When Sukh turned around, he spotted a pregnant woman and a man walking towards him, dressed in Kakungga clothes. He slowly stepped forward to investigate who was approaching him.
"Please help me, my wife is about to give birth. We are not familiar with this place," the young man pleaded, his voice laced with urgency.
"The capital is over there," Sukh said, pointing. "There are doctors in the capital who can help you."
The pregnant woman groaned in pain and squatted on the ground. "Hold on," the man said with concern, looking up at Sukh. "My lord, please help me carry my wife back to the capital."
Sukh squatted in front of the young couple and grabbed the pregnant woman's left arm. "I'll help you carry her back to the city," he offered.
"Thank you," the pregnant woman snorted in pain, and at the same time slowly stretched her hand behind her, grabbing a knife tucked behind her belt.
The young man took a quick glance at Sukh, who hadn't realized he had fallen into a death trap and quickly sprinkled a handful of dirt on Sukh's face.
When Sukh fell to the ground, the woman stabbed him in the chest and pinned him down. She grabbed the handle of the knife and tried to drive it deeper into his flesh, but he knocked her off his body. The young man then charged at him with a knife in his hand. Sukh quickly rolled to the left and got up.
Sukh stood not far from the two assassins. He was blind and injured; he knew very well that he couldn't win this battle. "Who sent you?" he asked, his voice strained.
"You don't need to know," the man replied, a cruel smile playing on his lips.
"At least when the grim reaper asks me, I can tell who gave the order to kill me," Sukh retorted, trying to buy time.
"That makes sense," the man conceded, still smiling.
The woman chuckled. "Those who break their promises will be punished with death. This is the rule of our ancestors."
"Liar!" Sukh yelled, a fresh wave of pain hitting him, both physical and emotional. "He wouldn't do that to me!"
"Don't be too sure," the man said, a smirk on his face. "You have been in this business for a long time, and you should know that people who don't talk much are the scariest."
The pain in his eyes and the pain in his upper left shoulder were nothing compared to the pain in his heart. He asked himself what he had done wrong. After all, Chief Keme and he had a good relationship like father and son before they parted ways, but the two people standing in front of him now told him that it was Chief Keme who ordered them to kill him.
The two assassins rushed towards Sukh. Sukh, fueled by fury, launched a series of fierce attacks. He threw a punch at the female assassin, causing her to stumble back towards the male assassin. The two assassins looked at each other, then quickly fled, their mission completed.
Sukh didn't chase them; he knew that in his current state, he couldn't catch up. As he slowly walked towards the capital, he stumbled and fell to the ground, passing out in the middle of the dirt road due to excessive blood loss.
In the backyard of Sukh's small house, the maid had already placed two different dishes on the table.
"Did he say when he would be home?" Haneul asked, pacing impatiently.
"My lord, his lord said he would be back before noon," the maid replied.
Haneul sighed heavily. "It's past noon."
"Does the lord like to have lunch now?" the maid asked timidly.
"No, I'll wait for General Bayarmaa," Haneul stated.
A guard rushed into the backyard and knelt in front of Haneul. "Your Majesty," he said worriedly, out of breath.
Haneul sighed, clearly annoyed. "What's the matter? We told you not to bother us; we will return on our own."
"Officer Li said that a couple saw a man who looked like Great Grand General Bayarmaa passed out in the middle of the road outside the city," the guard reported.
"Is there any evidence that it is Great General Bayarmaa?" Haneul demanded, his voice suddenly sharp.
"I have already sent someone out to confirm," the palace guard replied.
Haneul stood up abruptly, rushed out of the yard, and headed towards the front door. The guard quickly got up and scrambled to follow Haneul, who was already striding ahead.
As soon as Haneul arrived at the city gate, he met Officer Li. "Is the person who fainted outside the city General Bayarmaa or not?" Haneul demanded.
"Your Majesty, I don't know," Officer Li said, looking flustered. "But a couple who came in said they saw someone who looked like Great Grand General Bayarmaa lying on the side of the road. I have sent troops out to investigate the situation."
Haneul didn't wait for the soldiers to return but immediately rode out on horseback. After Haneul arrived at the scene, he found only blood on the road. He suspected the blood was not Sukh's, believing Sukh was too skilled in combat to be so easily injured.
A soldier dragged the female assassin towards Haneul. The soldier kicked the female assassin behind her knee, and she fell to the ground in front of Haneul.
"What is this?" Haneul asked, his gaze cold.
"Your Majesty," the soldier reported, "we found this suspicious woman snooping around. We asked her why she was snooping at us, but she refused to answer."
Haneul looked at the woman and, by the way she was dressed, knew immediately that she was a Kakungga woman. "Let her go," Haneul ordered, "maybe she's just going south with the other Kakungga."
The woman knelt. "Thank you, Your Majesty." The female assassin stood up slowly.
As soon as the female assassin walked away, she deliberately threw Sukh's golden seal on the ground. Haneul knew at a glance that it was Sukh's golden plate. In a fit of rage, he grabbed the female assassin and punched her heavily in the lower abdomen, causing her to fall to her knees, moaning in pain. The two soldiers quickly retracted their swords and placed them around her neck.
"Is the owner of this gold plate alive or dead?" Haneul asked, his voice filled with terrifying fury.
The female assassin raised her head, a defiant smile on her face. "Who knows? He was still alive when he was dragged out, and he may be dead now."
"Where is he?" Haneul demanded.
"Where he should be," the female assassin replied, her voice firm. "He made a promise, and he must keep it. The penalty for breaking a promise is death. This is the rule set by our ancestors for generations."
Haneul bent down and grabbed the female assassin's shirt. "Do you think your little threats will scare us? We've been through hell, and we're not afraid of your threats or mages. As far as we know, we're still the king of Tanzang. If we can give a servant a title, we can take it back too." He rose slowly, his eyes blazing. "Throw her in the dungeon. She shall not see the light of day without our permission."
Two soldiers grabbed the female assassin's arms and pulled her up.
Haneul approached her and murmured, his voice low and menacing, "You sit in the dark waiting for us to come back. When we destroy your so-called protectors, we will skin you alive and feed you your flesh." He walked towards his horse but then turned around suddenly. With a chilling change of heart, Haneul walked back to the female assassin's left ear and spoke softly, a twisted smile on his face. "The taste of human flesh is quite delicious… if it is grilled on an open fire."
Haneul got on his horse and rode back to the capital. After arriving, the palace guard had already arrived. Haneul looked at Duri, the chief of the palace guard. "Go south first with two hundred palace guards and six hundred soldiers. Tell Keme to release the Great Grand General. If he refuses, you will do everything you can to bring the Great Grand General back."
"Your Majesty," Duri said, hesitating, "I'm just a low-level palace guard. What if General Qadan doesn't listen to my orders? If that's the case, I don't think I will fight against Tanzang's second-level general."
Haneul took out his golden plate and threw it at Duri. "Seeing this seal is like seeing me. If General Bayarmaa disobeys my orders, you have the right to arrest him and his soldiers."
Duri picked up the gold plate from the ground and smiled, understanding the weight of the authority bestowed upon him. "I will do as His Majesty wishes."
The movement from outside caused Sukh to slowly open his eyes. He quickly realized that he had been attacked by two assassins and sat up abruptly, only to find himself sitting on a bed in a clean room. He touched his wound, but it was already neatly bandaged. He got up slowly and walked to the window. He slowly opened the window and found himself staring down into the busy morning market.
Sukh walked slowly to the door, opened it, and stepped into an open space. He looked left and right, and a waiter rushed over.
"My lord, what do you need?" the waiter asked.
"Who brought me here?" Sukh inquired.
"It was a nice young woman who brought his lord here," the waiter replied. "She left money for us to take care of his lord and then left." He smiled at Sukh. "I was the one who called the doctor to treat your wounds."
Sukh saw two soldiers walk into the tavern. One soldier announced, "By His Majesty's order, the gates of the city are closed until tomorrow morning. Everyone needs to stay in the city."
Sukh walked up to one of the soldiers. "Why?" he asked.
Seeing Sukh, the soldiers were stunned. His lips trembled as he stammered, "Weren't you kidnapped by Chief Keme and his mages?"
"Nonsense!" Sukh said angrily, a cold dread beginning to settle in his stomach. "Who made up this accusation?"
The soldier was trembling all over and couldn't speak clearly. He stammered, "A female assassin… His Majesty has gone mad and brought more than two thousand soldiers and palace guards to the Sacred Ground to rescue you!"
Sukh's heart sank. He murmured, "What… what a reckless move…" Sukh rushed out of the door, and the two soldiers quickly chased after him.
The waiter watched Sukh, and the two soldiers disappear into the street. He happily rushed into the room next to Sukh's. He opened the door without knocking, then quickly closed it behind him.
The waiter smiled at Minister Choi. "My lord, the Great Grand General has left."
Minister Choi smiled, his eyes glinting. "Come… come and get these gold leaves."
The waiter stepped forward with a wide smile and reached for the gold leaves on the table. Suddenly, the male assassin fell from the ceiling, quickly pulled the waiter's head back, and slit the waiter's throat.
The male assassin said, "Remember to release my partner as agreed."
Minister Choi chuckled, a satisfied sound. "Don't worry. Your partner will be free tomorrow morning. You two will be needed in the future." He looked at the male assassin, a chilling triumph in his voice. "After Sukh and Keme are gone, the only powerful clan in the capital will return to the Choi family… no one can take this title away from us. It's rightfully ours since the beginning."