Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 228

The two men entered the room and sat facing each other at the table.

“……”

A heavy silence hung in the air.

Yeon Ho-Jeong asked, as if throwing a stone, “Can you drink?”

“I can.”

His tone was noticeably duller than when they first met. It must have been due to the hardships he had endured over the past few days.

Yeon Ho-Jeong personally fetched some liquor and two cups. He filled Gang Ryang’s cup first and said, “Have a drink.”

“Before that.”

Gang Ryang opened his mouth with a stiff expression. “Tell me. What is your identity, why did you bring me back here, and why did you save me? Tell me everything.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong chuckled.

“You’re a bit clumsy, but it seems you have enough caution not to accept a cup from someone you don’t know.”

He then filled his own cup and emptied it in one go.

“Judging by your reaction, it seems you have a rough idea of who we are.”

Gang Ryang’s eyes gleamed.

“Are you people from the White Path Alliance?”

Hearing those words, Yeon Ho-Jeong felt a strange sense of nostalgia.

‘The White Path Alliance, huh?’

Back when he was rampaging as the monarch of the Black Path, it was Gang Ryang who had given him a thumbs up, calling him the hope of the Demonic Path. [Demonic Path refers to a faction or group associated with dark or evil practices in martial arts or cultivation.]

And now, that same man was asking if he was from the White Path Alliance.

It was a strange feeling.

“That’s right.”

“I see……”

Gang Ryang’s eyes flashed dangerously.

“So, is that why you saved me? To bring me over to your side?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong shook his head. It wasn’t to deny Gang Ryang’s words.

“Why don’t you clear your head first?”

“What do you mean?”

“You were like this before, and you’re the same now. You seem to live too much in your own world. It’s not a good habit to be so sure of things that aren’t certain.”

“……”

“If you’re going to doubt, then just doubt. If you’re saying you doubt but are actually sure of something you can’t be sure of, then there’s no point in having a conversation.”

Gang Ryang’s eyes wavered.

Yeon Ho-Jeong spoke seriously. “The world isn’t as simple as you think. Things that neither you nor I could have imagined are happening all over the world.”

“……”

“Look at the situation objectively. As you said, I am the benefactor who saved your life.”

“……I know.”

“Then we should start from there.”

“……?”

“The one who saved your life is an unparalleled benefactor. But whether you see that benefactor as such, or ignore that favor because you walk a different path, is up to you.”

“……!”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled.

“I am your benefactor. And I belong to the White Path Alliance.”

“……I knew it.”

“Now, what will you do? You, a member of a prestigious Black Path family, have been saved by me, a member of a prestigious White Path family. Will you repay this favor? Or will you ignore it and go your own way?”

“If I go my own way?”

Gang Ryang’s eyes were shaking uncontrollably. He had hoped it wasn’t true, but it turned out that they were indeed from the White Path.

“If I say I’ll go my own way, will you let me go?”

“I will.”

“……!”

“Why? Is it unexpected?”

“……It is.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong couldn’t help but laugh sincerely.

‘He’s still the same.’

One of Gang Ryang’s many strengths was his honesty.

From the start, he wasn’t someone who fought with his head. But he wasn’t a fool who easily fell for the enemy’s schemes either.

He was a steadfast and magnanimous man.

A steel-blooded swordsman who faced the world with an honest and confident frontal assault.

That was Gang Ryang, the strongest swordsman of the Black Demon Castle and the true face of the Black Path’s Greatest Swordsman.

“You haven’t done any harm to me or us. Frankly, we might not even see each other again if we part ways today. Why would I stop someone who wants to leave on their own?”

“You’re from the White Path Alliance.”

“So what?”

“……I thought you wouldn’t just let me, a member of the Black Path, go.”

“That’s another hasty assumption. Well, it’s usually the case. But if I had wanted to kill you, I wouldn’t have bothered saving you.”

“You might have saved me for a reason.”

“Sorry, but I’m the type to look at the person, not their background.”

Gang Ryang’s eyes deepened.

‘I look at the person, not their background.’ Those simple words shook Gang Ryang’s heart fiercely.

Yeon Ho-Jeong spoke candidly. “Enough with the preamble. I’ll be honest. I want you to join me.”

“……!”

“That doesn’t mean I want you to defect to the White Path Alliance. Although your sect was destroyed, you are still the heir of the Gwichul Sword Sect. No, you should now be seen as representing the Gwichul Sword Sect.”

Gang Ryang’s eyes slightly reddened. He was suddenly reminded of the destruction of his sect and the death of his family.

“But the problem is your goal.”

“Goal?”

“Yes. You want to eliminate the Tyrant Yang Cheon, and by extension, the Mukryong Faction, right?”

“That’s right.”

“I feel the same way.”

“……?!”

“To be precise, I want to completely clean up this pathetic Black Path and create a proper one.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong refilled his cup and continued, “This is something even my companions don’t know. Those people, though their personalities are different, are White Path people to the core. They’re different from me.”

“……Then, are you originally from the Black Path?”

‘I’m not from the Black Path. But I have been the Black Path Grand Master.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong didn’t bother to answer Gang Ryang’s question.

“Anyway, that’s why I saved you. It wasn’t a pure intention, was it?”

“I have a question.”

“You must have many.”

“That’s right. But I must ask this one thing.”

“Go ahead.”

Gang Ryang asked, putting emphasis on each word, “What exactly do you see in me that makes you want me to join you?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes deepened.

‘About you, no, about you and all the Five Great Generals, I already know everything.’

“Our sect is clearly a prestigious one in the Black Path. I dare say, there is no sect in the Black Path that has better martial arts and doctrines than ours.”

“I partially acknowledge that.”

“But even if I am the heir of a sword sect, our ideologies, talents, and skills are different. So, what do you see in me that makes you want me to join you? Did you perhaps investigate me?”

It was a valid question.

Yeon Ho-Jeong fiddled with his cup with both hands. Now that he was asked, he didn’t have a good answer.

“……I don’t know.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong gave a bitter smile.

“Let’s just say it’s a hunch.”

“A hunch?”

“Yes, a hunch.”

“That’s not a proper answer.”

“I know it sounds like that, but for now, that’s all I can say.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes sharpened.

“I’ll say this much for sure. It’s not that our entire group has been watching you. It’s me who has been watching you.”

“……”

“In other words, the others still don’t know why I saved you.”

“That means the White Path Alliance isn’t plotting anything.”

“Frankly, you’re not worth that much. At least, not yet.”

Gang Ryang chuckled as well.

“You’re too honest.”

“Weren’t you the one who wanted an honest conversation?”

Gang Ryang, who had been quietly observing Yeon Ho-Jeong, finally picked up his cup and drank.

He frowned.

“Was this white liquor?”

“What did you expect?”

“It’s too strong.”

“Life is bitter, and the truth is even more bitter.”

Gang Ryang sighed softly and seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, then he refilled Yeon Ho-Jeong’s cup.

Yeon Ho-Jeong received the cup with a familiar gesture.

Gang Ryang said, “It seems impossible.”

“Is that so?”

“I will never forget that you saved my life. Normally, I would do anything for you.”

“Hmm.”

“But……”

Gang Ryang said in a self-deprecating tone, “I’m sorry. I will kill Yang Cheon and destroy the Mukryong Faction. It might take my whole life, or I might die along the way.”

“……”

“I owe you a great debt, but it seems difficult to repay it properly.”

“You’re wrong.”

“……?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong refilled Gang Ryang’s cup and said, “It’s not something that will take your whole life from the start, but with your current abilities, you won’t be able to destroy Yang Cheon and the Mukryong Faction even if you try your whole life.”

“……”

“Be honest. You might get lucky and gather some people, but that’s it. You’ll never achieve your goal.”

Gang Ryang gritted his teeth.

“How can you be so sure?”

“And what makes you so sure? Have you even investigated the Mukryong Faction’s power and financial resources in detail?”

“Not exactly, but……”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s gaze turned cold.

The gentle atmosphere instantly became sharp as a knife. Gang Ryang was startled by the sudden change.

“Don’t act like a child, Gang Ryang.”

“……!!”

“Do you really want revenge? Then learn to hide your emotions first. How can I be so sure? I have to be sure. Because the end of a fool who is full of wishful thinking that they can somehow succeed if they try hard enough, without even knowing the enemy’s strength, is obvious.”

“……”

“If you go out like this, you won’t last a month before you die. That’s if you’re lucky. In reality, given your personality and skills, you won’t even last ten days.”

Life is bitter, and the truth is even more bitter.

It was a harsh and blunt tone. But Gang Ryang couldn’t get angry at Yeon Ho-Jeong, nor could he refute him.

Because even if he didn’t understand it with his head, he could understand it with his heart.

That revenge was impossible as he was now. That he might die without even catching one of the Mukryong Faction’s experts, let alone Yang Cheon.

“I’ll ask again. Do you want revenge?”

“……I do.”

“Do you have a plan?”

“No.”

“Do you have any reliable allies?”

“……No.”

“Do you have the financial resources to command people? Can you gather troops using your reputation? Are you good at business and can make money? Or are you smart enough to defeat the enemy with brilliant strategies?”

“……”

He really had nothing to say. When he was questioned so thoroughly, he realized that he really had no plan at all.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes turned murderous.

“The martial world is a place where you can lose your head with one mistake. That applies to both the White and Black Paths. And now, with the entire Black Path Alliance out to kill you, do you think you can overcome all those difficulties and achieve your goal?”

“……”

“It’s absolutely impossible.”

“Then what am I supposed to do?”

Gang Ryang’s eyes turned bloodshot.

Explosive emotions filled his teary eyes.

“That’s right! I’m a child! All I know is a little swordsmanship, and even that isn’t good enough to work against real experts! So, are you saying that someone like me should give up on revenge?!”

“Give up.”

“Wh-what did you say?!”

“I said give up. If you’re going to live with that mindset, you’d be better off going into the mountains and enshrining your parents’ memorial tablets.”

“Ugh!”

“But if you change your mind, revenge isn’t impossible.”

“……What?”

“Join me.”

“……!”

“I’m not saying you should become my subordinate, nor am I saying you should join the White Path Alliance. Just travel the world with me, learn, practice, and gain experience.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled coldly.

“At least you won’t wander aimlessly and die a lonely death.”

“……”

“Of course, you’ll have to risk your life as well.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong extended his hand towards Gang Ryang.

“What will you do? Will you join me?”

Gang Ryang stared at Yeon Ho-Jeong’s hand as if in a trance.

He couldn’t help but take the hand of this terrifying man.