Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 798

The voice was calm, devoid of any emotional turmoil.

Yeon Ho-jeong nodded.

“Is that your decision, Vice Chief?”

“Yes, it is my decision.”

“I understand.”

Yang Cheon looked at Yeon Ho-jeong.

Yeon Ho-jeong’s expression was more composed than he had anticipated. Yang Cheon couldn’t decipher the look in his eyes as he watched the snowflakes descend.

Yang Cheon turned his gaze back to the sky.

“It stung a little.”

“……”

“Putting everything else aside, I wondered if that ambition was truly what I desired.”

Was the position of the Black Path’s leader a dream imposed upon him?

Was he content with his current standing, yet pressured by the world’s expectations, deceiving himself into believing that his dream was to unify the world as the Black Path [a powerful martial arts organization]?

Yang Cheon had been contemplating this.

Yeon Ho-jeong smiled and said,

“The fact that you can genuinely ponder such a thing without resorting to harsh words speaks volumes about your character, Vice Chief.”

“Don’t try to flatter me so clumsily.”

“I’m telling you, I can’t do it when I actually need to flatter you.”

Yang Cheon shook his head.

“It’s true that your words made me realize something. So I pondered. What is it that I truly desire?”

“……”

“To some extent, you are right. I had a dream of unifying the world, but that dream was too vague. I couldn’t define my goal concretely. As you said, if I were truly pursuing that goal, I wouldn’t have been so focused on training the main branch’s warriors.”

Training was important. But if he truly wanted to unify the world, he might have resorted to methods as ruthless as Moyong Gun [a ruthless character], or even worse.

“I wanted a different approach.”

“……?”

“It’s not that I wanted to climb the cliff to pick the fruit, but rather I was waiting for the fruit to fall from the top of the cliff.”

Yang Cheon extended his hand.

A snowflake, slowly descending, avoided his palm and continued its downward path.

“Mukryong Vice Chief, did you believe that such a day would come if you became the king of the Black Path martial world?”

Looking back, Yang Cheon’s actions were indeed ambiguous. It wasn’t a lack of passion, but a difference in approach.

He established the Mukryong Clan to reach the pinnacle of the world. In the process of unifying the Black Path, he destroyed numerous Black Path sects, including the prestigious Guicheol Sword Clan.

He attempted to acquire someone with the talent of a Sword Empress by destroying Botaam, and he sought to gain more financial power by interfering with the southern commercial district.

That was all.

These actions were aimed at gathering strength, not as significant steps towards a grand undertaking.

Many organizations in the world strive to gain more power. The Mukryong Clan, led by Yang Cheon, had merely followed the same path as other organizations.

It was a preparatory process for a grand endeavor, but not something that could be considered a decisive step towards achieving it.

If the true goal was to take over the world, it would have been more strategic to join forces with the Three Teachings [major influential factions], as Yeon Ho-jeong had suggested. It would have been more advantageous to disrupt the existing power balance.

Or, it would have been wise to get involved in the imperial palace affairs before anyone else. Either way, Yang Cheon’s actions were not actively directed towards unifying the world.

“At first, I thought I was foolish. I thought I was too rigid to consider such things.”

“You were underestimating yourself too much.”

“That’s right. It wasn’t because of your words, but when I considered what I should do right now if I truly wanted to unify the world, so many possibilities came to mind.”

There were many paths. The only difference was whether they were feasible or not.

Yang Cheon sighed.

A slow, drawn-out sigh. A thin breath escaped his lips.

“As those countless methods came to mind, a certain emotion suddenly enveloped me. Do you know what it was?”

“……”

“It was a sense of helplessness.”

Yeon Ho-jeong silently observed Yang Cheon.

Yang Cheon chuckled. It was a self-deprecating laugh.

“As people grow older, they realize how hollow most of the passions they held in their youth were.”

“At the same time, they envy it.”

“That’s also true. I envy the times when I was naive, when I could run without looking back.”

“……”

“But in the end, with a bitter smile, I dismiss the passions of the past as childish delusions.”

“If that develops wrongly, it becomes defeatism and cynicism.”

Yang Cheon laughed as if it was amusing. He still wasn’t looking at Yeon Ho-jeong.

“Isn’t that something you shouldn’t be saying to me from your current position?”

“You said you wouldn’t change your mind anyway.”

“Still.”

“And I also know that such words wouldn’t affect your decision, Vice Chief.”

“You can be quite annoying sometimes.”

“Thank you for saying ‘sometimes.’ I thought you wanted to cut my throat every time we met.”

“If that were the case, I would have cut your head off long ago. Well, it’s true that my murderous intent surges whenever you’re annoying.”

“That’s a relief.”

The conversation, which was hard to tell if it was a joke or serious, brought a comfortable smile back to both of their faces.

Yang Cheon raised his hand again.

This time, two snowflakes, one large and one small, landed on his palm.

The small snowflake melted first, and the large snowflake seemed to weep sadly.

“I won’t abandon my dream of unifying the world.”

“Yes.”

“It’s a wish I’ve had since I was young. As I grew older, I forgot the passions of my youth and gradually became tainted by the world, but that one goal is what made me who I am today.”

“Yes.”

“However.”

Yang Cheon closed his eyes.

“……However.”

He clenched his fist.

The snowflakes that seemed to weep sadly all melted and disappeared.

“I can’t take the world by force.”

“……”

“The situation isn’t good, and in many ways, it’s frustrating. Decisively……”

“……”

“I don’t want civilians who haven’t learned even a bit of martial arts to get hurt because of my ambition.”

Yeon Ho-jeong closed his eyes.

Conversely, Yang Cheon opened his eyes. The snowflakes reflected in his clear and deep eyes looked very beautiful.

“If I had a plan to sacrifice the small for the sake of the large, I wouldn’t have thought this way. But I don’t have such a plan. I just wanted to unify the world with my own hands, nothing more.”

He was acutely aware of his own state and readily admitted it.

And at this moment, Yang Cheon’s stature rose another level. Yeon Ho-jeong thought so.

“I think I’m carrying on the legacy of the glorious Black Path heroes of the past. The Black Path people of the past, who were even called dark nobles, had their own rules and codes.”

“I know.”

“Yes. When you, who had deceived me, returned, I talked about that when I joined hands with you.”

“Yes.”

“But even now, most of the Black Path people don’t live like that. They are just suppressed by the power of the Mukryong Clan, and if this restraint is released, they will run wild without any norms or codes. Just like before.”

“……”

“So I wanted to be a guidepost. There shouldn’t be such ruffians under the command of the one who unifies the world. I wanted to be the center of a magnificent world where the unique ways of the Black Path were alive, with elegance and dignity.”

“……”

“When I dreamed such a dream, even I, who was a ruffian, became better than before. So I feel a sense of rejection. That those who do not belong to the realm of martial arts are harmed because of martial artists.”

Yeon Ho-jeong, who had opened his eyes, looked at Yang Cheon.

Now, even Yeon Ho-jeong could no longer discern Yang Cheon’s thoughts and emotions in his calm expression.

“Then what should I do? Should I come up with a plan to rule the world right now?”

“It would be difficult.”

“It would be difficult. But giving up my lifelong dream is even more difficult.”

“That’s right.”

“So I came up with a good idea.”

“What is it?”

Yang Cheon smiled.

“Even if we survive the war with the Three Teachings, the empire and the martial world won’t merge into one right away.”

“It will take a long time.”

“During that long time, wouldn’t it be a way to fulfill my dream to live as the last leader of the martial world before being absorbed into the empire?”

Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes widened in surprise.

Yang Cheon chuckled.

“It’s become much more modest and a bit less impressive. But if the world changes, can I achieve my goal by stubbornly sticking to my own ways?”

“Are you saying……”

Only then did Yang Cheon look at Yeon Ho-jeong.

And at that moment, Yeon Ho-jeong lowered his gaze. He felt compelled to.

Yang Cheon said,

“To achieve my dream, I’m thinking of hitching a ride on someone else’s dream.”

“……!”

“If the emperor has a way to govern the people, if he has made many preparations for a better world, wouldn’t he be able to share that knowledge and experience with me?”

“Vice Chief?!”

Yang Cheon turned his head back to the snow-covered world.

“Wouldn’t he give that much to his son-in-law, who will play a big role in achieving his great undertaking? If the emperor is generous, that is.”

“……!!”

“If he doesn’t teach me, I’ll have to study hard with my head buried in books at a late age. And if I still don’t know, then I’ll have no choice but to grab my father-in-law by the collar.”

“Vice Chief.”

“Come to think of it, isn’t it a huge benefit for me too? An old man in his sixties is marrying a woman who is twenty years younger, isn’t that a complete jackpot?”

With a face that seemed to be smiling and crying, filled with many emotions, Yeon Ho-jeong said,

“Yes, you’ve hit the jackpot.”

“How is it? Am I qualified enough to be a teacher?”

“Until just now, you were neither too much nor too little.”

“And now?”

“You are overflowing.”

“Hahahaha.”

Yang Cheon burst into a hearty laugh.

His laughter was not just laughter.

It was a sigh, a tear of regret. It was a sense of relief, a sense of disappointment, and the excitement of someone who had discovered a future with new possibilities.

And a frustration even greater than all those emotions was breathing in his laughter.

After laughing for a while, Yang Cheon put his hand on Yeon Ho-jeong’s shoulder.

“Since I’ve shown you my qualifications as a teacher, I need to get a confirmation from my disciple.”

“Please speak.”

“He’s a child who has shed a lot of blood because of me. But if you look inside, he’s a child with a lot of soft spots. He was just trying to survive, and his nature is kind.”

“……”

“Even when I told him my thoughts, he didn’t seem disappointed. No, he was disappointed, but beyond that, I saw a similar relief in him as I felt. He only rose to that position to survive and be recognized, and it seems that the position of Vice Chief was a big burden for him too. Well, a teacher and a disciple are bound to be alike.”

“……”

“I won’t tell you to take good care of him. But unless that child tries to kill you, you must not harm him either.”

Yeon Ho-jeong, who had been staring at Yang Cheon with trembling eyes, lowered his head.

“The teacher’s daughter is also my family. I am not so cruel as to harm my own flesh and blood.”

“Hahahaha!”

Yang Cheon turned his body and walked away, still holding Yeon Ho-jeong’s shoulder.

“Let’s go have a drink.”

“It will be a hangover cure.”

“No wonder your eyes were so bloodshot.”

“Indeed.”

“You have to accept my drunken antics today.”

“Of course. Just don’t raise your inner energy.”

“I’m not crazy enough to kill my disciple just because I’m drunk.”

“That’s a relief.”

“By the way, there’s something I want to ask.”

“Please speak.”

“Is that Princess Cheonghwa pretty?”

“……You’re very greedy.”

“It’s better if she’s pretty, isn’t it?”

The two of them walked down the hill side by side, having a trivial conversation.

Clear footprints remained on the snow-covered ground where the two had passed.