Aiming at the Light (7)
Yeon Wi’s expression remained completely unchanged after listening to Jegal Mun-ho’s explanation.
He did not seem surprised at all. At least on the surface, that was how it appeared.
Jegal Mun-ho spoke with careful restraint.
“I have considered the matter thoroughly, yet the current situation remains dangerous. I originally wished to speak with the patriarch once more before reaching a decision, however…”
“It is fine. There is no need to concern yourself with me. No one can predict when or how this matter will unfold, can they?”
“Hehe.”
“I have already spoken to Hojeong separately. It would be best to proceed with stability if possible, but if time is of the essence, let us trust in each other’s judgment. Without at least that much faith, fighting them will be difficult, will it not?”
“You speak the truth. I was also concerned about committing the mistake of startling the grass by striking the snake. Even if we form an alliance for now, we will not place complete trust in Moyong Gun and will begin a detailed investigation. In any case, since he likely struck some sort of deal with Yang Cheon, it is possible he has already made contact with the Sasin Sect as well.”
“I understand. However…”
“Yes?”
Yeon Wi’s eyes deepened.
He knew about his son’s previous life. Is such verification truly necessary? I heard he fought Moyong Gun with his life on the line. Of course, the circumstances then and the circumstances now were vastly different. According to what his son had told him, the Black Dragon Department had not even existed at that time.
Yeon Wi’s face hardened as he spoke.
“Even if we form a temporary alliance with Moyong Gun, I remain concerned about how far we can truly trust him.”
“That is something this one has also been contemplating.”
Jegal Mun-ho’s eyes gleamed.
“If he decides to stand with us, the situation will differ greatly from the time of the Black Dragon Department.”
“Because we will have to tell him that the Sasin Sect has been secretly targeting the Mukryong-bu?”
“Precisely. Of course, this only holds if Moyong Gun has no connection whatsoever to the Three Sects. We must continue to observe for now.”
Yeon Wi shook his head.
“I have not mentioned this before, but at least in that regard, I have felt at ease.”
“Why is that?”
“I do not know how the military counselor views him, but Hojeong sees him as a blade coated in poison. A rare and famous sword, yes, yet a poisonous blade that can endanger even the one who wields it.”
“An accurate comparison.”
“I see it differently. The Moyong Gun I observe is not a sword. He is simply a tiger whose greed surpasses all others. A tiger desires to become master of the mountain, but it will not share its seat with other beasts capable of claiming kingship.”
Jegal Mun-ho’s eyes shone with renewed light.
Yeon Wi continued in a calm, even tone.
“His decision to join hands with Yang Cheon was an extremely exceptional case. His life was in immediate danger, so he had no other choice. Moreover, Moyong Gun has never intended to divide the world in two alongside Yang Cheon. From the beginning, he wishes only to step upon even Yang Cheon and rise as the supreme authority of the martial world.”
“Correct.”
“And into that equation enter the Mad Blood Three Sects? Impossible. In truth, from what I see, his pride is equally arbitrary. Yet on this one point I have been confident in my own judgment. Whether he knows of the Three Sects or not, he would not have joined hands with them.”
Jegal Mun-ho, who had been pondering for a moment, gave a slow nod.
“I see. Viewed that way, the patriarch’s certainty makes sense.”
Once suspicion toward a person takes root, one becomes fixated on the process rather than the results their actions produce.
From that perspective, it was clear Moyong Gun had no connection to the Three Sects. Had he truly joined them, there would have been no need for such greed-driven political warfare.
“It was the same during the Mukryong-bu incident. He kept Yang Cheon under strict surveillance. The reason was that Yang Cheon was a formidable foe he would inevitably clash with one day.”
“Indeed. Still, there is always the possibility of ‘what if.’ Let us continue to observe for the time being.”
“Let us do so. People can change at any moment.”
Yeon Wi let out a quiet sigh.
“If he becomes our ally… we will likely clash frequently. That man does not understand the meaning of righteousness.”
“On the contrary, they may actually suit each other well.”
“Hm?”
Jegal Mun-ho smiled bitterly.
“This person has also begun crossing lines.”
Moyong Gun’s eyes trembled.
The unexpectedly devastating power of the attack had shaken his internals. It was fortunate he had managed to block and deflect it; had he been the slightest bit careless, he would have vomited blood.
But that was not what mattered right now.
“……”
“What nonsense is this?”
Yeon Hojeong offered no reply. He simply glared at Moyong Gun with eyes blazing with murderous intent.
Shock flickered across Moyong Gun’s face.
“The Three Sects? That they helped establish the Mukryong-bu?”
“Furthermore, they are currently operating in secret within both the imperial family and the government offices.”
“……!”
Moyong Gun, who had been staring back at Yeon Hojeong with a face full of shock, soon formed a cold, bitter smile.
“Stop your nonsense. So now you resort to ridiculous lies to toy with me.”
His voice trembled faintly. Despite his words, he knew Yeon Hojeong was speaking the truth.
Just as he had said, the axe Yeon Hojeong had swung had been filled with nothing but sincerity.
One comes to know an opponent through martial arts. In that brief clash, Moyong Gun had sensed neither pretense nor falsehood.
“I ask again.”
Whiiiiiiiiiing!
A fierce white storm coiled around the Mad Dragon Axe.
“The Mad Blood Three Sects—Sasin Sect, Shinwha Sect, and Gwanghyeol Sect. Did you know of any one of them?”
“I told you to stop the nonsense.”
His voice had grown considerably calmer. He had instinctively steadied his mind.
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes darkened like an endless abyss. You killed me. Even though Shinwha and Gwanghyeol existed alongside Sasin. No matter how much you feared my power, I cannot understand why you would bury someone like me—someone who could have protected your people.
The problem was this. People can change at any time. Moyong Gun was a man who had built a family. Yet change discriminates against neither gender, age, wealth, nor strength.
What if Yang Cheon had told him about the Sasin Sect? What if Moyong Gun had known?
Of course, the Moyong Gun that Yeon Hojeong remembered would have halted the political strife and proposed striking the sects first.
But Moyong Gun had done no such thing. Therefore, the Moyong Gun Yeon Hojeong knew had been unaware of the Three Sects’ existence. However, I could be wrong.
He had to proceed with caution. The boldness he had shown until now had all been for the sake of this very caution.
Yeon Hojeong spoke once more.
“I ask for the last time.”
Chiiiiiiiik!
The cold wind seethed violently before Yeon Hojeong’s killing intent.
“Moyong Gun. Have you joined hands with the Three Sects?”
At last, Moyong Gun’s rage erupted.
“I told you to stop your nonsense!”
Kwaaaaaaaaang!
With Moyong Gun’s explosive strike, Yeon Hojeong was sent flying backward.
It was a blow that exposed every opening in his movements, focused solely on raw power. Countering it would have been childishly easy, yet Yeon Hojeong took the sword strike directly.
Crackle!
Blue lightning flared across the Mad Dragon Axe before vanishing. Moyong Gun’s thunder qi had failed to pierce Yeon Hojeong’s inner energy shield.
Pssssss.
White smoke rose from the Mad Dragon Axe.
Killing intent poured endlessly from Moyong Gun’s eyes. Its density rivaled Yeon Hojeong’s own.
“Your arrogance has crossed all bounds. I will not kill you today, but I will sharply correct that insolent attitude of yours.”
Yeon Hojeong had no chance to answer.
Baaaaaaaang!
Moyong Gun shot forward like a bolt of lightning. The speed was comparable to Yeon Hojeong’s own Blood Wing Flight.
Thunder qi enveloped Moyong Gun’s entire body. Blue lightning crackled fiercely along the treasured sword he swung with explosive momentum.
Yeon Hojeong unfolded the Tiger King’s Nine Wall Stance.
Kwaaaaaang!
With a deafening roar, the bark of several distant trees was violently stripped away.
Crackle! Whiiiiiiiiiing!
Terrifying gusts and chilling lightning qi tore through every direction.
Moyong Gun’s power, unleashed without reservation, was nothing short of overwhelming. Even Yeon Hojeong, unmatched in raw strength, was momentarily swept up. In terms of strong sword, he seemed even more powerful than his own father.
Moyong Gun swung his sword again.
Kwaaaaaaaaang! Kwaaaaaang!
A sword is double-edged and thin; it is specialized in thrusting rather than cutting.
Yet Moyong Gun’s sword was different. Like Yeon Hojeong swinging an axe, he brought it down with brutal force. Each strike carried the weight of ten thousand pounds.
Kwaaaaaaaaang!
Yeon Hojeong’s feet sank deep into the ground.
His martial prowess had grown even further after forming the Yeon Family Divine Elixir. Nevertheless, he was overpowered in pure strength. While Moyong Gun’s realm was clearly higher, this was the first time Yeon Hojeong had been pushed back in a contest of power against such an expert.
However… …… Yeon Hojeong’s eyes remained clear and icy.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth from internal injuries, yet neither his expression nor his gaze wavered. He simply deflected Moyong Gun’s techniques one by one with serene precision. Why is he so furious?
There was no need to meet force with force.
Moyong Gun’s power was certainly tremendous, but his attacks—delivered in a near-frenzied state—were riddled with openings. A proper counter would have made landing a fatal blow easy.
Yet Yeon Hojeong did not counter. He did not exploit the openings.
He simply received the older man’s strong sword with stubborn tenacity. Are you angry to hide your connection to the Three Sects? Or are you furious that there are more bastards like the Uisinhoe? Or perhaps you’re enraged at having played the fool alone? If not even that, are you ashamed of yourself for knowing the truth and ignoring it until now?!
One sees the vessel through martial arts.
To see the vessel, one must read sincerity. To read sincerity, qi must clash with qi.
He came to know. Each other’s true hearts.
In Yeon Hojeong’s eyes, Moyong Gun’s sincerity was gradually revealing itself.
Klang! Klang-klang-klang!
Speed was now added to power.
Just as Yeon Hojeong read Moyong Gun’s heart, Moyong Gun began to feel Yeon Hojeong’s sincerity in return.
That he was not lying. That he was genuinely suspicious of him.
Furthermore, just how deeply he loathed the unknown organization known as the Mad Blood Three Sects.
In Moyong Gun’s eyes, a different scene slowly began to emerge.
Fwoooooooosh!
The earth was parched dry. The sky burned crimson with soaring flames.
Countless corpses lay scattered in every direction. And among them, a young man shed bloody tears as he screamed in despair.
It was Yeon Hojeong. Yeon Hojeong was clutching his blood-soaked father and younger brother, wailing in agony.
For a moment, a chill ran down Moyong Gun’s spine. This bastard.
Whether illusion or reality, he could feel Yeon Hojeong’s heart. He felt the worry for the future, the tension and sorrow of a man who feared the world would become hell despite all preparations.
The sincere heart of a warrior terrified that his family might die was transmitted directly. You would go that far.
Even when reading sincerity through martial arts, it is difficult if the opponent controls their qi.
Is he showing me his true heart for the first time?
The iron gate opened.
Qi is the mind, and the mind is the soul’s heart that allows a person to move as a person should.
And now, Yeon Hojeong was revealing it without hesitation. He was hoping Moyong Gun would understand through his qi.
Just how much he hated the Three Sects. How terrifying their existence was to him.
Suddenly, blue lightning erupted from Moyong Gun’s eyes.
Kwaaaaaaaaang!
This strike was more perfect than any that had come before.
It contained power, speed, martial principle, and perfect timing—all of it.
“Cough!”
Yeon Hojeong, driven back more than ten steps, vomited a mouthful of blood.
The power and penetrating force of the strike had reached an astonishing level. Avoiding it would have been the wiser choice, yet he had taken even that final blow head-on.
Yeon Hojeong wiped the blood from his mouth and stared forward.
At some point Moyong Gun had lowered his sword to the lower stance. He stared at Yeon Hojeong with an expressionless face.
“……”
Silence descended once more.
And once again, it was Moyong Gun who broke it.
“Do you trust me?”
“Ptui!”
After spitting out the blood, Yeon Hojeong answered in a cold voice.
“I don’t. However, I do trust in your ability.”
It was the same exchange they had shared before infiltrating the Mukryong-bu, when they had been forced to work together.
Moyong Gun stared at him for a long moment before sheathing his sword.
Shiiing. Clack!
The sound of the blade sliding into its scabbard was as smooth as a single clear note. His mind had completely calmed.
Moyong Gun turned away.
“Tomorrow at noon, I will come to the Pagun Pavilion. Gather everyone who knows about this matter.”
“And refrain from any foolish actions in the meantime. I will go to the Tiger Elder immediately and ask him to place all of the Moyong family’s residences under control.”
Moyong Gun stopped walking.
He turned his head and glared at Yeon Hojeong.
“You had better gather every piece of information you have on those Three Sects or whatever they are called. If there is even the slightest falsehood in what you said today, the Pagun Pavilion will become a sea of blood tomorrow.”
“I look forward to it.”
Moyong Gun turned once more and left the forest.
Thud.
Yeon Hojeong set the Mad Dragon Axe down and let out a long sigh.
“Let’s live a little easier, you bastard.”
The emotions he had revealed were genuine. Yet he still did not know everything about Moyong Gun. That was simply the kind of man he was.
Now only one thing remained.
“If you pull any tricks like the ones that got me killed last time, then even if it is at my brother’s request, I will uproot the entire Moyong family down to its roots.”