Winds Blowing from the West (1)
The massive doors of the audience chamber opened with a heavy rumble.
“You’ve arrived?”
Yang Cheon was drinking alone.
Yeon Hojeong, who had been quietly observing him, let out a small chuckle.
“This isn’t like you at all. Sitting here alone, setting the mood like this?”
“Just felt like it.”
Yang Cheon smiled and asked, “Did you catch him?”
“I caught him. I made sure to keep him alive, at least.”
“Well done. The interrogators in the headquarters’ punishment prison are quite skilled at dragging out what’s hidden in a person’s heart.”
It was a roundabout way of saying they were experts in torture.
Yeon Hojeong shook his head.
“He’s already given up on living. It won’t be easy.”
“The prison wardens have a way of making even those who’ve abandoned life open their mouths. Depending on the target, they’ll find the optimal method and squeeze out every last secret—even ones that didn’t exist before.”
“We can’t have them confessing secrets that never existed.”
“It’s just a figure of speech.”
Yang Cheon gestured with his chin toward the seat across from him.
“Come, have a drink. You’ve worked hard.”
Yeon Hojeong sat down and emptied his cup in one refreshing gulp.
“Did you catch Yeop Seong?”
“I did.”
“So he really was hiding inside the Black Dragon Department.”
“I had a rough idea of how he would move. He thought he’d hidden himself well, but his personality is easier to read than he realizes.”
Yang Cheon smiled bitterly.
“On the other hand, it seems he only ever saw me the way he wanted to see me.”
“When a master’s shadow is too heavy, that’s what tends to happen.”
Yang Cheon offered no reply.
As he refilled the man’s cup, Yeon Hojeong continued.
“The probability that this involves the Sa’eum Cult is extremely high.”
“……”
“As expected.”
“The problem is that Yeop Seong isn’t the only one.”
“Naturally.”
Yeon Hojeong let out a sigh.
“I’m not sure if this is a good thing, but… I’ll need to head to Sichuan for a while.”
“Go ahead. You mentioned that the Dark King has been moving between Sichuan and Shaanxi. He’s probably in Shaanxi by now, but…”
“I also need to stop by the Sichuan Tang Family.”
“The Tang Family?”
“There’s a very high chance that the Death Absorption Art has been unleashed on the Tang Family.”
Yang Cheon’s eyes flashed.
“Explain.”
Yeon Hojeong recounted his entire conversation with Hyo Geuk.
“Hmm.”
Yang Cheon stroked his beard.
“The Southern Barbarian Five Poisons Palace… Yes, it was quite a long time ago. I heard that the Tang Family and the Five Poisons Palace fought a fierce battle.”
“The Tang Family is a clan that possesses profound knowledge of every kind of medicine and poison scattered across the Central Plains. However, there was one region where they could never obtain proper information.”
“Yunnan Province.”
“Correct. The Tang Family wanted to expand into that area as well, but an unexpected iron wall stood in their way. That wall was the Five Poisons Palace.”
“The conflict with the Five Poisons Palace was never widely known. There was no reason to make a big fuss about it. Still, I know that the fighting that broke out in Yunnan was particularly brutal.”
“The man I captured was a member of the Five Poisons Palace. He was so filled with hatred that the mere mention of the Tang surname made him instinctively radiate killing intent.”
“And yet he gave up on life… That suggests he has already achieved a certain degree of revenge.”
“Exactly. Which means the probability that something has happened to the Tang Family is extremely high.”
Yang Cheon’s eyes gleamed.
“Listen, Vice-Commander Yeon.”
“Speak.”
“Leave that matter to the Tang Family. You belong to the Black Dragon Department. At least for now. As a member of the Black Dragon Department and as a dispatched representative of the Martial Alliance, don’t you have duties you should be attending to?”
Yeon Hojeong nodded.
“You’re right. Of course I intend to inform the Tang Family about this as well.”
“Good. This isn’t the time to be distracted by other matters.”
“However… if this is something happening within their own bloodline, even the iron-blooded Tang Family might struggle to handle it properly.”
“Hmm.”
Yang Cheon frowned.
“Do you really need to get involved?”
“To be honest, I had no desire to meddle in the Tang Family’s problems. But I have no choice.”
“Why?”
“The Tang Family are the kings of Sichuan. Although the Qingcheng Sect and Emei stand tall there, it is the Tang Family that actually oversees the region’s economy and the livelihood of its people.”
“That’s true.”
“Even if you look through the history of the martial world, there is no other clan that has suffered as much damage in the wars against the foreign sects as the Tang Family. The reason is obvious. Sichuan Province is the first gateway through which foreign forces attempt to invade the Central Plains.”
Yang Cheon sighed.
“In most cases, yes.”
“In truth, this time might be different. But no matter the form it takes, if Sichuan Province falls, it will become far easier for the Three Sects to advance into the Central Plains.”
“Mm.”
“Sichuan Province is shaped like a massive basin. It is not a terrain that foreign powers can easily breach. That is precisely why enemies covet it so much. Once they seize control, it is nearly impossible to break through.”
“Hah.”
Yang Cheon let out a long breath.
“There really are too many things to worry about.”
“Indeed.”
“There are plenty of capable people besides you. They may not be as good as you, but still. Moreover, the Tang Family has him.”
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes sparkled.
“The Dark King, Dang Hyeong.”
One of the current generation’s absolute masters.
He was the greatest martial god of Sichuan, the ruler of poison and shadow, and the legendary tyrant known as the most fearsome warrior under the heavens.
“I have never met Dang Hyeong in person, but I know very well just how monstrous he is. Although he has stepped back from the front lines, if he learns that the demonic hands of the Three Sects have reached his family, he will not sit still.”
“You’re right.”
“So this matter…”
“Just this once.”
Yeon Hojeong’s face was dead serious.
“Please allow me this one exception.”
Yang Cheon stared at him for a long moment before clicking his tongue.
“Damn it, how am I supposed to stop you? If you’re insisting on getting involved yourself, it must truly be a dangerous situation.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m just worried. I don’t know if you realize it, but you’re pushing yourself too hard right now. It doesn’t seem like you’re anxious about delegating work to others, yet you keep poking your nose into everything alone.”
Yeon Hojeong gave a bitter smile.
“I admit it.”
“Just this once. I’ll allow it this one time, so from now on, leave things to others.”
“Understood.”
“Huu…”
Yang Cheon filled both his own cup and Yeon Hojeong’s.
After sinking into thought for a moment, he nodded.
“In truth, you’re right. Sichuan Province is a place that must never be allowed to fall. Besides, the sect leader of Qingcheng caused such a massive disturbance. Qingcheng must be quite shaken right now.”
“Most likely.”
“It’s troubling in many ways. If I could run around myself, I wouldn’t feel this frustrated.”
“You should take a breather once in a while.”
“A breather? Hmm.”
After emptying his cup, Yang Cheon spoke in a heavy voice.
“I need to reinforce my inner circle first.”
Though he didn’t say it aloud, Yang Cheon’s mood was close to the worst it had ever been.
Yeop Seong’s words still echoed in his ears. The boy had been under a tremendous delusion, but in another sense, his feelings were understandable.
Perhaps he himself had lived far too comfortably under the pretext of non-interference. Maybe he had deliberately avoided paying attention to the places that truly needed it in order to pursue his own ambitions.
Yeon Hojeong, who had been watching him silently, smiled.
“Now that you’ve realized the old ways were wrong, wouldn’t it be good to change them?”
“I can never hide anything from your eyes.”
Yang Cheon smacked his lips.
“What can I do about it now? Well, it’s not like I couldn’t take in another disciple if I wanted to, but deliberately bringing in a new one to teach at this point…”
“Is there any need to bring in another? The Second Young Lady is right there, doing perfectly well.”
“……”
“Honestly, there are parts of her that I personally don’t like… but it would still be difficult to find a talent comparable to the Second Young Lady.”
“Haha.”
“The most valuable talent in the martial world is not talent for martial arts. It’s the talent to survive.”
“You’re right.”
“Don’t try to turn the Second Young Lady into someone like you, my lord. If you believe she has the qualities to be a good successor, then simply teach her well.”
“Easy for you to say. If the second child fails to comprehend the realm of Mugeuk, she will ultimately become nothing but an empty shell. Besides, the second child is a woman. This is a world that worships the strong, but in the end, she will still face all kinds of disregard.”
“So you’re saying that in order to avoid that, she must become at least as strong as you?”
“I’m not even sure if becoming as strong as me would be enough to stop the disregard.”
“Because the world hasn’t changed?”
“Exactly.”
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes shone.
“Then why don’t you, my lord, simply change the world of the Dark Factions?”
“……”
“What?”
“In the end, the Dark Factions are still a place where people live. There’s no rule that says theft, humiliation, robbery, and murder must be everyday occurrences just because it’s the Dark Factions.”
Yang Cheon burst into loud laughter.
“As if that would be easy. Besides, that wouldn’t even be the Dark Factions anymore.”
“Who decided that? Who decided that wouldn’t be the Dark Factions?”
“……”
“There was a time when the Dark Factions had their own romance. They had their own rules and etiquette. But now? Does the current Dark Factions have any of that?”
“……”
“No, it doesn’t.”
“Simply returning to that era would already be an improvement.”
“The problem is how to make that happen. In the entire history of the martial world, there has never been a person or organization that reshaped the Dark Factions to their own taste.”
“There was.”
“Hmm?”
Yeon Hojeong smiled bitterly. There was the Black Emperor Citadel.
During his days as the Black Dark Emperor, the Black Emperor Citadel had been the first unified alliance of the Dark Factions.
It was different in nature from the current Black Dragon Department. The Black Emperor Citadel had been an organization of ‘the real ones,’ tightly bound by steel-like strength.
And one by one, those who admired the Black Emperor Citadel began to gather.
As time passed, the Dark Factions changed.
It transformed into a world where people dreamed of tomorrow—a world of true experts, no longer a place where beasts ran rampant.
“What matters most in changing the Dark Factions is how the Black Dragon Department moves. If the Black Dragon Department grows strong enough to ignite a fire in the hearts of all those who walk the Dark Path, then reshaping the world of the Dark Factions won’t be impossible.”
Yeon Hojeong set down his cup and rose from his seat.
“Drink in moderation. Even an absolute master cannot stop the passage of time.”
With those final words, Yeon Hojeong left the audience chamber.
Just before he descended the stairs, Yang Cheon called out.
“Will the world change?”
Without turning around, Yeon Hojeong answered.
“To change the world, we must first protect it. Both you and I are causing all this commotion for that very purpose.”
Three days later.
“What brings you all the way here? And…”
Yeon Hojeong frowned.
“What’s with that outfit?”
“What’s wrong with my outfit?”
At Hwang Seok-tae’s calm response, Yeon Hojeong answered with a slightly sour expression.
“Were you dismissed from your position as commander of the Iron Cavalry Unit?”
Hwang Seok-tae was someone who always wore heavy armor no matter the occasion. But now it was different.
Dressed in light black martial robes and holding a red spear, he looked strangely refreshed.
“Orders came from above. They told me to assist you again this time.”
“You can go with someone else. Don’t you need to train with the Iron Cavalry Unit?”
“Thanks to the training schedule you put together, I don’t have a moment to rest. A few months should be fine.”
Hwang Seok-tae leaned against the wall and crossed his arms.
“It’s an order from above. I have no choice.”
“Tsk, I see.”
“So when are we leaving?”
“We’ll depart within today or tomorrow. But first, I need to meet someone.”
“Someone? Who?”
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes gleamed.
“The Western Region Divine Maiden will be arriving soon.”