Chapter 650
That night, the grand tribal conference and the banquet held in the inner palace finally began to wind down around the Hour of the Ox.
For me, it was an immense relief.
Otherwise, I would’ve had to endure all the whispering and side-eyes for the rest of the night.
“I heard that Han fellow climbed onto a pavilion roof with his pants down?”
“Eh? What nonsense is that?”
“My wife’s nephew is part of the inner palace guards. He said there was a brief state of emergency about an hour ago—and it was because of that guy.”
“Now that you mention it, I ‘did’ hear a horn sound around then… Wait, an hour ago? Isn’t that when he said he was going to the latrine?”
“Guess he went to show something else instead. Everyone’s got their own tastes. Maybe that’s a Central Plains custom.”
“Good grief. Didn’t know the Central Plains were that uncivilized.”
“Uncivilized, sure… but still impressive in its own way.”
“What do you mean?”
“You know… ‘that’.”
“Oh…”
“My nephew said they almost attacked him. Thought he was holding a weapon—until they shone a torch and realized it wasn’t a spear.”
“What? How could anyone mistake that for a spear?”
“Heh. Think about it. You don’t get a title like ‘Dragon’ for nothing.”
“Hohoho!”
‘Ding!’
– Rumors about you are spreading like wildfire!
– Many influential figures have taken interest!
– Reputation slightly increased!
– Reputation slightly increased!
Please stop. Why the hell is my reputation ‘increasing’ for this?!
‘Goddammit…’
I forced myself to ignore the gossip buzzing around and quietly finished my drink.
Seeing that, the Beast King laughed heartily and patted my shoulder.
“Don’t take it too hard. Every man has those moments.”
“No, see, saying it like that just makes it sound intentional. It was an accident! I was in a hurry and forgot to fasten my—”
“Hmm? In a hurry for what?”
“Ah, that’s…”
Damn it. Slip of the tongue.
I hadn’t even told the Beast King about the mysterious message yet.
After a brief silence, I gave up.
“Fine. It was on purpose.”
“Oh?”
“I’ve been like this since I was young. Still do it sometimes.”
“Remarkable.”
“It’s a hobby. A talent, even. Everyone thinks I only wield one spear, but I actually use two.”
“My word…”
If I end up dying in the Southern Barbarian Region, no matter how it happens, it’ll definitely be from ’embarrassment.’
But right now, I had no choice.
Whoever sent that secret message had done so in such a discreet way that it clearly meant—no one else should know about it.
Not even anyone inside the Beast Palace.
And as much as I trusted the Beast King, Murim was not a place where words like “trust” and “faith” held much value.
Anything could happen.
Besides, if the Beast King knew, ‘someone else’ might catch on.
Like…
‘That man, for instance.’
My gaze met Baek Sang’s across the hall.
Cold, expressionless eyes that revealed nothing.
He hadn’t touched a single dish or cup since the banquet began. When our eyes met, he smoothed out his white robe and rose from his seat.
“Palace Lord, the night grows late. Perhaps we should call it here.”
“Hmm. Agreed.”
The Beast King nodded without hesitation.
It made sense—tomorrow’s tribal conference would continue, and even masters could lose focus after too much drink.
With a flick of his fingers, he expelled the last traces of alcohol from his system and announced the banquet’s end. The crowd murmured in mild disappointment.
‘Well, that rules them out. If they’re genuinely sad to leave, they’re probably not involved.’
Scanning the faces quickly, I turned to the Beast King.
“Lord Yal, I’ll take my leave as well.”
“Of course. Though I’m curious—which pavilion are you heading to this time?”
I grimaced.
Seeing my expression, the Beast King slapped his knee and laughed, while I sighed and left with Nam Ho and the others.
Night had deepened. It was nearly the Hour of the Tiger.
Time to meet whoever sent the message.
—
“You sure it’s safe to go alone? Could be a trap.”
On our way back to the quarters assigned to the Fire Dragon Pavilion, Nam Ho’s tone carried genuine concern.
“I’ll be fine. And honestly, Master Nam, you’d only slow me down.”
“You weren’t thinking of tagging along, were you?”
“I may have lived long enough, but I don’t plan on dying stupidly.”
“Then stay here—with the other two burdens.”
Taesan, as usual, had no opinion. Sama Pyo looked mildly offended at being lumped in, but shut up after I added,
“If you’re that upset, go reach Transcendence.”
“I might survive this, but you two wouldn’t. Stay put and keep watch. Swing your swords a few more times while you wait.”
We entered the quarters together, waited a while, and then I slipped out alone into the night.
‘Hour of the Tiger. West Gate.’
I didn’t know if it was a trap or a contact meeting, but there was only one way to find out.
‘Swish.’
Evading the watchful eyes of the palace guards, I moved swiftly.
The distant cheers and festival noises grew louder.
‘Fwoosh! Bang!’
“Waaaah!”
Though the inner palace banquet had ended, the outer palace was still alive with celebration—and would likely continue tomorrow and the day after.
The ordinary tribespeople, not warriors or chiefs, were fully immersed in the festival’s joy.
‘So that’s why the West Gate. This is the busiest time of year.’
Blending into the crowd, I moved naturally among the people.
Everyone wore animal masks, so my tiger mask didn’t draw suspicion.
‘The West Gate… should be that way.’
Even amidst the festivities, security was still tight.
Dodging patrols, I reached the area near the gate.
Technically, not ‘at’ the gate, but close enough.
‘I came as instructed, but…’
Too many people. Too many guards.
Standing still would only make me stick out.
‘What now?’
As I was scanning my surroundings, a voice called out.
“Hey there, tiger mask! Got nothing better to do? Come have a bowl of noodles before you go!”
I turned my head toward the vendor’s stall.
A skinny, middle-aged man smiled at me, holding up a bowl.
“I don’t usually talk to strangers, but trust me, this broth’s divine.”
‘The broth, huh? Somehow I doubt that’s the only thing that’s divine here.’
For a fleeting moment, I stared silently at him—then nodded and sat beside him.
Once seated, I sent a quiet message through spiritual transmission.
‘Strange. You’ve lost a lot of weight since the banquet. Didn’t think you’d drop pounds that fast after stuffing yourself earlier.’
‘Clatter!’
The man flinched. His body trembled faintly as he dropped his chopsticks.
I handed them back casually and continued,
‘So, what brings a tribal chief like you here, Lord Black Bear?’
Hearing my voice in his mind, Heukung’s eyes went wide.
He was clearly shocked I’d recognized him so easily—but I was just as surprised.
‘He sent the message?’
Though I hadn’t met Heukung many times, I thought I knew him well enough—a hopeless fool who’d fallen head over heels for Yohee, a spineless puppet who moved at Baek Sang’s command.
But the man before me was completely different.
The flabby belly was gone, his aura restrained and composed.
‘If not for the system, I’d never have guessed.’
I slid his chopsticks back into his hand naturally, speaking aloud for cover.
“Man, you dropped these? You’re really weak, huh?”
He quickly regained his composure.
“Ah, thanks.”
But beneath our normal chatter, messages flowed silently between us.
“One bowl of noodles, please,” I said to the old vendor.
‘That letter tied to the arrow—you sent it, didn’t you?’
The vendor didn’t move, so Heukung slammed the counter.
“Owner! One bowl of noodles!”
Then he smiled at me. “Sorry about that. The owner’s nearly a hundred years old—can’t hear a thing.”
‘…You’re right. But tell me, how did you recognize me so easily even after I used Bone-Shrinking Technique?’
Ah, that explained it.
The Bone-Shrinking Technique—an advanced art that lets one stretch or compress their bones and flesh like rubber. A painful and rare technique even in the Central Plains.
‘Even in the Southern Regions, it’s not exactly common.’
Still, there were too many unanswered questions.
I muttered casually as the noodles arrived.
“Hot soup was just what I needed. Good timing.”
‘So, let’s skip the disguise talk. Why send that message?’
Heukung picked up his chopsticks and said aloud, “This broth’s been perfect for decades.”
And in silence—
‘I had something important to tell you.’
“Really? I’ll hold you to it,” I replied aloud.
‘You thought I wanted to kill you? No. I knew you’d dodge it. If even Chief Baek Sang couldn’t deal with you, you wouldn’t fall to a single arrow.’
‘You know that little stunt earned me the title “Naked Dragon,” right?’
I nearly smashed the noodle bowl over his head, but restrained myself.
‘Fine. What was so important that you had to risk that?’
Heukung’s eyes darkened as he whispered the words—
‘Baek Sang… has joined hands with Dark Heaven.’
‘Crack.’
The chopsticks in my hand snapped clean in two.