Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 537

“Hahaha! So that’s what happened?”

“Is it that funny?”

“My friend, I don’t belong to any notable sect. I’ve been fighting the world alone, without any fellow disciples.”

“I think I understand. That explains why your personality is so gloomy.”

“Gloomy? There’s no one as magnanimous as I am!”

Even with a visitor, the two men continued to laugh heartily, clinking their glasses.

Yeon Ho-jeong’s expression immediately turned sour.

‘Even if they’re called the powerhouses of Seongcheon [a high level of martial arts mastery], they’re just a couple of old men when they’re drunk.’

Both had reached such high levels of mastery that they only appeared to be middle-aged. Yang Cheon was well over sixty, and Mak Won was also well past fifty.

Seeing men of that age giggling with flushed faces was truly a strange sight.

“Oh! Deputy Commander Yeon is here?”

Yang Cheon beckoned with his hand.

“Come and have a drink. Ah, but there are no snacks?”

Yeon Ho-jeong shrugged.

“No snacks are needed.”

“Youth is indeed good.”

Yang Cheon, having filled a new glass with alcohol, asked,

“How was the first one?”

Yeon Ho-jeong emptied his glass and chuckled.

“The rumors are really fast.”

“My friend, do you not know where this is? All sensitive matters come to my ears.”

“Still, I didn’t expect it to be this fast.”

“So, what did he say to you? I can guess roughly.”

“He asked me to side with him.”

Yang Cheon frowned.

“He really said that?”

“Yes.”

“Pathetic fool. He should be gritting his teeth and training, yet he’s playing politics. And to the envoy of the Martial Alliance? His family is in a fine state.”

“You shouldn’t say that, Vice Leader, even if no one else can.”

“Why not?”

“Aren’t you the one who managed your disciples that way?”

“I’ve never managed them?”

“Indifference is also a failure to manage. Either way, it’s all your fault that your disciples are in that state.”

Yang Cheon grinned.

“Well, I suppose that’s true.”

Mak Won was inwardly surprised.

‘That’s quite a sensitive topic.’

He easily criticized his own disciples for being incompetent and said that their incompetence was his fault.

What was even more surprising was Yang Cheon’s reaction. Judging by his expression and voice, he didn’t seem offended at all by Yeon Ho-jeong’s words.

‘Is it a path he chose himself?’

Even so, he thought he would be upset if it were him.

‘He’s definitely not an ordinary person.’

Whether it was his unique personality or his great capacity, it was clear that Yang Cheon was no ordinary man.

“Well, let’s stop with the boring talk.”

Yeon Ho-jeong asked Mak Won,

“I heard you had something to say to me separately?”

Mak Won looked at Yang Cheon.

Yang Cheon cleared his throat and filled both of their glasses.

“Deputy Commander Yeon.”

“Speak, Vice Leader.”

“You know that this man’s body is soaked in poison, right?”

“I do. Though it doesn’t look like it’s soaked.”

“He’s managing it well. But it seems he still hasn’t found a way to remove it.”

“I see.”

“I’ll ask directly. Do you know what kind of poison is in Baek Byeong’s body?”

Yeon Ho-jeong shook his head.

“I don’t.”

“Is that so?”

Mak Won’s expression became strange as he looked at Yang Cheon.

Yang Cheon ignored Mak Won’s gaze.

“You don’t know, but you can detoxify it, right?”

“If you find the method, you can detoxify any poison. Even if the doctors of the Black Dragon Unit were to work on it, it could be detoxified, right?”

“He already received a diagnosis. As expected, it’s not an ordinary poison. They said that it’s a deadly poison that even a supreme master would have difficulty enduring for five days, but Baek Byeong is managing it well.”

“It must be that level of poison to be able to poison the Divine Military Lord Baek Byeong.”

“I suppose so.”

Yeon Ho-jeong refilled his glass and said,

“I don’t know what kind of poison it is, but if it’s a poison spread by the Three Sects, I can identify its type.”

“So that’s how it is.”

Yeon Ho-jeong looked at Mak Won.

“Are you disappointed?”

If he had been determined to detoxify the poison, he might have already found a way to do it by now.

But Yeon Ho-jeong hadn’t. It was because Mak Won hadn’t revealed everything about himself.

If that was the case, there was no need for him to do everything he could. It might be petty, but at the heart of this relationship was war. Naturally, he had to be petty.

Of course, that was based on the assumption that Mak Won had the ability to withstand the poison. If Mak Won’s condition had been critical, Yeon Ho-jeong would have looked for a way to detoxify it without hesitation.

Mak Won asked in a calm tone,

“Were you planning to wait?”

“Yes, I was.”

“I see.”

“Of course, I don’t have much time either, so I couldn’t just wait forever. I was planning to subtly suggest it when my patience was about to run out.”

“That’s not a very good picture.”

“That’s why the Vice Leader stepped in, isn’t it?”

Yang Cheon burst into laughter.

“I’m good at reading the room.”

“Of course you are.”

Yeon Ho-jeong asked casually,

“So, have you made up your mind now?”

Mak Won smiled.

“Are you talking about telling you about my sect and my senior brother?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve made up my mind. But before that, there’s something I want to ask.”

“I’m all ears.”

“If, by any chance, my senior brother is walking a path that you think is wrong, would you kill him then?”

“I’m not sure what kind of path you mean by ‘wrong path’.”

Yeon Ho-jeong poured alcohol into Yang Cheon’s glass and said,

“If he sides with the Central Plains in this war and harms our side, I will kill him by any means necessary.”

“…”

“I’ll probably assassinate him before the war even starts in earnest. That way, things will be easier.”

It was a frank answer.

Rather, Yang Cheon was taken aback by the answer. He wondered if it was necessary to give such a frank answer.

Yeon Ho-jeong read Yang Cheon’s expression.

“Senior Mak Won is ready to open his heart and speak the truth. Then, I should also risk my life and speak the truth.”

“…Who said anything? You’re too good.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

Yeon Ho-jeong, having silenced Yang Cheon with a few words, asked Mak Won again,

“What about you, Senior? If a situation arises where we have to kill him, will you stop us?”

“If such a situation arises…”

Mak Won closed his eyes for a moment.

The atmosphere suddenly seemed to drop. Considering the topic of the conversation, it would have been stranger if it hadn’t become heavy.

After a short time, Mak Won opened his eyes.

“My sect is in Liaodong [a region in northeastern China]. It’s located in a place where no one knows about it. That was the case back then.”

“You mean it’s different now.”

“The sect’s residence changes every time the sect leader changes. We don’t build a foundation like the sects of the Jianghu [the martial world] martial world.”

“What kind of sect is it?”

“The Mujong Sect.”

At that moment, Yang Cheon and Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes widened.

Mak Won smiled bitterly.

“It seems you’ve both heard of it.”

“…Is it just heard of?”

Yang Cheon looked at Yeon Ho-jeong with a sullen face.

“This swindler even tricked me by pretending to be a representative of the Mujong Sect?”

“Huh?”

Mak Won looked at Yeon Ho-jeong with a bewildered expression.

Yeon Ho-jeong scratched his head.

“Well… something like that happened.”

“Something like that?”

“Yes, I tried to rob the Black Dragon Unit before. At that time, I claimed to be the senior disciple of the Mujong Sect.”

Yang Cheon tilted his head.

“Were you the senior disciple?”

“I think so? Honestly, I don’t remember very well now.”

“That’s understandable. The name of the Fighting King isn’t as great as you think, is it? It’s understandable to forget trivial things.”

“Are you sulking?”

“Shut up, you!”

Although they were grumbling, both Yang Cheon and Yeon Ho-jeong were inwardly very surprised.

The Mujong Sect. It was truly a legendary sect.

Some said it was founded a hundred years ago, while others said it was founded hundreds of years ago.

The important thing was that the Mujong Sect was a group formed by the best masters in each field.

Other than that, there was no information. Even the Black Dao [the dark side of the martial world], which was said to have more information than the White Dao [the righteous side of the martial world], did not know the location, members, martial arts, or rules of the Mujong Sect.

That was why Yeon Ho-jeong borrowed the name of the Mujong Sect when he came to the Black Dragon Unit as a spy.

At the time, Yeon Ho-jeong’s group all had different martial arts. Even if they tried to hide their martial arts, it was clear from their aura and gait that they had each mastered completely different martial arts.

It was rare for disciples of the same sect to master such different martial arts.

That was why the name of the Mujong Sect worked so well.

But here, there was a true descendant of the Mujong Sect.

“I see. Well, I don’t know the exact circumstances.”

Mak Won nodded.

“That’s right. Me, my senior brother, and the person the martial world calls the Creation King are all descendants of the Mujong Sect.”

Yang Cheon’s face became serious.

‘The Mujong Sect.’

What a truly great sect.

The Nine Great Sects and Six Great Families of the White Dao were unable to produce a true powerhouse of Seongcheon. The only righteous sects that had powerhouses of Seongcheon were Shaolin, Wudang, Namgoong, and Tang.

Yet, the Mujong Sect had two members on the Seongcheon Thirteen Seats [a group of the thirteen most powerful martial artists] without any external activities.

What kind of sect was it? How terrifying was its power that it produced two of the top masters in the Central Plains?

“Tell me in detail. About the Mujong Sect, and about your senior brother.”

The conversation continued for over an hour.

Perhaps because he was talking about the past for the first time in a while, Mak Won said he was tired and left. It seemed he had a lot to think about himself.

In the end, only Yang Cheon and Yeon Ho-jeong remained in the main hall of the Black Dragon Unit.

“What do you think?”

“About what?”

“About So Hyun-rip.”

Yeon Ho-jeong sighed.

“First… I need to meet him.”

“Is that so?”

Yeon Ho-jeong also had many thoughts. Yang Cheon was no different.

Yeon Ho-jeong got up from his seat.

“For now, please rest well today. To organize your thoughts.”

“Alright. Let’s do that.”

“I’ll go first.”

Yeon Ho-jeong turned his back.

At that moment, Yang Cheon raised his glass and said,

“I’m sure you won’t cross the line.”

Yeon Ho-jeong stopped and turned to look at Yang Cheon.

Yang Cheon emptied his glass and continued,

“You’re good at walking the line. While you’ve been here, I don’t think you’ll cross the line. Unless something major happens.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“Did you think that the second son wouldn’t provoke the White Dao after the war?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“The first son made a foolish move first, but there was no need to tell the second son about it.”

Yang Cheon smiled and looked at Yeon Ho-jeong.

His eyes were not smiling.

“I like the second son. In the current situation, he’s the most likely to become my successor.”

“…”

“But if he becomes my successor, it will be very different from what you think now.”

Yeon Ho-jeong smiled and said,

“People can always change.”

“Of course, that’s true.”

“I’ll go. See you tomorrow.”

“Rest well.”

With that, Yeon Ho-jeong left the main hall.

Yang Cheon’s face, holding the glass, was as cold and chilling as ice.

“The difference between ambition and conviction…”