Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 349

‘As you know, a Regional Commander usually has several skilled martial artists as bodyguards. Not as skilled as you, but there were a few who were at the level of your family’s elders.’

‘……’

‘They were all defeated. Those guys were like unkillable monsters. They kept moving even with their limbs severed, and they didn’t fall even after losing buckets of blood.’

‘Is that so?’

‘They can’t be killed unless their heads are cut off or their bodies are completely destroyed. I’m proud to say that I’ve been through a lot to get to where I am, but those monsters were a first for me.’

Yeo Sang-do wasn’t usually a talkative person.

Yet, he was speaking in such detail, which meant he was greatly shocked.

‘It’s understandable.’

Even he found it hard to believe.

Of course, they weren’t immortal since they couldn’t withstand having their heads cut off or their hearts ripped out. However, if their combat power didn’t significantly decrease even after suffering fatal injuries like severed limbs, then they were truly formidable weapons.

‘But still.’

They weren’t made of steel, so as long as one didn’t let their guard down, killing them wouldn’t be a big problem.

The reason Yeo Sang-do’s subordinates were defeated was likely due to their carelessness rather than the enemy’s strength.

‘Since you’re worried, Lord Yeo, I’ll leave them be for now.’

It was a great display of confidence.

He was saying that he could kill them all, but he would hold back for his sake. It was indeed the confidence and pride of the hegemon of Honam [a region in Korea].

Yeo Sang-do opened his mouth.

‘Alright, putting that aside, the reason you came to see me is…’

‘Yes. I’ve already made contact.’

‘…Who did you say you contacted?’

‘They called themselves the Eighteen Martial Generals of the Divine Flower Sect. I clashed with one of them, the Twelfth Martial General.’

Yeo Sang-do’s face contorted.

‘Gyu Jeok.’

‘You know him?’

‘I do. I believe I know most of the guys who are secretly operating within the Regional Command, the Garrison Command, and even the Seungseonpo Command.’

‘How did you find out?’

‘It’s not like I’ve been doing nothing.’

He was indeed a remarkable person.

It seemed he had been running an intelligence network amidst the watchful eyes to gather information about them.

Regardless of his abilities, such boldness was something not just anyone could display. Moyong Gun could see that Yeo Sang-do hadn’t changed at all from when they had met ten years ago.

‘Perhaps Lord Yeo has more information than that Yeon Ho-Jeong.’

Moyong Gun spoke.

‘I have a question for you.’

‘Ask away.’

His attitude was much more flexible than expected.

That was because, in a situation where they were threatened by external enemies, an unexpected ally had arrived. That was why Yeo Sang-do had become more lenient.

‘Before that, let me tell you one thing. Gyu Jeok is dead.’

‘……!!’

Yeo Sang-do’s face was filled with shock.

‘He’s dead?!’

‘Yes, he is.’

‘How… Could it be you?’

‘No. There’s a young martial artist in my clan who killed him.’

‘That’s absurd! Gyu Jeok was the Twelfth Martial General! I may not know much about martial arts, but I heard his skills were at the level of a grandmaster. He was said to be capable of leading a sect.’

‘That young martial artist’s skills are already at the grandmaster level.’

‘……!’

‘I heard he was practically torn to shreds before he died. That’s how he was killed.’

‘What’s his name?’

‘Yeon Ho-Jeong.’

‘Yeon Ho-Jeong…’

‘He’s the eldest son of the Byeoksan Yeon family of Gangdong.’

At that moment, Yeo Sang-do’s eyes flashed.

‘The greatest rising star of the younger generation?’

‘You know him?’

‘How could I not? He’s being called the best of the younger generation in the martial world along with the young man from your family, isn’t he? Even I’ve heard of that rumor.’

‘I see.’

‘Impressive. To kill Gyu Jeok at that age.’

‘That’s the problem.’

Moyong Gun’s face became serious.

‘Whatever the case, he was a Jinyu [a military officer] of the Garrison. In other words, a martial artist killed an official. Can we just let that slide?’

Only then did Yeo Sang-do understand. Why Moyong Gun had come to him.

There were many reasons, but this was the most important one.

‘You want me to stop it?’

‘Yes.’

‘……’

‘If the Divine Flower Sect is monitoring you, they wouldn’t want the incident to escalate either. That’s my guess.’

Yeo Sang-do nodded.

‘That’s not wrong.’

If the Divine Flower Sect had completely taken over the government of Henan Province, they wouldn’t have been monitoring Yeo Sang-do, and they wouldn’t have even kept him alive in the first place.

In other words, the Divine Flower Sect was secretly moving to take over the entire Henan Province. They wouldn’t want any kind of trouble to escalate.

‘The situation has already escalated.’

‘It will escalate further.’

‘Hmm?’

‘A man wearing the clothes of a high-ranking government official has appeared in Daebyeolsan. At least a Deputy Regional Commander or higher, a large middle-aged man.’

Yeo Sang-do’s eyes wavered.

‘Yo Roe…!’

‘Currently, a martial artist has moved to capture him.’

‘To capture Yo Roe?!’

‘Yes.’

‘Do you think it’s possible? Yo Roe is even more skilled than Gyu Jeok. To capture someone like that…’

‘It’s possible. I sent a beast.’

‘A beast?’

‘The head of the Sichuan Tang Clan.’

Yeo Sang-do’s face slightly contorted.

‘The Tang Clan Head, was it Tang Gwan?’

‘That’s right.’

Even if one wasn’t a martial artist, the idea of poison and hidden weapons would naturally evoke a dark and unpleasant feeling.

The Sichuan Tang Clan was one of the strongest sects in Sichuan, known for their mastery of poison and hidden weapons. The fact that their leader was moving made him feel both relieved and uneasy.

‘Do you think the Tang Clan Head can defeat Yo Roe?’

‘I don’t know. I’ve never experienced how strong Yo Roe is.’

‘I heard he’s a step above Gyu Jeok. They say that the difference between two experts is enormous.’

‘That’s right.’

‘It’s not just Gyu Jeok. The ten martial generals from One to Ten each have their own unique strengths. I heard that the Fifth Martial General Yo Roe is just an incredibly strong martial artist, but even if he is, no matter how skilled the Tang Clan Head is…’

‘A step above the one who was defeated by Yeon Ho-Jeong. And if he’s a martial artist, even if he’s skilled in Qi techniques [internal energy cultivation], it’ll be hard for him to defeat the Tang Clan Head.’

‘Why do you think so?’

Moyong Gun was silent for a moment.

Why did he think so? There were many reasons. But there wasn’t enough time to explain them all.

Finally, Moyong Gun spoke.

‘Assuming the environment and situation are favorable, the Tang Clan Head could withstand the combined attacks of the other six great clan heads for half a day.’

‘……!!’

‘It’s not because he’s stronger than us. It’s because the nature of his martial arts is unique.’

‘Is that true?’

‘Yes, it is. Of course, just being able to withstand that long is proof that he’s an extremely skilled martial artist. He’s not one of the six great clan heads for nothing.’

The relationship was already as bad as it could get.

However, Moyong Gun knew. He believed.

That Tang Gwan would never be defeated by some foreign thugs.

Putting aside their personal grudges, Tang Gwan was a man who could achieve a high win rate against any expert except for the Thirteen Seats of Seongcheon [a group of powerful martial artists]. Even if he was a transcendent expert who had mastered the powerful Yang Qi, it would be difficult for him to escape Tang Gwan’s demonic hands.

‘The important thing is not that. If the Tang Clan Head kills that Yo Roe, it will be a problem of a different dimension than killing a Jinyu of the Garrison.’

‘……Hmm.’

‘Can you stop it?’

Yeo Sang-do stared intently at Moyong Gun.

‘I know what you’re thinking, but it won’t be easy.’

‘I know. That’s why I’m asking you.’

‘Even if we temporarily conceal the incident, it’s just a temporary fix. Not only my own life but also the entire livelihood of Henan Province could be shaken. The Divine Flower Sect guys are insidious, but at the same time, they are all very aggressive and hot-tempered.’

‘……’

‘……You don’t mean…?’

‘That’s right.’

Moyong Gun smiled. It was a devilish smile.

‘Tell them the location of the ones who killed the Divine Flower Sect’s experts, Yeon Ho-Jeong and the Tang Clan Head.’

‘……!!’

‘They’ll come to deal with them themselves.’

Yeo Sang-do’s eyes twitched.

‘Are those two your political enemies?’

‘They were until a few days ago.’

‘Not anymore?’

‘We need to deal with the external enemies before we fight amongst ourselves.’

‘But why are you saying that? Even if those two are strong, if they become targets of the Divine Flower Sect…!’

‘They’ll catch them all.’

Moyong Gun’s eyes gleamed fiercely.

‘The Eighteen Martial Generals are the mid-level experts of the Divine Flower Sect and the ones who hold the lifeline of the Henan government. If we take down four or five of them, it will give you some breathing room, Lord Yeo, wouldn’t it?’

‘……’

‘Remember. We need to deal with a common enemy. By ourselves, no matter how much we struggle, we can’t uproot them.’

‘……’

‘You need to support us properly. If you want to restore the Henan government to its original state.’

Yeo Sang-do asked in a somber tone.

‘Are you sure you can catch them?’

‘Of course.’

Moyong Gun smiled bitterly.

‘I don’t want to admit it, but Yeon Ho-Jeong and the Tang Clan Head are the types I least want to meet in a real fight. I don’t know how much force they’ll send, but if we prepare in advance, we won’t be the ones who suffer.’

‘……’

‘Will you join us?’

‘You’re asking me to bet my life and the fate of the Henan government on you?’

‘I apologize for being presumptuous, but if I hadn’t come here, Lord Yeo, you wouldn’t have been able to do anything other than play with your intelligence network, would you?’

That wasn’t wrong.

Yeo Sang-do, who had been staring at Moyong Gun, closed his eyes.

‘What pride do I have left to stand on? My life is already mortgaged to those guys. If I think of it as burning for His Majesty, there’s nothing to fear.’

‘……’

‘I’ll stop it. Furthermore, I’ll leak the information as you said.’

‘Thank you.’

‘There’s no need to thank me. If you guys fail to deal with them properly, I’ll have no choice but to target you for the sake of Henan Province.’

‘I understand.’

Yeo Sang-do nodded.

‘There’s a tavern called Yeonjogak in Gaebong. Go to the gold room on the third floor and place three wine cups upside down. My intelligence agent will find you.’

‘I’ll go there in three days. I need time to contact my colleagues.’

‘Do so.’

‘Then, I’ll be on my way.’

‘Alright.’

‘Ah, before that…’

‘Hmm?’

Moyong Gun looked around the room with a puzzled expression.

‘Why are you working here instead of your office?’

Yeo Sang-do readily told him as if it were no secret.

‘This is the base of my intelligence network.’

‘……’

‘The Divine Flower Sect guys probably think I’m just slacking off. It’s easier for me if they think that way.’

Moyong Gun smiled.

‘I’ll be going.’

‘Lord Moyong.’

‘Yes, please speak.’

‘I wish you good luck.’

‘Please expect good news. Henan Province will soon be clean.’

Whoosh!

With those words, Moyong Gun disappeared.

Yeo Sang-do sighed and leaned back in his chair.

‘…Still, there’s no law that says I have to die.’

* * *

Moyong Gun’s words about needing time to contact his colleagues were a complete lie.

Moyong Gun watched Yeo Sang-do’s movements for three days. It was because he couldn’t trust him.

Three days later, he left for Yeonjogak, as Yeo Sang-do had said.