Chapter 1610
Even if I open my eyes, it’s the same. (5)
In front of the pavilion where the meeting was being held, Zhuge Jain stood with a frown on his face. Since Jongli Gok had followed without resistance, Zhuge Jain had no choice but to come as well, but he wasn’t pleased about being summoned by someone so much younger.
‘Arrogant brat…’
If there had been even a pretense that Hyun Jong or Tang Gunak had issued the summons, Zhuge Jain wouldn’t have shown such displeasure. How unorganized could Cheonumaeng be to fail at such a simple task?
He could already foresee what would unfold when he opened the door and entered. But he didn’t care.
‘I’ll put them in their place!’
Grinding his teeth, he opened the door roughly, reflecting his discomfort.
But then…
“What, did you eat a slug? Why are you so late!”
Zhuge Jain’s mouth fell open as he entered. A young brat with a scowl was pointing a finger at him.
‘What is this?’
He was too taken aback to even get angry. He even began to wonder if he had done something wrong.
“Are you talking to me?”
“Is there anyone else here who’s late besides you?”
The little brat glared fiercely, leaving Zhuge Jain speechless.
“Ha…”
He could only let out a helpless laugh. Just as he was about to say something, the brat shouted again.
“Do the others have boils on their feet to make them jump around and arrive early? You must have heard the summons a while ago. What took you so long to get here? Or is being late once not enough for you?”
Zhuge Jain’s reason snapped.
“You…!”
Just as he was about to shout in fury, Jongli Gok, standing behind him, placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him and stepping forward.
“Apologies. We’ll try to be a bit earlier next time.”
“Yes. At least Sect Leader is reasonable.”
“I’ve been burned too many times before.”
Chung Myung nodded as if he understood.
“Well, that makes sense.”
“…”
A vein slightly bulged on Jongli Gok’s forehead.
He had expected this and tried to remain calm, but he couldn’t suppress the sudden surge of anger.
How did such a creature end up crawling onto the mountain next to Jongnam?
“Ahem.”
Jongli Gok cleared his throat, as if to shake off his displeasure, and found a seat. He then gestured to the still-standing Zhuge Jain and Moyong Wigyeong.
“Please, have a seat.”
“Sect Leader.”
“Isn’t it true that we don’t have much time?”
Zhuge Jain, with a deeply dissatisfied expression, finally sat down after a moment of silence. Moyong Wigyeong, eyeing the situation, also took a seat next to them.
Chung Myung clicked his tongue shortly and began to speak.
“In any case, now that everyone’s here…”
“Apologies.”
The door opened as Jin Geumryong and Lee Songbaek of Jongnam entered. Chung Myung frowned deeply.
Zhuge Jain, who had caught this, rejoiced inwardly.
‘This brat!’
He was sure Hwasan Geomhyeop would now question whether these young Jongnam disciples had the right to be here. If Chung Myung went down that path, Zhuge Jain could counter by attacking Chung Myung’s age and inexperience.
‘I’ll show this arrogant brat, protected by his sect, the reality.’
Zhuge Jain eagerly awaited Chung Myung’s words. And finally…!
“Oh, I see. So swift, it’s making my head spin.”
“We came as soon as we heard…”
“Oh my! And the Sect Leader arrived before you. In all my life, I’ve never heard of a disciple dawdling in after the Sect Leader and making the Sect Leader wait. Even if the world turns upside down, there should be limits! Back in my day, this has never happened!”
Gnashing his teeth, Jin Geumryong placed his hand on his sword. Lee Songbaek gently held Jin Geumryong’s wrist, trying to calm him.
“You won’t win with words, Sahyeong. Unless you really intend to draw your sword, just endure.”
“…”
Unable to stand it any longer, Jongli Gok spoke sternly.
“Stop wasting time and sit down. Important people are present.”
While Lee Songbaek’s attempts to calm him didn’t work, Jin Geumryong could not resist Jongli Gok’s command and sat down. Of course, he did not forget to glare at Chung Myung as if he wanted to kill him.
This was a sight Zhuge Jain had not anticipated, leaving him puzzled.
Hwasan Geomhyeop first made his name by defeating Jin Geumryong of Jongnam. So, there must be deep-seated resentment between them.
Considering the relationship between Jongnam and Hwasan, there was no way this would pass smoothly. However, Chung Myung, with his arms crossed and a displeased expression, showed no intention of driving the two away.
With nothing going as he wished, the desperate Zhuge Jain couldn’t hold back any longer and spoke up quietly.
“…Should the second generation disciples from Jongnam be participating in a meeting like this?”
“Huh?”
“By their ranks or positions, they can’t be considered senior members. Isn’t this a meeting for the senior members?”
Jin Geumryong and Lee Songbaek’s faces hardened.
Zhuge Jain pretended not to notice their expressions. Though it seemed he was unintentionally attacking Jongnam, he couldn’t just let this pass.
“Don’t misunderstand. It’s not that I have an issue with their participation, it’s just about their qualifications…”
“Qualifications?”
Chung Myung tilted his head to the side.
Instantly, a few in the meeting room averted their eyes from Chung Myung, feigning disinterest.
“Qualifications? Qualifications, you say? Qualifications?”
“W-Why are you suddenly like this? Did I say something wrong…?”
“No, I just find it fascinating.”
Chung Myung smiled broadly and glanced at Jongli Gok.
“It seems we won’t even need to fight with Sapaeryeon, right, Sect Leader?”
“…What do you mean by that?”
“A few days ago, you were glued to that bald bastard’s side, cursing us to death, and now you’re sitting here talking about qualifications. It makes me think the world is doomed. If there’s any sign of decline, this is it. Why bother fighting hard in such a mess?”
Zhuge Jain’s face turned a deep shade of red. He was about to let out a scream of anger when.
“Hu hu hu.”
“…”
The sound of laughter coming from the side shut Zhuge Jain’s mouth. It was none other than Jongli Gok who burst out laughing at Chung Myung’s words.
“Sect Leader!”
“Ah, I apologize. I couldn’t help it.”
Jongli Gok cleared his throat and stifled his laughter, subtly avoiding Zhuge Jain’s gaze.
Chung Myung continued with a sneer.
“If we’re talking about qualifications, the two people least qualified to be here are those two over there.”
He didn’t give Zhuge Jain a chance to rebut.
“And these two? They definitely have the qualifications. They were the first to witness the horrors of the battlefield, more than ‘anyone’ else.”
Under the table, Zhuge Jain’s hand started trembling. He couldn’t misunderstand the implications of Chung Myung’s words.
‘That damn brat…’
He ground his teeth in frustration.
Zhuge Jain had tried to exploit the antagonistic relationship between Jongnam and Hwasan. But instead, Chung Myung defending Jongnam had made Zhuge Jain look foolish.
However, he couldn’t argue back right now. Doing so would only remind everyone of his mistakes.
As Zhuge Jain fell silent, Chung Myung clicked his tongue audibly.
“People should have some sense of shame.”
“…”
“It’s funny how the guilty party gets angry and keeps pointing fingers at others. Honestly, I feel like just…”
“Now, now, General. Let’s calm down. There’s no need to get so angry.”
“I’m not angry.”
“Yes, yes. I understand. But let’s leave it at that…”
“I’m serious, I’m not angry. It’s just absurd. If someone saw this, they’d think this is Henan, and those gentlemen over there are the hosts. It’s so ridiculous that I just couldn’t let it pass…”
“Alright, alright. I got it. I got it.”
Tang Gunak was sweating profusely as he tried to calm Chung Myung down. And he thought to himself.
‘I knew this would happen.’
It was a wonder that Chung Myung had held back for this long despite Zhuge Jain’s attitude and his repeated disrespect towards Hyun Jong.
Chung Myung must have been harboring his resentment, waiting to strike back now. This is why you always have to be careful with someone prone to hold a grudge.
“Tsk.”
Chung Myung clicked his tongue loudly and glanced around at everyone.
“So, is everyone really here now?”
Slam!
“I-I’m sorry! I got the message late…”
Baek Cheon stormed in, slamming the door open. Chung Myung covered his face with his hands.
“Oh, damn it. I might as well just go out and die.”
“…”
Meanwhile, Zhuge Jain took a deep breath, trying hard to calm his mind. He knew the truth. The reason his words had been effective until now was that Cheonumaeng had been considerate of him. The moment they stopped showing that ‘consideration’ and began attacking his mistakes, his position would quickly diminish.
When the consideration vanished, what remained would be two evaluations: the crumbling of the Five Great Families’ lowest rank and the cause of their defeat.
Therefore, Zhuge Jain quickly tried to unite Jongnam and Moyong. Even if the justification disappeared, he wouldn’t lose his voice as long as he had power.
But that damned young brat seemed to know his intentions. He humiliated him even before the meeting started, in front of everyone.
He couldn’t even properly refute the words, so now his position was almost completely shattered.
‘This won’t end like this.’
Then, there was only one path left. He was the head of Zhuge family. He was confident in arming himself with logic, so he decided to crush that arrogant brat with words.
“But… why did you suddenly gather everyone like this?”
Just then, Jongli Gok opened the conversation.
“We need to have a meeting.”
“Didn’t we already have one?”
“Can you really call that a meeting? Everyone just said what they wanted and left.”
“Hmm.”
Jongli Gok nodded in agreement. Indeed, the only conclusion from that meeting was the speculation that there was a traitor. Of course, that one conclusion was quite significant.
“Does that mean you have identified the traitor?”
Jongli Gok’s eyes sharpened as he looked at Chung Myung. All eyes turned to him.
“As long as there is a traitor within the alliance, any measures we take are meaningless. That’s why the meeting couldn’t continue. If there’s a spy, our strategy will be exposed, and if there’s a traitor, we could be attacked by those we trust as allies. Even so, the fact that you urgently gathered everyone here means you must have identified the traitor. Isn’t that right?”
Various emotions were reflected in the gazes of the ones present: curiosity, anger, concern, and a peculiar anxiety.
Amid all these gazes, Chung Myung nonchalantly picked his ear.
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
“Excuse me?”
“What kind of weird talk is this? What does having a traitor have to do with anything?”
“…What?”
Jongli Gok couldn’t hide his bewilderment.
“What do you mean by that? Are you saying you know who the traitor is, or you don’t?”
“No, how would I know that? Do you think I’m some kind of fortune teller because I am a Taoist monk?”
Chung Myung burst out in irritation.
“If I had that kind of skill, why would I bother struggling with a sword? I could just stick a flag somewhere and make a fortune!”
At Chung Myung’s unexpected response, Jongli Gok’s mouth hung open, forgetting his dignity.
“You don’t know?”
“No. I don’t.”
“Then… why did you gather everyone at this late hour?”
“This is why everything’s a mess.”
“…”
Chung Myung smirked.
“The important thing isn’t whether there’s a traitor. The truly important thing is…”
“What kind of nonsense is that! How can the existence of a traitor not be important!”
At that moment, Zhuge Jain cut off Chung Myung’s words and sprang to his feet.
“Huh?”
“Can you take responsibility for that statement!”
Zhuge Jain’s eyes were bloodshot as he shouted.
Chung Myung, who had been watching him quietly, slowly curled one corner of his mouth into a grin.
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