Chapter 368: Be careful with flames when you wake up, let’s check even the extinguished ones again (11)

It was a time when Qing’s words thundered like lightning.

Mak Seok’s muttered question — Is this for real? — echoed loudly like a thunderclap.

“Your Highness!”

The Northern Army immediately collapsed, papak! slamming their knees hard into the ground, elbows pressed tightly to the earth.

It was still unbelievable.

That the princess of the country was a behemoth of a figure who chewed raw sweet potatoes with such fierce crunching.

But this was what a magistrate of the Jinyiwei Seventh Banner was saying.

And his words were filled with doubt and confusion, leaving no room for suspicion.

It was the moment when the illusion any man should have — the princess — shattered to pieces.

The inexplicable fantasy of the peerless beauty, more noble and delicate than anyone, a fragile flower petal to be protected with utmost loyalty.

Perhaps that was why,

the Northern Army, forehead pressed coldly to the floor, felt as if tears were rising in their eyes.

My princess, give me back the princess...

Was it because the floor was so hard and cold?

It was so cold and painful that even their hearts seemed to freeze...

Yeon Pa was startled.

How did even the Empress Dowager know about Yeon?

There was no way Qing was the princess.

Because if that were true, no matter how long she had been away from the palace, the wise king surely would not fail to recognize her.

The Jinyiwei were in quite a difficult position.

Several Jinyiwei officers bowed deeply on their knees, raising their arms, but then, noticing their captain still standing, they realized something was different.

The officers who had been kneeling and gathering their arms forward stretched toward the sky as if that had been their original plan, pretending to stretch their backs several times, then rose again with forced naturalness.

It did not look very natural.

Qing furrowed her brow sharply.

“Why do you still keep your knees off the ground?”

“It is undoubtedly the order of Her Majesty the Empress Dowager, but I know the princess cannot be here. If I am wrong, I will atone with my life. Might I have the honor of seeing Your Jade Eyes?”

Mak Seok answered politely for now.

But his words were only polite on the surface — he was basically saying: I don’t believe you. Show me your face.

In other words, that bastard knew the face of Princess Yeonsul.

Qing hesitated but decided to trust Her Majesty for the time being.

Unless the Empress Dowager was mad with grief over losing her daughter, that face must truly be that of Princess Yeonsul.

Then Qing lifted the veil.

The overwhelming beauty, which most who had seen called the greatest in the world, was fully revealed to everyone.

Mak Seok’s eyes widened to the point of bursting.

His focus shook, and even the several blurry figures in Qing’s vision were clear enough for him to recognize.

Then Qing herself grew suspicious.

So there really is someone in the imperial palace who looks exactly like me?

But then—

Ahem, “I almost got fooled. Are you, no, um, might you be the one serving Her Majesty the Empress Dowager? Or perhaps the body double of the princess?”

Mak Seok timidly asked with a subtle attitude neither fully respectful nor disrespectful.

“What blasphemy is this?”

“You surely resemble Princess Yeonsul, but that Princess Yeonsul is not so—”

Qing’s eyes flashed sharply.

There were few who could oppose Qing in the world, and catching at words was one of her weapons.

“Oh, really? Princess Yeonsul is not this beautiful? Ugly? You’ve surely lost your mind. Even if you despise the royal family, there are limits. How dare you judge our precious bloodline?”

“No, that’s not it. The Jade Eyes I saw — ahem — had traces of fiery marks on the face.”

“So, the Yeonsul you know is the ugly woman with the scars on her face? Because she has those marks, you claim I’m a fake?”

Qing acquired new information.

Apparently, the one who looked like her was not exactly the same.

Indeed, Her Majesty had said she recognized her daughter immediately with a mother’s keen eye.

Even the Jinyiwei said they resembled each other.

“Why is the Rear Palace interfering with the main palace’s affairs? Handling Duke Deokhyeon is clearly the Emperor’s command—”

“Shut up!”

Qing shouted fiercely.

“Now I see that you’ve completely lost your mind. What the hell? Are you really saying the Emperor personally ordered you to dispose of his own flesh and blood? You will be held responsible for your words.”

Mak Seok’s heart dropped.

Of course, this was no order that came down through proper channels.

Indeed, since the ancient days of the Yin and Zhou dynasties, the emperors of the Central Plains had such brotherhoods.

They believed in killing their enemies without hesitation, regarding them as enemies who could not live under the same sun.

But the former emperors, as parents, could not bear to see their children kill each other.

Thus, the emperors who enthusiastically slaughtered their own brothers imposed strict restrictions on their own sons to maintain harmony.

In such a case, killing a royal prince outright would cause ministers to rise in revolt, and the throne’s owner would face inevitable consequences.

“No, well, if someone worthy commands—”

Mak Seok protested bitterly.

He was just following orders!

“You say you know? No way. Are you claiming the Emperor ordered to disguise his army as bandits to slaughter his own people, and to set fire to the mountains and call forth the flames? Is that really your claim?”

“Ugh.”

Mak Seok was speechless.

Of course, it was understandable.

Even Qing who brought up the topic was stunned.

That Emperor bastard is really a damn bastard.

As I said, this is utterly ridiculous.

How the hell can such a man be Emperor?

Annoyed, Qing shifted her gaze to the Northern Army kneeling before her.

Their eyes weren’t sharp, but among them, the characters for Evil Karma were rare (though not absent).

Most had two strokes of Evil Karma, some had one, and a few even had blue letters spreading.

“I grant my Northern Army the honor of seeing the Dragon’s Radiant Eyes. Raise your heads and look at me.”

The Northern Army cautiously lifted their heads—

Gasp.

Where was the huge rickshaw man still chewing sweet potatoes?

Instead, a celestial fairy had descended and taken her place.

The completion of clothing lies in the face.

Even woolen clothes stuffed with cotton could not outmatch Qing’s beauty, so it was not the brute strength of a giant but the rare beauty of a humble appearance that filled the place.

With just a lifted veil, the cries of My princess is not like this! were rendered meaningless.

Oh, the princess truly is a princess, incredibly beautiful.

Moreover, it was the Northern Army.

These were warriors guarding the border in a bitterly cold land, with no women among the front lines, so their threshold for female beauty was extremely low.

Just seeing a common woman would make them drool like starving beasts, so to see the greatest beauty in history was an indescribable shock.

They were stunned, wondering if this was a dream or reality, wishing to watch over her all their lives until death...

“To that general there, I ask. Before you stands a traitor who defiles the Emperor’s order, wearing silk robes.”

Qing had little patience left.

She thought, Strike now while they are still disoriented. If I give them time, it will only get worse for me.

If asked for more evidence, she couldn’t say, Shall we go ask Her Majesty if I really am her daughter? so easily.

“Will you just stand there and watch?”

The general snapped to attention.

The judgment was not difficult.

Is she the real princess? Unknown.

But the order is real. It seems so.

Even if he sided with the Jinyiwei, would that bastard stop nursing his grudge and hug everyone?

Of course not.

“Shoot!”

An order without context.

But soldiers trained well and with strict discipline do not hesitate or fumble before orders.

Tatang-tang!

The thunderous sounds of exploding gunpowder rang out simultaneously.

The steel bows of the steel crossbows returned to their original form, producing explosive sounds.

From fifty steel crossbows, two hundred and fifty steel arrows tore through the air.

Some were deflected by weapons, but most pierced flesh and bone, brazenly lodging themselves.

Those with remaining strength passed through the body and escaped backward.

To Qing, it looked like a violent dance of the Jinyiwei officers flying and collapsing.

But a few still stood.

The one in the very front seemed unharmed.

Mak Seok had stood calmly even before the steel crossbows, trusting his body’s invincibility granted by advanced Flame Mirror mastery combined with the Golden Silver technique.

But his subordinates were uneasy, uncertain whether bodies reinforced with lesser Golden Silver, roughly “tough to damage,” could withstand steel arrows.

So what was the result?

If success lecturers from Qing’s hometown, arrogant scammers with no qualifications who foolishly teach success, had seen this, their eyes would have popped out.

“Look! How can you overcome trials without confidence!

Those with confidence block and deflect arrows with their bodies!

Everyone, I have failed countless businesses yet succeeded because—not thanks to my endlessly funding parents!—but because I’m great!

Even while quitting a major corporation and traveling the world, my bank account kept filling up from somewhere!

Eventually, I quit everything and became a ‘hope missionary’ filling a year’s worth of lectures.

Behold my confident and proud self, the great lecturer!

Belief in oneself! I succeed! The confidence to believe I will succeed is the start of success; the mind and spirit determine everything!

Now, repeat after me! I succeed! I am destined! I fear no arrow!”

And so, only five Jinyiwei officers remained standing.

Among them, only Mak Seok was unharmed without a single arrow lodged or wound.

This was the difference confidence makes.

And here stood another confident man, a brilliant general who sent strong trust to his men and himself.

“Charge!”

“Waaaaah!!” “Kill them!” “He said to attack!”

The soldiers all gripped their spears or crescent blades and launched their assault.

Qing tore the chest cord with both hands and drew the Moonlight Sword, stomping heavily.

“Those bastards! How dare they! Fine! If you want to die, I’ll personally send you!”

Mak Seok roared and swung his arm, slicing spears in half.

The Northern soldiers retreated swiftly and formed ranks.

But half were Flame Mirror masters, and even Flame Mirror was still Flame Mirror.

Mak Seok’s head, engulfed in a fiery dragon, swung with the timing of the flame coiling his arm, striking a soldier.

The soldier’s gaze caught the fiery head and suddenly recalled his hometown.

The scent of steaming rice at dusk in his home, his hardworking mother, mischievous siblings, and his father with a bad leg who said to his son—

“Black Flame Dragon, stop!”

At that moment, his breath caught, and the cherished scene vanished in a whoosh!

A scorching heatwave hit his face, and his body was thrown back dizzyingly.

Qing grabbed the scruff of the neck of the soldier whose head nearly smashed against some unknown magnificent strike and threw him back.

Mak Seok looked warily at Qing.

Qing first asked what she was curious about.

“Hmm. What was the name of that martial art?”

“...The Eighteen Strikes of the Yellow Dragon,”

Yellow Dragon!

In all four directions there are divine beasts — Blue Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise — and in the center dwells the Yellow Dragon, symbolizing the imperial family.

If the open territory forces heard that, they would be furious.

Not only did the court officials steal martial arts, but they even recklessly renamed techniques.

But the imperial palace had a point this time.

The original name was too rebellious.

A martial art opposing dragons — the name itself was the very essence of rebellion.

Mak Seok answered grumpily, protesting.

“How can the Rear Palace interfere with the Emperor’s affairs? Even if it’s Her Majesty the Empress Dowager, do you think this will go unpunished?”

The Rear Palace housed the Emperor’s women, so the name alone signified the Empress’s power, but Qing didn’t care for such obvious knowledge.

“Shut up!”

Qing suddenly flew forward, leading with her swordplay.