To Where the Wind Blows (2)
A brilliant flash!
A streak of azure light sank into the cliff face.
Whoosh.
A sword scar one zhang in length appeared on the spot where the blue light struck. It was an astonishing sight.
Even though it had been struck with the finest sword qi, there was no sound of slicing or thunderous roar—only the scar itself remained etched into the rock. That alone spoke volumes about the sheer cutting power of the sword qi.
When destructive force was compressed to its absolute limit, it left nothing behind but a clean severance. It was a realm no ordinary master could even dream of attaining.
A martial art so profound that even a lifetime devoted to the sword might not suffice to glimpse its heights.
"Hm."
The middle-aged man tilted his head as he examined the sword scar on the cliff.
"Still not quite there, is it? I thought this time it might work."
Shing.
The sound of the sword sliding back into its sheath was as smooth as flowing water.
The man stretched languidly. Though he appeared to be in his early fifties, his exposed upper body was covered in tremendous muscles. Far from sluggish, those muscles were compressed to the utmost, resembling gleaming boulders.
"Whew. Looks like I'll have to devote myself to the sword for the time being. Just one zhang? Still a long way to go."
At that moment, a beautiful voice rang out.
"If you say that, Father, I come off looking pretty pathetic, don't I?"
"You've arrived."
Moyong Yeonhwa gazed at the cliff and smiled radiantly.
"Impressive. A sword scar like that from this distance. When will I even be able to imitate it?"
"Haha, such overambition. For someone your age to have cultivated such profound martial arts is already remarkable. Compared to your father at your age, you're a genius through and through."
"Don't lie to me. I heard that by your age, Father had already achieved great accomplishment in the Shuo Feng Sword."
"Achieving great accomplishment in a martial art and manifesting it are two different things. I may have reached higher heights in cultivation, but I lacked your natural ability to bring it to life. You can hold your head high."
Moyong Yeonhwa shrugged her shoulders.
"I always feel pride in my abilities. But greed? The more, the better, I say."
"Not wrong, but let greed consume you, and you might regress instead."
"I'm not that incompetent, Father."
"Of course not. Whose daughter are you?"
The middle-aged man—Moyong Gun—burst into hearty laughter.
Moyong Yeonhwa smiled back and pulled a letter from her bosom.
"Good news has arrived."
Moyong Gun's lips curved upward involuntarily. It was a red-sealed letter. His heart already burned hot with anticipation.
He took the letter, unfurled it, and a gleam flashed in his eyes.
The Myeong family has succeeded.
"The Myeong family succeeded?"
"So it seems."
"Will finding their main lineage solve the lifespan issue as well?"
"Who knows. The Myeong family's arts are powerful. They hold their own against our own clan's techniques without shame."
Moyong Yeonhwa glanced at the cliff.
"Can they compare to that peerless sword force of yours?"
"Impossible to say. Though I did once exchange a light bout with the Myeong family head."
"What? I never heard about that."
"It wasn't a life-or-death duel—just testing each other's skills. Nothing worth broadcasting."
Moyong Yeonhwa's eyes sparkled. Within the household, she was the one her father shared the most information with. Even the smallest details were passed on to her.
But not everything. There were things he kept even from his own daughter.
That was why she respected him. She aspired to emulate the caution and sharpness that allowed him to stand at the clan's pinnacle while vigilantly guarding his surroundings.
"How was it? The Myeong family head's martial arts."
"Impressive."
"Father doesn't call many people impressive."
Moyong Gun shook his head.
"None of the Seven Great Families' heads are pushovers. Outwardly, it's said the Myeong and Yeon family heads vie for the top spot, but until blades actually cross, who can say for sure?"
"So you're saying the other heads are hiding their true power, like you?"
"Naturally. Unlike the upstart Myeong and Yeon clans, the five traditional families never reveal their full strength."
Moyong Gun's gaze deepened.
"Even accounting for that, the Myeong head's arts were extraordinary. If they recover their main lineage, I expect it won't fall short of our secret arts."
"Remarkable."
"They didn't hold the title of The Number One Family Under Heaven for nothing all these years."
Moyong Yeonhwa smiled sweetly.
"A shame, then. They won't be able to use that title anymore."
Moyong Gun read the letter's final lines. The words stood out bold even in the fine script, as if emphasized.
Tsk tsk, Myeong family head. Retrieving your ancestors' arts was fine enough, but your greed went too far. How can you brazenly claim to be the world's greatest after slaughtering hundreds of innocent laborers?
"Tsk tsk, Myeong family head. Retrieving your ancestors' arts was fine enough, but your greed went too far. How can you brazenly claim to be the world's greatest after slaughtering hundreds of innocent laborers?"
Surprisingly, Moyong Gun knew everything the Myeong family had done. It was a dark scheme he had meticulously planned from the day he became family head.
He had eyes not just in the Myeong family, but throughout all the Seven Great Families. In some, he had even infiltrated professional spies, creating secret passages and safehouses within their estates.
The Yeon family was a prime example.
Of course, it hadn't been easy. It required astronomical sums of money and reliable agents. Even for Moyong Gun, it wasn't something achievable in a mere decade or two.
This grand undertaking had been plotted alongside his predecessor—his own father.
"I proved my abilities to my father, your grandfather. Even as I cut down my own brothers."
"I know, Father."
"You're proving yours to me now. When you're confident, bring me the board you've laid out. If it's a satisfying plan, I'll entrust the clan to you."
Moyong Yeonhwa flashed a confident smile.
"It's all coming together nicely. Don't worry."
"Hahaha."
Moyong Gun was thoroughly pleased with his daughter's boldness. His sons were no slouches in talent, but they never dared cross the line.
That was why he favored her. Moyong Yeonhwa had inherited his blood perfectly—a possessor of cold-blooded iron resolve who would sever even kin if necessary.
A talent far more vital than genius-level intellect: ruthlessness.
"By the way, no word from the Yeon family yet?"
"No. Not yet."
Moyong Gun clicked his tongue.
"What a frustrating man. Famous for his swordsmanship that cleaves even waves, yet so timid in these matters."
"His nature seems to shun risks altogether."
"True enough. Even in his youth, the Yeon head showed no interest in expanding influence."
"And this time, he'll be especially cautious. It's not every day one receives three business proposals. He's undoubtedly deep in thought."
Moyong Gun smiled.
"If he wants to preserve even a thread of his family's legacy, he'd best agree meekly."
That was when it happened.
A warrior in black uniform and mask approached at high speed from afar.
Swoosh.
He knelt before Moyong Gun and spoke in a stiff voice.
"Family head."
"What brings you here at this hour?"
"A problem has arisen."
"A problem? What kind?"
"No contact from the contact in the Yeon family for five days now."
Moyong Gun's eyes grew icy. Contacts reported daily progress without fail. Even in crises, they rarely exceeded three days.
No word for five days meant something had happened to the contact.
"Could the Yeon family have caught on? No, that shouldn't be possible."
He hadn't anticipated Taekyeong being exposed. Doubting a chief steward rooted in the clan for nearly a decade wasn't easy.
The real issue was the true spies and contacts. Even if Taekyeong fell to bad luck, Na-il and Jang-hak must not be discovered.
They were the real deal from the start. Taekyeong was mere packaging to plant them securely.
"Hard to say for certain. We're investigating their information broker, the Tongcheon Group, for now."
"Find out swiftly."
"Yes."
Moyong Yeonhwa furrowed her brows.
"What could it be? Jang-hak is a first-rate contact. He doesn't make mistakes."
"Even people err. The question is whether it's external factors or something else."
Moyong Yeonhwa shook her head.
"We should prepare for the worst, just in case."
"Naturally. If the Yeon family truly sniffed out our spies, we must bury them before rumors spread."
Moyong Gun frowned.
"Hah! Must we already draw the blade?"
* * *
"...That's seven locations in total."
"I see."
"It seems..."
I Baekhyeon hesitated, then steeled himself and spoke.
"Our family should fortify everything like the other clans."
Though the Yeon family's place among the Seven Great Families was recent, its history spanned over 150 years.
Yet the current structures—save a few ruined ones—remained as the ancestors had left them. With nothing to take or fear, there had been no need to rebuild.
Yeon Wi thought the same. Truth be told, he had little attachment to buildings. He had only preserved them out of respect for his father's stubbornness.
But with the situation as it was, there was no choice.
"Summon Elder Pyeon."
"Master Blacksmith Pyeon Il-gang?"
"Yes."
I Baekhyeon tilted his head.
"His skills are legendary, of course... but he's a blacksmith, not an expert in civil engineering or mechanisms."
Yeon Wi fixed him with a gaze. I Baekhyeon flinched and bowed his head.
"My apologies. I'll bring him at once."
"...Elder Pyeon."
"Yes?"
"Elder Pyeon has deep ties with master mechanism experts."
"Ah!"
"Fetch him."
"Y-yes! Right away."
I Baekhyeon hurried from the hall.
Yeon Wi stood with hands clasped behind his back, gazing out the window. His back seemed unusually lonely, uncharacteristic of him.
Yeon Jipyeong sighed inwardly. He could tell without words that his father was frustrated.
He too was shocked, of course. Chief Steward Taekyeong had always been kind to him.
But not as devastated as his father. As a man and family head, the blow must have been immense.
"Father..."
"Then let's wrap this up and be on our way."
Yeon Jipyeong startled and looked at Yeon Hojeong.
Yeon Wi turned.
"Leaving already?"
"Yes."
Yeon Jipyeong tilted his head.
"Leaving? Brother, where are you going?"
Yeon Hojeong smiled.
"A trip to the Central Plains."
"What?!"
What was this all of a sudden?
Yeon Wi asked, "No destination in mind?"
"That's what I wanted to discuss with you, Father."
"Hm?"
Yeon Hojeong picked up the letter on the table.
[Business proposal from Moyong family—third instance]
"We've caught their spy and can breathe easy, but what will they think? They must be panicking."
"Doubtless."
"Then we need to see what follow-up actions they take."
Yeon Wi's eyes gleamed.
"We've erased every trace of the Moyong shadow. Grasping our situation won't be easy, so they'll likely probe through the Tongcheon Group."
Spot-on insight.
Yeon Hojeong was a man who had navigated fields rife with deceit and survived countless hells.
Yet Yeon Wi, without such experience, had anticipated the enemy's moves. Innate wisdom and talent never faded.
Yeon Hojeong felt a weight lift from his heart.
"Exactly. Publicizing this would only harm them, so they'll approach cautiously."
"The problem comes after. Once they learn our side, who knows what they'll do?"
It was inevitable. Yeon Wi had little acquaintance with Moyong Gun and knew little of his character.
To predict tactics, one must know the opponent. Yeon Wi's lack of alliances was a weakness.
"So neither side knows the other's situation."
"Precisely."
"But we can predict their initial move."
"Yes."
"Then we have one choice."
Yeon Wi and Yeon Jipyeong stared at Yeon Hojeong.
He wore a meaningful expression.
"Cloud their vision, then strike from an unexpected angle."
"...?!"
"That decides where I need to go."