Chapter 110: Only by Raising Your Head Will You See the Sky (4)
In the midst of his shock freezing his body, Moyong Woo could be certain of one thing.
This was a man too formidable to handle.
He was no one to underestimate just because of his youth.
His voice, the aura of dominance he exuded, and the brilliantly shining light in his eyes all proclaimed that he was a grandmaster of his generation.
An indescribable shock etched itself across Moyong Woo's face.
'Why did I only see it now?'
The honest question arose, and at the same time, he found the answer.
'Because he's the eldest young master of the Bi-san Yeon family.'
The Mad Storm Lion, Wall Mountain Tiger.
The passionate young expert who had once challenged one of the Nine Great Clans of the Central Plains single-handedly, a family that had rung with the fame of being the world's greatest.
A peerless warrior who had withstood the clan's military might through his fiery sense of justice and tiger-like valor.
That was the impression the world had of Yeon Hojeong.
And Moyong Woo, having heard the rumors about him, had unknowingly painted a picture of this man he'd never met in his own mind.
'I was wrong.'
Yes. Wrong, and completely off the mark.
Only now did Moyong Woo realize the vast gulf between the Yeon Hojeong he'd imagined and the real one before him.
'He's extraordinary. So extraordinarily so that it feels disconcerting!'
How extraordinary? Extraordinary enough that one could seriously utter the words "the world's greatest."
"To stand at the pinnacle of the White Path martial world? Wh-what do you mean by that?"
"Exactly what I said."
Yeon Hojeong's eyes deepened.
"The White Path Martial Alliance. Become its leader and seize control of the world."
Moyong Woo's mouth flapped open and shut.
This man had come out of nowhere and was spouting something utterly astonishing without batting an eye.
Moyong Woo realized his cognitive faculties couldn't keep up with Yeon Hojeong's words.
Gazing at Moyong Woo's face, marred by shock, Yeon Hojeong unwittingly smiled.
'He's so innocent.'
His expression was priceless.
Even with both martial and scholarly talents, and the insight to pierce through people's facades, he retained a gentle nature.
Such people were rare.
He'd served as the branch head in Zhejiang, exposed to the world's chaos, yet he maintained his honest and straightforward disposition.
By nature, he was kind and pure-hearted.
He lacked decisiveness, but that one flaw wasn't enough to look away—he was far too appealing for that.
"Suddenly... saying something like that..."
Yeon Hojeong nodded.
"Sorry for catching you off guard. I was joking."
Moyong Woo made a face as if to say, I knew it.
"That was an excessive joke. Become the Martial Alliance Leader? That's far too dangerous talk, so please don't repeat it anywhere else..."
"What are you talking about?"
"...?"
"The joke was about receiving Moyong Gun's apology through you. My belief that you should become the Martial Alliance Leader hasn't changed."
Moyong Woo spoke in a stunned voice.
"You were serious?"
"Yes."
Originally, he'd planned a gradual approach.
Build rapport, navigate various matters together.
Naturally forge a friendship, fan his ambitions, and mold him into the alliance leader.
But Yeon Hojeong abandoned that idea.
This wasn't someone swayed by forced camaraderie.
Nor did it suit Yeon Hojeong's own temperament.
If he'd already marked him as alliance leader material, he'd drag him by the hair if needed.
Only when it seemed utterly impossible, when the cons outweighed the pros, would he give up.
'Hesitating over trifles will just mean losing good talent. Now's the time to be bold.'
Moyong Woo shook his head.
"Pretend you never said it."
"Doesn't sit well with you?"
"It's not about liking it or not. Martial Alliance Leader? That's absurd. I'll assume you were joking to lighten the mood."
It was then.
Tzztztztz.
Moyong Woo flinched.
Wuuuuuuuung.
A chilling energy poured from Yeon Hojeong's body.
It was a terrifyingly intense presence.
Hot like fire, oppressive like a storm, and despairing like a flooding river—it wrapped around Moyong Woo completely.
'Gasp!'
Moyong Woo's eyes trembled.
Yeon Hojeong spoke in a cold voice.
"Do I look like someone so idle that I'd rush a thousand ri just to joke around?"
"...!!"
"If that's truly how you see me, then I have nothing more to say. You've misjudged the man."
Emitting such a fearsome aura while claiming he'd been misjudged.
Given the shocking content, it might be better to just let him leave now.
That's what Moyong Woo thought.
But he couldn't turn away from the look in Yeon Hojeong's eyes.
Because of the disappointment shadowing those piercing, lightning-sharp gaze.
Knowing full well what it meant for one person to disappoint in another, Moyong Woo couldn't stay silent.
"I'm... not the kind of person fit for such a grand position."
"I think so too."
"Th-then why?"
"Right now, you're not."
"...?!"
"Cut the trivial talk. I see potential in you. You're too weak to ignore your kin's wrongs, but you endure not out of fear—because they're family. That makes you perfectly suited for the alliance leader's seat."
Shock filled Moyong Woo's face.
Yeon Hojeong's eyes deepened.
"Let me tell you one thing. I can't be certain since the flow of the era has changed, but within the next twenty years, calamity will strike the Central Plains."
"Calamity...?"
"Yes. A calamity vast enough to engulf the entire Central Plains. Blood will flow like rivers, death will pour like rain. Their power is that immense."
Moyong Woo's eyes deepened.
'Within twenty years? They? Calamity?'
It was all so hard to comprehend.
Were it not for the conviction in Yeon Hojeong's eyes, he might have dismissed it as nonsense.
"Even one of them alone is that level. If all three come charging out in earnest, no one can stop them. At least not with the current martial world's power."
"Three?!"
"The Mad Faith Three Sects. That's what they're called—the great enemies of the Central Plains."
A name he'd never heard before.
Moyong Woo felt a sudden dizziness.
"Believe it or not, that's up to you. But know this: if you don't prepare from now, I guarantee you won't stop them."
"That's..."
"To put it simply? Your family will die too."
"...!!"
Moyong Woo's eyes flashed with blue fury.
Yeon Hojeong continued in a matter-of-fact tone.
"I'm no saint. The deaths of strangers I don't know don't faze me. But when my family's lives are at stake, that's different."
"..."
"That's why I'm here. Because I know you'd suit the alliance leader role better than anyone."
He'd spoken of his family's death.
There was no ending this conversation as a joke anymore.
After a moment of contemplation, Moyong Woo spoke.
"Let me summarize."
"..."
"You've come to make me the Martial Alliance Leader. Because you think I'm suited for it in your eyes, and also to prepare against the enemies who'll invade the Central Plains in the future. Right?"
"Good summary."
"Then understand why that summary leaves me baffled."
"I do. But I'm serious."
"I know. If you weren't this serious, I'd have ended this talk immediately."
Ears were everywhere in the world.
The Zhejiang branch was no exception.
He'd filled it with his own people, but what if not? If some peak expert capable of fooling his senses was eavesdropping right now?
Things would get messy.
Moyong Woo didn't want that.
"And as you probably guessed, even if I believe you, there are things I can't help but agonize over."
"Exactly."
Yeon Hojeong adjusted his posture.
"If you truly understand my seriousness, and that I'm not some madman, that's enough for now."
"...You have a foul mouth."
"I'm not asking you to do something you don't want from the heart anyway. I'll just show you the world."
"Show me the world? What do you mean?"
"A world you don't know. And the capabilities of the man who'll make you alliance leader."
"..."
"Decide later. Just think about it seriously. Ponder why I'd come all this way to drop such dangerous words."
Moyong Woo, staring at Yeon Hojeong with complex eyes, let out a deep sigh.
"Damn, feels like I've been possessed."
"No choice. I hadn't planned to meet this urgently. If not for Moyong Yeonhwa, I'd have taken more time."
For a moment, surprise flickered across Moyong Woo's face.
"You know Yeonhwa?"
"Of course. We're both from the Six Great Clans."
"No, I mean..."
"Saw her in Hangzhou. Met at Hoseon Daehi House."
"Ah!"
"And I wondered. Why she'd come here."
"..."
"Whatever the reason, I couldn't let it disrupt my plans. So I hurried."
Yeon Hojeong read Moyong Woo's expression.
"Your reaction tells me I came at the right time. Moyong Yeonhwa's stopping by the branch, right? Not just for a visit. Moyong Gun must've ordered her to check on the situation personally."
What a terrifying man.
Moyong Woo was startled by Yeon Hojeong's insight.
As if he'd been by his side all these years, he'd grasped the flow of events like a ghost.
Martial prowess, strategy, insight. Everything a young man couldn't possess.
'Where did this monster come from?'
Yeon Hojeong spoke plainly.
"Before alliance leader, do you want to set your clan straight?"
"...!"
"Moyong Yeonhwa could arrive anytime. It'll take time to agonize and decide. Don't waste it—answer clearly."
"...Yes. If I could right the clan, I'd do anything."
"Even fight your kin?"
"...!!"
"Asking again. Would you fight your blood to right the clan?"
"If I could..."
Moyong Woo nodded with a heavy face.
"If I could, I surely would have."
The reason he'd endured tears of blood, secretly aiding the innocent amid their deaths.
It was lack of power.
The world was frightening. One couldn't fight the heavens with personal martial arts and justice alone.
No matter how talented Moyong Woo was, he couldn't face the clan alone.
Beyond familial bonds, he simply lacked the strength.
Yeon Hojeong smiled in satisfaction.
"You have the will. That's something, at least."
"But the main house..."
"How do you think I handled a great clan?"
"...?"
"You don't think I'm strong enough to take on their full might alone, do you? Only the Thirteen Holy Heaven Seats could manage that."
"Th-then?"
"Don't match your strength to the enemy—make the enemy match yours."
Yeon Hojeong rose from his seat.
"How you wield the power you have determines if you dominate the situation or lose it to others."
"Dominate..."
"Put the alliance leader talk aside for now. You can't sit in that seat safely without toppling Moyong Clan anyway."
Yeon Hojeong extended his hand.
Long like a woman's yet properly thick fingers were callused at every joint.
"Last question. Do you need my help?"
Moyong Woo stared at the hand before shaking his head.
"I don't need help."
"Is that so?"
"But a deal? That I can do."
Yeon Hojeong's lips curved up.
Moyong Woo declared firmly.
"I can't just take help and live off it. If you aid me, I'll aid you in return."
"You could get a free meal just sitting tight, but you want to go out of your way?"
"It's my nature."
Yeon Hojeong nodded.
"Good."
Only then did Moyong Woo grasp his hand.
"Looking forward to working with you."
"Same here."
Yeon Hojeong's eyes gleamed.
"As the saying goes, pull the iron horn while it's hot. You mentioned headaches from the trade union?"
"Yes. Their representative is due around noon today..."
"Due? Tell them not to come."
"Wh-what?"
"You're mediating between them, right?"
"...Yes, but."
"Don't let them come demanding food—make them grovel and apologize."
Yeon Hojeong picked up his axe.
Moyong Woo felt an inexplicable chill.
"Wait there. I'll herd some game your way before noon. When you see the chance, bite their throats out."