Go Ahead and Try to Swallow This, Then. (5)
“You want to just leave it here?”
“I just said we are.”
“All of that? You mean all of it?”
The First Elder’s jaw dropped.
Of course, leaving the buildings behind made sense. They couldn’t be torn apart and moved, and it wasn’t as though they could blow the whole island to pieces just because they were leaving.
But…
“Why are we leaving the boats behind? The boats?! One of those is worth a fortune!”
“Tsk, tsk. A bandit getting greedy over boats? Have you been living by the water so long that you’ve taken up pirate work as a hobby?”
“That’s not the point! If we just sold those…!”
“My good man, you’ve got to have somewhere to sell them first. Boats don’t exactly sell themselves overnight.”
Im So-byeong snapped open his fan.
“And the important thing isn’t money. It’s intent. If you get hung up on money, money, money, you end up missing what really matters.”
The First Elder could only pound his own chest in frustration, unable to come up with a retort.
They had always known their Green Forest King was a strange man, but ever since he met that Daoist from Mount Hua, it felt like he’d gotten even worse. The things this fellow did were impossible to understand.
“So how’s the withdrawal going?”
“...We’re basically done. The valuables we gathered have already been sent to Eunha Merchant Guild with an escort, and everyone who’d been staying on Maehwado has been moved ashore. The rest packed up and left too, so now it’s just us.”
“Good. Good.”
Im So-byeong leisurely waved his fan. A cool breeze brushed his cheeks. He gazed at Maehwado with a trace of regret in his eyes.
“It was a fine place.”
“It wasn’t to my liking at all. A caterpillar should live on pine needles! What in heaven’s name are the proud heroes of the Green Forest doing hauling other people’s cargo around and making money that way?”
“For someone saying that, you’re wearing a very expensive outfit. Did you buy that recently?”
“K-khm. This is…”
The First Elder’s face turned beet red.
Maehwado was pulling in so much money that even after the Green Forest took its share, the profits were enormous. Naturally, the elders’ purses had grown fat with silver.
The First Elder twisted awkwardly, but no matter how he fidgeted, the expensive silk robes hanging all over him weren’t going to hide themselves.
“If the First Elder really wants to go back to the mountains and live by banditry again, I won’t stop you.”
“T-those were just words. Just words…”
“Tsk, tsk. A bandit operating a silk-robed business. Your ancestors would foam at the mouth if they saw this.”
“Ugh…”
At the mention of his ancestors, a pained groan escaped the First Elder’s throat. If the previous Green Forest King had seen this sight, he would probably have tried to tear the clothes off him and the man himself apart.
Im So-byeong clicked his tongue as he stared across the river.
Three years.
Over the past three years, Im So-byeong and the Green Forest had gained a great deal. For him personally, it had been time enough to stabilize the once-chaotic Green Forest. Money wasn’t a way to solve everything in this world, but it was certainly a way to solve most things.
Even those who had resisted his becoming the Green Forest King shut their mouths once they saw the wealth landing in their own hands.
But compared to what the Green Forest had truly gained, money was nothing.
Most important of all was the fact that ordinary people no longer feared the Green Forest.
By changing their business model—no longer robbing those who passed through the mountains, but charging tolls and escorting them safely—they had achieved a clear result. And showing countless people, through Maehwado, what it looked like to earn a living through honest labor had helped as well.
But the greatest impact of all had, naturally, come from Saperyeon.
Saperyeon had declared the unification of the Sapa factions and swallowed every unorthodox group under its banner. At the same time, it had swallowed all the world’s hatred as well.
In the midst of that, the Green Forest had gone against Saperyeon and chosen to support the Heavenly Alliance, so those who hated Saperyeon ended up looking on the Green Forest with some warmth.
“Mount Hua’s backing played a part too. Anyway, that Daoist really is useful.”
“Pardon?”
“Nothing. Forget it.”
Im So-byeong smiled quietly.
That’s how you gamble.
When he, the leader of the Green Forest, said he was going to join hands with Mount Hua, how many had looked at him like he was insane?
After all, he had been seizing power by wiping out Dae-byeol Bandit Band and the like, so no one could openly criticize him, but not a single soul had genuinely agreed with his choice.
And yet that gamble had paid off perfectly.
“No. No, not yet.”
But Im So-byeong’s eyes cooled once more.
At the very least, we’ll only be able to talk about success once Saperyeon is crushed and a knife is shoved into Jang Il-so’s throat.
He imagined that scene for a moment, then broke into a snicker.
“Well, that won’t be my job anyway.”
“What on earth have you been muttering to yourself this whole time? You sound like a lunatic.”
“……”
That sudden insult made a vein bulge on Im So-byeong’s forehead.
At this rate, I should just turn us into an orthodox sect or something…
He didn’t expect them to be like the Tang Family, where one word from the clan head was enough to make people die if ordered. But even that mad Daoist from Mount Hua didn’t argue with the sect leader’s words. So why in the world was the Green Forest such a mess?
His insides were practically boiling.
But before he could say anything, the First Elder asked with a serious expression, “Still, are you really pulling out like this?”
“Why drag out a finished story?”
“Because it’s a shame, that’s why. Maehwado aside, the rest of it…”
The First Elder’s gaze drifted behind them. The large buildings stretching away from the docks came into view.
How much effort had they poured into building this city?
And yet now they were leaving all of it behind. It felt like cutting off one of his arms. But Im So-byeong waved a hand and cut off the elder’s reluctance cleanly.
“Enough. Just prepare to move. The guests will be here soon.”
“Guests?”
“Yes, guests. Very black ones… hmm. Looks like one’s already coming.”
“Pardon?”
The First Elder turned toward the direction of Im So-byeong’s gaze.
“Ah…”
Sure enough, a black ship was emerging from the distance. At first it seemed small, but the closer it came, the more imposing it looked.
“Th-that is…?”
A ship at least three times larger than the other vessels escorting it. On its sail, the image of a black dragon roaming the Yangtze seemed almost alive.
And the First Elder was one of the few who knew exactly what that ship was.
“I-isn’t that the Black Dragon Ship?!”
At the First Elder’s shocked cry, Im So-byeong calmly fanned himself.
“Hmm. Didn’t expect him to show up in person. The Black Dragon King must have been in quite a hurry.”
That ship, and the black dragon banner flying from it, meant the Black Dragon King had come here himself. He had come to seize this tiny island with his own hands.
Im So-byeong laughed under his breath.
“The Black Dragon King himself…?”
The First Elder’s mouth hung open in disbelief.
Im So-byeong was the Green Forest King, yes, but not the sort of Green Forest King who behaved like one. To put it crudely, he was the kind of man who wandered around with a light backside. But generally speaking, a person called a “king” didn’t move so easily.
And yet that Black Dragon King had come here personally?
“Now that we’re leaving, he’s come to take over Maehwado before anyone else does.”
The First Elder still hadn’t fully grasped the situation, and he stared wide-eyed at the approaching Black Dragon Ship.
But at that very moment, another thought flickered through Im So-byeong’s mind.
One day, huh?
A strange smile touched his lips.
Right before leaving Mount Hua, Chung Myung had called him over and told him to check one thing: who arrived first after they withdrew from Maehwado, and how long it took them to show up.
If the Water Bandit Sect moved in here before even a full day had passed, that means they didn’t ask Saperyeon’s permission.
Even showing up within two days would count as a success, but the Black Dragon King had appeared personally after only one day?
That meant a clear rift had begun to form between them. It was undeniable proof that the Heavenly Alliance’s plan had worked more thoroughly than expected.
“Heh-heh-heh. This is why I like that Daoist.”
Im So-byeong chuckled softly.
For the past three years, no matter what anyone said, the one who had held the initiative in the martial world was Saperyeon’s Jang Il-so. Shaolin, which had once dominated the martial world, couldn’t keep pace with Saperyeon and had done nothing but retreat into isolation, all nerves on edge.
There had been no massive collision, but no one could deny that the martial world had danced exactly to Jang Il-so’s tune.
But the moment Mount Hua returned, Jang Il-so’s dominance began to twist. Without drawing a sword, without shedding a drop of blood, they had struck a blow far more devastating than any sword technique.
After a moment lost in thought, Im So-byeong shook his head.
“I’m leaving. If I stay here any longer, I’ll get struck by lightning.”
“A-ah, no, Green Forest King. If the Water Bandit Sect takes over this place…”
“Nothing will happen.”
Even with the First Elder’s worried voice, Im So-byeong answered with quiet certainty.
“The one who’d be most sickened by the sight of us abandoning the mountains and living comfortably while mingling with commoners to rake in riches would naturally be the Black Dragon King.”
“……”
“Besides, while we know how to bow our heads to Mount Hua, that proud bastard has no idea how to bow to Jang Il-so. So he’ll try to use this place to gather wealth and strengthen the Water Bandit Sect’s forces however he can.”
“That sounds convincing, but…”
“That’s exactly what’ll happen.”
Im So-byeong covered his mouth with his fan and smiled with great meaning.
“Who do you think feared Jang Il-so gathering power the most?”
“What do you mean?”
“Let’s go.”
He snapped the fan shut and turned away, beginning to stroll off by himself.
“Green Forest King! W-wait, I’ll come with you!”
The First Elder hurried after him. He kept asking questions as they went, but Im So-byeong only wore that knowing smile and quickened his steps.
Now then. I wonder how Shaolin will react?
After all, there was nothing more entertaining than watching a fight.
“We’ve arrived! Black Dragon King!”
“Hmph!”
Standing at the prow, the Black Dragon King stared intently at the small island before him.
“To think that insignificant little thing would give me this much trouble.”
If that bastard Jang Il-so hadn’t openly blocked him, he would have swept in and crushed it long ago. Because of that island, the Water Bandit Sect’s plan to seize the Yangtze had been completely wrecked.
But…
This must be what they mean by a blessing in disguise.
The past no longer mattered. He had already seen with his own eyes that properly collecting tolls could bring in several times the profit of half-baked looting.
More than that, he was the head of the Water Bandit Sect. Unlike the others, he was in a position to firmly control everyone traveling the Yangtze. If he wanted to, making several times more money than Mount Hua had earned from Maehwado wouldn’t be difficult at all.
“If that happens… I can build a force that surpasses even those money-obsessed fools from Black Ghost Fort. Then Jang Il-so won’t amount to much at all.”
The Black Dragon King gritted his teeth.
Saperyeon’s stature had risen day by day, but the Black Dragon King’s own prestige was weaker than it had once been. In fact, the world now regarded him as little more than one of Jang Il-so’s subordinates.
Saperyeon’s alliance leader was Jang Il-so, and he was only the vice-leader, so that wasn’t entirely wrong. But…
“What a joke.”
He would show them now. He would show them who the true master of Saperyeon was.
“We’re docking!”
The Black Dragon King gave a heavy nod.
“Disembark and take control!”
“Yes, sir!”
The once-still Yangtze began to boil again.