The Alliance (5)
The three figures racing through the Dabie Mountains moved with both stealth and blistering speed.
Dang Gwan glanced sideways at Yeon Hojeong.
Yeon Hojeong was sprinting along the mountain path with a perfectly calm expression. He had left behind his noisy Flood Dragon Chain to maintain secrecy during this covert operation, but he still carried the Mad Dragon Axe slung boldly over his shoulder.
Even with such heavy armament, the man was somehow suppressing his presence and running smoothly. An axe of that size should have created massive air resistance, making it just as unsuitable for stealthy movement as the iron chain. ‘Hmm.’
As Dang Gwan quietly observed Yeon Hojeong, a sudden thought occurred to him.
“Just where the hell did a bastard like you come from?”
“What do you mean all of a sudden?”
Even though their pace was fast enough to leave most peak-level masters gasping for breath if they tried to keep up, both men wore completely relaxed expressions.
“The Yeon Family of Byeoksan has always been renowned for sword studies, hasn’t it? So how did someone like you end up wielding such a vicious weapon?”
Yeon Hojeong smiled.
“It suits my temperament better. Just because it’s a sword family doesn’t mean we have to swing only swords.”
“What a ridiculous fellow. If something doesn’t suit you, it means you lack the talent for it. And if you lack the talent, you should be sweating blood to inherit your family’s orthodox teachings.”
“That may be how the Sichuan Tang Family does things, but our family is different. My father is strict about family laws, but he’s surprisingly flexible about this sort of thing.”
“……”
“You Yeon clan members really are a difficult bunch to understand.”
“From our perspective, the Tang clan seems even stranger.”
“Shut up.”
Yeon Hojeong muttered something in a voice so low that even Dang Gwan couldn’t hear it. Roughly translated, it amounted to complaints like, ‘He’s the one who started talking first and now he tells me to shut up,’ and ‘Those damn Tang bastards, honestly.’
Dang Gwan paid no attention to the muttering. He hadn’t heard it in the first place, nor did he care to.
However, there was one thing he wanted to ask.
“No matter how different a family’s traditions may be, there are still lines that must be upheld.”
“That’s true.”
“Anyone who fails to learn their family’s orthodox martial arts has no right to be the successor. A cunning bastard like you should understand that much, right?”
“I do.”
“Then what? Are you saying you secretly learned the Yeon family’s sword techniques behind your father’s back?”
“What do you take me for? I am still the eldest son of the Yeon family. I’ve memorized nearly all of our family’s sword studies.”
“And yet?”
“I simply haven’t properly trained them.”
Dang Gwan frowned.
“Are you messing with me right now? With that kind of attitude, how can you call yourself the legitimate heir?”
“There’s another legitimate heir besides me, isn’t there?”
“……?!”
“In fact, my brother Ji-pyeong has probably memorized far more of the family’s Yeon Sword Art than I have. He might even surpass me when it comes to sword intent.”
A look of utter bewilderment crossed Dang Gwan’s face.
“What are you saying?”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t tell me you’re planning to yield the position of successor to your younger brother?”
Yeon Hojeong answered with a nonchalant expression.
“Did you really think someone like me—a butcher—could take on the role of family successor?”
“……?!”
“Even if I had mastered the sword arts, someone unqualified should not inherit the family. Ji-pyeong is far more suited to be the head of our house than I am.”
Yeon Hojeong stroked his chin.
“Ji-pyeong really is better. He might even become the greatest patriarch in our family’s history…”
“Are you serious?”
“Pardon?”
Dang Gwan’s face twisted in a way that was difficult to describe.
“I asked if you were truly serious about yielding the successor position to your brother.”
“Why would I go through the trouble of lying about something like this?”
“……!!”
“Ji-pyeong will do well. I have that much faith in him.”
“You’re saying you have no desire for the position of family head?”
Yeon Hojeong snorted.
“Does becoming the head of a martial family mean someone will just hand me money? Or does my martial arts improve if I sit around doing nothing? Or maybe the heavens will suddenly take pity on me?”
This crazy bastard.
Dang Gwan was so dumbfounded he couldn’t even open his mouth.
Yeon Hojeong continued in a flat tone. His voice sounded almost leisurely.
“I’m not looking down on the position of family patriarch. On the contrary, I think it’s an incredible role. That’s exactly why I say Ji-pyeong is better suited for it than I am.”
“You have no desire to sit in such a magnificent seat?”
To Yeon Hojeong, who had once ruled as the Black Dark Emperor and commanded tens of thousands of the Dark Path and Evil Faction as the master of the Black Emperor Citadel, such words held no meaning.
And precisely because of that, he understood what it truly meant to become the leader of an organization.
Perhaps, just as Dang Gwan said, becoming the patriarch of the Yeon Family of Byeoksan might be far more difficult and meaningful than ruling the Black Emperor Citadel.
Yeon Hojeong smiled bitterly.
“I know my place. Leading a bunch of scoundrels is one thing, but becoming the patriarch of a proper family is beyond me. I’d feel much more at ease aiming to be the strongest under the heavens.”
Dang Gwan’s eyes flashed.
“Is your dream to become the Number One Under Heaven?”
“To possess the strongest martial arts in the world. That would also be meaningful. It’s special, after all. Though people who don’t understand the relationship between martial arts and real combat probably don’t realize that true Number One Under Heaven can never actually exist.”
“……”
“I’m just saying. To me, aiming to be the strongest under heaven seems far easier than becoming the righteous leader of an organization.”
If one twisted the meaning, it could sound incredibly arrogant.
But that was Yeon Hojeong’s honest truth.
The Black Emperor Citadel had not been a deliberately created organization. After carving his way through a blood-soaked hellscape, powerful warriors had naturally gathered around him. The Black Emperor Citadel was the organization they had built together to rule the Dark Path and wage war against the entire world.
Of course, Yeon Hojeong had grown tremendously through that process. He had learned more than he could count about the qualities and responsibilities required of a leader.
But that was all.
It had only been possible because they were part of the Dark Path and Evil Faction, where strength was the highest virtue. Yeon Hojeong truly believed that.
That was why he believed he was utterly unfit to become the master of the Yeon clan.
If he became the patriarch, the family would transform into an arrogant combat organization no different from the current Sichuan Tang Family.
“What a ridiculous fellow. I can’t decide whether to call you the most greedy bastard in the world or a half-witted fool with no ambition whatsoever.”
“Call me whatever you like. No matter what, my opinion that Ji-pyeong is better suited to be the family head remains unchanged.”
Dang Gwan’s eyes deepened.
“How can you think that way?”
“What do you mean?”
“Brothers are nothing more than a word defining a relationship. In this brutal world, they are simply the first competitors you encounter upon birth. Your temperament is far from ordinary, so what exactly do you owe your brother that makes you yield so easily?”
“Yield…”
Yeon Hojeong’s smile turned bitter.
Even Dang Gwan, who had been speaking so sharply, closed his mouth the moment he saw that smile. It was an expression heavy with untold stories.
“I didn’t know that before.”
“Know what?”
“That before being the first competitor I would face after being born into this world, he was someone I should protect, cherish, and even hope would surpass me—an object of deep affection.”
“……!”
“There was a time when I hated my brother, someone I should have naturally cherished. So now, I simply want to do several times more for him than I ever did before.”
“……”
“Well, that’s how I feel, but it’s not easy. I’ve been so busy, you see. Though being busy might just be an excuse.”
Dang Gwan shook his head slowly.
“You really are impossible to understand.”
“I know, right? Sometimes even I don’t understand myself.”
“There’s one thing I do know. That you’re half insane.”
Yeon Hojeong chuckled softly.
“Isn’t this a world where you have to be crazy to survive? Haha.”
“Stop laughing.”
“Woof.”
“What the hell is that undignified sound?”
“I can’t very well brawl with the great patriarch of the Tang family, now can I?”
“Crazy bastard.”
“I know, I know.”
They ran like that for some time.
‘…….’
Dang Gwan’s eyes deepened once more.
He looked back at Yeon Hojeong. Yeon Hojeong nodded silently in response.
Whoosh!
The three of them descended the mountain path at twice their previous speed.
A short while later, Ga Deuk-sang emerged from behind a large boulder.
“Can you see it?”
Where Ga Deuk-sang’s gaze pointed was a vast forest surrounded by trees that had yet to sprout even a single new bud.
The corner of Dang Gwan’s mouth curled upward.
“Is that the place?”
“Yes. After sending my men to scout the area, we confirmed that the target has not moved from that location.”
Dang Gwan looked at Yeon Hojeong.
“Then it’s certain. That bastard we suspect to be a high-ranking official of at least Regional Military Commissioner level is undoubtedly a member of the Shinhwa Sect.”
“Indeed.”
“……”
“Is something wrong?”
“……No. It’s nothing.”
Dang Gwan chose not to say it. He didn’t mention how brilliantly Yeon Hojeong’s eyes were currently burning.
Yeon Hojeong asked Ga Deuk-sang,
“We must first sever Henan Province. I trust you understand what I mean.”
“Of course. However, once this operation begins, the Shinhwa Sect will be placed on high alert in some form or another. The imperial palace and the government offices as well.”
“I’m aware.”
“We cannot simply cut off Henan Province. We must finish everything inside Henan Province itself.”
“Don’t worry.”
Ga Deuk-sang nodded.
“Young Master Yeon, and Lady Muk. I wish you both good fortune in battle.”
After offering a fist salute, Yeon Hojeong turned to Dang Gwan.
“I’ll head out first.”
“Go on.”
“Just in case, if it ever becomes too much…”
“Shut up. Nothing like what you’re imagining will happen. Now get going.”
Yeon Hojeong grinned.
“Understood. Then I’ll be waiting for news of your victory.”
Swish!
With that, Yeon Hojeong and Muk Bi raced westward along the lower mountain path.
It became clear that what they had shown until now had not been their full speed. The man and woman ran even faster than when they had arrived here. The two figures soon vanished into the darkness, their movement so swift it left one speechless.
Ga Deuk-sang let out a long breath.
“Begin whenever you wish, Patriarch.”
The corner of Dang Gwan’s mouth rose.
“Why would I drag out something so trivial? Let’s finish this quickly.”
It was better to come out into the courtyard and look up at the sky than to stay cooped up inside the base. Although the dense tree branches made it difficult to see clearly, Yo Roe’s eyes pierced through countless gaps in the foliage to gaze at the star-filled sky.
“Huu.”
A light breath escaped him, forming a white mist.
“The cold of the Central Plains really is unique. It’s completely different from the chilly desolation of my homeland.”
Woooong. Wooooong.
A faint crimson glow radiated from Yo Roe’s pupils.
“To be honest, I was planning to stay here for a few days, so I thought I might as well get some sleep.”
There was no one around him. Yet he continued speaking in a calm voice, as if conversing with someone.
“But my mood felt a bit strange. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly, but I had a feeling something interesting was about to happen. So instead of sleeping or performing any purification rituals, I’ve been pacing around here.”
Yo Roe slowly closed his eyes, then gradually lifted his eyelids again.
His demonic eyes had turned blood-red.
“As expected, my intuition was correct. To think such an entertaining toy would show up.”
The place he was looking at.
From far beyond the thicket, a middle-aged man dressed in deep green robes was approaching with arrogant steps.
Saaaaah.
A smile spread across Yo Roe’s lips.
“What unique energy. You must have made quite a name for yourself in the Central Plains. Who are you?”
The middle-aged man—Dang Gwan—gave a magnificent reply.
“It’s unfortunate that my name only has two characters. Since you’ll forget it soon anyway, I suggest you stop wasting time on useless thoughts and try running away instead.”