“....”
Baek Cheon’s face darkened as he saw people gathering by the river.
“... Guys.”
“Yes, Sasuk.”
“...Did Sect Leader say he was going?”
“It seems so?”
Yoon Jong added to Jo-Gol’s answer.
“Honestly... being involved in such an event is kind of weird.”
“First of all, it seems that Elder Hyun Young loses his temper....”
“... Why?”
“He was almost flipped upside down when he heard that Wudang was getting all the attention. He looked like he was about to grab Sect Leader by the collar at any moment.”
“....”
“It’s not that I don’t understand how he feels, actually.”
Baek Cheon listened absentmindedly and nodded.
No, well, he could understand that much. Lately, the feelings toward Wudang were deteriorating rapidly. In the past, if someone asked him the sect he hated the most, he would’ve answered Southern Edge Sect without hesitation, but now he will answer Southern Edge Sect after thinking about it for about a breath.
‘Huh? Is it the same?’
It’s quite different. At least now, it means one should at least compare Southern Edge Sect without Wudang.
In the past, there was no comparison. How could one compare Wudang to Southern Edge Sect? To be compared to Southern Edge Sect, one had to be at least Magyo.
“Yes, I understand that, but....”
“Yes, Sasuk.”
“Then why are those yangbans behaving like that? Don’t tell me they’re coming with us?”
Baek Cheon’s eyes turned to bandits and pirates lined all the way behind Mount Hua’s disciples.
All of them had the same look on their face, wondering, ‘Why are we standing here like this?’
Right, it’s perplexing. Baek Cheon himself was confused, so how must they feel?
Yoon Jong replied with a sigh.
“I actually tried to stop him....but he won’t listen. He said we’re taking everyone.”
“...Why?”
“While the bandits of Nokrim can be understood, if we leave these pirates here, they will escape. He said he can’t bear to see that even if he died.”
“....”
‘Uh... Right.’
Certainly, they can’t let these pirates go. They’re serving their sentence through labor.
If they’ve committed a crime, they have to atone for it. It is also Mount Hua’s role to keep those pirates from harming the commoners unless they were to kill all the pirates.
But the issue is...
“So, we’re taking pirates and bandits to a place where all the prestigious Righteous Sect gather?”
“It seems so?”
Baek Cheon couldn’t answer and slowly shifted his gaze.
He saw the figure of Chung Myung kicking the pirates excitedly.
“No, these pirate bastards can’t even stand in line! Sect Leader is here, and you’re leaning on one leg? What? Are you uncomfortable? Want me to show you what real uncomfortable is?”
“N- No, please! I’m sorry!”
“If you made a mistake, you should be punished, you bastard!”
Chung Myung, who had spun the jaw of the pirates, glared his eyes.
Not only the pirates flinched at the momentum, but even the bandits shrank their necks and looked at Chung Myung.
“....”
Sensing a subtle sense of sympathy at the crumpled posture, Baek Cheon couldn’t bear to look anymore and closed his eyes. When you stand in front of that bastard, everyone becomes fair regardless of Righteous or Evil.
“Good, it’s a little better now. We’re ready, Sect Leader!”
Instead of answering, Hyun Jong sighed deeply. His lips were quivering as if about to say something, but he ended up shaking his head.
‘We understand, Sect Leader.’
‘We also understand.’
Everyone felt as if they heard what Hyun Jong wanted to say. They even seemed to understand why he couldn’t utter those words.
Chanting sutras for a cow is not something a gentleman should do.
“That....”
Hyun Jong’s shoulders dropped when he saw the bizarre combination of Taoists, bandits, and pirates lined up in front.
“...Let’s depart.”
“Yes!”
With that, Hyun Jong turned around without looking back and started to run.
They need time. Time to strengthen the sects within Heavenly Comrade Alliance and to solidify their unity!
So right now, they needed to divert Ten Great Sect’s attention. Especially when they are still obsessed with justification and face.
“That’s right up to this point.”
“...What are you going on about? Speak in a way that makes sense.”
Chung Myung’s eyes became faint.
“But the way they retreat seems a bit strange.”
“Huh?”
“The fact that they’re gathering at Black Dragon Water Fortress means Black Dragon Water Fortress hasn’t abandoned Yangtze and retreated, right?”
“...Well, that would be the case. They wouldn’t gather in a place where no one is.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“Hm?”
Chung Myung narrowed his eyes.
“The pirates are so inferior and Shaolin, Wudang, and Namgung are attacking all at once, yet they’re holding on.”
“Qingcheng also came.”
“Except for the little fish.”
Baek Cheon was taken aback. If Qingcheng’s Sect Leader had heard this now, he would have foamed at the mouth and fallen backward.
Who else in the world would call the sects belonging to those renowned Ten Great Sect a little fish except this guy?
“If you look at the nature of the pirates, it is only right to run away for now. They’re different from the Ten Great Sect. They don’t care about their face. I don’t know if they’ll try to save face.”
“...It’s still a place that leads a sect. The subordinate is still fighting, but would they run away?”
“Evil Sect has nothing like that. First, they have to survive to have power and subordinates. Righteous Sects prioritize the sect, but Evil Sects prioritize themselves. That’s why they’re Evil Sects.”
“....”
“But the Black Dragon Water Fortress is still holding out.”
Chung Myung was lost in thought, scratching his chin.
‘There’s something they believe in.’
He must go and check it with his own eyes. If what he’s thinking is happening, he might have to completely revise the plan.
If everything went according to his plan, their retreat from the Yangtze would have been expected. Not doing so implies one of two things.
One, they’ve decided to lose as it is.
The other is....
‘Someone saw something I didn’t see.’
A smile crept across his lips as he pondered.
‘Interesting.’
Who could it be?
He doesn’t know. No, he shouldn’t know.
But for some reason, Chung Myung felt he knew. Who is responsible for the work that makes him feel so unsettled?
A certain gaze kept flickering in Chung Myung’s mind.
Those dark, shimmering eyes are seen above blood-red lips.
‘Jang Ilso.’
Throughout his two lives, he met countless people and fought countless foes. In terms of experience, nobody in Kangho is even close to Chung Myung’s toes.
Yet, even Chung Myung had never encountered such a peculiar gaze.
‘It’s different.’
It is different from the madness in the eyes of the Magyo.
It’s not like Heavenly Demon’s eyes are full of endless emptiness.
It was...
“Chung Myung! Up ahead!”
“Huh?”
Chung Myung, who was preoccupied, quickly came to his senses and looked up.
Before him approached a group of warriors.
‘Enemies?’
No, it’s not.
Chung Myung narrowed his eyes and stared at them. Both eyes shone significantly.
They wore neat martial uniforms with a longsword in one hand. A vivid Tai Chi symbol was engraved on their chests.
“Ha....”
With a smirk, Chung Myung shrugged and murmured,
“This... It seems distinguished guests have come to greet us. I’m truly honored.”
Wudang Sect.
Perhaps the very people he least wanted to encounter right now were swiftly approaching. Leading them was Wudang Sect’s Sect Leader, Heo Dojin, and from his eyes emanated a cold glare aimed at Mount Hua Sect.