Chapter 238: Conflict (8)
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“Clan Head, preparations are complete.”
“Hmm, you’ve worked hard.”
Murong Jun sipped the liquor.
The fragrant strong liquor felt like setting fire from his esophagus to his stomach. He had rarely drunk such strong liquor that was almost like raw concentrate.
Murong Jun’s face looking down at the cup was extremely serious.
‘To think I would meet the Combat King in this way.’
He was the one who said he would meet him, but it felt very strange to actually meet him.
‘The Combat King.’
Saintly Heaven Thirteen Seats.
The name that proves one is different in class from other masters, called the best in the Jianghu Murim.
Among the Saintly Heaven Thirteen Seats, the ten people of the Gods, Immortals, Emperors, and Kings are known to be older and one level higher in martial arts than the Three Lords.
The Combat King was a master who belonged to the youngest group even among those Gods, Immortals, Emperors, and Kings. Of course, even if he was young, he was already past sixty years old.
‘A hero of the Unorthodox who proved his strength to the world using only a pair of fists, regardless of the true enlightenment of the Martial Way.’
The reason Combat King Yang Cheon stood out exceptionally among the Gods, Immortals, Emperors, and Kings was because of his extremely crude martial arts and his disposition as a gambler.
The Gods, Immortals, Emperors, and Kings generally had a strong perception of being immortals of the Heaven Beyond Heavens. That was the same for the Three Lords.
But not the Combat King. He was a fighter of a generation who turned the Central Plains world upside down with a personality and martial arts that seemed likely to exist in reality.
‘To have an exclusive meeting with such a legendary master…….’
Murong Jun, who took a deep breath for a moment, smiled slyly.
‘Am I, of all people, nervous?’
The Murong Clan Head of the world is nervous ahead of a meeting with another person. That was quite hurtful to his pride.
However, Murong Jun accepted that unfamiliar feeling as it was.
‘It’s not something to hurt my pride. Because the opponent is the opponent.’
Even if it wasn’t a figure of that caliber, it was natural to be nervous. Because this was not a private meeting but a public meeting.
At that time, Mu-yeon asked.
“He probably wouldn’t be such a person, but…… if anything happens, I will blow up this entire area immediately.”
Murong Jun shook his head.
“Of course we should do that. But there’s no way a person of Yang Cheon’s caliber would use his hands just because things don’t go his way.”
“But he is a person of the Unorthodox.”
“He is a person of the Unorthodox and at the same time the Combat King.”
“It’s a presumptuous question, but…… you’ve never even seen that person’s face once, so how can you be so confident?”
“Rather than being confident, I believe.”
Nervousness was nervousness, but he also seemed to feel that much excitement. Murong Jun’s face flushed red.
“When you reach this level of position, there are things you naturally come to know even without necessarily meeting them. Yang Cheon is also like that. He is a person of a different quality from the notoriously vicious Blood Jade Demon Lord or Mad Soul Ghost Lord.”
Although it was the Unorthodox, he united that many sects to create a massive alliance.
Of course, there must be helpers, but even so, the fact that he was the head of that massive organization didn’t change.
In order to become the head of a group, one must possess a certain dignity. Yang Cheon was a person who fully deserved a high evaluation just by not announcing himself so far even after becoming the master of the Black Dragon Manor.
He could be called a figure on a truly different dimension from Gwak Jun, the Blood Jade Demon Lord, or Gok Gyeong, the Mad Soul Ghost Lord, who were the worst among the Three Lords counted as the same Saintly Heaven Thirteen Seats.
“However, world affairs are something whose outcome cannot be guaranteed. If there is even a one percent possibility, it is right to prepare thoroughly against it.”
It was Murong Jun who chose this location right now. And numerous explosives and hidden weapons were hidden in various parts of this building.
Of course, Yang Cheon couldn’t be killed with this level of devices. Right now, Murong Jun himself might suffer heavy injuries, but he was confident he could escape somehow.
However, it was sufficient to earn some time. He probably wouldn’t actually use it, but he had taken all measures so that if he ever used it, he could escape this county within half a quarter of an hour.
“Ah, also.”
Murong Jun frowned.
“Was there no separate contact from Yeon Ho-jeong?”
“That is correct.”
It’s strange.
‘He should have given me a word of notice.’
It was a meeting with Yang Cheon of the world. Considering Yeon Ho-jeong’s way of handling matters so far, even if it wasn’t about the information snatching, it was likely he would contact him at least once more.
‘It means he’s that busy.’
He was puzzled for a moment, but soon brushed it off easily. Because it was a fully plausible matter.
However, since a separate contact came from Beggar Successor Ga Deuk-sang, nothing special would have happened.
“Clan Head.”
“Hmm?”
“A contact just came from the other side. They said they have reached a distance of half a shichen.”
Murong Jun took a deep breath.
‘For what reason did Yang Cheon ask to meet me, I wonder?’
* * *
‘It’s there.’
Yeon Ho-jeong’s gaze looking down at the county from above the peak was truly as cold as could be.
‘As expected of Murong Jun.’
Even though it was quite a large county, he accurately recognized the building Murong Jun asked to meet in.
‘It’s easy to secure a retreat route. The alleys aren’t complex, but it’s a road that leads straight to the river and mountains. He probably laid out masters in various parts of the retreat route.’
The warriors of the Murong Clan were probably ambushing in various parts of the retreat route.
‘I don’t know how many warriors he deployed, but in front of Yang Cheon’s martial arts, it would have no meaning. Murong Jun wouldn’t be unaware of that either, but it would just be enough to buy time.’
Yeon Ho-jeong smiled coldly.
‘He’ll be quite flustered.’
He didn’t inform Murong Jun about Yang Cheon’s situation. Naturally, he also didn’t say that he would go instead of Yang Cheon.
It wasn’t simply an intention to fluster Murong Jun. Of course, seeing his flustered face could be a kind of fun, but he had no intention of taking a risk for such a trivial reason.
‘I trust you will deal with it properly, Murong Jun.’
At that time, Azure Tiger approached.
“Department Head of Information.”
“Please speak.”
The first of the Twelve Earthly Branches he saw upon entering Hunan was Azure Tiger. But neither Yeon Ho-jeong nor Azure Tiger had the personality to drag the conflict from that time into a mission.
“I think we can slowly go down now.”
It meant was there a reason to stand here and wait necessarily.
Yeon Ho-jeong shook his head.
“Wait a little bit. We’ll get a contact soon.”
“Yes?”
“There is such a thing.”
Azure Tiger was puzzled, but soon took a step back.
Being the Twelve Earthly Branches didn’t mean they knew everything about the Black Dragon Manor. Rather, since they had no organization they managed other than their personal subordinates, they weren’t very bright about the internal affairs of the Black Dragon Manor.
Water Dragon spoke.
“As soon as the Department Head of Information makes contact with the Murong Clan Head, let’s arrange the personal subordinates one hundred zhang away. What do you think, Azure Tiger?”
Azure Tiger nodded.
“That would be good.”
Mad Dog scratched his head.
“Would anything happen? Unless the Murong Clan Head is crazy, he wouldn’t try to touch us.”
“You never know. The Murong Clan Head would be thinking the Manor Lord is coming.”
“Eh?”
Mad Dog looked at Yeon Ho-jeong with surprised eyes.
“You didn’t contact the Murong Clan Head separately?”
Yeon Ho-jeong nodded.
“The person who sent the contact asking to meet first was the Manor Lord. If the Manor Lord says he’s sending a proxy for some reason, the probability of this meeting itself being canceled is high.”
“Mmm.”
It wasn’t a wrong statement.
Mad Dog’s eyes flashed.
“If so, how about reducing it to within fifty zhang instead of a hundred zhang? I don’t think that will happen, but just in case the Murong Clan Head causes trouble…….”
Sending a proxy without even giving a notice in advance? For the other side, they could fully get angry.
Yeon Ho-jeong shook his head.
“It would be better to place the subordinates of the four senior members outside one hundred zhang, and only the unit of one person entering together inside thirty zhang.”
All the Twelve Earthly Branches nodded. Looking at the structure and alleys of the county, that was because it was the most effective.
“If so, who are you thinking of as the person to enter together?”
Yeon Ho-jeong smiled and looked at Fire Ape.
Fire Ape, who was looking at him with complex eyes, was inwardly startled.
“Senior Fire Ape.”
“……Yes.”
“Senior, let’s enter together with me.”
Fire Ape was flustered.
“M- Me?”
“Is there a problem?”
“……There isn’t.”
Mad Dog cleared his throat and stepped forward.
“Is there a reason you necessarily want to take the Monkey, no, Fire Ape? Rather, taking me or Illusion Snake would be more…….”
“Senior Fire Ape’s appearance is quite beautiful. I don’t know how great an effect it will have, but to reassure the opponent, I think Senior Fire Ape will be better than the others.”
Water Dragon unknowingly smirked.
“Well, the Department Head of Information’s words are right too. There’s no man who doesn’t like women.”
Everyone giggled and laughed respectively.
Surprisingly, Fire Ape was quiet unlike usual. Given her personality, it would be normal for her to fly into a rage and pour out curses when such a conversation came up, but she was just busy looking at Yeon Ho-jeong with shaking eyes.
Mad Dog, who glanced at such Fire Ape, sneered openly.
“Why? Do you feel burdened? If you feel burdened, tell me, I’ll go in instead. I’m quite pretty too, you know.”
Illusion Snake shook his head.
“There’s no meaning for a man to be pretty.”
“Well, I can just act a bit coquettish or something, right? Who knows? The Murong Clan Head bastard might be a homosexual.”
“Mad Dog.”
“Ahem!”
Despite Mad Dog’s sneering, Fire Ape didn’t get angry.
Strictly speaking, she wasn’t in a mental state to get angry.
‘What is this?’
She was genuinely flustered.
‘Why is he still fine?’
The liquor she handed Yeon Ho-jeong yesterday contained a deadly poison called Half-Corpse Poison.
The Half-Corpse Poison was not immediate but a delayed deadly poison. At first, it only made a person gradually tired, but after a day passed, it noticeably lowered physical strength, and after two days, it was a bizarre poison that even decomposed internal energy and put one in a state of suspended animation.
Perhaps if it were an absolute master of the Saintly Heaven Thirteen Seats level, but even if it was the Shaolin Abbott, if there was no antidote, the deadly poison one was bound to suffer from was exactly the Half-Corpse Poison.
But Yeon Ho-jeong was too fine compared to expectations. Rather, as time passed, he even took on a strange vitality, and far from looking tired, the smile wouldn’t leave his lips.
‘Could he have noticed?’
That was impossible. The Half-Corpse Poison Fire Ape put in the liquor was an item she made by improving it several times, and not only was it colorless and odorless, but it also didn’t affect the flow of internal energy.
‘Even if he noticed, if he doesn’t have the antidote, he shouldn’t be that fine?’
It was then.
Flap flap flap!
A pitch-black bird flew from the other side of the sky.
It wasn’t a crow but a pigeon. Seeing the strange gloss from the pitch-black feathers, it didn’t seem to be an ordinary carrier pigeon.
Yeon Ho-jeong received the carrier pigeon and unfolded the letter tied to its ankle.
His eyes shone.
‘It’s done.’
Both the Operations Group and ‘they’ had taken their positions.
‘They must have started by now.’
The party looked at him with questioning eyes. Because it was a carrier pigeon they had never seen in the Black Dragon Manor.
Fwooosh.
As Yeon Ho-jeong burned the letter, the carrier pigeon flew up again at a terrifying speed.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes!”
Paaak!
The party came down from the mountain in a single breath and entered the county.
Pasasasasak.
As they went somewhat deep inside, all the Twelve Earthly Branches except Fire Ape scattered in all directions. Even though they bickered with each other, they definitely did what they had to do.
And after half a quarter of an hour.
Yeon Ho-jeong, who finally arrived at the appointed place, threw the door open without hesitation.
“……?!”
In Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes as he strode inside, Murong Jun was visible.
Murong Jun with a smile on his face, but his eyes were shaking terrifyingly.
Clatter!
The door closed.
Yeon Ho-jeong took a restrained fist-and-palm salute.
“I greet you. I am called Jeong, the Department Head of Information of the Black Dragon Manor.”
Murong Jun, who stared blankly at Yeon Ho-jeong, stood up from his seat and took a fist-and-palm salute in return.
“I am Jun of the Murong Clan.”
“I have heard much of your lofty name of chivalry.”
“By the way…….”
Murong Jun’s smile gradually twisted bizarrely. It was to the extent that a master with an eye could feel the strangeness at once.
Fortunately, Fire Ape didn’t notice the strangeness. It wasn’t a situation for that.
“Department Head of Information, you say…… Where did the main character go?”
“Due to internal circumstances, I, the Department Head of Information, came in the capacity of a proxy.”
Yeon Ho-jeong smiled coldly.
“Will you excuse this?”
The corners of Murong Jun’s eyes trembled finely.
“……Please have a seat.”