บท 103: Chapter 991: Why Would I Enjoy Prosperity? (Part 1)
Certainly! Here's the passage with increased spacing:
"Haha."
"..."
"Hahahaha."
"..."
"Hahaha. Hahahaha! Hahahahahaha!"
Continuously bursting into laughter, Im Sobyeong was acting bizarre, and Jo Gol, who had been quietly observing him with a puzzled expression, finally spoke up.
"Sahyung."
"Yes?"
"Why is he acting like that?"
"Well, I suppose he's enjoying himself."
"Like that?"
He still looked at Im Sobyeong with an expression that showed he didn't quite understand.
No, it's understandable to enjoy good things, but...
"Uhahahahahaha!"
Isn't that a bit too much?
However, Im Sobyeong continued to burst into laughter, regardless of whether Jo Gol found it strange or not. He was usually frail and physically weak, making him appear nothing like the Nokrim King. Watching him burst into laughter while looking up at the sky made those thoughts disappear.
On the other hand...
"Why is he acting like that again?"
"What now?"
"Him, I mean him."
Yoon Jong's gaze shifted to the opposite side of Nokrim King. There, he saw Chung Myung in a gloomy state, something he had never seen before. He appeared so despondent that it almost seemed like a dark cloud was looming over his head.
Sitting hunched in a corner, Chung Myung was scribbling something on the ground with twigs. Im Sobyeong happily burst into laughter as he waved the pledge in his hand, mimicking the gesture of a victor raising a flag towards the defeated.
"Uhahahahahaha!"
Yoon Jong watched in amazement as Chung Myung dug into the ground and Im Sobeyeong sounding his victory horn. He couldn't help but shake his head.
"This is a mess."
"Indeed."
Then, Baek Cheon approached Im Sobyeong, chuckling.
"Congratulations."
"Oh! Dojang Baek Cheon! Thank you! Thank you so much!"
"...Is it really good?"
"It's wonderful!"
Im Sobyeong spread his fan with gusto.
"The long and hard years we endured, the humiliation, the suffering, to try once to enter the Heavenly Comrade Alliance! All of that we finally received in one go, how could I not be delighted! Now, our Nokrim is a proud member of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance."
"...Even though we decided to announce it later..."
"That's not the important part. The important thing is that we finally have a shield."
"A shield, you say?"
In response to Baek Cheon's question, Im Sobyeong smiled meaningfully.
"Think about it, Dojang Baek Cheon. If, in the current situation, Nokrim had not been on good terms with the Mount Hua Sect, what would have happened?"
"Yes? Well..."
Baek Cheon thought for a moment before nodding his head. He understood what Im Sobyeong meant.
"Surely it would be dangerous."
"That's right, it would be. It is. The relationship between the righteous and evil factions is the worst of the worst at the moment. Moreover, the Ten Great Sects need a way to restore their honor, just like the Evil Tyrant Alliance does. In this situation, if Nokrim wasn't a part of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance, our southern border would have been destroyed."
This wasn't just limited to Nokrim. There were other sects that also seek to restore their honor.
"While other sects can simply go down to Gangnam and join the Evil Tyrant Alliance to some extent, Nokrim can't do that. Nokrim, as a sect, fundamentally lives by the mountains, right? And most of the central region's mountainous areas are concentrated in the northern region."
"That's right."
This means that out of the giant sects in the central region, only Nokrim was the one exclusively active as a base in the northern region. Of course, Nokrim was active in Gangnam as well, but their influence didn't extend to the entire region.
"So, there are two paths that Nokrim can choose from. Either completely abandon the established base in the north, and move to Gangnam, bowing to the Evil Tyrant Alliance. Or, cut off Gangnam and survive in the north under the control of the Ten Great Sects."
Baek Cheon nodded.
"It would be difficult to hold on."
"Yes, that's right. Nokrim can't compete with the Righteous Sects. If the Ten Great Sects set their minds on us, it wouldn't even take a month for all the bandits on the mountain to be wiped out."
"..."
"Similarly, the other option is no different. How can a human lower their head to Jang Ilso? To that devil!"
"..."
It was widely known that Jang Ilso and Im Sobyeong were archenemies. To be more precise, from an objective perspective, it was more like Im Sobyeong, who had been beaten up one-sidedly, was holding a grudge on his own.
"However!"
Shakalak!
This time, what was unfolded wasn't a fan, but an agreement bearing Hyun Jong's seal.
"Now we are also proud members of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance! No matter how much they call us an Evil Sect, they can't touch us since we belong to the Heavenly Comrade Alliance!"
"..."
Tears welled up in Im Sobyeong's eyes as he spoke passionately. Baek Cheon was taken aback.
"Wh-Why are you crying?"
"No, it's not that, Baek Cheon Dojang. Suddenly, a rush of emotions came over me..."
"Really? Emotions?"
"Yes."
With wet eyes, he gazed into the distance and continued.
"In those harsh times, the outside demons were doing their utmost to exploit us. The scum inside were complaining about why they should serve the righteous sects like servants! The so-called elders were spouting nonsense, saying that the previous generations weren't like this! They said the Nokrim King wasn't qualified! That Nokrim had become corrupted!"
"...You've been through a lot."
"No, no! All that suffering is over now! If we just shove this agreement right into those elders' faces, I'm so curious about the expressions they'll make! Euhahaha!"
Baek Cheon quietly wiped the sweat from his forehead and took a few steps back. His reaction was too intense, making him somewhat uncomfortable. Nonetheless, it's something he likes...
Still, Baek Cheon looked at Im Sobyeong again.
'From another perspective... He's an amazing person.'
In other words, from the moment Im Sobyeong first met Chung Myung and had some inkling that something like this might happen, he decided to become the roof for the Mount Hua Sect. If Im Sobyeong's choice was just a bit delayed or wrong, Nokrim's situation would probably be unimaginably precarious.
He may appear to have many peculiar aspects, but it was clear that he was the leader of Nokrim who had made the best choices.
On the other hand...
Baek Cheon turned his gaze to the opposite side. There, he saw Chung Myung, who was leaning against a tree stump, staring blankly into the sky.
He looked so utterly miserable that, to a certain extent, that demon scoundrel seemed pitiful.
"Chung Myung...?"
"...?"
"Hey... Chung Myung?"
After calling him twice, Chung Myung weakly turned his head toward Baek Cheon.
"Are you... okay?"
Baek Cheon swallowed dry saliva.
"I..."
"Huh?"
"Why would I enjoy prosperity?"
"..."
Moisture formed in Chung Myung's eyes.
"I...I used to think... that I'd never end up sharing a meal with those from the Evil Sect... I'd rather raise maggots. No matter how much this is for survival, how could I... with those from the Evil Sect...?"
"Try to calm down."
"Even you, Sect Leader! It's too much! No matter how much it pricks my conscience... accepting those from the Evil Tyrant Alliance. Not just one or two of them but those mountain bandits... Oh my. Oh my... What has happened to Mount Hua? Oh my, Mount Hua is ruined. Mount Hua is destroyed..."
Baek Cheon was drenched in cold sweat, shocked to his core.
He had seen Chung Myung resort to violence often enough, so it wasn't surprising or irritating anymore. However, witnessing him so despondent and in despair was a first.
"I should just die. I should just bite my tongue and die. Why am I living to see this... at my age...?"
"You're still young, you crazy guy! Why are you talking like an old man who's lived his whole life?"
Chaos was brewing.
Jo Gol, who was watching the scene, asked as if he realized the gravity of the situation.
"... It must be quite a shock for him to have to share a meal with the Evil Sect."
"He is an Evil Sect hater."
He was already a guy who didn't even treat the Evil Sect members as human beings, but recently, thanks to the appearance of Jang Ilso, that symptom had gotten several times worse.
Still, Im Sobyeong could be enough to be called a moderately righteous(?) sect member, but with that kind of reaction, it was hard to imagine how much he hated people like Jang Ilso and the Black Dragon King.
"For now, try to calm him down."
"Shouldn't we just leave him alone?"
"I'm worried that he might say something like 'The justice of Mount Hua has died. Instead of Sect Leader, I'll drive him out and become Sect Leader myself to restore the essence of Mount Hua.' or something ridiculous like that."
"... Let's start by offering him some sweets."
Even though it was highly unlikely, the prospect of what might happen afterward was too dreadful to ignore.
That Chung Myung as the Sect Leader of Mount Hua.
It was not just about Mount Hua but a massive catastrophe that would span the whole Central Region. It had to be prevented at all costs, for the sake of peace in the Central Region and beyond, in the peace of the entire martial world.
However, most of Mount Hua's disciples found solace in observing the strange spectacle with smiles.
The fact that Nokrim had joined the Heavenly Comrade Alliance didn't particularly excite them. Over time, their aversion to Nokrim had diminished as they had observed them for a while. So, all this meant to them was that a person who had been acting high and mighty had finally been taken down a notch.
"That guy is getting a taste of it now."
"Now that Sect Leader has full authority, we can be a bit more relaxed."
"It's like they say, 'The sun shines even in a mouse hole!'"
At that moment, Tang Soso smiled and said.
"So, I told you to be a bit more considerate, Sahyung. It's because of your bad attitude that you keep getting into trouble! Ho ho ho ho!"
"...Is this fun?"
"Ho ho ho ho!"
"Is this fun?"
"Uh… ho ho."
The overly exaggerated villainous laughter from Tang Soso gradually stiffened, and Chung Myung, who had been overwhelmed with despair, was slowly getting up from his seat.
He opened his mouth quietly.
"Sahyung."
"...Yeah?"
Baek Cheon looked at Chung Myung's expression with an anxious face.
"I've been thinking about it."
"...Yeah?"
"It seems like there's one reason this catastrophe happened."
"What is it?"
"We're weak."
"...."
Excuse me? We crossed the Yangtze River, smashed the Su Lo Chae, and saved Namgung two days ago, and we're weak?
Baek Cheon's eyes started to tremble.
"Chung Myung... It is my opinion, but I think that is a misjudgment."
"No, it's right."
Chung Myung said with a determined face.
"Think about it. It's actually a simple thing. If we could have just beaten down the Evil Tyrant Alliance, the Ten Great Sects, and everything, wouldn't we have nothing to do with those Evil Tyrant Alliance bastards?
"If one martial clan could do all that, would it be that Mount Hua Sect? It's the Magyo." [Magyo = Demon Sect.]
"WHAT!"
"Huh?"
Baek Cheon briefly paused, bewildered by the scream that came from the side, and unintentionally covered his mouth. He realized what mistake he had made.
"Magyo?"
"..."
"Magyoooooooooo?" [Demoooooooon doesn't have that ring to it lol]
As expected, Chung Myung's eyes started to flicker with madness. Those who saw that gaze glared at Baek Cheon as if they were about to kill him.
'Damn it. I should have said something!'
'That bastard knows that he has a seizure when he hears 'Magyo'!'
'Should have tied up his snout!'
Baek Cheon, who received resentful glances from everyone, reluctantly turned his head to look up at the distant sky. Chung Myung muttered sourly.
"Right, the Demon Sect. Yeah. We have to beat the Demon Sect too. We don't have time to play around like this."
With his eyes completely rolled back, Chung Myung grabbed the Dark Fragrance Plum Blossom Sword.
Baek Cheon hastily looked around. He intended to try and stop this situation, which had been triggered by Im Sobyeong.
However...
"Um, where did that gentleman go?"
"The Lord of Nokrim? He started running like a rabbit as soon as he heard 'Magyo Sect' earlier."
"..."
Ah. That's how life goes, huh... I've learned another lesson today.
Swish.
Chung Myung, with the Dark Fragrance Plum Blossom sword in hand, giggled and looked around at everyone.
"Come on."
"..."
"It's time for a fun training session."
The blood drained from everyone's faces.
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