The Yujun Sortie (5)
“Hojeong.”
“You’ve arrived, Father.”
It seemed the meeting had run late into the night. Past midnight, a faint trace of exhaustion lingered on Yeon Wi’s face.
Yeon Hojeong rose from his seat.
“You must be tired. Please go inside and rest.”
“Before that, there is something I must tell you.”
“Is it about our deployment destination?”
“It is.”
Yeon Wi let out a long sigh.
A parent’s worry for their child was not bound by experience. Even if one had won ten battles, the heart that worried for a child heading into an eleventh fight remained no different from the first time.
Yeon Wi was the same. His concern for his son had not changed from before.
The only difference was that this man, who had always kept his expression firmly in check, now wore a face heavy with worry.
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes sparkled.
“Is it the Black Dragon Department?”
Yeon Wi asked in surprise.
“How did you know that?”
He recounted the conversation he had shared with Moyong Woo exactly as it had happened.
Yeon Wi’s face hardened.
“The Tangma Army Commander?”
“Yes.”
To Yeon Wi, who valued rules and propriety above all, Moyong Woo’s words could only be seen as crossing a line.
Yet Yeon Wi quickly corrected his mindset. After all, his own son occasionally offered him advice or suggested solutions to crises. In that light, Moyong Woo presenting a strategy to Moyong Gun was not something that deserved harsh criticism.
The only thing that displeased him was that his own blood had been dragged into it.
As if reading his father’s heart, Yeon Hojeong smiled and spoke.
“Moyong Gun is an outstanding talent. His martial prowess goes without saying, and his strategic insight is equally flawless. But what truly overwhelms all of that is his character.”
“His character, you say.”
“Moyong Woo is the most righteous person I have ever seen. Of course, with the exception of you, Father.”
Yeon Wi gave a bitter smile.
“I trust your judgment.”
“Thank you.”
“The results of the meeting will be officially announced at noon tomorrow. However, the Bonggong felt it would be best to inform you—the Great Commander of the Uijeong Army—in advance. That is why I am telling you now.”
“I will listen with full attention.”
Yeon Wi took a deep breath.
“As you guessed, our deployment destination is connected to the Black Dragon Department of the dark factions. However, we will not be directly touching the Black Dragon Department itself.”
“I thought as much. Touching them carelessly could spark an all-out war.”
“Of course, an actual war is unlikely to break out easily. Even if we launch a preemptive strike, most matters are resolved through diplomacy. Cases where real blood is spilled are extremely rare. Still, there is no harm in being cautious.”
“You are correct. So, what orders will be given to us?”
“Before that… do you know a man named Hong Gwan?”
Yeon Hojeong tilted his head.
“It is a name I have never heard before…”
“I see. The same was true for me. Until I heard it from the Ark Leader, I knew nothing about him.”
After a brief pause, Yeon Wi dropped the information like a bomb.
“Hong Gwan is one of Yang Cheon, the King of Combat’s disciples.”
“…!”
Yeon Hojeong’s face stiffened.
“Please explain in detail.”
“I would like to, but there is still little I can explain with certainty. However, according to what the Ark Leader discovered, he is one of the strongest among Yang Cheon’s many disciples. He has deliberately avoided appearing in public and has been operating from the shadows.”
Yeon Hojeong could not hide his confusion. One of the strongest? A disciple of Yang Cheon?
He was a man who had already lived one life and returned. In other words, he possessed knowledge of events that had yet to occur in this timeline—people the world still did not know.
Yet he knew absolutely nothing about a man named Hong Gwan. A disciple of Yang Cheon, the King of Combat? Of course he had fought against some of his disciples before, but the ones Yeon Hojeong knew numbered only four.
Four was by no means a large number. Yet his father had just said “many disciples.”
Yeon Wi nodded.
“Indeed. If you had known, you would not have reacted that way.”
“I fought Yang Cheon in a life-or-death battle, killed him, and stood as the ruler of the dark factions.”
“I know.”
“The intelligence network of the dark factions surpasses even the orthodox factions in certain areas. And in war, once the enemy leader is killed, it is standard practice to hunt down and eliminate any dangerous figures under his command to remove future threats. I did exactly that.”
“……”
“Yet I only knew of four disciples of Yang Cheon. That is hardly a number one could describe as ‘many’…”
“Then there are two possibilities. Either they remained completely hidden even after Yang Cheon’s death, plotting something in secret… or they were never his disciples to begin with.”
“…!!”
Yeon Hojeong’s face hardened once again in shock.
Yeon Wi continued.
“In truth, the Uijeong Army’s deployment destination was originally going to be decided based on the information you seized from the Black Dragon Department. The illegal businesses the Black Dragon Department operates are shaking the economy of the jianghu, and hidden sects have been secretly draining the lifeblood of ordinary citizens. We planned to strike those places first.”
“I expected as much.”
“But the situation has changed. According to the Ark Leader, simply discovering Hong Gwan was an incredible stroke of luck.”
The Heavenly First Room, the Beggars’ Union led by its Ark Leader, possessed intelligence capabilities that stood at the very peak of the world.
Even that Ark Leader had only been able to investigate Hong Gwan by sheer luck and coincidence. It spoke volumes about how thoroughly the man had concealed himself.
“What exactly is this Hong Gwan doing, and where?”
“He is an assassin.”
“……”
Yeon Wi’s face grew rigid.
“Hong Gwan is an assassin. But not an ordinary one. He is the king of the assassin world—a figure that neither I, the Ark Leader, nor the entire orthodox murim knew existed.”
“……?”
“And his power, astonishingly, is said to dominate the underworld of the jianghu. In other words, he is the master of every assassin in the world and wields immense authority from the shadows.”
“…!”
“It was hard to believe. Aside from his name and connection to Yang Cheon, we have almost no other details, making it difficult to trust. However… the Ark Leader seems convinced that the man truly reigns as a god in the world of assassins.”
Yeon Wi’s eyes sharpened with intensity.
“The real problem comes next. The Beggars’ Union gathers information from across the world, refines it in real time, and only sends what must be known to the Martial Alliance. Even the filtered information is enough to leave one’s mouth hanging open.”
“I am aware.”
“The Jegal strategist told me that strange events have been occurring in the southern region of the Central Plains. Sects that once held considerable fame began losing power at some point. Some closed their gates, while others were wiped out by bandits or had their entire martial families destroyed.”
“Bandits?!”
“Yes. And it is not only bandits. There have been localized wars between sects, and several renowned old masters have died from illness or fallen to their deaths from cliffs.”
“Such…”
“The issue is that all of these events have occurred far too naturally. The Central Plains are vast. Disease, death, and conflict can happen at any time. That is why, until now, even the Beggars’ Union had been monitoring the southern incidents without finding anything particularly strange.”
It was Jegal Mun-ho who had noticed what even the Beggars’ Union had overlooked. It was a fresh reminder of just how extraordinary his insight truly was.
“And the Ark Leader… believes that Hong Gwan is connected to the natural yet clearly visible decline of orthodox murim forces in the south.”
“Hong Gwan… Then what is the Uijeong Army supposed to do?”
“Exactly as you suspect.”
Yeon Wi sighed.
“Travel to the southern Central Plains, work with the Beggars’ Union to investigate why these events are happening, identify the clear cause if one exists, and then locate Hong Gwan to either eliminate or capture him.”
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes grew chillingly cold.
The Yujun was, by definition, merely a mobile force. Yet the higher-ups were ordering them to investigate the situation, uncover its cause—Hong Gwan—and eliminate him.
It was a task the Yujun could undertake, yet one that far exceeded their capabilities. That was likely why they were to receive assistance from the Beggars’ Union, but it could not be called a mission suited for the Uijeong Army.
“It would be far more appropriate to send a small elite team. The Uijeong Army numbers over five hundred. This is not a job for an army, but for a special operations unit or elite agents.”
“Does the Uijeong Army not have a special operations unit?”
“…!”
Yeon Wi sighed again.
“Yes, the Bonggong hold the Myeolsa Army’s capabilities in high regard. But even I believe this is not a task for the Uijeong Army.”
“Then all the more reason…”
“That is precisely why they want the Uijeong Army to take on this mission.”
Yeon Hojeong’s face twisted slightly.
“Is it because of reputation?”
“It is not solely for that reason, but I do not think such a motive is entirely absent.”
Yeon Wi was the patriarch of the Byeoksan Yeon Family and a member of the Six Great Families. His prestige and presence were naturally immense.
The problem was that every Bonggong possessed equal presence and authority. Even if a minority of them strongly opposed it, unless it severely violated moral principles, they had no choice but to follow the majority.
Yeon Hojeong, who had been quietly watching his father, asked.
“May I ask just one thing? Did the Jegal strategist also approve this operation?”
“Unbelievably, he was the first to approve it.”
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes gleamed.
Yeon Wi sighed.
“That is why I could not strongly oppose it either. Not because of my personal friendship with the strategist. It is because I believe there must be a reason behind his approval.”
“That makes sense.”
“Still, no matter how much I think about it, I cannot understand this operation. Especially if, as the Ark Leader says, Hong Gwan truly wields such powerful influence in the underworld, finding and eliminating him would be like plucking a star from the sky.”
“……”
Yeon Wi asked cautiously.
“What do you think? Do you believe there is a clear reason why the strategist approved this so confidently?”
“There must be. Though I do not know it yet.”
“Huu…”
Yeon Hojeong, who had been lost in thought for a moment, nodded.
“Regardless of what is happening, if such an order has been issued, we must prepare accordingly.”
“I am ashamed. I am a Bonggong myself.”
“Not at all. I am the Great Commander leading five hundred and fifty soldiers. It is puzzling and worrisome, but if it is an order from above, I must obey.”
That was what an army was. Even if an unreasonable order was given, the army moved first and achieved the order with maximum efficiency.
However…
It doesn’t sit right with me.
A faint shadow fell over Yeon Hojeong’s face.
It really doesn’t sit right. Both the Jegal strategist and the Ark Leader know Father’s personality well. For something like this, they would have given him advance notice. From the looks of it, Father only learned about it during the meeting.
At that moment, Yeon Wi spoke.
“Is there anything I can help you with separately?”
Yeon Hojeong smiled.
“There is nothing in particular. However, may I ask you for one favor?”
“Of course. Speak freely.”
“Please meet with Moyong Gun.”
“Moyong Gun? Now?”
“Yes.”
“What should I do when I meet him?”
Yeon Hojeong spoke in a flat, monotonous tone.
For a moment, Yeon Wi’s face froze like frost-covered iron.
“……”
“I see. If that is truly what you think, then I will do so.”
Half a shichen later.
Moyong Gun, who had been sipping tea while gazing out the window, noticed a figure approaching.
After staring at the man for a long time, Moyong Gun opened his mouth.
“Is anyone outside?”
“Yes, Patriarch.”
“Prepare a table with alcohol. An honored guest has arrived.”
“Understood.”