Chapter 465: Embracing the Darkness (5)

“Hm?”

Mo Yong-woo’s eyes gleamed.

SSSSSS.

A young man sat cross-legged where he was looking.

That young man...?

The young man wore pristine white martial robes, and his hair was fairly short. Yet there was nothing particularly rugged or imposing about him.

If anything, his features were gentle. With his eyes closed and his breathing slow and steady, he looked utterly peaceful.

A sword rested across his legs. Still sheathed, it looked like the sort of ordinary longsword one could find anywhere.

...Hmm.

Mo Yong-woo’s gaze turned thoughtful as he studied it.

That is no ordinary sword.

At first glance, it was nothing more than a common longsword. In fact, it probably had once been exactly that.

But not anymore.

There was something there that even Yeon Hojeong had failed to notice—something only another swordsman could sense.

It would be an ordinary sword in my hands, but in its master’s hands, it could display power rivaling any treasured blade.

Mo Yong-woo could not help but admire it.

He put a soul into an ordinary sword. That isn’t something one can accomplish simply by wishing for it. They must have endured life-and-death hardships together until a spiritual presence naturally took root within the blade.

Just then—

“Who are you?”

The young man spoke without opening his eyes.

Mo Yong-woo cleared his throat.

“My apologies. It seems I interrupted your meditation.”

The young man opened his eyes.

Yeon Jipyeong smiled as he rose to his feet.

“I wasn’t really meditating. If I had been that deeply absorbed, I wouldn’t have noticed you approaching, Commander.”

“Is that so?”

Yeon Jipyeong fastened the sword at his waist and gave Mo Yong-woo a martial salute.

“I’m Yeon Jipyeong.”

“I know. Haven’t we spoken a few times before?”

“We have.”

There was a peculiar dignity in his calm voice.

Surprise flickered across Mo Yong-woo’s face.

He’s different from Brother Yeon.

Calling their temperaments completely different would almost have been an understatement.

Then again, who could possibly possess a temperament similar to Yeon Hojeong’s? Considering Yeon Wi’s bearing and dignity, Yeon Hojeong was probably the odd one out in his family.

“Do you happen to know what sort of relationship the Supreme Commander and I have?”

Yeon Jipyeong nodded.

“I heard from my brother that, in private, you regard him as your elder brother.”

Mo Yong-woo smacked his lips.

“Well, I call him my elder brother, but it isn’t quite what people normally imagine. In truth, I practically pestered him into becoming my sworn brother.”

“I see.”

“So you should be at ease with me as well. If you’re Brother Yeon’s younger brother, then you’re my younger brother too.”

Yeon Jipyeong bowed his head.

“Then I will regard you as my elder brother from now on.”

Mo Yong-woo waved a hand.

“There’s no need to ‘regard’ me as anything. I’m only telling you to relax around me.”

“Understood.”

His tone remained simple and unadorned.

Mo Yong-woo looked at him again with fresh curiosity.

Was he always like this?

The first time he had truly taken notice of Yeon Jipyeong was during the expedition to Guangdong.

He had seen him several times before then, but at the time Yeon Jipyeong had given off an impression bordering on madness. He barely washed, and even while riding he constantly muttered things no one could understand. The sight had been downright bizarre.

Was that an ordeal he put himself through in pursuit of enlightenment?

Mo Yong-woo knew why Yeon Jipyeong had ended up in that state.

He simply had not paid much attention to it. Every martial artist—and especially every swordsman—went through periods like that. Breaking free of such an ordeal was entirely one’s own responsibility. It was not something others could solve simply by lending a hand.

But seeing him now, that ordeal seemed to have granted Yeon Jipyeong an immense realization. Even before considering his martial arts, the man himself seemed far greater than before.

Mo Yong-woo smiled.

“The Yeon Clan truly is remarkable.”

“Pardon?”

“Just like Hojeong, you hardly act like someone your age.”

“You flatter me. I cannot even reach my brother’s feet.”

“Don’t think that way. We live in the martial world, but martial arts aren’t everything. From what I can tell, you’ve attained the Still Sword. That is a state even Hojeong has not reached.”

“My brother has no need to attain the Still Sword.”

“True enough. My point is that each of you simply pursues something different. There’s no need to decide that one is superior to the other.”

Yeon Jipyeong smiled.

“I’ll remember that.”

He undoubtedly knew that already. His words had simply come from humility.

Mo Yong-woo understood that as well. He merely wanted Jipyeong to know that, in this harsh world, excessive humility could sometimes become a problem of its own.

“By the way, that sword of yours is no ordinary blade.”

Yeon Jipyeong’s eyes brightened.

“You can tell?”

“There’s a soul in it. If I wielded it, it would be nothing but an ordinary sword. But in your hands, it would be every bit as formidable as a treasured blade.”

Yeon Jipyeong looked genuinely surprised.

“You recognized that.”

Mo Yong-woo tapped the Demon-Sweeping Greatsword at his side.

“I’m a swordsman too.”

“We may be walking toward different realizations, but it seems you’ve already understood a great many things, Brother Mo Yong.”

“You flatter me. I still have a very long way to go.”

Mo Yong-woo smiled quietly and stroked his chin.

“I sparred with Hojeong several times. But because the martial arts we learned and practiced are so different, I’ve never really had the chance to experience the Yeon Clan’s martial arts properly.”

His hand closed around his sword hilt.

“What do you say? It doesn’t seem like you can sleep either. Shall we exchange a few moves?”

Yeon Jipyeong bowed his head.

“It would be an honor.”

“Good. Shall we start now?”

“There is one problem. I have not yet brought my sword completely under control. It isn’t that I fear you would be unable to receive it, Brother Mo Yong, but if we are going to spar, I would like to show you my sword properly. Would you mind if we postponed our bout for three days?”

“Oh?”

Mo Yong-woo smiled.

“That works for me. If we’re going to do it, I’d like to see everything you’ve learned as well.”

“Thank you for waiting.”

“What is there to thank me for? If this too is a chance to learn, I should be the one thanking you for agreeing to spar with me.”

Yeon Jipyeong could tell that Mo Yong-woo meant every word.

And that impressed him. Those who were strong rarely found it easy to seek something to learn from someone weaker than themselves.

At least when it came to his attitude toward martial arts, Mo Yong-woo was a man with much worth learning from.

Perhaps that was why a question suddenly occurred to Yeon Jipyeong.

“May I ask you something?”

“Hm?”

“You said you used to spar with my brother fairly often...”

“I did. Never managed to beat him, though. Hahaha.”

“Did you ever feel that there was an excessive amount of Killing Intent in his martial arts?”

Mo Yong-woo’s eyes sharpened.

“So that’s what you wanted to ask?”

Yeon Jipyeong let out a quiet sigh.

“I don’t think it’s a serious problem. I’m simply a little concerned, and curious.”

“Concerned and curious.”

“After attaining the Still Sword and grasping a higher level of Sword Intent, the world began to look different to me. I think I finally understand what kind of sword I want to pursue.”

“That alone is an impressive achievement. Especially at your age.”

“As you said earlier, everyone arrives at different realizations. But in my eyes, Brother Hojeong’s martial arts have always been excessively destructive and steeped in Killing Intent.”

“I can understand why you’d feel that way.”

Genuine concern appeared on Yeon Jipyeong’s face.

“After comprehending Sword Intent, I realized something. When martial arts are saturated with Killing Intent, even tremendous mental strength may not be enough to withstand the corrosion of blood and slaughter. If someone continues practicing martial arts that are both intensely destructive and murderous, no matter how strong their will is, there is always the danger that their mind will eventually collapse.”

Mo Yong-woo nodded.

“You see clearly. That is precisely why so many sects train the mind first before passing down their higher martial arts.”

“Do you think my brother will be all right?”

“Well... that I cannot say. Not just me—no one can truly know where Hojeong’s martial arts will lead him, or what his future holds.”

“...I see.”

“But there is one thing I know for certain.”

Mo Yong-woo smiled.

“If something as trivial as Killing Intent were enough to break him, the Hojeong we know today would never have existed in the first place.”

“R-Really?”

“Trust your brother. There was a time when I worried about him in much the same way. I don’t anymore. Thanks to your father and the others who helped keep him grounded, Hojeong has drawn a clear line within himself—a line no evil can force him across.”

Mo Yong-woo looked up at the sky.

The humid Guangdong sky to the north seemed to blur even the starlight.

“Hojeong has a line he will not cross. One that lets him see the world clearly without being tainted by mere Killing Intent. I don’t know whether he himself is conscious of it, but from where I stand, I can see him gradually walking down the right path.”

“...”

“He’ll do better than anyone.

“I believe that.”

*****

FLASH!

Yeon Hojeong’s eyes blazed.

Perhaps because he had unleashed his Killing Intent so spectacularly from the outset, the muscles that had been slack moments before now felt pleasantly taut. At the very least, he felt completely different from when he had spoken with Yangcheon the previous day.

Yangcheon spoke.

“Given our company, we’ll save the drinking for later. If the decision you’ve reached satisfies me, I’ll treat you to the finest liquor money can buy.”

“Let’s do that.”

“Good.”

“Before that.”

Yeon Hojeong glanced at Jeokyeon and Yeonsim.

“You could have told me you had guests. As you know, things are rather awkward between us.”

He gestured toward Jeongan.

Yangcheon nodded.

“I’m aware. But I didn’t think there was any reason to arrange separate meetings.”

That’s a lie.

Yeon Hojeong smiled.

Was it because he was now both relaxed and pleasantly on edge? He could read the emotions beneath Yangcheon’s voice much more sharply than he had the day before.

“It strikes me all over again, Manor Lord. You truly are a greedy man.”

“That realization comes rather late.”

“You already command tremendous wealth and countless subordinates, yet now you even want to take a divine sword into your hand?”

Yangcheon shrugged.

“Because I’m greedy?”

“It’s a shame our philosophies differ so greatly.”

Yangcheon’s expression hardened at once.

“Are you planning to refuse my offer?”

Yeon Hojeong smiled.

“Whether I refuse or accept depends entirely on you, Manor Lord.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ll get straight to the point.”

Yeon Hojeong pointed at Jeokyeon and Yeonsim with his index finger.

“Give up on Putuo.”

“...”

“Let’s start there. That’s the proper course.”

“...Hmm.”

Yangcheon smacked his lips.

“That may be the proper course for you, but it isn’t for me. And since the matter has come up, I should clarify something. Whatever the circumstances, I was not the one who summoned them. They came to me first.”

That was true. Yangcheon had intended to bring Putuo down for quite some time and had even instigated conflict there, but he had never expected them to seek him out first.

Yeon Hojeong’s smile gradually turned cold.

“Is that so?”

“It is.”

“Then I’ll make your decision easier.”

“Hm?”

“Which will it be? Them, or me?”

“...What are you saying?”

Yeon Hojeong raised his chin.

“You want Putuo’s divine sword? Fine. Take it. But if you want to hold that divine sword in your hand and swing it, you’ll have to give up another very useful piece on your board.”

Yangcheon’s eyes widened.

Yeon Hojeong continued.

“At the very least, I don’t consider myself worth less than Putuo. What do you think, Manor Lord?”

“...”

“If you want to use me, abandon Putuo. If you want Putuo, then take it. I’ll go home and look after my own affairs.”

“Are you truly going to take this that far?”

“That is what I should be asking you.”

Yeon Hojeong’s expression grew even colder.

“Indulge your greed according to the times. This time, Manor Lord Yang, you went too far. And despite that, I’m still offering you a man of my caliber. Isn’t that generous treatment?”

“...”

“The axe, or the sword?”

Yeon Hojeong stared straight at him.

“Choose.”