Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 347

The Sang’an Inn in Kaifeng was neither large nor famous. Moreover, it was a place rarely frequented by anyone who wasn’t a local. This was because it was closed for more than half the month, so who would bother seeking it out?

Thanks to this, rumors about the Sang’an Inn were endless at one point. From eerie tales of it being a hideout for assassins or a base for a black market gang, to whispers that it was a shop run as a hobby by a retired tycoon.

Naturally, people became curious and started to peek around the Sang’an Inn. Most of them either disappeared or returned as broken individuals. This was true for both commoners and martial artists alike.

People, filled with fear, reported this to the authorities, but the officials remained silent. They didn’t even try to investigate, let alone take action against the Sang’an Inn.

Eventually, people lost interest in the Sang’an Inn. It wasn’t like monsters were coming out of it; only those who had foolishly poked around suffered. Besides, the once-loud rumors died down strangely quickly. Someone had intentionally silenced them.

Thus, the Sang’an Inn faded from the memories of the people of Kaifeng. Since no one tried to find out about it, it was bound to happen.

‘Hmm.’

Moyong Gun’s eyes, watching the Sang’an Inn from the darkness, were deeply sunken.

‘Intriguing.’

The location of the Sang’an Inn was truly peculiar.

A tavern is a place that sells alcohol and food. To do good business, it should naturally be in the marketplace, in a place that is easily visible.

However, the Sang’an Inn was not like that. It wasn’t in an extremely secretive place, but it wasn’t in a prime location either.

‘It’s a good place to avoid outside attention. It’s not secretive, but it’s the kind of place that wouldn’t stick in your memory even if you happened to pass by.’

The corners of Moyong Gun’s lips curled up.

‘Interesting. It’s clear that it was intentionally built here.’

There was another reason why he was so sure.

‘Impressive.’

Numerous experts were hidden in every nook and cranny of the Sang’an Inn. Their number exceeded fifty.

Considering the size of the Sang’an Inn, it might not seem like much. However, what was important was the individual martial prowess of each one.

‘Fifty peak experts? And not just mediocre ones, but each one capable of taking on a hundred?’

Moyong Gun inwardly clicked his tongue.

They were more than the guards of the heads of the Six Great Clans. There were levels even among those called peak experts, and these were all so seasoned that they could perform beyond their capabilities in any battle.

‘Hmm.’

Moyong Gun noticed another peculiarity.

‘Yang Energy Art?’

They tried to hide it, but Moyong Gun’s keen senses could tell that the hidden individuals had all mastered martial arts of extreme yang energy. [Yang Energy Art refers to martial arts focused on generating and utilizing powerful, fiery energy.]

Due to the nature of Yang Energy Art, it was not suitable for hiding. Yet, the fact that they had suppressed their presence to this extent meant that their skills were exceptional.

‘Yang Energy Art… Then could it be?’

A faint murderous intent flickered in Moyong Gun’s eyes.

‘Are these guys from that Divine Flame Church?’

His fists clenched involuntarily.

‘…’

Moyong Gun quietly regulated his breathing. He felt a surge of anger, but he tried hard to regain his composure.

‘Being guarded by those foreign bastards… and by the Provincial Commander.’

That was the problem.

‘Is it really guarding?’

Indeed.

Moyong Gun’s question stemmed from the fact that the hidden individuals’ movements were somewhat unrestrained.

Whether in the Central Plains or abroad, guards are all the same. If they are hiding their presence while guarding, they should sit still in a place that makes it easy to watch all directions. That’s the basic rule.

But these people were different. They hid their presence, but they were constantly moving inside and outside the tavern.

That was definitely not the movement of guards.

‘Then…’

Moyong Gun’s eyes deepened.

‘This is worth taking a risk for.’

It was intuition rather than logic.

Swoosh!

Moyong Gun instantly climbed onto the roof of the Sang’an Inn.

Even if there were fifty experts, the gap between Moyong Gun and them was vast. If they formed a formation and attacked, it would be different, but if he moved with a purpose, it wasn’t impossible to deceive their eyes.

Whoosh.

Fortunately, the night wind was still cold, and the wind speed was considerable.

The sound of the wind helped Moyong Gun’s movements. He carefully entered through the window of the top floor.

Whirr!

The wind that entered through the window shook the candlelight.

A middle-aged man with a sturdy build, who was sitting at a table examining documents, spoke in a nonchalant voice.

“The wind is cold. It’s as if a ghost has entered.”

His voice was hoarse.

Looking at the pipe placed on the side of the table, it seemed he had been smoking tobacco for quite a long time. However, his thick, hoarse voice seemed to add to his unique dignity.

The middle-aged man looked around the room.

“I can’t see anything, but somehow I don’t feel like I’m alone. It’s a strange feeling.”

He had great intuition.

Even though he hadn’t trained in internal energy, he was quick-witted and had excellent senses. It was the intuition of a general who had lived his entire life on the fierce battlefields.

Whether it was an actual battlefield or the battlefield of political strife, Yeo Sang-do, the Provincial Commander of Henan, was a man who had always achieved victory.

The senses of someone who had faced countless life-threatening situations. Sensing the breath of danger was a survival instinct that could be acquired even without being an internal energy master.

Yeo Sang-do, who had been quietly looking around, closed the window.

He spoke in a calm voice.

“I don’t know who you are, but this place is soundproof. Stop playing ghost and show yourself.”

Swoosh.

In an instant, Moyong Gun appeared from a shadowy corner.

Yeo Sang-do’s eyes widened slightly.

“Who are you?”

“It’s been a while, Lord Yeo.”

“…Huh!”

Surprisingly, the two knew each other.

Before Yeo Sang-do became the Provincial Commander of Henan, he had been in charge of affairs in Hunan. That was when Yeo Sang-do and Moyong Gun had shared a few drinks.

A not-so-deep connection from over a decade ago. A person with whom he hadn’t exchanged a single letter had come to visit him secretly like this.

“How did you know I was here…?”

“Please, have a seat first.”

Moyong Gun waved his hand.

Whoosh.

An invisible barrier of energy completely concealed Moyong Gun’s presence. [This refers to a technique using internal energy to create a barrier that hides one’s presence.]

It was a technique that consumed a considerable amount of internal energy. However, it was not a problem for having a conversation.

Yeo Sang-do, who had been quietly watching Moyong Gun, sat down on a chair.

He was surprised, but still calm. He didn’t seem very nervous, nor did he seem to look down on his opponent.

It was the demeanor of the highest commander in charge of the military affairs of a province. He would remain calm even if lightning struck before his eyes.

Yeo Sang-do quietly looked at Moyong Gun.

‘Hmm.’

Moyong Gun’s face, shadowed by the darkness, looked strangely eerie.

However, there was no murderous intent within it. At least, it didn’t seem like he had come to kill him.

“You knew I was here and came to find me.”

“Of course.”

“You wouldn’t have touched the intelligence network of the government, so you must have used an information network of the martial world.”

“That’s right.”

“That’s a dangerous act that could violate the non-interference treaty between the government and the martial world. You know that, right?”

“Of course, I do.”

“So, you took that risk to find me, and furthermore, you came here.”

Yeo Sang-do tilted his head.

“The you I know isn’t someone who would do such a dangerous thing.”

“…”

“It must be one of two things. Either it’s a collective action, or something so urgent happened that you had to go to such lengths. I think it’s more likely the former.”

It was a terrifying insight.

Moyong Gun couldn’t help but admire Yeo Sang-do’s intellect. Just from the fact that the head of the Moyong Clan had secretly come to see him, he had deduced that much.

It was inevitable that someone in charge of the military affairs of a province would be a monster. One had to have this level of intellect and senses to be a Provincial Commander.

Yeo Sang-do’s gaze sharpened.

“If you can’t convince me, the martial world might be okay, but the Moyong Clan will face a rather large ordeal.”

It was a terrifying threat.

This was definitely not just an empty threat. A Provincial Commander could easily wipe out any martial arts sect, no matter how powerful they were.

However, it was not easy to attempt due to the relationship, political controversy, and the risk of war between the government and the martial world. A Provincial Commander was that powerful.

Moyong Gun spoke.

“If I may be so bold, I also have something to say.”

“…”

“If, by any chance, you are using the experts hiding here as your guards, I might lose my head right now.”

He responded to a strong move with a strong move.

Of course, from Yeo Sang-do’s perspective, it was a truly absurd threat. How could even a big shot from the martial world dare to kill a Provincial Commander?

However.

“…”

Yeo Sang-do did not get angry. He didn’t show any murderous intent in his eyes, nor did he slam his hand on the table.

He just looked at Moyong Gun with surprised eyes.

“…I see, so that’s how it is.”

Moyong Gun smiled.

His eyes were cold, though.

“You are not here with guards, Lord Yeo. You are being watched. Am I wrong?”

If Yeo Sang-do hadn’t become a Provincial Commander for no reason, then Moyong Gun hadn’t become the overlord of Hunan for no reason either.

The ability to see through what the other person hadn’t said at once.

That was what a conversation between big shots was like. They had the ability to fathom the other’s intentions without speaking, so the conversation progressed quickly and efficiently.

“That’s a relief.”

“What do you mean?”

“If you had been subverted by those Divine Flame Church bastards, it would have been quite a headache.”

“You…”

“Please, speak.”

Yeo Sang-do swallowed slightly.

“Did you know about them?”

“I didn’t. Not until recently.”

“…”

“But now that I know about them, I realized that it’s time to move.”

Moyong Gun’s smile deepened.

“You think so too, don’t you?”

“…Hoo.”

Yeo Sang-do sighed quietly.

“For a brief moment, I wondered if you were a spy sent by them.”

“That’s impossible. Judging by your expression, it seems that most of the Henan government has already been taken over. In that situation, would you bring someone with a not-so-deep connection to watch over you?”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

“In other words, the situation is so bad that you, who would not have had even a moment of doubt under normal circumstances, had to worry.”

“You see well.”

Yeo Sang-do’s eyes deepened.

“Did the Martial Alliance notice?”

“To be precise, only those who know, know. I’m being extra cautious in case there are spies among us who have been subverted by them. There are less than ten people who know about the Three Teachings.”

Yeo Sang-do let out a sigh of relief.

“Well done. Very well done. Judging by their actions… Ah, no, wait a minute!”

“…?”

“Three Teachings? Does that mean the Divine Flame Church isn’t the end of it?”

Moyong Gun’s eyes lit up.

“It seems you didn’t know.”

“…!!”

“The Black Dragon Unit, the black market alliance of the martial world, was created with the support of the Yin Sound Church, one of the Three Teachings. The other one hasn’t shown itself yet, but I can’t be sure about that either.”

“This can’t be…”

Yeo Sang-do’s face turned slightly pale. Considering his usual character and composure, he must have been more than just surprised.

Moyong Gun looked around.

“Please wait here for now. After I deal with the guys around here…”

“No!”

It was a small but firm voice.

Tension was drawn on Yeo Sang-do’s face.

“Don’t touch the experts here. Absolutely not!”

“If you’re worried that my identity will be exposed…”

“It’s not that I doubt your skills, nor is it for my safety.”

“…?”

“They are immortal. Unless you cut off their heads and tear their limbs apart, they will never die.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s exactly as I said.”

Yeo Sang-do’s face twisted.

“They are monsters.”

* * *

Fwoosh.

‘Hmm?’

Tang Gwan turned around.

Whoosh!

Along with a strong gust of wind, the giant man who had been swept away by the explosion was slowly getting up.

The corners of Tang Gwan’s lips curled up.

“What an interesting lump of meat.”