Chapter 252. The Time of the Freezing Wind (2)
“Kya, this is good stuff!”
Mo Yong Woo said with a reluctant expression.
“You must be exhausted after everything. Is it really okay to drink like this?”
“What’s the problem? We’ve got a solid two days to rest. And it’s not just about resting the body—you’ve got to shake off that mental fatigue too.”
“You’ve got a point.”
A smile spread across Mo Yong Woo’s previously reluctant face.
“Anyway, welcome back safe and sound. Truth be told, it was such a dangerous mission that I was genuinely worried you might not make it back in one piece.”
There was something in Mo Yong Woo’s voice that lifted the listener’s spirits. It wasn’t that his voice was exceptionally charming. It was always laced with sincerity, and his tone carried a basic respect for the other person.
Yeon Hojeong chuckled softly.
“I’m not the only one who’s something else—you too, brother.”
“Hm?”
“I heard you broke through to Mujongjibyeok. Impressive inner energy, as expected.”
Mo Yong Woo’s face flushed red.
“Ahem! I told you not to spread it around, but somehow the word got out.”
“What’s wrong with a little fame? Good news should spread far and wide.”
“You really think so?”
“To a certain extent.”
Mo Yong Woo shook his head.
“In the martial world, don’t we hide the good and bury the bad even deeper?”
“Ho? That’s not like you at all.”
“Well... I suppose I’ve come to understand reality a bit more than before.”
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes sparkled.
“What happened?”
“While you were off on your mission, I took a closer look at things around the Martial Alliance on my own.”
“Ho? So, what did you think of the Martial Alliance from your perspective?”
“Forgive the rough language.”
“Of course.”
“It’s a total mess.”
He’d called it rough, but Yeon Hojeong hadn’t expected such blunt words. Mo Yong Woo’s face hardened completely. His expression was filled with genuine disappointment, worry, and anger.
“Honestly, I didn’t realize until I started paying attention. Maybe I’d been turning a blind eye myself. But after you left, I had to hold things together alone, so I probed around pretty aggressively.”
“And you found it’s a mess?”
“Exactly.”
“In what way?”
“Not everyone, but at least half of them are sharpening their knives behind a mask of harmony.”
Even without specifics, Yeon Hojeong knew exactly who that “half” referred to. The leadership of the Alliance—more precisely, the Bonggong elders.
Yeon Hojeong gave a bitter smile.
“Half or more... You saw it well.”
“It’s not just the Bonggong. The disciples from the sects they lead, or the heirs of martial families, didn’t seem all that alliance-minded either.”
“Plenty of them just eyeing a chance to take a bite out of someone, watching everyone else like hawks. With leaders like that, what do you think their subordinates learned?”
“Do you know what disappointed me the most?”
“Hm?”
Mo Yong Woo let out a sigh.
“None of them are as ruthless as you.”
“...”
“I don’t know. Maybe I still haven’t grasped your true nature. But even that is enough to...”
“Make it terrifying.”
Yeon Hojeong lifted his cup.
“You’re a scary one. Sure, you’ve got flaws, but as you said, you’re ruthless and smart enough to erase most of them.”
“That’s true.”
Yeon Hojeong refilled Mo Yong Woo’s cup. Muk Bi, sitting beside Yeon Hojeong, quietly sipped her drink while listening intently to the two men. It wasn’t her place to interject, but she was learning a great deal from overhearing this conversation.
“So that’s why you looked so down? ‘Hide the good, bury the bad’? What, people giving you dirty looks?”
Mo Yong Woo’s face crumpled like a wad of paper.
“Plenty openly picking fights.”
“They’ve got some guts. Daring to mess with a genius who just broke through to Mujongjibyeok?”
“Yeon-je.”
“I’m not joking. It’s the truth.”
Mo Yong Woo drained his cup with a frustrated look and let out a sigh-like exhale.
“The truly scary ones don’t show it outright. But most people can’t hide the glint in their eyes.”
“You’re right.”
“Maybe it’s just my imagination, but aside from my Tangma Army soldiers, hardly anyone seemed purely happy for me.”
Yeon Hojeong clicked his tongue.
“Purely happy? Who’d do that? We’re all gathered under this alliance banner, but we’re rivals underneath. Unless it’s a genius from their own sect or family, of course no one’s congratulating you from the heart. That’s just how it is.”
“You went through it too?”
“What?”
“You broke through to Mujongjibyeok ages ago. People hush it up, but you’re already renowned as the top late-stage expert under heaven.”
“Never paid it any mind, so I wouldn’t know.”
“It doesn’t bother you?”
“It’s not about bothering me or not—I didn’t have the time.”
Mo Yong Woo nodded. Indeed, Yeon Hojeong was someone who worked harder than anyone in the shadows, whether it was political maneuvering or martial training.
Truly impressive.
Hearing that answer made Mo Yong Woo sincerely admire him.
It’s not that he tries not to care. He genuinely doesn’t care about others’ opinions. He knows there are far more important things than such trivialities.
Even knowing that, staying immersed every moment was incredibly difficult.
Maybe that intense focus is what propelled his achievements even further.
Yeon Hojeong grinned as if amused.
“That’s why they call it armchair theorizing. You can understand it in your head, but until you see, hear, and experience it yourself, you don’t really get it. Looks like you’ve realized the world isn’t as beautiful as you thought.”
“I knew it intellectually. And I’d felt it before.”
“Hm. Well, after the humiliations in your family and all the crap at the Zhejiang branch, yeah.”
“Exactly. That’s why I was so disappointed in myself too.”
“Disappointed?”
Mo Yong Woo smiled faintly.
“Getting worked up over something I shouldn’t even be disappointed about—it’s only natural I’d disappoint myself.”
Yeon Hojeong chuckled.
“A chain of disappointments.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Cheers.”
“Sure.”
The two clinked cups. After downing his refreshingly, Yeon Hojeong spoke up.
“How’d the Tangma Army training go?”
“They all kept up well.”
“I figured. It’s not just your martial arts—you’re really starting to show the qualities of a true leader.”
“R-Really?”
“Yeah. You think a leader improves just by strutting around? A leader changes because their subordinates do. That subtle pressure you exude now? Pretty impressive.”
Mo Yong Woo smacked his lips awkwardly.
“Enough with the flattery that makes me blush. If anything, Division Chief Muk outshines me there.”
Yeon Hojeong glanced at Muk Bi. Caught off guard by the sudden mention, she startled.
“M-Me?”
Mo Yong Woo smiled.
“When I passed by about a month ago, I was shocked. It wasn’t the woman I remembered.”
“Ah...”
“Filling your absence single-handedly—my sincere admiration. I hear the Myeol Sa Army soldiers are all strong personalities; must’ve been tough.”
Muk Bi shook her head.
“Not really. They all followed along well...”
“Haha.”
They seemed to share some inexplicable sense of camaraderie. Makes sense—Muk Bi and Mo Yong Woo were both kind-hearted and gentle by nature, so they could appreciate each other’s growth more deeply than most.
“But...”
Mo Yong Woo opened his mouth cautiously.
“As for your brother...”
Yeon Hojeong nodded.
“Was just about to get to that.”
“Please, tell me.”
“Fair warning—don’t take it too hard. I’ll lay out everything that happened, no holding back.”
“...”
“My story, and everything about Moyong Gun too.”
Yeon Hojeong, who usually spoke bluntly, giving this kind of heads-up meant something unimaginable had gone down.
Mo Yong Woo took a deep breath.
“Alright, tell me.”
Yeon Hojeong recounted everything in detail. Starting from when the operations team infiltrated, to Moyong Gun heading south, the conversation between the commander and the operations leader, how he earned Yang Cheon’s trust, and even the process of extracting the information.
Mo Yong Woo and Muk Bi gasped throughout the tale. In that not-so-long time, they vividly understood how Yeon Hojeong had approached Yang Cheon and his mindset during the mission.
Yeon Hojeong was more eloquent than expected. Listening to him painted the scenes clearly in their minds.
And then Yeon Hojeong began speaking about Moyong Gun.
A moment later.
“...”
Mo Yong Woo’s face twisted in a way words couldn’t describe. Yeon Hojeong, silently watching, refilled his empty cup without a word.
Mo Yong Woo groaned.
“...My brother really did that?”
“Yes.”
“Is it true?”
“It is.”
He’d promised to tell it straight, no sugarcoating. Yeon Hojeong was a man who kept his word. Mo Yong Woo knew that well. Still, asking again meant he desperately didn’t want to believe it.
Finally, Mo Yong Woo let out a heavy sigh.
“I just don’t get why he’d do that. I try to understand my brother, but I can’t!”
His voice spilled out with every tangled emotion.
Yeon Hojeong shook his head.
“Don’t try to understand him.”
“But!”
“You shouldn’t understand something like that if you’re human.”
“...!”
“The moment you understand him, you become just like him. So don’t try. Stick to the morals and ethics you know.”
Mo Yong Woo gritted his teeth. Yeon Hojeong’s voice deepened gravely.
“I told you before, and I’ll say it again just in case: I picked you as the next Martial Alliance Leader not to stab a knife into Moyong Gun’s heart. It’s because I trust you more than anyone.”
“...”
“And I trust you because you’re smart enough yet never stray off the straight path.”
Mo Yong Woo looked at Yeon Hojeong with bloodshot eyes. Yeon Hojeong smiled.
“The easy path isn’t always wrong, but if there’s a right one, no need to cut corners. Wealth from shortcuts always gets stolen eventually.”
“...”
“Never become like Moyong Gun. Not that you would.”
Mo Yong Woo stared at Yeon Hojeong for a moment, then drained his cup roughly.
“One more.”
“As many as you want.”
Mo Yong Woo downed four cups in a row. Still, the frustration lingered. His face, as he exhaled deeply, was etched with torment.
Watching him, Yeon Hojeong soon grinned wickedly.
“Feeling like shit, huh?”
“Totally.”
“I said forgive the rough words, not the filthy ones.”
“Not in the mood for wordplay.”
“No mood for banter, but plenty of energy to swing a sword?”
“What?”
Yeon Hojeong stood up.
“Perfect night for it, right? Let’s sweat it out and shake off that crap mood. Booze tastes better after a good workout anyway.”
“...”
“You broke through to Mujongjibyeok, didn’t you? Come on, let’s see some Moyong swordplay.”