Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 18

“Master.”

“What is it?”

Even after several years as the Yeon family’s chief steward, Tae-kyung was still excessively polite and cautious around Yeon-wi.

“A letter has arrived from the Moyong family.”

“From Moyong?”

“Yes.”

A look of puzzlement crossed Yeon-wi’s usually indifferent face.

The Moyong family was one of the Seven Great Clans, just like the Yeon family. Unlike the Byeoksan Yeon family, they were also a traditional martial arts clan with a history spanning over five hundred years.

Perhaps because of this, the Yeon family had little contact with the Moyong family. They had exchanged greetings a few times at the Righteous Martial Alliance, but that was the extent of their relationship.

“Give it to me.”

“Here it is.”

Yeon-wi’s eyebrows twitched as he read the letter.

Tae-kyung asked cautiously,

“What is it?”

“It’s a business proposal.”

“A business?”

Yeon-wi placed the letter on the table and tapped it with his index finger.

‘Join forces?’

Jiangsu Province, where the Yeon family was located, was a region actively engaged in maritime trade along with Zhejiang Province.

Of course, prestigious sects would often establish branches in Jiangsu and Zhejiang to conduct trade. The Yeon family, based in Jiangsu, was also involved in the trading business.

‘Is the Moyong family trying to get into this business too?’

In the past, the Moyong family was based in Liaoning Province, on the outskirts of the Central Plains. However, after the Blood Demon Sect Rebellion three hundred years ago, they moved to Hunan Province, in the heart of the Central Plains.

Since they had settled inland, it was assumed they wouldn’t be interested in maritime trade. But it seemed that wasn’t the case.

After a moment of contemplation, Yeon-wi shook his head.

“It won’t work out. Chief Steward.”

“Yes.”

“Prepare paper and ink.”

“Ah, yes!”

Yeon-wi quickly wrote a letter and dried it. As a swordsman praised for his mastery of both martial and literary arts, his calligraphy was exceptionally beautiful.

“Send this to the Moyong family.”

“Understood!”

“You may leave now.”

Tae-kyung bowed his head and left the family head’s room.

Yeon-wi, about to return to his work, suddenly looked out the window.

A hint of worry, barely visible, flickered across his indifferent eyes.

“…It must be cold over there too.”

* * *

“Wow!”

Yeon Ji-Pyeong’s face was filled with undisguised admiration.

“It’s amazing, Brother!”

As they entered Hefei, the number of people noticeably increased.

Not only that, but the city’s splendor was truly remarkable. It was comparable to Suzhou, which, along with Hangzhou, was known as paradise on earth.

Yeon Ji-Pyeong looked around, mesmerized. It was definitely different from Jiangsu Province, which was close to the sea. Everything from the buildings to the people’s clothing was vibrant and colorful, a feast for the eyes.

Seeing the excited Yeon Ji-Pyeong, Jeagal Ayeon nudged Yeon Ho-Jeong.

“Your brother’s practically riding a wave of excitement. Just last night, he looked like he was carrying the weight of the world. Is it because he lived near the sea?”

“…”

“Is he always like this?”

“Shut up.”

“You always have to say something like that.”

Yeon Ji-Pyeong approached Yeon Ho-Jeong with an excited look.

“Brother! Brother! Shall we go play in the marketplace over there? Shall we?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face showed a hint of embarrassment.

“How about we find lodging first?”

“We can find lodging anywhere! Right?”

Well, that was true.

“Even if you look fine, rest should be a priority.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong pointed at Jeagal Ayeon and Jeagal Jun.

Yeon Ji-Pyeong realized his mistake.

“Ah! I, I’m sorry. I was too excited…”

Jeagal Ayeon waved her hand dismissively with a silly laugh.

“Oh, it’s okay. Don’t worry about us and go have fun. We can find lodging ourselves.”

Jeagal Jun also chimed in.

“That’s right. We have about two days left anyway, so we can rest nearby during that time.”

The Jeagal siblings turned to Shin-mo and asked simultaneously,

“Right?”

Shin-mo cleared his throat.

“Young Master, what would you like to do?”

All eyes naturally turned to Yeon Ho-Jeong.

After looking around for a moment, Yeon Ho-Jeong nodded.

“I’ll go to the assembly hall first, so those who want to play can do so.”

“Ahem!”

“Ah…”

A cough and a sigh of regret were heard simultaneously.

Yeon Ho-Jeong scratched his head.

He had spoken without thinking, but it seemed like he had said something that could be misunderstood.

“No, really, you don’t have to worry about me.”

“Hey, that’s not right.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong glared at Jeagal Ayeon.

Jeagal Ayeon shrank her neck like a turtle. But she still spoke her mind.

“If we’ve decided to go together, we should move together. Ahem!”

“You guys have things to do separately, don’t you?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Shouldn’t you be looking for the family guards you most likely ditched?”

“Huh?!”

Jeagal Jun also seemed to realize his mistake and straightened his limping leg.

Yeon Ho-Jeong frowned.

“I see. If you can’t find your guards before the assembly starts, the innocent guards will go back to the family and get a beating.”

“Oh, no!”

Whoosh!

Jeagal Ayeon quickly picked up Jeagal Jun. Jeagal Jun didn’t even have time to stop her.

“We’ll go first! Great Shin! See you at the assembly hall! Jeong-ah! See you again!”

“Uwaaa! Sister! Put me down! A man should… !”

“Shut up, you weakling!”

Swoosh!

The Jeagal siblings disappeared in an instant. Everyone stared blankly at the spot where the Jeagal siblings had vanished.

Yeon Ho-Jeong muttered,

“They’re still acting friendly, even at the end.”

Whether it was the Nine Great Sects or the Seven Great Clans, everyone had to be suspected. The suspicion about the Jeagal family had almost faded, but you never knew.

He had seen countless times when incidents occurred in unexpected situations. It wasn’t time to let his guard down regarding the Jeagal family yet.

‘To know for sure, I need to see the family’s elders. I can’t be careless.’

At that moment, Yeon Ji-Pyeong asked,

“Brother.”

“Huh?”

“Let’s go to the assembly hall.”

“Huh? You wanted to look around the marketplace, didn’t you?”

Yeon Ji-Pyeong smiled brightly and said,

“What fun would it be without you, Brother? It’s okay.”

“There’s no need to force yourself. If you really want to, we can just go together until tonight…”

“No, no. When you think about it, we didn’t come here to play. Even though it’s a gathering, we can’t tarnish the family’s reputation. It’s better to compose ourselves.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled.

‘He’s admirable.’

His way of thinking was definitely different from boys of his age. He was still innocent, but he was also very thoughtful.

“Alright, let’s do that.”

“Yes!”

And so, the group headed straight to the assembly hall.

As they headed to the assembly hall, Yeon Ho-Jeong was lost in thought.

‘The gathering of the next generation is in two days. It will last for three days. It’s just a social gathering, so I need to find out everything I can during that time.’

As it was a gathering of the next generation representing the Seven Great Clans, the number of people was small. Even if a family sent six or seven people, there would be less than fifty people.

The important thing was that he had to examine the martial arts and inner energy of each of them. With Yeon Ho-Jeong’s current level, it was impossible to analyze someone just by looking at their inner energy.

‘Even if it’s not a fight, if there’s a sparring match or physical contact, somehow…’

It was then.

“I’m sorry.”

“Huh?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked at Yeon Ji-Pyeong.

“What did you say?”

“I’m sorry.”

“What for?”

Yeon Ji-Pyeong lowered his head.

“I, I actually overheard you and Jeagal Sister talking in the forest yesterday.”

“I know.”

“Huh! Ah, you knew?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong chuckled.

“You hid your inner energy so clumsily, it was impossible not to notice.”

“Ah…”

“There’s no need to apologize for that. If I was bothered by it, I would have called you first.”

Yeon Ji-Pyeong’s face turned red. He looked embarrassed and apologetic.

“That’s also true.”

“Huh? Did you do something else wrong to me?”

“…It’s not that, but I’m sorry anyway.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong couldn’t help but chuckle.

At first, he didn’t know why his brother was acting like that. But last night, during his conversation with Jeagal Ayeon, he realized why Yeon Ji-Pyeong had been so quiet.

‘I was too insensitive.’

He had no intention of changing his ways or his views. But he felt sorry for not paying attention to his brother.

Yeon Ho-Jeong ruffled Yeon Ji-Pyeong’s hair.

“Ugyagak! B, Brother!”

“You brat, you’re still young, so don’t keep saying sorry. It’ll become a habit.”

“But… !”

“I have overly strong and harsh views, so I don’t get close to people easily. Because of that, I sometimes don’t try to understand others. So, I don’t feel gratitude or apology very well.”

“…”

“You don’t have to be as extreme as me, but I don’t think it’s good to live with gratitude and apology on your lips. Being different doesn’t mean being wrong, does it?”

“Is that so?”

“That’s what I think.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong tried not to impose his thoughts on his brother.

He just wanted him to think. He wanted him to become someone who saw things more broadly and deeply than himself, not someone like him.

At least, he didn’t want him to become someone who mistook the views given by others as his own.

Shin-mo’s face took on a strange light as he watched the brothers talking.

‘Their brotherly affection is very deep.’

He had thought so when they were heading to Choseongnu.

So, he was inwardly puzzled. Everyone knew that the eldest young master hated the second young master terribly.

But in reality, that wasn’t the case. In Shin-mo’s eyes, the Yeon brothers seemed to have a deeper bond than any other brothers in the world.

‘Besides…’

Shin-mo’s eyes were fixed on Yeon Ho-Jeong’s back.

‘He was amazing.’

At the time, the situation was urgent, so he hadn’t thought about it, but looking back, it was a series of surprises.

His martial arts were impressive, but his judgment was especially remarkable. He came up with surprisingly quick and clear solutions, as if he had experienced countless fire incidents.

‘Where on earth did he get that experience?’

He could understand if the family head had taught him martial arts separately.

However, the series of actions he took to find solutions naturally in crisis situations was not something that could be learned from a manual.

‘It wasn’t the skill of someone who had experienced it once or twice. It’s really hard to understand…’

“Great Shin.”

“Yes? Ah, yes!”

“I’d like you to have one of the guards stand watch at the entrance of the assembly hall.”

Shin-mo was startled and looked around.

They had already arrived at the entrance of the assembly hall. It was just a manor that had been rented. Of course, the manor was large enough to accommodate hundreds of people.

“Ah, of course.”

“And if anyone comes in, I’d like you to report to me immediately which family they’re from and how many there are.”

“I will follow your orders, Young Master.”

“Good.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong slowly loosened his shoulders.

“Shall we go in?”

Shin-mo knocked on the manor’s gate.

Knock! Knock!

“Is anyone inside?”

As if they had been waiting, a voice came from inside.

“Who is it?”

“We are from the Byeoksan Yeon family of Jiangsu. Open the door.”

After a moment.

Creak!

The door opened, revealing the vast interior of the manor. And a group of people near the gate.

“The Byeoksan Yeon family?”

“That’s right.”

The man at the front bowed his head.

“I am Han Ho-Myeong from Sichuan. It is an honor to meet the warriors of the Yeon family.”

Sichuan, and Han Ho-Myeong.

Although they had never met before, Shin-mo immediately recognized his identity.

“‘Poison Dragon Iron Whip’ Han Ho-Myeong?!”

“Haha! It’s an honor to be recognized.”

Like Shin-mo, Han Ho-Myeong was also one of the top experts in his region.

And Shin-mo and Han Ho-Myeong had one more thing in common. They had both joined the best martial arts family in their respective regions.

Lightning flashed in Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes.

Behind Han Ho-Myeong, he saw a young man with a moderate build and sharp eyes.

“The Tang family.”