Only He Was Worthy (1)
“Saperyeon, huh…….”
Man-geum Daebu murmured it under his breath, his voice slightly rough around the edges.
This was no ordinary matter.
Especially if he considered the impact this so-called Saperyeon would have on the martial world.
This is dangerous.
Of course, just as Jang Il-so had said, an alliance might be necessary to stand against the righteous bastards rampaging around with blood in their eyes. But looked at from another angle, the creation of Saperyeon also had a very high chance of giving those people a clear and steadfast enemy.
Grraakk.
At that moment, Jang Il-so dragged a fingertip across the table. Following the line traced by his finger, like a brush stroke, the shape of the Central Plains appeared on the tabletop.
“This is the current balance of power in the world. First, the Nine Sects and One Gang in the north.”
The Nine Sects and One Gang were scattered across the land.
If one counted even the Hainan Sect on the far southern seas, the Diajang Sect in Yunnan, and the Kunlun Sect clinging to the edge of Qinghai, then it might be unreasonable to confine their sphere of influence to the north.
But it would not be entirely wrong, either.
Because in the end, the center of the current Nine Sects and One Gang was Shaolin and Wudang. The two sects were positioned around Henan in the north, while Mount Zhongnan, Kongtong, and Beggar’s Sect defended the surrounding regions. The center of the Nine Sects and One Gang was clearly Henan—and thus the north.
“And in the west, the Heavenly Alliance.”
“Mm.”
Cheonmyeon Susa’s face twitched slightly.
He truly did not want to admit it, but he could not deny that the Heavenly Alliance now exerted enormous influence over the western half of the Central Plains.
This is laughable.
In the west of the Central Plains lay the Kunlun Sect, the Diajang Sect, the Emei Sect, and the Qingcheng Sect.
Of course, they were neither gathered together like the northern Nine Sects and One Gang nor were they the sort of sects that took an active hand in the affairs of the Central Plains.
Even so, they were still among the Nine Sects and One Gang. The Heavenly Alliance, which had carved out a firm sphere of influence while keeping those powers in check, could not be ignored.
The closure of Mount Zhongnan must have been a huge factor. Zhongnan is west of Mount Hua to begin with. If Zhongnan had remained intact, the Heavenly Alliance would have been impossible from the start.
Whether Mount Hua had forced Zhongnan into seclusion or had merely seized the opening left by Zhongnan’s closure, one thing was certain: their skill was no ordinary thing.
To Cheonmyeon Susa’s eyes, it was plain to see.
From the North Sea Ice Palace in the far north to the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace below, there was a single long line connecting them.
If they can keep that line intact to the end, then one day it may be the Heavenly Alliance, not the Nine Sects and One Gang, that represents the world.
But……
There were countless unstable elements, that much was certain.
“And what remains is……”
Thwack!
Jang Il-so spread his hand wide and slapped the tabletop. Where his hand landed was none other than the land of Jiangnan.
“Jiangnan.”
“…….”
In Jiangnan, the influence of the government was still weak. That was why the Sapa people had fled there in droves, seeking refuge from the pressure of the Nine Sects and One Gang and the oppression of the authorities.
“The key is the Yangtze! If the Sapa forces in Jiangnan can unite and hold the Yangtze, then the righteous factions won’t be able to push south. Then, at least for now, Jiangnan can be secured completely.”
“How is that any different from what’s already happened?”
“The world has changed.”
Rrrrip.
Jang Il-so clenched the table hard enough to tear the wood from it. A chunk of timber ripped free in his hand.
“The Heavenly Alliance brought together people who should never have been tied together. And its existence forced the Nine Sects and One Gang, who had been keeping one another in check and fighting among themselves, to gather back into one. The age when everyone stood on their tiptoes guarding only their own sect is over. What’s left now is this: which power survives!”
“Hmmm.”
“The world will be reorganized into three powers.”
Cheonmyeon Susa laughed, as though he found it amusing.
“A three-way division of the world. Do you feel like you’ve become Zhuge Liang or something?”
“If necessary, shouldn’t I act like one?”
“Kukukukukuk.”
After that bizarre laugh, he nodded.
“Well, fine. I already agreed to side with the Paegun’s thinking from the start. Judging by how things are going, it’s plain enough that if we keep going like this, everyone will go down.”
When it came to handling intelligence and analyzing the state of the world, Hao Sect was second to none in the entire martial world. Words from the mouth of its sect leader certainly carried weight.
Even Heukryongwang seemed tempted by them.
“You mean to make the Yangtze your center?”
“I wouldn’t call it the center. But it can be said to be the most important place right now. If the Yangtze is pushed back, then the method of separating Jiangnan from Jiangbei disappears. The key is to make the Nine Sects and One Gang understand, absolutely and firmly, that crossing the Yangtze will cost them dearly.”
“……So you mean to rip off their arms and tear open their bellies to gorge on their innards.”
As Heukryongwang mulled it over, a strange smile tugged at his lips.
From his perspective, there was nothing bad about it at all. If the Nine Sects and One Gang wanted to target the Sapa forces of Jiangnan, they would inevitably have to attack the Water Bandit Sect to clear a path. In any case, if things remained as they were, the first to fall would be the Yangtze River Water Bandits.
In that case, why would he refuse someone stepping forward first to support them?
“Kwahahaha! At last, this weird bastard is saying something worth hearing. Fine, then I’ll join Saperyeon too! But!”
Flames seemed to burst from Heukryongwang’s eyes.
“You’d better forget about using the Eighteen Water Bandit Forts as a shield. If that happens, I’ll chop off all your heads and kill you myself.”
“No need to worry. We need the Yangtze if we want to survive, too.”
Jang Il-so casually waved his white hand, making his intentions clear.
Tok. Tok tok. Toktoktok.
Last of all, Man-geum Daebu rested his chin on one hand while drumming his fingers on the table with the other. He kept muttering to himself, as if he were calculating profit and loss.
Tok!
As though he had reached a conclusion, he struck the tabletop hard with his index finger and frowned.
“The numbers don’t work.”
“Why not?”
“We’re lacking.”
He folded his arms and explained why.
“When more than a hundred sects are scattered about, then the relative strength of each side doesn’t matter all that much. Too many different circumstances get in the way. But once those powers merge into two, all that remains is who’s stronger.”
“…….”
“Even if the four sects in Jiangnan unite and swallow up all the smaller Sapa factions to merge them together, it still won’t be enough strength. If anything, the alliance might make them fall even faster.”
Cheonmyeon Susa frowned and objected.
“If we use the relationship between the Heavenly Alliance and the Nine Sects and One Gang…….”
“Dream on. The center of the Heavenly Alliance is the Sichuan Dang Family and Mount Hua. They’re orthodox. No matter how bad their relationship might be, if they’re on the same side of the righteous path, they can always join hands when it matters. Even if they don’t, they won’t stab each other in the back while fighting the Sapa.”
“…….”
“If you can’t muster the strength to stop the Nine Sects and One Gang on your own, then you’re just carrying brushwood onto a fire. There’s no profit in it. It’s impossible without the Green Forest. But the Green Forest already went to the Heavenly Alliance, didn’t it?”
Jang Il-so gave a large nod.
“A perfectly fair point.”
“Hm?”
Man-geum Daebu narrowed his eyes at Jang Il-so’s unexpectedly compliant attitude.
“Do you have a way to make up for the lacking strength? Even if you dragged in every Sapa force in Jiangnan, replacing the Green Forest would still be impossible, wouldn’t it?”
“It certainly would.”
After nodding a couple of times, Jang Il-so lifted his cup and took a sip.
Tap.
Then, setting the cup down, he smiled meaningfully. His red lips were wet, making him look even more bewitching than before.
“If we’re talking about Jiangnan, then yes. But…… there’s no need to gather strength only in Jiangnan.”
“……Not Jiangnan?”
“Wouldn’t that gentleman be answer enough?”
When Jang Il-so pointed behind him, everyone turned with startled expressions.
Who?
I didn’t sense anyone.
In particular, shock that could not be hidden flickered across the faces of Cheonmyeon Susa and Man-geum Daebu. To think there was someone capable of approaching this close without escaping their senses.
“…….”
In a corner where the lamplight failed to reach and shadows lay thick, someone stood waiting.
The moment everyone saw the figure wrapped from head to toe in a dark blood-red robe, a chill ran down their spines and their hair stood on end.
“……Who are you?”
“He is the Blood Palace Lord.”
“B-Blood Palace?”
At last, a cry of shock burst from Heukryongwang’s mouth.
Blood Palace.
Of the Five Outer Palaces, it was the most secretive and mysterious place of all. No one even knew where its headquarters were located. That was the Blood Palace.
Power and secrecy.
The Blood Palace was where those two absurd traits coexisted in perfect harmony. And now the palace lord of that Blood Palace, whose strength was said to rank among the very highest of the Five Outer Palaces, had appeared here in person.
“This palace…….”
A chilling voice like metal being scraped by a blade flowed out of the darkness.
“Will…… share the same will as the Man-in-bang…….”
“…….”
Heukryongwang, Man-geum Daebu, and Cheonmyeon Susa all looked at one another.
“……If Blood Palace joins us…….”
“Then things change.”
If it was Blood Palace, it was no lesser power than the Green Forest. No—judging by strength alone, it might be so powerful that it could not even be compared to the Green Forest.
The very pressure radiating from Blood Palace Lord now proved as much.
Man-geum Daebu began flicking the beads of his mental abacus again at high speed.
We already have enough numbers. What we’re lacking is the number of absolute experts. In that case, Blood Palace is a far better choice than some Green Forest that only has sheer headcount.
The calculation was complete.
At last, the corners of Man-geum Daebu’s mouth curled upward.
“That’s sufficient. Black Ghost Fort will share the same will as Saperyeon.”
“The Eighteen Water Bandit Forts will also join Saperyeon.”
All eyes turned to Blood Palace Lord, and he too slowly nodded, as if there was no need to repeat what he had already said.
“The name is Saperyeon, yet there are five sects…….”
“Symbolism matters. And Blood Palace Lord doesn’t seem to object.”
“More sects will gather beneath Saperyeon’s banner. Saperyeon—no, maybe Saparyeon—would be fine too.”
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
Without a word, Jang Il-so laid five empty cups before him and began pouring wine into them.
“A splendid decision.”
“But!”
At that instant, Man-geum Daebu slowly raised a hand.
“Before we divide the cups, there’s something we need to make clear.”
“Speak.”
“Who will be the alliance leader?”
“…….”
No one answered right away. No one opened their mouth.
“If we just keep this current arrangement under the vague name of an alliance, it won’t mean a thing. The righteous factions might be able to coexist that way, but we can’t. We need a definite alliance leader and a firm structure.”
“Hahahahah! Exactly! But there’s no need to worry about that. I, the great Heukryongwang, will lead you!”
“You’re not up to it, Heukryongwang. Don’t stick your head out—just stay buried.”
“Cheonmyeon Susa! Do you want to die right now?”
The booming voice exploded, but Cheonmyeon Susa ignored it and let out a crooked laugh.
“Information is power. I’m the one most suited to this, since I know the circumstances of every sect.”
“Power means nothing if you don’t have money. The one who pays is the one who holds power. Isn’t that right?”
“You bastards…….”
It was when the three of them were exchanging cold looks with one another.
“There’s no need to worry about that.”
Jang Il-so finished pouring wine into the cup and shook his head lightly.
“Do you have someone in mind?”
“There is only one person who can become the alliance leader of Saperyeon: me, Jang Il-so.”
Flames flared in Heukryongwang’s eyes.
“You damned bastard…… so this was your game all along.”
“Claims need evidence.”
“And a clear sense of where the profit lies.”
Smiling, Jang Il-so pushed a cup toward each of them.
“Heukryongwang’s tyrannical dominance is admirable, but he lacks the ability to harmonize with others. Conflict will inevitably arise somewhere. And besides, Heukryongwang, you cannot leave the Yangtze. If the alliance leader is stationed on the front line, then the moment that line is pushed back, everything ends, doesn’t it?”
“……Hmm.”
Looking at the cup before him, Heukryongwang let out a low hum of annoyance.
It was infuriating, but it wasn’t wrong.
“Information is extremely important, but sometimes it also becomes a liability. No one wants to follow someone placed above them who knows every weakness and embarrassment they have.”
“……So it’s a fundamental issue, then. Tsk.”
Cheonmyeon Susa also accepted the cup set before him. He had no choice but to agree with that, too.
“The power of money cannot be ignored by anyone, but this is the martial world. And being sensitive to profit means the alliance leader could easily put his own interests first. Is that really a proper position for someone who should set aside personal gain for everyone’s sake?”
“……A sound argument.”
Man-geum Daebu nodded as well. If the alliance’s interests ever collided with Black Ghost Fort’s interests, he was not confident he would choose the former.
Jang Il-so picked up one of the two remaining cups and lightly tossed it toward Blood Palace Lord.
“As for the sects from beyond the borders, that hardly needs saying.”
Tap.
Blood Palace Lord caught the cup and silently nodded.
“And furthermore…….”
Jang Il-so’s pupils trembled with madness. The instant everyone saw that gaze, they all stiffened.
Each of them was a man who dominated the world in his own right, and yet even they had something about Jang Il-so that made them uneasy. The balance of power had already slipped into his hands.
“A man shut away in his own territory, thinking only of his own road ahead, cannot become the alliance leader. The one who will lead Saperyeon must be hungrier than anyone else—and because of that, must possess greed greater than all others.”
Jang Il-so’s hand closed over the northern section of the map drawn on the tabletop.
Rrrrip.
He tore that entire section away and clenched it into a fist. The shattered wood burst into powder and scattered.
“I have no intention of merely taking Jiangnan and then cooping myself up in this barren place like some kind of king. I’m after that land. More than anyone, I want that land. Just looking at it makes my throat dry and my belly hungry. It’s a hunger that won’t be sated even if I drank ten thousand jars of wine and devoured ten thousand sacks of grain.”
“…….”
“As for whatever can be gained from that land, divide it among yourselves. People, money, land—none of it means anything to me. What I need is only one thing: to make everything in the world submit under the name of Jang Il-so.”
Everyone held their breath.
Jang Il-so’s eyes, writhing with madness, proved that none of it was a lie.
“Only he is worthy.”
“…….”
“Follow me, and I will lead you. Not this filthy backwater of Jiangnan, but Jiangbei—the center of the Central Plains!”
“Hahahahaha.”
Cheonmyeon Susa burst into laughter and shook his head.
“Truly, I can’t outdo you. Hao Sect’s leader, Cheonmyeon Susa, pays respects to the alliance leader.”
As Cheonmyeon Susa cupped his fist in salute, Man-geum Daebu also sighed and nodded.
“It is, after all, the most profitable path. Black Ghost Fort’s leader, Man-geum Daebu, pays respects to the alliance leader.”
“……Damn it.”
Heukryongwang still looked deeply dissatisfied, but by this point there was no turning back.
“Don’t expect any respect from me.”
“Of course.”
“……As the chief fort lord of the Eighteen Water Bandit Forts, Heukryongwang accepts Paegun Jang Il-so as the alliance leader of Saperyeon!”
“Raise your cups.”
Jang Il-so lifted his own cup first, and the others all raised theirs high before him.
“From this moment on, we are brothers. Wine for brothers! Swords for traitors!”
Clang!
The wine cups crashed together violently in midair.
Then, in one breath, they all drained the cups dry.
Saperyeon.
At last, the Sapa alliance that would overturn the world was born.