Cleanup and Challenge (4)
Two days later.
“Hmm.”
Yeon Hojeong, who had been gripping and swinging the Black Dragon Axe and White Dragon Axe, soon tilted his head. Strange. It had been the same with the Mad Dragon Axe, but wasn’t it truly peculiar? Is it my instinct that’s gradually pulling my hands away, or have I simply grown tired of them?
Even during his days as the Black Dark Emperor, he had been proficient with all kinds of weapons. Later on, no matter how unique the armament, the moment he grasped it he could instinctively tell exactly how to wield it to draw out its maximum power.
That was why he used an axe weighing over eighty catties. Others might find it difficult to handle, but for Yeon Hojeong it was because he possessed immense physical strength, profound internal energy, and the combat sense and Sasinmu needed to maximize a weapon’s advantages.
Only by wielding such a massive axe could he manifest the full extent of his martial might. The reason he used a giant axe was not to intimidate his opponents, but because the weapon truly suited him.
And that wasn’t limited to the Mad Dragon Axe alone.
The Black Dragon Axe and White Dragon Axe—crafted with blood and sweat by the artisans of the Sichuan Tang Family—also displayed astonishing efficiency in his hands. They even allowed for faster swift strikes and fiercer barrages than the Mad Dragon Axe. While their raw power was slightly lower, they held the advantage in battles that targeted openings.
Whatever the case, the Mad Dragon Axe and the Black and White Twin Dragon Axes were precious weapons to him. He had not the slightest intention of using any other armament as his primary weapon.
“It’s not that I’ve grown tired of them. There’s no way I could. The very idea of me tiring of my own weapons is nonsense. If anything, I should be polishing them even further.”
Clink.
After storing the two axes connected to the Flood Dragon Chain, he stroked his chin. Is a change beginning to come over my martial arts? During his time as the Black Dark Emperor, he had never once felt a weapon was unfamiliar or that his hands refused to reach for it.
However, there had certainly been a time of drastic, unthinkable change. What was I like back then? The period when his martial arts underwent a fundamental transformation, when he had charged forward with eyes fixed only ahead, somewhere between earth and sky.
Before he was called the Black Dark Emperor, before he soared into the ultimate realm—what kind of change had he experienced? It was the chain. Yeon Hojeong lifted the Flood Dragon Chain.
Clink.
The dark-grey chain gave off a clear ring and a chilling aura. After trying every kind of weapon, I finally grasped the axe. After carving my way through asura fields with that axe, I eventually turned my eyes to the iron chain. That change had been anything but simple.
One might say he had simply swung the chain alongside the axe, but the very concept of using an axe and chain together defied common sense to begin with.
Yet he had experienced that shift in realm through technique, and under the pouring light of Mugeuk he had walked above the king’s martial path. Is it coming?
Squeeze!
Powerful strength flowed into the hand gripping the Flood Dragon Chain. Is that chaotic, illusory realm finally opening its doors to me? Emotion surged across Yeon Hojeong’s face.
It was a realm he had reached once before, but it would not be an exaggeration to say the man he had been then and the man he was now were completely different people.
Even the core internal cultivation method of the Sasinmu was different. Back then he had diligently trained the Hongcheon Technique, but now he had fused two of the Yeon Family’s five divine arts to form the legendary Yeon Family Divine Elixir.
When qi changes, the body changes. When the body changes, the depth of thought and the scope of cognition change as well.
He must never assume it would be the same as before. Even if that realm opens its doors, it does not mean I can ascend right away. Some might reach it in a single day, while others could struggle at its threshold and waste their entire lives.
Even his past self had only embodied Mugeuk several years after stepping into that illusory realm. He must not think it would be faster now. No—he should assume it might be even slower than before. Only then would he avoid growing complacent with familiarity and stubbornly clinging to the wrong path.
Yeon Hojeong sank into thought. Being dispatched to the Black Dragon Department and becoming one with them is important. However, no matter how important that task is, I must not forget my own growth. In a sense, his personal growth was even more crucial than the Black Dragon Department matter. The reason was simple: when war erupted, he needed to be able to stand at the vanguard at any moment. Then what must the current me do?
Yeon Hojeong pondered.
And he reached a decision.
“Have you come from finishing your training?”
“Yes.”
“You’ve worked hard. Come, sit down.”
Yeon Wi personally poured tea for his son.
He had known the moment Yeon Hojeong came to see him—that his son carried some concern, and that he had something to ask of him. He had now reached the level where he could read his son’s condition from his eyes alone.
“How is it?”
“It’s a tea I’ve never tasted before. What is it?”
“It’s called Red Flower Fragrance. The Peng Family head gave it to me as a gift.”
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes sparkled.
“From the Peng Family head?”
Yeon Wi gave a small laugh.
“He spoke of you at great length. It seems your meeting left quite an impression. After talking about you for some time, he presented this recently acquired tea leaf as a gift.”
“The aroma is excellent. For someone who looks so generous, he’s surprisingly stingy. If he had something good, he should have shared it sooner.”
“Ahem. Have you still not fixed that manner of speech?”
Yeon Hojeong, who had been grumbling, cleared his throat.
“My apologies. I’ve been rather on edge lately.”
Yeon Wi smiled and said, “It’s fine. I don’t believe one more scolding will correct it. Just continue making the effort as you are now.”
“Understood.”
“Now then, what is it you wish to ask of your father?”
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes widened.
“You already knew?”
“If I cannot fool a ghost, how could I fool your father’s eyes?”
“Cough!”
“Speak comfortably.”
Yeon Hojeong said carefully, “I am considering cultivating the remaining five divine arts of the main family.”
He had already memorized every formula of the five divine arts from the beginning.
In truth, Yeon Wi had known that as well. And upon learning that his son had formed the divine elixir unlike himself, he had realized that father and son were walking entirely different paths despite their blood relation.
Those who had formed the Yeon Family Divine Elixir were rare even in the family’s long history. Yet if they had simply possessed the will to do so, far more ancestors would have succeeded.
In other words, if a capable person needed the divine elixir for themselves, they could form it. But if it was not particularly necessary, there was no need to force a path that did not suit them.
The current Yeon Wi could form the Yeon Family Divine Elixir at any time if he wished. The reason he continued to cultivate only the Sword Limit Qi was that he believed this path fit him perfectly.
Yeon Wi was intrigued by the future of his son, who walked a martial path different from his own.
However, the topic they had previously glossed over needed to be discussed properly now.
“Even though you already know all the formulas for the divine arts, you still came to seek your father’s permission?”
“Yes.”
“I have no objection if you master the remaining divine arts. You know that as well.”
“Yes.”
“Yet the fact that you came to see me must have a clear reason.”
Yeon Wi’s expression grew serious.
“Is it because of the next patriarch position?”
Yeon Hojeong thought, Indeed, Father’s eyes are sharp.
“Are you worried that if you learn all five divine arts, I might award the position of young patriarch to you instead of Ji-pyeong?”
Yeon Hojeong did not dodge the question.
“That is correct.”
“Hmm.”
Yeon Wi, who had been quietly observing his son, folded his arms.
“This is indeed a conversation we needed to have. Since the subject has arisen, let me ask one thing.”
“……”
“Aside from the reason you gave me before, what exactly is your true reason for wanting to relinquish the young patriarch position?”
Yeon Hojeong smiled bitterly.
“Although you, Father, continue to correct my rough and rude speech and behavior, my innate nature that refuses to change easily is the reason.”
“Do you believe your nature is unsuitable for the patriarch of the main family?”
“Yes.”
“Why do you think so?”
“You already know, Father. What kind of past I carry.”
The Black Dark Emperor.
The king of the dark factions and the Black Lion of the South who had been the first in history to unify the dark path. The Black Dragon Department existed now, but it had not existed during his time as the Black Dark Emperor. Rather, the one who had built such an organization using only his own power and that of his comrades was Yeon Hojeong himself.
However, the process of its creation and the method of rule had been far too rigid and harsh.
The governing style that had worked because it was the dark path. He, who had grown accustomed to such methods, believed he should not lead a prestigious orthodox family. That was Yeon Hojeong’s thinking.
Yeon Wi nodded.
“Yes, I have heard that you practiced a degree of terror-based rule and ran the Black Emperor Citadel without mercy.”
“……There was mercy. A little.”
“Whatever the case, the you of then and the you of now are different. You know that, don’t you?”
“But my nature……”
“The one who created that nature was me and your mother.”
“……?!”
“It means that both I and you are people of the Yeon Family.”
For a moment, Yeon Hojeong was rendered speechless.
Yeon Wi turned his gaze toward the window.
“I have thought from time to time whether I have ruled the main family too rigidly all these years.”
“How could that be? There is no other family as clear in rewards and punishments as ours. And that is a good thing, not a bad one.”
“Do you truly think so?”
“I do.”
“I also believe that if you become patriarch, you will govern the main family well.”
“Father.”
“You have experience ruling the dark factions, but you have never ruled the main family, have you?”
“……”
“Moreover, you said the special nature of the dark factions is clear. You also said that although you were the castle lord, you were busy fighting battles, and the ones who actually governed the Black Emperor Citadel were your subordinates.”
“That is true, but……”
“I am relieved. I never had the same experience. When I first became patriarch, I truly had no idea where or how to begin.”
Yeon Wi turned his eyes back to his son.
“You did not rule the Black Emperor Citadel that way because of your rough nature. And you are not so timid that you would fear governing the family on account of that nature.”
“……”
“What you did in the Black Emperor Citadel is nothing more than past experience. Given your personality that always seeks to improve beyond what you were before, there is no chance you would govern the main family in the same manner.”
Yeon Hojeong smacked his lips.
“Of course that may be so. But isn’t it too dangerous to entrust the fate of the family on that single reason alone?”
“Everyone was the same.”
Yeon Wi’s eyes shone.
“Your father, my father, and my father’s father all entrusted their fate to their children.”
“……”
“And we believed. That even if they were clumsy and still lacked in many areas, they could sufficiently govern the family. The main family was able to reach its current position through the predecessors’ faith-filled support.”
Yeon Wi smiled.
“Now it seems the time has come for me to pass the scabbard of that fate to my own child as well.”
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes trembled.
“Father, I……”
“I know. You are not yet prepared. You must have doubts about your own ability. I have no intention of handing over the patriarch position to you immediately either.”
“……”
“However, as the young patriarch of the main family and its future patriarch, I hope you never neglect your learning.”
In the end, Yeon Hojeong let out a sigh.
“I will think about it.”
“Good.”
“……Surely you won’t kick me out saying it’s not even worth considering if I still refuse, right?”
“Let’s think about that when the time comes.”
It was a far more frightening statement than simply saying he would drive him out.
“I will give you one day. Think carefully, and we will speak again tomorrow.”
“……”
“And you may cultivate the five divine arts. No—I would like you to master them without fail.”
Yeon Hojeong wanted to consider whether there were other ways to advance his martial arts besides the five divine arts.