Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 583

Scent of Treachery (6)

Whoosh!

It was like the entrance to a city.

From the very entrance where the vast territory of the Tang family began, there was a subtle yet pervasive sense of majesty. An overwhelming presence that made everyone, not just those who had cultivated martial arts but even ordinary people with dull senses, turn their heads.

Right there, a man was walking.

Swoosh.

With each natural step he took, a heavy aura rose like smoke, then subsided. He stole the gaze and focus of everyone within sight. He was that powerful, and his inner energy was that profound.

Rustle. Rustle.

The sound of his sleeves brushing against his waist and the hem of his long robe sweeping against his shins as he walked created a strange sense of dread, like a snake flicking its tongue. The attire was truly magnificent. The clothing, which was dark yet somehow flamboyant, seemed to amplify the man’s aura twofold or threefold, exuding an imposing atmosphere.

Perfectly arranged attire. A slightly pale complexion with sharp features. Though he held no weapon, his very presence seemed more dangerous than any divine sword or demonic blade scattered throughout the world.

Someone swallowed hard.

“I-Is it…?”

The man turned his gaze.

“Gasp!”

Just making eye contact caused him to collapse to the ground. The expression ‘knees buckling’ was usually just a metaphor. But the man’s gaze possessed a savage magic that made that metaphor a stark reality.

“Indeed.”

The man’s voice was as low and deep as his presence.

“It has been a while.”

His voice didn’t seem to resonate much, yet the sound that spread out was comparable to the tolling of a giant bell.

Here was the one who brought a faster darkness to the world under the setting sun, bathed in the beautiful light of dusk.

“Is that… the Tang Clan Head?”

“Clan Head!”

“H-Heok! I-It’s the Clan Head!”

The people who had been bustling about the streets all knelt down.

“Clan Head!”

“We greet the Clan Head!”

The man, Tang Gwan, nodded.

It was an incredible sight. Tang Gwan was not a government official. Yet, like a high-ranking official, or even someone of greater stature, everyone who saw him bowed. This was the presence of Tang Gwan, the master of Sichuan.

Within the Sichuan region, he was revered almost like an emperor. Everyone feared him, everyone trusted him, and everyone acknowledged him as their master.

Tang Gwan, who had been quietly observing them, began to walk again.

He wanted to tell them not to do that. He had never wanted this in the first place. Rather, if he received reports that his direct descendants were acting arrogant, he would have them seized and tortured.

But now.

At least for now, he couldn’t tell them to stand up.

At that moment, an old man cautiously approached.

“Um…”

“…”

“T-This…”

The old man took out something wrapped in bamboo leaves from his chest and held it out.

Tang Gwan’s eyes deepened.

“What is this?”

“W-Well, it’s a new food item we made at our shop. Of course, it might not suit the Clan Head’s taste…”

People tend to become more perceptive with age and experience. The old man saw a gentleness in Tang Gwan’s demeanor that he had not felt before. While others were overwhelmed by his aura and couldn’t move, the old man was seeing a part of Tang Gwan’s inner self.

Tang Gwan looked at the object wrapped in bamboo leaves. Hot steam was rising from it. Inside, there would be rice, meat, and all sorts of ingredients. The smell suggested as much. Even if he was perceptive, it had nothing to do with the person’s true feelings. The fact that he was offering this dish now meant that the old man had always wanted to serve him a meal.

Tang Gwan accepted the dish from the old man.

“I was feeling a bit hungry anyway.”

“Ah!”

The old man bowed his head, seemingly moved.

“It is an honor.”

Tang Gwan, looking at the back of the old man’s head, began to walk again. He had only received food. He should have been the one expressing gratitude. Yet, the person who gave the food was feeling honored. It seemed like he hadn’t even expected that it would be accepted.

‘This is it.’

He had felt it when he visited the branch office.

‘It is from here that I realize my rule has been flawed.’

It was important to handle the internal affairs of the family and to place trustworthy people to stabilize Sichuan. But if one claimed to be the overlord of a region, it was necessary to clearly understand what was happening in the streets, what the public sentiment was, and what kind of lives they were living. That was something that could not be known just by listening to reports. It was something that could only be properly understood by going there, seeing, hearing, and feeling it directly.

He hadn’t even walked thirty steps, yet he had already felt so much.

Tang Gwan crossed the Tang family territory, holding the bamboo-wrapped dish.

“Huh?!”

“C-Clan Head!”

“We greet the Clan Head!”

Everyone he saw bowed to Tang Gwan. Silently nodding, Tang Gwan continued to walk, and finally, a five-story wine house came into view.

The five-story wine house, dyed red by the setting sun, was the most famous Green Water Wine House in the area.

Tang Gwan strode towards it without hesitation.

“W-We greet the Clan Head!”

It seemed the news had already spread. The manager who was on the first floor bowed to Tang Gwan.

Tang Gwan asked.

“Is there a seat on the top floor?”

“Of course!”

“Prepare a seat for me.”

“Yes!”

Tang Gwan was guided by the manager to the fifth floor. Even as he climbed the stairs, everyone who saw him put down their cups and chopsticks and bowed to him.

The manager, who had guided him to his seat, asked Tang Gwan.

“Shall I bring you the usual wine?”

“Yes, please.”

“Yes. I will prepare the side dishes and bring them to you soon.”

“It’s alright.”

Tang Gwan placed the bamboo-wrapped dish on the table.

“This is enough for side dishes.”

“Ah, yes!”

The manager bowed and hurried away.

Shortly after, a woman in silk clothes came in with wine and a cup.

Tang Gwan raised his hand.

“No need to pour. You may leave now.”

“Yes, sir.”

As the woman left, Tang Gwan turned his gaze to the window. The setting sun looked particularly red. The sky in Sichuan had been unusually clear recently, but looking at the clouds beyond the sunset, it seemed like there would be less sunlight tomorrow.

‘They’ve come.’

Tang Gwan, turning his gaze from the window, filled his own cup. As he lifted the filled cup, Tang Gwan paused for a moment.

‘Up there?’

From the moment he entered the Tang family territory, Tang Gwan’s senses had been unusually heightened. His sharply honed senses had picked up the presence of someone who had climbed to the top of the Green Water Wine House. The person’s stealth, who had moved discreetly to the roof of the building on the opposite side of the setting sun, was truly remarkable. And Tang Gwan knew exactly who that presence was.

‘He has many talents.’

It was Eon Ja-bang. The moment Tang Gwan first heard his name, he thought of the Jinju Eon family. The Jinju Eon family was a prestigious clan located in Hebei in the past, a renowned martial arts family that had divided Hebei with the Peng family. Unlike the Peng family, who wielded swords as big as their bodies based on their innate physique and natural strength, the Jinju Eon family was known for their martial arts that made their entire bodies as strong as steel, with physiques no less than the Peng family.

Later, their obsession with strength went too far, and they even dabbled in necromancy, a technique called the art of the undead, which led to their demise and condemnation by all.

‘He’s useful.’

In terms of stealth alone, it was difficult for any warrior of the Tang family to match him. His stealth was even superior to the Green Eye Squad, the intelligence unit operated by the Tang family. To have broken through the Wall of Martial Arts [a significant milestone in martial arts cultivation] and reached a state of mastery, and to be capable of such stealth, was truly remarkable. If he were to try to kill someone, even a high-ranking elder of a major sect would have a hard time surviving.

But amidst such admiration, Tang Gwan felt a sense of bitterness.

‘A descendant of a fallen family…’

The descendant of a once-great family that had competed with the Peng family for the position of overlord of Hebei was now cultivating stealth techniques used by assassins. In the harsh world of the martial arts, it was good to know many martial arts. But a master from a prestigious family, instead of commanding someone who knew stealth techniques, had himself jumped into that realm. It was the sorrow of one who had lost his family. Judging by his skills, it seemed he had completed the lost martial arts of the Eon family to some extent, but he was still hiding his identity and moving as a subordinate of Moyong Gun.

‘It’s always like that.’

Tang Gwan emptied his cup.

‘The ghosts of families rotting in unacknowledged glory make their descendants like that.’

He put down his cup and took out a small medicine pouch from his chest. He gripped the medicine pouch tightly.

Pop!

The pouch burst, and fine powder scattered in all directions. That was it. The momentarily stuffy air quickly returned to normal. But Tang Gwan’s inner energy was different. The moment the pouch burst and the powder filled the room, his formless energy snatched the powder and spread it throughout the Green Water Wine House.

Whoosh!

The flame powder that erupted from his palm burned the burst pouch to ashes.

Tang Gwan refilled his cup. And drank.

How long had it been?

Flash!

His eyes, which were about to lift the cup again, flashed sharply.

‘As expected.’

He slowly emptied his cup and cast his gaze out the window. The setting sun had long been pushed back by the heavy, dark, bluish-black darkness.

‘That guy was right.’

They had come. They were quite familiar auras. There were over a hundred people approaching, and among them, the auras of the three leading figures were particularly sharp. All three had broken through the Wall of Martial Arts. They felt tense, but their well-honed auras were extremely stable and sinister. They were those who had achieved enlightenment through cultivating poison techniques and had established their own school.

Tang Gwan’s eyes twitched.

‘The Elder Council.’

He recalled his conversation with Yeon Ho-jeong.

‘The inside of the Tang family is enemy territory. Even if it’s familiar terrain for the Clan Head, you must not enter it now. In other words, the Tang family is now enemy territory even for the Clan Head.’

‘Then what do you suggest? That I wait quietly?’

‘Yes. Until they come out first.’

‘……?!’

‘If the Dragon Head’s words are true, the Tang family will go into a state of emergency the moment the Clan Head appears. Since what they had been preparing for several days has been ruined, there will be great chaos.’

‘……Hmm.’

‘If those who come to greet the Clan Head from the Tang family, then we will decide not to believe the Dragon Head’s words. But if forces come to stop the Clan Head, then we will consider the Dragon Head’s words to be true and proceed with the operation.’

Yeon Ho-jeong’s words were correct. They were elders. And if their auras were that refined, they must be at least of the fifth rank or higher.

‘So you guys, because of your petty greed, tore apart the family’s rules.’

Whoooom.

A subtle killing intent emanated from Tang Gwan’s body. His discomfort was clearly visible. It was a relief that his anger hadn’t exploded. But Tang Gwan soon calmed himself. As much as he wanted to jump out the window and grind those bastards to dust, he couldn’t. If he had intended to kill them all, he would have brought all the available forces and wiped them out. Pride or not, he would have completely destroyed the family and laid a new foundation. He couldn’t do that. He couldn’t start a war just to catch a few traitors. Also, it was Tang Gwan’s last bit of pride.

Now, at this very moment. A short but painful journey to set everything right had begun.

Shortly after.

“Clan Head. People from the family…”

“Let them in.”

“Yes.”

Creak.

The door opened, and three elders appeared.

Tang Gwan smiled. Before his smile, which seemed almost radiant, the last rays of the setting sun, screaming its final moments, completely died out.

“You’ve come.”