CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The sound of iron hammers rang out with a surprisingly lively rhythm.

A deep smile spread over Mo Yonggun’s face as he looked down from the fifth-floor window of the tower.

“How wonderfully full of life.”

Countless laborers were working on the buildings of the Alliance of the Martial World.

The main stronghold of the Alliance of the Martial World sat on Mount Dabae in Henan Province.

With fortress walls stretching for tens of li around, and within them countless large and small towers and forts packed together, the Alliance of the Martial World was like a nation unto itself.

But because the times had been so peaceful, only the grounds themselves remained; no one actually lived inside.

Even so, the Nine Sects and One Union, the Six Great Clans, and all the affiliated sect members had paid the maintenance costs for the main stronghold every month.

Perhaps that was why. The buildings had been kept in such good condition that there wasn’t much that needed repairing.

“The sight of those laborers sweating as they work looks brimming with vitality. There is life in them. Those who do not sweat have no right to demand a price.”

“...”

“But they and we are different. Those who live with their roots in the rivers and lakes of the martial world, when they sweat for something that is not a rightful cause, end up having everything stripped from them.”

“...”

“What about you?”

“...”

“I understand you’ve suffered greatly under a leader with no ability. You weren’t properly compensated, and no one even wiped the blood off your blade.”

Mo Yonggun smiled faintly.

“Well? Why not enter the main house while you’re at it?”

The dark-faced man finally opened his mouth.

“You saying you’re better than my previous contractor?”

“Who knows? That’s for you to judge. I’m merely making you an offer.”

A gloomy light flickered in the man’s eyes.

It seemed his heart was shifting more than a little. Mo Yonggun did not miss that opening.

“If your eye for people is even halfway decent, you’ll know I’m more than suitable to be your lord.”

“Your confidence is impressive.”

“I like humility and virtue to be exercised only to the extent they are needed.”

Mo Yonggun lifted his teacup.

ZIIIIING.

A strand of blue light, thin as a thread, flared out, and the cooled tea began to steam again.

A rare look of surprise came over the man’s face.

“Thunder Qi?”

“You recognize it.”

The power of Thunderbolt was said to be a force permitted only to the heavens themselves. No matter how extraordinary a martial artist’s inner force, they could not generate Thunder Qi by their own power.

That was common knowledge. Yet Mo Yonggun was overturning that common knowledge entirely.

“It isn’t real lightning. But if I can cultivate this power until it’s no different from real lightning, there will be no one in this world who can stop me.”

Mo Yonggun added with a slightly self-conscious smile.

“Among humans, that is. Whether I can even reach such a realm is questionable to begin with.”

“...”

“But as a martial artist, I believe I at least have enough ability to be your lord. What do you say?”

The man said nothing.

He had once belonged to the Ming Clan of the Nine Provinces, which had been called the foremost family under heaven.

The Ming Clan had been determined to expand its influence, and they had not hesitated to recruit even underworld shadow warriors they could never acknowledge in public.

The Azure Wolf Shadows had been one of those shadow-warrior groups. You could hardly go too far calling them human refuse, but to put it another way, it meant their hunger for talent had been that great.

And this man, Meng Yi, had been one of the very top blades among those shadow warriors.

How much time passed?

“I have one thing I’m curious about.”

“Ask as many questions as you like.”

“The Ming Clan masters currently imprisoned in the Alliance of the Martial World number in the thousands, men and women alike.”

“Exactly two thousand six hundred and seventy-two. As of yesterday. Originally two thousand six hundred and ninety-five, but a few died because they couldn’t withstand the shock of their internal injuries.”

Meng Yi’s eyes glimmered.

“I’m sure you know not only you, but most of the heads of the Nine Sects and One Union and the Six Great Clans are all trying to recruit usable fighting strength.”

“Heh-heh.”

“What I’m curious about is this. Out of all those people, why me?”

Inwardly, Mo Yonggun sneered.

His confidence is a bit much.

Today alone, he had arranged meetings like this six times. And he had made every single one of them his own.

There was nothing particularly special about Meng Yi.

And yet, Meng Yi did have value as both a “gift” and a “warning.”

Mo Yonggun smiled gently as he spoke.

“I simply value your ability highly. That level of skill would be wasted rotting in a dungeon, wouldn’t it?”

“I’m proud of my skill, but for the head of a Great Clan like you, there must be talents you need far more than me.”

Mo Yonggun shook his head.

“I’ve no intention of laying out my own circumstances or my clan’s for you.”

“...”

“But I will say this much. My late older brother—may he rest in peace—was the one person in Mo Yong Clan history who could be called the greatest genius.”

A cold killing intent edged into Mo Yonggun’s smile.

“And I’m the one who stepped on that greatest genius to rise to the top.”

“...!”

“I’m not someone who obsesses over expanding my influence like the Ming Clan Lord did. I won’t spout pretty words about serving the world. But I am someone who absolutely protects those who stand inside my fence.”

“Anyone can say that.”

“Anyone can say it, but the number of people who actually keep that promise is a mere handful.”

“And you’re saying you’re one of them?”

“That’s right. I don’t sit here making conversation with someone who isn’t going to become mine—unless I burn him first for fear someone else might take him.”

They were chilling words.

Even Meng Yi, who had once boasted there was nothing in the world he feared, felt a sudden chill along his spine.

Mo Yonggun’s voice brimmed with sincerity. He was the very incarnation of greed.

“Ah, now that I think of it, there is one exception.”

“...?”

“I have a youngest sibling born very late. There’s nearly a twenty-year gap between us. I chose to let that child live.”

He was the sort of man who would cut down even his own blood without hesitation if they stood in his way. The longer the conversation went on, the more Meng Yi felt overwhelmed by Mo Yonggun’s cold-blooded iron heart.

“That child has talent on par with the older brother who was once called the greatest in our history.”

“...Then why did you let him live?”

“Who knows? Why indeed?”

Mo Yonggun scratched his head.

“I don’t know exactly myself. I just have absolute confidence that with that /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ child’s temperament, he’ll never stab me in the back.”

“...”

“He’s very soft-hearted. Especially when it comes to family.”

Mo Yonggun’s gaze shifted back out the window.

His expression didn’t change, but there was a faint wistfulness in his eyes that might have been proof he was human after all.

“If anything, he’s like a chicken rib. Maybe, in some corner of my heart, I’m hoping he’ll come under me of his own free will.”

Meng Yi shook his head.

“You’d best let go of that empty hope.”

“Yes. It is an empty hope. But you are not.”

Mo Yonggun’s eyes changed.

“I see in your eyes a desire you haven’t been able to unravel.”

“...”

“Come to me. I will make sure that the blood on your blade, which you cannot openly stain anywhere else, never has the chance to dry. And when that blood cakes and renders your blade useless, I’ll have it wiped clean whenever needed.”

Just then—

COOO.

A fairly large pigeon came flying in from beyond the window. It headed straight for where Mo Yonggun stood.

FLAP FLAP!

A blue-tinged messenger dove settled on the window frame.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

A fairly thick rolled-up letter was tied to the bird’s leg.

Mo Yonggun untied it and unrolled the letter.

On the small slip of paper, extremely fine, tiny characters were packed in tight.

...?!

Mo Yonggun’s eyes lit up.

“...Oh?”

He read and reread the letter several times.

It said the same thing each time. He had not misread it.

“Ha-ha-ha!”

A booming laugh burst out of Mo Yonggun.

“Well now, it seems today is my lucky day. I’ve just gotten a message I’ve longed for from someone I never expected.”

“...?”

“This is from that youngest brother I mentioned.”

Mo Yonggun held the letter out toward Meng Yi.

“Would you like to read it?”

Meng Yi flinched.

It was clearly a letter detailing clan affairs, and he was brazenly holding it out as if telling him to go ahead and look.

This man...

Meng Yi met Mo Yonggun’s eyes.

Within pupils full of laughter, a blazing fire of desire burned bright.

Staring into those eyes, Meng Yi reached out and took the letter.

At the same time, Mo Yonggun’s smile deepened.

“...He’s going to double the Zhejiang business?”

“That child is the branch chief for Zhejiang. Talent in the martial path, talent in commerce—he’s a gifted man with not a single thing lacking.”

“...”

“He’s always just done as he was told. But now he says he’s going to step forward and expand the business. I don’t know what’s going through his head, but clearly something in his mind has changed.”

Mo Yonggun shrugged.

“It appears today is a truly auspicious day for me.”

“I see.”

Meng Yi set the letter down on the table.

The moment he received that letter, he had already decided to entrust himself to this man. And Mo Yonggun knew it.

Meng Yi rose from his seat, walked to the side, and dropped to one knee.

“I greet my new lord. So long as my lord does not betray me first, I will never betray my lord.”

Mo Yonggun laughed loudly.

“I look forward to working with you. I’ll make great use of you.”

“I’ll do my utmost to live up to your expectations.”

“Ha-ha-ha!”

As his laughter peaked, Mo Yonggun’s eyes shone brilliantly.

“Since the topic’s come up, how about I give you a job right away?”

Meng Yi lowered his head.

“No lord asks a subordinate for a favor. He merely gives an order.”

When it came to hierarchy, he had a thorough, single-minded streak. Mo Yonggun was pleased with his choice of Meng Yi.

At the very least, this one doesn’t have a loose tongue.

Mo Yonggun spoke.

“Since I’ve gained you today, and my younger brother has just contacted me as well, how could I as his older brother refuse to support him when he’s resolved to expand the business?”

“...?”

“Pulling in the merchants from Jiangsu Province bordering Zhejiang will make the expansion much easier. But there’s a big pillar standing in Jiangsu.”

“The Yeon Clan of Green Mountain.”

The smile vanished from Mo Yonggun’s face.

“That’s right. And the eldest son of that clan is the one who helped me bring down the Ming Clan.”

A strange light flashed in Meng Yi’s eyes.

A cold glint crossed Mo Yonggun’s features.

“He’s no ordinary man. I don’t know the Yeon Clan’s internal situation, but it might be that their future course will be decided not by the Clan Lord, but by that man.”

“...”

“Once you’ve recovered a bit of your strength, go and take Yeon Hojeong.”

“...You want the Clan Lord of the Yeon Clan? Not the Clan Lord—its eldest son?”

“That’s right. Yeon Hojeong, Green Mountain Tiger General. I’m telling you to go and take the young tiger of the East.”

Mo Yonggun shook his head.

“I’d rather you not think of it as just a warm-up. Yeon Hojeong is strong. Of all the people I’ve seen so far, he’s the most outstanding talent. It won’t be easy.”

“...”

“If the eldest son of the clan dies or disappears, the Clan Lord will lose his mind. If we strike in that opening, my brother’s work will become much easier, don’t you think?”

Meng Yi lowered his head.

“I accept your command.”

“I trust in the skill of the man who killed the previous Sect Master of AZURE MOUNTAIN SECT.”

AZURE MOUNTAIN SECT was one of the Nine Sects and One Union.

They were the strongest of the orthodox white-path martial world, rated even a step above the Six Great Clans. The skill to kill the head of one of those sects was something you would be hard-pressed to find anywhere in the rivers and lakes.

Mo Yonggun trusted Meng Yi’s ability.

He trusted the killing sword of Meng Yi, the man said to have been the most monstrous talent in AZURE MOUNTAIN SECT history.

“I’ll depart at once.”

“Your body isn’t fully healed.”

“I can recover while I travel.”

“Heh-heh, fine. If you say so, then so it is.”

“Just locate Yeon Hojeong for me.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve been keeping an eye on him in my own way.”

“Then, I’ll go.”

Meng Yi bowed once more and vanished.

Mo Yonggun turned back to the window. The sunlight was clear.

“I’ll send you a little present, so rest up until the end of the year, Tiger General.”