In the Martial Alliance (9)
The drinking session between the two men only ended as midnight approached.
After Yeon Hojeong left, Moyong Gun sat alone and continued sipping the remaining liquor.
Despite drinking so much, he felt no intoxication. The lightning energy circulating through his body burned away the alcohol's effects in an instant. Though he deliberately suppressed even that to drink properly, he remained completely sober.
Instead, his mind had never been clearer. Having distanced himself from politics to focus solely on martial cultivation, he felt far more composed and cold than before.
Some time passed like that.
“Is that you, Yeon-hwa?”
“Yes, Father.”
“Come in.”
The door opened, and Moyong Yeon-hwa stepped inside.
“Did the drinking session go well?”
“It did. Seeing that fellow’s face after so long was quite pleasant.”
“Hehe. Even though you dislike him so much?”
“I do dislike him, but not to that extent. After all, where else could you find a talent as outstanding as the current Yeon Hojeong? I’ve tasted bitter defeat at his hands several times, but looking back, I believe those were good matches as well.”
It wasn’t empty words. It was sincere.
Knowing her father’s true feelings, Moyong Yeon-hwa found him impressive. To think that way after losing multiple times to a junior far younger than himself? It was a mindset few could possess.
Of course, her father was not weak enough to simply cherish his bouts against Yeon Hojeong as fond memories.
“Would you like a drink as well?”
Moyong Yeon-hwa smiled.
“That sounds good.”
She picked up an empty cup.
Moyong Gun clicked his tongue.
“Wasn’t that the cup that fellow was using? Get a new one…”
“It’s fine.”
“Hmm?”
Moyong Yeon-hwa’s expression remained unchanged.
“What does it matter if it’s the cup Yeon Hojeong drank from, or the one the Black Dragon Department Head drank from? What if a beggar used it? Or an assassin?”
“……”
“A cup is just a cup.”
Moyong Gun smiled.
“Yes. A cup is just a cup.”
Father and daughter clinked their cups together.
“It’s baekju, isn’t it?”
“Bitter? But as you drink it, it has its own charm. Though I doubt I’ll seek it out often.”
“I’m not sure about the charm, but it seems like the kind of drink you reach for when you want to get drunk.”
“Hahaha.”
Moyong Gun asked.
“Since we’ve come this far, let me ask. What do you plan to do going forward?”
“Well.”
Moyong Yeon-hwa smiled faintly.
“I had many worries, but somehow it feels like I finally have something to do.”
She had quickly noticed that her father had a task in mind for her.
Moyong Gun let out a hearty laugh.
“You’ve truly become a ghost now.”
“I’m still far from it.”
“Go to Guangdong and look into something for me.”
Moyong Yeon-hwa’s eyes sparkled.
“Is it related to Senior Yeon?”
“It is.”
“What exactly?”
Moyong Gun relayed Yeon Hojeong’s words exactly as he had heard them.
Moyong Yeon-hwa’s gaze deepened.
“It is certainly strange. If he mentioned it in passing, that would be one thing, but…”
“Of course he said it in passing. He acted as if it were insignificant. However, from what this father observed, one of the most important parts of Yeon Hojeong’s story is exactly how he won over the officials.”
“Given Senior Yeon’s personality, he wouldn’t have left that part out.”
“You saw it well.”
Moyong Gun smiled.
“Of course, it might be nothing. It’s possible Yeon Hojeong persuaded the officials on his own. But if there is something more, it is worth investigating.”
Moyong Yeon-hwa’s eyes gleamed.
“Won’t he be on guard?”
“Hmm?”
“Even if not right away, once I leave the Martial Alliance, won’t Senior Yeon sense that something is off?”
Moyong Gun nodded.
“That is possible. No, that fellow will definitely prepare his own countermeasures.”
“Then…”
“Yes. What I truly expect from you is to break through even those countermeasures and bring back the information.”
Moyong Gun’s eyes shone.
“Can you do it?”
Moyong Yeon-hwa bowed her head.
“I will try.”
“Hahaha!”
Moyong Gun took a small iron tablet from his robe and handed it to her.
“This is the Great Army Token. I will contact the main family separately. With this, you will be able to freely command the family’s main forces and intelligence network.”
“Father…!”
Moyong Yeon-hwa looked at her father with eyes full of intense emotion.
Moyong Gun shook his head.
“Even then, it may prove difficult. It would be easier if you were dealing with the Black Dragon Department Head. That man understands politics. But Yeon Hojeong is a monster without limits. This task will truly be dangerous.”
“It is the moment I have been waiting for.”
“Haha.”
Moyong Gun filled her cup.
“Have a drink.”
Moyong Yeon-hwa emptied the cup in one clean motion, smiled, and rose to her feet.
“Then I will get moving.”
“Already?”
“I need to strike where he least expects it. So that Senior Yeon remains unaware, or only realizes later.”
Moyong Yeon-hwa bowed deeply.
“I will return safely, Father.”
“Yes. Come back in one piece.”
“I will.”
“Ah, wait a moment.”
Moyong Gun stood and took a book from the shelf.
When he opened it, a small letter was tucked inside.
“I wrote this in advance, thinking a day like this might come.”
“……?”
“Deliver this to Woo. Directly.”
Moyong Yeon-hwa’s eyes lit up.
“Yes!”
A short while later, Moyong Yeon-hwa left the room.
“Whew.”
Moyong Gun let out a light sigh and smiled as he gazed out the window.
This is better.
What exactly had happened in Guangdong Province? What method had Yeon Hojeong used to persuade the officials? I am curious, but. Moyong Gun’s eyes deepened.
It was certainly a matter worth knowing. Yeon Hojeong was clearly hiding something from him.
However, he did not feel the need to force the issue. He did not believe it was a secret that would affect the greater picture.
That was why he had sent Moyong Yeon-hwa. In the process of uncovering the spies, Yeon-hwa would only be a burden. These were the people who had turned the revered elder of the Martial Alliance into a spy.
They were capable of using any reckless, dangerous method. Moyong Gun refused to ignore that ominous possibility.
Therefore, having her investigate what Yeon Hojeong was hiding while also mending her relationship with Moyong Woo was the wiser path. The current Moyong Yeon-hwa would not create conflict with Moyong Woo.
“Whew.”
Moyong Gun closed his eyes.
“It has been a long time since my heart beat like this.”
“Huff! Huff!”
Upon returning to Pagun Pavilion, Yeon Hojeong was greeted by a rather absurd sight.
“You’re back?”
Yeon Wi asked with a calm expression.
“Huff huff… You’ve returned, sir?”
Kang Liang asked with a face that looked half-dead.
Yeon Hojeong’s expression turned awkward.
“What exactly is going on here?”
“T-training…”
He was completely spent.
It was obvious at a glance that he could barely lift a finger. He was desperately trying to stand, but his trembling knees and the hand that couldn’t even grip his sword properly showed he had already crossed his limit.
Yeon Wi smiled and sheathed his sword.
“Let’s stop here.”
“Yes, thank you for your…”
Kang Liang collapsed before he could finish. He had fainted.
Yeon Hojeong clicked his tongue.
“Have you been sparring with him this entire time?”
“That’s right.”
“Aren’t you being too harsh?”
Yeon Wi’s eyes sparkled.
“He is incredible. I could tell at a glance that he was well-trained, but I didn’t expect this level. There isn’t a single flaw in his heart, body, or energy. Every aspect has reached the peak.”
“He has put in a lot of effort.”
“Enduring this much in such a state is remarkable in itself. It is an act that disrupts balance, yet he shows no fear. Though it may be somewhat dangerous, his growth will be faster than anyone else’s.”
As Yeon Wi looked at the collapsed Kang Liang, a hint of admiration appeared on his face.
“He will become a great sword hero someday. Simply being able to provide even a little fertilizer to the soil of such talent is an honor.”
That is quite a humble statement.
“By the way, how was your evening?”
Yeon Hojeong smiled as he answered.
“It was exactly the kind of drinking session I expected. It was nice seeing him after so long.”
Yeon Wi laughed as if he couldn’t help it.
“He is the type to smile while stabbing you in the back. I know you’ll handle it, but never let your guard down.”
Yeon Wi did not speak this way about many people. It only proved how formidable Moyong Gun truly was.
“I won’t let my guard down at all. He has grown considerably. It would be foolish to underestimate him now.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Honestly… he doesn’t seem much different from you, Father.”
Yeon Wi nodded.
“Every time I see him at the meetings, he has changed. It must have been a continuous, blood-spitting effort on his part.”
“It must have been. He probably received a tremendous shock. Many people despise the foreign martial world, but the Moyong Family Head’s fury has gone far beyond the norm.”
“It seems so.”
“Those he once looked down on as beneath him now possess many warriors stronger than himself. That fact alone must have been an enormous humiliation for Moyong Gun. He may have trained as desperately as you have, Father.”
“Beneath him…”
Yeon Wi mulled over the word and let out a sigh.
“How can one call them beneath us? Where in this world are there truly lowly people? We hate and despise them because they trample on our lands and try to claim them as their own.”
“You are right.”
“In the end, it is a fight between people, between ideologies and peace. If their invasion brings only fire and death, then we must draw our swords to protect our territory and our people.”
Yeon Wi looked at his son with strong, resolute eyes.
“I cannot even begin to imagine how deeply you hate them. However, in the battles to come, never think of them as lowly.”
“Do not worry. I do not think of them as lowly.”
Yeon Hojeong gave a sharp smile.
“This fight is not about status or nobility. It is a struggle between invaders and those who defend. Their ideology and fanaticism cannot be tolerated, but I simply see them as different. I do not see them as beneath me.”
Yeon Wi smiled.
“Yes. That is it.”
In the end, they were simply enemies. What difference did it make to call them lowly or fools? They were foes that had to be killed and removed.
But Yeon Wi did not seem to think that way.
There are no lowly people in the world. Everyone simply has different positions and different beliefs. That was Yeon Wi’s conviction.
Yeon Hojeong knew exactly where his father’s heart came from. It is justice.
Justice means the right path that aligns with truth.
Those who commit crimes that make one’s blood boil, and evil men who feel not the slightest remorse. Yeon Hojeong did not treat such people as humans. He saw them as trash worse than beasts. Not merely lowly, but madmen who had abandoned their humanity.
Yeon Wi was different.
No matter how grave the crime, if one was born human, they remained human. Therefore they must live as humans, and if they strayed from human duty, they must receive punishment.
Because there was justice, he viewed all people without discrimination. Because there was justice, rewards and punishments were clear.
Yeon Hojeong was truly proud of his father’s convictions.
“Anyway, I should move this fellow first.”
Yeon Wi scratched his head with an embarrassed smile.
“Yes, let’s get him inside.”
“Up we go.”
As Yeon Hojeong lifted Kang Liang onto his back, Yeon Wi asked.
“Are your preparations complete?”
“What preparations do you mean?”
“You came to the Martial Alliance for a reason, didn’t you?”
Yeon Hojeong grinned.
“My mind is ready. Starting tomorrow, I plan to run around until the soles of my feet catch fire.”