Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 341

Time passed. It was almost noon, but no one in the room spoke.

“……”

The silence was heavy. The tea, which had once emitted a pleasant aroma, had turned cold.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, subtly looking around, asked as if throwing out a question, “I went to the trouble of brewing it, why aren’t you drinking it?”

Tang Gwan said coldly, “Tea brewed by someone who doesn’t even know the basics of tea ceremony? Drinking it would only torture my tongue.”

“Still, I went to the trouble of brewing it.”

“Shut up.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong clicked his tongue. He had expected Tang Gwan to react this way, but his response was much more prickly than he had anticipated.

*Well, with his pride, it’s a wonder he hadn’t poisoned everyone here.* It seemed his ferocious personality had dulled a bit since meeting Yeon Wi and improving his relationship with his daughter.

“Since the topic came up, let me ask you something.”

“Please, go ahead.”

*Was he about to unleash a torrent of abuse?*

“Those bastards, where the hell were they lurking?”

The eyes of everyone in the room turned to Yeon Ho-Jeong.

Yeon Ho-Jeong shook his head. “I don’t know much other than they’re from beyond the borders. It’s reported that they originated somewhere far in the northwest, but even that isn’t certain.”

“Northwest, are you talking about Qinghai or Xinjiang?”

“Tibet would also be included. Of course, that’s not certain either. If there was even one thing I could be sure about regarding them, I wouldn’t be moving so cautiously.”

“Hmph! Easy for you to say.”

Tang Gwan’s eyes flashed with a nasty killing intent.

“So, they’re just some riffraff from beyond the borders.”

Although he kept himself apart from ‘common consciousness’ unless it concerned his family, he was also overflowing with pride as a person of the Central Plains [the heartland of Chinese civilization].

Originally, Sichuan Province was like the first gateway for the invasion of the martial world from beyond the borders. Some might say that Qinghai Province is the first gateway for the war with the outside, but if it’s a war in the Central Plains, Sichuan is the real stage.

In other words, for Tang Gwan, the invasion of the martial world from beyond the borders was not something to be taken lightly. His family’s history was stained with the bloodshed of battles with those from beyond the borders. He couldn’t help but burn with more hatred than anyone else here.

“If it’s Tibet, then the Potala Palace [the Dalai Lama’s winter palace] and the Leiyin Temple [a fictional Buddhist temple] would also be there, could it be that they’re also in cahoots?”

“I don’t know about that. But the Three Teachings [referring to a group with a specific ideology] and they are religious groups that pursue completely different paths. They might be in conflict, but I don’t think they would have joined forces.”

“What about the movements of the Potala Palace and the Leiyin Temple?”

“According to Hu Gae, they are unusually quiet. Of course, that was last year’s information, so I don’t know about now. In the case of the Leiyin Temple, it seems they are slowly starting to stretch, but the exact details are still unclear.”

“Quiet……”

Tang Gwan frowned.

“I know those crazy monks well enough. Their ideology is excessively heretical. The Potala Palace is alright, but those Leiyin Temple bastards are no different from the riffraff of the Demonic Sect.”

Indeed, if one were to look into the history of the Leiyin Temple, they too were originally a group of ascetics who followed early Buddhism.

However, as time passed, the Leiyin Temple, which had accepted the Yoga Qi Gong [a type of energy cultivation] of Tianzhu [ancient name for India], and began to obsess over power rather than asceticism, acquired strange techniques and martial arts from the Western Regions and the East, and developed into an independent martial arts force.

Those who separated to not forget their roots became the Great Leiyin Temple, and those who developed into a heresy became the Small Leiyin Temple. That was how they were divided in the current martial world.

The Leiyin Temple that Tang Gwan was referring to was the Small Leiyin Temple.

“It’s not entirely unrelated. Even if it’s not other places, Tibet is an area they’ve dominated for hundreds of years. If those Three Teachings bastards have built up such a powerful force as you say, then neither the Potala Palace nor the Leiyin Temple would be unaware of the Three Teachings.”

“That’s probably true.”

At that moment, Yeon Wi interjected. “Before dealing with them, it’s right to solve the immediate problem first.”

“I agree.”

Tang Gwan clicked his tongue.

“You said you killed a guy who was a Jinwu official [a military officer], a subordinate of the Regional Commander?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong nodded. “That’s right.”

“He’s just a small fry, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

It was a statement that revealed terrifying confidence.

Although he couldn’t be compared to a Regional Vice Commander, a Jinwu was also a position with its own prestige. No, in the first place, a martial artist killing an official was a shocking event in itself.

Yeon Ho-Jeong sighed. “Well, that’s that, but the guy who’s coming now is different.”

“You said he’s a Regional Vice Commander?”

“To be precise, we should see him as being at least at the level of a Regional Vice Commander. In the worst case, he could be a Regional Commander, but no matter how I think about it, that’s unlikely.”

A Regional Commander was a terrifying position that controlled the military administration of a province. No matter how poorly they handled politics, they wouldn’t have the time to get involved in such matters.

Tang Gwan said in a stiff voice, “The Regional Vice Commander who commands the province’s military force is in charge of war preparations as well as military training. If he’s at least at the level of a Regional Vice Commander, then most of Henan Province’s military power may have already fallen into their hands.”

“……That could be the case.”

“This has become troublesome.”

Tang Gwan stroked his chin and muttered as if to himself. “A Regional Vice Commander…… Unless he’s above the second rank, if he’s just a Vice Commander, we might be able to secretly kill him and somehow clean it up.”

The atmosphere in the room became chillingly cold.

Yeon Wi cleared his throat. “Patriarch. That’s an excessively dangerous statement.”

“If those Three Teachings bastards have truly taken control of the imperial court and the government, then danger is already right in front of us. No matter how we deal with it, it’s dangerous, so there’s nothing new about it.”

What he said wasn’t wrong. But as Yeon Wi said, it was also an excessively dangerous and radical statement.

“Anyway.”

Tang Gwan glanced at the window. “It’s almost noon now, why isn’t that damn bastard coming?”

“He’ll be here soon, won’t he?”

Yeon Wi’s words were true.

An hour later.

*Whoosh!* A single aura that was slowly approaching enveloped the entire Pagun Pavilion.

Muk Bi and Yeon Ji-Pyeong’s faces hardened with tension. They instinctively realized just how great a master the owner of this ominous yet explosively powerful energy was.

Tang Gwan wore a sneer. “How amusing.”

Whether his feelings were truly complex or it was just a simple show, wasn’t it excessively childish?

At least, that’s what Tang Gwan thought. And the reason he could think that was because he was one of the two people here who could face Moyong Gun head-on.

Yeon Wi gave a wry smile. “He must have hurt his pride in his own way.”

“Hmph! How could he not?”

“It’s probably because of Ho-Jeong.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Yeon Wi looked at Yeon Ho-Jeong and said, “A lot has happened, but in any case, the person who was at the forefront of the fight against Moyong Gun was Ho-Jeong. And Moyong Gun recognized Ho-Jeong as his opponent.”

“……”

“But the rival he thought was his equal was actually seeing much more than him, and he found out that his final goal wasn’t him. Moyong Gun’s pride must have been greatly wounded.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong scratched his head. He had never thought of it that way.

Tang Gwan stared at Yeon Ho-Jeong for a moment and then said, “Anyway, you’re terribly entangled.”

“I don’t care.”

“You impudent bastard.”

A moment later.

*Creak.* The door opened, and Moyong Gun and Jeagal Mun-Ho entered.

“……”

The air in the room was now so heavy that it was suffocating.

Moyong Gun looked around.

Yeon Wi, who was looking at him with indifferent eyes, Tang Gwan, who was shining with eyes full of killing intent, Muk Bi and Yeon Ji-Pyeong, who had tense faces, and…….

‘…….’

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s deep eyes, which were so transparent that one couldn’t read what was inside, were directed at him.

Jeagal Mun-Ho stepped forward. “Please, have a seat.”

Moyong Gun sat down on a chair without a word.

Jeagal Mun-Ho, who had closed the door and entered, opened his mouth. “There’s no need for long speeches. Everyone here is busy, and I know that discussing useless past events will only make us uncomfortable.”

Jeagal Mun-Ho’s voice was clear and pure. The voice of a well-cultivated scholar. Although it was intentional, thanks to his voice, the air, which had been endlessly heavy, seemed to lighten a bit.

*Swoosh.* Jeagal Mun-Ho placed documents on the table. “Lord Moyong, please read them first.”

Moyong Gun read the documents without a word. Unlike his ferocious aura, his eyes were only cautious. A deep concentration could be seen in the fingertips that turned each page.

A moment later, he put down the documents. “I’ve read them all.”

There was a lot of shocking content, but he showed no signs of surprise.

Jeagal Mun-Ho continued. “Lord Tang, please take a look as well.”

Tang Gwan snatched the stack of documents with a thud.

*Flap!* Tang Gwan was different from Moyong Gun. A nervous emotion was clearly evident in the fingertips that roughly turned the pages.

But he was also the head of one of the Six Great Clans and a big figure in the martial world. He was annoyed and angry, but his eyes were filled with a caution that was no less than Moyong Gun’s.

A moment later, Tang Gwan also read all the documents.

“The head of the Medical Pavilion, Gi Woo-Hui, that bitch is the daughter of that damn leader of the Shin Hwa Sect [a fictional evil sect]?”

“That’s right.”

“What a ridiculous bitch.”

Jeagal Mun-Ho added, “Even if it’s anything else, there’s no need to suspect Doctor Gi. Regarding her, both Lord Yeon, Lord Yeon, and Commander Yeon, and Deputy Commander Muk…….”

“I don’t suspect her.”

“Yes?”

Tang Gwan frowned. “Even if it’s anyone else, would this impudent bastard have brought a spy of the enemy into the alliance without checking?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong chuckled. “I’m grateful for your trust in my abilities.”

“Did you take being called a slippery eel as a compliment?”

“Yes.”

Tang Gwan turned his head away.

Yeon Wi opened his mouth. “For now, everyone here has shared information about the enemy. At least, up to the information we’ve investigated so far.”

Jeagal Mun-Ho nodded. “As you all know, we’ve only delved deeper and more detailed into the limited information, but in reality, we don’t have any real information about them.”

That was the problem.

The Shin Hwa Sect had infiltrated the imperial court and the government, and was already wielding considerable influence.

The Saeum Sect [another fictional sect] had provided immense help in establishing the Muk Ryong Unit [a special military unit], and was still coveting the Muk Ryong Unit as a bridgehead for advancing into the Central Plains.

In the end, that was all. There was nothing that had been identified about where the enemies were, what organizations they had taken control of if they had infiltrated, or what their strength was.

“In other words.”

Tang Gwan’s voice, which had been nervous, became as cold as the north wind. “We need to sweet-talk that Regional Vice Commander bastard who’s coming here.”

Jeagal Mun-Ho nodded. “Furthermore, if that person is truly a member of the Shin Hwa Sect, we must never let him set foot in the Martial Alliance. If they use the imperial power of the empire, we’ll be helpless.”

At that moment, Moyong Gun spoke. “That guy is the first one.”

“What do you mean?”

“Isn’t it enough to just catch that guy first?”

“Of course, that’s true, but…… I’m sure you know it’s dangerous.”

Moyong Gun didn’t answer Jeagal Mun-Ho’s words. He just looked at Yeon Ho-Jeong with profound eyes.

The two’s gazes collided, creating a strange atmosphere.

Yeon Ho-Jeong asked. “Do you have connections?”

Moyong Gun answered. “It’s a close call.”

“I’ll believe that it’s possible.”

“Are we going to face them head-on?”

“Whoever steps forward, that would be the best.”

“It would be better for you to step back this time.”

“I’m thinking the same thing.”

“The answer is out. You and I will support from behind. We just need to choose someone to face them head-on.”

It was a series of conversations with an unknown meaning. Even the great Jeagal Mun-Ho was tilting his head.

Moyong Gun looked at Tang Gwan. “Lord Tang.”

Tang Gwan didn’t answer. Moyong Gun didn’t care about his attitude.

“The Regional Vice Commander, who is presumed to be a master from the Shin Hwa Sect, will you catch him?”

“……What?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong scratched his head. “Your hands must be itching…… I think it’s not bad.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m asking you to fight.”

“……?!”

“Ah, they are specialized in the Scorching Yang Skill [a type of martial art]. I don’t recommend using poison…….”

Tang Gwan finally got angry. “Explain in detail what you’re talking about!”