Why Are You Acting Like That? (3)
Chung Myung tilted his head to one side.
Seeing that reaction, Maeng So frowned between the brows.
"Let me say this again: I know this isn’t an easy task."
Oh, sure, it wasn’t easy.
It was so not easy it was enough to make him crack up laughing. Heh-heh-heh.
"But it has to be Mount Hua."
"Uh…."
Chung Myung cocked his head and asked, "Can I ask a few things?"
"Ask whatever you like."
"First of all… you do know Yunnan’s situation isn’t good, right?"
Maeng So gave a snort.
"You seem to think I’m blind. Of course I know that much."
"Then why haven’t you done anything until now?"
At Chung Myung’s question, Maeng So answered with a faintly sulky face.
"Well, I suppose it would look that way to you. To your eyes, it probably seemed like I was blocking trade between Yunnan and the Central Plains."
"Uh… no, that’s not what I meant…."
"There’s no need to make excuses. It’s only natural you’d think that. But…."
Maeng So shook his head with a somewhat subdued expression.
"That isn’t it. The one who blocked trade between the Central Plains and Yunnan wasn’t me, but a decision made by the previous generation. No matter how much I may be the Palace Lord of the Beast Palace, I can’t simply overturn my predecessors’ will as I please."
"Mm. That makes sense."
Authority didn’t come from strength alone.
Especially in a place like the Beast Palace, with its proud history, there could be no real authority without respect for the previous generation.
No matter how powerfully the Beast Palace Lord might wield his power, the moment he denied his forebears, that authority would crash straight to the ground.
A leader whose authority was weakened couldn’t properly govern a sect.
Considering how horribly cornered Yunnan was already, if the Beast Palace were to wobble, who knew what would happen.
"And the people of Yunnan don’t welcome the Central Plains either. If I forcibly resume trade, there’ll be countless people condemning me for it. I’d be tied hand and foot."
"…Even when there’s food on the line?"
"Human beings don’t live on food alone. Sometimes there are things more important than what goes into the mouth."
"Mm."
Chung Myung frowned slightly, as if he couldn’t quite understand. The Beast Palace Lord added, as though to explain.
"We’ve already been betrayed, and for a long time we’ve been looked down on by the Central Plains and called barbarians. No matter how hungry we may be, that’s why we can’t be the ones to bow our heads first."
"I think I understand."
"If they had apologized first, something might have changed… but the government doesn’t care about Yunnan, and the damn Nine Sects and One Gang that ought to apologize don’t even stick their noses in this direction. So what exactly am I supposed to do?"
His words carried a clear sense of frustration.
"You must have had it rough."
At Chung Myung’s sincere remark, Maeng So let out a long, weary sigh.
"I may not be a king, but I do have a duty to feed the people of Yunnan. But this place doesn’t produce enough grain to feed them all. So I have to buy food from elsewhere somehow. Until now I’ve managed through contact with the Western Regions, but even that has reached its limit."
"Hm."
"And then you people appeared."
Chung Myung nodded.
"Ah, so that’s why… no, wait."
His eyes widened.
Then that’s all it was?
The way Maeng So had suddenly started praising them as the descendants of the Plum Blossom Sword Saint, the way he’d laughed off the destruction of an entire hall…
He’d thought it was just because the man was a good-natured fool.
"Wow… Palace Lord, you’re a scary guy."
"Don’t look at me like that."
Maeng So gave a bitter smile.
"I didn’t pull off anything particularly clever. Usually, when people see my build and hear my voice, they assume I’m a fool to the core. If I had an ordinary body, your opinion of me would be very different right now."
"That’s really true. I’m honestly shocked."
"Hahaha."
Maeng So let out a low laugh.
At the same time, the muscles bulging across his body twitched in a way that made them look even more absurdly solid.
Who would look at this and think this guy was secretly this sharp?
Maybe Maeng So was even using his appearance to his advantage. Of everyone Chung Myung had met since gaining this new life, Maeng So was one of the strangest.
"Then the whole Plum Blossom Sword Saint business too?"
"Ah. Don’t misunderstand that part. The Plum Blossom Sword Saint really was Yunnan’s hero. He truly helped Yunnan with no selfish motive at all."
"…."
Well. Sure, let’s go with that.
The man himself was saying that, so who was Chung Myung to argue?
"But praising you people as the Plum Blossom Sword Saint’s descendants was, to be honest, a little intentional."
"Amazing."
"It couldn’t be helped."
A slightly bitter smile touched Maeng So’s lips.
"I needed an opponent who wouldn’t resist. If trade with the Central Plains was going to resume, I needed a justification that the people of Yunnan would accept without rioting over it. If the other side was Mount Hua, descendants of the Plum Blossom Sword Saint, they might grumble a little, but they wouldn’t openly rebel."
That fox. I thought he was a bear, but he’s a fox.
Chung Myung chuckled before he could stop himself and nodded.
"I get the general shape of it now."
"Then I’m asking you for help."
Maeng So bowed his head deeply toward Chung Myung.
"I love the people of Yunnan. They’re rough, but honest and simple folk. I can’t bear to see them starve anymore. I’ve done my best in my own way, but I’ve reached my limit. So help me. It won’t be a bad deal for you either."
Chung Myung leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms.
But contrary to that defensive posture, a pleased smile bloomed at the corners of his mouth.
Well, isn’t this a windfall.
They had come here to plead their case, and this guy was clearing the road for them on his own?
If they could monopolize the tea trade in Yunnan, the profit would be beyond imagination. At the thought of Mount Hua being buried in gold, Chung Myung’s mouth stretched into a grin.
"Pff…."
"Hm?"
"Ah, no."
Unable to suppress his laughter, Chung Myung covered the corner of his mouth.
But seeing that expression, Maeng So instead looked a little disappointed.
"Is it difficult?"
"Huh?"
Maeng So narrowed his eyes.
"I know the situation isn’t easy. I heard Mount Hua isn’t in a particularly comfortable position either. I’m not so ignorant that I can’t imagine how difficult it would be to conduct trade while having to watch the likes of those high-and-mighty bastards in Sichuan."
From the Beast Palace Lord’s point of view, that was only natural.
Mount Hua’s explosive rise had begun only a few years ago. Not even the Central Plains had fully caught up to that fact yet, so how could anyone in distant Yunnan know the details?
Of course Chung Myung had displayed his might by killing the Ink-Scaled Blood Python, but the strength of one disciple didn’t necessarily translate into the power of an entire sect.
So the Mount Hua Maeng So knew of was nothing more than a place that had nearly collapsed and was barely keeping its name alive.
And when you added Sichuan’s tangled circumstances into the mix, it was only natural that resuming tea trade under Mount Hua’s lead would seem terribly difficult.
Of course….
Struggling to hold in the laughter bubbling up inside him, Chung Myung pinched his thigh hard.
"Y-yes, it would be difficult."
"Hmm."
Ha! That’s right!
Even though Mount Hua was making a fortune!
Even though they had formed an alliance with the Sichuan Tang Family, the hegemon of Sichuan, on the way here!
Even though the whole stage had already been set so that if you gave it a little push, the tea-laden wagons would glide along the roads of Yunnan like ice skaters and come and go as easily as a pack of dogs—yes, that would be terribly difficult indeed!
Snicker, snicker, snicker.
Sasuk! Sect Leader Sasuk!
They said if you lived kindly, heaven would reward you. Just for saving that one snake bastard, he was getting showered in blessings like this.
What? A nucleus?
You can have that later, Sasuk! I’ll be eating rice sprinkled with gold dust!
Seeing Chung Myung’s red-flushed face, Maeng So let out a sigh.
"…If it truly is difficult, then that’s unfortunate, but there’s nothing to be done."
"Hey! Hey!"
Suddenly Maeng So looked ready to give up with a droop in his shoulders, and Chung Myung freaked out and clambered up onto the table with a thump. Then he seized the Beast Palace Lord’s huge hand with both of his own.
At that damp-eyed stare, the Beast Palace Lord jerked and drew back a little. But Chung Myung, now holding the hand—no, the prey—was not about to let go easily.
"Whether it’s difficult or not, what does that matter? What matters is that Mount Hua and the Beast Palace are friends!"
"Friends?"
"Yes! Friends!"
Chung Myung grinned broadly.
"Ha! You must have suffered so much all this time. Those damned Nine Sects and One Gang bastards!"
"Exactly!"
At the words "those damned Nine Sects and One Gang bastards," Maeng So instantly joined in without question or hesitation.
"Come to think of it, there can’t be many places that understand Yunnan’s situation better than Mount Hua. Those rotten bastards risked their lives to drive back the Demonic Sect, and they still didn’t know gratitude!"
"Right, right! I know that feeling well! Isn’t it all those people who don’t know decency?"
"We’re kindred spirits, that’s what we are, kindred spirits!"
"Yes. Mount Hua really isn’t any different from us."
"If people like us don’t help each other, then who will? The Beast Palace and Mount Hua may not share blood, but they can still be called brothers. Brothers!"
"Hooouuugh! That’s a phrase I like very much!"
It was the moment when those abandoned by the jianghu were touching each other’s wounds and feeling the warmth of friendship.
"So don’t worry about a thing. I’ll use every shred of Mount Hua’s strength to sell your tea."
"Oh, you would go that far…!"
Maeng So’s fierce eyes were full of visible emotion.
What? A scam?
Hey! What kind of nonsense is that?
You can’t call something like this a scam when both sides stand to gain. This is cooperation! Cooperation!
Chung Myung laughed under his breath and vigorously shook Maeng So’s hand.
"So don’t worry about a thing. I’ll make sure it all works out."
"If you do that, Yunnan will regard Mount Hua as a benefactor."
"I don’t care much about being a benefactor."
"Hm?"
"I just need a solid proof that lets us work together."
"Hm?"
Chung Myung shook his head wildly. Spotting brush, ink, and paper in one corner of the room, he rushed over and grabbed them.
"Ha. A relationship built on trust and faith is nice too, but for a bond like this to last again and again, there ought to be a proof that can be clearly verified."
"…Proof?"
"Yep. Nothing major. Just something like…."
Chung Myung shrugged.
"A small promise that for at least the next hundred years, Mount Hua gets exclusive rights to the tea trade."
"…."
"A promise that no other merchant house can trade in Yunnan for those hundred years."
"…."
"Just some little thing like that written down would do. And if you stamp your seal on it too, who would dare doubt the relationship between Mount Hua and the Beast Palace?"
Maeng So blinked, then tilted his head.
"You… are surprisingly aggressive, aren’t you?"
"Ahem! I am, after all, a Taoist priest. How could I possibly hesitate to help those in need?"
"…."
"…."
Something felt seriously off, but Maeng So was in no position to do anything about it.
"Then I only need to hand over the exclusive trade rights?"
"Hehe. If there’s anything else you’d like to add, you can tell me separately."
"Then I’ll ask one question before I write it."
"Yes?"
Maeng So looked at Chung Myung with utterly serious eyes.
"The reason I’m saying this to you is that, from what I’ve seen of you so far, I believe you’re not at least a villain. If you had come out of there after killing the Ink-Scaled Blood Python, I would never have brought this up."
"…."
"So promise me. You may take whatever benefits you like, but you must see Yunnan’s suffering resolved."
Chung Myung met the Beast Palace Lord’s gaze in kind, just as seriously.
"I promise."
No more words were necessary.
"I understand."
Hearing Chung Myung’s answer, Maeng So immediately picked up the brush and began writing the contract without the slightest hesitation.
The agreement, written in one sweeping stroke, was flawless, beyond criticism. He even included every tiny clause, then took out his seal and stamped it before handing it over to Chung Myung.
This guy is really sharp.
It occurred to Chung Myung that maybe, in Maeng So’s mind, all of this had already been settled long ago. The clauses written into the contract were so thorough and meticulous that it was hard to believe they’d been drafted on the spot.
"Do you need anything else?"
"No. This is enough."
Chung Myung grinned and looked the contract over again.
"Should I call my martial uncle? He’s the acting sect leader right now."
"No. I need your fingerprint."
"What are you trusting me for?"
"The name of the one who will become the greatest person under heaven in the future weighs heavier than a sect leader’s name. Press it."
"Tch."
Chung Myung clicked his tongue, then pressed his fingerprint onto the contract.
At last, the two men each took a copy of the agreement and faced one another with expressions full of mixed emotions.
"So it’s over now?"
"It is. Though… I have one personal favor to ask."
"Yes?"
Maeng So scratched the back of his head, looking somewhat embarrassed.
"This is a rather embarrassing request."
He let out a sigh and finally forced the words out.
As soon as he finished, Chung Myung’s lips curled into a sly smile.
"No, no, don’t worry about something like that. I’ll handle it perfectly."
Then he laughed with swaggering confidence. Maeng So, still uneasy, asked once more, "Will it be all right?"
"Why do you keep worrying about such small things? I’m Chung Myung! Chung Myung!"
He thumped his own chest.
I’m not sure this is a good idea.
Looking at him with half concern and half anxiety, Maeng So let out yet another heavy sigh.