Chronicles of the Mad Demon - Chapter 234

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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 234. What Do You Seek? (4)
“This is truly wonderful.”
The Guest Hall attached to the Alliance Leader’s Residence was antiquated and serene. Its lack of ostentatious grandeur only deepened the sense of tranquility it inspired.
Gong Sun Baek smiled faintly as he spoke.
“It is, isn’t it? We’ve refrained from adorning it with needlessly expensive furnishings, so there’s no burden of pretense.”
“Indeed, that’s exactly how it feels.”
“In truth, after the Previous Alliance Leader passed away, some of the Alliance’s leadership attempted to renovate this Guest Hall entirely.”
Moyong Su Hyang’s eyes gleamed with interest.
The Previous Alliance Leader referred to her Great Grand Uncle. Yet rather than focusing on the fact that the leadership had wanted to renovate the Guest Hall, she was far more intrigued by what this revealed about her ancestor.
Gong Sun Baek sighed before continuing.
“Their argument was that anyone entering the Alliance Leader’s Residence must be a distinguished guest, and therefore the hall should be lavishly decorated to demonstrate the Martial Alliance’s greatness. Truly, a rather worldly calculation, wouldn’t you say?”
Jin Gwang ventured to speak carefully.
“But wouldn’t those who enter the Alliance Leader’s Residence indeed be distinguished guests?”
“Quite right. Which is precisely why you are all distinguished guests of this Alliance.”
“Ah…!”
“Do you grasp the distinction? In their minds, a distinguished guest was someone wealthy and renowned—in other words, someone of means. They were essentially arguing that lavish decoration was necessary only for the upper echelons of society.”
A bitter smile crossed Gong Sun Baek’s face.
“Are only the wealthy and capable truly distinguished guests? Anyone who seeks out this Alliance can become a distinguished guest.”
“Yet the Guest Hall remains unchanged?”
“Because there were more people with their minds set firmly on what truly matters.”
“I’ve heard that managing a vast organization sometimes requires worldly considerations.”
“Of course it does. The problem is when such considerations are deployed indiscriminately rather than when they’re truly needed. Their hearts had already been shadowed by the arrogance that they alone were special.”
Moyong Su Hyang gazed at Gong Sun Baek with trembling eyes.
As he caressed the wall with a distant gaze, an ineffable bitterness emanated from him.
“The Previous Alliance Leader was truly extraordinary in many ways. He possessed not only exceptional military acumen but also considerable insight into internal governance. I’ve heard he never formally studied statecraft, yet seeing how well he managed people, he must have been a born ruler.”
“…”
“Yet no matter how great a ruler, one cannot purify every heart nor redeem every wicked soul.”
Moyong Su Hyang asked in a measured voice.
“After the Previous Alliance Leader passed, did those who had been suppressed gradually begin to raise their banners?”
Gong Sun Baek smiled.
“Why did you not call him your Great Grand Uncle?”
He touched upon the sensitive matter with a calm tone.
Moyong Su Hyang’s response was masterful.
“However we address him, he remains our Great Grand Uncle. But the world thinks differently.”
“So you step back?”
“We are the weak who have not forgotten our roots.”
Gong Sun Baek, regarding her with astonished eyes, burst into hearty laughter.
“Ah, so there was a reason the Moyong Family has distinguished itself in Hubei of late. Not everyone offers praise simply for strength.”
Those who forget not their roots possess pride, and pride in turn kindles unwavering conviction.
Dogs may bark, yet the sun still rises and sets. One may frown at a noisy dog, but it is meaningless to seize a club and chase it away.
Moyong Su Hyang’s words carried the same implication—that while the weak might bend to the tide of circumstance, such submission was merely a façade.
“I have a question, if I may ask?”
“Of course.”
“Why did the Previous Alliance Leader allow such wicked men to persist?”
Gong Sun Baek smiled faintly.
“Because your Great Grand Uncle understood the nature of governance.”
Moyong Su Hyang’s face brightened.
People speak words their hearts do not believe with ease. Yet if he truly thought of the Ho Yeon Clan, the Martial Alliance’s Chief Commander would not have called her Great Grand Uncle by that title in front of the Moyong Family.
‘He also recognizes Great Grand Uncle as the Moyong Family.’
A quiet sense of pride welled within her.
“Simple-minded people believe that all who stand against them deserve death. They think that once the wicked who have crossed the line are eliminated, the matter is settled.”
“Then I suppose I am simple-minded too.”
“You are not simple—you merely lack experience. With the blood of your Grandfather and Great Grand Uncle flowing through you, a few trials would suffice for you to grasp the principles of the world.”
“You honor me too greatly.”
“Let me put it simply. Imagine a complex mechanism. Over time, some parts wear and corrode, dust accumulates in places requiring cleaning. Yet certain components, if carelessly touched, will cause the entire apparatus to cease functioning.”
Moyong Su Hyang gasped in realization.
“Though I use the mechanism as an analogy, human organizations are far more intricate. Your Great Grand Uncle, it is true, was known for governing criminals with laws so strict as to be merciless. Yet he possessed an equal measure of clemency and a genuine will to guide and reform.”
“In other words, he spared the wicked who could be redeemed, and those whose death would bring greater harm to the organization.”
“Precisely. Those ignorant of organizational dynamics call it the Previous Alliance Leader’s limitation, but those who truly understand recognize it for what it is.”
Gong Sun Baek gazed upward at the ceiling.
“It is infinitely harder to drive a carriage laden not only with your allies, but also with villains who might explode at any moment, than to carry only those on your side.”
Moyong Su Hyang felt her heart quicken.
The more she heard, the more she understood how truly great her Great Grand Uncle had been.
Now, he felt even closer to her than her Grandfather, though she had never laid eyes on either. Yet she had heard so many tales of him that he seemed familiar.
Of course, this did not diminish her respect for her Grandfather.
‘They were truly remarkable.’
Her Grandfather, though the eldest son, had purged the corrupt elders and transformed the very roots of the family—a true Chivalrous Hero. Her Great Grand Uncle, who grasped all of Jianghu and saved the world, was a hero recognized by All Under Heaven itself.
As a descendant bearing the blood of these two great men, Moyong Su Hyang now understood something crucial: making one’s family great was important, but there was something equally vital.
‘I must grow as well.’
Not merely in Martial Arts.
Her vision of the world must transform. She must become wiser and more just.
Gong Sun Baek, observing Moyong Su Hyang’s breath quicken with emotion, spoke with sudden gravity.
“In truth, even for one of my standing, it is not easy to speak of such matters—the state of the Guest Hall, the troubles of leadership.”
“Sir?”
“These are sensitive affairs. Yet I speak of them freely to you. Do you know why?”
Moyong Su Hyang’s flushed face gradually grew calm.
“Chief Commander, do you wish for the Main Family to become the center of the Martial Alliance once more?”
Gong Sun Baek’s eyes widened slightly.
“For one of your age, that is no ordinary judgment.”
“In truth, those words came from my Elder Brother.”
“Moyong Bi? That fellow?”
“Yes. My elder brother is far more intelligent than he appears.”
Gong Sun Baek smiled enigmatically.
“You seem quite fond of your brother.”
“To be honest, even when I admired him before, I couldn’t say it aloud. It felt embarrassing somehow, like I was being overly sentimental.”
“And now?”
“Even now, I can’t say it openly to his face.”
“Hahahaha!”
Gong Sun Baek laughed heartily and nodded as he spoke.
“What a touching bond between siblings. I envy you both.”
“That’s precisely what worries me.”
Moyong Su Hyang gazed out the window.
“The smarter he is, the more reckless he becomes. He shows no restraint whatsoever.”
“Is that so?”
“I fear he might provoke the Alliance Leader.”
“That’s unlikely.”
“Pardon?”
Gong Sun Baek’s eyes also turned toward the window.
“Our Alliance Leader favors those who lack restraint.”
* * *
Meng Ha Sung stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing up at the sky.
‘The clouds are rather thick today.’
Sunlight scattered across the heavens as it dispersed against the heavy clouds, spreading in all directions.
Not dazzling, yet not oppressive either. Meng Ha Sung recalled what Gong Sun Baek had once told him—the governance of the Previous Alliance Leader, observed in that very sky long ago.
‘They say that a rule neither bright nor dark is far more difficult than one that is merely intense.’
A path that carries both the righteous and the wicked forward together.
A shadow crossed Meng Ha Sung’s face.
‘It will not be easy.’
Even now, merely contending with the Six Major Sects proved arduous—a distant aspiration still.
Yet there was no choice but to pursue it. To even approach the footsteps of the Previous Alliance Leader, I would need to manifest talents I did not possess.
Meng Ha Sung lowered his gaze and spoke to Moyong Bi.
“Don’t you find it unexpected?”
“Unexpected in what regard?”
Even as he spoke, Moyong Bi was loosening his joints—rotating his ankles and rolling his shoulders in broad circles, as if preparing for battle.
Meng Ha Sung smiled faintly and continued.
“Though I summoned you, I thought you might find it somewhat unexpected—arriving so abruptly at the very heart of the vast Martial Alliance, and now conversing at ease with the Martial Alliance Leader.”
“It is unexpected, yes.”
“As I suspected?”
“What have I shown you to warrant such a sudden invitation to fight?”
“Hehehehe.”
“May I speak frankly?”
“Of course.”
Whoosh! Crack!
The fearsome spinning spear settled precisely across Moyong Bi’s shoulder.
“I’ve even entertained the thought that the Alliance Leader might be a fool.”
“Kahahaha!”
It was a remark he’d never heard, even during his travels through Jianghu. And certainly not since becoming the Martial Alliance Leader.
“Why would you think I’m a fool?”
“From the beginning, you seemed to view me favorably. I tried my best to maintain composure, but your heart had already moved—and once that happened, composure lost all meaning.”
“Hmm?”
“All I’ve shown you are a few plausible words. Yet you saw me as an extraordinary young man.”
“Because you genuinely are extraordinary. My judgment isn’t so poor.”
“Even granting that, the moment you suddenly considered my martial arts and how to exploit them—that truly astounded me.”
Whoooosh.
Infinite True Qi erupted like flame.
Hair that had begun to stir faintly now undulated softly, as though submerged in water.
Lowering his stance gradually, Moyong Bi spoke.
“If I were an agent sent by the Demonic organization or harbored ambitions to topple the Martial Alliance, you would be committing the gravest mistake of your life right now.”
Meng Ha Sung’s smile deepened.
“Are you ready?”
“I’ve been ready since before.”
“I have no intention of defeating you. I merely wish to see your martial arts. Come without hesitation.”
“Then I must fight with the resolve to kill you, Alliance Leader.”
“…?!”
“Otherwise, how could I even touch the hem of your robe?”
Meng Ha Sung’s eyes wavered.
He recalled words he had once spoken to Moyong Cheon.
‘To defeat the Martial Alliance Leader, one must truly harbor the resolve to kill. Yet I lack the courage to direct killing intent toward you, Alliance Leader.’
Words he had spoken when facing Moyong Cheon again.
He had never expected to hear similar words from that man’s blood relative.
‘Does the world truly move in circles?’
Truly a remarkable one.
‘I only grasped this philosophy of combat after enduring profound despair and wandering. Yet you—barely twenty years old—have already understood it.’
Power gathered in Meng Ha Sung’s fists.
“Moyong Bi.”
“…?”
“You are undoubtedly the blood relative of the Previous Alliance Leader.”
Whoosh!
Meng Ha Sung’s form appeared before Moyong Bi in an instant.
“You could never become a mere agent.”
Whoooosh!
A massive iron fist swept through the air at a terrifying speed.

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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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