Mount Hua Will Be in Total Chaos (3)
"Hmm."
After hearing Im So-byeong’s explanation, Hyun Jong’s brows drew together slightly.
So there’s internal strife in the Green Forest…
The situation was far from ordinary.
Normally, Mount Hua would have no reason to care about what happened within the Green Forest. But the problem was that the Green Forest King himself was currently staying here.
"So, what do you plan to do?"
"I’ll suppress it."
Im So-byeong’s answer was as sharp and unwavering as a blade.
"That won’t be easy."
"Even so, it must be done."
A low sigh followed.
"Sect Leader. You may not believe me, but in truth, I’m not someone who enjoys fighting very much, and I downright hate seeing blood."
"……You do look that way."
Anyone who had watched Im So-byeong for even a few days would have answered the same way Hyun Jong did. Of course, appearances could not be taken as the whole truth of a man, but a person’s nature was not something so easily concealed.
"And I’m not someone who particularly craves power, either. If there had been someone suitable to replace me, I wouldn’t have dragged this sickly body here just to cling to the Green Forest King’s seat."
"Hmm."
Im So-byeong met Hyun Jong’s gaze squarely.
"The Mad Ox Blade, Go Hong, who attacked the Green Forest Main Fortress, is infamous for his violent temperament. If a man like that were to take the seat of the Green Forest King, countless brothers of the Green Forest would spill blood and die."
Im So-byeong, who had spoken so calmly until now, slowly shook his head.
"I can’t stand by and watch that happen."
At that, Chung Myung, listening nearby, let out a snort.
"So there are good bandits and bad bandits."
It wasn’t wrong, but it was hardly a fitting thing to say in a place like this. Hyun Jong was about to rebuke him when, unexpectedly, Im So-byeong nodded readily.
"Yes. That is correct, Daoist."
"So you’re the good kind of bandit?"
"Rather than a good bandit…"
Im So-byeong’s gaze fixed on Chung Myung.
"Daoist, before you met me, you had already raided a mountain fortress once, had you not?"
"I… did?"
Chung Myung answered awkwardly, tilting his head as though he barely remembered. Yoon Jong leaned toward Jo Gul and whispered quietly into his ear.
"They say the one who does the beating sleeps with both feet stretched out, while the one who got beaten can’t. Looks like he’s already forgotten after beating them so badly."
"……Isn’t it the other way around, Sasuk?"
"Is it wrong?"
"Is it?"
Only after Hyun Sang shot them a glare that clearly said to shut up did the two of them flinch, fall silent, and bow their heads.
"……Anyway, at that time, did Daoist Chung Myung punish the Green Forest bandits in that fortress by killing them?"
"I don’t think I killed them."
"And why was that?"
Chung Myung scratched the back of his head.
"Well. It didn’t seem like they’d committed any sins serious enough to deserve death."
"Yes, exactly. Even before Daoist Chung Myung knew me or formed any connection with the Green Forest, you had already made that judgment."
Im So-byeong shrugged lightly as he spoke.
"It’s not as though you reached that conclusion because Daoist Chung Myung’s compassion runs so deeply."
"Mm."
Everyone nodded vigorously.
Chung Myung was usually frivolous and ridiculous. But when it came to evildoers or enemies, he had no concept of mercy whatsoever. In fact, he swung his sword with such ruthless ferocity he often looked more like the villain himself.
Im So-byeong smiled faintly.
"If it had been the Green Forest of old, Daoist Chung Myung would never have let them off so easily. Since the previous generation, the Green Forest has taken as its principle not harming commoners whenever possible. Of course, that still makes us bandits, but still."
"……."
"But Go Hong and those who joined this rebellion opposed that principle. They are the sort who believe the more savage the mountain’s rulers are, the more money will come in."
"Hmm."
Hyun Jong let out a heavy breath.
"If they seize control of the Green Forest, the Green Forest will have no choice but to change. It will become more extreme, and more cruel."
As though he had said all he needed to, Im So-byeong looked quietly at Hyun Jong and spoke.
"Sect Leader."
"Go on."
"Please help me."
"……."
"I cannot do this alone. They are powerful. Some who followed the previous generation do support me, but that alone is not enough. The Green Forest is a place ruled by the strong, so logic and reason alone will not persuade them."
Hyun Jong frowned as he picked up his teacup. His hand, stirring the tea, moved faster than usual.
"I understand what the Green Forest King is saying."
He could also see how serious and desperate Im So-byeong was being.
The Im So-byeong Hyun Jong knew was a man who, even while standing alone in the middle of Mount Hua in the guise of the Green Forest King, never lost his composure or his smile. But that expression was gone now.
"However…"
Hyun Jong, who had been thinking in silence, let out a quiet sigh. Then he slowly looked at the elders.
"What do you all think?"
"It is not an easy matter."
The first to answer was Hyun Sang.
"In the martial world, there are lines clearly drawn between right and evil. It is never easy to narrow the gap between the righteous and the wicked."
"Hmm."
"No matter what our intentions may be, the world will only see that Mount Hua has interfered in the affairs of the Green Forest."
"Indeed."
Hyun Sang said bluntly, his face stern.
"Mount Hua is a place that reveres righteousness and chivalry. Its essence must not be changed. Coldly speaking, this is nothing more than an internal conflict within the Green Forest. Since the days of the jianghu’s founding, the orthodox factions have never interfered in an unorthodox faction’s internal strife."
Hyun Jong nodded slowly. Yet he did not miss the way Hyun Young’s lips twitched.
"And you?"
"Why should I care about such useless nonsense?"
"……."
Hyun Young snorted, looking disgruntled.
"If we join hands with the Green Forest, enormous gains are guaranteed. Isn’t the Green Forest’s role also essential in the business Chung Myung is trying to run with the Ghost Sect?"
"That is true…"
"And if the Green Forest King falls from power in the middle of all this, won’t we be the ones left staring at an empty sky like a dog that chased a chicken only to see it fly onto the roof? Who would benefit from us standing by and letting that happen?"
Hyun Jong gave a pained sound at Hyun Young’s unfiltered words.
"That blasted cause! Has Mount Hua ever gotten a good outcome by chasing after noble causes? We have to take care of our own rice bowls. I’m already in an awkward position, taking food delivered by that disciple of yours, and not once or twice at that. If you can’t praise us for doing well, at least don’t smash the rice bowl to pieces!"
He was saying they should stop needlessly invoking lofty principles and wrecking the business Chung Myung was building.
If this had been the old days, Hyun Jong would have scowled and scolded him, but now he understood very well that there was truth in those words.
"Hmm."
Finally, his gaze landed on the seat where Chung Myung sat. Chung Myung was lounging indifferently, staring at his fingertips.
"What do you think?"
"About this?"
"Yes."
Chung Myung tilted his head back and sighed.
"The answer seems obvious, but I’m annoyed because I don’t feel like doing it."
"Obvious?"
"Yeah. You’re saying we’re short on justification, right? And you’re worried people from other places will go around pointing fingers for no reason."
"Yes. Of course… you may not care much for that, but the gaze of the world can wield greater power than one might expect."
"Yeah. I know."
Chung Myung shrugged.
"But Sect Leader. I don’t really get why you’re struggling over that."
"Hmm?"
"Chivalry, to put it simply, means doing the right thing and helping the common people with strength, right?"
"That is correct."
"If we leave things alone like that old man said, those bandit bastards will go wild. What greater act of chivalry is there than stopping that?"
Hyun Jong sighed.
"You’re right. Of course that is right. But will the people of the world understand it?"
"If they don’t understand, we just make them understand."
"Hm?"
"There’s someone here who can make them understand."
"Huh?"
Chung Myung jerked his chin toward Im So-byeong. Hyun Jong blinked, completely lost.
"What do you mean?"
"Aigoo. Why are you so slow on the uptake today? If people hear what this old man just said, most of them will understand, won’t they?"
"……Yes."
"Then we just make him say it in front of everyone. And under the name of the Green Forest King, we have him formally request Mount Hua’s help."
"……."
For a moment, Hyun Jong’s face went blank at the absurdity of it.
"So…"
"Yes."
"The Green Forest King formally asks Mount Hua, ‘Please help us become better bandits’?"
"Yes."
"And Mount Hua gladly accepts and says, ‘Of course. We’ll help you become bandits’?"
"Exactly!"
Hyun Jong stared at Chung Myung with the expression of a man asking, Has this brat really gone mad?
"You little punk! Does that even sound remotely sensible?"
"What’s not sensible about it?"
"What kind of honorable business is banditry that we’d help them do it? If anything, we should be glad if people don’t mistake us for the same kind of bandits!"
"No, but there’s a worse kind of bandit, isn’t there?"
"So what, a good bandit doesn’t steal money? In the end, he’s still a thief!"
"Ah, well, that part’s true!"
Listening to the vicious exchange back and forth, Im So-byeong lifted his eyes to the ceiling and sighed.
There’s a special place in hell for this.
That Sect Leader had seemed, at least, to consider the person he was speaking to, but now he was practically shouting about thieves right in front of the Green Forest King.
I should’ve gone to Shaolin.
Why had he come to Mount Hua, of all places…?
"Khhrrm, ahem!"
Just then, Hyun Jong, having regained a little reason, cleared his throat loudly and brought the discussion back under control.
"For your words to have meaning, the world must clearly perceive the rebelling Green Forest men as definite evildoers. But in the end, to everyone else, they are all just bandits."
"Then we make them know the difference."
"……How?"
"Aigoo. Sect Leader."
"Hmm?"
"There’s a saying that when people live without money, they don’t know how to spend it even when they get it, and when they live without power, they don’t know how to use it even after they gain it. That’s exactly the case here."
"……."
"We don’t wait for rumors. We spread them ourselves. We circulate words carrying the Green Forest King’s position throughout the land. We call up the Beggar’s Union and use them, send Ghost Sect disciples across the Central Plains to make the story take shape, and pass the news to the Sichuan Tang Family so we can even shake the mood of the people in Sichuan."
Hyun Jong’s eyes widened.
"T-that can be done?"
"What’s not to be done?"
Chung Myung shrugged as if it were nothing.
"We’re not making up lies out of thin air. We’d just be spreading the truth more widely. That’s not wrong, is it?"
"……."
"And all the Green Forest King has to do is concede one thing."
Chung Myung’s gaze shot toward Im So-byeong and pinned him in place. Im So-byeong flinched and asked nervously,
"……W-what are you planning to ask me for now?"
"The toll."
"……Pardon?"
"Cut it in half."
"……."
At the sudden demand, Im So-byeong’s cheek twitched.
"The t-toll is the very foundation of the Green Forest…"
"If you want to hug that foundation and die, be my guest."
"……."
There seemed to be no room for compromise on this matter whatsoever. Im So-byeong squeezed his eyes shut. But Chung Myung was not finished yet.
"And instead of just snatching the money and disappearing like you do now, change your method."
"And what exactly does that mean?"
"People think they’re being robbed, and that’s where the problem starts. Don’t just pop up halfway and make a nuisance of yourselves like you do now. Wait at the mountain entrance and escort the people who pay the toll. All the way over the mountain."
"……."
"There are plenty of things people crossing mountains at night have to fear besides bandits. The most obvious one is tiger attacks. Just because there aren’t bandits doesn’t mean crossing a mountain is easy."
"That is true. That is why even when crossing a mountain known to be bandit-free, people either hire an escort from a transport guild or wait at the base of the mountain until enough people gather."
"Then the Green Forest can do what the transport guild does."
"……."
"So throw away all that damn animal hide and the standoffish attitude, dress the kids properly, teach them how to smile for business, and change the whole damn occupation to escort work!"
Im So-byeong’s eyes, fixed on Chung Myung, seemed to ask plainly:
Is this bastard for real?
But Chung Myung paid that no mind and asked with complete confidence,
"What? What’s wrong with that?"
"Daoist… I’m not saying I never considered something like that. But if those people were capable of doing it, would they have become bandits in the first place? At the most basic level, there has to be control…"
"Control?"
Chung Myung’s eyes gleamed.
"So if that gets fixed, there are no other problems?"
"……Well, yes, but that control…"
"We’ll take care of that from our side, so you don’t need to worry."
"Pardon?"
"The junior uncles and older brothers have all been beaten plenty by now. It’s about time they worked out their resentment."
"……."
No one had any idea what he was talking about, but Baek Cheon and the others seated behind Chung Myung seemed to understand well enough. They crossed their arms and nodded.
"So that settles it?"
Chung Myung said to Hyun Jong.
"The Green Forest gets to suppress a rebellion, so they can live less brutally than before. That’s a good thing for the common people too. And Mount Hua gets to reform the Green Forest and earn the reputation of helping the commoners, so there’s nothing to lose."
"The money you make from that will just be a bonus."
"Exactly."
Seeing Hyun Young backing up his words, Chung Myung grinned.
"It’s good for everyone, so I don’t see any reason to refuse. Of course, this is for Sect Leader to decide."
After hearing everything, Hyun Jong fell into thought with a hardened expression.
I did say the children needed real-world experience.
By Chung Myung’s logic, this was an opportunity to gain justification, practical benefit, and experience all at once. And timed with the founding of the Heavenly Union, it could also draw the eyes of the Central Plains toward Mount Hua.
It wouldn’t just be one stone striking three birds. It could strike four, even five.
"Chung Myung."
"Yes."
"But at first, you said you were annoyed because you didn’t want to do it. What did you mean by that?"
"Ah, that?"
At Hyun Jong’s question, Chung Myung glanced at Im So-byeong.
"It’s not like there’s nothing to gain, but it feels like I’m helping out some slippery snake for free, and that annoys me a little…"
"……."
"So once you make your decision, Sect Leader, please move aside. I need to talk with Elder Hyun Young about how much we should charge for this."
"……."
Looking at Im So-byeong, shoulders slumped and head bowed, it became impossible to tell who was righteous and who was the bandit.
"……Ahem."
Hyun Jong cleared his throat and looked around the room.
"What does everyone think?"
"What is there to think about? Chung Myung is right."
"If things go as Chung Myung intends, there’s no reason to oppose it. But before that, the matter of justification needs to be handled more carefully and more surely."
At Hyun Young and Hyun Sang’s words, Hyun Jong turned to Im So-byeong with a grave expression.
"Green Forest King, can you accept all the proposals Chung Myung has made?"
"I swear upon my name and life that I will."
Im So-byeong’s face was full of firm resolve. In the end, Hyun Jong slowly nodded.
"Since everyone’s opinions are the same, by the authority of Mount Hua’s Sect Leader, I will approve aiding the Green Forest in stabilizing its situation."
"Thank you, Sect Leader!"
Im So-byeong bent deeply at the waist and bowed so hard it was practically a prostration. Hyun Jong watched him with a warm smile and said,
"Green Forest King, do not forget our purpose in helping the Green Forest, and please think a little more of the common people."
"Yes!"
"Ahem. Then…"
When he finished speaking, Hyun Jong rose unsteadily to his feet.
As if waiting for that very moment, the others quietly stood as well. The only ones left seated were Chung Myung and Hyun Young.
"……Then you may continue your discussion."
"Ah, Sect Leader?"
With a final cough, Hyun Jong swept out the door, and Hyun Sang and the other disciples hurried after him in a crowd.
Before long, Im So-byeong was left alone in the room with Hyun Young and Chung Myung.
"Hehe. Then."
With a shameless grin, Chung Myung slipped closer to Im So-byeong.
"Shall we begin?"
And then Hyun Young, as if blocking off the escape route, quietly approached from the other side.
Im So-byeong promptly shut his eyes.
Demonic bastards.
Who said Daoists were detached from the world?
They were really worse than bandits. Truly.