Monochrome Sovereign (Novel) - Chapter 7 - What Takes Precedence Over Family Law (1)
Chapter 7 – What Takes Precedence Over Family Law (1)
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Translated by Heavenly Cat
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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“…”
The air in the room was suffocatingly heavy.
It was an atmosphere where one felt they should not even breathe casually. Yeon Ji-pyeong glanced at his father and elder brother with anxious eyes.
“Gulp.”
The sound of swallowing saliva shook the air.
When about thirty minutes had passed like that, Yeon Wi finally opened his mouth.
“Explain.”
It was a simple word, cutting off everything before and after.
Yeon Ho-jeong spoke calmly.
“A quarrel broke out and we fought.”
“I never told you to summarize.”
It was a voice in which it was hard to read emotions.
And it was the same for Yeon Ho-jeong as well.
“A girl from the Namgung Clan picked a quarrel first. She told us to kneel. Since she even emitted killing intent, I thought it was not something to just let pass, so I struck them all down.”
“I heard that the child of the Yi Clan has a mangled face, and the daughter of the Namgung Clan has broken limbs.”
“That’s right.”
“Specifically, I heard the daughter of the Namgung Clan is still in a state where she cannot regain her senses. Due to severe internal and external injuries, she must recuperate for at least half a year.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“She won’t be able to think of touching this side again.”
Yeon Wi’s eyebrows twitched.
It was a slight change in expression. Because he could not know what it meant, Yeon Ji-pyeong became even more tense.
Yeon Wi opened his mouth again.
“No matter how much they picked a quarrel first, it is a big problem that two men beat up a single woman.”
“Two men?”
“Hmm?”
“I did it alone. Pyeong-ah did not step forward.”
Yeon Wi looked at Yeon Ji-pyeong.
“Is it true?”
“…Yes.”
He looked very tense, but at least he did not seem to be lying.
Yeon Wi was inwardly flustered.
‘Handling two people alone?’
He knew his first son’s skills well. He was not a child without talent, but he was not yet at a level to be called first-rate.
Even if the child of the Anhui Yi Clan could be handled like that, the daughter of the Namgung Clan Leader was different. If they had traded blows, it would be one thing, but it was hard to think he had the skill to overwhelm her without a scratch.
“You’re saying you truly handled the two of them alone.”
“To be precise, the Yi fellow stepped forward first so I struck him down, and after that, I taught the Namgung girl a lesson.”
“Taught her a lesson…”
Yeon Wi spoke with an even heavier voice.
“I do not wish for you two to become gentlemen. However, pay more attention to your usual words and actions. A rough heart makes one spit out rough words, and rough words determine your actions.”
“Is that so.”
“There is no greater loss than losing sufficient composure over a few words.”
Yeon Ho-jeong did not speak further.
This was not a place for debate, nor was it a place for injecting ideology. He was the Eldest Young Master of the Yeon Clan, but at the same time, he was the Master of the Dark Emperor Castle, the number one person of the Unorthodox Path. Naturally, he was bound to be far from the image of a martial artist that the clan pursued.
Crucially, he did not want to have a fight with his father. That was why Yeon Ho-jeong spared his words.
Looking at his eldest son who was silent, Yeon Wi spoke.
“Whatever the reason, the Namgung is a prestigious Murim family counted among the Seven Great Clans along with our main house. It is a big problem that the descendants of two families fought to the point of seeing blood. I think you know as well.”
It was a subtle reproach. It meant that even if he had to avoid that spot, he should not have engaged in a fight.
Yeon Ho-jeong tilted his head.
“Is our main house truly one of the Seven Great Clans?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“That girl didn’t recognize our main house as one of the Seven Great Clans.”
Yeon Wi’s gaze changed.
However, his voice was no different from before.
“It is merely the immature remark of an unripened child. What is the difference between judging that as the will of the entire Namgung Clan and being triumphant saying you know ten from seeing one?”
“I do not have a complaint with the Namgung Clan.”
“Then?”
“What’s important is the situation, and who is at fault.”
“Are you telling me to face the essence?”
“That’s right.”
“The essence is always important. Similarly, distinguishing between right and wrong, and the resulting reward and punishment are also important. However, the world is not that simple. Especially when the opponent’s strength is strong, one must be even more cautious.”
“I know.”
“If you know, you should not have acted as such.”
This time too, Yeon Ho-jeong kept his mouth shut.
There were many words he could say. He had faced the lowliness and horror of the Black Path countless times while living in the back alleys, but at the same time, he could also observe the double-sidedness and frustration of the Orthodox Path.
However, if this was the law of the Yeon Clan and his father’s thought, there were no more words to say.
Looking at his two sons with an indifferent eye, Yeon Wi opened his mouth.
“Whether to give a reward or a punishment, I will decide after seeing how the situation flows.”
“…”
“Return to your respective residences and reflect.”
At the ominous words, Yeon Ji-pyeong’s face turned white.
His father had never once ordered them to reflect until now. His father’s eyes were always clear like a judge, and he was someone who made choices and judgments as resolutely as a blade.
Such a person tells them to reflect. Yeon Ji-pyeong felt the situation was more ominous than he had thought.
“Father.”
“Speak.”
“That… perhaps the reason the fight broke out was because of me. If I had blocked it in advance…”
“The event has occurred, and people are injured. And the one who injured the people is not you but your brother.”
“F-Father!”
“Return to your residence and reflect.”
“Please just wait, my words a bit more…!”
Yeon Wi’s eyebrows twitched. Yeon Ji-pyeong’s mouth closed on its own.
At that moment, Yeon Ho-jeong stood up.
“Then, we will be going. Pyeong-ah, let’s go.”
In the end, Yeon Ji-pyeong also had to stand up.
Coming out of the Clan Leader’s office and on the way back to the residence.
Yeon Ji-pyeong hung his head deeply.
“I’m sorry, elder brother.”
“Hmm?”
“Such a thing happened because of me unnecessarily. If I had just had a meal with elder brother at the residence…”
“Ji-pyeong.”
“Yes?”
“It’s not something for an elder brother who caused an accident to say, but there’s something I hope you keep in mind.”
“What is it?”
“In the world, there’s no such thing as ‘what if’.”
Yeon Ji-pyeong’s eyes shook.
“In all events that occur in this world, there is cause and effect. However, the one who makes that cause and effect is ultimately a person. It was you who said let’s go to Goyang Tower, but it was I who used my hands.”
“…”
“Ultimately, the result is what’s important.”
“But.”
“Let me ask you one thing. If I hadn’t used my hands, would you have used yours?”
After thinking for a moment, Yeon Ji-pyeong nodded his head.
“Yes, I think I would have.”
It was an answer that came after a short but serious contemplation. Yeon Ho-jeong knew Yeon Ji-pyeong’s sincerity.
“But the reality is different. Before you could use your hands, I had already smashed the two of them.”
“…”
“If you’re going to question your guilt by following ‘what ifs’, even the ancestors who brought the Yeon Clan into the world must be criticized. Is that what you want?”
“N-No! There’s no way it’s like that!”
“I know. That’s why the assumption of ‘what if’ is meaningless.”
“Even so…”
Yeon Ji-pyeong, who bit his lip firmly, shouted while clenching his fists.
“If elder brother receives a punishment, I will also receive it together! I will definitely tell father so!”
Yeon Ho-jeong smiled and stroked his head.
Yeon Ji-pyeong was startled.
“Uwaaa! M-My hair is getting messy!”
“You fellow, where in the world is a parent who punishes an innocent child?”
“Sniff. But.”
“Don’t think of useless things and go back to your residence now. You must have been surprised in various ways, so sleep well.”
Yeon Ji-pyeong shook Yeon Ho-jeong’s sleeve.
“Elder brother too. Okay?”
“Don’t worry, you brat.”
As if his feet would not move, Yeon Ji-pyeong hesitated several times, but eventually hung his head and headed for his residence.
Standing in that spot and looking at Yeon Ji-pyeong’s back, Yeon Ho-jeong muttered softly.
“Perhaps it’s natural he’s that anxious. I was like that too.”
No matter how deep the love is, if you don’t express it, one won’t know.
It was a pity, but his father was not the type to reveal emotions outwardly. Rather, he put forward stricter laws to blood relatives and taught to value family rules.
It did not matter to him, but he hoped he would become a little softer toward Pyeong-ah.
Yeon Ho-jeong grumbled lowly.
“Anyway, what about the Jade Gauze True Formula? Is it okay to learn it now? I think I’ll be scolded harshly.”
* * *
At a time past midnight.
A powerful aura rose from outside the main gate of the Yeon Clan.
“Clan Leader!”
A voice that rang loudly pierced the main gate and vibrated throughout the entire outer court.
“You fellows! Open the gate! Bring the Clan Leader right now!”
“Who are you?”
“What? Are you fellows asking me who I am now? Fine! I’ll tell you!”
Thud!
An impact accompanied by a roar shook the South Gate of the outer court.
Crack! Thud!
One side of the gate fell as it was.
The large gate, which was ten feet high and more than half a foot thick, was broken in a single strike. In the center of the broken gate, a large human palm print was deeply engraved.
“What kind of act is this?”
“Shut up! I am a person named Namgung Dae-san! Bring the Clan Leader right now!”
“No matter if you are the Namgung Clan, how can you commit such a lawless act!”
“Lawless? Ha! You speak well! Then what is this clan that protects a truly lawless fellow saying he is their child! Is it not no different from a group of scoundrels!”
“What kind of insult is that?!”
Tadadak!
At that moment, dozens of warriors flocked to the broken South Gate.
They were the Iron Wall Guards who defended the outer court of the Yeon Clan. Their martial arts, mainly tasked with protection and security, were each not lacking in being called first-rate.
“Are these things now going to come out in earnest?!”
“I will no longer tolerate…!”
“Get out of the way!”
Thump!
The man who pushed aside the gatekeeper of the South Gate and entered was a middle-aged man with a build as large as a mountain.
With a height reaching almost seven feet, he wore a greatsword more than three or four times the size of any other longsword on his back.
The eyes of the Iron Wall Guards flashed.
The large-built swordsman truly emitted a rare aura. The energy that would have been vigorous originally was rising like waves due to anger.
He was precisely Namgung Dae-san. The person who had contacted saying he would stop by at noon today had suddenly broken the main gate and intruded.
“Clan Leader! Clan Leader, come out right now! I am Namgung…!”
“I’ve already come.”
Namgung Dae-san looked toward the warehouse of the building on the left.
A middle-aged man was walking through the small path next to the warehouse. A man who looked like a stubborn scholar at a glance, he was precisely Yeon Wi.
Namgung Dae-san’s face was distorted.
“Clan Leader! How can this be?!”
“Those are the words I want to say.”
“What?!”
Yeon Wi emitted a cold light from his eyes.
Upon that gaze, Namgung Dae-san flinched without realizing it.
“Our main house receives guests, but does not receive ruffians. How can a person who is the Master of the Outer Hall of the number one Anhui Namgung Clan commit such an act?”
Calm and cold. Yeon Wi’s voice and tone were extremely contrastive to Namgung Dae-san’s fiery atmosphere.
Namgung Dae-san gnashed his teeth.
Even he, who was called the most hot-tempered in the Namgung Clan, dared not even spit out curses in front of Yeon Wi.
“I won’t say many words! I believe the Clan Leader has also heard all the circumstances!”
“What circumstances are you talking about?”
“Are you pretending not to know while knowing? The Clan Leader’s children treated the daughter of our Clan Leader…!”
“You mean the incident where your family’s ill-mannered girl not only mocked our main house but also tried to kill my children.”
Namgung Dae-san’s mouth hung open.
“W-What?!”
Would it be like this if frost sat on a thousand-year-old giant rock?
Yeon Wi spoke in a tone that was cut short.
“In any case, I wanted to properly question it.”