Secret of the Two Kings (89 CHAPTERS - ON HOLD)

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For a couple of seconds, a trace of shock electrified Jung Ho. Finally, his gut feeling was confirmed. Another taste of bitter failure: his dead men, his shattered lead. Chil Yook could had been laughing the entire time. That thought infuriated him, scratched the outer layer of his sanity. Where is Chil Yook?

He started exploring different angles. He was certain for one single thing: a person from the palace was behind all of these. Yes, he knew that for a fact, but the exact person—he had no idea. A powerful omen like him could gain enemies from time to time, like colonies of bacteria multiplying from a single parent cell. With just the right amount of nutrients from its medium, an army of new foe could be formed. Insurmountable!

He must say that he was amazed at what had happened. It was an effective, organized ploy to shake him. But at some point, he felt pity for them. Now that everything was gone, he must think of new ways to find Chil Yook. By effective, meaning more dangerous. Hostile. Unforgiving. If a dozen of souls would suffice even Chil Yook's pint of blood, he would be more than happy to sacrifice an army. But of course, the plan would not be that easy. It would be a long, excruciating, keen process again.

To start, he needed to act calm. He ordered the hwarangs to make short inspections on the lifeless bodies. Anything that could help hasten the investigation. The hwarangs searched for anything on their pockets—anywhere on their bodies, but nothing important was found.

Jung Ho huddled the hwarangs and announced, "I order a complete lockdown in the neighborhood. Gather some men and surround the entire community. This has happened under my visit, so I want to investigate personally."

"Yes, sir!" the hwarangs answered—typical way, in unison.

"Great. Now, take the bodies, give them a decent burial, and clean the house. Keep men posted around the perimeters. Now, I need to talk to people around here."

Lies! Total lies. He did not really care to investigate the exact people who murdered his men. All he cared about was to ransack information about his former henchman. As Jung Ho started strolling, going to a couple of houses, a random old man suddenly fell down on his knees, while carrying some vegetables. He bellowed in pain, screaming a uniform, monotonous cry. He kept on saying Ah, my knees hurt, Ah, my knees hurt, Ah, my knees hurt. His voice actually echoed throughout the small neighborhood. People huddled on the poor man, helping him to get up.

The man screamed again. Ah my knees hurt, Ah my knees hurt, Ah my knees hurt.

Jung Ho found it odd actually; he had a strong gut feeling about the exaggerated scream of pain. He approached the man, asked him for his condition, "How are you feeling? Do you live alone? In your age, someone should be accompanying you walk through this hill."

In his peripheral, he could see the people's uneasy, unnatural avoidance from him. They dispersed at an ample distance, away from the old man. With worried faces, deeply interspersed by terror, the people continued walking away, still craning their heads to the scene.

"I deeply express my gratitude for your concern..."

"Oh... my manners. I truly apologize. My name is Jung Ho." He noticed the sudden change in the mood of the people. Curiosity wiped off from their faces as their gaits became more tensed, jetting their ways away and away.

It was a normal thing that people would get intimidated to him. For Heaven's sake, his stance alone demands respect! That he was a man of high-status. However, the fear, the irrational terror from someone who had seen him for the first time, with no knowledge about his status was a bit new for him. He actually thought that perhaps it could be because of bandits, lurking around the deep portion of the mountains surrounding them. Any aliens was a possible threat. An unfamiliar person could be an allergy trigger, an incubus of a viral infection. Or, it could be something else. Ah! Perhaps the trauma brought about by his men who had caused commotion on their little neighborhood.