200

Chapter 200 - The Battle for Leadership - 4

"Did you truly covet the position of clan leader so much?"

Mo Yong Sang Ah had guessed the reason why her father fell, but upon hearing the damning evidence of her brother's unfilial conduct directly, she was at a loss for words.

"Can you not concoct an antidote yourself?"

The leader of Changbong, seeing their lord silent and shocked, glanced at her and instead asked the physician.

"I pride myself on my knowledge of poisons too. However, in the case of this poison, rash attempts at a cure could worsen the patient's condition. It'd be best if a physician more skilled than myself, one well-versed in this particular venom, undertook the treatment."

"If those are the words of a former imperial physician, then there must be no error."

Upon hearing Mo Yong Sang Ah, who had recovered from the initial shock, speak with confidence, the physician continued with an apologetic look.

"In the central plains, if there's research about poisons, none would rival the Sacheon Dang household. Though I'm not well-versed in the affairs of the pugilistic world, I understand the Mo Yong clan is considered a martial family like the Sacheon Dang. If there's goodwill between you, inviting someone capable of neutralizing the poison would not be unreasonable."

"Sacheon Dang..."

Much to the physician's surprise, hesitation laced Mo Yong Sang Ah's voice.

"Why not send someone to the Sacheon Dang as the physician suggests?"

"To do that, we must reveal that father has been poisoned by..."

Mo Yong Sang Ah stopped mid-sentence and looked cautiously at the physician.

This was a matter within the clan. If the outsider physician came to know of it, the information might be divulged to others. It was a gaze filled with apprehension.

"Those who have served as physicians in the imperial court know how to forget all that they've seen, heard, and said about a patient and their family upon leaving the room."

Could the imperial court, renowned for its intrigues and secrets, be outdone?

Mo Yong Sang Ah decided to trust the physician who, having come just to visit the patient, seemed indifferent to the events unfolding within the Mo Yong household.

"We must disclose the poisoning to the Sacheon Dang, but even inquiring as to why would be troublesome. And whether they'd be willing to help is also questionable."

If details about the Demon Cult were to leak to Sacheon Dang... Mo Yong Sang Ah did not wish for any internal affair of the clan to seep out.

The Mo Yong clan's collaboration with the Demon Cult was not just an aberration of a few.

The deputy clan head had conspired with the Demon Cult, individuals from the Cult had infiltrated the clan, and the clan members were, knowingly or unknowingly, tiptoeing into the Cult's schemes.

Besides, the Mo Yong clan is no Sacheon Dang.

They were not the leading martial family proclaimed by the Nine Great Schools of Sichuan Province, but merely a family in the fringes of the central plains in Liaodong Province, barely claiming regional prominence.

Should the Mo Yong clan's collaboration with the Demon Cult become public knowledge in the martial world, the fate that awaited them would be that of clan extermination.

Mo Yong Bi, who did not wish to take control of a ruined Mo Yong clan that Mo Yong Sang Ah had reduced to shambles with spectacular defeat.

Mo Yong Bi, the manipulator, and Mo Yong Sang Ah, who did not want to expose the situation and risk clan extermination.

The oddly entwined power struggle between the siblings was happening for such reasons.

"The current head of the Sacheon Dang, Master Dang Baekho, is famous across the central plains beyond Sichuan Province as a paragon of chivalry. While explaining the situation, we will have to be selective with our information, but surely he will help us."

"..."

Could he truly offer assistance without delving into reasons? Mo Yong Sang Ah was well aware of Dang Baekho's reputation, yet she found it difficult to assent readily.

"Even if we send someone to Sacheon Dang now, it will take more than a year and a half to escort the guest back. For the clan leader's sake, a swift decision is advisable."

The location of the Mo Yong clan in Liaodong Province was just north of the Korean Peninsula. In contrast, the Sacheon Dang was situated at the westernmost tip of the central plains.

Even with a forced march, it was a round-trip journey of over a year. Furthermore, requesting someone to save the clan leader's life was not as simple as borrowing a tool from a neighbor.

If we were to dispatch a suitably official invitation and then bring them back, the time frame of a year and a half might even seem short.

Should she risk it and send someone to Sacheon Dang? Mo Yong Sang Ah couldn't easily come to a decision amidst her contemplation.

一 Survive and reclaim the Mo Yong clan.

What ended her uncertainty were the permanently embedded words of her respected senior in her heart, like a persistent anchor.

He had laid down his life for her, for what reason should she hesitate in the face of such risk?

"Can father survive for a year and a half?"

After much deliberation, Mo Yong Sang Ah finally asked the physician.

"Do not worry. While the poison cannot be cured, symptomatic treatment can maintain his current state. Furthermore, we can use the exceedingly precious ginseng from Joseon as if it were licorice. He will certainly be able to hold on even beyond that time."

"I understand. Then let us prepare an invitation delegation at Changbong Hall and send them to Sacheon Dang."

"You've made a good decision. Miss!"

--------------------

A few days after deciding to secretly form an invitation delegation for Sacheon Dang.

The leader of Changbong visited Mo Yong Sang Ah to deliver significant news.

"The Council of Elders has been convened. They have called for you, the one who ordered the assembly, to attend."

"The gathering convenes rather promptly. How's the preparation for the delegation coming along?"

"It's nearly complete. I've arranged for trustworthy individuals from Changbong Hall, equipped with the finest ginseng and gifts, to be included in the delegation, so we can expect good news."

"You've done well. Let us go to the Council of Elders."

Mo Yong Sang Ah hastened towards the assembly of the Council of Elders.

'Detestable old men.'

Mo Yong Sang Ah looked around at the gathering of the Council of Elders, masking her rising disgust with an impassive face.

In their midst sat the full council and her brother, who looked upon her with displeasure.

Mo Yong Bi couldn't help but feel discontented. After all, Mo Yong Sang Ah had substantially empowered the Council of Elders to weaken her brother's authority.

Traditionally, the Mo Yong clan's major decisions were made by the deputy clan head Mo Yong Bi, with the Council of Elders merely providing advisory input.

Mo Yong Sang Ah had successfully played to their greed by showering the Council with money and a taste for power.

The current Council of Elders had become nothing more than greedy swines, eager for the scraps fallen from the spat between the two siblings.

"Mo Yong Sang Ah. What is the reason behind your summoning of the Council of Elders?"

The Chairman of the Council of Elders asked Mo Yong Sang Ah about the reason for convening the meeting.

After looking around, Mo Yong Sang Ah confirmed that all eyes were on her, and she opened her mouth to explain the purpose of the assembly.

"It is to seek permission to explore the Seongmuseogo."

"The Seongmuseogo?"

"Are you talking about the lost martial arts archive, the Seongmuseogo?"

"What sort of nonsense is this?"

The Seongmuseogo.

Mo Yong Sang Ah's remark inevitably caused the hall of the Council of Elders to become noisy in an instant.

The Mo Yong clan, with more than a millennia of history, starting from the Yeon Dynasty's imperial court, once claimed such influence it was known as the greatest clan under heaven.

Seongmuseogo was rumored among enthusiasts to house all the martial arts of the central plains or to contain techniques that could neutralize any martial art.

Regardless of the veracity, during the time when they were considered the most prestigious clan under heaven, the martial arts archive that was the essence of the Mo Yong clan was Seongmuseogo.

However, the Seongmuseogo also marked the beginning of the clan's decline.

"Are you unaware that even the past clan leaders sought the Seongmuseogo but found no clue?"

Long ago, the Mo Yong clan suffered an unexpected tragedy, losing both the clan leader and the deputy clan leader. The hidden location of Seongmuseogo was also lost forever.

"It's not that they didn't find a clue. It's just that the scope was too vast."

Mo Yong Sang Ah corrected the Chairman of the Council of Elders' statement.

"For generations, we used that clue to search for the Seongmuseogo, but no one succeeded. As a result, the Mo Yong clan squandered massive amounts of resources and manpower, leading from martial world preeminence to decline—are you ignorant of this?"

The loss of the Seongmuseogo didn't simply mean the loss of one martial arts archive.

Numerous unparalleled techniques proudly upheld by the clan were gone, and with continued search efforts, the clan's fortunes declined.

"I am aware of that."

"And even five years ago, the hall that held the Seongmuseogo clues and investigation records was burned down."

"I am aware of that as well."

"If you're considering starting the search for Seongmuseogo from scratch, you'll need endless spending."

"I possess a bottomless supply of funds."

"..."

Everyone in the Council of Elders was silenced by Mo Yong Sang Ah's confident assertion.

"Even if you could find the Seongmuseogo, only the clan leader and the deputy clan leader of the Mo Yong clan are allowed entry."

Mo Yong Sang Ah was reminded by the Council of a crucial fact: she was not eligible.

"To be precise, only those who have mastered their lineage's martial arts can enter."

She stated this fact calmly, facing the Chairman of the Council of Elders.

"Do you claim to have reached that mastery at the tender age of twenty?"

"..."

Mo Yong Sang Ah stood proudly and nodded her head.

"No, that's impossible."

"Don't lie! There has never been anyone who achieved such a feat at that age!"

"Not even the esteemed past clan leaders managed it."

"If you wish, I can demonstrate it."

Casually, she released the energy hidden within her body.

The entire Council of Elders was instantly enveloped in astonishment.

"Is this truly possible?"

"What kind of inconceivable talent is this?!"

一 Clap, clap, clap.

The sound of clapping coming from Mo Yong Bi calmed the restless Council of Elders.

"Our little sister is quite astute. If you find the Seongmuseogo, you could learn the martial arts our ancestors mastered and gain legitimacy as the deputy clan leader. Isn't that what you're implying?"

The deputy clan leader's position is supposed to be decided by the clan leader. However, Mo Yong Bi had assumed the position by taking advantage of the clan leader's comatose state.

If Mo Yong Sang Ah were to enter the Seongmuseogo, she would gain an overwhelming rationale for becoming the deputy clan leader—a fact understood by all present.

"That is indeed my plan."

She would find the Seongmuseogo and secure her claim. Even if rejected, she would find it.

Mo Yong Sang Ah's voice was filled with resoluteness.

"Very well. Proceed as you wish."

"Deputy clan leader!"

"The Seongmuseogo. It was a wish of our ancestors that never materialized, and even the records have been lost. If my sister aims to find the archive with her boundless wealth, how can I, now the deputy, refuse her?"

"But, deputy clan leader!"

"The search for the Seongmuseogo is a task of the Mo Yong clan. Only by finding the lost martial arts can we restore our former glory. If our sister toils for a lifetime, how do we know whether my children or grandchildren might find it? Give the order."

Mo Yong Bi looked at Mo Yong Sang Ah, unable to hide his sneer.

'Foolish girl. You're making a desperate move at the end of a long game.'

Mo Yong Bi knew something. That the fire in the hall five years ago was father's doing. He did not want the family's resources wasted on the futile Seongmuseogo any longer.

Searching for the Seongmuseogo was like looking for a needle in a vast desert.

To start again a process that once nearly bankrupted the family with significant asset depletion. How could he not welcome his sister's overplay?

"Fine. You have my permission to search for the Seongmuseogo."

With even the principal opposing force, the Deputy clan leader in favor, the Council of Elders had no reason to refuse.

"Little sister."

Mo Yong Bi called out to his expressionless sister.

"Yes. Deputy clan leader."

"From now on, the search for the Seongmuseogo is your task. Once begun, I will not permit you to stop. If you abandon it frivolously, I will have you expelled from the clan."

Keep squandering your assets. In the end, your fate will be destruction.

Mo Yong Bi could not hide his delight, picturing her as a footnote in the clan's history, destined to fade away.

"As you wish."

Having achieved her intention, Mo Yong Sang Ah turned to leave.

-------

"Miss. Why did you make such a decision?!"

Upon returning together, the leader of Changbong asked her with palpable shock in his voice.

"It's all as expected."

"What?"

"Brother must have known that father burned down the hall five years ago. By permitting the search for Seongmuseogo, he thinks my wealth will be exhausted. That's why he agreed."

"Then all the more you should not have agreed to it."

"There's one thing that my brother doesn't know. The hall burned down, but the records did not."

"What do you mean?"

"It's all here, in my head. All the records of the Seongmuseogo shown to me by father when I was young."

Tapping her temple with a finger, Mo Yong Sang Ah reminisced about her childhood. The stories of her ancestors' quest to find the lost martial arts archive of the Mo Yong clan were too enchanting for the young Mo Yong Sang Ah to resist.

"Indeed."

"This is the worth of the life bestowed upon me by my respectful senior. I have no intention of wasting even a single penny."

The search would require a continual investment of funds, but she knew it would not be endless.

The moment she discovered the Seongmuseogo and entered it.

No one could deny her legitimacy.

Only then did Mo Yong Sang Ah allow a silent smile of victory to spread across her previously impassive face.

--------------

As the day unfolded with the preparations for the secret envoy to Sacheon Dang and the formation of the Seongmuseogo search team.

"Miss. Vital news has arrived from Joseon."

Important news reached Mo Yong Sang Ah at Changbong Hall, news she had been awaiting.