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

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The moon above the cloak of darkness sprinkled with myriad twinkling diamonds, flouted upon observing the treacherous pigs who caused a big ruckus in Myeongju neighborhood. Back in the province, these men hid in the darkest shadows as they trampled the susurrating dead foliage, witnessed by the thick undergrowth and dry, bone-chilling wind.

They stormed inside Chil Yook's abandoned house, waiting for any possibilities of the former owners' return—probably to get their remaining precious belongings. More importantly, their main purpose was to rummage the entire house upside down to get clues on their possible whereabouts.

As these men searched for anything that could be of good use, using their torches and lamps, one of their watchmen, stationed outside saw two men approaching the house from a fair distance. He alerted his colleagues, and they put off the fire of their torches. Positioning themselves within the quiet walls and corners, they patiently waited for these persons to come closer to the house. Holding their breaths. Regulating their own heartbeats. Sticking out their own daggers.

The steps became crisper, and a muffled conversation was heard outside.

"Are you certain about this?"

"Yes, I am. I need to get something from that house."

"It is perilous!"

"It does not matter to me. They can try, but I will not let them do what they want."

"Wait, you did not bring any lamps?"

"No need. I wish not to draw attention from the neighbors. I know my house even though my eyes are closed."

In the slightest glimmer of light from the saffron moon, the man crouching near the wooden door mouthed a colleague near the fireplace, "The Grand Marshal!" As they prepared themselves for an ambush, the door suddenly creaked open. The silhouettes were tall and lean. Soft flip-flop sounds of the straw shoes numbed their ear drums as the unknown men paced down the rattan floor.

"Just cling to my arms if you cannot see anything," a deep baritone offered. The fellow swung an arm, groping a miracle into the dead air. Their feet shuffled forward but suddenly paused after taking a few more steps.

"Is there a problem, Sir?"

"None."

Before taking another step, with the right signal, two of the men from the door and from the fireplace, both opposite from each other in a diagonal way, ejected from their positions as fast as a catapult and jumped behind the unknown intruders. Their bodies dropped in a thump. Groans and grunts of resistance thudded as their limbs knocked on the floor. They had clobbered the necks with their palms to put the two to sleep.

"We got them!" a light-lyric tenor boasted.

The rest of their colleagues reconvened and lit up their torches to see the much-awaited reactions of the two captives. As the flaring light from the light source illuminated the bodies, their stomach acids back-flowed to their throats. Their mouths hanged dry into the air in shock, recognizing that neither of those people was the former Grand Marshal.

"Who are these people?" a short, robust man barked.

No one responded; all of their breaths heaved at their voice boxes, trapped like a bird in a cage. In a quick snap of the devil, the entire house irradiated from a single light source near the kitchen. The bright yellow light scraped their eyes, tearing their irises in a flashy front. After some seconds, the lights receded, revealing another group of men in leather armors and baggy pants, half of their faces covered with black, silk cloths. Scuttling from the house kitchen, they pointed swords against the dumbfounded men and outlined the perimeters. More coming from the backdoor. Emerging from the underground storage room on the backyard, like freshly manufactured toys from the factory.