Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 473

Moyong Yeon-hwa wanted to scream.

“It’s been a while.”

The Yeon Ho-Jeong she met again looked nothing like his former self. His clothes were torn and tattered, and his hair was a mess.

However, his unique gaze was the same. No, it was even more striking than before.

His eyes were so deep and clear that they felt chillingly cold. Just meeting his gaze made her feel like her inner thoughts were being laid bare.

Moyong Yeon-hwa hid her feelings and bowed respectfully.

“I greet the esteemed Commander Yeon.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes gleamed.

Moyong Gun smiled and said,

“Have you eaten?”

“Yes, Father.”

“We have a precious guest. Tell the servants to prepare a table with drinks.”

“Yes.”

“Will you join us?”

Moyong Yeon-hwa smiled and said,

“I don’t think a lowly worm like me belongs at this table. Perhaps later, when the time is right.”

With those words, Moyong Yeon-hwa left the room.

Moyong Gun chuckled and pointed to a chair.

“Sit down.”

“You’re quite something.”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong sat down and said,

“You don’t seem any more humble, but you’ve become much more difficult to deal with than before.”

“My daughter?”

“Yes.”

Moyong Gun, sitting across from Yeon Ho-Jeong, poured some cold tea.

“She’s starting to understand the world. She’s realized there are many geniuses and monsters out there.”

“Anyone can realize that. The important thing is whether she admits that she’s no better than them.”

“She has admitted that as well.”

“That’s not easy.”

“One can only develop by succeeding in difficult tasks. There are still areas where she’s lacking, but the important thing is that she’s taken a step forward.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong clicked his tongue.

‘She was just a little fox, but now she knows how to hide her fangs.’

Growth isn’t something only one side experiences. However, the extent of growth is determined by how one spends their time.

In that regard, it seemed Moyong Yeon-hwa hadn’t wasted her time either. Of course, her appearance wasn’t particularly pleasing to Yeon Ho-Jeong.

Shortly after, a simple table with drinks was set.

“Baijiu [a strong, clear liquor], I see.”

“Isn’t it your favorite drink?”

“It is, but I don’t know how it is for the Clan Leader.”

“I started drinking it because you drink it so much. At first, it was just harsh, but now I quite enjoy it.”

“Is that so?”

“Come, have a drink.”

The two filled each other’s glasses.

“Shall we make a toast to celebrate your safe return?”

“I’m so grateful, I could cry.”

Clink.

The two emptied their glasses in one go.

Moyong Gun smiled.

“You haven’t changed at all.”

“What do you mean?”

“What if I had poisoned the drink? How could you drink it so readily?”

“Do you have to start with such pointless worries as soon as we meet?”

“Hahaha.”

“Aren’t we above using such low-level tricks?”

“I’m grateful that you think so.”

This wasn’t genuine either.

Just as there’s no fair play in political battles, poisoning a drink is something that could happen at any time.

Moyong Gun would have poisoned Yeon Ho-Jeong’s drink several times over if it meant he could kill him. Yeon Ho-Jeong was the same.

They boldly excluded tactics that wouldn’t work on each other. As they had clashed for so long, they knew each other well.

At least, it was different from a game of Go [a strategic board game].

“It seems you had a spar as soon as you arrived.”

“Yes.”

“With Clan Leader Yeon?”

“He still stands as a great wall.”

Moyong Gun’s eyes gleamed.

‘So it is.’

They had met several times during the Alliance Assembly. They hadn’t had many conversations, though.

Each time, Moyong Gun was inwardly surprised by Yeon-Wi. Every time they met at the assembly, he seemed to have changed.

He had thought that Yeon-Wi was still below him, but it seemed that wasn’t the case. If Yeon Ho-Jeong was saying this, then Yeon-Wi might not be stronger, but he certainly wasn’t weaker.

In other words, he was on par with Moyong Gun.

‘I thought he would be scheming with the military advisor while he was away from the Alliance, but that wasn’t it.’

Moyong Gun knew how much blood and sweat someone of his level had to shed to achieve such growth.

They would have experienced the pain of death countless times. They would have reached their current position after overcoming such pain countless times.

Even with such effort, they could regress instead of growing.

‘Innate talent, tireless effort, and even luck must have been involved.’

Moyong Gun sighed inwardly.

‘Admit that there are many geniuses and monsters in the world… I must admit that as well.’

Moyong Gun had reached his current level thanks to his enlightenment and the ancient martial arts, Thunder God Technique and Unfeeling Heavenly Thunder Style.

The most intense and destructive energy in the world was thunder energy. His martial arts, which constantly increased his inner energy based on this thunder energy, developed differently from other martial arts.

Just as one doesn’t necessarily become stronger by gaining enlightenment, one doesn’t necessarily become stronger just by increasing the quality and quantity of their inner energy.

In other words, one could face or even defeat a master who had achieved supreme enlightenment simply by increasing their inner energy and mastering martial arts.

Moyong Gun had a balance between these two paths of development. In a way, he was walking a more difficult path than other martial artists.

Of course, if you thought about it differently, it could be an easier path.

“You father and son are truly remarkable.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“Well, let’s leave that topic for now.”

Moyong Gun’s eyes changed.

“How was it? What happened in Guangdong?”

“Didn’t you already receive a report at the assembly?”

“I’m asking as a comrade who formed a temporary alliance, not as a member of the Martial Alliance.”

A comrade.

‘That’s not entirely wrong.’

Moyong Gun’s hatred for the Three Teachings was terrifying. He hated them so much that he was willing to postpone the Alliance Leader election to eradicate them.

This hatred and blind bloodlust were certainly helpful. At the same time, it acted as a shield, making it impossible to predict where this man would jump next.

That was why Yeon Ho-Jeong was more cautious with Moyong Gun than before.

“First, the man named Hong Kwan, who was disguised as a disciple of Yang Cheon, was a spy sent by the Evil Sound Sect. His real name was Yelu Jeok.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong told him everything that had happened in Guangdong, without adding or subtracting anything. He also explained how he had handled the situation.

Of course, he left out the fact that Buddhist monks resided in Foshan, Guangdong. Gong Gong might have already told him about it, but there was a high chance he didn’t know. There was no reason to make Gong Gong uncomfortable by mentioning it.

“Hmm, I see.”

Moyong Gun said with an admiring look.

“I thought you would handle it well, but you really crushed them. Well done.”

At least, he was sincere in these words.

Yeon Ho-Jeong shrugged.

“The matter isn’t completely resolved yet. This mission will only be over when Guangdong is properly stabilized.”

“It will be fine. You would have taken care of it.”

Moyong Gun nodded.

However, he was filled with one question.

‘He didn’t tell me everything.’

Moyong Gun intuitively felt it. Yeon Ho-Jeong hadn’t told him every single detail of what had happened in Guangdong.

Well, that was probably natural. He would have done the same.

However, he noticed that there were a few gaps in the process of solving the case, besides personal matters.

For example, it was questionable how he had persuaded the high-ranking officials of Guangdong.

‘The Left Garrison Commander of Guangdong doesn’t particularly like martial arts groups.’

Regardless of other regions, one absolutely needed ability to handle the affairs of the Guangdong Province Garrison Command. It wasn’t a position that could be obtained through bribes.

Moyong Gun had also done his own research on the Left Garrison Commander of Guangdong before this expedition.

‘He’s someone who can’t be swayed by force. Bribes won’t work on him if you’re a martial artist. He must be someone with a strong sense of pride.’

How did he persuade such a person?

‘Could it be that this guy has connections with the government?’

That was possible. However, Moyong Gun thought the possibility was low.

Even if Yeon Ho-Jeong was a monster, it was impossible for him to make connections with the government while dealing with the Three Teachings’ lackeys and restoring the public sentiment in Guangdong.

This was a matter of time, not ability. Even the great Yeon Ho-Jeong couldn’t create time out of thin air to make connections with the government.

‘Or did he have connections with the government before?’

That was also doubtful. If that were the case, he wouldn’t have sent him to meet the Provincial Commander when he was dealing with the Divine Flame Sect’s warriors.

‘Of course, he has some connection with Yeo Gong… but that alone doesn’t explain it.’

Moyong Gun was almost certain.

‘There’s no one connected to the government. In other words, he persuaded the Left Garrison Commander in a way he didn’t tell me.’

And that was something Yeon Ho-Jeong could never have done alone.

Contrary to his thoughts, Moyong Gun didn’t erase his smile.

“How is Woo?”

“You mean Commander Tangma?”

“Yes.”

“He’s healthy. Unlike some people, he’s kind and reliable.”

“Hahaha, he’s quite easygoing. He’s someone who can do his part no matter where he is.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes gleamed.

That’s right. He would do his part even if he were to sit in the Martial Alliance Leader’s seat.

“It seems I’ll be working with Commander Tangma on many things in the future. Please take care of me.”

“Huh! You should say that to Woo, why are you saying it to me?”

“He’s your younger brother. Even if he’s a reliable person, can he ignore his older brother’s words? Especially since you’re the Clan Leader.”

“Hahaha.”

He felt inexplicably good.

At least, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s evaluation of Moyong Woo was genuine. Moyong Gun could smile without any ulterior motives because he had read that.

“Come, let’s have another drink.”

“Let’s do that.”

The two exchanged drinks and emptied their glasses.

About half an hour later.

Moyong Gun, with a rather flushed face, asked,

“Have you thought about it?”

“About what?”

“Come on. Is there another reason why you left the affairs of Guangdong to Woo and came to the Alliance first?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes gleamed.

“You’re talking about the spy.”

“That’s right.”

His face was flushed from drinking, but the moment the word ‘spy’ came out of his mouth, Moyong Gun’s eyes turned cold.

“He’s a bug, but I can’t deny his ability. It’s not easy to perfectly hide oneself in a place where so many clan leaders have gathered.”

It wasn’t just not easy. With ordinary mental strength, one wouldn’t be able to withstand that pressure.

At least, his mental strength was second to none.

“We don’t know yet whether he’ll be a bug or they’ll be bugs, do we?”

Moyong Gun’s eyes blazed.

“Do you think there’s more than one?”

“I think we should keep the possibility open. However, I think the probability of there being more than two is low.”

“I see.”

Moyong Gun, who was fiddling with his glass, asked as if throwing a question.

“How do you plan to catch him?”

There was no main player in this spy expulsion operation. Everyone would have to jump in and catch them.

However, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s wisdom was different from others. There was no harm in listening.

Yeon Ho-Jeong put down his glass.

“I don’t know how to catch him yet, but before analyzing, I’ve thought about where to start.”

“Tell me.”

“We need to dig into the past.”

Disappointment appeared on Moyong Gun’s face.

“Isn’t that obvious? In fact, before Deung Cheon-Gyo, that idiot, made his explosive statement, Military Advisor Jeagal was already investigating the pasts of the Alliance members.”

“It’s not that level.”

“Then?”

“Before they joined their sects.”

“……?!”

Moyong Gun’s face hardened.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who was resting his chin on his hand, looked particularly clear.

“When they joined their sects, what martial arts they learned, who they met, and how they became the sect leaders. I think we need to thoroughly investigate all of their backgrounds.”

“Does that mean?”

“That’s right. We can’t rule out the possibility that they were members of the Three Teachings from a very young age, before they joined their sects.”