“What?”

Mo Yonggun was genuinely startled.

“Yangcheon asked to see me?”

“Y-yes, sir.”

This was a development he had never even imagined.

No matter what, how could Yangcheon be the one to ask to meet him in person? More than that, wasn’t he still the master of Ink Dragon Manor, an organization not yet known to the world?

Even if it had been an elder of his clan rather than him, the man should have been lying low and holding his breath. But he had sent word asking to meet in person?

“Was there no separate message from the operational team leader?”

“There was none.”

“Hah!”

Mo Yonggun shook his head. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

“I have no idea what this is supposed to mean.”

For Yangcheon, this was clearly a bad move.

Judging from his movements so far, and from the Alliance of the Martial World’s intelligence as well, Ink Dragon Manor was not yet at the point where it could step out into the world.

And yet he wanted to meet him, Mo Yonggun, one of the very highest executives of the Alliance of the Martial World and an Alliance Service Officer? How was he supposed to interpret that?

Yangcheon doesn’t know. He doesn’t know that we’ve already discovered his existence. No, it’s more accurate to move on the assumption that he doesn’t know.

The index finger tapping the table trembled faintly.

Why bother? For what purpose? There’s no way a man like Yangcheon wouldn’t understand what his own actions mean, is there?

Besides, there had to be a strategist by his side as well.

To build an organization as large as Ink Dragon Manor, you needed not only money, but also countless talented people to manage it. No matter how extraordinary a man’s abilities were, he could not build something of that scale by himself.

In that instant, Mo Yonggun’s eyes flashed.

Could it be that bastard Yeon Hojeong?

He suspected it for a moment, then shook his head.

Unlikely. This is a bad move for him too. Unless he truly intends to throw himself into Ink Dragon Manor, there’s no reason for him to scheme something like this.

Yeon Hojeong was frightening, but at the very least, he was a man who understood his own stage.

He could cross lines, and he could leave Mo Yonggun bewildered with tricks no one would have imagined. But the man understood the dignity of a fight.

A clean fight that did not roll around in the mud. That was the line he kept, and also his limit. That was exactly why he was even more terrifying.

Could it be that he holds a grudge against me over this matter?

Mo Yonggun shook his head.

No. No matter how I think about it, it’s not him.

Because of what happened to the Guizhou Merchant Guild’s trade caravan?

Absolutely not. He might have been angry over that matter, but there was no reason whatsoever for him to respond in a way like this.

If the one who had truly arranged this was Yeon Hojeong, then it would have been a deeply disappointing thing. The reason was simple: it would not benefit him in the slightest.

There was no way Yeon Hojeong would do something that, out of mere personal vengeance, would endanger not only the mission but the operational team as well.

“...For now.”

Mo Yonggun spoke carefully.

“For now, we wait. It won’t be too late to make a decision after a message arrives from the operational team leader.”

Half a day later.

“Clan Head! A letter has arrived from the operational team leader!”

“Bring it here.”

Mo Yonggun hurriedly unfolded the letter, and his eyes widened.

I’ll speak plainly. I have not figured out what Yangcheon is plotting. I estimate he may be trying to peer into this Alliance’s internal circumstances through you, but even that is hard to say with certainty.

The basic extraction of information is finished, but there are top-secret matters inside the Intelligence Division. The time expected to sort them is at minimum half a month, at maximum one month. Drag things out somehow until then.

Lastly, one piece of advice. If at all possible, do not meet Yangcheon. He is a more outstanding man than we thought. If you fall into a trap, it will become troublesome in many ways, so stay where you are.

“Mm.”

Mo Yonggun’s eyes gleamed.

Top-secret information, is it.

His lower belly grew hot.

As I thought, this wasn’t that bastard Yeon Hojeong’s doing.

Right now, that man was focused on the mission. If he brought up “top-secret information,” then he meant to stand by those words. It meant he was certain the information was that valuable, and that was why he had written it in the letter.

So that’s why the contact came late.

Mo Yonggun read the letter once more.

Drag things out?

That was surely also the reason Yeon Hojeong had told him not to meet Yangcheon.

Hmm...

The corner of Mo Yonggun’s mouth lifted.

All right. Very good. But... Yangcheon is really that outstanding, is he?

Stay where you are, he said.

If it had not been Yeon Hojeong, those were words that would have made him run over immediately and rip his tongue out.

Mo Yonggun thought for a long moment, then suddenly smiled.

“Is there really any need to avoid him, Hojeong? If Yangcheon truly is that outstanding a man, then perhaps it wouldn’t be bad to meet him this time and judge his ability for myself.”

Of course, he had no intention of dealing with him through martial arts. To begin with, Yangcheon was not someone one could test by martial skill.

Yangcheon is also the head of an organization. Unless he intends to start a war immediately, he won’t make a move in the middle of a conversation.

That was the most basic of basics. And besides, if Yeon Hojeong had said he was even more capable than expected, then Yangcheon was probably a man who understood a certain dignity as well.

Of course, I’ll still have to prepare for every possibility.

Mo Yonggun opened his mouth.

“Did you trace back the contact sent by Yangcheon?”

“Of course.”

“And the result?”

“We could not determine the original point of transmission. It seems he has concealed it thoroughly.”

“Mm, as expected.”

Mo Yonggun’s gaze turned cold.

“Send a reply as it is. Tell him I will decide the place and the time.”

*****

“A reply has come from Clan Head Mo Yonggun.”

Admiration showed on Yangcheon’s face.

“He says he will decide the place and the time himself.”

“Did he?”

“He did.”

“To be honest, I didn’t think it would work in one shot... That man really is no ordinary figure.”

“Indeed. I’d heard that the current Clan Head of the Mo Yong Clan was a genius accomplished in both letters and arms, but I had no idea he would show this much boldness.”

Yangcheon seemed deeply impressed by Mo Yonggun’s decision.

And it made sense. Mo Yonggun was an Alliance Service Officer of the Alliance of the Martial World and the head of the Mo Yong Clan. There was no need for him to risk meeting a suspicious person who had sent a letter through an untraceable contact network.

More than that, the sender was Yangcheon, the Fighting King. This was not the kind of person to whom one would send an immediate answer like this.

“So the man they call the Tyrant King of Hunan truly lives up to his reputation.”

Though he did not openly claim it now, Yangcheon too had once been a man who boldly stood for the Dark Path. He was the sort who clicked his tongue and mocked men of the Orthodox Path as weaklings, so there was no way he would not feel some favor toward Mo Yonggun, who had shown such blunt decisiveness.

Just as I thought.

Yeon Hojeong smiled coldly.

I knew it, Mo Yonggun.

Just as Mo Yonggun had grasped Yeon Hojeong, Yeon Hojeong had grasped Mo Yonggun as well.

I knew you’d jump right out if I provoked you.

At present, Mo Yonggun held the psychological advantage.

That meant this was exactly the time when even the most meticulous person was most likely to let his guard down. On top of that, his position as the commander who controlled the operational team must have encouraged that carelessness even more.

Yeon Hojeong’s choice had been simple: provocation.

If you fall into a trap, it will become troublesome in many ways, so stay where you are.

If Mo Yonggun had been thoroughly on edge, he would not have reacted so easily even after reading those words.

But not now.

Don’t worry, Mo Yonggun. We’ll get out just fine on our own. Thanks to you.

Yeon Hojeong opened his mouth.

“Clan Head Mo Yonggun’s choice was certainly bold, but he is also a meticulous man. Since he chose the location himself, he will most likely prepare for the worst-case scenario.”

“The worst-case scenario?”

“The possibility that you personally make a move, Lord of the Manor.”

Yangcheon snorted.

“This is a meeting between leaders carrying heavy burdens on their shoulders. Make a move in a setting like that? That would be ridiculous.”

This was the dignity of a true master.

Not because he was a master of martial arts, but because he was simply a master as a person. Yangcheon was that kind of man, and so was Mo Yonggun.

And until not long ago, so was Yeon Hojeong.

“I’ll send the reply immediately.”

“Do so.”

“Then I’ll take my leave.”

“Director of the Intelligence Division.”

“Yes, Lord of the Manor.”

Yangcheon nodded.

“You’ve worked hard. I never would have thought of approaching him in this way.”

Yeon Hojeong shook his head.

“To be honest, this is also that dangerous a method. I can only apologize for failing to devise something safer.”

“Ho ho, my friend. If you want to win a large sum, there are times when you have to gamble. If I hadn’t liked your method, I would have refused it.”

“I’m only ashamed.”

“It was fortunate that you came into the headquarters. I’m truly grateful.”

Yeon Hojeong smiled.

“Then I’ll receive that gratitude later, when you come to conquer all under heaven, Lord of the Manor.”

“Kuhahaha! Good, very good.”

Yangcheon burst into laughter for quite some time, then suddenly asked as if the thought had just occurred to him,

“But those fellow disciples of yours. When do you plan to bring them into the headquarters?”

Yeon Hojeong’s eyes deepened.

“I believe it is too soon. The upper leadership of the Manor is already unsettled because of me alone. If I hurriedly bring in my people as well, the atmosphere would worsen even further.”

“If that’s the concern, I can handle it myself.”

“No. I believe this is something I must overcome entirely on my own.”

Yeon Hojeong bowed his head.

“I’ll grow by trading blows with them myself. Please leave it to me.”

Yangcheon smiled in satisfaction.

“How could I stop your stubbornness? Very well. Do as you wish.”

“Thank you.”

“What’s there to thank me for?”

“Then I’ll be going.”

After leaving Ink Dragon Hall, Yeon Hojeong headed straight for his quarters.

The extraction of information is finished. Now all that remains is to take this and return to the Alliance.

Killing Intent flashed in his eyes.

Mo Yonggun. You’ll have to become the bait.

The period of half a month, and the fact that he had kept the operational team outside, all had reasons of their own.

And so did the existence of them.

“Your Killing Intent is strong.”

Yeon Hojeong turned his head.

A man was waiting for him in front of his quarters.

It was Black Sheep.

“I greet the Director of the Intelligence Division. I am Black Sheep.”

Yeon Hojeong stared at him for a moment, then lowered his head.

“I greet Senior Black Sheep.”

“Senior...”

Black Sheep smiled. It was a smile whose meaning was difficult to read.

“Thank you for treating me so well.”

“It’s nothing. But what brings you here?”

“Nothing much. I simply wanted to make a good impression on the new Director of the Intelligence Division.”

“I’m sorry, but I’m the sort of man who keeps personal feelings out of official business.”

“Are you?”

“I am.”

Black Sheep nodded.

“Could I at least get a cup of tea?”

“......”

“If you’re busy, I can come back later.”

“No. Come in.”

Yeon Hojeong opened the door with an expressionless face.

He had failed to keep control of his expression.

The Perverse Lust Cult.

Even without releasing his Inner Qi, his senses had sharpened on their own.

And those sharpened senses read Black Sheep’s energy.

The Perverse Lust Cult!

KUUUURRRRMMMM.

The door opened.

“Come in.”

“Thank you.”

And so the two of them entered Yeon Hojeong’s quarters.

Yeon Hojeong sat down in a chair.

“I’m sorry, but I have no tea.”

“Is that so? That’s unfortunate.”

“It doesn’t look like you came here for tea anyway.”

Black Sheep smiled.

“Of course not.”

“Then why did you come to see me?”

SLLLLL.

The intangible Black Tortoise Qi swept through the entire office.

There’s no one.

There were no watchers observing this place. That was fortunate.

Black Sheep had been looking at Yeon Hojeong ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) with a smile, but that expression slowly turned cold.

“Why did you do it?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You know perfectly well.”

Yeon Hojeong gave a short laugh.

“Do the Twelve Zodiac Gods enjoy feeling people out? That bitch Fire Ape did the same thing, and now you’re no different.”

“......”

“Stop circling around it and say it clearly. Why did you come all the way here?”

Black Sheep’s eyes turned like a wildcat’s.

“It was you, wasn’t it? The one who buried the Black Sheep Unit and Black Elder.”

“......”

“Wasn’t it?”

Yeon Hojeong looked at Black Sheep with clear, transparent eyes.

Then, in an instant, a twisted smile spread across his face.

“Yes. That’s right.”

“...!!”

“I wiped them all out. So what are you going to do about it?”