Chronicles of the Mad Demon - Chapter 264

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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 264. The Great Demon Slayer (4)
After releasing the assassin, Moyong Bi contacted the Military Department to request special protection for Moyong Su Hyang and Jin Gwang, then made his way to the Alliance Leader’s Residence.
The moment the Grand Hall doors swung open.
Whoosh.
A complex and subtle Energy Wave flowed from within, toying with Moyong Bi’s clothing and hair.
‘….’
Moyong Bi’s eyes grew sharp and cold.
‘A master.’
Then came Meng Ha Sung’s voice.
“Another guest has arrived. In any case, our conversation just now has been most enlightening.”
“Indeed, it has been for me as well.”
“Then we shall proceed with that understanding.”
“I merely follow the Alliance Leader’s will.”
The old man bowed and turned, walking toward the entrance of the Grand Hall.
Moyong Bi’s gaze intensified.
Though distance separated them, his eyes read the old man’s appearance with meticulous precision.
‘That bearing….’
Like an immortal sage.
His pristine white hair, without a single blemish, was swept back gracefully, and his beard—streaked with hints of grey—descended to his chest, deserving of the epithet “beautiful whiskers.”
His face was handsome as well. Though age had etched lines across it, one could discern that in his youth, his countenance would have stirred the hearts of countless women.
Standing nearly six feet tall, his pure white robes harmonized perfectly with his white hair, evoking the image of a vast, untouched snowy plain where human footsteps were forbidden to tread.
Thump.
My heart raced.
‘Yes, of course.’
Having pushed myself hard to set these matters in motion, I had not yet familiarized myself with the key figures of the Martial Alliance.
I had been planning to request organizational charts and personnel records soon, yet here I encountered a connection from my past.
“So you are Moyong Bi, who became the first Tambi Ryeong-ju.”
A voice pleasant to hear.
Deeper and more subdued than Meng Ha Sung’s voice that resonated through the Grand Hall.
Moyong Bi clasped his fist in salute.
“The Tambi Ryeong-ju pays respects to the Elder Council Chairman.”
“Ah, so you know who I am?”
“We have never met, but I am aware of you.”
The old man smiled. Though it was a smile without the slightest flaw, it gave the impression of being difficult to read.
“An intriguing answer. True enough, one need not see a face to know someone. But I do not know you.”
“You will come to know me in time.”
“Hehehehe, I favor spirited young men. Come to think of it, the Previous Alliance Leader was much like you. Despite holding the exalted position of Martial Alliance Leader at such a young age, he was armed with an overflowing fighting spirit like a youth from Hongai.”
The old man naturally patted Moyong Bi’s shoulder as he passed.
“Come, let us share some tea.”
“As you wish.”
With those words, the Old Man left the Grand Hall.
Thud!
As the door closed, the oppressive weight that had hung in the air lifted, and the atmosphere grew light once more.
“Welcome.”
Moyong Bi, who had arrived before Meng Ha Sung, smacked his lips as he spoke.
“Forget the tea—pour me some alcohol instead.”
“This rascal. Now you act as though this place is your own home.”
Though he grumbled, Meng Ha Sung’s face was filled with smiles, clearly pleased by Moyong Bi’s casual and unguarded demeanor.
Shortly after, a rather exquisite wine bottle and two cups were placed upon the tea table.
“This looks expensive.”
“Which is precisely why it does not suit my palate.”
“You serve your guests alcohol that doesn’t suit your taste, Alliance Leader?”
“They should be grateful for expensive wine. Besides, you are not a guest—you are my direct subordinate.”
As they exchanged banter, the cup was soon filled to the brim.
Moyong Bi drained the cup in one swift motion, then furrowed his brow.
“This is remarkably potent.”
“I know full well you have a considerable capacity for alcohol—what is this theatrics?”
“It is merely what I felt.”
Meng Ha Sung asked with gravity.
“So you captured one of Jeon Chil Sung’s assassins?”
“I released him.”
“…?”
“There was no benefit in keeping him any longer.”
Meng Ha Sung’s face was utterly bewildered, his mouth agape.
“Why would you release an assassin you went to such lengths to capture? I could understand if you had killed him instead.”
“I had their assassin captain summoned. I wished to speak with him separately.”
“Do you think that makes sense? He would sooner attempt to kill you—”
Meng Ha Sung’s expression shifted once again mid-sentence.
“He cannot kill you. If he did, it would be as though he drew his blade against the Alliance Leader’s Faction itself.”
Truly, he was different.
There was no comparison to his past self, when he relied solely on youthful vigor and charged in recklessly. Even compared to when they had met again after he had gained his own enlightenment, he had grown far more astute. This was the wisdom of experience and maturity. Those who had lived long could grow just as much as the young, and when they adapted the experiences of their past lives to new learning, they could often grow faster than most youths.
This was the strength of those seasoned by years.
“You see clearly. Unless we wish to wage war against the Martial Alliance, assassination is impossible.”
“Yet there remains the possibility of one in ten thousand.”
“That is why I requested the Military Department strengthen the protection of my Younger Brother.”
Meng Ha Sung let out a quiet exclamation of admiration.
“You leave no gaps in such matters. Yet is it not strange how calm you remain, when your blood relations’ lives hang in the balance?”
“The moment we entered the Martial Alliance, we wagered our lives.”
Since it was he who had invited them into the Martial Alliance, Meng Ha Sung had nothing to say to that.
“Do not worry. Their captain will surely come to meet me separately.”
“If he didn’t come to meet you at all, that would be one thing. But what makes you so certain he will?”
Meng Ha Sung was equally meticulous in his approach.
This was precisely the most critical point, and Moyong Bi made no attempt to conceal it from him.
“These are no ordinary assassins.”
“Jeon Chil Sung would never surround himself with mediocrity. Moreover, if they know the sensory range of the Ten Sovereigns, they must possess considerable experience.”
“Experience is putting it mildly. Those men—they are disciples of the Death King.”
“What? What did you just say?!”
Had he been alone, he would have leaped from his seat.
“The Death King? You cannot mean that legendary assassination master from the previous era of the Martial World—that Death King?”
“That is correct.”
The Death King.
A legendary assassin whose name had faded into obscurity, yet a supreme master who could stand as an equal to the greatest experts of the Jianghu even in direct combat.
Naturally, the Death King’s true mastery lay in assassination, and the rumors spoke that should he commit himself fully to an assassination, he could sever even an emperor’s head.
Meng Ha Sung’s face went rigid.
“Jeon Chil Sung has brought the Death King’s disciples under his command?”
“It is possible Jeon Chil Sung does not even know they are the Death King’s disciples. Though I suspect a man of such meticulous nature would not be ignorant of this.”
“How did you come to know this?”
Moyong Bi offered a bitter smile.
“I spent some time in that world myself, after all.”
“You? Have you not lived as a good-for-nothing in Wuhan all this time?”
The same words, yet somehow…
“That was merely to evade the eyes of the Ho Yeon Clan, as you well know.”
“I know. I have heard.”
“In any case, I had some contact with that world back then.”
Meng Ha Sung’s eyes sharpened.
“Did you live as an assassin?”
During my time as Alliance Leader, I did engage in similar pursuits on occasion.
“How could that be? If anything, I hunted down assassins instead.”
“…Hmm.”
“Trust in my judgment, Alliance Leader. Though I may be reckless at times, I have never crossed such lines in my life.”
Meng Ha Sung furrowed his brow in displeasure and refilled his cup as he spoke.
“The more I learn of you, the less I seem to understand.”
Moyong Bi’s expression turned exasperated.
“I feel the same way. How much of your personal affairs have you revealed to me, Alliance Leader?”
It was a fair point, and Meng Ha Sung found himself without a response.
‘He won that exchange.’
In truth, it was an audacious remark, but viewed from one human to another, his words held merit.
Of course, given the gravity of the situation, Moyong Bi’s argument contained a logical flaw. The reasoning that “you did it, so I did it too” was never sound, and resorting to such evasion was always cowardly.
Yet Meng Ha Sung did not seize upon this weakness in his opponent’s logic.
“I shall consider it one of the reasons for your unusual mastery across so many disciplines for one of your age.”
Moyong Bi smiled once more.
‘Indeed, his capacity is different.’
He could have seized upon the words, but he chose to let it pass.
A neurotic and sensitive person could never do such a thing. It was a realm apart from perfectionism.
“In any case, if he studied under the Death King… this is no trivial matter.”
Veins rose prominently on the back of Meng Ha Sung’s hand.
“It is said he has retired now, and the assassination organizations are unable to act freely, but those who studied under the Death King are all renowned as elite assassins.”
“They seemed genuinely formidable.”
“If word spreads that a Martial Alliance Elder commands assassins trained by the Death King… the Alliance could collapse entirely.”
“Of course, such rumors must never be allowed to surface.”
Meng Ha Sung turned and asked.
“Do you share my thoughts?”
Gong Sun Baek, who had walked from the corridor, spoke with a smile.
“Of course. It is surprising, but revealing it would plunge the Martial Alliance into chaos.”
“From our position, some confusion within the Alliance would not be unwelcome.”
“True, but at this moment when we are constructing the board, it becomes problematic. Unless we intend to overturn the entire game, we must proceed with caution.”
Meng Ha Sung nodded.
“I see.”
Moyong Bi opened his mouth.
“I will handle that matter as best I can. The problem lies elsewhere.”
“Hmm.”
“The Elder Council Chairman, Yi Ja Gyun—is he acceptable?”
Yi Ja Gyun.
Even during Moyong Cheon’s time, he had been a renowned master who participated actively in the Martial Alliance and even in warfare—a true master.
Though he might fall below the current Ten Supremes, he was counted among the top five of the Twenty Great Masters, a supreme expert. In terms of actual combat experience alone, many among the Ten Supremes were inferior to him.
“Do you know Yi Ja Gyun? The name sounds familiar somehow.”
“It would be difficult not to know Yi Ja Gyun.”
Indeed, Yi Ja Gyun’s reputation shook All Under Heaven. His fame came not from being a Martial Alliance Elder, but from his renown as a master.
Meng Ha Sung smacked his lips.
“The story is well told, but honestly, I am uncertain.”
The words carried many implications.
“When you say uncertain, do you mean uncertain of his true nature?”
“Precisely. Yi Ja Gyun is older than I am and has spent more years in the Martial Alliance. If we measure political acumen alone, he surpasses any martial artist of our time.”
Moyong Bi recalled Yi Ja Gyun from the past.
‘Something has changed, but….’
Yi Ja Gyun had not been admitted to the Dark Soul Squad, the Alliance Leader’s most formidable killing force.
Though he possessed the skill and experience to join, he had not because his talent lay more in commanding multiple combat organizations than in taking the field himself.
‘He was certainly someone worthy of entrusting with responsibility.’
He spoke little and showed little expression, yet he was reliable. Had he not been, I would never have entrusted him with such important duties.
Gong Sun Baek spoke.
“Yi Ja Gyun is handled with considerable caution by the Military Department as well. His true nature is difficult to discern. During the Previous Alliance Leader’s reign, he earned renown for his exceptional abilities and chivalrous justice, but afterward, he began to display peculiar tendencies.”
That was understandable.
The greater the master, the stronger their convictions—yet nothing changes as readily as conviction itself.
“I have but one question to ask.”
Moyong Bi’s voice grew grave.
“Do you believe it would be wise to join hands with Yi Ja Gyun?”
“…At least this once.”
That was the measure of Yi Ja Gyun as Meng Ha Sung perceived him.
Moyong Bi nodded in acknowledgment.
“I understand. Then I shall proceed according to my own judgment.”

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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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