Monochrome Sovereign (Novel) - Chapter 24 - Windstorm (4)
Chapter 24 – Windstorm (4)
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Translated by Heavenly Cat
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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Nine States Myeong Clan.
A family that appeared three hundred years ago, during the Murim’s worst period of chaos and its greatest peak, and made distinguished contributions in destroying the Blood Cult by helping the legendary masters, the Four Great Martial Emperors, who were still talked about today.
Since then, they brought unique martial arts from the Outlying Regions and combined them with the martial arts of the Central Plains, creating their own secret techniques. The history of the Nine States Myeong Clan was that they came to be called the Number One Clan under Heaven in two hundred years.
The reason why the Nine States Myeong Clan was called the Number One under Heaven was simple.
Because they were strong.
Their power was as large as two of the Seven Great Clans combined, and the new martial arts they developed were evaluated to be superior to the secret techniques of the Seven Great Clans. Their financial power also rivaled the best as a single force, so the name of the Number One under Heaven was not wasted.
Yeon Ho-jeong was provoking the Third Young Master of such a giant force.
Myeong Ho-rim’s eyes deepened.
“You are the Eldest Young Master of the Yeon Clan, are you not?”
He knew well.
“First, as the eldest of this gathering, I will express my gratitude. For catching the rampaging foal. Although it was too rough.”
Yeon Ho-jeong burst into laughter despite himself.
A fellow who must have just turned mid-twenties was talking about being an elder. That sight was quite funny.
Myeong Ho-rim ignored Yeon Ho-jeong’s laughter.
“I also see that your martial arts are impressive. To suppress the eldest son of the Tang Clan in one blow, I have realized how much the rumors about you were exaggerated.”
The rumors about Yeon Ho-jeong were famous enough that everyone who knew knew them.
Tiger Father and Dog Son.
The current Family Head of the Yeon Clan, Yeon Wi, was respected by the people, being called the Judge Sword. However, his eldest son, Yeon Ho-jeong, was said to have insufficient talent and character to inherit the family.
However, the appearance of Yeon Ho-jeong shown today was too different from the rumors.
“But.”
Myeong Ho-rim said in a seemingly scolding tone.
“No matter how much you want to prove yourself, is it not right to distinguish between public and private occasions? This is a gathering place, not a sparring ground.”
“…”
“Let us clean up the surroundings for now. When the atmosphere settles down, I will go to pour you a drink.”
“So.”
“Hmm?”
“You are saying you cannot play?”
The audience looked at Yeon Ho-jeong with faces of total dismay.
Myeong Ho-rim burst into laughter.
“Playing is not difficult. I will just play with wine and laughter. Ah! And you do not have to care about flying a wine cup at me. As you said, was it not a mistake?”
Yeon Ho-jeong nodded.
Myeong Ho-rim continued with a satisfied face.
“Good, good. First, move the child of the Tang Clan… ”
“If you do not come, I will go.”
“What?”
Whoosh.
Yeon Ho-jeong walked toward Myeong Ho-rim.
He did not unfold a movement technique, nor was he even running.
He walked. So naturally.
However, as he moved, an illusion occurred as if the heavy air was receding like waves.
Because that atmosphere was so heavy and stuffy, even the people who were going to stop him hesitated. The moment Yeon Ho-jeong moved, the air of the banquet hall seemed to become damply soaked.
Myeong Ho-rim’s eyes widened.
‘What is this?’
A short distance.
It was not being cautious. Seeing him walk leisurely as if taking a literal stroll, one would wonder if he had any will to fight.
However, Myeong Ho-rim felt as if his entire body’s nerves were standing on end. Even if he wanted to say something, his mouth did not open due to a strange pressure.
Like that, Yeon Ho-jeong approached right in front of Myeong Ho-rim’s nose.
‘…!’
It was a close distance where one could strike the opponent if a fist was extended. At that very spot, Yeon Ho-jeong stopped.
The two men glared at each other.
Ssssss.
A snake-like murderous intent climbed up Myeong Ho-rim’s neck.
Secretive and flexible. But it was poisonous. It was a vicious murderous intent that seemed as if it would drive fangs into his neck at any moment.
‘What kind of murderous intent does this fellow have…?!’
At that moment, Yeon Ho-jeong smiled slightly.
Instantly, Myeong Ho-rim’s body reacted without him knowing.
Pa-ang!
His fist was swung aiming for Yeon Ho-jeong’s face just like that.
It was a fist strike without preliminary preparation. So it was fast and sharp.
Tung!
The fist that was thrown out immediately bounced upward.
However, Myeong Ho-rim did not stop the attack. The murderous intent coiling around his neck was urging him to make a follow-up attack.
His twin fists moved swiftly.
Pababa-bak!
It was a consecutive fist technique swung while bursting the air in a narrow space. It was the Iron Chain Strike that the Myeong Clan boasted of.
While it was not to the level of a secret technique, it was a martial art with great utility in close-quarters combat. Although he reacted instinctively to the murderous intent, he seemed to have restrained himself even in the midst of it.
Yeon Ho-jeong also responded immediately.
Thud! Pabababak! Tung! Paaaaaak!
The fists, palms, and elbows of the two men collided, making the sound of a drum bursting.
Yeon Ji-pyeong’s eyes widened.
‘That fist technique?’
The fist technique of Yeon Ho-jeong that was parrying Myeong Ho-rim’s Iron Chain Strike was a martial art familiar to Yeon Ji-pyeong as well.
‘Yeon Clan’s Thirteen Fists?!’
That’s right.
That elastic fist technique of Yeon Ho-jeong was the Yeon Clan’s Thirteen Fists, the basic fist technique of the Yeon Clan. However, it was too different from the Yeon Clan’s Thirteen Fists that Yeon Ji-pyeong knew.
‘That, that thing, like that!’
The Yeon Clan’s Thirteen Fists originally had its meaning in suppressing rather than killing the enemy.
However, no one used the Yeon Clan Fists as a suppression technique. The warriors of the Yeon Clan learned the Yeon Clan Fists to make their bodies flexible and their lower bodies solid, not to fight with enemies.
In other words, it was a fist technique not suitable for combat. Yet his brother was using a fist technique close to gymnastics to exquisitely block the Myeong Clan’s close-quarters combat technique.
‘No. It’s not at the level of blocking…’
Rather, he was pushing.
Pababa-bak!
Myeong Ho-rim retreated one step. Simultaneously, Yeon Ho-jeong advanced strongly.
Pang! Papabang!
A long fist that pushed with power after a triple consecutive strike of short hitting.
Yeon Ji-pyeong’s eyes wavered.
‘One Stream of Clear Wave!’
Tung!
“Mmm.”
Myeong Ho-rim retreated two more steps.
In fact, it was closer to being pushed back rather than retreating. The long fist shown after parrying all the dense attacks of the Iron Chain Strike was strong enough to damage bones.
Myeong Ho-rim looked down at his forearm.
His well-trained forearm was swollen red. If he had blocked it incorrectly, the bone would have broken.
‘Strong!’
To have his arm almost broken by a close-quarters fist fight that did not properly load internal energy.
‘How could this be.’
At a glance, it was not a high-level fist technique. With such a martial art, he had driven himself this far.
It was a terrifyingly delicate operation of forms. It was a level that was absolutely not excessive even if called the operation of a peak master.
“Hey.”
Myeong Ho-rim, startled, looked at Yeon Ho-jeong.
A look of displeasure was contained in the face of Yeon Ho-jeong, who had put his hands behind his back before he knew it.
“Do you intend to end it with this kind of child’s play?”
“…”
“I guess I will have to press you down with the intent to kill for it to come out?”
Myeong Ho-rim’s cheek trembled.
He was not the eldest son of the Nine States Myeong Clan. However, he had lived with the heart that he represented the Myeong Clan wherever he went. Yet he was hearing that kind of talk from a fellow at least seven or eight years younger.
Instantly, a memory he wanted to forget came to mind.
A young man looking down at him while holding a blood-stained wooden sword. On the face of that young man who resembled himself too much, deep ridicule and contempt were contained.
“You, this fledgling…!”
It was then.
“Stop!!”
A majestic internal energy crossing the blue sky rang throughout the banquet hall. The people who were staring blankly at the duel of the two men looked at the source of the sound.
There, Namgung Hyeon and the warriors of the Namgung Clan were lined up.
“What on earth is this! To exchange such fierce martial arts at the gathering of the Seven Great Clans? Are you in your right minds?!”
It was a strong tone.
Myeong Ho-rim hesitated without knowing it. He was someone who had instinctively swung his fist after being swept away by Yeon Ho-jeong’s murderous intent. He could not help but be startled.
Namgung Hyeon looked at Myeong Ho-rim with cold eyes.
“Brother Myeong. Brother Myeong is the eldest in this gathering, are you not?”
“…”
“Our gathering of rising stars is an honorable social venue with a history of decades. I sufficiently understand that anger, but you should have shown some mercy in your hands.”
It was clever words.
While it was words addressed to Myeong Ho-rim, at the same time, it was language that rebuked Yeon Ho-jeong’s lack of Dao.
Namgung Hyeon looked at Yeon Ho-jeong.
“And Young Master Yeon.”
Yeon Ho-jeong was not even looking at him.
Namgung Hyeon felt his anger welling up.
Even without this, he was a fellow he wanted to teach a lesson because of his sister. He also did not like that such a fellow was in a close relationship with Zhuge Ah-yeon.
Yet he made such a mess at the gathering presided over by the Namgung Clan?
Anger naturally seethed up.
“Are you in your right mind? To pick a fight with a child of a rival family, what kind of unruly behavior is this! In the history of the gathering of rising stars, there has not been a single person like you!”
Still, Yeon Ho-jeong did not look at Namgung Hyeon.
That appearance kept stimulating Namgung Hyeon. He saw that the opponent was truly not interested in his words and actions.
“Is the Namgung Clan that laughable to you!”
At that moment, Zhuge Ah-yeon stepped forward.
“Young Hero Namgung, that is not how you should speak.”
Namgung Hyeon’s eyes wavered.
“Ah-yeon?”
“The banquet has been stopped. It is not a private occasion. Young Hero Namgung, please be careful with titles.”
“…!”
“Let us continue. There is a contradiction in Young Hero Namgung’s words. I understand being angry as the host family, but how can you speak unfair words by taking one side?”
“Unfair words? What on earth…!”
Zhuge Ah-yeon said coldly.
“The party who ruined this gathering is not Young Master Yeon, but Young Hero Tang.”
“…!”
“Young Master Yeon was just trying to stop him.”
“Ah-yeon, no, Miss Zhuge. Miss Zhuge also saw it herself. He was not trying to stop Young Hero Tang, but…”
“Did Young Master Yeon not say it himself? That it was a mistake.”
“…?!”
“Young Master Myeong also admitted that it was a mistake. As far as I know, there are no hidden weapon techniques in the Green Mountain Yeon Clan. It was just that his attempt to stop Young Hero Tang by flying a cup went awry.”
Zhuge Ah-yeon asked Myeong Ho-rim.
“Am I right?”
Myeong Ho-rim, who was gazing at Zhuge Ah-yeon, sighed.
“That is so.”
It was a word that buried the incident. Namgung Hyeon’s face was distorted.
Zhuge Ah-yeon looked at Yeon Ho-jeong.
“Young Master Yeon. Even in my opinion, there clearly is a mistake by Young Master Yeon. However, for the sake of bringing the incident to a close, I think you should tell me the reason you stepped out like this.”
Yeon Ho-jeong, who was glaring at Myeong Ho-rim, looked at Zhuge Ah-yeon.
Zhuge Ah-yeon’s expression was resolute. However, Yeon Ho-jeong read an honest desperation in those eyes.
Suddenly, he felt someone grabbing his sleeve.
“Brother.”
Looking back, Yeon Ji-pyeong was standing there.
Surprisingly, caution or urgency could not be found in Yeon Ji-pyeong’s face. He looked at him with his two eyes clearly open, and his determined expression stood out.
Not only that. Everyone’s gaze was focused on Yeon Ho-jeong.
Yeon Ho-jeong sighed inwardly.
‘Fine, there is plenty of time.’
In his past life, he had not even seen the sleeve of the culprit, but now, he felt as if he had discovered at least a shadow. That is why he could not control the soaring murderous intent.
When Tang Yang-seon caused trouble, he even thought it was rather good. Since it was a messy situation anyway, it would not be strange no matter what happened.
However, in this situation, it would be better to restrain himself for now.
Because he was the Eldest Young Master of the Green Mountain Yeon Clan, not the Master of the Dark Emperor Castle.
He cast his gaze toward Myeong Ho-rim again.
Myeong Ho-rim flinched.
“The martial arts of the Myeong Clan were indeed worthy of their reputation.”
“…”
“The aura shaking the audience was impressive. My fault for not being able to endure the burning competitive spirit is great.”
Myeong Ho-rim smiled. Although it was somewhat forced.
“I understand.”
“I have never allowed that kind of way of speaking.”
“…!”
“Was there any friendship between us?”
Myeong Ho-rim’s face naturally hardened.
Yeon Ho-jeong smiled. His smile was not as awkward as Myeong Ho-rim’s.
“I have been rude. If there is an opportunity later, may I ask for your guidance once more?”
“…Let us do that.”
“Thank you.”
Yeon Ho-jeong cupped his hands with discipline in front of everyone’s eyes.
“I am sorry for ruining the occasion because of this insufficient person. As you can see, I am a fellow whose training is insufficient in this and that. Even my father often tells his son with a foul temper that he lacks patience and makes me do horse stance.”
It was a sudden self-deprecation. Since a person who seemed like they would never do that was doing it, the atmosphere rather became soft. To the extent that some people were chuckling.
Yeon Ho-jeong immediately noticed the changed atmosphere.
Although he could not control his murderous intent, he was a self-made man who had built the Dark Emperor Castle with his bare hands. He knew how to show as much social skill as needed when necessary.
“At tomorrow’s gathering, in the sense of apology, I will pour wine for each and every one of you. I ask you to forgive the rudeness of this pathetic fellow with that.”
At that moment, Peng Dae-ho shouted.
“Nonsense!”
The audience’s gaze, which had been directed toward Yeon Ho-jeong, moved to Peng Dae-ho.
Peng Dae-ho shouted with a seemingly angry face.
“A single glass? Look at my body! You are telling me to forgive you with just a glass of wine?”
“Then what should I do?”
“Let us drink until our noses are crooked! If you can remain sober until all of us are drunk, only then will I forgive you!”
Yeon Ho-jeong smiled.
“I will have to be firmly prepared for tomorrow.”
At those words, Peng Dae-ho could not hold back and burst into laughter.
“Kahahaha! I like you because you are open-hearted! Good! They say a man’s word is as heavy as a thousand pieces of gold, so be sure to keep that promise.”
“I do not know about others, but I will definitely bring you down.”
“Kahahahaha!”
Thanks to Peng Dae-ho, who stepped out suddenly, the atmosphere was revived, and thanks to Yeon Ho-jeong, who responded skillfully, the ominous air completely disappeared.
Zhuge Ah-yeon breathed a sigh of relief. Yeon Ji-pyeong also gave a comfortable smile. Namgung Hyeon’s face was completely frozen, and Myeong Ho-rim could not hide his displeased look.
Like that, the incident was brought to a close.
The biggest victim of that day eventually became the Tang Clan. Although it was their own doing.