Chapter 40
Chapter 40
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: The Capsized Boat
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“...”
As Hyeok Mulin finished speaking, silence settled between them.
Yagul Hyeon stared at Hyeok Mulin with a rigid expression.
Beneath that impassive face, countless emotions swirled, but the one that hit hardest was surprise.
After a brief moment, Yagul Hyeon carefully parted his tightly pressed lips.
“How did you know?”
The Cheon Clan and the Man Clan.
Contacts with those two clans had been arranged in utmost secrecy.
Not only the Seven Great Demon Clans but the Cult itself had been kept in the dark through layers of misdirection—double, triple veils.
Even if the meetings were discovered, everything had been staged to look like routine business dealings.
‘But the Lord's voice carried absolute certainty.’
With no hard proof, he had considered brushing it off.
Yet Hyeok Mulin's tone and gaze burned with the clear conviction that he knew it all and had come for answers. There was no denying it.
“You underestimate the Cult's intelligence network. Did you really think you could slip past my eyes in the Shin River region?”
In truth, gathering and controlling every scrap of information was impossible. Still, Hyeok Mulin was confident he had the big pieces firmly in hand.
His past life's history, plus the reliable aid of Cho Sa-hyeon.
At Hyeok Mulin's words, Yagul Hyeon finally exhaled a faint sigh.
“It seems I've undervalued the Cult's power.”
Despite his words, Yagul Hyeon realized the truth.
This wasn't the work of the Cult's intelligence arm—it was the Lord himself.
“But your words strike me as odd.”
Unlike his ready admission moments ago, a chill suddenly hung in the air around Yagul Hyeon.
“You just spoke of ruin.”
He met Hyeok Mulin's eyes squarely and pressed on.
“Is that a threat aimed at my clan?”
His icy question turned the surrounding air frigid in an instant.
Yet Hyeok Mulin faced the piercing stare without flinching.
“You're under some misconception.”
“...?”
“Those words were for the Yagul Clan's benefit, not mine.”
At that, Yagul Hyeon's momentum ebbed slightly.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Do you think they see the Yagul Clan as a true equal ally? They're buttering you up now because they need something, but give it time—you'll end up as their vassals.”
He didn't know the exact status of the negotiations.
But this much was certain.
They'd demand more and more, steadily eroding the Yagul forces until they devoured them whole.
They wanted no ally—just a stepping stone.
Exactly as they'd done to the Hyeok Clan before.
“...”
Yagul Hyeon fell silent at Hyeok Mulin's sharp thrust.
Then, in a voice like winter wind, he replied.
“Do you realize all this traces back to you, my Lord?”
Hyeok Mulin's warning wasn't entirely unexpected.
But there was no alternative.
He'd considered alliances with other clans before, but nothing this sudden.
The Seven Great Demon Clans had formed a stable hierarchy.
Yet with the Hyeok Clan's split from the Cult, everything shifted into chaos.
Thus, his words carried two subtle meanings.
The storm's source was the stone you'd hurled into a still pond.
This was the Yagul Clan's choice—no one, not even the Lord, could dictate it.
“As the former Hyeok Clan Patriarch, shouldn't you know best? How grueling it is to survive among the Seven Great Demon Clans.”
Even as a storied house in the Seven Great Demon Clans, the Yagul path had never been smooth.
Survival here demanded endless struggle, especially now.
For thirty years before Hyeok Mulin's ascension, the Cult had lacked a leader. The Seven Great Demon Clans' power had ballooned unchecked.
The clans at the top had spread their influence widest of all.
So the lower Yagul Clan faced a stark choice.
Align with them... or resist.
And Patriarch Yagul Hyeon had chosen plainly.
“Ally with the Hyeok Clan.”
“...Pardon?”
“I said join forces with the Hyeok Clan.”
Yagul Hyeon doubted his own ears for a moment.
He hadn't seen that coming.
Not because it was brilliant—but because it was absurdly foolish, plain as day.
“Your personal grudge is showing. That would be suicide for my clan.”
Lower clans linking up had obvious limits.
And allying with the Hyeok Clan, already half-shunned by the Cheon Clan?
“It would only invite the Cheon Clan's wrath and worsen our lot.”
“I see it differently. With deep cooperation and trust, the gains will far outweigh the risks.”
Of course, Hyeok Mulin's pitch wasn't free of self-interest.
But in this mess, it was the best path for all.
p>The Hyeok Clan excelled in martial might; the Yagul in wealth.
Together, they'd complement perfectly—their alliance's potential unmatched.
“Besides, you're both in similar straits, so few concessions needed. I'll personally bridge any gaps to keep things smooth.”
“...”
Yagul Hyeon listened in silence.
Moments later, he rose.
An empty teacup in hand, he walked slowly toward the pavilion's edge.
He eyed the boat drifting on the pond, then let the cup fall.
Splash.
The teacup sank straight down.
Gazing at the ripples, Yagul Hyeon spoke.
“We're just like that teacup in the pond.”
“...”
“Left as is, we'll sink. So we're clawing for a boat.”
The boat named Cheon Clan and Man Clan.
Finished, he stared at the pond, face etched with conflict.
Hyeok Mulin rose then, teacup in hand, and joined him at the edge.
“...?”
Yagul Hyeon frowned in confusion, watching closely.
Hyeok Mulin hurled the cup toward the pond's center.
Infused with internal energy, it hit and unleashed a massive wave.
Splash-!
When the water stilled, the boat reappeared in view.
Upside down this time, swamped by the surge.
“We called ourselves the teacup? Then don't board the boat—flip it over.”
Yagul Hyeon ground his teeth.
Words were cheap.
Did the Lord truly believe it possible?
To upend centuries of rigid hierarchy?
‘He's young—clueless about reality.’
The sheer impracticality steeled him for a harsh retort.
“Why did the Hyeok Clan sink to the bottom? Lost their Patriarch in the Righteous-Demonic Great War... and their signature art, the Eight Manifestations Heart Soul Sword.”
The Hyeok Clan's sore spot.
Everyone knew, but none dared voice it. Yagul Hyeon laid it bare before the Lord.
“Without reclaiming that, no chance for reversal...”
“What if they did reclaim it?”
“...Pardon?”
“As you said—what happens if the Hyeok Clan recovers their lost family art?”
“A storm would tear through the Seven Great Demon Clans... no, the whole Cult.”
“Then it's time to brace.”
Yagul Hyeon stammered, but Hyeok Mulin replied evenly.
“Brace for the storm.”
“...!”
Yagul Hyeon's eyes flew wide.
“You don't mean... you've recovered the Eight Manifestations Heart Soul Sword?”
Hyeok Mulin answered with a wordless smile.
Seeing it, Yagul Hyeon was certain.
‘The Hyeok Clan has it back—the lost family art.’
But how?
No scenario in his mind included this.
Unable to fathom it, he stared blankly into nothing, stunned.
Hyeok Mulin smirked.
‘That shocked him good.’
Small wonder.
A game-changer had emerged to shatter centuries of Seven Great Demon Clans' order.
With their lost art restored, the Hyeok Clan could reclaim past glory.
Not scraping the bottom anymore—but the top seat.
Of course, they hadn't yet. But soon.
He had the blueprint in his head.
“Why share something so vital with me?”
News of Hyeok Mulin reclaiming the lost art would rock the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
He'd handed over priceless intel casually.
Even to win him over, it was a reckless move.
“Didn't I say it? Let's unite the two clans.”
“But this kind of information...”
“True alliances demand showing your hand.”
Hide your cards forever, and trust stays shallow.
“Next time, show me yours.”
Yagul Hyeon shut his eyes.
Long minutes passed in deep thought before he spoke.
“May I give you an answer later?”
“Take all the time you need.”
He got it.
No snap decision here.
This choice shaped the Yagul Clan's fate.
Hyeok Mulin rose and departed the Nine Flowers Pavilion, vanishing from sight.
Yagul Hyeon watched his path, emotions churning, then turned back to the pond.
A vivid yellow sunset now glowed beyond the water.
Gazing at it, he raised a hand over his shoulder.
His guard appeared behind, dropping to one knee.
“Tell the Chief Steward: Hold off contacts with the Cheon Clan and Man Clan for now.”
“Understood!”
The guard vanished instantly.
Yagul Hyeon's eyes shifted to the overturned boat.
“Must we truly ride a new wind?”
Ripples... or a world-engulfing wave?
He couldn't say yet.
But if forced to pick...
“...A wave it is.”