“As you know, once a man rises to the level of Provincial Defense Commissioner, he usually keeps exceptional masters as guards in secret. They were not on your level, of course, but there were several masters comparable to the elder-class experts of your clan.”

“...”

“All of them were beaten. Those things were undying monsters. They kept moving even after their arms and legs were torn off, and they did not fall even after losing bucket after bucket of blood.”

“Is that so.”

“They cannot be killed unless you cut off their heads or completely destroy their bodies. I pride myself on having gone through every hardship before reaching this position, but I had never seen monsters like that before.”

Yeo Sangdo was not a talkative man by nature.

The fact that he was explaining in such detail meant he had been shocked that deeply.

It was no wonder.

Even Mo Yonggun, listening to it, found it hard to believe.

Of course, if they could not endure having their heads cut off or their hearts ripped out, they were not immortal. But if their fighting strength did not plunge even after fatal wounds on the level of severed limbs, then they could truly be called tremendous weapons.

But.

Unless their bodies were made of steel, there would be no great problem killing them as long as one was not careless.

The masters under Yeo Sangdo had most likely been defeated because they had let their guard down before anything else, rather than because of the enemy’s strength.

“Since you are concerned, Lord Yeo, I will leave them be for now.”

It was astonishing confidence.

He was saying that he could kill them all, but out of consideration for Yeo Sangdo, he would leave them alone. It was confidence and pride worthy of the overlord of Hunan.

Yeo Sangdo opened his mouth.

“Very well. Setting that matter aside, the reason you came to find me...”

“Yes. I have already made contact.”

“...Who did you make contact with?”

“They called themselves the Eighteen Warrior-Generals of the Divine Flame Cult. I clashed with one of them, a man called the Twelfth Warrior-General.”

Yeo Sangdo’s face twisted.

“Gyu Jeok.”

“You know him?”

“I do. I believe I know most of the men who have been operating in secret inside the provincial Defense Command, the imperial Defense Command, and even the Provincial Administration Commission.”

“How did you learn that?”

“It is not as though I have only been sitting idle.”

He truly was an extraordinary man.

Amid eyes watching him from every direction, he had apparently operated an intelligence organization and investigated them.

Leaving ability aside, not just anyone could show that kind of nerve. Mo Yonggun confirmed that Yeo Sangdo had not changed at all from when he had met him ten years ago.

Perhaps Lord Yeo may even have more information than that bastard Yeon Hojeong.

Mo Yonggun spoke.

“I have something to ask.”

“Ask.”

His attitude was far more flexible than expected.

It was only natural. In a situation where he was being threatened by an external enemy, unexpected reinforcements had appeared. That was why Yeo Sangdo had become generous.

“Before that, allow me to tell you one thing first. Gyu Jeok is dead.”

“...!”

Yeo Sangdo’s face filled with shock.

“He is dead?!”

“Yes.”

“How...? Surely you...?”

“No. There is a young master in the Martial Alliance. He died by that man’s hand.”

“That is impossible! Gyu Jeok is the Twelfth Warrior-General! Though I am a layman in martial arts, I heard his martial arts were grandmaster-class. They said he would not be lacking even as the master of an entire sect.”

“That young master’s martial arts are already grandmaster-class.”

“...!”

“From what I heard, he killed him after cutting him up all over his body. That must be why he was able to kill him.”

“What is that man’s name?”

“Yeon Hojeong.”

“Yeon Hojeong...”

“He is the eldest son of the Yeon Clan of Green Mountain in Gangdong.”

In that instant, Yeo Sangdo’s eyes flashed.

“The greatest of the younger generation under heaven?”

“You know him?”

“How could I not? Along with the young man of your clan, he is called the finest among the younger generation in the martial world, is he not? Rumors of that much reach my ears as well.”

“I see.”

“Amazing. To think he killed Gyu Jeok at that age.”

“That is precisely why this is a problem.”

Mo Yonggun’s expression turned grave.

“Whatever else may be true, the man was a Pacification Officer of a guard station. In other words, a martial artist killed an official. Can that possibly be overlooked?”

Only then did Yeo Sangdo understand why Mo Yonggun had come to find him.

There were several reasons, but this was the most important one.

“You are asking me to block it?”

“Yes.”

“...”

“If the Divine Flame Cult is monitoring you, Lord Yeo, then they too will not welcome this incident growing larger. That is my prediction.”

Yeo Sangdo nodded.

“That is not wrong.”

If the Divine Flame Cult had swallowed all the Henan authorities, they would not have been monitoring Yeo Sangdo, nor would they have left him alive in the first place.

In other words, the Divine Flame Cult was currently moving in secret in order to swallow the entirety of Henan Province. They would not want matters to grow larger in any form.

“The matter has already grown large.”

“It will grow even larger.”

“Mm?”

“A man wearing the clothing of a high-ranking government official has appeared on Mount Daebyeol. At the very least, he is above the rank of Assistant Commissioner of the Provincial Defense Command. He was said to be a large, middle-aged man.”

Yeo Sangdo’s eyes shook.

“Yo Roe...!”

“A master has currently moved to capture him.”

“To capture Yo Roe?!”

“Yes.”

“Do you think that is possible? Yo Roe is an even greater master than Gyu Jeok. To capture a master of that caliber...”

“He can be captured. I sent a beast.”

“A beast?”

“The master of the Tang Clan of Sichuan.”

Yeo Sangdo’s face twisted slightly.

“The Tang Clan Lord, Tang Gwan, was it?”

“That is correct.”

Even someone who was not part of the martial world would naturally find poison and hidden weapons sinister and unpleasant.

The Tang Clan of Sichuan was one of Sichuan’s strongest sects, called the progenitor of poison and hidden weapons. Hearing that its head was moving made Yeo Sangdo feel relieved, yet also uneasy.

“In your opinion, can the Tang Clan Lord defeat Yo Roe?”

“I do not know. I have never experienced how strong this Yo Roe’s martial arts are.”

“I heard he is one level above Gyu Jeok. They say that among masters, even one level is an enormous difference.”

“That is true.”

“And it is not only Gyu Jeok. From the First General to the Tenth General, those ten Warrior-Generals are each said to possess a uniquely outstanding specialty. I heard that the Fifth Warrior-General, Yo Roe, is simply an endlessly powerful fist artist, but if he is a master of that degree, then even the Tang Clan Lord...”

“A man one level above the one Yeon Hojeong defeated. And if he is a fist artist, then no matter how skilled he is in qi arts, he will have difficulty defeating the Tang Clan Lord.”

“Why do you think so?”

Mo Yonggun was silent for a moment.

Why did he think so? There were many reasons. But there was not enough time to explain them all.

At length, Mo Yonggun opened his mouth.

“Assuming the environment and situation help him, the Tang Clan Lord could hold out for half a day even against the combined assault of the other Six Great Clan Lords.”

“...!”

“It is not because he is stronger than us. It is because the characteristics of his martial arts themselves are unique.”

“Is that truly so?”

“Yes. Of course, the fact that he can hold out that long is proof in itself that he is an exceptionally outstanding martial artist. He is not one of the Six Great Clan Lords for nothing.”

Their relationship had already been twisted beyond repair.

Even so, Mo Yonggun knew. He believed it.

Tang Gwan would never be defeated by some frontier bastard.

Leaving aside their personal enmity, Tang Gwan was a man who could carry a high chance of victory in battle against any master excluding the Thirteen Seats of the Supreme Heavens. Even if the opponent was a Transcendent Peak master trained in heat-yang arts resistant to poison arts, it would be difficult to escape Tang Gwan’s demonic hands.

“That is not the important part. If the Tang Clan Lord kills this man named Yo Roe, then this becomes a problem on an entirely different level from killing a Pacification Officer of a guard station.”

“...Mm.”

“Can you block it?”

Yeo Sangdo stared fixedly at Mo Yonggun.

“I am not unaware of what you are thinking, but that will not be easy.”

“I know. That is why I am asking you.”

“Even if the incident is concealed for a brief time, it will only be a stopgap measure. Not only my own life, but the livelihood of all Henan Province could be shaken. Those Divine Flame Cult bastards are sinister beyond measure, yet at the same time, every last one of them is aggressive and fiery-tempered.”

“...”

“...You cannot mean?”

“That is exactly what I mean.”

Mo Yonggun smiled. It was the smile of a fiend.

“Please leak the locations of Yeon Hojeong and the Tang Clan Lord, the ones who killed the Divine Flame Cult’s masters, to them.”

“...!”

“They will come to handle it on their own.”

The corners of Yeo Sangdo’s eyes trembled.

“Are those two your political enemies?”

“They were until a few days ago.”

“You mean they are not now?”

“An external enemy must be handled before family infighting.”

“Then why would you say such a thing? No matter how strong those two may be, if they become targets of the Divine Flame Cult...!”

“They will catch them all.”

Mo Yonggun’s eyes shone viciously.

“The Eighteen Warrior-Generals are the Divine Flame Cult’s middle layer of masters, and they are the ones holding the lives of the Henan authorities in their hands. If only four or five of them die, will that not let you breathe, Lord Yeo?”

“...”

“Remember this. We must dispose of a common enemy. With only our side, no matter how wildly we run in every direction, we cannot pull them out by the roots.”

“...”

“You will have to help us properly. If you wish to return the Henan authorities to their rightful state.”

Yeo Sangdo asked in a heavy voice.

“You truly mean that you can capture them?”

“Of course.”

Mo Yonggun smiled bitterly.

“I do not want to admit it, but both Yeon Hojeong and the Tang Clan Lord are the types one would least want to meet in real combat. I do not know how much force they will send, but if we are prepared in advance, you may assume there is no chance we will be the ones defeated.”

“...”

“Will you join us?”

“You are telling me to stake my life and the fate of the Henan authorities on you?”

“Forgive my rudeness, but if I had not come here today, Lord Yeo, there would have been nothing you could do besides continue running your intelligence organization, would there?”

It was not wrong.

Yeo Sangdo stared silently at Mo Yonggun, then finally closed his eyes.

“What pride would I have left now to bristle at you? My life is already held as collateral by those bastards. If I think of burning it away for His Majesty, there is nothing left to fear.”

“...”

“I will block it. Furthermore, I will leak the information as you said.”

“Thank you.”

“There is no need to thank me. If you fail to deal with them properly, I will have no choice but to move with you as my targets as well, for Henan Province’s sake.”

“I understand.”

Yeo Sangdo nodded.

“There is a tavern called Swallow Pavilion in Kaifeng Prefecture. Go to the Gold Room on the third floor and place three wine cups upside down. My intelligence agent will come to find you.”

“I will go there in three days. I need time to contact my companions.”

“Do so.”

“Then I will take my leave.”

“Very well.”

“Ah, before that...”

“Mm?”

Mo Yonggun looked around the room with curious eyes.

“Why are you handling your work here, when you have an office?”

As though it was no secret at all, Yeo Sangdo readily told him.

“Because this is the base of my intelligence organization.”

“...”

“The Divine Flame Cult bastards likely think I am lazing around. It is more convenient for me if they think that.”

Mo Yonggun smiled.

“I will be going.”

“Clan Lord Mo Yong.”

“Yes, speak.”

“I pray you fight well.”

“Expect news of victory. Henan Province will soon be cleansed.”

Whoosh!

With those words, Mo Yonggun disappeared.

Yeo Sangdo sighed and sank back against his chair.

“...So there is still a way to survive.”

*****

Mo Yonggun’s claim that he needed time to contact his companions was an outright lie.

For three days, Mo Yonggun watched Yeo Sangdo’s movements. It was because he could not trust him.

Three days later, he left for the Swallow Pavilion that Yeo Sangdo had mentioned.