Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 128

It took almost half an hour to travel from the outer city to the entrance of the inner city. A master of the highest level, going at full speed without rest, might make it in about fifteen minutes.

The inner city, while not as vast as the outer city, was still quite large. As the heart of the Martial Alliance, the buildings were more strategically placed and more elaborate.

“This is where we’ll be staying.”

The Yeon family’s residence in the inner city was the Pagun Pavilion. The buildings looked particularly old and sturdy.

Yeon-Wi, having unpacked, said,

“Father will go straight to the Martial Saint Hall. Rest here.”

“Be careful, Father.”

“Don’t cause any trouble.”

“I won’t.”

Yeon-Wi glanced at Ga Deuk-Sang.

He was pacing outside the building. With his hands behind his back, he was smacking his lips and circling around, looking quite anxious.

Yeon Ho-Jeong cleared his throat loudly.

“I’ll keep a close eye on him.”

Yeon-Wi hesitated for a moment, then said,

“If necessary, you may use force.”

It was an order to subdue him immediately if he went crazy and caused a ruckus. Yeon Ho-Jeong chuckled.

“He’s not that unreasonable. Don’t worry.”

“Alright. Then I’ll trust you and go.”

“Yes.”

Yeon-Wi left the Pagun Pavilion.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, seeing Yeon-Wi off, frowned and said,

“This is driving me nuts. Why is he acting so restless?”

Ga Deuk-Sang rushed over.

“Let’s drink, let’s drink. I haven’t had a drop of alcohol for half a year.”

“Well, we can drink if we want to, but…”

Yeon Ho-Jeong scanned Ga Deuk-Sang up and down.

“By the way, you’ve changed a lot in half a year?”

He was acting a bit like a fool, but Ga Deuk-Sang’s aura was worlds apart from what it had been last summer.

‘His inner energy has exploded.’

At the very least, it had increased by three or four times since the last time they met.

It was a truly enormous amount of inner energy. It was comparable to Muk Bi’s latent inner energy; in terms of inner energy alone, he was no less than a supreme master.

Of course, he could only properly use about half of it. This was because Ga Deuk-Sang’s understanding was lacking.

‘Forced power transfer. Did Yongdu Bangju [Dragon Head Master] transfer some of his inner energy?’

That was highly likely. The untamed energy was extremely fierce, but it was also refined to a high degree. It was a power that could not be obtained through elixirs.

‘It’s not just his inner energy that’s increased.’

Crucially, the thickness of Ga Deuk-Sang’s aura had changed.

It had only been half a year, but he must have spent every day like hell. Yeon Ho-Jeong suddenly felt a surge of competitiveness.

“Before we drink, how about a round?”

Ga Deuk-Sang yelled,

“You crazy bastard! I ran away because I didn’t want to train, why would I fight! Set up the drinking table first!”

“Don’t you think you’re being too shameless when it’s not even your house?”

“Give me the booze! Booze!”

“If you fight me a round.”

Ga Deuk-Sang grabbed Yeon Ho-Jeong’s fist and started hitting himself in the face with it.

“Aigo, I lost! I lost! Yeon Ho-Jeong, you bastard, is too strong! I can’t win!”

Ga Deuk-Sang flopped down, clutched his face, and rolled around.

Yeon Ho-Jeong felt deflated. It wasn’t because he felt sorry for his opponent, but because he seemed out of his mind, which made him lose his energy.

“Damn it, let’s go inside.”

“Hehehe.”

Ga Deuk-Sang went into the residence before Yeon Ho-Jeong. He acted like it was his own home.

Muk Bi, who had been watching the scene from the side, said with a disgruntled face,

“There are truly many strange people in the Jianghu [Martial World], aren’t there?”

“That guy is the best of them. It’s hard to find a nutcase like him.”

“Except for my family, everyone I know is abnormal.”

“I know, right? You’re not normal either, are you?”

“What do you mean!”

“Whatever, are you going to have a drink too?”

Muk Bi shook her head as if disgusted.

“You want me to endure that terrible hangover? I’m good. I’m going to rest.”

“You just need to drink moderately, you know.”

“No, thanks.”

“Alright. Go rest.”

“See you later.”

“Don’t forget to wash up before you rest.”

“I’m much cleaner than you!”

Muk Bi huffed and went into her own quarters.

Yeon Ho-Jeong grinned. She was always fun to tease.

Soon after, a simple drinking table was set up in Yeon Ho-Jeong’s residence. It was thanks to the cooks and servants of the Seven Star Pavilion, which was now the residence of the six great families, that the table was brought all the way into the room.

“Here, have a drink…”

He was about to fill the cup, but Ga Deuk-Sang grabbed the bottle and started gulping it down.

‘He’s drinking straight from the bottle…?’

It was quite strong liquor. Wouldn’t that hurt his stomach?

Then again, if it was the stomach of a monster that could digest twelve pounds of pork, it could probably handle it. Yeon Ho-Jeong grumbled and filled his own cup.

“Have you always liked alcohol this much?”

“Keoeok! Is there any beggar in the world who doesn’t like alcohol?”

“Still, it’s a bit much.”

“Whatever. Ugh, I drank a whole bottle and I’m already feeling tipsy.”

Ga Deuk-Sang leaned back in his chair. His neck was slowly turning red. He was clearly suppressing his inner energy.

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled.

“Still, it seems like you’ve been doing well.”

“Is it all about being healthy? My mind is sick, my mind.”

“I know, right? You weren’t this crazy of a beggar before, were you?”

“……”

“What’s wrong?”

“You’ve changed quite a bit since I last saw you?”

“Is that so?”

“You used to stab me with a sword, but now you smile and slap my cheek.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Both are bad!”

Ga Deuk-Sang grumbled.

“Anyway, you seem healthy too. You’ve been doing some dangerous things, haven’t you?”

“Hmm?”

“You caught Myeong Heo-Rim, messed with Moyong Yeon-Hwa, stabbed assassins, destroyed the Zhejiang merchants, and what else was there?”

“So you knew everything?”

“Of course, I did. Why do you think I gave you the Ojeong Pass? You used our guys well.”

“It made things quite a bit easier, thanks to you.”

Ga Deuk-Sang’s face turned serious.

“Let’s talk about the past.”

He had made such a fuss about drinking, but it seemed he had a lot to talk about with Yeon Ho-Jeong.

“First of all, there’s something I want to ask.”

“Go ahead.”

“The girl who came with you, is she from the Anhui Blood Palace?”

It seemed best not to hide the truth from Ga Deuk-Sang.

“She’s not from the Anhui Blood Palace. But she is affiliated with Gwanil Valley.”

“Explain in detail.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong told him everything about Muk Bi, or rather, Baek Hyang’s past. What kind of group Gwanil Valley was, and how the infamous name of the Anhui Blood Palace came to be.

Ga Deuk-Sang’s eyes widened.

“Salshingyo [Killing God Religion]? Indeed, there are still quite a few mysterious sects in the Jianghu that we don’t know about.”

“I heard it’s more of a religion than a sect.”

“So? You borrowed the sword of the Namgoong family to destroy Gwanil Valley in order to stop them?”

“That’s right.”

Ga Deuk-Sang clicked his tongue.

“How many lives do you have? To do such a thing against the Namgoong family, you would have been in big trouble if you were caught!”

“I wasn’t caught.”

“……Damn it, I can’t argue with that.”

“And I didn’t lie. The Anhui Blood Palace is someone from the Yeshin Battle that happened five years ago. The Geumgeom Gate was also destroyed after getting caught up in that strange life-and-death battle.”

“Tsk.”

“In the end, it was a good thing for the Namgoong family too. They caught the Anhui Blood Palace.”

Ga Deuk-Sang nodded.

“Anyway, my question is answered. So, the archers who killed the branch members were from Gwanil Valley.”

“I’m sorry about that. But I couldn’t give her up.”

“It’s alright. I can’t turn my resentment on her just because she was a member of the same group. Besides, she killed the culprit herself, so I’m actually grateful and sorry.”

When he was like this, Ga Deuk-Sang was definitely not an ordinary person. Despite having a passionate heart, he was thorough in distinguishing between favors and grudges, which was not an easy thing to do.

“Well, that was the part that bothered me the most. If that’s the situation, I understand.”

Only then did Ga Deuk-Sang pour himself a drink.

“What about the assassins? I told the guys to investigate separately, but I can’t figure out where they came from.”

“I don’t know either. They seem to be assassins operating in the Hubei area, but I’m not sure.”

“Hubei? How did you know?”

“I just had a feeling. It’s too late to investigate now anyway, so it doesn’t matter.”

“That’s true, but…”

Ga Deuk-Sang, having emptied his cup, glared.

“The Moyong family?”

“I think they’re the most likely, but I can’t be sure.”

“I guess so. Damn, their personalities are so terrible, they must have a lot of enemies, right?”

“I’ll break your head.”

“I’m not your enemy. Don’t misunderstand.”

The two laughed together. They were relaxed even while talking about serious matters.

But that was only for a moment.

“Speaking of the Moyong family.”

“Go ahead.”

Ga Deuk-Sang’s face turned serious. He was no longer the beggar who had been clamoring for alcohol just a moment ago.

“Tell the Yeon family head to be careful of the Moyong family.”

“What’s with the sudden warning?”

“Some of the masters of the Myeong family who were imprisoned in the Martial Alliance’s prison have disappeared.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes sparkled.

“I’m not sure, but it seems that some of the old factions and the six great families have taken some of them out.”

“As allies?”

“I guess so.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong nodded.

“If they have the ability, that’s good.”

Ga Deuk-Sang frowned.

“Are you serious? Regardless of the reason, all members of the Guju Myeong family should be sent to prison and punished according to the Alliance Law. No matter how much of a pillar of the White Path [righteous martial sects] they are, secretly taking out prisoners is a serious crime.”

“Yes, it’s a serious crime, but who’s going to report that crime?”

“……”

“Besides, the current Martial Alliance is temporary. From the looks of it, it seems like the Martial Alliance will be rebuilt, but if we push them without evidence, we’ll be the ones who get hurt.”

Ga Deuk-Sang sighed deeply.

“I’m frustrated too. No matter how much they want talented people, secretly taking them out without going through the proper procedures is…”

“People’s greed transcends law and order. That’s why there’s no perfect law in the world. Even after thousands of years, the law will continue to change.”

“Hah.”

“And thanks to that, I also benefited a bit.”

“Huh? Benefited?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong refilled his cup and said,

“On the day of the assassins’ attack, there was also an attack by a rather strong master.”

“A master? If Young Master Yeon says so…”

“He used the Four Illusory Sword Technique of the Jeomchang Sect.”

“……!!”

Ga Deuk-Sang’s eyes widened.

“I-Is that true?”

“It’s true. Muk Bi was there, so it was easy to catch him, but considering my martial arts at the time, it might have been difficult to gain an advantage in a head-on fight.”

“……!”

“He was in his late thirties to early forties. He had a strong smell of blood. He must have killed countless people…”

“Mong-ui.”

“Hmm?”

Thump!

Ga Deuk-Sang slammed the table.

“It’s definitely Mong-ui. The great disciple of the former head of the Jeomchang Sect, and the one who obtained the lost Four Illusory Sword Technique. The one who killed the former head and disappeared.”

The two looked at each other.

Yeon Ho-Jeong opened his mouth.

“Is he affiliated with the Myeong family?”

“I’m not sure, but our headquarters believes so.”

“Hmm, he’s been very tight-lipped. He’s still imprisoned in the main family’s prison.”

Ga Deuk-Sang’s eyes turned cold.

“Then, if we track down who took Mong-ui, we can find out who tried to kill Young Master Yeon.”

“I guess so.”

“I’ll start investigating right away…”

“It’s alright.”

“Huh?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong chuckled.

“If Moyong Gun was the one who sent Mong-ui, he would have erased all traces. If we poke around unnecessarily, we’ll only make Moyong Gun more nervous.”

“What if it’s not Moyong Gun? What if it’s a new enemy?”

“Let’s think about that when the time comes. Who knows? Maybe we’ll find a use for it.”

Ga Deuk-Sang thumped his chest.

“You still haven’t lost your reckless nature. My friend! Moyong Gun recently obtained another powerful treasure sword! It’s like a tiger growing wings! We need to at least make it so he can’t move recklessly!”

“Wings?”

“Moyong Woo! The hidden genius of the Moyong family! Even that monster who was the head of the Zhejiang branch has joined Moyong Gun’s ranks!”

“Is that so?”

“You don’t know Moyong Woo, do you? That man is a genius among geniuses that the world doesn’t know about. It’s like Moyong Gun has become two people! Of course, considering his nature, he’ll…”

“……”

“……What? Do you know him?”

“I should be asking you. Didn’t you know? Things were easier thanks to your Hangzhou branch head?”

“I, I haven’t heard anything about that? Did he really join hands with Moyong Woo?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong sighed in relief and leaned back in his chair.

“I don’t have to worry anymore.”