Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 311

The Reversal (6)

Clang!

Only after the heavy greatsword struck the ground did Gang Ryang’s training come to an end.

“Hah, hah.”

It was a training session where he had poured all his strength. However, Gang Ryang’s expression was dark, as if he was dissatisfied with something.

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled.

“Why? Are you not pleased?”

“Yes? Ah, no, it’s not that.”

“What’s the problem? From what I saw, you did well.”

Gang Ryang drew his sword and placed it back into its scabbard.

“It’s not that I think there’s a problem. It’s just… I’m a bit disappointed in myself.”

“Disappointed? In what way?”

Gang Ryang smiled bitterly.

“I don’t expect my martial arts to improve quickly. I do pursue the extreme, but if one could reach the extreme simply through effort, there wouldn’t be anyone in the world who wasn’t a master.”

“That’s true.”

“It’s just that I can’t see the path forward.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong nodded.

“A person who knows their strengths and weaknesses, and knows where they need to go, will develop faster with the same amount of effort.”

“Yes. But I can’t see it.”

“It was the same for me.”

“Yes?”

“Do you think I knew where to step every moment? I dare say, no genius in the world could do that.”

“……”

“So, what method do you use in such times? That also varies from person to person.”

Confusion settled on Gang Ryang’s face.

“Then, in such moments, what did you do, Brother?”

“Me?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked up at the sky.

“Well…”

Gang Ryang’s question was limited to martial arts.

However, upon hearing the question, Yeon Ho-Jeong thought about his life beyond martial arts.

‘It was truly daunting.’

He had accumulated experience and gained strength. Many things seemed easy to his eyes, who had climbed to the top through an Asura field [a battlefield of carnage] more hellish than hell, but he had also lost much.

‘What did I gain, and what did I give up? When I couldn’t see ahead, what belief did I have to move forward?’

The most daunting moment was, of course, right after his family was destroyed.

By a stroke of luck, he was able to meet his master, and thanks to him, he was able to live as a martial artist. If it hadn’t been for that meeting, Yeon Ho-Jeong would have also ended his life as a common martial artist.

However, his master had only opened his eyes, not told him which path was the right one. There were many paths and methods in the world. Choosing them was solely his responsibility.

At that time, Yeon Ho-Jeong was able to learn.

That the responsibility for a choice could only be borne by oneself. That if one were to walk a path someone else had set, one would also end up choosing the responsibility according to the result.

And that if that happened, it would be difficult to live in the world when there was no one to help him later.

That the subject of life was always oneself. In that sense, life could be lonely.

Therefore, he realized that he had to get used to loneliness and be grateful for the moments he could spend with someone.

Yeon Ho-Jeong closed his eyes.

“Even if you can’t see ahead, you can’t stop walking. What’s more daunting is that you can rest for a while or even go back the way you came, but that won’t make the light appear.”

“……”

“You must have had many people giving you advice. But now that those people are gone, all that’s left for you are your two fists and a sword.”

“…That’s true.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had opened his eyes again, smiled and said,

“Let’s take it step by step. The reason I asked your father to stop your training was not for any other reason. You need to develop on your own, even if it’s just once, from a state of having nothing.”

“……”

“At least, you have the martial arts of the Black Blade First Sword Sect with you. That’s enough. However, I want you to broaden your horizons by traveling with me.”

“Horizons.”

“That’s right. The reason is that martial arts is not a narrow-minded discipline that develops simply by making your body tired.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong patted Gang Ryang’s shoulder.

“Your father told you before, that swinging a dull sword without knowing anything won’t improve your martial arts. That doesn’t mean you should rest. It means you should change your perspective.”

“I, I see.”

“You’ve worked hard today. Go wash up and go to your quarters. If you feel lonely, have a drink by yourself. In a life full of loneliness, there should be some taste of indulging in such sentimentality.”

Gang Ryang smiled.

He himself said he couldn’t see ahead, but he looked much calmer than when they first met.

“Sometimes, it seems like there’s a difference of decades between my age and yours, Brother.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Sometimes I’m really envious. I often think I want to be like you, Brother.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong chuckled.

“Longing for maturity is also a privilege of youth. But there are also many things you can enjoy at that age. Before you admire someone, figure out what’s around you.”

“See? That’s what I mean by you being mature.”

“You rascal. It’s already past the hour of Chook [1-3 AM]. Go in and rest.”

Gang Ryang bowed his head.

“Thank you for watching my practice today. Then, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Alright.”

Thus, Gang Ryang returned to his quarters.

Yeon Ho-Jeong sat on a small rock and looked up at the sky.

The moon was bright. There were many stars. The wind was still cold, but rather, it was now cooling his sentimental mind.

After looking up at the sky for a long time, Yeon Ho-Jeong sighed.

“I can’t see ahead… Even if you’ve climbed high enough, the veil of darkness doesn’t discriminate against people.”

Several words came to Yeon Ho-Jeong’s mind.

Election, Three Teachings, Preparation, Court, Development, Expulsion, Harmony…

It was a truly complex situation. Perhaps Yeon Ho-Jeong was more lost than Gang Ryang was now.

‘Living two or three lives doesn’t make life easier. Rather, the more you see, the more difficult life becomes.’

Woong.

At that moment, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s divine elixir qi caught a subtle presence.

It wasn’t a presence that was approaching secretly. It was just that the owner of the presence had trained their martial arts so well that their energy was naturally converging.

‘Brother.’

Soon after, Moyong Woo appeared.

“I couldn’t find you in your quarters, so I was wandering around nearby, and I felt a subtle sword energy rising from here. It was Gang Swordsman’s energy. I came to see if you knew where he was, but before I knew it, Gang Swordsman had disappeared and only you remained.”

“Why have you come to visit me again at this late hour?”

Moyong Woo quietly looked at Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face.

‘Different.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face, bathed in the clear moonlight, looked somehow detached.

Looking at that expression, that gaze, his complicated heart seemed to soften. Even the unknown anger and bitterness seemed to melt away like snow.

Moyong Woo took out a gourd from his waist.

“There are no cups, but shall we have a sip together, using the moonlight as our companion?”

“You know how to enjoy the finer things. Alright, let’s have a drink from my brother after a long time.”

“I said there are no cups?”

“That’s just a figure of speech, you stiff man.”

“Hahaha.”

Moyong Woo’s laughter was very clear.

Thus, the two shared the drink in silence.

After emptying about half of the bottle, Yeon Ho-Jeong asked, as if throwing a stone,

“So, what brings you here this time?”

“I’m disappointed. Does Woo-hyung [older brother] need a special reason to visit his younger brother?”

“That’s a very nice thing to say, but why don’t you wipe away the frustration in your eyes before you speak?”

“Haha, can you see that?”

“That’s why I’m worried. It’s too easy to read.”

Moyong Woo, who was looking at Yeon Ho-Jeong with a smile, said calmly,

“It was true that my brother joined hands with the Mukryong Faction.”

Was it thanks to the magic of the moonlight? Or was it thanks to Yeon Ho-Jeong’s low and relaxed voice?

Moyong Woo was able to talk about Moyong Gun much more calmly than he had expected.

“Moyong Yeon-hwa?”

“That’s right.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong chuckled.

Listening to Moyong Woo’s story, he was able to grasp the situation at once.

“So, he was able to survive.”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“I’m talking about Moyong Gun. If my prediction was correct, that man should have been killed or completely plundered by Yang Cheon. But that man returned unscathed.”

“…That’s right.”

“Moyong Gun must have said this: ‘Help me become the Murim Alliance Leader, and I will give you a lot of help when I become the leader.'”

“Of course, he would have.”

“A deal is done with cash, not with promissory notes. And Yang Cheon knows that too. But Yang Cheon agreed to the deal. Why would someone like Yang Cheon accept a promissory note from Moyong Gun?”

Moyong Woo’s face hardened.

“Does that mean he sent Yeon-hwa as a hostage?”

“Or perhaps a hostage and an assistant. Furthermore, he might have made her play the role of a bridge.”

“……”

“Otherwise, there’s no reason why Yang Cheon would let Moyong Gun go so easily.”

Moyong Woo’s eyes trembled.

But that was only for a moment.

“Hoo.”

Moyong Woo, who had let out a soft sigh, quenched his frustration with a sip of alcohol.

“Yes, my brother is capable of doing that.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smirked.

“Apart from your affection for your blood relatives, you seem to be able to see Moyong Gun quite coldly?”

“That’s the problem. The words I gave to my brother today came from my heart, not my reason.”

Moyong Woo chuckled.

“I said that I would work with you to correct the main family and contribute to the peace of the White Path Murim [the righteous martial arts world], but seeing how I’m shaken by this, it seems I’m not a great vessel either.”

“That’s normal.”

“But…”

“I told you when we first met, didn’t I? Brother walks the path of normalcy. I’ll take care of the world where abnormality is the norm.”

Moyong Woo shook his head.

“I don’t know what the world of abnormality means, but it’s too harsh to leave such a path of Asura to you and ignore it.”

“You shouldn’t not know.”

“What do you mean?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong patted Moyong Woo’s shoulder.

“You have to know. What I’m doing, how hard I’m trying. You have to know, listen, and embrace it.”

“……”

“That’s the virtue of a leader. To be precise, it’s the virtue of a White Path leader.”

“Hyeon-je [younger brother].”

“I know. I’m just saying.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong took a deep breath.

“You must be very upset. But you expected it, didn’t you? If it’s hard to shake it off, just accept it and use it as a driving force to move forward.”

Moyong Woo, who was staring at Yeon Ho-Jeong, smiled warmly.

“I’m a fool of an older brother who can’t even offer help.”

“Not having ability isn’t a sin. What’s important is whether you have the will to move forward, and how hard you can try to change your flawed self.”

“Hahaha.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong shrugged his shoulders.

“Still, after hearing what you said, it’s going to be a bit easier now.”

“Hmm?”

“I’m talking about Moyong Gun. If I shake down Moyong Yeon-hwa, this fight might go quite easily.”

“Don’t do that.”

“Huh?”

Moyong Woo shook his head.

“I said don’t do that.”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden? Moyong Gun is…”

“Yes, my brother is an evil man. But you have many other things to worry about besides your brother, don’t you?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes deepened.

Moyong Woo looked at the sky and sighed.

“You’ll take care of the world of abnormality… Well, if that’s what you’re going to do, how can I stop you? But if you say that, then at least I have to take care of the world of normalcy.”

“……”

Moyong Woo, who had emptied the bottle, got up from his seat.

He smiled and looked down at Yeon Ho-Jeong.

“I’m glad I came to see you today. It was just a casual conversation, but I realized a lot.”

“What are you trying to do?”

“When times get tough and overwhelming, I’ll ask for your help. But until then, you should do what you have to do.”

“Brother.”

“Hey, Hyeon-je.”

“……”

“Don’t forget. I still don’t have any intention of becoming it, but the me you saw was not a bad vessel as the Murim Alliance Leader.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled.

“More than enough.”

“If that’s really the case, then I have to prove that your eyes were not wrong.”

Moyong Woo turned his body.

“Rest well. I’ll visit you again soon.”

The next day.

‘Magnificent.’

Excitement filled Moyong Yeon-hwa’s face as she entered the Murim Alliance.

‘This is the Murim Alliance…!’

The Murim Alliance, now finally completed, had a size and system that overwhelmed the Mukryong Faction. Even at a glance, one could tell the difference.

Moyong Yeon-hwa took a deep breath.

‘Let’s do this right. If I do it right, everyone will live. Be nervous but not stiff, be relaxed but not careless.’

Just as she and her entourage reached the inner gate,

“It’s been a while.”

Startled, Moyong Yeon-hwa turned her head.

There, with his arms crossed, stood Moyong Woo with a stern expression.

Fire ignited in Moyong Yeon-hwa’s eyes.

“…Moyong Woo.”

A faint smile appeared on Moyong Woo’s lips.

“Your training is not enough, niece.”