Dang Gwan’s eyes wavered.

Yeon Hojeong smiled.

“Was there an earthquake somewhere? Your gaze is shaking that badly.”

Honesty was Dang Gwan’s strength—and his weakness.

Unfortunately, today, that honesty was turning into a vicious weakness.

After staring at Dang Gwan for a long moment, Yeon Hojeong crossed his legs.

It was a posture so lax it was almost obscene. But Dang Gwan couldn’t easily open his mouth.

“At first, when it was the Crimson Demon Society, I thought, are these bastards insane? They’re trying to bury the Alliance’s Field Forces when they haven’t even existed that long? When it’s obvious the whole world’s going to be watching? I was like—wow, these guys really are as reckless as the rumors say.”

“......”

“But no matter how I turned it over, I couldn’t make sense of it. Sure, in that short time we smashed a few famous dark-path sects, so those dark-path bastards would’ve felt the pressure. But if you hire the Crimson Demon Society, aren’t they the first ones to end up as suspects?”

“......”

“If you’ve got even a scrap of sanity, you don’t do something like that. So who the hell hired the Crimson Demon Society? Was it really the dark path? Or was it...”

“......”

“Someone who doesn’t like the Evil-Smiting Corps—more accurately, someone who doesn’t like me?”

“......”

“The first person that came to mind was Mo Yonggun. It’s too extreme even for that old man, but if he puts his mind to it, there’s nothing he can’t do. But...”

A smile drifted over Yeon Hojeong’s lips.

“Even he would know the cleanest picture is crushing us by using the Demon-Sweeping Corps. So would he really do that? No. Mo Yonggun isn’t that kind of man.”

Dang Gwan was silent to a degree that was almost uncanny. He just stared at Yeon Hojeong like he wanted to kill him.

Yeon Hojeong pointed at Dang Gwan with the tip of his foot.

“I heard you’d joined hands with Mo Yonggun before that incident even happened. The answer basically wrote itself.”

“...You’re an interesting one.”

“Hm?”

Dang Gwan twisted his mouth into a crooked smile.

“Do you have proof?”

“Proof?”

“Yes. Proof.”

Yeon Hojeong spoke with a darkened face.

“Sadly, no. Before I could even find proof, they blew up the main base. Someone bought themselves a pretty vicious knife.”

“So that’s what this is. The Yeon Clan’s eldest son, who doesn’t even know his place, asked Mo Yonggun to arrange a seat for him—so he could harass the master of Sichuan with no evidence.”

“That’s how you’re going to spin it?”

Dang Gwan’s eyes turned icy.

“You should’ve just died back then. If you’d died then, at least you would’ve suffered less.”

Woooooong.

Poison aura rose again from Dang Gwan’s hands.

Yeon Hojeong smiled.

“What? No proof, so you’re going to start by taking a swing at me?”

“......”

“That works too. The master of the Tang Clan of Sichuan using an assassin’s hand on the Yeon Clan’s eldest son... Sure. That’s an interesting picture in its own way.”

“...What are you?”

“What?”

Dang Gwan’s gaze sank deeper.

“What makes you so confident?”

Inside, Yeon Hojeong cheered.

Got him.

Dang Gwan was arrogant, but quick, and he could read the big board. The reason he’d been ready to smash Yeon Hojeong for real was because he was confident he could clean up whatever mess followed—no matter how it went.

And Yeon Hojeong had plenty of enemies. The Yeon Clan’s reputation was impressive, but the Tang Clan’s history and influence were even more overwhelming.

If it came down to it, Dang Gwan would’ve even considered withdrawing from the Alliance of the Martial World altogether. The Tang Clan of Sichuan—Dang Gwan—was a man who’d lived that way.

But now his thinking had shifted.

This bastard...

Yeon Hojeong didn’t know why Mo Yonggun called him a monster. But one thing was certain.

He’s hiding something.

He wasn’t the type to pull something like this without preparation.

Of course, no matter what he prepared, the Tang Clan’s power could smooth it over. But it still felt like it would be a headache.

That unpleasant feeling was what was holding back Dang Gwan, who was a heartbeat away from exploding.

Flash!

Yeon Hojeong’s pupils flared red again.

Fwoooosh.

Vermilion Bird Qi ignited, rousing killing intent.

“What are you doing?”

“......”

“If you drew a blade, you should at least chop some firewood. Are you just going to keep those hands like that?”

“......”

“What a waste.”

Yeon Hojeong relaxed his posture.

“Here’s one piece of advice. Don’t open your mouth if you can’t bite. You look like a rookie.”

Dang Gwan’s cheek twitched.

It was a truly monstrous insult. Who in the world could spit that kind of abuse at the Tang Clan Lord?

Wooooooong.

The poison aura thrashed violently.

“...Only this once.”

Yeon Hojeong’s eyes glittered.

Sssrk.

Dang Gwan lowered his hands. The poison aura that had been burning like flames quieted down.

“Consider it heaven-sent luck. I’ve never spared someone who mouthed off like you. Be grateful to the heavens.”

Yeon Hojeong didn’t provoke him any further.

Part of him wanted Dang Gwan to truly come at him. If Dang Gwan caused a huge /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ incident, Yeon Hojeong could gather his father and Je Gal Munho and push the Tang Clan into a corner.

Just like there was no proof about the Crimson Demon Society, there was no proof Yeon Hojeong had “insulted” Dang Gwan either. What mattered was the fact that the master of the Tang Clan of Sichuan had tried to strike down a much younger junior.

He couldn’t destroy the Tang Clan. But he could shrink Dang Gwan’s influence. If things went well, he might even be able to get him kicked out of the Alliance of the Martial World.

But Dang Gwan chose patience over rage.

He’s pulling back a move here...

That was no small thing.

Even back when he’d been Deputy Alliance Leader, Dang Gwan had made the right decision at decisive moments. You didn’t become Deputy Alliance Leader without that kind of eye.

If I push him more, I won’t gain anything.

Mo Yonggun and Dang Gwan had to be handled differently.

Mo Yonggun was like playing board—if you didn’t see several moves ahead, you got nothing you wanted.

Dang Gwan, on the other hand, had to be pressed with momentum. That was how you kept him from pulling cheap tricks.

“Get out.”

“I can’t do that.”

Annoyance flashed across Dang Gwan’s face.

“Do you really want to be carried out in a coffin?”

Yeon Hojeong smiled faintly.

“As if. I’ll leave after I get what I’m owed.”

“...If you ask for liquor, I’ll really kill you.”

Yeon Hojeong shook his head.

“Not liquor. You’ve got something to give me.”

“Bullshit.”

“Then why did you call us?”

“...What?”

“I heard you said it at the Councilor meeting. That you had something to give the Evil-Smiting Corps. That we should be called.”

Dang Gwan’s face hardened.

“If you’d left us alone, we could’ve gone and earned another merit. But you called us for no reason, and this is what we get? You even blocked us from attending the inauguration.”

“And that’s my fault?”

“You’re in the same boat as Mo Yonggun. You split the good things, and when the bad comes up, you shove it onto the other side?”

“......”

“The inauguration is whatever. But if you’ve got something to give, give it. If you don’t give something that looks right, I’ll file a formal objection on this matter to the Councilor meeting.”

What an unbelievable bastard. He had no idea where something like this even came from.

“I spared your life, and you can’t even be properly grateful...”

Yeon Hojeong smiled.

“Fine. So you’re saying you’ve got nothing to give?”

He stood up.

Dang Gwan’s eyes sank.

Before opening the door, Yeon Hojeong spoke.

“I figured you’d have the face of a petty snake. Turns out you’re at least a dragon-wyrm. I’m looking forward to what comes next.”

Clack!

Yeon Hojeong opened the door.

That was when Dang Gwan spoke.

“Wait.”

“More to say?”

Inside, Dang Gwan sneered. Seriously—what a day.

“What do you want?”

Yeon Hojeong grinned.

“What can you do for me?”

“Stop circling. If you want something, say it.”

“Taking responsibility for your words. Very nice. I wish Mo Yonggun would learn a little from you.”

Yeon Hojeong sat back down.

Dang Gwan, about to speak, flinched for a split second. The look in Yeon Hojeong’s eyes was genuinely ominous.

“With the rich, you take money. With a beggar, you take thanks. If it’s a martial artist, you take a blade. If it’s a scholar, you take a good line of writing.”

“Don’t tell me you want the Tang Clan’s poisons and hidden weapons.”

“My kids can’t even use that stuff.”

“Then what do you want?”

Yeon Hojeong smiled like a man with a knife behind his teeth.

“I want the skill that makes poisons and hidden weapons like it’s nothing.”

*****

On the way back to his quarters,

Several martial artists stole glances at Yeon Hojeong.

It couldn’t be helped. Right now, the most famous person in the Alliance of the Martial World was Yeon Hojeong.

The commander of one of only two Independent Field Forces the Alliance possessed. A once-in-an-era genius martial warrior who, at a young age, broke past the Martial End Wall and stepped into Transcendent Peak.

There probably hadn’t been more shocking news than this in years. Even in this vast world, it was rare for one person’s fame to stun everyone.

But the man at the center of the rumors was sunk deep in thought.

He isn’t easy.

Dang Gwan came to mind.

Considering the grudge from his past life, Dang Gwan was someone he wanted to beat to death on the spot. Of course, the one who had given Dang Gwan the order was Mo Yonggun—but as the man who’d actually killed him, it was hard to suppress the killing intent.

And now he’d seen him again, after so long.

He’s rougher and more poisonous than when he was Deputy Alliance Leader. And even so, when it’s time to endure, he knows how to endure.

A difficult opponent.

Back when Yeon Hojeong had been the Dark Emperor, the person he’d clashed with most wasn’t Dang Gwan—it was Mo Yonggun. That was still true now.

But for some reason, in this life, he had a feeling he’d clash with Dang Gwan almost as often as Mo Yonggun.

I hope it ends as just a feeling.

There was an old saying in the martial world about the Tang Clan:

“If the Tang Clan of Sichuan holds a grudge against you, end your life immediately.”

It captured the Tang Clan’s viciousness perfectly. They forgot favors, but they never—ever—forgot a grudge.

And Dang Gwan was the man who ruled at the peak of that Tang Clan.

He won’t sink his teeth in right away. He’s in the same boat as Mo Yonggun, so he’ll attack one way or another, but...

It had been true before, and today’s meeting confirmed it.

Dang Gwan was a viper among vipers.

A viper with exceptional hunting instincts. If he couldn’t end his enemy in a single strike, he would wait until the perfect chance arrived.

Sending the Crimson Demon Society was, in other words, a probing move—testing how far this side’s capabilities really went.

Of course, back then, he probably thought the Crimson Demon Society would be enough.

No matter how skilled he is, I’m the commander of a Field Force that operates on the outside, and he’s sitting in the center, swinging power.

It was a gap close to a vertical hierarchy—which also meant Mo Yonggun and Dang Gwan held the far more advantageous positions.

My father and the Strategist alone won’t be enough. I need more people who can put weight on our side.

No one said it aloud, but the current Councilors were essentially fighting a faction war.

If so, he needed to place allies who wouldn’t get tossed around—both for himself, and for the chivalrous martial artists, and for the world.

I should talk to Father about this part...

That was when—

“Hey. Aren’t you Commander Yeon?”

“Hm?”

Yeon Hojeong’s eyes widened.

“Hu Gae?”

Ga Deoksang strode over with a loose, careless gait.

“Your face is full of worry. Looks like you need a drink.”

Yeon Hojeong snorted.

“Don’t be ridiculous. In broad daylight?”

Just a moment ago, he’d shamelessly demanded Wuliangye from Dang Gwan.

“By the way, if you’re an advisor for the Intelligence Division, why are you so relaxed at this hour?”

“An advisor can’t take a break? I worked myself to the bone for days, and they told me to take a full day off. Still, they’re human, I’ll give them that.”

Ga Deoksang kept chuckling to himself like something was endlessly amusing.

Yeon Hojeong smiled.

This man really hasn’t changed at all.

Mo Yonggun had changed. Dang Gwan had changed.

But Ga Deoksang was exactly the same, then and now. That unchanging nature pleased him more than he expected.

“...”

Yeon Hojeong’s eyes sharpened suddenly.

“You said you’ve got today off?”

“That’s right. Since we ran into each other anyway, let’s have a modest little dri—”

“Come to my quarters. I have something to discuss.”

“Discuss?”

Yeon Hojeong started walking with long strides.

Ga Deoksang watched his back with a sour look—and then unease crept across his face.

“...Even if you’re a damned bastard, you’ll at least give me liquor, right?”