Monopolizing Fortunes (185)
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Monopolizing Fortunes (185)
That was only natural, since a considerable portion of the sect's leadership, including the Sect Leader, would die.
"I'd like to add one more condition."
"Go ahead."
"If the Revenge Society wins, the two sects must seal their gates for thirty years."
Sealing the gates for thirty years would put their very survival at risk. For all those long years they would be unable to accept new disciples, and most of their existing members would leave.
"It's a right the victims are fully entitled to demand. Understood."
It was only natural that those who had committed crimes should be punished. And those who had reaped the fruits in the shadow of those criminals also had to pay a corresponding price.
"This fight... we accept."
* * *
"Will this fight truly end everything? No rumors about Mount Hua and Jongnam will spread?"
Baek So-gu answered the question from Byeon Jung-man, the Sect Leader of the Mount Hua Sect.
"The rumors will die down."
Wang Jo-hyeong, the Sect Leader of the Jongnam Sect, nodded under Byeon Jung-man's gaze. They had no choice in the matter.
'We should have pulled the weeds out by the roots.'
They should have tracked down the escaped Company Head and his younger son to the very end and killed them.
"Understood. We'll do so."
Baek So-gu could read not the slightest hint of remorse in Byeon Jung-man and Wang Jo-hyeong. Even though Bang Si-bo, who had come with them, was furious enough to spit blood, all they had done was protest that everything had been for Mount Hua and Jongnam.
After the three old men with slumped shoulders disappeared, only Byeon Jung-man and Wang Jo-hyeong remained.
"Do you really intend to keep the promise?"
Byeon Jung-man smiled faintly at Wang Jo-hyeong's question.
"Of course, we'll have to show up at the appointed place."
"It seems you have another plan."
"Sect Leader Wang, how far can you go to resolve this matter?"
"What do you mean?"
"Eighteen years ago, we already crossed a river of no return. Honestly, I have no regrets about this matter. Thanks to it, Mount Hua and Jongnam grew that much stronger."
Personal greed had played a larger part, but he did not bring that up.
"But now something has arisen that threatens the very survival of Mount Hua and Jongnam. What should we do at a time like this?"
"No matter what happens, we must prevent such a thing."
"By any means necessary?"
"As Sect Leader Byeon said, our hands are already stained with blood. Even if we try to wash them now, will that blood come off? Since it has come to this, we must protect Mount Hua and Jongnam even if it means staining them with new blood."
"Then on that day, the only people to walk out of Seonjungsan alive will be those from Mount Hua and Jongnam."
"Sect Leader Baek of the Beggars' Sect and people from the Northern Unorthodox Alliance will be there too. You mean to kill them all?"
"They said only the essential figures would come, so the number won't be very large. With the combined strength of Mount Hua and Jongnam, killing them won't be difficult. With no witnesses left, we can simply pin the blame on the Revenge Society."
"An excellent idea."
Byeon Jung-man smiled a bitter smile.
"Let's consider this a blessing in disguise, since we can use this opportunity to wipe out the Revenge Society completely."
* * *
Do Tong-dal did not take a single step out of the basement. Except for eating and sleeping, he poured all his time into training.
He made the Internal Energy he had not yet absorbed entirely his own, and he honed the Three Severings Blade Art to an even sharper edge.
The period was only ten days, which made calling it secluded training embarrassing, but that time became an opportunity for Do Tong-dal to rethink the Three Severings Blade Art.
He was satisfied himself, but he could not tell whether his martial arts had actually improved. Perhaps what he had needed was not so much an increase in actual skill as time to compose his mind.
"Hm. You smell similar to me. Why not join the Beggars' Sect after all?"
Of all people, the first person he met upon coming out was Baek So-gu. Then Namgung Seol-rin, Jang Yu-seom, Won Dae-yeon, Ha Su-ran, and Jang Yeon-seon appeared one after another.
The Twelve Zodiac Shadows and the Blood Spirit Three Swords, who had finished preparing to leave, were also waiting for Do Tong-dal.
Won Dae-yeon stared at Do Tong-dal for a moment before speaking.
"You went into secluded training and..."
"And what?"
"You need to wash up."
"Tch! I was planning to."
As Do Tong-dal disappeared, Won Dae-yeon muttered.
"Hall Master Do's aura has changed. To think it could change that much in only ten days."
Namgung Seol-rin picked up Won Dae-yeon's words.
"He did about five days before that, so fifteen days in total."
Jang Yu-seom joined the conversation.
"If it were me, it would take half a year for my edge to dull like that."
"Heaven gave that brat too much. He's smart, and on top of that his martial talent..."
Baek So-gu glanced back and forth between Namgung Seol-rin and Ha Su-ran and muttered, "Even beauties."
"Heaven gave him a disciple like me too."
"Heh heh heh... Right. The greatest fortune for Tong-dal is our Yeon-seon."
"Of course! Heh heh heh!"
While they were talking, a worker came running up breathlessly.
"Sect Leader! Big trouble!"
By now, the title of Sect Leader was familiar to Jang Yeon-seon.
"What is it?"
"You need to come out and see! A huge crowd of officials in glittering gold clothes has arrived!"
"What? Ah! Master said the Embroidered Uniform Guard would come. Looks like they arrived right on time."
"The Embroidered Uniform Guard?"
The one who asked was Jo Seong-un.
"I asked them to send a few Embroidered Uniform Guards to Beijing."
"If Hall Master Do says the word, even the Embroidered Uniform Guard comes."
It was no longer surprising. The people who went to the open ground in front of the main gate could see two hundred Embroidered Uniform Guards dressed in gold. It was probably the first time in history that two hundred Embroidered Uniform Guards had come to Luoyang, not Beijing.
"Magistrate Yang!"
Namgung Seol-rin called out a glad greeting and ran over.
"Oh my! Protector Namgung, have you been well?"
"Ah! You're not a magistrate anymore. Censor Yang."
"Hey, to you, Protector Namgung, I'll always be the magistrate."
Yang Su-pan exchanged greetings and shared gladness with the people he knew well.
The Twelve Zodiac Shadows were astonished when they heard about Yang Su-pan's identity. Yang Su-pan was the closest of the emperor's close aides.
They had heard that he was close with Do Tong-dal, but they had not known that a single word from Do Tong-dal would bring so many Embroidered Uniform Guards all the way to Luoyang.
Just then, Do Tong-dal came out after finishing his bath, saw the two hundred Embroidered Uniform Guards, and frowned.
"I asked you to bring only ten. Why did you bring such a whole mob?"
"Good to see you too. I was going to do that, but His Highness the Crown Prince told me to take about a hundred since I was going anyway. They say the more the better, so I figured more would be good and just brought two hundred."
One of the Embroidered Uniform Guards stepped forward and bowed deeply toward Do Tong-dal.
"It has been a long time, Lord Do."
"That needlessly big-handed fellow is making a lot of trouble for Commander Tae."
It was Tae Jun-seo, who had gone with him when they raided Hwangbo Gil's house.
"No trouble at all. It's an honor to be able to take part in Lord Do's work."
Namgung Seol-rin asked Do Tong-dal.
"But why are you making such a grand procession? I heard you're also bringing warriors from the Northern Unorthodox Alliance?"
Ha Su-ran answered, "Three hundred." Baek So-gu had also scraped together nearby Beggars' Sect members and stationed them around the area.
"You'll see when we get there. There are a lot of people, so we should start moving soon."
They left the Righteous Chivalry Sect. Seonjungsan, the promised location, was only a single shichen away from the Righteous Chivalry Sect.
Do Tong-dal had chosen Seonjungsan as the fight location because it was close to the Righteous Chivalry Sect and had a wide clearing halfway up the mountain.
As they climbed the mountain, their keen hearing picked up a fairly large number of people.
"Look at these bastards."
Deep wrinkles formed on Namgung Seol-rin's brow. Jang Yu-seom asked Do Tong-dal.
"It's not the Revenge Society, is it?"
"Of course not."
"Then it must be Mount Hua and Jongnam. There's only one reason they would bring this many people."
Baek So-gu let out a long sigh.
"I didn't expect them to turn over a new leaf, but they truly are demonic bastards. To think such people hold the positions of Sect Leader and Elder in the Mount Hua and Jongnam Sects. No wonder the spirit of the orthodox sects has fallen to the ground."
"You already anticipated this, Young Master Do."
"It was one of the strong possibilities. Mount Hua and Jongnam didn't exceed my expectations. Didn't you also suspect it, Strategist Ha?"
"I also thought it was possible."
Halfway up Seonjungsan, they met the Revenge Society members, who had used a different path.
The Revenge Society numbered exactly seventeen people, including Won Jung-bang and Won Jin-u. The remaining three spots had been promised to the Blood Spirit Three Swords.
"So it really is Do Tong-dal."
The one who spoke was Muk Seong Do Tae-dong, the man who had left a scar on Do Tong-dal's chest.
"Then why did you cut me back then and make me come all the way here?"
"You're the strange one for coming at me to the death over a little scratch like that in the martial world."
"The problem is that you said two different things with one mouth. Of course, the wound is also a wound."
"You won't try to settle your grudge with me today, will you?"
"Let's survive first and then talk. Today's fight won't be easy."
Even if the Revenge Society had been sharpening their swords for eighteen years, their opponents were Mount Hua and Jongnam, the two pillars of the Nine Great Sects.
Even for the Revenge Society, which had shaken the martial world from the shadows, this could not be an easy fight.
Won Jung-bang spoke.
"As I came up, I sensed several presences."
"You don't need to worry about them."
"What about the people who came with you?"
Naturally, Won Jung-bang was concerned. Not only were their faces impressive, but there were even people in gold uniforms.
Won Jung-bang, who had been eyeing the Embroidered Uniform Guard, stopped walking. He had spotted Yang Su-pan, who was panting and walking slowly at the back.
"Censor Yang!"
"You know him well, since he was at the imperial palace."
"Did you call him because of us?"
"The Revenge Society has no reason to think otherwise."
"So the presences I felt on the way up were indeed Mount Hua and Jongnam."
Won Jung-bang chuckled.
"Looking at the people who came with you, there's no need to worry about Mount Hua and Jongnam."
The people from Mount Hua and Jongnam had already arrived at the clearing and were waiting. The former Sect Leaders Bang Si-bo and Yeon Ju-yang were mixed in with the group.
No matter how many people had been mobilized on Seonjungsan, only the twenty people on the list had come out to the clearing.
The expressions of Mount Hua Sect Leader Byeon Jung-man and Jongnam Sect Leader Wang Jo-hyeong were relaxed. Even when they saw Do Tong-dal, who had climbed up first, their faces did not change.
When Namgung Seol-rin came into view and Ha Su-ran and Baek So-gu appeared, their leisurely smiles vanished.
They had heard that the Beggars' Sect and the Northern Unorthodox Alliance were involved in this matter, but they had not expected the Leader and the Strategist to show up in person.
"Th... that man...!"
Byeon Jung-man was horrified. Because he was not wearing a disguise, the name Three Beyond the World was gone. So Byeon Jung-man remembered Won Dae-yeon, whom he had seen long ago.
"Who is it?"
At Wang Jo-hyeong's question, Byeon Jung-man answered as if groaning.
"Won Dae-yeon, the Life-Stealing Twin Swordsman."
"What? That Won Dae-yeon, the greatest hero under heaven? Why is he here?"
"I don't know the details, but we may have to pay a greater sacrifice than we thought."
Even with the Beggars' Sect Leader, the Northern Unorthodox Alliance's Strategist, and Won Dae-yeon present, he had no intention of giving up the plan.
Then the people in gold clothes appeared. At first, the thought was, 'What's with those flashy clothes?'
But looking closely, they were official uniforms, and there was only one group that wore such uniforms.
"The Embroidered Uniform Guard? Why are the Embroidered Uniform Guard here?"
The Revenge Society, who would fight today, finally appeared behind the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but no one even glanced their way. The appearance of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was that much of a shock.
The wide clearing, which looked as if the mountainside had been sliced off, felt narrow because too many people had appeared.
And at the very end, Yang Su-pan climbed up, gasping for breath.
"Why do they have to fight... haah! in such a high place. They could just... rent some manor somewhere. Haah!"
Do Tong-dal scolded Yang Su-pan.
"Then you should get some exercise normally."
"Do you know how busy... I've been lately. You try doing... state affairs. Oh my, I'm dying."
When he took off his coat, one of the Embroidered Uniform Guards politely received it. Yang Su-pan plopped down on a rock at the edge of the clearing and spoke to Tae Jun-seo.
"Hey, Commander Tae."
"Yes, Censor Yang."
"Deploy the Embroidered Uniform Guard in a circle so those mongrels can't interfere."
"Understood."
When Tae Jun-seo gave the order, the Embroidered Uniform Guard scattered in all directions. Seeing this, Byeon Jung-man asked.
"What are you doing right now?"
Do Tong-dal answered that question.
"As we came up, I saw there were a lot of 'mongrels.' Outsiders shouldn't be allowed to interfere in this important fight, should they?"
"It makes even less sense for the imperial palace to interfere in martial-world affairs."
Yang Su-pan answered that remark.
"I heard that among these people, there's a murderer who slaughtered innocent civilians eighteen years ago. Should we skip the fight and, from my position as an official, arrest that murderer instead?"
* * *