Monochrome Sovereign (Novel) - Chapter 70 - There May Be Opponents, but There Is No Absolute (5)

Chapter 70 – There May Be Opponents, but There Is No Absolute (5)

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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The light green liquid filling the cup was extremely beautiful.

“I’ve named it the Green Shade Liquor. You know it, right? The alcohol Father enjoyed brewing.”

“…”

“Why he never gave a name to such a fine liquor… when I think about it, it’s just puzzling.”

“…”

“Would you like a drink?”

“Yes.”

Myeong Cheon filled Myeong Wu-san’s cup.

“Look here, Wu-san.”

Myeong Wu-san flinched.

It had been a truly long time since Myeong Cheon had called him by his name.

Myeong Cheon was a person who always tried to maintain a distinction between public and private matters. In fact, although results didn’t come out as much as he put in effort, he usually did not call someone by their name in public.

However, now, he had broken that custom.

“Yes, brother.”

“In my view, there’s nothing you’ve done wrong. It was all my mistake.”

“…”

“Furthermore, you tried to stop my mistake somehow. If I had followed your words, there wouldn’t have been a needless waste of troops.”

“…Not at all.”

Myeong Cheon drained his cup.

Myeong Wu-san could not bring himself to drink.

“It’s all my fault. Whether people in the household are hurt, struck by lightning while walking on the street, or accidentally fall into a river and die, it’s all the responsibility of the clan head.”

“…”

“However, the one who shares that heavy burden of the clan head is the position of Chief Steward.”

“Yes, yes.”

“The reason I seated you, who is from a branch family and not the direct line, in the Chief Steward position was for no other reason. Ability? Frankly speaking, there were many people in the direct line with as much ability as you.”

“…”

“I liked your sense of responsibility. And I liked your ideology. Even if the entire leadership of the family dies, the dignity of the clan head must not be compromised. I felt your sincerity from those words. That is why I entrusted you with the Chief Steward position.”

Myeong Cheon picked up the liquor bottle.

“I am the person who gave the title of Chief Steward to a man who was just Myeong Wu-san from a branch family.”

“…I am ashamed.”

“Of what?”

“…”

“What fault could you have? I am the one who seated you in the Chief Steward position. If there is a fault, it lies with me.”

Myeong Wu-san’s complexion turned pale.

Myeong Cheon’s face gradually became colder.

“However, this is a bit of a problem.”

“…”

“The number of people harboring doubts about the correlation between the Blue Wolf Ghosts and our family has suddenly increased. Even though no force besides the Murong Clan knew that the Blue Wolf Ghosts belonged to us.”

“…”

“The eldest son of the Yeon Clan? Right, he might be an unparalleled genius. He is an incredible fellow for having wiped out the Blue Wolf Ghosts alone. Right, that could be the case, but…”

Crash! Clang!

The table broke, and the liquor bottle and cup fell to the floor. The bottle and cup that fell on the floor shattered into pieces.

“Why were you unable to stop this rumor?”

“…”

“Your brother is asking. Why couldn’t you stop it?”

“…I am sorry.”

Myeong Cheon’s face turned red.

He swung a ceramic vase placed by the window.

Crash!

Myeong Wu-san’s head was instantly stained with blood.

He had not blocked the damage with internal energy. Myeong Wu-san felt his vision spin for a moment. However, he gritted his teeth and did not fall over.

“Even rumors have such a thing as taking the initiative. Don’t tell me you were just at ease without any preparation? Did you, the Chief Steward, not even consider the slightest possibility of the Blue Wolf Ghosts being defeated by Yeon Ho-jeong!!”

It was like a tiger’s roar. Myeong Wu-san felt his mind become dazed.

‘Urgh.’

It was a terrifying internal power.

Myeong Cheon had also begun practicing the ancestors’ martial arts a few days ago. It was because there had been no side effects in those who practiced that martial art.

In those few days, the quantity and quality of his internal energy had risen significantly. He was emitting a perfect aura as if he had found a missing piece.

Drip.

Blood flowed from Myeong Wu-san’s nose. His nasal mucosa had been damaged by the shockwave emanating from the voice.

“What exactly have you been doing until now? Instead of just saying you’re sorry, tell me what you’ve done!”

“I…”

Myeong Wu-san bit his lip.

“I was looking for the Hidden Death Squad.”

Myeong Cheon’s eyes flared like fire.

“Why? Because of that daughter of yours?!”

“…I will not speak a lie. Of course, it’s partly because of my daughter, but it’s also because it would be a huge problem if they are being held captive.”

“Ha! Why? Did you think the Hidden Death Squad would recite the secrets of the family one after another?”

“No, it’s not that! The members of the Hidden Death Squad are not ones to leak secrets even if they lay down their lives!”

“Then!”

“If Yeon Ho-jeong appears with the Hidden Death Squad, it becomes as clear as day that we tried to kill him. That is why I was searching.”

Myeong Cheon’s eyes deepened.

It seemed he hadn’t just been playing around without any thought.

“So, the whereabouts of the Hidden Death Squad?”

“I haven’t… found them yet.”

“Exquisite.”

“B-but! I was able to find out who intervened! I’ve even secured evidence!”

Myeong Cheon’s eyes shone.

“Evidence?”

“Y-yes! The Beggars’ Gang intervened! It’s certain!”

“I also know that the Beggars’ Gang intervened. The question is what we can do even with that evidence.”

“We can pressure them.”

“Where? Don’t tell me the Beggars’ Gang?”

Myeong Wu-san licked his lips. His dry lips were cracked.

“That’s right. The Beggars’ Gang is a large sect that puts forth chivalry as its banner. To them, chivalry is the number one value. However, isn’t what those fellows did no different from kidnapping and detention?”

Myeong Cheon frowned.

“Do you think you can shake those fellows with just that kind of malicious rumor?”

“It’s not about shaking them, but about shaking public opinion.”

“Public opinion?”

“Yes. The fact that they detained the Hidden Death Squad is ultimately evidence that they committed all this together with the Yeon Clan.”

“Hmm.”

“No matter the method, it’s fine as long as the result is good? No. The Orthodox Murim is absolutely not operated in that way. The Beggars’ Gang’s handling of the matter, having suffered a fatal blow to its reputation, will surely betray the trust of many.”

Myeong Wu-san’s eyes shone.

“Contact the Dragon Head Chief. Tell him to stop at an appropriate line unless he intends to die together. Between our family and the Yeon Clan, the Dragon Head Chief would not be unaware of which side would be easier to handle.”

It was true.

It was true, but it was insufficient. Even if this scheme worked, a problem still remained.

“In the end, it’s like admitting that we possessed the Blue Wolf Ghosts and others. In time, the Beggars’ Gang will dig into us.”

“Don’t we have a reliable ally?”

“Murong?”

“Yes. The influence of the Murong Clan contests for the top spot among the Seven Great Clans, excluding our family. Unless he intends to turn the Orthodox Murim into a shambles, even the Dragon Head Chief would not dare to think of meddling in this game.”

Myeong Cheon scoffed.

“Right, it would be great if it goes according to your thoughts. In the end, it’s all just words. For the situation to flow according to your intention, an even more certain weapon is needed.”

Something that could shake public opinion, not martial force.

Something shocking enough to erase the incident related to Yeon Ho-jeong from people’s minds was needed.

It was then that Myeong Wu-san’s eyes shone.

“Frame him.”

“Frame him? For what?”

“Instead of making them forget the incident related to Yeon Ho-jeong, wouldn’t it be enough to make him a villain altogether?”

This was interesting.

Myeong Cheon inwardly smiled. As expected, a person’s true value comes out when they are pushed. Myeong Wu-san was the same.

“If it goes well, we can suppress not only Yeon Ho-jeong and the Yeon Clan but even the Beggars’ Gang.”

“How?”

“Contact the Gojian Gang in Jiangsu Province and have them find out about various serious crimes like murder cases that occurred within the last five years. We just need to pin the culprit of the unsolved cases among them on Yeon Ho-jeong.”

It was an seductive opinion.

Myeong Cheon asked subtly.

“But there is no evidence?”

“It doesn’t matter. As everyone knows, the warriors of our family are all hot-blooded. If we simply say we were planning to capture Yeon Ho-jeong first and then exercise the Great Meeting Rights to interrogate him, all the incidents until now will be buried.”

A pleasant smile finally appeared on Myeong Cheon’s face.

“That’s good. Very good.”

Even if it was later revealed not to be true, it didn’t matter. The power of the Myeong Clan was enough to gloss over that much.

If it went well, they might even gain the support of the commoners living in Jiangsu. It was a brilliant scheme where they could gain more by accepting a small loss.

In the end, it was about justification. As long as they held onto one strong justification, they could just crush the remaining minor things with the actual power the family possessed.

That was the way the Myeong Clan had grown, and the way numerous sects had grown until now.

At least in the Orthodox Murim, the turned sects were like that.

“There’s no such thing as a dead end. Right, if you had done that from the start, how good would it have been?”

“I am ashamed.”

“It’s fine. With the scheme you just thought of, all your past mistakes have been nullified.”

“Thank you.”

“We’ll have to bear the Blue Wolf Ghosts matter ourselves, won’t we?”

“That can’t be helped. Just say we were holding them under the pretext of reform for villains.”

“Fine, let’s do that. We’re short on time. Hurry.”

“Understood.”

“Ah, and Chief Steward.”

“Please speak.”

A murderous intent appeared in Myeong Cheon’s eyes.

“Since we’ve created a plausible justification, shouldn’t we truly bring Yeon Ho-jeong this time?”

“…Yes. Who do you plan to send?”

“He’s a guy who defeated seventy Blue Wolf Ghosts. We can no longer think of him as just a rising star.”

Myeong Cheon lifted his chin.

“Send Myeong Chi-san’s half-brothers.”

Myeong Wu-san’s eyes widened.

“Aren’t they the ones to be used as the vanguard to eliminate the Yeon Clan?”

“Isn’t that guy Yeon Ho-jeong part of the Yeon Clan?”

“…”

“Send them.”

“Understood.”

Myeong Wu-san’s face brightened as he left the Clan Head’s room.

His expression was a mix of the pleasure of surviving and the relief of being able to catch Yeon Ho-jeong this time.

Because at least those three he knew were the strongest experts among the branch families.

Those three should be able to easily capture even the head of one of the Seven Great Clans. Furthermore, they were the first to practice the martial arts of the ancestors.

The chance of victory was one hundred percent.

* * *

Wooooong.

Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes shone.

‘It’s done.’

Ten days ago, the internal and external injuries he had gained from the bloodbath with the Blue Wolf Ghosts had been washed away as if they were never there.

It was the result of operating all of the Jade Gauze True Formula, which is said to be the most stable among the Five Great Divine Arts of the Yeon Clan, as well as the White Tiger Qi and the Black Tortoise Qi. If he hadn’t practiced the Four Gods Martial Arts, recovery would have taken more than twenty days.

He picked up his axe and left the room.

‘Hmm?’

Yeon Ho-jeong looked down at his own hand holding the handle.

‘It’s good.’

Everything from the muscles of his entire body to his nerves and joints had become better than before.

The Four Gods Martial Arts is a martial art for the battlefield. The more one fights, the more growth gains momentum. Why else would it be said that one increases the Four Gods Qi with the enemy’s murderous intent?

In a short moment, he had fought countless life-or-death battles where blood and flesh flew. Those battles had increased the power of the White Tiger Qi and the Black Tortoise Qi and further developed his body.

‘It means there’s no choice but to fight to the death to become stronger. I think I finally understand why my master despised the Four Gods Martial Arts.’

It was then that he came out of the room and into the open space of the manor.

“Young Master Yeon!”

Ga Deuk-sang ran from far away.

Yeon Ho-jeong smiled.

“You come as if you were waiting for my body to fully heal. What…”

Yeon Ho-jeong was unable to continue. It was because he read urgency from Ga Deuk-sang’s face.

“It’s a disaster!”

“What happened?”

“The Myeong Clan has identified Young Master Yeon as the culprit of unsolved crimes in Jiangsu Province!”

“What?”

Ga Deuk-sang informed him in detail about the rumors spread by the Myeong Clan.

“Right now, Zhengzhou and the Kaifeng area are in an uproar! The speed at which the rumor is spreading is also no joke! The rumors we spread are being buried all at once!”

“They are creating a justification.”

“W-what?”

Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes turned cold.

“They are creating a justification. Since they can’t erase this incident, they made me into a villain to create a reason for dispatching troops.”

“Dammit! Who doesn’t know that? The problem is the speed at which the rumor is spreading! At this rate, within three or four days, the whole of Henan…!”

“They are digging their own grave.”

“…Eh?”

Yeon Ho-jeong grinned.

“The justification they forced out also becomes a justification for us.”

“W-what do you mean?”

Yeon Ho-jeong looked back.

Shin Mo was approaching from far away.

“Squad Leader Shin. Are the Goshawk Squad members’ physical conditions alright?”

“Pardon? Ah! Of course.”

“Good, have them ready to move within two days.”

Yeon Ho-jeong slung his axe over his shoulder.

“Let’s go see the face of the Myeong Clan Head.”