Chapter 913: There Is No Such Thing As A Fight Between 2 Evil Spirits (3) |
The news that the pirates had taken over Plum Blossom Island and finally set foot onto the North spread worldwide in an instant.
The word that was emphasized and spread wasn’t “Plum Blossom Island” but the term “North.”
For those living along the Yangtze River and the merchants of the Central Plains, the name Plum Blossom Island was extremely important. However, for the people of the North, who had no reason to leave their place of residence for their entire lives, Plum Blossom Island was still an unfamiliar concept.
“You’re saying that the pirates have set foot into the Northern Lands?”
“Right! They have taken over a city on the Yangtze River and are now acting like they own it!”
“H-How could something like this happen? Didn’t they agree not to cross the river for three years? There is still some time left before the three years end, right?”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. You’re speaking such nonsense. Wasn’t that mutual non-aggression? It is the Southern Lands’ non-aggression! The Justice Sects of this place cannot cross the Yangtze, but the Four Precepts Alliance can cross over there without any problem.”
“Uh…”
And that situation was enough to remind the world of how one-sided the treaty between the Wudang and the Four Precepts Alliance in the past was.
“How can that be? The treaty was about not invading the Southern Lands, not about touching those who crossed to the North.”
“Right! Of course, it should be!”
“Even though the Nine Great Sects suffered great humiliation, they are still the Nine Great Sects! What they are saying is true. If they had not fought in the Yangtze River and had fled in the first place, would they have lost to the Evil Sect?”
“Yes! And they didn’t lose! They just negotiated!”
Some people were even thinking that the process or content of that negotiation was no different from defeat. However, those words remained unspoken, caught in their throats.
This was because the atmosphere was not conducive to pointing out the facts.
“Anyway, this is the Northern Lands. No matter how much the Nine Great Sects are treated as a toothless tiger these days, isn’t a tiger still a tiger? Would they just leave a wolf cub that entered their lands alone? They would surely kill it.”
“Right! Of course, it should be so! How dare the Four Precepts Alliance bastards set foot in here?”
Even those who had criticized the Nine Great Sects in unison for abandoning the pride of the Justice Faction in the Yangtze River now came out to defend the Nine Great Sects at this moment.
The advance of the pirates, or the Four Precepts Alliance, into the Northern Lands region was equally frightening news to them. No matter how dishonorable the actions of the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families were, they couldn’t possibly be compared to the Evil Sect.
“Even beasts are scarier when they get injured. Haven’t those Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families been waiting for a chance to take revenge on the Four Precepts Alliance for the past three years?”
“Ah, right. The Southern Lands Non-aggression treaty has kept us tied up all this time. If it wasn’t for that, we would have already invaded the Southern Lands and cut off Jang Ilso’s head!”
“Tsk tsk. I don’t understand. What is so important about a treaty? If we had just ignored it and attacked the Four Precepts Alliance, no one would have said anything.”
“Ugh, this bastard! If you cannot keep your own words, how can you call that a justice faction? How will they be any different from those unruly Evil Sect people?”
“That is what they say, isn’t it?”
“In any case, the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families will never stay still. Never!”
Everyone believed it. The Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families, who had been humiliated by the Four Precepts Alliance and had their pride damaged, would naturally seek revenge in time.
Although they had been disappointing, the expectations for the prestigious sects, who were once everyone’s pride, remained alive.
And if those famous families couldn’t stop the Four Precepts Alliance, the people’s lives would turn into hell, a reaction driven by fear.
That was why everyone north of the Yangtze River hoped that the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families would once again come to the forefront and restore order to this chaos….
However, things didn’t always go as planned.
A cold chill appeared on the abbot’s face.
“… What did you say?”
Beop Gye couldn’t bear to look him in the eye and lowered his head. He hadn’t done anything wrong, but he felt guilty and embarrassed for no reason.
Beop Gye forced his mouth open and spoke again in a weak voice.
“We got a reply… there aren’t many sects that want to come to Shaolin.”
“Not many?”
“… Yes.”
The abbot was silent for a moment. The only sound he could hear was the regular movement of prayer beads rolling.
“Which sect refused?”
“T-that is…”
A cold sweat ran down Beop Gye’s forehead.
“First of all, the Beggars Union has expressed their intention to participate.”
“….”
“And… the Kongtong Sect is also said to be coming to Shaolin now. Kunlun Sect also said they would come…”
“Kunlun is so far that they probably wouldn’t be able to arrive on time.”
“I was thinking the same.”
Kunlun Mountain, where the Kunlun Sect was located, was on the border of Qinghai and Xinjiang. As a result, the distance from Hunan was as much as 350 km. This was even farther than some sects beyond the land’s borders.
Therefore, though Kunlun had been a member of the Nine Great Sects since long ago, it had also been subtly excluded from them.
“As you know, the Southern Island…”
“I know. I guess they will not be able to come.”
Beop Gye nodded.
Since the Four Precepts Alliance took control of the Southern Lands, the sect in the most dangerous place was the Southern Island Sect. They had established on the Southern Island, located in the South Sea, made it their base, and were now unable to set foot a single step inland.
“So…”
The abbot, who had been listening to Beop Gye’s mumbling, eventually contorted his face.
“Where are the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families? Do not drag your words and answer me right!”
Beop Gye was startled by his tone and quickly nodded.
“Yes, abbot! Emei, Qingcheng Sect, and Diancang Sect have informed us that it would be difficult for them to come through the path of the Southern Lands.”
“… reason?”
“That… if the Four Precepts Alliance advances into the Northern Lands, Sichuan will become deserted then…”
Crack.
The prayer beads, which had been making a regular tapping sound, were clenched, letting out a harsh noise.
It wasn’t an unreasonable statement.
However, what the abbot had originally requested was not for those sects to move north. It was a conversation with the elders of the sects. What kind of law is this to refuse to talk based on something that hasn’t even been discussed?“
“And?”
“… and the Closed Gate sects haven’t responded yet.”
“Even Wudang?”
“… Yes.”
The abbot looked up at the sky without another word. After staring at the blue sky for a long time, he sighed and mumbled in a self-deprecating voice.
“The Nine Great Sects are supposed to discuss things as a whole.”
“….”
“There are only three sects willing to discuss this critical situation. Only…”
“Abbot…”
Beop Gye unconsciously clenched his fists as he watched, unable to hide his disappointment.
Southern Edge, he could understand.
They entered the Closed Gate before the incident occurred and have maintained their position. To put it bluntly, they were free from responsibility for the entire situation.
The Southern Island Sect, too, could be understood. They also had no choice due to their position.
But the other sects, not so much.
Not only Wudang behind their Closed Gate, but also the three sects in Sichuan were responsible for this. In particular, Wudang, who participated in the war between the Yangtze River and the Qingcheng sect, could not ignore this.
All that was left were the Kongtong sect, the Beggars Union, and the Kunlun Sect, which was too far away to be of much use.
“Who in the Five Great Families?”
“… The Hubei Peng family sent word that they would come. But the Namgung family hasn’t answered yet…”
“…”
“The Zhuge family gave a positive answer that they would come to Shaolin depending on the situation… but the Moyong family still hasn’t responded.”
The abbot shook his head.
With the Tang family missing from the Five Great Families, there were just four left. Of those, only the Hubei Peng family has expressed the intention to participate. The Zhuge family’s words that they will participate depending on the situation couldn’t be taken at face value. They were the most cautious sect in the world.
“Beop Gye.”
“… Yes, abbot.”
“I won’t say I am not at fault.”
“A-abbot.”
The abbot opened his mouth with a stiff face.
“As abbot of Shaolin, I certainly made a big mistake. But… what is the situation now? Do you really not know what kind of situation the pirates stepping into the Northern lands could lead to?”
That was impossible.
If one didn’t anticipate that much, one wouldn’t dare become the leader of any prestigious sect. Absolutely not.
“But in the midst of all this, they are all looking out for their own interests! In the midst of all this!”
This was exactly what made the abbot so angry.
The sects that had announced their participation were either directly related to the Northern land or too far away to affect the outcome anyway.
The places that were barely a step away from the fire that would unfold in the Northern Lands were all keeping their distance while keeping an eye on things.
“How can you even talk about this? How can! This is why…”
The abbot, who had been angry, suddenly closed his mouth as if he was trying to say something but couldn’t bring himself to say it.
For a long time, he bit his lips as if he couldn’t control his emotions. And then he said,
“Beop Gye.”
“… Yes, abbot.”
“Tell me, do you think their actions can be forgiven?”
“… Abbot.”
“The opponent is not somewhere else, but the Evil Sect? How can you say that you can take advantage of this situation?”
Beop Gye thought for a moment and lowered his head.
The answer he had given was too embarrassing and sinful to say on his own.
“Abbot…”
“Say it.”
“Weren’t we the first to break something that shouldn’t have been broken?”
“….”
Beop Gye couldn’t bear to look at the abbot and closed his eyes tightly.
“I… did it. I was there… I should have been prepared to die, and yet…”
Beop Gye closed his mouth.
He realized that he had been overcome with emotions and said things he shouldn’t have said.
“I also thought about the safety of the disciples and Shaolin before my rightful task. How can I blame others?”
“That is…!”
The abbot tried to refute it but then shook his head.
It was because he knew that no words would comfort Beop Gye, and no words could save them.
“Even so, isn’t this too narrow-minded? After the Northern Lands burn down, what is next? It is obvious who will be next. Amitabha. Amitabha…”
But the abbot’s words, which had been pouring out, soon became slurred.
It was because he knew that the words he had spoken were all losing their power.
Beop Gye glanced at him and opened his mouth.
“Abbot, if only the incident at the Yangtze River had been handled more delicately, more sects might have been willing to confront the Evil Sects. But…”
“… What does that mean?”
“It is unfortunate… but Mount Hua.”
The abbot’s face went stiff at the mention of the word ‘Mount Hua.’
A self-mocking voice continued from Beop Gye’s mouth.
“No one wants to take the lead. The price of risking one’s life for the central plains… now everyone knows it.”
The abbot’s face felt blank at that.
“Huhu… hu.”
In the end, what came out was nothing but a self-mocking laugh. He laughed for a moment before speaking softly.
“… the original sin.”
Those words had a heavy resonance. Beop Gye looked at the abbot with a worried face.
“… Abbot.”
“Yes, you are right. Who are we to blame others…”
They were not words to be spoken.
Words they shouldn’t say.
That incident left deep scars not only on Mount Hua but also on the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families. And if it continued to this day, everyone would shudder.
Neither Wudang nor Shaolin could escape that perception.
Because they saw with their own eyes that the result of discussing the agreement and fighting ahead of everyone was destruction and exclusion.
Perhaps the real cause of the Yangtze River war was that.
“… send a letter to the Heavenly Friends Alliance.”
“A-Abbot?”
“We need to wait, even if I am shameless and guilty.”
Beop Gye nodded without another word. He knew that adding anything more would push the abbot into more trouble.
“I will do so.”
As Beop Gye stepped back, the abbot’s face displayed deep regret.
‘How do I endure…’
A small grumble escaped from his mouth as he closed his eyes.
‘H-How did you endure that painful time…’
The name Mount Hua stung like a needle engraved on the chest.