Chapter 229. The Emperor's Return (4)
The two entered the room and sat facing each other across the table.
“……”
A heavy silence flowed between them.
Yeon Hojeong tossed out the question casually.
“You know how to drink?”
“I do.”
His speech was far more blunt than it had been when they first met. It was probably due to the hardships of the past few days.
Yeon Hojeong personally fetched the liquor and two cups. As he filled Gang Ryang's cup first, he said,
“Have a drink.”
“Before that.”
Gang Ryang opened his mouth with a hardened expression.
“Tell me everything. What is your true identity? Why did you bring me back here? And why did you save me?”
Yeon Hojeong chuckled softly.
“A bit clumsy, but it seems you have enough caution not to just accept a drink from a stranger.”
He filled his own cup as well and downed it in one refreshing gulp.
“From the look on your face, you seem to have some idea who we are.”
Gang Ryang's eyes gleamed sharply.
“Are you from the White Path Murim?”
Hearing those words, Yeon Hojeong suddenly felt an inexplicable pang of nostalgia.
‘White Path Murim, huh.’
Back in the days when he rampaged as the king of the Black Path, it was Gang Ryang who had praised him as the hope of the unorthodox factions, thumbs up and all.
And now, that same man was asking if he was from the White Path Murim.
It felt strange.
“That's right.”
“As I thought……”
Gang Ryang's eyes flashed dangerously.
“So that's why you saved me? To pull me to your side as an ally?”
Yeon Hojeong shook his head. It wasn't a denial of Gang Ryang's words.
“Why not empty your head first?”
“What do you mean?”
“You were like this before, and you're the same now. You live too much in your own world. It's a bad habit to push forward with convictions that aren't even answers.”
“……”
“If you're going to doubt, then doubt and leave it at that. If you're calling it doubt but treating uncertainties as certainties, then conversation is impossible from the start.”
Gang Ryang's eyes wavered.
Yeon Hojeong spoke earnestly.
“The world isn't as easy as you think it is. Things you and I couldn't even imagine are happening all over the land right now.”
“……”
“Face the situation coldly. As you said, I'm the benefactor who saved your life.”
“……I know.”
“Then we start from there.”
“……?”
“The one who saved your life is a benefactor without equal. But whether you see that benefactor as one, or ignore the grace because our paths differ—that's up to your judgment.”
“……!”
Yeon Hojeong smiled.
“I am your benefactor. And I do not belong to the White Path Murim.”
“……As I thought.”
“So, what will you do now? You, from a prestigious Black Path sect, have received the grace of life from me, of a White Path prestigious family. Will you repay that grace? Or ignore it and go your own way?”
“What if I go my own way?”
Gang Ryang's eyes shook mercilessly. He had suspected as much, but this man was truly from the White Path.
“If I say I'll go my own way, do you plan to just let me leave?”
“Yes.”
“……!”
“Why? Surprised?”
“……Yes.”
Yeon Hojeong couldn't help but laugh genuinely.
‘Still the same.’
One of Gang Ryang's countless strengths was that straightforward honesty.
He wasn't someone who fought with schemes from the start. Nor was he a fool who fell easily for enemy tricks.
Solid and bold. An iron-blooded swordsman who confronted the world head-on with unfeigned, upright breakthroughs.
That was Gang Ryang—the strongest swordsman of Black Emperor Castle and the true face of the Black Path First Sword.
“You haven't harmed me or us at all. Who knows if we'll even meet again after parting today. Why would I stop someone who wants to leave of their own accord?”
“You're from the White Path Murim.”
“So what?”
“……I thought you'd never just let a Black Path man like me go.”
“That's another hasty assumption. Though, that's usually how it goes. But if I wanted you dead, I wouldn't have bothered saving you.”
“You might have kept me alive for some purpose.”
“Sorry, but I'm the type who judges people for who they are, not their origins.”
Gang Ryang's eyes deepened.
Judging the person over their origins.
Those simple words shook Gang Ryang's heart fiercely.
Yeon Hojeong spoke openly.
“I've talked too much. Let me be frank. I want you to join me.”
“……!”
“That doesn't mean defecting to the White Path Murim. Though your sect was destroyed, you're still the successor of Guicheol Sword Sect. No—in fact, now you represent it.”
Gang Ryang's eyes reddened slightly.
The destruction of his sect and the death of his family suddenly felt real.
“The problem is your goal, though.”
“My goal?”
“Yes. You want to eliminate Tu Wang Yang Cheon—and by extension, Muk Ryong Bu.”
“That's right.”
“Same here.”
“……?!”
“To be precise, I want to clean up this pathetic Black Path and build a proper one.”
Yeon Hojeong refilled his cup as he continued.
“This is something even my comrades don't know. Those guys—different personalities aside—are White Path at the root. Not like me.”
“……Then, you're originally from the Black Path?”
Not exactly from the Black Path. Though he had become its grandmaster.
Yeon Hojeong didn't answer Gang Ryang's question directly.
“Anyway, that's why I saved you. Not entirely selfless, right?”
“I have a question.”
“Plenty, I'm sure.”
“Yes. But this one I must ask.”
“Go ahead.”
Gang Ryang asked, emphasizing each word.
“What exactly about me makes you think we should join forces?”
Yeon Hojeong's eyes deepened.
I already know all about you—no, about all Five Divine Generals.
“Guicheol Sword Sect is undoubtedly a prestigious Black Path name. I dare say no other sect in the Black Path Murim possesses such superior sword arts and traditions.”
“I agree to an extent.”
“But no matter how much a sect successor you are, our ideologies differ, our talents differ, our skills differ. What about me makes you say we should join? Did you investigate me or something?”
It was a valid question.
Yeon Hojeong fiddled with his cup with both hands.
Now that he was asked directly, he found himself at a loss for words.
“……Who knows.”
Yeon Hojeong gave a wry smile.
“Call it a hunch.”
“A hunch?”
“Yeah, a hunch.”
“That's not much of an answer.”
“I know it sounds that way, but it's all I can say right now.”
Yeon Hojeong put strength into his eyes.
“One thing I can say clearly: Not everyone in our group watched over you. I did.”
“……”
“In other words, even my comrades don't know yet. Why I saved you.”
“So the White Path Murim isn't scheming something.”
“Frankly, you don't have that much value to us. At least not yet.”
Gang Ryang chuckled as well.
“You're too honest.”
“Didn't you want an honest conversation?”
Gang Ryang, who had been staring silently at Yeon Hojeong, finally lifted his cup and downed the drink.
He furrowed his brow.
“Baekju?”
“What'd you expect?”
“Too strong.”
“Life is bitter, and truth is even more so.”
Gang Ryang let out a quiet sigh and seemed lost in thought for a moment before refilling Yeon Hojeong's cup.
Yeon Hojeong accepted it with a familiar motion.
Gang Ryang said,
“It seems impossible.”
“Does it?”
“I'll never forget that you saved this fool's life. Normally, I'd do anything for you.”
“Mm.”
“But……”
Gang Ryang spoke in a self-mocking tone.
“Sorry. I will kill Yang Cheon and bring down Muk Ryong Bu. It might take my whole life, or I might die halfway.”
“……”
“You've done me a great favor, but I'm afraid I can't repay it properly.”
“Wrong.”
“……?”
Yeon Hojeong refilled Gang Ryang's cup as he spoke.
“It wouldn't take a lifetime to begin with, but as you are now, you couldn't shatter Yang Cheon and Muk Ryong Bu even if you devoted your life to it.”
“……”
“Admit it honestly. With luck, you might gather some people, but that's it. You'll never achieve your goal.”
Gang Ryang gritted his teeth.
“How can you be so sure?”
“And what makes you so confident? Have you thoroughly investigated Muk Ryong Bu's forces or funds?”
“No, but……”
Yeon Hojeong's gaze turned icy.
The soft atmosphere sharpened like a blade in an instant.
Gang Ryang flinched at the sudden change.
“Don't act like a naive kid, Gang Ryang.”
“……!!”
“If you truly want revenge, learn to hide your emotions first. How can I be sure? I have to be. It's obvious even without saying—your simplistic thinking that 'just try hard somehow without knowing the enemy's strength' is the mark of a muddled fool.”
“……”
“If you go out like this, you won't last a month before dying. Even that's if you're lucky; given your personality and skill, you'd be dead in ten days.”
Life is bitter, truth even more so.
His tone was brutally frank.
But Gang Ryang couldn't get angry at Yeon Hojeong or refute him.
His head might not grasp it, but his heart did.
That revenge was impossible this way.
That he might die without even touching a single Muk Ryong Bu expert, let alone Yang Cheon.
“I'll ask again. Do you want revenge?”
“……Yes.”
“Any plans?”
“No.”
“Reliable allies?”
“……No.”
“Funds to hire people? Can you rally forces using your reputation? Got exceptional business sense to make money? Or genius intellect for brilliant strategies to topple the enemy?”
“……”
He truly had nothing to say.
Laid out point by point like this, he realized he had no countermeasures at all.
Yeon Hojeong's eyes turned fierce.
“The Murim is a place where one mistake costs your head. White or Black Path makes no difference. Especially now, with the entire Black Path Murim burning to kill you—do you think you can overcome all that and achieve your goal?”
“……”
“Absolutely impossible.”
“Then what am I supposed to do?”
Gang Ryang's eyes burned red.
Explosive emotion welled up in his moistening gaze.
“Yes! I'm a naive fool! All I know is swinging a sword a bit, and even that's not enough against real masters! So you're saying a worthless guy like me should just give up on revenge?!”
“Give it up.”
“What did you say?!”
“I said give it up. If you're going to keep that mindset, better hide in the mountains and live tending your parents' spirit tablets.”
“Urgh!”
“But if you change your mind, revenge isn't impossible.”
“……What?”
“Join me.”
“……!”
“Not as my subordinate, not pledging to the White Path Murim. Just travel the world with me, learn, train, gain experience.”
Yeon Hojeong smiled coldly.
“At the very least, I won't let you wander aimlessly and die a stray death.”
“……”
“Of course, you'll have to risk your life too.”
Yeon Hojeong extended his hand toward Gang Ryang.
“What'll it be? Will you come with me?”
Gang Ryang stared at Yeon Hojeong's hand as if entranced.
He couldn't help but take the hand of this fearsome man.