The Chase (8)
The Chase (8)
"Destroy the Beggars' Sect?"
The Hao Sect Leader's tone was strange. He looked as if he'd heard nonsense and was frustrated that he couldn't openly scoff at the idea. He kept making stifled noises, as if he wanted to say something but was forcing his mouth shut. He seemed to want to curse, but the image of a sect member's severed head kept flashing before him.
I ignored his tone and nodded. If I let my emotions show at a reaction of disbelief, the conversation could veer off in a strange direction. Emotions were very important in this conversation, but if I got drawn into a battle of emotions, I would gain nothing.
After all, nothing was uglier than a man who openly flaunted what he had. A hidden backer was most terrifying when it remained in a realm the other party couldn't fathom.
"That's right. Destroying the Beggars' Sect."
My tone was so calm that what I was saying sounded like nothing special. But the Hao Sect Leader shot back the moment I finished speaking.
"How do you intend to do that? The Beggars' Sect is an enormous organization. Even if you seized and killed every last beggar, the Beggars' Sect wouldn't disappear."
"When you hunt a wild beast, who attacks its arms and legs? You aim for the space between the brows. My targets are the Beggars' Sect Leader and the elders. Once the focal point vanishes, it naturally splinters into pieces. The Beggars' Sect is the Beggars' Sect only when it's united; once scattered, how is it any different from a pack of beggars?"
The Hao Sect Leader nodded.
At that moment, he couldn't gauge my strength. Because the Crimson Ring Sect Leader before his eyes was a man who held a heap of strange information that the Hao Sect hadn't been able to grasp. I had flaunted a friendship with Mount Hua Sect's Gwak Ryong, whom I'd never even met before, and set out on my journey with a mysterious expert helper on my back.
On top of that, I was receiving the backing of the Zhuge Family, and in the midst of that, I was backstabbing everyone and trying to extend my hand to the Hao Sect.
What mattered in a negotiation was understanding your opponent. The more you knew about them, the more you could strike at what they wanted, find a compromise, and extract profit.
But the me that the Hao Sect Leader saw was a man who couldn't be pinned down even with a flood of information. What was my power base? Just how far did my capabilities extend? The borrowed might of the tiger, which had begun by walking alongside Gwak Ryong, was creating an intangible authority and influence around me that the Hao Sect Leader couldn't predict.
"But what do I gain by siding with you in this attack on the Beggars' Sect?"
"Everything."
Only one thing remained: to make an offer that would tempt the Hao Sect Leader. I knew nothing of his character, so I had no choice but to improvise on the spot. The Hao Sect Leader spoke.
"Everything? What do you mean everything? I have no use for the beggars of the Beggars' Sect."
"A great man by birth, are you going to die shining the Heavenly Demon's shoes?"
The Hao Sect Leader stiffened. His expression didn't change, but I saw his pupils darting quickly. It was a more passionate shift than anything he'd shown so far.
"The Crimson Ring Sect Leader doesn't watch his mouth. There have been so many who boasted relying on their backers and ended up dead without a trace."
His tone was calm, but it carried the most somber undertone I'd heard from him yet. He hunched over, waiting for my reaction, and I saw his fingers twitch as he gathered his energy.
But it wasn't really a threatening display.
He probably had no intention of actually fighting me. Displaying this attitude was just his way of hoping I would reveal some card. The worst move would be to drag Sannyeo into this, and the next worst option was to explain my own martial prowess.
And the very best move was to pay no attention to his attitude. Because what I wanted wasn't a battle of pride with the bastard. An offer that would tempt the Hao Sect Leader. That was the most important thing.
"Shaanxi is too narrow a land for a man of ambition to hatch grand schemes. Mount Hua Sect, Zhongnan Sect—they all flaunt their domains and boast of their strength, but compared to the vast Central Plains, it's nothing more than a snail-horn dispute. The current fight over the Hao Sect is just the same. You know what they're all claiming as they try to seize you by the hair, Hao Sect Leader, the man called the best of the unorthodox sects in intelligence warfare? Who will become the master of Shaanxi? Over a patch of land that's barely a handspan on the map, the lives of great figures are being thrown around."
I felt the tension drain from the Hao Sect Leader's body. He still eyed me with a piercing gaze, but with his face gilded by flattery, his aura wasn't as sharp as before. The Hao Sect Leader spoke.
"What are you trying to say?"
"That no one is properly recognizing the value of a great figure like the Hao Sect Leader. The Zhuge Family and Mount Hua Sect all treat you like a beast to be caught and finished off."
"Are you saying the Crimson Ring Sect Leader is properly recognizing my value? I've seen plenty of people who sweet-talk because they need my help."
The Hao Sect Leader let out a scoff. No matter how warmly I spoke to him, his attitude was crooked and deeply guarded. But I actually liked that about him. He was the Hao Sect Leader after all. If he trusted just anyone and fell for just anyone's ploys, I would have been disappointed.
"Have you never once thought about climbing higher than where you stand now?"
The Hao Sect Leader flinched at my words. His twitching fingers stopped, and even behind his human skin mask, I could almost read his expression. The Hao Sect Leader, who had stiffened as if struck by lightning, opened his mouth a beat late.
"No."
I could feel the force he put into the word to make it sound resolute. But the brief pause that had formed before he could say it betrayed his inner thoughts.
He had, at some point.
As long as the Hao Sect Leader was a martial man, he couldn't escape the desire to rise.
Every man of the martial world sought to rise in the world.
I continued on.
"Think about it. Where is the place that's said to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Hao Sect? Isn't it the Beggars' Sect? The Beggars' Sect. Those filthy, unclean, vulgar bastards who have no intention of working, just scheming to leech off other people's property while begging. Just look at that bunch, gathered together, claiming they are the righteous path and holding their heads high. Have you never once thought those bastards were disgusting?"
The Hao Sect Leader didn't answer. But silence was an excellent answer. Depending on the situation, it could speak yes or no. By keeping his mouth shut, he was telling me 'yes'.
"Those cancerous beings in society take pride in wallowing at the bottom and are all too busy looking down on the Hao Sect as an unorthodox faction. But who decided what is orthodox and what is unorthodox? Isn't it just the tramps of the Beggars' Sect clinging to the wealthy and powerful and asserting that they alone are justice? The people scraping by at the bottom of society, earning money with all their ability—and the beggars crawling on the ground, doing nothing but wicked deeds. Who is the righteous path and who is the demonic path? Who deserves to be called righteous and step forward as society's pillar?"
The Hao Sect Leader still didn't answer. But the way he tapped his chin with his fingers and tilted his head as he exhaled let me catch a glimpse of his deep deliberation.
The bastard was being tempted. He was listening to something he could have flatly refused in a single word and was mulling it over in his own way.
"I'm utterly disgusted by this self-serving setup. How can those who dismiss the lives of those who strive their hardest and favor a beggar who's good at brawling be called the orthodox sects? And why should we have to suffer their contempt?"
"...So, what is it you want to do?"
The Hao Sect Leader opened his mouth again. As a positive response came back, the corners of my lips rose on their own. The bastard, who had thought it wasn't even worth listening to, came out with the attitude of hearing me out and thinking it over.
I spoke.
"Swallow the world with me. The Heavenly Demon, the Murim Alliance Leader, Mount Hua Sect, the Beggars' Sect. Smash them all. Let's overthrow everything."
What kind of conversations normally took place in the Hao Sect Leader's room? Probably mostly short-sighted talk, like information gathering or the next business venture. Even if they thought a little about the future, they would talk about things to do tomorrow, or a week later.
"Be my strength. Lend me the power of the Hao Sect's people spread across the world to gather information and move the world."
A weighty plan, the kind rarely heard in a small room like this, flowed out.
The Hao Sect Leader swayed, as if he couldn't absorb the gravity of the plan. I heard him gulp, and he openly gasped for breath.
I held my breath until he could accept my plan. His arrogantly twitching hand was trembling, and he barely steadied his ragged breathing and straightened his disheveled posture. A long silence was needed before the Hao Sect Leader could face me again.
"....a mere first-rate?"
The Hao Sect Leader said.
I retorted.
"In a world where even a mendicant monk can become a king, what place is there for 'mere'?"
******
"...Very well."
I barely suppressed the urge to unclench my fists and shout hooray.
The Hao Sect Leader clutched his human skin mask.
After a moment of hesitation, his hand relaxed and pressed against the floor. The wrinkle marks left on his face twisted his already awkward face into an even more grotesque shape.
"...But first, we have to deal with the task we've been assigned."
The Hao Sect Leader said that with a sigh. As he said, since the Heavenly Demon's Cult was involved, we couldn't simply ignore it and act freely.
It was also one of the biggest variables for me. If we failed to find this item and dragged on with time, I couldn't do anything at all.
"That item commissioned by the Heavenly Demon, you mean. So, what exactly is it? All that's floated around is a rumor that it's something the Heavenly Demon is looking for; no one seems to know exactly what."
"Isn't that only natural?"
"We're in the same boat now, so shouldn't you be able to tell me? After all, your side's business has to end before you can help me."
The Hao Sect Leader glanced around for a moment. He seemed to be wrestling with the decision, then he approached me and said in a low voice.
"It's a secret manual said to have been written by the Sex Demon Cheonpung."
Huh?
What did he say?