black Moon is loyal to and what kind of coup they are preparing.

At least, it was not something that Tongseokjang, who led a life without much contact with life outside the palace, knew.

However, the world was an unreasonable law.