Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 789

“Let’s each prepare and meet in front of Father’s room.”

“Understood.”

“And Gang Ryang, I need to see you for a moment.”

After sending the group away, Yeon Ho-Jeong looked at Gang Ryang and sighed.

“I’m sorry.”

Gang Ryang tilted his head.

“What are you sorry about?”

“About the matter of the Vice Chief of the Black Dragon Unit’s marriage.”

“……Huh?”

“Isn’t Vice Chief Yang your mortal enemy? If Vice Chief Yang marries Princess Cheonghwa, your revenge will become much more difficult.”

“Ah?”

Gang Ryang scratched his head.

“I, I didn’t think of that?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong almost stumbled for a moment.

Gang Ryang shrugged.

“Well, revenge requires skill anyway. Even if I reach the Limitless Path [a high level of martial arts mastery], if I don’t have the skill to contend with Yang Cheon, I can’t even dream of touching him.”

“That’s true, but still.”

“And, it seems like you’re misunderstanding something, Brother.”

“Huh?”

“At this point in time, Yang Cheon is a major figure who has a significant influence on the Central Plains. Even if I had the skill, killing Yang Cheon right now would lead to everyone’s destruction, wouldn’t it?”

“……”

“I’m not such a fool as to let the safety of the world be shaken because of my personal vendetta.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes deepened.

“But isn’t he the enemy of your family?”

“That thought is always deep in my heart.”

“……”

“The end of Yang Cheon’s life is my responsibility. It could be ten years from now, or twenty years from now. I ‘understand’ that deeply.”

Gang Ryang smiled. It was a smile without any personal agenda.

“So, you don’t have to worry about that. If it’s really necessary, I can just quietly take care of it later when no one is watching, right?”

“……Cough.”

“When everything is over, if I ask for your help, you must help me.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong nodded heavily.

“Yes, I will definitely do so.”

Gang Ryang lightly tapped Yeon Ho-Jeong’s chest.

“Why are you taking it so seriously? I’m just kidding, just kidding. Revenge tastes best when done with my own hands. No matter the situation, I won’t ask for your help, so don’t worry.”

“No, you’ve made the situation difficult, so I should at least give you that much help.”

“The situation was difficult from the start. Who made it more difficult, who made it impossible to seize the opportunity… these are all just excuses.”

Gang Ryang shook his head coldly.

“Revenge is my personal matter. You should push forward fearlessly according to your will, Brother. Once the world is stable, then it’s my time. That’s all you need to know.”

“……”

“Of course, I need to build up my skills first.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong nodded.

“Alright, I understand your feelings.”

“Anyway, I thought it was something serious. I was worried for nothing.”

Muttering, Gang Ryang asked in a subtle voice.

“By the way, what are you going to do?”

“About what?”

“That Yang Cheon, he cares for you quite a bit, but this time, I don’t think he’ll accept it with a smile.”

“He never treated me with a smile before.”

“The circumstances are different. Back then, he wasn’t in good health, and the Black Dragon Unit had an atmosphere where the one who got caught was the fool, so it was somewhat understandable… but this time, it’s completely different, isn’t it?”

“The idea that the one who got caught is the fool is still the same.”

“But Yang Cheon’s trust in you has become more solid than before. His sense of betrayal must be considerable.”

“Betrayal?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong chuckled.

“That man doesn’t trust me. He’ll just be disappointed.”

Having finished his preparations, Yeon Ho-Jeong had a rather deep conversation with Yeon-Wi.

Immediately after, he had an audience with the Emperor and talked for another hour. No one knew what kind of conversation he had with the Emperor.

And so, another night deepened.

Yeon-Wi, Peng Mu-Gang, and Jeagal Ayeon came to see him off at the outer walls of the Imperial Palace.

“Always take care of yourself.”

“Yes.”

Peng Mu-Gang handed Yeon Ho-Jeong a money pouch.

“Even when things are urgent, you need to have a full stomach to be wise. Don’t rush too much, and buy something delicious to eat on your way.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong grinned.

“To receive pocket money from the head of the Yuk family, it seems I’ve really become a big shot.”

“Hey, you. Looking at your current fame, I doubt our entire family combined could compare to you. What nonsense are you talking about?”

It wasn’t wrong. Having made a name for himself in Seongcheon, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s martial fame had reached an untouchable realm.

Whether many people believed it or not, that fame itself was a great power for Yeon Ho-Jeong.

Jeagal Ayeon asked.

“When will you be back?”

“Who knows?”

“It would be good to come back quickly once you’ve finished your work.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes sparkled.

“Because of the Martial Alliance Leader election?”

Jeagal Ayeon nodded.

“There’s not much time left this year. Once the year passes, the higher-ups will start talking about the Martial Alliance Leader election.”

“……I guess so.”

“The difference between you being there and not being there will be huge. You must come.”

“You’re not saying that because you miss me, are you?”

Crack!

“Ugh!”

Yeon Ho-Jeong involuntarily groaned. The pain rising from his shin was much sharper than he had expected.

Jeagal Ayeon spat.

“Stop talking nonsense and just come back safe.”

“Don’t use violence. It hurts.”

“You’re hilarious.”

At that moment, Gi Woo-Hui spoke.

“I’ll stay here.”

Everyone looked at Gi Woo-Hui.

Gi Woo-Hui’s face was slightly flushed, but she opened her mouth with a certain dignity.

“I’ve thought about it until the end… I can’t leave the patients behind.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes lit up.

“What about Senior Makwon?”

“He’ll be fine. But if there’s a problem…”

Gi Woo-Hui took out something wrapped in black cloth from her bosom and handed it to Yeon Ho-Jeong.

“It’s medicine. The measures for the patients here will be completed within five days, and after that, I will return to the Martial Alliance with the heads of the families. It’s unlikely, but if he becomes critical, please contact the Martial Alliance immediately.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had been quietly looking at Gi Woo-Hui, nodded.

“Alright, if that’s your wish, I won’t stop you.”

Gi Woo-Hui smiled brightly.

“Thank you. And I’m sorry. For being stubborn for no reason.”

“Other doctors haven’t arrived yet, have they? You took charge of their treatment, so you have to take responsibility until the end. It’s only natural.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong spoke to the air.

“Doctor Gi will return to the Martial Alliance, so you can return to the Vice Chief now.”

Gi Woo-Hui also spoke.

“Thank you for everything.”

However, the Black Dragon Unit remained unmoved.

Yeon Ho-Jeong shrugged.

“It seems like they’re going to escort me all the way to the Martial Alliance.”

“……Yes.”

As if he had been waiting, Ga Deuk-Sang said.

“Master has gone to the next neighborhood for a while. I’ll contact him separately, so don’t feel too sad.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled.

“See you later.”

“I’ve never seen anyone busier than you, even more than the Beggar Clan’s successors. Don’t wander around too much. When you come to the Martial Alliance, let’s have a good drink.”

“I’d like that.”

The atmosphere was settling down.

Yeon-Wi said.

“Let’s meet again in good health.”

“Please stay healthy until we meet again.”

“Alright.”

“Then.”

After the final farewells, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s group left the palace gates.

Unlike when they came, they were dressed quite lightly. Since they were returning to the Black Dragon Unit, there was no need to disguise themselves.

How long had they been going?

Whoosh!

Feeling something flying from behind, Yeon Ho-Jeong reached out his hand.

Thud!

With a heavy sound, what Yeon Ho-Jeong caught in his hand was a rather large jar of alcohol.

Yeon Ho-Jeong turned his head.

Far away in front of the outer wall of the Imperial Palace, there was Gok Gyeong, drinking alcohol with a gulping sound. He was drinking from a small jar, and his appearance was very bold.

The distance was too far to have a conversation. Gok Gyeong also looked at Yeon Ho-Jeong, then turned his body and walked towards the palace gate.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had been quietly watching Gok Gyeong’s back, opened the jar.

Instantly, a heavy aroma of alcohol flowed out. It was the Western alcohol they had drunk together before.

Yeon Ho-Jeong chuckled.

“Being shy.”

The jar was cool. It seemed like the temperature had been adjusted.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had lit a fire in his stomach with one sip, handed the jar to Muk Bi.

“Take a sip each as you go around. It’s precious alcohol.”

Muk Bi frowned after taking a sip, but Gang Ryang and Jin Yang made a fuss. They seemed to like the strong and heavy taste of the alcohol.

“Alright, let’s start running… Hey, you bastards! Don’t drink it all!”

* * *

“Hoo.”

Yang Cheon, panting, released his stance.

His body, with his upper body completely exposed, was a work of art. His height and build were not that large, but his perfectly sculpted muscles were full of strength that defied time.

‘Strange.’

Since a few days ago, his body had been itching, and it wouldn’t go away even with alcohol. So, since yesterday, he had trained until his whole body was soaked, and the itching seemed to disappear.

But when he stopped training, the itching started again.

‘I don’t feel good.’

A strange feeling, as if hundreds of spiders were crawling up his back and spreading throughout his body.

It was unpleasant and uneasy.

Whoosh!

The internal energy that was released instantly blew away the sweat droplets flowing down his body.

Yang Cheon frowned.

“This is definitely not a place to stay for long.”

The Black Dragon Unit was still vast. Now that the construction was finished, it was truly a huge underground world.

But perhaps because he didn’t see the sunlight often, he felt a sense of stuffiness from time to time. The air was well-ventilated, but just breathing wasn’t enough to live well.

“I was planning to move anyway.”

This huge underground cave was intended to be the prison of the Black Dragon Unit that would be built later.

In fact, the construction was also carried out accordingly. The place where the Vice Chief himself and the leaders lived would become the rooms for the prison guards and wardens.

After looking around for a while, Yang Cheon returned to his residence.

After taking a clean bath and changing his clothes, he headed to the main hall.

“Vice Chief.”

“You’ve come.”

Baek Seo bowed his head.

“Shall I give you the work report later?”

Yang Cheon smiled.

Baek Seo was a good subordinate. There were not many subordinates who could deduce the mood of the day just by looking at their lord’s atmosphere, expression, and voice.

“It’s fine. Let’s listen to the report while having a drink.”

“Understood.”

The report of the day was as uneventful as before.

The martial world of the Black Path was quite calm. Even the prominent forces in the Black Path were keeping a low profile after the alliance with the Martial Alliance was formed.

“There’s a surplus in the budget. How should we handle this part…”

“Invest in the intelligence unit.”

Yang Cheon’s will was firm.

“Information is power. We haven’t shown our teeth properly, but our intelligence is already ahead of the righteous sects. But that’s not enough.”

“……”

“When we reach a level where we can completely overwhelm with our intelligence, we will be able to topple a great mountain with less power.”

“Then, how much of the budget written in this document do you intend to invest?”

“All of it.”

“……!”

“The more unstable the times, the more bold investments are needed. The operating funds of the headquarters are sufficient anyway, so there won’t be any difficulties in living.”

“Understood. Then I will proceed as such.”

“That’s right. Ah! And…”

Yang Cheon tilted his head.

“Has there been any contact from the Imperial Palace?”

“Not yet.”

“I see.”

Yang Cheon, with his elbow on the armrest, lifted his glass with a languid face.

“The Martial Alliance Leader election must be getting urgent. When will that guy come?”

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