A Feral Scramble (5)
Shaolin.
Beop Jeong silently studied the men seated before him.
Ja O-gae, a Beggars' Sect elder, had come in place of their sect leader. Zongri Hyeong, the Mount Kunlun leader known as the Subduing Demon Mountain Man. And Paeop, the clan head of the Hebei Peng Family, the Lightning Quick Blade Peng Yeop.
Every one of them was a famous name in his own right.
And yet, considering that the Abbot of Great Shaolin himself had called for this meeting, three people was a painfully meager number. No matter how formidable each of them might be, it still felt embarrassingly thin.
Even if he included Kunlun, who had not yet arrived because of the distance, and even the Zhuge Clan, whose intentions were impossible to read, the total still only came to five.
Had this been when Shaolin stood at the very pinnacle of the world, at least ten sect leaders would have gathered here.
His heart ached, and the inside of his chest felt scorched dry, but Beop Jeong did not let that show.
Was it because he refused to appear weak?
No. That was not it.
He did not need to reveal such feelings, because everyone gathered here could already see them plainly in his face.
"Is there no one else coming?"
At that moment, Ja O-gae asked the tactless question with a sidelong glance. Beop Jeong smiled broadly and replied,
"The Mount Kunlun leader is on the way. The Zhuge Clan should be arriving soon as well."
"Kunlun and the Zhuge Clan, huh... Then the rest aren't coming?"
"We have yet to receive confirmation."
As he gave the short reply, Beop Jeong shot Ja O-gae a furtive glare.
This was the Beggars' Sect, of all places. With their information network, there was no way they didn't know that this was all the attendance they were getting. And yet he was deliberately bringing it up, needling Beop Jeong right where it hurt.
"We came because Your Reverence said this matter required discussion... but can there really be any discussion with just us?"
Beop Jeong forced out the gentlest smile he could manage.
"Those absent from the discussion will accept the decision made here, so I do not believe it will be a major problem."
"If only that were so... though I wonder how I am supposed to explain that to our clan leader."
Instead of answering, Beop Jeong slowly rolled the prayer beads in his hand. It was one of his habits when his mind had grown tangled.
He was not angry so much as hollow.
How many years had it been since Shaolin had so grandly hosted the Heavenly Martial Arts Tournament? Back then, no one had doubted that Shaolin was the North Star of the world.
At that time, not only the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Families, but even the leaders of every influential sect across the land had come to Shaolin, hoping to build ties with him. And yet, in just a few short years, everything had changed to this extent.
"Forget the ones who didn't come. It won't do any good looking for people who aren't here. And if the crowd gets any bigger, it'll only mean more mouths talking."
Peng Yeop spoke in a cold voice.
Beop Jeong looked at him with renewed attention. It was a bad habit to judge people by their appearance, but Peng Yeop never looked like a member of the Hebei Peng Family no matter how many times he saw him.
The Peng name had always been famous for big, imposing bodies. It was precisely that naturally large frame that made saber techniques advantageous to them, and how the Hebei Peng Family became one of the great sabersmith sects.
But Peng Yeop's build was not large at all. If anything, he was even slightly smaller than Beop Jeong.
Perhaps because of that, what Peng Yeop gave off was not brute force but sharpness. Like a sword master standing at the peak.
"More importantly."
Peng Yeop fixed his piercing gaze on Beop Jeong and asked,
"What do you intend to do, Abbot? You're not planning to leave them like this, are you?"
Even so, he seemed to have inherited the Peng Family's famously impatient temperament, because he got straight to the point without any preamble.
"That's why we've gathered here to discuss—"
"If you drag this out, it'll be too late. The Saperyeon scum may already be flooding into Jiujiang this very moment. If you give them time, the situation will only get worse."
He was not wrong. Beop Jeong thought the same thing.
But it seemed there was someone who saw things differently.
"There's no need to be so hasty."
Zongri Hyeong, the Mount Kunlun leader, spoke quietly.
"Our enemy is Saperyeon. They are not people we can afford to underestimate."
"I know that, but..."
"What concerns me most is that there is no guarantee the other orthodox sects will support us in time. If word spreads, they will have no choice but to join the fight, but by then, before a proper force is assembled, the damage could already be severe."
"But that doesn't mean we can just leave them alone."
"Doing anything rash may only be poking a powder keg. They're only staying at the mouth of the Yangtze, after all."
At that, Peng Yeop replied icily.
"The mouth of the Yangtze? Leader, that's the northern bank."
"And is there some law saying Saperyeon cannot set foot on the northern bank?"
"What are you saying—"
Zongri Hyeong shook his head, his face hardening.
"The Nonaggression Treaty between the south and north may have made it feel as though our territories and Saperyeon's were clearly divided, but in truth, we have never prevented the Sapa from blocking the northern lands. Why, then, should we suddenly bring that up now?"
Ja O-gae, who had been listening quietly, let out a snort.
"What you say is true, Leader, but the problem is that the common people don't think that way."
"The common people..."
"And since we can't simply cross into the south, we can't exactly declare that those Sapa dogs are allowed to step into the north, can we?"
"Hm. Well..."
This time, even Zongri Hyeong had no real rebuttal.
"The justification is one thing, but the problem is reality, isn't it? Abbot."
Ja O-gae's gaze turned to Beop Jeong.
"Please speak honestly. I came here staking the lives of one hundred thousand Beggars' Sect members on this decision."
"...So I shall."
"If we take the lead, will the other orthodox sects and the Five Great Families really come to support us in time?"
Beop Jeong could not answer immediately. To tell the truth would be embarrassing, but as a Buddhist, he could not simply spit out a falsehood.
"I thought as much."
Ja O-gae clicked his tongue sharply. It was not something one should do in front of Shaolin's Abbot, but at present no one took issue with it.
"Then let me ask one more thing."
"What is it?"
"Does Shaolin truly intend to stand at the forefront of this matter?"
"...By forefront, you mean?"
"I mean this: even if the other sects do not support us, are you prepared to lead the sects gathered here and fight Saperyeon from the very front?"
"Of course..."
Beop Jeong's voice trailed off. His tongue would not move as his heart wished.
Because the moment he said it, there would be no turning back.
The vanguard.
Only now did he truly understand how heavy those words were—words he had used so casually, words that had always seemed to mean nothing.
Watching him, Ja O-gae clicked his tongue inwardly.
So that's that, then.
There was still a way. If Shaolin fought Saperyeon more fiercely and more boldly than anyone else, the other sects that were hesitating would have no choice but to move as well.
They would fear the condemnation of the world, and if Shaolin won against Saperyeon while preserving its strength, there would be no way left to stop Shaolin's dominance.
And yet Beop Jeong could not bring himself to draw the sword.
What are you so afraid of?
Had he been the Beop Jeong from the Heavenly Martial Arts Tournament, he would have nodded as if the answer were obvious. But the Beop Jeong of now had stopped the nod that was about to form. Something was caught in his heart.
To lead means not standing behind and pointing fingers. It means stepping forward and running first.
If Shaolin had forgotten that, then there really was no more way forward.
"Then it seems we've reached a conclusion."
Ja O-gae shrugged.
"Give them the Yangtze and just keep an eye on them so they can't move any farther north."
"Ja O-gae. That is impossible."
Peng Yeop immediately objected, but Ja O-gae merely shook his head stubbornly.
"Clan Head, I'm an elder of the Beggars' Sect. Which means I'm not the Beggars' Sect leader."
"...I had no intention of dismissing your words."
"That's not what I mean. It simply means there are things I can say because I'm not the one responsible for everyone. I don't have to worry about saving face."
"...""
"If we provoke the Water Bandit Sect here, war will absolutely break out."
"Why? They might back down."
"The Black Dragon King might. But do you think Jang Il-so would?"
At the mention of that name, Peng Yeop shut his mouth.
The renown of the Tyrant Lord, Jang Il-so, had etched itself into the minds of even those righteous factions that had not taken part in the Yangtze River Tragedy like a deep brand.
Moreover, Jang Il-so was a man who combined schemes capable of dragging an opponent into a flawless trap with a chilling decisiveness. Merely hearing his name made one's stomach turn.
"If Jang Il-so learns that only a small number of sects have come to face the Water Bandit Sect, he will surely try to exploit that opening. Is there any reason for us to expose our weakness ourselves?"
Weakness.
A huge crack in the Nine Sects and One Gang. That crack must not be revealed to Jang Il-so. If they simply stepped back and watched from a distance, it would be hard for those monsters to grasp the full scope of the situation.
Even after fully understanding that, Peng Yeop still burned with indignation.
"What on earth are the other sects thinking? This is about dealing with Saperyeon! It should be a race to see who can stand at the front first!"
Deep worry settled over Beop Jeong's face.
What is there to say?
He let out a long sigh before looking at Ja O-gae.
"Elder."
"Yes, Abbot."
"I would like to ask you something."
"Please do."
After a short pause, Beop Jeong spoke.
"If that Heavenly Alliance were to join this war, would the Beggars' Sect be willing to fight alongside Shaolin?"
"...Did you just say the Heavenly Alliance?"
"Yes."
Ja O-gae's brow furrowed slightly.
"The Ice Palace and Beast Palace can't possibly make it all the way to the Central Plains, so you're talking about the Tang Family and Mount Hua, I assume?"
"That is correct."
Beop Jeong nodded.
"We have not yet received an answer, but I have sent word to the Heavenly Alliance's盟主. It is not impossible."
"Not impossible, huh..."
Ja O-gae fell into thought, his brow creased.
Indeed...
The thing most difficult for him to predict was the movement of the Heavenly Alliance, especially Mount Hua. That bizarre sect was the kind of place where one could never guess what they would do next.
Common sense said that the Heavenly Alliance, which had nothing to do with Hubei or Henan, had no reason to side with those orthodox sects that were already backing away.
But...
It's Mount Hua, isn't it?
They had deep enmity with Saperyeon, so they might very well leap at this chance to wipe it out. It was an unpredictable sect, so he could not honestly say there was no chance at all.
"...If the Heavenly Alliance steps in, the situation will definitely change. In that case, there would be no need to sit around watching the enemy. The Tang Family will certainly take part as well."
"Hmm."
Beop Jeong quietly nodded.
"Then for now, we must wait for the Heavenly Alliance's reply."
"If Your Reverence wishes to confront them... then you must accomplish one of two things: turn the hearts of the other sects that have already stepped away, or draw in the Heavenly Alliance."
"...Amitabha."
Beop Jeong softly intoned the Buddha's name.
In the end, it comes back to the Heavenly Alliance.
It was nearly impossible to change the minds of the sects that had already refused to come. In the end, what Ja O-gae had just said amounted to the same thing: somehow bring in the Heavenly Alliance.
In the end, once again the burden returned to the Heavenly Alliance, to Mount Hua, and the thought of having to go begging yet again made a sigh rise naturally in his throat. And yet, strangely enough, he also felt a measure of relief.
At least it meant he did not have to decide Shaolin's fate this very instant. For him now, even the time spent waiting for the Heavenly Alliance's answer and pleading with them felt like a blessing.
But...
Unfortunately, the world never moved exactly as one wanted.
Bang!
At that moment, the door burst open and someone stormed inside.
Beop Jeong's face twisted, and he sternly barked,
"This is a gathering of sect leaders. How dare you act so recklessly?"
"B-Bad news! Abbot!"
But Beop Gye cried out with a deathly pale face. The instant Beop Jeong saw his expression, he knew something had gone terribly wrong.
"What is it?"
"T-that is..."
Beop Gye continued, and Beop Jeong's face turned blue in an instant.
"W-why now! Why!"
A scream-like cry burst from his mouth.