RUMBLE!
The stone doors of the great hall were much the same as before. Still, they looked as though they had been cut and finished far more neatly than they once were. In contrast to the old days, when the place had seemed almost like a bandits’ den, it now carried the air of a world apart.
“It has changed quite a bit since then.”
At Yeon Hojeong’s calm remark, Yangcheon had trouble holding back a snort of laughter.
“You really are shameless.”
“What did I say?”
“Whatever the reason, this was once a place you belonged to. Do you truly feel no guilt at all?”
Yeon Hojeong shook his head.
“It was only a mission. If I felt guilty over every such thing, I could never do this work.”
“You seem well versed in the trade of espionage.”
“I have never received any special training as a spy. Nor did I have time for it. I was simply put in a situation where I had to deceive my opponent, so I did the best I could within my means.”
The Dark Path was not populated solely by vile people and evildoers. In fact, the more chivalrous a person was, the more highly regarded that person tended to be there.
In other words, openly admitting before Yangcheon—the man called the Fighting King—that he had deceived someone would earn Yeon Hojeong no favor. If anything, it would only heighten Yangcheon’s wariness.
And because of that, Yangcheon could trust Yeon Hojeong’s ability all the more. The harsher a man judged himself, the more capable he tended to be.
He is not the sort of man who would fail to understand that. If even this remark is calculated, then he truly is a snake.
Of course, Yangcheon did not believe Yeon Hojeong had said it with that in mind. At least from what he had seen, Yeon Hojeong possessed an exceptional mind, but he was no petty schemer.
RUMBLE!
The doors of the great hall closed.
Yeon Hojeong smacked his lips.
“That White Rat fellow was giving me quite the murderous look.”
“He could hardly help it. White Rat is the head of the Twelve Zodiac and my foremost confidant. If anything, his sense of betrayal over you may be greater than mine.”
“I figured as much.”
Yangcheon sat down. Not in the iron armchair, but on the small chair set beside a table.
“There is no need to waste time here.”
“Of course.”
“I will ask. How do you intend to cure the Yin Desolation Divine Palm? No, before that—are you certain this is even poisoning?”
Yeon Hojeong answered directly.
“When I was Director of the Intelligence Division, did you not suddenly lose consciousness one day?”
“......I did.”
“Did that not strike you as strange?”
“I would be lying if I said it did not. But no matter how closely I examined myself, I found no abnormality in my body.”
Yangcheon’s eyes deepened.
“I know my own body. That is not arrogance. You have broken through the Wall of Martial Arts as well, so you should know how the body and qi change after one enters the ultimate realm.”
“Of course I do.”
“What people call Limitlessness is on a different plane from the Wall of Martial Arts. Once one reaches that realm, everything changes. It differs from person to person, but with enough concentration, one can see even the grain of an object.”
Yeon Hojeong knew that as well. He too had once entered such a realm.
“And that applies to my own body as well. I may not be a physician, but when it comes to observing my own body, I am confident that I surpass any physician under heaven.”
“I believe that confidence is justified.”
“Yet you are certain I was poisoned?”
“I am. As I said, Vice Manor Lord Yang, you must have felt that something was wrong.”
Yangcheon looked at Yeon Hojeong without speaking.
Just as Yeon Hojeong said, Yangcheon had sensed something unusual long ago. But it had been no more than suspicion. He had never been certain.
“As Vice Manor Lord Yang said, masters who enter the Limitless Realm see the world differently.”
“You speak as though you have entered that realm yourself.”
“That is not important. What matters is how that ‘sight’ is acquired.”
“What are you talking about?”
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes gleamed.
“For a master of internal arts to enter a higher realm, many factors are necessary. But at the root of it all lies qi.”
“Of course. But what does that—”
“The golden palm mark branded onto your chest is not a wound meant to poison you. That palm mark is merely a factory.”
“A factory?”
“That is right.”
“What kind of factory?”
“A factory meant to process and refine your True Qi until it eventually turns you into a puppet.”
“......?!”
Yangcheon’s eyes widened.
Yeon Hojeong sighed.
“It is understandable that you failed to realize it. You said the Ghost-Life Divine Physician, one of the foremost physicians of the Dark Path, examined you. But even for a physician, discovering this would not be easy.”
“......”
“You see the world through qi. Your realm is so lofty that qi constantly envelops your entire body even without conscious effort.”
“......That is true.”
“The Yin Desolation Divine Palm did not poison your physical body—your flesh and tissue. It poisoned your True Qi.”
“......!!”
Yangcheon’s mouth slowly fell open.
“You poisoned my True Qi?”
“That is right.”
“You mean qi was used to contaminate qi?”
“That is right.”
“......I will ask again. You are saying that my True Qi, having reached the realm of the Supreme Heavens, was contaminated by the Perverse Lust Cult Leader’s Yin Desolation Divine Palm?”
“That is right.”
Yangcheon roared.
“Impossible!”
The words burst from him before he could stop them, but Yangcheon found himself seized by the thought that Yeon Hojeong might be telling the truth.
A master who had entered the Limitless Realm losing consciousness without discovering even the slightest abnormality was virtually unheard of.
Yet Yangcheon had lost consciousness. Had that happened in the middle of a battle, he would have lost his life on the spot.
At that thought, Yangcheon felt a chill he had not experienced in a very long time.
Yeon Hojeong spoke in a grave voice.
“Have you never once questioned the full potential of the Yin Desolation Divine Palm?”
“......?!”
“The Yin Desolation Divine Palm is a terrifying martial art. It is a kind of hidden force that detonates the heart meridians of its victim, so even a master of equal standing cannot help but fear it. But it is not impossible to counter. Not if one understands the characteristics of the Yin Desolation Divine Palm.”
“......!!”
“The Perverse Lust Cult Leader is strong. Strong enough to defeat you, Vice Manor Lord Yang. Why do you think a master of that caliber left you alive after using a technique whose countermeasures would become known the moment its power became public?”
Yangcheon’s eyelids trembled.
“......Because he was confident. Confident that I would not defy him.”
“Precisely.”
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes grew cold.
The mere mention of the Perverse Lust Cult Leader made his mood sink sharply.
“When I was Director of the Intelligence Division at Ink Dragon Manor, I sensed something unusual in your True Qi. The qi waves were immense, but the qi leaking from them carried a strange fracture. The qi waves themselves were formidable, of course, but for someone with the Fighting King’s reputation, I felt that your qi was strangely turbid.”
“......”
“You would not have known. You have been seeing the world through already contaminated True Qi. Perhaps it would have been different if you had fought someone to the death, but merely examining the wound without a proper battle could never have revealed the answer. You had never forced your power to its limit.”
Yeon Hojeong pointed at Yangcheon’s chest with his index finger.
It was a rather provocative gesture, but Yangcheon could not rebuke him for it.
“Like paper slowly soaking through with water, your True Qi had already been gradually infiltrated by the evil qi of the Yin Desolation Palm.”
“I cannot believe it. Even if he is stronger than I am, contaminating the True Qi of someone who has reached the Limitless Realm is nearly impossible.”
“The Perverse Lust Cult Leader is capable of doing what is nearly impossible. The Perverse Lust Cult’s arts have always excelled at penetrating force. In the realm of hidden force, it would be difficult for anyone in the Central Plains to match the Perverse Lust Cult Leader.”
That was precisely why the Perverse Lust Cult Leader had been so difficult to capture during the Dark Emperor’s era.
Once a battle to the death began, he had to be captured immediately. If an attack was allowed to land and he escaped, the next fight would have to be waged while poisoned by the Perverse Lust Cult Leader’s evil qi.
Of course, Yeon Hojeong had not known at the time that the Yin Desolation Arts possessed the ability to contaminate True Qi.
Still, the instinct he had gained through countless Asura fields had warned him that he could not allow the Perverse Lust Cult Leader’s Yin Desolation Arts to land even once. And if he did take a strike, he could not allow the man to escape.
That was also why Yeon Hojeong had sought to subdue the Perverse Lust Cult Leader alongside Mo Yonggun, who was revered as the Sword God. Beyond the difference in martial realms, the man was simply too dangerous an enemy.
“Then.”
By now, Yangcheon’s gaze had grown as cold as Yeon Hojeong’s.
“If you knew, why did you not tell me while you were Director of the Intelligence Division?”
“You call that a question? You were the Fighting King. A man like you had quietly created an organization called Ink Dragon Manor, and you were my enemy besides. Why should I do something that would benefit my enemy?”
Yeon Hojeong stated it so bluntly that Yangcheon found himself at a loss for words.
Yeon Hojeong shook his head.
“And I did not know for certain then. I only considered it after returning to the Martial Alliance. I even sought the counsel of an exceptional physician.”
“A physician?”
“There is someone. She is young, but her skills could rival those of the Ghost-Life Divine Physician.”
Yeon Hojeong smacked his lips.
“In any case, she gave me a method to cure it. It will take some time, but with your level of skill, Vice Manor Lord Yang, you should be able to set your contaminated True Qi right in less than two days.”
“......Fine.”
Yangcheon’s gaze hardened.
“I will bury the past for now. Then how am I supposed to cure this?”
“The method is surprisingly simple. It will only cost a bit of money.”
“Money?”
“That is right. But I hear Ink Dragon Manor’s financial power is immense, so it should not be difficult. Ah, and just in case, it would be best to summon the Ghost-Life Divine Physician and carry out the treatment together.”
“What sort of method requires that?”
Yeon Hojeong gave a bitter smile.
“Do you have spiritual medicine in your storehouses? Medicine with potency comparable to Shaolin’s Great Rejuvenation Pill?”
*****
Two days later.
“Brother Yeon—!”
Mo Yong-woo nearly called him that without thinking. He coughed, then bowed respectfully.
“You have returned, Supreme Commander.”
“Yeah. You all had a hard time waiting. Gangryang told you, right?”
“Yes. But I still find it hard to believe. Did you truly go to Ink Dragon Manor?”
Yeon Hojeong smiled.
“Why? Did you think I might have left my subordinates behind and gone to enjoy myself at a brothel?”
Mo Yong-woo hurriedly waved his hands.
“N-No, I did not think that......”
“Haha. I know.”
“So, what happened?”
“What do you mean, what happened? I watched him return to full health with my own eyes.”
“......Ha.”
Gangryang, who had been standing at a distance with his arms crossed, grumbled.
“It is fortunate that you returned safely, but it seems you received a gift as well?”
Yeon Hojeong gave a faint laugh.
“You really do notice everything. Is it that obvious?”
“It cannot help being obvious. You fought the Fighting King tooth and nail, yet not only are you completely unharmed, your qi waves are blazing.”
The soldiers of the Righteous Justice Corps, who had been silently listening to their conversation, were stunned. They had never imagined Yeon Hojeong had fought the Fighting King.
“That is true.”
Yeon Hojeong smacked his lips.
“I received some excellent medicine as a gift. I had planned to save it, but he told me to take it before I left. Said it was the price of the Fighting King’s life, or something. So I took it.”
“Of course you did.”
“I am telling you the truth, you brat.”
“I believe you.”
“It is not about believing me. It is the truth!”
“Fine, fine.”
Then Mo Yong-woo spoke.
“In any case, it is fortunate that you have returned safely. Then......”
“Yes. It is time to move.”
Yeon Hojeong looked south.
The mischief in his eyes vanished at once, replaced by coldness.
“I received some information on the target as well. We can skip the tedious reconnaissance.”
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