Chronicles of the Mad Demon - Chapter 237

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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 237. Mud Puddle (1)
“This tea has an excellent flavor.”
“Shall I pour you more?”
“Please do.”
The color of the tea cascading into the cup was truly exquisite.
The aroma rising with the delicate steam was as captivating as the hue of the brew itself.
The Middle-aged Man, savoring the fragrance with a satisfied smile, suddenly spoke to the Woman as if remembering something.
“Were there no ruffians about last night?”
A serene smile graced the Woman’s face.
“There were none. If any disturbance had occurred, wouldn’t the Great One have noticed first?”
“I’ve been quite occupied, after all.”
“These children proved quite capable this time, didn’t they?”
“Splendid. I intend to enjoy myself thoroughly again today.”
His words, despite their measured and refined tone, were hardly virtuous in content.
“When will you be departing this time?”
“Why? Has it become burdensome already?”
“How could it be? I must attend to you on the final night, so I’m simply eager to know when that day will arrive.”
The Middle-aged Man burst into hearty laughter.
“If I continue playing with you, Elder Seo Mun Gang will strike me with his sword. Please refrain from such remarks.”
“It won’t be me who receives the blow.”
“Hahahaha!”
Whatever the jest, their laughter was filled with genuine delight.
Time passed in this manner.
“Divine Mother. Ru Ju has arrived.”
The Middle-aged Man’s eyes gleamed with interest.
The Woman rose from her seat and spoke.
“Bring him in. Great One, I shall take my leave now.”
“I’ll see you again shortly.”
As the Woman called Divine Mother departed through the door, the Middle-aged Man lifted the large bundle that had been resting beside him onto the Tea Table.
A moment later.
The door opened and an Old Man entered.
“Ah, your complexion is radiant. Did you enjoy yourself last night?”
“I pay my respects to Elder Seo Mun Gang.”
The Old Man, Seo Mun Gang, smiled brightly and grasped the Middle-aged Man’s hand.
“How long has it been? Has it already been half a year?”
“It hasn’t even been three months yet, Elder.”
“Heh, they say a good friend feels familiar even after ten years apart, as if seen yesterday, but a true friend feels distant after merely a day’s separation, as if years have passed. That is how my heart feels.”
“I am honored.”
Though he spoke thus, there seemed to be no hierarchy between the two. The Middle-aged Man’s demeanor was more respectful, yet the atmosphere felt as comfortable as meeting a peer.
“Please, be seated.”
“Yes.”
The middle-aged man seated at the table promptly slid the bundle toward Seo Mun Gang.
“This is the finest ginseng I brought back from Eastern Yi this time. It fetched quite a premium price.”
“Ah, I’ve told you I’m fine, yet here you are.”
“I know well enough about Elder’s vitality, but still, taking something like this occasionally is good for your health.”
Seo Mun Gang chuckled.
“Seeing the sincerity of our Ho Yeon’s great chivalrous one, I suppose I must remain healthy until my dying breath.”
“Of course.”
Seo Mun Gang, laughing heartily, unwrapped the bundle without hesitation. Though propriety typically demanded opening such gifts away from view, he showed not the slightest restraint.
“Ah!”
Thick ginseng roots were arranged atop a fine wooden board.
“Just breathing in the fragrance seems like it would add ten years to one’s life. Truly exceptional ginseng.”
“I’m glad you’re satisfied.”
Seo Mun Gang quietly opened the bottom of the wooden board.
It was a double-layered board. Within the hidden compartment gleamed golden ingots and various treasures.
Seo Mun Gang, smiling with satisfaction, rewrapped the bundle and set it down.
“So, how did that matter you were handling turn out?”
“The Peng Clan came back lukewarm on it. It’s been troublesome.”
They’re deceptive beneath their appearance. Still, with Ho Yeon’s great chivalrous one’s cunning, I’d expect you to extract what you need somehow.”
“Fortunately, one of their faction spoke well of it to the Family Head. It seems it will come to pass one way or another.”
Seo Mun Gang laughed loudly.
“So Yolyeong’s great family will properly establish a bridgehead extending into the Central Plains. I truly look forward to what comes next.”
“It’s all thanks to Elder. Which is why I’m asking….”
The middle-aged man posed the question in a measured tone.
“Could you arrange a position for me soon?”
“Haven’t we already begun working on that several years ago? We’re simply at the stage of adding the finishing touches now, so Ho Yeon’s great chivalrous one need not worry.”
The middle-aged man laughed inwardly.
‘What a cunning old fox.’
Working to create an Elder position in the Martial Alliance several years ago?
Of course that made no sense. Even if it were true, he’d surely been struggling to seat someone suited to his own tastes rather than Ho Yeon’s people.
‘Considering the sums I’ve funneled into his throat all this time, I’d better make this one count.’
Of course Seo Mun Gang would deliver.
Though he was a man bound together by every human desire—greed, lust, ambition—he was at least a figure of certain capability. He’d been chosen precisely because he kept his promises so thoroughly.
“I’m relieved. Then, when might the position open up?”
It was a rather blunt question, yet Seo Mun Gang didn’t mind in the slightest.
Such conversations were best conducted directly. Clarity left no room for misunderstanding.
“In roughly two or three months, a vacancy should arise. I’ve already settled matters well with the Elders who stand with me, so before long Ho Yeon’s great chivalrous one will be able to take a key position in the Alliance.”
The middle-aged man smiled knowingly.
“I trust only Elder Seo Mun.”
“Hah, and I ask the same of you. Once Ho Yeon’s great chivalrous one enters the Alliance, people everywhere will clamor to line up, and if I’m overlooked then, I’ll be quite put out.”
“How could that be? Even a dog knows to be grateful to the one who throws it a bone. I am surely better than a dog.”
“Hehehehe!”
Yet both understood the truth beneath their words. Political alliances could never be forged without thorough mutual benefit.
Give as much as you receive, but always give slightly less than what you’ve been given. And one must be skillful enough to ensure the other party never notices this discrepancy.
This was the essence of political alliance as they understood it.
“By the way….”
Seo Mun Gang’s eyes narrowed.
“I hear that Ho Yeon Gyeong is also making considerable strides.”
The middle-aged man, Ho Yeon Bang, felt his expression stiffen slightly.
“Is there something specific you’ve heard?”
“It’s certain that the movements from the opposing faction are far from ordinary.”
Ho Yeon Bang realized that Seo Mun Gang possessed some information.
The fact that he wasn’t stating it outright meant he had nothing more to offer.
He felt no anger. This was not the time for anger—it was the time to strive for what he needed to obtain.
“Could it be that I won’t be able to fill the vacant position because of this?”
“How could that be? Even if they were to strike and push forward, they absolutely could not manage it. How many people would stand by and watch if they tried to overturn the board entirely?”
After a moment of consideration, Ho Yeon Bang spoke with a smile.
“Have you had any troublesome people of late?”
“Hehe, such people spring up a dozen a day.”
“Name a few for me. Though our Main Family House is in Yolyeong, its influence has already extended across all of Gangbuk—as you well know, Elder.”
He meant he would resolve political rivals and those he disliked in the shadows. He was also asking Seo Mun Gang to reveal the circumstances within the Martial Alliance’s Elder Council.
Seo Mun Gang nodded.
“They seem intent on touching the Martial God Institute.”
“…?!”
“I’m not certain what exactly they plan to do… but they appear to be preparing quite a bold move.”
Ho Yeon Bang’s eyes trembled slightly.
‘The Martial God Institute.’
The Martial God Institute was the core of the Martial Alliance’s military power and an organization that rivaled any in symbolic significance.
It could be no other way.
‘It is where the strongest warriors of the slaughter corps that Moyong Cheon once commanded existed.’
More precisely, where they ‘had’ existed, though the lingering resonance they left behind earned the reverence of martial artists of later generations.
‘Though there should be no one from the Dark Soul Squad remaining now.’
The Dark Soul Squad.
The most powerful and sharpest blade wielded by Martial Alliance Leader Moyong Cheon.
Composed of six divisions in total, it was also called the Dark Soul Six Divisions, and their martial prowess was still spoken of as legend.
From the middle to the late stages of the war, in countless localized battles against Sacred Blood Palace, the Dark Soul Squad had accumulated victories beyond measure—a legendary organization. Eventually, it reached the point where the Demon People of Sacred Blood Palace would retreat of their own accord whenever the Dark Soul Squad was said to be mobilizing.
The strongest and most terrible slaughter corps in Martial Alliance history, a force that reigned in terror over both allies and enemies alike.
After the war’s end, the Martial God Institute was established to manage the warriors who had cohered tightly around the Dark Soul Squad and to reorganize them into new formations. By now, it had evolved into an organization that managed all combat units under the Martial Alliance.
“Was the Director of the Martial God Institute not politically neutral?”
“Of course. That man devotes himself solely to the protection of Jianghu.”
“But how could they dare to touch the Martial God Institute? The Martial God Institute is, if I may be so bold to say, a sacred ground of the Orthodox Martial World.”
After their victory in the war against Sacred Blood Palace, all the people under heaven revered the Martial Alliance.
Among them, the respect and interest directed toward the newly established Martial God Institute was extraordinary. It was only natural, given its pivotal role in the victory.
Both Martial Artists and commoners alike harbored such admiration for the Martial God Institute that it pierced the heavens. This was precisely why even the most profit-hungry politician dared not lay a hand upon it.
“Ho Yeon Bang must understand as well. That admiration and reverence are nothing but shackles.”
“Of course, that is true, but…”
“In truth, transforming the people’s affection for the Martial God Institute into disappointment is not difficult. Someone’s sacrifice would be necessary, and no one has dared to touch it simply because they are unwilling to bear that cost themselves.”
“…What do you mean?”
“Perhaps the opposing faction has already chosen a scapegoat.”
Ho Yeon Bang’s eyes deepened.
‘Elder Brother.’
The Family had thrown three chess pieces into play.
Two of them were myself and Ho Yeon Gyeong. We were each attacking the Martial Alliance in different ways.
‘If only we could have a conversation about this.’
The Family viewed the attempt to seize control of the Martial Alliance as a sort of succession struggle.
Had the Ho Yeon Family committed all its strength to breaking through one point, it would have long since cast its shadow deep within the Martial Alliance.
In other words, the Ho Yeon Family’s power was formidable and abundant enough to choose the Martial Alliance as the battlefield for this succession struggle.
Ho Yeon Bang believed the Family’s arrogant approach was only natural. Only the “true one” could lead the Ho Yeon Family.
‘Still, there’s no helping this frustration.’
Ho Yeon Bang let out a bitter smile.
“At this point, it’s difficult for me to imagine where and how my Elder Brother intends to make his move.”
“What is certain is that a considerable number of Elders from the opposing faction are with him.”
“That would be the case.”
A bitter taste filled my mouth.
As Ho Yeon Bang rinsed his mouth with tea and fell into thought for a moment.
“And…”
Seo Mun Gang spoke hesitantly, his expression uncharacteristically filled with uncertainty.
“Please speak, Elder.”
“This morning, I received separate word from the Martial Alliance.”
“Yes.”
Seo Mun Gang, who had seemed at a loss for words, hardened his expression and spoke.
“The Alliance Leader’s movements are not ordinary.”
Bewilderment crossed Ho Yeon Bang’s face.
“Wasn’t it already common knowledge that the Alliance Leader was preparing something?”
“It appears he is trying to draw in the Jegal Clan. And…”
“…?”
“He has also summoned the Moyong Clan.”
Killing Intent crystallized in Ho Yeon Bang’s eyes.

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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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