Chapter 301
The Truth of the Illness (1)
“Has the Lord of the Information Flying Pavilion not arrived yet?”
“No. It seems his conversation with the Director is taking quite a while.”
Maeng Haseong’s eyes deepened.
Seol Ihyeon.
He knew the Director of the Martial God Institute, Seol Ihyeon, quite well.
They were not close, but anyone who had lived through that era of the martial world knew of the Soul-Dark Corps, the strongest and most terrifying military force of its time. Naturally, Seol Ihyeon, one of its core members, was also famous.
The Empress of a Hundred Weapons.
Although she was never counted among the Ten Venerables Under Heaven, she had received the title of Emperor. If she had remained active in the martial world in good health, the Ten Venerables would probably have been called the Eleven Venerables.
To request a private meeting with the Lord of the Information Flying Pavilion at this moment… that means she intends to reveal everything about her condition.
Seol Ihyeon had always been cold and rational.
Because she was rational, her boundaries were clear. Even when dealing with the Alliance Leader himself, she had kept her distance and never tried to get close. In that sense, her personality was remarkably consistent.
He recalled a conversation from the past.
“You seem like a good person.”
“You flatter me.”
“But it does not take much for a person to be consumed by madness and fall. I hope you will continue to protect the clarity of your heart, Alliance Leader.”
Few people would dare say such things to the Alliance Leader.
But Seol Ihyeon had spoken without hesitation, as though there was nothing unusual about it.
Maeng Haseong liked that aspect of her. She was not trying to mock others; she simply spoke sincerely about what she truly believed.
At the same time, she understood that honesty and rudeness were not the same thing.
In other words, if someone failed to meet her standards, she would never allow them close.
And yet, that very woman had immediately agreed to a private meeting with the Lord of the Information Flying Pavilion.
Could it be because of the former Alliance Leader?
That was probably the most likely explanation.
But if that were true, then another question arose.
She must have heard news about Moyong Bi long ago, so why had she never sent anyone before?
Did she not want him to see her illness? With her pride, that would be understandable, but…
The Soul-Dark Corps’ loyalty toward former Alliance Leader Moyong Cheon had been absolute.
He could understand not wanting to show weakness.
But if it concerned the bloodline of their lord, they would have done everything possible to meet him.
Then again… if I think about it that way, why did she never seek out the Moyong family after they were exiled to Hubei?
He simply could not understand what she was thinking.
Maeng Haseong could not help but be wary of Seol Ihyeon.
She might be bedridden now, but her influence remained absolute.
As long as she stayed still, there was no issue. But now that the Martial God Institute had been attacked, a single word from Seol Ihyeon could throw the Martial Alliance into complete chaos.
He had no choice but to remain cautious.
“Alliance Leader. Ho Yeongyeong has arrived at the Law Enforcement Hall.”
Maeng Haseong’s eyes flashed.
“Tell the Hall Master to lock him in the deepest and darkest prison.”
* * *
“Do you resent me?”
If it had been similar to Sujeong’s condition, Moyong Bi would have recognized it immediately.
Seol Ihyeon’s symptoms resembled Severed Meridian Syndrome, but they were far more hidden and bizarre. Even Moyong Bi, already familiar with such illnesses, would have struggled to identify it without directly checking her pulse.
He had been wondering how effective the Primordial Origin Heart Method might be when he heard her question.
Smiling, he replied,
“Me? Resent you?”
“Yes.”
“I should be the one asking that. After all, I spent my days rushing around with little contact, then suddenly died without warning, didn’t I?”
Seol Ihyeon’s face trembled with emotion.
Surprisingly, resentment was clearly visible among those emotions.
“Yes. I resented you, my lord.”
“I am sorry.”
“Why didn’t you tell us you were ill? If we had known, we would have searched the entire Central Plains to find a cure.”
Bitterness appeared on Moyong Bi’s face.
“I didn’t want to burden you all again after you had finally gained peace following that terrible war.”
He was sincere.
No one understood the horrors of war better than he did.
How much bloodshed could destroy a person.
How deeply it could tear apart a human soul.
“We are martial artists.”
“So martial artists aren’t people?”
“The warriors you trained may have suffered, but we are not so weak that seeing blood would corrupt us.”
Moyong Bi shook his head.
“That is excessive confidence. Wasn’t I myself unable to escape the influence of war and driven to madness?”
“That was because of the Thunder Gate Divine Art.”
“On the contrary. Because I possessed the Thunder Gate Divine Art, I was able to preserve myself until the end.”
“…”
“The martial world is a place where blades cross every day. Yet within it there is life. There are small interests, relationships, and righteousness.”
“…”
“Martial arts and righteousness. That is why the martial world exists.”
“…”
“But war is different. War is the most violent form of politics.”
“Even so, we never lost ourselves.”
“You didn’t lose yourselves. You simply accepted your changed selves as normal and lived while clinging to those changes.”
If her eyes had been open, Moyong Bi was certain they would have shaken violently.
“Look at the elders of the Martial Alliance. Were they all evil from the beginning?”
“…”
“No. Some of them were probably good people.”
“…”
“But they became intoxicated by power, abandoned their ideals, and fell into corruption. When you witness countless lives living or dying at a single gesture from your hand, you begin to think you’re something extraordinary.”
Seol Ihyeon wanted to say they were different.
That politics and war were not the same.
But she could not.
Because if someone had asked her the same question, she knew she would have answered exactly as Moyong Bi had.
“They’ve forgotten what they originally wanted. Forgotten their goals.”
“…”
“War is the same. At first, people draw their swords to destroy evil and uphold justice. But as time passes, those original convictions creak like rusted hinges on a city gate.”
“…”
“You and I were no different.”
That was true.
Their hatred of the Sacred Blood Palace had been real.
But as time passed, that hatred grew increasingly extreme.
Anyone who practiced demonic arts became someone who deserved death.
Any group even remotely connected to demonic arts became a target for extermination.
Because that was how they survived.
Not righteousness.
Survival.
That was why everyone gradually became more cruel.
“People often say that powerful masters possess mature minds and are not easily swayed.”
“…”
“What nonsense. Then are all those elders not masters? Were all those who committed war crimes merely third-rate fighters who lacked self-control?”
“…”
“The drop that causes a cup to overflow is always the last drop.”
“…”
“Human madness is the same. When that final drop falls, even a saint can become a demon. That is what war does.”
Moyong Bi sighed.
“How could I send people like you, who risked your lives for the Martial Alliance and innocent people for so many years, back into a place where that final drop might be waiting?”
Tears once more flowed from Seol Ihyeon’s eyes.
“I resent you, my lord.”
“…”
“To me, you were a parent, an elder brother, and family.”
Moyong Bi fell silent.
He had led countless subordinates and treated them sincerely.
But he was only human.
He could not give everyone exactly the same amount of affection.
As a ruler, he believed that was unavoidable.
If such a thing were possible, he never could have remained Alliance Leader.
An unavoidable reality.
No matter how his subordinates saw him, Moyong Cheon had to remain Moyong Cheon.
He could not truly become their parent, brother, sibling, or family.
“Everyone saw me as a woman. No one saw me as a warrior.”
“…”
“Everyone looked at me with hidden intentions and twisted thoughts. Only you saw me as Seol Ihyeon, a human being.”
“…”
“If not for you, I might have wandered the world aimlessly and died a miserable death without ever experiencing the war.”
Moyong Bi smiled bitterly.
“You were never that weak.”
“I was weak. And because I was weak, I resent you. At least for me, you should have hinted that you were ill and might not have long to live.”
“…I am sorry.”
There was nothing else he could say.
Seol Ihyeon let out a frustrated sigh.
These were not words she should be saying to the lord who had returned through an incomprehensible miracle of reincarnation after twenty years.
Yet they were words she could only say because he was her lord.
To her, Moyong Cheon had been both lord and family.
“My lord…”
“That is enough.”
Moyong Bi shook his head.
“Let’s leave the details for later. Didn’t I already say it? I trust you, and I understand you.”
“…”
“You don’t need to prove anything to me. Whether I’m disappointed or grateful, I will understand.”
“…”
“Those things aren’t what matter right now.”
What mattered was reality.
And in that reality, the former Alliance Leader had returned.
That was the meaning of his words.
The painful stories of the past could wait until another day, perhaps over a drink when they finally had the leisure.
“Let’s end our discussion here.”
Moyong Bi’s eyes shone.
“Have you received the report? Do you know who masterminded this assassination attempt?”
“I heard there is no concrete evidence.”
Her voice instantly turned cold.
“Even if it wasn’t them, they’re still bastards who shouldn’t be left alone.”
“What they want is for the Martial God Institute to lose control. This was a move intended to create conflict with the Alliance Headquarters.”
“…How dare they.”
“So? Since things have come to this, would you like to help me prepare a festival?”
A smile appeared on Seol Ihyeon’s face.
“It would be my honor.”
