The Alliance (1)
Yeon Hojeong's sudden visit didn't seem to surprise Dang Gwan at all.
"What is it? The axe isn't finished yet."
"It's not about the axe. There's something I need to tell you. By the way, your true qi seems quite unstable?"
Dang Gwan snorted.
"None of your damn business. Speaking of which, your own body doesn't look normal either. What kind of trouble have you stirred up this time?"
Yeon Hojeong let out a small chuckle.
"I had a proper fight with Moyong Gun."
For a moment, Dang Gwan's expression changed completely.
"With Moyong Gun?"
"Yes. I tried to hold back somehow, but the man was no joke."
"What happened?"
"Before I get into that, there's something else I need to discuss with you. Do you have time?"
It had been a long time since Dang Gwan had seen it—the seriousness and tension etched across Yeon Hojeong's face.
"Come in."
"What did you say?"
It was exactly the reaction one would expect from the leader of Shaolin Temple, the greatest sacred ground of the righteous path.
Gong Gong Dae-sa didn't seem surprised at all. There was no disturbance in his aura, nor did he make any fuss.
However, Jegal Mun-ho could tell that Gong Gong Dae-sa was more shocked than he had ever been. His aura remained as deep and clear as a tranquil lake, but his eyes, filled with Buddhist compassion, were trembling as if struck by an earthquake.
Jegal Mun-ho spoke again.
……
A brief silence fell.
Gong Gong Dae-sa, who had been quietly observing Jegal Mun-ho, took a sip of tea to moisten his throat. His aura remained perfectly calm.
"The Three Mad Cults..."
"That's correct."
Gong Gong Dae-sa looked at Jegal Mun-ho with profound eyes.
Despite there being no hierarchy of position between them, Jegal Mun-ho was kneeling.
It wasn't a simple gesture of apology. He had not come as the chief military strategist of the Martial Alliance, nor as a fellow leader of the righteous path.
Right now, he was a junior seeking guidance from a senior far wiser and more virtuous than himself.
For Jegal Mun-ho, a man who always maintained clear boundaries between public and private matters, to lower himself this much—Gong Gong Dae-sa immediately sensed that the situation was far from ordinary.
"In other words, the reason you are only now telling me about them is because they are such a terrifying organization that you deliberately withheld the information. Am I understanding that correctly?"
"Yes. They have successfully infiltrated both the imperial palace and the government offices. Furthermore, the group known as the Saneum Cult even played a decisive role in establishing the Black Dragon Department."
……
"It's unlikely, but if their demonic hands have reached even our righteous path, there may be spies among us. That is why I have been extremely cautious."
Gong Gong Dae-sa's eyebrows twitched.
The possibility of a spy among them was an incredibly dangerous statement.
Jegal Mun-ho lowered his head.
"I know full well that the abbot's Buddhist heart is vast enough to embrace the entire world. However, given the nature of this matter, I could not afford to make any distinctions, even among the Guardians."
"Are you saying you investigated the Guardians behind their backs?"
As expected, Gong Gong Dae-sa was no ordinary man. He had instantly grasped the hidden meaning behind Jegal Mun-ho's words.
"Yes."
……
He admitted it in an utterly calm voice.
How much hardship must he have endured for his voice to become this resolute? Setting everything else aside, Gong Gong Dae-sa could tell that the mental anguish Jegal Mun-ho had suffered was beyond imagination.
Gong Gong Dae-sa let out a long sigh.
"Raise your head."
……
"Though I may be older than you, I have not accumulated enough virtue to be treated as a senior, nor am I some lofty saint."
"That is not true at all."
"I know that you are not lowering your head because you want me to look favorably upon you."
……
"At this rate, it will be impossible to have a deep conversation. Raise your head."
"I apologize."
Only then did Jegal Mun-ho lift his head and sit comfortably.
Gong Gong Dae-sa's expression grew serious.
"I know you are not the kind of person who would joke about something like this, but I must still ask. Is this true?"
Jegal Mun-ho took out a carefully folded stack of over ten documents from his robe and offered them.
"Please take a look at these."
Gong Gong Dae-sa accepted the documents.
They were densely packed with fine handwriting detailing everything that had been uncovered about the Three Mad Cults so far.
As he read through the documents with a heavy heart, astonishment gradually filled Gong Gong Dae-sa's eyes.
"The head of the Medical Pavilion?!"
"Correct. The head of the Medical Pavilion is of the Shinwha Sect's bloodline. She was enlightened by Commander Yeon and has provided us with a great deal of information."
……
"Please continue reading. There are many more shocking revelations."
Gong Gong Dae-sa calmed his mind for a moment before carefully reading through all the documents.
A short while later.
"Hoo..."
A hollow laugh finally escaped Gong Gong Dae-sa's lips.
"Such things have been happening in places unseen, yet this poor monk has been living in carefree ignorance."
"This is not your fault, Abbot. How could you have known about events happening around you if no one reported them? It was I who blocked your eyes and ears. I will bear all of that sin."
……
"That matter does not seem appropriate to discuss here."
Gong Gong Dae-sa calmly dismissed the topic with a nod and asked.
"Which of the Guardians know about this?"
"Patriarch Yeon Wi of the Gangdong Byeoksan Yeon Family, Patriarch Moyong Gun of the Honam Moyong Family, and Patriarch Dang Gwan of the Sichuan Dang Family."
……
"Including you and myself, there are currently five of us."
"You do not plan to tell the other Guardians?"
"For now... no."
Setting aside the importance of the matter, one could only wonder just how serious it must be for him to be this cautious.
If Jegal Mun-ho had gathered this much information on an organization that had remained hidden until now, he must have been working without a moment's rest. Considering how thoroughly he had maintained secrecy, it was impossible to urge him to reveal everything to the others.
"Strategist."
"Please speak, Abbot."
"If this truth becomes known to everyone in the future, you may have to step down from your position."
It was a cold, harsh reality. Jegal Mun-ho lowered his head.
"If I am stripped of my position as strategist, I will accept it with humility. After that, I will risk my life to fight against the Three Sects. And if I somehow survive, I will pass the position of family head to the legitimate successor of my clan and spend the rest of my life imprisoned in the Martial Alliance's underground prison as punishment."
It was a terrifying resolve.
Because it wasn't empty words, it was all the more frightening. If Jegal Mun-ho were to be locked away in the Martial Alliance's underground prison, the name of the Jegal Family would inevitably fall into ruin.
Jegal Mun-ho had chosen to proceed with this knowing he would have to bear all of it.
Gong Gong Dae-sa let out a deep sigh.
"If everything you have said is true, and the time comes when we must all fight against them..."
……
"Then I too will lend what little strength I have before stepping down from the position of abbot."
This was exactly why Jegal Mun-ho felt sorry toward Gong Gong Dae-sa.
Gong Gong Dae-sa was a flexible man, but he was also someone who would never display that flexibility unless absolutely necessary.
The moment he shared this secret, Gong Gong Dae-sa would be boarding the same boat as Jegal Mun-ho. And if Jegal Mun-ho had to step down from his position as strategist, then he too would have to relinquish everything.
Jegal Mun-ho bowed his head once more.
"I am sorry."
Gong Gong Dae-sa slowly closed his eyes.
Though his voice showed no tremor, he was not a man who would fail to sense the desperate emotions contained within it.
"You simply did what a strategist must do. Of course, the process may not have been entirely righteous, but if all the world's affairs could be resolved simply by doing things the right way, how wonderful would that be?"
Those were not words that should come from the abbot of Shaolin Temple.
Yet that was precisely what made it Shaolin. Though it was one of the sacred grounds of Central Plains Buddhism and known as the sun of the martial world, it was precisely because of that that the abbot had no choice but to be well-versed in the ways of the secular world.
They would allow ordinary evil to flow according to the natural order. But when faced with a disaster too great to bear, they would actively intervene to uphold hyup.
It had taken Shaolin hundreds of years of agonizing contemplation before they could set aside their sacred Buddhist heart.
"However, even if this poor monk must step down from the position of abbot, I will do everything in my power to ensure you do not rot away in the underground prison."
"Abbot, please don't say that."
"Your eyes are fixed upon hyup. If you had not made such a decision, who knows what would have become of the world?"
"You praise me too highly. All I did was make a single decision. Every achievement you believe I have accomplished was in fact realized by the Yeon family. I ask that you recognize that fact clearly."
Gong Gong Dae-sa gave a bitter smile.
"How wonderful it would be if everyone in the Martial Alliance were like you."
……
"I understand. I will keep my mouth sealed for the time being."
"Thank you."
"If you have time tonight, come have tea with this poor monk."
"Of course. Then..."
After offering his final farewell, Jegal Mun-ho left the residence.
Gong Gong Dae-sa closed his eyes.
"Dogoilcheok, then Magoiljang..."
Suddenly, Yeon Hojeong's bold words came to mind.
"The enlightened masters of the Dao and Buddha always say this: If the Dao rises one foot, the demon rises ten. The wicked and evil always precede goodness."
"Therefore, those with power must constantly cultivate themselves so that they may reach three feet, seven feet, or even higher in the Dao."
Upon hearing those words, Gong Gong Dae-sa had been greatly shaken.
If one possesses power, one must use it for righteousness. It was precisely this teaching of the enlightened masters that had led Shaolin to involve itself in the affairs of the martial world.
A duty so obvious that he may have forgotten it.
Gong Gong Dae-sa opened his mouth.
"Is anyone there?"
"Yes, Abbot."
"Send word to Wudang's Seunghyeon Jinin. Tell him I will visit at noon today."
"You've arrived?"
Dang Gwan nodded and sat down in a random chair.
With his arms crossed and his gaze turned toward the window, he looked strangely cold. It seemed his mood was quite foul.
Yeon Wi let out a sigh.
"Did you hear from Hojeong?"
"I heard, which is why I've come to this extremely uncomfortable gathering, isn't it?"
"I apologize."
Dang Gwan snorted.
"It must have been quite entertaining all this time. Just thinking about how you all were laughing and chatting among yourselves in front of someone who knew nothing makes my blood boil even now."
"Patriarch Dang. We absolutely did not do that. On the contrary..."
"Shut up."
Dang Gwan glared at Yeon Wi.
He didn't waste words.
"Is there anything else you're hiding?"
"There isn't."
"Hmph! As if I can believe that."
Still not having calmed down, Dang Gwan growled.
"If you hide anything else about a matter this serious, that will be the end of it."
"I will keep that in mind."
Dang Gwan kicked the table with his foot.
Thud.
"Rude brat."
Yeon Hojeong clicked his tongue.
"You called?"
"What are you doing? Hurry up and bring some tea."
In the room were Yeon Wi, Dang Gwan, Muk Bi, Yeon Ji-pyeong, and Yeon Hojeong. Jegal Mun-ho and Moyong Gun would be arriving soon as well.
There were more people than expected. Yeon Hojeong cleared his throat and stood up.
"Understood."
Yeon Ji-pyeong quietly rose as well.
"I'll help..."
At that moment, Dang Gwan shot Yeon Ji-pyeong a terrifying glare.
Yeon Ji-pyeong hiccuped without realizing it. Yeon Hojeong waved his hand dismissively.
"Stay seated. I'll make it."
"Y-yes!"
……
"Ah, damn it, this is so uncomfortable."
When Yeon Hojeong muttered quietly, Dang Gwan suddenly exploded.
"Stop talking nonsense and bring the tea already!"
"I got it, I got it."
Grumbling, Yeon Hojeong quickly left the room.
……
Silence weighed down on the air like a thousand pounds.
A moment later, Dang Gwan asked bluntly.
"You said Moyong Gun is coming too?"
"That's right."
"If that bastard disturbs my mood even once, I'll cut his throat right then and there, so don't you dare stop me. Understood?"
Yeon Wi let out a sigh.
"......I'll try my best."
It was truly going to be a difficult gathering. Difficult enough to make even the great Yeon Wi's mouth feel dry.