Myst, Might, Mayhem (Novel) - Chapter 182 - Jang Neung-ak (5)
Chapter 182 – Jang Neung-ak (5)
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Translated by Jinmu
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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“This is not a proposal. I am ordering you to do it.”
‘!!!!!!’
In an instant everyone’s expressions stiffened.
Just a moment ago, the atmosphere had seemed as if things were proceeding smoothly.
Yet all of that changed in a single instant.
‘What in the world is this bastard?’
‘What is he saying right now…’
That went not only for Jang Neung-ak, the Society Leader’s second disciple, but for his close aides as well.
For a moment they even thought they might have heard wrong.
But the instant they saw Mok Gyeong-un wearing a smile filled with malice, they realized their ears had not deceived them.
Though it lasted only a brief moment, the silence felt incomparably long.
If someone else had said such a thing, then in that very instant someone would have drawn sword or saber and cut off his head on the spot.
But by a strange twist of fate, the opponent was a master who had crossed the wall and reached the realm of transformation.
Once they became conscious of that,
-Drip.
Among them, someone had become so extremely tense that cold sweat was even running down.
How in the world were they supposed to take this situation?
No, what were they even supposed to say?
In the midst of a situation so chaotic it was confusing in itself, the one who broke that silence was Jeo Mo-pal, the Fifth Sacred Mountain of the Five Peaks Assembly.
“You bastard!!!!”
His voice and eyes were filled with rage.
While everyone else was thinking about the situation itself, Jeo Mo-pal, who felt only anger that his lord had been insulted, was able to show a more direct reaction than the others.
‘Ah!’
At his booming voice, everyone came back to their senses for an instant.
Not caring about them, Jeo Mo-pal shouted,
“If you were not truly insane, how could you dare threaten my lord like that!”
His shout was so loud that it made the ears ache.
Mok Gyeong-un smiled and said in a low voice,
“I know you are angry, but lower your voice a little. It is stinging my ears.”
“What? Lower my voice? You…”
“For the sake of Young Master’s face, I will warn you one last time. Lower your voice.”
“I will…”
-Flinch!
In that instant Jeo Mo-pal could not continue speaking.
‘Th… this…’
Even both of his cheeks began trembling.
That was because of the killing intent he had felt in the instant his eyes met Mok Gyeong-un’s.
Though it lasted only a moment, in Jeo Mo-pal’s head he instantly saw a vision of Mok Gyeong-un cutting off his neck.
-Shiver!
‘…’
Once he imagined that, his mouth would not open easily.
Seeing Jeo Mo-pal like that, Ho Jong-hyeok, the true First Sacred Mountain, clicked his tongue inwardly.
His father had told him that once one became a master in the realm of transformation after crossing the wall, one could handle qi with such precision that one could pressure a specific opponent with killing intent.
It seemed that Mok Gyeong-un had just pressured Jeo Mo-pal with killing intent.
‘This has become troublesome.’
Even if he had reached the realm of transformation, he had never imagined he would come out in this way.
His lord was the disciple of the Society Leader of the Heaven and Earth Society, one of the Six Heavens who stood at the summit of the Central Plains martial world.
There were only a handful even within the Society who could dare do something so brazen against such a lord.
However, as for them, their positions alone meant they had ample qualification to do so.
But Mok Gyeong-un was different.
‘Is he doing this believing only in his own martial power?’
If that was the case, then he wanted to call it a miscalculation.
It was not because they feared his martial power that their lord had treated the bastard with courtesy.
Their lord merely…
“Mok Gyeong-un… You really do look down on me.”
At that moment Jang Neung-ak opened his mouth.
The expressions of the close aides looking at him immediately turned grave.
From those coldly chilled eyes
and that heavily sunken tone of voice, they could tell just how enraged their lord was right now.
When Jang Neung-ak was truly angry, he did not burn like fire.
Rather, he became even colder.
And that coldness brought with it deep insight.
“Looking down on you? I am only presenting a condition that can be of benefit to both Young Master and the young lady.”
“A benefit to both? Cut out the nonsense.”
“Nonsense?”
“To combine two forces into one, someone has to lower his head and go under the other. Yet do you think something like that can happen under nothing more than your little threat?”
“Since it is possible, that is why I am ordering you to do it.”
“Order? You are awfully insolent.”
“That is unexpected.”
A strange light entered Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes.
He had thought Jang Neung-ak’s vessel to be rather shallow and small, but in a situation like this he was still saying everything he wanted to say.
That meant he was not afraid of him.
Even though he had already confirmed the difference in strength.
“Unexpected? That is what I should be saying. Are you not afraid?”
“Not afraid?”
“Whom do you think you are trying to threaten right now?”
“A threat… It does not particularly feel like a threat…”
“I told you to cut out the nonsense. For the likes of you to dare interfere in the succession struggle and try to stir up the board as you please, you have truly lost all sense of fear.”
At those words, Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes narrowed.
“You are coming on stronger than I expected.”
“Stronger? I am the one who should say that. What is the purpose behind your attempt to overturn the board by relying on your pitiful martial power?”
“Hmm. Why are you thinking about it in such a complicated way?”
Mok Gyeong-un asked in a tone of interest.
Then Jang Neung-ak picked up the wine bottle, filled his cup, and opened his mouth.
“There are two things I can guess.”
“Two things?”
“The first is the assumption that you joined hands with Wi So-yeon.”
“…Why do you think that?”
“It is simple. Even if my youngest junior sister gained the Shadow Sect and the Baek Family’s strength, it would still not be enough. Not enough to deal with eldest senior brother, and not enough to deal with me either.”
At those words from Jang Neung-ak, Mok Gyeong-un smiled faintly.
He had thought Jang Neung-ak’s view would be blinded considerably by arrogance, but it did not seem that was all there was to it.
Mok Gyeong-un shrugged and said,
“That has some logic to it. But from my standpoint, in order to deal with the eldest young master, I would like the two of you to combine your forces, regardless of which of you stands above the other.”
“Regardless of which of us stands above the other?”
“Yes. I only need the two of you to combine your forces. In truth, I do not particularly care at all which of the two becomes the successor.”
“…”
At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, Jang Neung-ak’s eyes grew even sharper.
Then he parted his lips and said,
“I thought it was the first, but it seems it was the second.”
“Hmm. And what is that second one?”
“You do not care who becomes the successor? Ha. Now the answer has come out.”
“…”
“Is your objective to shake up the inside?”
“My lord?”
At Jang Neung-ak’s words, the eyes of his close aides widened.
Seeing their reaction, Jang Neung-ak glared at Mok Gyeong-un and said,
“Because I was thinking of the Shadow Sect and the Annihilation Poison King, I overlooked it for a moment. The fact that you came from the orthodox faction as a hostage.”
‘Ah!’
At those words, all of them became wary.
The orthodox martial world was constantly seeking a chance to destroy the Heaven and Earth Society.
And for them, there could hardly be a better condition for causing internal strife than a succession war.
If Mok Gyeong-un had not truly defected and still retained a mission as a man of the orthodox faction, then that suspicion was entirely plausible.
-Gulp!
Jang Neung-ak drained his cup and said,
“If my guess is wrong, then say just once that it is wrong.”
At those words, Mok Gyeong-un scratched his head and answered,
“You are smarter than I expected.”
“So you really are…”
“But you have missed the mark.”
‘!?’
At those words, Jang Neung-ak furrowed his brow.
Then he asked back,
“Missed the mark?”
“Yes. If your mind becomes complicated, I suppose you could think in that direction. But I am sorry to disappoint you, I truly have no relation to the orthodox faction.”
“And you expect me to believe that?”
“Whether you believe it or not is up to you. I merely want the two of you to combine your forces. That way I can also avoid troublesome business with the eldest young master.”
“…”
At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, suspicion gathered in Jang Neung-ak’s eyes.
Since the bastard was in the advantageous position, Jang Neung-ak had spoken his guess plainly in order to draw out his true intentions.
But was he really saying that was not it?
Then again, there was no knowing.
An infiltrator from the orthodox faction trying to shake the Society would never say with his own mouth that he was an infiltrator.
At that moment Mok Gyeong-un said,
“No matter how much I urge you with words, it seems there is no point.”
-Snap!
The moment those words ended, Ho Jong-hyeok, the true First Sacred Mountain among Jang Neung-ak’s close aides, Seo Hye-in, the Fourth Sacred Mountain, and Jeo Mo-pal, the Giant Rock Fist of the Five Sacred Mountains, drew up their energy and took a guarded stance.
Then Mok Gyeong-un gave a faint laugh and said,
“You should know that doing that cannot stop me.”
“Are you truly trying to threaten me?”
“Yes, if you want to call it a threat, then it is a threat.”
-Slam!
“You bastard…”
-Bang!
As Jeo Mo-pal tried to rise from his seat, his head was forced straight down into the table.
Before anyone knew it, Mok Gyeong-un had appeared behind him and was pressing down on his head.
Seeing what had happened in the blink of an eye, Ho Jong-hyeok judged once more that within this distance he could never stop Mok Gyeong-un.
“My lord…”
“I know.”
At their appearance, Mok Gyeong-un said,
“Will you accept it?”
At those words Jang Neung-ak snorted and answered,
“Did you cause all this because you are confident you can deal with what comes after?”
“That is not something Young Master should be thinking about.”
“Yes. I suppose not. But you will have to bear the consequences of that threat.”
“Bear the consequences?”
“Even if I acknowledged your martial power, did you think I would make no preparations at all?”
At those words, Mok Gyeong-un tilted his head and asked,
“It seems you have some hidden move prepared?”
At that question, Jang Neung-ak smiled meaningfully and said,
“Do you think there is truly no one among the forces supporting me who can deal with you?”
“Someone who can deal with me? Surely not?”
Mok Gyeong-un’s expression immediately hardened.
That was because he understood at once what Jang Neung-ak was talking about.
Seeing Mok Gyeong-un like that, the corner of Jang Neung-ak’s mouth rose in a vicious curve.
* * *
Only half a gak earlier,
Jang Neung-ak had issued an order to the martial artists sitting in the lower rank.
[All of you withdraw for the time being.]
[But, my lord?]
[I said withdraw.]
[Yes!]
On the surface it had looked as though he had simply dismissed them.
However,
-Immediately gather every martial artist currently in the estate and summon the Axe-Breaking King Ho Tae-gang, Guardian Sect Master Go Yeon-byeok, and Sound-Summoning Valley Master Hang Yeo-ryang.
There was one secret known only to Jang Neung-ak’s close aides and subordinates.
It was none other than Secret Voice Transmission.
Having secured the support of the Sound-Summoning Valley Master, Jang Neung-ak had learned Secret Voice Transmission from her as a gift.
And from time to time, he had put it to useful use.
Just as he was doing now.
* * *
The Axe-Breaking King Ho Tae-gang.
He was one of the Five Kings and one of the Eight Stars, who were called the greatest masters of the current martial world.
He was one of the few masters in the realm of transformation within the Heaven and Earth Society and the greatest strength Jang Neung-ak had secured first.
‘Did you think I would have trusted you completely?’
The opponent was a master of the realm of transformation.
If things went wrong, there was no telling what sort of result could come about.
Judging from how this bastard behaved, he did not seem afraid of his master, the Society Leader, the way the others were.
If that had been the case from the start, he would not have gone so far as to bring down Go Yeon-hu, one of the Five Tigers.
That was why Jang Neung-ak had called for the strongest card in his hand.
The greatest expert who had reached the realm of transformation even earlier than Mok Gyeong-un had.
‘Half a gak. That is enough.’
This was enough time to summon the Axe-Breaking King.
His estate was closer than those of the other executives.
He would probably arrive here soon.
“Someone who can deal with me? Surely not?”
To Mok Gyeong-un, whose face had stiffened, Jang Neung-ak raised the corner of his mouth viciously and said,
“Did you think I seated you close to me without any thought? You will have to take responsibility for what you brought upon yourself.”
“…As expected, you are no ordinary person.”
“It is too late to regret it now…”
“Would saying that make you feel good?”
“What?”
What was this?
Did this bastard not understand the situation even now?
To the puzzled Jang Neung-ak, Mok Gyeong-un smiled and said,
“A man as suspicious as you, no matter how confidential the matter may be, dismisses his subordinates around him so casually and tells me to sit right beside him without the least hesitation… did you think I would simply believe that?”
“You bastard…”
“Naturally…”
-Tap tap!
Mok Gyeong-un touched his own head with his finger and continued,
“Naturally I thought you must have prepared something.”
“…”
“Am I right?”
At those words, Jang Neung-ak glared at him and replied in a low tone,
“You truly are shrewd. But even if you have realized that now, do you think it will change anything? Rather, even now…”
“Did you perhaps learn voice transmission from the Sound-Summoning Valley Master?”
‘!?’
At that question, Jang Neung-ak, who had been trying to appear calm, raised one eyebrow.
How in the world did this bastard know that?
At that reaction, Mok Gyeong-un gave a faint laugh and said,
“So I was right. Well, since you had promised to secure the Sound-Summoning Valley Master’s support, I did think something like that might be possible.”
“You bastard, just what…”
Just as Jang Neung-ak was about to say something,
-Step.
Sensing someone entering the garden, Jang Neung-ak smiled in triumph.
He did not know how Mok Gyeong-un had found out about the voice transmission, but once the Axe-Breaking King Ho Tae-gang arrived, the situation would be over.
Yet,
‘!?’
Jang Neung-ak turned his gaze toward the garden entrance, and his expression hardened.
That was because it was not the Axe-Breaking King he had been expecting.
The one who had entered the garden was none other than
‘Jong-im?’
One of the martial artists who had been sitting in the lower rank, and a close aide of the dead Wi Maeng-cheon, the Second Sacred Mountain.
Seeing him suddenly enter, Jang Neung-ak could not understand what was going on.
That was only natural, because he had sent him a tightly focused voice transmission and passed down an order.
The one he had called, the Axe-Breaking King, had not come, and yet why was that bastard…
‘Blood?’
But something was strange.
Jong-im’s clothes were drenched in blood.
Why was he in that sort of condition…
“Was it handled well?”
At that moment Mok Gyeong-un’s voice rang by his ear.
‘Was it handled well?’
What was that supposed to…
-Thump!
Jong-im, the close aide of the dead Wi Maeng-cheon, dropped to one knee and cupped his fists with both hands toward Mok Gyeong-un as he answered,
“Master. As you commanded, I handled them all.”
‘!!!!!!!’
The moment those words ended, Jang Neung-ak’s face distorted terribly.
What in the world was going on?
Why was that bastard calling Mok Gyeong-un his master?
As he stood there in confusion, before he knew it, he sensed a strange presence behind him and someone placed a hand on his shoulder.
-Flinch!
Startled, Jang Neung-ak tried to shake it off,
-Grip!
‘Huh?’
The force pressing down was so strong that he could not even move his shoulder.
Then a whispering voice came from behind him.
“What a shame that the news you were expecting turned out differently.”
It was Mok Gyeong-un’s voice.
When in the world had this bastard gotten behind him?
“Y-you bastard!”
“Shh. Be quiet and relax your shoulder. If you keep moving like that, it feels like I might end up wanting to put strength into my hand and break it.”
-Shiver!
Along with those words and that laughter, goosebumps instantly rose all over Jang Neung-ak’s body.
Where had things gone wrong?