Chapter 225: Standing Tall Once More Beneath the Fallen Sky (4)

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Yihuo Island was already a natural fortress with its sheer cliffs, but the high walls surrounding the Ironblood Fortress transformed it into an even more impregnable stronghold.

Hundreds of martial artists lived out their lives within the walls encircling the entire island. However, the scenery inside made a mockery of the name Ironblood Fortress.

Fancifully arranged artificial mountains were blanketed in rare and exotic flowers. A large pond teemed with colorful fish. A fantastical bridge arched over the pond, and butterflies and bees flitted about, making one wonder if this were a celestial realm rather than an island.

A man sat on a throne atop a splendid pavilion built in the middle of the pond. He appeared to be in his mid to late fifties and wore a stylishly groomed beard and luxurious silk robes adorned with ornate patterns. An air of great dignity emanated from him.

Before him stretched a long table laden with rare delicacies from land and sea. Five or six men sat on either side of the table.

Like the man at the head, they wore splendid clothes. Most of them laughed and chatted with wine cups in hand.

However, one of them, an elder in his early sixties, sat with a furrowed brow and untouched food.

The middle-aged man in the seat of honor smiled. "Isn't it a wonderful day for a drink?"

"Indeed. This is all thanks to you, Commander. Haha!" another man with beady eyes praised.

The corners of the middle-aged man's mouth curled up. "Thanks to me?"

Go Jeon-Wol pressed on without flinching.

"Aren't we all enjoying a time of great peace and prosperity thanks to you holding the reins so firmly here in Shandong Province?"

"That's right. This is all thanks to you."

Everyone but the elder showered the middle-aged man with praise.

The elder in his early sixties squeezed his eyes shut. How has the great Ironblood Fortress come to this?

The middle-aged man who laughed at the flattery was Jae Hyuk-Shim, the commander of the Ironblood Fortress. The elderly man in his early sixties was Go Jeon-Wol, the vice commander of the fortress.

The men surrounding Jae Hyuk-Shim were heads of large merchant guilds and local dignitaries from the Shandong region. Jae Hyuk-Shim laughed at their sweet words without pause, raising his cup.

This sight drove Go Jeon-Wol to despair. He had not expected Jae Hyuk-Shim to become this kind of man.

A decade ago, Jae Hyuk-Shim had been the most ambitious man he knew. His ambition drove him to expand into the Central Plains and climb to ever greater heights in a wider world. And he had the ability and martial prowess to match that ambition.

Setting aside Lord Jin Kwan-Ho, Jae Hyuk-Shim was the Northern Army's strongest fighter. He was a genius who had mastered all of the Northern Army's inner arts techniques and created a new technique called the Supreme Iron-Blood Aura. Calling him a grandmaster of his generation would be an understatement.

Go Jeon-Wol had not doubted for a moment that Jae Hyuk-Shim would surpass the Nine Skies of Heaven's Summit and become a new legend of the jianghu. Thus, he had dreamed of galloping across the jianghu at his side. That was the only reason he had left the Northern Army to follow Jae Hyuk-Shim.

It was as though he had turned into a stone statue.

When they first settled in Jiaonan, Shandong Province, and established the Ironblood Fortress, Jae Hyuk-Shim's spirit had pierced the heavens. When he overtook the long-established Jaegal Clan and the Hwangbo Family to become the region's supreme ruler, Go Jeon-Wol wept tears of pure joy.

Jae Hyuk-Shim yelled, "Why have you come here? If you managed to cling to your life, you should have lived quietly, like a dead mouse. So why?"

He wanted Jae Hyuk-Shim to ride that momentum straight into the Central Plains. However, after establishing the Ironblood Fortress on Yihuo Island, Jae Hyuk-Shim made no further moves, for reasons Go Jeon-Wol couldn't fathom.

Go Jeon-Wol, for his part, became reluctant to approach Jae Hyuk-Shim unless it was absolutely necessary.

As the supreme ruler of Shandong Province, Jae Hyuk-Shim received countless visitors every day. They flattered him, offering treasures and beautiful women in return. In return, he protected them, creating a comfortable symbiosis.

More than ten years slipped by just like that. Over those long years, the fighting spirit of the martial artists of the Ironblood Fortress withered. They embraced a lazy, easy life. The warriors who had once roared at the world had become indolent slackers who took luxury for granted.

Of course, not all of them were like that. Many chafed at the present state of affairs. However, those individuals seldom rose to key positions within the Ironblood Fortress.

As if that wasn't bad enough, the other top leaders ignored him too.

As a result, discontent festered within. Go Jeon-Wol had even confronted Jae Hyuk-Shim about it several times, but Jae Hyuk-Shim wouldn't even pretend to listen.

Instead, Jae Hyuk-Shim kept the flatterers close and pushed away Go Jeon-Wol, who offered only harsh criticism.

His eyes said that he already knew exactly what Go Jeon-Wol meant to say.

Go Jeon-Wol, for his part, became reluctant to approach Jae Hyuk-Shim unless it was absolutely necessary. A high, formidable wall now stood between them.

He understood the suppressed anger of men like himself deeply.

Go Jeon-Wol came to this gathering today with great resolve. He was waiting for a chance to speak, but Jae Hyuk-Shim didn't spare him a single glance, laughing and chatting with the merchants and dignitaries. It was a plain snub.

As if that wasn't bad enough, the other top leaders ignored him too.

Go Jeon-Wol's patience reached its limit. He bitterly regretted ever following Jae Hyuk-Shim. Before that regret could sink any deeper, he had to make a decision.

He raised his voice, shouting, "Commander!"

Jae Hyuk-Shim didn't even pretend to hear him.

Jae Hyuk-Shim didn't even pretend to hear him.

Go Jeon-Wol infused inner qi into his voice. "Commander, I have something to say!"

"What would you know, spouting such nonsense? Do you think I want to sit idly by in this cramped little place?"

"Oh, Vice Commander! When did you get here?" Jae Hyuk-Shim finally acknowledged him with obvious reluctance and a bored expression. His eyes said that he already knew exactly what Go Jeon-Wol meant to say.

Go Jeon-Wol knew it, too. Nonetheless, he would say his mind, as this would likely be the last time. "Commander, there's much discontent among the warriors."

Jae Hyuk-Shim sneered. "Discontent? Who would dare harbor discontent against me? As far as I know, you're the only one of that sort."

Go Jeon-Wol squeezed his eyes shut. He knew that no matter what he said, Jae Hyuk-Shim wouldn't care. Still, he continued, "Commander, just how long do you intend to wallow in this debauchery? Where has the spirit you had when you left the Northern Army gone?"

"I..." Jae Hyuk-Shim flinched. His eyes reddened with rage, and he hissed ragged breaths through clenched teeth.

"Are you belittling me?"

"I'm not belittling you. I'm offering you loyal counsel at the risk of my life."

The elderly man in his early sixties was Go Jeon-Wol, the vice commander of the fortress.

"Hah!"

The moment the words left his mouth, about a hundred martial artists swarmed in. They were all middle-aged warriors dressed in fine silk.

Killing intent surfaced on Jae Hyuk-Shim's face. The corner of his mouth twitched, showing that his patience had run out.

He wanted Jae Hyuk-Shim to ride that momentum straight into the Central Plains.

Go Jeon-Wol pressed on without flinching. "A martial artist is meant to keep his blade keen and turned toward the world. Look at the warriors of the Ironblood Fortress. Their blades have gone dull, and their bodies have grown fat. How can losing the will to fight and neglecting training be considered a martial artist's duty? What did you tell us that day over ten years ago, Commander? You said you would charge headlong at the world. You said you would build a great sect to surpass the Northern Army. Where is the leader from that day? Who is this man before me now, drunk on wine and sweet-talking flatterers?"

Go Jeon-Wol's aged voice struck a chord in the hearts of the nearby martial artists.

Yet, his words evoked no emotion in Jae Hyuk-Shim.

"How dare you!"