Chapter 252: The Time of the Freezing Wind (2)
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“Kya, this is great!”
Murong Yu said with a hesitant face.
“You must have accumulated a lot of fatigue, is it okay to drink alcohol like that?”
“What does it matter? I’ll be resting for another full two days. And resting the body isn’t everything. One has to shake off mental fatigue as well.”
“That is just like you, Younger Brother Yeon.”
A smile spread across Murong Yu’s hesitant face.
“At any rate, welcome back. In truth, because it was such a perilous mission, I was very worried about whether you would be able to return unharmed.”
Murong Yu’s voice had the power to truly make the listener feel good.
It wasn’t because his voice was exceptionally charming. His voice always contained sincerity, and his manner of speaking was imbued with a basic respect toward the other person.
Yeon Ho-jeong chuckled.
“I am one thing, but Elder Brother, you are something else too, huh?”
“Hmm?”
“I heard you broke through the Wall of the Martial Arts´ End, and indeed, it is an amazing aura.”
Murong Yu’s face turned red.
“Ahem! I told them not to spread the rumor, but the talk somehow spread like that.”
“What does it matter if there’s a rumor? Good things should be announced in all directions.”
“Do you truly think so?”
“To some extent.”
Murong Yu shook his head.
“Isn’t the Murim a place where one must hide good things, and hide bad things even more so?”
“Oho? That is a statement quite unlike you, Elder Brother.”
“Well… Should I say I have merely come to know reality a bit more than before?”
Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes gleamed.
“Did something happen?”
“After you, Younger Brother Yeon, left on your separate mission, I took a close look at the situation within the Alliance in my own way.”
“Oho? So, how was the Murim Alliance in your eyes, Elder Brother?”
“Please understand even if I use somewhat rough expressions.”
“Of course.”
“It was a mess.”
He had said it would be a rough expression, but Yeon Ho-jeong hadn’t expected such a blatant word to come out.
Murong Yu’s face stiffened completely. What surfaced on that expression was genuine disappointment, worry, and anger.
“Honestly, I didn’t know until I paid attention to it. Perhaps I, too, was deliberately turning my head away. However, after you left, with the thought that I had to endure on my own somehow, I explored my surroundings quite aggressively.”
“And it turned out to be a mess?”
“It was.”
“In what sense?”
“Not everyone is like that, but at least more than half are wearing the mask of harmony while inwardly grinding their knives, is what I mean.”
Even without specifically pointing out anyone, Yeon Ho-jeong knew very well who those ‘more than half’ referred to.
They were none other than the upper echelons of the Alliance. To be more precise, he was referring to the Honored Guests.
Yeon Ho-jeong smiled bitterly.
“More than half… Right, you saw correctly.”
“The problem is not just the Honored Guests. The children of the sects or Murim clans they lead also seemed far from chivalry and righteousness.”
“There are many people who just look around trying to tear off a piece of flesh. Since such people were set up as heads, what could their subordinate disciples have learned?”
“Do you know what is the most disappointing thing?”
“Hmm?”
Murong Yu let out a sigh.
“It is that none of them are as vicious as my older brother.”
“…”
“I don’t know. Perhaps I still haven’t grasped my older brother’s true nature either. But even with just that much, it’s enough to be…”
“Terrifying.”
Yeon Ho-jeong raised his cup.
“He is a terrifying man. He certainly has flaws, but just as you said, Elder Brother, he is a vicious and smart man, so he has the ability to erase most of his own flaws.”
“That’s right.”
Yeon Ho-jeong filled Murong Yu’s cup.
Muk Bi, sitting next to Yeon Ho-jeong, quietly drank her alcohol and listened intently to their conversation. It wasn’t a place for her to interject, but she also learned a lot while listening to such conversations.
“There was a reason your expression was bad, huh? Hide good things, and hide bad things even more… Why? It seems the way the surrounding people looked at you was quite displeasing?”
Murong Yu’s face crumpled like a piece of paper.
“There were also many who openly picked fights with me.”
“They must have iron-plated hearts. They dare to openly pick a fight with a genius master who broke through the Wall of the Martial Arts´ End?”
“Younger Brother Yeon.”
“I’m not joking. It’s the truth, isn’t it?”
Murong Yu, who emptied his cup with a frustrated face, confessed with a sigh.
“The truly terrifying ones are those who do not reveal it outwardly. However, even an ordinary person cannot hide the look in their eyes.”
“That is correct.”
“I don’t know if it’s just my mood, but there was almost no one who purely rejoiced for me, excluding the soldiers of my own army.”
Yeon Ho-jeong clicked his tongue.
“Purely rejoice? Who could do that? We gathered under the name of an alliance, but at the same time, we are all in a competitive relationship. Unless it’s a genius born in their own sect or clan, it’s natural that there are few who would sincerely congratulate you.”
“Was it like that for you too, Younger Brother Yeon?”
“What was?”
“Didn’t you break through the Wall of the Martial Arts´ End a long time ago? People are deliberately keeping quiet about it, but you are already making a name for yourself as the number one rising star under heaven.”
“I wouldn’t know because I’ve never paid attention to such things.”
“Could you just not pay attention?”
“Putting aside whether I paid attention or not, I didn’t even have the time for that.”
Murong Yu nodded.
Indeed, Yeon Ho-jeong was a person who moved harder than anyone else in places where others couldn’t see. Whether it was political strife or martial arts training.
‘He is truly amazing.’
Hearing this answer firsthand, he genuinely admired Yeon Ho-jeong.
‘He isn’t deliberately not paying attention. He genuinely has no interest in the evaluations of those around him. It is because he knows very well that there are things far more important to him than such trivial matters.’
Even if one knew, devoting oneself to it every moment was extremely difficult.
‘Perhaps such strong immersion spurred his achievements even further.’
Yeon Ho-jeong laughed as if amused.
“This is why the term armchair theory exists. Even if you understand it with your head, you won’t know unless you actually see, hear, and experience it. It seems you, Elder Brother, have also realized that the world is not as beautiful as you thought.”
“I did know. I had felt it too.”
“Hmm. Well, you suffered such humiliation in your clan, and you must have gone through all sorts of things at the Zhejiang branch too.”
“That’s right. That’s why I was also greatly disappointed in myself.”
“Disappointed?”
Murong Yu smiled.
“I was getting disappointed and frustrated over a matter that was nothing to be newly disappointed about, so I naturally couldn’t help but be disappointed in myself as well.”
Yeon Ho-jeong chuckled.
“It’s a continuous series of disappointments.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Have a drink.”
“Sounds good.”
The two clinked their cups.
Yeon Ho-jeong, who refreshingly emptied his cup, opened his mouth.
“How was the Demon-Sweeping Army’s training?”
“Everyone followed along well.”
“Right. Martial arts are martial arts, but now you’re really showing the temperament of a proper leader.”
“I-is that so?”
“Yeah. Does a leader develop just by being great alone? The changes in subordinates also change the leader. The intimidating aura you implicitly exude is quite amazing.”
Murong Yu smacked his lips.
“Stop with the embarrassing praises. And regarding that, it seems Vice-Commander Muk is even more so than me.”
Yeon Ho-jeong looked at Muk Bi.
As she was suddenly mentioned, Muk Bi was startled.
“M-me?”
Murong Yu smiled.
“When I saw you in passing about a month ago, I was truly surprised. You weren’t the person I had seen in the past.”
“Ah…”
“To fill Younger Brother Yeon’s void all by yourself, I genuinely admired you. I heard the soldiers of the Evil-Annihilating Army are all quite unique, so you must have gone through a lot of hardship.”
Muk Bi shook her head.
“I didn’t have much hardship. Everyone followed along well, so…”
“Haha.”
It seemed he felt an inexplicable sense of kinship. After all, both Muk Bi and Murong Yu were people with inherently kind and gentle natures, so they could understand the other’s changes more deeply than anyone else.
“By the way…”
Murong Yu carefully opened his mouth.
“Regarding my older brother…”
Yeon Ho-jeong nodded.
“I was planning to tell you even if you didn’t ask.”
“Please, let me hear it.”
“I’ll say this in advance, but I hope you don’t receive too much of a shock. I will tell you frankly, without any additions or subtractions, about what happened during that time.”
“…”
“I’ll tell you all about my story, and the story regarding Murong Jun.”
Seeing Yeon Ho-jeong, who usually spoke straightforwardly, even give a warning like this, it seemed something truly unimaginable had occurred.
Murong Yu took a deep breath.
“Alright, tell me.”
Yeon Ho-jeong recounted the events that had transpired in detail.
Starting from when the Operations Group infiltrated, to Murong Jun entering Hunan, the conversation the commanding officer and the Operations Group leader shared when they met, how he gained Yang Cheon’s trust, and of course, even the process of extracting the information.
Murong Yu and Muk Bi exclaimed in awe the entire time they listened to the story.
They could keenly understand how Yeon Ho-jeong approached Yang Cheon in that not-so-long period of time, and with what mindset he took on this mission.
Yeon Ho-jeong was a person who used richer language than expected. Listening to his story, it felt as if the situations were naturally painting themselves in their minds.
And then, Yeon Ho-jeong began to talk about Murong Jun.
A moment later.
“…”
Murong Yu’s face distorted to an extent that was hard to describe.
Yeon Ho-jeong, who silently watched his face, filled his empty cup without a word.
Murong Yu let out a groan.
“…Did my older brother truly commit such an act?”
“He did.”
“Is it the truth?”
“It is the truth.”
He had said he would speak frankly without any additions or subtractions.
Yeon Ho-jeong was a person who undoubtedly kept his word. Murong Yu also knew that very well.
Yet, the reason he asked again was likely because he didn’t want to believe it that much.
Eventually, Murong Yu let out a sigh.
“I don’t know what on earth he is thinking. Even if I try to understand my older brother, I simply cannot understand him at all!”
All sorts of emotions leaked from the voice he spat out.
Yeon Ho-jeong shook his head.
“Do not try to understand it.”
“But!”
“If you are a human, you shouldn’t understand such an act.”
“…!”
“The moment you understand him, you also become the exact same person. So do not try to understand him, and just make sure to keep the morals and ethics that you know.”
Murong Yu gritted his teeth.
Yeon Ho-jeong’s voice sank deeply.
“I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it once more just in case. The reason I earmarked you as the next Murim Alliance Leader is not to plunge a sword into Murong Jun’s heart. It is because I think you are the most trustworthy out of anyone else.”
“…”
“And the reason I trust you is because of that righteous way of living where you don’t slip into side paths even though you are sufficiently smart.”
Murong Yu looked at Yeon Ho-jeong with bloodshot eyes.
Yeon Ho-jeong smiled.
“Just because a path is easy doesn’t mean it’s wrong, but there is no need to deliberately use tricks when there is a righteous path. Wealth obtained through tricks is bound to be stolen someday.”
“…”
“Never become like Murong Jun. Though you aren’t the type of person to do so anyway.”
Murong Yu, who had been quietly looking at Yeon Ho-jeong, roughly emptied his cup.
“Give me one more cup.”
“As much as you want.”
Murong Yu received and drank four cups of alcohol in succession.
Even so, it seemed his frustration hadn’t disappeared. Murong Yu’s face as he let out a deep breath was filled with agony.
Watching Murong Yu, Yeon Ho-jeong soon grinned.
“Your mood is a mess, right?”
“It’s complete shit.”
“You told me to understand even if you spoke roughly, but you didn’t ask me to understand if you spoke dirty words, did you?”
“I am not in the mood for wordplay.”
“Even if you aren’t in the mood for wordplay, you still have the energy to wield a sword, right?”
“What?”
Yeon Ho-jeong rose from his seat.
“Isn’t this a place with a nice atmosphere? Shed a bout of sweat and shake off that shitty mood. Alcohol tastes better after you sweat, you know.”
“…”
“You said you broke through the Wall of the Martial Arts´ End? Let’s get a taste of the Murong Clan’s swordsmanship.”