Chapter 676: We Can Pay Them Back with the Exact Same Justification
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 676: We Can Pay Them Back with the Exact Same Justification
"Say that again!"
Lee Jae-won stared at Zhuge Chan, his face flushed a deep crimson.
"It... it seems... the Tang Clan intends to shield the Master of the North Sea Ice Palace."
Zhuge Chan summarized the facts in response to the question, making sure to highlight the Tang Clan's intentions clearly.
"The Tang Clan is... shielding the Ice Palace Master? Not the Cheonmu Alliance?"
Lee Jae-won spoke with an expression of utter disbelief.
"...That is how it appears, sir," Zhuge Chan replied, looking apologetic.
"............"
Upon hearing those words, Lee Jae-won fell silent, his expression hardening. Simultaneously, a chill as biting as the northern wind began to radiate from him.
Facing that frigid aura, Zhuge Chan held his breath. He could tell the Alliance Leader’s fury had reached its peak. When a person becomes extremely angry, they sometimes find a strange sort of composure; their rage manifests as a cold, calculated stillness.
That was exactly Lee Jae-won’s current state. Rather than screaming, he spoke in a low, calm murmur, all while exuding that freezing chill.
Zhuge Chan had no choice but to remain silent. He feared the infernal, volcanic wrath hidden behind that mask of cold fury.
After a long silence, Lee Jae-won spoke.
"Strategist." His tone was unnervingly flat.
"Please, speak, Alliance Leader."
"How do you think I should accept this situation?"
"........."
Zhuge Chan hesitated. He, too, found the situation incomprehensible—the way the Tang Clan had abandoned their blood ally, the Cheonmu Alliance, to side with the North Sea Ice Palace.
"How dare they!"
Suddenly, Lee Jae-won’s eyes flashed with a fiery light.
"To disregard the Cheonmu Alliance like this!"
He raised his voice, finally letting out a roar. The massive rage that had been lurking behind his cold exterior finally exploded.
Vrooooooom—!
The office began to vibrate incessantly. It was the manifestation of his will, reacting to his fury.
"Ugh... argh!"
Caught in the wake of that manifested will, Zhuge Chan let out a pained groan. He felt as if his entire body were being crushed.
"Strategist!" Lee Jae-won barked.
"...Y-yes, sir."
"Send a letter to the Tang Clan immediately. Tell them to apprehend the culprit at once and hand him over to the Cheonmu Alliance!"
Lee Jae-won glared at Zhuge Chan, his eyes shimmering with madness.
".......We have already requested it several times... but it was to no avail."
Zhuge Chan spoke as if making an excuse. In truth, he had demanded the culprit's custody from the Tang Clan multiple times before even reporting to Lee Jae-won. But each time, the Tang Clan had consistently refused, stating they could not comply.
"Add this to the message! Tell them that if they do not hand him over, the relationship between the Alliance and the Clan will never be the same!"
Lee Jae-won shouted with a resolute expression. It was a threat—a declaration that he was willing to become enemies if they didn't comply.
"If... if we do that... the Tang Clan will surely push back."
Zhuge Chan’s face turned pale as he spoke.
"Push back? What can those bastards do? Are they saying they’ll defy the Cheonmu Alliance?" Lee Jae-won asked, his brow furrowed deeply.
"It... it is not impossible."
"What!?"
Lee Jae-won reacted with shock, unable to understand. Defy the Cheonmu Alliance? What kind of nonsense was that?
The Cheonmu Alliance was the strongest single power in the Murim. It boasted a scale more than double that of any of the so-called prestigious clans. To make an enemy of such an organization meant enduring significant losses. If the Alliance used its immense manpower and reputation to harass them, even a prestigious clan would eventually have to surrender.
So how could they possibly defy the Alliance? It was absurd.
"Currently, the Tang Clan has formed a massive business entity by creating an alliance that includes the Qingcheng and Emei sects. In terms of scale and manpower, they are in a position where they don't... lose out to the Cheonmu Alliance at all. Even if they were to break with us, it is unlikely they would suffer a fatal blow."
Zhuge Chan continued with a grave expression. Generally, the most common way to pressure a Murim power like the Tang Clan was to target their businesses. If quality was equal, consumers would ultimately choose the more affordable option. For the Cheonmu Alliance, with its superior scale and manpower, this wouldn't normally be difficult.
However, the current Tang Clan was not fragile enough to fall for such schemes. By drawing in the Qingcheng and Emei sects—members of the Nine Sects—they had formed a massive league. Through them, they had gained a scale and manpower comparable to the Cheonmu Alliance itself. In such a situation, pressuring them was practically impossible.
"Furthermore, we are currently receiving significant benefits from the Tang Clan. From Tang-made weaponry to the storage of war supplies, they even serve as our logistics base. If we become enemies now, we will be in a very difficult position."
Zhuge Chan’s expression was as serious as it could be. Currently, the Cheonmu Alliance was benefiting greatly from the Tang Clan, using the justification of the war against the Demonic Cult and their status as blood allies. If they broke ties now, they would lose all those advantages.
It was a precarious situation, especially with the once-in-a-lifetime conflict against the Demonic Cult looming.
Slam!
"Then are you telling me to just endure this humiliation and let it slide!?"
Lee Jae-won slammed his desk and raised his voice. He understood that Zhuge Chan wasn't wrong. He was a martial artist who had spent decades in the Murim, after all. But even so, he couldn't accept it. He couldn't just let this dog-like humiliation pass.
Even if they weren't the elite, over five hundred martial artists belonging to the Cheonmu Alliance had been annihilated. By a single person. And simply because they were "annoying."
It was a disgrace. He felt a shame so deep he could hardly lift his head. How could those who set out to subjugate the Demonic Cult be crushed so helplessly?
When the public heard this news, they would think the Cheonmu Alliance, the so-called greatest power, was nothing special. Their reputation had hit rock bottom. How could he possibly accept this?
Vrooooom—
Lee Jae-won began to radiate a terrifying murderous aura.
In the past, being ignored was a daily occurrence for Lee Jae-won. No one welcomed him when he went to school; he was treated like an invisible man throughout his school years, and he never had anyone to walk home with. He had lived a truly bleak past.
Perhaps as a reaction to that past, Lee Jae-won was obsessively fixated on honor and prestige. He believed that if he had prestige, no one would ignore him, and everyone would recognize him.
He fought only for honor. He acted like a virtuous man for honor. He put on a facade for honor.
But now, the honor he cherished more than life itself had been dragged through the dirt. And by just one person. How could he not be furious? How could he stay still? It was unthinkable.
"For... for now, until the war is over... I believe we must simply watch and wait."
Zhuge Chan spoke with a deeply apologetic look. Even if they wanted to pressure the Tang Clan, they had no strength to spare. They had spent a massive portion of their budget purchasing war supplies and were currently dependent on various benefits from the Tang Clan. If they forced a confrontation now, the Cheonmu Alliance would go bankrupt. Their manpower was equal, but they were infinitely behind in capital.
Grit.
Lee Jae-won ground his teeth. His rage was becoming unbearable. To Lee Jae-won, the present was everything. He didn't have the patience to endure humiliation now to pay it back later.
That was why he was so angry—at this humiliating, shameful situation where he couldn't do a single thing he wanted.
".........Is there... no other alternative?"
Finally, Lee Jae-won swallowed his rage and asked if there was any other way.
".............Regrettably..."
Zhuge Chan looked down, ashamed. It wasn't that he didn't empathize with the Alliance Leader. He was also a member of the Cheonmu Alliance and was furious that they had been insulted. But there was no suitable method. The Tang Clan had grown too large to touch recklessly. It was a burden even to think about provoking them.
Tremble, tremble.
Lee Jae-won’s entire body began to shake. A massive sense of helplessness washed over him. This was the first time he had felt such powerlessness since the time he was slapped by Jang Sun-woo.
Creak—
"There is a way."
Just then, the door opened, and a familiar voice drifted in. Lee Jae-won quickly turned his head.
A noblewoman with a beautiful but fierce impression came into view. Following behind her was another noblewoman, beautiful but with a more rigid, traditional air.
"Were you eavesdropping?"
Lee Jae-won’s face contorted. He hated the thought that they had seen him in such a helpless state.
"I heard you unintentionally. I apologize."
Tang Jin-seol immediately offered a polite apology. Beside her, Eon So-so also bowed her head slightly.
That fox-like woman.
Lee Jae-won scowled. Since she apologized so politely, he had no grounds to rebuke her.
"More importantly, what do you mean there's a way?" Lee Jae-won asked, his expression turning curious. Her sudden claim had piqued his interest.
"A way to have the Master of the North Sea Ice Palace handed over to us."
Tang Jin-seol spoke in a calm tone.
"And what is that?"
"It's simple," Tang Jin-seol replied with a seductive smile. "We just need to pay them back with the exact same justification."
"Pay them back?"
Lee Jae-won looked at her with a questioning gaze, silently demanding an explanation.
"The Tang Clan is taking no action against the Ice Palace Master, who annihilated the vanguard. They are downplaying the incident, calling it a mere 'minor friction' between allied forces. In this situation, if we try to make it a serious issue, we'll only look foolish. The Tang Clan is treating it as if it's no big deal."
Tang Jin-seol’s eyes sparkled as she continued. The Tang Clan was indeed minimizing the incident, acting as if it were a trivial quarrel. The fact that the culprit was from an allied power had allowed them to diffuse much of the severity. They might be criticized, but they wouldn't suffer actual damage. In this state, pushing the issue wouldn't deal them a significant blow.
"So, we pay them back in kind. For the same reason the vanguard was annihilated."
Tang Jin-seol’s eyes glinted like a viper's.
"In kind?"
"Yes. Because he was 'annoying'."
Tang Jin-seol nodded.
"If we do that, the Tang Clan won't be able to interfere recklessly. They already have a history of defending the Ice Palace Master for doing the exact same thing. If they step in now, they would be showing blatant discrimination between their allies."
".......That is persuasive."
Lee Jae-won nodded, seemingly convinced. Indeed, if it were revealed that they were discriminating between allies, even the Tang Clan would face a storm of public criticism. Their reputation would plummet. This would be a significant burden for them, as a Murim clan ultimately accumulated wealth through its reputation.
"Then, should I personally step forward and snap the Ice Palace Master's neck?"
Lee Jae-won looked at Tang Jin-seol with eager eyes. He looked ready to sprint to the Tang Clan the moment she gave the word.
"No. You cannot do that."
Tang Jin-seol shook her head.
"Why not!?"
"If the Alliance Leader goes, your intentions will be too obvious, and it will only invite backlash. It would be seen as the Leader of the Cheonmu Alliance picking a fight using his status."
".............."
Lee Jae-won fell silent. She was right. If the Leader of the Cheonmu Alliance himself picked a fight with an ally because they were "annoying," it would indeed look ridiculous.
"Then who on earth is supposed to suppress the Ice Palace Master?"
Lee Jae-won asked, puzzled. Although the vanguard consisted of rising stars and lower-level warriors, the Ice Palace Master was someone with the martial prowess to annihilate over five hundred of them. Who could possibly suppress such a person?
"The Fist King."
Eon So-so, who had been quiet until then, spoke in a calm voice.
"The Head of the Eon Family will step forward personally."
Her sharp eyes flashed as she spoke.
"The Fist King!?"
Lee Jae-won asked in shock. It was a name he hadn't expected to hear at all.