This Is What Makes the World Interesting (2)
“You’ve worked hard, Alliance Leader.”
“Hmm.”
Jang Il-so, standing on the deck of the ship, gave a bitter smile. Seeing that expression, Ho Ga-myeong asked with a faint look of puzzlement, “Was there a problem?”
“A problem, you say... Well. I wonder. Should I even call it a problem, Ga-myeong?”
“……”
“We got the Black Dragon King sent away, and the war’s stopped. We got everything we wanted.”
“Then why...?”
“Hmm.”
Jang Il-so glanced toward Maehwado and slowly shook his head.
“No.”
Cutting himself off, he soon gave a lukewarm order.
“Tell the Water Bandits. Don’t lay a hand on the ones escaping Maehwado. Let them leave politely.”
“Yes, Alliance Leader.”
After passing the command to his men, Ho Ga-myeong quietly studied Jang Il-so.
“Why?”
“...I know full well that I’m not fit to guess at what you intend to do, Alliance Leader. But...”
“Tsk tsk. Don’t dance around it. Just ask. What’s with the fuss all of a sudden?”
Ho Ga-myeong’s eyes narrowed slightly with suspicion.
“It’s true that the Black Dragon King is important. Without him, the Water Bandits will lose control. It would be fortunate if we could absorb them smoothly, but the Haoman and the Black Ghost Society won’t sit by and watch either.”
“Exactly.”
“But even so... isn’t it too much to simply let them go? At the very least, we could have inflicted some damage. They were stranded on Maehwado and surrounded.”
“Hmm, yes. That would be right.”
“Then why...?”
Jang Il-so answered indifferently.
“The reason’s simple. First, it’s more profitable for me if those bastards make it back to Jiangbuk alive than if they die here.”
“……”
“Second...”
Jang Il-so smiled faintly and looked back at Ho Ga-myeong. Then he abruptly tossed out a completely unrelated question.
“What do you think of the Mount Hua Divine Dragon?”
The moment Jang Il-so spoke those words, Ho Ga-myeong’s expression hardened.
What do I think of him?
If you asked someone who had watched the whole situation on Maehwado, the answer was obvious, wasn’t it?
“...He’s a monster.”
“That’s right.”
Jang Il-so nodded lightly.
“He’s so monstrous it almost makes you wonder whether he was born from a person’s belly at all. The strength he showed before is still crystal clear in my memory, and in just three years he’s become like that...”
The Mount Hua Divine Dragon had defeated the Black Dragon King alone.
That meant the Mount Hua Divine Dragon now had to be recognized as one of the top experts in the Jianghu.
Throughout the long history of the martial world, there had been countless warriors, but had there ever been another who climbed to such a position at such a young age?
In terms of martial arts alone, the Mount Hua Divine Dragon had long since become a being that exceeded Ho Ga-myeong’s judgment and common sense.
“That’s why he’s dangerous. Utterly.”
“Yes, dangerous.”
Jang Il-so’s lips curled.
“But the reason the Mount Hua Divine Dragon is dangerous isn’t because he’s strong.”
Ho Ga-myeong didn’t understand the meaning right away.
“...What do you mean by that?”
Jang Il-so slightly turned his head and cast a glance at Cheong Myeong, the Mount Hua Divine Dragon.
“A strong person is only troublesome to deal with. Not difficult. If you can’t beat him alone, then fight him with two. If two aren’t enough, then send three after him.”
That was the way of the evil sects. Ho Ga-myeong accepted it with a nod. Jang Il-so spoke slowly.
“A person isn’t strong because of sheer force. A person is strong because they know how to survive. But the problem is...”
He let the end of the sentence trail off for a moment, and his eyes narrowed.
“The Mount Hua Divine Dragon is the kind of man who knows how to survive.”
“...Pardon?”
For a moment, a faint, eerie light seemed to settle over Jang Il-so’s face.
“Ga-myeong.”
“Yes, Alliance Leader.”
“Do you really think the Mount Hua Divine Dragon charged into Maehwado without any plan at all?”
“……”
“No. Of course not. Impossible. That devil of a bastard, with dozens of serpents coiled in his belly, would never rush forward on impulse alone. Even if his start was impulsive, by the time he reached this place he would have finished calculating everything.”
“T-that...”
“There they are.”
Jang Il-so jerked his chin toward the river. Ho Ga-myeong followed his gaze, then immediately widened his eyes.
Dozens of ships appeared at a glance.
“Th-those are...?”
“They’re probably the ships the Mount Hua Divine Dragon summoned. To get off Maehwado.”
“B-but hadn’t we already ordered the Water Bandits to seize every vessel in the area?”
“We did. But there’s one bastard who could still get hold of that many ships despite the obstruction.”
“...Yes?”
Jang Il-so chuckled.
“The one who clung to the righteous sects like a bat and still hasn’t shown his face once.”
Ho Ga-myeong clenched his lips.
“...Im So-byeong.”
“Yes. That one.”
Jang Il-so snickered softly. But unlike him, the blood drained from Ho Ga-myeong’s face in an instant.
Then that Mount Hua Divine Dragon had, in the middle of racing here at full speed to save Namgung, arranged ships through Im So-byeong, the King of the Green Forest? To escape Maehwado safely?
“But a naval battle...”
“No need for any naval battle. Those bastards are the type to cross over on a plank if you scatter enough ships around.”
“……”
Cold sweat ran down Ho Ga-myeong’s back.
Everyone gathered on the Yangtze River was a martial artist who had made a name for themselves in the world. But among all those people, how many would have realized that so many arrangements were hidden behind this battle?
“Th-then...?”
As if he had realized something, Ho Ga-myeong’s face turned pale.
“Alliance Leader, you came to Maehwado alone even though you had guessed that Im So-byeong would be bringing ships?”
“That’s right. Was there any reason I shouldn’t?”
“N-no...”
“It wouldn’t have mattered anyway. No matter how amazing that bastard is, he can’t know the exact time the ships will arrive. You can’t gamble on a ship that may or may not even come.”
Watching the fleet cut through the current as it approached, Ho Ga-myeong let out a long sigh.
The more he heard, the more terrifying it became.
But what was even stranger was this: Jang Il-so, who had only narrowly escaped the danger of losing his head by a single misstep, was somehow smiling with a cheerful expression.
“Do you understand now? Why I’m letting them go?”
“Yes, Alliance Leader.”
If they had arranged the ships, then even if they suffered some losses, they would have been able to escape that island. And if that had happened, the Black Dragon King would undoubtedly have died.
That would clearly be a loss on our side.
In that case, it was better to get the Black Dragon King back and let them all leave obediently.
“I don’t know when the last time I felt like this was.”
“...Alliance Leader.”
“Hmm.”
Jang Il-so looked once more at Maehwado with a strange expression.
“Ga-myeong.”
“Yes.”
“Send over what I prepared. Since the shape of things ended up exactly how I wanted, I suppose I ought to give them a little present.”
“I’ll do so.”
Jang Il-so waved a hand dismissively as if bored, then walked slowly forward. Pushing through the river wind, he stepped to the bow, his eyes settling into a quiet stillness. At the end of his gaze lay Maehwado.
“In this world, if you gain something, you lose something as well.”
A faint curve touched his red lips.
“I wonder if you know what you’ve lost.”
Whether they knew or not didn’t matter. Even if they did, there was nothing they could do about it.
＊ ＊ ＊
“Could’ve come faster, you useless bastard!”
Cheong Myeong, clinging to the railing, ground his teeth as he looked at the approaching fleet. If that idiot had arrived just a little sooner, he could have cut off that damn Jang Il-so’s head.
“Tsk.”
Maehwado, now quite far away, was visible in the distance. The pirates packed onto the island simply stood and watched as they boarded their ships and escaped.
With the Black Dragon King held hostage by Mount Hua and Jang Il-so having spoken as well, they probably had no choice.
Just then, someone walked up to Cheong Myeong.
“Daoist.”
“Hm?”
Turning his head, he saw Namgung Dowi staggering toward him.
He walked precariously all the way up to Cheong Myeong, then took a long breath. After that, he bowed deeply. It wasn’t the martial artist’s salute of clasped fists, but a direct, full bow from the waist.
This was not Namgung Dowi the Young Patriarch of the Namgung Clan, but Namgung Dowi the man, offering his respect.
“Thank you... truly, thank you.”
“……”
Cheong Myeong stared at him with a blank face.
Then the Five Swords, standing a little away from him, started whispering among themselves.
“What’s wrong with him?”
“Leave him be. How many times in his life do you think he’s gotten to hear someone thank him? He probably hears ‘go to hell’ more often than he eats.”
Those bastards?
Just as Cheong Myeong was about to glare at them, Namgung Dowi lifted his head.
“Because you stepped forward, Namgung can continue its name. I don’t even know how to repay this kindness...”
“Save the gratitude for later.”
“...Pardon?”
“The thing you shouldn’t forget first is revenge, right?”
Cheong Myeong casually shifted his gaze to the side. The Black Dragon King lay collapsed there, unconscious.
“How about it? Right now? You don’t need to keep some promise you made with some bastard from the evil sect.”
He meant: Why not kill the Black Dragon King right here and now?
But Namgung Dowi shook his head without the slightest hesitation.
“No.”
“Oh?”
Though he was still clearly in pain, Namgung Dowi’s eyes did not waver in the slightest.
“Killing the Black Dragon King here would not be Namgung’s revenge. It would only be me venting my anger. One day, I will defeat the Black Dragon King with my own strength, in open and honorable battle, and I will honor the spirits of the dead.”
Cheong Myeong nodded as if satisfied. And Namgung Dowi, adding what didn’t need to be said, continued,
“My father would want that too.”
The moment Namgung Hwang was mentioned, silence settled over the ship.
Cheong Myeong gave a slight nod and lightly patted Namgung Dowi’s shoulder.
“Yeah. He would.”
Just then, Namgung Dowi bit his lip.
“Cheong Myeong!”
“What?”
“A ship is approaching.”
“What?”
Cheong Myeong kicked off the deck and ran to the other side.
But for all his rush, the ship approaching them was only a small skiff carrying a single person. The very same ship Jang Il-so had been on just moments before.
“...What the hell?”
Cheong Myeong frowned.
Fortunately—or unfortunately—the one aboard was not Jang Il-so. It was someone who had appeared a few times at Jang Il-so’s side.
When the skiff came within a stone’s throw of Cheong Myeong’s ship, a loud voice rang out.
“Mount Hua Divine Dragon!”
Cheong Myeong narrowed his eyes instead of answering.
“A present sent by the Alliance Leader.”
The person on the skiff lifted up a large object loaded in the boat.
A coffin?
The instant Cheong Myeong’s eyes widened slightly, the large coffin flew up onto the deck.
Thud!
Without a word, Cheong Myeong caught it.
Ho Ga-myeong, who had been glaring silently at him, seemed to think his business was done and turned his ship away without the slightest hesitation.
An odd silence fell over the deck.
Carefully setting the coffin down, Cheong Myeong looked at Namgung Dowi. Namgung Dowi also seemed to have guessed what was inside, and with trembling hands he slowly opened the lid.
And then...
“Patriarch!”
“Khhhhh... Patriarch!”
“Aaaaaah!”
The instant the coffin opened, the Namgung swordsmen burst into tears all at once.
Namgung Hwang.
Though his body was a pitiful ruin, what lay inside the coffin was unmistakably his corpse.
“Father! Father! Krhh...”
Namgung Dowi collapsed, clutching the body, and broke into heart-wrenching sobs.
He had thought the corpse would be sunk helplessly beneath this cold river, that they would have to leave the Yangtze without even being able to recover the body. Just thinking about it had made his chest feel torn apart.
And yet Namgung Hwang’s body had returned, hidden inside a coffin in a way none of them had ever imagined.
Cheong Myeong, looking at the weeping Namgung Dowi and the Namgung family with dark eyes, turned his gaze away toward the ship in the far distance.
...That damn bastard.
It was hateful.
There would never be a day when he understood Jang Il-so. They would remain on opposite sides forever, running parallel lines that never met.
But...
“Once in a while, you do something human.”
Spitting the words out like something bitter, Cheong Myeong turned away sharply.
Long, sorrowful cries continued over the ship as it sailed toward the shore of Jiangbei.