Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 546

“Deputy Chief, Deputy Yeon has arrived.”

“Let him in.”

*Thud.*

The door to the main hall opened, and Yeon Ho-Jeong appeared.

“Have you arrived?”

Yang Cheon was drinking alone.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had been quietly watching him, chuckled.

“Are you trying to set a mood alone, unlike you?”

“Just because.”

Yang Cheon smiled and asked.

“Did you catch him?”

“I caught him. I managed to keep him alive somehow.”

“Good job. The prison managers at headquarters are experts at extracting people’s inner thoughts.”

It meant they were experts in torture.

Yeon Ho-Jeong shook his head.

“He’s already given up on life. It won’t be easy.”

“The prison managers are the ones who make countless people who have given up on life open their mouths. They find the best method for each person and dig out even secrets that don’t exist.”

“You shouldn’t make them reveal secrets that don’t exist.”

“I’m just saying.”

Yang Cheon gestured with his chin to the opposite side of him.

“Come and have a drink. You’ve worked hard.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong sat opposite him and emptied his glass in one go.

“Did you catch Yeop Seong?”

“I caught him.”

“So, he was inside the Black Dragon Unit after all.”

“I had a rough idea of how he would move. He thought he was hiding himself well, but he has a surprisingly easy-to-read personality.”

Yang Cheon smiled bitterly.

“On the other hand, that guy was only seeing me the way he wanted to.”

“When a master’s shadow is heavy, everyone becomes like that.”

Yang Cheon had no reply.

Filling his glass, Yeon Ho-Jeong said,

“The probability of it being the Demonic Sound Sect is extremely high.”

“…I see.”

“The problem is, Yeop Seong isn’t the only one.”

“I guess not.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong sighed.

“I don’t know if it’s a good thing… but I’ll have to go to Sichuan for a while.”

“Go ahead. I heard that the Sound Demon was going back and forth between Sichuan and Shaanxi. He’s probably in Shaanxi by now, though….”

“I think I need to stop by the Tang family as well, not just the Sound Demon.”

“The Tang family?”

“There’s a very high chance that the Four Absorb Art [a martial art focused on absorbing others’ energy] has been released in the Tang family.”

Yang Cheon’s eyes flashed.

“Explain.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong told him everything about his conversation with Hyo-Geuk.

“Hmm.”

Yang Cheon stroked his beard.

“The Southern Barbarian Five Poison Palace… yes, it was quite a while ago. I heard that the Tang family and the Five Poison Palace had a fierce battle.”

“The Tang family is well-versed in all kinds of medicinal poisons throughout the Central Plains. But there was one place where they couldn’t get proper information.”

“Yunnan Province.”

“That’s right. The Tang family wanted to advance there as well, but they were blocked by an unexpected iron wall. That was the Five Poison Palace.”

“The fight with the Five Poison Palace wasn’t well known to the world. There was no reason to make a big fuss about it in the first place. However, I know that the fight in Yunnan was quite brutal.”

“The person I caught is a member of the Five Poison Palace. That person was filled with so much hatred that he instinctively exuded killing intent at the mere mention of the Tang family’s name.”

“But he gave up on life… That means he must have already achieved some level of revenge.”

“That’s right. In other words, there’s an extremely high chance that something has happened to the Tang family.”

Yang Cheon’s eyes gleamed.

“Hey, Deputy Yeon.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Let the Tang family handle that. You belong to the Black Dragon Unit. At least for now. As a member of the Black Dragon Unit, and as a dispatched member of the Martial Alliance, don’t you have things to do?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong nodded.

“You’re right. Of course, I plan to inform the Tang family about this.”

“Yes, this isn’t the time to be worrying about other things.”

“However… if it’s something happening within the bloodline, I doubt even the Iron-Blooded Tang family can handle it properly.”

“Hmm.”

Yang Cheon frowned.

“Do you really have to get involved?”

“Actually, I didn’t want to get involved in the Tang family’s problems either. But I have no choice.”

“Why is that?”

“The Tang family is the ruler of Sichuan. Although Qingcheng and Emei [famous martial arts sects] are still standing, the Tang family is practically in charge of Sichuan’s economy and people’s livelihood.”

“I guess so.”

“If you look back at the history of the martial world, no family has suffered as much damage as the Tang family in the battles with the foreign lands. The reason is clear. Sichuan Province is the first gateway for foreign forces to infiltrate the Central Plains.”

Yang Cheon sighed.

“That’s usually the case.”

“In fact, this time might be different. But in any case, if Sichuan Province collapses, it will be much easier for the Three Teachings’ forces to advance into the Central Plains.”

“Hmm.”

“Sichuan Province is formed by a huge basin. It’s a situation that foreign forces can’t easily penetrate. That’s why the enemies are even more eager to take it. Once they seize it, it’s hard to break through.”

“Hoo.”

Yang Cheon sighed.

“There’s really a lot to worry about.”

“That’s right.”

“There are many people who can do the job well, even if they’re not as good as you. Moreover, the Sichuan Tang family has ‘him’.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes lit up.

“Dark King Tang Hyeong.”

One of the absolute powerhouses of the current martial world.

He was the unparalleled overlord, known as the most terrifying martial artist in the world, the martial god of Sichuan and the master of poison and darkness.

“I’ve never met Tang Hyeong, but I know how formidable he is. Even though he’s retired from the front lines, he won’t stand still if he knows that the Three Teachings’ evil hands have reached his family.”

“You’re right.”

“So, this matter…”

“Just this once.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face was serious.

“Please make an exception just this once.”

Yang Cheon, who had been quietly looking at him, clicked his tongue.

“Damn it, how can I stop you? If you’re so determined to get involved, it must be a dangerous situation.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m just worried. You know, you’re pushing yourself too hard right now. It’s not like you don’t trust others to do the work, but you’re poking your nose into too many things by yourself.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled wryly.

“I admit it.”

“Just this once. I’ll allow it just this once, so from now on, let others handle it.”

“I understand.”

“Hoo.”

Yang Cheon filled his glass and Yeon Ho-Jeong’s glass.

After a moment of thought, Yang Cheon nodded.

“Actually, you’re right. Sichuan Province is a place that must never fall. Moreover, since the sect leader of the Qingcheng Sect caused such a mess, Qingcheng must have been greatly weakened.”

“I guess so.”

“It’s troubling in many ways. If I had been running around myself, I wouldn’t have felt so frustrated.”

“Take a break once in a while.”

“A break? I don’t know.”

Yang Cheon, who had emptied his glass, said in a heavy voice.

“I need to strengthen my inner self.”

Although he didn’t say it, Yang Cheon’s mood was also close to the worst.

Yeop Seong’s words still lingered in his ears. He was greatly mistaken, but on the other hand, his feelings were understandable.

Perhaps he had been living too comfortably under the guise of neglect. Perhaps he had been trying not to pay attention to the places he should have been paying attention to in order to achieve his ambitions.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had been quietly watching Yang Cheon, smiled.

“If you’ve realized that the old ways were wrong, wouldn’t it be good to change them now?”

“I can’t fool your eyes.”

Yang Cheon smacked his lips.

“What can I do now? Well, I could do it if I had to, but there’s no need to take in another disciple and teach them now…”

“Is there a need to take in another one? The Second Young Lady is alive and well.”

“…”

“Frankly, there are some things I personally don’t like about her… but it’s hard to find someone as talented as the Second Young Lady.”

“Haha.”

“The most precious talent in the martial world isn’t the talent for martial arts. It’s the talent for survival.”

“You’re right.”

“There’s no need to try to make the Second Young Lady like the Deputy Chief. If you think the Second Young Lady is a good successor, then just teach her well.”

“It’s easier said than done. If the Second Young Lady doesn’t reach the realm of the Supreme, she’ll just end up being an empty shell. Besides, the Second Young Lady is a woman, isn’t she? Even though it’s a world where the strong are revered, she’ll end up being ignored in various ways.”

“Does that mean that the Deputy Chief has to become as strong as possible to prevent that from happening?”

“I don’t know if she won’t be ignored even if she becomes as strong as me.”

“Because the world hasn’t changed?”

“That’s right.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes lit up.

“Then why don’t you change the world of the underworld, Deputy Chief?”

“…What?”

“Anyway, the underworld is also a place where people live. There’s no need for stealing, raping, robbery, and murder to be commonplace in the underworld.”

Yang Cheon burst into laughter.

“How easy would that be? And that’s not the underworld.”

“Who decided that? That it’s not the underworld.”

“…”

“There was a time when the underworld had romance. There were rules and etiquette. But what about now? Does the current underworld have any of that?”

“…No.”

“At the very least, it would be better if we could just go back to that time.”

“The problem is how to do that. In the history of the martial world, there has never been a person or organization that has changed the underworld to their liking.”

“There was.”

“Hmm?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled wryly.

‘There was the Black Emperor Castle.’

During the era of the Black Emperor, the Black Emperor Castle was the first unified alliance of the underworld.

It was different from the current Black Dragon Unit. The Black Emperor Castle was an organization of ‘real’ people united by steel-like strength.

And underworld people who admired the Black Emperor Castle gathered one by one.

As time passed, the underworld changed.

It changed into a world where real people lived, a world full of people dreaming of tomorrow, so as not to return to the past where beasts roamed.

“In order to change the underworld, it’s important how the Black Dragon Unit moves. If the Black Dragon Unit grows to the point where it can ignite the hearts of all underworld people, then it wouldn’t be impossible to change the world of the underworld.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had put down his glass, got up from his seat.

“Drink moderately. Even absolute masters can’t stop the passage of time.”

With those words, Yeon Ho-Jeong left the main hall.

Before he went down the stairs of the main hall, Yang Cheon asked.

“Will the world change?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong replied without looking back.

“In order to change the world, we must first protect it. Both I and the Deputy Chief are going through this chaos for that one thing.”

* * *

Three days later.

“What brings you here? And…”

Yeon Ho-Jeong frowned.

“What’s with that outfit?”

“What’s wrong with my outfit?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong said with a disgruntled face at Hwang Seok-Tae’s calm reaction.

“Were you dismissed from the Ironclad Unit?”

Hwang Seok-Tae always wore light armor. But now it was different.

His appearance in light black martial attire with a red spear looked strangely refreshing.

“The higher-ups gave an order. They told me to help you again this time.”

“You can go with someone else. Shouldn’t you be training with the Ironclad Unit?”

“Thanks to the training schedule you set, I’m working non-stop. I’ll be fine for a few months.”

Hwang Seok-Tae leaned against the wall and crossed his arms.

“It’s an order from the higher-ups. I can’t help it either.”

“Tsk, I see.”

“So, when are we leaving?”

“We’ll be leaving sometime today or tomorrow. But first, I need to meet someone.”

“Someone? Who?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes lit up.

“The Western Region Goddess will be arriving soon.”