Book 21 Chapter 20

Gone with the Petals

-His Majesty the King of the United States of America

A skyscraper at the center of the city's headquarters.

An ornate and imposing eight-story pavilion, sixteen stories high and a whopping ninety-six feet across. On the top floor, for the first time in a long time, there are four seats. Around a circular table large enough for a dozen people to feast around, chairs as heavy and ornate as a jade throne were placed from east to west and north to south.

As the day waned, a crescent moon hung like a thread of gold in the inky sky. The four seats had been quietly filled, but the table was still bare, with no glasses and no wine. The first to speak was the gaunt man in the western chair, his face expressionless as he polished his sword.

"So, do we have a captain over there?"

"I think it's been decided, but they said it's temporary."

The man sitting to the south replied, bouncing his abacus.

"Temporary?"

The man in the west asked back.

"Yes, interim. It means he's only in charge for a short time. Though in this case, it's more like a temporary change."

"Who doesn't know that? I'm asking why you were hired on a temporary basis."

The man to the south said, still not taking his eyes off the abacus.

"I told you, ad hoc means we're going to do things on a whim. I'm guessing they didn't have enough time to do it in one day, so they hired an interim."

"That's a boring story."

The man in the east put his hand to his chin and sighed.

"Isn't there anything interesting going on? Alas, I'm bored, I'm bored, I'm bored!"

He ranted and raved about his unbearable boredom, but the others were all deaf to his cries. The man from the west asked again.

"So who's the interim captain?"

"Well, that's a bit of a surprise. It's not the Angelic Dragon's Heavenly Name or the Iron Jade Sleeping Spirit."

The man to the south continued to play with the abacus with his left hand while writing numbers in a ledger with his right. The man to the west asked in surprise.

"Are you saying your prediction was off?"

"Something like that. I've heard that you're the third master of the Southern Palace Clan, the Thunderbolt Sword Dragon."

"A name I've heard recently. A master of the Amuil Peak spirit realm. Is that right?"

The man to the east, who had been yawning protestingly, lit up for a moment. The other three knew full well that it was because a woman, a beautiful woman, had been mentioned.

"I doubt anyone of that stature would be able to take us on."

The man in the west grumbled. He sounded like he had a lot on his plate.

"We have a new, albeit temporary, captain, so I guess our Four Thousand King should say congratulations. Don't you think?"

The man in the east looked at the man in the north and asked.

"I see."

The man from the north, who had never spoken before, replied briefly. He said it didn't really matter anyway.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, why don't we give them a little welcome party, what do you think, what do you think?"

In a playful voice, the man from the east offered his opinion, hoping to be applauded for his brilliant suggestion. But the rest of us didn't raise an eyebrow.

Just as the man in the east was contemplating whether or not to overturn the table, a saving grace was unexpectedly extended from the west.

"Good. Let's have the ceremony. I vote yes."

"I'm all for it, as long as it's within our budget(豫算)."

The man to the south picked up his abacus and agreed. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he was ready to start budgeting.

The man from the north, who had been silent until the end, spoke up under unspoken pressure.

"Sure, sure."

"Aaahhh, that's it! I'll make a big show of it and play the role of Tongo, and we'll exchange pleasantries. After all, we should probably make formal introductions while we're at it, right?"

They were more than motivated, they were excited.

"What's with the greeting. Don't you think the trick is elsewhere?"

The man in the west crackled.

"What do you mean by your remark? If others hear it, they will misunderstand my pure heart! Even if I were to say that my eyes shone when I heard an intelligence officer say, 'Kukukuk, there are many beautiful women in the delegation, brother,' how could it be due to my own private heart? I am merely a man's man, striving to complete the great work of the 'Bombing States,' so please spare me your unkind words!"

His shoulders slumped in frustration, and his eyes narrowed.

"What I mean is that the unexploded or self-destructed is the crystallization of an impure and selfish mind."

The man to the west frowned and flicked the blade with his fingertips, as if it wasn't worth a damn. The man to the south shrugged and said.

"Well, it's pure in its sincerity. Besides, it's a great idea, if not a great business, at least a great business when you get down to it. Let me know when you're ready, and we'll share the profits three to one. I'll be the seven, of course."

"Business! That worldly remark of yours is a grievous wound to my high mission and cause! Ah, how hideous are those who do not know beauty!"

The man in the east cried out, clutching his chest with both hands.

"It's serious."

The man in the west squinted at the man in the east the way a passerby might look at a rabid dog.

"Anyway, don't go and make a fuss."

Said the Northman, who had watched the events unfold in silence.

"Of course! Who am I? The King of the Land of Love! Don't worry, the King of the Land of Love would never do anything against beauty!"

It looked like it was going to do something.

"Anything in moderation."

Despite that plea, no one here trusted their troops to understand the fine concept of "moderation.

"Hahaha, then I'm off!"

With a sudden gust of wind, his new car was gone.

Eek!

The man to the south picked up a single petal that had fallen onto the ledger with his finger. It was a live flower, a fresh red rose of considerable quality.

"I hope it's not too fancy, flowers are going through the roof these days."

* * *

Eunseulan, who hadn't been heard from for a while after arriving at the Heavenly Palace, showed her face in the dining hall for the first time in a long time. Her face was pale, as if she had been possessed by a demon and had been drained of all her energy.

Na Yerin, who had just finished eating and was sipping tea with Yunfei and Yi Yun, quickly stood up to help the staggering Eunseulan.

"Are you okay?"

Doridori!

Eunseulan shook her head twice, unable to answer. Even if she didn't say anything, her sallow skin and graying hair showed just how far she had fallen. When he offered her a seat, she collapsed into it.

"Do you want more tea?"

Shaking her head with effort, Eunsulan said in a fading voice.

"Bob, Bob from……."

Thus, an emergency meal order was organized to rescue the empty house.

"Be careful."

Eunsulan, who had silently emptied her third bowl of rice, spoke up. The color had returned to her pale face. In her own words, it was the result of a three-day vigil without eating to complete an overdue report, but to others, she looked like someone who had just escaped from a few days of imprisonment.

"What do you mean, be careful, all of a sudden, big sister Sullan?"

Lee Jin-sul asked, puzzled.

"I heard that the four of them hadn't had a reunion in a long time, so if they're going to have a reunion in almost a year, you better be prepared."

He sounded serious, but no one could understand him. Add to that the fact that he was gripping his spoon so hard and staring at the empty bowl, and any tension he might have been trying to create was completely destroyed.

"Who are those four people?"

At Yi Yun's retort, Eunseulan became aware of people's gazes.

"Four, four thousand kings! These are the ones who are called the Four Thousand Kings of the Ten Thousand Pavilions."

"The Four Heavenly Kings?"

"Yes. They're the masters in charge of the four islands, east, west, south, and north, and they're all exceptional, having risen through the ranks as students."

"Why should we be wary of them, we haven't done anything wrong?"

"No, it's……."

Eun Seolan was almost speechless at the innocent reply.

"If they're gathering at this time of year, it's a sign that they're here, they're going to do something, and sooner or later, they're going to do something."

"Use of force……."

Na Yerin muttered to herself, lost in thought.

"In a nutshell, it's steaming."

Yun Bi, who had been drinking tea in silence, put down her teacup and spoke for the first time. She and Eunseulan had already spoken on the ship.

"Yan Sojae is right, emissaries are nothing more than a distraction to them, and if we can make a mess of the best and brightest from the Celestial Academy, we can toast our victory with glee, can't we? I can think of no better or more fitting beings to test their power than you."

That last part was a bit of a stretch. Na Yerin took a sip of her tea before expressing her appreciation.

"It doesn't feel good to be ignored."

"No big deal, even puppies play tiger in their own backyard, right?"

The Yeonbi analogy made Eunsulan laugh out loud.

"Phew, I don't know what to say when I hear that, but it's good to be careful, people may be weird, but their skills are real."

I meant it.

"Thank you, for being so intentional about this. Actually, we're not even in the same organization……."

Although not hostile, they were technically in competition with Eunsulan. Nevertheless, she was grateful for his consideration.

"Whatever. We're friends, and besides, you've helped me before."

Eunseulan laughed.

"Oh, and by the way, be extra careful with me, Sojae."

Silver Snow said, her eyes serious.

"Is this something to do with the Four Heavenly Kings?"

Eunseulan sighed heavily and nodded.

"Yes. There's one human in the mix who's quite peculiar. Hmm. All four of them are peculiar, but he's particularly peculiar when it comes to women."

Everyone had a hunch. We tried to confirm the binary theory.

"Are you a human who identifies as a woman?"

There were plenty of such people on the White Island. This was the Black Isle. It was a place where even the mask of hypocrisy was unnecessary.

"That's probably… no, it's a little different."

"Maybe?"

It was an odd phrase.

"I don't know, I can't really explain it. Anyway, just be careful. Just be careful, and that's just advice from a friend, okay?"

The word "friend" sounded so warm.

"Okay, I'll be careful, don't worry."

"Nuh, who says you're worried?"

"Thank you, Silver Sojae."

A thin smile tugged at the corners of Yan Bi's mouth as he watched Yerin's gentle smile from the sidelines.

The empty space around her was now being filled with good friends.

It was less than an afternoon later, in front of the Thirteenth Dormitory, that Eunsulan's warning began to come true.

As they gathered in front of the dormitory for their afternoon routine, the emissaries of the Academy of Heaven and Earth suddenly stopped in their tracks and listened to an unrecognizable sound of music coming from nowhere.

"What does that mean?"

"First of all, is that music?"

"Oh, look at that!"

To the sound of pompous music, women in white robes appeared out of nowhere, lining up left and right. There were about a dozen of them, all dressed in identical outfits with red lines on a white background. They all carried baskets of flowers in their hands.

Scattering red petals, the women began to sing in unison.

"Aahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"

At the climax of the chorus, which somehow managed to lull the listener into a trance, red petals shot into the air in a fiery blast. Some were blinded by the storm of petals.

Through the colorful fluttering petals, a man emerged with petals all over his body.

Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam!

A loud, unidentifiable music played. It was clearly intended to announce the arrival of the man who had just trampled the petals.

"Oh, was your afternoon routine a group coin-op experience?

Fiercely suppressing the painful sensation that threatened to lodge in his throat, Namgungsang furiously shuffled through the schedule in his arms. As his hands shook and he struggled to focus on the schedule, the rest of the group stared blankly at the phenomenon that had never been seen in the Celestial Academy.

As soon as the music stopped, the storm of flowers subsided, just like a lie. In the center of the clearing stood the polite man, dressed in an outrageously colorful robe with rose petals embroidered all over the fabric.

The choir girls' eyes glowed strangely as they watched him. It wasn't a sharp glint, but a vague, hazy gaze.

With no one speaking, the man stood like a statue for a while with an expression of superiority, but still no one spoke to him.

"Alas, alas, no matter how long I wait, no one asks me my name, how sad!"

A bitter smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he howled sadly.

"Whoa, yes, it's no wonder that the uninitiated are speechless at this beautiful appearance, which could not have been more perfectly staged; but alas, the reproduction of beauty is a cruel mission!"

He pressed his right hand to his forehead in anguish. It was as if he had created the grotesque appearance himself.

There was another man on the Heavenly Martial Academy's side who was also in anguish, and that was Hyo-Ryong, his head bowed low as he clutched at his temples as if he had been suffering from a headache for some time.

"What's wrong with you, and by the way, is he crazy?"

Jang Hong looked at Hyorong and chattered. Distressed, he warned him angrily.

"Oh, don't you dare say that……."

Wham!

Before Hyorong could finish his sentence, two rain beads suddenly flew into Jang Hong's face.

"Huh!"

Hyorong quickly raised his sword and blocked the two life-forms, the hilt of his sword trembling as he did so.

"I will not forgive anyone who insults him!"

"In the name of the U.S. Bomb Squad!"

At the head of the line of women to the left and right, two women cried out at the same time.

"You want to know who he is?"

That's what criminals are supposed to do, the woman on the right said, with a gaze that said it all. The wistfulness in her eyes was quite dangerous.

"If so, I'll let you know."

In fact, no one wanted to know.

"This is the man of honorable bearing, of vigorous fortitude, of unerring skill, and yet of sad solitude in excellence because he bears upon his shoulders an immense mission-the man Confucius, one of the four thousand kings and chief of the eastern islands!"

"Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

A scream erupted from the rows of women. It was a scream of a different nature than the terminal's. I was amazed that they could express their favorite emotions in such a way.

"This is ridiculous on so many levels."

Despite his grumbling, Jang Hong was not without admiration. He was definitely out of the ordinary in the sense that not just anyone could do such an insane thing.

Bam!

Once again, Bisu flew in. It was still sharp, but this time Jang Hong made light work of it.

"We've already warned you."

It was the woman on the front left who made the remark. Her words were short, but her intentions were clear.

"This is it, Won, because it's brutal."

Apparently, it was not wise to incur the wrath of women. Jang Hong lowered his voice even more and chatted with Hyorong.

"Is the author… a master hypnotist by any chance?"

It was a euphemistic way of saying, "I don't know who the hell this cultist is," in case he heard me. I had just complained, and now I was being criticized twice. I knew it wouldn't feel good, but I didn't want to be criticized again.

"We don't know what her specialty is yet, though I suspect she'll use some pretty colorful weapons, but she won't use flowers as weapons…… maybe she's a phantom."

He had never seen his true skill either. Jang Hong wrote a whole note to express his doubts.

"Sounds more like a cult leader than a spiritualist."

Hyorong also replied to Jang Hong in kind.

"It's the same thing, except the difference is that the illusionist is dealing with individuals, while the cultist is preying on the masses."

Bam, bam, bam!

Just when I thought the flow had been interrupted, the wind chimes sounded once more, and the petals flew in a colorful display.

"What's wrong with that?"

"Maybe we're starting from scratch?"

"What?!"

Hyo-Ryong's guess was correct, and it was a good thing the chorus had been omitted. Regaining his footing with the red blossoms, Jagun half dropped his head and closed his eyes tightly as he spoke.

"It is with great pleasure that I welcome the beautiful flowers that have traveled so far to visit this remote island in the Lake of Compassion. Beauty is a fleeting but noble thing, and how can I stand idly by as you illuminate this desolate island with your noble light? Therefore, I, the Prince of Ming, welcome you, the Flowers of White Island, with all my heart and soul!"

With an exaggerated gesture, he spread his arms wide. Then his eyes swept around like lightning. His ability to search and analyze a woman's face was unparalleled. In an instant, he had found the cold, icy flower that was reputed to be the most beautiful in the White City.

He slithered to Na Yerin's side and dropped to one knee.

"Alas, cold shivering ice flower, fret not now. I will protect thee for ever and ever! Long live the kingdom of beauty, long live the kingdom of beauty!"

Na Yerin was taken aback by the suddenness of his behavior; he was clearly a stranger.

"What's wrong with this guy?"

Puzzled, I asked about Yeonbi.

"Well, I don't know."

The only thing she could be sure of was that the petals falling like rain were all live flowers.

"Then I'll cut to the chase!"

Jagun jumped up from his seat and looked Na Yerin straight in the eye, his eyes moist.

"Be my lover, the United States of America awaits you!"

"What the hell!

The men of the Heavenly Martial Academy, who were watching from the periphery, let out a collective scream. I don't know if it was an unexploded or unexploded bomb, but there was no one who didn't understand the words before them.

"Oh, you don't have to answer, I already know you won't, of course; who could resist such a fateful match!"

Already his mind was playing in another world.

"Come on, let's go!"

Warlock!

A rushing Jagun grabbed Na Yerin's hand. No, he tried to grab it.

"Huh?"

His eyes widened in disbelief. The hand he was holding was the cold, calloused hand of Yunbi.

"No thanks."

Yun Fei smiled a little, then unceremoniously slapped him across the cheek.

Pair!

The cheerful sound echoed through the blue sky. Yunbi spoke with cold eyes.

"That's rudeness in return."

His tone was sobering.

"Kaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"

Screams erupted from the side of the self-proclaimed Unexploded Ordnance Guard. They had been traumatized by the sight of their own soldiers' faces being disfigured.

"Oh, my God!"

Jagun stumbled backward, holding his swollen cheeks, and muttered to himself in disbelief.

"I've never been hit by my dad either……."

As he floundered in the crucible of shock, his eyes suddenly lit up and he clasped Yun's hands in his own.

"Please marry me!"

"Huh?"

"Huh!"

"Aaaaah! No!"

Among the envoys and the women of the Temple of Heaven, there were many enthusiastic reactions. Some of them, like Jang Hong and the Southern Palace Lady, gaped open-mouthed. Beside Na Yerin, who had turned into a stone pillar, Yi Yun was stunned with a complex expression on her face.

"Oh, my God, Yeomdo has beaten Ye Lin, and it's a proposal from Yeomdo when they're just lovers! Oh, no, this is why I'm glad I'm not your sister……? But, but, but!

It wasn't just the binary theory that was causing unnecessary facial twitching. At the back, some distance away from Yunbi, there was a man shaking with an even more extreme facial twitch, and he was none other than Gong Yong-hwi. There were also a number of male worshippers who were pumping their fists in unison with him.

Na Yerin, the most beautiful woman in the world, was the goddess of the people, the one who was always in everyone's hearts, and with the presence of the evil Bi Ryuyeon, she was somewhat immune to such things. Anyone could have predicted that the Demonic Beast Pavilion would approach her, so she was able to calm her nerves to the point where she was only slightly disturbed.

But Yun Fei was a different story. She's a young, noble, and exquisite beauty who's been mixed into the envoys as soon as she was selected as a freshman at the Heavenly Martial Academy, and is still unknown to anyone outside of the envoys! She's a beauty of the same caliber as Bing Bai Peak Na Yerin, with the same beauty, dignity, and firepower, so it's not like she doesn't have a lover!

Some of the male members of the delegation were inwardly bemoaning their fateful privilege of spending a year with the young, frugal beauty. Her exquisite mastery of the so-called Frustrated Confucian politeness, and the Yeonbi factor of traveling with Na Yerin all the time, had held their hearts captive. But now that a freak had invaded their forbidden bastion, it was not unreasonable for them to raise their fists in shock.

Where one runs, one flies. Some of the women in the self-proclaimed Unexploded Ordnance Guard fainted from the shock. They were fanatical followers of their leader.

The woman at the head of the group clenched her teeth. Flames of hatred burned in her eyes. It was the karma of jealousy.

"There's a time and a place for jokes."

Even in the midst of the devastation, the Yeonbi response was quite normal. Their response to the shocking event was indeed praiseworthy, even premiere-worthy.

"No, seriously, you don't see these two eyes shining with truth?"

"I don't see it."

Yeonbi's words were still sobering.

"Eek, look closer, look closer."

"Please move it over there. It's a burden. Besides……."

"And?"

"How long do you think you're going to hold it, rude!"

With a flick of his wrist, Yun Fei's body spun a full circle. It was a neat golden thread, but he was also a man whose name was King of the Four Thousand. He spun and flipped, landing convincingly on one knee. He still held his hand.

"Ho-ho?

Still, it didn't seem to work.

"I'm serious. Think about it, Kite Sojae!"

He kissed the back of Yunbi's hand.

"Boom!

For a moment, it felt like needles were sprouting all over her body. With the horrifying sensation of being turned into a chicken, she reflexively brushed her hands away.

Puck!

A blow to the head knocked him backwards. It was a blow that would have killed a lesser opponent instantly.

"Hahaha! Shame on you… Ewww!"

The bluff was short-lived.

"Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

"There's blood… there's blood……!"

Jagun barely opened his mouth, blood streaking the corners of his mouth.

"It's okay. My beautiful fairies…… kulkulkulk!"

It was not good at all.

"Cure quickly!"

The woman at the head of the line quickly rallied her men and said.

"Well, I'll see you next time, my bride."

With another chuckle, he disappeared in a blaze of red petals.

"Even in the midst of all that, you don't forget the petals."

I stared at the red petals on the floor and marveled at the Yeonbi. In a way, it was amazing.

"Yeah, you're a very unusual person."

After regaining her composure, Na Yerin agreed wholeheartedly, then asked.

"But why is he here?"

It was as if they had a purpose and then forgot about it.

"I don't know, I'm not really curious."

Yanbi laughed and replied. The world is a big place, and there are many strange people. If I thought about every weirdo I encountered, it would never end, so I decided to just relax and let it go. No, I wanted to.

But…….

Puddle!

"We'll see!

With so many hot gazes directed at him, he didn't notice that a woman was hiding behind a tree, burning a fierce flame of jealousy toward him. And that it would continue to light a nerve he hoped to extinguish in the future.

She was Haierhua, the daughter of Haierxin, the Black Dragon Demigod of the Zhang River Valley. She was the one who threw the holy dagger at Jang Hong twice.

"Why are you really here?"

Looking at the scene that had appeared and disappeared so suddenly, Namgung Sang sighed. The petals that had been scattered in a mess were now being trampled by the feet of several people, creating an increasingly troublesome scene.

"If only you'd cleaned up!"

It was like throwing garbage in the trash.

"I'm guessing that's what it's about?"

"Hmm?"

At the sound of a voice next to him, he turned to see Yoon Junho approaching him with a curious look on his face. Following his gaze, he looked behind him and saw a scroll lying at his feet.

"Before I knew it……."

Nan Gongsang was dumbfounded. Could she really have deceived him and left this behind? Even if he had been distracted, it was impossible for him to take a backseat to a man's life.

But it had already happened. He was chosen as the interim leader, and it was clear that he intended to show off his skills while also sending a chill down the spine.

"You're quite the foe, aren't you, Confucius of the Southern Palace?"

To Namgungsang, who still had a puzzled look on his face, Yunbi finally smiled meaningfully.

For some reason, his heart sank when he saw that bright smile.

"What, what is this chill?

An inexplicable, visceral sense of foreboding crawled coldly over my hot heart.