Episode 327
The Darkness Returns (2)
The skill of the openers in erasing traces was amazing.
Gyujeok’s Cheongro Sunhwagong is a Buddhist school of Shinhwaism and is so powerful that it cannot be compared to any other Yeoyanggong in the Central Plains. However, the flame of Cheongro is also fire. Whether caused by lightning or a bonfire, a forest fire could break out at any time.
Hundreds of warriors gathered quietly but quickly to extinguish the forest fire and erase all traces of the battle that took place there.
In order to obtain information as quickly as possible in this vast continent of Central Plains, quick new methods and tracking skills are essential. In other words, he was just as adept at erasing traces as he was at following them.
The place where the fate of Yeon Ho-jeong and Gyu-jeok took place was decorated as if a forest fire had broken out.
It was a quick, quick and precise job.
* * *
Before dawn.
Zhuge Liao secretly entered Pagungak.
“Are you here?”
“What happened? “What about Commander Yeon?”
“It will come soon. “I’m still washing.”
“Huh! “You weren’t hurt?”
Yeonwi smiled bitterly.
“I was injured, but not to the point where I needed to go to the doctor right away.”
“What on earth happened?”
Yeonwi explained it in as much detail as he could to the best of his knowledge. These were the things Yeon Ho-jeong told me before going to wash up.
Zhuge Wenhu’s face was filled with surprise.
“This is the Jinmu of the Commander-in-Chief?!”
Jinmu was an official of the highest rank and could not be said to be a very great position, but it was also not so low that it could be ignored.
No, putting that aside, it was ridiculous that someone other than Sae had become an official of the government department in the first place. No matter how much the imperial family has lost its power and the government is tainted by corruption, how can you appoint someone who is not from the middle circle as an official?
‘Should we say that they have completely taken control rather than just lining up the government?’
Zhuge Wenhu’s eyes darkened.
‘He was said to be a master at a level that made Commander Yeon nervous. Although he wasn’t seriously injured, the fact that he hurt Commander Yeon is itself a great thing. Are you saying that a master of that level is only Jinmu?’
Yeonhojeong is strong.
The level he had achieved was great, but Zhuge Wenhu was also well aware of his fearsome fighting skills.
If the situation is similar, there is no way Yeonhojeong will lose, unless he gets lucky. Rather, Yeon Ho-jeong is the person who can overwhelm his opponent without even brushing his clothes with his amazing fighting ability.
In other words, the opponent who fought Yeon Ho-jeong may have reached a higher position than Yeon Ho-jeong in simple terms.
A level higher than Yeonhojeong and Mo Yongwoo.
In other words, it can be said that it is a level approaching the level of the head of a six-generation family.
“If you do it, the enemy will…?”
“He’s dead.”
“It’s a shame.”
It would have been better if we had been able to capture him alive. Zhuge Lianghu was very disappointed about that.
Yeonwi shook her head heavily.
“I’ll have to hear more from my eldest to know the details, but I’m sure he also tried to capture me alive.”
“Are you saying that it would have been meaningless even if captured alive?”
“That could be true, or it could have been that I was forced to kill him because he was such a master that he would have been harmed if I tried to capture him alive.”
“He is like that too.”
Zhuge Wenhu, who was shaking his head, suddenly saw a shadow on Yan Wei’s face.
“You don’t look very good.”
“….”
“Is there something else I don’t know about?”
Now that my son has returned safely from his life-or-death battle, there is a mix of joy and worry.
However, Zhuge Wenhu, who had been observing Yan Wei for a long time, could tell. That there is something other than this situation that he does not know.
Yeonwi shook his head.
“no. “I just thought of something else.”
“Is that so.”
“It looks like the eldest child is coming soon. “Let’s hear more details from Hojeong.”
“Let’s do that.”
After a while, Yeon Ho-jeong knocked on the door.
“Can I come in?”
It was a much more stable voice than I expected.
“Come in.”
Squeak.
Yeon Ho-jeong, who opened the door and came in, looked very clean.
However, Zhuge Mun-ho could smell the faint scent of blood emanating from Yeon Ho-jeong’s body. It was a scent of blood that only the martial arts people could sense and that ordinary people could not sense.
Zhuge Wenhu stood up and patted Yeon Hao-jeong on the shoulder.
“You had a lot of trouble.”
“no. “I am sorry for acting arbitrarily without telling you in advance.”
“Man, what does that mean to me when you say that? “Am I not just a student who sits down and spits on documents?”
Yeon Ho-jeong smiled at Zhuge Mun-ho’s light joke. It was a smile that somehow felt empty.
Yeonwi dragged the chair back.
“Sit down.”
“yes.”
So the three people sat down.
Zhuge Wenhu opened his mouth.
“You are probably tired, so it would be better to keep the conversation short and sweet. I’ll ask you bluntly. “Have you found out anything from him?”
Yeon Ho-jeong spoke in a monotonous voice.
“He is a member of the Shinhwa Church.”
“I know that.”
“In Shinhwaism, there are masters called eighteen warriors. “They are, so to speak, the leaders of the Myth Church.”
“He’s the leader of the action… Now wait a minute! “Did you say eighteen military commanders?”
“That’s right.”
“Does that mean that the expert at that level is eighteen?”
“yes.”
Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes lit up.
“The general I captured today was the twelfth of the eighteen generals. “His martial arts skills were not much inferior to those of the head of the sixth generation.”
You don’t know the outcome of a fight unless you actually engage in it. It was on this floor that one wrong step could result in the death of even a warrior a few ranks lower.
Of course, the more expert you are and the more experience you have, the fewer mistakes and variables there are. Variables can arise at any time, but in most cases, it is a fierce battle between experts that is decided based on the level achieved and the characteristics of martial arts.
In other words, on the Shinhwa Church, there were eighteen masters who were comparable to the level of the six generations of families.
There are as many as 18 true experts who do not easily tolerate mistakes or variables.
The faces of Zhuge Li and Yan Wei visibly hardened.
Yeon Ho-jeong continued.
“Of course, there is a gap in the martial arts skills of each military officer. In particular, it is said that there is quite a difference in skill among the officers after the top ten, from the eleventh general to the eighteenth general.”
“What about the experts in the top ten?”
“They say the gap between them is not that big. Therefore, it is said that there is no difference in rank from the top ten generals to the first generals. Of course, in a wartime situation, a higher-ranking general can give orders to a lower-ranking general.”
“Hmm.”
“Of course, that doesn’t mean we can ignore them. He said that from the first to the tenth generation, the six generations are at the level of a family head or higher, and among them there are masters of the Shaolin and Shaman factions.”
“…!”
“If you think about it in that respect, there is no difference in the overall level of martial arts, but among them, there are one or two particularly strong experts.”
Zhuge Wenhu’s eyes deepened.
The leaders of the nine factions and the six major clans are all masters of the highest level and possess the power to compete for supremacy in a region. Of course, only for active duty, excluding squadrons.
In other words, he is a master who can turn the tide of the war on his own. However, it is said that there are as many as eighteen such experts in the Shinhwa religion.
That wasn’t all.
“I didn’t hear the details, but it is said that if the eighteen generals are the vanguard, there are also senior experts from the Senate and other divisions above them. “I couldn’t confirm their martial arts level, but I expect them to be definitely stronger than the Eighteen Warlords.”
A martial arts skill higher than that of the head of the six generations of the nine generations.
“That means.”
Yeonwi’s expression became extremely serious.
“Are you saying that there are many masters in the Mythic Church who have reached the level of the Thirteenth Place of Holy Heaven?”
“That is unknown. “I expect there to be at least two or three people, including the Mythological Cult leader, but I don’t have any certain information about them yet.”
“….”
“As you know, Father, the so-called transcendent realm is also extremely vast. “Didn’t the Ambassador himself say that we still have a long way to go before reaching the pinnacle in this area?”
“Hmm.”
“The important thing is that the Shinhwa religion alone is not easy to overcome. “If the other two groups join in…”
Yeonwi said as if throwing a tantrum.
“I’m going to get eaten.”
The midfield is wide.
There will be a huge number of masters who have not been revealed to the outside world, and if you include not only the former warlords but also the former warlords who are still alive, there will be no major shortage in fighting the three religions.
The question is whether it is possible to unite them all. Even just white and black are in conflict, like enemies. Because there are countless interests involved, it is virtually impossible to unite the entire Central Plains.
“There is another problem.”
“Imperial.”
“That’s right. I don’t know about other groups, but it seems that the Shinhwa Church is trying to take control of the imperial family and government. “If those who run the empire fall into their hands, then we may not even be able to start a proper fight.”
Yeon Ho-jeong asked Zhuge Mun-ho.
“I heard that the Zhuge Dynasty has been friendly with Confucian scholars for generations. “Among them, there are many people who have connections to government officials, right?”
Zhuge Wenhu nodded.
“There are quite a few. But I don’t know how much I’ll be able to move if I decide to do it.”
“I think right now, rather than sending false information to the Shinhwa Church, it would be better to find out how deeply they have infiltrated the imperial family and the government, and what and how they are trying to take control.”
“I think the same thing. So that’s it.”
After hesitating for a moment, Zhuge Munho spoke as if he had made up his mind.
“I need to gradually let people know about the existence of the Three Religions of Gwangsin.”
Worry appeared on Yeon Ho-jeong’s face.
“Sir.”
“Of course I don’t mean to tell everyone. “I plan to deliver it one by one, starting with those who are not suspicious and who will never defect.”
“…It will be dangerous.”
“It’s dangerous. But it would also be dangerous to let go.”
Confidence grew on Zhuge Munho’s face.
“Leave that to me. Just in case, I’ve been doing some research on the monks. “There are three people I can be quite sure about.”
They said they conducted a background investigation without anyone knowing.
Yeon Ho-jeong did not know what those words meant.
“You may face backlash.”
With the power of the Murim Alliance military, the Bonggongs were defeated. If this is caught, Zhuge Li’s political position will be greatly shaken.
Zhuge Wenhu shook his head.
“Weren’t we in a position to cover up this and that? And if my position falters, you will help me. “Wouldn’t that work?”
“….”
“Anyway, is that all you found out?”
“For now, yes.”
“I understand.”
Zhuge Wenhu stood up.
“Hey Commander Yeon.”
“Yes, soldier.”
“I always feel sorry for you. “It’s truly astounding that even though I’m working so hard in the shadows, instead of receiving compensation, I’m relying more on you.”
“Don’t say that. “I…”
“So this is all I can say.”
“…?”
“Don’t blame yourself and move forward calmly.”
Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes wavered.
“I have no doubt that you and the matriarch will hold me up when I am shaken. So, don’t worry about what’s going on around you and just live your life to your heart’s content. “If someone points a finger at you, then I will protect you.”
“….”
“You had a hard time today. “Just get some rest.”
“thank you.”
With those words, Zhuge Munho left the room.
Yeonwi, who had been quiet, chuckled.
“People really.”
Yeonhojeong did his job. So don’t make it complicated for no reason.
Zhuge Li’s last words had that meaning. It was his sincerity, but at the same time, it was also a hint to Yeonwi.
“Hojeong.”
“yes.”
“You worked hard. Get some rest today.”
Yeon Ho-jeong smiled bitterly.
“yes. “I really shouldn’t do anything today and just get some rest.”
