Chapter 222: Shake Up (2)
Read more at Nineheavens.org
Yeon Ho-jeong smiled.
Yang Cheon’s eyes shone.
‘He smiles?’
Surprisingly, Yang Cheon could not read his true intentions from Yeon Ho-jeong’s smile.
Even if one didn’t have much experience in the world, once one had accumulated a state of martial arts like Yang Cheon, it was not that difficult to grasp a person’s essence at a glance.
And in reality, Yang Cheon was confident that he had seen through the essence of the young man named Yeon Ho-jeong.
‘Extreme path of the conqueror. He has his own firm line, but he is a bastard who could commit any act if necessary.’
That was the Yeon Ho-jeong that Yang Cheon saw. In fact, it was also similar to Yeon Ho-jeong’s personality.
But why was it? He had clearly read his essence, but he could not know what the bastard was thinking right now.
Unless one was a god, how could one read another person’s thoughts, but it was also his first time seeing a bastard who knew how to hide himself so thoroughly.
Yeon Ho-jeong opened his mouth.
“What does the manor lord think?”
“What I think has no meaning.”
“It has meaning.”
Yang Cheon’s eyes flashed.
“What meaning? If the one who caused that incident was truly you, do you want to know how I will react?”
“No.”
“Then?”
Yeon Ho-jeong’s expression became bored at once.
“As I said before, I wish the manor lord was a person who looked far ahead. And as much as you are a person who looks far ahead, I hope your subjective views are firm.”
“Hoo?”
“That is why I am curious. What value such a question has.”
Yang Cheon smiled faintly.
“It is different from the confident appearance you have shown all this time. I hope you do not try to blur the topic with words that are off the point.”
“I am not trying to blur the topic.”
“Then?”
“My answer has no meaning at all. If Lord Yang thinks it is suspicious, you just need to investigate further and dig into it to grasp what the truth is.”
“…!”
“If my name is on the truth you arrived at, you can just catch me and cook me then, can’t you? However, if your reaction changes depending on my answer, it means you have no confidence. Therefore, throwing such a question is truly meaningless.”
A representative example would be Murong Jun.
Of course, there were times when Murong Jun also poked and came in, but he usually did not interrogate so straightforwardly. Mostly, after investigating and planning alone, he would throw words to decide whether to cook this bastard or not.
He took the thoroughness of leaving no room for the opponent to escape as a virtue. Even though he did not receive high evaluations because he only used that great ability to gain power, at least his vessel was not small.
Yeon Ho-jeong smirked.
“I will say it again. My answer has no meaning. The important thing is the manor lord’s ability and decision.”
“…”
“Therefore, they are not words that deviate from the topic. They couldn’t be. From the first time I met the manor lord until now, Lord Yang has been at the center of all the words my snout has spit out.”
Yang Cheon burst into a hollow laugh.
“You bastard, you have quite set your mind on teaching me.”
“A superior man knows how to find things to learn even from a child’s whining. Please do not be embarrassed.”
“Hahaha!”
Yang Cheon, who had burst into mad laughter again, suddenly stopped laughing and looked at Yeon Ho-jeong.
And he asked again.
“The successor of the Ghost Iron Sword Sect, did you spirit him away?”
It was the exact same question.
Surprisingly, this time Yeon Ho-jeong also answered obediently.
“No.”
A smile spread across Yang Cheon’s mouth.
“It was not you?”
“It wasn’t.”
“Can I trust you?”
“The judgment is the manor lord’s share.”
“It is a strange answer. Usually, such words are spoken when a person trying hard to hide what they have committed makes a final struggle.”
A smile similar to Yang Cheon’s was also cast on Yeon Ho-jeong’s face.
“I understand. I will stop trying to teach you, so believe what you want to believe.”
“Are you going to be stubborn?”
“Even if I cannot win with martial arts, I will be able to beat Lord Yang with stubbornness.”
“Kuhahat!”
Only now did a hearty laugh full of sincerity burst out.
Yang Cheon spoke as if satisfied.
“I believe you.”
Once he believed, he believed until the end. If he was going to doubt, he wouldn’t believe from the beginning.
Yang Cheon was such a person. He annihilated sects with no sins and caused harm even to commoners in the process of gathering the Unorthodox, but he was a person whose personal charm was also outstanding.
People always lived embracing two-sidedness.
To Gang-ryang, Yang Cheon was the mortal enemy who killed his parents, but to his subordinates, Yang Cheon would be the hope of the Unorthodox.
Therefore, Yeon Ho-jeong had no reluctance at all in deceiving such a Yang Cheon.
“Then again, even thinking about it with common sense, it doesn’t make sense. A bastard who came with the intention of making me his liege would have no need to try to ruin the deal with useless matters.”
Yeon Ho-jeong shook his head.
“I might be a spy.”
It was a single word that completely eliminated the opponent’s suspicion.
Yang Cheon shook his head.
“What idiot in the world would use a talent like you as a spy?”
It was a correct statement based on common sense. However, he was overlooking one thing.
That a spy could also volunteer.
“That part is done. I asked to test you once, and I received a peck for giving a pint.”
“You seem to be in a good mood.”
“It is good. The deal is already more than ninety percent successful. All that remains is confirmation.”
“It is also the moment to be the most nervous.”
“Does a bastard like you also get nervous?”
“When necessary.”
A glimpse of seriousness was cast on Yang Cheon’s smiling face.
“In truth, there are quite a lot of things I truly want to ask besides this. Well, I can just ask those gradually.”
“…”
“The success of the deal is right in front of us, so let’s just ask.”
Yang Cheon’s eyes flashed.
“What is the position you want? What work do you want to do in this manor?”
Yeon Ho-jeong’s eye light sparked like lightning.
It was an undeniable sincerity, a sincerity that had no need to be hidden. He had been truly looking forward to this topic coming out.
“Looking at your martial arts, it would not be strange to immediately sit you in a leadership position of the Twelve Earthly Branches class. However, no matter how much it is me, such an unconventional personnel action cannot help but be burdensome.”
“I understand.”
“Looking at your wisdom and the organization restructuring chart, your talent as a military strategist also seems outstanding. There is no official position of a military strategist in this manor, so it would not be very strange even if you occupied that seat.”
“The problem would be whether the subordinate forces would follow or not.”
“That is correct.”
If Yeon Ho-jeong were to sit in the seat of a military strategist, he would gain the authority to influence the entire military power of the Black Dragon Manor.
The position of a military strategist is like that. Depending on the situation, there are times when even the manor lord has to follow the words of the military strategist.
It was truly a terrifying power. It was a position above ten thousand people, and a position that could dictate the destiny beyond the military forces of an organization.
Of course, Yang Cheon also had no intention of sincerely sitting Yeon Ho-jeong in the military strategist position. Since he was such an outstanding talent, he coveted him, but it was not to the extent of bearing that much political burden.
“Even so, I cannot give you a ridiculously low position either. A low position compared to one’s ability inevitably lowers work efficiency.”
Yang Cheon asked quietly.
“What do you think?”
Yeon Ho-jeong, who was quietly watching Yang Cheon, shrugged his shoulders.
“In fact, I did not come aiming for a mediocre seat.”
“I guess so.”
“That does not mean I want to work while walking on eggshells around others.”
“With your personality, as if you would walk on eggshells.”
“I will speak clearly. I want to rise to the leadership class of the Black Dragon Manor.”
“Hmm.”
“I know it is a burdensome personnel decision. And from a long-term perspective, I also know that it will have a bad influence on the Black Dragon Manor.”
Yang Cheon unconsciously smiled.
This guy overflowing with confidence was looking at the future of the Black Dragon Manor, not his own power.
“Right. Then what should be done?”
“I dislike mediocre things, and low positions are not even a consideration from the beginning. If so, what is left is a leadership seat, but if I sit in that seat, the manor lord’s burden will also grow, and I will also have to consume my mental energy on useless political struggles.”
Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes flashed.
“If so, I just need to return after establishing a merit that all of them have no choice but to acknowledge, don’t I?”
Surprise colored Yang Cheon’s face.
“Return after establishing a merit?”
“I will.”
“Even though you brought an organization restructuring chart as a trading item, you will do one more thing on top of that?”
“It is just proving myself. When the deal is successful, the Black Dragon Manor will also become the place where I have to bury my bones, so if it is a matter that benefits the manor, I should do anything.”
He would commit any act for the growth of the Black Dragon Manor.
For Yang Cheon, it was truly a line that he couldn’t help but feel a thrill from.
“Then, what kind of merit are you thinking of establishing?”
Yeon Ho-jeong stroked his chin.
“I thought about what the Black Dragon Manor is currently lacking.”
“…”
“I do not know how it was obtained, but surprisingly, the financial power of the Black Dragon Manor is incredible. I cannot guarantee it, but it seems that you do not fall behind the Orthodox Murim Alliance at least.”
“That is so.”
“There is a qualitative problem with the military forces, but this is originally not a problem that can be handled in a short period. It is a problem that could take five years at the shortest, or decades at the longest.”
“That is also so.”
Yeon Ho-jeong, who took his hand off his chin, spoke with a smile.
“Funds are sufficient, and the military force is a problem that is impossible to solve immediately. If so, there is only one thing I can do.”
“…?”
“To siphon off the profits heading towards the Orthodox Murim.”
“…!”
“We are not lacking in funds, but extracting the funds that would go to those who will become our enemies in the future will definitely be a meaningful attack.”
Yang Cheon’s eyes shook.
“Could it be that you are going to touch the Murim Alliance?”
Yeon Ho-jeong shook his head.
“That is an excessive bad move. Until sufficient preparations are made, it is better for us to maintain the current situation.”
“Of course that is so. If so, it means you will cut off the funds entering them without the Murim Alliance knowing, but will that be possible?”
The eyes of the Murim Alliance were stretched all over the Central Plains.
No matter how secretly this side handled matters, it was difficult to avoid the eyes of the Murim Alliance. And if they did something wrong, it could immediately lead to a war.
“It is possible. At least in Hunan Province.”
“…!!”
“As Hunan and Jiangxi are inland regions where commerce is developed, there are also many merchant associations and central banks connected to the Murim Alliance. I will cut those off one by one, and eventually, I will try to make Hunan Province into the world of the Black Dragon Manor.”
Yeon Ho-jeong shrugged his shoulders.
“I see it as being better than now, where you are a king only in pattern.”
“Heo-eo.”
Yang Cheon clicked his tongue.
“Do you think it is possible to commit such an act without being caught by the Murim Alliance?”
“Therefore, even if the deal is successful, do not give me a position right away. I will move thoroughly alone. Even if I happen to be discovered, shouldn’t I have no connection to the Black Dragon Manor?”
“Then the words about establishing a merit were…!”
“They were.”
Yeon Ho-jeong’s gaze became cold.
“I must risk my life to prove my own value.”
“Heoheoheo.”
“I will come back after picking off one. Give me a position then. After that, I will clean up Hunan.”
At that time, White Rat came out of the corridor.
“Manor Lord.”
“How was it?”
“A result of Ten Perfections has come out.”
Ten Perfections meant being perfect without any flaws. In other words, all the smart people in the Unorthodox could not find a loophole in the organizational chart.
Yang Cheon looked at Yeon Ho-jeong with a smile.
“I welcome you.”
Yeon Ho-jeong knelt down.
“Jeong, the successor of the Martial Ancestor Sect, greets the manor lord.”