Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 267

The next day.

Swish! Swish!

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who was sweeping the yard with a large broom, turned his head at the sudden feeling of someone’s presence.

“Yo.”

Muk Bi, wearing a fur coat, waved her hand at Yeon Ho-Jeong.

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled and said,

“Why are you out here so early? It’s cold, go back inside and rest more.”

“You sly human.”

“What was that?”

Muk Bi grumbled.

“I knew you knew too much about me.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong chuckled.

“Are you believing me?”

“What if I don’t? You’re saying it, so I have to believe it.”

It was a very simple conclusion.

Of course, this didn’t mean that Muk Bi’s trust in Yeon Ho-Jeong was deeper than Yeon Wi’s. The difference between the two was purely a matter of personality.

“How was I?”

“What do you mean?”

“How was I back then?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong snorted.

“You were a blockhead who only knew how to shoot arrows. You couldn’t act your age, got drunk, and danced in front of everyone, you know.”

“Cough!”

Muk Bi’s face flushed red.

“That’s a lie!”

“Heh heh.”

“…Wasn’t it?”

“What does it matter if it was or wasn’t? The important thing is who you are now, isn’t it?”

“Tell me straight. Did I or didn’t I?”

“I don’t know. I think you might have.”

“See, it was a lie!”

Yeon Ho-Jeong chuckled and continued sweeping.

“The Black Dragon Stronghold, the largest alliance in the Black Path [a term for the underworld or criminal organizations], had a position called the Five Great Generals.”

“Five Great Generals…?”

“They were the most powerful experts who worked under the Black Dragon Stronghold Lord, the Dark Emperor. Each of their martial arts was at the master level, and all of them were second to none in their respective fields.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked at Muk Bi.

“You were the leader of those Five Great Generals and were called the strongest warrior.”

“… !”

“Your unparalleled archery was undoubtedly the best in the world, and even without a bow, you boasted a close combat ability against the other Five Great Generals. In terms of martial arts alone, you were called the second-in-command of the Black Dragon Stronghold. That was Divine Bow Muk Bi, you.”

Muk Bi felt her heart pounding for no reason.

Divine Bow? What a great title. The fact that she, in Yeon Ho-Jeong’s time, was strong enough to be considered the best in the world sent shivers down her spine.

“And Gang Ryang too.”

“…?!”

“Gang Ryang, who was called the best swordsman of the Black Path and was known as the Iron-Blooded Sword King in the Central Plains, was also one of the Five Great Generals.”

Muk Bi chuckled in disbelief.

“Gang Ryang too…?”

“At the time, the best swordsman praised by the Jianghu [the martial arts world] was Moyong Gun. But some said this: ‘Moyong Gun is superior in martial arts, but Gang Ryang is superior when it comes to the sword.'”

“That’s quite an evaluation.”

“Even though he seemed like he was missing something, his talent and passion were unmatched. There was a reason why he was chosen as one of the Five Great Generals at the youngest age among us.”

“Was the Ghost Iron Sword Sect destroyed back then too?”

“Yes. That’s why I was surprised. I wondered if history, even if its flow changes, ultimately leads to the same result.”

Muk Bi, who had been staring at Yeon Ho-Jeong, brought a broom from the corner.

“Let’s do it together.”

“Then I’d be grateful.”

The two stood side by side and swept the snow.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Perhaps because they were naturally skilled, the snow piled up was swept away in large clumps with each sweep of the broom.

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked down at the broom and asked,

“Are you not upset?”

“About what? About you not telling me until now?”

“No.”

“Then what?”

“You could think it was a deliberate approach.”

Muk Bi smiled.

“Well, I guess I could think that.”

“You really don’t seem upset?”

“If it weren’t for Young Master Yeon, my life would have been even more miserable. When I think about that, I can’t dare to say I’m upset.”

“Well, you know it.”

Muk Bi just smiled.

‘So that’s how it was.’

Behind her bright smile, she recalled the words Yeon Ho-Jeong had said in the past.

‘You never showed your emotions easily. But it wasn’t that you didn’t have any. Rather, you were a martial artist with a heart hotter than anyone else.’

‘I liked you. At least back then, you knew how to choose your own path. Even though that path was painful, you never complained.’

‘I didn’t know your past. I didn’t know it would be like this. But trying to find out more would just be meddling.’

‘The past is just the past. But I wanted to fix the past that would become a terrible future. To do that, I need a different me from the past.’

After the Yae Shin Battle, when she was with her brother, Gong Cheon, Yeon Ho-Jeong, whom she had never met, had said those words.

She was confused by the extreme sadness, but those words kept lingering in her mind. Yeon Ho-Jeong was treating her as if he had known her for a long time.

‘That’s why you came to find me.’

Muk Bi’s eyes became wistful as she looked at Yeon Ho-Jeong.

‘And yet, you didn’t try to manipulate me.’

If he really intended to use her, he could have dragged her along in some way.

But Yeon Ho-Jeong didn’t. He gave her a choice, and if she had said she wouldn’t join him, he would have let her go without any regrets.

That was Yeon Ho-Jeong.

Even if they had a deep connection in the past, he never forced anyone. He just made a suggestion and respected their individual choices.

How could she hate such a person? How could she say she was upset?

‘Rather, I’m the one who received the favor.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong had given her a family.

That alone was enough to consider him a benefactor for life. Being treated like family was a thousand, ten thousand times more grateful than having her life saved.

“Hoo, my back is aching.”

“Someone who swings an eighty-pound axe around is complaining about this?”

“I’m not using internal energy.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“It’s just training. If you fix your posture properly, it’s good for training your back and abdomen.”

“…”

“Hey, and why would you use internal energy while sweeping snow? What a waste of internal energy.”

Come to think of it, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s posture was indeed restrained.

It was a posture that could be considered training rather than labor. However, it was so natural that it was hard to notice unless you looked closely.

Muk Bi clicked her tongue.

“Why do you even train at times like this?”

“You have to incorporate training into moments like this to improve your skills quickly.”

“Ehh, that’s a bit much.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong chuckled.

“You’re right. It’s not enough with just this. But I believe that if these moments accumulate, I’ll be able to climb at least one step higher in the future.”

“Hmm.”

“Well, it’s okay even if my skills don’t improve. Just maintaining tension is enough.”

Muk Bi, who had been staring at Yeon Ho-Jeong, shrugged her shoulders.

“Still, I don’t want to live like that.”

“Lazy.”

“Don’t forget that I’m older than Young Master Yeon.”

“I was a stronghold lord, and you were my subordinate, remember?”

“That’s a past I don’t know anyway.”

“It’s the same now, isn’t it?”

“This is a private setting, isn’t it?”

“Even though my body is young, I’ve lived for almost fifty years.”

“It’s good to be old. But shouldn’t that be considered a fictitious number?”

“…”

“Live in the present, don’t be stuck in the past.”

“You’ll never get scammed anywhere. Wow, the person who was so gentle and innocent now has a dagger in her tongue.”

“I don’t think Young Master Yeon is in a position to say that.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong burst into laughter.

Muk Bi, who was laughing with him, asked lightly,

“When are you going to tell Ji-Pyeong?”

“Ji-Pyeong?”

“Yes. You told me, so shouldn’t you tell Ji-Pyeong too?”

“I don’t know?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong shrugged his shoulders.

“Now that we’ve come this far, I don’t want to hide it. But it’s weird to have a serious talk about it, isn’t it?”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.”

He looked up at the sky.

The dark dawn sky, the falling snow, was noticeably weaker now.

“I realized yesterday. It’s best for these kinds of things to come out naturally.”

“Hmm.”

“Of course, I didn’t know that until yesterday. It was a really big concern for me.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong shrugged his shoulders.

“But not anymore. Whether I confess my past or not, the people who believe in me will not lose their faith. Then I can relax too.”

Muk Bi smiled.

“That sounds good.”

“Ah, and I’m tired now. Yesterday, I poured out at least five days’ worth of words. I want to shut my vocal cords for a while.”

“You’re talking too much for someone who wants to do that.”

“…”

“Well, well.”

“…”

“My, my.”

“…”

“If you’re going to keep your mouth shut like that, can I hit you? It seems unnecessary.”

“No.”

The two burst into laughter at the same time.

“I’m just going to let it happen naturally. That’s better.”

“Okay. Then let’s do that.”

About half an hour passed like that.

The sky was still as dark as night. But it felt like it was slowly brightening from the eastern sky.

“Ah, I’m hungry from moving around since dawn. Shall we eat?”

“Sounds good.”

* * *

“Hoo.”

Jeagal Mun-Ho hadn’t slept a wink.

“The Gwangshin Three Sects…?”

His eyes, looking at the shaking window, were filled with confusion.

‘Why haven’t I been able to figure out that such a group existed until now?’

Well, it’s not the Central Plains, but the outer regions. If a force from the outer regions was determined to hide its power, it would be difficult to catch them, no matter how good the Murim Alliance’s [a martial arts alliance] intelligence was.

That’s why it was even more frightening.

Whether it’s a person or an organization, when they gain power, they tend to want to show it off to the outside world. It was a matter that was connected to human nature.

But they had that enormous power and capital, yet they were thoroughly hiding themselves.

A group with immense power and unimaginable patience. And since a conviction for the future is essential for such patience to be displayed, there must be many talented strategists as well.

‘It doesn’t feel real. But…’

Jeagal Mun-Ho sighed.

‘Young Master Yeon is not the kind of person who would lie about something like this. Besides.’

He took out a few neatly folded documents from his chest.

They were top-secret information documents seized from the Black Dragon Unit. The documents contained the flow of funds from the outer regions to the Black Dragon Unit.

And the Hall of Return, which the Tangma Myeolsa coalition had defeated, was also included in that flow.

‘There’s also clear evidence. In the end, I can be sure that the Gwangshin Three Sects exist.’

Jeagal Mun-Ho leaned back in his chair, looking frustrated.

“If they’re supporting the Black Dragon Unit, the power of the Saeum Sect must be at least comparable to the Murim Alliance. But there are not one, but three such organizations?”

His vision was clouded.

He was usually quick to come up with countermeasures against enemies, but there were limits to that.

Moreover, there was another problem.

“Moyong Gun.”

Anger appeared on Jeagal Mun-Ho’s face.

“Even if you’re obsessed with power, there’s a limit! How could you join hands with Yang Cheon! This man is truly crossing the line!”

The threat of the Gwangshin Three Sects was, frankly, too abstract.

But Moyong Gun was not. He thought that even though he was blinded by power, he had his own sense of justice, but now he saw that he was nothing but a scoundrel!

Jeagal Mun-Ho, who had been huffing and puffing for a while, turned his head towards the door.

“Is anyone there?”

“Yes, Strategist.”

“Tell the Yeon Clan Head that the Strategist wants to see him for a moment.”

“Understood.”

Jeagal Mun-Ho turned his gaze to the window.

Thud thud thud.

The window was shaking like crazy in the fierce east wind.