Chapter 239: The World Doesn't Change (1)
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“Are you ready?”
“That is so.”
“…….”
“Why does your expression look so bad?”
“It is nothing.”
“As you already know, we are people who are not worth receiving sympathy. Even though our families were taken hostage and everyone was addicted to a chronic poison, that doesn’t mean the sins we already committed disappear.”
“…….”
“To tell you more honestly…… we moved under Murong Jun’s orders, but we also committed terrible acts without our superiors knowing.”
“…….”
“There are many families that were ruined not because of Murong Jun but because of us. Perhaps it was a feeling of desperation, but such excuses have no meaning.”
“Stop.”
“So you don’t need to make such a sad expression. To us, who have forsaken the moral duty of humans, such a death is rather undeserved.”
“…….”
“Just the fact that the elder of the Diancang Sect bowed his head to us is a sufficiently satisfying death.”
“Your names, I will never forget.”
“It is an honor.”
“However, what worries me is your families. The Operations Group Leader will surely handle it well on his own, but I’m worried just in case harm comes to them.”
“Haha, to think Senior cares more than us, who are actually family. Looking at this, we still have a long way to go as expected.”
“I know my heart absolutely cannot reach yours.”
“No, we are genuinely not worried. If that was a concern, we wouldn’t have made a deal with Young Master Yeon in the first place.”
“Hoo.”
“Even though we were bred like dogs, that’s why there are things we know too. Murong Jun is a person who values his face. Sometimes he crosses the line, but he is not a person who doesn’t keep his promises.”
“If you believe so, I will also put my worries aside.”
“Thank you.”
“Now…… let’s begin.”
“Understood. And Senior Pae-yul.”
“Please speak.”
“Thank you very much.”
“……I am not a person qualified to receive such greetings.”
Pae-yul let out a deep sigh.
Chaaaang!
Powerful true qi rose from the drawn sword blade.
“Let’s begin.”
A moment later.
Kwaaaang!
The party’s residence exploded, and flames rose in all directions.
* * *
“…….”
A strange silence surrounded the table.
Looking at Yeon Ho-jeong’s relaxed expression, Murong Jun thought.
‘What is your ulterior motive.’
When Yeon Ho-jeong first opened the door and entered, he really felt like his heart was being pulled out. He wondered if things had gone wrong.
He calmed his surprised heart, but he still felt a chill down his spine.
‘Why did you appear? Without any particular contact?’
It couldn’t be that his identity was found out or that he was co-opted by the Black Dragon Manor. He could be certain of that.
But unless it was for those reasons, he wasn’t a guy to appear without a word like this. No matter how urgent, he wasn’t so incompetent that he couldn’t send a single letter.
‘Even Beggars’ Successor said things were going well.’
Murong Jun’s eyes shook.
‘You guys, could you perhaps be trying to sell me?’
To offer him as a sacrifice to the Black Dragon Manor?
‘……Why on earth?’
Murong Jun, who was quietly examining Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes, inwardly shook his head.
‘No. These guys don’t have the slightest intention of selling me over to the Black Dragon Manor.’
If he really intended to sell him over, there was no need to show himself like this at all. Frankly speaking, he could just send the Black Dragon Manor’s peak masters and their subordinate troops to control this entire area and launch a surprise attack, and the problem would end. It meant there was no reason to do such a complicated thing.
‘What on earth are you thinking, you bastard.’
At that time, Yeon Ho-jeong opened his mouth.
“You seem to be very surprised.”
Murong Jun smiled bitterly.
“Tell me about it. I thought I would be able to meet the great master, Combat King, on this occasion.”
“I understand.”
“You should understand this too. That my mood is not comfortable right now.”
Yeon Ho-jeong shrugged his shoulders.
“I fully understand, but anyway, wouldn’t it not matter as long as the result is good.”
“That is not wrong. However, what I’m curious about is whether you have the authority to do so.”
“I came as the Manor Lord’s proxy. Although I am not a master like that person, you can think of my judgment as the Manor Lord’s judgment.”
Murong Jun, who was looking at Yeon Ho-jeong blankly, smiled.
“Seeing you like this, you are a truly amazing talent.”
“Is that so?”
“Your appearance is tall and handsome, and your martial arts also seem amazing. Furthermore, not only sitting in the position of Department Head of Information at that age, but to come as the Manor Lord’s proxy means you are the real power among the real power.”
“…….”
“In our main alliance, there is also a young man similar to you. That friend also surprised everyone with his outstanding martial arts and brilliant strategy at a young age.”
Yeon Ho-jeong smirked.
“It seems you mean the widely rumored Evil-Annihilating Army Commander.”
Murong Jun’s eyes flashed.
‘He says it openly?’
It was a remark brought up to provoke the opponent. However, Yeon Ho-jeong’s response was extremely bold.
‘It means he’s not simply here to hit me in the back of the head.’
Murong Jun glanced at Fire Ape.
It was quite a cold expression. However, he could read the strange discomfort cast on Fire Ape’s face.
‘Hmm.’
Murong Jun smiled brightly.
“Would you like a cup of liquor?”
“I don’t like liquor very much.”
“Hoho, it seems it’s the age for you to slowly open your eyes to elegance, though?”
“I do not doubt that the Clan Head is not such a person, but you never know, right. You might have put poison in the liquor.”
In an instant, Fire Ape flinched.
Even though Murong Jun had been looking at Yeon Ho-jeong all along, he noticed Fire Ape’s reaction like a ghost.
‘There was a dispute.’
Murong Jun spoke in a deliberately disappointed tone.
“You seem to view this person too badly. I heard that even street thugs don’t do such things these days.”
“Haha, my words were somewhat rough. Unfortunately, my boldness is not as good as the Manor Lord’s. I know you are not someone who would do that, but it doesn’t hurt to be careful with each other.”
“Hoho, that is right.”
Yeon Ho-jeong looked around.
“Seeing as how you are, it seems the Clan Head has also prepared a bit. If not poison, did you perhaps lay down explosives?”
“…….”
“Looking down at this neighborhood earlier, you picked a truly amazing place for a location. The retreat route is the west leading to the river and mountains…… Did you deploy the clan’s warriors as well?”
In an instant, Murong Jun was flustered.
‘This bastard?’
There was a person from the Black Dragon Manor together with him, so what was he trying to do by saying that openly?
Of course, knowing that wouldn’t change the situation, but it was something unnecessary to say. At least in Murong Jun’s thought.
“Hoho, I took a hit with this.”
“As I said, it doesn’t hurt for both sides to be careful, right?”
“That is a correct statement.”
Murong Jun quietly crossed his legs.
“I am a bit flustered, but I also knew you were not ordinary. Naturally, you must have laid down masters in this area too, right?”
Yeon Ho-jeong retorted brazenly.
“I heard the Clan Head’s realm is extremely outstanding.”
“As expected.”
Murong Jun said with a smile.
The conversation was only going round and round on the surface. Someone needed to break the ice.
“So.”
Murong Jun’s eyes immediately became bloody.
“What is the reason you appeared like this without any contact in advance?”
His tone changed.
Yeon Ho-jeong shrugged his shoulders.
“Why do you think that is?”
“I don’t know.”
Perhaps he wanted to throw away all this tiring acting now.
Murong Jun’s face contorted noticeably.
“I really don’t know. Handling matters like this won’t do any good for each other. It’s not like you are someone who doesn’t know that.”
“I don’t not know.”
Yeon Ho-jeong’s expression also gradually became cold.
“But I want to ask from my side too. Could you perhaps have thought I would just let that matter pass?”
It meant he would speak openly now. It also meant he didn’t need to mind Fire Ape.
“Of course.”
There was sincerity in Murong Jun’s voice.
“Frankly speaking, they were people who had absolutely nothing to do with you. You could get angry, but what was important for you was not to hit my back but to achieve the mission.”
“Are you speaking sincerely?”
“Did you perhaps think I wasn’t?”
Yeon Ho-jeong shook his head.
“You killed innocent people for your personal greed.”
“So was there any harm done to you?”
“I can’t join hands with someone I can’t trust. And before that, I hope you think about why we were put into this mission.”
“What do you want to say?”
“On a small scale, it is to check the opponent, but on a large scale, isn’t it to make a better world? Yet, even though you came here as the commander of this operation, not only did you kill innocent people to satisfy your personal greed, but you also left the cleanup to the Operations Group.”
Yeon Ho-jeong said with a smile.
“Now, answer me. Setting aside trusting each other’s abilities, can you trust a human who causes a distraction with a petty trick that even a third-rate thug in the streets wouldn’t do?”
“I will say it clearly…….”
“If I pulled such a stunt without a word of notice to you while you were going through dog-like hardships, how would you react?”
Murong Jun shut his mouth.
Yeon Ho-jeong nodded.
“It’s like that. As you probably know, my mind is quite narrow. I never forget once I’ve been hit.”
“I see. That both you and I are narrow-minded humans. However, the reason that doesn’t act as a major flaw is because we know the timing.”
Flash! Flash!
Lightning-like true qi bounced from Murong Jun’s two eyes.
Murong Jun, who was genuinely angry, was slowly leaking the power of the ancient absolute art, the Thunder God Art, which he had been controlling well until now.
“Tell me. Are you serious? Did you really commit this unnutritious act just because you wanted to see my flustered appearance?”
“If so, what will you do?”
“I would be disappointed. Sincerely.”
Murong Jun frowned.
“Were you a person who only amounts to this much? If you wanted to vent your anger, doing it after this mission ends would have been enough.”
“I absolutely shouldn’t do that.”
“What?”
“It’s obvious you’ll set up countermeasures knowing I’ll throw a punch when this mission ends, so why should I go out of my way to give you preparation time?”
Murong Jun was dumbfounded.
“Do you want this mission to end in failure?”
“That’s exactly it. You’re thinking that since completing this mission is the top priority, I won’t play tricks on you, right?”
“……!”
“That’s also quite a funny certainty. Achieve the mission, and hit you in the back of the head too; is there a need to necessarily choose one over the other?”
Murong Jun’s face stiffened completely.
The chilly sunken air. Within it, Fire Ape couldn’t hide her fluster.
‘What? What is this conversation right now?’
Could it be that the two people knew each other?
‘What on earth……?’
Murong Jun, who glanced at the flustered her, said as if spitting it out.
“Bringing in that incomparably bold wench probably means it doesn’t matter if an accident breaks out in this space anyway, right?”
“That is so.”
“You, go back and we’ll see. I dare say you won’t be able to avoid a reprimand this time.”
Yeon Ho-jeong smirked.
“You had better look forward to it too. Because I’ve already laid out the board.”
“What?”
It was then.
Thwack!
Horror was cast on Fire Ape’s face.
“Monkey.”
Yeon Ho-jeong, who had driven his spear into her solar plexus at some point, spoke coldly.
“I told you, didn’t I? There’s no need to repay grace.”
“Keuk!”
“If you’re going to play with liquor even in the netherworld, properly figure out the opponent’s level first before playing.”
Fire Ape’s body trembled violently.
“S- Son of a bitch……!”
Yeon Ho-jeong swung the spear upwards as it was.
Spurt!
Fire Ape’s body was split vertically.