Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 155

“What?”

Surprise flickered across Moyong Gun’s face.

“You’ve placed the Myolsa Army under your command?”

Moyong Woo, having quenched his thirst with a sip of tea, spoke calmly.

“It’s not that they’re under my command. It’s just that we’ve agreed to go on our first campaign together.”

“Didn’t you just say you put the Myolsa Army under you?”

“To be precise, the plan is to move the Myolsa Army under the main army’s command during the first campaign to annihilate the enemy. Of course…”

Moyong Woo continued, his face somewhat troubled.

“I’m thinking of using them as a shield.”

“A shield?”

“The Myolsa Army has achieved great feats in a short time. In other words, their skills have already been proven.”

Moyong Woo’s gaze turned to the window.

The dawn air felt stuffy.

“I know you’re uncomfortable with Commander Yeon. From what I’ve seen, he’s not a bad person, but he’s also dangerous.”

“…Dangerous.”

“I’ll assess his capabilities by going on this campaign with him. Since I’ve become the Grand Commander for the first campaign, he must also follow my orders.”

“Hmph!”

“If the Myolsa Army annihilates the enemy, that’s a good thing too. I’m the one who’s using them, after all. I also hope their losses won’t be too great.”

Surprise flickered across Moyong Gun’s face.

“To become the Grand Commander of the Tangma Army on your first campaign… But what if it’s a trap or some kind of scheme?”

“Then I’ll execute him on the spot.”

“…?!!”

“Anyone who doesn’t follow the commander’s orders will be dealt with according to military law. I have no intention of forgiving subordinates who act out of line.”

“What if that guy tries to challenge you?”

“I’d win.”

“What?”

Moyong Woo gave a faint smile.

“We exchanged a few blows. His martial arts were impressive, but he seemed to be quite injured.”

Moyong Gun’s eyes sparkled.

Yeon Ho-Jeong was injured? It was possible, but as skilled as he was, his recovery speed would be fast.

Yet, if he hadn’t recovered yet, how badly was he hurt?

“Even assuming he’s in perfect condition, I’m half a step above him, or at least on par.”

“Is that so?”

“At least for now. His martial arts at that age are impressive. His potential for growth is limitless.”

Moyong Woo’s eyes turned cold.

“That’s why we must stop him.”

Moyong Gun was quite surprised by his younger brother’s gaze. He wondered if the guy could even make such an expression.

“Flowers that can’t be grown in the flower bed must be pulled out quickly. If we can’t pull them out, we must cut them down whenever we have the time.”

Moyong Gun’s mouth slightly opened.

Moyong Woo’s words were the same words he had said to Moyong Yeon-Hwa in the past.

‘Is blood thicker than water?’

Moyong Gun, who had been staring blankly at his younger brother, had a satisfied smile on his face.

‘Good.’

He had been pleased to see his youngest son grow over the past few months, but he was also a little worried that his heart might have become lax, or that his claws might have become dull.

Seeing him like this today, those worries were unfounded.

Moyong Woo was naturally kind. But the blood flowing through his veins carried the spirit of the Moyong family, who had roamed the wilds of Liaodong [a historical region in Northeast China], crushing and unifying all enemies.

Once he decided to do something, he would do it. Moyong Gun was greatly pleased with Moyong Woo’s full-fledged actions.

“So, you’re saying you’ll use the Myolsa Army as an ornament for the Tangma Army?”

“I’ve heard that Commander Yeon is very capable, but since he’s under my command, he’s just a pawn to create my achievements.”

Moyong Woo smiled bitterly.

“I don’t prefer this method, but I thought it was unavoidable to become the best. Now is not the time to find the right path, but the time to find the fastest path.”

“That’s right.”

Moyong Gun nodded repeatedly.

“You see it very well. Yes, unless you’ve built a power base that won’t be shaken by any attack, now is the time to put aside morality and move forward quickly. Your insight is truly amazing.”

“It’s not.”

“Oh, such insight cannot be easily trained. You can be proud of yourself.”

Moyong Woo shook his head.

“It’s just an application of the tactics I used against the merchants in Zhejiang [a province in eastern China]. Whether those tactics will work remains to be seen.”

“Hahaha.”

Moyong Gun had heard how Moyong Woo had taken control of the Zhejiang merchants.

He had borrowed the family’s sword to seize the troublesome Zhejiang business at once. In the process, he had even obtained the position of Daebonggong [a high-ranking official title], completely taking control of the trade union.

It was easy to come up with a method, but difficult to actually execute it. In other words, Moyong Woo possessed both an excellent mind and relentless execution.

‘I’m looking forward to it.’

Seeing him show this much, he felt it was okay for Yeon Ho-Jeong to land a blow.

The Yeon family was shaking the board with the card called Yeon Ho-Jeong, but they also had a counter to Yeon Ho-Jeong.

“You can see the long game without being obsessed with visible results. Yes, let’s keep going like that in the future.”

“Yes.”

A question arose on Moyong Gun’s face.

“But how did you manage to seize the position of Grand Commander of the Unified Army? There’s no way he would have willingly come under you.”

“I just made the other party feel at ease.”

“What does that mean?”

Moyong Woo smiled wryly.

“It’s not a strong wind that can take off thick clothes, but the hot sun. I didn’t confront Yeon Ho-Jeong, I just joined hands with him.”

“…!!”

“Now the game will get interesting.”

* * *

The next day.

“What is this?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face was filled with bewilderment as he looked at Muk Bi.

Even after months of living in the mountains, Muk Bi’s attire was always neat. It was because she didn’t want to show the soldiers a bad appearance.

But now?

“Did you plant weeds on your scalp? Why is your hair sticking out like that?”

“…Ugh.”

Muk Bi, staggering, flopped onto the floor.

Yeon Ho-Jeong frowned. A strong smell of alcohol wafted as she took a deep breath.

“How much did you drink again? Hey! Quickly use your inner energy to get rid of the alcohol.”

“I can’t.”

“What do you mean you can’t?”

“Ayeon said she’d have a hangover cure with me in the morning. She said she’d show me the taste of getting rid of a hangover…”

“You two are a mess. Instead of curing your hangover, you should be pulling your bowstring one more time.”

“How can I break a promise?”

“You can break that kind of promise! You should drink as much as you can handle, but how do you wreck your body every time you drink?”

“Ah, that’s enough. My head is ringing, so stop talking.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong didn’t stop his nagging.

“The way of drinking is not about mindlessly drinking just because you feel good. Drinking as much as you can handle is the way to drink well. For example, look at me. Even if I drink that much, I don’t need to use my inner energy to get rid of the alcohol the next day…”

Muk Bi shuddered at the barrage of words.

“Ugh, I said that’s enough! Please be quiet!”

“Ahem.”

“I said I’d take care of it, so why do you keep…”

“Ahem.”

At that moment, Muk Bi felt a chill.

She was startled and raised her upper body. Then, in front of her, was Yeon Ho-Jeong, grinning, and…

“Gasp! Father!”

Yeon Wi kept clearing his throat.

“It seems you drank a lot.”

“Cough! N-No! It’s not like that! I just…”

At that moment, Yeon Ho-Jeong interjected.

“It seems she’s completely let her guard down and poured all the alcohol into her stomach. Even if it’s a vacation, isn’t her attitude terrible?”

Muk Bi’s face turned pale.

Yeon Wi gave a slight smile. The smile looked very displeased in Muk Bi’s eyes.

“You’ve been fighting the enemy for months, so how hard must it have been? I understand.”

“Ah, Father! It’s not like that…”

Yeon Ho-Jeong interjected again, annoyingly.

“Still, she shouldn’t be like that. That’s how habits are formed. Shouldn’t we teach her a lesson before she develops bad habits, Father?”

Yeon Wi cleared his throat once more.

He wasn’t wrong. He spoke in a particularly gentle voice.

“It’s good to drink, but excessive drinking is harmful to the body. I’m afraid you’ll harm your health.”

“Cough!”

Muk Bi, who had quickly tidied her hair, bent her waist in half.

“I-I’m sorry! I’ll go in now!”

“Yes, go in and rest some more. Let’s talk about the details later.”

“Yes!”

Yeon Ho-Jeong chuckled as he watched Muk Bi disappear in a hurry.

“The hangover is gone.”

She must have sobered up in one go. Yeon Ho-Jeong giggled with a wicked face.

Yeon Wi smacked his lips.

“Bia still seems to be very uncomfortable with me.”

“Thanks to that, I was able to see a wonderful sight.”

“Don’t tease Bia too much. She’s a good kid.”

“She’s good, so it’s fun to tease her. I don’t think I need breakfast.”

Yeon Wi chuckled as if he couldn’t help it.

“Anyway.”

He looked Yeon Ho-Jeong up and down.

“You came back without getting seriously hurt.”

Since the Bonggong Council [a council of high-ranking officials] was in progress at Museongjeon, they had only exchanged glances. It was the first time he had a one-on-one meeting with his father since he had returned.

Yeon Ho-Jeong bowed on the spot.

“I’m back.”

“Yes.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong got up from his seat.

Perhaps because he had slept well, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s complexion was much brighter than a few days ago.

“Was the forced march too severe? I heard that the soldiers hadn’t experienced proper combat, so you were worried.”

“There’s no better place to learn than actual combat. All the soldiers have improved a lot.”

Yeon Wi nodded.

“You must have put a lot of effort into it.”

“I can’t deny that.”

“Always be careful in the future, just like you’ve been doing.”

“Of course.”

“Yes.”

That was it. He didn’t need to talk about trivial things to know how much Yeon Ho-Jeong had suffered.

“Father, you should rest too. You’ve been in meetings all night.”

“It’s okay.”

It wasn’t just a polite remark, Yeon Wi was actually not tired at all.

Unless he forced his body to overwork through extreme training, it was no problem for him to stay up for a few days after having crossed the wall of transcendence.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who was looking at his father with a smile, gradually showed surprise.

“But what happened in the meantime?”

“Hmm?”

“You’ve changed from before?”

Yeon Wi’s eyes sparkled.

“It seems you can see it.”

“You haven’t even drawn your sword, but I can feel a sharp sword aura all over your body. It’s not that your body is tense, but it feels like the edge of your true energy is sharp.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong couldn’t help but admire.

“Did you jump a level in just a few months?”

“It’s the sorrow of a parent who has an overly talented child. I was afraid of being caught up, so I trained hard in my own way.”

The great Yeon Wi said he had trained hard. Since he wasn’t the type of person to say such things, he must have truly spent hellish days.

“You’re amazing.”

As with all areas of the world, martial arts become more difficult to advance as one becomes a master.

Yeon Wi was one of the top martial artists among the heads of the six great families. For him to have raised his level in just a few months was truly an amazing feat.

Yeon Wi, who had been staring at his son, smiled.

“Before we chat, how about I see your martial arts, which must have become much sharper?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong grinned.

Woo-oong.

Was it because he smelled the scent of a divine art that was like a brother? The Byukra True Energy [a type of martial arts energy] was greatly excited and felt like it was operating on its own.

“I was going to ask you anyway. Let’s go.”