We Didn’t See Anything. (1)
"……."
Chung Myung stared at the training grounds with hollow eyes.
Behind him, the Mount Hua disciples muttered in empty, drained voices.
"……They really saw this through to the end."
"Yeah. They definitely brought it to an end."
The words carried not a shred of strength.
"The problem is that we’re the ones who got finished off."
"……."
A breeze swept in from somewhere.
It dragged a lonely trail of sand across the training yard, which had been packed hard with fine blue stone.
Only three days ago, the grounds had been swarming with trainees, but now they were so pristine that not even an ant could be found—pristine in the most sinister sense of the word.
Watching that desolate sight, Chung Myung blinked.
Uh…
This was bad.
"……Now even flies won’t come near it."
At Hyun Young’s voice, thick with despair, Chung Myung flinched.
"Ho ho ho. Even so, this is something else. To think it would come to this in just three days."
Even Wi Lip-san’s voice, pretending to be calm, was threaded with a faint unease.
"So this is what they call being in a foreign land?"
"……Good grief."
Baek Cheon glanced sideways at Chung Myung and said,
"If you can’t crack that head of his, he’s nothing special."
Chung Myung jerked, and when he turned, Baek Cheon hurriedly looked away and whistled as if it had nothing to do with him.
"……Grrr."
But he didn’t even have the energy to get angry. Chung Myung let out a pained groan and trembled all over.
The response from the Southern Edge allied sects had been swift and ruthless.
If they had merely clung to some semblance of legitimacy, or focused on checking Mount Hua, things would never have reached this point. But instead of preserving their dignity, they had gone after profit.
"People really are terrifying once they toss aside their pride."
"Even so, this is just vile. It’s the sort of thing you’d expect from a bunch of black-path scum…."
"……It really is a bit much."
"Amitabha."
Hye Yeon kept chanting the Buddha’s name over and over.
The world of the living is truly a frightening place.
Over the past few days, he had seen with his own eyes the things the Southern Edge allied sects were doing in Xi'an.
So this is what people mean when they say they’ll stop at nothing.
However widespread the Southern Edge allies might be throughout Xi'an, how could every last resident of such a vast city possibly be connected to them?
There were surely people among those who had entered Hwayeong Gate who had no ties to the Southern Edge, or to its allied sects at all.
But when swordsmen bared their blades and deliberately fostered an atmosphere of fear, what ordinary civilians would have the nerve to ignore that blood-soaked edge?
They threatened those with ties through those ties, pressured those whose interests were entangled through those interests, and bothered those with no connection at all simply by loitering around and making them uneasy.
Once things reached this point, no one could do anything but avoid the rain already pouring down on their heads.
Chung Myung ground his teeth.
"No, seriously, how can so-called righteous bastards be this petty?"
He could understand grabbing some poor fool he knew and threatening him.
But walking through the marketplace in broad daylight with swords drawn? That was too much, even by their standards.
If they possessed even a shred of awareness that they were a prestigious sect’s allied branch, then this was something they absolutely could not, and should not, do.
At that moment, Wi Lip-san let out a long sigh and spoke.
"Elder. Would it not be better to bring this to the officials…?"
"That won’t work."
Hyun Young shook his head firmly. Wi Lip-san, the one who had suggested it, nodded with a slight look of disappointment.
"So, after all, matters of the martial world should be handled within the martial world…."
"It’s not that. Unless Nam Jamyung is a complete idiot, there’s no way he would have started this without working things out with the magistracy in advance. He’s already stuffed their pockets more than enough."
"Ah…."
Hyun Young’s brow furrowed.
"And from what I hear, the city lord of Xi'an has close ties to the Southern Edge Sect. There’s no way such a person would side with us."
"Grrr."
Wi Lip-san let out another heavy, frustrated sigh.
"Then what should we do…?"
"That is…."
Even Hyun Young seemed to have no immediate answer this time, and his words trailed off.
Then he sighed again and again.
This is a bloody mess.
Under normal circumstances, the Southern Edge Sect should have been the one to step in first and punish the allied branches like Seowol Gate. But now the Southern Edge Sect had effectively declared seclusion, hadn’t it?
"If they’re waving their swords around, why don’t we just meet them with swords too?"
"……It isn’t that simple."
Hyun Young frowned.
"If Mount Hua attacks the Southern Edge allied branches in this situation, we won’t be able to avoid accusations that we took advantage of a neighboring faction’s seclusion to bully their branches and reap the benefits."
"But isn’t that just how the martial world works? Everyone pretends not to see."
"……That pretending is important."
Even if everything eventually led to the same result, the judgment could change completely depending on the legitimacy claimed and the process followed.
As long as Mount Hua continued to stand for righteous conduct and speak of cooperation, they could not simply ignore public opinion.
"Hng."
Listening to all this, Chung Myung let out a long breath.
This is more of a headache than I expected.
If all they needed was a simple show of force, he wouldn’t have bothered thinking this much at all. If you can solve something with your fist, why waste your brain cells?
But this wasn’t a problem that could be solved with brute strength alone.
What truly mattered now wasn’t the Southern Edge allied branches shamelessly oppressing the people. The bigger problem was the image Southern Edge and its branches had already built up in Xi'an.
I underestimated this.
Even if the situation were reversed—if Southern Edge had invaded Huayin and proved itself superior to Mount Hua—would the people of Huayin have simply abandoned Mount Hua and thrown themselves into Southern Edge’s arms?
No. Things did not change that easily.
"In the end, Xi'an and Southern Edge are one and the same family."
"……Huh? What do you mean by that?"
When Yoon Jong tilted his head, Chung Myung snapped irritably,
"When something like this happens, some people from Xi'an usually come here looking for help, right?"
"……Now that you mention it."
"But if not a single person comes here, that means Mount Hua and Hwayeong Gate are still outsiders in Xi'an."
"Even after all that trash they’re pulling?"
"What can you do? That’s just how they see it."
Chung Myung’s face grew darker still.
This kind of prejudice won’t be broken easily.
Even though Mount Hua had fallen and failed to fulfill its role for the past hundred years, the people of Huayin had not abandoned it.
It was a subtle thing, something that could not be shattered with force or reputation alone.
We need to flip this whole thing over completely.
And that was something even Chung Myung’s strength could not simply force….
"No! Have these bastards lost their minds? What are you all standing around for, oozing killing intent like that? You want me to kick your asses like dogs?"
"Huh?"
At the sudden, raucous shout from somewhere, Chung Myung’s train of thought snapped in half.
He whirled toward the entrance.
Hong Dae-gwang had appeared out of nowhere and was yelling at the top of his lungs, jabbing his finger at the martial artists blocking his way.
"……What the hell is he doing now?"
As the martial artists cried out and scattered in alarm, Hong Dae-gwang huffed and stormed into Hwayeong Gate.
Chung Myung, still wearing a baffled expression, asked,
"What’s wrong, beggar ahjusshi?"
Hong Dae-gwang slapped his own chest in outrage.
"No, those bastards were just walking by and suddenly started throwing killing intent at me! Hah. The world’s gotten so damn harsh. A world where a passing beggar gets hit with killing intent—what kind of miserable world is that?"
Chung Myung clicked his tongue in disbelief.
"You really don’t lack for weirdness."
It seemed there were people lurking around, pretending to be passersby while subtly warning anyone approaching Hwayeong Gate. And of all people, they had failed to recognize Hong Dae-gwang and ended up leaking killing intent at him.
No wonder so few people were coming here. So they were even doing that much.
"Who are those guys?"
"The Southern Edge allied branches."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. They say circumstances can turn strange, but they’re pulling out every bizarre trick in the book. I heard Nam Jamyung wasn’t that sleazy a man."
Hong Dae-gwang glanced outside with clear distaste.
"So what brought you here?"
"Ah!"
Hong Dae-gwang jerked his head back toward Chung Myung.
"Southern Edge has declared seclusion."
"……Wow. What an amazing and shocking piece of news."
"No, I mean they didn’t just act like they were in seclusion. They formally declared it."
"Huh?"
Chung Myung blinked, surprised.
"Really?"
"I’m telling you, yes. As of yesterday, they sent out notices to the great sects of the world declaring seclusion. Southern Edge will completely suspend all outside activity for the next year. Since this was declared with the Sect Leader’s Token, even Southern Edge itself can’t go back on it for a year. Heh. Even if thunder falls on Xi'an now, Southern Edge won’t be able to step outside its gates."
"Oh?"
Chung Myung tilted his head, slightly taken aback.
And Hong Dae-gwang’s eyes flashed when he saw that reaction.
"You! You’ve got some idea why Southern Edge is declaring seclusion, don’t you?"
"Huh?"
Hong Dae-gwang narrowed his eyes.
"No one I’ve told this to has reacted as calmly as you! You punk! Spit out the reason this instant!"
"……Who else heard it besides me?"
"You’re the first!"
"I could smack you."
At Chung Myung’s gesture of raising one hand, Hong Dae-gwang hastily covered his face with both arms and stumbled back.
"Violence is against the rules!"
"……Fine. So you came all this way just to tell me that?"
"I dropped by for a few reasons. But even after hearing Southern Edge had declared seclusion, you don’t seem that happy? I thought you’d be overjoyed."
"Grrr. The situation’s all tangled up right now…."
Chung Myung clicked his tongue.
If Southern Edge had simply lifted the seclusion and come down to Xi'an, things might actually have been easier.
But now that they had formally declared seclusion like this, the affairs of Xi'an would have to be resolved entirely between Hwayeong Gate and the Southern Edge allied branches.
Should I laugh or should I cry?
Chung Myung’s sigh seemed endless. He kept letting out one soul-deep sigh after another until Hong Dae-gwang finally cocked his head.
"Is something the matter?"
"Well…."
Just as Chung Myung began to speak, he sighed again. Hong Dae-gwang thumped his chest.
"Ha! You’re standing before this old man and worrying? Don’t fret—just tell me. I, the one known as the Beggars’ Sect’s Divine Zhuge, will generously devise a scheme for my friend."
"……I heard you’re called the Beggars’ Sect’s freeloading parasite."
"A beggar’s a freeloader to begin with. Why act surprised?"
"Ah. Fair enough."
Watching Hong Dae-gwang’s shiny, smug face as he nodded with satisfaction, Chung Myung fell silent.
Still, maybe he knows something.
Hong Dae-gwang was one of the figures often mentioned as a future leader within the Beggars’ Sect, and he dealt with an enormous range of information from all over the world. He might even have a perspective different from Chung Myung’s.
"So, the thing is…."
Chung Myung began explaining the whole situation. After hearing everything, Hong Dae-gwang suddenly burst into loud laughter.
"Ho ho. You’re making such a fuss over something so trivial!"
"Oh?"
Chung Myung’s eyes lit up.
"You’ve got a solution?"
"Who do you think this old man is? Of course I do!"
"And what is it? If you solve this properly, I’ll make sure you don’t have to worry about meals for a while."
"Heh heh heh. What’s there to struggle with? The solution is very simple. Hey, Mount Hua Divine Dragon."
"Yeah?"
Hong Dae-gwang smiled broadly.
"Stop doing useless things and pack your bags for Luoyang. Forget Xi'an and just open a branch somewhere bigger!"
"……That’s your solution?"
"What do you think! It’s perfectly decisive—"
"You jerk!"
Chung Myung kicked Hong Dae-gwang squarely in the backside. At the same time, Hong Dae-gwang yelped and went sprawling onto the floor.
Rolling around and groaning, he glared at Chung Myung as if to say, what the hell?
"I’m already so frustrated I could die!"
"If you were that frustrated, you should’ve handled the job properly! From the start, if you’d just greeted the Southern Edge allied branches in a suitably humble way and shoved your butt at them, they wouldn’t have been able to do anything to Hwayeong Gate, would they? What kind of nerve do you need to go charging into a place controlled by Southern Edge and shout, ‘It’s you or me!’?"
"Grrr."
Hong Dae-gwang got up, rubbing his backside, and clicked his tongue.
"Since Southern Edge has declared seclusion, those bastards are going to be full of venom and resist Mount Hua all the way. They won’t back down unless they’re crushed by force. But if you do crush them by force, Mount Hua will pour cold water over its own rising reputation. In the end, there’s nothing to gain."
"Who cares about reputation?"
"Something may seem useless when you have it, but once it’s gone, you’ll miss it. That’s especially true for a place that calls itself a prestigious righteous sect."
"Hng."
Hong Dae-gwang shook his head.
"Give it up. Once things have gone this far, there’s no way out. Not unless those Southern Edge allied branches all go bankrupt and collapse in one day."
"You’re rather well informed."
"Huh?"
At the abrupt new voice, everyone turned toward the entrance at once.
"Haah…."
Another sigh escaped Chung Myung.
At the entrance to Hwayeong Gate, Nam Jamyung was leading the heads of the Southern Edge allied branches in with grand, swaggering steps.
"No. Do these bastards think this is their own front courtyard? I swear—"
Just as Chung Myung was about to shout, he suddenly clamped his mouth shut.
Nam Jamyung, walking inside, had casually thrown the sack he’d been carrying straight down in front of him.
Clang!
At the heavy sound of something inside, Chung Myung’s eyes flew wide open.
Money?
Was there anyone else in the world who could hear coins falling from a hundred paces? Certainly not Chung Myung. There was no way he could mistake the sound of a money bag hitting the floor.
But money, all of a sudden?
Chung Myung stared, dumbfounded, and Nam Jamyung curled one corner of his mouth into a faint smirk.
"If you’ve held out long enough, take that money and get out of Xi'an. We’ll buy this estate for you. What do you say? It can’t be that bad an offer for Mount Hua, can it?"
"Ghh—"
Chung Myung clutched the back of his neck and began to topple backward.
"C-Chung Myung!"
"Pull yourself together, Chung Myung!"
"H-head rush… ngh…."
Watching all this, Hye Yeon felt keenly that the saying about karma still had a place in this world.
Amitabha.