Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 713

The departing Yeon Ho-Jeong and his group were seen off by Sun Woo and the elders, who accompanied them to the mountain gate.

Gu Yun handed a large bundle to Yeon Ho-Jeong.

“It’s a small token for your long journey. I’ve put in a few things that might be helpful. Please accept it.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled and accepted the bundle.

“I won’t refuse it.”

“Of course, you shouldn’t,” Sun Woo said.

“Are you going straight to the Mukryong Clan?”

“Yes, we are.”

“Then when will you return to the world again?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong shook his head.

“That, I cannot know. In truth, the most important thing about this trip to the Central Plains was to escort Senior Yin Lord, but…”

“Hmm, well, he’s gone, so there’s nothing to be done about it.”

“Still, we were able to rectify Sichuan and prevent the Jongnam war, so it can be seen as a trip to the Central Plains where we did our part.”

Sun Woo smiled and said, “I don’t know when it will be, but when you return to the world, contact us. Even if others don’t, our Jongnam will risk our lives to help you.”

“Your heartfelt kindness, I sincerely appreciate it.”

“Ah, don’t worry about Senior Yin Lord’s disciple. We may not be able to take him into our sect, but he has become a person of the mountain, so he is also our family. We will do our best to ensure he is well.”

“I would be grateful if you would.”

Sun Woo looked at Hwang Seok-Tae, Pae Yul, Muk Bi, and So Jeong-Gwang in turn.

“I sincerely thank you for your struggles. Not only is Vice Commander Yeon a benefactor, but all of you are benefactors of Jongnam. We will never be able to repay that favor, even in death.”

Sun Woo bowed respectfully.

“May only good fortune fill your path ahead.”

The entire group bowed to Sun Woo.

“Then, we will be on our way.”

“See you again later.”

Thus, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s group left Jongnam Mountain.

Even when they had walked far enough that they were barely visible to the naked eye, Sun Woo did not take his eyes off them.

Gu Yun spoke to Sun Woo.

“Sect Leader Brother.”

“Speak.”

“Although there was a great loss, on the one hand, what happened in our Jongnam will have given the Central Plains a sense of alarm. There is no guarantee that such a thing will not happen again in the future…”

“Hmm?”

“I am in favor.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The Heavenly Sword and the Fish Dragon Waistband.”

Surprise flickered across Sun Woo’s face.

Hong Kwon exclaimed without realizing it, “Third Brother! That is…!”

“Is the authority of the sect more important than losing our disciples?”

Hong Kwon’s face flushed red.

Gu Yun shook his head.

“Isn’t this kind of experience enough? There is no guarantee that we will be fine even if another war like this breaks out in the future. We live in a world of imminent danger, not a world of peace, where war can break out at any time.”

“…….”

“Then, shouldn’t we take the best measures so that even one more of our disciples can survive this chaotic world?”

Gu Yun looked at Sun Woo.

“I have decided not to make any more choices that will leave regrets. At least, that’s how I feel.”

“My brother.”

“Is the sect’s secret art more important than the lives of our disciples? I, Gu Yun, will do my best to help our disciples, armed with stronger martial arts and greater power, to go out into the world and display their righteousness.”

Gu Yun bowed his head. Then, the other elders bowed their heads in turn.

Sun Woo said with a moved expression, “Thank you. You have relieved me of a great burden.”

Jongnam, swept by a storm.

They had lost countless disciples, but at the same time, they had gained much.

Jongnam will become stronger and more solid in the future. In this chaotic world where no one knows how things will turn out, in a complex world that will make future generations shake their heads, Jongnam will be able to leave a great mark.

* * *

One hour after the group left Jongnam Mountain.

“Hey there!!”

Before the flamboyant energy could even be felt, an incredibly loud voice was heard first.

The group turned their heads.

Ga Deuk-Sang was running towards them at a terrifying speed.

Yeon Ho-Jeong chuckled.

“I thought you might be busy, so I left without a word, but why did you run all the way here?”

“You human! Even if you’re busy, you should say goodbye. What kind of dog-like behavior is that!”

Ga Deuk-Sang, who had reached the group, gasped for breath, panting. It seemed he had put all his strength into catching up.

Yeon Ho-Jeong shook his head.

“We have to stop by the Beggars’ Union [a network of informants] branches along the way anyway. We could have met then.”

“That’s one thing, and this is another!”

“Anyway, it doesn’t seem like you chased us all the way here just because we didn’t say goodbye.”

“Hoo-hoo!”

Ga Deuk-Sang, catching his breath, took out a letter from his chest. His clothes were tattered like a beggar’s, but the letter he took out was clean.

“Take this.”

“What is this?”

“Just read it.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong unfolded the letter and read it.

His eyes flashed for a moment.

“There’s been an incident in the Imperial Palace?”

“That’s right.”

Ga Deuk-Sang’s face became serious.

“Do you remember the Governor of Henan?”

“I haven’t met him, but I know of him. Didn’t the former Moyong Clan Head go to see him directly to deal with the Shin Hwa Cult’s warriors?”

“Your memory is good, as expected.”

“But why him?”

“He’s dead.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face hardened.

“Dead?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

“He was summoned to the Imperial Palace. I don’t know if all the governors were summoned, or if all the heads of the three departments were called. I’ll find out soon.”

“But why?”

“He was executed by hanging for treason.”

Not only Yeon Ho-Jeong but the entire group was shocked.

“Treason?”

“A letter was found in the residence of the Governor of Henan, Lord Yeo Sang-Do, that he had exchanged with the Thirteenth Prince. In that letter…”

A shadow fell over Ga Deuk-Sang’s face.

“It contained content about starting preparations for a coup.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face twisted.

Coup, originally meaning to return to the correct state.

It meant to overthrow a bad ruler and place a righteous ruler on the throne.

In other words, it was a rebellion. It meant deposing the current emperor and placing the Thirteenth Prince on the throne.

“Is that true?”

Ga Deuk-Sang shook his head.

“I can’t be sure. I don’t think so, but you never know with people. Of course, considering Lord Yeo’s personality and prudence, everyone thinks that a coup is absurd.”

“Then…”

“I can’t say for sure, but this is definitely a conspiracy.”

Yeo Sang-Do was under the surveillance of the Shin Hwa Cult.

However, through his deal with Moyong Gun and the removal of the Murim Alliance’s warriors, Yeo Sang-Do’s movements would have become freer. Moyong Gun had also kept his meeting with him a complete secret, so even if the Shin Hwa Cult suspected him, they would not have found any conclusive evidence to harm Yeo Sang-Do.

Yet, Yeo Sang-Do was dead. And he was carrying the heinous crime of plotting a rebellion.

“The Murim [martial arts world] is the Murim, but in fact, the Imperial Palace will be one of the axes of this war. If the Imperial Palace really falls into the hands of the enemy, that is.”

“…That’s right.”

“Although their power has weakened and their influence has naturally decreased, the Imperial Palace is still the Imperial Palace. As the official group that governs this continent, their power will be no less than that of the Murim.”

“Depending on the situation, they could become more terrifying than the enemies of the Murim.”

“That’s right. While Vice Commander Yeon was traversing the Murim, the Murim Alliance has been watching the Imperial Palace. Since the Mukryong Clan can’t do it, it was natural that we had to do it.”

The Mukryong Clan was a Black Path alliance. It was not an organization that officials could easily touch, even as a figure of speech.

On the other hand, the forces of the Murim Alliance had been on familiar terms with local officials for hundreds of years. Moyong Gun’s visit to Yeo Sang-Do’s residence, due to their acquaintance, was an example of this.

“We approached very carefully, little by little. We expected that the Shin Hwa Cult was operating secretly in the Imperial Palace, but we investigated in detail how deep they had penetrated and whether it was really true.”

“Did you get any results?”

“I received the information yesterday.”

Ga Deuk-Sang’s eyes wavered.

“We found out that the closest aide to His Majesty the current Emperor, Eunuch Woo Heon, is a member of the Shin Hwa Cult.”

“……!!”

Eunuch was the head of the eunuchs, the leader of the largest force that divided the power of the Imperial Palace with the outer relatives.

“Is that true?”

“There are some problems with the reliability of other information. But… it is a clear fact that the Eunuch is a member of the Shin Hwa Cult.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong sensed that the situation was turning serious.

‘This is bad.’

If it was a matter of the Murim, he could somehow handle it. But the affairs of the Imperial Palace were different. He was second to none when it came to political maneuvering, but from the beginning, he specialized in crushing conspiracies and defeating enemies, in other words, he was a general and a specialist in the work of a secret special forces unit.

If the Eunuch was a member of the Shin Hwa Cult, it would not be an exaggeration to say that more than half of the Imperial Palace had already fallen into the hands of the Shin Hwa Cult. Just considering the Eunuch’s influence, that was the case.

“Fortunately.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked at Ga Deuk-Sang.

Ga Deuk-Sang sighed.

“Some high-ranking officials and outer relatives noticed that the Eunuch was in contact with certain figures. Thanks to that, the Eunuch, or rather the Shin Hwa Cult, has not yet been able to take control of the Imperial Palace.”

“That’s a relief.”

“However, now that we know, we can’t just leave it as it is. Therefore, the Alliance has also decided to secretly dispatch people to the Imperial Palace.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes lit up.

Just by looking at Ga Deuk-Sang’s expression and voice, he could tell. Ga Deuk-Sang had come to find him to talk about this part.

“Who is it?”

“The head of the Byeoksan Yeon Family, Judge Sword Yeon Wi.”

“……!!”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes wavered.

Ga Deuk-Sang sighed.

“He volunteered first, but in fact, it was something the Alliance couldn’t refuse. There are only a handful of great heroes in the current Murim who can match the reputation of Clan Head Yeon.”

“…….”

“Of course, the sect leaders of the Nine Great Sects, such as Great Master Gong Gong and Ascetic Seung Hyeon, could also move. But…”

“It wouldn’t work.”

“Hmm?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong shook his head.

“Buddhist monks and Taoist priests are always noticeable, no matter how they disguise themselves. If such people were to come and go in the Imperial Palace, where there are so many hidden eyes, there would be a great risk of the enemies noticing.”

“…That’s right.”

“Yes, my father…”

Yeon Ho-Jeong closed his eyes.

Ga Deuk-Sang continued.

“Of course, Clan Head Yeon is not going alone. There must be someone who knows the situation there well, and if they are discovered, they need more people who can break through with their wisdom.”

“One of them must be Clan Head Peng.”

Surprise flickered across Ga Deuk-Sang’s face.

“How did you know?”

“Isn’t he the overlord of Hebei? Since the Imperial Palace is in Beijing, there are few people who know the situation there as well as Clan Head Peng.”

“That’s right. You’re smart as expected.”

“And who else is going with them?”

“The strategist of the Righteous Army.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes sparkled.

“Ayeon?”

“That’s right. I wish the Great Strategist could have gone himself, but he couldn’t because he was busy with the Alliance’s affairs.”

“…I guess so.”

“The first thing to do is to meet with the outer relatives of His Majesty the Emperor and discuss the future. We don’t know if there will be a conflict within the palace yet. However, I thought it was necessary to inform Vice Commander Yeon about this matter.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong bowed his head.

“Thank you for the information.”

“You’re welcome. Ah! And…”

Ga Deuk-Sang’s voice disappeared. But his lips were still moving.

It was a telepathic message.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had been listening to his telepathic message with a serious expression, nodded.

“I understand. I will do so.”

Ga Deuk-Sang bowed his head.

“I wish I could drink for a few days, but things are moving too fast. Let’s enjoy the joy of reunion next time.”

“May good fortune be with you in the future.”

“Then.”

Whoosh!

Ga Deuk-Sang disappeared from the spot.

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked up at the sky.

“…Father.”