Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Murim Alliance, Establishment (3)
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“Unit Leader? You?”
Namgung Jincheon’s voice was icy cold. There was even a hint of disdain toward Mok Ri-won laced within it.
From Namgung Jincheon’s perspective, that was how it was. Separate from acknowledging Mok Ri-won’s martial prowess, he felt the man’s naive demeanor didn’t suit the position of unit leader.
Of course, there was his personal desire not to heed the words of the other Dragon-Phoenix members, but even setting that aside, Namgung Jincheon believed himself to be the man most suited to be unit leader here.
“ Do you know how to lead a unit? Do you have any knowledge of administrative procedures? No, do you even know what a unit leader’s role entails?”
His barbed words stabbed deep into Mok Ri-won’s chest.
Mok Ri-won flinched but did not back down.
This was, after all, a unit of the Murim Alliance. In the Tales of the Jianghu Heroes that Mok Ri-won loved, it was a position reserved for a protagonist-level figure.
Mok Ri-won had no desire to relinquish such a glorious seat so easily.
Moreover, Mok Ri-won had his own grounds for claiming it.
“Me, I’m the strongest! Traditionally, the unit leader is the strongest one!”
Crunch.
Namgung Jincheon froze. His eyes bulged impossibly wide, and the aura he exuded was filled with a sense of hurt for some reason.
It brought back memories of the Dragon-Phoenix Tournament finals, a nightmare for Namgung Jincheon.
That day’s events resurfaced in his mind.
Namgung Jincheon steadied his trembling fists. But his deep blue eyes still quivered uncontrollably.
It was a situation that called for rationality, but in the end, that was how it was.
Namgung Jincheon was a man who couldn’t feel satisfied unless he stood above others.
“…Right, it’s been about two months now. Time to resorted the hierarchy.”
A murky aura began to rise from Namgung Jincheon.
Mok Ri-won, unwilling to yield, raised his own dark energy in response.
What would follow was obvious.
Mok Ri-won took a sharp flick to the crown of his head, hard enough to make a ‘crack’ sound.
It was Dang Hwa-seo.
“Young Hero Mok! Is this a place to raise your auras? Is it or isn’t it?”
“It’s not, but…!”
“‘But’ what? And Sword Dragon! You have a problem too! Didn’t you say provocations don’t work at the Dragon-Phoenix Tournament? So why react to every word Young Hero Mok says and cause a commotion?”
Mok Ri-won and Namgung Jincheon’s mouths snapped shut like clams.
Dang Hwa-seo, who rarely raised her voice, unleashed merciless truths, leaving them speechless.
Even amid that, the two glaring at each other made Dang Hwa-seo clutch the back of her neck.
‘They’re both kids!’
The true nature of Namgung Jincheon, whom she had trusted, was gradually revealing itself.
His level was exactly the same as Mok Ri-won’s.
Only then did Dang Hwa-seo realize.
The reason Namgung Jincheon had seemed so aloof until now was simply because he kept his mouth shut!
It was just like the taciturn Mok Ri-won!
Dang Hwa-seo looked at the others, her head throbbing with a migraine.
Jegal San was doubled over, clutching his stomach and laughing uproariously at something amusing. Hyeun had wandered off to chat with a Murim Alliance warrior some distance away, fiddling with Il-un Monk’s bald, vein-popping head.
Il-un was smiling awkwardly in embarrassment but showed no sign of intervening.
Dang Hwa-seo’s face paled.
‘…We’re doomed.’
The Dragon-Phoenix Squad was doomed.
Utterly and completely doomed.
How had it come to this, with not a single reliable person among them?
*
Strategist Jegal Mu-yeon stared at the scene before him, his face indescribable.
First, Mok Ri-won and Namgung Jincheon, the two men responsible for the squad’s martial strength, were glaring angrily in opposite directions.
Jegal San clutched his stomach, groaning as if his insides hurt, while Hyeun toyed with Il-un Monk’s bald head, veins bulging on it.
Dang Hwa-seo was the most normal, but even she looked off.
For some reason, her face was smeared with exhaustion, and she stared at him with a soul drained expression.
“What happened?”
“Nothing. Yet.”
Dang Hwa-seo gave a hollow laugh. Jegal Mu-yeon felt a flicker of curiosity but quickly suppressed it.
Jegal Mu-yeon was not the type to indulge youthful hot-bloodedness with leisure.
“Now everyone’s gathered. Immortal Dragon has expressed his intent to remain at Wudang.”
“Yes, we’d like to hear about the plans ahead.”
Jegal Mu-yeon nodded at Dang Hwa-seo’s question, pressing her furrowed brow.
“The halls have been sorted. My adjutant will guide you once you exit.”
“Then…”
“But administrative procedures aren’t complete, so founding will take more time.”
“Are there that many procedures?”
Dang Hwa-seo tilted her head.
From what she knew, even the Murim Alliance didn’t take this long to establish a single unit.
“I thought a unit is founded upon the Alliance Leader’s approval. Is the Leader absent?”
“No. On the contrary, he’s working from the highest seat in the alliance for the unit’s founding.”
“Then why…”
“There will be a founding ceremony. A grand one.”
At Jegal Mu-yeon’s words, all eyes in the Dragon-Phoenix Squad turned to him.
Amid that, Jegal San’s brow furrowed. It was natural for him, who hated troublesome matters.
“A founding ceremony? Why make it so grandiose…”
Mid-sentence, Jegal San let out an ‘ah’ and nodded.
“…Right, now that I think about it, this isn’t an ordinary unit.”
No one failed to understand his words.
Except Mok Ri-won.
Dang Hwa-seo gave Mok Ri-won a separate explanation.
“Given the times, it’s for boosting morale. Moreover, gathering the heirs of prestigious families under the alliance banner draws much attention.”
“Ah! So that’s it!”
Jegal Mu-yeon nodded affirmatively at their exchange and continued.
“That said, there’s something you need to tell me soon.”
“What is it?”
“Who will be unit leader and deputy unit leader?”
At those words, Dang Hwa-seo’s face turned ashen.
And the two men of matching mental age locked eyes in fierce glares once more.
Mok Ri-won and Namgung Jincheon’s gazes clashed.
Dang Hwa-seo gritted her teeth at the sharp tug in the back of her neck and raised her hand.
“I’ll do it.”
“Ah! Little Sister!”
“I’ll do it. No objections.”
Jegal Mu-yeon simply crossed his arms and listened to their bickering until they sorted it out.
After all, every member was a Pinnacle Realm expert, and the unit leader position wasn’t solely about martial strength. Whoever they chose was fine as long as they unified opinions.
The proceedings were utterly one-sided.
“Young Hero Mok. Stay put.”
Mok Ri-won wilted and backed off at Dang Hwa-seo’s single command.
“Sword Dragon, forget about unit leader. Can you handle all the administrative procedures? Do you intend to look after the other members? Are you willing to carve out training time for meetings and other duties?”
Namgung Jincheon’s momentum dwindled with each of Dang Hwa-seo’s words.
In truth, he didn’t enjoy supporting others or such tasks.
“Jegal San, White Phoenix—you two have no thoughts on it anyway. Il-un Monk wouldn’t want to give harsh words to others.”
The three nodded.
Only then did Dang Hwa-seo turn to Jegal Mu-yeon.
“It’s settled.”
“Excellent. And deputy unit leader?”
“Il-un Monk. At the unit leader’s discretion.”
A decisive statement before objections could arise.
From Dang Hwa-seo’s view, Il-un was the only relatively sane candidate for deputy.
“Very well. We’ll proceed with the founding ceremony on that basis. Details on the event will come later.”
Jegal Mu-yeon rose from his seat.
His adjutant waiting outside then called the Dragon-Phoenix Squad.
“Please follow me.”
Only then did Dang Hwa-seo exhale in relief.
‘…We passed one hurdle.’
She didn’t know what lay ahead, but they’d crossed one dangerous pass.
Dang Hwa-seo turned, gazing at the Dragon-Phoenix Squad with eyes like one viewing walking disasters.
‘Absolutely…’
She absolutely could not let them cause trouble.
Such thoughts filled her mind.
*
The hall for the Dragon-Phoenix Squad’s residence was lavish.
If one said it visibly outshone nearby halls with traces of lavish spending, that would explain it.
“Brother Jegal! There’s night pearls embedded here!”
“Oh! Pry one off and sell it for some cash!”
“Brother Jegal! This can’t be…!”
“Jade! This piece is solid jade!”
“Ooooh!!!”
It was support so immense one wondered how they gilded an entire hall like this.
But considering the members, it made sense.
Three heirs from the Five Great Clans, two representatives from the Nine Sects.
Excluding Mok Ri-won, every one hailed from renowned prestigious sects.
Support flowed from their affiliations, along with sponsorships from various merchant groups.
Of course, the largest share came from the overflowing wealth of the Five Great Clans.
The night pearls embedded somewhere and jade sculptures were prime examples.
Dang Hwa-seo eyed the night pearls with sunken eyes.
She knew their source was the Sichuan Tang Clan.
‘…Definitely not without strings attached.’
She had clashed with Dang Un-gyeong upon returning from Xuanyuan in Anhui.
On top of that, she had placed her enmity with the Tang Clan by lodging in the Murim Alliance.
Yet the Tang Clan still sent such support—Dang Hwa-seo couldn’t fathom the clan leader’s intentions.
‘No, don’t think about it now.’
Dang Hwa-seo deliberately averted her gaze from the night pearls.
Whatever schemes they harbored, being in the Murim Alliance meant they couldn’t act on them openly. Focusing on immediate tasks was right.
Clap clap.
Dang Hwa-seo clapped to draw attention.
“Enough sightseeing. Time to assign rooms.”
The Dragon-Phoenix Squad hall was spacious but had few sleeping quarters.
With only six members, they had filled space with training grounds and other facilities instead.
“Three rooms total. Pairs of two. Naturally, White Phoenix and I will share, and the rest of you…”
Dang Hwa-seo narrowed her eyes, calculating.
‘Absolutely separate Young Hero Mok and Sword Dragon.’
Putting them together would surely lead to trouble. They’d already clashed several times today—imagine sharing a bed.
That was unacceptable.
Dang Hwa-seo resolved to assign them different rooms and pondered further.
‘Two options: Jegal San and Il-un Monk.’
Ideally, pair Il-un with Mok Ri-won.
Sticking him with Jegal San might rub off bad habits.
But she couldn’t do that entirely—pairing Jegal San with the willful Namgung Jincheon would leave no one to control him.
“Whew…”
A dilemma between emotion and reason.
Dang Hwa-seo agonized long before reaching a conclusion.
“Il-un Monk, please room with Sword Dragon.”
“Yes, gladly.”
Dang Hwa-seo entrusted Namgung Jincheon to Il-un.
Mok Ri-won and Jegal San rejoiced, but Dang Hwa-seo’s heart wasn’t at ease.
Then Hyeun sidled up and whispered.
“How about we each take a room and cram the four men together?”
Dang Hwa-seo gave Hyeun a blank look and snorted.
“Absurd nonsense.”
Who didn’t know giving Hyeun a solo room would mean men visiting nightly to ‘tour’ it.
Dang Hwa-seo had made this arrangement sacrificing herself.
“Don’t even dream of bringing outsiders.”
Dang Hwa-seo aimed to minimize Hyeun’s time hunting men.
Hyeun clicked her tongue.
“Such sharp instincts.”
She said it loud enough for all to hear.