You Have to Hear It
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
Yang Cheon, who had been drinking alone, offered his empty cup to Kang Liang.
“Have a drink.”
“Pardon?”
“Why? Don’t care for alcohol?”
A look of disbelief crossed Kang Liang’s face.
“Shouldn’t we be sending troops to the place you mentioned, my lord? Why speak of drink now?”
“Troops are troops, and drink is drink. It’s good liquor. Have one.”
Kang Liang studied Yang Cheon in silence before accepting the cup with a respectful posture.
As he filled it, Yang Cheon spoke.
“It may seem sudden, but there is something I wish to say to you.”
“……?”
“I am sorry.”
Kang Liang tilted his head.
Meeting the younger man’s puzzled gaze, Yang Cheon continued in an even tone.
“The lord of the Black Iron—no, the Guicheol Sword Sect—was a fine man. I knew his upright character well. I even met him once.”
“……”
“For the sake of my own ambition, I had no choice but to destroy your sect. I offer my apology.”
“What?”
Kang Liang’s eyes turned cold.
“Do you truly expect me to feel any better receiving an insincere apology at this late hour?”
His voice was sharp. Yet regardless of who the other party was, Kang Liang had every right to speak so. It would not have been strange if curses had flown instead.
Yang Cheon shook his head.
“It is sincere. Still, I will not concern myself with how you choose to receive my words.”
“……”
“Thinking back, it is rather amusing. You are you, and I am I. You are different from the swordsmen of Botam. You possess a clear line and a definite goal. You are truly an extraordinary man.”
“I have no intention of accepting such words, and my killing intent toward you will not fade.”
“Of course it should not. No one should forgive with a single sentence the invader who trampled their family and home. That is not a sentiment one may hold before dreams or ambition—it is something a person must never harbor.”
Yang Cheon sighed.
“Is it not strange?”
“What do you mean?”
“You are a rare talent. I do not speak merely of martial ability. Your resolve, your magnanimity, and the fierce purpose you keep hidden—these are not things one sees at your age.”
“……”
“Though we are enemies, I hold your abilities in high regard.”
“Am I supposed to thank you?”
“Then why did I never do the same for my own disciples?”
“……?!”
Yang Cheon leaned back in his chair.
“Even now, I do not regret my methods. I do not regret the path I chose, yet I feel sorry toward my disciples.”
“……”
“I dislike speaking of ‘what ifs,’ but… if I had paid closer attention to each of them, this mess might never have occurred. That thought simply came to me.”
Kang Liang was taken aback.
The fact that this man of steel possessed such a side, and that he would voice it to him of all people, left him unsettled.
Yang Cheon gave a short laugh.
“My eldest disciple is a boy of exceptional talent. If we speak only of martial talent, he could be counted among the greatest in the current murim. Yet that same boy dabbled in pointless political schemes and even learned something as grotesque as the Death Absorption Art.”
“……”
“Was it truly so difficult for him to walk a single path as the disciple of the King of Combat and the heir of the Black Dragon Department?”
It was difficult. It would be difficult for anyone.
But if one was the disciple of Yang Cheon, the King of Combat, and wished to stand even at the feet of such a master, they should never have looked elsewhere.
At least not when it came to martial arts.
“I am the lord of the Black Dragon Department. The amusing thing is that even I do not know every secret place within these walls.”
“That is understandable.”
Of course he knew most passages and hidden locations. Yet there was no need to know them all. His eyes and ears were active throughout the compound.
“It seems my eldest disciple knew passages I did not.”
“It appears so.”
“That is the problem. If, by some chance, he knows many passages I am unaware of, and if, by some chance, he has joined hands with a third force I do not know…”
“……?!”
“Then the Black Dragon Department may be facing a rather dangerous situation.”
Surprise flickered across Kang Liang’s face. In his haste to capture Yeop Seong, he had overlooked something crucial.
Yang Cheon chuckled.
“It is only a possibility. Even if he truly joined hands with a third force, the entire headquarters remains under my absolute control. In such a place, knowing a few passages and allowing outsiders to infiltrate? A den filled with countless experts?”
“If their espionage skills are exceptional…”
“Even Yeon the adjutant, whose espionage skills are proven, never dared to sneak inside.”
“……”
“The Black Dragon Department is not the Martial Alliance. The Alliance is entangled in countless interests. The Black Dragon Department, by contrast, is united around a single absolute ruler—me. Geographically speaking, escaping the Black Dragon Department is several times more difficult than escaping the Martial Alliance.”
“Then…?”
“Then what do they truly want? If there is a leak, where does it exist?”
Kang Liang’s eyes wavered.
“Could it be… my lord’s…?!”
Yang Cheon burst into hearty laughter.
“Now I understand why Yeon the adjutant keeps you close. You have a decent head on your shoulders.”
“Th-this is…!”
Kang Liang shot to his feet.
Yang Cheon waved a hand.
“There is no need to move in haste. I have already sent people.”
“Pardon?”
“Why do you think Yeon the adjutant sent you to me? He wanted me to request reinforcements.”
“……!”
“You are an excellent swordsman, but Yeon the adjutant believed you would struggle to exert your full strength in this kind of battle. That is why he sent you and asked me for support.”
“When exactly…?”
“When did I send them? The moment you finished your report. My personal guard, the Mukryongdae, moved directly.”
“……!!”
Yang Cheon emptied his cup.
He was no longer smiling.
“Now then, let us leave that matter to them and go catch that troublemaking eldest disciple of mine—before my second disciple comes to harm.”
The man’s appearance was rather ordinary.
He looked to be just past fifty. Not yet truly aged, but on the verge of leaving middle age behind.
“Impressive.”
The elderly man did not so much as glance at Yeon Hojeong. He merely continued prodding a long iron cylinder with something resembling a metal rod.
“The Scattershot Poison Bomb is an improved version of the Tang Clan’s Rain of Blossoms Needles. Its spread is similar, but its speed is greater. To dodge such a thing so lightly… it seems my life ends today after all.”
“……”
“What is your name?”
Yeon Hojeong gave no answer. He merely stared at the man in silence.
Only then did the man raise his head.
In that instant, Yeon Hojeong saw the man’s green eyes and was certain. ‘As expected—a Poison Human.’
One of the realms poison practitioners aspired to reach was that of the Poison Human.
Yet this man was both a Poison Human and not one. More precisely, he was only half a Poison Human.
“An axe… So you are Yeon Hojeong?”
“Did Yeop Seong tell you?”
The man nodded without hesitation.
“He did.”
“You admit it easily.”
“My skill may be lacking, but I pride myself on my eye for people. Seeing your gaze and bearing, I can tell Yeop Seong’s end has come.”
“His end… So he is still inside the Black Dragon Department?”
“You did not know?”
“I did not. The Black Dragon Department is a veritable maze.”
“Haha, I seem to have spoken too much. Still, it hardly matters now.”
It hardly mattered.
This was a man who no longer clung to his own life. ‘No—he died long ago.’
His heart was already dead. He was someone who had lost the will to live long before.
“I am called Hyo Geuk. I am rather skilled at using poison.”
“Hyo Geuk…”
Yeon Hojeong’s gaze swept over Hyo Geuk’s face and build.
Dark, sun-baked skin, deeply etched wrinkles, stiff hair, and clothing somewhat different from that of the Central Plains.
“Are you from the Southern Barbarian Five Poisons Palace?”
“Southern Barbarian… That is not a pleasant term.”
Yeon Hojeong nodded.
“My apologies. I take it back.”
Hyo Geuk let out a hearty laugh.
“An interesting fellow. You are indeed different. They say you brought the Iron Banner Division to heel in mere days. Clearly, such a feat requires more than mere martial prowess.”
“Did Yeop Seong tell you that as well?”
“Did Yeop Seong approach you?”
“He did.”
“Why do you think he approached you?”
Yeon Hojeong gave a short laugh.
“He spouted some ridiculous nonsense about wanting my support, so I assumed he had another motive. He wanted to use me to seize the Iron Banner Division.”
The Iron Banner Division was precisely what Yeop Seong had asked Bu Seon about when inquiring after rumors concerning Yeon Hojeong.
What Yeop Seong had truly wanted was not Yeon Hojeong, but the Iron Banner Division.
Of course, it would have been even better if Yeon Hojeong had also pledged his support in the process.
“You know less than I expected. It feels as though I am the one providing all the information.”
“I had almost no information. I merely made various inferences.”
“I see.”
Creak!
Hyo Geuk tossed the rod aside.
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes grew cold.
“I would like to hear more, but it seems you have no intention of telling me anything further.”
“Haha, your perception is quick. I like that.”
“Since you have already offered your life, you might as well tell me a little more.”
“What is it you wish to know?”
“You are the one who taught Yeop Seong the Death Absorption Art, and you are the one who scattered those Scattershot Poison Bombs throughout this forest.”
“The Death Absorption Art… Yes, I taught it to him.”
“But you did not originally know the Death Absorption Art yourself.”
Shhhhhh!
A dark, reddish killing intent erupted from Yeon Hojeong’s body.
“Is it the Sah-Eum or the Gwang-Hyeol?”
Hyo Geuk’s face stiffened.
“What tremendous killing intent. Even in our forest, no demonic beast ever emitted such an aura.”
“I will ask again. Sah-Eum or Gwang-Hyeol?”
“The Three Sects… You know them well.”
“This is the last time I will ask.”
Shrrrk.
Yeon Hojeong leveled his axe at Hyo Geuk.
In that instant, cold sweat began to bead on Hyo Geuk’s body.
Offering one’s life was one thing; the body’s instinctive reaction was another. Confronted with such overwhelming killing intent, his flesh responded of its own accord.
“Sah-Eum or Gwang-Hyeol?”
“……That, I cannot tell you. It is part of the contract.”
“So it is the Three Sects after all. Then the probability of it being Sah-Eum is high.”
Hyo Geuk realized his mistake too late. Under the storm of killing intent, his reason had momentarily fled, and he had unwittingly given away information.
“You did not approach only Yeop Seong, did you?”
Hyo Geuk forced a smile onto his trembling body.
“You will have to investigate that yourself.”
Yeon Hojeong stared at him for a moment before breaking into a crooked grin.
“You improved the Tang Clan’s Rain of Blossoms Needles… Yes, I heard from the Tang Clan Lord. Far to the south, there were monsters that would not die even if their limbs were severed.”
“……!!”
“He said that after wondering how to deal with them, he simply melted their internal organs entirely and wiped them out.”
“……Shut your mouth.”
Hyo Geuk’s eyes turned red.
“We are not monsters. We are a new—”
“You have not even taken your revenge yet. Why are you so eager to die?”
“……?!”
“No. You already took your revenge. You could not kill the Tang Clan Lord, but you succeeded in another way. That is why you no longer cling to life.”
Whoosh!
In that moment, the blazing flames of the Sun God erupted behind Yeon Hojeong’s back.
“You tampered with the Tang Clan as well, didn’t you?”
“You bastard!”
Kwaaaang!
The Scattershot Poison Bomb exploded.