Chapter 425
Chapter 425
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 425
Chapter Title: Direct Confrontation (6)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Baek Gwang-ho repeated my words as if questioning whether he'd heard correctly.
"Warning?"
"Yes."
As I answered immediately, his expression chilled, and he furrowed his brow.
"Are you saying you want to go at it right now?"
"Didn't Senior start it first?"
At that, Baek Gwang-ho's subordinates and my younger brothers each reached for their weapons.
A menacing air settled over the deck of the lead ship.
That was when Baek Gwang-ho finally spoke again.
"Who was it that barged into my territory without permission and smashed my ships?"
"Wasn't that the kind of action Senior wanted?"
It was a statement I made with my own conviction.
But Baek Gwang-ho snorted as if it were absurd.
"Hah. These ships and subordinates here are the forces of the Evil Lord Sword Punishers that helped me rise to Vice Young Lord. You think I'd want these forces damaged? That's a laughable claim even a stray dog would scoff at."
However, knowing full well that Baek Gwang-ho was the type to hide his own intentions tightly while drawing out others' first with his rhetoric,
I smiled faintly and opened my mouth.
"Well, we'll get to that story later... What I meant by saying Senior started first refers to the cannon fire you unleashed on us at the end. Wasn't that your warning?"
"You're reading too much into an incident that arose from dealing with intruders."
"Is that so? Well, that's how I felt. 'I'm Baek Gwang-ho, and no matter how you're treated in the White Path Murim, if you step out of line, I'll blow you away.' Like that."
"......"
"So I returned the same kind of warning. Even if you want to settle it here with our lives on the line, I don't mind."
At my words, Baek Gwang-ho burst into laughter.
"Hahahahaha."
However, judging from his still-furrowed brow,
it didn't seem like genuine laughter.
"......"
"......"
And sure enough,
Baek Gwang-ho abruptly cut off his laugh and jerked his chin toward the inner quarters before speaking.
"Let's go inside."
"Very well."
Having agreed, Baek Gwang-ho and I stepped forward simultaneously.
But at that moment,
the Sa Do Alliance's lackeys and my younger brothers spoke up at once.
"Young Lord! He's dangerous!"
"Who are you to say that?!"
Baek Gwang-ho waved his hand dismissively at his subordinates to fall back, then said to me,
"We're not exactly on trusting terms, so let's each bring a guard. Just one each. No need to swarm in for a private talk, right?"
At his words, I turned to my younger brothers.
They pushed the back of Won-cheol, the most skilled among them, and stepped back one by one.
Words that it wasn't right for the skilled Won-cheol to stay outside nearly rose to my tongue,
but...
"Won-cheol, Monk..."
For a fleeting moment, the thought crossed my mind that if the talk dragged on inside, my younger brothers might do something rash.
'If Won-cheol's with me inside... even if it takes longer, they'll stay quiet.'
I swallowed my intended words and nodded.
And so I chose Won-cheol as my guard, while Baek Gwang-ho picked the bald-headed fellow I recognized.
'Sun Woo-uk, was it?'
As I recalled his name, we arrived at the inner quarters.
Baek Gwang-ho plopped down on the chair of honor and pointed to my seat.
"How does smashing my fleet become what I wanted? Explain that first."
"To explain that, there are a few things to clarify upfront."
"Like what?"
"You've joined hands with the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, haven't you?"
At my question, Baek Gwang-ho answered without a moment's hesitation.
"We have."
"As expected. But regardless of any public alliance, you're still weighing your options, Senior."
"You just confirmed our alliance with the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, and now you're talking like you know everything?"
"I pride myself on knowing the Demonic Cult's tactics better than anyone. And I understand the ways of the Black Path. I can't be certain, but I can guess what was discussed. Shall I take a shot?"
"Go ahead and spout it."
With Baek Gwang-ho's permission, I began.
"The Demonic Cult would have offered a tempting price, attaching as a condition something you were planning to do anyway. Like punishing the Haomen and Green Forest bandits for breaking Sa Do Alliance rules, for example."
"......"
"From your position, Senior, it wouldn't have been a bad deal. In these chaotic times, who would criticize the Black Path for testing the waters here and there? That's just how the Black Path operates."
At that point,
Sun Woo-uk, standing beside Baek Gwang-ho, placed a hand on his waist and barked.
"What did you say! Testing the waters here and there is the Black Path's way? Are you looking down on us?!"
Won-cheol stepped in front of him then.
"Amitabha. It seems there's more to discuss between the two... Please stay calm."
Baek Gwang-ho chuckled and spoke.
"Deputy Commander of the Vanguard. Why get heated? It's not exactly wrong."
"...Y-Young Lord."
"Let's hear the rest first. You can get angry later; it won't be too late. Continue, Eon Yong-un."
"But there would have been lingering doubts in your mind. I'm not there, so I can't be sure, but... the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's proposal would have hinged on their victory or maintaining the current status quo between righteous and demonic."
With that opener, I directly addressed what Baek Gwang-ho was concerned about.
"But there's also a future where the White Path Murim wins. Even if the Sa Do Alliance and Heavenly Demon Divine Cult form a blood pact and attack fiercely."
"......"
"Plus, the promise we made before weighs on you. I returned the Green Jade of the Paeryong Province, but our agreement wasn't just that, was it?"
At that, Baek Gwang-ho grimaced bitterly and narrowed his brow.
"Tch. So, what's your exact point?"
That meant my inference was correct.
Feeling a bit relieved, I spoke again.
"I'll give you time to mull over those concerns thoroughly."
"Hah. You, will you?"
"Actually, I've already given it. The White Path Murim's scoundrel, riding high on his string of victories, picked a fight with the Eastern Justice Commander."
"......"
"Even the mighty Eastern Justice Commander couldn't block the Dragon Fiend's arrogance without taking losses. Because of that major blow, the Eastern Justice Commander—who won't move without a sure feast—has hunkered down again."
"......"
"Doesn't this give you time to gauge, without breaking the alliance with the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, which side—righteous or demonic—looks more advantageous?"
"......"
"That's what you wanted, so I came and obliged. Isn't this what Senior hoped for?"
As I finished, Baek Gwang-ho let out an exasperated chuckle.
"Arrogant to the core."
But this time, his laugh didn't seem offended.
"But I was right, wasn't I?"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The Eastern Path Alliance understands the Sa Do Alliance's position of allying with the Demonic Cult.
Using Eon Yong-un's intrusion as an excuse, the Sa Do Alliance's leadership enters a stance of observation under the pretext of seclusion, postponing decisions on the Haomen and Green Forest.
The summit between Baek Gwang-ho and Eon Yong-un concluded by tying up these two issues.
Having finished his business, Eon Yong-un led his group and departed from Cheongnok Province.
Baek Gwang-ho watched Eon Yong-un's ship recede from the bow,
and it was then that Sun Woo-uk, at his side, spoke.
"Seems like the first one to treat the Young Lord that way."
"Yeah. It's not just his attitude—he keeps drawing out my true feelings. A real tricky one."
"Then why not consider eliminating him? They haven't gone far yet."
"Eliminate? Even with just our Evil Lord Sword Punishers, it'd probably cost over seventy percent of our forces, if we could even manage it. Why bother?"
"Th-that's true, but..."
"Think about his crew. The Tang family's red daughter, the Sword Emperor's eldest daughter and Murim Alliance Lord's disciple, the Beggar Clan’s next-next heir and Shaolin's next-next abbot candidate. Even without Eon Yong-un and the Thunderclap Fan Robe's son, their backgrounds are a nightmare. What, are we aiming for world domination? Strip ourselves bare to take them out?"
Sun Woo-uk tilted his head then.
"...Not quite, but at first, didn't the Young Lord order the cannons fired? Why then? What if they'd died?"
"That was the first time! I didn't exactly send an invitation, and they barged into my territory. If something happened, as Sa Do Vice Lord, I'd just express regrets."
Even with Baek Gwang-ho's follow-up, his subordinate's doubt lingered.
"...This Sun Woo-uk may be dim compared to the Young Lord, but I know Eon Yong-un's position in the White Path Murim. It wouldn't end with mere regrets, would it?"
"It might have. But even risking that, I needed to gauge him accurately."
"His skills, you mean?"
"More precisely, as the 'White Path's heir.' Assuming another righteous-demonic war breaks out, whichever side starts losing would prioritize saving their heir first, right?"
"Meaning the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's is Hyeok Ryeon-il, and the White Path Murim's is Eon Yong-un."
"Exactly. So I needed to assess his strength, caliber, and wisdom."
"And? What do you think?"
At Sun Woo-uk's question,
Baek Gwang-ho shifted his gaze back to the departing ship carrying Eon Yong-un.
"I knew early he was exceptional. But he's climbed several levels unseen, and above all, his temperament is a vicious breed. That type will get what he wants, no matter what."
"Sounds like Eon Yong-un looks better? And you even took pocket money..."
"Shh. The subordinates will hear."
"Ah. Yes, sir."
"Too early for certainty. But we've bought time. Let's see how it plays out."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Back on the ship heading to Evil Yang once more, I recounted our inner quarters conversation to my younger brothers.
"...And that's how it went."
As I finished,
the observant Woo So-rung pointed to the new pouch at my waist and spoke.
"Brother Eon, what's with that pouch? I didn't see it before."
"Took some silver from Baek Gwang-ho."
"Y-you got money from the Sa Do Vice Lord? You said it was incense money before, but what's the excuse this time?"
"Isn't it natural for a senior to provide travel fare when a junior travels far to pay respects and ease his worries?"
As I answered the follow-up question,
Dang Ok-gi and Master recoiled simultaneously.
"Extorting money even in this situation... Are you even human...?"
- ...Ruthless. So ruthless.
"Well, you all worked hard. We pushed ourselves, and now I'm starving. Let's eat with this in Evil Yang on the way."
As I shook the money pouch,
Cheon Jang-ho grinned broadly.
"This time, dessert too?! Eating Eastern Justice Lake's tangerines really brings longevity, huh? What if we hadn't gotten those I begged for amid all the scorn and abuse? Uhahaha!"
As Cheon Jang-ho joked around,
Won-cheol spoke up.
"But is this enough for the Sa Do Alliance matter?"
At Won-cheol's words, Paeng So-jin tilted her head.
"You were there, Monk. Did Baek Gwang-ho seem to have other plans? No, then Yong-un would've noticed."
"...Ah, not that. For instance, no measures like exchange students from the New Outer Sects or Dokgo-cheol from the Initial Gathering."
To that follow-up, I answered.
"We can't do more to the Sa Do Alliance. Leaving them to observe is best for now. The rest is our role."
"...Our role."
"Once the White Path Murim seizes the high ground to end this chaos, they'll naturally side with us."
So we had to make good use of the bought time, gathering all of White Path Murim's potential,
and raising the skills of the guys before my eyes.
Thus, I directed a word at the nodding Won-cheol.
"By the way, our Monk Won-cheol. You had way more rough edges in real combat than expected."
"...I-I'm sorry."
"No need to apologize. Just worrying. If you're like this, what about the other bald eagles? And disciples from sects that haven't even trained together?"