Chapter 1632
Before everything disappears. (2)
A strange awkwardness filled the meeting room.
Jongli Gok, Tang Gunak, Maeng So, Pung Yeong Shin Gae, and even Moyong Wigyeong.
Familiar faces mixed with a few still somewhat unfamiliar ones, yet there were no out-of-place individuals in the meeting room of Cheonumaeng. Even Baek Cheon, Yoon Jong, Jo Geol, and Hye Yeon belonged here naturally.
Despite this, the scene of them gathered together felt incredibly awkward and tension-inducing, likely due to the unprecedented arrangement.
“Please take care of us, Division Leader.”
“Yes, let’s work well together.”
At Yoon Jong’s polite greeting, Moyong Wigyeong flinched slightly before nodding. Based on what he knew about the Five Swords of Hwasan, he thought reluctantly.
‘Yoon Jong… This might be the best outcome.’
Moyong Wigyeong let out a sigh of relief.
“Young Lord Namgung, who will be working with me, has not yet arrived in Shaanxi. Once he does, I will discuss matters with him separately.”
“Thank you, retired Sect Leader.”
“Just call me Elder.”
Pung Yeong Shin Gae responded in his typically curt manner. Chung Myung, watching him for a moment, suddenly frowned deeply.
“Hmm. Wouldn’t it have been better to just make Sago the vice leader? They would have suited each other well.”
“…I was just thinking the same thing.”
Of course, it would be amusing for them, but it would be miserable for the members to serve under both of them. Having two people whose emotions were unreadable by their expressions and tone alone would be quite the challenge.
At Chung Myung and Yoon Jong’s exchange, Tang Gunak chuckled and turned to his side.
“You being the vice-leader… It feels a bit overwhelming. I will do my best not to be a hindrance, so let’s work well together.”
“Amitabha. I should be the one saying that. Vice Alliance Leader… No, Division Leader.”
Tang Gunak and Hye Yeon smiled at each other. This too was a combination that was rarely seen.
But these weren’t the ones who made the atmosphere in the meeting room so strange. The real culprit was…
“I have something I’d like to confirm.”
Maeng So, who always spoke with a loud and weighty voice, today sounded unusually plain and reluctant.
Chung Myung grinned as he replied,
“What is it?”
“Isn’t it possible for Divison Leader to appoint a vice-leader?”
Chung Myung smiled brightly.
“Do you think that’s possible?”
“I know it’s not. But… isn’t there any way?”
“Since it’s come to this, just relax and accept it.”
Maeng So let out a deep sigh and leaned his large head back, exposing his thick neck. Normally, his neck would look intimidating, but today it seemed fragile and sorrowful.
“Really, Palace Lord? Am I not to your liking? Why is that? Wow! The sense of betrayal is no joke. I always liked you the most, you know.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
“No, really…!”
Chung Myung chuckled as he watched the red-faced Jo Geol and the already dazed Maeng So.
“You’re used to animals anyway, right? Just think of it as raising a monkey.”
“…I’d worry less if it were just a monkey,”
Maeng So muttered. A few others nodded in agreement.
“Exactly. Monkeys don’t talk.”
“And they won’t talk back.”
“They won’t wield a sword either.”
“In terms of tormenting people, they might be similar, though.”
“Isn’t that the same with Chung Myung?”
“These people…”
Jo Geol seethed and trembled with frustration. However, with Hyun Jong and other elders present, he refrained from complaining further.
Although the awkwardness was mutual, those who had risen to the position of division leaders felt even more uneasy and self-conscious. While it would normally be expected for Five Swords to feel more uncomfortable given their status and position, the situation was a bit different…
“Well then. Aside from the Palace Lord, is everyone else alright?”
“Yes, Alliance Leader.”
“Oh, being around Chung Myung all the time, how could there be any complaints?”
“Exactly.”
“…”
The Five Swords, accustomed to dealing with the unruliness of a person not even remotely resembling a human, saw no particular reason to feel uncomfortable with other sect leaders. After all, communication was not an issue, was it?
“Now then, um… The only thing left is…”
And now only one extremely uncomfortable combination remained, one that no one could bring themselves to even look at.
“Um… R-Retired Sect L… No, Alliance Leader.”
The sorrowful voice pierced Hyun Jong’s ears, as if it were the cry of a rabbit caught under a tiger’s paw.
Hyun Jong looked in the direction from which the voice came with a peculiar expression. His usually serene and smooth face had turned an alarming shade of blue. Hyun Jong sighed involuntarily, feeling a tinge of sympathy. Baek Cheon seemed equally desperate.
“Is there really… no other way…?”
But sympathy was one thing, and this was something beyond his control.
“Please reconsider…”
The voice, filled with desperation that could make even a stone statue weep, lingered in the air.
“Geol… Jo Geol was supposed to go… why is it me now…?”
“Does the Vice Sect Leader not like me?”
“That… that’s not it, Sect Leader.”
“Then why insist on reconsidering?”
The tiger, who firmly pressed down on the rabbit, Jongli Gok, smiled pleasantly at Baek Cheon. Sweat streamed down Baek Cheon’s forehead.
“Well, um… It’s just that… I think I… Your intentions? Communication? Something like that, um… Did we talk about this during yesterday’s meeting? Or… during the day? No, at night?”
‘He’s lost his mind.’
‘He’s broken.’
‘He’s going to die like this.’
‘It’s raining on Sasuk’s face.’
Jongli Gok chuckled softly.
“If fate had been different, Vice Sect Leader and I might have developed a good relationship, don’t you think? We might even have continued as master and a disciple.”
“I remember someone else…”
“That’s what could have happened, Vice Sect Leader.”
“…Yes.”
Baek Cheon, with a dazed expression, nodded. Everyone watched him with sympathetic eyes.
‘Honestly, it’s pitiful.’
‘To think a deserter of Jongnam has to travel with Jongnam’s Sect Leader.’
‘Is this something a human should do?’
While others might just feel sympathy, for Baek Cheon, this was a matter of survival. Trembling and sweating profusely, Baek Cheon forced himself to speak.
“W-well, anyway, please take good care…”
“No, Vice Sect Leader. It is I who needs to make a good impression. I will not disappoint you this time as I did in the past.”
Gulp.
“I want to prove that Jongnam is a rather capable sect through this opportunity, but… it’s unfortunate. If I could move with Jongnam, I could have shown it more clearly.”
Gulp.
“Ah… Vice Sect Leader, do you know about that?”
“What about?”
“Division Leaders are allowed to have a couple of assistants to ensure smooth execution of their duties. Naturally, I plan to bring one or two of Jongnam’s elders.”
“…”
“In that regard, I will be accompanied by Elder Jin Chobaek of Jongnam. I hope this is acceptable to you…”
At this point, everyone present started to sweat nervously. They were increasingly concerned that Baek Cheon might collapse in despair.
Baek Cheon, who had been emptying out like a deflated balloon, now slumped in his chair like a soggy seaweed. Everyone held back their tears as they watched his pitiful state.
At that moment, a voice broke the tense silence.
“Seems like we’re getting quite close to each other, huh?”
“What?”
At Chung Myung’s indifferent words, Five Swords and Tang Gunak leapt to their feet.
“Is this what you call ‘close’, you crazy bastard!”
“Are you even human? Even demons wouldn’t be this cruel!”
“Why don’t you swap places with me! I’ll go instead! I’d rather go myself!”
“Amitabha. Even Asura would bow his head and learn a thing or two if he saw Dojang.”
As criticism and curses flew from all directions, Chung Myung widened his innocent eyes as if he truly didn’t understand what he had done wrong.
“No, still, I paired them up considering the connections they had! Even when someone makes an effort to accommodate, it’s never enough for these people!”
“…That crazy bastard.”
Hyun Jong looked at Baek Cheon with infinitely pitiful eyes. Although Chung Myung’s strong insistence that Baek Cheon moving with Jongli Gok was the best arrangement was true, it was, well… an atrocious sight that one could hardly bear to see with their eyes open.
“Ah, ah. Stop whining. It’s normal for things to be a bit awkward at first. But, you know, as you spend time together, you’ll build up sense of kinship and familiarity.”
“…Just kill me…”
“No. Die after the war.”
“More malicious than the Evil Sect’s bastards…”
Everyone there was convinced that Jang Ilso would have shuddered at the sight. Chung Myung, who had been chuckling, shrugged his shoulders.
“Anyway, we’ve more or less got the combinations figured out.”
The laughter in his eyes slightly dimmed as he grew more serious.
“We’ll keep the command structure as simple as possible. I’ll be under the Alliance Leader, and the two Advisors will assist me. You should think of it as listening only to the orders of these four and no one else.”
The division leaders and vice-leaders exchanged anxious glances. Maeng So mustered the strength to speak.
“…General. I understand the method, but now that we’re actually settling into this, I’m worried if this is truly the right choice.”
“It’s the right choice.”
Chung Myung looked at everyone resolutely.
“However, there’s one thing you should be certain of.”
“What is it?”
“Sapaeryeon… No, Jang Ilso doesn’t have any strategy.”
“…What?”
Confusion clouded everyone’s faces. Not only Shaolin but the entire world had been manipulated by Jang Ilso. How could it be that Jang Ilso has no strategy? What on earth was being said?
If someone else had said such a thing, it would have been met with derision, but no one here showed any signs of mockery. Since it was Chung Myung who spoke, they believed he must have had a reason.
“He doesn’t use military strategy. He has no principles for moving troops. He has never fought a war before.”
“…Then what has he been doing?”
“Deception.”
At Chung Myung’s firm reply, the people’s faces twisted in disbelief.
“To be precise, it’s psychological warfare. He reads people’s minds and knows how to use that to his advantage. So you can’t counter him with military tactics. He understands that whether the enemy has a thousand, ten thousand, or a million troops, ultimately it’s just a few key figures who control the army. So if he can read the thoughts of those few, he can handle anything.”
Hearing this, the people in the meeting room nodded, finding some merit in the idea.
“Is that what we need to understand?”
“No.”
Chung Myung shook his head.
“That’s just common sense. What we need to understand is something else.”
“…”
“He penetrates the gaps between people. The small boundaries that make them drift apart, the subtle areas where desires clash. Because everyone is on that boundary, he has been nearly invincible so far. Whether there are a hundred or a thousand people, if you separate each one, they’re nothing. So…”
Chung Myung looked at everyone with somber eyes.
“Trust each other without fail.”
“…”
“If we can do that… we will win.”
Everyone nodded gravely.
“Let’s begin. A war where only one of us, him or us, will remain.”
It was a declaration as cold as the dawn air.
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