Chapter 1544
Isn’t that good? (4)
“Burn it down!”
“Kill them all without leaving a trace!”
Flames soared in a village near the Yangtze River.
Terrified by the sudden calamity, the villagers screamed and fled, but those who attacked the village chased after them with eyes gleaming with madness, stabbing them in the back with swords.
Screams, pleas, and the cries of children could be heard everywhere.
“Ahhhhh!”
“My wife!”
A man screamed in sorrow and anger as he saw the sword that had pierced his wife’s chest. He charged at the villains with a roar, but they were not opponents he could handle with rage alone.
Slash!
In an instant, his head was severed, and his lifeless body collapsed.
“Aren’t the Gangbuk scum fearless?”
Lee Gon, the man who had decapitated him, laughed as he flicked the blood from his sword.
A scene that could only be described as hell on earth unfolded around him. Burning houses, blood splattering, and people running in all directions, screaming.
Lee Gon slowly licked his lips.
‘It’s been a while.’
His heart pounded, and his eyes glistened with excitement.
People often asked if such things happened frequently in Gangnam, where the Evil Sects ruled, but that was not the case.
Jang Ilso strictly prohibited them from harming commoners.
Of course, it wasn’t because of overflowing compassion. Each and every commoner was a source of wealth for Sapaeryeon.
However, the lower-ranked members of the Evil Sects, who couldn’t share in the profits, were inevitably filled with resentment.
But here in Gangbuk, things were different.
There were no watchful eyes of Sapaeryeon monitoring day and night, and no beastly members of Maninbang cutting off wrists and branding them with hot iron for disobedience. It meant they could rampage to their heart’s content without restraint.
“Pah! Not even a single sack of grain in this house. They’re worse than beggars.”
A few of his comrades, their eyes bloodshot, were scouring for valuables. However, Lee Gon had no interest in such treasures.
Logically, what great wealth could there be among these peasants in a rural village?
“If we go further up, we might find some people with real money.”
“Hehe. We can keep whatever we get from Gangbuk, right?”
His comrade seemed to fully trust the upper ranks’ words. After all, it was promised in the name of Paegun, so doubting it would be stranger.
Lee Gon didn’t care about such promises or treasures. Even if everything turned out to be a lie, it was still much better than suffocating in Gangnam.
“Let’s move on if we’ve killed enough.”
“Good idea.”
Having burned down the village, they began to head north. Lee Gon roughly wiped the blood splattered on his face with his sleeve.
It had been a long time since he smelled blood.
His eyes were gradually becoming filled with an even deeper madness.
❀ ❀ ❀
“Abbot!”
Beop Gye hastily threw open the door.
“We have reports that the members of Sapaeryeon are landing at various points along the Yangtze River!”
Beop Jong’s eyes, which had been tightly closed, slowly opened.
“We’re requesting as much support as possible, but most of the small and medium sects are concentrated in Hubei and Shaanxi, so it’s impossible to completely block the Yangtze.”
No, even if they hadn’t vacated their positions, it might still have been impossible to block the entire Yangtze. How could they possibly monitor that long and wide river with human power alone?
“This is not the time to be idle. We have to come up with a plan!”
“Hmm.”
However, Beop Jong’s expression remained serene, making it doubtful whether he had truly heard Beop Gye’s urgent plea.
“Did you verify it?”
“What?”
“What I asked you to verify.”
After a brief gulp, Beop Gye spoke.
“Well… it hasn’t been confirmed precisely, but it seems that the martial prowess of those attempting to land is not particularly high.”
Beop Jong slowly nodded.
“So, they are mere pebbles.”
“Abbot! They may be mere lowly scum to us, but not to the commoners. Several villages have already been burned. If we leave them be, the damage will become uncontrollable. We need a countermeasure!”
In his urgency, Beop Gye even raised his voice. However, Beop Jong only shook his head slowly.
“It’s unavoidable.”
“What? What do you mean…?”
“Maninbang at Zhangjiajie has moved. You know what that means, don’t you?”
For a moment, Beop Gye fell silent.
The rogue bastards causing havoc along the Yangtze now were mere riffraff. They were more fittingly called criminals [흑도(黑道) – criminal underworld] rather than members of the Evil Sects. They were running wild like fish in water, taking advantage of the gap along the Yangtze, but in a proper battle, they would be nothing more than numbers, lacking any significant power.
So, where were the true forces of Sapaeryeon now?
“The moment we move to confront them, Sapaeryeon will advance north. Isn’t it obvious? We mustn’t act rashly.”
“But, Abbot. If we don’t…”
“Yes, the damage will be great. Many lives will be lost.”
Beop Gye nodded vigorously in agreement, hoping that Beop Jong would make a wiser decision.
“However, there is no other choice.”
“…”
“The harm inflicted on innocent people is heartbreaking, but if we were to be defeated by Sapaeryeon, the entire Gangbuk would turn into hell. Just like Gangnam.”
“Abbot…”
“We must endure.”
Beop Jong spoke decisively, without a hint of hesitation.
“They aim to shake us. We must not act according to their intentions under any circumstances.”
“How can you be so sure?”
Beop Gye protested, biting his lip.
“Their intention could be to keep us tied down and ravage Gangbuk. Abbot, you could be wrong…”
“Beop Gye!”
In an instant, Beop Jong raised his voice and glared at Beop Gye with cold eyes.
“The Buddha overcame all temptations to achieve enlightenment. Do not waver.”
“…”
Beop Gye bit the inside of his lip hard. He knew that Beop Jong was not wrong. Ignoring Maninbang and confronting mere riffraff would indeed be foolish.
But then, why had they mastered martial arts in the first place? The situation was different from the times they had gritted their teeth while watching calamities beyond the Yangtze. This time, they could help the commoners without much effort. They could save lives.
Yet, even in this situation, were they to ignore all that suffering?
“Abbot, in that case, perhaps…”
“That is not acceptable.”
But before Beop Gye could even finish his sentence, Beop Jong shook his head. He already knew what Beop Gye was going to say.
“Paegun must have anticipated this. The moment we head to Zhangjiajie, we will undoubtedly fall into a trap he had set.”
“Then what should we…”
“Amitabha.”
Beop Jong chanted softly.
“We do not have to wait indefinitely. If Maninbang does not make a move, they too will end up wasting their forces in Gangbuk meaninglessly. Do you think Jang Ilso will just sit by and watch that happen?”
“…”
“They will make a move. They must. This is a test of patience. Once they act, we can surely annihilate the enemy.”
“Abbot…”
“Remove the confusion from your heart. Do not be swayed by the enemy’s schemes designed to shake us. Also, instruct the others to hold their positions and not to move.”
“…”
“Hurry.”
“…Yes, Abbot.”
Reluctantly, Beop Gye nodded. His movements were unusually sluggish and heavy. As he bowed his head and walked out, Beop Jong added.
“Beop Gye.”
“Yes, Abbot?”
“I will allow a radius of one hour.”
Beop Gye turned back with a questioning look.
“You are permitted to annihilate the enemy gathered within a distance that allows for return within one hour. Convey to the other sects that they may also move under the same condition.”
“A-Abbot!”
“Not more than one. You must adhere to this.”
Beop Gye nodded hastily.
“I will ensure that it is conveyed properly.”
“Go on.”
“Yes!”
With a markedly different expression, Beop Gye departed. Beop Jong’s eyes grew somber.
‘He is so happy over something that will change nothing.’
No matter how advanced a martial artist may be, the distance that can be covered in two hours is limited. It essentially confines them to the vicinity of Hubei.
Annihilating the enemy within that area would make no real difference in the outcome of this war.
Knowing this, Beop Jong still granted Beop Gye’s request. In the past, he would never have permitted it, but now Beop Jong understood. Human hearts are not as rational as his own thinking.
Merely allowing them to annihilate those riffraff before them would alleviate some of their pent-up dissatisfaction. Isn’t that good enough?
With a slightly bitter expression, Beop Jong shook his head.
This was something he had learned from Cheonumaeng. Satisfaction doesn’t come from doing what is right, but from doing what one wants.
“Hoo.”
He let out a deep sigh and fell into thought.
‘Paegun…’
Indeed, he was someone who made moves beyond anyone’s imagination.
But the shock was not as intense as it used to be. Unlike before, Beop Jong now knew that Jang Ilso always exceeded expectations.
Now, he was simply curious.
“What will you do, Hwasan Geomhyeop?”
This must be what they call a checkmate.
“Didn’t I tell you? Someday, your words and actions would trap you.”
The soft chant spread heavily through the air.
“Amitabha.”
❀ ❀ ❀
“They say the massacre has begun.”
In the main hall of Cheonumaeng, the gathered people wore expressions as grim as could be.
“Urgent reports have arrived from Huaining and Chizhou.”
“…Anhui, then.”
At someone’s muttered words, Namgung Dowi bit his lip until it bled.
The crossings were happening all along the Yangtze River, but the heaviest concentration was in Anhui.
‘We…’
With the absence of Namgung clan and Namgung Dowi’s active efforts to summon the smaller sects from Anhui to Shaanxi, Anhui had effectively become an unguarded territory.
It was as if Sapaeryeon had anticipated Namgung Dowi’s movements, landing in the now defenseless Anhui without hesitation.
“What should we do, Nokrim King?”
Namgung Dowi’s urgent voice called out to Im Sobyeong, filled with desperation.
If this continued, Anhui would turn into a literal hell. And it wasn’t just Anhui. If they stood by and watched, the entire nation would soon be engulfed in flames. This was a far graver situation compared to just a short while ago when only a few locations were at risk.
“We have to do something!”
As Namgung Dowi’s desperate voice echoed, Im Sobyeong, with a stern expression, sank deep into thought.
After a moment, Im Sobyeong’s gaze turned towards someone, drawing everyone’s attention in that direction.
Their eyes fell upon Chung Myung, who sat with his arms crossed, as still as a stone statue.
Under the heavy gazes, Chung Myung forced his reluctant lips to part.
“First, we need to…”
His hand, hidden behind his elbow, clenched so tightly that no blood flowed.
“Wait until Jang Ilso makes a move…”
“…”
“Just a little more…”
At that very moment, a harsh sound of a chair scraping the floor was heard as someone stood up.
It was Yoon Jong.
With an indifferent expression, he looked down at Chung Myung and spoke calmly.
“I am going to Anhui.”
“Yoon Jong-ah!”
It wasn’t Chung Myung but another member of Five Swords who reacted.
“Sa-Sahyeong! Why are you doing this all of a sudden?”
“Why?”
Yoon Jong questioned Jo Geol, as if finding his attempt to dissuade him strange.
“Does a person need a reason to save another person?”
His calm voice, stating the obvious, struck everyone’s hearts like a sharp dagger.
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