Chapter 290: Preparation Complete (4)
One month later.
“Huu.”
A thick breath mixed with the lightly exhaled sigh came out.
“It is definitely different.”
Tang Kwan frowned.
“A new year… I didn’t feel much inspiration or the like, but definitely as the year passed, it feels like the weather has gotten colder.”
A super peak master. His entire body’s Qi was flexible and unobstructed, so he had already reached the state of invulnerability to cold and heat, but on the other hand, the higher the quality and quantity of internal energy, the more sensitive the senses become.
In fact, looking only at the senses, there was not much difference in the cold between a month ago and now. However, Tang Kwan felt it. That it seemed to have gotten colder for no reason.
Perhaps that could be because of his heart, not the weather.
‘Heart, huh.’
Tang Kwan, who was looking up at the sky where snowflakes were falling one by one, chuckled.
“It’s trivial.”
It was truly amusing. Who would have ever thought that the Lord of the world-renowned Sichuan Tang Clan would be soaked in such ridiculous sentimentality.
Tang Kwan shook his head.
‘I really should think about it.’
If he returned to the Tang Clan, Murong Jun’s attack would begin at any time.
Of course, he didn’t fail to return because he was afraid of that. It was just that knowing Murong Jun’s petty tricks were not ordinary, he didn’t return because he was needlessly bothered.
However, it seemed the time had come now.
‘What would change by staying in the Murim Alliance? I joined the Alliance, obtained the position of Honored Guest, and although it was ruined in the middle, I showed my presence in my own way, so this is getting enough results.’
He hadn’t even thought that far in the first place. Murim Alliance or whatever, in the end, the Tang Clan was the Lord of Sichuan. He didn’t care about the situation in other regions of the Central Plains.
Even so, the reason he went out of his way to come to the Murim Alliance was because he had a desire to change in his own way.
‘This is why people shouldn’t do things they normally don’t do.’
Tang Kwan brushed his shoulders.
As the piled-up snow disappeared little by little, Tang Kwan’s eyes were also returning to their original, incredibly toxic and cold-hearted state.
‘I am the Emperor of Sichuan. No one under heaven can escape the fear and influence given by the main clan. In other words, the main clan is a force worthy of discussing being Number One under Heaven. That is enough.’
Just confirming that is enough. He decided to think so.
‘Well, I do want to at least watch and see who becomes the Alliance Leader.’
Huuu.
The silently falling snowflakes melted with a huk at his exhaled breath.
“I should slowly try packing my bags.”
Tang Kwan put his hands behind his back and turned around.
It was then.
‘…….’
Tang Kwan’s steps stopped.
His eyes, where the Tang Clan Head’s unique toxic and cold gaze flashed, were minutely shaking.
Crunch. Crunch.
There was a presence walking while stepping on the piled-up snow.
It was a very light and cheerful footstep. At the same time, seeing the calmness stand out, one could guess that the character of the person who made the footsteps would not easily waver either.
Rustle.
The person who was walking like that also stopped their steps.
Swish. Swish. Swish.
The silence between the two was so heavy that the sound of snowflakes piling up on the ground could be heard as loud as hail falling.
How much time had passed like that?
“Are you leaving?”
Tang Kwan flinched without realizing it. And he couldn’t pay any attention to the fact that the other party had noticed his reaction.
“It seems like you are leaving right this moment.”
It was a very calm voice.
Tang Kwan turned his body.
There stood his daughter. The rare genius who was called the Divine Maiden of Dark Heaven and flaunted her fame as the Tang Clan’s number one rising star.
Tang Kwan looked at Tang Sang-ah without a word.
Tang Sang-ah continued speaking again.
“Won’t you be bored if you leave alone without an attendant?”
“I am the Clan Head of the Tang Clan.”
“I know.”
“…….”
“If you are leaving, why don’t you depart after the weather warms up a bit? Since snow is everywhere, the journey will be quite tiring.”
Tang Kwan almost opened his mouth involuntarily. He almost shouted that it was none of her business, and so what did she want to say.
However, he couldn’t do that.
And even he himself didn’t know the reason for that.
Tang Sang-ah, who was quietly looking at Tang Kwan, suddenly looked around.
“The weather is quite cold.”
“…….”
“You’ve probably drank all the liquor, do you have any tea leaves left?”
Tang Kwan’s eyes wavered.
He noticed that the voice of his daughter, which was as calm as could be, was faintly trembling.
What could he say in front of her, in front of his child?
“……I have good tea leaves.”
A smile spread on Tang Sang-ah’s face.
“Could I have a cup?”
“…….”
Tang Kwan, who remained silent, moved his steps toward his residence.
“I don’t know how to make tea. If you want to drink it, you make it and bring it.”
Tang Kwan, who had been walking for a while like that, added in a small voice.
“Two cups.”
* * *
Murong Jun stood up with a joyful expression.
“You’re here.”
“Yes, brother.”
Murong Yu’s complexion was somewhat pale. His appearance, which had become exhausted in many ways, stood out.
However, compared to ten days ago when he entered the Alliance, he definitely seemed much better. Then again, at that time, everyone except Gi Wu-hui was exhausted to the limit.
“Do you not need to receive more treatment?”
“This much is enough. I can resolve it internally.”
“Right, if so, that is fortunate.”
Murong Jun supported Murong Yu and sat him on a chair.
“Are you on your way after eating a meal?”
“Yes, brother. I nourished my body with the nutritious meal given by the infirmary.”
“You did well. No matter how much of a martial arts expert you are, you are ultimately a human. When injured, listening to a physician’s words is the best.”
After a while, Murong Jun brought out tea.
“Try a cup. It will comfortably soothe your exhausted body and mind.”
“Thank you.”
Upon drinking it, he could definitely tell that sincerity had gone into the tea. Even with the same tea leaves and the same sequence of brewing, the taste and fragrance being different must all be due to the presence or absence of sincerity.
Murong Jun sighed.
“You suffered a lot.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“I didn’t expect you to suffer this much. I sent you with peace of mind because that guy Yeon Ho-jeong was there too, but to think all sorts of miscellaneous bastards would interfere.”
Honest anger bloomed in Murong Jun’s eyes.
He knew very well who instigated those who attacked Murong Yu and his party.
‘Those bug-like bastards who don’t even know their place.’
Murong Jun resolved. He would uproot the Medical God Society and show the majesty of the Murim Alliance to the whole world. He would also let them know how dangerous it was to touch the bloodline of the Murong Clan.
“I was already going to beat up the physicians in Henan to…”
“Brother.”
“Mmm?”
Murong Yu spoke with a smile.
“Regarding them, it’s fine now.”
Murong Jun frowned.
“Fine? What does that mean? How dare they attack the escorts dispatched by the Murim Alliance; this is an issue we absolutely cannot sit back and watch.”
“Of course that’s true, but isn’t there something more important than that?”
“……?”
“Alliance Leader.”
“……!”
Murong Jun’s face hardened with shock.
Murong Yu shook his head.
“Unless I had died, no, even if I had died, you must not care about them, brother.”
“…….”
“The new year has dawned. The snow will probably pour down heavily until next month. However, once this snowfall weakens and the rampant cold begins to calm down, the real war starts from then on.”
“……A war, you say.”
“That is right.”
Murong Yu’s eyes sparkled like starlight.
“You must reach the pinnacle.”
In that moment, Murong Jun felt goosebumps creeping up the back of his hand and spreading throughout his whole body.
One word that came out of his younger brother’s mouth: pinnacle.
The moment that word pierced his ear, all the anger he had built up evaporated, and a rosy future seemed to unfold before his eyes like an illusion.
“Leave the matters regarding them to the Strategist. The Strategist will handle it well on his own. From now on, you must slowly grab the reins so that you can ascend to the seat of the Alliance Leader, brother.”
“Umm.”
“Unless something happens, the Alliance Leader of this generation will rule the Murim Alliance for the next ten-odd years. Of course, it’s called ruling, but an Alliance Leader can’t just do whatever he wants, however, there is no disagreement that he is the highest person in power in the Orthodox Murim at least.”
“Right, that is true.”
Murong Yu’s eyes flashed.
“If you miss this opportunity, you will have to wait at least fifteen years or more. Just so you don’t waste that time, you must prepare now, brother.”
Murong Jun nodded his head.
“Right, your words are correct.”
He was already making various preparations anyway. It was just that because his younger brother got severely injured, he burst into heat and was huffing and puffing.
But since Murong Yu came out like this first, Murong Jun could also relieve his own burden.
“Won’t you feel disappointed?”
“About what?”
“About this foolish brother not being able to properly take revenge for his younger brother.”
Murong Yu smiled.
“My revenge is solely my share. I have that much of a vessel, brother.”
“Hohoho.”
“Stand tall under heaven. That is the top priority.”
“Right, that is the priority. Thank you for understanding me.”
“Don’t mention it.”
The two people looked out the window.
The silently falling snow somehow seemed to have increased in volume compared to half a quarter of an hour ago.
“A new year.”
* * *
“Huuu.”
White steam poured out in chunks as if smoking tobacco.
“Have you finished your Qi circulation?”
“Yes, Father.”
Looking at Yeon Ho-jeong who got up from his seat, Yeon Wi clicked his tongue.
“No matter how invulnerable to cold and heat you are, what is the point of a guy whose body isn’t even normal doing Qi circulation outdoors while getting hit by snow?”
He brushed off the snow piled up on Yeon Ho-jeong’s shoulders.
Yeon Ho-jeong smiled bitterly.
“What about Ji-pyeong?”
“He is still sleeping. Fortunately, he didn’t get as hurt as you or Bi-ah, but he seems to have received quite a shock in his own way.”
“That is probably the case. It was a resolute sword strike, but minute hesitation leaked out. As much as he saw a lot of blood, the wound on his heart will be much larger than the wound on his body.”
“Right.”
Yeon Wi looked up at the sky.
“He grows while doing so.”
He spoke like that, but thinking about ten days ago, Yeon Wi still felt his heart sink even now.
His children who returned covered in blood. Not only Yeon Ho-jeong, but Yeon Ji-pyeong also returned to the Alliance extremely exhausted.
Seeing his children who returned after wading through all kinds of chaotic battles in a situation he didn’t know about, Yeon Wi fell into an unspeakable sense of shame.
In fact, as a warrior of the Jianghu, killing enemies and seeing blood could be considered destiny.
Still, children were different. Even if one understood it with their head, hoping with their heart that they wouldn’t live such a life was the heart of a parent.
Of course, his two sons had already grown up into excellent martial artists.
Yeon Wi, who was quietly looking up at the sky, patted Yeon Ho-jeong’s back.
“You definitely are strong-boned. Bi-ah is still receiving treatment.”
“Isn’t it just that he is weak-boned?”
“You rascal.”
“Keul-keul.”
Yeon Wi, who chuckled and looked at his son, asked a bit carefully.
“Do you truly not need to go see a physician?”
“Of course. With this much, I’ll be fully healed in about five days.”
“Umm, if you say so, then it must be so.”
“And shouldn’t we slowly prepare too now?”
“Preparation?”
“Yes. The new year has passed, hasn’t it?”
Yeon Wi’s face hardened.
“……Alliance Leader.”
“That is right. And besides the Alliance Leader election, we will have to pay attention to more things.”
“Are you talking about the Three Cults?”
“That is right.”
Yeon Ho-jeong cleared the snow piled on the wooden bench and sat down.
An intense light radiated from his eyes.
“Now everyone who should gather has gathered.”
Gi Wu-hui, the illegitimate child of the Divine Fire Cult Leader, had entered the Alliance.
He learned that an organization called the Medical God Society existed in the world, and he also found out that they had a deep-rooted collusive relationship with the government.
He had grasped the combat power of the Black Dragon Manor, learned that the Three Cults were already working behind the scenes to swallow the Central Plains, and the system of the Murim Alliance had completely settled in place now.
And this year, the election to select the person who would become the first Alliance Leader of the Murim Alliance will be held.
Furthermore, Yeon Ho-jeong could instinctively realize the fact that all those ties and events were gathering into one.
“It seems this year will be quite an exhausting year.”