“Clan Lord. White Wind Captain has brought a mid-report.”

“Let him speak.”

“Among the Nine Sects and One Union, the sect leaders of Shaolin, Wudang, Mount Hua Sect, Zhongnan Sect, Azure Castle Sect, Emei Sect, and Kongtong Sect have gathered.

“Of the Six Great Clans, our main house, the Je Gal Clan, and the Peng Clan have arrived, and the Yeon Clan and Namgung Clan are said to be close by.

“The Tang Clan will apparently take quite some time.”

“Mm, understood.”

“And...”

“I’ll hear the rest of the report in half a day. You’ve worked hard.”

“Ah, yes. Understood.”

The presence of White Wind Captain vanished from outside the door.

Sitting still and looking at the man across from him, Mo Yonggun soon smiled.

“Do you enjoy drinking?”

“I have a cup now and then.”

“Haha, do you now. You’ve become a proper man while I wasn’t looking.”

Mo Yonggun looked out the window.

“It’s still only midday, but when brothers meet again after so long, we can’t just sip bland tea. Shall we share a drink?”

“I’d like that.”

“Good.”

Mo Yonggun summoned a servant and had them bring wine.

The Alliance of the Martial World was enormous. Its scale was truly so great that the Nine Sects and One Union and the Six Great Clans could each be put in charge of a single sector of the inner fortress.

By doing so, they were both being treated with appropriate respect and made to serve as guards. Given the current situation and mood of the martial world, it was a reasonable arrangement.

Perhaps because of that, in Tamlang Pavilion, where the Mo Yong Clan had taken its place, Mo Yonggun’s shadow was already cast deep.

“I have something to say before the wine arrives.”

“Please speak.”

“I hear you humiliated Yeonhwa.”

The man sitting across from Mo Yonggun.

Mo Yong-woo nodded.

“I did.”

Mo Yonggun’s eyes gleamed.

The Clan Lord’s daughter, and his elder brother’s daughter. To Mo Yong-woo, she was his niece.

He didn’t have to be frightened, but being at least somewhat intimidated would have been normal. Yet Mo Yong-woo was utterly composed.

“How did you come to do that? Yeonhwa is, contrary to what one might think, a delicate child. She seemed to have been deeply wounded.”

“If she’s hurt by that level of harsh words, then Yeonhwa still hasn’t grown enough.”

Well, would you look at this brat.

A faint, strange interest colored Mo Yonggun’s face.

The Mo Yong-woo he knew had not been like this. A clear and gentle soul—someone who did not suit him.

Yet seeing him now, he was far, far different from the younger brother in Mo Yonggun’s memory.

“Hahaha, today I’m seeing a new side of you.”

“Is that so?”

“Well, what you said isn’t wrong. I didn’t raise Yeonhwa to be that weak. Her heart is soft, but I trained her thoroughly so she wouldn’t show that softness.

“It’s just, as you said, she still seems to be lacking.”

“Yes. Yeonhwa is lacking. She needs time to readjust and work harder.”

“Ha ha ha!”

Mo Yonggun burst into loud laughter.

Why? He couldn’t help but laugh.

Zhejiang was a beautiful region. Anyone born and raised in the Central Plains dreamed of putting down roots there.

But if the Mo Yong Clan was the true main house, then Mo Yong-woo being sent there was no different from being driven out to the frontier.

And now the younger brother who had been driven out like that was calling his daughter weak and saying she needed to learn more.

That fact struck him as strangely amusing.

“This is amusing. Truly amusing. A lot has happened lately, but I never imagined there would come a day when you and I would have this kind of conversation.”

“......”

“When I received your letter, saying you would double the Zhejiang business, I assumed something significant had changed in your heart. And now that you’ve come find me like this, it seems you’ve made some great resolve I was unaware of.”

“I’ve resolved myself properly. A resolve that will absolutely not waver.”

Mo Yonggun smiled.

Just then, the servant arrived with the tray of wine.

“This is Dukang Wine. Have you ever tried it?”

“I have not.”

“It suits my palate well. The fermentation period is short, and yet it has a respectable flavor. I’ve no idea how you’ll find it.”

When Mo Yonggun picked up the bottle, Mo Yong-woo respectfully held out his cup.

“Now that I think about it, this is a first. Pouring you a drink.”

GLUG-GLUG-GLUG.

A sharp, spicy fragrance of liquor instantly wrapped around the room.

“Here, accept a cup poured by our youngest.”

Mo Yong-woo filled Mo Yonggun’s cup.

“Let’s have a drink.”

“Before that, there is something I must say.”

“Mm?”

Mo Yonggun set his cup down.

“I was going to start after we’d had a drink.”

“We may be brothers, but in some ways we have been less than strangers. And I do not casually share a cup with someone with whom I’ve never exchanged true familiarity.”

“...Heh.”

“I came here to change that relationship. I’ll empty this cup only after I’ve finished speaking.”

Mo Yonggun nodded.

“Very well. Speak.”

“I’ll be blunt.”

Mo Yong-woo’s eyes flashed.

Those eyes, shining with fierce resolve, made Mo Yonggun’s heart thump.

“I want to stand at your side and see with my own eyes whether the path you walk is right.”

“Mm?”

“You overthrew our eldest brother and became Clan Lord of the main house. Two of our siblings died, and aside from me, the rest chose to follow you.”

“They did.”

“Let me state this clearly. I believe your path is wrong.”

“I know.”

“Your methods are excessively dangerous. Moreover, they are not the Orthodox Path. So I believe your path is not right. Because of that, many innocent people have died.”

Mo Yonggun only kept smiling.

Mo Yong-woo continued.

“But you did not cut me down.”

“Because you never came at me.”

“And because I was useful to you.”

“Haha, you saw that well.”

“After taking charge of Zhejiang, I thought it through. Why is it that you walk this hegemonic path?

“Why, while draping yourself in the shell of the Orthodox Path, do you continue down such an extremely perilous road?”

“......”

“Looking at the main house’s past and present, I was finally able to be certain of what it is you want.”

“What do you think it is that I want?”

“To become Alliance Leader of the martial world, and to make the Mo Yong Clan the greatest clan under heaven.”

Mo Yonggun’s eyes flashed.

Mo Yong-woo went on in a calm voice.

“I’ve always known you’re someone who will commit ruthless acts without hesitation in order to become the best.

“No, I should say that’s all I ever thought about—just that much. I never once imagined you had such a concrete goal.”

“Ho.”

“But now I understand. You want to become ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) Alliance Leader of the martial world and reign as emperor over the White Path martial world, and further, over the martial world of the Central Plains.”

“...Remarkable.”

Mo Yonggun spoke as if truly impressed.

“Until now there was only one person who saw through my dream. As of today, there are two.”

“Is that so?”

“That’s right. Aside from Yeonhwa and a handful of my closest aides, I’ve never spoken of my dream to anyone.”

Mo Yong-woo shook his head.

“Even without you saying it, I could have known.”

“Absolutely not. Without reading my disposition, the Mo Yong Clan’s movements, and the flow of the world as a whole, it would be difficult to reach that conclusion.”

Mo Yonggun was genuinely impressed.

“I knew you were a talent the world would rarely see, but I didn’t realize your insight was this sharp. Truly outstanding.”

There had only been one other person he’d praised to this extent. It showed just how surprised Mo Yonggun was.

“All right, then. You’ve seen that my goal is to become Alliance Leader and to lead the Mo Yong Clan to be first under heaven.

“So, how did that change your heart?”

Mo Yong-woo’s gaze grew deep.

“I steeled myself to step into filthy water.”

“Mm?”

“I despise sacrificing the few for the many. But I cannot stop you. In truth, I doubt anyone can.”

“Hohoho.”

“In that case, I have only one choice.”

ZZZZT.

A terrifying wave of qi surged from Mo Yong-woo’s body.

“To help you take the throne as swiftly as possible.”

Mo Yonggun’s eyes widened.

He had inwardly expected that Mo Yong-woo had come to join hands with him, but he had not expected words like these.

“You would seat me on the throne?”

“I will stake my life to help you become the supreme power of the martial world and stand at its pinnacle.”

“Heh... heh heh heh!”

“If you promise me just two things.”

“A promise?”

“Yes.”

“What sort of promise?”

Mo Yong-woo clenched his fist.

“I will believe that the reason you chose such a cold and ruthless course is that, beyond your own lust for power, you have some stratagem to bring peace to the multitude in the future.”

“...!”

“Once you become Alliance Leader, then I ask that you devote yourself to the world.”

Mo Yonggun’s mouth slowly fell open.

“You really are determined to astonish me.”

Mo Yong-woo shook his head.

“You must never go astray. You must become a ruler overflowing with benevolence and righteousness.

“If you will not promise me that, I will end my life out in the wilds.”

Staring at his younger brother in surprise, Mo Yonggun suddenly grew curious and asked,

“What is the other promise?”

“Give me the clan.”

“What?”

“Once you become Alliance Leader, give me the Mo Yong Clan. I will lead the Mo Yong Clan in a way befitting the name ‘first under heaven.’ I will hone it thoroughly and turn it into a work of art that will be remembered for generations.”

Mo Yong-woo drew a brief breath.

But in the eyes with which he looked at Mo Yonggun, there was not the slightest tremor.

“If you promise me those two things, from today on, I will be your man.”

“......”

“No matter how harsh the task you give me, I will obey without complaint.

“If my heart wavers, then I will cultivate it so it does not waver. I’ll consider that, too, part of growing pains.”

“...Why?”

Mo Yonggun asked in all seriousness.

“Why have you come to harbor such thoughts? Is it because you discovered my dream?”

“That is one among several reasons.”

“What is the decisive reason?”

“Because I am different from you.”

“What?”

“Unlike you, I will never be able to cut off the affection of blood ties, even at the moment I die. In that case, I can only help fulfill my blood relative’s dream and then walk my own path.”

Mo Yong-woo lowered his head.

“I held out for over ten years, but I saw no sign of victory.”

“......”

“I have lost.”

Mo Yonggun’s eyes shook violently.

“Woo-ya.”

He took both of Mo Yong-woo’s hands.

Mo Yong-woo felt something surge up in his chest. In the twenty-odd years since he had last held his brother’s hand, they had grown terribly rough.

With a face full of emotion, Mo Yonggun spoke.

“Thank you. I truly thank you.”

“...Please don’t say that. I am someone who hates you.”

“You brat, you brat.”

Mo Yonggun thumped Mo Yong-woo’s shoulder.

There wasn’t the slightest force in his fists. Those fists were filled only with turbulent emotion.

“Truly, thank you. Truly, thank you.”

“Will you promise me?”

“I promise. I will surely do as you say. Whose promise would I be breaking that I wouldn’t keep it?”

Mo Yong-woo lifted his cup.

“Have a drink.”

“Yes, let’s drink. No—tonight, let’s truly get drunk. Attendant! Bring the wine by the jar!”

The brothers emptied their cups.

The eyes with which they looked at each other were filled with an indescribable emotion. At least in this moment, the feelings they showed one another were sincere.

Brother.

Mo Yong-woo closed his eyes.

I’m sorry, but I have not lost yet.