Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 571

The Shadow Deepened (4)

Moyong Gun and Eon Ja-bang, having entered Mianyang County near Chengdu in Sichuan Province, headed straight for a large tavern.

The tavern was crowded. Even though it was still daylight, most people were enjoying food with their drinks.

“Hmm.”

Moyong Gun exclaimed softly.

“It’s still the same. The taste and aroma are intense. It’s been a while since I’ve had Sichuan cuisine.”

Eon Ja-bang silently sipped his tea.

Moyong Gun picked up a bottle of liquor.

“Aren’t you going to have a drink?”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re such a stiff person.”

Moyong Gun filled his own glass.

The scent of the liquor wafting from the glass was subtle and sweet.

“It’s Jiannanchun [a type of Chinese liquor]. You’ve heard of it, haven’t you?”

“Isn’t it one of Sichuan’s famous liquors?”

“I’ve had many drinks every time I’ve come to Sichuan, but Jiannanchun suits my palate the best. It’s good to drink alone, and it’s also good with food.”

Moyong Gun emptied his glass in one go.

Eon Ja-bang frowned.

“Is it alright to be drinking when we don’t know when something might happen?”

“With you here, what do I have to worry about?”

He was a carefree fellow. Eon Ja-bang looked out the window and sipped his tea.

Moyong Gun suddenly asked,

“What do you think?”

“About what?”

“The air.”

Moyong Gun chuckled and refilled his glass.

“The air has been strangely stuffy since we entered Sichuan. Did you feel it too?”

It wasn’t because of the weather or temperature.

Eon Ja-bang nodded slightly.

“Stuffy, humid, and sticky.”

“Indeed, you’re amazing. Your senses are incredibly sharp.”

“I felt that the air had changed, but I don’t know the cause.”

The streets were full of life, and people’s faces were full of smiles.

Although it was similar in other places, people in Sichuan rarely moved to other regions during their lives. The Sichuan region, forming a vast basin, seemed isolated from other regions at first glance.

Whenever foreign forces from the north or west tried to conquer the Central Plains, they always tried to break through Sichuan, but few forces actually succeeded. As a result, Sichuan had very few instances of being destroyed by enemy invasions.

That was why people’s faces were so relaxed. Their lives were more stable than those of people in other regions of the Central Plains.

“Look around.”

Moyong Gun’s eyes deepened.

“The faces of the people in Sichuan are full of ease. It’s because the entire region has rarely been destroyed by enemy invasions.”

“……”

“That’s why they are slow to react, but at the same time, once they collapse, it will take a long time to restore this atmosphere.”

“That seems likely.”

“In other words, no one in Sichuan would dare to cause a disturbance that would affect the lives of the people. The moment the ease disappears from their faces, outsiders can sense that a great upheaval has occurred in Sichuan.”

“Hmm.”

“However, if the air is this stuffy, they must also be harboring some level of anxiety, unlike the faces they show.”

Moyong Gun continued, filling his glass.

“It’s not an atmosphere of imminent battle. That sharp tension is absent.”

“I agree.”

“Nevertheless, this strangely stuffy air, the barely visible anxiety within the ease on the faces of the common people…”

“It’s like.”

Eon Ja-bang’s eyes sharpened.

“They are afraid of a murderer or a robber.”

“You see it exactly.”

Moyong Gun stroked his chin. He hadn’t trimmed his beard for a few days, and it had become quite rough.

“It’s closer to the tension of threatening the lives of the people than the tension of battle.”

Both of them had lived day by day on fierce battlefields.

Battlefields were not just places where swords and spears were wielded and blood and flesh flew.

Moyong Gun had sharpened his senses to grasp the ever-changing political situation in the vortex of politics, and Eon Ja-bang had to fight invisible ghosts while handling all kinds of information and perfecting his martial arts.

That’s why they knew how to read the atmosphere. They could notice the signs of worry and anxiety in people’s faces.

“The atmosphere is especially different from when I came here in the past. The difference is so clear.”

Moyong Gun emptied his glass.

“Perhaps Yeon Ho-jeong and his group have already noticed and are running around everywhere.”

Eon Ja-bang, glancing at Moyong Gun, asked,

“Is that guy that great?”

Moyong Gun chuckled.

“Didn’t you see it all? How I was repeatedly outsmarted by that guy.”

“I saw it, but I still don’t know. Whether that kid really has the talent to discuss the world.”

“Talent…”

Moyong Gun slowly nodded.

“Yes, it could be called talent. Depending on how far you look at the scope of talent.”

“Are you saying it’s not talent in your eyes?”

“In terms of being born with an innate sense, it can certainly be called a great talent.”

Moyong Gun smiled bitterly and refilled his glass. He was good at drinking that strong liquor.

“That guy is a master at identifying weaknesses.”

“Weaknesses?”

“He can instinctively see through the weakest part of his opponent. From small martial arts duels to the big picture of the current situation.”

Eon Ja-bang frowned.

“That doesn’t resonate with me.”

“Among those who have fought Yeon Ho-jeong so far, there have been many who were stronger than him.”

“……”

“As you know, as the level of martial arts increases, the gap between each level also widens. There are not many people who can defeat a master one level higher with mental strength and combat sense.”

“I agree.”

“Moreover, once you break through the wall of martial arts, the difference becomes so great that it’s hard to overcome with mental strength or combat power.”

“Assuming that both sides are not careless, that’s true.”

Moyong Gun laughed heartily.

“That’s right. If you’re careless in any match, it’s over. Even if there’s a difference of two or three levels, you’ll be defeated if you’re careless.”

“……”

“But that guy, he even managed to win against opponents who weren’t careless.”

“How is that even possible?”

“Because it was war.”

“……?”

“It may sound like a word game, but that’s his way of fighting. Yeon Ho-jeong doesn’t think of a one-on-one situation as a martial arts duel or a life-or-death match.”

Moyong Gun’s eyes blazed.

“For him, every fight is a war. In war, you don’t choose your means or methods, and you shouldn’t hesitate to exploit the opponent’s weaknesses. Even if there are no visible weaknesses, you have to create them and exploit them. That’s what war is.”

“……!”

“He’s a master of that method. And that kind of disposition is not limited to fighting.”

“……”

“Whether it’s a power struggle or politics, he knows how to make the situation advantageous to his side, regardless of the means or methods.”

Eon Ja-bang shook his head.

“It still doesn’t resonate with me.”

“There’s no need to try to understand. It’s unlikely that you’ll ever fight him.”

Eon Ja-bang’s eyes narrowed.

“That sounds like you’re saying I’ll definitely lose if I fight him.”

“There’s nothing as meaningless as the word ‘definitely’ in a match. But well, you’re right. Considering the possibilities, I think the probability of you winning against Yeon Ho-jeong is infinitely low. Whether it’s martial arts or politics.”

“……”

“There’s no need to be offended. I’ve also suffered several defeats because of him.”

A bitter smile appeared on Moyong Gun’s face.

“He’s one of the few geniuses I’ve acknowledged as being superior to me in every aspect. I rarely lower my pride when evaluating others. But in front of him, I have no choice but to concede.”

“……”

“Well, what can I do? Even if my pride is hurt, I have to admit what I have to admit. If I don’t admit that he’s superior to me in every way, does that mean he’ll actually become inferior to me?”

“……That’s not it.”

“That’s right. So I admitted it. My insides were boiling, but once I admitted it, I felt relieved.”

Eon Ja-bang, who had been quietly watching Moyong Gun, asked as if throwing a stone,

“Have you given up?”

“On what?”

“You said that to achieve your dream, your goal, Yeon Ho-jeong’s existence had to disappear.”

“That’s right. Not right now, though.”

“Are you saying you can overcome a genius who is more capable than you?”

Moyong Gun smiled.

“Exploiting weaknesses is not exclusive to Yeon Ho-jeong.”

“……!”

“If you see a weakness, you should not hesitate to poke at it. If there are no weaknesses, you should create them and shatter them to shake your opponent. Isn’t that what Yeon Ho-jeong is good at?”

“……”

“I’ve learned a lot from him. Also, if the mountain you have to overcome is just a small hill in your neighborhood, how much of a sense of accomplishment would you feel after conquering it?”

Moyong Gun turned his head towards the window.

His eyes, looking at the world outside the window, seemed strangely wistful.

“Only by removing, breaking, and overcoming various obstacles can you truly know the warmth of the light you finally reach.”

It was a surprisingly relatable statement. Eon Ja-bang also nodded, agreeing with his words.

Moyong Gun shrugged his shoulders.

“But well, let’s put those thoughts aside for now. If he’s practically an ally, Yeon Ho-jeong is a very reassuring force. And he must have thought I was okay too, so he called me here.”

“That must be it.”

“He’ll contact us soon.”

Moyong Gun raised his glass.

His face was flushed, as if he was slowly getting drunk. Even so, his eyes were sparkling like stars.

“He wouldn’t have gone straight to the Tang Clan… If nothing else, he’s probably working with the Beggars’ Sect to find out what’s going on in Sichuan.”

* * *

“So that’s what happened.”

“……”

The documents were so clean that it was hard to believe they had been stored in a ruined village.

Yeon Ho-jeong, having read all the documents, nodded.

“I was very rude.”

Swish.

Yeon Ho-jeong touched Gi Chung’s pressure points.

“Hoo!”

Gi Chung slowly got up and moved his arms and legs. His body had been stiff and unable to move for almost half an hour. Even a master of the highest level would feel stiff.

Yeon Ho-jeong looked at Pae Yul.

Pae Yul and Hwang Seok-tae released the pressure points of the Beggars’ Sect members who had been kneeling.

Yeon Ho-jeong clasped his hands in front of Gi Chung.

“I had to subdue you roughly. I don’t expect forgiveness, but I will offer a clear apology.”

As a leader of the Righteous Army, he was a high-ranking official in the Martial Alliance. He was even dispatched to the Black Dragon Unit as a symbol of the Martial Alliance-Righteous Army alliance.

Gi Chung smiled wryly.

“It’s alright. From your perspective, Leader Yeon, it was understandable.”

“I’m grateful that you understand.”

No matter what, he couldn’t help but feel upset. However, Gi Chung was not so foolish as to mix personal feelings with public duties just because he was upset.

“Whatever the reason.”

Yeon Ho-jeong shook the documents.

“Some branch offices, including the Samhap branch, already knew about the existence of the Paradise Hideout, were investigating them, and the reason they didn’t report to the higher-ups was because of the anxiety that there might be people within the Beggars’ Sect who were connected to them… Is that correct?”

“That’s right.”

At that moment, Tang Gwan spoke.

“Was there no way to contact the Sect Leader or the Vice Sect Leader directly?”

Gi Chung lowered his head.

“There was. But as I said, we couldn’t rule out the possibility of information leaking during the contact.”

“Hmm.”

“Since I was also investigating this matter with my life on the line, I had to be extremely cautious.”

Gi Chung sighed.

“Some high-ranking officials in Sichuan Province are also involved. If the information leaks even by chance… things will become really difficult.”

The atmosphere of the group became somber.

Yeon Ho-jeong asked,

“Whatever the reason, the Samhap branch needs to help us.”

“Are you talking about this? However, it would be better to be a little more cautious. If you want to wipe them out completely.”

“It’s impossible to wipe them out completely. Rather, considering the safety of the people, it’s better to raise awareness first.”

“Excuse me?”

“If we try to catch them all at once and waste time, only innocent civilians will get hurt. Maybe even at this moment, something outrageous is happening.”

“……”

Yeon Ho-jeong looked up at the sky.

“That person must have arrived by now.”

“Excuse me?”

“The Moyong Clan Head must have entered Sichuan. Mobilize all the lookouts to find his location. And point out the branches of the Paradise Hideout near Chengdu.”

Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes turned cold.

“We’ll have to see some blood from today.”