Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: North Heaven Alliance Leader 3
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In the Alliance Lord's residence of the North Heaven Alliance, the place Goo Yang-hoo visited most often was the rear garden.
To the north of the garden lay a fairly large pond, and Goo Yang-hoo would often sit facing away from it to receive reports from his subordinates. As a result, it had become a habit for his men to check the garden before heading up to the office when seeking the Alliance Lord.
It had already been ten days, and Baek Moo-jin, who had been invited to the garden, now sat across from Alliance Lord Goo Yang-hoo, peering at a wooden Go board.
Goo Yang-hoo held the white stones.
Baek Moo-jin had the black stones.
Yet beside the Go stones lay their respective weapons.
As rumored, Goo Yang-hoo's weapon was the Tyrant Blade, matching his epithet. Contrary to expectations of a massive greatsword, it was an ordinary-sized blade. However, the tip of the sword curved slightly.
The two men merely glanced at each other's weapons without suggesting they inspect them.
Here in the garden, they spent about two hours each day together, mostly sipping tea and staring at the Go board.
Even during those two hours, people from various organizations would drop by at intervals to report to the Alliance Lord. Strangely enough, no one had come to report today.
The garden was thus exceptionally quiet.
Baek Moo-jin inwardly tilted his head at the unusual silence compared to other days, but Goo Yang-hoo showed no sign of it.
Today, Baek Moo-jin found it impossible to focus on the game at all. The stillness around them felt ominously profound.
'Is it today? The atmosphere feels strangely heavy.'
Go had never been a particular interest of his, making concentration even harder.
Goo Yang-hoo didn't seem inclined to teach him properly either. Occasionally, he would reminisce about the past, as if merely wanting company for conversation.
Go held little meaning for them, but their very presence together here carried great significance.
Aware of this, Baek Moo-jin quietly played along with whatever Goo Yang-hoo did.
Goo Yang-hoo paused as he was about to place a stone and spoke.
"I learned Go from the previous Alliance Lord. I had no interest in it, just like you."
"Haha."
Baek Moo-jin gave an awkward laugh, and Goo Yang-hoo chuckled softly.
"One day, he taught me the Ten Precepts of Go."
"The Ten Precepts?"
"They refer to ten mental attitudes. Said to have been composed by a Go master named Wang Jixin. The previous Alliance Lord adopted them as his mindset after entering the martial world."
"What do they say?"
"Simple things. Before attacking, reflect on yourself first. Don't crave victory. If the opponent is strong, hold back... that sort of commonplace advice. But he said these precepts were excellent enough to serve as a mindset for martial artists too. Whether in Go or martial arts, you repeat mistakes from where you faltered before, and make bad moves again in situations where you erred previously... He said players of Go and martial artists are much the same."
"Hmm."
"Do you know the trap in these Ten Precepts? Everyone thinks they can easily follow them. Can you put what you just heard into practice?"
"Well..."
Baek Moo-jin shook his head.
The meaning wasn't hard, but it didn't resonate in his heart. As if reading his thoughts, Goo Yang-hoo added lightly,
"Remember this. If you know the opponent is strong yet don't hold back, you'll end up like those fools."
"Understood."
The two fell silent for a moment.
A quiet atmosphere, as if savoring the stillness, settled over the garden.
Baek Moo-jin glanced toward the garden's edge, where a hazy aura seemed to rise, like heat haze born from human intent.
2.
As the two stared at the garden entrance, men gripping weapons began flooding in. Strangely, none of their blades bore bloodstains. Thus, the rebels entered as easily as strolling into an unguarded fortress where Goo Yang-hoo resided.
How many had come?
And from which organizations within the North Heaven Alliance did they hail?
Baek Moo-jin was intensely curious, but observing the newcomers offered no clues.
No familiar faces from the Execution Hall or Hidden Shadow Pavilion appeared.
Here and there, battle-hardened veterans were mixed in, followed by what seemed their subordinates, gradually filling the left and right of the entrance.
Baek Moo-jin marveled at Goo Yang-hoo, who had evidently anticipated this long ago.
Yet the numbers far exceeded what Baek Moo-jin had imagined, and they had reached here without any apparent resistance, which struck him as odd.
Baek Moo-jin asked Goo Yang-hoo,
"Alliance Lord?"
"Hm?"
"Were there no precepts like 'prepare for the unforeseen'?"
"Heh, why? More than you expected?"
"Yes. Did you anticipate this, Alliance Lord?"
"I didn't expect quite this many... Seeing strangers mixed in, it looks like they've brought in outside forces."
At Goo Yang-hoo's words, Baek Moo-jin scratched his cheek as if troubled.
"Just the two of us against that many... Hm, you must think highly of me, Alliance Lord."
Yet Baek Moo-jin's voice held no emotional fluctuation. Goo Yang-hoo burst into laughter, clearly pleased with the man's composure in this situation.
"Hahaha."
At that moment, someone called out to Goo Yang-hoo in an arrogant tone, using his old title.
"Guard Commander, have you been well?"
A gaunt old man, easily over sixty, addressed Goo Yang-hoo not as Alliance Lord but as Guard Commander. Goo Yang-hoo grinned and retorted,
"I figured it was either Crimson Clothes Sword Hall or Elder Dan Mok-heon. But more numbers than I expected. Lacking confidence for the big deed? Introduce these ragtag followers quickly."
"Watch your tongue now that you're Alliance Lord. When did you ever speak so casually to me?"
Goo Yang-hoo let out a booming laugh that echoed through the garden.
"Hahaha! Elder Dan Mok-heon, barging in here and saying something so foolish?"
At Goo Yang-hoo's words, Elder Dan Mok-heon snorted, and a middle-aged man beside him suddenly bellowed at him.
"No one tried to stop us on the way here. Makes me truly doubt if you're the North Heaven Alliance Lord!"
Goo Yang-hoo smirked at the stranger's words.
"That was my order. Not to interfere."
"What?"
"Go look outside the garden. They'll all be waiting there. Dan Mok-heon, you knew my temperament and started this, didn't you?"
Dan Mok-heon nodded calmly.
"Of course. I knew it would be like this."
Dan Mok-heon and Goo Yang-hoo met eyes and smiled simultaneously.
3.
Baek Moo-jin was also scanning the faces of the gathered rebels.
Now he saw: about a third seemed to be outside experts hired for the coup.
Especially the middle-aged men flanking Dan Mok-heon looked like masters.
Somehow, they resembled Dan Mok-heon in their distinctive attire and facial auras. Crucially, the thin swords they all held were unusually shaped, matching Dan Mok-heon's.
Noticing the same, Goo Yang-hoo explained casually to Baek Moo-jin,
"Swordsmen of the Danmok Sword Family."
If other factions were involved, the aftermath would drag on, so this seemed to be Dan Mok-heon's independent action, Goo Yang-hoo thought.
Baek Moo-jin gazed at the crowd and suddenly sighed.
"Alliance Lord, there are too many enemies."
"Don't talk weak."
With those words, Goo Yang-hoo gripped the Tyrant Blade and stood.
Baek Moo-jin shook his head.
"You said not to crave victory. Planning to kill them all alone?"
Goo Yang-hoo, who had taken a couple of steps forward, turned to him.
"And if I am?"
Baek Moo-jin met his gaze.
"Then, may I leave a few alive?"
"Leave alive? Why?"
"We need to persuade them. Looks like some were dragged here unwillingly. No need to kill everyone."
As Alliance Lord Goo Yang-hoo and Baek Moo-jin chatted idly with enemies before them, the entire rebel force exchanged bewildered glances. Their conversation was too bizarre. Someone muttered,
"What did that young punk just say?"
"The Alliance Lord can get away with it. Ignore that pale-faced lunatic..."
Some of the rebels burst into laughter.
Baek Moo-jin sighed.
"Alliance Lord, let me say a word."
"Go ahead."
Goo Yang-hoo nodded, so Baek Moo-jin slowly rose and addressed the rebels in a flat tone.
"Any alliance member brought here against your will, come over to this side."
People looked at each other at Baek Moo-jin's words.
No matter how they stared, what they thought, or what they said, Baek Moo-jin continued indifferently.
"Surely some of you are here only because you followed your superiors. Don't throw away your lives over a misjudgment."
Truly naive words flowed from Baek Moo-jin.
An unavoidable silence briefly hung over the garden.
"..."
In a situation of such overwhelming numerical disparity, it wasn't the sort of thing to say. The intruders blinked at each other in confusion. Their feelings toward Baek Moo-jin were thus:
Either a madman, or an absolute master.