Chapter 1614
So we have no choice but to tear them down. (4)
“Seriously…”
Jo Geol kept grumbling as he hurried his steps. Why had everything become so complicated for everyone? Life could be complex, but it could also be simple, depending on how you looked at it.
Jo Geol understood that all of this was just a part of growing up. But lately, it frustrated him to see traces of the people he always found boring in the ones he liked.
“I’m the only one still a kid, only me.”
Jo Geol grumbled and soon glanced around stealthily.
“…Is this the right place?”
It seemed like it.
“Chung Myung. Are you in there?”
He asked, but without waiting for a response, he burst open the door. He needed to see Chung Myung right now. There were things he needed to say and things he wanted to hear.
But as Jo Geol barged in, he found not Chung Myung, but others who were very familiar.
“You came?”
“…What?”
Jo Geol blinked.
“Sorry, I must have the wrong room…”
“No, this is the right place.”
“I mean, I wasn’t looking for you, Sasuk.”
“This is Chung Myung’s room.”
“What?”
Jo Geol, who had half-turned to leave, cautiously stepped back in. His face was filled with confusion.
“Then why are you all here?”
“Probably for the same reason as you.”
“Ah… To meet Chung Myung?”
Looking around, Jo Geol saw that Baek Cheon wasn’t the only one here. Lying weakly on a bed was clearly Im Sobyeong, and the figure poking around here and there was definitely Seol Sobaek.
Jo Geol had come to see Chung Myung, but Chung Myung was missing and only these others were present.
“Just come in.”
“…But Chung Myung isn’t here.”
“Even if you go out looking, it won’t be easy to find him. He’ll come eventually. Everyone here is waiting with that in mind.”
Unable to deny it, Jo Geol let out a faint groan and nodded. After closing the door, he awkwardly sat down next to Im Sobyeong, who reacted with irritation.
“Ah, it’s already cramped enough!”
Jo Geol was at a loss for words.
…Did this man even realize he was one of the leaders of Cheonumaeng and the Advisor? At such a crucial time, he was here, hanging around instead of seeing the Alliance Leader?
But, in the end, it was proof that everyone shared the same sentiment. Thinking that way made Jo Geol feel a bit reassured. He gave a faint smile, but…
“…”
“…”
“Ugh.”
The atmosphere in the room had become extremely awkward. Only then did Jo Geol suddenly realize.
‘This combination is somehow off.’
If it were just Baek Cheon and himself, Jo Geol would try to have an open conversation, but with others around, he felt a bit cautious. On the other hand, there were no significant topics to discuss with the others, so everyone was just pretending not to notice and keeping silent.
‘Well…’
As the silence dragged on, Jo Geol, who was particularly intolerant of such situations, started to sweat.
At that moment, a faint noise came from outside the door. Feeling as though he had encountered the predecessors from the Ancestor Pavilion, Jo Geol hurriedly rushed to open the door.
“Hey! Why are you just…”
“…”
“……Come in, Sahyeong.”
A heavier silence fell over the room.
In front of the wide-open door stood Yoon Jong, wearing a face three times more awkward than anyone else in the room.
Jo Geol and Yoon Jong averted their gazes slightly. Their parting had not been amicable. It was intensely awkward.
“Um, you came to see Chung Myung, right?”
“Well… that’s the case.”
“Then, uh, why not come in? We’re all in the same situation.”
“Alright…”
Yoon Jong reluctantly moved his feet, stepping into the room with difficulty. As the door closed, the air inside grew even more awkward.
Yoon Jong sat down on the corner of the bed opposite Jo Geol, creating a subtly tense standoff between himself and Jo Geol with Im Sobyeong in between.
“So… where’s Chung Myung?”
“He should… come.”
“Right.”
Yoon Jong stared blankly at the wall. Only the sound of someone’s breathing was heard in the otherwise empty, small room.
Unable to endure the awkwardness any longer, Jo Geol finally snapped.
“Argh! Seriously! Why isn’t that guy coming? We’re all waiting here!”
“……He probably doesn’t understand the need to wait.”
“Why is Sasuk so nonchalant? It wasn’t like this before! If it were the old days, he would have been the first to react.”
“Geol-ah.”
“What?”
“I didn’t get upset first even back then.”
“That’s a lie!”
Jo Geol, who had instinctively turned his head to shout, ‘Sasuk was definitely the first to react, Sahyeong!’ froze when his eyes met Yoon Jong’s. His head slowly turned back to its original position.
At that moment, Im Sobyeong, who had been lying down the whole time, lifted his body and began to stretch his stiff neck from side to side.
“There must be something he needs to do. He has unfinished business to sort out. Still, he will come eventually. They’ll need time too.”
“If he has work to do, he shouldn’t have caused this mess!”
“That’s true.”
Im Sobyeong nodded in agreement.
“There’s no need to go to such lengths. We could still manage to fight, but it only creates unnecessary trouble.”
“This bandit bastard is criticizing Chung Myung?”
“…Let’s focus on one thing, Dojang.”
Im Sobyeong sighed deeply. Baek Cheon, who had been silent, finally spoke.
“What do you think will happen, Nokrim King?”
Im Sobyeong replied with a smile.
“That’s true, it’s true. As always.”
“…Hmm.”
“Actually, don’t all the people within Cheonumaeng wish for their own sect to achieve the greatest accomplishments? No one wants to just be a supporting character beside others.”
“That’s right. But up until now, there haven’t been any problems because of that…”
“That’s because Jang Ilso didn’t bite into that issue.”
Im Sobyeong lightly tapped his palm with his fan.
“The most unpredictable thing in the world is a person’s mind, so I can’t foresee when something might happen. No matter how much we plan and discuss strategies.”
Baek Cheon sighed in agreement. Thus, he understood why Chung Myung brought up this matter. In that wretched hell, Chung Myung would have foreseen and felt much more.
“But you know.”
At that moment, Jo Geol interjected.
“Honestly, I only understand half of this, but if we do as Chung Myung says, it will really get better, right?”
Im Sobyeong smiled and nodded.
“Oh dear, I should have explained that first. I didn’t realize Jo Geol Dojang was here?”
“It’s not that I don’t know… Right, S-Sobaek! Sobaek doesn’t know…”
“How dare you speak like that to the Lord, you little bastard!”
“…That’s not something a Taoist should say either, Sahyeong.”
Jo Geol sulked. It’s always him, always him.
Im Sobyeong shrugged his shoulders and began to speak.
“Well, it’s easier to understand it as reorganizing the command structure rather than talking about revoking command authority.”
“What? Reorganization?”
“Tang and medical corps. How about it? Familiar forms, right?”
Those present there all nodded simultaneously.
“If the heads of the sects agree to this matter, Chunumaeng will establish new divisions and allocate disciples from each sect within them. This means that within one division, disciples from Hwasan, Tang, Nokrim, and even Jongnam can coexist.”
“Let’s exclude Jongnam.”
“…”
“Seriously.”
If Jo Geol had said this, Im Sobyeong would have laughed it off. But Im Sobyeong couldn’t laugh because it was Baek Cheon who said it.
“…We’ll try.”
“Thank you.”
With a sigh, Im Sobyeong spoke again.
“To put it simply, Chung Myung Dojang proposes temporarily making Cheonumaeng a single sect. By reorganizing the members into new formations and appointing leaders and vice leaders for these divisions.”
“What about the existing heads?”
“They will receive positions according to the situation. They could become division leaders, vice leaders, or perhaps take on roles similar to unit-leaders.”
“…”
“The important thing is that even if someone becomes a division leader, they won’t be able to issue orders to members of other divisions. That’s the core of this entire plan.”
Jo Geol scratched his head.
“So, would things actually get better if we did that?”
“…Explaining it in detail would take forever, so let’s move past that.”
“Don’t treat me like an idiot.”
“It’s not treating you like an idiot, it’s considering your understanding.”
“That’s the same thing!”
“Oh? You understand this. I’ve underestimated you.”
This bastard. As Jo Geol subtly reached for his sword, Baek Cheon mercilessly struck the back of his head.
“Stay still! You’re giving me a headache.”
“Yes… This time, it’s my fault again.”
“You know it well.”
Jo Geol felt wronged. At that moment, Yoon Jong, who had been quietly listening, spoke up.
“So, the key issue is whether the heads of the sects can accept this, right?”
“Exactly.”
“It’s an unprecedented situation…”
“Well, surprisingly, there is a precedent.”
At this unexpected statement, everyone’s eyes widened. Im Sobyeong shrugged.
“In fact, this is something we’re more familiar with. When the Evil Sects became extremely powerful or when Demonic Cult went on a rampage, making it difficult to respond with just Gupailbang and Five Great Families, the Just Sects occasionally formed such a system. They called it the Martial Alliance [Murimmaeng – 무림맹].”
“Martial Alliance…”
Baek Cheon murmured softly.
“Well, of course, the organization back then was less than half as effective as what Chung Myung Dojang is proposing now, but a similar structure was established.”
“Then we should just do it, shouldn’t we?”
“That’s the problem, it’s not that easy.”
Im Sobyeong shrugged.
“It took an immense amount of time, effort, and sacrifice to create even that half-baked system. But now, we are absolutely short on time.”
Baek Cheon, who had been listening quietly, stared at Im Sobyeong.
“So Nokrim King believes it won’t work.”
“Yes. Frankly speaking, that’s correct.”
Im Sobyeong nodded slowly.
“But then again, I’ve lived in a loosely organized world like Nokrim, so it doesn’t matter much to me.”
His gaze became quite sharp.
“But, Baek Cheon Dojang, can you honestly say that you won’t resent or regret it if Jo Geol Dojang meets his death due to orders from Jongnam?”
Baek Cheon couldn’t immediately answer.
“Handing over command means giving the power over life and death. Depending on how the commander uses it, people who shouldn’t die might end up dead. This is something that is impossible without mutual trust that neither side is incompetent and both sides care for each other. However…”
Im Sobyeong shrugged again.
“Does Cheonumaeng truly have that level of trust right now?”
“I, I have…!”
As Jo Geol tried to argue, Im Sobyeong cut him off.
“Saying you can do it means ‘I can trust the person I believe in,’ right? But trust isn’t built solely on the other person’s abilities. If you’re picky about who commands you, this new system will mean nothing.”
“Ugh.”
Jo Geol, who had already had a similar conversation with Yoon Jong, couldn’t muster a rebuttal and just let out a groan. Yoon Jong spoke in a calm voice.
“So, in the end, it’s going to be difficult. The sect leaders must be considering all of this as well.”
“That’s right. However…”
“However?”
“Never mind.”
Im Sobyeong trailed off, shrugged, and shook his head.
Variables? There are none. But if there were someone who held the key to solving this impossible problem…
‘But that’s unlikely.’
Neither side would easily choose that path. It’s too wide a river to cross. Everything they’ve built up until now makes it impossible. The very righteous path they’ve walked until now.
‘It’s a pity.’
Im Sobyeong’s eyes held a hint of sadness as he looked out the window. The face of Chung Myung, who had quietly visited a little while ago, came to mind once more.
❀ ❀ ❀
“Hoo…”
Chung Myung exhaled deeply. This was not an easy step to take, but it was a necessary one.
He now understood that merely pointing out the right path, insisting he was correct, and stubbornly standing his ground was something anyone could do.
The important thing was how much he could persist on the path he believed was right. It wasn’t about shouting and threatening others to follow him, but about providing enough reasons and persuading them to follow willingly.
So…
Chung Myung, looking at the closed door with a troubled expression, finally knocked. An answer came promptly.
“It’s open.”
Creak.
The door opened. The person inside looked at Chung Myung and smiled, a faint but clear sneer.
“Surprising. I didn’t expect you to actually come find me.”
“Is this a place I shouldn’t come to?”
“No, it’s not. But it must have been a very difficult path. Isn’t that right?”
“Well, it was, but… now that I see your face, it feels like I did the right thing coming here.”
“And why is that?”
“Because I realized something. I’m not the only one feeling uncomfortable.”
“…”
“Maybe you’re even more uncomfortable than I am.”
“Do you really think so?”
“Aren’t you?”
For a moment, their gazes clashed in mid-air, as if aiming at each other. But soon, the person inside the room chuckled softly. He had no particular reason to sharpen his words at this moment.
“Come in. I’ve been wanting to have a conversation with you at least once.”
Sect Leader of the Great Jongnam Sect, The Sword Under the Heaven [천하검(天下劍)], Jongli Gok [종리곡(鍾離穀)], stood up from his seat.
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