Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 225

Moyong Gun, who had secretly traveled to the northernmost part of Hunan, openly revealed himself at a rather well-known tavern.

He was truly leisurely.

Occupying the top floor of the tavern, in a luxurious private room, he was alone, sipping his wine while gazing out the window.

“The scenery is quite nice.”

Indeed, as befitting a place where just securing a seat cost twenty silver coins, Dongting Lake was visible at a glance.

The sight of the sunlight colliding with the vast lake surface, scattering brilliantly, was truly mesmerizing, even overwhelming.

The names of Hubei and Hunan provinces themselves came from Dongting Lake. Hubei, meaning north of Dongting Lake, and Hunan, the southern region bordering Dongting Lake.

In other words, it was one of the most famous lakes in the inland region. Indeed, seeing it like this, there was a reason why people praised it.

“It seems this is the first time I’ve enjoyed such a leisurely view since settling in Hunan. Ha! It seems I’ve been living a rather harsh life.”

The lake was vast, and the land was fertile. In the city below, children were singing merrily.

It was like a utopia.

As if entranced, a chill settled on Moyong Gun’s face as he looked at the lake.

‘By now, it should be mostly finished.’

It was past the mid-afternoon. Given Yeon Ho-Jeong’s skills, it should have been over an hour ago.

‘I feel sorry for making him take on the cleanup. But what can I do? It was too tempting a moment to just pass by.’

He had killed all the actual merchants of the Guizhou Merchant Guild.

And those disguised as the merchant group were the shadow warriors under the Moyong Clan, who had been destroying surrounding sects and merchant groups.

‘I was wondering when to deal with them anyway.’

Shadow warriors.

They were called shadow warriors, but to put it bluntly, they were more like fixers. They were human butchers who did the things that the righteous sects could never do.

Moyong Gun had raised those butchers himself. He thought that if he borrowed outside hands, he would surely be caught later.

He even selected only those with families from the beginning, fearing that they might betray him midway. A dog with something to protect would never bite its owner.

And now, their usefulness was over.

Moyong Gun smiled coldly.

‘Their existence is too dangerous for the person who will become the next leader. The wound is starting to smell. If they are the kind who will make my body sick someday, it’s better to cut them off now.’

He would kill all the actual merchants to confuse the Guizhou Merchant Guild.

Then, he would disguise the shadow warriors as merchants and have them killed by the practical task force, guiding the practical task force to complete their mission.

Meanwhile, he would make his presence known to the underworld to divert their attention, then lure Yeon Ho-Jeong to come after him, orchestrating the deaths of the entire practical task force.

That way, the practical task force could safely return to the Alliance. Furthermore, since they would be considered dead talents externally, Yang Cheon would not try to find the practical task force any further.

This was the plan drawn by Moyong Gun, the commander of this mission.

‘There’s not much left of this year. Next year, the election will start soon.’

Moyong Gun tilted his wine glass.

It was cheap white liquor, not befitting the top floor. Even after drinking the strong liquor, he felt nothing.

‘Not only the power of the faction, but also as the commander of a mission that could shake the martial arts world, even if this is not enough to be considered a great achievement to seize the next leadership, there is no one who has achieved as much as I have during my service.’

What was important in the election was popularity.

But just as important as popularity was ability.

‘Perfect. Yang Cheon is stepping up at just the right time. Very good.’

The ability to turn a crisis into an opportunity was essential for a politician.

At first, he was genuinely worried about Yang Cheon’s existence. Of course, he still was.

However, he sensed that his existence could be beneficial to him after receiving requests from Jeagal Mun-Ho and Yeon Wi.

‘They don’t hesitate to ask even a rival for help with things they can’t handle themselves. That means the more difficult the problems, the more they look at ability rather than popularity.’

In times of peace, those with popularity seize power, but in times of chaos, those with ability seize power.

It was not yet a time of chaos, but with the establishment of the Martial Alliance, the underworld had risen, so it could not be called a time of peace.

‘When the time is right, I should start fanning the flames.’

He came to Hunan himself to prepare for that. Fortunately, the groundwork was progressing smoothly so far.

“Isn’t life like a horse’s misfortune? Indeed, people must open their minds and learn. Military Advisor Jeagal, I have learned a great deal thanks to you.”

He was truly a grateful presence.

If he hadn’t asked him for this task, he would have tried to wage this war in a more primitive way.

But things had turned out this way, and instead of wallowing in the mud, he had seized the opportunity to flap his wings gracefully.

‘That’s why life is interesting.’

Filling his empty glass, Moyong Gun chuckled at a sudden thought.

“Hey, Ho-Jeong. To be honest, I hate you to death, but at the same time, I still can’t let go of my lingering feelings. You have no idea how much I want to bring you under my wing.”

This was sincere.

As he had told Tang Gwan, Yeon Ho-Jeong was not a talent to be underestimated just because he was young. Rather, he deserved to be evaluated even more highly for being able to wage this level of political warfare at his age.

If Yeon Ho-Jeong were to join hands with him.

If that were to happen, they could aim for the world beyond the righteous martial arts world.

“But I also know that you will never join hands with me. Perhaps that’s why I desire you even more.”

Moyong Gun, having emptied his glass again, stared at Dongting Lake.

The mystery of the lake covered by sunlight. There was no ugly human conflict in it.

A hint of bitterness was visible on Moyong Gun’s face.

“…What can I do? If I was born a beast, I have no choice but to follow the way of the beast. I believe you, a beast born with fangs like me, will understand.”

It was then.

“Patriarch.”

It was Mu Yeon’s voice.

Moyong Gun filled his glass and asked.

“What happened?”

“The practical task force has annihilated the merchant group.”

“I knew it.”

From the beginning, he didn’t think the practical task force would be defeated. If they had, he wouldn’t have planned this.

Yeon Ho-Jeong had to live. At least until this mission.

Yeon Ho-Jeong must not die. At least not in the underworld.

“It must have been quite surprising since it wasn’t discussed beforehand. I should comfort them a bit. Tell him that the door is always open. Tell him to come whenever he wants.”

* * *

“Hahaha!”

Yang Cheon burst into laughter.

“I knew it! I knew you would succeed.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong lowered his head.

“It’s thanks to the Vice Chief’s trust. I will continue to strive to meet your expectations.”

“Of course, you will do well. If I didn’t trust you, I wouldn’t have called you to this position.”

Yang Cheon said with a satisfied face.

“So, how should we handle the aftermath of this? Is it enough to just block the information?”

“I’ve made it look like a mysterious expert attacked. Even if the Guizhou Merchant Guild sends people, it will be difficult to figure out who did it.”

“Hahaha.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong said with a nonchalant tone.

“But if the Vice Chief takes care of it, I won’t refuse. It’s better if things are clean.”

“Kuhaha! You have a more cheerful side than I thought.”

Yang Cheon thumped the armrest.

“Alright, the information will be handled by the Black Dragon Unit. The Guizhou Merchant Guild will never know about this.”

“…Thank you.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong, bowing his head in gratitude, had eyes that were flickering fiercely.

‘So, this was it.’

The corners of Yeon Ho-Jeong’s lips curled up.

He felt like his murderous intent would explode if he didn’t smile.

‘He’ll take care of it… So, you’re saying that even if you kill them, we’ll take care of it, so you can get away without any problems, is that it?’

He was truly amazing at scheming.

This time, he was truly impressive. He was so impressed that he wanted to tear him to pieces and kill him.

“You probably know that the goods you brought are of great value, but in reality, considering the headquarters’ financial power, it’s not that significant for the Black Dragon Unit.”

“I know.”

“In other words, its value as funds is not great. However, it can be a sign that proves your ability.”

“That’s right.”

Yang Cheon nodded.

“The dowry you brought, you can use it.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong raised his head without realizing it.

Unlike a moment ago when he was filled with anger, his expression was purely surprised.

“What do you mean?”

Yang Cheon burst into laughter.

“You can make that face too? I’m seeing many sides of you.”

“…?!”

“You’re going to do great things in the future. I was already thinking about what to give you since I received such a great gift.”

“But…”

“You are now a member of the Black Dragon Unit. How can I just take from a talent who works for the unit without giving them proper treatment?”

Yang Cheon leaned forward.

“I cherish talent. If I cherish them, I must treat them accordingly. As long as you don’t make a mistake, I will never cast you out.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had been looking at Yang Cheon quietly, lowered his head again.

“I am grateful for the Vice Chief’s generosity.”

“Alright. You were so fierce before you came under me.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled.

“I didn’t think you would really accept me.”

“Hahaha!”

He seemed to be in a really good mood. The overflowing joy was visible in Yang Cheon’s laughter.

“Well, enough with the small talk, let’s talk about work now.”

“As you wish.”

“You have proven your ability. With that level of ability and merit, there won’t be many who object to giving you a high position.”

Not many. That meant there would be some.

“I have to endure that much.”

“Of course, you do.”

Yang Cheon’s eyes sparkled.

“So, what position do you want?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong answered immediately.

“Head of the Intelligence Department, or a position above Senior Inspector of the Inspection Department.”

Yang Cheon’s eyes sparkled.

“You want the head of the Intelligence Department or the highest authority in the Inspection Department?”

“That’s right.”

“I thought you would want a powerful position, but I never thought it would be the Intelligence or Inspection Department.”

“Is it strange?”

“It’s not strange, but I thought you would take a position overseeing the combat units. With your martial arts and personality, that would be more suitable.”

Even though there were problems with his qi [internal energy] and internal energy control, his insight, honed through reaching that level, was still there.

If he had truly intended to devote himself to the Black Dragon Unit, he would have wanted a position of power in the combat units.

“We must take Hunan first. To do that, I think an internal management position is much better than going to the front lines.”

“Hmm, that could certainly be the case.”

Yang Cheon smacked his lips.

“As you guessed, it’s difficult to create a position for you in the Inspection Department. I can suppress the opposition, but if an outsider comes into the Inspection Department, the atmosphere will become too harsh.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong pretended not to know.

“Is that so?”

“That’s right. Wouldn’t you be the same?”

“Would I?”

Yang Cheon quietly looked into Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes, then nodded readily.

“I shouldn’t become a ruler who disappoints his subordinates with double talk, should I?”

“…!”

“In three days, we will start reorganizing the organization.”

Yang Cheon smiled.

“Do your best, Head of the Intelligence Department.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes flashed.

“…I will not disappoint you.”