Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 492

Thump!

“Damn it.”

A terrifying rage emanated from the fist that slammed into the table.

“Did he notice?”

This was the first time he had actually met and spoken with Yeon Ho-Jeong.

In truth, he knew well the reason why the cult was keeping an eye on Yeon Ho-Jeong.

Yeon Ho-Jeong was responsible for the death of Yayul Jeok, and Sobang had disappeared. The forces in Guangdong Province, which they had painstakingly controlled for so long, had been annihilated in an instant.

And that wasn’t all.

Yeon Ho-Jeong had also been present during the life-or-death battles with the Shinwha Cult’s warriors. It was said that he, along with Yeonwi, had played a crucial role in defeating the First Warrior, Beonjak.

Furthermore, it was highly likely that Yeon Ho-Jeong was the first to discover the Shinwha Cult’s intelligence base near the Martial Alliance.

In other words, Yeon Ho-Jeong had been involved in every major conflict between the Martial Alliance and the Three Cults.

Despite knowing this, he hadn’t considered Yeon Ho-Jeong to be that dangerous. While his talent, insight, and strategy were certainly remarkable, he believed that the limitations of his youth were clear.

No matter how much of a genius one was, it was difficult to overcome the years of experience.

Ultimately, it was undeniable that Yeon Ho-Jeong had been running rampant in important areas, but he believed that there was someone else who was actually supporting him from behind.

‘It wasn’t Jeagal Mun-Ho.’

The real monster who had used Yeon Ho-Jeong as a pawn, and with his sharp insight, had eliminated the masters of Shinwha and the Evil Cults one by one.

He had thought that it was Jeagal Mun-Ho.

Indeed, the presence that Jeagal Mun-Ho had shown during the recent meeting was truly remarkable. The thought that he had been hiding such a side of himself all this time sent a chill down his spine.

However, after meeting Yeon Ho-Jeong today, he felt the need to completely revise his thinking.

‘It wasn’t Jeagal Mun-Ho, but Yeon Ho-Jeong. Or rather, it was highly likely a collaboration between Yeon Ho-Jeong and Jeagal Mun-Ho.’

A chill ran down his spine.

Yeon Ho-Jeong hadn’t bothered to hide himself. Yet, he, and most people, had seen Jeagal Mun-Ho behind Yeon Ho-Jeong.

Only now did he realize.

How dangerous Yeon Ho-Jeong was. That the central figure who had actually defeated the masters of the Three Cults was more likely Yeon Ho-Jeong than Jeagal Mun-Ho.

‘That guy saw me.’

One of the necessary conditions for becoming a spy was intuition.

Intuition that could not be explained by logic. A sensitive disposition that could sense approaching danger, a dangerous atmosphere.

He possessed it. And that innate intuition had blossomed thanks to his developed martial arts and peak inner energy.

That intuition was telling him.

‘He was watching me more than Bok Ho. We didn’t make much eye contact, but his attention was entirely focused on me.’

Pung Byeok-Ja bit his lip.

“I haven’t moved past the suspicion stage yet. But it’s clear that he’ll be tightening the noose soon.”

Besides his intuition, one of the reasons why he thought Yeon Ho-Jeong suspected him was his reaction.

The powerful energy wave that exploded when Paeyul of Jeomchang and the swordsman of Cheongseong fought was so astonishing that it shook his inner energy, which had been tense.

Pung Byeok-Ja remembered that feeling, that moment.

The moment when his inner energy, which had been shaken without him realizing it, and the core of the ‘mask’ hidden within that inner energy, had been exposed for a brief moment.

And he remembered Yeon Ho-Jeong’s gaze, which had not missed that moment.

‘No. I need to think differently. It’s better to act as if he’s not just suspicious, but certain.’

Pung Byeok-Ja felt a sense of crisis.

‘Damn it! Just when everything was going so well…!’

He was an outstanding talent as a spy. But he had never experienced a real threat before.

From the start, he was raised as the head of a Great Clan, a person meant to plant a seed in the Martial Alliance. That was why he had never experienced the life-threatening situations that many spies had gone through.

Was that why?

He knew in his head that he had to be calm, but it wasn’t easy to stay calm. If he made a mistake, the decades he had spent as a spy could be destroyed in an instant.

That reality, that heavy pressure, kept disrupting his composure.

‘I can’t just be dragged around passively like this.’

The enemy suspects me.

In that case, there are three ways out.

First, to shift the suspicion onto someone else so that the enemy stops suspecting you.

Second, to let them suspect you, but create a major incident to divert their attention and slip away.

Third, to kill the person who suspects you without a trace.

‘What should I do?’

The most stable option is the first method.

If he could shift the suspicion onto someone else and make them believe that the spy had been found, then suspicion would no longer fall on him. Once someone is cleared of suspicion, they are rarely suspected again.

Of course, the most certain method is the third. If he killed both Yeon Ho-Jeong and Jeagal Mun-Ho, the chaos would be maximized, and he would be safe as well.

‘The second option is not viable.’

Pung Byeok-Ja’s eyes deepened.

‘I’ll die if I do that.’

If he successfully escaped? If he safely ran away, would he be guaranteed safety?

Absolutely not. From the start, he was raised as a spy for the righteous martial world. If such a spy ran away because he was afraid for his life, the Three Cults would never let him live.

‘Either way, it means I have no choice but to take a risk.’

Pung Byeok-Ja’s face twisted.

“Damn it, why isn’t that guy showing himself at a time like this? He should know that this isn’t the time to be away!”

The manager was someone with good intuition, just like him.

Moreover, his stealth techniques, which had reached their peak, were so great that they were almost comparable to those of an invisible being. He, too, was raised to be a manager for life, so it was only natural.

If he wanted to, he could easily escape from the prison of the Hyungdang [a type of prison], the Mukryong Unit, or even the imperial palace. There was no place he couldn’t infiltrate.

Thanks to that, he knew everything. Whenever something important happened, he would approach using stealth techniques that even he couldn’t detect, observe the situation, and then disappear.

‘Did he come this time too?’

He might not have come. If he had, he would have realized how dangerous Yeon Ho-Jeong was.

‘That’s enough. There’s no need to wait for someone who isn’t here.’

In the end, he had to make a decision.

‘The first method… Shifting suspicion onto someone else is fine, but the key is how much Yeon Ho-Jeong suspects me.’

If he was almost certain, then trying to shift suspicion onto someone else would be a pointless act. It would be more likely that he would think that he was just struggling more because he was cornered.

Then?

“…There’s no other way.”

A flash of murderous intent emanated from Pung Byeok-Ja’s eyes.

“I have no choice but to kill Yeon Ho-Jeong and Jeagal Mun-Ho.”

* * *

Yeon Ho-Jeong did not go to Jeagal Mun-Ho.

Before that, he called Yeonwi, Tang Gwan, and Moyong Gun.

“What happened?”

To Tang Gwan’s question, Yeon Ho-Jeong immediately gave an answer.

“Those two are definitely suspicious.”

“Hmm.”

Anxiety clouded Yeonwi’s face.

“Seunghyeon Jin-In and Bok Ho-Satae.”

When they gathered information, the two most suspicious people were Seunghyeon Jin-In of the Wudang Sect and Bok Ho-Satae of the Emei Sect.

Yeon Ho-Jeong shook his head.

“No, I’m not talking about those two.”

“Then who?”

“Seunghyeon Jin-In is definitely suspicious. If we assume that a spy from the Three Cults has mastered the martial arts of the Nine Great Sects, can perfectly hide themselves, and fulfills the role of a sect leader better than anyone else, then there is no one more suspicious than Seunghyeon Jin-In.”

He felt Seunghyeon Jin-In’s sincerity.

However, that didn’t mean he dismissed his suspicion. Rather, he suspected him even more because he was too much like a Taoist.

“If Seunghyeon Jin-In is an enemy spy… that would be a truly terrifying thing.”

If there was a spy in any of the Nine Great Sects, it would be a terrifying thing.

But the Wudang Sect was different. The head of the Wudang Sect, who was considered one of the two great pillars of the martial world along with Shaolin, was an enemy spy?

If that was true, it meant that the Three Cults had no limits. It was the same for other sects, but especially the martial arts of the Wudang Sect, along with Shaolin, emphasized character.

If he could deceive even the most seasoned elders of the Taoist sect, then he was no ordinary person. He was a truly terrifying human being.

Moreover, the Wudang Sect had an invincible master who was considered the best in the world.

The Sword Immortal, Tak Mu-Ja.

He was a half-immortal who was considered to be ahead of even the Fist Saint of Shaolin in terms of enlightenment, not to mention his martial arts.

Even Tak Mu-Ja was deceived? Then no one could catch him. With that level of mental strength, he would play the role of the Wudang Sect leader until the moment he died.

‘Honestly, there are many things to suspect. Looking at Seunghyeon Jin-In’s past, unlike now, he lived a rather cold and turbulent life. In a way, it seemed like his desire to become the sect leader was stronger than anyone else’s.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face clouded over.

‘But….’

There were many reasons to suspect him, but in the realm of intuition, he couldn’t smell the scent of a spy from Seunghyeon Jin-In.

“Then, who is the other person you think it is? Wasn’t it Bok Ho-Satae?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes gleamed.

“Before meeting her, I suspected Bok Ho-Satae. According to the information we all analyzed, Bok Ho-Satae clearly spent her youth with an overly emphasized sense of justice. And looking at her actions before becoming the sect leader, she was just as ambitious as Seunghyeon Jin-In.”

There was no reason why someone with a strong sense of justice couldn’t have a desire for advancement. Everyone could want to be the best, and dream of leading others from the top.

“But I suspected Pung Byeok-Ja more than Bok Ho-Satae.”

Moyong Gun’s eyes narrowed.

“Cheongseong?”

“That’s right.”

“Why do you feel that way?”

“Well… To be honest, if we look at it objectively, there’s no reason to suspect him. But…”

Yeon Ho-Jeong frowned.

“I felt like he was sculpted.”

“Sculpted?”

“Yes. I felt like he was perfectly sculpted for that role. Honestly, I had a stronger intuition that he was a spy than Seunghyeon Jin-In or Bok Ho-Satae.”

Yeonwi, Tang Gwan, and Moyong Gun looked at each other.

They all knew that Yeon Ho-Jeong’s intuition was exceptional. But since they hadn’t seen it themselves, it wasn’t easy to accept his words.

“Of course, it’s just intuition. Circumstantial evidence without material evidence is not even half as good.”

“Hmm.”

“There’s no material evidence, but I deliberately asked Senior Paeyul to spar with the swordsman of Cheongseong. It was to find out various things…”

“And?”

“After the shockwave that shook the entire residence, Pung Byeok-Ja’s inner energy wavered. And within his inner energy, I felt like he had cultivated something other than the martial arts of Cheongseong.”

It was all a series of feelings and intuitions. Yeon Ho-Jeong himself knew that his words were not very credible.

But the three family heads did not take his words lightly.

When they reached their level, they often followed their senses more than logic. Moreover, Yeon Ho-Jeong was a true powerhouse who was difficult for anyone here to defeat.

“However, what is clear is that the spy will try to kill me, the military advisor, or both of us soon.”

“…!”

“That’s the only option the spy has. Although there is a very small chance that they might try to shift the suspicion onto someone else.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes gleamed.

“We need to make him act recklessly. If we pressure the spy from now on, the assassination attempt will come sooner. Our first battle will be right there.”