Chapter 67. There is a counterpart, but no absolute (2)

"Hmm."

Moyong Jun gazed out the window.

The sunset was setting.

"It's already getting dark."

Moyong Yanhua frowned. Having been cooped up in the room all day, her body felt stiff.

"What do you think happened?"

"Who knows."

It had been a day since they had been stuck in one place, so it was understandable that Moyong Yanhua would ask such a pointless question. After all, they had never just waited for news without doing anything, which made her feel restless.

Moyong Yanhua sighed.

"I wish he were alive."

Moyong Jun chuckled.

"Of course he should be. Otherwise, wouldn't all the effort to come to Henan be in vain?"

"That's true, but I really want to have a good fight with him."

Moyong Jun said with a sly smile.

"But wasn't he almost your husband at one point?"

He was referring to when he had proposed a business deal to Lian.

Moyong Yanhua shrugged.

"But it didn't work out, did it?"

Moyong Jun smiled.

Although she seemed a bit bored, that was all. Her daughter still maintained a calm demeanor.

Moyong Yanhua didn't need to be told not to go out, as she hadn't taken a single step outside the lodging.

She thought there was no point in distracting the Open Sect with unnecessary movements. In a situation where they might still ally or clash, rash actions were absolutely forbidden.

Even in the smallest matters, she could think of the greater good. This was why Moyong Jun favored Moyong Yanhua.

"Since it's getting dark, let's have dinner."

"Sure."

Moyong Jun reached for the string hanging in the air. Pulling it would ring a bell, and soon a waiter would come.

Just as he was about to pull the string,

"..."

Moyong Jun's eyes lit up.

Moyong Yanhua tilted her head.

"Why, Father?"

"It's the smell of blood."

"Huh?"

Moyong Jun, letting go of the string, looked out the window again.

A message reached his ears.

[Lian Gong has arrived.]

"Wh-what?"

Surprise flickered across Moyong Jun's face.

'So soon?'

No, did he survive the Blue Wolf Demons' attack? How?

"Father?"

"He's coming."

"Huh?"

"Lian Hozheng is coming."

Moyong Yanhua involuntarily opened her mouth.

"He repelled the Blue Wolf Demons?"

Moyong Jun didn't answer.

He thought it was natural that Lian Hozheng had repelled them. He wouldn't have come if he hadn't swept them all away.

At the same time, he thought it was impossible.

'He said he encountered them at noon today, right?'

Once the Blue Wolf Demons set their sights on a target and started moving, it would take at least three to five days. They would tire out their target and strike at the decisive moment.

It was a true wolf's nature. Strong wolves would chase their prey until it collapsed from exhaustion before completing the hunt.

And yet, he had swept them all away in half a day? Alone?

'It's impossible.'

It couldn't be.

Even if Lian Hozheng had pushed the Blue Wolf Demons back alone, the remaining ones would have fled to hide. Catching and killing them one by one would not be an easy task.

'Did the Open Sect help? No way? If they knew about the Ming Family's strength, they wouldn't easily get involved.'

At that moment,

Whoosh.

Moyong Jun felt the smell of blood intensify.

Thud. Thud.

The knocking on the door was quite rough.

Moyong Jun said calmly.

"Come in."

Creak.

The door opened, and a young man entered.

He was tall and slender, with somewhat sharp eyes, but he was very handsome.

Thud!

The floor shook.

The young man, who had placed a large axe next to the door, panted heavily.

"Excuse me."

The young man was drenched in blood.

His clothes were torn and had holes in places, and his exposed skin was stained with blood. A trail of blood ran from his forehead, down his jawline, and to his neck, still not dried.

He was covered in wounds, and his breathing was heavy. He looked like a general who had just emerged from a chaotic battle.

"Are you the eldest son of the Lian Family?"

"Are you the head of the Moyong Family?"

"Yes."

"Yes."

The young man, Lian Hozheng, his eyes sparkled.

'Moyong Jun.'

Though he looked at him with surprise, his expression remained calm and composed.

A fierce ambition that could burn the sky was hidden in his clear eyes. His thick lips, hidden by a well-groomed beard, were firmly closed, and his square jaw exuded determination.

'...'

His fists clenched involuntarily.

If that half-gray hair and black beard were completely white,

If his perfectly structured bones were slightly smaller, but with a deeper gaze and a more composed expression,

If he wore a white martial robe and a long cloak instead of luxurious silk,

'He's the same.'

Moyong Jun, the martial arts alliance leader revered as a sword deity.

He was the same as when they met as the Black Emperor of the Black Dark City. Despite the difference in appearance, that unique, flawless aura was unmistakably Moyong Jun's.

Lian Hozheng took a deep breath.

Seeing this man in person made his feelings complicated. In reality, he was closer to disliking Moyong Jun than liking him.

Moreover, he was the one who had ordered Tang Guan to kill him at the end of his life.

'Who will stop you if I die? The current righteous martial world... cannot stop the Black Dark City.'

'I will apologize in the afterlife. Let's go together.'

Though it was a precarious alliance, they were comrades. He had died betrayed by a comrade. Naturally, his feelings towards Moyong Jun were not good.

However,

'...'

The coldness in Lian Hozheng's eyes gradually faded as he looked at Moyong Jun.

"I am Lian Hozheng of the Jiangsu Bishan Lian Family."

He bowed respectfully.

"I greet the head of the Moyong Family."

Moyong Jun's eyes lit up.

He saw an indescribable emotion in Lian Hozheng's eyes when he saw him. It seemed to be both hatred and nostalgia.

'What is it?'

An incomprehensible emotion.

He had planted spies to destroy the family, so he could be angry. But what was the nostalgia behind the hatred?

"I am the one responsible for the Moyong Family."

Moyong Jun smiled.

"I see the famous Wild Wind Lion here."

"Hmm."

Moyong Jun stood up and reached for a large table on one side.

"Sit over there."

"Sure."

Lian Hozheng sat down.

Despite his injuries and fatigue, his gait was steady. Moyong Jun was impressed by Lian Hozheng's resilience.

"Shouldn't you get treated? Your injuries look quite severe."

"I'm fine."

He had received countless injuries like this. He had fought day and night with worse injuries countless times.

Lian Hozheng smiled.

"By the way, do you have any alcohol?"

"Alcohol? Is that body okay with it?"

"I'm fine."

"Hehe."

Moyong Jun gave Moyong Yanhua a nod.

Moyong Yanhua pulled the string in the air. A short while later, when the waiter arrived, Moyong Yanhua ordered food and alcohol.

Moyong Jun sat opposite Lian Hozheng.

"I didn't expect to meet the eldest son of the Lian Family in this matter."

Moyong Jun pointed to Moyong Yanhua.

"You might have met at the young talent gathering. This is my daughter, Yanhua."

Moyong Yanhua smiled and greeted him.

"I'm Moyong Yanhua. It's nice to meet you sooner than expected."

Lian Hozheng, who had been quietly observing Moyong Yanhua, nodded once.

He had come to see Moyong Jun, not Moyong Yanhua. Moreover, he was busy managing his complex feelings towards Moyong Jun.

Moyong Yanhua's expression changed slightly.

Moyong Jun burst out laughing.

"He's a man of few words."

"He's just awkward talking to women. Please understand."

"Is he shy? That's surprising."

Lian Hozheng chuckled.

Moyong Jun's eyes became peculiar. He was smiling softly, but his eyes were sharp, probing his opponent.

'Impressive.'

He could see Lian Hozheng's strength at a glance.

Lian Hozheng was strong. His internal energy and aura were far beyond what a young talent should have.

'No, it's not just that.'

His internal energy was impressive, but the person himself was strong.

An unbreakable strength, a steel among steels refined by a world-renowned general. Moyong Jun could see the shadow of a divine weapon, something he had never seen before, in Lian Hozheng's cold aura.

Moyong Jun's mouth opened involuntarily.

"Did you repel all the Blue Wolf Demons from the Ming Family?"

"Do you call them Blue Wolf Demons?"

"Didn't you know who they were?"

"I only knew they were sent by the Ming Family."

"Hehe! What a bold man."

Moyong Jun asked in a meaningful tone.

"So, did you catch them all?"

Lian Hozheng shook his head.

Moyong Yanhua, as if she had expected it, slightly raised the corners of her mouth.

Moyong Jun tilted his head.

"From the way you looked, I thought you had wiped them all out, but that's not the case?"

"Out of seventy, I caught sixty-eight and sent the remaining two back to the Ming Family with one arm each."

"..."

"Wouldn't the head of the Ming Family have a good show to watch?"

Moyong Jun's face hardened.

Moyong Yanhua said in disbelief.

"Lian Gong, if you're lying out of pride..."

Moyong Jun raised his hand, and Moyong Yanhua's mouth closed automatically.

After a long time, Moyong Jun, who had been examining Lian Hozheng's face, spoke.

"Did you deliberately intend to anger the head of the Ming Family?"

"Yes."

"I must tell you, that was a bad move."

Moyong Yanhua was inwardly speechless.

Like Moyong Jun, she could read Lian Hozheng's aura. But what she read was only his abundant internal energy and well-structured aura, nothing more.

An unfinished vessel. She couldn't see what her father, Moyong Jun, saw.

Lian Hozheng tilted his head.

"Why do you think so?"

"If you had wiped them out without anyone knowing, the head of the Ming Family would have been more cautious from now on."

"True."

"You should have struck when he was being cautious. Angering him unnecessarily could turn Henan into a fiery hell."

Lian Hozheng admitted it frankly.

"That could happen."

"Hehe, are you joking with me now?"

"Did you receive my letter well?"

"..."

"Since you received it, you must be here now. Then I ask you, no matter how rude and arrogant a person is, what made you send such a letter to the head of the family?"

Moyong Jun's eyes sparkled.

"You had some confidence, didn't you?"

Lian Hozheng took out a letter from his robe. The letter, soaked in his own blood, looked eerie.

"What is this?"

"Open it and see."

Moyong Jun felt an inexplicable unease.

He slowly opened the letter.

"Shaolin?!"

Lian Hozheng smiled meaningfully.

"I believe without a doubt that you have a decisive move to bring down the Ming Family."

"..."

"To make that move work, don't you need a buffer to check the Ming Family? I'm trying to summon a reliable force to do that. How does that sound? Does my plan appeal to you?"