Monochrome Sovereign (Novel) - Chapter 22 - Windstorm (2)
Chapter 22 – Windstorm (2)
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Translated by Heavenly Cat
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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Just as things were getting interesting, the conversation was abruptly cut off.
Zhuge Ah-yeon was flustered, but she did not show it. She smiled and pointed to the opposite side.
“Pleas… ”
At that moment, Zhuge Ah-yeon looked at Yeon Ho-jeong for no particular reason. It was because she knew that Yeon Ho-jeong’s social skills were not very good.
Unexpectedly, Yeon Ho-jeong nodded. It was because no matter who the opponent was, as the gathering grew larger, there would naturally be more opportunities to observe his surroundings.
“Please sit down.”
Even before the words were finished, Tang Yang-seon was already sitting down. It was unclear whether he knew the opponent would not refuse, or if he had intended to sit down regardless of the opponent’s will.
Zhuge Ah-yeon asked with a smile.
“Did you come from the Tang Clan?”
“That is right.”
He spoke informally without hesitation. It was clear that this was a way of speaking that had been ingrained in him his whole life.
“Nice to meet you. I am Ah-yeon of the Zhuge Clan.”
“Zhuge Ah-yeon?”
“Yes.”
“Your name is pretty too.”
It was a fairly honest and bold statement. Zhuge Ah-yeon tilted her head.
“Is that so?”
“Yes, your parents named you well.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
Zhuge Ah-yeon pointed to Yeon Ho-jeong with her hand.
“Oh, let me introduce you. This person is… ”
“That is enough.”
“Pardon?”
“I know who he is. There is no need to introduce him.”
Zhuge Ah-yeon’s eyes widened.
“Oh? It seems you have already met?”
“He is the Eldest Young Master of the Yeon Clan, is he not?”
“That is right. Then at least a greeting… ”
“It is fine.”
“It is fine? What do you mean by that?”
Tang Yang-seon shrugged his shoulders.
“I did not come to see this fellow anyway.”
Zhuge Ah-yeon was slightly flustered.
Quick-witted as she was, she knew that Tang Yang-seon’s target was herself. However, she had not expected him to be this honest.
Tang Yang-seon held out an empty cup.
“Pour me a drink.”
It was a bold action.
While pouring a glass of alcohol was not difficult, since he came out treating her like a subordinate from the start, the opponent could not help but feel bad. Even Zhuge Ah-yeon, who was trying to respond as politely as possible given the occasion, was in a mood where her temper would be twisted by such a way of speaking.
“Here it is.”
Zhuge Ah-yeon placed the wine bottle in front of him.
Tang Yang-seon tilted his head.
“I told you to pour it?”
Zhuge Ah-yeon said with a beaming smile.
“I do not feel like pouring it.”
“You do not feel like pouring it?”
“Yes.”
“Why? You seemed happy enough to pour for this guy?”
He was openly calling him ‘this guy.’
Yeon Ho-jeong did not care about the opponent’s title for him. As soon as Tang Yang-seon sat down, his Qi sense was scanning the rising stars gathered in the banquet hall. He had no intention of responding to each one individually.
But Zhuge Ah-yeon was different.
“This guy is my friend. Even if he is a bit prickly.”
Tang Yang-seon asked with a laugh.
“I can be your friend too, can I not?”
“Anyone can be a friend. As long as they have some manners.”
“Oh-ho?”
“Is this perhaps a custom of the Sichuan region? An initial greeting where you ask a stranger to pour you a drink? If so, I will apologize since it is my misunderstanding. Still, I have no intention of forming a friendship.”
There was a blade hidden in the voice that spoke while smiling.
Tang Yang-seon, who was looking at Zhuge Ah-yeon with strange eyes, smirked.
“You are quite cute, are you not?”
“I often hear that I am decent-looking, but this is the first time since I was nine that I have heard I am cute. I will take it as a compliment.”
“In Sichuan, there were always only obedient girls. It was boring because this girl was like that girl, so it is fresh and good.”
With this one sentence, Zhuge Ah-yeon could figure out how Tang Yang-seon had lived his life.
In Sichuan, the name of the Tang Clan is absolute. Although the Qingcheng Sect and the Emei Sect of the Nine Schools and One Gang are also in Sichuan, those two places are martial sects but also Taoist temples and Buddhist halls, so they did not interfere much in secular affairs.
In other words, the practically number one sect in Sichuan is the Tang Clan. Being born there as the legitimate eldest son of the Family Head, he must have lived enjoying everything he could enjoy.
In fact, Tang Yang-seon had never attended until the last gathering of rising stars. Perhaps he came out into the world for the first time this time.
Zhuge Ah-yeon smiled bitterly.
“The Tang Clan’s specialty is not just poison and hidden weapons.”
“Hmm?”
“Could you please leave now? It is uncomfortable.”
“Then that will not do.”
Tang Yang-seon flicked his cup.
“You have not poured the alcohol yet, have you? I should receive what I am owed before I go.”
“…”
“Hurry up and pour. It is not like I have to throw some coins, right?”
It was no different from treating her like a courtesan of the Red Chamber.
At this point, Zhuge Ah-yeon could not help but get angry. And it was the same for Zhuge Jun, who was watching from a distance.
Zhuge Jun strode towards the seat.
“You there… ”
It was then.
“You fellow.”
A single dark shadow covered Tang Yang-seon.
Tang Yang-seon said without even looking back.
“You should not stand behind a person of the Tang Clan without permission. If you want to see me, come to the front and show some respect.”
Namgung Hyeon said with a laugh.
“I do not think the gathering of the Seven Great Clans is a place light enough to admit someone with such poor character.”
“What?”
“Do not cause any unnecessary nuisance and just get up now.”
“Nuisance?”
“I do not think you could possibly refine the delicate martial arts of the Tang Sect with a head stupid enough to not even know how rude your own actions are.”
“Ha!”
“There is no need for long words. Do not cause useless trouble and get up quietly.”
Tang Yang-seon shook his head.
“They say there are so many guys in the world who do not know their place, and my father was right.”
It was getting worse and worse.
Thud!
Tang Yang-seon, who slammed down his wine cup roughly, stood up from his seat and turned around.
He saw Namgung Hyeon.
“You look as pale and white as a girl. What is your name?”
“I am Namgung Hyeon.”
Tang Yang-seon’s eyes sparkled.
“Ho-oh, I thought your momentum was quite decent, so it was Namgung?”
He had heard from his father. The Seven Great Clans are full of fellows not even worth mixing words with, but at least Namgung and Murong are the real deal.
Tang Yang-seon did not believe all of his father’s words. Although he respected him, he thought his own experiences that he had seen and felt were also significant.
The world’s evaluation of the Tang Clan was fear.
That was not limited to Sichuan. The Tang Clan was in Sichuan, but at the same time, it was in the world. There was not a single fellow in the Murim who could touch the Tang Clan and sleep with his legs stretched out.
Power is fear. The most fearful group in the Murim is the Tang Clan.
Therefore, the Tang Clan is the true Number One Clan under Heaven. Even just looking at his grandfather, is he not called the most feared master among the Saintly Heaven Thirteen Seats, the greatest experts of the Murim?
“If you are a descendant of the Namgung Clan, which is said to be the Number One in Sword, you might as well act quite arrogant.”
“It is getting more and more spectacular.”
“But even if you are the Number One in Sword, what use is it if you cause such a scene in front of the Number One under Heaven?”
Namgung Hyeon burst into laughter despite himself.
“Number One under Heaven? Who are you saying is the Number One under Heaven?”
“Naturally, my family is the Number One under Heaven.”
“You are a fellow who does not know the ways of the world.”
The smile disappeared from Tang Yang-seon’s face.
When his relaxed face turned expressionless, a chilly atmosphere drifted around from that alone.
“Kneel.”
“What?”
“I will give you a chance. Kneel down and apologize. If you do, I will act as if your arrogance never happened.”
Namgung Hyeon’s gaze also turned cold.
“I thought you were just a fellow who did not know anything, but seeing you now, you are a madman.”
It was then.
“Number One under Heaven, you say?”
A clear voice resonated throughout the banquet hall.
Surprise appeared on Tang Yang-seon’s face. On the other hand, Namgung Hyeon frowned.
‘Incredible internal energy!’
The internal energy resonating from the voice was truly great. Just listening to the voice felt like his torso was vibrating.
Flash!
Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes blazed.
“Discussing the Number One under Heaven in front of my family? And the Tang Clan at that?”
There was a young man slowly descending the stairs.
He looked to be at least five or six years older than Namgung Hyeon. He had a noble appearance, but he had an impression that was hard to call handsome like Yeon Ho-jeong or Namgung Hyeon.
His physique was as average as his face. The clothes he was wearing did not look particularly luxurious either.
However, his presence alone was extraordinary.
Wooo! Wooooo!
It was as if the air was trembling.
There was no one with weak internal energy in this place, but most of them received the illusion that they were hearing tinnitus.
“Indeed, if it were Namgung or Murong, it would be reasonable to say so. But the Tang Clan? It is incomprehensible to me.”
Tang Yang-seon’s face distorted.
The voice, which was growing louder and louder, kept digging into his ears. That sensation was extremely unpleasant.
“Indeed, I have heard such things. That there are many eccentrics among the Tang Clan people. Seeing you now, were you one of those eccentrics?”
Tang Yang-seon shouted before he knew it.
“Who the hell are you!”
It was a voice that rang out loudly.
That voice was much louder than expected. Even Tang Yang-seon himself was flustered.
He looked like he was having an overreaction for no reason. Tang Yang-seon’s neck turned slightly red.
“Is it because you are young? Everything, from your words to your actions, is clumsy.”
“You!”
“Listen carefully, young friend of the Tang Clan who does not know the ways of the world. In this Murim, you do not just haphazardly attach the words ‘Number One under Heaven’.”
“I asked who the hell you are!”
“One more thing. Do not be so irritable, showing all your annoyance.”
The young man smiled.
Although his appearance was ordinary, his smile was quite charming.
“You look weak, do you not?”
Tang Yang-seon could no longer bear it.
Woooooooooo!
Namgung Hyeon took a step back without realizing it. It was because of the poisonous aura emanating from Tang Yang-seon.
‘Poison?!’
It was poisonous Qi. It was not that he had released poison, but the nature of his internal energy itself was poison.
Zhuge Ah-yeon shouted.
“Young Master Tang!”
Flutter!
A group of people rushed from afar. The guard warriors of each family, surprised by the suddenly spreading poisonous Qi, were rushing over.
The young man looked at Namgung Hyeon.
“Brother Namgung.”
“…”
“It is no big deal, is it? Right?”
Namgung Hyeon nodded with a reluctant face.
“Then should we not explain the situation to the guards who are working day and night because of thoughtless young people? Maybe prepare a separate drinking session for them. Did the Namgung side not host this gathering?”
“…”
“I am asking this favor.”
“I understand, Brother Myeong.”
Even in the midst of being very angry, he seemed to have managed to hear the title ‘Brother Myeong.’
Tang Yang-seon growled low.
“You fellow, are you from the Myeong Clan?”
“That is right.”
The young man, Myeong Ho-rim, said.
“I am the Third Young Master of the Nine States Myeong Clan, the current Number One Clan under Heaven, Myeong Ho-rim.”
Tang Yang-seon snorted.
He had shown great composure in front of Zhuge Ah-yeon, but not now. His characteristic explosive temperament was being stimulated by Myeong Ho-rim’s strong Qi.
“Myeong Ho-rim? It is a name I have never heard before.”
“That is why I say you do not know the ways of the world. You should at least memorize the names of the strong who will live in the same generation so you do not make mistakes.”
“Mistakes? I am sorry, but I do not make mistakes. I am not in a position to do something like a mistake.”
Myeong Ho-rim looked at Tang Yang-seon with pitying eyes.
Tang Yang-seon’s face distorted completely. If he had been angry and cursed, it would have been better, but he couldn’t stand that kind of arrogant gaze.
“…You, do not even think about returning alive.”
“Yo… Young Master!”
Han Ho-myeong’s shout was heard from afar, but Tang Yang-seon did not hold back.
Ssssss.
A faint purple energy billowed from Tang Yang-seon’s body. He was starting to emit his poison arts in earnest.
The startled Zhuge Ah-yeon was backing away when she suddenly looked at Yeon Ho-jeong.
Yeon Ho-jeong was still sitting in that spot. Even the cup in his hand was still there.
Zhuge Ah-yeon shouted urgently.
“Young Master Tang! There is a person next to you…!!”
It was then.
Peeeeing! Pwoook!
The sharp sound of breaking air split the atmosphere of the banquet hall, which was full of tension.
Myeong Ho-rim looked at his hand, which he had raised to about shoulder height before he knew it. In his hand was a broken wine cup.
He looked at Yeon Ho-jeong.
Yeon Ho-jeong raised his hand with an indifferent face.
“Mistake.”