Black and White Martial Emperor

“So, has that bastard woken up?”

“He has.”

Tang Gwan snorted.

“Pathetic weakling. Maybe swinging around an axe the size of a mountain wore his body down to nothing. Shouldn’t someone prescribe him a tonic or two?”

It was an unusually aggressive tone, but that was simply how Tang Gwan spoke.

Moreover, Yeon Hojeong was now a comrade who had fought beside him for a common purpose, so Yeon Wi felt even more goodwill toward him than before. He answered with a smile.

“They say wounds of the heart run deeper than wounds of the body.”

Tang Gwan stared at him in disbelief.

“That bastard suffered a wound of the heart? What kind of ridiculous nonsense is that?”

To Tang Gwan, Yeon Hojeong was a butcher among butchers, an unprecedented disaster of a personality who had not a shred of respect for his elders. He was a wretched bastard who did not resemble his father, revered as a great chivalrous hero, in the slightest.

Of course, his martial arts were outstanding, his mind was sharp, and he was quick on the uptake, but that was as far as it went. Even as empty praise, Tang Gwan could not call Yeon Hojeong kind.

And to be that insolent, a mind of steel was essential. Tang Gwan would sooner believe Mount Tai had collapsed than believe Yeon Hojeong had suffered a wound of the heart.

Yeon Wi smacked his lips.

“I did not mean Hojeong himself is like that. It is only that the flow of the affairs he touched grew too large to control, and he could no longer bear it.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“All this time, Hojeong has been running himself ragged, paying attention to the Three Creeds on one side and keeping Clan Lord Mo Yong in check on the other. A person becomes tired when there is too much to worry about. They say exhaustion had been building up in him all this time, whether he knew it or not.”

Tang Gwan gave a faint laugh.

“That is ridiculous too. That bastard knows his own capacity well. If it was something he could not handle, he would never have touched it in the first place.”

If the current Yeon Hojeong had heard Tang Gwan’s words, he would have felt tremendously awkward.

“That too is correct.”

“There is no grand reason he collapsed. Lack of mental strength. Lack of stamina.”

It was an overly definitive statement, but it was not entirely wrong either.

It was hard to say exactly what should be considered mental strength, but if one limited the term to what people usually meant by mental strength, Yeon Hojeong could stand in the discussion for greatest under heaven without shame.

The problem was that his body could not keep up with his mind.

The mind governs the body? That was something said by people who knew one thing and not the second. There were indeed times when such a thing happened in reality, but when the gap between mind and body became as excessive as Yeon Hojeong’s, collapse was inevitable.

In fact, considering everything Yeon Hojeong had done until now, it was almost a miracle that his accumulated fatigue was only bursting out now.

Tang Gwan snorted.

“In any case, we did benefit from that bastard this time. If he had not dug into those people properly, those bastards from the Divine Flame Cult or whatever damned cult they are might have seized Henan’s military and administrative organs and shaken the entire Central Plains.”

“You are right.”

On the Central Plains continent, Henan Province lay in the center.

In Go terms, it meant the central tengen point might have fallen into the enemy’s hands. And when tengen was seized by the enemy, one’s chances of winning the game inevitably plummeted.

The situation could have become even more severe because it was before they had even fought a proper battle. If handled well, they could have isolated the enemy, but one wrong move and the whole Central Plains might have fallen into the abyss.

In a certain sense, through this operation alone, Yeon Hojeong had practically saved the entire Central Plains.

That was why Tang Gwan acknowledged Yeon Hojeong.

“The problem is whether they were only operating in Henan’s authorities...”

Yeon Wi shook his head.

“They likely did not touch other regions. For that, the force they dispatched to Henan was far too extraordinary.”

“Mm, that is true.”

They had been able to lead this war to victory because they had launched the first strike through surprise attacks, without the Divine Flame Cult noticing, and brought them down one by one.

If they had not discovered it in advance, the power of those many Transcendent Peak masters and the authorities would have isolated the entire Martial Alliance. In addition, Shaolin Temple was in Henan, so the damage would have been even greater.

Thanks to the martial arts, experience, and informational advantage of the masters deployed, they had been able to taste victory without major losses. One misstep, and half or more of the masters sent in might have crossed the Sanzu River.

It could truly be called a shining victory.

“That does not mean we can simply feel at ease. The Divine Flame Cult, those damned bastards, are not the only ones we face.”

“True. But before that, there is one more thing we must concern ourselves with.”

“Mm?”

“If the Divine Flame Cult has infiltrated masters elsewhere, that would be truly chilling.”

Tang Gwan tilted his head.

“Did you not just say there was no possibility they infiltrated other regions?”

“The region is not the problem.”

“Then?”

“The imperial palace.”

“...!”

Tang Gwan’s face hardened at once.

Yes. He had forgotten that.

Yeon Wi’s face hardened along with his.

“With the Martial Alliance’s masters, information network, and personal connections, we were able to defeat the Divine Flame Cult masters operating in the authorities. But the imperial palace is different.”

“...It is.”

Even Tang Gwan, whose pride was second to none, could not hide his tension before the words imperial palace.

The imperial palace was the empire’s heart and head.

A person might survive with one arm severed. But no person lived after losing his head and having his heart torn out.

If the Divine Flame Cult had seized control of the imperial palace?

“That has not happened.”

A calm voice came from beyond the window.

Tang Gwan openly frowned, while Yeon Wi looked calmer than expected. He had already known that “he” was coming.

Yeon Wi said, “Though we were comrades who fought together, you are still clearly an outsider. Eavesdropping on another’s conversation is one thing, but suddenly joining that conversation cannot be called proper conduct.”

“May I enter?”

It was an answer entirely beside the point. Tang Gwan spoke in a sarcastic voice.

“If you want your entire skin to melt off, go ahead and try.”

He was saying openly that he would release poison.

It was even more frightening because it was not an idle threat. Words spoken by the head of the Tang Clan of Sichuan carried a weight that was never light.

“Then I shall enter.”

Tsssssss.

An ominous Killing Intent stretched out from Tang Gwan’s body.

Yeon Wi raised a hand slightly and calmed him.

“Since you have already come all the way here, come up for now. It seems you have something separate to say.”

“Very well.”

A short while later, Mo Yonggun passed the first and second floors and entered the room.

Tang Gwan said in an icy voice, “Should I be grateful you did not leap in through the window?”

Mo Yonggun smiled.

“This is not my residence. I cannot come and go through the window as I please.”

“Well said. This is my residence, and I do not want to see you. I have seen your face now, so I would appreciate it if you left.”

“You will regret it if you do not hear me out.”

Unexpectedly, Tang Gwan nodded.

“Of course I might. The problem is that I am in an extremely foul mood right now.”

“...”

“I will regret it later, so get lost for now. Unless you want your life to end by a handful of poison water.”

Mo Yonggun’s eyes deepened.

“What a pity.”

“What is?”

“If you and I had maintained a good relationship all along, we would have made quite an excellent combination by now.”

The corner of Tang Gwan’s mouth rose.

“I cannot bear to listen any further. If you do not leave before I count to three, I will melt you down where you stand.”

At that moment, Yeon Wi opened his mouth.

“Clan Lord Tang. Let us hear what he has to say first.”

“Clan Lord Yeon, stay out of this. From the moment I heard that man’s voice, my ears have felt clogged.”

Yeon Wi looked at Mo Yonggun and said, “The Clan Lord Mo Yong I know is a man as intelligent as his ambition is vast. He is not the sort to start a useless fight, so let us at least hear him out.”

Mo Yonggun gave a faint laugh.

“If Clan Lord Yeon had not spoken so, the mood might have been refreshing from the very start. You are truly remarkable.”

“You flatter me.”

Tang Gwan quietly watched the two of them, then rose from his seat.

“I will lend you the room. Buy me a drink later.”

“Clan Lord Tang.”

“When you leave, tell the people below to clean the room thoroughly. My nose is sensitive, so I cannot sleep in a place that reeks of rot.”

Yeon Wi was flustered. Tang Gwan truly looked ready to leave.

At that moment, Mo Yonggun said, “It would be better if Clan Lord Tang stayed here as well.”

“How noisy.”

“It concerns the Martial Alliance Leader election.”

In that instant, Tang Gwan stopped. At the same time, Yeon Wi’s gaze sharpened like a blade.

Mo Yonggun’s smile faded.

“May I sit?”

“...”

“No answer, I see. Then shall I speak standing?”

Yeon Wi looked at Tang Gwan.

With a low sigh, Tang Gwan returned to his place and sat down with a thud.

“I will sit and listen, so you speak standing. There are no chairs.”

“That is no matter.”

Mo Yonggun crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

Yeon Wi spoke in a voice edged somewhat sharply.

“You said this concerns the Martial Alliance Leader election?”

“I did.”

“...One fight has ended, and you already intend to reveal the claws you have hidden?”

It was an unusually aggressive tone for Yeon Wi.

It could not be helped. He was someone who believed Mo Yonggun’s Killing Intent toward the Divine Flame Cult was real.

In other words, now was not the time to talk about the Martial Alliance Leader’s seat. Yet Mo Yonggun had brought up the Martial Alliance Leader so openly, so Yeon Wi could not help becoming sharp.

Mo Yonggun shook his head.

“That is not it. No, rather, it is the opposite.”

“The opposite?”

“Let us postpone the selection of the Martial Alliance Leader until next year.”

“...!!”

Neither of them had imagined such words would come out.

Yeon Wi and Tang Gwan looked at each other. In doing so, both men understood that the other was just as greatly shocked as himself.

Tang Gwan opened his mouth.

“I would like an explanation.”

“It is simple. As Clan Lord Yeon said, there is an enemy we must fight. I do not wish to waste time on nonsense about the next Martial Alliance Leader or an election.”

“...!”

“Nor can we place someone unqualified in the seat of Martial Alliance Leader. By great fortune, the Martial Alliance is being maintained well. No, it is not merely being maintained. It is growing.”

“...”

“For now, it is fine to leave things as they are. My view is that the next Martial Alliance Leader election can be held after we have smashed those bastards to some degree.”

“Do you intend to propose this at the Service Council meeting?”

“I do.”

“...”

“That is why I came. To ask you to raise your hands in support.”

Tang Gwan silently glared at Mo Yonggun, then spoke in a cold voice.

“Why should the Martial Alliance Leader election be postponed until next year because of that? I think it would be better to establish a capable person as Martial Alliance Leader and begin preparing in earnest for the fight against the Three Creeds.”

“You are correct. But you have missed one thing.”

“What?”

“The reason we have not informed the Service Council of their identity is because of the possibility that spies have infiltrated it.”

Mo Yonggun spoke in an aggressive tone.

“Can Clan Lord Tang bear that risk?”

“Hmmm.”

“Of course, each Service Lord will have to be investigated one by one. But as the two of you know, they are the heads of the Nine Sects and One Union and the Six Great Clans. Even if we set ourselves properly to investigate them, it will take ages. And in the middle of that, we hold the Martial Alliance Leader election? I do not think that makes sense.”

It was not wrong.

Yeon Wi asked, “Even if the election is postponed until next year, could you not scheme behind the scenes?”

Mo Yonggun spoke bitterly.

“You do not trust me.”

“That is correct.”

“...Well, I expected as much. That is why I brought a separate proposal.”

“What is it?”

“A merged force.”

“A merged force?”

“I will put my strength toward combining the two field-force units into one. And I will also put my strength toward having its head be not the Commander of the Demon-Sweeping Corps, but the Commander of the Evil-Smiting Corps.”

“...!!”

“The Commander of the Demon-Sweeping Corps will go under the Commander of the Evil-Smiting Corps. In other words, the life and death of the Commander of the Demon-Sweeping Corps will lie in the hands of the Commander of the Evil-Smiting Corps. And the Commander of the Demon-Sweeping Corps is my younger brother, whom I have gained fully for the first time in ten years.”

“What are you trying to say?”

Mo Yonggun’s eyes blazed.

“If you think I am doing anything foolish, cut off Woo’s head.”