Chapter 909: Let A Bite Of This Now! (4) |
The Justice Faction led its disciples with harmony and values.
However, the Evil Sect despised empty platitudes. The only thing that could move them was profit.
Of course, Jang Ilso was currently in a situation where he dominated the Evil Sect with the strength he had, but there was clearly a limit. When food ran out, wasn’t it human nature to rebel against the emperor?
“… They are trying to cut off the food supply?”
Ho Ga-Myung, who understood the situation, bit his lip.
When he first considered giving the island, now called Plum Blossom Island, to Mount Hua, he hadn’t expected this kind of situation. At best, he thought it would be used as an element to divide the ties between the Nine Sects and the Heavenly Friends Alliance.
That crazy Mount Hua Sword Saint had made things worse by endlessly expanding the matter.
“But Alliance Lord, isn’t it strange?”
“Strange?”
“If you think logically, then yes.”
Jang Ilso snickered.
“If that pig of the Black Dragon King also has the thought of lifting the blockage on the Yangtze River, then.”
“… Uh?”
Ho Ga-Myung tilted his head, unable to understand.
“Aren’t the pirates suffering from financial difficulties because of the existence of Plum Blossom Island? That is why he had requested me to attack Plum Blossom Island several times.”
“That was when Plum Blossom Island belonged to someone else.”
Jang Ilso’s face twisted.
“That swordsman and the crazy man harassed that island and concentrated the logistics of the entire river in one place. Just by carrying and moving a moderate amount of goods, they made a huge amount of money, making the money the pirates made from plundering seem like small change.”
“That… is right.”
It was initially established by the Four Precepts Alliance. Still, it was their opponents’ capability that allowed it to exceed their expectations.
“What would you do if you were the Black Dragon King?”
Jang Ilso’s lips curled into a smirk.
“Would you try to eliminate that Plum Blossom Island and revert to the previous state? Or would you sustain the current situation and attempt to claim Plum Blossom Island for yourself?”
Ho Ga-Myung’s eyes flickered with uncertainty.
“N-No, of course, the one who takes Plum Blossom Island would gain more. But wasn’t the reason Plum Blossom Island was favored because it was managed by Mount Hua? If the pirates took over, who would trust them enough to leave their goods there? It would be like leaving fish with a cat.”
“Who actually managed Plum Blossom Island?”
Ho Ga-Myung fell silent.
It was a question he was reluctant to answer, but why not respond to Jang Ilso’s inquiry?
“Green… Forest.”
“They really did entrust their goods to bandits.”
Jang Ilso chuckled.
“Ordinary civilians might not know, but to merchants, bandits, and pirates are not so different. And what kind of people are merchants? If only their safety is guaranteed, they would trade with ghosts as well as pirates. If the pirates were prevented from plundering within Plum Blossom Island, everyone would soon start using it again.”
“….”
“Or, they could just send a proxy. I am sure there is suspicion, but isn’t there another way?”
“Would the Black Dragon King think that far?”
“Of course, that pig is lazy and greedy. But he is no fool.”
“….”
“He calculates profit quicker than anyone else.”
Jang Ilso clicked his tongue.
“We might manage to deal with that, but the issue is that the Black Dragon King isn’t the only one eyeing Plum Blossom Island.”
“….”
What Jang Ilso intended to convey, Ho Ga-Myung understood immediately.
“This is a matter of great significance. There’s no way the Lower District Sect and Black Ghost Fort won’t take action.”
“Surely…”
Ho Ga-Myung nodded more vigorously.
The more he thought about it, the more painful it felt.
Jang Ilso had been striving to completely control the Four Precepts Alliance for the past three years. However, the parts Jang Ilso could actually hold were those excluding the three sects.
The power of the Four Precepts Alliance, led by the Ten Thousand People Clan, had become incomparably stronger than before. Yet, even for Jang Ilso, it was not easy to instantly destroy or absorb the power of the Shenzhou Five Sects, which had been building a solid system for decades.
So, this was like a closed box that could explode at any time.
“What if the pigs who have been cowering while waiting for a small chance start to move?”
“… it might light a fire at the fuse.”
“Tsk. That is why I have been cautiously moving up until now.”
Jang Ilso shook his head as if he didn’t like it at all.
If those bastards had slowly withdrawn from Plum Blossom Island, they might have had time to prepare. However, Mount Hua withdrew from the Yangtze River too suddenly.
Where the balance was broken, a fierce battle to create a new balance occurred. He accurately pointed out that the enormous profits would create problems within the Four Precepts Alliance.
“… But.”
At that time, Ho Ga-Myung asked with a stern look.
“If you think about it, it could be a chance, Alliance Lord.”
“A chance?”
“Yes. A chance.”
He nodded heavily and spoke in a clear voice.
“I had to sort them out at some point. It is true that leading those who harbor motives and fighting a war was burdensome. When I think about it, it is also an appropriate time.”
“Tsk tsk. Ga-Myung. Ga-Myung.”
But Jang Ilso shook his head immediately.
“You strangely narrow your vision whenever you hear stories related to Mount Hua. It has been like this for a long time.”
“… what are you talking about?”
“Why don’t you understand? Don’t you know what Plum Blossom Island means?”
Jang Ilso pointed his finger at Plum Blossom Island.
“The cargo moves from the mainland to the island and then across the river.”
As Jang Ilso’s fingertip slowly traced from Plum Blossom Island to the riverside on the opposite side, Ho Ga-Myung grasped the implication.
“… Ah!”
“Occupying Plum Blossom Island inevitably means controlling the dock across the river as well. And this place….”
“… North.”
Ho Ga-Myung’s expression turned serious.
“What is on this land?”
“… a huge city. A city that has grown to an unbelievable size in just three years.”
“Exactly. Do you think those opportunists will seize Plum Blossom Island and not covet the city?”
It was impossible.
If it were just an island, would those who controlled the island and the docks leave the city connected to the docks untouched? That was like a warrior obsessed with strength, ignoring the chance to learn from a peerless master.
“Seizing Plum Blossom Island means advancing northward. Whether you like it or not, there will be conflict. Conflict that I cannot control!”
“….”
“But… he engineered a situation where he couldn’t retreat or look away, and the Heavenly Friends Alliance withdrew completely. It was as if he was forcing us to confront the Nine Great Sects and our own people.”
Cold sweat trickled down Ho Ga-Myung’s forehead.
‘How could such a simple move lead to this?’
Initially, he thought it was a foolish decision to forgo a significant profit. But it wasn’t Chung Myung who was foolish; it was Ho Ga-Myung.
It was not about what you gave up that mattered but how much you gained in return.
By giving up the huge profit brought in by the island, Mount Hua created an internal conflict within the Four Sects Alliance, and this internal strife in their alliance would lead to a clash with the Nine Great Sect.
What was even worse was that he had known it all along but couldn’t back out.
The worst situation that lay before them was one where they had no choice but to walk into a place where they knew they would die.
‘What the hell is…’
He completely understood this horrible plan in his head. Still, on the other hand, he was confused, as if he didn’t understand anything. It was understandable…
How could this simple move lead to so many consequences?
A shiver ran down his spine.
“This is fun. Really fun. Hahahahah! For the first time in three years, I have felt this! It is so much fun! Hahahahah!”
Jang Ilso laughed loudly, bending at the waist. Then, as if he couldn’t hold back his laughter, he covered his face and groaned.
But at that moment, Ho Ga-Myung saw Jang Ilso’s eyes, visible between his long, white fingers. Those creepy eyes.
“Ga-Myung.”
“Yes, Alliance lord.”
“I regret the whole thing. Should I have killed him back then, even if it meant going too far?”
Jang Ilso licked his red lips.
“It is falling apart. The plan I made with so much effort has fallen apart in an instant. It is so frustrating, so frustrating.”
What Jang Ilso disliked the most was being dragged into a situation he didn’t plan for.
This wasn’t Jang Ilso’s taste. He wasn’t a person who dragged others into his own situation but rather danced in a situation that others created.
“… Do you really think that Mount Hua’s Sword Saint predicted all of this and moved ahead three years back?”
“As if.”
Jang Ilso said calmly.
“It cannot be like that for a human; it must have just happened by chance.”
Ho Ga-Myung nodded. His thoughts were the same as Jang Ilso’s.
“But…”
But what he said next was somewhat different from what Ho Ga-Myung expected.
“Even if they hadn’t used the means called Plum Blossom Island, the results would have been the same.”
“Uh? What does that mean?”
Jang Ilso chuckled.
“Those who like to talk think that a clever plan that catches the eye is the result of some genius. They say it is an amazing idea created by broad thought and quick thinking, allowing them to see things that no one else has thought out.”
“… isn’t that true, though?”
“No, no, not at all.”
Jang Ilso waved his hand. The trinkets hanging from his wrists clanked against each other, making a noise.
“In the first place, if he were that brilliant, he wouldn’t have created a situation where he would have to come up with such a risky and odd plan.”
“….”
“A plan is not the means of the strong. It is the means of the weak. A plan is something that someone who cannot win using conventional methods thinks and thinks and squeezes out.”
A wicked smile appeared on Jang Ilso’s lips.
“It is sticky. Such thick malice. It is a foul smell that somehow wants to pour shit on my face. If it were a different situation, he would have figured out a way to drag me to hell.”
“….”
“Hehe. The damned bastard.”
Jang Ilso’s hand, which was holding his face, clenched.
“Then…”
Ho Ga-Myung squeezed out the words with a pale and contorted face.
Those words that a person with rank would never want to say out loud.
“… what do you plan to do?”
Jang Ilso sat down on the chair and slumped against its back after hearing those words.
With a look that seemed languid and indifferent at the same time. Like a family who had its favorite eldest son taken away, or like someone who had been assigned a bothersome task.
“I have to play with him.”
He nodded slowly.
“When you are stuck in a swamp if you try to get out of it, you will end up getting dragged deeper into the swamp. The first thing to do is let him go.”
Jang Ilso’s expression instantly turned relaxed.
“If it has reached our ears, the Black Dragon King must have moved too, and the Lower District Sect must be faster than us, so we should assume he is moving too. The only one left is the Ten Thousand People Clan.”
Jang Ilso waved his hand as if he had finished clearing his mind.
“It is a headache. Everyone, go out and see.”
“Yes.”
As the maids retreated, Ho Ga-Myung also got up. He knew that Jang Ilso didn’t need him then.
After he stepped aside so as not to disturb the thoughts, Jang Ilso, who was finally left alone, lightly knocked on the table.
“Mount Hua’s Sword Saint….”
Jang Ilso’s whole body, which showed his fangs, had a fearful presence.
“It seems a bit too much for a greeting that has only been said after three years… this time, I got hit. I am worried about what I should give you in return…”
Jang Ilso, who had been knocking on the table with a knocking sound, quickly grabbed the corner.
“But…”
And slowly, very slowly, his face relaxed.
And a strange expression formed. As if teasing, or perhaps worried, or simply bemused.
“You don’t know. You don’t know yet. How scary a person’s malice could be. Hahahah! Hahahahah! Hahahahahaha!”
The shadow of the table rippled along with Jang Ilso’s laughter as if being sucked into a deeper and endless darkness.