At the Martial Alliance (2)
Yeon Wi sat in lotus position, looking remarkably at ease.
He did not appear to be circulating his internal energy, nor did he seem to be lost in meditation. He simply looked like a man seated cross-legged in a pleasant field, savoring the breeze and the fresh vitality rising from the plains. Nothing more.
How long had he remained like that?
“So this is where you were.”
Yeon Wi opened his eyes.
Jegal Mun-ho stood before him. The relaxed smile he usually wore had vanished, replaced by a noticeably stiff expression.
Yeon Wi rose to his feet.
“Welcome. What brings you at this hour?”
“I came to grumble and vent my frustrations to the one person who has been so absorbed in training that he left me suffering from a headache all alone.”
Yeon Wi’s face clouded with embarrassment.
“My apologies. I became so fixated on the sword that…”
Jegal Mun-ho gave a small chuckle.
“It was a joke. A joke. Goodness, I thought you had finally grown more at ease, yet you’ve already reverted to your old self?”
“It is true that I have been negligent in matters of military strategy.”
“I must handle my own duties. Had it been truly urgent, I would have sought your assistance. Please do not concern yourself.”
Yeon Wi clicked his tongue. Such words only made him feel more apologetic.
Yet apart from that guilt, he sensed something unusual in the air.
“Your expression is grim. Has something happened?”
Jegal Mun-ho let out a heavy sigh.
“We received word from Young Master Yeon.”
Yeon Wi’s face brightened at once.
“From Hojeong?”
“Indeed. However, the contents of the letter are far from ordinary.”
“What is it?”
“Please read it yourself.”
“……”
“Ah, do not misunderstand. I intend to raise this matter at the Bonggong Council in one shichen as well.”
Yeon Wi nodded.
“That is true, but something else concerns me.”
“The spy.”
“Yes.”
Jegal Mun-ho shook his head.
“Every member of the Bonggong already knows of the possibility that a spy exists among us. In such a situation, attempting to control information would only breed resentment. What must be known should be known.”
“Well, I suppose the military advisor would know best how to handle it.”
Yeon Wi accepted the letter Jegal Mun-ho offered and began to read.
A moment later, his eyes widened.
“Yang Cheon?!”
Jegal Mun-ho sighed again.
“I knew he had shaken Botam to its core. But I never imagined he would reach out and touch even the Saeum Cult.”
The three-way conflict centered on Botam.
It sounded neat enough to call it a three-way struggle, but if the situation truly escalated, the Martial Alliance and the Black Dragon Department would join hands to toy with the Saeum Cult. They could even deceive the cult and slip agents into its ranks.
The problem was that every part of the plan carried far too much risk. Even if they succeeded, the moment clear evidence emerged that they had driven Botam to such ruin, Shaolin would never overlook the Black Dragon Department.
For the Murim of the Central Plains—already forced to contend with all Three Sects—it was an unwelcome development.
“The only saving grace is that the young master somehow managed to stop it.”
As expected of Yeon Hojeong.
He had likely reached the exact same conclusion Yeon Wi was now considering. That was why he had fought so desperately to prevent it.
“The real problem is Cheonimun, which has gone to the Saeum Cult. If they truly receive the cult’s support, Botam will never recover.”
“Hmm.”
Yeon Wi offered neither agreement nor disagreement.
Jegal Mun-ho continued.
“The situation is as follows. The representative of Cheonanmun who went to the young master has repented his errors after Beom-oh’s persuasion. The Yeonhwamun leader, meanwhile, has sustained internal injuries that will require years of recuperation. In short, two of Botam’s three faction leaders have been neutralized.”
“Nothing is written about the successors.”
“The fact that they were not mentioned suggests they will not pose an immediate problem.”
“Hmm.”
“For now, Cheonimun is the issue. Honestly, if they have already made contact with the Saeum Cult, we cannot stop them—and I am not even certain we should.”
Yeon Wi’s eyes sharpened.
“What do you mean?”
Jegal Mun-ho nodded.
“Botam has already fallen. At least the Botam of this generation has. Regaining its former spirit will take a very long time.”
“……”
“If it had been the Martial Alliance or the Black Dragon Department instead of the Three Sects, the matter might be different… but the moment Cheonimun accepts aid from the Saeum Cult, they must be considered tainted.”
The taint he spoke of was not mere corruption or desire. It meant the entire Cheonimun faction had fallen under the Saeum Cult’s control.
Was the organization so weak that it could be taken so easily? Perhaps.
Yet none of the groups the Saeum Cult had claimed so far had been easy prey. Its power was such that it had even subjugated the notoriously difficult world of assassins. If the Shinwha Sect or the Mad Blood Cult became entangled as well, Cheonimun would be finished. Utterly destroyed.
That was why Yang Cheon had sent them to the Saeum Cult—to let them be thoroughly dyed. Only then could he trace the cult’s experts who had infiltrated the Central Plains through Cheonimun and strike at their roots.
Yang Cheon had shown them a path with no return.
A terrifying man.
Yeon Wi had always known Yang Cheon was dangerous, but the recent events made him feel that he had underestimated the man in the past.
And it was not only because of Botam.
“After receiving a letter from the Late Beggar some time ago, I sent my reply to two places. One went to the Late Beggar. The other was scattered through the Black Dragon Department’s intelligence network.”
Yeon Wi’s eyes gleamed with interest.
“Their intelligence network?”
“It was meant to sow chaos. This was before I received permission from the Moyong Family Head, but he ultimately agreed with my decision.”
“What exactly did you write?”
“That the Moyong Family was secretly creating an organization to strike at the Black Dragon Department.”
Yeon Wi’s eyes trembled.
Jegal Mun-ho sighed once more.
“No matter how powerful the Black Dragon Department may be, the Moyong Family is like a thorn beneath their chin. And it is no ordinary thorn—one prick could paralyze an entire leg.”
“And yet?”
“The Black Dragon Department ignored the information completely. I had hoped to disrupt their intelligence network and slip a spy in during the resulting gap to observe Cheonimun’s movements, but they refused to waver.”
“Hmm.”
“Do you understand? The Yang Cheon of the past would have flown into a rage upon receiving such a report. Yet he remained unshaken.”
Even a potent poison had failed to disturb him. It could only mean that Yang Cheon had grown stronger than before, or that a sharp-eyed strategist now stood at his side.
“The Black Dragon Department has grown stronger—both internally and externally.”
Jegal Mun-ho’s eyes flashed.
“That is precisely why we must not allow serious friction with them. Mutual restraint is acceptable, but pointless conflict that weakens both sides cannot be permitted.”
Originally, Jegal Mun-ho had viewed the Black Dragon Department as a dangerous element. Now the same man was saying they must advance together with it.
He had come to acknowledge their power. Thoroughly, as a force to be reckoned with.
“That is why I came to you, Family Head. I have a request.”
“What sort of request?”
“When the council convenes, many of the Bonggong will voice strong opposition to Yang Cheon’s actions. Extreme opinions may even surface.”
“……”
“I do not know what you will choose to say, but your words carry immense weight. I ask that you prevent the situation from spiraling out of control.”
“I understand. I will do what I can.”
“Thank you.”
Yeon Wi studied Jegal Mun-ho quietly.
“Is that all?”
“Yes, that is all.”
Jegal Mun-ho’s response was perfectly composed.
Yeon Wi nodded.
“Very well. Then I will see you at the meeting.”
“Until then.”
Jegal Mun-ho turned and walked away.
Yeon Wi tilted his head slightly. It feels like he had more to say.
Yet he soon set the thought aside.
If the man had something to say but chose not to speak, it must be because the time was not yet right. Or perhaps it was simply Yeon Wi’s own misunderstanding.
I will simply do my best in my own position, with the tasks I can handle.
Surprisingly, Yeon Wi’s intuition proved correct.
Jegal Mun-ho, now far from the open field, stopped walking and exhaled deeply.
“……
Please, just curse me instead.”
He drew another letter from his robes.
This one had also come from Yeon Hojeong—sent secretly, for Jegal Mun-ho’s eyes alone.
The letter contained a single request: that Jegal Mun-ho make arrangements so Yeon Hojeong could operate inside the Black Dragon Department.
Arrange matters so that I may move freely within the Black Dragon Department.
— Yeon Hojeong
You fool. Must you entertain such dangerous ideas and give me this headache?
Jegal Mun-ho smiled bitterly.
What pained him even more was that the idea of Yeon Hojeong entering the Black Dragon Department and seizing control of the dark path sounded incredibly tempting.
If Yeon Hojeong could become the bridge between the orthodox and the unorthodox factions?
If that happened, everything would become far simpler.
Would the Family Head oppose it? Or approve?
He could not guess. Given Yeon Wi’s personality, he would likely oppose it as a father, yet approve as a member of the Martial Alliance’s Bonggong.
The only concern was the possibility of conflict arising between father and son during the process. Yeon Hojeong must have known this, which was why he had sent a separate letter.
Refusing to neglect relationships even for the sake of the greater cause—it was one of Yeon Hojeong’s strengths.
Being caught in the middle, however, was pure torment.
Jegal Mun-ho slapped his own cheek hard enough to make a sharp sound.
“No more weakness. Even a young man young enough to be your son is risking his life out there. If you cannot help him, at least stop your whining.”
Three days later.
Yeon Hojeong spoke to Yang Cheon.
“Then I shall take my leave.”
“Travel safely.”
“This may be unnecessary advice, but please refrain from causing any incidents until I return.”
Yang Cheon frowned.
“Truly, you are the only person under heaven who can stand before me and offer such unfunny advice.”
“Then you should reflect. Both on your careless past and on the narrow circle of acquaintances who cannot even speak to you this frankly.”
“You really have grown bold with your words.”
“I am telling you in advance. The moment I am dispatched to the Black Dragon Department, not only good things will happen. The vice-lord will surely suffer headaches because of me.”
Yang Cheon gave a small laugh.
“When a fortune falls from the sky, some people handle it wisely and live happily, while others wrap it up tightly out of anxiety and die without spending a single coin.”
“Are you the latter, Vice-Lord?”
“I am the former, you fool.”
Yeon Hojeong, still smiling, turned to Kang Liang.
Kang Liang nodded.
“When I return, this friend will be joining as a dispatched member as well.”
Yang Cheon looked at Kang Liang.
Even under the gaze of an absolute master, Kang Liang’s expression remained perfectly calm.
Yang Cheon clicked his tongue.
“Keeping a blade as dangerous as that by your side is bound to disturb your sleep.”
“So you are the latter after all.”
“……
I’ve been hit once.”
“Please take good care of Botam’s descendants until I return. I will not cause any trouble.”
“Stop worrying about useless things and just come back safely. And Yeon Daesu.”
“Speak.”
A murderous glint appeared in Yang Cheon’s eyes.
“You must catch that spy.”
A similar killing intent rose in Yeon Hojeong’s gaze.
“I will. Without fail.”