Chapter 367: The Path Forward (2)
“So, has that guy woken up?”
“Yes.”
Tang Kwan snorted.
“He’s weak as can be. It seems his body has worn out from swinging around an axe the size of a mountain. Shouldn’t we at least brew a dose of restorative medicine for him?”
It was quite an aggressive tone, but this was Tang Kwan’s way of speaking.
Furthermore, since they were comrades-in-arms who fought together for a common purpose, he cared more than before. Yeon Wi smiled and answered.
“It is originally said that wounds in the heart are deeper than wounds on the body.”
Tang Kwan spoke with a shocked face.
“That guy got a wound in his heart? What kind of unfunny nonsense is that?”
The Yeon Ho-jeong that Tang Kwan thought of was a dog butcher of the world, and a rare personality destroyer who didn’t know a rat’s horn about respect for elders. He was an awful guy who didn’t have a fingernail’s worth of resemblance to his father, who was revered as a great chivalrous hero.
Of course, the martial arts he possessed were outstanding, he was smart, and he was quick-witted, but that was exactly it. He could not say Yeon Ho-jeong was kind even as empty words.
And to have that level of rudeness, a steel-like mindset was essential. He would rather believe that Mount Tai collapsed; he could absolutely not believe the words that Yeon Ho-jeong suffered a wound in his heart.
Yeon Wi smacked his lips.
“I’m not saying Ho-jeong is like that. It’s just that the flow of the things the kid touched grew uncontrollably and became unmanageable.”
“What kind of sound is that again?”
“All this time, Ho-jeong has been running around quickly, whether it’s paying attention to the Three Cults side or keeping the Murong Clan Head in check. People are bound to get tired when they have a lot of things to pay attention to; I heard that he had accumulated a lot of fatigue knowingly or unknowingly.”
Tang Kwan smirked.
“That is also a funny thing to say. That guy is someone who knows his own capabilities well. If it was an unmanageable matter, he wouldn’t have even touched it in the first place.”
If the current Yeon Ho-jeong heard Tang Kwan’s words, he would feel incredibly awkward.
“That is also a correct statement.”
“There is no great reason for the guy’s collapse. It’s a lack of mental strength and a lack of physical strength.”
It was an excessively assertive remark, but it was also not entirely wrong.
I don’t know how far one should consider as mental strength, but when it comes to the mental strength that people commonly think of, Yeon Ho-jeong does not fall short even if he were to discuss being number one under heaven.
The problem was that his physical body could not keep up with his mental strength.
The mind rules the body? That is a sound that knows only one thing and not the second. In reality, there are often such cases, but if the gap between mind and body is as excessive as Yeon Ho-jeong’s, it is unconditionally bound to result in a breakdown.
Rather, considering the things Yeon Ho-jeong had done so far, it was almost admirable that the fatigue had only exploded now.
Tang Kwan snorted.
“In any case, we did benefit from that guy this time. If the kid hadn’t properly dug into those bastards, the guys from the Divine Fire Cult or the Damned Cult or whatever would have taken over the Henan Province’s military and administrative organs, almost shaking the entirety of the Central Plains.”
“You are right.”
On the Central Plains continent, Henan Province is located in the central part.
In terms of Go, it meant that the central Tianyuan could have fallen into the enemy’s hands. And if Tianyuan is captured by the enemy, the winning rate in the game is bound to plummet drastically.
Furthermore, if it was a situation before even having a fight worthy of being called a fight, the situation could have become even more serious. If responded to well, the enemies could be isolated, but at the slightest mistake, the entire Central Plains was on the verge of falling into the abyss.
In a certain sense, Yeon Ho-jeong had practically saved the entire Central Plains just with this operation.
It was the reason Tang Kwan acknowledged Yeon Ho-jeong.
“The problem is whether those bastards were only secretly active in the Henan Province government offices…”
Yeon Wi shook his head.
“They probably wouldn’t have touched other regions. The military power those bastards dispatched to Henan Province was too tremendous for that.”
“Hmm, that is true.”
They were able to lead this war to victory because they launched a preemptive strike through secret attacks without the Divine Fire Cult knowing and broke them down one by one.
If they had not noticed in advance, the entire Murim Alliance would have been isolated by the power of those many absolute peak masters and the government offices. Furthermore, since Shaolin Temple was even in Henan Province, the damage would have been greater.
Thanks to the martial arts, experience, and the superiority of intelligence power of the deployed masters, they could taste victory without major damage. If they had made a single mistake, half or more of the deployed masters might have crossed the Sanzu River.
It could truly be called a brilliant victory.
“Even so, we cannot just be relieved. Because we are not only dealing with the Divine Fire Cult, those damned bastards.”
“That’s right. But before that, there is one more thing we need to pay attention to.”
“Hmm?”
“If the Divine Fire Cult infiltrated masters into other places, that would be a truly terrifying thing.”
Tang Kwan tilted his head.
“Didn’t you just say there was no possibility of them infiltrating other regions as well?”
“The region is not the problem.”
“Then?”
“The Imperial Palace.”
“…!”
Tang Kwan’s face suddenly stiffened.
That’s right. He had forgotten that.
Yeon Wi’s face also stiffened accordingly.
“With the Alliance’s masters, intelligence power, and personal connections, we were able to defeat the Divine Fire Cult’s masters who were secretly active in the government offices. But the Imperial Palace is different.”
“…It is different.”
Even Tang Kwan, who would be sad to be second when it came to strong pride, could not hide his tension in front of the word Imperial Palace.
The Imperial Palace was soon the heart and head of the Empire.
A person has a possibility of living even if one arm is cut off. But there is no person who lives even if their head flies off and their heart is plucked out.
What if the Divine Fire Cult had taken over the Imperial Palace?
“There is no such thing.”
A calm voice was heard from outside the window.
Tang Kwan openly frowned, and Yeon Wi had a more composed expression than expected. It was because he already knew that’he’ was coming.
Yeon Wi spoke.
“Even though we were comrades-in-arms who fought together, it is clear that you are distinctly an outsider. It is hard to consider it right to abruptly participate in a conversation, let alone eavesdrop on others’ conversations.”
“May I come in?”
It was an irrelevant answer. Tang Kwan spoke in a sarcastic voice.
“If you want your skin to melt entirely, why don’t you try.”
It meant that he would openly release poison.
It was a scarier word because it was not an empty threat. The words spoken by the master of the Sichuan Tang Clan carried a weight that was never light.
“Then, I will come in.”
Tssssss.
An unusual killing intent stretched out from Tang Kwan’s body.
Yeon Wi slightly raised his hand to calm Tang Kwan down.
“Since you have already come this far, come up for now. It seems you have something else to say.”
“I understand.”
A moment later, Murong Jun, who had passed the first and second floors, entered the room.
Tang Kwan spoke in a cold voice.
“Should I say thank you for not jumping through the window?”
Murong Jun smiled.
“It is not my residence, so I cannot carelessly enter and exit through the window.”
“You said it well. This is my residence, and I hate seeing you? Since I saw your face, I’d like it if you left now.”
“You will regret it if you don’t listen to my words?”
Unexpectedly, Tang Kwan nodded.
“Of course, that could be the case. But the problem is that I am in a very bad mood right now.”
“…”
“I’ll regret it later, so please get lost now. That is, if you don’t want to end your life with a handful of poison hands.”
Murong Jun’s eyes deepened.
“It’s a pity.”
“What is?”
“If you and I had consistently maintained a good relationship, we would have been quite a decent combination by now.”
The corners of Tang Kwan’s mouth went up.
“It is hard to listen anymore. If you do not leave before I count to three, I will melt you down as you are.”
At that time, Yeon Wi opened his mouth.
“Clan Head Tang. Let’s listen to the story first.”
“Clan Head Yeon, stay out of this. From the moment I heard that human’s voice, I feel like my ears are constantly getting deafened.”
Yeon Wi looked at Murong Jun and spoke.
“The Murong Clan Head I know is a person as smart as his great ambition. He is not of a personality to pointlessly pick a fight, so let’s just listen to his story.”
Murong Jun smirked.
“If Clan Head Yeon hadn’t spoken like that, the atmosphere would have been refreshing right from the start. You are truly amazing.”
“You overpraise me.”
Tang Kwan, who was quietly looking at the two, stood up from his seat.
“I will lend you the place. Buy me a drink later.”
“Clan Head Tang.”
“When you leave later, tell the subordinates to completely clean the room. My nose is sensitive, so I can’t sleep in a place that smells rotten.”
Yeon Wi was flustered. It was because Tang Kwan genuinely looked like he was about to leave.
At that time, Murong Jun spoke.
“While we are at it, it would be good for Clan Head Tang to stay here too.”
“You are noisy.”
“It is a matter related to the Alliance Leader election.”
For a moment, Tang Kwan paused. At the same time, Yeon Wi’s eyes became sharp like a blade.
Murong Jun’s smile blurred.
“May I sit?”
“…”
“You have no words. Then shall I speak standing?”
Yeon Wi looked at Tang Kwan.
Tang Kwan, who let out a low sigh, returned to his seat and sat down with a thud! sound.
“I will listen sitting down, so you speak standing. There is no chair.”
“That doesn’t matter.”
Murong Jun crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.
Yeon Wi spoke in a somewhat edgy voice.
“Did you say it is a matter related to the Alliance Leader election?”
“Yes.”
“…Are you thinking of already revealing your hidden claws just because one fight is over?”
It was quite an aggressive tone, uncharacteristic of Yeon Wi.
He couldn’t help it. He was a person who thought Murong Jun’s killing intent toward the Divine Fire Cult was real.
In other words, it was not the time to converse over the Alliance Leader seat right now. However, bringing up the talk about the Alliance Leader openly, Yeon Wi couldn’t help but be on edge.
Murong Jun shook his head.
“It’s not like that. No, rather, it’s the opposite.”
“What do you mean by the opposite?”
“Let’s postpone the election of the Alliance Leader to next year.”
“…!!”
They never imagined such words would come out.
Yeon Wi and Tang Kwan looked at each other. Thus, the two could tell. That the other party was as greatly surprised as themselves.
Tang Kwan opened his mouth.
“I’d like you to explain.”
“It is a simple matter. As Clan Head Yeon said, there are enemies to fight, so I do not want to waste time with nonsense like the next Alliance Leader or elections.”
“…!”
“Even so, we cannot seat a person who is not even qualified as the Alliance Leader. Very fortunately, the Murim Alliance is being well maintained. No, it is not at the level of maintenance, it is growing.”
“…”
“It is fine to just leave it alone right now. It is my thought that it is fine to hold the next Alliance Leader election after we have smashed those bastards to some extent.”
“Are you thinking of proposing this to the Honored Guest Meeting?”
“Yes.”
“…”
“That is why I came to see you. To ask you to raise your hands.”
Tang Kwan, who had been quietly glaring at Murong Jun, spoke in a cold voice.
“Why do we have to postpone the Alliance Leader election to next year because of that? I think it would rather be better to set up a capable person as the Alliance Leader and prepare for the fight with the Three Cults in earnest.”
“You are right. But you missed one thing.”
“What?”
“The reason we didn’t inform the Honored Guest Meeting of their true identities is because of the possibility that spies have infiltrated.”
Murong Jun spoke in an aggressive tone.
“Can Clan Head Tang take that risk?”
“Hmm.”
“Of course, we would have to investigate each and every Honored Guest. But as you two also know, they are the heads of the Nine Sects One Gang and the Six Great Clans. Even if we strictly investigate them, it will take ages, but hold the Alliance Leader election? I think it doesn’t make sense?”
It wasn’t a wrong statement.
Yeon Wi asked.
“Even if the election is postponed to next year, you could play tricks behind the scenes, couldn’t you?”
Murong Jun spoke bitterly.
“You don’t trust me.”
“That’s right.”
“…Indeed, I thought so. That is why I brought a separate proposal.”
“What is it?”
“Merging the armies.”
“Merging the armies?”
“I will exert my strength to merge the two mobile unit armies into one. And I will exert my strength so that the leader is taken by the Evil-Annihilating Army Commander, not the Demon-Sweeping Army Commander.”
“…!!”
“The Demon-Sweeping Army Commander will go under the Evil-Annihilating Army Commander. So to speak, the life and death of the Demon-Sweeping Army Commander will be in the hands of the Evil-Annihilating Army Commander. And the Demon-Sweeping Army Commander is my younger brother whom I finally obtained entirely after ten years.”
“What are you trying to say right now?”
Murong Jun’s eyes spat fire.
“If you think I am doing something foolish, cut off Yu’s head.”