We Didn’t See Anything. (3)
"Hahahahaha! Did you see their faces?"
"Of course I did. I saw them just fine. How could I possibly miss that with eyes in my head? It felt like ten years' worth of indigestion just vanished all at once."
"Hahahahaha! That's right! Exactly!"
Laughter rang out all over Hwajeok Gate, a Southern Edge sub-sect located north of Xi'an.
"Those Mount Hua brats couldn't even get a word out!"
Several of the Southern Edge sect leaders who had gone to Hwayeong Gate to pressure Mount Hua's disciples had gathered here at Hwajeok Gate, drinking together.
"Let's be perfectly honest here!"
Jo Hobang, the leader of Hwajeok Gate, laughed loudly as he shouted, "What kind of place do you think Xi'an is? It isn't some place where Mount Hua trash can just come swaggering in."
"Exactly, exactly! Hear, hear!"
The other Southern Edge sect leaders clapped along enthusiastically in agreement.
"If Southern Edge hadn't gone into seclusion, do you really think Mount Hua would have dared set foot in Xi'an? Those wolf pack brutes must've seen an opening and tried to sneak in, but not while we're here. Not a chance!"
"They've probably realized by now that Xi'an isn't such an easy place."
Their voices were bright with delight.
They addressed one another as sect leaders and kept up the proper courtesies, but they were still bound together by the web of their Southern Edge affiliation. Could there be a tighter knot than that?
Besides, they had just joined forces and driven out the foreign intruders, so it was only natural that they felt even more united and pleased with themselves.
"Still, why did Leader Nam leave so early?"
"I think it must've been because of the closure."
"Hmm."
Jo Hobang nodded heavily.
Southern Edge's seclusion had come so abruptly that even they hadn't been consulted.
"Was there really any need to go that far?"
For a massive faction like Southern Edge to shut its gates was no simple matter. Even if the major sects pursued their martial studies at some distance from the world, once they had disciples depending on them, there was no way they could remain entirely cut off from society.
"If they plan to stay shut away for a full year, the losses won't be small. Why would the sect leader make such an extreme choice?"
"Who knows? How could the likes of us possibly understand the depths of his intentions? We can only trust him and follow."
"Hmmmm."
As Jo Hobang let out a thoughtful groan, Yu Haesang, the leader of Bokhyeon Gate, smiled and poured more liquor into his cup.
"At times like this, it's all the more reason for us to give it everything we've got. Once the sect leader lifts the closure, how pleased he'll be to see that we held Xi'an firmly for him."
"Yes, yes. That's right."
Jo Hobang's face softened a little as he kept nodding.
Then he threw back the liquor in a single gulp.
Thunk!
Setting the cup down, he said firmly, "Then we need to drive those Hwayeong Gate bastards, or whatever they call themselves, completely out of Xi'an."
"Of course. But will that be easy? Mount Hua will support them. Even if not a single disciple joins, operating Hwayeong Gate for a year shouldn't be all that hard for Mount Hua."
"Hoho. That's the kind of thing someone says when they know only one side of the matter."
"Oh?"
"Mount Hua still has pride, doesn't it? If time drags on like this, rumors will spread throughout the whole world that Mount Hua opened a branch in Xi'an and not a single disciple enrolled. How could they bear that?"
"Ah. That's true enough."
"Just you wait. A month at most. If we pressure them for a month straight, they'll have to slink out of Xi'an without anyone noticing. Hahahahahaha!"
Jo Hobang's laughter rang out with unrestrained satisfaction.
The other Southern Edge sect leaders seated across from him burst into laughter as well.
And then, at that very moment—
BOOOOM!
"What the—!"
"Who goes there!"
At the sudden thunderous noise, everyone sitting inside jolted upright in alarm.
Even so, as sect leaders, they were quick to grasp the situation, and before they even had time to exchange looks, they kicked open the doors and rushed outside.
"Wh-what is this?"
Then all of them stared wide-eyed in shock.
For the front gate that had stood there just fine a moment ago was now shattered to pieces, scattered all over the training yard.
"Hwayeong Gate?"
Someone had spoken the name before they could think.
It made sense. In Xi'an, the only factions hostile to them at the moment were Hwayeong Gate and Mount Hua.
"N-no. Look!"
But once they saw who was entering through the gate, the sect leaders immediately realized their guess had been wrong.
To be sure, Mount Hua was rougher and less refined than the orthodox sects usually were. But the people walking in now had a completely different kind of presence.
Heavy. Sharp.
A vicious aura utterly unlike anything found among righteous sects.
"Who are you people?"
Jo Hobang shouted threateningly, pouring his inner force into his voice. But even after hearing his roar, they showed no particular reaction.
Instead—
Thud.
A signboard split cleanly in half flew into the training yard.
"……"
Jo Hobang's eyes widened.
A signboard symbolized a sect. Wasn't it obvious what it meant to cut one down and hurl it in?
"How dare you bastards! Do you even know where you are?"
Jo Hobang shouted again, stuffing his voice with all the inner force he could muster.
It was partly meant to intimidate the intruders, but also to rally the disciples who still didn't understand what was happening.
As if responding to that intention, the Hwajeok Gate disciples who had armed themselves inside came flooding out in a rush.
"Gate leader!"
"Who are those guys?"
And then, in unison, they drew their swords with sharp, ringing snaps.
Hwajeok Gate, which had been quiet only moments ago, was instantly charged with tension.
Then—
"Tsk, tsk, tsk."
Breaking that taut air, one man strode out at an unhurried pace.
"Honestly, I have no idea why righteous sects all talk the same."
From around him came snickering laughter and voices of agreement.
"I've heard 'Who goes there?' at least a hundred times in my life."
"Seriously. If someone already broke the door and came in, their purpose is obvious enough. Just draw your blade and fight. Why ask who they are?"
The man who had stepped forward, Yeop Pyeong, gave a slight sneer and said, "If they're going to be smashed flat anyway."
"You are...?"
"……Gate leader……"
Then, suddenly, a groan slipped from Yu Haesang, who stood beside Jo Hobang.
"Yeop Pyeong."
"……What did you say?"
"He, he's Yeop Pyeong!"
Only belatedly recognizing him, Jo Hobang's eyes nearly burst from their sockets.
"The Red Snake Unit of Maninbang?"
"I-I think so."
He stared at Yeop Pyeong in utter disbelief.
Why would the Red Snake Unit of Maninbang suddenly appear in Xi'an and attack Hwajeok Gate?
This is bad.
Maninbang was a massive faction capable of standing toe-to-toe with Southern Edge on its own. Wasn't Maninbang one of the Five Hegemons of the Jianghu, the greatest power among the evil factions opposed to the righteous sects?
If it was the Red Snake Unit, one of Maninbang's main forces, then Hwajeok Gate was no match for them.
Cold sweat instantly soaked Jo Hobang's back.
"W-what business does Maninbang have here?"
At that, Yeop Pyeong burst out laughing.
"What, did you think we just came by to pay our respects? You little rat, always running your mouth and using that brain of yours."
The naked mockery made Jo Hobang bite his lip hard.
He didn't need anyone to tell him why the Red Snake Unit had come here. Everyone in Southern Edge knew that Maninbang had been eyeing Xi'an for a long time.
But until now, they had been too intimidated by Southern Edge's presence to dare set foot in the city.
I should have thought of this possibility too!
Now that the enormous wall protecting Xi'an—Southern Edge—had disappeared, enemies could invade at any time. If things had been normal, all of Southern Edge's affiliated sects would have gathered to prepare for such a crisis.
But...
Damn those Mount Hua bastards!
They had been so distracted by Hwayeong Gate that they had neglected to guard against the real enemy.
Jo Hobang's eyes sank into hopelessness.
"What a despicable act! Do you think you can get away with this?"
"That's not for you to worry about."
"And if Southern Edge lifts its closure, you won't be safe either!"
At Jo Hobang's words, Yeop Pyeong chuckled.
"Bang Seung."
"Yes, Unit Leader."
"Righteous sects really are wonderful people. How do they manage to worry so much about their enemies? Are they all Buddhas or something?"
"You should be worrying about yourselves, I think."
"Right."
Yeop Pyeong snorted with amusement.
"What are you all standing around for? If you're going to keep listening to this nonsense, then I'll take a nap."
At his signal, the Red Snake Unit, which had been watching the scene, drew their sabers in unison.
Clang!
The single, simultaneous sound of blades leaving their sheaths chilled the blood in the chests of Hwajeok Gate's disciples.
"Oh, right."
Yeop Pyeong, who had been watching all this with lazy indifference, shrugged.
"Don't kill them. If we kill these guys today, it'll be a pain starting tomorrow. Too many bodies lying around and the authorities might get involved."
"Is it all right to break their arms and legs?"
"As long as you can keep them attached. Minimize the authorities' involvement, take what we need, and then pull out."
"Yes!"
"Kill them!"
"Huh?"
The Red Snake Unit, just about to charge forward, all stopped and turned back to look at Yeop Pyeong.
"……Ah, force of habit. Smash them!"
"Yes!"
In the end, the Red Snake Unit bared their thin, cruel smiles and launched themselves at the Hwajeok Gate disciples.
"Y-you bastards!"
"Gate leader! You should get back now!"
While the startled Jo Hobang stood there helplessly, the Red Snake Unit began sweeping through Hwajeok Gate's disciples in an instant.
"Aaaaaagh!"
"Aaagh! My arm!"
From the start, it hadn't even been a contest.
No matter that they were Southern Edge affiliates, those men were equal to the disciples of Southern Edge's main mountain sect. They were not opponents ordinary branch disciples who had merely learned a bit of martial arts could stand against.
The sect leaders who had been drinking with Jo Hobang only moments ago had already started abandoning the fight and fleeing over the walls.
"Th-those spineless cowards."
"Shall we chase them?"
"Leave them."
Yeop Pyeong glanced indifferently at the fleeing men.
"They can't run anywhere unless they leave Xi'an anyway."
Then he frowned at the scene in front of him.
"But are you sure we really can't kill them?"
"Absolutely not."
"Tch. If we're just going to beat them with sticks, why are we even fighting?"
"This is inside Xi'an. If people die in large numbers here, the authorities will have to get involved."
"……What the hell is so scary about the authorities?"
"Think about it another way. As long as we don't kill anyone, we can walk around Xi'an however we want from now on. While beating down the Southern Edge affiliates whenever we see them."
"Hmm. Not bad."
Yeop Pyeong nodded and looked toward Mount Southern Edge in the distance.
What kind of idiots go into seclusion?
He didn't know why those fools had shut their gates, but in any case, it would be the worst possible choice they could have made, one from which there would be no return.
When Southern Edge reopened its gates, there wouldn't be a single person left in Xi'an still pretending to be one of its branches.
"Y-you bastards... Aren't you afraid of the consequences?"
Jo Hobang, already half out of his mind, began trembling all over as he staggered toward Yeop Pyeong.
Yeop Pyeong laughed as if he had never seen anything so absurd.
"My, my. What a kind man you are. Even now, you're worried about us."
"S-Southern Edge! Southern Edge will never forgive you!"
"Hoho. Bang Seung."
"Yes."
"Did I say breaking their arms and legs was fine?"
"That shouldn't be a problem."
"Hmm!"
He strode toward Jo Hobang with the air of a man whose patience was wearing thin.
"Do you know what I hate most? Men who borrow a tiger's hide to scare others. Hogajowi, that's what it's called."
And then, at last, he bared his teeth.
In a flash, he drew his saber and smashed the back of the blade into Jo Hobang.
Crash!
Jo Hobang rolled across the ground without even thinking to counterattack. When he lay unconscious and sprawled on the floor, Yeop Pyeong frowned in disdain.
"You can't even take a single blow, and yet your mouth was running just fine."
Then he swept his gaze over the Red Snake Unit sweeping through Hwajeok Gate.
"Wrap it up quickly! We're hitting two more places before tonight's over."
"Yes!"
A vicious smile bloomed at the corner of his mouth.
I'll crush Xi'an completely within three days.
At that same time—
"……This is no joke."
"Damn, this really is..."
Standing on the roof of a distant hall and watching the situation at Hwajeok Gate, the disciples of Mount Hua couldn't help frowning.
Baek Cheon, standing at the very front, was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet as if he might leap out at any second.
"Shouldn't we help?"
"……For now, there's no blood."
"Even so, those evil-faction bastards are attacking like that..."
Baek Cheon and the other disciples exchanged uneasy, bitter looks to one side.
Glug glug glug.
"Khaaaaah!"
"……"
"Now that's good liquor! The best liquor is the kind you drink while watching a fight! Heeheeheehee!"
Primordial Heaven, have mercy.
What made You place such an idiot among the Taoists?
If You made a mistake, please take him back quickly.
Watching Chung Myung drink and giggle like a lunatic, everyone else silently shook their heads.
"Chung Myung."
"Yeah?"
"Is it really all right to leave this alone?"
"Then what?"
"……No, I mean, letting the evil faction run wild like that is..."
"Who said anything about letting them run wild?"
"Huh?"
Chung Myung took another long swig and frowned.
"I've never in my life just stood by while some bastard rambled in front of me about evil factions. Those guys won't be leaving here on their own feet."
"Then we need to go down now—"
"Ah, but."
"Hm?"
At Baek Cheon's words, Chung Myung shrugged and said with shameless ease, "Damn. Did I overdo it? My back hurts. Let's take it slow."
"……"
"Heh-heh-heh-heh."
Laughing brighter than ever, Chung Myung looked up at the sky.
"This is using poison to fight poison! When life gives you trash, you use trash to beat trash!"
Right, Senior Brother?
- You damn little bastard! And you still call yourself a Taoist—
What was that?
It's hard to hear dead people.
Heeheehee!