Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 119

“Hmm?”

“What’s wrong?”

“……”

“Young Master Yeon?”

“Huh?”

“I’m asking what’s wrong. Is something bothering you?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong shook his head.

“No, it’s nothing. My neck suddenly felt stiff.”

“An assassin?”

“There’s no way.”

“Why not? From what people say, the Yeon family is one of the most famous in the martial world.”

“Not the most, but we are well-known.”

“Wouldn’t the eldest son of such a family be a target?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong blinked.

“That’s not wrong… but how did you think that far?”

Muk Bi grumbled.

“Are you looking down on me too much?”

“I’m not looking down on you. It’s not a sin to not know something.”

“Even if I don’t know much about the world, I’m not that clueless.”

Even when only three people gather, factions form. And they engage in subtle battles to gain an advantage over each other.

The martial world was that same concept, expanded by tens of millions. A sect with high reputation and strong power was bound to be a target of scrutiny.

Muk Bi had learned that at the Yesinhap Battle [a major conflict or event].

“By the way, it’s already been a month.”

“I know.”

It had been over a month since they had stayed at the Hoseon Grand Inn.

It was now full autumn. Fallen leaves fluttered, and the wind was cold. People’s clothing was also getting thicker.

Moyong Woo, who had visited twenty days ago, had returned that same day. After that, Yeon Ho-Jeong had finished his market research, touring the Zhejiang coast.

It was about time to go back.

“By the way, shouldn’t you meet with that person again?”

“Who?”

“That person named Moyong Woo.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled wryly.

“The discussion is over. Now it’s his turn to move. If he follows my proposal, he’ll contact me again then.”

He recalled Moyong Woo’s words.

‘But since I’ve made up my mind, I don’t want to move half-heartedly either.’

They had only just met. There was no need for people who hadn’t even worked together to stick together from the start, nor could they.

If you just waited around with your thumb in your mouth because you had someone to help you, nothing would get done. The master of one’s life is always oneself. Moyong Woo knew that fact well.

‘Go figure it out yourself. I believe you’ll show me that much ability.’

Muk Bi asked.

“Then we can go back right away?”

“That’s right.”

“Aren’t you going to stop by Makgan Mountain?”

“Makgan Mountain? Ah, Ji-Pyeong?”

“Yes.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong tilted his head.

“Would he still be there? Besides, Makgan Mountain is a mountain. How would we know where Ji-Pyeong is in that vast place?”

“If we don’t have anything to do for a while anyway, we can just consider it training in our movement techniques while exploring the whole mountain.”

“Oh? That’s not a bad idea.”

“Hehe.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong chuckled.

“Do you miss Ji-Pyeong that much?”

Muk Bi scratched her cheek.

“It’s the first time.”

“What is?”

“The first time someone has approached me without ulterior motives, except for Young Master Yeon.”

“Your father would be sad to hear that.”

“Ah, it’s different with Father. So, um…”

“Well, anyway, you have a point. We don’t have anything to do besides training when we go back, so let’s look around Makgan Mountain… Huh!”

“What’s wrong?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face turned pale.

Muk Bi tensed up. She had never seen Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face look so serious.

Whoo-oong.

Muk Bi, having drawn up her Vital Energy of the Bow and Arrow [a martial arts technique], looked around and asked.

“Is there a problem? Could it be an enemy…?”

“I didn’t send a letter.”

“Pardon?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong swallowed hard.

“I didn’t send a letter of greeting to my father. Not even once.”

“……”

“Sh, shit.”

Muk Bi, feeling deflated, said.

“You know, sometimes you’re really absurd?”

“Hey! It’s because you don’t know my father! Do you know how much pain I was in that day?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong unconsciously covered his head.

People are more frightening when they are silent than when they talk a lot. That day, his father had just stared at him silently until he had recited the chapter on filial piety from the Myeongsimbogam [a classic text on moral teachings] by heart.

It was a moment comparable to the shock of his first kill. Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had suffered a massive blow to his mental strength, couldn’t even sleep properly.

Muk Bi was dumbfounded.

‘What is this person’s true self?’

She remembered her first meeting with Yeon Ho-Jeong.

The eyes of a general, emitting red and blue, white and dark energy, looking down at her.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s martial arts, which had subdued her in an instant and then driven Baek So-Gyeong away, were shocking in themselves.

The coldness of a ruthless general sent shivers down her spine. Later, in the way he comforted her, she saw the shadow of a stoic sage.

As time passed and they became friends, she saw the mischievousness of a playful young man, and when he talked with Moyong Woo, she saw the aspect of a strategist with strong convictions.

And now?

‘Isn’t he completely an idiot?’

She didn’t know how many faces he had hidden.

But she knew one thing.

“In a way, you’re really honest, you know?”

“What are you talking about?”

“It’s nothing.”

Muk Bi turned her head.

The faces Yeon Ho-Jeong showed were all shocking, but at least they weren’t lies. He never wore a mask when he considered someone his own.

Perhaps that was Yeon Ho-Jeong’s greatest charm.

“Don’t just stand there like a moron, let’s get going.”

“Moron, you say!”

“I’m going ahead.”

Whoosh!

Muk Bi sped off down the mountain path.

Yeon Ho-Jeong clicked his tongue.

‘She’s so cold.’

Thud!

Yeon Ho-Jeong instantly followed behind Muk Bi.

Just when she thought he was following, he was right next to her. Muk Bi clicked her tongue.

“You’re getting faster every day?”

“I’m trying to improve every day.”

“How many stages have you mastered?”

“That doesn’t mean anything.”

“Pardon?”

“I don’t know about other martial arts, but as far as movement techniques go, it doesn’t seem to mean anything to count the stages.”

For Yeon Ho-Jeong, movement techniques were just an endless study.

In a way, it was similar to inner energy cultivation. To look at the deepening of inner energy and count the stages or levels of achievement was just superficial.

‘Just move my body according to my body, according to my enlightenment.’

Whoosh!

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s body became faster.

Even though he was faster, his posture was flawless. It was a posture like a noble crane, but it also showed the fighting spirit of someone who could swing an axe at any moment.

Muk Bi’s eyes deepened.

‘He’s someone I can learn a lot from.’

It was natural to forget what one had learned in the past while learning new things.

Yeon Ho-Jeong was different. He didn’t forget anything he had learned and practiced, and he continued to refine it.

‘It’s not just because he’s smart or talented.’

Now Muk Bi could see how Yeon Ho-Jeong’s solid foundation for growth had been built.

‘His attitude towards life is different.’

He carries with him everything he has realized with his mind and acquired with his body. It was as if he thought it was a world where he couldn’t survive otherwise.

Regardless of whether it was actually possible, he would try it first. Even if it was impossible, he would try it.

Because if you don’t pursue something just because it’s an ideal, it’s meaningless.

Whoosh!

“You’re still slow, though.”

“You’re just too fast.”

“Hmph.”

Pa-pa-pa-pang!

Muk Bi took a series of incredible steps and shot forward.

It was a terrifying movement technique. Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had been blankly watching Muk Bi’s back, smiled inwardly.

‘She’s changed a lot.’

When he first saw Muk Bi, she was like a wall about to collapse.

But not now. She had felt the warmth of human connection within the Yeon family’s fence, and she had seen a side of the martial world when she came to Zhejiang.

Even though it was confusing, Muk Bi was maintaining her integrity.

Yeon Ho-Jeong was proud of that.

“Hey! Wait up! Slow down a bit!”

“Hurry up and come on!”

“That damn thing!”

And so, the two of them crossed the mountain path and arrived at the foot of Makgan Mountain in less than a day.

It was the result of one person using their movement techniques like crazy to not lose, and the other to surpass them. They knew how to fill each other’s shortcomings.

“Hoo, aren’t you hungry?”

“I’m about to die.”

“Here, this.”

“Oh? Is that a rice ball?”

“Yes. It has minced pork inside. It’s well-seasoned.”

“…I guess I’m destined to never be able to get away from rice balls.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s nothing. Anyway, it’s big. I’ll be full with just one.”

The two of them diligently chewed on their rice balls.

“I feel like I’ve rested a bit.”

“You won’t die.”

“I won’t die, but still.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong and Muk Bi were people who had lived rough lives. Catching and eating mice or snakes was commonplace, and they had often dug up and eaten tree roots.

The two of them, with their iron-like digestive systems, quickly digested the stale rice balls.

Yeon Ho-Jeong got up from his seat.

“Well, shall we start looking for Ji-Pyeong?”

“Shall we?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had stretched his body, was about to run out with his axe on his shoulder when it happened.

‘……’

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes deepened.

Muk Bi looked at him with a puzzled expression.

“What’s wrong?”

“……”

“Besides the letter of greeting, is there something else you missed?”

“Shhh.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face was more serious than she had thought.

Muk Bi’s face naturally became serious as well.

Yeon Ho-Jeong scanned his surroundings with eyes as sharp as a hawk.

‘……What is it?’

The Biseokjin Energy [a type of martial arts energy] surged, and the three energies of the Death God quietly flared.

‘There’s nothing caught by my senses?’

He could only see trees, soil, grass, and fallen leaves. The flowing mountain range was majestic, and the wind blowing was cool, even cold.

He could feel everything that could be felt in an autumn mountain. Nothing else was felt.

‘But this air……’

In the refreshing air, he could feel an unpleasant, sharp, needle-like, and razor-like smoke.

After looking around for a long time, Yeon Ho-Jeong said.

“How many do you have?”

“Pardon?”

“Arrows.”

Muk Bi looked down at her quiver.

“Twenty-four.”

“Twenty-four…”

Whoo-oong.

He removed the Gwangryong Axe from his shoulder and activated the Biseokjin Energy.

The center of his body became strong, and his whole body’s senses became extremely sensitive.

“Just in case, save your arrows.”

Muk Bi’s hand, holding the Hongryeon Bow, tightened.

“Is it an enemy?”

“It’s an assassin.”

“An assassin?!”

“I don’t feel any presence. But this unpleasant air… it’s probably an assassin.”

One of the things that made the Black Path [a term for evil or unorthodox martial arts groups] superior to the White Path [a term for righteous or orthodox martial arts groups] was the existence of assassins.

Assassins who were deliberately trained in the Black Path did not emit any killing intent. Their skills were so great that they could deceive even the most powerful experts.

So how do you fight them?

There was no method. You just had to survive and defeat them. If you didn’t notice them, you would die.

After experiencing that several times, you would eventually start to notice something other than killing intent.

It was the change in the atmosphere.

‘It’s strange.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong was becoming more and more certain.

There were assassins targeting this place, or rather, him. The increasingly stuffy air proved it.

‘Besides the assassins, there’s something else…?’

It was then.

Muk Bi’s eyes flashed.

“I saw them.”

“What?”

“Down the mountain, there are two men wearing clothes the color of old trees.”

She had spotted them at a distance that even Yeon Ho-Jeong would have difficulty seeing.

The eyesight of an archer was superior to that of any martial artist. They even learned a special eye technique.

Muk Bi’s sharp eyes, like a hawk, had spotted the assassins.

‘Then…?’

Yeon Ho-Jeong, having surveyed the surrounding terrain, shouted.

“Go up!”

“Pardon?!”

“It’s a siege formation! They’re trying to overwhelm us with numbers!”

Pa-ra-ra-rak!

At that moment, over two hundred assassins charged up from the bottom of the mountain.

It wasn’t an assassination. They had adopted a strategy of sweeping them away all at once by forming a formation.

It was the most aggressive attack method among the assassins’ tactics. They had realized that Yeon Ho-Jeong and Muk Bi had noticed their presence and had immediately launched an attack.

Pa-ba-bak!

They openly revealed their presence. The killing intent that was slowly rising was a bonus.

Even though they were clearly assassins, their behavior was not at all like assassins, and Yeon Ho-Jeong gritted his teeth.

“What the hell are these bastards doing!”