Chapter 227: Return of the Sovereign (2)
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In front of Yeon Ho-jeong, who came out of the Black Dragon Manor, was White Rat.
“…”
The two people looked at each other with cold eyes.
White Rat opened his mouth.
“The position?”
“Information Department Head.”
“Three days later?”
“That is so.”
“Your residence?”
“I have not received any message about it.”
White Rat, who was staring fixedly at Yeon Ho-jeong, shook his head.
“Since the appointment is three days later, you are not my superior yet.”
The Twelve Earthly Branches under Yang Cheon had a quite unique position within the Black Dragon Manor.
They did not particularly lead regular units or take on office work within the manor. They were merely Yang Cheon’s subordinates, and at the same time, they were also the heads of their own independent units.
It was clear that they were the leadership, but it was ambiguous to determine their exact ranking. They were people who only followed Yang Cheon’s orders.
However, the Information Department was the core organization of the Black Dragon Manor to be restructured in the future. And since Yeon Ho-jeong was becoming the head of the organization with the greatest real power in the Black Dragon Manor, his ranking was naturally higher than the Twelve Earthly Branches, which were in name only.
“I will guide you to the residence you will use from now on. Take a look around, and tell me if you have any requests.”
“I understand.”
Like that, the two people walked on a widely opened underground main road.
Kung. Kung. Kung.
The Black Dragon Manor was still noisy. It was noisy, but it was not to the extent that the sound grated on the ears.
Yeon Ho-jeong asked.
“Is it a mechanical formation?”
White Rat did not answer.
It seemed he didn’t have a personality to converse if it wasn’t something absolutely necessary to say. Yeon Ho-jeong smacked his lips and followed behind him.
‘Anyway, this mission is now slowly coming to an end as well.’
The Information Department Head oversees all information within the Black Dragon Manor. Now, using the position, taking all the important information and escaping would be the end.
Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes became cold.
‘Murong Jun.’
Not long ago, he had secretly received a letter from Murong Jun’s unseen subordinate.
In that letter, these contents were written.
‘I have personally revealed myself. By now, Yang Cheon must have also noticed. However, the Black Dragon Manor will absolutely not touch me. So, make up a suitable excuse and come catch me. After disguising it as being killed by my hands, you can just return to the alliance.’
It was an incomparably bold operation.
Perhaps Murong Jun had been planning from the moment he became the commander of this operation until the end of the mission. He was a human with that level of ability.
‘However, there is a problem with this operation.’
Yeon Ho-jeong furrowed his brows without realizing it.
‘It means he will inform the opponent that the Murim Alliance has noticed the existence of the Black Dragon Manor.’
Yeon Ho-jeong was the Information Department Head of the Black Dragon Manor. If he said he just killed such an Information Department Head, no one would believe it.
In other words, it is clear that an emergency will be declared on the Black Dragon Manor’s side as soon as Yeon Ho-jeong’s death is plotted. Since Murong Jun belongs to the Murim Alliance, it naturally means they will move under the assumption that the Murim Alliance has grasped the existence of the Black Dragon Manor.
‘There’s no way you don’t know that.’
The Black Dragon Manor was externally an organization that did not exist in the world.
Of course, they had revealed themselves here and there in Hunan in the meantime, but that was only possible to notice because it was the power of the Murim Alliance. The world still did not know the existence of the Black Dragon Manor.
In other words, the moment they realize the Murim Alliance has noticed their existence, the Black Dragon Manor will hide even deeper.
‘It doesn’t matter up to that point, is it.’
It could be so. In reality, Yeon Ho-jeong also did not mind that part much.
However, if one premise is fulfilled.
‘It is fine if the quality and quantity of the information I will extract is sufficient.’
Anyway, it hadn’t been long since the Murim Alliance was established either. If the Black Dragon Manor hides deeper, the Murim Alliance can also buy time to stockpile power.
If it is the same time, the Murim Alliance will establish a more definite system than the Black Dragon Manor setting Yang Cheon as the boss. Naturally, the gathered power would also become stronger.
‘Since the Murim Alliance also has to put forward an Alliance Leader anyway…’
In an instant, Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes flashed.
‘Alliance Leader?’
In an instant, one scary thought shook Yeon Ho-jeong’s head.
He stroked his lips without realizing it.
‘Merchant group… The commander who infiltrated the enemy camp… Hunan… Murong…’
One assumption quickly decomposed and drew a large map.
‘Murong Jun wishes for this mission to succeed. Therefore, he even stepped forward personally for our safe return. It is a certain method if it is certain, but was that really the best?’
The incidents that had occurred so far, the movements of the Black Dragon Manor, Murong Jun’s stratagems, and the existence of the unknown masters who replaced the merchant group organically connected and began to produce several results.
‘Information is lacking. However, looking at the situation?’
Murong Jun’s position, his ambition, the deeds he had committed.
Sharp killing intent dwelt in Yeon Ho-jeong’s two eyes.
‘…Murong Jun is a human who would commit any act to become the Alliance Leader. And the Alliance Leader selection is next year.’
It was said to be next year, but less than three months remained. Once the year passed and the winter cold broke a little, the leadership side would definitely bring up the talk about selecting the Alliance Leader.
‘You.’
The corners of Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes trembled slightly.
‘Could it be that it was groundwork?’
At that time, White Rat opened his mouth.
“Calm down.”
“…?”
“I know it is a time when passion is excessive, but we have no intention of causing a conflict with you.”
It seemed he read Yeon Ho-jeong’s killing intent.
He was a possessor of extremely sensitive senses. He didn’t openly reveal his killing intent, and just his gaze had changed, but he noticed that faint change.
Yeon Ho-jeong smiled.
“If you do that, it is comfortable for me.”
White Rat, who had been silent for a moment, opened his mouth as if he had made up his mind.
“I have served the Manor Lord for over ten years.”
“…”
“Serving the Manor Lord for that long time, there has been no talent that he wanted to obtain to this extent.”
It meant that he liked Yeon Ho-jeong that much.
“The monarch is one and the vassals are many. If there is a vassal receiving the monarch’s favor, it is a natural thing to incur the jealousy of the surrounding vassals.”
“I know.”
“There are many dangerous people in this manor. However, at least the Twelve Earthly Branches have no thought of creating a rift with you. We only serve the Manor Lord, we are not trying to get closer to him.”
Yeon Ho-jeong nodded.
“Ideal. At least you.”
“Not just me.”
“That monkey was different though.”
“Fire Ape?”
“That is so.”
“I have nothing to say about that part.”
It was a clean admission.
White Rat spoke in a much sunken voice.
“I told Fire Ape separately, so do not worry too much.”
“I am not worried. She was not a scary person to the extent of having to even worry.”
“…”
“I also have no intention of causing a disturbance with you all.”
“If so, that is fortunate.”
With those words as the end, White Rat closed his mouth again.
‘A tricky person.’
White Rat’s martial arts were amazing.
He did not know to what extent his actual combat skill was. Because such a thing cannot be known until they clash.
However, just looking at the aura woven close to perfection, his martial arts accomplishment alone could be seen as one level above the current Yeon Ho-jeong.
That was truly an amazing thing. Because reaching the grandmaster-class state with Unorthodox martial arts required something beyond effort.
Furthermore, that disciplined mindset.
‘Yang Cheon has a lot of interest in me. However, at least in terms of reliability, I cannot surpass this person.’
It is a natural thing if it is natural. Treating a talent he hadn’t even met for long to this extent was already a very unconventional thing in the first place.
“It is here.”
Before they knew it, the two people reached a cave about three hundred zhang away from the Black Dragon Manor.
“The entrance to the leadership’s residence operates as a mechanism like the Black Dragon Manor.”
White Rat turned the round stone jutting out on the right side of the stone door three times to the right and twice to the left.
Kugugung.
The door opened, and a quite bright and spacious residence revealed itself.
It was because the surroundings were stone walls, but it was very well decorated. A huge table and study room, of course, and going inside, a large room was also attached.
“Take a look around.”
Yeon Ho-jeong looked around inside the residence.
It was a quite cautious gaze. In reality, he wasn’t going to use it for long, but there could perhaps be a secret space for surveillance.
‘…’
Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes flashed.
‘It’s there.’
As expected, it is so. The study ceiling, in the center where night-luminescent pearls were embedded in a circle, a faint flow of air was felt.
It was not a structure made simply for air circulation. He only took a quick look around in case White Rat saw him, but the thickness of the secret space above the ceiling was considerable.
‘If it wasn’t for the Azure Dragon Qi and Black Tortoise Qi, it would be to the extent that even I would have just passed by it.’
In the past, he had investigated this whole place, but there was no such secret space back then. It seemed the Black Dragon Manor newly made it while establishing a base here.
Such spaces were not just in one place.
‘A total of three places. None in the room, and there are two places in the center ceiling and corner of the office.’
Yeon Ho-jeong smirked without realizing it.
‘It would have been better to pay more attention to the outside in the time doing such playful acts.’
Shortly after, Yeon Ho-jeong came out of the room.
“I saw everything.”
“Do you have any requests?”
“No. I can just slowly fill it up later.”
“I understand.”
White Rat took out a jet-black tablet from his embrace. It was an iron tablet with no pattern engraved on it, but made of an extraordinary material.
“It is called the Black Dragon Tablet. It is a tablet used when coming and going from the manor, an item that only people with a certain rank or higher or people directly permitted by the Manor Lord can possess.”
“Thank you.”
White Rat turned his body.
“Rest comfortably for three days. You will have to be here on the morning the organization restructuring begins.”
“Got it.”
With those words as the end, White Rat disappeared like a ghost.
Yeon Ho-jeong crossed his arms while leaning against the wall.
“Three days.”
It was a short time if short, and a long time if long.
Yeon Ho-jeong looked up at the ceiling.
It was bright thanks to the night-luminescent pearls, but perhaps because it was inside a cave, the air was strangely stuffy.
‘Come if you want to come?’
He recalled the contents of the last part of the letter.
‘If you have anything you are curious about, come find me. Of course, the Black Dragon Manor will also attach people. I believe you can handle that much on your own.’
Yeon Ho-jeong smiled coldly.
‘Will you be able to handle it? If you meet the current me, there won’t be anything good for you either.’
* * *
“Mmm?!”
An unexpected sign surfaced on Murong Jun’s face.
“Who?”
“He is called Pae-yul. As a member of this operations group, the youngest elder of the Diancang Sect…”
“I know that. But are you saying that bastard didn’t come himself and sent Pae-yul?”
“That is so.”
“Heo-eo.”
The corners of Murong Jun’s mouth went up.
“It seems he is very angry.”
Then again, he had reason to be.
Neither Yeon Ho-jeong nor himself had a personality to cause a hindrance to the mission just because they were angry. Furthermore, since they were not personalities to create useless disturbances, if they really couldn’t endure it, they wouldn’t even think of bringing their faces together at all.
But he sent Pae-yul as a proxy.
‘Does he have some ulterior motive.’
Murong Jun nodded.
“Let him in.”
“Yes.”
A moment later, Pae-yul opened the door and entered.
Murong Jun smiled and welcomed him.
“Is this the first time seeing each other like this?”
“It is.”
“Have a seat here.”
Pae-yul sat down silently.
Murong Jun asked straightforwardly.
“Right, did you come on an errand for the operations group leader?”
It was a remark that could sound quite insulting. Because no matter how much Yeon Ho-jeong was the operations group leader, Pae-yul was an elder of the Diancang Sect and a much greater senior than Yeon Ho-jeong.
However, not the slightest sign of displeasure was seen on Pae-yul’s face.
“If it is an errand, it is an errand, but before that, I have something to ask personally.”
“Hmm? Is there any other problem besides that?”
Pae-yul smiled coldly.
“Mong Ui, do you know him?”