Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 65

Moyong Gun, holding two letters, shook his head.

“Quite the audacity.”

“What is it?”

“It seems our trip to Henan might become pointless.”

“What do you mean?”

Moyong Gun showed the letter to Moyong Yeon-hwa.

Moyong Yeon-hwa’s eyes wavered.

“The Blue Wolf Demons?”

Moyong Gun clicked his tongue.

“The Myeong Clan Head is serious.”

“Even so, sending the entire Blue Wolf Demons? There’s no need to go this far, is there?”

“There is.”

“Huh?”

“The Myeong Clan Head’s love for his children is quite extreme. His second son returned half-dead, so how could he not be furious?”

“Well, I suppose that’s true.”

The reason Moyong Yeon-hwa didn’t immediately think of that was because Moyong Gun wasn’t that kind of person. Even if his own child died, he was the type to preserve his forces.

And she also thought her father’s way of thinking was reasonable. You couldn’t burn the family’s entire strength for one child.

“Does Yeon Ho-Jeong know about this?”

Moyong Gun shook his head.

“Whether he knows or not, it doesn’t matter.”

“I know the Blue Wolf Demons are a terrifying group, but I don’t know their exact strength. Are they really that formidable?”

“They have never failed before.”

“Isn’t it possible they’ve only met opponents they could handle?”

“That’s unlikely, and if it were true, it would be even more problematic. It would mean they came because they thought they could handle Yeon Ho-Jeong.”

“… !”

Moyong Gun’s face showed interest.

“And isn’t this guy’s reaction interesting?”

“I don’t know. To me, it seems like recklessness.”

“It could be seen as recklessness, but it doesn’t seem like simple recklessness.”

“What do you mean?”

“Even though he knows I’ve arrived in Zhengzhou, he says he’ll do one more cleanup before coming. Even if he’s confident he can handle his opponents, it’s not easy to do that.”

That was true.

There was no need to take a detour when there was an easy path. A difficult path wasn’t always the right one.

“The more reasons, the better… Isn’t he truly wise yet reckless? He possesses contradictory traits simultaneously, he’s certainly not ordinary.”

Moyong Yeon-hwa sighed.

“One thing is certain. He has a personality that makes people tired.”

“Hahaha!”

“The Blue Wolf Demons… I heard they’re almost like assassins.”

“They’re ambiguous.”

“Huh?”

“If we only look at their martial arts, none of them can match you. There are first-rate fighters among them, but no top-tier ones.”

Moyong Yeon-hwa frowned.

“But how did they capture the Hyungsan Sword Master with just five of them? A master who was equal to an elder of the Qingcheng Sect [a prestigious martial arts sect]?”

“Do you think someone who is strong in martial arts is also skilled at killing?”

“What?”

“A person skilled in martial arts can easily kill others. But that doesn’t mean they are experts in killing.”

Moyong Yeon-hwa nodded.

She knew it in her head. But she had never experienced it firsthand.

The Jianghu [the martial world], the world, anything could happen. There was a reason why it was often said that even a third-rate sword could take the head of a first-rate fighter.

But she had never met a true killer. She didn’t know how efficiently they killed people, or how ruthless they could become to kill someone.

So, it didn’t feel real. Just five of them captured the Hyungsan Sword Master? How could that be?

“The Blue Wolf Demons will even destroy an entire area to kill their target.”

“… What?”

“If the target is in a village, they’ll burn the village. If they’re in a forest, they’ll burn the entire forest. If the target is a compassionate person, they won’t hesitate to tear apart children or kidnap and rape women in front of them.”

“… !”

“They shake the opponent’s mind before they begin their work. That’s why they make contact first and then plan their tactics. Poisoning drinks is commonplace, and they even kidnap the families of civilians to send suicide attacks.”

Moyong Yeon-hwa’s face turned pale.

“They’re demons.”

“They’re like demons. That’s why they’re strong. Because they’re the kind of people who will do anything for their goal.”

“They’ve done all that and still survived?”

“The Myeong Clan has been backing them.”

Moyong Gun’s face showed interest.

“Before the Myeong Clan backed them, they were always hiding. They’re that good at stealth, and they’re hard to catch.”

Moyong Yeon-hwa nodded.

Now she understood how they captured the Hyungsan Sword Master with just five people. With such dirty tactics, the Hyungsan Sword Master, who was known as a great hero, must have been enraged.

Moyong Gun looked out the window.

“A hellish strategy that even the elders of the Nine Great Sects [the most powerful martial arts sects] couldn’t withstand. In other words, it’s a battle of mental strength rather than skill.”

“… Do you think Yeon Ho-Jeong can overcome it?”

“The chances of him winning are low. Most martial artists tend to believe more in their individual martial prowess than in strategy and tactics. But if he does manage to win…”

A cold glint flashed across Moyong Gun’s face.

“Even I would have to be wary of him.”

* * *

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had enjoyed a delicious meal and plenty of drinks for the first time in a while, woke up at noon the next day.

“Udadada!”

He had already expelled all the alcohol. Perhaps that was why? He felt a great sense of psychological satisfaction, and his body felt completely refreshed.

That’s why rest is important. Yeon Ho-Jeong was able to shake off his fatigue with just one day of rest.

“Shall I start preparing?”

He sat cross-legged on the bed and lightly circulated his energy. After finishing his energy circulation, he went to the restroom and then returned to his room, where he ate all the rice balls he had packed the night before and the braised pork in the bamboo container.

It was truly a refreshing start.

He put two water bottles on his waist and loosened his body.

“Let’s see, first…”

After loosening his body, he took out a dagger he had kept in his pocket. This was also something he had asked the waiter to get from a nearby blacksmith before returning to his room last night.

Of course, it wasn’t just one. He had nineteen daggers in his pocket, besides the one in his hand.

“I paid a pretty penny for these, but the quality isn’t very good.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong clicked his tongue.

Well, he wasn’t going to be fighting with daggers. This was good enough to hold up.

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked out the window.

The weather was beautiful. It was such a nice day that there was nothing more to wish for.

Thinking about having to fight with crazy killers on such a nice day already made him feel depressed.

Flash!

Beyond the window, light flashed from a tall building.

Yeon Ho-Jeong scratched his head and infused the dagger with Byeok-ra True Energy [a type of internal energy].

Woo-oong.

“I wonder if I can finish this before sunset.”

He tightened his lower abdomen and spun his whole body.

Swaaeeek! Thud!

The flashing light disappeared.

At the same time, a scream echoed from afar.

“Got one.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong, holding his axe, placed his foot on the windowsill.

He left the money on the bed. It was a bit of a waste of change, but he couldn’t go to the main building of the inn. If he made a mistake, innocent people could die.

“Let’s start cleaning up!”

Thud!

Yeon Ho-Jeong soared into the sky.

He reached the top of the building across the street in one leap and looked around.

‘Not bad.’

Since he had killed one, the enemies’ attention should be focused entirely on him.

But he didn’t feel any killing intent. He felt dozens of gazes, but none of them had killing intent.

They were highly trained. They had definitely received professional assassination training.

‘They should be at least this good.’

Thud!

He kicked off the roof and quickly passed over several buildings.

His footwork was not as accomplished as his movement techniques, but it was still quite impressive. He couldn’t move as fast as the masters of movement techniques, but he was confident in his stamina.

This was because his method of using internal energy was on a different level than other masters.

Thud! Thud!

He didn’t look dangerous at all as he jumped between buildings.

The sense of balance he had gained from wielding a heavy weapon was already far beyond the level of a top master. In addition, his overall physical abilities had greatly increased after obtaining the White Tiger Energy, and his internal energy had also improved both qualitatively and quantitatively.

If he decided to flee, no one would be able to easily catch him.

After running for a while, Yeon Ho-Jeong suddenly felt a subtle killing intent.

Paang!

A dagger flew like an arrow and accurately pierced the merchant’s forehead.

It was an enemy disguised as a civilian. His senses had become so sharp that he could react immediately to even the slightest hint of killing intent.

Yeon Ho-Jeong increased his speed.

Paang! Thud! Paang! Thud!

He killed a total of six people while running for ten li [approximately 5 kilometers]. The enemies who died probably didn’t even know why or how they died.

After running for a while, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes lit up.

‘That place will do.’

He saw an old Guan Yu Temple [a temple dedicated to a famous historical general] in front of a low rocky hill.

As Yeon Ho-Jeong was about to enter, he suddenly felt an ominous sensation. The ominous feeling was coming from the Guan Yu Temple.

‘I don’t sense any presence.’

He felt killing intent, but no presence. That meant that no one but the enemies was hiding there.

Whoo-eeeng!

White wind swirled around the axe.

Yeon Ho-Jeong jumped high into the sky and landed on the left side of the Guan Yu Temple, immediately unleashing the Tiger King’s Crushing Wall [a powerful martial arts technique].

Kwaang!

The tremendous shockwave from the heavy weapon shattered the old walls and pillars of the Guan Yu Temple.

Puhwaaak!

A large amount of blood splattered. Two enemies hiding inside were instantly killed.

But one survived.

Chwaak!

It was an amazing attack.

A spear flew through the shattered wall and the blood that spread like silk. Even while being ambushed, it was a clever attack that blocked the enemy’s vision.

Tiing!

The spear that flew was deflected by the axe.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, spinning his body like a whirlwind kick, kicked away a large brick that was falling.

Tuwoong! Thud!

The sound of a skull breaking was heard. The brick had shattered his head.

Yeon Ho-Jeong increased his speed.

Thud! Thud!

He quickly climbed to the top of the rocky hill.

As Yeon Ho-Jeong climbed the rocky hill, he punched the rock face in several places.

Kung! Kung! Kung!

The power of his fist, filled with Byeok-ra True Energy, struck the rock face a total of twelve times. He didn’t hit one spot, but rather struck several places as he climbed in a zigzag pattern.

Even though he struck with so much internal energy, the rock face was not scratched. Since their backs were turned, the enemies did not see the scene.

Pa-a-a-ak!

Yeon Ho-Jeong, with nimble movements, climbed onto the top of the rock face and turned around.

He saw about thirty warriors.

They were all wearing dark blue uniforms. There was a mix of men and women, and even their ages varied greatly.

And in the middle was the woman he had seen yesterday, Nangpo.

Nangpo’s eyes were severely hardened.

“You, what is your identity?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong chuckled.

“You tried to kill me without even knowing who I am?”

“I heard you were the eldest son of the Byeoksan Yeon family?”

“That’s right.”

“That’s nonsense.”

A ferocious killing intent appeared in Nangpo’s eyes.

“A righteous sect scholar, and a novice with no experience in the Jianghu, is dealing with us so skillfully? That’s a load of bull.”

“You should ask the Myeong Clan who sent you.”

“… !”

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who was looking down at them with a smile, sighed.

“The Hyungsan Sword Master, that man was too naive, wasn’t he? To die at the hands of such incompetent people, life on the edge of a blade is truly futile.”

Nangpo, who had been staring up at Yeon Ho-Jeong, shouted.

“Poison Net!”

Fwoop! Fwoop! Fwoop!

The entire Blue Wolf Demons released poison bombs.

The speed at which the blue poison smoke spread was surprisingly fast. It was definitely faster than Yeon Ho-Jeong’s movement techniques.

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked down at the poison smoke rising rapidly. Within that poison smoke, the enemies would be preparing a second attack.

While watching where he moved.

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled and raised his axe. He didn’t move as the Blue Wolf Demons wanted him to.

To be precise, he didn’t need to.

“Compared to the Black Emperor Castle’s assassination squad, you’re just taking your first steps.”

He forcefully swung his axe down. All the moves of the Tiger King’s Crushing Wall were unleashed in succession.

Kwang! Kwakwang! Kwakwakwang! Kugugugung!

The rocky hill, whose interior had been shattered by the Inner Heavy Hand Technique, collapsed entirely.