Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 326

The Beggars’ Sect members were astonishingly skilled at erasing traces.

Gyujeok’s Blue Flame Purification Art was a supreme technique of the Divine Flame Church, a fiery martial art so powerful it dwarfed any other in the Central Plains. Yet, even blue flames were still fire. Whether sparked by lightning or a campfire, a forest fire could always erupt.

Quietly and swiftly, hundreds of Beggars’ Sect members converged, extinguishing the forest fire in an instant, completely erasing all signs of the battle that had taken place.

In the vast Central Plains, swift footwork and tracking skills were essential for gathering information faster than anyone else. In other words, they were as adept at erasing traces as they were at following them.

Thus, the site of Yeon Ho-Jeong and Gyujeok’s life-or-death duel was made to look like a simple forest fire.

It was a fast, swift, and precise operation.

* * *

Before dawn.

Jeagal Mun-Ho secretly entered the Pagun Pavilion.

“You’ve arrived?”

“How did it go? What about Commander Yeon?”

“He’ll be here soon. He’s still washing up.”

“Heavens! Was he not injured?”

Yeon-wi offered a wry smile.

“He was injured, but not to the point where he needs immediate medical attention.”

“What on earth happened?”

Yeon-wi explained as much as he knew, in as much detail as possible. These were the details Yeon Ho-Jeong had shared before going to wash up.

Surprise flickered across Jeagal Mun-Ho’s face.

“A Jinmu of the Weiji Commandery?!”

[Jinmu: A fifth-rank military official position.] Jinmu was a fifth-rank official position, not particularly high, but not low enough to be ignored.

More importantly, the fact that someone from outside the Central Plains had become an official was absurd. Even with the imperial family’s diminished power and the bureaucracy’s corruption, how could they appoint someone not from the Central Plains as an official?

‘It’s not just that they have connections in the bureaucracy; they’ve practically taken control of it?’

Jeagal Mun-Ho’s eyes darkened.

‘Commander Yeon said he was a master who made him tense. He wasn’t seriously injured, but the fact that he managed to wound Commander Yeon is a big deal. And such a master is just a Jinmu?’

Yeon Ho-Jeong was strong.

His cultivation level was impressive, and Jeagal Mun-Ho was well aware of his terrifying combat skills.

If their levels were similar, Yeon Ho-Jeong would never lose unless extremely unlucky. Rather, Yeon Ho-Jeong was the type who could overwhelm his opponent without even letting their clothes touch him, thanks to his incredible combat abilities.

In other words, the opponent who fought Yeon Ho-Jeong might have reached a higher level than Yeon Ho-Jeong in terms of pure cultivation.

A level higher than Yeon Ho-Jeong and Moyong Gun.

In other words, a level comparable to the heads of the Six Great Clans.

“Then the enemy…?”

“He’s dead.”

“That’s a shame.”

It would have been better if they could have captured him alive. Jeagal Mun-Ho was disappointed.

Yeon-wi shook his head heavily.

“I need to hear more from my eldest son to know the details, but my eldest son would have tried to capture him alive if he could.”

“Are you saying that it would have been meaningless to capture him?”

“It could be that, or it could be that he was such a master that trying to capture him would have put my son in danger, so he had no choice but to kill him.”

“I see.”

Jeagal Mun-Ho nodded, then noticed the shadow cast over Yeon-wi’s face.

“You don’t look too good.”

“…”

“Is there something else I don’t know about?”

His son had returned safely from a life-or-death battle, so it was natural to feel a mix of joy and worry.

However, Jeagal Mun-Ho, who had known Yeon-wi for a long time, could tell. There was something else, something he wasn’t being told.

Yeon-wi shook his head.

“No. I was just thinking about something else.”

“Is that so?”

“It seems my eldest son is coming. Let’s hear the details from Ho-Jeong.”

“Let’s do that.”

A moment later, Yeon Ho-Jeong knocked on the door.

“May I come in?”

His voice was much more stable than expected.

“Come in.”

Squeak.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who entered the room, looked very clean.

However, Jeagal Mun-Ho could smell a faint scent of blood coming from Yeon Ho-Jeong’s body. It was a blood scent that only martial artists could detect, not ordinary people.

Jeagal Mun-Ho stood up and patted Yeon Ho-Jeong’s shoulder.

“You’ve been through a lot.”

“It’s nothing. I apologize for acting on my own without informing you beforehand.”

“My friend, if you say that, what does that make me? Am I not just a scholar who sits around all day, dipping his brush in ink?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled at Jeagal Mun-Ho’s lighthearted joke. It was a smile that felt somehow empty.

Yeon-wi pulled a chair back.

“Sit down.”

“Yes.”

The three of them sat down.

Jeagal Mun-Ho opened his mouth.

“You must be tired, so it’s best to keep this conversation short and to the point. I’ll ask you directly. Did you find out anything from him?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong said in a monotonous voice.

“He is a master from the Divine Flame Church.”

“We know that.”

“The Divine Flame Church has masters called the Eighteen Martial Generals. They are, so to speak, the action leaders of the Divine Flame Church.”

“Action leaders… Wait a minute! Did you say Eighteen Martial Generals?”

“Yes.”

“Does that mean there are eighteen masters of that level?”

“Yes.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes gleamed.

“The general I captured today was the twelfth of the Eighteen Martial Generals. His martial arts were not significantly inferior to those of the heads of the Six Great Clans.”

A fight was something where you never knew the outcome until you actually engaged. A single misstep could lead to a warrior being killed by someone several levels below them.

Of course, the more skilled and experienced you were, the fewer mistakes and variables there would be. Variables could always occur, but in most cases, the outcome of a battle between masters was determined by their level of cultivation and the characteristics of their martial arts.

In other words, the Divine Flame Church had eighteen masters comparable to the heads of the Six Great Clans.

Eighteen true masters who did not easily allow mistakes or variables.

Jeagal Mun-Ho and Yeon-wi’s faces visibly hardened.

Yeon Ho-Jeong continued.

“Of course, there are differences in the martial arts of each general. Especially from the eleventh to the eighteenth general, the generals after the tenth rank have quite a difference in skill.”

“What about the masters within the top ten?”

“The difference between them is not significant. Therefore, from the tenth to the first general, there is no difference in rank. Of course, in a war situation, a higher-ranked general can give orders to a lower-ranked general.”

“Hmm.”

“Of course, we cannot ignore them. He said that from the first to the tenth, they are all at least at the level of the heads of the Six Great Clans, and some are even at the level of the abbots of Shaolin and Wudang.”

“… !”

“In that sense, although there is no difference in the overall level of martial arts, it can be said that there are one or two particularly strong masters among them.”

Jeagal Mun-Ho’s eyes deepened.

The leaders of the Nine Great Sects and the Six Great Clans were all supreme masters, possessing martial power that could rival anyone in their respective regions. Of course, this was only true for those currently active, excluding past generations.

In other words, they were masters who could single-handedly change the course of a war. Yet, there were eighteen such masters in the Divine Flame Church alone.

And that wasn’t all.

“I didn’t hear the details, but if the Eighteen Martial Generals are like the vanguard, there are also former masters, such as the elders, above them. I couldn’t confirm their level of martial arts, but I expect them to be definitely stronger than the Eighteen Martial Generals.”

Martial arts beyond the leaders of the Nine Great Sects and the Six Great Clans.

“That means.”

Yeon-wi’s expression became extremely serious.

“Does that mean there are many masters in the Divine Flame Church who have reached the level of the Thirteen Seats of the Heavenly Realm?”

“I don’t know about that. Including the Divine Flame Church leader, I expect there to be at least two or three, but I don’t have any reliable information about them yet.”

“…”

“As you know, Father, the realm of the so-called supreme master is extremely vast. Even Master Gong Gong is still far from reaching the pinnacle of this realm, isn’t he?”

“Hmm.”

“The important thing is that the Divine Flame Church alone has a formidable group of masters. If we add the other two groups…”

Yeon-wi said as if throwing a stone.

“We’ll be devoured.”

The Central Plains was vast.

There must be countless masters who have not revealed themselves to the outside world, and if you include past generations and even those from the generation before that, there would be more than enough to fight the Three Cults.

The problem was whether they could all be united. Even the White and Black Paths were like enemies to each other. There were countless conflicting interests within them, making it virtually impossible to unite the entire Central Plains.

“There’s another problem.”

“The Imperial Family.”

“That’s right. I don’t know about the other groups, but the Divine Flame Church seems to be trying to take control of the Imperial Family and the bureaucracy. If those who control the empire fall into their hands, we might not even be able to start a proper fight.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong asked Jeagal Mun-Ho.

“I heard that the Jeagal Clan has been on friendly terms with Confucian scholars for generations. Many of them have connections to the bureaucracy, right?”

Jeagal Mun-Ho nodded.

“There are quite a few. But if they are determined to make connections, I don’t know how many will move.”

“In my opinion, it would be better to find out how deeply they have infiltrated the Imperial Family and the bureaucracy, and what they are trying to control, rather than sending false information to the Divine Flame Church.”

“I agree. And so, I say.”

After hesitating for a moment, Jeagal Mun-Ho spoke as if he had made up his mind.

“We should start revealing the existence of the Three Evil Cults.”

Concern appeared on Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face.

“Strategist.”

“Of course, I don’t intend to tell everyone. I plan to inform them one by one, starting with those who are trustworthy and will never betray us.”

“… It will be dangerous.”

“It is dangerous. But doing nothing is just as dangerous.”

Confidence filled Jeagal Mun-Ho’s face.

“Leave that to me. Just in case, I’ve been investigating the Bonggong members. There are three people I’m confident in.”

He had been secretly investigating them without anyone knowing.

Yeon Ho-Jeong knew what that meant.

“You could face a backlash.”

He had used the power of the Martial Alliance’s strategist to investigate the Bonggong members. If he was caught doing this, Jeagal Mun-Ho’s political position would be greatly shaken.

Jeagal Mun-Ho shook his head.

“This is not the time to be picky. And if my position is shaken, you will help me. That’s all there is to it.”

“…”

“Anyway, is that all you found out?”

“That’s all for now.”

“I see.”

Jeagal Mun-Ho stood up.

“Commander Yeon.”

“Yes, Strategist.”

“I’m always sorry to you. You work so hard in the shadows, and instead of rewarding you, I just rely on you more. It’s truly frustrating.”

“Please don’t say that. I…”

“So, this is all I can say to you.”

“…?”

“Don’t blame yourself, and move forward with a clear mind.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes wavered.

“I have no doubt that you and the Clan Head will catch me when I falter. So, you too, don’t worry about what others think and do as you please. If someone points a finger at you, I will protect you then.”

“…”

“You’ve worked hard today. Go and get some rest.”

“Thank you.”

With those words, Jeagal Mun-Ho left the room.

Yeon-wi, who had been silent, chuckled.

“That man.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong had done his job. So, don’t make it complicated.

Jeagal Mun-Ho’s last words contained that meaning. It was his sincere feeling, and at the same time, a subtle message to Yeon-wi.

“Ho-Jeong.”

“Yes.”

“You’ve worked hard. Get some rest today.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong gave a wry smile.

“Yes. I really should rest today and do nothing.”