Myst, Might, Mayhem (Novel) - Chapter 232 - Desire (4)
Chapter 232 – Desire (4)
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Translated by Jinmu
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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On the way back to the inn. Gan Yang and Ok-gi’s attitudes changed.
They had already been watching the rear party’s mood and holding back in the treasure vault, but after confirming Mok Gyeong-un’s true nature, someone who did not hesitate even before Seo the Imperial Noble Consort, one of the absolute rulers of this nation, they treated him completely like their lord.
In truth, what had been imprinted most strongly in their minds was the sight of Yu Bong, who had betrayed them, split in half and turned into a cold corpse. ‘Let us not get on his bad side.’
‘If we carelessly fall out of favor, who knows what might happen?’
Even Ok-gi, who had once vowed that one day he would take revenge, had long since lost such feelings as well. All he thought was that until the mission was over, they should not disturb his mood.
As they were heading toward the inn where they were staying, Mok Gyeong-un said to them at a fork in the road. “I have something to do for a moment, so go on ahead first.” “My lord, I will attend you.”
Seop Chun stepped forward, saying he would guard Mok Gyeong-un. At this, Mok Gyeong-un shook his head. “It is nothing special, so go on ahead and wait there.” “Will you truly be all right?”
“Yes, I am only going to have a look around.” ‘Ah. So that is the place you mean.’
At those words, Seop Chun realized where Mok Gyeong-un intended to go. It seemed he meant to go to the workshop of Miss Song-ah, the real artisan of human skin masks.
After confirming his intent, Seop Chun said he understood and stepped back. After Mok Gyeong-un left like that, and by the time they had nearly reached the inn after some time had passed, Gan Yang cautiously said,
“Brother Seop.” “What is it?” “But is it really all right to leave it like this?” “What do you mean by all right?” “I mean Her Imperial Noble Consort Seo.” “Her Imperial Noble Consort Seo?”
“That is right. Young Master Mok may have wrapped it up well. But if Her Imperial Noble Consort Seo should change her mind midway…”
In truth, this had been what worried Gan Yang the whole time. Mok Gyeong-un had certainly imprinted fear onto that arrogant Imperial Noble Consort Seo, but from her standpoint, she had suffered a proper humiliation.
For now she had shown herself submitting to Mok Gyeong-un in order to survive, but after returning to the imperial palace, there was no telling whether her attitude might suddenly change.
“There is no need to worry about that.”
At that moment, Mong Mu-yak opened his mouth. “What do you mean there is no need to worry?” Mong Mu-yak raised his arm and showed it. The iron shackle bracelet that should have been on his arm could no longer be seen.
The reason was simple. Because Mok Gyeong-un had taken off the Chain of Subjugation that Mong Mu-yak had been wearing, put it on Imperial Noble Consort Seo, and received an oath of obedience from her.
“So long as she is wearing that bracelet, Imperial Noble Consort Seo can never betray my lord.” “…What in the world do you mean by that?” “You will understand soon enough.
And do not try to understand everything.” Mong Mu-yak was the only one who had personally experienced the Chain of Subjugation.
A person wearing that could never harbor a different intention toward the one to whom they had sworn obedience. If they did, they could even lose their life. ‘Heh heh heh.’
Mong Mu-yak, who had removed the Chain of Subjugation thanks to Imperial Noble Consort Seo, was inwardly extremely happy.
It had been agonizing all this time, because even if he merely harbored a slightly malicious thought toward Mok Gyeong-un, it would tighten around his wrist and inflict pain.
[Even without this, I will be able to conduct myself well, will I not?]
[…I will devote my whole heart.
Please trust me.] Mong Mu-yak once again swore loyalty to Mok Gyeong-un.
As he continued experiencing Mok Gyeong-un, he had come to think that perhaps he truly might push aside Great Young Master Na Yul-ryang and become the successor, and so he changed his heart.
Perhaps because of that, now he genuinely regarded Mok Gyeong-un as his lord. Seop Chun patted Gan Yang on the back and said, “As Mu-yak says, there is no need to worry so much.
And after this matter, Her Imperial Noble Consort will also be in a situation where she can neither advance nor retreat, so there will be nothing further she can do.” Unable to advance or retreat.
That was the phrase most fitting for Imperial Noble Consort Seo’s current situation.
After all, apart from having sworn obedience to Mok Gyeong-un, she was also now in a position where she had to distance herself from the orthodox faction people of her own accord.
Peng Seok-im, the younger brother of Assistant Administrator Peng Yi-mun, had tried to violate her before everyone’s eyes, and on top of that had slaughtered even the government soldiers of Kaifeng.
Because of this, just to clean up the aftermath, she was in a position where she would unconditionally have to sever ties with the Peng Clan of Hebei.
Therefore, from Imperial Noble Consort Seo’s standpoint, no matter how displeasing it was, she had no choice but to maintain ties with Mok Gyeong-un and the Heaven and Earth Society.
“Without meaning to, thanks to our lord, it looks like those Alliance of Justice bastards are going to be clenching their guts.
Hah hah hah!” The Peng Clan of Hebei was one of the Seven Great Families and one of the central pillars of the Alliance of Justice.
Thinking of the blow they would suffer made Seop Chun, as a member of the Heaven and Earth Society, feel delighted. * * *
At the same time.
The Yeoppung Inn, located in Kaifeng’s western bustling district.
Ordinarily, it would still be a time when customers drinking alcohol crowded the place, but the inside of the inn was exceedingly quiet.
That was because several groups who looked to be martial artists had reserved the dining hall.
On the first floor were warriors of the Peng Clan of Hebei, wearing martial uniforms embroidered with the words Peng Clan on their chests.
Then there was a group from the Mount Hua Sect, wearing bright blue Taoist robes with plum blossom patterns drawn on them.
And finally, a group from the Zhongnan Sect, wearing pale gray Taoist robes with vermilion belts, sat together quietly having a meal.
The senior figures leading those two sects and one family were sitting around a round table on the second floor of the inn, chatting.
The middle-aged man with the moustache seated on the left was Peng Il-hyeon, head of the Peng Clan of Hebei, known as the Overlord Blade of Hebei.
Peng Il-hyeon poured wine with a hearty laugh for the man seated directly across from him.
“Hah hah hah.
You truly are magnanimous, Immortal.
Even if it was said to be a wager among elders, to really teach your sect’s Fourteen-Hand Plum Blossom Sword Art, which can truly be called a secret transmission, to a disciple of another sect, namely the Gongdong Sect…”
“Ahem.”
At those words, the aged Taoist with a sharp impression, dressed in dark blue robes and receiving the wine cup, coughed as if displeased.
He was Immortal Guyangja, an elder of the Mount Hua Sect, one of the Nine Sects and One Alliance, which could be called one of the central pillars of the Alliance of Justice.
“Heh heh heh.
Clan Head Peng, do not say too much.
If you go on like that, how vexed must Immortal Guyangja feel?”
The elderly Taoist in robes seated to the right of Peng Il-hyeon, head of the Peng Clan of Hebei, who had half-white hair and a gentle impression, said so.
He was Immortal Geonmunja of the Zhongnan Sect.
At Geonmunja’s words, Immortal Guyangja, elder of the Mount Hua Sect, said in an indifferent voice,
“If I were vexed, how could this poor Taoist have taught him martial arts?
It is all that child’s blessing.
His martial talent was simply that outstanding.”
“Outstanding is not even enough to describe it.
If he could fully comprehend the oral formulas of the Fourteen-Hand Plum Blossom Sword Art in merely the time it takes to drink one serving of tea, it would not be an exaggeration to call him a genius.”
At the words of Immortal Geonmunja of the Zhongnan Sect, Peng Il-hyeon’s eyes widened.
“You mean in merely the span of a single tea service?”
“That is so.
He was a child with a truly bright mind.”
“Hoh, if that is true, then he is remarkable indeed.”
If one was a master with deep attainment in sword intent, it was not absolutely impossible.
However, from what he had heard, that disciple of the Gongdong Sect had only just become a formal disciple after having been a lay disciple until recently.
If such a child had learned a first-rate sword art of another sect in merely the span of one tea service, it could truly be said that he possessed remarkable martial talent.
Growing curious, Peng Il-hyeon asked,
“What is the Taoist name of that disciple of the Gongdong Sect?”
“He was taken in as a formal disciple, but as far as I know, he was not entered into the Taoist order, so he has no Taoist name.”
“Ah, is that so?
Then his name…”
“Could it be that Clan Head Peng is coveting that child from the Gongdong Sect?”
Immortal Guyangja, elder of the Mount Hua Sect, asked in an indifferent voice.
At that question, Peng Il-hyeon waved both hands and spoke politely,
“No.
No matter what, how could I covet a formal disciple of the Gongdong Sect?”
While saying that, Peng Il-hyeon quietly looked over Guyangja’s face.
No matter how he looked at it, this old man seemed to be keeping him in check.
‘I understand.’
He had already thought it difficult to see it as mere broad-mindedness that the man had readily taught the Mount Hua Sect’s sword art to a disciple of another sect, even if it was under the pretext of a wager, but it seemed he too was coveting that child.
For a man called a Taoist true man, he was unexpectedly greedy.
Still, it was understandable.
Anyone would covet as a disciple one who possessed that level of martial talent.
‘If my second son receives Her Imperial Noble Consort’s recommendation letter this time and gets to take the Imperial Guard Bureau martial examination, I should hint to him to observe that child of the Gongdong Sect closely.’
One never knew what might happen in life.
At that moment, Mount Hua elder Guyangja opened his mouth.
“By the way, seeing Clan Head Peng come to Kaifeng in person like this, it seems your younger brother who serves as an Assistant Administrator in the palace has at last borne fruit from all his efforts.”
At those words, the eyes of Peng Il-hyeon, head of the Peng Clan, narrowed.
As expected of the Mount Hua Sect, which together with Wudang was called one of the main pillars of the orthodox sects, their information network was no ordinary thing.
The Alliance of Justice had long supported Palm King, the second imperial prince, the strongest candidate for crown prince.
However, contrary to that support and expectation, the child of Imperial Noble Consort Seo became the one to take the position of crown prince.
From that time onward, Peng Il-hyeon, head of the Peng Clan of Hebei, had been proceeding with contact with Imperial Noble Consort Seo through his younger brother Peng Yi-mun, who held office in the imperial palace.
‘Before the old men of the Alliance interfere, I must make relations with Her Imperial Noble Consort even more secure.’
If only today’s matter were safely resolved, that would happen.
Imperial Noble Consort Seo had wanted to cut her ties with the Heaven and Earth Society ever since she became the crown prince’s mother.
If this matter were to be resolved well, he would gain Her Imperial Noble Consort’s trust, and might even be able to look beyond the old men of the Alliance clinging to a rotten rope and aim for the next position of Alliance Leader.
Just thinking about it made it impossible for him to hide his excitement.
But because he still did not want to draw the check of these old men, he did not show it and said calmly,
“No.
My younger brother merely fulfilled the duty entrusted to him in office.”
“Heh heh heh.
How modest you are.
Is not your affair also the Alliance’s affair?
If the Peng Clan’s matter turns out well and you even gain Her Imperial Noble Consort’s recommendation letter in this Imperial Guard Bureau martial examination, then the influence of our Alliance will grow even greater, so how could that not be a good thing?”
“…”
Peng Il-hyeon clicked his tongue inwardly.
Mount Hua elder Guyangja had already noticed more than half of his plan.
He truly was an old man who could not be taken lightly.
He felt he had to build his strength quickly.
He could not allow the Alliance of Justice to continue revolving only around the Nine Sects and One Alliance forever.
It was then.
Someone hurriedly ran up to the second floor where they were.
Peng Il-hyeon, head of the Peng Clan, as well as Guyangja of Mount Hua and Geonmunja of Zhongnan, all turned their heads to look at the man.
‘!?’
But upon seeing him, Peng Il-hyeon furrowed his brows in bewilderment.
That was because the one who had come up was none other than a senior outer-court warrior of the Peng Clan.
The very man he had sent to assist his third younger brother Peng Seok-im in this mission had suddenly appeared covered in blood, so from Peng Il-hyeon’s standpoint, bewilderment was unavoidable.
“Huff, huff…
C, Clan Head.
It is an urgent report.”
“What in the world has happened?”
He had a bad feeling.
By now, he had thought the matter should have already been concluded.
The senior outer-court warrior hurried over to Clan Head Peng Il-hyeon and whispered,
“Please change places with me for a moment.”
At those words, Peng Il-hyeon looked puzzled, but soon asked Guyangja of Mount Hua and Geonmunja of Zhongnan for their understanding and moved to the outer side of the second floor.
Even so, the senior outer-court warrior still whispered directly into his ear.
“Clan Head.
You must leave Kaifeng at once.”
“What are you saying?
Leave Kaifeng?”
“A serious disaster has happened.”
“What?
Surely the warriors of our main house were not defeated?”
“…It is more serious than that.
If you do not make haste, you yourself may suffer great calamity.”
“What do you mean, suffer calamity?”
Peng Il-hyeon’s voice rose.
Could it be that the Heaven and Earth Society bastards had launched a counterattack?
But even if they had been counterattacked and the matter had failed, this was still Kaifeng, the imperial capital, and he still had the remaining strength of the Peng Clan of Hebei that he had brought with him.
“If it is because of those Heaven and Earth Society bastards, then at once…”
“Clan Head.
It is not because of the Heaven and Earth Society.”
“Then what in the world is it?”
Hesitating under Peng Il-hyeon’s urgent demand, the senior outer-court warrior finally parted his lips.
“…Outer-Court Head Peng Seok-im caused a tremendous disaster.”
“What do you mean, disaster?”
What kind of disaster could there even have been in this affair?
The mission itself was simple.
At most, they were to subdue the junior generation people sent by the Heaven and Earth Society.
No matter how outstanding they were, they were still only junior generation fighters, and with the force they had prepared, they had enough power to fight even a small or medium sect.
Yet from the mouth of the senior outer-court warrior came words he had never expected.
“Outer-Court Head Peng Seok-im slaughtered most of our main house warriors who were standing by, along with the government soldiers.”
‘!?’
At those words, Clan Head Peng Il-hyeon’s expression stiffened at once.
For a moment, he doubted his own ears.
“W, what nonsense are you saying right now?
Why would Peng Seok-im do such a thing?”
“I do not know.
The young master suddenly turned ferocious like a madman and tried to force his way inside, and when we tried to stop him…”
“…No.
No.
That cannot be.”
Peng Il-hyeon denied it.
No matter how much Peng Seok-im kept close to wine and women and did not conduct himself properly, as an orthodox faction man he had never crossed that line.
Why in the world would that fellow do such an absurd thing?
But the problem did not end there.
“Clan Head.
But it is the truth.
These wounds on me were inflicted by the Outer-Court Head as well.
At a time like this, you must leave Kaifeng at once.
Otherwise, you too may truly suffer a great calamity.”
“No.
That cannot be.
I will go there myself…”
“You absolutely must not go.”
“What do you mean I must not go?
If that fellow caused a disaster, then if we do not clean it up immediately, all the work done until now will come to nothing…”
Before he could even finish speaking, the senior outer-court warrior painfully revealed the truth.
“The Outer-Court Head tried to force himself upon Her Imperial Noble Consort.”
‘!!!!!!!’
The instant he heard those words, Clan Head Peng Il-hyeon turned blank as if he had lost his mind, then swayed as though the strength had left his legs.