Many people gathered at the residence of the sect leader of Mount Hua for the first time in a while.
Not only the people of Mount Hua but also Tang Gunak and Im Sobyeong, who had come yesterday, took their seats on the other side of the sect leader.
"First..."
Hyun Jong cleared his throat softly and began to speak.
"During Mount Hua's absence, there must have been a lot of hard work for the two of you. As the leader of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance, I feel I must offer my sincere apologies. I also have to apologize to you two for not fulfilling my role as the leader."
"You don't need to say such things, Sect Leader."
Tang Gunak shook his head.
Just because Mount Hua was absent doesn't mean we had an easy time. We simply had different tasks to handle."
"Sir..."
In the midst of the warm exchange, a slightly sarcastic voice interjected.
"Of course, it was a bit tough."
Im Sobyeong smiled brightly, looking at Hyun Jong without a trace of bitterness.
"We never knew when those Evil Tyrant Alliance folks from across the river would come over, and we had to put up with those Ten Great Sect people who showed up near the Yangtze River for no good reason and gave us the evil eye. And the tolls were expensive, and we had to cater to those loudmouthed merchants, and we struggled to make a living, but..."
"...."
"Naturally, Mount Hua had its own hardships, just practicing behind the scenes. Yes! What could be more or less difficult? Hahaha."
"This bastard!"
As Chung Myung tried to get up with his eyes flashing, Baek Cheon firmly pressed down on his shoulder.
"Hold on, Chung Myung. It's just the beginning, and if you start like this, you won't achieve anything today."
Upon hearing this, Chung Myung turned his head and asked Hyun Young with a quizzical look.
"Is the account book all clear, Accountant? Is there anything missing? Did he embezzle anything? There might be something, right? There should be? There has to be?"
It was a statement that momentarily caused confusion as to whether it was better to have embezzlement or not. Unfortunately, Hyun Young's response was not what Chung Myung had hoped for.
"It's all clean."
"Clean?"
"Yes, clean."
Hyun Young nodded firmly, emphasizing it.
"Not a single coin is missing."
"Really?"
"I've cross-checked everything. I've never seen such a perfect account book in my whole life."
Hyun Young turned to look back with an admiring expression, and Im Sobyeong, holding a fan, smiled brightly with a confident face.
"Haha, I'm glad I could satisfy the elder."
But then, out of the blue:
"I knew it! This bandit bastard!"
Chung Myung rushed at Im Sobyeong and grabbed him by the collar without warning.
"Kek!"
Im Sobyeong, caught by the collar as if struck by lightning, suddenly widened his eyes as if in shock.
"Oh, no! Have you lost your mind in a few years? It's clean and perfect, isn't it? Perfect! Don't you know what 'perfect' means?"
"Yes, I know. That's why I'm saying this!"
"What?"
When Im Sobyeong looked bewildered, Chung Myung yelled in frustration.
"So, you're telling me a scoundrel wrote the account book, and there's nothing wrong with it? Who do you take us for?"
Im Sobyeong's mouth dropped open.
"Spit it out, you rascal! How much did you embezzle? You probably scraped everything clean and slyly pocketed it all, right? Spit it out! Right now!"
Chung Myung roughly ruffled Im Sobyeong's hair. Im Sobyeong's neatly combed hair quickly turned into a messy tangle.
"Ch- Chung Myung... he..."
"I know! This guy is a damn thief! Don't worry, Sect Leader! I'll search every nook and cranny this scoundrel hid his coins in and recover every single one!"
"Oh, no. Nokrim King..."
"This bastard, even now, he's not spitting it out? You want to die? Huh?"
Tears welled up in Im Sobyeong's eyes. Even though countless people had stayed up through many sleepless nights to ensure that not a single detail was omitted, what had all that time been for?
"Capture him!"
"Yes!"
At Hyun Jong's command, the Five Swords waiting nearby rushed forward like a flash and dragged Chung Myung away from Im Sobyeong. Chung Myung continued to swing his fists in the air as he was dragged away.
"No! Let go! You're all being fooled right now!"
"The account book is accurate!"
"Where did this rascal thief get the nerve to bother me!"
"..."
Ah, that's what it was about.
Well then, say it.
Baek Cheon, who had almost let go of his grip on Chung Myung's hand, suddenly regained his composure at the last moment. He firmly grasped Chung Myung again and dragged him away.
"I'm sorry, Nokrim King."
"...It's fine."
"Are you sure?"
"...I'm fine."
His eyes seemed moist, but Hyun Jong and Tang Gunak chose not to point out this fact and continued.
"Anyways..."
Rustle.
Im Sobyeong opened the fan. Normally a symbol of confidence, it was now being used to cover his face, which was rather regrettable.
"As you can see from the account book, Plum Blossom Island has been collecting a substantial amount of money. Since traders who have confirmed the safety guaranteed by Plum Blossom Island are all trying to cross the Yangtze River through Plum Blossom Island, we are running low on boats."
"Oh, so these guys embezzled the money meant for the boats... Uh, uh!"
"..."
Im Sobyeong glanced at Chung Myung with a world-weary look. Then, Hyun Jong spoke.
"Nokrim King."
"Yes, Leader..."
"Just don't worry about it."
"Okay."
Im Sobyeong cleared his throat and spoke.
"As Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword suggested, increasing the number of boats could resolve the issue, but in reality, the benefits are ultimately obtained from the blockade of the Yangtze River. Therefore, Plum Blossom Island's situation may change at any time depending on the situation of the Yangtze River."
"Hmm, you're making a valid point. Frankly, I never thought the sluice gate would have still been blocking the Yangtze River all this time."
"Yes, Sect Leader. That's why thoughtlessly expanding the boats may lead to losses. Maintaining the current situation seems to be the best course of action for now."
"You've truly worked hard."
"No need for kind words."
Im Sobyeong smiled wryly.
"As members of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance, shouldn't we all play our part? Hahaha."
"But those Evil Sect guys might stir up trouble again somewhere! I don't want to see that happen before I get dirt in my eyes... Uh, uh!"
This time, even Tang Gunak stepped in and covered Chung Myung's mouth.
"Please be quiet, just be quiet!"
"Close your mouth."
"If you utter another word, I'll drive a nail into your forehead, death penalty!"
Hyun Jong, with his face tightly wrapped, once again apologized to Im Sobyeong.
"...I'm sorry."
"They say the life of a bandit is worse than that of a dog."
"Not a slave?"
"...Slave or bandit."
They were different, and significantly so. However, Hyun Jong comforted Im Sobyeong, who was sighing under the weight of his social status(?).
As Im Sobyeong had said, if Nokrim had truly lived honestly over the past three years, people's perceptions of them would have changed significantly. Even if those views hadn't changed much, they would agree that Mount Hua could restrain Nokrim.
So, according to Im Sobyeong's words, there might be a need to firmly establish Nokrim's position, currently informally allied with the Heavenly Comrade Alliance, before things escalated with the Evil Tyrant Alliance.
Hyun Jong's gaze, as he quietly nodded, now turned toward Tang Gunak.
"You've worked hard as well, Lord."
"It's not a big deal to suffer."
Tanggunak nodded.
"There really aren't any significant problems in the skirmishes along the Yangtze River. If there were to be a problem, it would be that the Tang Family had to manage such a vast area with a small number of troops."
Chung Myung let out a bitter chuckle.
"So, why don't we just make use of those bandits who are loafing around?"
"...Realistically, it's not that simple. "Who would welcome bandits coming down to capture the Evil Sect members?"
"Anyway, those bandits are useless."
As Im Sobyeong contemplated why he had come all the way from the Yangtze River, Tang Gunak spoke.
"But thanks to this, the public sentiment in the Yangtze River region has clearly shifted towards the Heavenly Comrade Alliance's side."
Hyun Jong nodded vigorously.
He, too, understood how formidable public sentiment could be. Wasn't it because there were a small number of people who willingly embraced the Mount Hua Sect that it had held out in until the end even such difficult circumstances before Chung Myung appeared?
"However, now we've reached our limits, Lord Maengju." [title for leader of Heavenly Comrade Alliance, aka Hyun Jong]
"Um."
"At the moment, we can manage somehow because the Evil Tyrant Alliance is lying low, but if their activity picks up, it will undoubtedly become a bigger problem. We need support from the Heavenly Comrade Alliance."
Although they call it the Heavenly Comrade Alliance, in the middle region, there is only the Mount Hua Sect and the Tang Family.
This was no different from Tang Gunak officially requesting support from the Mount Hua Sect.
"Indeed... if you've been staying in the Yangtze River for the past three years, the main house in Sichuan won't be happy."
"I'm ashamed, but that's the truth."
"Understood, Lord. Our Mount Hua Sect will do its best to..."
"What are you going to do?"
"Huh?"
All eyes turned towards Chung Myung.
Baek Cheon, who had been holding Chung Myung, slowly released his hand. By now, he could somewhat distinguish when this guy was talking nonsense and when he was speaking seriously.
"Can't we just leave it alone and withdraw?"
Baek Cheon's hand gently returned to Chung Myung's shoulder.
Should he be restrained?
"...Did you say to withdraw?"
"Yes."
"From the Yangtze River?"
"Yes."
Tang Gunak furrowed his brow as he looked at Chung Myung, who spoke nonchalantly.
"I know you're not the type to speak without thinking, but I really can't understand that statement at all."
Baek Cheon widened his eyes in shock.
Excuse me, Lord...? It seems like there's a misunderstanding here. You can search all over the world for a person who speaks more thoughtlessly than this bastard.
"During the past time, the Tang Family has been protecting the commoners, and that was certainly our duty. But it was also to create a favorable public opinion toward the Heavenly Comrade Alliance. However, if we withdraw from here, won't all of that effort be in vain?"
"No, just because we take a break now, if you start cursing us, does that make you a human? Are you an animal?"
"..."
"When people help you, you should be grateful! Rescuing someone from drowning, and they ask for their bags!"
"...Well, it's not an incorrect statement, but you know the world doesn't work as perfectly as in theory, right?"
"The words are true, but why should we protect that place? Originally, it's a place where the Wudang and the Namgung family should be protect."
"But didn't they close their doors...?"
"What, is closing doors an excuse? Can they just do nothing?"
"...The Mount Hua Sect shouldn't say that."
Baek Cheon quickly nodded.
Right. That's not something we should say, right? Right?
But Chung Myung let out a sarcastic chuckle.
"So, should you keep doing it?"
"Huh?"
"You want the Mount Hua Sect to keep providing support, don't you?"
"Well... yes?"
Anxiety crossed Tang Gunak's face.
Indeed... Chung Myung was Chung Myung.
"Even if a knife were to pierce my throat, I have no reason to go to the Yangtze River to fight in place of the Wudang. So, either the Tang Family withdraws or keeps doing what they're doing there!"
"..."
"Why are we doing what those rotten Ten Great Sects should be doing in the first place!"
"Still, the Ten Great Sects and the Heavenly Comrade Alliance, while not official, have some kind of alliance..."
"Alli...alliance?"
Suddenly, Chung Myung's eyes widened. In response to his surprised gaze, Tang Gunak involuntarily closed his eyes tightly.
"I'd rather join forces with the Evil Sect than form an alliance with those rotten Ten Great Sects! Shaolin, Wudangs, they can all go to hell!"
"Haha. Well, since we're talking, why not talk about Nokrim and..."
"Spit out the money you ate!"
"No! I didn't eat it!"
Chung Myung in a fit of anger, Im Sobyeong defending, and Tang Gunak in turmoil.
In the midst of this chaotic scene, Hyun Jong smiled contentedly.
"Yes, this is the feeling."
Ah... I just want to go back to the mountain.
Please...