Invitation to the Chatroom of the Gods - Chapter 95



Only Krnovel

Episode 95 – Blindfolded and Aung (1)

As the evil spirits and powers that had covered the sky disappeared, everything began to fall into place again.

The sky became completely blue again, and all the negative emotions that had been bubbling up in a lump also disappeared.

People stared blankly at the sight of everything returning to its natural course. Their minds and consciousness were unable to understand what on earth had happened.

Saaaaaaaah-!

Suddenly, a cool breeze blew, and a pile of dark red ash flew through it. Where the ash flew, the body of the Blood Heavenly Goddess was disappearing.

As everything returned to its original course, the existence of the Blood Goddess who went against providence was being denied.

The Blood Heavenly Goddess is no longer a human, a goddess, a monster, a witch, or anything else.

Thus, the Blood Heavenly Goddess was unable to leave even her physical body behind in the world, and simply ‘disappeared’ by turning into ashes.

Kwaaaa …

The evil energy that had been absorbed by the Blood Heavenly Goddess swept in all directions, seemingly pouring down a torrential downpour while absorbing the waters of the Huangguo Waterfall, and its power began to grow stronger and stronger.

Kugugugugu!!

A tremble occurred that seemed to shake the entire space.

“There was no way there was an explosion······!”

The leader of the Jang Gang Hyeopgaekdan, Gu Cheol-san, shouted in surprise. The warriors of the Hyeopgaekdan also opened their eyes wide in confusion.

I can’t even imagine what would happen if that level of demonic energy exploded. At the very least, no one here would be able to survive.

It was at that very moment that Gucheolsan’s complexion turned pale.

“no.”

A clear voice was heard all of a sudden.

When I turned my head to look, there was Dang So-hyang. As the godmother of the Jang River Swordsmen, she spoke as if to reassure Gu Cheol-san and the swordsmen.

“It’s just a process of returning to where it should be.”

Dang So-hyang used the technique and understood its rules. So it must have been true, but even so, Gu Cheol-san could not easily believe Dang So-hyang’s words.

“Are you saying that this is a natural phenomenon?”

“Yes. It’s just that the demonic energy possessed by the Blood Heavenly Goddess has lost control. However, the amount is so large that such a phenomenon occurs.”

At Dang So-hyang’s words, Gu Cheol-san and the warriors of the Hyeopgaekdan looked at the evil aura that continued to swell as if they had made a promise.

A giant demonic energy that looks like it will explode at any moment no matter how you look at it.

But soon, that power began to fade away. As Dang So-hyang had said, they began to disperse, each finding its own path, as if they were returning to where they should have been.

This means that.

“The King saved him.”

The entire Guizhou Province, and literally millions of people, were saved by the Great King. This was possible not by burning the evil spirits, but by ‘annihilating’ a single being called the Blood Heavenly Goddess.

“Really······.”

A look of surprise filled Dang So-hyang’s pretty face. Her eyes, which resembled obsidian, also held a longing for someone.

The warriors of the band, including Gu Cheol-san, were not much different from Dang So-hyang.

“That, that······.”

“Oh my god······!”

No, Dang So-hyang was beyond surprised; she was astonished.

Of course······ they knew that the Great King’s military power was enormous. They had personally witnessed the fight with Jo Gye-ak and the scene of the burning of Pa-yang Lake, so they were the warriors of Gu Cheol-san and the Hyupgaekdan.

Above all, rumors about what happened at the Yongbong branch are spreading like wildfire.

A great king who could even be compared to the ten best masters in the world. No, he may have even surpassed them.

“Oh, how could this be···!”

“That’s ridiculous…”

But I still couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe it easily.

I have personally experienced how absurd the evil spirits of the Blood Heavenly Goddess are. I have seen with my own eyes the existence of a strange and powerful god.

It was a truly absurd force and existence that turned Jo Gye-ak into something like ‘something’. But how on earth did this happen······.

The gazes of Gucheolsan and the Hyupgaekdan naturally turned to one place.

When I turned my gaze, there stood the King of the Yangtze River. And the King was truly······ pitiful.

It was incomparable to what I had seen at Pa Yang Lake. The King looked as if he would die at any moment.

But why is that?

······I felt an enormous sense of pressure from the King.

An incomparable sense of oppression compared to what they had experienced at Payangho was weighing on all of the swordsmen, including Gu Cheol-san.

He was clearly the king of Gucheolsan and the king of the swordsmen.

But still, my body began to tremble on its own.

Shock and amazement that could not even be expressed in words gripped Gu Cheol-san and the band of swordsmen.

And that was when it happened.

“The Swordsmen······!”

The king’s voice was suddenly heard.

“Don’t spread rumors that I did it.”

······Huh? Huh?

The faces of Gucheolsan and the Hyupgaekdan literally came to mind.

That makes sense. What are you talking about all of a sudden······?

So, what are you saying is don’t spread rumors?

Are you talking about defeating the Blood Heavenly Goddess?

So don’t spread the rumor that the Great King has ruined the Demonic Cult’s plans?

Hey, no way-.

“Don’t go around saying that I defeated the Blood Heavenly Goddess······.”

······That’s what it looked like.

No, but why on earth?

The gazes of the floating Gucheolsan and the knights turned toward the king’s face.

The King was not wearing a mask, so he could see his face and expression, and as expected from Gu Cheol-san, he was an incredibly handsome man.

As Gu Cheol-san saw with his ‘mind’s eye’, there was no other man as handsome as Kwaenam. He could immediately see why the Great Mother fell in love with the Great King at first sight.

In any case, the expression on the face of the king looking at him was extremely resolute. In other words, it was definitely not the face of someone joking.

He had a desperate mind that he would say this even if he had to die.

No, is it the other way around?

If I look closely, it seems like it’s a case of life and death······?

······Well, anyway.

Gucheolsan and the Hyupgaekdan could not understand the Great King.

No, what the King did was said by the King, not by who.

“Never·········spread a rumor that I did it. This is an······order.”

However, the king was firm. It seemed that he wanted to erase his own existence, and just as Gu Cheol-san was about to ask, “Then who should I say did it?”

The king’s body suddenly began to sway.

Contrary to expectations that he would quickly regain his balance, the King fails to do so and falls into the waterfall of the Yellow Emperor.

······And then there was the great king who never came to mind.

The great king was in the deep waters and on the verge of drowning.

“maharaja!!”

“Oh, hurry! Save the King!!”

Gucheolsan and the warriors of the Hyupgaekdan rushed towards the king who was falling into the water.

* * *

An epidemic broke out in Guizhou Province.

As the Blood Heavenly Goddess disappeared, the human blood that was the cause of the plague lost control. Thus, the life force and energy that had been sucked out by the human blood returned to the patients.

As the human organs lost control, the crown prince’s soul was also released, and the human organs in the patients’ bodies also lost their power and disappeared.

So, patients who had been infected with the plague began to recover one after another······.

“Are you awake?”

“Umm······. How, how can I?”

“dad!!”

“Ahh······! If you weren’t here, I would really··· sob.”

It was the moment when the unprecedented epidemic that had infected the entire Guizhou Province was eradicated.

As time passed, the plague completely disappeared, and the previously closed waterways and land routes in Guizhou Province were opened.

And it wasn’t just people living in Guizhou who contracted the plague.

“No! Where have you been all this time that I haven’t seen you at all?”

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous. I almost died when I went to Guizhou to sell some goods and got sick.”

There were many merchants who traveled the world, such as peddlers and peddlers, as well as ronin who passed through Guizhou Castle.

“Huh? There was a plague in Guizhou? Why didn’t I know? Hey, what did you hear?”

“I’m hearing this for the first time too. When was the last time an epidemic broke out in Guizhou?”

“Huh? You guys really didn’t know anything?”

People who spread out like clogged blood being cleared.

They started to unpack the things that had happened in Guizhou Province and tell everyone here and there······.

“How fast the plague spread······.”

“I thought he was helpless and dead because there was no way to treat him.”

The story began to spread like wildfire through word of mouth.

“Well, then, people from a place called Hye-min-dang come out and cure the plague······.”

“Hyemin Party? Are you talking about the Hyemin Party in Gangseo Province?”

“I didn’t know much about it, but there was a goddess called Cheonhwasinnyeo. She would cure any illness with just a touch, and she was so beautiful that there was no other goddess like her.”

“That’s right, that’s right! The Hye-min-dang of Gangseo-seong! The Hye-min-dang run by the Hwa-ryong Daehyeop!”

“Was Hye-min-dang a place run by Hwa-ryong Dae-hyeop?”

“That’s right! Wasn’t Hwa-ryong-dae-hyeop there?”

“Oh······ He wasn’t there. The King of the Yangtze River and the Yangtze River Knights were together······.”

“Huh? What does that mean?”

Rumors of the plague literally spread throughout the world like a plague.

* * *

The Taihe Hall (太和殿) of the Imperial Palace located in Beijing.

All the ministers of Taehwajeon lowered their heads and looked down. They only rolled their eyes left and right to check the expression on one person.

At that time, the only thing that could be heard was the sound of someone gulping and swallowing.

“Why didn’t Jim know about the situation until it got to this point?”

The voice of the young emperor, who was young at heart, echoed throughout the Taehwajeon Hall.

He did not specify what ‘circumstances’ he was referring to. However, since the ministers also had ears, they were not unaware of the rumors that were currently spreading throughout the world.

At least several million people were infected with the plague.

This was a truly unprecedented event in history, one that could have easily resulted in the destruction of the entire Guizhou Province.

That’s why I wanted to make some kind of ‘excuse’, but I couldn’t even bring myself to do it.

It was none other than ‘Ju Gwan-cheon’ who was currently sticking close to the emperor.

Since Ju Gwan-cheon had investigated the matters related to Guizhou Province in great detail and reported them to the emperor, any lame excuses would not work.

If they opened their mouths rashly, they would only get ripped off. Since it would be like bringing trouble upon themselves, the ministers had no choice but to keep their mouths shut.

So, on the one hand, it was absurd.

No, think about it. That happened in Guizhou Province.

The name is also ‘Guizhou Province Plague Incident’. But why on earth is the ‘Gangxi Province Inspector General’ reporting the Guizhou Province Plague Incident to the Emperor?

There was no such thing as such a noisy person. Even noisy people have their limits. Even though Ju Gwan-cheon was the 7th cousin of the emperor, the level of noisy people was going too far.

That was an abuse of power by the Emperor’s bloodline.

It could also be seen as a kind of abuse of authority.

As the Minister of Taehwajeon, he knew that. But the reason he couldn’t help but keep his mouth shut was because of another reason.

“Why didn’t I know about this fact until the Deputy Royal Inspector General reported it to me?”

This was because Ju Gwan-cheon was not currently the inspector general of Gangseo Province.

Deputy Royal Inspector of the Royal Inspectorate.

The Dochalwon (都察院) was the imperial ‘inspection’ agency. Its role was to inspect and monitor local officials, as well as investigate incidents and accidents occurring in the local areas.

The officials belonging to such an inspection office were directly under the imperial family. They could report the results of their inspection directly to the imperial family, and the deputy inspector general was none other than the second-in-command of the inspection office.

That is, one could report directly to the ‘Emperor’ and no one else.

Ju Gwan-cheon was forced to relinquish his position as the governor of Gangseo Province, which he had been appointed to. The reason for this was quite interesting.

What did you say? I was so shocked that I can’t even remember······ Oh, right.

– Cheongun is no longer active only in Gangseo Province, but is active all over the world. Therefore, in order for me to monitor Cheongun’s achievements, I think I will have to step down from my position as the inspector of Gangseo Province. Please, allow me to do so!

······He submitted a grand petition to the emperor, which was like a letter of resignation.

I thought it was nonsense. I thought he was seriously crazy, but the emperor approved it again.

No, he went one step further and appointed Ju Gwan-cheon as the Deputy Inspector General of the Royal Inspectorate.

If the inspector general was in charge of supervising and monitoring what was happening in a province, the deputy inspector general was in charge of supervising and monitoring what was happening in all provinces.

Thus, Zhu Guanqian was now able to inspect and monitor not only Jiangxi Province but all 23 provinces, which was truly like having wings.

The emperor made an unprecedented personnel transfer, as if to immediately investigate and report on the corruption of local officials and the achievements of Cheongun in any province.

Of course, both the inspector general and the deputy inspector general were of the same rank, holding the same rank. However, the inspector general was a local government official, while the deputy inspector general was a central government official.

It was no different from a truly extraordinary promotion. Even if he were the emperor, he could not make such an unconventional personnel transfer.

The problem, however, was that Ju Gwan-cheon was internally designated as the lord of Gangseo Province.

Ju Gwan-cheon could have become a provincial lord of at least the second rank if he had just stayed still, but Ju Gwan-cheon refused.

······Even if I’m crazy, I’m really crazy.

In the eyes of the ministers of Taehwajeon, Ju Gwan-cheon was not in his right mind. He was a provincial governor who any bureaucrat would want to sit in at any cost.

So, this was not a ‘promotion’ but rather a ‘demotion’. That was why, despite the drastic personnel changes, none of the ministers were dissatisfied or could mention it.

So, now.

“Your Majesty, according to my investigation, the epidemic in Guizhou Province was caused by the ‘Demonic Cult’.”

The appearance of Ju Gwan-cheon, who clung to the emperor like a cicada, was like no other traitor. However, the content of his speech was contradictory, not being cunning or blinding the emperor’s eyes or ears.

Rather, it was a piece of advice that opened the emperor’s eyes that had been covered and unclogged his ears.

A ‘remonger’ who advises to correct something that is wrong or incorrect.

There was no such traitor as a ‘treacherous minister’, who has the exact opposite meaning of a ‘treacherous minister’ who flatters.

“The Demonic Cult spread a plague in Guizhou Province?”

The young emperor was able to receive a detailed report of the events that took place in Guizhou Province.

“That is so, Your Majesty. It is said that the elder of the Demonic Cult, the Blood Heavenly Goddess, spread the plague in Guizhou Province through the human nature of the Salt Maiden.”

“Ugh······!”

The young emperor let out a series of sighs at Zhu Guanqian’s report.

I knew how vicious the salty temper was, and I also knew how vicious the human heart was.

And yet the Emperor knew nothing until now.

“How could this······!”

The emperor was the first to lament his own incompetence. To not know anything about the situation that had spread to this extent was, as the saying goes, ‘incompetence’ as an emperor.

It was the same even if there was someone who covered the emperor’s eyes and ears.

Those living in Guizhou Province, whether they were ethnic minorities or not, were all the same subjects of the emperor. Just as there is no finger that does not hurt when bitten, they were all people the emperor had to embrace.

That is why the emperor felt deep gratitude towards the person who solved the epidemic situation.

The emperor felt more than grateful but also touched by the fact that he had embraced the people whom he had not been able to embrace.

“Who on earth solved the plague situation?”

The emperor had absolutely no intention of letting this matter pass.

Regardless of the gratitude, this was a tremendous feat.

First of all, it was an incredible feat to solve the epidemic that had spread throughout Guizhou Province. But not only did he overturn the plans of the Demonic Cult, he even killed the elders of the Demonic Cult.

This was a feat that cannot be fully expressed in words.

If stopping the plans of the leader of the Demonic Cult, Akjihak, was like destroying the enemy’s ‘vanguard’, then stopping the plans of the elder of the Demonic Cult, the Blood Heavenly Priestess, was no different from destroying the enemy’s ‘rearguard’.

And this epidemic was different from the Yongbongjihoe.

During the Yongbongjihoe period, it was related to the martial arts world, so the emperor was somewhat distant from it.

But this time, it had nothing to do with martial arts. It was a joyful act of embracing the people of Guizhou on behalf of the emperor.

It was possible to clearly show what the Emperor’s ‘distribution’ was, what the Emperor’s ‘magnanimity’ was, what the Emperor’s ‘praise’ was, and what the Emperor’s ‘rewards’ were.

I really intended to show it really well, really firmly, really harshly······.

“Why aren’t any names written in the report?”

For some reason, the report didn’t contain any definitive ‘who’ information.