Monochrome Sovereign (Novel) - Chapter 119 - The Moment of Decision (1)
Chapter 119 – The Moment of Decision (1)
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Translated by Heavenly Cat
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound of an iron hammer pounding sounded quite cheerful.
A thick smile lingered on Murong Jun’s face as he looked down from the window of the five-story building.
“It is truly lively.”
Countless numbers of laborers were repairing the Murim Alliance buildings.
The main castle of the Murim Alliance was located in the Dabie Mountains of Henan Province.
With a wall circumference of tens of li alone, the Murim Alliance, which was lined with large and small buildings and castles inside, was like a single country in itself.
However, because it was such a peaceful era, the Murim Alliance only had its grounds remaining, and no people lived inside.
Still, the Nine Sects One Gang, the Six Great Clans, and other affiliated sect members donated maintenance fees for the Murim Alliance’s main castle every month.
Was it because of that? Perhaps because the buildings were well-maintained, there were not many places to repair.
“The sight of those laborers working while sweating looks very lively. There is life inside that. Those who do not sweat cannot demand a price.”
“…”
“But they and we are different. When those who live with their affiliations in the Jianghu Murim sweat for an existence that is not the right target, they end up having everything they possess taken away.”
“…”
“How about you?”
“…”
“I know you have suffered a lot under an incompetent head all this time. You couldn’t receive proper treatment, and they didn’t even wipe the blood stained on that sword.”
Murong Jun smiled slightly.
“How is it? Entering the main house at this opportunity.”
The man with a dark impression finally opened his mouth.
“Are you saying you are better than my previous contractor?”
“Well? That is for you to judge. I am merely proposing.”
The man’s gaze grew dim.
It seemed a considerable change was occurring in his heart. Murong Jun did not miss that opening.
“If your discerning eye is quite decent, you wouldn’t not know that I am a person suited to be your lord.”
“Your confidence is immense.”
“I like modesty and virtue to be displayed only as much as necessary.”
Murong Jun picked up the teacup.
Jiiiing!
A blue streak of light as thin as a thread seemed to spread, and soon the cooled tea was puffing out steam again.
An uncommon surprise lingered on the man’s face.
“Lightning Qi?”
“You recognize it.”
The energy of thunder and lightning was originally known to be a power permitted only to the heavens. No matter how great an internal energy a martial artist trained, they could not generate Lightning Qi on their own.
That was common sense. However, Murong Jun was completely overturning that common sense.
“It is not real lightning. However, if I can cultivate this power into a strength no different from real lightning, there will be no one in this world who can stop me.”
Murong Jun laughed as if he were embarrassed and added.
“I mean among people. It is questionable whether I can even reach that level of state in the first place.”
“…”
“However, I think I have equipped the capabilities worthy of becoming your lord as a martial artist, so how about it?”
The man was wordless.
He was a man who belonged to the Nine States Myeong Clan, which was called the Number One Clan under Heaven in the past.
The Myeong Clan had made up its mind to expand its influence, and did not hesitate to recruit even warriors of the shadows who could not be shown externally.
The Blue Wolf Ghosts were precisely one of those shadow warrior groups. It was a group that would not be lacking even if they were called the scum of humanity, but to say it differently, it could be seen that their greed for talent was that great.
And this man, Mong Ui, was an owner of martial prowess counted among the top of those shadow warriors.
How much time had passed.
“I have one thing I am curious about.”
“Ask as much as you’d like.”
“The experts of the Myeong Clan currently imprisoned in the Murim Alliance number in the thousands, regardless of Yin and Yang.”
“It is exactly two thousand six hundred and seventy-two people. As of yesterday. Originally it was two thousand six hundred and ninety-five, but they couldn’t overcome the shock of their internal injuries and died.”
Mong Ui’s eyes shone.
“I know well that probably not only you, but most of the heads of the Nine Sects One Gang and the Six Great Clans are trying to recruit usable military forces.”
“Haha.”
“What I am curious about is that. Out of so many people, why me in particular?”
Murong Jun inwardly sneered at him.
‘He’s a friend with excessive confidence.’
He had created this kind of meeting six times today alone. And he had made all of them his people. It meant there was nothing special just because it was Mong Ui.
However, Mong Ui did have value as a ‘gift’ and a ‘warning’.
Murong Jun smiled softly and said.
“I merely highly valued your abilities. Isn’t it a skill far too precious to rot in prison?”
“I have pride in my skills, but for you, a head of a clan, there must be talents you need more than me.”
Murong Jun shook his head.
“I have no intention of going out of my way to inform you of my or my clan’s circumstances.”
“…”
“However, I will at least tell you this. The person who was my elder brother, who is now dead and gone, was a talent discussed as the best in the history of the Murong Clan.”
Murong Jun’s smile harbored a chilling murderous intent.
“The person who stepped on that greatest talent and rose up is me.”
“…!”
“I am not a person obsessed with expanding influence like the Myeong Clan Head. I will not spout lip service about doing it for the world. However, I am a person who absolutely protects those within my fence.”
“Anyone can say such words.”
“Anyone can say it, but the people who properly keep those words are only a handful.”
“That is you?”
“That is me. I am not one to mix words like this with someone who won’t become my person. Unless I burn them up out of fear that someone else might take them first.”
It was a chilling remark.
Even Mong Ui, who was confident that there was nothing to fear in the world, felt a chill run down his spine for a moment.
Murong Jun’s voice was full of sincerity. He was truly like an incarnation of greed.
“Ah, come to think of it, there is one.”
“…?”
“I have a lateborn youngest brother. There is an almost twenty-year gap between us. I left that child alive.”
A nature that would ruthlessly cut down even his own flesh and blood if they obstructed his path. As the conversation continued, Mong Ui felt overwhelmed by Murong Jun’s cold-blooded and iron-hearted nature.
“That child is an owner of a talent as outstanding as my elder brother, who was said to be the greatest in history.”
“…Then why did you leave him alive?”
“Well? I wonder why?”
Murong Jun scratched his head.
“I don’t know exactly either. However, I am certain that with that child’s nature, he will never stab me in the back.”
“…”
“He is a child with a lot of affection. Especially towards his flesh and blood.”
Murong Jun turned his gaze to the window.
There was no change in his expression, but that gaze, which somehow felt faint and nostalgic, might have proved that he too was human.
“If he is a chicken rib, he is a chicken rib. Perhaps I might be hoping for it. For that child to voluntarily come under me.”
Mong Ui shook his head.
“It is better to fold away vain hopes.”
“That’s right. It’s a vain hope. But you are not.”
Murong Jun’s eyes changed.
“I saw an unresolved desire in your eyes.”
“…”
“Come to me. I will ensure that blood never dries on your sword, which you cannot easily reveal anywhere. I will also always wipe your sword whenever blood clots and makes it unusable.”
It was then.
Coo!
A fairly large pigeon flew in from across the window. It was exactly in the direction where Murong Jun was.
Flap flap flap!
A carrier pigeon with a blue tint landed on the windowsill.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
A fairly thick letter was rolled up and tied to the carrier pigeon’s leg.
Murong Jun untied the letter and unfolded it to look.
On the small paper, extremely thin and small characters were written densely.
‘…?!’
Murong Jun’s eyes shone.
“…Oho?”
He examined the letter several times.
No matter how many times he read it, it was the same content. He had not misread it.
“Hahaha!”
Murong Jun burst into hearty laughter.
“Well, it seems today is the day. A message I have been eagerly hoping for has come from an unexpected person.”
“…?”
“It is a letter from the youngest sibling I just mentioned.”
Murong Jun handed the letter to Mong Ui.
“Would you like to give it a read?”
Mong Ui flinched.
It was clearly a letter containing the clan’s important matters. He was confidently handing over such a letter as if telling him to read it if he wanted.
‘This person.’
Mong Ui looked at Murong Jun’s eyes.
Inside the eyes full of laughter, there was an abundance of fiercely burning flames of desire.
Mong Ui, who was gazing at those eyes, grabbed the letter.
At the same time, Murong Jun’s smile grew deeper.
“…Grow the Zhejiang business by twice as much?”
“That child is serving as the Zhejiang Branch Leader. Whether it’s martial talent or business talent, he is a talented person lacking in nothing.”
“…”
“He was a child who always only did as ordered, but now he is stepping forward and saying he will expand the business. I don’t know what he’s thinking, but there must have been some change in his state of mind.”
Murong Jun shrugged his shoulders.
“It seems today is an auspicious day for me.”
“I see.”
Mong Ui placed the letter on the table.
The moment he received the letter, he had already made up his mind to entrust his body to him. Murong Jun also knew that.
Mong Ui, who stood up from his seat, walked to the side and knelt down.
“I greet my new lord. As long as my lord does not betray me first, there will be no instance of me betraying my lord.”
Murong Jun laughed loudly.
“I look forward to working with you. I will use you greatly.”
“I will do my best to meet your expectations.”
“Hahaha!”
Murong Jun, who burst into laughter to his heart’s content, spoke with his bright eyes shining.
“Since it’s already brought up, don’t you have a mind to take on a task right away?”
Mong Ui bowed his head.
“There is no lord who asks a favor of his subordinate. You simply just need to give the order.”
He showed a thoroughly single-minded aspect regarding the superior-subordinate relationship. Murong Jun thought that choosing Mong Ui was a good thing.
‘At least this guy, his lips aren’t loose.’
Murong Jun spoke.
“Just in time today when I obtained you, didn’t I also receive contact from my younger brother. That younger brother bastard made up his mind and said he would try growing the business, so as his elder brother, how could I refuse to support him.”
“…?”
“The business expansion will become easier if he draws in even the merchants of Jiangsu Province, which is adjacent to Zhejiang. However, there is one large pillar holding out in Jiangsu Province.”
“The Green Mountain Yeon Clan.”
The smile disappeared from Murong Jun’s face.
“That’s right. And the eldest son of that Yeon Clan collapsed the Myeong Clan together with me.”
A strange light surfaced in Mong Ui’s eyes.
A cold complexion lingered on Murong Jun’s face.
“He is not an ordinary guy. I don’t know the Yeon Clan’s circumstances, but perhaps the Yeon Clan’s future course of action might be changed by that guy, not the Yeon Clan Head.”
“…”
“After you properly recover your body, try catching Yeon Ho-jeong.”
“…You mean the eldest son of the Yeon Clan, not the Yeon Clan Head?”
“Yes. The Tiger General of Green Mountain, Yeon Ho-jeong. I’m telling you to try catching the young tiger of Jiangdong.”
Murong Jun shook his head.
“I want you to not think of it as a warm-up. Yeon Ho-jeong is strong. He is a more outstanding talent than anyone I have seen so far. It won’t be easy.”
“…”
“If the clan’s eldest son loses his life or goes missing, the Yeon Clan Head will also not be in his right mind. If he aims for that opening, wouldn’t my brother’s work become much easier?”
Mong Ui bowed his head.
“I receive your command.”
“I believe in your skills that killed the previous sect leader of the Diancang Sect.”
The Diancang Sect was precisely one of the Nine Sects One Gang.
The strongest of the Orthodox Murim who were evaluated as one level above even the Six Great Clans. If it was a skill that killed the head of one of those sects, he was an expert hard to find even if one searched the entire Jianghu.
Murong Jun believed in Mong Ui’s skills.
He believed in the Killing Sword of Mong Ui, who was said to be born with the worst talent in the history of the Diancang Sect.
“I will depart right now.”
“Your body shouldn’t be normal?”
“I can recover while moving.”
“Haha, good. If you say so, then it must be so.”
“Just ascertain Yeon Ho-jeong’s location for me.”
“Do not worry. I have been keeping an eye on him in my own way.”
“Then.”
Mong Ui, who bowed his head one more time, disappeared.
Murong Jun looked out the window. The sunlight was clear.
“I will send a gift, so rest well until the end of the year, Tiger General.”