Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 264

Clang!

“Alright, that’s enough for today.”

The soldiers, who had been scattered all over, quickly stood up and bowed their heads.

“You’ve worked hard!”

“Yeah, you too.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong, carrying the Azure Dragon Spear, pointed at Peng Man-Ho.

“Man-Ho.”

“Yes, Brother.”

“You should pay more attention to your footwork.”

“Footwork, you say?”

“Your swordsmanship is based on power. Now that your swordsmanship has become lighter and faster, you also need to know how to add weight. To pressure and overwhelm your opponent, you need to draw power from your lower body. Focus on that.”

“Understood. Thank you.”

Next, Yeon Ho-Jeong called out to Yeo Guk.

“Has your body been unwell lately? Your sword speed has become slightly slower.”

“I’ve been engrossed in blunt swords recently. If my sword speed has slowed, it’s probably due to that.”

“It’s up to you to decide what martial arts principles you want to practice, but your practical skills shouldn’t decline. Right now, it’s just a slower sword speed, but over time, it will definitely create a clear opening.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

“If you want to delve deeper into blunt swords, I recommend practicing hand techniques alongside it. If that’s difficult, try to think of your non-sword hand as another sword. Just that one idea will be a great help.”

“Thank you.”

“Good.”

The last person he called was Song Yeon-Gyeong.

“Yeon-Gyeong.”

“Yes, Commander.”

“The power of your spear techniques is impressive. It seems like you can move on to the next stage soon.”

“R-Really?”

“But the increase in power inevitably leads to a loss of finesse. The Emei Sect’s spear techniques are mainly based on direct and grand strikes, so you need to be more careful. Your spear techniques have deepened, but if you can’t control your power, you could hurt your comrades next to you.”

“Ah… !”

“When it’s hard to control with inner energy, one-armed training is good. Try to control what you used to swing with both hands with just one hand. Your inner energy will naturally adjust its strength accordingly.”

“Thank you.”

“However, since you’re controlling a heavy weapon with one hand, it can put a strain on your joints. Make sure to circulate your energy and massage your joints thoroughly every morning and evening.”

“Yes.”

“Alright, good work.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s insight was sharp and accurate.

Conversely, his advice was incredibly flexible. He treated all the soldiers the same, but when giving advice to individuals, he tailored his approach to their personalities.

It was a subtle difference, but that difference created deeper trust. Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had only been familiar with the extreme ways of the Black Path [a term for the unorthodox or evil martial arts sects], had somehow learned the meaning of subtlety.

“Whew.”

Jeagal Ayeon whistled softly.

“Why are you like this today?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re being unusually kind today? Is something up?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong chuckled.

“I’m always kind.”

“You’re hilarious, you vicious bastard.”

“It’s official.”

“You’re hilarious, you vicious person.”

“Aish!”

Yeon Ho-Jeong, annoyed, left his spot.

Jeagal Ayeon shouted.

“Where are you going? You were supposed to look at the new attack formation we made!”

“I already saw it.”

“When!”

“I saw it when you were taking a break. It was good. I wrote down the areas that need improvement on the tactical map, so refer to that.”

“Huh?!”

“I’m leaving first. And Muk Bi, make sure you’re back by early You-si [5-7 PM] today. Your father will be waiting.”

With those words, Yeon Ho-Jeong left the training grounds.

Jeagal Ayeon stared at his retreating figure with a sulky face.

“Is something really up with him?”

She turned to look at Muk Bi.

Muk Bi, who was sitting and resting, blinked her eyes like a cow.

“Why?”

“Sister.”

“Yeah?”

“Is it that guy’s birthday today?”

“No? I didn’t hear anything about that?”

“Then why is he in such a hurry, saying he’s busy?”

“He did say he had something to talk about with Father and everyone. I don’t know anything else?”

“Something to talk about?”

Jeagal Ayeon scratched her head.

From what she heard, it seemed to be a family matter. No matter how close they were, trying to find out about family matters was excessive rudeness.

‘Hmm.’

Jeagal Ayeon looked at Muk Bi again.

Muk Bi shrank her shoulders for no reason.

“What’s wrong, little sister?”

“You’re completely family, sister. Family.”

“Me? What family?”

“That guy’s family.”

“Yeah, Father accepted me as part of the family.”

“I know that.”

Jeagal Ayeon shook her head.

“Anyway, that family is a research subject in many ways.”

She had already heard about how Muk Bi came to be part of the Yeon family.

Yeon Wi didn’t accept Muk Bi into the family because her martial arts were useful. She was his son’s friend, and he accepted her into the family simply because she had no connections.

It was a rare display of trust in the harsh martial world. Moreover, just by looking at the changes in Muk Bi’s personality, one could tell how much the Yeon family cared for her.

‘That’s why they’re strong.’

The forces of the martial world are mostly closed off.

But the Yeon family was not like that. Unlike other sects, they were showing a considerably open-minded attitude.

They wouldn’t be able to show such boldness if they weren’t strong. And because they showed such boldness, they had no choice but to become stronger.

“Alright, let’s practice this formation in an hour. You’ll help too, right, sister?”

“Of course.”

* * *

Yeon Ho-Jeong returned to his residence, took a clean bath, and changed into casual clothes.

Whistle, whistle.

Just like during training, the wind was particularly strong today. Even though it wasn’t time for the sun to set, it was already dark, so it seemed like it would snow soon.

“It’s disgusting.”

He had been to all sorts of places in the Central Plains, but as the king of the Black Path, his base was in the southern part of the Central Plains. And in the southern part of the Central Plains, there weren’t many opportunities to see snow.

The Daebyeol Mountains, where the Martial Alliance was located, were different. It snowed almost every day, and once it started, it was common for it to pile up to your knees.

“That’s why I usually avoided winter.”

When he was the lord of the Black Demon Fortress, he usually avoided winter when fighting against the White Path [a term for the orthodox martial arts sects] martial world.

It didn’t matter when they were in a defensive position. But when they were on the offensive, the cold weather of the north held back the soldiers.

Just because you had mastered inner energy didn’t mean you wouldn’t feel the cold. Of course, there were many masters who had reached the level of being impervious to heat and cold, but most were not like that.

For those people, fighting in the winter was excessively harsh.

“Now…”

Yeon Ho-Jeong closed his eyes.

“I’m tired of fighting too. I don’t know when this act of fighting will disappear.”

Perhaps as long as humans live on this earth, there will never be a day when fighting and conflict cease.

‘But at least I can end my fight.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes flashed with a sharp light.

‘Yang Cheon will probably start to respond in earnest soon.’

He had branded Black Yang as a traitor and confined him to his residence. Yang Cheon would also be suspicious of the Evil Sound Sect, and even the entire Three Great Cults [a term for the three most powerful evil sects].

‘The Evil Sound Sect was planning to use the Black Dragon Unit as a bridgehead in the Central Plains. But Yang Cheon found out, so I’ve indirectly stopped their advance into the Central Plains.’

Flames flared up.

As he thought of the Evil Sound Sect, the Vermilion Bird energy rose involuntarily.

His heart became hot for a moment, and his blood circulation sped up. His clear and deep pupils gradually turned reddish.

Yeon Ho-Jeong closed his eyes.

Whoosh.

The blazing flames soon subsided.

The anger he felt towards them would never subside as long as they existed.

But it was possible to control that anger.

‘This anger, which has even lost its direction, can be gathered and unleashed when I meet them.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s expression was extremely indifferent when he opened his eyes again.

Whistle, whistle.

The wind grew stronger.

As time passed, thin snowflakes began to indicate the direction the wind was blowing from.

Yeon Ho-Jeong lit the candle on the table.

Whoosh.

The candle flame flickered precariously in the wind that shook the window.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had been staring at the candle flame, closed his eyes again.

Sitting upright in his chair with his eyes closed, he looked as calm and solid as a stone Buddha that would remain in place even after a thousand years.

And then, more time passed.

“Did I come too early?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong opened his eyes.

Yeon Wi had already entered the room.

“You’ve arrived.”

“Yes.”

Yeon Wi brushed off his shoulders.

“It’s snowing again. It seems like it’s snowing more than last year.”

“I’ll clean up the area around the lodgings tomorrow morning.”

“Alright, I’ll leave it to you. There’s a meeting scheduled from dawn.”

Yeon Wi sat opposite Yeon Ho-Jeong.

He said, as if puzzled.

“Where’s Bi-ah?”

“I told her to come by early You-si. She’ll be here soon.”

“Alright.”

With that, the conversation was cut short for a moment.

The father and son sat facing each other with the candle between them, silently looking at each other.

There was not a trace of wavering in Yeon Wi’s eyes as he looked at Yeon Ho-Jeong. They were just endlessly clear and deep.

On the other hand, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s gaze towards Yeon Wi was just as deep, but it was constantly fluctuating.

How much time had passed?

Yeon Wi smiled and opened his mouth.

“I received a letter from Ji-Pyeong.”

“Is that so?”

“He said he’ll be visiting the Alliance soon.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled.

“It’s quite a distance, I wonder if he’ll be alright on his own.”

“A lot of time has passed without us realizing it. Ji-Pyeong’s age will be over eighteen when the year changes.”

“Has it already been that long?”

Yeon Wi clicked his tongue.

“It’s okay to forget your father’s age, but at least remember your younger brother’s age.”

“Well, I’m sure he’ll grow up well on his own.”

“Growing up well and taking care of him are different matters. When this father dies in the future, the two of you will have to rely on each other.”

“…”

“That’s why siblings are good. Don’t regret it later, and try to take care of him more when you can.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

“Alright.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had been quietly looking at Yeon Wi, opened his mouth.

“Father.”

“Speak.”

“Still, please don’t talk as if you’re leaving right away.”

Yeon Wi smiled.

“Where would I go, leaving you two lacking children behind? At least I’ll see my grandchildren get married before I go.”

“Yes, you can go after seeing that much.”

“This rascal.”

“Haha.”

At that moment, a presence was felt.

“Bi-ah has arrived.”

“It seems so.”

No sooner had Yeon Ho-Jeong finished his reply than the door opened, and Muk Bi entered.

“Hoo, it’s so cold… Ack! Ah, Father?!”

“Have you arrived?”

“S-Sorry. Am I too late?”

“Late? I came too early. And what if you’re late? It can happen if you’re busy.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong said in a small voice.

“She probably wasn’t busy.”

Muk Bi glared at Yeon Ho-Jeong with narrowed eyes.

Yeon Ho-Jeong turned his head and whistled.

Yeon Wi chuckled.

“Sit down.”

“Ah, yes!”

Muk Bi quickly sat down on a chair.

Yeon Wi and Yeon Ho-Jeong, as if they had been waiting, brushed the snow off her shoulders. Muk Bi’s face turned red.

“It’s okay…”

Yeon Wi said nothing.

Yeon Ho-Jeong clicked his tongue.

“At least brush it off a little before coming in. You’re so sloppy, really.”

Muk Bi glared at Yeon Ho-Jeong again.

Her gaze was so fierce that even the Azure Dragon Spear wouldn’t be a match for it. Yeon Ho-Jeong quickly turned his head away.

Yeon Wi looked at Yeon Ho-Jeong.

“It seems like everyone who needs to be here is here. I asked Military Advisor Jeagal earlier, and she said she’ll be here in an hour, right?”

“That’s right.”

“So, there’s something you want to talk about with just us.”

“Yes.”

“It must be a secret that you’ve been keeping from us, that you’ve called us here to tell us?”

“Not anymore.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong took a light breath.

“I won’t keep it a secret any longer. Starting today.”