"Mount Hua's Sword Sainttt!"
As Hong Dae-Kwang burst through the door, Chung Myung's eyes immediately sharpened.
"No, but does this man think this is some kind of beggar's front yard?"
"This isn't the time to be talking about that! Mount Hua's Sword Saint!"
"What, again?"
"The Namgung family is—"
At the mention of the Namgung family, the eyes of those sitting around the White Blossom Hall narrowed simultaneously.
"The Namgung family is surrounded by pirates!"
"…"
When Chung Myung didn't show any particular reaction, Hong Dae-Kwang raised his voice in frustration and moved closer, nearly nose-to-nose.
"The main force of the family is trapped on Plum Blossom Island and surrounded by pirate ships! If we don't act now, they might all be wiped out. Are you even listening to—"
"Ah! You are making such disgusting noises; shut it!"
Chung Myung pushed Hong Dae-Kwang's cheek away with his fingertips. If anyone else had rushed at him, he would have thrown a punch immediately, but since it was the beggar from the street, he seemed to want to minimize contact.
Mount Hua's disciples nodded with pleased expressions.
"Chung Myung is polite. He usually uses his hands."
"Yeah, I thought he would push him away with his feet."
"He's become much more well-behaved. If it were before, he would have kicked him with the sole of his shoe. I am happy with the change."
"…"
Excuse me? Was this being polite?
What kind of darkness was Mount Hua experiencing? Hong Dae-Kwang wondered for a moment, but that wasn't his main concern.
"W-what do we do?"
"What?"
"The Namgung family! The Namgung family!"
Chung Myung looked at Hong Dae-Kwang with a bewildered expression.
"What about the Namgung family?"
"Don't we have to do something about it?"
"About the Namgung family?"
"Yes!"
"Why me?"
Hong Dae-Kwang's eyes trembled.
"I told you they are all going to die. If this continues, aren't we going to be wiped out?"
"Oh my. I see. So what should I do? Tsk tsk."
Hong Dae-kwang's mouth slowly opened.
"That…"
He tried to say something more, but before he could, Chung Myung snapped an annoyed look.
"But does this man think I am some kind of goblin? If there is a problem, you come running and whine at me!"
"…"
"If they thoughtlessly went in and got surrounded, they should have taken care of it themselves. They are not some three-year-old kids. They are the ones who cause the accidents, and I am the one who solves them?"
"Well, that is right, but even so…"
"That is why they were crawling in there in the first place. If that person is going to go insane, they have to go insane nicely. Where's the place that they thought they were walking into so boldly? They say that when a croaker jumps in, a loach jumps in too. Do you think they can do it if I do it?"
He could understand why Namgung Hwang was mistaken.
Three years ago, in terms of strength alone, Mount Hua wasn't even comparable to the Namgung family. However, since they saw that not even Mount Hua, but a part of Green Forest, occupied the island and simultaneously controlled the Southern lands and the pirates, they must have thought that it was possible.
'Of course, it might look like that on the outside.'
However, Plum Blossom Island's reality wasn't like that. Plum Blossom Island was the result of a treaty that Jang Ilso and Chung Myung made out of mutual benefits.
It wasn't a place where they could easily defend themselves and block the pirates' attacks, but rather a place where they didn't need to block the attacks because they didn't attack.
The moment Mount Hua retreated and the treaty vanished, everything changed. Plum Blossom Island was now nothing more than a dangerous place in the middle of pirate territory with no escape route. If they could occupy it, they would be guaranteed huge profits, but it meant that it was impossible to occupy in the first place.
Let's say that the Four Precepts Alliance and the Nine Great Sects fought over the island.
Then which side would have the advantage?
It was a land that the Four Precept Alliance, who controlled the river, had no choice but to take.
That was why Chung Myung and Im So-Byeong withdrew before the war broke out.
But they entered that dangerous land without thinking…
If they were weak, they would get hit; if they didn't know, they would get hit; if they acted ignorant, they would get hit… ah, maybe not the last one.
In any case, wasn't it the truth of the martial arts world that if they were ignorant, they would get hit?
"But back in the old days, the Namgung family had quite a few ideas."
Usually, it was the Peng family who caused trouble, and the Namgung family was the one who cleaned it up. But what happened on land in the past hundred years that made the Namgung family look like this…
"Wait."
"Uh?"
"I am asking just in case, but there is that man, Namgung Hwang."
"Uh? Namgung family lord? Why Namgung family lord?"
"Who is that man's mother?"
At that moment, Hong Dae-Kwang's eyes grew so wide that they couldn't get any bigger.
"M-Mount Hua's Divine Dragon. O-of course, I know you aren't so rough, but this is a bit too much…."
"Ugh, shit!"
Chung Myung kicked Hong Dae-Kwang out of the blue.
"This man is suddenly making people weird! No matter what, do I look like someone who would do that?"
The disciples of Mount Hua who heard that all nodded, satisfied.
"That is possible."
"And more, too."
"He can do it as easily as breathing! This much is nothing."
But these people?
"That isn't it. Where is his maternal lineage? Family! Her family!"
"Ah, family?"
Hong Dae-Kwang sighed in relief and searched his mind.
"Let's see… From what I know, the mother of the current Namgung family lord is Peng…"
"Ah, right?"
Right. That had to be it.
Where would that blood go?
Only then did Chung Myung speak with a refreshed expression, as if his unsolved question had been resolved.
"Somehow, I wondered how such a man came from the Namgung family."
It could happen in a normal sect. A sect was a place where many people gathered with a single virtue.
However, a family was connected by blood. If people with similar temperaments received similar education, they would eventually become similar, right?
Of course, even considering that Namgung Hwang had a mixed temperament from the Peng family, it was a bit too much…
"Chung Myung."
"Uh?"
At that moment, Baek Cheon, one of the Five Swords, approached Chung Myung and asked.
"What do you think will happen? Do you think the Namgung family will be able to escape from there?"
"It will be difficult."
"…Then what happens now?"
"Hmm. That is…"
Chung Myung rubbed his chin.
"It went as expected, but it is also a little different."
It was obvious that the Namgung family would suffer a complete defeat. The warriors of this era had never experienced such a large-scale war as this. As a result, they did not understand how important terrain was.
Of course, they must have learned military strategy. However, they must have thought that they could overcome it with their own force.
"I predicted that the Namgung family would advance to Plum Blossom Island… the problem is the Black Dragon King."
"Black Dragon King?"
"He looks like he will rush into Plum Blossom Island and say, 'you die, or I die'… he is surprisingly experienced. Like an old raccoon."
"You shouldn't judge a person by their appearance, but…"
Baek Cheon also agreed with that. The Black Dragon King they saw in the Yangtze River three years ago looked like the embodiment of hegemony. The pirates led by him and the Namgung family led by Namgung Hwang clashed in battle, but who would have imagined that it would turn out as such?"
"If that Black Dragon King is as violent as we think, and we invade the island to annihilate them while they are surrounded, then the Namgung family will have a chance."
Baek Cheon's face hardened as he heard those words. Whenever Chung Myung said something like that, he always had a different situation in mind.
"If."
Baek Cheon said in a darkened voice.
"What if the Black Dragon King and the pirates didn't plan on invading the island? Would it become a fight over which side's rescue would arrive first?"
"If one thinks about it logically, that is what would happen. But… it won't happen as such."
"Uh? Why?"
"The Black Dragon King must know that fact."
"What is that…?"
Baek Cheon tilted his head for a moment, then flinched as if something occurred to him.
"That… right. True."
Jo Gul, who didn't understand the talks between the two, looked at them with puzzling eyes and asked.
"Sasuk. What are you talking about? Please explain it so I can understand."
"…The Black Dragon King, who is surrounding the Namgung family, will also know that it is disadvantageous for him for the rescue team to arrive."
"Right. That man is no moron either."
"But think about it. If the Black Dragon King thinks that the rescue team from the Nine Great Sects will arrive first, would he just let the poisoned rat out?"
"…Of course not."
Baek Cheon slightly bit his lip.
"At the very least, he will try to reduce the Namgung family's power as much as possible before the rescue team arrives. That means they won't just waste time facing each other."
Chung Myung nodded.
"And the position of the Black Dragon King is different. If the Four Sects Alliance arrives first, it means the destruction of the Namgung family. Still, if the Nine Great Sect arrives first, it's just a bit more troublesome for the Pirates."
"Because it's on the river?"
"Yes."
Chung Myung's lips curled up.
In the past, when they had these kinds of talks, Chung Myung's mouth would normally be busy explaining things. But now, Baek Cheon understands the situation first and then answers without questioning thoughtlessly.
"Well, all the Namgung family can do is hold on. That's all they can do right now."
"Can they hold on, though?"
"Namgung Hwang is insane, but he is no idiot. He should be able to endure it. The problem is…"
Chung Myung's face twisted slightly.
He paused for a moment as if choosing his words, then slowly said,
"Do you know when a person falls?"
"…"
It was such a sudden remark, but Baek Cheon couldn't bring himself to speak. He could feel an inexplicable heaviness in the voice.
"The moment a person falls isn't when things get hard. You can endure hardships, you know. When there is hope that you can survive, you hold on."
"…"
"A person falls when the hope is cut off."
Chung Myung sneered.
"I wonder about it too. I wonder if that man who calculates war is willing to risk his life to save the Namgung family."
He didn't mention the name, but everyone there knew who Chung Myung was referring to. No, they couldn't help but know.
"I-it cannot be…"
"It's just a thought, a thought, you know. Nothing has happened yet."
Chung Myung waved his hand as if to tell him not to overthink. But unlike the calm and light waving, his eyes were dark and sunken.
"But if…"
Chung Myung paused and continued,
"If, in a thousand outcomes, what I think does happen…"
The atmosphere turned heavy.
"The Namgung family will live to see hell unfold."
There was silence for a moment. No one could even speak at that.
"Well, we can just stay shut and have rice cakes."
"Chung Myung, shouldn't we do something?"
"Uh?"
"If the Namgung family is in danger…."
"Sasuk."
Chung Myung cut off Baek Cheon's words, crushing any hope.
"The moment you step into battle, you need to take responsibility for all your decisions."
"…."
"People who think it's natural for them to step forward and help will also think that someone else will step forward and help when they are in danger. That complacency will end up costing their lives."
Baek Cheon shut his mouth.
"That is a battlefield, that is a war. Don't forget it. If you don't want to see, the sahyung-sajaes die because of that complacent judgment."
"… I will keep it in mind."
Chung Myung nodded and shrugged.
"Everyone watch carefully. It might happen to us someday."
Everyone gulped, feeling a burning sensation in their throats.