Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 193

Homeward Bound (6)

Half a day later.

“Heh heh, it’s been a while since you’ve visited this old man’s humble abode, hasn’t it?”

“Has it?”

“It has been quite some time. I believe the last time was before the Tang Extermination Army set out.”

“I tend to forget trivial matters quickly.”

Still as prickly as ever.

Moyong Gun smiled faintly. Tang Gwan’s abrasive personality was, in a way, invigorating for Moyong Gun. Tang Gwan clearly possessed considerable wisdom and the ability to adapt, yet he didn’t bother to hide himself.

For Moyong Gun, who had spent his entire life hiding, striking from behind, and setting traps to lure enemies, Tang Gwan, who had reached the pinnacle of his family with his honest and arrogant nature, was quite a mysterious figure.

“Now, have a drink. It’s Yongjeong tea.”

Tang Gwan received the cup and asked,

“You said there wasn’t much left.”

“Heh heh, this is a tea I only serve to special guests. I don’t personally enjoy it.”

“If you’re talking about special guests, are you referring to Jeagal Mun-Ho?”

Jeagal Mun-Ho.

Not the Jeagal Family Head, nor the Jeagal Strategist, but Jeagal Mun-Ho. Tang Gwan’s arrogance was as strong as ever.

Moyong Gun nodded.

“Of course, the Jeagal Family Head is also a special guest.”

He admitted it honestly. Tang Gwan, who had been quietly observing Moyong Gun, took a sip of his tea.

“Was it discussed beforehand?”

It was a sudden question, but Moyong Gun understood his meaning immediately.

“Are you talking about the Yang Cheon matter?”

“That’s right.”

“A while ago, the Jeagal Family Head and the Yeon Family Head came to me. They wanted to investigate Yang Cheon, and they asked for my advice on how to approach him without being detected.”

“So you told them?”

“I did.”

“Why? Have you decided you want to reconcile with them now?”

This was certainly unexpected.

Was it because of their different personalities? Or was it because of the different hells they had emerged from?

He never expected him to react so sharply in this regard. He was truly a person who brought vitality in many ways.

“Reconcile… what if we reconcile? I think it’s a pretty good way to make them lower their guard and then stab them in the back in a spectacular fashion.”

Moyong Gun smacked his lips and continued,

“Well, I don’t know if they would actually lower their guard seeing me like this. They would probably be even more suspicious.”

Tang Gwan’s eyes, which had been as poisonous as crane’s crest poison and as sharp as a rain of pear blossoms needles, gradually softened.

“You weren’t trying to join hands with them?”

“They are not the kind of people who would accept my hand even if I offered it.”

“I understand your words well enough, but for a smoother conversation, I would appreciate a more direct answer.”

Moyong Gun smiled.

“I did not join hands with them. They are nothing more than targets I must overthrow or sacrifices for my ambition.”

Tang Gwan nodded.

“I understand it as a temporary alliance.”

“That’s correct.”

Tang Gwan took another sip of tea. The heavy yet refreshing aroma relaxed his mind and body.

“But is he really that dangerous?”

“Yang Cheon, you mean?”

“Yes.”

“How can you, of all people, ask such a question? The Thirteen Seats of the Heavenly Star are all monsters who have broken the limits of humanity. And Yang Cheon is the strongest warrior among those thirteen.”

“I’m not unaware of that. But martial prowess and strategy are separate matters, aren’t they?”

Moyong Gun said with a bitter voice.

“Actually, I also thought Yang Cheon was just a thug who was good at fighting. That was until I received the reports about him.”

“So, he is someone with a brain?”

“I don’t know if he’s a monster, but at least he’s not someone you can deal with carelessly.”

Tang Gwan’s eyes sank.

Not someone you can deal with carelessly? For those words to come from Moyong Gun’s mouth meant that the opponent was truly extraordinary.

So far, Moyong Gun had only called two people monsters. But those two were just promising young people, not fully formed great talents. They weren’t truly an unmanageable disaster.

In other words, Moyong Gun’s assessment of Yang Cheon was a very high evaluation.

“Is that why you stepped forward?”

“Hmm?”

“Is that why you negotiated with them to be appointed as the commander of this operation?”

Moyong Gun chuckled.

“It’s not that I didn’t intend to negotiate, but it was actually them who proposed it first.”

Tang Gwan frowned.

“Jeagal Mun-Ho’s side?”

“That’s right.”

“What is that fox-like fellow up to?”

“He’s not up to anything. Not this time.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because he’s not bold enough to play games with such a serious matter.”

“Hmm, then conversely, Jeagal Mun-Ho’s side might be somewhat suspicious of you.”

That was because Tang Gwan saw Moyong Gun as someone who could be bold enough if necessary.

Moyong Gun shook his head.

“They won’t completely drop their guard, but this time, they will also trust me. That’s why they came to me directly.”

“Why?”

“The Jeagal Family Head, that man, has a certain understanding of me.”

“Is Yang Cheon such a fearsome person?”

A frost settled on Moyong Gun’s face.

It was a rare expression. Moyong Gun was genuinely tense.

“It’s a hundred times harder to appease and coax quick-witted cats than to control a pride of proud lions. And Yang Cheon has accomplished that.”

“The Black Path’s unification.”

“As the Jeagal Family Head said during the meeting, we are inferior to the Black Path in terms of intelligence. But the reason we haven’t cared about that until now is one thing.”

“Because they weren’t united?”

“Exactly.”

Moyong Gun’s eyes sparkled.

“Whether Yang Cheon did it alone or with someone’s help, that’s not important. What’s important is that a deadly blade that has its eyes on all of the Central Plains is now in Yang Cheon’s hands.”

“Hmm.”

“Seeing is believing, but I don’t trust Yang Cheon. To put it bluntly, he’s not someone you can join hands with. In other words, to me, he’s like a bomb that can’t be an ally.”

The corners of Tang Gwan’s lips curled up.

“That means you have no choice but to form a united front.”

“That’s what I think.”

Moyong Gun chuckled.

“Power is a demon. If you feed it and pat it every now and then, you can raise power like a dog, but if you make it beg for scraps here and there, from then on, it will see even its master as prey.”

“…”

“Even if Yang Cheon is a useful person, I have no intention of joining hands with him. Why? Because the moment I join hands with him, the dog of power I want to raise will surely go berserk.”

“Power…”

“I want to be someone who controls even power, not become a slave to power and remain a greedy, ugly person.”

Like many powerful people in history?

Tang Gwan didn’t bother to voice the words that had risen to his throat. Now was not the time to be sarcastic as a habit.

Tang Gwan, who had been staring at Moyong Gun, turned his gaze to the window and said,

“He seemed pleased.”

“Hmm?”

“Grand Master Gong Gong, I mean. He looked so pleased watching you and Yeon Ho-Jeong, that brat, talking and laughing.”

Moyong Gun chuckled.

“You knew?”

“Grand Master Gong Gong is practically the head of the Bonggong Assembly [a Buddhist organization]. How much he must have hated those power-hungry devils who were acting like leaders in a place without a master.”

A sharp person. Much more than I thought.

Moyong Gun shook his head.

“He came to me once and gave me a warning. I said I would and sent him back.”

“He’s an amateur monk who acts up just because he has the status of a great master. It doesn’t seem good to deal with him for long.”

“You’re right. Grand Master Gong Gong is like a double-edged sword without a handle. There’s no one to hold it, and no one to attach a handle to it.”

“Because he’s from Shaolin?”

“Because he’s from Shaolin.”

Moyong Gun drank his tea.

“Anyway, my problem aside, what about you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Yeon Ho-Jeong, I mean. The ability of the Tang Family artisan that he asked you for.”

Tang Gwan said with a disgruntled face.

“It arrived yesterday.”

“Hmm?”

“The items sent from the main family have arrived. Gifts to give to that damned brat and the Eradication Army.”

* * *

Several carts entered the Pagun Pavilion.

“Hmm.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who was examining the items piled on the carts, smiled with satisfaction.

“Good. They are top-quality indeed.”

Yeonwi asked,

“Did these come from the Tang Family?”

“Yes, they did.”

“Let me take a look.”

Yeonwi’s eyes widened with surprise as he picked up a round, ink-black steel plate.

“Amazing.”

“Isn’t it?”

“To be able to process Millennium Ink Steel so smoothly. They say the Tang Family artisans’ skills are the best in the world, and there was no exaggeration in that statement.”

“And look at this weight. They’ve maximized the weight reduction while maintaining the strength.”

“Is it an alloy?”

“It must be.”

Yeonwi clicked his tongue.

“Light armor that the entire Eradication Army can wear.”

It was a natural fact that light armor required much less iron than heavy armor. Moreover, in normal cases, light armor was often made by layering leather or cloth and adding metal on top.

However, the light armor loaded on the carts was different. The chest plate, arm guards, shoulder guards, and greaves were all made of a Tang Family secret alloy, with Millennium Ink Steel as the main component.

It was light armor for martial artists, designed to maintain maximum strength while reducing weight. It was perfect for nimble martial artists as it did not restrict movement and was lightweight.

Muk Bi’s eyes sparkled.

“I think I only need the chest plate and shoulder guards?”

“No. Wear everything.”

“Do I really have to?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong nodded.

“I think it’s best to wear everything as long as the weight isn’t too burdensome.”

“Why?”

“Of course, the military and various sects mass-produce uniforms or identical weapons for a sense of belonging. In addition, if training is sufficient and morale is high, group cohesion also increases.”

“Group cohesion…”

Yeonwi nodded.

“Ho-Jeong is right. The Eradication Army is a military group made up of descendants from the Nine Great Sects and the Six Great Families. Even though they follow the commander, Ho-Jeong, well, there are still quite a few who think of their own sects as their primary affiliation, not the Eradication Army.”

“That’s right. And from now on, we need to pay more attention to titles. Eradication Army-specific armor and titles. Even those small changes can make us stronger.”

“Good idea.”

Muk Bi tilted his head. It was still a difficult concept for him to understand.

Yeon Ho-Jeong said to Muk Bi,

“You have to do it.”

“Me?”

“When I’m not there, you have to train them.”

Muk Bi’s eyes widened.

“M-me?”

“I’ll tell you the training schedule and intensity. But you’ll have to adjust the gradual increase in intensity and appropriate rest on your own.”

“I… I’m not good at that…”

“Even if you’re not confident, do it. You are the vice-commander of the Eradication Army. When I’m not there, you are the leader of the Eradication Army.”

“Ugh.”

“Let me tell you one thing. A leader should be able to understand the hearts of their subordinates, but they shouldn’t be looking at their faces.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled.

“The you I know is capable enough. Believe in yourself and lead boldly.”

“Cough.”

Yeonwi asked,

“By the way, there are about five days left until the departure, is there anything else you need to prepare? If there is, tell me. Your father will help you.”

“It’s okay. I just need to take good care of myself.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. But…”

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked towards the west in the distance.

Beyond the wall, there were countless buildings in the Martial Alliance’s inner city.

Among them, his consciousness was directed towards the Tang Family.

“I think I should take one more person.”