Chapter 1893 – Return of The Mount Hua Sect

Chapter 1893. So You’re All Gathered Here. (2) ❀ ❀ ❀

Cheong Myeong lifted his head slightly, his gaze landing on Pungyeong Shingae.

“First, how is the pursuit of the remnants of Evil Tyrant Alliance progressing?”

Pungyeong Shingae calmly shook his head.

“I am not the one to answer that.”

“Is there some sort of problem?”

“Not so much a problem. Rather, you are asking the wrong person, General.”

“Huh?”

“It was an urgent situation, so I temporarily represented the Beggars’ Union. But now, I believe it is only proper to leave the remaining matters to their rightful course.”

After saying this, Pungyeong Shingae glanced to the side.

“The affairs of the Beggars’ Union should rightly be overseen by the Union Leader (Bangju).”

“Mm.”

“Mm-hm.”

Those seated turned their eyes toward the beggar sitting next to Pungyeong Shingae. Caught up in the moment, Cheong Myeong followed their gaze and immediately grimaced.

“No… When did you get here?”

“Heheheh.”

Hong Daegwang grinned from ear to ear, brimming with confidence.

“I thought you might need me, so I ran here until my feet blistered.”

“…You really didn’t have to.”

“Haha! Such jokes! Of course you’ll need my help. Isn’t that so, Mount Hua Divine Dragon?”

Cheong Myeong looked at Pungyeong Shingae with the sourest face imaginable.

“Great Union Leader-nim. Forgive me, but… can’t we just proceed as before?”

“That will not do.”

“You really can’t? Truly?”

“Hey, brat! Mount Hua Divine Dragon! Are you really doing this? Don’t tell me you doubt me?”

Hong Daegwang snorted fiercely, his large nostrils flaring. Seeing this, Cheong Myeong could only nod in reluctant resignation.

“Tch. Fine, fine. No helping it. So… how is it going, then?”

“How is it going? My beggar lads are chasing them so hard their underpants might as well be torn to shreds…. Gwaaargh!”

Hong Daegwang suddenly shrieked. Pungyeong Shingae had stomped down hard on his foot, nearly breaking it. Trembling from the pain and with tears welling, Hong Daegwang cast a resentful glance at him.

Pungyeong Shingae spoke quietly.

“This is an official meeting, Union Leader.”

“R-right.”

Hong Daegwang straightened and spoke again, now with a formal tone.

“The disciples of the Beggars’ Union are doing their utmost to ensure none escape, General. The pursuit and elimination of the remnants is proceeding smoothly.”

“Smoothly…”

Cheong Myeong nodded.

Truthfully, during the all-out battle, the Beggars’ Union had not been of much help. They knew this themselves, so it was obvious they would try to redeem themselves by playing to their strengths in the pursuit.

“Your estimate?”

“I believe that not even two out of ten will make it across the Yangtze again.”

“Two out of ten.”

Jongli Gok let out a small gasp.

An astonishing result.

Cutting down even half the enemy would be praised as a decisive victory. Two out of ten meant a near-total annihilation. It was a result worthy of the word destruction.

At that moment, Cheong Myeong also blurted out the same words as Jongli Gok.

“Two out of ten?”

But somehow, his meaning seemed completely different.

“Why?”

“…Huh?”

“Why are you letting that many get away? Why?”

Hong Daegwang’s jaw fell open. Cheong Myeong’s voice was rising.

“What kind of work are you doing if that many survive? Two out of ten? If there were ten thousand who crossed the river, that means two thousand are slipping back out alive, does it not?”

“N-no, Mount Hua Divine Drago—”

“Two thousand is no joke! If two thousand of those vicious bastards make it across to Gangnam, who will deal with it? Eh? Are there no people living in Gangnam? Enough with this nonsense and catch them all. Without leaving a single one behind!”

“Now wait a minute! Talk sense, will you! Do you think all of Gangbuk is your grandfather’s front yard? How do you expect us to hunt them down one by one across such a vast land?”

“You’ve got the Yangtze, don’t you? The Yangtze!”

“Exactly! That’s why we managed to take down that many in the first place. That figure already includes those we cut down while they were trying to cross. Without the river, most of the ones in Gangbuk would’ve already slipped into Gangnam.”

“That’s what the Beggars’ Union is for. To stop them!”

“The Beggars’… Union doesn’t exist for that alone!”

“Then why does it exist? To beg for food?”

Cornered, Hong Daegwang could only gape at him. Perhaps it was just his imagination, but even the others, who had regarded him kindly upon hearing that ‘two out of ten,’ now looked at him with sharper eyes.

‘…Did I actually do something wrong?’

For a moment, even Hong Daegwang began to doubt himself.

“Worthless beggars, only knows how to beg. Useless in war, useless in pursuit. And do you even bring back proper intelligence? Bah. With a useless head at the top, no wonder the underlings are useless too. Oh my. Is there not one capable beggar among you?”

Tears welled in Hong Daegwang’s eyes as he cast a desperate plea toward Pungyeong Shingae. But Pungyeong Shingae stubbornly looked elsewhere, as if this had nothing to do with him anymore.

A belated realization struck Hong Daegwang.

‘What was I thinking, coming here again?’

After all he had endured, why had he dragged himself back into this mess?

“Do something about it.”

“…We will, but realistically…”

“Oh, come on! Everything is possible! It is just lack of effort! Put in the work and it will be done!”

“…A beggar preaching effort, really?”

If they had such diligence, would they be living as beggars in the first place? It was absurd.

“Fine. If you dislike it so much, then forget it.”

“Huh?”

Hong Daegwang looked up at him, hope flickering in his eyes.

“Right? Surely even you realize it is unreasonable….”

“Beggar lads can cross the river too. Hunt them down and bring back their heads.”

“….”

“So pack up and cross the river now. Better that than scrambling later in desperation. And do not return until every last Evil Tyrant Alliance bastard is dead. Understood?”

“…W-we will do what we can, General.”

“Tsk. You should have said so in the first place. You people only listen when I yell at you.”

Wiping cold sweat from his brow, Hong Daegwang sat there defeated. Sympathy flickered briefly in the eyes of those present, but it was fleeting. They were in no position to worry about someone else.

The only one who looked relatively composed, Jongli Gok, opened his mouth.

“Still, General. In reality, it will be difficult to eliminate every last one in Gangbuk.”

“Of course.”

“Then why single me out… Aaargh!”

Once again, Pungyeong Shingae stomped on Hong Daegwang’s foot, silencing him.

Glowering for a moment, Cheong Myeong turned back to Jongli Gok.

“Then inevitably, thousands of Evil Tyrant Alliance warriors will spread into Gangnam.”

“That is so. What do you believe will become of Evil Tyrant Alliance from here?”

“Allow me to explain that!”

Im Sobyeong, who had been holding his breath, suddenly leapt to his feet.

Cheong Myeong clicked his tongue at the sight.

“Beggar, bandit… This alliance is in fine shape, truly.”

“Hahaha. Bandit, you say? At least call me a righteous bandit now… Eh, could you put down that shoe first? I still hurt from where you hit me earlier.”

Cheong Myeong lowered the shoe he’d been holding with a dissatisfied expression. Im Sobyeong snapped open his fan and declared firmly,

“Evil Tyrant Alliance will collapse.”

“Hm? Even though several thousand of their disciples remain?”

“Thousands, tens of thousands, it doesn’t matter. For the Unorthodox Factions, only two things are important: Must I obey? and Will I get paid if I obey?”

Snap.

Im Sobyeong flicked his fingers as he continued.

“But now, Evil Tyrant Alliance has neither a leader to serve as a focal point, nor funds to sustain its men.”

“Surely the headquarters still holds immense wealth?”

“Oh, come now. Aren’t you underestimating the Unorthodox too much? The moment word spread that Jang Ilso lost his head, the guards at headquarters would’ve plundered everything and run off.”

“Cough.”

“Hah…”

A few people let out empty laughter, as if they were dumbfounded.

“What is it?”

“No, i-it’s just… even so…”

“Tsk Tsk. After fighting them this long, you still don’t understand how the Unorthodox work. That’s why you keep falling for the same tricks. If it confuses you, don’t rack your brains, leave it to an expert. After all, I am from the Unorthodox myself.”

“…What a boast.”

“Hehe.”

Im Sobyeong scratched his head sheepishly. Jongli Gok, who had been thinking deeply, let out a faint groan.

“I still don’t understand. Isn’t Thousand Faced Manipulator and the Hao Mun still around? If I were Thousand Faced Manipulator, I would see this as the perfect chance to seize Evil Tyrant Alliance at once.”

“That’s just a flashy shell. The truth is, Evil Tyrant Alliance’s warriors never swore loyalty to Evil Tyrant Alliance. They swore loyalty to Jang Ilso.”

“…So if the one in question is Thousand Faced Manipulator, they wouldn’t submit?”

“Exactly. And Thousand Faced Manipulator knows this. He won’t take reckless action at a time like this.”

“Even so…”

“Of course, under normal circumstances he’d think that way. But not now. And you all know the reason why, don’t you?”

At that, Im Sobyeong jerked his chin toward Cheong Myeong.

“Hmm. Indeed, that makes sense.”

“Survival comes first.”

“Yes. Absolutely.”

“Huh? What are you all talking about?”

Only Cheong Myeong tilted his head in puzzlement, looking around at the others who nodded in agreement.

‘If I were Thousand Faced Manipulator, I’d go into hiding right now. I’d never show myself.’

‘Who knows when that man might cross the Yangtze.’

‘If you want to sleep without nightmares, you give up what you must.’

For the Unorthodox, it was a nightmare beyond imagining: the demon of Mount Hua severing their leader’s head. Who would dare step forward to seize that seat, unless he fancied his grave right next to Jang Ilso’s?

“So, then… is this a good thing?”

“Good? No, it’s a disaster.”

“Hm? Why’s that?”

“Ha. Do I really have to spell this out for you?”

At those words, Jongli Gok’s eyes twitched.

“You insolent bandit….”

“Tsk, tsk. Always grabbing for your sword when words fail.”

Clearly expecting such a reaction, Im Sobyeong mocked him mercilessly before continuing.

“If the remnants regroup as Evil Tyrant Alliance, we could crush them all at once. But if they scatter throughout Gangnam, then thousands of rogue Unorthodox will prey upon civilians. Think how much manpower and time it would take to hunt them down one by one.”

“Hmm.”

Unconsciously, Jongli Gok nodded.

In the past, this would have been the moment the Ten Great Sects and Five Great Families withdrew. Evil Tyrant Alliance had collapsed, so they would have left the cleanup to the small and mid-sized sects of the region.

Outwardly, they would claim it was out of respect for those sects’ role, but in truth, there was no profit in a drawn-out fight that only consumed effort.

‘Beopjeong would surely have chosen that path. But…’

Jongli Gok’s gaze shifted to Cheong Myeong.

“So the Beggars’ Union must cross the river….”

“No! Not until a sword is at my throat! I’d rather die! N-no, no. Please sheathe your sword, alright? Mount Hua Divine Dragon, that’s just a figure of speech. Surely you don’t mean I must literally have a sword rammed into my throat, right? Eh?”

“Oh? Not literally?”

Cheong Myeong clicked his tongue in disappointment and slid his sword back. Hong Daegwang shuddered violently.

“Enough joking. Is it really that difficult to track them down in Gangnam?"

“It’s not difficult, it’s impossible.”

Hong Daegwang shook his head firmly.

“Those chasing them are just as exhausted. No, perhaps even more exhausted than those fleeing. Right now, our victory serves as a thin bandage over our wounds. But the moment we cross the river, those wounds will tear open. The price could be enormous.”

“…Mm.”

Cheong Myeong nodded slowly, unable to deny it.

“So, in the end, the river cannot be crossed.”

“That’s what it seems.”

“Ugh.”

Cheong Myeong sighed, looking troubled.

“The real problem is that Gangnam is too empty.”

“That is true.”

It’s not that Gangbuk is without unorthodox sects. But at best, those in Gangbuk remain little more than moderately sized bands of black-path gangs.

The reason was simple. Try to settle in Henan, and Shaolin would bare its fangs. In Hebei, the Peng Family would chase you with swords drawn. In Hubei, you had to evade both Wudang and the Namgung Family.

As for Shaanxi? The Unorthodox hadn’t dared set foot there in ages.

Wherever a major orthodox sect reigned, the Unorthodox couldn’t thrive. The fundamental reason Evil Tyrant Alliance had risen at all was that Gangnam lacked any great sect or clan.

“…For now, pursuit will end at the Yangtze. We’ll discuss what comes after separately.”

“Understood, General.”

At that moment, Cheong Myeong’s gaze sharpened slightly.

“But Thousand Faced Manipulator is another matter. He must be eliminated. As soon as possible.”

Jongli Gok, and indeed everyone, nodded.

They all knew Thousand Faced Manipulator could never wield Jang Ilso’s influence. But after such a war, no matter how small, every risk had to be eliminated.

Cheong Myeong spoke calmly.

“So I will…”

“General.”

A voice cut across his words. Someone rose to his feet.

“That is a task that must fall to me.”

Everyone, including Cheong Myeong, turned to look at Pungyeong Shingae, who had just stood.

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