Monochrome Sovereign (Novel) - Chapter 88 - The Wind Does Not Stop (6)
Chapter 88 – The Wind Does Not Stop (6)
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Translated by Heavenly Cat
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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Two days later.
“Oh, you have come?”
“We meet again like this.”
“Haha, indeed.”
Murong Jun was as usual.
Despite the hot summer, he wore luxurious clothes that completely covered his sleeves and legs. After all, since the realm he achieved was so great, he wouldn’t be affected by the cold or heat.
Yeon Ho-jeong looked at the table. On the table, five or six kinds of newly made food were laid out. Every single one was an expensive and magnificent dish.
Murong Jun pointed to a chair.
“Sit there.”
“I shall.”
Yeon Ho-jeong, seated, looked around.
“By the way, did you not come with your daughter today?”
“Yeon-hwa? That child is at the main family. Unlike you, she is a child who still has much to learn.”
Yeon Ho-jeong smiled.
“I do not know about her martial arts, but her resourcefulness seemed outstanding.”
“Haha, did it look that way even to your eyes?”
Of course.
Murong Yeon-hwa during the time of the Dark Emperor was a heroine who displayed resourcefulness that was not lacking even when compared to the current Murong Jun. In fact, thanks to the strategies she presented, the forces of the Evil Lust Cult also suffered significant damage.
Of course, Dark Emperor Castle also suffered losses unknowingly.
“If well-refined, it seems she will gain fame as a precious sword of the world.”
“How good would it be if that were so. In fact, if that child were a boy, I might have made her the Young Clan Leader in the near future.”
“That’s unexpected.”
“Hmm? What is?”
“I know how you ascended to that position, Clan Head. Because you are such a person, I thought you wouldn’t distinguish between genders, let alone bloodlines.”
Murong Jun smiled. He was told that he knew how he became the Clan Head. Despite the significance implied in those words, he was not shaken at all.
“I do not care. However, the world is not like that. If a girl becomes the Clan Head, many people will point fingers at our family.”
“Is that so.”
“The position of Clan Head is not a seat that can be ascended to by ability alone. Martial arts, resourcefulness, and character are all important. However, only in the case of a man.”
“…….”
“A talent suitable for the era is also necessary. I see gender also as a part of talent. It is the most regrettable talent that Yeon-hwa was not born with.”
It was a lie. Murong Jun after he became the Leader of the Murim Alliance, he handed over the family to Murong Yeon-hwa.
To be precise, even until then, he had not let go of the position of Clan Head. He had only put Murong Yeon-hwa forward as the acting Clan Head.
And before the Battle of Mount Heng occurred, he gave the position of Clan Head to Murong Yeon-hwa and faced the final battle.
Did his heart weaken because it was a fight where tomorrow could not be promised? Not at all. That battle was one with a high winning rate. He probably didn’t think he would die.
‘He is keeping me in check.’
That was right. Now, he might not have any intention of handing over the position of Clan Head to Murong Yeon-hwa. However, Murong Jun was not a person who thought of gender as a talent.
He was merely putting his opponent at ease. That she is an outstanding child but unfortunately cannot become the Clan Head. That since she is a daughter to be married off, there is no need to worry much.
‘It’s different from before. He’s paying a bit more attention.’
After going through the series of events that buried the Myeong Clan, the wariness toward him had increased.
That’s why he was hiding it. Even down to trivial matters.
‘I must focus on today’s conversation.’
Murong Jun picked up the wine bottle.
“Has your body all healed?”
“It is clean.”
“Haha, it seems youth is indeed good. To have suffered such a large wound and yet already recover? You surprise me in many ways.”
This was sincere. Murong Jun was purely surprised by Yeon Ho-jeong’s recovery power.
Yeon Ho-jeong smiled bitterly as he raised his glass.
“I am still far, far from it.”
“Do not say such words anywhere. You will be cursed. Well, people won’t be able to curse you easily either. Are you not the hot-blooded youth who cut out the rotten pus of the Orthodox Murim?”
Yeon Ho-jeong grimaced.
“I do not know how tired I am because of that.”
People see the results, not the process. If Yeon Ho-jeong had been the one defeated instead of the Myeong Clan, Yeon Ho-jeong would have carved his name in history as the world’s greatest villain then and there.
However, the Myeong Clan collapsed, and Yeon Ho-jeong survived. Only then did people begin to see the process. Why Yeon Ho-jeong challenged the Myeong Clan alone, and in what way he dealt with them.
And so, the three characters of the name Yeon Ho-jeong were firmly stuck in the heads of the martial artists living in this era.
“It can be tiring. But accept it. If you pay attention to every single gaze of people, you will end up unable to do what you must do.”
A cool aura lingered in Yeon Ho-jeong’s smile.
“I am experiencing it.”
And, I will experience it once more because of you.
“Let’s have a drink.”
The two emptied their glasses refreshingly.
“By the way, for what matter did you call me?”
“This fellow? Haha, did you and I not join hands to bring down the Myeong Clan? You should know what kind of punishment the Myeong Clan will receive before you go.”
“I do not want to care even about the cleanup.”
“Are you of a personality that doesn’t care about the flesh left on a chicken bone you’ve eaten?”
“I do not leave any flesh in the first place.”
Murong Jun shook his head.
“You are thinking wrongly. The Myeong Clan is a power that has lived carrying the four characters of ‘Number One Under Heaven’ for a long time. Since they’ve been branded as Public Enemies of the Murim, the ones who fled won’t even be able to boast anywhere, but at the very least, it’s proper to watch them for several years.”
Murong Jun would not know. Why Yeon Ho-jeong said such words. Even if their Dantians are destroyed, the fake Four Gods’ energy they learned remains in their bodies. And that energy will stay in one of the heart, liver, lungs, or kidneys depending on the characteristics of the true energy, continuously damaging the body.
If branded as a Public Enemy of the Murim, the minimum is ten years in prison. None of them would be able to complete a ten-year prison term.
“Well, the high-ranking people of the Murim will surely take care of that on their own.”
Murong Jun smiled. He knew that Yeon Ho-jeong was sincerely not interested in that part. At the same time, he was urging him to state the real reason he called him.
‘He is a sharp fellow.’
The more he saw him, the more he coveted him.
And a sense of wariness arose. Because the more they talked, the more the thought occurred that he was not a man who would be subordinated to him.
“You are truly a great person.”
“You flatter me.”
“Fine. Since you are staring and glaring like that, I should get to the main point even if out of fear.”
Murong Jun continued as he filled his glass.
“Do you know of the Huainan Demon?”
“I do not know.”
“Hmm, I forgot. He was called by a more famous nickname.”
“……?”
“How about the Anhui Blood Bow?”
At that moment, Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes flashed. Murong Jun smiled.
“It seems you know.”
Of course I know.
‘To think I would hear that name here.’
Anhui Blood Bow. The first time he heard that name was during the period when he was sweeping through the Unorthodox Murim.
It was a name he hadn’t heard before his family was destroyed. It was a time when he had no interest in the world in the first place. Since he didn’t even know of the Zhuge Clan’s Small Heavenly Mystery Elixir, how much more so would that be.
However, after the destruction of his family, when he learned martial arts from his master and swept through the Unorthodox Murim, he could hear the notoriety of the Anhui Blood Bow.
That wasn’t all. He had even met the Anhui Blood Bow and had even exchanged blows.
And later, when he established Dark Emperor Castle, Yeon Ho-jeong set him as the head of the Five Great Divine Generals, the strongest vanguards of Dark Emperor Castle.
‘Muk Bi!’
Anhui Blood Bow, no, Divine Archer Muk Bi.
The World’s Number One Bow who had refined archery to the limit, which is difficult to achieve greatness in and not commonly used in the Murim.
He was a Grim Reaper who was a marksman with a hundred shots and a hundred hits, and who had spread his notoriety with monster-like skills enough to achieve a draw even when competing with other Five Great Divine Generals with bare hands.
Why is that name, that nickname, jumping out of Murong Jun’s mouth now?
“Anhui Blood Bow, I shall call him Blood Bow for convenience. Blood Bow began to spread his notoriety to the world because of the Blood Incident he caused in Huainan, Anhui, five years ago.”
“…….”
“He destroyed a sect called the Golden Sword Sect located in Huainan all by himself. Do you know the Golden Sword Sect?”
“…I do not know.”
“Hmm, the Golden Sword Sect was a sect that enjoyed quite a reputation in northern Anhui. Its martial power was considerable, and especially, as its name Golden Sword suggests, its financial power was said to be great.”
“…….”
“The Golden Sword Sect was a sect that knew the Way of Chivalry and Righteousness. With their outstanding financial power, they opened their granaries every time there was a famine and fed the common people. When the Golden Sword Sect was destroyed, all the people in the northern tip of Anhui beat the ground and wailed, perhaps?”
“…….”
“Naturally, the Anhui Murim was also in an uproar. There was a commotion to catch and kill Blood Bow immediately.”
“I see.”
“But Blood Bow disappeared without a trace. Although professional trackers and investigators were dispatched, they couldn’t find a single footprint of his.”
Of course. An archer had to have outstanding movement techniques to demonstrate proper skills. An archer is one who drives the enemy away by opening distance and through constant checks and shooting.
‘That gentleman, his movement technique was certainly enough to discuss as the world’s number one.’
To Muk Bi, besides the nickname of Divine Archer, there was also the notoriety of Ghostly Wraith. This was because once he started moving, he could neither be seen nor caught.
“Recently, he appeared on Bagong Mountain in Anhui.”
Bagong Mountain was a mountain stretching south of Huaihe, in Huainan. Murong Jun frowned.
“The reason is unknown. Whether it is a so-called malicious reason, wishing to see the site of the sect he destroyed again, or some other reason, I do not know. The important thing is that he has been settled there for quite a long time.”
“Probably not many people know.”
“You saw well. If that rumor spreads, Blood Bow might flee, might he not? Information is being strictly controlled.”
Yeon Ho-jeong tried to calm his heart while drinking.
“But why are you mentioning this fellow, the Anhui Blood Bow?”
“Myeong Heo-rim.”
“……?”
“They say the eldest son bastard of the Myeong Clan who fled has headed for Anhui. But the place he is fleeing to happens to be Bagong Mountain.”
Yeon Ho-jeong frowned.
“Is it a coincidence?”
“It can only be seen as a coincidence. I also heard it from the fellow named Myeong Wu-san, who was the Chief Steward of the Myeong Clan.”
A coincidence… could this truly be a coincidence?
“It is said that the Myeong Clan has established secret hideouts throughout the Central Plains. They can be seen as places like safe houses for assassins.”
“Isn’t that the same for other Seven Great Clans?”
Murong Jun scratched his cheek.
“Well, yes. Although perhaps not as much as the Myeong Clan.”
“Then you mean there is a Myeong Clan safe house on Bagong Mountain?”
“That is so. It was said there is one in Henan as well, but currently in Henan, countless martial artists are catching the martial artists of the Myeong Clan who fled. It was said that the closest place except for Henan is Bagong Mountain.”
Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes turned cool. Murong Jun’s smile deepened.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Please speak honestly. Are you pushing for the establishment of the Murim Alliance?”
Murong Jun felt a shudder before admiration.
‘What a ghost-like fellow.’
He skipped several steps of conversation and brought up words he hadn’t even thought of. The problem was that those words were correct. It would be known soon, but for now, it was a fact known only to the leaders who attended the grand conference.
“…That is correct.”
“I hope you are not thinking of celebrating the opening of the new Murim Alliance using the head of the Myeong Clan’s Eldest Young Master, Myeong Heo-rim, as a toast?”
Murong Jun burst into a hollow laugh.
“Do you think we are some Unorthodox Path nobodies? You say such terrible things easily.”
“…….”
“Yes, just as you said, the Murim Alliance will soon be established. You know that my dream is to be the Leader of the Murim Alliance, right?”
“Are you planning to push for it in earnest using this Myeong Clan situation as a pretext?”
“Hahaha.”
Yeon Ho-jeong nodded his head.
“I see.”
Although he didn’t show it outwardly, Yeon Ho-jeong was inwardly cheering.
‘Good.’
He couldn’t place a person in a place with no organization or position.
He thought of Murong Yu. A chivalrous man who would suit the position of Murim Alliance Leader more than anyone.
‘If the Murim Alliance is formed at this opportunity, it’s good for me. It worked out well.’
Unlike Yeon Ho-jeong who was cheering, Murong Jun’s heart was as cold as a sheet of ice.
‘This won’t do. After this matter is over, I must do something about him. He is too dangerous, this fellow.’
Yeon Ho-jeong asked.
“By telling me this important information, do you mean you want to join hands with me once again?”
Murong Jun smiled broadly. His two eyes were not smiling.
“That is correct.”
“I will ask straightforwardly. What can I obtain?”
As expected, this fellow is of the same kind as me. Murong Jun, hiding his inner thoughts, pulled out a document.
“What is that?”
“It’s a permit.”
“A permit?”
“Everything of a family declared as a Public Enemy of the Murim belongs to the Murim Alliance. Property, martial arts books, and even the spirit medicines they possessed.”
“……?”
“If you catch and bring Myeong Heo-rim, I will allow you to read the martial arts books of the Myeong Clan. This is precisely the permit that makes that possible.”
Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes flashed.
“Of course, it can be replaced with something else. That can be replaced with what you need when that time comes.”
“…….”
“What will you do? Will you try to catch Myeong Heo-rim?”
“Before that, I will ask one thing.”
“Speak.”
“Why me?”
Murong Jun smiled broadly once more.
“The young tiger of Jiangdong. The extraordinary man of the era who fought against the Number One Family Under Heaven alone for his family. Little Conqueror or the Reincarnation of Lu Xun.”
“…….”
“Those are all words that describe you. You have sufficiently proven your own abilities to the Orthodox Murim. Needless to say to me.”
“…….”
“You also must have ambitions. Shouldn’t we shake off all the remnants of the past and grow while helping each other if there is something to help with?”
Yeon Ho-jeong, who was looking at Murong Jun with transparent eyes, smiled for an instant.
“Would you like a drink?”
It was an acceptance. Murong Jun laughed loudly.
“As expected, you are bold. I knew you would accept. Here, you take a drink as well.”
The two burst into laughter as they shared their drinks. In the gazes they exchanged, a deep sense of kinship and even goodwill could be glimpsed.
But both knew. That the appearances they showed each other were thorough acting and lies.
In this way, another incident punctuated by ties and ill fate came to find Yeon Ho-jeong.