Monochrome Sovereign (Novel) - Chapter 45 - Flaw in the Rules (5)
Chapter 45 – Flaw in the Rules (5)
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Translated by Heavenly Cat
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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“Did you get this haggard in just ten days? Are you not eating?”
“…….”
“Well, look at this. Is it all over now? Not even an answer?”
“…….”
“Indeed, you must have nothing to say.”
The appearance of Kang Yun, trapped inside the iron bars, was quite wretched.
He wore a prisoner’s uniform and handcuffs connected by iron chains on both arms. His disheveled hair seemed to have no vitality.
Yeon Ho-jeong, who was staring at Kang Yun, said to the Master of the Hall of Judicial Blades.
“Please open the door here.”
A look of hesitation appeared on the face of the Master of the Hall of Judicial Blades.
“That is……”
“Do not worry. I was the one who told you to lock this fellow up; would I really let him go? Ah!”
Yeon Ho-jeong took out a small letter from his robe.
“I have already received permission from the Clan Head. Take it.”
The Master of the Hall of Judicial Blades, having received the letter, nodded. The writing and seal on the letter were certainly those of the Clan Head.
“I understand. However, the prisoner may cause a disturbance, so please be careful.”
“It wouldn’t matter if there were ten more of such a fellow.”
Clang.
As the iron gate opened, Yeon Ho-jeong entered.
Even though the gate was openly opened, Kang Yun showed no reaction.
Yeon Ho-jeong sat down next to Kang Yun without hesitation.
Kang Yun’s body flinched. It was because Yeon Ho-jeong had sat too close.
“Your internal power has been sealed. Aren’t you cold?”
“…….”
“That was a pointless question, wasn’t it? Is the food served well?”
“……Why did you come?”
“Do I need your permission to come? I come when I want to.”
It was an eloquence that left one with nothing to say.
Yeon Ho-jeong, leaning his head against the wall, spoke in a passing tone.
“Yu Ji-ha, that fellow also received disciplinary action.”
“…….”
“No matter how stupid a thing you did, you were still the Squad Leader. There is room for consideration, but it doesn’t mean the crime of disobedience disappears. Thus, he was given a six-month pay cut and will personally handle all the squad’s reorganization matters for three months.”
Handling the squad’s reorganization alone was no ordinary task. It was such a harsh job that one wondered if it could be finished even with an entire day’s investment.
“But that fellow, he stubbornly finished the reorganization and even completed his personal training before going to sleep. It seems he doesn’t even get two hours of sleep a day.”
“…….”
“I do not know how long that effort will last, but at least for now, he seems happy. A strong bone is a strong bone. His desire to become stronger was that great.”
Kang Yun asked.
“What is the reason you are telling me this?”
“So you know.”
“…….”
“I do not know all the laws of the family. But I know at least that even for the same crime, the sentence varies depending on the motive and purpose. It means there is a reason why you received a more severe sentence than Yu Ji-ha.”
Kang Yun looked at Yeon Ho-jeong.
His eyes were not clearly visible, hidden by his hair.
“Strictness is essential in the law. However, if it is excessive, problems arise.”
“Is that why you lowered my sentence?”
“As if? That was just my mood. You committed insubordination, but after some time, I didn’t even feel that angry. I thought that abolishing your internal power was an excessive measure.”
“…….”
“It’s not my place to say, but still, you were lucky.”
Kang Yun’s hair shook. It was a laugh that could be either a sneer or a bitter smile.
Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes deepened.
“Besides, even though you are a moron and an idiot, at least you seemed to have pride in the organization called the Flying Eagle Squad of the Green Mountain Yeon Clan.”
“……!”
“Wasn’t the reason you loathed me because you didn’t want to acknowledge the fact that the Eldest Young Master of the Yeon Clan was a loafer?”
Kang Yun’s eyes wavered.
He couldn’t help but be flustered when such words were spoken openly in front of him.
Yeon Ho-jeong chuckled.
“You’re twisted, but you still have affection for the family.”
“How do you know that, Eldest Young Master?”
“Do I really have to touch it to know if it’s dung or mud?”
Wasn’t that a bit of a dirty metaphor?
Yeon Ho-jeong stood up.
“Think about what the path truly serving the family is.”
“……I have something I am curious about.”
“What is it?”
Kang Yun raised his head.
“Besides me, did you also reduce the sentences of the others involved in this incident?”
He meant whether he had treated those who had committed crimes in each organization in the same way.
Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes turned cold.
“I killed all of them except for two.”
“……!!”
“Their crimes are clear. Whether they were drunk or whatever, the act of unfairly killing a person is itself a capital crime. They even went so far as to bury them without anyone knowing. There was no room for consideration.”
Kang Yun felt goosebumps.
If he had gone even further astray, his own life could have been lost. Thinking about it now made a chill run down his spine.
Looking down at the trembling Kang Yun, Yeon Ho-jeong continued speaking.
“Perhaps, a great crisis will befall the family before long.”
Kang Yun looked up at Yeon Ho-jeong in surprise.
Instantly, Kang Yun felt his vision go dark. It was because a merciless bloodlust wafted from Yeon Ho-jeong, who was looking at him with indifferent eyes.
“I hope that doesn’t happen, but if such a thing truly occurs, then you must also add your strength. Prove that your affection for the family was sincere.”
“…….”
“Even if your internal power is sealed, it doesn’t mean you cannot train. Do not waste time. At least be better than the fellow who was once your subordinate.”
* * *
“Brother.”
“Oh? Were you waiting?”
Yeon Ji-pyeong smiled awkwardly.
“You said you were going to Father today, didn’t you?”
“Ugh?! Was I?”
“Good heavens, you were forgetting that?”
“I’ve had a lot of things to think about lately.”
“You are truly indifferent.”
“This brat.”
Yeon Ho-jeong messily ruffled Yeon Ji-pyeong’s hair. Yeon Ji-pyeong screamed.
“Now, let’s go get scolded.”
Four days passed.
Yeon Ho-jeong’s daily routine became even more brutal. Having surpassed his own limits several times over a period of more than four months, he wanted to surpass them once again this time.
He reduced his sleep time by one more double-hour and doubled his food intake. Naturally, the intensity of his training became much stronger than before.
Even if one has the martial arts and enlightenment of a past life, one cannot become strong without poisonous effort. For the past half year, Yeon Ho-jeong had trained more poisonously than anyone else.
Thus, another day passed.
Unfortunately, he was unable to summon the White Tiger, but his achievement in the Jade Gauze True Formula reached the sixth level. Considering the time since he had entered the Jade Gauze True Formula, it was a speed of refinement that transcended imagination.
He now had a body that was more than enough to be called a master. He had grown enough to perform sufficiently solid martial arts without the need to forcibly overwork his muscles.
At noon on the day Yeon Ho-jeong realized the sixth level of the Jade Gauze True Formula.
Finally, Ga Deuk-sang arrived.
“Mr. Thief! Have you prepared the meal well?”
Yeon Ho-jeong grinned.
“If you leave behind even a single grain of rice, there will be no mercy.”
* * *
“How is the work going?”
“It is almost finished. The workers are also putting in the final spurt.”
“The duration?”
“Seeing the hot wind blowing through the passage, five days should be more than enough.”
“Good.”
An elderly man dressed in brilliant clothing cut off flower branches with pruning shears.
“Once the work is finished, bury the workers as well.”
“I understand.”
The elderly man who spoke of killing people without hesitation, and the middle-aged man who nodded as if his command were natural, were equally chilling.
A faint excitement appeared on the elderly man’s face.
“I can finally obtain it. The fortuitous encounter arranged by our ancestors. Has it not taken a truly long time?”
“It has been twelve years by the count of years.”
“If I obtain that confirmed fortuitous encounter, I will even be able to suppress Shaolin in the next generation.”
“The next generation? If what the ancestors left behind is true, it won’t even take a few years.”
“Haha, how good would that be if it were so.”
The elderly man straightened his back.
“By the way, has there been any separate contact from Murong?”
“Yes. They say not yet. The Murong side is also suffering from no small amount of headaches.”
The elderly man clicked his tongue.
“They are truly stifling fellows. Just what is holding them back that they have delayed their answer until now?”
“They must also be anxious. As the history of the Green Mountain Yeon Clan is short, its foundation is also weak. They are likely worried that the Murong Clan might be up to something.”
“That is why they only amount to that much. Ignoramuses who cannot even properly utilize the fortune they hold in their hands. Is it not the same as a butcher holding a legendary sword of the world in his hand?”
“That is so.”
The elderly man, Myeong Cheon, shook his head.
“Contact Murong. Tell them that if the Yeon Clan refuses this time as well, they should just give up.”
“Do you truly mean that?”
“What else can be done? There is no choice but to use the rod on a disobedient child. I wanted to let them maintain their lineage at least, but if they keep coming out crooked like this, we have no choice either.”
A faint sense of anxiety appeared on the middle-aged man’s face.
“If you truly intend to bury the Yeon Clan, you must prepare thoroughly.”
“Of course, we must. Despite being fellows with not a speck of ability, they do have quite a bit of public trust, don’t they?”
“They say the martial arts of the current Yeon Clan Head are very outstanding. It is said that the sword technique of the Judge Sword even parts the waves. They say he might even ascend to the Saintly Heaven Thirteen Seats in ten years.”
Myeong Cheon’s gaze instantly turned cold.
Saintly Heaven Thirteen Seats.
It was a term referring to the superhumans representing the current Murim.
People say: the highest golden age in the long history of Murim was during the Blood Cult Rebellion three hundred years ago.
The Murim of three hundred years ago was a period when invincible masters who could aim for the title of number one under heaven came out in droves. It was an era when as many as ten people existed who would undoubtedly be called the number one under heaven no matter what era they were born in.
However, as time passed, masters who were infinitely close to being absolute also began to emerge in the current Murim. The world referred to those masters as the Saintly Heaven Thirteen Seats.
The ten Divine Immortal Kings, and the three shining names referred to as the Three Lords.
Unfortunately, in the Nine States Myeong Clan, which was actually called the Number One Clan under Heaven, there was not yet a master who had placed their name on the Thirteen Holy Seats.
‘If my father were still alive…….’
The bloodline of the Myeong Clan all had short lifespans.
It was so even though they had not particularly caught a disease or fallen into Qi Deviation. People called the short lifespan of the Myeong Clan the family’s curse.
‘That is no curse. It is because of the martial arts.’
The martial arts of the Myeong Clan are not complete.
While they can be discussed as the best in the world, in order to produce that much power, they had to consume their life force. Thus, the Myeong Clan even brought in martial arts from beyond the borders to try and fix the problems.
Naturally, the problems were not easily fixed. The martial arts became stronger, but the lifespan remained short.
‘But it is fine now. If I can only regain the original source of our family’s martial arts……!’
Three hundred years ago, a single absolute invincible person appeared who far surpassed the superhumans who each boasted invincibility.
The Four Directions Martial Emperor.
That master, also called the Golden Dragon Emperor, was the possessor of martial arts that far surpassed the number one under heaven and could well be called the best of all time.
As it is an era that has already passed, it is difficult to gauge exactly how much the Four Directions Martial Emperor’s true skill was. However, storytellers did not hesitate to place the Four Directions Martial Emperor’s name even higher than Bodhidharma or the Heavenly Demon.
Myeong Cheon knew. He knew that the storytellers’ words were not mere empty talk.
The reason was that those who drove out the Blood Cult along with the Four Directions Martial Emperor were the ancestors of the Myeong Clan. And the person who passed on a bit of martial arts to those ancestors was the Four Directions Martial Emperor.
With just that small amount of martial arts, the Nine States Myeong Clan had grown this much. Myeong Cheon was convinced that the Four Directions Martial Emperor was the strongest martial artist in the history of Murim.
And thirteen years ago, he discovered the last will left behind by the first ancestor.
“Would it not be fine to test it?”
“Pardon?”
A sinister bloodlust rose on Myeong Cheon’s face.
“After regaining our martial arts, I think it would be fine to test how outstanding that martial arts is against the Yeon Clan.”