Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 148

“Hehe, thank you for coming all this way.”

“Hmm.”

“I personally brewed this tea. I recently acquired some top-grade Longjing [a type of green tea]. I’m not sure how it tastes.”

The middle-aged man took a sip of the tea.

Moyong Gun smiled faintly.

“How is it?”

“Not bad.”

Longjing is considered the best of all tea leaves. Moreover, top-grade Longjing is something even high-ranking officials cannot easily obtain.

Yet, after drinking such tea, he simply said, ‘Not bad.’ It was quite disheartening for the host.

However, Moyong Gun’s expression did not change at all.

“That’s a relief. It’s good that it didn’t ruin your palate.”

Seeing Moyong Gun burst into laughter, the man asked,

“Come to Sichuan sometime. I’ll treat you to some decent tea.”

Moyong Gun’s eyes lit up.

Come to Sichuan? That meant he was willing to join hands with him.

“Have you made up your mind?”

The middle-aged man, Tang Gwan, the head of the Sichuan Tang Family, said in a monotonous voice.

“Deliberate in your considerations, decisive as a blade in your decisions. That’s my motto.”

“Huh?”

“If I wasn’t going to join hands, I wouldn’t have come here.”

“Hahaha!”

Moyong Gun laughed heartily for the first time in a while.

“I knew it before, but you’re truly straightforward.”

“You and I are only joining hands for mutual benefit. We’re not expecting anything particularly grand from each other, are we?”

“That’s right. However, both you and I are leaders who control a family. Even after making a decision, we can’t help but consider various possibilities.”

“The strength of a family comes from the confidence of its head.”

That one statement seemed to reveal how the Tang Family was run.

In the Tang Family, the head was like a monarch. Other martial families were similar, but it seemed that the Tang Family, in particular, could not exert its power unless the head was exceptionally capable.

‘It’s like a black-hearted underworld sect.’

However, the difference between the Tang Family and the underworld sects was the martial arts and poison skills of their subordinates.

“I look forward to working with you in the future.”

Tang Gwan nodded silently.

It was unclear whether he was naturally taciturn or uncomfortable in this setting. Moyong Gun clearly thought it was the latter.

“By the way, your daughter…”

“How is Moyong Woo?”

He interrupted without hesitation, but Moyong Gun was not offended at all.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, does she have the capabilities to be a useful leader of an organization?”

Moyong Gun smiled.

“Do you think I would appoint someone incompetent as the head of the Merciless Squad?”

“I see.”

“I’m not saying this because she’s my sister. She’s a genius. Not only is she skilled in martial arts, but she also has a rare talent for business.”

“Hmm.”

Tang Gwan’s eyes gleamed.

“She’s thirty years old now, isn’t she?”

“That’s right.”

“I heard she doesn’t have a partner yet.”

Moyong Gun’s eyes lit up.

From the moment Tang Gwan brought up Moyong Woo, he had a strange feeling. And his hunch was right.

Moyong Gun pretended not to know.

“She’s been too busy with work to get married at that age. It pains me, so I’m looking for a good match, but I haven’t found a suitable one yet.”

“I see.”

“The eldest daughter of the Central Plains Battlefield is decent. After looking around a bit more, if there’s no better match, I plan to send her off.”

Tang Gwan spoke bluntly.

“How about forming a bond with the master of Sichuan rather than someone from the Central Plains Battlefield?”

Moyong Gun’s eyes lit up again.

“What do you mean by that?”

“My eldest daughter is also unmarried. She’s a year younger than the head of the Merciless Squad.”

In a world where it’s considered natural to marry at a young age, even a woman of the Jianghu [the martial world] would have difficulty finding a match at the age of twenty-nine.

Moyong Gun said with a somewhat troubled expression.

“To be honest, I would be very happy to form a bond with the Tang Family, but I should also hear what my younger sister thinks, shouldn’t I?”

Even the great Moyong Gun had to be cautious. He could inadvertently give the impression that he was reluctant because his daughter was too old.

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason.

“Besides, aren’t the men who marry the daughters of the Tang Family traditionally taken as sons-in-law? I don’t know if Woo would accept that…”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Hmm?”

Tang Gwan looked out the window with a languid expression.

“I have no intention of taking her as a son-in-law, so if you’re interested, let’s proceed with the marriage.”

A subtle weariness appeared on the face of the Tang Family head, known as the most ruthless in the world.

It seemed there was an unspeakable reason. Moyong Gun didn’t bother to pry into that.

“Since you say so, I’ll try to persuade Woo. I’ll give you an answer by midnight tomorrow at the latest.”

“Understood.”

Moyong Gun compared the Tang Family and the Central Plains Battlefield in his mind.

Considering their influence in the Jianghu, he should undoubtedly choose the Tang Family. Although they were viewed with fear rather than respect, that was also a force that could not be ignored.

However, the financial power of the Central Plains Battlefield could not be easily dismissed either. The Central Plains Battlefield boasted the deepest history among all battlefields. Even the martial world had difficulty surviving without a financial foundation.

‘It’s a difficult choice.’

At least one thing was clear.

Tang Gwan was definitely pushing himself right now. He would also use the Moyong Family, but he would know that the Moyong Family would also use the Tang Family.

‘And to give up the custom of taking a son-in-law…’

What change had occurred in the mind of the proud Tang Family head?

“How about the other side?”

“Hmm?”

As if trying to change the subject, Tang Gwan asked.

“I mean the Merciless Squad. Have there been any unusual movements?”

Moyong Gun frowned.

“Unfortunately, there have been.”

“…?”

“It’s not fully confirmed, but it seems the Jeagal and Peng families are going to support the Merciless Squad.”

Tang Gwan coldly sneered.

“Some scribblers and a bunch of strong but stupid fools?”

It was a terrifying statement. Even for the head of the Tang Family, he was excessively disparaging the other Six Great Families.

Moyong Gun chuckled.

“We can’t just ignore them. The leader of those scribblers is the military advisor of the Martial Alliance, and the leader of those fools is also known as the hegemon of Hebei.”

“They’re still not strong enough to affect the overall situation.”

“That’s not wrong. But those two are becoming the wings of one family.”

Tang Gwan’s eyes flashed with a fierce light.

“The Yeon Family?”

“That’s right.”

Moyong Gun knew that Tang Gwan’s eldest son had been severely defeated by Yeon Ho-Jeong.

Of course, this was not something to mention in this setting.

“In my life, there are two talents who have surprised me the most. One of them is Yeon Ho-Jeong, the eldest son of the Yeon Family.”

“Is he that great?”

“To put it simply, he’s a genius, and in my honest opinion, he’s a monster.”

Tang Gwan frowned.

He acknowledged Moyong Gun’s martial arts. And even more impressive was his shrewdness.

A man who could be called a hero and a cunning strategist was calling someone a monster.

What kind of person was this Yeon Ho-Jeong?

“Is he strong?”

“He’s strong. Last winter, I had a brief exchange with him. Surprisingly, his martial arts surpassed the level of the elders of the Nine Great Sects and the Six Great Families. He seemed even better than the One Dragon and Three Phoenixes [renowned martial artists].”

“That much?”

“What’s even more surprising is that he’s only about twenty years old. With that level of martial arts at that age, I guarantee that if he continues to grow like this, he’ll become an unstoppable monster and shake the Central Plains [the heartland of China].”

This was not an exaggeration.

Tang Gwan read the look in Moyong Gun’s eyes. The pure surprise and anger in his eyes showed that he was genuinely impressed by Yeon Ho-Jeong.

‘Such a monster… Is it no wonder Yang-seon ended up like that?’

Tang Gwan inwardly gritted his teeth.

The target was not Yeon Ho-Jeong, but his own son, Tang Yang-seon.

‘Even if the opponent is a good-for-nothing who hasn’t learned a single martial art, I told him not to be careless.’

He didn’t think his son’s arrogant nature was the problem.

He was a man who would become the head of the Tang Family in the future. The head of the Tang Family was the master of Sichuan, and it was okay to be somewhat arrogant in that position.

However, arrogance and conceit were different issues.

The Tang Family was strong not because of poison or hidden weapons. It was because of the tenacity and determination to kill the enemy no matter what.

And to have that tenacity and determination, one must never be careless.

His son had overlooked that. Even though he had warned him not to be careless.

‘Father.’

Wrinkles formed on Tang Gwan’s forehead.

‘You should have paid attention to the child who will become the head of the main family as well.’

Tang Gwan’s father, the previous head of the Tang Family, was a legendary master in the martial world.

The Dark King, Tang Hyeong.

One of the Ten Divine Emperors, he was the greatest genius in the history of the Tang Family, having reached the pinnacle of both poison and hidden weapons.

Like most of the Divine Emperors, Tang Hyeong had retired from the front lines and was only focusing on martial arts training. However, because he was so fond of his grandchildren, he would occasionally give them guidance.

And the grandchild Tang Hyeong cherished the most was Tang Gwan’s eldest daughter, Tang Sang-ah.

Tang Gwan recalled his father’s sighing voice.

‘It’s a pity. If Sang-ah had been born a man, she would have made her name in history as the greatest head of the family ever.’

It was unclear where that rumor had started, but more and more people were suggesting that Tang Sang-ah should be given a major role, mentioning the previous head of the family.

Not only that, but Tang Sang-ah, in addition to her martial talent, was also admired by the young warriors of Sichuan for her outstanding beauty and strong character. Within the Tang Family, the number of clansmen who supported Tang Sang-ah steadily increased.

As the head of the family, Tang Gwan could not ignore such a situation.

As a father, it was heartbreaking, but as the head of the family, he had to protect the family’s legitimacy and traditions.

“If he’s such an outstanding person, we should nip him in the bud as soon as possible.”

Moyong Gun smiled wryly.

“I tried to. But he’s not easy to deal with.”

“What do you mean?”

“The real reason why Yeon Ho-Jeong is so scary is not his martial arts, but his cunning.”

“Cunning?”

“That’s right. It’s embarrassing to say, but I’ve also been tricked by him.”

This was not something to be easily dismissed.

In fact, Tang Gwan didn’t particularly like Moyong Gun, but he acknowledged his martial arts and cunning.

Wasn’t this saying that Moyong Gun had been outsmarted by a young man who had just turned twenty?

“In that case.”

Boiling.

The tea in the teacup, which had not been touched, began to boil. It was an incredible display of inner energy.

“We must eliminate him even faster.”

Moyong Gun smiled.

“I think so too.”

“Are you planning to wait for the right time? Or are you going to launch an aggressive offensive?”

Moyong Gun smiled.

“I was going to wait slowly, but it seems your thoughts are different from mine.”

Click!

Tang Gwan broke off the edge of the table. He easily tore off the corner of the solid wooden table with just his index finger and thumb.

“Do you know anything about poisonous herbs?”

“How can I discuss poison in front of the head of the Tang Family?”

Whoosh.

The piece of wood on Tang Gwan’s palm slowly floated up.

“Among poisonous herbs, there are some that die so easily it’s absurd, while others grow into monsters in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.”

Moyong Gun’s eyes lit up.

“Yeon Ho-Jeong is one of those?”

“I wouldn’t know. But if you say so, he must be no ordinary poisonous herb.”

“Hmm.”

Tang Gwan clenched his fist.

Poof!

The piece of wood floating in the air vaporized.

“I’m too impatient to watch this childish proxy war. Let’s quickly eradicate him.”