Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 672

Bang!

Yeo Gwang’s face, which had slammed into the tavern wall, was flushed crimson. He was panting heavily, his breath so ragged he couldn’t even curse. His bloodshot eyes were filled with nothing but anger and shame.

The swordsmen watched Yeo Gwang in silence. What could they say? An elder of their sect had been subjected to what amounted to an insult. No amount of consolation would calm him down.

Or was it even an insult?

The faces of the Jongnam swordsmen were also filled with confusion. They were greatly shocked by the words of a master considered one of the best in the world.

The elder their sect was so proud of had been reprimanded by someone they should never have dared to touch. Where else would they ever experience something like this?

Moreover, Ha Eun-gyo’s words were too close to the truth to simply dismiss.

That was why the swordsmen were wavering. In their eyes, the absolute master’s righteous words were far more impressive than the stubborn elder’s behavior.

Was it because they were young? Was that why, unlike Yeo Gwang, who couldn’t accept the Yin Master’s words, they were able to contemplate what was right?

No, there was a secret here that even Yeon Ho-jeong and his group didn’t know.

When Ha Eun-gyo was scolding Yeo Gwang and the Jongnam swordsmen, he imbued his voice with a powerful mental force.

To help them break free from their stubbornness, to escape their fixed ideas.

To help them realize what true justice was, Ha Eun-gyo filled his voice with the conviction of an absolute master.

It could be said to be a kind of mind sword [a technique that uses mental power to influence others]. To cut through a person’s heart with one’s voice and plant one’s own thoughts and intentions, it was a supreme level that no master could easily achieve.

However, Yeo Gwang’s stubbornness was too strong, so it didn’t work on him, while the swordsmen were not as stubborn as him, so they were wavering.

It wasn’t because they were young, but because they were subconsciously aware that their actions were not right.

“…that is.”

The swordsmen were collectively startled and looked at Yeo Gwang. They had all been lost in thought.

“Yes?”

Yeo Gwang’s face contorted.

“How dare you?! Can’t you keep your minds straight! How can you be so distracted when the sect’s elder is in front of you? Is that how your masters taught you!”

“We, we apologize.”

The swordsmen lowered their heads.

Yeo Gwang’s face flushed with agitation.

He instinctively felt it. The young disciples were wavering.

Yeo Gwang shouted.

“No matter how much they talk about being the best in the world, you are disciples of Jongnam! How can you obtain the supreme sword heart [a state of perfect focus and skill in swordsmanship] if you are so easily swayed by the words of outsiders! Is the teaching of Jongnam so shallow and light that it can be shaken by a single word from an outsider!!”

The swordsmen couldn’t say anything.

Scolding them further here would be meaningless. It was just the ranting of an old man whose pride had been hurt.

Yeo Gwang knew that too. But he couldn’t stand it.

After entering Jongnam, he had been ridiculed for years. He had eliminated that ridicule with his venom and skill.

But the scars of the past could never be forgotten.

The long, or perhaps short, years of humiliation, after which there was only glory and praise. He had lived like that for decades, and now he had been terribly disgraced by someone he couldn’t even dare to face. And that too, in front of his disciples.

The memories he wanted to erase kept raising their heads, turning his fiery resentment into a volcano.

“Foolish ones! Even if you are young and lacking, if you have received the teachings of Jongnam, you should not be misled by such nonsense! When you return, you will all be confined to the training hall! You will not be allowed to hold a sword until you have corrected your rotten minds!”

At that moment, one of the swordsmen spoke hesitantly.

“Um, Senior Brother.”

“What is it!!”

“We apologize if we have upset you with our mistakes. However…”

The swordsman continued, sighing.

“How about we go help Mount Hua, even if it’s just us?”

Yeo Gwang’s eyes blazed with fire.

“What?!”

“Mount Hua is, at the very least, a neighbor, and at most, an ally intertwined with the Nine Great Sects [major martial arts sects]. If we don’t offer any help when an unknown enemy is attacking Mount Hua…”

“Enough! Whether they are neighbors or not, there is a reason why there are rules! Are you suggesting that we ignore the authority of the sect leader and take matters into our own hands?!”

“No, that’s not it! However, from what they said, the situation seems urgent… If we stay like this and Mount Hua suffers great damage…”

“It might be better if that happened!”

“…Yes?”

Yeo Gwang said with a displeased face.

“Ignorant people are whispering that Mount Hua is superior to Jongnam. Jongnam is the hegemon of Shanxi [a province in China] and the best sword sect in the world, but it is being undervalued because of Mount Hua.”

“…?!”

“It wouldn’t be bad if Mount Hua lost some of its power at this opportunity. It may be painful in the short term, but if you think about the future, it will be better for Jongnam.”

The swordsmen’s faces were filled with shock.

Yeo Gwang’s words were far too extreme. To just ignore the difficulties of other sects because of Jongnam’s power? Even if Mount Hua was a rival, they couldn’t do this.

Another swordsman said with a heavy face.

“Isn’t the reason we wield our swords for the sake of chivalry?”

Yeo Gwang’s eyebrows twitched.

“So, now you are talking back to the elder.”

“That’s not it. However, to ignore the suffering of good people for the sake of the sect’s interests is too…”

“Too what?”

“…”

“Are you trying to say it’s narrow-minded?”

That swordsman was quite courageous.

“Yes, I am.”

“…Look at this guy?”

Anger flickered on Yeo Gwang’s face.

But the swordsman didn’t back down. No matter how much he thought about it, it wasn’t right.

“Let’s concede a hundred times and assume that the leaders of Mount Hua are corrupt. But what about the young and the children? Mount Hua is big and vast. There must be many disciples who don’t know anything.”

“So?”

“So what? Even if we don’t know anything else, shouldn’t we at least save the children?”

Yeo Gwang, who had been glaring at the swordsman with cold eyes, turned his body.

“Enough. You all go back to the mountain right now. I will contact the elders separately, so go straight to the training hall and calm your minds.”

“We can’t do that.”

Yeo Gwang turned to look at the swordsman with disbelief.

Surprisingly, all of them, not just a few, were glaring at Yeo Gwang with sharp eyes.

At that moment, Yeo Gwang realized that something was going wrong.

They all looked like they had received a great shock. At the same time, there was even a hint of disgust in the eyes of the disciples looking at him.

In that shocking situation, Yeo Gwang felt his mind clear.

His words had been too harsh because of his exploding inferiority complex and his wounded pride.

Of course, he had no intention of changing his ideology. But the same words could be received completely differently depending on how they were expressed.

His extreme remarks must have been too provocative for the young swordsmen to simply accept.

Yeo Gwang, who was looking around at the swordsmen with bloodshot eyes, said with a sigh.

“I know your hearts. I know how shocked you are.”

“…”

“But this is a matter for adults. It’s something that you can’t accept yet, so go back to the mountain now.”

“We refuse.”

Yeo Gwang’s eyes wavered.

It wasn’t ‘We can’t do that.’ It was ‘We refuse.’

That subtle change proved that the swordsmen’s hearts had changed greatly.

The leader of the swordsmen, Hyeok Eun, said.

“The teachings of Jongnam are connected to the teachings of the world. The teachings of the world are simple and clear. If there is someone asking for help, and if we have the power to help, we move without any self-interest.”

“Hyeok Eun!”

“Even if you are the Great Elder, your words today were too much. I, and we, did not learn that in Jongnam.”

Yeo Gwang felt like his chest was about to burst with frustration.

“Didn’t I tell you that you don’t know the world yet! The world doesn’t work according to such naive teachings!”

“Then you should have taught us that way.”

“What?”

“You should have taught us that the world is rough and dangerous, so we should ignore the pain of our neighbors who are taking away our reputation, and that even children should be sacrificed if they belong to that group. You should have taught us that that is the right way!”

“You, you!”

“Is what the Great Elder said really the right way? Is that really the right thing to do?”

Yeo Gwang’s face turned red again.

Now, he was being insulted by young disciples who were more than forty years younger than him. The emotions he had tried so hard to control were surging again like crazy.

“Look at these… these impudent bastards! You are now committing the great sin of betraying your sect!”

“If we follow the orders of an elder who ignores chivalry and only thinks of profit, we may not commit the sin of betraying our sect, but wouldn’t we become the same kind of evil villains that we despise so much!”

“Wh, what did you say?”

“Even if it means committing the sin of betraying our sect, doing what is right is chivalry! At least, that’s what I think!”

Hyeok Eun’s voice was filled with a strong conviction, along with a sense of futility.

And it wasn’t just him. The eyes of all the swordsmen were no different from Hyeok Eun’s.

Woo woo woo!

A terrifying aura rose from Yeo Gwang’s body.

“I won’t say it twice. Go back to the mountain right now! Go to the training hall and wait! I will punish each and every one of you when you return!”

“We will repay our sins with death.”

“…?!”

“We will go help Mount Hua. Before the Mount Hua Taoists are harmed, those strange bastards will have to face the swords of the Jongnam swordsmen first.”

“You bastards!!”

Hyeok Eun shouted.

“Everyone, tear your sleeves! From this moment on, we are going to Mount Hua!”

Tear! Tear!

All of the Jongnam swordsmen tore off their left sleeves.

Their left arms were exposed. It was an act that the Jongnam swordsmen used to do in the old days when they went to war to recognize each other.

Hyeok Eun bowed his head to Yeo Gwang.

“If we come back alive, we will pay for our sins then.”

“Yo… you!”

“Let’s go.”

Whoosh!

Hyeok Eun and about thirty Jongnam swordsmen headed towards Mount Hua.

Yeo Gwang shouted angrily.

“You are worse than trash! You are no longer disciples of Jongnam!!”

* * *

“You sent the Iron Brigade Commander with Sword Saint No, right?”

“Yes, I did.”

Paeyul chuckled.

“You’re using us all over the place. It’s like we’ve become your errand boys.”

Yeon Ho-jeong coughed awkwardly.

“I’m sorry.”

“Forget it, so where did that guy you fought go?”

“I don’t know. I heard they sent people to look for him, but I don’t know which group he’s in. The situation is what it is, so we can’t chase after him.”

“What situation?”

“They called in reinforcements for a proxy war.”

“Did he spill the beans so easily?”

“That’s what I’m saying. But he didn’t seem to be lying.”

“Huh.”

“Elder Iron Palm will send people after the ones who escaped. We have to go to Jongnam.”

“But, do we really have to do this?”

“What do you mean?”

“Our mission was the Yin Master. Now that the mission is over in some form, we don’t really need to get involved in this battle.”

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to help. On the contrary, Paeyul wanted to fight more than anyone else.

However, the group was on a special mission, not a battle. They were an organization with a proper purpose, so he was asking if it was okay to get involved in this battle.

“Of course, we have to fight.”

“Really?”

Yeon Ho-jeong smiled.

“Protecting those we can see is the same as protecting our own home. Vice Chief Yang isn’t someone who lacks that much flexibility.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Let’s get going.”

“Alright.”

The two of them moved towards Mount Jongnam.

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Distributed by Ajit Novel (formerly Ajitun Novel).

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