Bop Jeong kept his face stern and remained silent for a long time.
Bop Kye couldn’t bear to meet his eyes and bowed his head.
“...Was everything you’ve said so far true?”
“Bangjang....”
Bop Kye could only let out a groaning sound and couldn’t reply. If one were to say they had no words even with ten mouths, this would be the time.
“Hoo....”
Bop Jeong laughed in disbelief at the hard-to-believe fact.
“You made a pact with the Evil Sects? Moreover, a unilateral pact that only this side cannot advance into Gangnam, including the Yangtze River?”
“....”
“What on earth...”
He couldn’t even finish his sentence and let out a deep sigh.
‘It was my mistake.’
He didn’t mean to send Bop Kye. If they were sending most of Shaolin’s power, he should have led Shaolin himself. At best, it was a matter of dealing with pirates, and it was something he shouldn’t have sent Bop Kye to.
“This foolish human. How on earth am I planning to rectify this... Amitabha. Amitabha.”
Bop Jeong muttered and shook his head. Bop Kye, watching him, felt like he’d swallowed a rock.
“Bangjang.... If things go terribly wrong, please let me take the responsibility.”
“Let you?”
“Yes. Since I acted without Bangjang’s permission and if we just say that it’s not in line with Shaolin’s intentions, it might be hard for me to hold my head high, but if it’s for Shaolin...”
“Such foolishness!”
Bop Jeong burst out angrily.
“That would only belittle Shaolin’s name. If we go back on our words for mere survival, how would the world see Shaolin? From then on, words that do not come out of my mouth will become light words that can be reversed at any time. That would undermine the status of Shaolin.”
“....”
“There was no other way. I understand, but...”
If it had not been such an unconventional offer, there is no way that Jang Ilso would have obediently let go of those who came into his grasp.
But....
‘How on earth should I resolve this matter?’
If it were just a year ago, it might not have been such a big deal. No matter how bad the Ten Great Sect and Five Great Family are, if they don’t have a hill to lean against, others will end up relying on them again.
But not now.
“I never thought that supporting the establishment of Heavenly Comrade Alliance would come back like this...”
Bop Jeong was the one who pushed the Heavenly Comrade Alliance despite opposition from other sects. It was done because of various interests at the time, but he could not have imagined that what he did would plunge Shaolin’s position into an abyss.
‘How can things flow this unpredictably?’
If only he hadn’t condoned the establishment of Heavenly Comrade Alliance.
If only that Jang Ilso hadn’t organized the Evil Tyrant Alliance and set traps on the Yangtze.
If only Heo Dojin had not made an extreme choice to save his disciples and throw his face to the ground.
And if only Evil Tyrant Alliance hadn’t readily accepted that extreme choice!
If only one of them hadn’t happened, it would have been something that could have been rectified. But these are all meaningless assumptions. All these events transpired, and now all that remained was to restore the status of the Ten Great Sect and Five Great Family, which plummeted to the ground at this moment.
“How have the reactions been?”
“Sects that didn’t go to the Yangtze are demanding an explanation. And even though the rumor has not spread to Songshan yet, so public sentiment is not raging, but this place is probably soon...” (Songshan is the mountain where Shaolin temple is.)
“I suppose so.... It’s inevitable. Amitabha. Amitabha...”
Bop Jeong shouted mantra as if he were frustrated.
Public sentiment is fearsome.
The commoners usually endure no matter how much persecution they receive, but the moment it crosses a certain line, they have the power to rush even into the imperial palace with just farming tools.
The moment they become angry beyond disappointment at the Ten Great Sect and the Five Great Family, the downfall will begin quickly.
“What about Heavenly Comrade Alliance?”
“...Pardon?”
“Mount Hua Sect? What did Mount Hua do?”
Bop Kye looked at him with a look on his face as if he had no idea what he meant, and replied hesitantly.
“We came out of the Yangtze River first, so....”
Bop Jeong’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Are you saying you didn’t check what Mount Hua was doing?”
“The situation was...”
“....”
Bop Jeong closed his eyes tightly. And he sighed inwardly.
‘Aah...What to do with this...’
It was when Bop Jeong sighed and shook his head.
“Ba- Bangjang!”
An urgent voice came from outside the door.
“What happened?”
When Bop Kye quickly responded, the door opened and Bop Yo rushed inside.
“We- We’re in trouble.”
“Don’t be in a hurry and start talking. What’s the matter?”
“Wu- Wudang Sect.......”
As soon as he heard the word ‘Wudang’, Bop Jeong’s face hardened.
“Wudang Heo Dojin has stepped down from his position and has decided to go into seclusion.”
“What?”
Bop Jeong, who jumped from his seat, asked back with his eyes wide open.
“Is that true?”
“Yes, the news came directly from Wudang.”
“This, this can’t be...”
Bop Jeong’s voice trembled as words escaped his lips.
He thought they would just go into Bongmun for a while to avoid criticism, but he never expected such a drastic measure.
‘Is he willing to take full responsibility?’
This isn’t something that can be done with just any resolve.
There’s no precedent for a Sect Leader who has stepped down to return to his position. That means that Heo Dojin will take responsibility for this and completely step down from his Sect Leader position.
“Who’s the next Sect Leader?”
“For some time, Heo Sanja, Saje of Heo Dojin, is said to be the temporary Sect Leader.”
Bop Jeong’s face dimmed.
“S- Such a foolishness....”
The most foolish act a sinner can commit is to acknowledge their wrongdoing. People aren’t fully aware of what transpired there. They might be shocked and angered by the immediate news, but once their anger subsides a bit, they might speculate that there were justifiable reasons.
There are quite a few things that the Ten Great Sect and the Five Great Family have accumulated over the years, so there will definitely be people who defend them.
However, Heo Dojin’s resignation from his position as the Sect Leader, taking responsibility for this, is like admitting that the Ten Great Sect and the Five Great Family have made a big mistake.
“I’ll have to meet Heo Dojin in person.”
“... It’ll be difficult, Bangjang. Wudang is going to be in Bongmun for three months from now.”
“This...!”
Eventually, Bop Jeong’s face flushed with rage.
“What on earth is he doing! How can Heo Dojin be so impossibly foolish!”
A thunderous roar erupted from the mouth of Bop Jeong, who rarely gets angry.
“Why has it come to this! Just why”
His fingertips began to tremble with anger and shock.
Everything’s falling apart.
The order of Kangho, centered around the Ten Great Sect, was shattering in this very moment.
‘Has the era of chaos already begun?’
As soon as the Ten Great Sect and the Five Great Family lose control, the world won’t remain as peaceful as it once was.
It was as if he could see Jungwon on fire right before his eyes.
“I’ll depart for the Yangtze River. I have to meet Mount Hua.”
“...Bangjang. We... can’t go to the Yangtze River.”
For a moment, a sense of bewilderment and deep despair sank on Bop Jeong’s face.
He looked at Bop Kye in silence, and after a while, he laughed mockingly. It was a mockery of the present situation.
“Mount Hua Sect Leader.... No, send a letter to Maengju of Heavenly Comrade Alliance. Request a meeting on my behalf.”
“...Yes.”
“Bop Kye, as soon as this is over, go to the Repentance Hall. I assign you six months of meditation.”
“As you command.”
“Hohohoho.”
The carefully stacked tower collapsed at once. As if everything he painstakingly built was just a sandcastle.
‘Evil Tyrant Alliance, and Heavenly Comrade Alliance.’
He closed his eyes and chanted mantra.
‘This is difficult.’
For the first time, Bop Jeong felt Shaolin’s influence dwindling.