Chapter 4: Chapter 892: It Is Better to Die Than Not to Possess It (Part 2)
[fixed]
The faces of those gathered in the hall froze in what seemed like shock.
Hong Daegwang, who noticed their unusual expressions, was momentarily taken aback and soon realized something that left him gaping in disbelief.
In reality, those in Bongmun didn't completely shut themselves off from the outside world just because they were training, or, more accurately, they couldn't.
After all, they would eventually have to open the doors they closed, so how could they completely turn their backs and deafen their ears? Therefore, it was common for them to secretly gather information about the outside world while focusing on their training.
However, the disciples of Mount Hua were all reacting as if it was the first time hearing the news.
'They really had nothing else on their minds.'
It seemed like they really had isolated themselves in the mountains, training to death regardless of what was happening in the outside world.
This made Hong Daegwang appreciate anew just how remarkable the marten had been. If it weren't for the marten, wouldn't they have been swinging their swords blindly as Xi'an collapsed?
Additionally, this highlighted how helpless Mount Hua was.
"In any case..."
Hong Daegwang scratched his head.
"Gangnam is basically done for, and now, the Evil Sect members from Gangbuk are crossing the Yangtze River and are gathering under the Evil Tyrant Alliance."
Hyun Jong's expression grew somber.
The word "gathering" seemed to weigh heavily on him.
"In the end, that's what happened."
It was an expected outcome, but there was no satisfaction in seeing the prediction come true.
"So, should we consider the Evil Tyrant Alliance stabilized then?"
Jo Gol asked, and Hong Daegwang hesitated.
"Well, I'm not sure how to answer that question."
"What do you mean?"
Hong Daegwang cleared his throat and then spoke.
"It's a bit more complicated than it appears on the surface. From an external perspective, it seems like the Evil Tyrant Alliance has become a united front. There are no longer any factions in Gangnam opposing them, and, moreover, even the Gangbuk's forces have crossed the Yangtze River to gather under the Evil Tyrant Alliance's banner."
"That's right."
"The issue lies in what comes next."
"Huh?"
As Jo Gol looked puzzled, and Chung Myung asked in a grumbling tone.
"What do you do after a hunt is over?"
"Throw a feast? Cook some dogs?"
Chung Myung opened his eyes wide and stared at Jo Gol.
"No... when the hunt is over, you distribute what you've hunted. Why would you cook a perfectly healthy dog? Are you crazy? Isn't it pitiful?"
Jo Gol looked at Chung Myung, then around at the fellow disciples. Warm-hearted compliments rained down on him.
"You scoundrel."
"Disgusting."
"Destroyer of humanity."
"..."
Jo Gol, who had become an irredeemable piece of trash in an instant, leaned against the wall with a despondent face, muttering to himself. Ignoring Jo Gol's mumbling, Chung Myung continued speaking.
"Now that they've grown big enough, they probably want to start dividing up the spoils. Even if others don't know, the leaders of the Four Great Evils aren't the type who will bow their heads meekly under Jang Ilso's authority."
"Even the Beggar's Union thinks that way."
Hong Daegwang nodded in agreement with Chung Myung's statement.
"They've been excessively quiet. Strangely so. They're not the most docile individuals. No matter how much the leader is Jang Ilso, this is too much."
At that moment, Baek Cheon, looking puzzled, asked.
"May I ask a question?"
"Whatever you like."
"If you think about it, isn't it strange that this issue is happening now?"
"Hmm? What do you mean by that?"
Baek Cheon looked at Hong Daekwang and spoke with a clear voice.
"Since the Evil Sect has unified Gangnam, a war with the Ten Great Sects in Gangbuk is inevitable."
"That's true."
"But wouldn't it make it difficult for them if they created internal divisions before the war? Even if they have ulterior motives, wouldn't it be more reasonable to create problems after unifying Gangbuk? If they cause internal strife for no reason and end up losing, everything will be lost."
Hong Daekwang nodded as if he agreed with the sound logic.
"You seem to have quite a good judgment."
"...You're too kind."
"It's a valid point. It's reasonable, provided you don't overlook one factor."
"What factor would that be?"
"Paegun."
"..."
Baek Cheon's face naturally stiffened as he thought of Jang Ilso.
"For the past three years, Paegun has perfectly established his position as the leader of the Evil Sects. If you look at it closely, it's no exaggeration to say that even the forces rallying under the Evil Tyrant Alliance now, in reality, are subservient to Jang Ilso."
"Are you saying he has become strong enough to subdue the other Four Evil's sects?"
"If that's the case, no internal strife may not be possible. But think about it. If a great war that determines the fate of Gangbuk and Gangnam takes place, and Jang Ilso leads the Evil Sect to victory as its leader?"
"Ah..."
Baek Cheon nodded his head as if he understood what was being implied.
Certainly, in that case, it would become extremely difficult to challenge Jang Ilso's authority again.
"I understand. So if the issue arises, it might actually..."
"That's right. We're talking about right now."
Hong Daekwang muttered with a stern face.
"The phrase 'the calm before the storm' is probably used in times like this. A war could break out tomorrow, and it wouldn't be strange. It wouldn't be strange if the war erupted anywhere."
Hyun Jong, who had been quietly listening, groaned softly and asked.
"What about the Ten Great Sects? They must be aware of this fact as well."
"Of course, the leaders of the Ten Great Sects must be aware of this fact. But right now, the Ten Great Sects are in a situation where they're just trying to manage the chaos. Especially as Hanam is preoccupied with filling the void left by the Wudang and Namgung..."
"Hanam?"
"..."
Hong Daekwang closed his mouth and turned his head slowly.
The voice, which he had heard many times before, filled him with a sense of foreboding. To make matters worse, Chung Myung had opened his eyes wide and was looking at him.
"Where?"
"…Did I say something wrong?"
"No, where did you say?"
"I mentioned Hanam."
"Oh, Hanam?"
Chung Myung laughed brightly.
"Shaolin is in Hanam?"
"Of course, Shaolin is in Hanam. Song Mountain is in Hanam..."
"They're not by the Yangtze River?"
"..."
Hong Daekwang fell silent.
In fact, the responsibility for guarding the unpredictable Yangtze River mouth, where the Evil Tyrant Alliance might push in at any moment, belonged to the Ten Great Sects. Initially, the Yangtze River Disaster and Gangnam Non-Aggression Treaty was a mess created by Wudang. But now, due to the lack of resources, the Ten Great Sects had withdrawn from the Yangtze River, leaving only the struggling Tang Family to manage the river.
However, when Chung Myung poked into that part, Hong Daekwang, a member of the same Ten Great Sects, couldn't help but appear uneasy.
"Th-that's right. Right now, in Hanam."
However, no matter how you looked at it, in Hong Daekwang's eyes, Chung Myung's attitude was somewhat offensive.
"In Hanam."
"...Uh, yeah. In Hanam..."
"But they were sucking their fingers and watching as those Evil Sect bastards invaded here?"
"...."
Hong Daekwang closed his mouth.
It felt like a carriage suddenly swerved in his direction and crashed into him head-on.
"So, even though they weren't at the distant Yangtze River but in a neighboring province, when those Evil Sect bastards set fire to the Shaanxi and started plowing the field, those guys just kept chanting and praying without paying heed?"
"That... They were already stretched thin, and..."
"Did those beggar bastards playing around also wander around Hubei begging for alms?" [not sure]
"...."
"...Ha..."
"...Ha-ha..."
"...Ha-ha-ha."
Chung Myung laughed heartily. But it wasn't genuine laughter. The blue veins on Chung Myung's forehead were clearly visible.
"Has this bastard gone mad!?"
Chung Myung suddenly got up from his seat.
In response, the Five Swords, who had sensed something was amiss, leaped up and grabbed him like lightning.
"Uh, Where are you going?"
"Where am I going? I have to go to the Shaolin!"
"And what are you supposed to do at the Shaolin?"
"Do I need to explain? You crazy bastard! No matter what! Fooling around with people's lives? If the Bodhisattva Guanyin saw this, she'd break his head with the lotus she was holding right there! Since Bodhisattva Guanyin can't do it herself, I'll have to do it for her!"
"Oh, no, even if you say that, he's Shaolin's Bangjang..." [Bangjang = sect leader, used for Beopjeong]
"Bangjang? Was the Shaolin Bangjang born with a steel helmet? As long as you hit him, his head will break!"
"Hey, you rascal! Calm down!"
It was at that moment that Baek Cheon pressed down Chung Myung in anger.
"This... is outrageous!"
Suddenly, an angry voice was heard, and all of the Five Swords slowly turned around. A man was trembling with a face full of anger.
Of course, there was plenty of anger in the situation. As Hong Daekwang explained, it was a clear fact that Shaolin had pretended not to know about Shaanxi.
No matter how strained they were, if Shaolin had moved, Galcheonrip would not have been able to reach Shaanxi.
So, of course this was something to be angry about, and there was nothing to say even if you poured out double insults. If only the head of the person spouting the curse words from his mouth wasn't dazzlingly shining.
"So Shaolin didn't send any help to Shaanxi? What kind of insane thing is that?"
"...Well, Sunim...? Insane, you say. But he's still the Bangjang." [Sunim = monk-nim]
Moreover, you belong to Shaolin.
Because you've been wearing the Mount Hua robe for too long, there seems to be some confusion and misunderstanding...
But Hye Yeon's face was full of anger. A face that didn't usually show anger was horribly distorted.
"How can a temple that should rescue living beings turn away suffering people! This is seriously wrong! I need to talk to Bangjang right away..."
"Oi, you bastard!"
At that moment, Chung Myung shook off Baek Cheon and rushed to Hye Yeon, delivering a flying kick.
Chung Myung, who forcefully kicked Hye Yeon like a ball, rolled him against the wall, then flipped his eyes before throwing a barrage of punches.
"Is this guy is acting like he's innocent? Hey, you! Are you not from Shaolin?"
"Ah! Agh! Please! I haven't set foot in Shaolin for several years... Agh!"
Hye Yeon desperately protested, but if there was someone who wouldn't listen, it was Chung Myung.
"Once you're in Shaolin, you're Shaolin forever, you bastard! And you used to say we were evil before when you were blabbering nonsense at the martial arts competition? Evil? You, you! Say it again! What? Evil?" [not sure lol]
"Ah! When was that, exactly? Agh!"
As everyone watched Chung Myung enthusiastically berate Hye Yeon, they all shivered.
'That damn bastard.'
'He remembers that?'
'Persistent.'
"Anyway, these bastards!"
After venting his frustration on Hye Yeon, Chung Myung began to approach Hong Daekwang, rolling up his sleeves.
Hong Daekwang's face paled.
'Am I going to get beaten up too?'
Although Hye Yeon was a member of Shaolin, he hadn't been in Shaolin for several years, so there was no reason for him to be beaten up like this. Fortunately, Chung Myung seemed to have no intention of beating Hong Daekwang and sat down in front of him.
"You're doing all sorts of nonsense."
The scolding was loud and clear.
The Evil Tyrant Alliance was running amok, and the disciples of the Ten Great Sects were rolling their eyes in the middle of it all.
"I didn't expect anything from the beginning. Stupid bastards."
As Chung Myung's sharp gaze turned towards him, Hong Daekwang flinched.
"So, where is the Tang Family now?"
"Well, the Tang Family is currently guarding the Yangtze River..."
"Yangtze River?"
"...."
Hong Daekwang seemed to have nothing to say and remained silent. Chung Myung chuckled as if he found it amusing.
"This is so fucked up. What a mess."
Just as Chung Myung's face seemed to become even redder, Hyun Jong finally spoke up.
"First."
"..."
Hyun Jong's words prompted Chung Myung to swallow his curses and take a deep breath.
"Let's meet with Tang Gaju first. And we need to inform the Heavenly Comrade Alliance members outside that Mount Hua has exited Bongmun." [Gaju = Family Lord/Family head]
"Yes, Sect Leader."
Hyun Jong let out a small sigh as he spoke.
"Even though the situation is far from ideal, it is partly as expected. We've prepared for this for a long time, haven't we?"
"That's right."
"Let's correct things one by one. Now, Mount Hua has the power to do so."
"Right."
Chung Myung nodded with a somewhat uneasy expression. Hyun Jong smiled warmly.
"Now, it's time to set things right."
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