Then��
Chung Myung blinked his eyes at the unbelievable situation.
��I have to get up����
He slowly lowered his head and looked at his own body. No, at least, he tried to. But his head wouldn��t move as if it had stuck to the bed.
Because of the thick rope tightly tied around his head.
Paeaeng.
The rope, which was so tight that almost no blood could flow, was putting pressure on his head.
“!!.”
Chung Myung��s head moved slightly, very slightly, to the side. Yoon Jong, who was standing next to his bed, flinched as he caught Cheongmyeong��s desperate gaze and gave a small nod.
��Keuhum.��
Yoon Jong, who had cleared his throat, spoke cautiously.
��That! Soso.”
��Yes?��
��!I don��t think we need to go this far.��
��What do you mean?��
��!No, I��m just!.”
Blood vessels stood on Tang Soso��s forehead.
��Do these people think a human body is like a cart? Do you think that if you roll it properly and replace it with a new wheel, it will run fine again? What? Do you really want me to change yours?��
��!!No, that was never my intention. I was too inconsiderate.”
Yoon Jong stepped back quickly due to the deadly force that Tang Soso was emitting.
Usually, Tang Soso smiles a lot and appears friendly, but when it comes to patients, she exudes murderous energy as if she can catch someone with just her gaze.
a�?No, come to think of it, shouldn��t it be the other way around? Shouldn��t patients be looked after with a smile and compassion!?��
Then Tang Soso sharply turned her head and glared at Chung Myung. Seeing him tied up and immobilized on the bed, she gritted her teeth.
“If your body turns into a rag, you ought to receive treatment quietly! Yet you crawled out because you can��t bear with it? Are you even human? Huh?��
��I��m your Sahyung.!.”
��I know that!��
Yes ma'am.
I��m glad you know.
��No! What kind of creature is this who, after receiving injuries that would��ve killed anyone else ten times over, gets up immediately looking for alcohol?��
��It wasn't alcohol that I was looking for����
��Shut up!��
��!Yes.��
Chung Myung stared blankly at the ceiling.
Somehow, it reminded him of the old days.
�C No, if you��re hurt, get treatment, you punk! Come here!!
�C Get lost. What a quack.
�C A quack? What does this yangban take the Elder of the Sichuan Tang Family for? If I had set up a clinic, I would have made a fortune! Stop spouting nonsense and come here. No, stop drinking that alcohol! I brought it here for disinfecting!
��Tang Bo!.'
a�?I still live like this.'
a�?Why is your family always so mean to me��.'
Usually, even if a so-called martial artist gets stabbed and bleeds profusely, they usually just rub it and say that it will get better if they apply mud on it. But those people of the Tang Family are the exception, get a scratch and they will act like you're dying.
In the past, they were annoying people to death, but now they continue to do so��
Then, the door burst open and a man walked in like a savior.
��Hm?��
It was Tang Gun-ak. He frowned at the sight of Chung Myung tied to his bed.
��Aigoo, Tang Gaju-nim!��
Tang Gun-ak��s eyes darkened as Chung Myung shouted as if asking for help.
��Who did this?��
At his icy tone, Tang Soso hesitated before looking at Tang Gun-ak. She also knew how much her father cherished Chung Myung.
Tang Gun-ak is a person who has never given as much goodwill as he had shown to Chung Myung even to his blood-related sons. In his eyes, Tang Soso, the Saje of Chung Myung, could not have looked good when she tied up Chung Myung in such a playful way. Even if she is his favorite daughter.
��I, I did����
��You?��
��!Yes.��
Tang Soso hunched her shoulders.
Tang Gun-ak, staring at her with cold eyes, scolded her coldly.
��Did I raise you this way?��
��I��m sorry. Since Chung Myung Sahyung is so disobedient.��
Don��t laugh!
* * *
Some rumors are faster than a storm.
��Waiters! Bring another bottle of Hwaju here.”
“Yes! I'll bring it right away!”
It was when those seated around the table were pouring the last drink from the bottle.
Suddenly, the door flung open, and a man drenched in sweat hurriedly staggered in.
��Here. Here! Why are you in such a hurry?��
��Did he get scared thinking we might drink all the liquor he ordered?��
Laughter broke out. The man, who was looking around at the sound calling him, rushed and shouted.
��Did, did you hear that story?”
��What story?��
��That Ten Great Sect and the Five Great Family have signed a non-aggression pact with those Evil Sect villains!��
Those who heard the story chuckled.
��Don��t talk nonsense and sit down. We��ve ordered a new bottle.��
��I��m not kidding, I��m telling you the truth!��
��Alright, alright.��
��It��s a mess out there right now! Ten Great Sect and the Five Great Family have declared that they will not enter the Yangtze River for the next three years!��
The exclaimer was so pale that the faces of those listening began to harden. But soon someone clicked their tongue.
��Tsk, tsk. There��s a limit to jokes. Why would the Ten Great Sect and Five Great Family make a pact with those Evil Faction brutes?��
��It's, it��s not just some Evil Faction. Five Great Evil have come together and created a new force called the Evil Tyrant Alliance!”
��Evil Tyrant Alliance?��
��Yes, Shaolin and Wudang, who went to the Yangtze River, were unable to cope with the attack of the Evil Tyrant Alliance and were forced to make peace!��
“!The Evil Faction have united together?��
��I told you so!��
��Ei, that��s absurd. No matter how many Evil Faction bastards gather in one place, for Shaolin and Wudang to make peace with the Evil Faction! This is a disaster!��
The man struck his chest as if frustrated.
��If you don��t believe me, go out and see for yourself! It��s a big deal out there! The whole world is in turmoil because of this!��
����What nonsense����
Everyone was at a loss for words.
Looking at their desperate faces, it seemed like they weren't lying, but it was hard to believe.
Righteous Faction and Evil Faction making peace?
They��ve never heard of such a story. Weren't they divided into Righteous and Evil factions in the first place because they can��t blend together just like water and oil? But how can the two��?
��Ho- Hold on. Did you say a�?Non-aggression Pact'?��
��That��s what I said!��
��The Ten Great Sect and the Five Great Family wouldn��t step into the Yangtze River anymore? What about the sects currently in the Yangtze?��
��They are all leaving Yangtze.��
��The Ten Great Sect and the Five Great Family have turned the Yangtze into a hornet��s nest, and they��re retreating without dealing with the forces there? What about the commoners in that place?��
��Who knows?��
��Ho�� Hoho�� Ho. How can such a dogshit situation occur?��
Finally, a roar came out from the mouths of those who had been holding back.
��If they were going to do this, they should have just scratched the surface. They brazenly went in, took what they wanted, and then fled? As if that was not enough, they signed a humiliating non-aggression pact not to step into the Yangtze River for the next three years?��
Despair filled the faces of everyone in the tavern. Their voices were loud, and everyone could hear.
��Is it because they don't know how those pirates will react? Now that the water fortress has collapsed countless times, they will rise and run wild, who will handle the aftermath? How can Righteous Factions do this nonsense!��
��I can��t believe it! The Shaolin I know, Wudang I know, they wouldn��t do this!��
There were violent reactions here and there, but that didn��t mean they could stop the already bursted dam.
��Whether you believe it or not isn��t the important thing. People around the Yangtze River are already packing their belongings. Now, without the Ten Great Sect and the Five Great Family, there��s no one to stop the tyranny of the Evil Sect. There are more than a few people who��d rather abandon their homeland than just sit and face death.��
��Ho!. Hoho! Come now.��
It was absolutely unbelievable news.
But there was no way not to believe it. This is because even as they were talking, some people rushed into the tavern in contemplation and talked about the same story.
��What in the world�� Who would have thought that Shaolin, Wudang, and Namgung Family would abandon the commoners and find their own way to survive��. What then was the Chivalrousness they��ve been preaching about all this while? And they still pride themselves as the Righteous Faction?��
��Why have we even supported them so far! Aren��t they no different from bandits now?��
��They��re scammers, scammers! In the first place, they were just greedy for money and benefits! We��ve been deceived. Completely fooled!��
Anger began to spread.
Naturally, people tend to feel greater anger when betrayed by those they trusted than when harmed by evildoers. As great as the trust placed in the Ten Great Sects and the Five Great Family was, the disappointment and anger over their choices were also enormous.
Once the rumor spread from the Yangtze River to each province, it quickly spread across the entire Jungwon like wildfire.
After the war with Magyo, for over a hundred years, this was the most shocking news, shaking the tranquil Jungwon like an earthquake.