Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1152

Muk Bi, whose consciousness had been teetering between wakefulness and sleep, finally stirred late at night, close to midnight.

Opening her eyes naturally, Muk Bi slowly raised her upper body.

Her stomach still ached quite a bit, but her condition was incomparably better than it had been just a few hours ago.

It was an incredible recovery that couldn’t be explained by medicine. But she wasn’t surprised. She knew where this change had come from.

Muk Bi looked out the window.

From afar, she could hear exclamations and laughter.

‘The soldiers.’

In their drunken voices, she could sense joy, pride, and a struggle to forget their sorrow. The soldiers who had participated in the war were having a drinking party.

Of course, the drinking party wasn’t being held near the royal palace. It was taking place at a banquet hall far from the palace, where toasts of victory were being exchanged.

Muk Bi, who had been quietly looking out the window, slowly got up from her seat.

Her internal injuries had recovered to an astonishing degree, but her stamina was still not good.

Muk Bi left the room and walked towards the outside window.

“You’re here?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong was there. Sitting on the steps, his face, illuminated by the moonlight, was glowing bluish as he gazed at the southern sky in the distance.

Muk Bi smiled and said,

“You called me, didn’t you?”

“No way.”

“Really? But why…”

The reason she had suddenly regained her senses and come outside was because she had felt Yeon Ho-Jeong’s presence.

Yeon Ho-Jeong chuckled.

“It must be the Yellow Dragon Qi [a type of powerful internal energy] I placed inside you that reacted.”

He said it because he thought she already knew. And she did.

Muk Bi tilted her head.

“When did you move it?”

“Hmm, when was it?”

“…….”

“I don’t know. What does it matter? Whatever it is, isn’t the True Qi of the Limitless better than your Hongcheon Qi [Muk Bi’s original internal energy]? I gave it to you so you could use it quickly, so you don’t need to look at me with such emotional eyes.”

A smile spread across Muk Bi’s face.

He said it like that, but she knew. She knew why Yeon Ho-Jeong had hidden the Yellow Dragon Qi in her body.

Of course, he must have wanted her to recover quickly. But if that was all, he would have deliberately treated her with the Yellow Dragon Qi.

Yeon Ho-Jeong had given her the seed of the Yellow Dragon Qi because he wanted Muk Bi’s martial arts to grow faster.

Qi is affected by density. When a denser and purer True Qi enters the body, the existing True Qi naturally tries to increase its density to match the pure Qi.

Even if it was just a fragment, it was the energy of a person called the Martial Emperor. If he had given her more than that, her internal energy would have been transformed from Hongcheon Qi into an ambiguous Yellow Dragon Qi.

He meant for her to explore the seed of the Yellow Dragon Qi, transform her internal energy to a higher dimension, and heal herself in that state. That way, she would adapt to the changed internal energy faster.

It was a consideration that was both generous and incredibly delicate.

‘Thank you.’

Muk Bi didn’t say the words out loud. She had received so much help from Yeon Ho-Jeong. If she thanked him for every little thing, her lips would be chapped.

“Give me a drink too.”

“Your stomach hurts.”

“Still.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong filled a cup and handed it to her.

Muk Bi emptied the cup in one go and frowned. As Yeon Ho-Jeong had said, her stomach was burning terribly.

“I told you, didn’t I?”

“It’s not just burning. It feels like I drank poison.”

“Alcohol is poison too. Especially if it’s this strong.”

“Hoo.”

Muk Bi took a light breath and regained her composure, then looked towards the south in the distance. It was the direction of the banquet hall.

“They’re having quite a drinking party.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes widened slightly.

“You can feel that?”

“Huh? Oh, yes.”

“Even though your body is in that state, your senses aren’t dead. This is something to look forward to?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong sensed that Muk Bi had gained some kind of enlightenment.

Muk Bi, who had been quietly looking at Yeon Ho-Jeong, asked as if throwing a question.

“Are you leaving?”

“Why don’t you settle down here this time?”

“When are you leaving?”

“I’m thinking of leaving tomorrow.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong said with a sorry face.

“So, about that…”

“Go ahead first.”

“Huh?”

“Why? Aren’t you going?”

“Of course I’m going. I’m definitely going…”

Yeon Ho-Jeong chuckled.

“I knew you wouldn’t say you weren’t going, but I didn’t expect you to let me go so easily?”

Whoosh.

The wind was cool.

Feeling the wind, Muk Bi said,

“Wanting to become stronger is every martial artist’s dream. But if you don’t know your place, you’ll get stabbed and die before you get stronger.”

She knew that in her current state, she would only be a burden.

Of course, Yeon Ho-Jeong had expected her to say something like this. But he thought she would say it with a deep sigh and a weak voice.

Yeon Ho-Jeong used his index finger and thumb to widen Muk Bi’s eyes.

Muk Bi’s eyes blazed with anger.

“What are you doing?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked into her ears, grabbed her chin, and opened her mouth to carefully examine the inside, then tilted his head.

“You’re definitely our Muk Commander? Wait a minute.”

When he brought his hand to her nostrils, Muk Bi smacked Yeon Ho-Jeong on the back.

“Stop it.”

“You’re all better, all better.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong said, rubbing his back with his left hand.

“Still, it’s a relief. I thought you’d get sick with worry if you couldn’t go.”

“Was I that immature?”

“It’s not that everyone immature is like that. It’s because you’re so kind.”

“That’s not something you should say to someone who has killed a bunch of people, even if they were enemies.”

“The enemies killed my father too.”

When he mentioned Yeon-wi, she had nothing to say.

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled and continued,

“It’s good to see you’ve let go of your obsession. Yeah, there’s no need to suffer so much over things that can’t be done right now. The future is what’s important.”

Muk Bi chuckled.

“That’s not comforting at all.”

“Were you trying to be comforted?”

“You don’t give an inch, so I guess you’re really not sorry anymore.”

“To be honest, why should I be sorry? You’re the one who got hurt.”

“How can a leader not be sorry when their subordinate gets hurt?”

“Oh, I have nothing to say to that.”

Muk Bi burst into laughter.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face suddenly turned serious as they laughed together.

“First, try to heal as quickly as possible. There are many places where your bow is needed.”

“I know.”

“And by the way.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong rested his chin on his hand.

“Do you have any thoughts about learning under the Ice Palace Lord?”

Muk Bi was startled.

“Lord Mo Ja-Seon?”

“She came to see me earlier. She said she should probably go meet the Ice Palace people staying in the Martial Alliance soon.”

“…….”

“But before she goes, she said she wants to teach you a little.”

“Why, why?”

Muk Bi was flustered. It was understandable. She had no particular connection with Mo Ja-Seon.

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled.

“She seems to have been quite impressed by you in this battle. She said that even if the martial arts you’ve learned are different, enlightenment is universal, so she asked if it would be okay to look at your martial arts.”

Muk Bi couldn’t hide her surprise.

She knew that Mo Ja-Seon had taken a liking to her. She herself also felt respect for Mo Ja-Seon as a woman and as a martial artist.

But she never imagined that Mo Ja-Seon would offer to teach her even though they weren’t from the same school.

“You had a battle of wills with Cult Leader Gi Cheon-Ung before, right? She said that while teaching Ryang, she was also concerned about you. Well, putting all that aside, it just means she likes you that much.”

Muk Bi realized that a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity had come to her again.

“If I could receive teachings from someone like Lord Mo Ja-Seon, of course I would be happy. But…”

“Don’t worry about us. It would be better if you were here, but we’re not so weak that we’d get beaten up like fools without you.”

Muk Bi gave a wry smile.

“Of course, that’s true.”

“You have to seize opportunities when they come. Like Jin Yang.”

“Huh?”

Come to think of it, Jin Yang was nowhere to be seen. There had been battles everywhere, they had been busy, and most importantly, she had lost consciousness.

“Cult Leader Gi Cheon-Ung grabbed her and taught her. She’s working hard in the imperial palace’s secret chamber to digest all that enlightenment. Thanks to that, she couldn’t participate in this battle.”

“She must be very disappointed.”

“No way. She was so engrossed that she didn’t even know what was going on outside.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked up at the sky.

“If I needed you, I would have called you first. That goes for you now too. There are always turning points in life. Depending on what you think and how you prepare for the future at those turning points, your life can either soar to the sky or crash to the ground.”

“…….”

“Take this opportunity to learn well.”

“I will.”

“Oh, while we’re on the subject, let me ask you something.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong frowned.

“That place called Gwanil Valley.”

He was referring to the kind of religious group where Muk Bi had learned archery.

“I heard they don’t usually appear in the history of the martial world?”

“That’s right. I heard they secretly change their location whenever they experience a major event.”

“I see.”

“Why?”

“They’re an organization that has produced a master like you. The person who died back then was also quite impressive. And above all, their archery is top-notch. I can’t help but be concerned.”

Suddenly, the conversation turned to the past, but Muk Bi was calm. She had already sorted out her feelings about that part.

“It’s probably impossible to recruit them. They’re such a closed group. Just the fact that they haven’t been properly known in the martial world until now…”

“No, I don’t mean to use their power.”

“Huh?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes deepened.

“If the Three Sects [major martial arts factions] were to find out about the existence of Gwanil Valley, wouldn’t it be possible for their arrows to be aimed at us instead?”

“……!”

“Just in case, I told the Dark Guard Leader to investigate. I gave that order on the day I took office as the Lord, but they still haven’t shown themselves. They’re a really amazing organization.”

The Black Path’s intelligence network was better than the Beggars’ Sect. Yet, they still hadn’t been able to find a trace of them.

Yeon Ho-Jeong asked seriously,

“If they were to join hands with the enemy, would you be able to fight them?”

Muk Bi smiled.

“Of course.”

The answer came out easily, almost blandly. But Yeon Ho-Jeong knew. He knew that the fact that the answer came out so easily meant that she had thought a lot about Gwanil Valley.

“Good.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong leaned back comfortably and closed his eyes.

“The wind is nice. Even though it’s a bit chilly.”

“Can I drink the rest of the alcohol?”

“Since when have you asked about things like that?”

Muk Bi drank the alcohol straight from the bottle. It felt like her esophagus was burning, but she quickly got used to it.

And so, the two of them spent a long time looking at the night sky. It was a peaceful time.

***

The next day at dawn.

Flap.

The Black Blood Demon Horse came out of the stable, snorting.

Its overwhelming physique and intense aura were still the same, but its bright red eyes seemed somehow deeper.

Yeon-wi was quietly impressed by the Black Blood Demon Horse’s imposing presence as it obediently followed the reins held by Yeon Ho-Jeong.

“It’s amazing, even when I see it again.”

“I’m surprised every time I see it too.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong bowed his head.

“Then, I’ll be going.”

“Be careful wherever you go.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

At that moment, Jin Yang approached from afar.

After politely greeting Yeon-wi, he whistled at the Black Blood Demon Horse.

“Is this the one? Wow, it’s a monster.”

“You too…”

“No. I’ll run.”

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

“I won’t get tired, so don’t worry.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong chuckled. It meant that he had almost perfectly mastered Gi Cheon-Ung’s theory of fire.

“Well, even footwork is training.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had powerfully mounted the Black Blood Demon Horse, looked down at Yeon-wi.

“I entrust the Divine Flame Church’s forces to you.”

“Alright.”

Heeheeheeheehing!

The Black Blood Demon Horse’s cry, as it raised its front legs, shook the heavens and the earth.

Yeon Ho-Jeong took a deep breath, and a fierce light appeared in his eyes.

“Shall we go?”

His destination was Shanxi.