Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 557

“Gasp!”

Song Ha-shinni’s face was filled with shock.

“S-Senior Sister!”

Deng Hwa-satae’s face contorted like a demon.

“Shut up.”

The low growl in her voice was truly chilling.

Gang Ryang asked Yeon Ho-jeong,

“Who is that strange person?”

Yeon Ho-jeong abruptly kicked Deng Hwa-satae in the back.

Thud!

“Ugh!”

Deng Hwa-satae collapsed on the spot.

However, she couldn’t move. Yeon Ho-jeong had sealed her inner energy and struck her pressure points, leaving her paralyzed below the neck.

“She was an elder of the Emei Sect.”

“A-An Emei elder?”

Gang Ryang’s face was filled with shock.

“…She doesn’t look like one at all.”

And for good reason.

The Emei Sect was a group of Buddhist nuns who worshipped Buddha and studied Buddhist law. Yet, Deng Hwa-satae had grown her hair, wore makeup, and was dressed in rather flamboyant attire.

Having practiced martial arts for a long time, her body hadn’t aged. Perhaps that was why? Aside from her face, she had an appearance that could easily be mistaken for a young woman.

At first glance, she looked like someone who had worked as a courtesan in her youth and then became a concubine of a high-ranking official.

She had become someone who no longer suited the robes of a nun. Gang Ryang, as well as Pae Yul and Hwang Seok-tae, were shocked.

Yeon Ho-jeong drank a bowl of water and let out a hearty burp.

“That’s why I said she *was* an elder. Not anymore.”

“Huh?”

“Where do you see Emei in that appearance? Her title might still be elder, but she’s no longer a person of Emei. She even seemed to hate Emei, if anything.”

He spoke of such shocking things in a calm voice.

Pae Yul said, as if throwing a stone,

“It’s a night that calls for alcohol.”

He was expressing his shock with rather unsettling words.

Yeon Ho-jeong asked Song Ha-shinni,

“You called her Senior Sister?”

“…”

“Song Ha-shinni.”

“Yes? Ah, yes.”

“If she’s your senior sister, tell me about her.”

Deng Hwa-satae glared up at Song Ha-shinni with venomous eyes.

Song Ha-shinni squeezed her eyes shut. She was having a hard time coming to her senses from the shock.

“…She is Senior Sister Deng Hwa. My senior sister and… the Second Elder of the main sect.”

Her voice was devoid of strength. She probably didn’t even know what she was saying.

Yeon Ho-jeong nodded.

“If she’s the Second Elder, then she’s one of the representative elders. She certainly seemed skilled in martial arts.”

“…”

“Is this the person you were chasing?”

“…No.”

Tears streamed down Song Ha-shinni’s face.

“I, I really didn’t know that Senior Sister Deng Hwa was involved in this…”

“Shut your mouth!”

Deng Hwa-satae shouted.

“You wretched bitch! Because of you, even children who didn’t have to die, died! You will never die peacefully!”

It was a sudden outburst of harsh words.

Gang Ryang frowned.

“I don’t know about anything else, but can I shove a stick in this damn woman’s mouth?”

“Why a stick? Why not a knife?”

“I’d like to do that if I could.”

“Well, I’m thinking about other parts, even if not her mouth.”

Yeon Ho-jeong grabbed Deng Hwa-satae by the scruff of her neck.

“Ugh!”

It was an incredible display of strength. He lifted a trained adult woman without using even a shred of inner energy.

Deng Hwa-satae’s face turned red. Whether it was from the blood rushing to her head or from shame, it was hard to tell.

Yeon Ho-jeong threw Deng Hwa-satae onto an empty chair.

Thud!

Yeon Ho-jeong roughly sat Deng Hwa-satae up, who had been thrown down and was sprawled out, and then struck her pressure points.

Instantly, a vein bulged in her neck. She wanted to speak but couldn’t, and she wanted to move but couldn’t.

Yeon Ho-jeong held out his hand to Gang Ryang.

“Knife.”

Gang Ryang unsheathed his sword from his belt.

Yeon Ho-jeong shook his head.

“Not that, a dagger.”

“This one?”

Gang Ryang pulled out a dagger from his chest. It was a knife he used for hunting or cutting meat when camping.

Yeon Ho-jeong took the dagger from Gang Ryang and immediately stabbed Deng Hwa-satae’s instep.

Thwack!

Deng Hwa-satae’s face turned from red to pale blue.

The dagger pierced straight through her foot, from the instep to the sole. The pain was so intense that she felt like she was going out of her mind from the sudden attack.

It wasn’t just Deng Hwa-satae who was shocked. Song Ha-shinni, as well as the other three, were startled and looked at Yeon Ho-jeong.

Yeon Ho-jeong took off his outer garment and threw it at Deng Hwa-satae.

Flap!

Deng Hwa-satae’s face and upper body were covered.

Yeon Ho-jeong, holding the Azure Dragon Chain and the Black Dragon Axe, said,

“Please step outside for a moment. It won’t take long.”

The meaning of his words was clear.

Song Ha-shinni cried out without realizing it,

“N-No!”

Yeon Ho-jeong didn’t answer. He didn’t even turn his gaze.

Song Ha-shinni continued,

“Even so, she’s my senior sister! An elder of Emei! Even if it’s for a favor, this treatment is absolutely… !”

At that moment, Pae Yul grabbed Song Ha-shinni’s shoulder.

“Let’s go out.”

“Elder Pae Yul!”

“She may be Shinni’s senior sister and an elder of Emei, but from another perspective, she could be one of the main culprits dragging Sichuan into a swamp of madness.”

“B-But!”

“Humanity and affection are important, but it seems like now is the time to suppress such human emotions.”

“… !”

“Trust us. Frankly, there’s nothing Shinni can do right now, is there?”

Those words were the final blow.

They were harsh words, but they were the truth. Song Ha-shinni’s abilities were not enough to resolve this situation.

“And remember, that man is the leader of the Murim Alliance’s Yugun Unit [a special task force] and a representative of the Murim Alliance dispatched to the Black Path.”

“…”

“The Murim Alliance doesn’t give such titles and responsibilities to just anyone.”

In the end, Song Ha-shinni lowered her head.

Pae Yul said to Yeon Ho-jeong,

“You know, right?”

“…”

“No matter the situation, the opponent is the Second Elder of the Emei Sect. Even if this matter is resolved properly, the Emei Sect might express their dissatisfaction.”

Yeon Ho-jeong nodded.

“I know.”

“Can you handle it?”

“Do you think I’m the kind of person who would worry about every little thing before doing something?”

“That’s the problem with you, you bastard.”

“Don’t worry. Even if the entire Central Plains [the heartland of China] hates me, I still have to do what I have to do, right?”

It was a line that clearly showed how Yeon Ho-jeong had lived and what kind of mindset he had now.

Pae Yul chuckled and led Song Ha-shinni out.

Hwang Seok-tae shrugged his shoulders.

“Is there anything I can help with?”

“Just make sure no one comes in.”

“Don’t worry about that.”

Hwang Seok-tae looked at Gang Ryang.

Gang Ryang clicked his tongue.

“It’s an expensive dagger. Please don’t break it.”

“We’ll see.”

“Tch.”

With that, the remaining two also left the room.

Yeon Ho-jeong raised the Azure Dragon Chain.

Chiriring!

The sound of metal clashing against metal sounded so eerie that even Deng Hwa-satae couldn’t have imagined it.

“There are so many things I want to ask, but I don’t know exactly where to start.”

Thwack!

Yeon Ho-jeong stepped on the handle of the dagger.

“I won’t kill you.”

It felt like it would have been less scary if he had said he would kill her.

“You should figure out what you need to tell me. Let’s start with one leg.”

Yeon Ho-jeong struck Deng Hwa-satae’s knee with the Azure Dragon Chain.

Clang!

Half an hour later.

“Come in.”

Hwang Seok-tae opened the door.

Instantly, a strong smell of blood and sweat wafted out. Hwang Seok-tae and Gang Ryang quickly entered and closed the door.

Pae Yul and Song Ha-shinni didn’t come in. It was a sight that wouldn’t be good for them to see in the first place.

It was fortunate that Pae Yul and Song Ha-shinni knew each other.

“Here, the dagger.”

Yeon Ho-jeong handed the cleanly wiped dagger to Gang Ryang.

Gang Ryang received the dagger with a reluctant face. It wasn’t broken or scratched, but seeing Deng Hwa-satae’s appearance made it hard to accept.

Hwang Seok-tae looked at Deng Hwa-satae and asked, as if throwing a stone,

“Why didn’t you just kill her?”

“I promised not to kill her. At least not today.”

“It looks like dying would be better.”

Deng Hwa-satae’s two legs were covered in blood. Even though he had stopped the bleeding in time, this was the amount of blood that had come out.

Bones were crushed, and pieces of flesh were falling off. It was amazing that she hadn’t gone crazy or died from the shock.

Deng Hwa-satae was foaming at the mouth and unconscious.

“I didn’t hear any sound from outside.”

“I blocked the sound with an inner energy barrier. You never know.”

“You’re thorough.”

“Enough, let’s wrap this damn woman up tightly.”

His voice was as calm as before.

However, Gang Ryang felt it. Yeon Ho-jeong’s mood was the worst.

It wasn’t because he had interrogated Deng Hwa-satae. It must have been the information that came out of her mouth that had enraged Yeon Ho-jeong to the extreme.

‘He’s so angry that he’s become calm instead.’

Gang Ryang looked at Deng Hwa-satae with cold eyes.

‘What the hell did she do?’

It didn’t seem to be related to the Three Teachings [Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism] at first glance. It wasn’t because she was related to the Three Teachings, but it seemed like he was angry at everyone involved in this matter.

He was curious. What words had come out of Deng Hwa-satae’s mouth?

After a while, Yeon Ho-jeong, who had completely wrapped Deng Hwa-satae in a large cloth, hoisted her onto his back.

“Tell Senior Pae Yul. Let’s get going.”

Hwang Seok-tae tilted his head.

“Get going? Where are you planning to go?”

“A secluded place. But not a place that’s hard to find.”

“…Huh?!”

“We had a proper fight in the back alleys. By now, a few of them will have woken up. Of course, they’ll come to catch me and this damn thing.”

Hwang Seok-tae’s mouth dropped open.

Gang Ryang clicked his tongue.

“You should have told us in advance.”

“It wouldn’t have changed anything if I had told you in advance. Why are we acting like amateurs?”

“I’m just saying. But why did you leave her alive? If you were planning to approach them carefully, wouldn’t it have been better to just make her disappear?”

“The reason I didn’t attack that ‘Paradise Hideout’ with Deng Hwa in the lead was because I wasn’t sure how strong their forces were.”

“Ah? So, this decoy is to see the enemy’s forces?”

“At the same time, it’s also to reduce their forces.”

“I suppose so. If none of us die.”

“We can’t die.”

“Isn’t it possible that anything can happen in a real battle?”

“Are you going to keep whining?”

“You’re such a cold person. I’m ready.”

“Good.”

Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes gleamed.

“The night will be quite long. Let’s go.”

* * *

“Hah, hah!”

“Ugh! Elder!”

The warriors were horrified to see the Qingcheng elder, Pung Gok-jin, panting and bleeding profusely.

“W-What happened?!”

“Quickly, quickly summon the Three Sages Squad!”

“Huh?!”

“Can’t you move quickly as I say?!”

“A-Alright!”

“And close this place down temporarily! Tell them to move all the goods!”

The martial arts leader’s eyes deepened.

“Elder.”

“Can’t you move faster?!”

“The Three Sages Squad can be summoned immediately, but we cannot close this Paradise Three Store. Isn’t ‘that person’ here?”

“Shut up and do as I say! Deng Hwa has been captured by them, so it’s only a matter of time before the existence of this place is revealed!”

“…Deng Hwa, are you talking about the Deputy Manager?”

At that moment, Pung Gok-jin grabbed the martial arts leader’s neck with his hand.

“Cough!”

“Since when could you low-ranking bastards talk back to us?”

“Gurgle!”

“Close this place down right now! And spread the Black Eyes around the area! We must catch them!”

They were facing a difficult situation for the first time since the establishment of Paradise Hideout.

Dark clouds began to gather in the sky of Sichuan.

At that time, Tang Gwan and his son, Tang Yang-seon, entered Sichuan.