Chronicles of the Mad Demon - Chapter 217

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 217. An Unsettling Invitation (2)
‘Hmm?’
Jung Hui, who had just re-entered the Family Head’s Office, found himself unconsciously glancing around.
Moyong Su Jeong was nowhere to be seen.
“Pardon me… where is the Family Head?”
“She went out to inspect a new residence.”
Only Moyong Bi remained in the Family Head’s Office.
Watching him sip his tea with his legs deliberately crossed, it seemed as though nothing in this world could shake his composure.
Jung Hui was taken aback, but quickly steadied himself.
“Is this a dismissal?”
“Hmm?”
“Until just moments ago, I was in conversation with the Family Head. The fact that she has now withdrawn suggests she is hinting for me to leave…”
“That’s a misunderstanding.”
Setting down his tea cup, Moyong Bi spoke.
“Our Family Head has entrusted this matter entirely to me. From now on, I will handle all responses and make all decisions.”
“…?!”
“Of course, from your perspective, this could be unpleasant. Still, when someone of the Righteous Protection Squad’s Alliance Leader’s stature arrives, it would be improper for her to leave without a word.”
Jung Hui shook his head.
“That is of no concern. I am merely a messenger of the Martial Alliance, after all.”
Moyong Bi smiled faintly.
“Yes, I thought you would take it that way. That’s why I sent my Elder Sister and the Chief Administrator away. I figured excessive talk would only create unnecessary commotion.”
“…I see.”
“Let me clarify one thing first.”
Moyong Bi tilted his head.
“As a messenger, do you merely convey the Martial Alliance’s proposal, or must you also hear our decision before returning?”
“There were no detailed orders. The Alliance Leader simply told me to rest well and enjoy touring the Jianghu before returning.”
“I see.”
“However…”
“Would you mind if I asked a couple more questions?”
Though young and without any particular title, Jung Hui felt no awkwardness at Moyong Bi’s casual manner of speaking to him.
“Please do.”
“Is your relationship with your direct superior—the Righteous Protection Squad’s Alliance Leader—on good terms?”
Jung Hui’s eyes wavered.
“Why do you ask?”
“Is it a sensitive question? I suppose it could be.”
“It’s not exactly that…”
Moyong Bi smiled.
“If an answer doesn’t come immediately despite it not being sensitive, that suggests your relationship isn’t particularly good, wouldn’t you say?”
Jung Hui did not confirm this.
“Then one more. This is truly a sensitive question, so I won’t mind if you don’t answer.”
“….”
“Is the Righteous Protection Squad Leader a corrupt man?”
In that instant, Jung Hui’s eyes wavered.
Once again, he could not answer easily. That silence alone was answer enough, but Moyong Bi waited calmly for his response.
After a moment.
“…I cannot fathom why you would pose such a question.”
“I said it was a sensitive one. It’s fine—you need not answer.”
“Does this question hold such profound significance for you, or for the Moyong Family?”
“Of course.”
“What?!”
Moyong Bi handed Jung Hui a cup of water he had set aside and spoke.
“The Righteous Protection Squad of the Martial Alliance ranks among the top ten military forces within the Alliance itself. If the leader of such an organization is a corrupt individual, then what lies above him requires no speculation.”
“…!”
“In other words, the Martial Alliance is a place that can be filthy and dangerous. I believe such insight would serve as sufficient reference material for the Main Family to make its decisions, would it not?”
Jung Hui spoke in a darkened voice.
“To grasp the whole from a single part is a most….”
“Terrible habit. One that invites mistakes. Yet the very fact that you speak such words suggests that in your view, the Righteous Protection Squad Leader is hardly a man suited to his position.”
Jung Hui closed his mouth without realizing it.
Moyong Bi, who had been observing him intently, spoke in a voice grown even lower.
“You must have heard the sordid rumors connected to the Main Family.”
“….”
“We do not think so, and nowadays the gaze of Martial Artists upon the Ho Yeon Clan hardly appears favorable. It may be because the incident has already passed, or perhaps because indifference has set in, but the world has ceased to concern itself with the Main Family.”
“What is it you wish to say?”
“Yet the Martial Alliance cannot afford such luxury. Rotten though it may be, it remains the Martial Alliance. The notion of summoning the Moyong Family—closely connected to the Previous Alliance Leader—would be difficult to conceive.”
“…I am merely a messenger.”
“And simultaneously the Vice Leader of the Righteous Protection Squad. The second-in-command of a military force stationed not in the outer reaches of the Martial Alliance, but in its inner sanctum—the very heart of the Main Headquarters.”
“….”
“Allow me one final question.”
Moyong Bi leaned his upper body forward.
“Have the Ho Yeon Clan’s personnel seized the key positions within the Martial Alliance?”
Jung Hui’s eyes trembled faintly.
“I cannot say.”
“You must know.”
“The Righteous Protection Squad is merely a military organization dedicated to realizing justice.”
“One that exists under the Martial Alliance, moreover within its inner sanctum.”
“The Martial Alliance is vast, and its people are many. Even the leader of an elite organization would find countless positions unknown to him. The Righteous Protection Squad is not even called elite, and I am merely the second-in-command of that organization.”
As Moyong Bi prepared to continue, he noticed Jung Hui’s expression had grown somewhat clouded.
He was one whose face spoke volumes. Moyong Bi sought to read the implications veiled within that expression, and soon succeeded.
“Whether the Ho Yeon Clan dogs have seized the key positions or not, they exercise influence at minimum?”
Jung Hui remained silent.
Moyong Bi nodded in acknowledgment.
‘That’s certainly plausible.’
One didn’t necessarily need an official title to operate an organization.
Take, for example, the position of Retired Family Head—a titular honor with no actual authority, yet a position so difficult to bestow that only former leaders of great families or those of the highest standing could hold it.
And precisely because it held no real power, one could wield influence in the shadows.
What if the Ho Yeon Clan was doing something similar within the Martial Alliance?
“…It seems the current Alliance Leader holds quite a dislike for the Ho Yeon Clan?”
“I wouldn’t know.”
“I see.”
Moyong Bi stepped back with both hands raised in mock surrender, a smile playing at his lips. “Even if I don’t know the details, I’ve certainly learned that the Martial Alliance is quite the intriguing place.”
“Then, will you be making a decision?”
Jung Hui’s face bore unmistakable signs of exhaustion. He clearly wished to end this complex and dangerous conversation as quickly as possible.
Moyong Bi nodded.
“I made my decision long before you even entered.”
“Pardon?”
“When I sent my Elder Sister. Even though you’ve entrusted this matter to me, it’s still an affair that concerns the entire family. At the very least, we should all understand which direction we’re heading.”
Jung Hui’s face twisted in frustration.
“Then what was the purpose of all these questions?”
“I intend to participate, but I need to know what kind of battlefield I’m walking into.”
There was nothing to say to that.
Moyong Bi rose from his seat.
“Of course, that doesn’t mean I’m accepting the Martial Alliance’s proposal. I simply thought we could have a conversation about it.”
“What?!”
“Let’s meet and see. You’re asking me to grasp an outstretched hand when neither of us knows what benefit we’ll gain? Does that make sense to you?”
Jung Hui felt the urge to bury his face in his hands.
Every word Moyong Bi spoke was logically sound. Yet why did he keep asking such foolish questions?
Jung Hui soon understood the reason.
‘I’m being overwhelmed.’
From the moment they first met, he had been dominated by this man called Moyong Bi.
Whether it was the Aura that demonstrated formidable martial prowess or the presence of the man himself, Jung Hui had clearly been intimidated before this extraordinary young man.
The moment he recognized this, Jung Hui’s posture straightened of its own accord.
“So you intend to visit the Main Headquarters?”
“If they send someone, that would be convenient for us. But I doubt it’s reasonable to expect such courtesy from people with such pride.”
“When will you depart?”
“Once I’ve made sufficient preparations. Besides, you weren’t given orders on when to return, so surely you can wait a few days?”
Jung Hui realized something else.
Moyong Bi was undoubtedly a remarkable person—whether by presence or otherwise. But the reason he felt so unusually suppressed wasn’t just his presence. It was something else entirely: the man’s composure.
‘This fellow places the center of the world upon himself.’
Jung Hui let out an involuntary exclamation of admiration.
Jung Hui let out a gasp without even realizing it.
I had unconsciously come to regard the Martial Alliance as the center of the world.
It was true that the Martial Alliance served as the cornerstone of the Orthodox Martial World. No organization under heaven dared to show it disrespect. That was a ‘fact.’
But that fact did not justify sanctifying the Martial Alliance.
Moyong Bi understood that the Martial Alliance was formidable, yet he had consistently treated the Family and the Martial Alliance as equals.
‘It’s absurd. No one does that.’
The name Martial Alliance carried such an overwhelming presence that it was inconceivable.
‘And yet… perhaps this man’s thinking is correct.’
The Martial Alliance was powerful because the Orthodox Sects had acknowledged its authority.
The Martial Alliance had been respected because it had triumphed decisively in the war against the Demon People in the past.
In other words, every reason the Martial Alliance could exist as the Martial Alliance lay with others. This principle mirrored the very foundations of governance.
“Without those who grant authority, an organization cannot exist…”
Jung Hui murmured without realizing it.
Moyong Bi, understanding his thoughts, let out a soft chuckle and rose from his seat.
“It is freedom to hold a sense of belonging, and freedom to take pride in one’s organization. But if you consider why others remain loyal to their organizations just as I remain loyal to mine, conflict rarely arises.”
Jung Hui’s face flushed.
How shameful.
At their first meeting, Moyong Bi had certainly been discourteous.
But now, at their second meeting, he had maintained a strictly professional demeanor throughout.
Such a tone might irritate others, but fortunately or unfortunately, he was not the type to take offense at such personal remarks.
Yet he had failed to grasp the essence of the conversation.
“I apologize.”
Jung Hui suddenly stood and bowed respectfully.
“I was angered by Young Master Moyong’s discourtesy at first. But it is also true that I lacked composure in executing my duties.”
Moyong Bi’s expression became subtle.
Jung Hui continued with a firmer voice.
“As the Vice-Leader of the Martial Alliance’s Righteous Protection Squad, I shall temporarily remain at the Moyong Family. You will permit this, will you not?”
“Of course.”
His tone shifted immediately.
Moyong Bi also bowed respectfully with his fists clasped.
“Please forgive my discourtesy toward Vice-Leader Jung until now. I cannot claim to have been free of preconceptions regarding the Martial Alliance, and I deliberately detained an innocent person and played tricks merely to gauge your reaction—by any measure, this was my fault.”
Jung Hui smiled.
“It was quite a fiery first impression, but thanks to it, I have come to understand much.”
“Some people merely indulge their emotions when sad or angry, while others reflect deeply and strive for their own growth.”
“That does not mean I will be grateful to the Young Master.”
“I do not expect it.”
Moyong Bi stepped to the side and gestured toward the door with his hand.
“I was thinking of visiting the Marketplace. Would you care to join me for a walk?”
Jung Hui laughed brightly.
“I was hoping to stretch my legs anyway.”
“It is rather cramped quarters, is it not?”
“….”
“I was joking. Let’s go.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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