Chapitre 265: Chapter 1153: Well, If It's Absolutely Necessary (Part 3)
"...Bangjang."
Beopjeong tightly closed his eyes.
'Is it my mind?'
Lately, there had been frequent disturbances in his heart whenever he thought about Mount's Chivalrous Sword. Even though he knew it shouldn't happen.
"Amitabha."
He uttered the mantra to calm his mind as much as possible. After regaining composure, he opened his eyes and faced Jonglihyung, who was approaching with a worried expression.
"Bangjang, I know what you are concerned about."
"...."
"I understand that leaving the headquarters empty for a long time is not advisable. I also sense your urgency as it seems like we are wasting time here without achieving much."
"It's not necessarily like that, but..."
Jongli, who had sat down without being asked, interjected casually. Beopjeong spoke.
"But it's difficult for us to withdraw from here first in the current situation."
"Bangjang, I understand your feelings, but staying like this won't yield any results."
"...."
"Calmly speaking, we have already lost the support of the people along the Yangtze River."
Jonglihyung sighed and continued.
"It's not just a problem with the headquarters. The attitude of the residents here towards us and towards the Heavenly Comrade Alliance is noticeably different. As a result, the morale of the children is declining more and more."
"...Amitabha."
"If we continue like this, I'm worried that we will not only waste time but also lose things we shouldn't lose. Bangjang, you know as well that lost time and gains can be recovered somehow, but shattered pride is not easily restored."
Jonglihyung's point was valid. He, too, as the leader of a martial sect, was not someone who couldn't distinguish right from wrong.
In his view, what Beopjeong was doing now was not just stubbornness.
"Bangjang, victory and defeat are like floating clouds. Even if we lose this time, in the end, the one who wins last will be the winner, right?"
"...That's true."
"This place is already a battlefield where we have lost. A wise general doesn't cling to the remnants of defeat. It's better to use that time to establish a new battlefield and focus on redeeming the defeat."
There was a faint gleam in Bangjang's lips. The word Jonglihyung used, 'defeat,' did not sit well with him.
Nothing felt right.
Not the word 'defeat,' not even the fact that the opponent of this defeat was not even the Evil Tyrant Alliance, but the Heavenly Comrade Alliance. Moreover, not only hearing the word 'defeat,' but the fact that he hadn't put up a fight with anyone bothered him.
But the most embarrassing and burning part was that, despite hearing those words, he couldn't muster the courage to refute it.
Not defeated, but a war that ended in defeat.
That was the Yangtze River Grand Battle as perceived by Bangjang.
"Some sects that have received the Bangjang's position have already expressed their willingness to support, haven't they?"
"That's correct."
"They must have felt that they couldn't just watch this situation unfold. But Bangjang, where do you expect them to come? To this Yangtze River? Do you want them to come here to this place where the war hasn't even started?"
"...."
"Are you planning to welcome them like guests here in the role of a host like a guest house? What do you think they will think when they see the Bangjang here? Will they really admire the Bangjang who is trying to suppress the Evil Tyrant Alliance by burning his own body?"
Bangjang's lips twitched again. But Jonglihyung continued speaking without stopping even with such a reaction.
"Authority comes from the position. The position means both the title and the status, but literally, it also means the place where one exists. The emperor sitting on the jade throne in the royal palace and the emperor sitting in a makeshift tent in the field may look the same, don't they?"
That, too, was not a wrong statement.
"Bangjang, the place where you should meet them is not here. Isn't it true that the place where Bangjang should be is none other than Shaolin? Am I wrong?"
A rare sigh escaped from Bangjang's lips.
It was all true. Everything was true. But the problem was that Beopjeong was not here to die for all this because he didn't know all this.
'A defeated battlefield....'
Perhaps that statement might be correct. It was foolish to cling to the remnants of a defeated battlefield. Trying to forcibly recover momentum on a battlefield where momentum had been lost would only increase losses.
But....
"I am not unaware of what Sect Leader is saying. However...."
As Bangjang hesitated slightly, Jonglihyung, with keen perception, asked first.
"Is it because of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance?"
"...."
"Bangjang... I understand that you are concerned about them. But now that the battle line is already solidified, what are they going to do?"
As if frustrated, Jonglihyung quickly continued speaking.
"I don't know why they continue to stay here either. But why should we stay together? If they want to stay here and stop the Evil Tyrant Alliance, if they volunteer to be our shield, then let them be. How is that a loss for us? It's a gain. Right now, Bangjang, you're making this simple..."
Beopjeong's eyebrows twitched for a moment.
"Did you say 'simple'?"
As an icy voice flowed out, Jonglihyung bit his tongue. Beopjeong must have realized that he had overreacted, so he quietly closed his eyes and recited a prayer. And then he spoke again slowly, in a soft voice without any harshness.
"Sect Leader. Then, I ask you. Do you think I have made any critical mistakes since arriving at this Yangtze River?"
"Well, that's..."
Jonglihyung found it difficult to answer easily. The initial thought that came to mind was, 'Yes.' In hindsight, everything Beopjeong did after being involved with the Yangtze River was a mistake.
However, Jonglihyung was not a person who thought of things so simplistically.
'Did Bangjang really make major mistakes?'
That was only hindsight. At the time, Beopjeong made the best judgment. Ironically, while others succumbed to emotions, he was the only one who remained rational.
The problem was that his cold and entirely sensible judgment turned into nothing but a series of mistakes. No, the Cheonwoo Alliance forced all those judgments into mistakes.
Was it really a rational and normal judgment to advance towards the Plum Blossom Island, where they set traps while the enemy was retreating? At that time, even Jonglihyung was irritated by Sect Leader Bangjang's calmness, but if they had truly advanced towards the Plum Blossom Island, even a three-year-old would know what would have happened.
Didn't Jonglihyung himself say that one shouldn't cling to a defeated battlefield? Only the Mount Hua Sect overturned that already-ended fight, turning Shaolin and Kongtong into mere spectators.
'The same goes for the Demonic Sect.'
Was it really a sensible and normal judgment to march towards Hangzhou, which was nothing less than the stronghold of the Evil Tyrant Alliance and the Black Ghost Castle, just to stop the Demonic Sect?
It was also Jonglihyung who also said that one should choose a winning battlefield. In his view, Hangzhou was by no means a battlefield where they could fight. That judgment was never wrong.
If that Mount Hua Sect had not single-handedly rushed into Gangnam, cutting the bishop's throat, and turning Shaolin and Kongtong into spineless cowards, things might have been different.
"Bangjang..."
"No matter how much I think about it, I don't know. Just tell me what mistake I made. Even if I think about it ten, a hundred, or a thousand times, the decision I had to make is clear."
Jonglihyung nodded his head. This was something he couldn't deny.
"But what is the price of that right decision? The momentum of that Heavenly Comrade Alliance has skyrocketed, and they have taken all the credit for the events at the Yangtze River. Everyone in the world points fingers at Shaolin and praises the Mount Hua. Even!"
Thunk.
Sect Leader Bangjang grabbed the table in front of him. His fingertip dug into the wood.
"Even the Evil Tyrant Alliance, who blocked the Demonic Sect, is being praised. Are they not better than Shaolin, who let go and did nothing?"
"...."
"It is deplorable."
Beopjeong chuckled.
"According to the common sense, they should have already suffered a disastrous defeat. But did that happen? They won the battles they were supposed to lose, and they gained benefits they were supposed to lose. In unimaginable ways."
"...."
"I ask again, Sect Leader. Is it really wrong for a person who has been surprised by their growth to be cautious about the lid of a pot? Is that truly such a foolish thing?"
"Bangjang..."
"No. In my opinion, there is nothing as foolish as repeating the same mistake after experiencing the consequences. If you can't understand it logically, at least don't repeat the same mistake."
"....So, why do you continue to stay here? Is it because you can't let your guard down, not knowing what the Heavenly Comrade Alliance might do?"
"...."
"Do you think there might be a reason why they won't leave this Yangtze River?"
Without a response, Beopjeong let go of the staff. His palm was moist with sweat, and looking down at his own hand, Beopjeong eventually let out a faint smile.
"I understand that I may seem frustrated."
Jonglihyung couldn't bring himself to deny it.
"Amitabha. However, if another incident occurs, we might end up in an irreversible situation. Shouldn't we prevent that?"
Jonglihyung closed his eyes tightly, realizing that no matter what he said, he couldn't change Beopjeong mind.
"Since Bangjang has spoken so much... I won't try to persuade you anymore. However, Bangjang, there is one thing you should consider. What you are saying now may not be understood by anyone."
"..."
"Depending on how one listens... Yes. Depending on how one listens, it's... "
Jonglihyung hesitated slightly, bit his lips, and forcefully voiced his thoughts.
"It could seem as if Bangjang is just intimidated by Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword."
Instantly, a sharp gaze, like a blade, emanated from Bangjang's eyes. Startled, Jonglihyung immediately lowered his head and mumbled.
"Of course, I don't think that way... but those with short-sighted thinking may not accept anything else."
"..."
"So, Bangjang, please consider once more. As someone in the position to lead from above, you must know that sometimes the best choice is not truly the best. Having thoughts too advanced that others cannot comprehend only leads to alienation and division among them."
With these words, Jonglihyung got up from his seat.
"I won't force you. However, Bangjang, think about the best outcome rather than the best process. Well then."
Jonglihyung left the room. Bangjang remained silent, watching his departing figure.
He knew.
No matter how much he spoke like that, Jonglihyung was desperate, trying to console his disciples and defend Bangjang. Even in the midst of a headache, he would probably try to help Bangjang in some way.
However, despite knowing this fact, a sense of emptiness rushed in before gratitude.
"... Intimidated..."
It was funny. It was a very amusing story.
Who was he? He was Bangjang, the current leader of the Thousand Year Shaolin Sect. Was it really possible for him to be intimidated by one of the Mount Hua Sect's third-grade disciples? And not because of power, but because the latter's thoughts were incomprehensible?
How could this not be amusing?
"Maybe it's really like that... Haha."
The sound of Bangjang's wry laughter filled the room.
And for a long time, neither the sounds of chanting nor of prayer beads came from that room.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone