Chapter 45. Loopholes in Discipline (5)
"Have you become this emaciated in just ten days? Are you not eating?"
"......"
"Well? Seen enough now? Still no answer?"
"......"
"I suppose you have nothing to say."
Kang Yoon's disheveled form behind the iron bars looked pitiful. He wore prisoner's garb with shackles connecting his arms, his unkempt hair devoid of vitality.
Yeon Hojeong, who had been staring intently at Kang Yoon, addressed Beop Ingakju:
"Open this door."
A troubled expression crossed Beop Ingakju's face. "But..."
"Needless worry. I ordered his imprisonment myself - would I release him now? Ah!"
Yeon Hojeong produced a letter from his robes. "I obtained prior approval from the Family Head. Verify it yourself."
After examining the unmistakable seal and handwriting, Beop Ingakju nodded. "Understood. But please remain cautious - prisoners often act unpredictably."
"Ten more like him wouldn't matter."
Clang.
The cell door opened. Kang Yoon showed no reaction even as Yeon Hojeong entered and sat beside him, their shoulders nearly touching.
"Your internal energy's sealed. Must be cold."
"......"
"Pointless question. Are they feeding you properly?"
"...Why did you come?"
"Since when do I need your permission?" Yeon Hojeong leaned against the wall, his tone casual. "Yoo Jiha received discipline too."
"......"
"However idiotic your actions, you were still a commander. While circumstances merit leniency, disobeying orders remains punishable. Six months' demotion and three months' solitary troop management duty."
Managing troops alone was grueling work - the sort that could consume entire days without completion.
"Yet that fool finishes both duties and personal training before sleeping. Barely rests two sizin daily."
"......"
"Who knows how long it'll last, but he seems content for now. Strong bones stay strong. His thirst for growth was always fierce."
"Why tell me this?"
"Figure it out yourself."
"......"
"While I don't know all family laws, I understand sentences vary by motive. Your harsher punishment than Yoo Jiha's wasn't arbitrary."
Kang Yoon's gaze through his matted hair met Yeon Hojeong's.
"Law requires strictness, but excess breeds problems."
"So you reduced my sentence?"
"Don't flatter yourself. My momentary whim. While insubordination demands punishment, complete energy sealing seemed excessive."
A bitter twist played on Kang Yoon's lips - whether smile or sneer remained unclear.
Yeon Hojeong's eyes narrowed. "You're a fool, but at least took pride in Byeoksan Yeonga's Biungdae."
"......!"
"You hated me because acknowledging the Great Lord as trash wounded that pride, didn't you?"
Kang Yoon's eyes widened momentarily before narrowing again.
"Twisted as it is, your loyalty to the family remains."
"How could you...?"
"Must I handle excrement to know shit from clay?" Yeon Hojeong stood abruptly. "Reflect on what truly serves our family."
"...One more question."
"Speak."
"Were others involved... shown similar leniency?"
Cold fury flashed in Yeon Hojeong's eyes. "All executed save two."
"......!!"
"Their crimes were clear. Drunkenness excuses nothing - unjust killing demands death. Burying evidence compounded it. No mercy warranted."
Kang Yoon shuddered, realizing how close he'd come to sharing their fate.
"A crisis may soon strike our family."
Kang Yoon looked up in shock, met by Yeon Hojeong's murderous aura darkening the cell.
"Should it come, prove your loyalty through action. Train even with sealed energy - don't fall behind your former subordinate."
"Brother."
"Oh? Waiting for me?"
Yeon Ji-pyeong smiled awkwardly. "You said we'd visit Father today?"
"Ah! Did I?"
"By heaven! You forgot again?"
"Much occupies my mind lately."
"Utterly inconsiderate!"
"You rascal."
Yeon Hojeong roughly tousled his brother's hair, eliciting indignant squawks.
"Let's go get scolded then."
Four days passed.
Yeon Hojeong's regimen intensified further - reduced sleep, doubled meals, training pushed beyond previous limits. Even with past life memories, growth demanded relentless effort.
By noon that day, his mastery of Byeokrajin'gyeol reached 60% completion. Though failing to summon the White Tiger, his current prowess already earned him recognition as a formidable martial artist.
At midday, an expected visitor arrived.
"Thief! You better have food prepared!"
Yeon Hojeong grinned wolfishly. "Leave a single grain uneaten, and you'll lick the bowls clean."
"Progress report."
"Nearly complete. The workers push their final efforts."
"Timeline?"
"Observing the thermal currents in the passageway - five days remaining."
"Good."
The elderly woman in resplendent robes trimmed flower branches with her shears. "Bury the workers after completion."
"Understood."
Both the nonchalant order and immediate acceptance carried equal chill.
Excitement colored the elder's voice. "At last we'll obtain our ancestors' legacy. Twelve years wasn't excessive."
"With this confirmed opportunity, we could surpass Shaolin within a generation."
"A generation? If the ancestors' words hold truth, mere years might suffice."
"Wouldn't that be splendid?" Elder Myeongcheon stretched. "Any word from the Moyong?"
"None yet. The Moyong faction faces their own difficulties."
Tsking, Myeongcheon complained: "Fools. What hesitation delays their answer?"
"They likely fear betrayal from Byeoksan Yeonga. Their foundation remains weak despite brief history."
"Precisely why they're incompetent! Like giving divine swords to butchers. Contact them again - refusal means abandonment."
"But Elder-"
"What choice remains? We tolerated their insolence to maintain appearances, but persistent defiance demands correction."
The middle-aged man hesitated. "If eliminating Yeonga, thorough preparation-"
"Naturally. Though incompetent, they retain some public favor."
"The current Yeonga Lord's martial arts are exceptional. His sword technique supposedly parts waves. Some say he might join the Sacred Heavenly Thirteen Seats within a decade."
Myeongcheon's eyes turned glacial at the mention of the Thirteen Seats - contemporary martial world's pinnacle.
People claimed the martial world's golden age ended three centuries past during the Blood Sect Rebellion, when ten peerless experts emerged simultaneously. Now new legends arose - ten Divine Monarchs and Three Sovereigns comprising the Thirteen Seats.
Yet the prestigious Myeong Family, despite their "World's Best" title, lacked any Seat holder.
'If Father had lived...'
The Myeong bloodline carried short lifespans - not from illness or qi deviation, but their incomplete martial arts requiring life force expenditure. Though integrating foreign techniques brought power, longevity remained elusive.
'But soon...'
Three centuries prior, one figure surpassed all others - the Yellow Dragon Emperor, peerless across history. The Myeong ancestors who helped defeat the Blood Sect had received fragments of his teachings, propelling their rise.
Twelve years prior, Myeongcheon discovered their progenitor's testament.
"Shall we test it?"
"Hm?"
Malice twisted Myeongcheon's features. "After reclaiming our heritage, what better way to gauge its power than against Yeonga?"
