The One Who Left Is Harder to Ignore Than the One Who Stays (3)
"Kill them!"
"You filthy Sapa bastards!"
On a broad avenue crowded with passing pedestrians, men armed with weapons so vicious they were frightening to look at were bellowing at one another as they clashed in the middle of the street.
Clang! Crash!
Steel met steel, and in an instant blood sprayed in every direction.
"Oh my! What in the world is going on?"
"Eek!"
Ordinary people fled in terror at the sight of a public brawl in broad daylight. But the merchants who had set up their stalls had no choice but to leave their goods behind and tremble in place.
In the end, they retreated to the edges of the street and crouched there, watching the martial artists hack at one another with murderous intent.
"What kind of madness is this?"
"And it's not like this is the first or second time!"
Just a few years ago, it would have been unthinkable to see martial artists fighting in the middle of the road. But unfortunately, incidents like this were now happening not just in Henan, but all over northern China.
"Aaaagh!"
One of the fighters took a blade to the chest and went flying backward, blood pouring from the wound.
At that horrifying sight, the merchants squeezed their eyes shut.
Watching with open eyes as one human wielded a weapon against another, as warm blood splattered everywhere, was too much for people who had lived all their lives in simple innocence.
Crash!
The fallen man’s body slammed into a roadside stall. The counter shattered at once, and the fruit stacked there scattered in every direction.
"Oh no!"
For the merchant who had been selling his wares, it was no different from a bolt of lightning striking out of a clear sky. But who didn’t know that one’s life mattered more than a few rotten fruits?
"You doglike bastards!"
"Fine! Let’s settle this today!"
The ones who looked rough enough to be bandits at a glance glared with eyes full of hatred. Those who met that ferocious stare refused to back down and charged at them as well.
But then, at that very moment—
"Stop!"
Boom!
Along with that deep, resonant voice came a heavy explosion, as though a boulder had fallen from a cliff.
The fighters flinched and turned their heads at once.
When they saw a group of martial artists approaching, all sorts of expressions crossed their faces.
And that was only natural.
In the martial world, there were few who could remain calm upon seeing that yellow monk’s robe. There were countless temples in the land, countless monks as well, but there was only one place that wore that robe.
Shaolin.
The leader of the Nine Sects and One Gang, the North Star of the martial world—Shaolin—had appeared here.
Step. Step.
Hye Bang of Shaolin, who had come leading his disciples, frowned as he looked over the wrecked street.
A long, weary sigh escaped his lips.
Strictly speaking, the proper words for him to say at this moment should have been, “What is the meaning of this?” But he didn’t feel the need to say it.
He already knew perfectly well what was going on.
"Disciples, listen."
"Yes!"
"Subdue everyone causing this disturbance and escort them to Shaolin!"
"Yes!"
"Elder!"
One of those who heard this shouted back in outrage. On the dust-stained left chest of his white robe, the character for righteousness was embroidered clearly and boldly.
"I am Guo Xiaozong of the Righteous Blood Gate! Those damned Sapa bastards started this by picking a fight with us, so how can you treat us exactly the same as them without even deciding who was right and who was wrong?"
The Righteous Blood Gate was one of the smaller orthodox factions based in Henan. It was not an affiliated branch of Shaolin, but it had long maintained a close relationship with the sect.
As Guo Xiaozong, the gate leader of the Righteous Blood Gate, openly pressed him, fatigue flickered across Hye Bang’s face.
"...Gate Leader. Have you not heard the abbot’s decree that no one who stirs up trouble in Henan will be tolerated, for any reason?"
"Damn it. Then are you telling us to just stand by and watch those damned Sapa bastards rob commoners in front of the Righteous Blood Gate?"
As Guo Xiaozong shouted with veins bulging in his neck, Hye Bang let out another deep sigh.
"Did we not say that if such a thing happens, you are to report it to Shaolin?"
"And just how long are we supposed to wait for Shaolin to show up? It’s not like we’ve only said it once or twice!"
Hye Bang shook his head.
"The truth of the matter will be judged by the guardians of our main temple. I am simply following the abbot’s orders, so please understand, Gate Leader."
"Damn it!"
Guo Xiaozong’s face twisted horribly.
Shaolin had arrived quickly, and the fight had ended before it could spread too far, so the damage wasn’t severe. Even so, it wasn’t nonexistent. Several of his disciples were plainly bleeding.
Under those circumstances, it would not have been easy to simply put down one’s sword and step back. Especially when one believed, as these men did, that they were in the right.
But at least in Henan, Shaolin’s will was absolute law.
"Put away your weapons and withdraw. For now, we’ll cooperate with Shaolin."
"...Yes."
The disciples, hearing the order, shot Hye Bang resentful glances before turning away.
For a moment, Hye Bang felt as though dark storm clouds had gathered in his chest.
Just a few years ago, would Shaolin ever have been met with such looks in Henan?
He gave a short Buddhist invocation under his breath. At any rate, this was no time to be consumed by such feelings. Even now, who knew what kind of trouble might be unfolding somewhere else?
"You will also have to come with us to the main temple."
Hye Bang’s gaze shifted to one side.
Unlike the Righteous Blood Gate, which might at least be called cooperative despite its complaints, the gaze of the opposing group was downright savage.
"You damn monk, you sure do know how to run your mouth. Why should we cooperate with the likes of you?"
Hye Bang drew a deep breath.
I cannot, with my meager cultivation, fathom the abbot’s intent at all. Why has the abbot simply let these people be?
The ones showing their teeth were, naturally, Sapa practitioners.
Of course, Sapa was not unfamiliar to Hye Bang. Even in Henan, where Shaolin’s influence was strong, Sapa clearly existed.
But they were less Sapa than what one would call black-path thugs. Wherever people lived, there were bound to be dark corners, and those who survived by nesting in such places inevitably formed groups.
Yet these people were different from the Sapa he knew. Those who had crossed into the northern provinces to escape the Four Hegemons Alliance were as rough as ogres, and they showed not the slightest respect for Shaolin or the Nine Sects.
"And what if we don’t?"
It was a polite question, but the words carried rough edges; in them were not only fatigue with the situation, but also the irritation and hostility Hye Bang felt toward these men.
"Heh. So even a monk can get angry. They say thick-faced men are the ones who never lose their temper."
"Thick-faced?"
"That’s right, thick-faced! You monk bastard! The reason we’re tearing up the streets like this is, when you think about it, all because of you Shaolin bastards! If you hadn’t loosened the reins on the Four Hegemons Alliance, we never would’ve had to come all the way here to escape those doglike bastards!"
"..."
"When you come to foreign land, isn’t it only natural to find a way to survive? Or are you telling us to do nothing and starve to death? Don’t talk nonsense! If that were the case, we wouldn’t have risked our lives fleeing all the way to the northern provinces. Better to fight and die than to sit there sucking on our fingers and starve!"
It was a plausible argument, but on closer inspection, it wasn’t even worth thinking about.
Just because one committed robbery to avoid starving to death did not mean it wasn’t a crime. No—if anything, a person who was truly human would never even think of surviving by taking from others.
For Hye Bang, who had been raised under Shaolin’s strict discipline, such words could never count as an excuse.
"So. You refuse to comply?"
"Heh. What, do Shaolin monks think blades won’t stick in their bodies?"
Hye Bang’s expression turned cold.
"Gongmu."
"Yes, Martial Uncle!"
"Subdue them and escort them all away!"
"Yes!"
The moment he finished speaking, Shaolin disciples charged straight at the Sapa men gripping their weapons. Their faces were fierce in a way utterly unbefitting monks who preached mercy.
"You doglike monks!"
"I’ll skin you alive!"
"Bring them down at once!"
Watching the fighting erupt once more, Hye Bang quietly chanted a Buddhist invocation.
"Amitabha…"
He and the Shaolin disciples were running themselves ragged, but chaos in Henan only grew worse by the day.
At first, it had seemed as though only the Sapa who came over from the northern provinces were causing trouble. But now not only the Sapa already based in Henan, but even the orthodox factions whose nerves had grown frayed to the breaking point, were defying Shaolin and stirring up disorder.
It felt like pouring water into a bottomless jar. They were doing everything they could to stabilize Henan, but the situation only kept deteriorating.
Lost in worry, Hye Bang soon shook his head violently.
Do not think about it.
He forcibly cast aside the thought that perhaps all of this was happening because Shaolin’s reputation was no longer what it once had been. Then, with a sigh, he moved on.
No matter how grueling a task might be, it would eventually come to an end. Until then, they had no choice but to keep trying, and keep trying, and keep trying.
* * *
Bang!
The door was thrown open roughly.
"Senior Brother!"
The one who entered grimaced. The stench of liquor was so overwhelming it made his head spin for a moment.
"Senior Brother! Please get up, Senior Brother!"
On the top floor of Hwahwaru, the most splendid pleasure house in the old capital, the most expensive room was occupied by a man sprawled out upon a luxurious bed.
"Ah, Senior Brother! Will you please get up already?"
The man, who had seemed to be sleeping like the dead, twitched around the eyes and slowly lifted his eyelids.
"...Damn it."
Groaning as though his skull were splitting, he clutched his head and rasped,
"What is it? This early in the morning."
"Senior Brother. The Red Horse Hall went to deal with those people from the Righteous Blood Gate or whatever they’re called, and got dragged off by Shaolin."
"..."
"What do we do?"
"Ha…"
The man reached out and grabbed the wine bottle lying on the bed. But no matter how hard he shook and tipped it, not a single drop remained.
Annoyed, he tossed the bottle aside and looked at the person who had come to report.
"Aso."
"Yes?"
"You got any money?"
"Where would I have money? Didn’t you already strip me clean of even my emergency savings because you wanted to loaf around here?"
"...Right."
"If those Red Horse Hall bastards had only done their jobs properly, by now we’d have collected plenty in tribute. But it’s all ruined. There isn’t a single place left to squeeze money from, no matter how hard you look! That’s why I told you not to come to Henan in the first place!"
"Tsk."
The man clicked his tongue.
"Stop spouting stupid nonsense, you idiot. Where in the northern provinces is there an easy place? Should we have gone to Hubei, where every kind of lunatic runs wild? Or to Hebei, where the emperor lives? Or maybe to Sichuan, a place like a dragon’s lair and tiger’s den?"
"..."
"It’s the same everywhere. Everywhere."
At that, the one who had come to report let out a long sigh and asked,
"...So what do we do now? At this rate, we’ll never establish ourselves properly in Henan."
"You’re saying the obvious."
The man laughed softly.
"Actually, this worked out for the best. If it looks like we can’t settle down, then we might as well give up on that and do something bigger instead."
"Something bigger?"
The man’s eyes flashed.
"It’s about time I retired anyway. My back still hurts whenever it rains because of the beating that bastard Jang Il-so gave me…."
"So you’re thinking of turning to banditry?"
"Exactly. Banditry. Gather everyone you can."
"How many?"
"All of them!"
The man who heard that frowned.
"...No, I mean, if you say the word, all the hungry wolves with red eyes will come swarming in anyway, but where exactly are you planning to rob with them? Unless you hit something huge, you won’t get even a scrap of coin."
"Somewhere big. Very big."
The man’s eyes turned west.
"Wouldn’t robbing one of the Ten Great Merchant Clans be enough to set us up for life?"
"T-the Ten Great Merchant Clans?"
"Yes. I have a plan. Gather everyone who’s interested under my name."
"O-okay, Senior Brother!"
It couldn’t be easy to gather people with nothing but a proper planless boast. And yet the one hearing this didn’t argue, didn’t ask another question; he simply nodded and ran outside.
That was only natural.
After all, the one speaking was none other than Gal Cheon-lip, the First Killer of the Seven Killers of Jiangxi, the Heartless Ghost Blade.
It was said that in the past he had fought Jang Il-so to a standstill. If Gal Cheon-lip gave the word, a starving pack of wolves would clutch their empty bellies and come running.
Luoyang, the ancient capital.
Black storm clouds were rolling in over Luoyang’s sky.