Chapter 308: Reversal (2)
“It’s like the calm before the storm.”
Tang Kwan, who was tilting his glass, suddenly said so.
Yeon Wi tilted his head.
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“Just the atmosphere of the Alliance.”
Tang Kwan looked out the window.
Whether it was the last cold wave of winter, a fierce blizzard was blowing along the brutal wind.
“Since the informant from the Black Dragon Manor died before, the atmosphere of the Murim Alliance seems to have become quite brutal. Though on the surface, it looks as if nothing is wrong.”
“I see.”
“Ah, right.”
The corners of Tang Kwan’s mouth curled up.
“The thing you mentioned a few days ago, is it true?”
“Hm?”
“The trouble your son caused.”
Yeon Wi sighed.
“It is.”
The matter of disguising Hidden Shadow Number One as an informant for the Black Dragon Manor and killing him.
Yeon Ho-jeong had not confessed that matter only to Ga Deuk-sang. He had also informed Yeon Wi and Zhuge Wen-hu of that fact.
Zhuge Wen-hu was greatly surprised, but his expression was calmer than expected. Of course, he knew that Yeon Ho-jeong had crossed the line, but the election was just around the corner, and he just let it pass, saying he would somehow neutralize it at the Strategist’s discretion.
He would have tried to quiet it down for a moment regardless of whose deed it was, not just Yeon Ho-jeong’s. It was because Zhuge Wen-hu thought that, at least for now, the stabilization of the Alliance was a priority over moving according to principles and rules.
However, Yeon Wi was not.
“I scolded him severely.”
Yeon Wi rebuked Yeon Ho-jeong for the first time in a long while.
However, since Yeon Ho-jeong also knew that he had crossed the line, he did not make excuses or strongly express his arguments.
Yeon Wi also understood his son deep down. Aside from the fact that his son had committed a wrong, he understood the heart of his son trying to keep Murong Jun in check. The reason was that he was one of the only two people, along with Muk Bi, who knew about his son’s past.
Still, what was wrong was wrong.
Even if he was called the Dark Emperor and had pacified the Unorthodox Path, the Orthodox Path had its own ways. Furthermore, Yeon Wi wanted Yeon Ho-jeong not to be stained by the vicious schemes of the Unorthodox Path again.
So he scolded him severely, and Yeon Ho-jeong also said he would reflect on his mistake.
“So, I was thinking of informing the Honored Guest Meeting of my son’s deed this time.”
Tang Kwan’s eyebrows shot up.
“The Honored Guest Meeting?”
“Yes.”
“Are you crazy? If you do that, it’ll just be doing a good thing for Murong Jun.”
“Even if it gives an opportunity to Murong Jun, a wrong is a wrong. If one has committed a wrong, they should naturally receive the punishment and take responsibility for it.”
“You’re so stiff. It’s clear your son did something quite brutal, but it wasn’t something to go that far for.”
“It’s not going too far. To me, that is the Righteous Path.”
From the start, they were in a position where they could not understand each other on such points. Tang Kwan did not want to have a pointless argument.
“But why didn’t you inform them?”
“The Strategist stopped me.”
Tang Kwan chuckled.
“Murong Jun was right.”
“What do you mean?”
“Murong Jun said that the Zhuge Clan Head would work only for the Murim Alliance before the Great Cause. He said he is a person who would try to stabilize the Murim Alliance by helping whoever becomes the Alliance Leader, as long as the Leader is not someone who would plunge the world into misery.”
“…….”
“However, this time I also agree with the Zhuge Clan Head. You might be disappointed since you are that brat’s father, but if we assume the present is wartime, it wouldn’t be wrong to be praised as quite a bold move.”
Yeon Wi’s eyebrows twitched.
“A bold move? That’s nonsense.”
“It makes sense. Think about it logically. We stepped forward to fight with only a sword and a shield each, but isn’t the opponent dragging in cannons and firing them?”
It was a quite interesting metaphor.
And it was also true. Because Murong Jun was skilled in plots, and if he set his mind to move, he was a person who obtained what he wanted with schemes that were hard for an Orthodox person to even imagine.
“In that situation, your son infiltrated the enemy side without our knowledge and soaked the gunpowder. The cannons won’t be lit for the time being, but to think you scolded him instead of praising him.”
“…….”
“I don’t want to get involved in the matters between you father and son, but pat him on the shoulder when you go back. To be honest, I felt quite refreshed by this matter.”
They were truly words like Tang Kwan.
Yeon Wi let out a sigh.
“I don’t know. Of course, your words have a point, but I don’t really want to agree.”
“That’s up to the person receiving it, so I also don’t want to care.”
Tang Kwan, who moistened his throat with a glass of alcohol, asked again.
“By the way, how is it going?”
“What do you mean?”
“Didn’t you become my supporter? Quite a bit of time is left until the election, but the Central Plains is wide. You should start fanning the flames soon, shouldn’t you?”
“I don’t have a clue where to start.”
Tang Kwan clicked his tongue.
“Indeed, it’s not as if I don’t know that the Clan Head is not very good in that area.”
At those words, Yeon Wi laughed in spite of himself.
“Even though you knew I was such a person, why did you choose me as your supporter?”
“Exactly. I’m starting to regret it.”
“Hahaha!”
“If you’re going to start something, go back and consult with your son. Including this matter, that brat’s way of using his head is a work of art.”
“I understand. I will try starting soon.”
“Good.”
Rattle!
At that moment, the window rattled violently in the gusting wind.
Tang Kwan smiled.
“This year is going to be quite a brutal year.”
“Haha.”
“Why are you laughing all of a sudden?”
“Those words, my son said them before.”
“But why is that?”
“Just because I remembered them.”
“How bland.”
“Shall I give you more alcohol?”
“I haven’t even felt it in my liver yet, were you thinking of finishing with just this much? Give me more.”
“I think you forgot, but this is your residence.”
“I know, so just fill my glass.”
“Hahaha.”
* * *
Whirrrrrrr!
Along with a fierce blizzard, the gusting wind was tearing apart the atmosphere.
Whoosh.
An evening with heavy snow.
Yeon Ho-jeong was sitting in the yard of the Army-Destroying Pavilion, sitting cross-legged.
Sssssss!
Thick snowflakes were pouring down, so it seemed like it would soon be covered with snow, but surprisingly, the fierce snowflakes melted and scattered before even coming near Yeon Ho-jeong.
It was because of the heat erupting from Yeon Ho-jeong’s body. The Vermilion Bird Qi was burning fiercely, melting and evaporating the snowflakes before they could touch his body.
It was truly fearsome firepower.
Muk Bi, who was looking down at Yeon Ho-jeong from the second-floor window, clicked her tongue.
“It’s incredible. The heat is transmitted all the way here.”
Yeon Ji-pyeong swallowed hard.
“That is the Four Gods Martial Arts. Just as you said, sister, it is an incredible power.”
“In my memory, it wasn’t to that extent. I don’t know about the other true qi, but at least the firepower of the Vermilion Bird Qi seems to have become twice as strong as before.”
“Tw-Twice as much?”
“Probably.”
Muk Bi’s eyes sparkled.
“After refining the Yeon Clan’s Divine Elixir, his martial arts are meeting another turning point for a leap forward.”
It was as she said.
The reason Yeon Ho-jeong went outside and entered training was to stabilize the Four Gods Qi, which had been suddenly amplified by the Yeon Clan’s Divine Elixir.
Among them, especially the Vermilion Bird Qi and the White Tiger Qi were rampant. Because the energy of the Dragon Robe Divine Art was so fierce and rough, the two energies with similar properties ran wild more turbulently than the Azure Dragon Qi and the Black Tortoise Qi.
And this brutal blizzard was an environment perfect for controlling the two Divine Qi. By borrowing the power of this weather full of Yin Qi and coldness holding humidity, he was stably mounting the amplified Vermilion Bird Qi into his heart.
In that way, Yeon Ho-jeong’s cultivation did not end even after midnight. As if he had become a standing stone, he sat there, circulating qi and circulating it again.
And the next morning.
As if it were a lie, the blizzard stopped. The sunlight rising from the eastern sky far away was brightly illuminating the Murim Alliance.
“Phew.”
Yeon Ho-jeong lightly let out a breath.
‘It’s done.’
He matched the Vermilion Bird Qi and the White Tiger Qi to suit the Azure Dragon Qi and the Black Tortoise Qi.
‘It became incredibly fierce in a short time. If I hadn’t been careful, the balance I had set up so far could have been broken in an instant.’
This was precisely the power of the Yeon Clan’s Divine Elixir.
The Yeon Clan’s Divine Elixir was almost the same as an internal dan. For a person to harbor an internal dan meant that they had a source of tireless true qi.
A source of tireless true qi. Along with practicing the Dragon Robe Divine Art there, the Qi of the Divine Elixir became very rough and turbulent.
So to speak, it meant that undrying firewood was constantly permeating into the internal organs. Therefore, the Vermilion Bird Qi and the White Tiger Qi naturally had no choice but to run wild.
‘It took a whole day just to control it. It’s really no ordinary power.’
Yeon Ho-jeong clicked his tongue inwardly.
When he had learned the Jade Gauze True Formula, the power of the Four Gods Qi would have overwhelmed the Jade Gauze True Formula if anything; it had never been pushed back.
But since he had made the Yeon Clan’s Divine Elixir, the Dragon Robe Divine Art, which received that momentum, wielded the Four Gods Qi at its own will.
‘It’s truly worthy of being called the greatest secret technique of the main family. It’ll be quite a struggle to cultivate the Four Gods Qi so that it blends well with the Yeon Clan’s Divine Elixir.’
He would struggle, but at the same time, it was something he had wished for. Because the fact that he was developing true qi so that the two powers would not collide meant that the internal power output was increasing.
‘Good.’
Yeon Ho-jeong opened his eyes.
And before him, his father stood receiving the sunlight shining from the east.
“Are you finished?”
“Yes, I am finished.”
He had already felt his father’s presence for a long time.
Yeon Wi asked calmly.
“Since the Qi of the Divine Elixir is so fierce, it seems it is not easy to control it.”
“I suppose so.”
Yeon Wi’s eyes deepened.
‘Is it because of the Dragon Robe?’
He thought that to some extent, the Dragon Robe Qi had intervened in Yeon Ho-jeong’s radical methods a few days ago.
The Dragon Robe Divine Art was the roughest power among the Five Great Divine Arts. No matter how righteous a technique was, harboring such true qi would naturally have no choice but to affect one’s personality.
However, since his son’s realm had reached the level of a grandmaster, its influence would not have been great.
“Is the Dragon Robe Divine Art well-controlled?”
“I was able to control it completely only now.”
“……Well done.”
Yeon Wi looked around.
“Thanks to that Vermilion Bird Qi of yours, it seems there is no need to clean separately.”
Since he had melted and melted the pouring snow, it was natural that it would not pile up.
“Is it not time for a meal yet?”
“Yes.”
“Are you hungry?”
“No.”
“Yes, I knew you would say that.”
Yeon Wi reached out toward one side of the window of the Army-Destroying Pavilion. It was his room.
Whoosh. Tak!
A long sword that flew through the window was caught in Yeon Wi’s hand.
“A few days ago, I looked over your brother’s martial arts. I should look over your martial arts too, but since I’ll likely be busy for the time being, it’s hard to make time separately.”
“Ah, yes.”
“If you are not hungry yet, I would like to see it now. I want to know what you have gained so far and how you intend to move forward in the future.”
It would likely not be limited to just martial arts.
Just as Tang Kwan had said, Yeon Wi also wanted to see through Yeon Ho-jeong’s martial arts. Not only his son’s martial arts but also with what kind of heart his son would live in the world in the future.
Murong Jun? Political strife? Murim Alliance Leader?
They were certainly important issues, but at least to Yeon Wi, they were not more important than his son’s future.
In the end, he would take care of his son first and then follow the Great Cause.
If Tang Kwan had made a choice like Tang Kwan, Yeon Wi had also made a choice like Yeon Wi.
Yeon Ho-jeong rose from his seat.
A place to prove one’s capacity through martial arts (武). It was ten thousand times more burdensome than the meeting with Tang Kwan.
“Are you ready?”
“Of course.”
“Come in first.”
Paaaaak!
Yeon Ho-jeong took out the hand axes from his waist.