Chapter 468: At the Martial Alliance (2)

Yeon Wi looked utterly at ease as he sat cross-legged.

He did not seem to be circulating his qi and regulating his breathing, nor did he appear to be meditating.

He simply looked like a man sitting cross-legged in a breezy field, feeling the wind against his skin and taking in the fresh vitality of the open land.

How much time had passed like that?

“There you are.”

Yeon Wi opened his eyes.

Je Gal Munho stood before him. The easy smile he usually wore was nowhere to be seen. His expression was somewhat tense.

Yeon Wi rose to his feet.

“Welcome. But what brings you here at this hour?”

“I came to complain. A certain someone has been so busy training that I've had to suffer all my headaches alone.”

Yeon Wi looked embarrassed.

“My apologies. I became rather absorbed in the sword...”

Je Gal Munho gave a quiet laugh.

“It was a joke. Really, just when I thought you'd finally loosened up, you've already gone back to your old self?”

“It is true that I've left you to handle the Strategist's work alone.”

“My work is mine to handle. If I had truly needed help, I would have asked for it. Don't concern yourself.”

Yeon Wi clicked his tongue. Somehow, hearing that only made him feel more apologetic.

But separate from that guilt, Yeon Wi sensed something unusual.

“You don't look well. Has something happened?”

Je Gal Munho sighed.

“We've received word from Supreme Commander Yeon.”

Yeon Wi's face brightened at once.

“From Hojeong?”

“Yes. But the contents of the letter are troubling.”

“Has something happened?”

“Read it yourself.”

“...”

“Ah, don't misunderstand. I'll be bringing this matter before the council meeting in two hours anyway.”

Yeon Wi nodded.

“That too, but there is something else that concerns me.”

“You mean the spy.”

“I do.”

Je Gal Munho shook his head.

“All the councillors already know there may be a spy among us. Trying to control information now would only breed resentment. What needs to be disclosed should be disclosed.”

“True enough. You know better than anyone how to handle such matters.”

Yeon Wi read the letter Je Gal Munho handed him.

A moment later—

“Yangcheon?!”

Yeon Wi stared in shock.

Je Gal Munho sighed.

“I knew he had thrown Putuo Hermitage into turmoil. But I never imagined he would go so far as to involve the Perverse Lust Cult.”

A three-way conflict centered on Putuo Hermitage.

Calling it a three-way conflict made it sound more balanced than it really was. If such a situation actually developed, the Martial Alliance and Ink Dragon Manor would join hands and play the Perverse Lust Cult for fools. They might even devise a scheme to deceive the cult and infiltrate it from within.

The problem was that every part of it was far too dangerous.

Even if they succeeded, if conclusive evidence surfaced that Ink Dragon Manor had reduced Putuo Hermitage to its current state, Shaolin would never stand idly by.

For the martial world of the Central Plains, which already had to fight all Three Creeds, that would be anything but welcome.

“If there's one saving grace, it's that the Supreme Commander somehow stopped him.”

Just as one would expect of Yeon Hojeong.

He had probably reached exactly the same conclusions they had. That was why he must have fought so desperately to stop Yangcheon.

“The problem is Heavenly Ear Gate, which went to the Perverse Lust Cult. If they truly receive the cult's aid, Putuo may never recover.”

“Hmm.”

Yeon Wi neither agreed nor disagreed.

Je Gal Munho continued.

“This is where matters stand. The representative of Thousand-Eyes Gate who went to the Supreme Commander is reflecting on past mistakes after Beomo's persuasion, while the Gate Master of Lotus Gate suffered internal injuries severe enough to require years of recuperation. In other words, the representatives of two of Putuo's three branches are effectively constrained.”

“Their successors aren't mentioned.”

“Given that he saw no need to mention them, I doubt they present any particular problem.”

“Hmm.”

“For now, Heavenly Ear Gate is the issue. But frankly, if they have already made contact with the Perverse Lust Cult, there may be no way to stop them. I'm not even certain we should.”

Yeon Wi's eyes sharpened.

“What do you mean?”

Je Gal Munho nodded.

“Putuo has already collapsed. At least, Putuo as it exists in this generation has. It will take an extremely long time for it to recover its former vigor.”

“...”

“If it were receiving aid from the Martial Alliance or Ink Dragon Manor rather than one of the Three Creeds, that might be different... but the moment Heavenly Ear Gate accepts help from Perverse Lust, we must consider them compromised.”

By compromised, he did not mean disease or desire.

It meant that Heavenly Ear Gate itself would have to be regarded as having fallen under the Perverse Lust Cult's control.

One could argue that Heavenly Ear Gate was hardly an easy organization to subvert.

That might well be true.

But the organizations that had fallen prey to Perverse Lust until now had not done so because they were weak or easy to handle. The cult's reach was such that it had brought even the assassin world—far more difficult to control than Heavenly Ear Gate—under its influence.

And what if the Divine Flame Cult or Mad Blood Cult became involved as well?

Heavenly Ear Gate is finished.

It would be annihilation.

That was probably why Yangcheon had sent Heavenly Ear Gate to the Perverse Lust Cult in the first place.

He wanted them thoroughly tainted beyond salvation. Then, through Heavenly Ear Gate, he could trace backward along the trail of the Perverse Lust Cult masters who crawled into the Central Plains and penetrate the cult from there.

Yangcheon had deliberately set them upon a road from which there was no return.

What a frightening man.

Je Gal Munho had always known Yangcheon was dangerous, but watching the recent chain of events made him think he might actually have underestimated the man before.

And it was not merely because of Putuo Hermitage.

“Some time ago, after I received a letter from the Successor, I sent my reply to two places. One went back to the Successor. The other I deliberately leaked into Ink Dragon Manor's intelligence network.”

Yeon Wi's eyes sharpened.

“Their intelligence network?”

“It was meant to sow confusion. I had not yet received Clan Lord Mo Yong's permission, but he later agreed with my decision.”

“What did you put in the letter?”

“That the Mo Yong Clan was creating a secret organization to strike at Ink Dragon Manor.”

Yeon Wi's eyes trembled.

Je Gal Munho sighed again.

“No matter how formidable Ink Dragon Manor may be, the Mo Yong Clan is a thorn lodged right under its chin. And not an ordinary thorn, either—one poisonous enough to paralyze an entire leg with a single prick.”

“And yet?”

“Ink Dragon Manor completely ignored the information. I intended to throw their intelligence apparatus into disarray, then use the gaps among their informants to slip a spy inside and monitor Heavenly Ear Gate. But they never budged.”

“Hmm.”

“Do you understand what that means? The Yangcheon of the past would have gone berserk the moment he received such a report. This time, he didn't so much as flinch.”

Even such drastic bait had failed to move him.

That meant either Yangcheon himself had grown since the past, or he now had a keen-eyed strategist at his side.

“Ink Dragon Manor has become stronger. Internally and externally.”

Je Gal Munho's gaze sharpened.

“Which is why we cannot allow serious friction to develop between us. Keeping each other in check is fine. But we cannot squander our strength on pointless discord.”

Je Gal Munho had originally regarded Ink Dragon Manor as a dangerous element.

Now that same man was saying they needed to move forward alongside it.

That was how much recognition Ink Dragon Manor had earned from him.

Of course, he recognized it strictly as a power bloc.

“That is why I came to see you, Clan Lord. I have a favor to ask.”

“What sort of favor?”

“When the meeting begins, many of the councillors will strongly object to Yangcheon's actions. Some may even voice extreme proposals.”

“...”

“I don't know what your own view will be, but your words carry enormous weight. Please prevent the discussion from veering too far toward extremes.”

“I understand. I will do what I can.”

“Thank you.”

Yeon Wi quietly studied Je Gal Munho.

“Is that all?”

“That is all.”

Je Gal Munho's answer was perfectly calm.

Yeon Wi nodded.

“Very well. Then I will see you at the meeting.”

“Until then.”

Je Gal Munho turned away.

Yeon Wi tilted his head.

I'm certain he has something else to say.

But he soon dismissed the thought.

If Je Gal Munho had something to say but chose not to, then there was probably no need to say it just yet.

Otherwise, Yeon Wi might simply be mistaken.

All I can do is remain at my post and do everything within my power.

Remarkably, Yeon Wi's intuition had been exactly right.

Only after he had walked far from the field did Je Gal Munho stop and let out a sigh.

“...You may as well curse me.”

He pulled another letter from his robes.

It, too, had come from Yeon Hojeong.

But this one had been sent secretly, for Je Gal Munho's eyes alone.

And in it, Yeon Hojeong asked him to make the necessary arrangements so that he could operate from Ink Dragon Manor.

Hojeong, it's because you keep coming up with dangerous ideas like this that my head hurts so much.

Je Gal Munho smiled bitterly.

More troubling still was that he simply could not rid himself of the thought that Yeon Hojeong entering Ink Dragon Manor and taking hold of the Dark Path to steer it was an immensely tempting prospect.

What if Yeon Hojeong entered Ink Dragon Manor and became a bridge between the orthodox and Dark Paths?

If that truly happened, everything would become vastly easier.

Would Clan Lord Yeon oppose it? Or would he support it?

There was no way to know.

Judging by Yeon Wi's usual temperament, as a father he would likely oppose it, while as a Martial Alliance councillor he would probably support it.

The problem was that the process itself might cause friction between Yeon Wi and Yeon Hojeong.

Yeon Hojeong must have known that as well. That was probably why he had sent Je Gal Munho a separate letter.

He did not treat personal relationships as expendable simply for the sake of the greater cause.

That was one of Yeon Hojeong's strengths.

Unfortunately, it left Je Gal Munho caught in the middle.

Je Gal Munho slapped himself across the cheek hard enough to make a sharp smack.

“Enough whining, you fool. A young man young enough to be your son is risking his life out there. If you can't help him, the least you can do is keep your complaints to yourself.”

Three days later.

Yeon Hojeong said to Yangcheon,

“Then I'll be on my way.”

“Take care on the road.”

“This may be pointless advice, but until I return, let's try not to cause any more trouble.”

Yangcheon scowled.

“I swear, you may be the only man under heaven who can offer me such ridiculous advice to my face.”

“Then perhaps you should reflect on yourself. On your past recklessness, and on how narrow your relationships must be if no one around you can say even this much.”

“You truly have no restraint left when speaking to me, do you?”

“I'm letting you get used to it in advance. Once I'm officially dispatched to Ink Dragon Manor, it won't be all pleasant days. You'll have plenty of headaches because of me.”

Yangcheon gave a quiet laugh.

“If a fortune falls from the sky, some people know how to use it well and live happily. Others get so anxious that they wrap it up tight, never spend a single coin, and die like fools.”

“Are you the latter?”

“The former, you bastard.”

Smiling, Yeon Hojeong looked toward Gangryang.

Gangryang nodded.

“When I come back, he'll be assigned here as well.”

Yangcheon looked at Gangryang.

Even with an absolute master staring directly at him, Gangryang's expression remained perfectly calm.

Yangcheon clicked his tongue.

“Keeping a blade that dangerous at my side will make for restless sleep.”

“So you are the latter after all.”

“...That one got me.”

“Until I return, take good care of Putuo's heirs. They won't cause trouble.”

“Stop worrying about pointless things and just make sure you come back safely. And Supreme Commander Yeon.”

“Go ahead.”

Killing Intent entered Yangcheon's eyes.

“That bastard spy. You must catch him.”

A similar Killing Intent surfaced on Yeon Hojeong's face.

“I will. No matter what.”